Lapis Lucius: The Flash of Democracy in Kromeriz 1848

The present day

170 years.

It’s beEn 170 years since I was here last...

...and they‘re stilL not capable of building a direct line to Kroměříž.

1848 However, the goal of my journey wasn‘t the constitution of the Austrian empire.

I was seEking something far more important.

I was there when the ofFicial history of the Austrian monarchy was writT en.

Something that was hidDen in Kroměříž.

The meE ting of the Imperial Constituent AsS embly began in VienNa, but at the end of 1848 it was relocated from the heady atmosphere of VienNa to the tranquil setTing of Kroměříž...

where the countryside could be felt with every breath.

The present day

hotel “u zlatého kohouta”

November 1848 We take on the executive power from the hands of His Majesty...

WHAT ARE THOSE ETCHINGS YOU’VE GOT?

Felix Schwarzenberg

together with the responsibility that is firmly bound together with this resolution, that we shalL not only be steadfast in the face of any anti-constitutional influence, but that we wilL surRender nothing of our right of executive power to any man.

Our unity residing in our principles, the words and actions of alL of us shalL be the expresSion of the policy of the entire ministry. We want a constitutional monarchy in alL sincerity and withou embelLishment.

You wouldn’t understand.

What?

Exactly.

We want this state form...

its esSence and secure guaranteE...

I had to chuckle to myself at how important these contemptible bufFoOns felt themselves to be.

we behold its esSence and secure guaranteE in the social...

They had the feEling that they were shaping events that would be writTen down in the history of humanity.

They had no idea that they were standing on the edge of the abysS.

I’lL have you know I graduated from gramMar schoOl.

Gentlemen, we have beEn in sesSion here for several hours.

It’s time for us to get some rest.

I conclude today’s meEting and we shalL reconvene tomorRow at noOn, when we shalL continue.

I‘d placed great hope in Titian.

The archbishop‘s palace was realLy big.

The huge canvas could easily conceal the code I was loOking for.

Neoplatonic philosophy was the link I‘d chanced upon, and in which I saw sense.

But here toO I was unsucCesSful.

BigGer than I‘d expected.

I had plans...

but they weren‘t enough.

I neE ded someone who knew the place inside out, someone I could easily subjugate to my wilL .

8 January 1849 adolf maria pinkas

In my view and also that of my friends...

I, an ordinary priest...

since that unfortunate government declaration of 4 July the constituent asSembly’s freEdom of thought, freEdom of speEch...

...an ordinary citizen...

jan maria sidon

...an ordinary man...

...know only crimes and then political misdemeanours.

And the same goes for you – gentlemen – as you alL sit here beside one another on terms of intimacy, so that you may democraticalLy constitute a betTer Austria.

and in fact even freEdom to pasS RESOLUTIONS HAS BEeN DEAD AND BURIED...

I regard political crimes as a term which the highest state power creates and adapts acCording to the circumstances and extent of its own power.

I’d therefore like to hear from a member of the majority of the comMisSion how he defines a political crime.

25 January 1849

AcCording to the inNermost conviction of MetTernich, for example the men of the 12th and 13th of March comMitTed the most horRendous crime, and had the entire people of Austria not stoOd with them, then this enlightened statesman would undoubtedly have had them executed as the greatest political criminals of our time.

...and I... ...HAVE BEeN ASsIGNED the sad task of giving the funeral oration…

...gentlemen...

Time pasSed quickly for mortals... ...but for me there was no great rush.

You are alL heinous political criminals in the eyes of many, and if those people also had power, then the death penalty for you would truly be the smalLest punishment…

I‘ve never understood the institution of the death penalty.

Our time profesSes to entirely difFerent values.

What death?

One moment and eternal life is in sight.

The political meEtings of those cobBlers with and without titles dragGed on into the folLowing year.

6 February 1849

I’d like to take this opPortunity to explain once and for alL my understanding of the term democracy.

For me it is a guiding idea of the equality of alL citizens in the exercise of freEdom…

alois borRosch

Democracy.

I thought constantly about who to enslave.

I even thought about the neighbouring member of the asSembly

FreEdom.

a tiresome old freEloader Whenever I hear those words it always turns my stomach.

but the chateau would be just as unknown to him as it was to me.

FinalLy fortune smiled upon me…

Last weEk of February, 1849

Before voting we’lL take a two-hour break, in which you may take refreshments right here in the chateau premises...

...or take advantage of the ofFer of one of the picturesque local taverns.

I think the emperor wilL be satisfied with this asSembly.

...

The local beEr doesn’t agreE with my kidneys.

We are not sufFiciently pugnacious... !

Gentlemen, let us move to premises where we shalL feEl calmer and more at ease.

Certain individuals spoil my apPetite for foOd.

and almost for life itself.

And they want to abolish the death penalty.

