Saun 2nd 720
Yana navigated through the crystal spiderweb of Uleuda’s many streets. Its design was not planned, but grown over time. First there had been Yldria, the Mother Crystal, serving as a beacon and a safe haven to the first Yludih visiting Uleuda. Her light had caused crystals to grow around her, distinguishing the safe place from the void around it. Over time, while Yldria’s influence made more and more wild crystals sprout, some Yludih unlocked their true self through meditation and introspection. Instead of disappearing after death, their consciousness transferred to Uleuda, as if they had only fallen into eternal slumber. Yldria crowned those Yludih as her champions, bestowing on them an inner light to rival her own, and the ability to shape the crystals of Uleuda. The Yludih dubbed them Ancients, and looked to them for guidance.
The Ancients worked tirelessly to mold Uleuda into an idyllic hub for all Yludih, their desire to form a society where they could live in peace translated to the creation of the first bits of architecture. Slowly but surely, as more Yludih visited Uleuda night after night, as Ydria’s light spread further and further, the crystal city took shape and grew. Starting from the center and expanding outwards, adding buildings and streets and squares, and even a wall to protect the city from those who would seek to harm it.
Traversing those streets, the scarred Yludih reached the labyrinthine latticework of hallways, branching out into hundreds of small rooms no larger than a broom closet. It was plenty space for the purpose they served. Yana strode through several of the thin paths before she found an empty chamber. She stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and made herself comfortable on the crystalweave pillow on the floor. Legs crossed, hands resting on her knees, she sat as straight as she possibly could sit, and reflected on her day.
* * *
It was not unusual for Yana to be buried in paperwork and administration. Her position brought with it responsibilities and an expansion of her duties –most of which diverged away from field work, and shackled her to her desk. Naturally, the Yludih refused to spend all her time filing reports, signing documents, and frowning over logistics. Every so often she spent a day out of office, investigating homicides, burglaries, and other crimes. Or, if the criminals and would-be lawbreakers of Rynmere decided to lay low for a change, patrol the city. Not everything was equally exciting, but the most important thing was that she could take a little break from all the paperwork.
However, leaving the desk was an open invitation for work to start pile up. It was the primary reason why so many of her peers steered clear of field work altogether, instead preferring to fight their battles with a pen instead of a blade, against stacks and stacks of documents instead of troublemakers, pickpockets, and sexual predators. None of those once-Knights-now-penpushers could comprehend how she managed.
Around headquarters contradicting rumors circulated. One would state she never stopped working, paining her as some crazy workaholic who was always on the job. While not exactly wrong, it wasn’t really true either. Another would have you believe that she was in fact not a singular entity. There were at least two of her, twins or doppelgangers, who both lived the life of Captain Saeri LaChasse. When one was at work, the other took time off. And, if the need was there, they both worked together to meet their quotas. The truth of the matter was a lot less exciting, and several times more mundane. Yana simply put in more hours than her colleagues. She started sooner and finished later. It worked for her, and had ever since her promotion.
The only time when it hadn’t was during the peak of the plague, where she had literally been working around the clock for several days to try and keep up with the sudden influx of problems. Naturally, she’d run herself ragged in no time flat, leading to an embarrassing four day absence due to overexertion and complete exhaustion. Afterwards she’d been a little more careful, though still taking on extra work to compensate for sick and dead colleagues, and her own short break.
One would think that after the plague had been cured there would be a lull. A blissful stretch of time where the Iron Hand as a whole could finally sit down for a moment to catch its breath. Hardly so. There were too many things they had to busy themselves with, no time to slack off. There was the distribution of the cure, which required an escort of Knights to secure the area and protect the medics. More Knights to uphold order among the gathered populace when they came for their preventative injections. And to quell any fighting breaking out over whose spot in the queue was whose, and who got to the area first and thus should get the injection first. Not to mention to calm the emotions of those who had to come back the next day when the medical staff’s work day was over, and evening had arrived.
Then there were the many deaths among the Iron Hand too, leading to a decrease in manpower. The forces were spread thin over Andaris, and crime rates were on the rise now the Hand was understaffed. Likewise, personnel transfers and promotions had to be approved or denied, with each day bringing more of those to the desks of the officers than a whole season used to. It was only natural that the empty spots be filled, but dealing with all that was a serious drag.
And, of course, there was the issue of all the orphaned children.
