A tribute to Shenmui Family

It has been merely 44 days since the Shenmui and Sivarja pioneering families met in the dark confines of the Al Quelt Moreza dungeons as Los Condenados battled against the undead hordes of Dios Lantem.



But that 44 days with Shenmui had changed my life forever. No longer do I spend each day snapping viciously at my subordinates or abusing verbally those who try and improve my work with criticism. Nor do I have those temper tantrums over matters long past from my painful history, and I guess that in my 35 long years I finally feel love.

It is yet another new responsibility for me, this one far more valuable, and dangerous, yet I now know what I truly fight for in Granado Espada.

How did Shenmui do it? When Adelina Sivarja's command team met them they were but worthless as soldiers, too slow to keep up with our maneuver groups and too weak physically to be more than second-rate good-to-be-there-but-not-really-neccessary supporting fire for our light infantry squads.

But today such as Carmen, Vanda, Peter and Vanir are inseparable partners; in fact I would be unable to achieve my objectives in the Illier nation without them for a chain of illnesses have weakened me significantly effectively eliminating my ability to contribute to the pioneering effort. Meeting and even exceeding the skill at arms of their trainers Florence and Jose from Cesario, Shenmui family represents the spearhead of our combat capability.

They are more valuable than any other pioneering family under our banner, for when adversity struck Shenmui bit the bullet and continued to be at our side when it matters. They are the only noble house to pack up and leave Cesario's anarchy with us when I gave the order to do so, for staying would cause us Sivarjans naught but pain and sorrow; we had nothing left when Los Condenados collapsed from its losses.

So here's to Shenmui's remarkable ability to presevere when all others fall, and to our lasting alliance... and friendship. Happy birthday Carmen!


- Rosa Sivarja
Personal communique to Shenmui family

Humble Beginnings

"We the Sivarja family was one of many seeking fame and fortune in the New World as opposed to merely being a mere slave of king and country in their Vespanola homeland; the failed invasion of Bristia had cost Vespanola her high seas fleet. Without it she is unable to project power internationally and many foreign holdings have been lost to lesser European nations who once appeared to be good neighbours content to live under the Vespanolan example.

10 years later the Vespanolan Navy is once again strong, but the rapid rearmament had placed great stress on the nation's economy. Huge naval shipbuilding guilds were created to more rapidly produce the massive lineships; lesser families were simply absorbed into the corporations and forced to lend their labour to the project, or face scorn from both king and their own neighbours who had abandoned tradition without a thought to become barons of considerable wealth; upon gaining the chance to enslave and destroy had done so willingly for mere royal gold.

Unlike many, we stuck to making an honest living as the owner of their humble hometown's blacksmithery. The whole premise of our toil revolved around maintaining the town's standard of living and industrial capability by the provision of metal goods and tools, so when royal couriers "persuaded" us to lend our hand to produce weapons for the King we steadfastly protested for who else would forge shoes for our horses? They told us to expand the smithy by employing labourers from other families, "putting loafers to good use", what uncouth louts.

Such "persuasive" arguments did little to change our ways, and those in power resorted to force to try and get our economy to produce arms for them. Merely asking for the right to coexist with our community as opposed to exploiting it for ambitions we would never understand yielded naught but hostility and jealousy in the successive waves of "diplomats" who first imposed taxes for our "disobedience" and when we sent those unethical bastardos home with tails between their legs they returned the favour by imposing martial law on the town, which did nothing but just continue life as normal - we had no issue with them blaming us for being in their way but to brand innocents for crimes that did not exist was just blasphemy!

This was when the name of Sivarja became known for its skill at arms for a time but to cut a long story short we were able to hold off the lesser barons - most other communities were subdued more easily than us - with our sheer tenacity but against royal troops we stood no chance against their musketeers.

Our town was sacked, enslaved, and today had none of the heritage it possessed. It isn't even on any map today, the massive industrial base that had occupied the spot simply moved on to destroy some other ecology when it had exhausted the resources of wood and iron there.

Of the noble family of 28 who selflessly defended their community from the King's exploitation, only 3 remain, having been secreted away before hostilities began as our last hope if anything happened to us. The other 25 simply "disappeared"...

First daughter Adelina along with siblings Jose and Florence fled to the New World as part of Queen Esparanza's Reconquista efforts. There was no where else to go but start a new life in a new world."

From left to right: Musketeer Jose, Elementalist Adelina and Florence the fencer in Reboldeux-Cesario under the employ of the Office of Pioneering Support

- Rosa Sivarja
excerpt from The History of Los Condenados