Xahu Fu Sheng's Journal

[Xahu Fu Sheng]

~~~ Entry 1, D-278 Y-3 4th Age



   I went to see the Winter Festival that Lord Athian has put together, headquartered at our new granary/farm building. Arriving there, the place was alive with music, Aryn singing and playing a lute, and Athian and Radem and a white vixen where having a pleasant chat. The food was a feast to the senses! The smells were great, the sight itself was a pleasure to the eyes, and the taste, Radem and Athian and whoever else prepared that food did a fantastic job!

   Alas, it wasn't long 'till work followed me in. The former Rowan Jr., now Anthony Vance, came in, outraged at some things my father was heard saying in public. ...at least fate made it so that he didn't interrupt Athian's 'story hour', where he told us of some legends and lore that go along with these celebrations at this time of the year.

   My father believes the foxramaus should be limited to the number of children they are allowed to produce. I'm having trouble sympathizing with such idea. I'm well aware that several places in the world have limitations imposed upon the people, on how many or even what gender of offspring they are allowed to have. My father's ancestral land in the far East has such laws, in certain areas, to control overpopulation. Also because females there are regarded as inferior, and are less capable of the heavy labor that producing crops and fighting wars impose, infanticide is a common practice, should a baby be born female...

   I can't do that to our people! Lismore has always advocated for a level of liberty for its citizens of the likes the world has never seen and I doubt will ever see anywhere else!

   ...but at same time... I have this fury within me! I want to kill every last foxramau there is, because of what Edhel and Fangshi did! My greatest regret is that I wasn't the one to kill Edhel Valentine myself, for what he did to Ewyllyn... The memory of that still haunts her!

   While I think I'm doing the right thing, I can't help but be plagued with doubt! I should have killed them all, the whole lot! It was pity that stayed my hand. They are helpless, they are scared, afraid, lost, and above all, powerless! ...and in one particular case, innocent!

   When I returned home, Ewyllyn had gone into labor! I have been looking forward to this moment, and dreading it at same time! Ewy assured me that felines have a pretty easy time giving birth so I shouldn't worry about her well-being. But at same time this is another step in the legacy of the demon usurpers. I have tried so hard to think of the child growing inside my wife as my own, but I simply couldn't, and that conflict has kept me awake at night many many times! I can only hope I've hidden my feelings well enough so that Ewy wouldn't feel any more than she already does because of me.

   Doctor Yamanu was nowhere to be found in a short notice (he seems to have a thing for delivering new babies), so doctor Mishra was brought in. Typical of him he suggested cutting Ewy's belly open to take the child out without her having to go through the rather intense process of normal birth. I ...disagreed, vehemently! But he somehow sold her on the idea that her lady parts won't be "all stretched out and busted", and that it's safer for the child, and that he can heal her up like nothing ever happened, and that she would feel no pain whatsoever. She agreed to go through with the procedure. At that point I had to hide behind a privacy screen, I couldn't watch it! I have heard of Mishra's miraculous powers, and I trusted him, but I could not watch it.

   Mishra gave Ewy something for the pain, and got to work right away. It wasn't long before I heard the cry of a baby, and the doctor saying it was a boy...... and then again the cry of a second baby, and the doctor called out that there was a girl too! My heart sank, Edhel made not one but TWO babies in my Ewyllyn?! The doctor closed her up, and indeed, through some magic, there wasn't a sign that she was ever cut into! Ewy weakly called me, and I went to see her...

   ...and indeed, there were two babies in her arms, a boy and a girl, but... ...they were not both Edhel's! The little girl, she has foxramau traits, the characteristic ears and tails, and she has Ewy's beautiful white fur. But the boy, ...he's a wolf, with just a touch of my own equine heritage, and Ewy's beautiful white fur as well!

   The doctor explained, in rather obscene detail, something I hear is typical of him, that many felines are spontaneous ovulators... meaning they can be impregnated by more than one male within a certain window of time. So he theorizes that I impregnated Ewy first. I can't deny such news filled me with joy! Feels like a victory over the demons! Yes they left their mark, but they were not able to ruin it all!

   I just have to somehow raise both our children without neglecting the little girl... She's innocent in all of this! And she's a part of my beloved Ewyllyn! I suspect I will be acutely aware of this responsibility now.

   I held both babies in my arms, and we will raise them both as our on! He's been anointed royal prince of Lismore, and she has been anointed royal princess of Lismore. And I'm now a dad!

[Xahu Fu Sheng]

