King of Swords 10-172
Yem Yeddo was astonished, and a great terror overwhelmed him. He was a quick and cowardly man, and fled. The people rejoiced and the granaries were broken open. The bodies of the tyrannical lord’s men were burned without rites and stomped upon. Flour was dragged forth by the sackful, the well Intra dug was quickly filled with fresh water and reinforced with stone, and soon many loaves of bread were emerging, steaming, from his oven. A goat was slaughtered and a great feast was had.
“Thankyou for the hospitality,” said Intra, when the night had grown long. “I will not impose upon you any longer.”
The populace were desperate for him to stay. “Lord Intra,” said they, “Yem Yeddo may yet return, with more men!”
“That is true,” said Intra, “And that I cannot help with you. But remember, men like him have forgotten their mothers. Their feet do not touch the earth, and they grasp at feeble things. They are like a mangy dog fighting over a fetid corpse. They have forgotten that with their brothers, working together, they could bring down a magnificent ox.”
He reached down and picked a goodly sized rock from the floor of the valley.
“This valley is broad and beautiful. It may have one Yem Yeddo, but it contains many more stones.”
– The Song of Maybe
“They will say you’re weak!”
“No, they will see we’re strong.”
“Your position is so unique!”
“So I’ll use it to move them along.”
“Why do you have to say goodbye?”
“If I say goodbye, the nation learns to move on, it outlives me when I’m gone…”
-Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, “One Last Time,” Hamilton Musical
This whole exchange between White Chain and Solomon … oof we’re reaching levels of cringe I didn’t think possible.
Cringe indeed. He certainly doomed his people to a life of prosperity and civility. But yeah time to tear it all down
Is ok if it all fails you can always join Gog-Agog, she is right there after all.
Hm? It’s pretty accurate, empires around one great ruler tend to fall apart when that ruler dies. Off the head I can think of the Mongols, Alexander the Great’s conquests, and at least two Chinese dynasties that all collapsed when their big man in charge kicked the bucket.
First, this is hardly a problem in a universe where that ruler is practically immortal.
Second, there are multiple examples of autocratic realms living well past their founders’ deaths, changing with the times (take Rome or the Holy Roman Empire); and of republics and democracies failing spectacularly, both to internal strife and outside invasion (take ancient Athens or medieval Novgorod).
Hm I suppose one mor thing to consider might be sucession: Rome definitely had a system of sucession in place. All the monarchies as another example settled that mainly based on “birthright”.
So while solomon is paractically immortal, he also seems to be quite tired of the job. at least sometimes. And without hin they would not have a fighting chance.
Well, thats still the question: How are “the people” supposed to forge their destiny in a universe full of superpowered demigods? Can they hire dave for security issues?
He probably will give up the throne to White Chain. She did technically win the tournament, making her the heir to the throne. It would also serve as a big FU from Solomon as he leaves her with the choice of taking the the throne and leading the empire, or letting it devolve into chaos. He is the only one that can allow people to pass between the worlds of his realm, and if he gives White Chain the key then she would have to rule, or just let the worlds of the Empire stand independently. She can’t really give the key over to a council because that would just devolve into bickering.
Demiurges can devolve part of the power of their key to subordinates, if I recall correctly. There’s nothing stopping her from splitting the key up equally between everyone and calling it a day.
I was previously under the assumption that the keys don’t really give much of a power boost and just signified that you had the power/cunning to control an empire of that scale, and that you control the only way in and out from the worlds that make up their empire.
Historians consider one of the Roman Empire’s glaring weaknesses to be its lack of succession. Because they remained a nominal Republic even as they devolved into a monarchy, they eschewed the terms and rules typical to a king. So emperors would typically name their heir–sometimes a biological son, sometimes not–but the political landscape was ripe for intrigue and civil war. Hence the Year of Four Emperors and the Year of Five Emperors.
No, the reason White Chain’s speech rings hollow is that democracy doesn’t just happen, and it certainly isn’t viable just because someone overthrows the strongman and declares the people free. Western representative governments were the result of centuries of developed politics, philosophies, religious underpinnings, and cultural mores. It’s more a historical wonder that the pieces could actually come together and remain stable for this long, because they are the exception to the rule, historically speaking.
