LIONEL: We have triumphed! Carracia is ours! Hadrien and Rothbard lie in the lowest, dankest levels of our dungeon. Cousin, you shall be rewarded handsomely. I hereby promote you to Duke and award you the lands of several nobles who chose more poorly than you.
Now, since I can trust you, I must confide in you... The ache in my hand has become unbearable. I feel... I feel a need, an urge. The calling of destiny, if you will. It urges me to accomplish something of greatness.
I know you will help me in whatever I ask. Therefore, I now entrust you with the most critical of tasks. To commemorate our victory, I need you to build me a monument. A monument that shall smite the skies! A monument to... no, not a monument, a tower. Yes... a tower! A tower to commemorate... gah!... this horrible ache...
You know, most of the stones from the tower Hadrien built are probably still usable. Yes, that would save a substantial amount of stone, funds, and time. Just use the old stones. Build the tower right where the old one was. Make it just as tall. In fact, don’t change a thing!
When this tower is done, return to me... I will have more work for you to do. And maybe then, this ache in my arm will finally vanish.
LIONEL: We have triumphed! Carracia is ours! Hadrien and Rothbard hang from the gallows. Cousin, you shall be rewarded handsomely. I hereby promote you to Duke and award you the lands of several nobles who chose more poorly than you.
Rothbard confessed before his execution that he had controlled my family’s fate through the iron fist. Through the fist, he spoke to us. He bent us to his will. I have had the fist destroyed.
This pains me greatly. I have killed my brother, my father is dead, and the symbol of our legacy is gone. I have waged war against many others of our family name on many worlds. This guilt will stay with me until I die.
Our victory is bittersweet. But destroying the iron fist was the only way I could be sure that Rothbard would not live on to meddle in our affairs.
Now, to the task of ruling my weary people. Cousin, I fear this shall be even more difficult than conquest.
Thank you, again.