~~~ Entry 1, D-316 Y-3 4th Age


   Life seems to be returning to normal, or at least to a quieter level. The last big ceremony, if it could be called that, was the closing of the Winter Celebrations. It was done at the tail end of visitations that day. I picked a time strategically before Lord Athian would have another round of food prepared to replenish what was consumed. I didn't want there to be all that freshly-made food that he would feel responsible for eating. I'm starting to worry about his appetite! He's put on some weight this winter! I'm starting to think there is no limit to how much he can eat!

   Speaking of Athian, he seems to have a liking for my new palace guards. Spent a great deal of time the other day chatting with the guard at the palace doors. These guards, elite warriors sent to me as coronation present from the Pharaoh of Egypt, are very large, very muscular lions! They are superbulously trained and absolutely lethal. And with the strength they possess there's little I think could get past them should they stand in the way! They are absolutely disciplined and swore their loyalty to the death to myself and Ewyllyn and our children. The only thing that worries me about these lions is that they eat in amounts that rival Lord Athian's consumption of food! And they have an almost exclusive preference for meat. Indeed I see how Athian can be interested on them!

   Another quiet, unceremonious event was the officiating of my mother as our new captain of the guard. Mom has been looking for a 'profession' she felt more comfortable with. I don't think either mom or dad really enjoyed being rulers too much, you have to deal with far too much whining and false people who come to you with agendas of their own. I think both mom and dad prefer the more straight-forward life of the warrior. Even though I know dad has a mischievous side to him, you deal with things a lot simpler as a warrior than you do as a ruler, as a politician. I think this will be a welcome break for them. ...I just hope dad doesn't go ripping people's eyes out when he interrogates prisoners!

   Today in another quiet ceremony, I inaugurated the city's new apartments building! It was built on a plot of land behind the library, solely with money from the reparations the Valentines were made pay to the city. And on that same note, I am now starting a fund to help those in need, either damaged by the reign of the usurper demons, or simply who are down on luck or can't help themselves. In the end it will amount to the welfare system my father wanted to create so long ago! I have told no one, though. Mom strongly objected of me investing on the slaver Kawadias enterprise, and Ewy doesn't need to worry about this kind of stuff for now, she's been kept so busy taking care of our children. I've taken a considerable amount of my personal silver treasure and gave it to Kawadias. He promised he will be back in 6 months with at least the same, but most likely twice that volume, in gold! I realize this is a gamble, but I feel I must take the risk. If he screws me over I will make him a wanted man, revoke his slaver license, appropriate his ship and cargo, and may his gods have mercy on his soul, if he ever sets foot back in Lismore!

   Now that the apartments are complete, I can start work on some renovations on the palace! The plans for the palace were done before the apartments, but I didn't want to start out with the palace and then build something for the people, that would reflect very bad on my image, I believe! The people will always have to come first! I am assured that the peoples of Lismore love their emperor, and it's my constant endeavor to earn that love.