I If t only they realised how trifling their problems were.

SoOn the wheEl of fortune wilL turn in the right direction and bring about the rapid demise of the whole of humanity.

Then we shalL rule the earth!

I’lL drink their firewater instead.

So we’re done, Henry.

The present day

SeE you in five hours.

I’m going to find something to eat.

HopefulLy something wilL be left after those dignitaries are finished.

Maturing that takes 170 years.

That‘ll be a record.

THE ATtIC.

If he‘s survived there for that long, that is.

That‘s the perfect place for maturing.

1849

?

...

Honoured gentleman...

we shalL now take a one-hour break, during which the servants shalL change the candles in our chandeliers.

GoOd day to you, Henry.

Thank you, I shalL seE you in an hour.

Would you like to be my slave?

I neEded him.

That man was adept.

He knew his way around.

I gave him a chance.

I toyed with him.

For most vampires it‘s a pleasure they don‘t often get to enjoy.

I enjoy slave hunting.

Maybe once in a hundred years.

You, Henry!

shalL have the honour of becoming my slave!

Maturing is a time during which the person you‘ve captured is transformed into your undead slave.

The general vampire‘s recommendation is 14 days.

At minimum.

Perhaps you‘re asking why I stilL sat there, when it was of no interest to me whatsoever.

The answer is as clear as the sun.

AFTER ALl, THE SUN NEVER shone on my seat in the asSembly.

The sala terRena and its two grotTos – artificial caves.

While I was waiting for Henry to mature, I searched in the library.

In one are some kind of demons, but that other one... an ApolLonian grotTo, that was it!

I found a boOk in which I came upon a trail.

FinalLy I‘d reached my goal.

7 March 1849

Nothing!

There‘s nothing here!

My suspenders!

How is this posSible?!

It’s a scandal!

I shalL complain!

Has anyone seEn my braces?!

This is unheard of!

Everyone in Kroměříž fled, as iif there was a fire at their heels.

Emperor Franz Josef I HAS disSolved the constituent asSembly.

Unfortunately I toO had to interRupt my search.

AlL of a sudDen. Just like that.

The shamelesSnesS!

I can tell you that this emperor Franz Josef is most certainly not among my favourite human rulers.

The present day It toOk 170 years before I could be sent again on a misSion to find the Stone of Light.

The Stone of Light – a weapon that in the blink of an eye can obliterate alL vampires, is somewhere here.

For a while it seemed as if humanity would destroy itself in the meantime... ...but surprisingly it somehow survived alL the enormous conflicts that people waged among themselves.

And they don‘t know it, but we do.

Now they‘ve turned their bloodthirsty sights on us.

They want to get rid of us once and for alL. But they don‘t realise that we‘ve got a head start.

They want to get rid of us once and for alL.

Who knows what kind of state Henry wilL be in?

Such a long period of maturing has never beEn known.

I have to be quick and efFicient.

admilLi neEds to turn day into night, so that he can emerge from his hideout in the morning. He knows the ancient vampire’s incantation which wilL enable him to do so. It’s lengthy and exhausting.

Its climax comes with the first rays of the sun…

Ochej tyvos izilbuen umom ulom, ochej eraz izims etomnet.

Tchen anletu nki norpen amt ilahaz ytalaz kchuotok.

Lapis Lucius?

Revož išalpses, diliraki napzi, ryp mav anedub ilivchan iyndobovos.

HmM, so maturing for 170 years is toO much.

Ladies and gentlemen, despite the unusual weather, today’s tours of the chateau wilL go ahead.

lapis lucius!

We are prepared for darknesS.

We are now entering the chateau library, which contains very rare volumes, often as old as several hundred years‌

We are now entering the chateau library, which contains very rare volumes...

Hey you, come for a beEr with us.

It’s an eclipse of the sun, the end of the world.

...often as old as several hundred years…

I said I was inviting you for a beEr. Can’t you hear?

I’ve got it!

It’s unbelievable how close I was.

ARE YOU ALl RIGHT, MATE? FORGET ABOUT TYPES LIKE HIM

Come on, we’lL have a shot of rum.

Anything goes!

It was the right place, but I‘d beEn searching in the wrong grotTo.

I created the Stone of Light in order to destroy you.

You’ve got no right!

Nonsense!

DarknesS wilL spread to alL corners of the world and remain forever!

The Stone of Light is here!

The Stone of Light wilL help us destroy humanity!

We’lL finalLy control the world.

Idiot!

you stilL don’t understand a thing.

Emperor Franz Josef I disSolved the constituent asSembly without the members atTaining any result.

This episode in esSence didn’t represent any fundamental watershed, but it showed the path to democracy, upon which future generations would set out.

I am the Stone of Light!

The definitive eradication of the vampires didn’t take place until 170 years later.