That was my primary concern when I saw this. Does it make for awesome drama, yes. Does it make sense from a pragmatic perspective, no. I really hope Abbadon realizes this and has White Chain realize this
“Practically” Immortal is no immortality. Even the King of Kings fell. Why search so hard for a successor, if he feels he shall always be around?
Because a good leader plans for the worst case. Even if they believe they will win, no good leader doesn’t have a backup plan.
Interesting that the gang seems to have reached a final form… and they number seven.
Also very nice that this confirms they all have wills strong enough to manifest an atum halo or at least the beginning of one.
Finally, and most interesting, is that Zaid’s halo is the same color of Solomon’s
MMMHHHHHH….
I thought the pages before this looked good but HOT DAMN this one takes the cake! The team pose, solomon’s face, all of it! I love it!
The mass always wins
Only to be driven by demagogues and transform either into an autocracy far worse than before, or into a slaughterhouse. Consider the history of ancient Athens, or the French Revolution.
Be careful with that historical literacy. It isn’t welcomed by the Nmcurrent demagogues, either.
Gog-Agog popping the expensive wine tonight!
Sick problem sleuth reference bro
The team that overwhelmed the great King stands proud, and deservedly so.
…Also Zaid is here, I guess, because every group needs their Zoidberg.
I mean he’s been llugged around like a radioactive sports trophy for at least a year, then effectively held as a political prisoner for the past couple weeks, with all of the strongest beings in the universe under the assumption that he’s the anticrist. Man hasn’t really had a chance to do much.
I just realized that our hero group of 7 people have 7 fires over their heads just like a certain 7 demiurges. What a coincidence…
It could be that Solomon David will view these heroes just as new demiurges to take their thrones as many have before, but I cannot wait to see his reply.
Honestly I can see Salami Deposed going either way here; it’d be true to form for him to pridefully deny White Chain’s request and go down dishonorably, but it’d also be very interesting if pride manifested a different way and he assented.
I dunno, it’s almost like it’s a rad story.
White chain is over here really taking “Free the titty!” seriously
suns out tits out
A heretical truth that no soul in throne could bear the consequence of speaking. That true ROYALTY comes not from divine right, but from the consent of the governed.
Another thought: of all the seven demiurges, whose subjects are the most content? Who has the greatest consent of their people and would be treated most kindly if laid bare and helpless at the feet of those people?
The answer is easy – Mammon has been loved and cared for at his most helpless state for centuries, to the point that even those who had come to slay him turned to worship him. As for the others:
-Mottom seems to be feared and hated by the oppressed populace of her worlds and loved by her courtiers and mercs as long as she provides profit and banquets. They’d not hesitate to switch sides when the wind flew against her, and she knows this.
-We don’t know much about Incubus’s empire, other than he dabbles in dark arts and his tower is surrounded by emaciated addicts pleading for another dose of power. I suspect they’d rip him apart given the chance.
-Jadis’s domain is another mystery, but she seems venerated enough for a witch trapped in a crystal obelisk xD
-Solomon has provided a safe and civilised haven for his subjects, yet his anger is feared, his satraps are (or started out as) violent thugs, and the populace cheered when they saw the Emperor struck across the face. Plus his sons are likely to fight for the chance to be the Paternum in the place of the Paternum the second he’s out of it.
-Of Gog-Agog’s territory we don’t know anything. For all we know, her 111,111 worlds are all populated only by her worms, or, more likely, they’re a 1984+Brave New World dystopia where everyone must stay happy because you never know who is infected and who isn’t… This might prove pretty resilient, since the Mass doesn’t usually like to face uncomfortable truths, or collapse utterly if every single worm died at once.
-Finally, Jagganoth seems to have gathered about him a horde of bloodthirsty fanatics who worship him as the ultimate warrior. I think they’re just as likely to charge ahead of him to go out in a blaze while he recovers, as to tear him apart to grab his brow-star and gain his power for themselves.
Royalty comes neither from divine right nor from the consent of the governed. It depends solely on oneself. You are a fool to assume that one has to govern anyone in the first place to be Royalty.
Royalty is a continuous cutting motion. As such, it comes from a sharp knife, though not necessarily one made of metal.
Yess, it’s happening! She’s giving him an honorable way to bow out and free himself from the burden of running an empire. I can see the weariness in his eyes as he considers the opportunity, let’s hope that he uses it wisely. He would be a powerful ally!