[Xahu Fu Sheng]

~~~ Entry 1, D-21 Y-4 4th Age


   Yuna has started asking questions. I knew sooner or later that phase would come, and by Heavens she's so inquisitive! I'm proud of her, she's so intelligent, and she's learned to read with an easiness that's nothing short of astonishing! But at same time I dreaded the day she would ask about her features, being that she does spot the rather characteristic foxramau tails and ears.

   I heard some parents dread the day they will have to address 'the talk' with their children; the day they tell them how they were made and where they come from; I feel this fear comes from repressed sexual lives, from a sense of awkwardness concerning the subject. Thankfully neither Ewyllyn nor I have such problems. While it is an intimate aspect of ourselves, sex is a normal thing like sleeping or eating. And our kids have understood it as simply as that. There was no mystery, no forbidden secret. Not a subject that's hard to address.

   But Yuna is different, and she knows that. And she's intelligent. Knowing how they were made, where they come from, isn't enough for her. Someday she might learn what truly happened to Ewyllyn while in captivity, but for now she's too young for that kind of talk. I didn't want to outright lie to her, but I didn't want to tell her what really happened, she doesn't need that while growing up, she doesn't need to worry about such things, her world is perfectly fine the way it is, her parenthood doesn't need to be brought into question. So I told her that right at the time when mommy and daddy made her, the evil demon usurpers captured us and did terrible things to us. I told her that while cubs are in their mothers' tummy, they can be influenced by what the mother eats or drinks or by what she goes through in life, and because of the proximity with the demons, she came out with some of their traits. I left it intentionally vague, but she seemed perfectly happy with that explanation. I hope that will be enough for a long while, though I fear sooner or later the remaining foxramaus might bring it up. We will deal with it when that time comes.

   ...which brings me to another problem with the foxramaus... ...and Yuna: She's developing her magic, at an extremely early age! Anthony Vance gave me his late brother Roku's powercore, saying Yuna would need it to control her magic. I had it analyzed, and I was told that was an object of great evil, and that the best course of action was to destroy it. Valencia would research into creating a 'benign' powercore, but she hasn't had much success. In the meantime, Yuna's powers are getting stronger. She's taken up to grabbing things using the sleeves of her shirt as gloves, to avoid accidentally freezing whatever she's holding in her paws. I heard she's been having accidents with her magic, freezing books and tables and food and chairs by merely touching them! We need to help her control her powers. I just don't know how!

   Amon has returned to Lismore, or come out of hiding. He was warned not to mention the origin of Yuna's foxramau traits.

   He seem to have found a way with his uncle Vheljen to seal away his demonic side. Whatever they did, it worked, he didn't even register as a demon when he entered the room. But more shocking than that really was that he is trying to become a paladin of all things.

   I know of his direct involvement with the plot against us, when his parents usurped the throne, but I felt he was being sincere as he regretted it all. I didn't want any more blood spilled, so I merely sentenced him to a year of work as a farmhand under Lord Athian and Radem's supervision. I'm pretty sure my mother disagrees, she thinks in fact I'm being too soft, too lenient with people; perhaps her strictness will make her quite a good captain of the guard. But I have problem dealing further harsh punishments to the foxramaus for their leaders' crimes from the recent past, as those have been dealt with, and I'm reminded often of the fact that they have indeed been punished, as with the gold we seized from them, besides their land holdings, I have been able to work on quite a few projects around Lismore for the good of the people. Any day now we will break ground on the renovations on the outdated baths, and the infirmary is due for a refit as well, and we will be able to pay extra for the work to be done during winter, thanks to the Valentines spoils surplus.

[Xahu Fu Sheng]

~~~ Entry 1, D-331 Y-4 4th Age


  It seems we just can't get away from the demons, and the damage they have done to us!

  Yuna has asked me again about her appearance.  Why she has foxramau traits. This time though, she was convinced we are hiding something, and was unusually aggressive in her questioning. I told her nothing new. Nothing different than what we have always told her before, that because Ewyllyn was in the presence of the demons for so long right at the time Yuna and Valric were conceived, Yuna ended up with traits similar to those of the demons... It's far fetched but it's known that some of them are so insidious that they radiate demonic corruption, and are capable of tainting someone simply from being in close proximity for long periods of time... She used to accept that and not question us, but now something changed in her mind and she's sure she's being deceived.

  Radem came complaining to me about animals at the farm appearing with demonic taint, again. That happened in the past, when Roku Valentine was around, and would molest the animals because that's what got his rocks off or something. But with Roku gone.... or is he? We know he was killed, but he's a demon, they need to be exorcised to be gone for good. I fear his spirit might be haunting the area and attacking the animals. That, or another demon has been getting his jollies off. I told Radem to put demonic wards in the stables area, to keep those wretched creatures away. If that doesn't work, we will need to take more drastic measures.

