A fortnight after the arrival, the Lords of Old Empire, as it was casually agreed between them to call their lost homeland, were still feeling quite alien. There was a lot of whispering, a lot of acute looks on every street wherever the unconfident Lords would dare to turn to. Although the system of their new land was very similar and there was not so much to get used to, it would indeed take longer for them to assimilate.
There was one topic that was however even more popular among the Nobility than the "unstipulated spongering", as conservative original subjects of the New Empire, reluctant to admit the rights of the new citizens, called the refugees' attempt to adapt on new land. It was the recent rise of sects within the factions of Knights and Demons, each tending heavily to magic arts, the classes of Darkness and Holy. This did not only have military significance; peasantry, merchants, even the clergy alike were consumed by the madness of the pulpiteering: "Darkness will consume us all!", "Embrace the Pervasive Darkness!", "Light is the only salvation!", "The Light will blind us and dampen our senses!" - all sorts of exclamations and incantations could be heard all over the Empire.
On that rather bright day, Grammith woke up especially early to have time to make a full preparation for the intended events. He put some time into thinking over his gala appearance. He had to make an imposing impression on the newly acquired subjects of the Empire, for on the day they had arrived, he could not boast the best outfit, and that had upset him. That day's parade was dedicated to the first Tournament to allow both Old and New Empire citizens measure swords and staves with each other. He had noticed that Kalirosh, the esteemed Knight councilor representing the migrants, expressed great respect to his person; and he was certainly pleased by that, especially flattered by the fact that the overseas councilor was at least 10 years older.
...Grammith had become the Warlord of all Empire forces when the former Council had renounced its powers and entitled the Knight to lead the combined faction armies during the wars of the Throne. The decision was unanimous, to great gratification of Her Majesty the Empress who was convinced that it was always easier to control one man than a group of councilors whose opinions often failed to match until many continuous sessions of conversations took place. Grammith was a venerable officer of the Empire army, his stepping into chief-in-command position was perceived warmly by the nation and, in particular, by the military forces, so he assumed his position with comparative ease without any visible fuss or deprecation...
Grammith could understand the depth of Her Majesty's decision to initiate a Minor tournament. It was an opportunity to test the newcomers in battle to actually estimate their battle prowess with Her trustees' own eyes; it might have also have been a chance to let the two nations come one step closer to each other, since, as it was very well known, the respect of Nobility is best gained in battle. Finally, the covert purpose was also to clash the new groups of Knights and Demons between each other and other factions to reveal their strong and weak sides to be always one step ahead at controlling them, preventing them from gaining too much significance to splinter from the currently existing system of factions. Grammith smiled and nodded to himself, as if expressing approval of the idea, tidied his hair again, raised his head high and stepped out of his residence.
When Grammith appeared on the pedestal situated in front of the main entrance to Empire Capital Arena, an echoing thunder of ovations welcomed him and developed into his speech about the Tournament. Heralds all over the Empire were proclaiming the beginning of 22nd Minor Tournament open for all subjects of the Empire. Herald Arctic recurred to his ability to deliver news to every ear of Old Empire inhabitants to make sure all his compatriots would heed the news as well:
  
Lordship,
Our liege, Her Majesty the Empress has enjoined to declare the beginning of 22nd Minor Tournament. This will be a combined tournament; all subjects including the migrants will take part in it at equal conditions.
Please be aware that some factions' armies have been rebalanced, and their recruit count might have changed at all levels.
Good luck, dear Lords and Ladies. Let certitude and faith guide you, and may you prove the worth of our lost Empire!
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