Hahahaha, hell no, he will leave the story, none of this is his problem anymore?
Why would he ally himself with the guys that are giving him the option to finally stop having to bear responsibility?
The really remarkable thing is not that White Chain now has tits, but how many people seem to be obsessed with White Chain having tits.
You might think there were other priorities at the moment, for example the fate of one seventh of the universe, but apparently tits are the big deal.
Fellow Votaries,
In this moment White Chain is the Incarnate Goddess of Liberty ! She hath become Marianne who calls ever for Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité ! She who calls for Freedom, and opposes monarchies and other oppressors.
She stands boldly, secure in her self-confidence, and she is not ashamed of herself, her body or her demands.
Yes, it’s symbolic AND makes for a great scene.
Empires – get busted by the Feminine Goddess of Liberty !
“Busted”
Oneiromancer knows many puns
Tits are more important than 1/7th of the universe being conquered by a mass of worms because their leader decided to leave them after an angel punched him.
Just, from a basic logistics stand point, Solomon David is almost assuredly not solely and personally responsible for repulsing worm infestations across 1/7th of the universe. He simple cannot be in enough places at once.
Either she is not that interested in subsuming all those worlds or they’ve developed countermeasures that don’t require a demiurge.
Corks?
I like how the focus is on how ‘nasty old Solomon can’t give up his power’ and not on ‘the other six will murderrape literally everyone if he does’.
This valley is broad and beautiful. It may have one Yem Yeddo, but it contains many more stones.
Oh yes, and it’s not like the multitude subjects of the others of the Seven can cast stones just as well.
Stones aren’t going to impress the other Demiurges much. 😉
But seriously, the only reason the other Six haven’t conquered the Celestial Empire is because it belongs to one of them. The moment Solomon David steps down, it practically guarantees that all the other Demiurges invade with all their might. To hesitate would mean giving an advantage to those who don’t.
And while I can imagine the Celestial Empire keeping things together without Solomon David (at least in the short run), because it’s very much a realm of law and order, and bureaucracies tend to be very stable, once the people realize they are now ruling themselves, I’d expect the result to be chaos. Remember, there is NO democratic tradition in the Empire. Solomon David has been the absolute ruler for longer than most Earth empires have existed. Remember the chaos that ensued after the fall of the Soviet Union? Russia also had no experience with democracy (excepting ten months in 1917 that ended in the Bolshewik revolution). In fact, most people in those days expected a new, extreme-rightist dictatorship to develop in short order. In a way, it did; yet Putin kept the democratic structure in place, which means that Russia got a measure of stability while the Russian people could get used to democracy. (Not that Putin planned it that way, but still, Russia under him has been democratic for longer than ever before.) But anyway: if Solomon David steps down and somehow his Empire ISN’T overrun by his fellow Demiurges, I would expect mob rule and chaos to eventually ensue.
They are gonna be just fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, White Chain said so herself.
Plus there’s no way Gog-Agog has been planning this for a while, she is just gonna leave and leave them alone.
The greatest swordman can easily be brought down by three competent swordmen who absolutely want to win.
The seven have done a very clever trick and that is to make people think they are neccesary for peace and stability, even though they are the ones responsible for the gruesome conflict that inspired their laughably shaky peace.
Hell, two of the seven are in open conflict, so much for them being crucial to keep the people safe.
That’s my biggest fear – Solomon seems to be the demiurge most likely to support the protagonists, but I have a feeling the moment he turns from the Seven the rest will immediately merc him.
While I don’t claim the foresight of Janis, I think I have an inkling of where this is going. Forgive me if other wiser readers have already voiced this.
When Zoss says to “break the wheel” I think he means to destroy the gates that connect all 777,777 universes. Right now the Demiurges control the gates to their universes, but since the Key of Kings controls ALL the gates, Allison is in a good position to figure out how to do that.
Once the gates are down, each universe can sort itself out, whether for good or bad, without influence from Throne and the demiurges. It has been said there are unconquered worlds (like Allison’s home world), so ALL worlds could become like that.
Of course, it doesn’t help the ruined worlds of Gog Agog that are nothing but worms.
Shhhh, the other 5 murder rapist don’t want the people to know what will happen to them.