  Even before these events, I have considered the demon situation in Lismore... I mused in secret, with Lord Emir only, that perhaps we should silently begin to weed out the demon population. It wouldn't be a popular move to put them all to the sword, even if many folks profess that they would like to see the demons gone... But if they were to be assassinated, quietly, one by one... I don't like this sort of thinking, but I don't want to let them take hold again and become a problem!

  At same time, I still feel strongly that the remaining foxramaus, Anthony's family specifically, the Vances, they are scared. They are lost. They are acutely aware that their existence hangs on the balance and that anytime they could be exterminated! They have even taken measures to ensure they can still reproduce and spawn more of their kind even if there's only one of them left in the world! That's an act of desperation from a species that sees itself as threatened from all sides. I pity them. They need a purpose! They were created for a purpose, and as time went on, their purpose fulfilled, they had to try and find their place in this world, and it hasn't been easy for them. I'm glad one of them is joining the Guard, having a 'normal', and honorable job might be great influence on this new generation and the ones to come.

[Xahu Fu Sheng]

~~~ Entry 1, D-10 Y-5 4th Age


   Things have been rather busy with the Lismorean Guard. Cena Valentine was arrested, her attitude and explosive temper finally landed her in jail; Djoser and Hatshepsut Vance have both been arrested for trespassing and ....vandalism at the farm; a fallen paladin named Ritual has been arrested for making threats at my daughter...

   Cena's sentence was carried out the other day. I decided that while I would maintain my decision to allow her to have her womb restored by doctor Mishra, and therefore be able to breed once again, her powers were to be taken away for the time being. I'm hoping that the life of a mortal might help cool her temper so she doesn't get herself into trouble all the time. Anthony Vance carried out the sentence, and I now have a tass crystal which contains Cena's powers. To have them restored, all one has to do is break the crystal.

   The Vance kids... Turns out they were the demons visiting the farm in secret, violating and corrupting the horses. Radem the rabbit has been asked to put demonic wards to keep off the demons from the stables area, and he's done so, but not before the Vances' involvement in the matter was discovered, by their own father none-the-less. Both Djoser and Hatshepsut went quietly to jail, awaiting sentencing. Hatshepsut was stripped of her guard role, but word has reached me that her brother has implored to my mother to re-consider that decision, claiming that he alone was the culprit, that his sister was acting entirely under his control. ...and that she's pregnant with his child. Mom is still deliberating on the matter, she will be handling the judging and sentencing on this case. For now the Vance kids are 'rotting' in jail, but such term hardly applies, as I also heard they have had a few things brought in to make life more bearable for them, turning their cells into comfy plush rooms.

   Ritual seems to be a fallen paladin, and according to Miriamella's investigations, one who sold her soul to a malicious deity. I questioned her on the matter of her making threats on Yuna. Seems the woman is just another who believes it's their duty to do justice, nevermind what the local authorities think or say. I don't condone what Yuna was doing to get herself threatened, but for Ritual's obtuse way of approaching my daughter, I have sentenced her to a month in prison. Perhaps in that time Miriamella can help her, she seemed like a troubled creature.

   Yuna has been dabbling in some rather unusual, and borderline forbidden magics now. Some spirit guardian companion of Radem has told Yuna that she has 'half a soul', that parts of her spirit were destroyed when the archangel Zepira blessed and cleansed Ewyllyn when she was pregnant with Yuna and Valric. So she decided she will attempt, unsupervised, without consulting with me or her tutors, to yield soul magic. That's what got her thretened by the fallen paladin, who claims to be an expert on the matter.

   I strongly disapprove of Yuna's new path with her magic, and I have forbidden her from continuing on her own - frankly I'd rather she didn't continue studying it at all! That led us to a great argument, where she said she hated me, and I had to order her to her room. Her friends River and Forest apparently followed her to comfort her, while Radem, who was around with Lord Athian, stood by me and offered me some comfort. The rabbit can be quite tolerable, so long as he's not being political.

   Yuna has insistently questioned her origins, and once again she did it with all the words in front of Lord Athian and Radem and Forest and River and all the guards. After giving it some time, Radem suggested maybe I should tell her the truth. And he's right.

   So I went down to Yuna's chambers and we had a talk I hoped I'd never have had to have with her. I told her about what happened to her mother during the reign of the Valentines. I told her the reason we had kept it secret, and made up a cover story for it, was to protect them. To protect both Ewyllyn, and Yuna. Although now she knows the truth, I asked her not to ever bring it up again. This is a truth she must keep to herself, and bury it deep! It does no good to anyone to think of her as a bastard rapechild of a demon. Hopefully she will listen to me and never ever speak of it again!

   On a happier note, Lord Athian has finalized the plans for the greenhouse, and as soon as the weather permits, construction will begin.

[Xahu Fu Sheng]

