The founding of the Golden Dynasty

Amid those increasingly peaceful days, news arrived from the east, sending ripples through Caria's upper ranks.

On the Altus Plateau, where the Erdtree's light shone, a vast new dynasty proclaimed its founding-the Golden Dynasty.

Eternal Queen Marika and her lord, Godfrey "the Golden," became the most prominent rulers in the Lands Between.

When the news reached Liurnia, Horace was in his study in Lakeside Town, reviewing the latest report on public order in his domain that Ymir had compiled.

When the messenger handed him the parchment, he unrolled it, read it, and fell silent for a long time.

Outside the window, the sunlight was bright. The shouts of Inquisitor Knights drilling on the training grounds were faintly audible, while vendors' cries and children's laughter drifted from the town.

But he knew that the course of events in the Lands Between was finally entering a new chapter, one he had always subconsciously feared.

Big brother... Godfrey. Marika, the Golden Order.

Scenes from the game's story flashed through his mind. Glory, conquest, exile, the Shattering...

He could no longer sit still.

A few days later, Marquis Horace Loux formally submitted a written request to Queen Rennala to undertake a diplomatic mission to the Golden Dynasty.

At court, several ministers voiced their doubts: the Golden Dynasty was on the rise, and its Law and faith differed considerably from Caria's system. Would taking the initiative to send an envoy now seem overly eager, or even weak?

Horace argued his case, stressing that isolation was no lasting solution. Taking the initiative to understand, and even influence, their powerful new neighbor was the best way to safeguard the kingdom's interests.

Rennala sat upright on her throne, listening to the debate below. Her thoughtful gaze rested on Horace most of the time.

Of course, she could see that the marquis was unusually eager to undertake this mission. There were probably more reasons behind it than those he had stated.

But she also knew Horace's ability and caution, and agreed with the strategic value of establishing ties with the Golden Dynasty.

More importantly...

Her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly toward her younger sister Rellana, who stood straight and tall.

Though Rellana's face was expressionless, her fingers tightened slightly around her sword, and her eyes kept following the figure with dark red hair who was speaking so confidently.

"Very well." Rennala's clear voice rang out, silencing all discussion.

"Marquis Horace Loux has shown foresight, and his words are sound. The marquis shall serve as chief envoy on this mission, with full authority over its affairs. To demonstrate our sincerity and convey the friendship of the Carian Royal Family..."

She paused, her gaze settling on Rellana.

"Rellana."

"At your service." Rellana stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"Will you serve as deputy envoy, assist Marquis Horace, and convey the Carian Royal Family's greetings to Queen Marika?"

Rellana gave a start, then bowed her head. "As you command, Your Majesty."

After court adjourned, Rennala stopped her sister as she was about to leave, in the corridor leading to the inner court.

"Rellana."

"Sister?" Rellana turned.

Rennala walked over and reached out to smooth a nonexistent crease on her shoulder armor. She lowered her voice, her words carrying a meaning only the two sisters understood. "This mission will take you far, into uncertain circumstances. Marquis Horace is capable, but he is not a member of the royal family, after all. In certain situations, you will need to mediate in your capacity as royalty."

"I understand, Sister." Rellana nodded earnestly.

"Mm." Rennala looked at her, a glint of mischief flashing in her eyes. She lowered her voice further, almost to a whisper. "And... this is a rare opportunity. That barbarian marquis spends all day on either research or Law. He's like a stone. Traveling together this time, over mountains and rivers, spending every day in each other's company... the rest is up to you."

Rellana's cheeks instantly flushed red, almost steaming. "Sister! W-what nonsense are you saying now! This is a matter of state! Official business!"

"Yes, yes, a matter of state. Official business." Smiling, Rennala patted her sister's shoulder. Without another word, she turned and gracefully departed, leaving Rellana standing alone in the corridor, her face burning and heart racing, embarrassed and annoyed, with a little anticipation secretly beginning to bud.

Preparations for the mission proceeded at a feverish pace.