I don’t think Mammon will come and ravage this part of the universe, so i don’t count him, he is supposed to be the nice demiurge.
Aha! White Chain knows having your party members stand behind you in a dramatic pose grants a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks. With a +6 bonus, there’s no way this roll can fail.
Boobs.
The power of boobs compels you!
My Sister is truly a marvel of our kind. She has surpassed us all in the ways of true freedom. The iron fist is still iron, no matter how much it wraps itself in velvet. The Tyrant does not deserve to rule, for none deserve to claim station over another.
I’m conflicted on this.
I like the conflict, and it would make me happy if SD chose to relinquish his grasp.
But this is a cursed universe where Gog-Agog, and the other demiurges, exists. Zoss allowed for a wicked wheel.
Leaving the Celestial Empire to the mercilessness of the other Six… It would be a terrible fate and a dereliction of duty. It would be very out of character for Solomon to do such a thing.
If the most abbhorent of the Seven where out of the equation, I could imagine SD complying and giving up his power. Right now it would be very uncharacteristic of him.
It is possible to have a society with a defence force that it not the ruling power.
I wonder if this is true in a universe where godlike beings are literally facts of life.
It’s comfortable to imagine we can overthrow tyrants with the power of mass. That the many can always overcome the few.
But is it true in the k6bd universe? I am not so sure. It is wicked. What if Zoss came to you and demanded things? Could you refuse without paying the ultimate price? It feels unlikely no matter how many friends you have. He slaughtered the Prime Angels, single handedly.
When one individual can train and become godlike, like all the seven did, and the other demiurges, the defense force needs to be godlike too.
You forget, Zoss *explicitly* backs Allison, and Zaid as well. Whoever Allison supports, has Zoss’s consent. Secondly, you hit the nail on the head. Anyone can train to reach the level of a Demiurge. The only reason the Seven are the only ones is a direct result of the Seven constantly, systematically, and brutally supressing potential competitors. This People’s Republic can easily be both free and well-defended, without Abaddon needing to pull a Deus Ex out of his ass.
That is my point. If Dave really wants his worlds to be secure, he can act as defence force without actually exercising the power of ruler. Although, to be really democratic, he should run for election. That way any worlds that would prefer the current stability of rule can opt for it, and any worlds that prefer to govern themselves can opt for that. Either way, they get Dave acting as bouncer for any other uppity demiurges. This should still allow more time for Dave to indulge in his other interests, which is what he wants.
White Chain is still adjusting to her own body. She knows that modesty is a sociatal necessity but clothing habits die hard and she never had had breasts before.
Among all the things to ask of a ruler, asking them to vacate the seat that gives them their power is the biggest reqeust of them all. The way they respond to this one is the true test of their character.
White chain said tiddy and democracy
You said, lamenting, “until a better age, I suppose.”
Good Solomon David, wise king, laudable king, that better age is now. Or it will never come, because you will be waiting until the day breath becomes such a chore even Ki Rata cannot sustain thee.
There is an age for kings as there is an age for gods. That age is ending. It is time for Royalty to cut itself a new shape.
The art is great as usual. As for the plot… now I’m pretty much frightened. As Jacek Dukaj wrote wisely, democracy is against the laws of physics; in KSBD universe it’s likely against the metaphysical laws as well. And, as commenters already pointed above, suggesting the people’s law when Gog-Agog is around is… frigging crime, I guess. Do you really want the mass to win?
Well, the years of reading this comic make me hope that this situation will have a resolution intricate and satisfying enough. Let us wait for it.
Democracy is a highly unusual and highly unstable governmental outcome as you have pointed out but it is not required here. People governing themselves could go any number of ways. Many of them dark but many new.
I too am hopeful
I love how the entire party has looks of noble determination on their faces, except for Cio and Princess, who are just giving Solomon the most insufferable shit eating grins
Not that strange. Devils love chaos, and they can already see that this will lead to chaos on an incredible scale. Also, of course, they love to see a Demiurge humiliated. Just because.
Solomon:”Hmm Boobies”
WC: “…give up your throne, hand the empire to the people …”
SD: “OK, you got it. I’m done.”
(SD departs by division)
WC: “…after a carefully-planned hand-over of power… Wait, where’d he go? Come back, we’re not ready yet. Who’s going to manage the transition? … That’s me now, isn’t it? Shit.”