~~~ Entry 1, D-217 Y-5 4th Age


   Life has been hectic as always. It's hard to find time to sit down and just write lately. With the coming of springtime, there's much to be done!

   With the plans for the greenhouse addition to the farm finalized, work should begin anyday now. Also there's to be work done on the baths, and there's been mention that we should have a house of worship, a temple dedicated not to any one god in particular but to all the gods, much like the Roman Pantheon temple. I have an idea where to put that, but first things first: Farm and baths!

   Radem the purple rabbit slave wasn't too pleased with the idea of an amalgamated house of worship, he wants a specific area for his goddess Inari. I understand his desire to please his deity, who's supposedly been bestowing blessings upon him. Lord Athian disagrees with the idea of allocating space for any one specific deity, though, as it could be seen as favoritism towards one god.

   I see things from a much more practical standpoint: This goddess of Radem's supposedly helps him with our crops. If allowing the rabbit to build a shrine to her will bring us higher yields during harvest, seems like a worthwhile investment to me. Still the location for such shrine or temple is still hotly debated. Radem wants it put in the Cruentus island. Valencia is vehemently against the idea of having a goddess share the lands with her. Tirrenelda' is rather selfish on what comes to their lands, they won't allow Radem to build there. So there's still much to be considered before that plan can move forward with.

   My daughter Yuna has grown to full adulthood by now, courtesy of her foxramau blood. I suspect that has created a rift between her and Valric, as he's still a young boy, playing with a wooden sword and his stuffed bear. She's a woman... and as such, she failed to avoid getting pregnant. I'm going to be a grandfather, my son is going to be an uncle at age 8, mom and dad will be great-grandparents... It's odd to think of it like that!

   I confess to this diary only, that I considered thoroughly having Yuna end the pregnancy, and almost went through with it. But I simply couldn't bring myself to do it. Yuna will have her child as it is, for better or for worse.

   She should be married, to the ranger Ewan Fletcher, one of the various males Yuna has surrounded herself with and the only truly mature one of the bunch. We still need to discuss details of the ceremony. I was considering tying it up with the Springtime Festival that Lord Athian will be putting together, but perhaps it would be best to make it not the beginning of the festival, but one occurrence during the ongoing festivities. We can't wait too long though, Yuna will soon enough begin to show some belly, and as I explained to Athian, my daughter will not bring forth a bastard child out of wedlock! Ewyllyn supports me in that decision. So it's time to start talking about marriage!

   On good news though, the slaver Kawadias is finally back in Lismore! He's 4 months late, but made good on his promise and our deal! 10 months ago I gave him an obscene amount of my own silver treasure, to be taken to his homeland of Egypt where silver is rarer than gold, for him to exchange one for the other. While the exchange rate was less than originally expected, even 1-1 exchange from silver to gold is still a gain of ten times for me, being that in Lismore 10 silver coins make 1 gold coin!

   This is money that should be put to good use, to help improve the realm, but I can see already I will splurge on Yuna's wedding. She's a princess, and while she's already a spoiled girl, she should have a wedding worthy of a princess!