Horace selected fifty of the most elite Inquisitor Knights as guards.

On the night before departure, Horace stood alone on the castle terrace, looking north.

The Erdtree... had it already grown that tall?

Big brother... what were you like now?

Were you still that barbarian chieftain who thought of nothing but fighting, yet quietly protected his younger brother?

Or had you already become Godfrey "the Golden" through and through, a lord fighting for Marika and the Golden Order?

Marika... what exactly were you planning?

Would this journey bring fortune or disaster? Was it merely diplomacy, or a fork in the road of fate?

He tightened his grip on the terrace railing, his fingertips paling slightly. His dark red hair stirred gently in the night breeze.

Whatever lay ahead, he had to go. To understand, to prepare, and for... the elder brother who had once stood in front of him, but who might now be walking an entirely different path.

Early the next morning, the diplomatic party finished assembling outside Lakeside Town.

Horace wore a dark marquis's everyday outfit that allowed ease of movement, with a cloak bearing the Caria Crest over it and two swords at his waist.

His dark red hair stood out in the morning light.

Rellana wore her signature silver-blue light knight armor beneath a deep purple cloak signifying her royal status. Her long hair was tied up, her expression solemn, and she cut a valiant figure. Riding a white warhorse, she came to Horace's side.

They exchanged a glance without saying much.

Horace gave a few final instructions to Uriel and several officials of his domain who had come to see them off, then swung into the saddle.

"Move out."

At his command, the procession slowly began to move. Wheels rumbled and hooves clattered as they set out eastward, toward the plateau shrouded in golden light, beginning a long journey into the unknown.

The rumble of the Grand Lift of Dectus echoed between the rock walls like the deep sigh of a giant beast.

Carrying the Carian delegation, the enormous stone platform rose steadily and inexorably along ancient tracks, passing through the darkness within the mountain toward the increasingly bright light above.

When the platform finally fitted seamlessly into the edge of the Altus Plateau and dazzling daylight poured down unobstructed, Horace could not help narrowing his eyes slightly.

Before him stretched an endless golden plain, its land covered in a vitality so exuberant it was almost overbearing.

On the distant horizon stood the Erdtree, vast beyond imagining. Its crown seemed to hold up the entire sky, and the golden motes streaming down from it fell like eternal drizzle, coating everything on the plateau in an ethereal, solemn sheen.

"So this is... the power of the Erdtree?" Rellana rode up beside Horace and gazed up at the immense tree. Golden light reflected in her deep blue eyes, which held awe and a trace of wariness.

"Mm," Horace answered, his gaze complicated.

He had seen it countless times in the game, but experiencing it in person, the combined visual and psychological impact still made his heart tremble.

He could sense the air suffused with an aura of "life," utterly different from the Formless Mother's thick, bloody presence.

Checkpoint after checkpoint lined the road to the royal capital, Leyndell.

Leyndell knights clad in golden armor carefully inspected their documents, questioned their purpose, and even registered their equipment and belongings.

The procedures were cumbersome. Their attitude could not be called hostile, but the scrutiny and distance concealed beneath their courtesy were everywhere.

Throughout it all, Horace maintained the composure and courtesy expected of an envoy, his answers leaving no room for fault.

Rellana, meanwhile, met certain subtly probing questions with the dignity of a royal princess and the valor of the Twin Moon Knight.

The Inquisitor Knights were silent as iron and strictly disciplined, drawing slightly surprised glances from quite a few Leyndell knights.

The defining feature of the Golden Order was that it had removed Destined Death, preventing living beings from attaining a "proper death."

Marika had transformed Destined Death, which the Gloam-Eyed Queen served, into the Rune of Death and sealed it within Maliketh's weapon, the black blade.

Once Destined Death was sealed, its outward effect was that life no longer died normally, and there was no longer any concept of a cycle of life and death within death rites.

To replace the old system, the Golden Order introduced an entirely new system of return to the Erdtree: when an individual life reached its end, it would return to the tree's embrace, where redistribution and reincarnation took place based on the Runes energy within the tree.