The Cathedral
Prologue
For thousands of years men have been enslaving each other, from the ancient Greeks through to the Ottoman and Roman Empires. From Egypt, treasures and people have been taken and kept into the nineteenth century, by which time the whole of Europe had become involved. From Russia to the borders of Canada, men traded in human cargo and mass slavery.
Back in the year of our Lord eleven hundred and eighty nine: Richard, the first King of England received blessings from the Pope of Rome to begin what would be the third crusade. Richard, massing an army of mercenaries and skilful stone masons, re-entered Egypt and many men went on into the African continents. Out of victories came many riches for both Church and Crown and with such success on the battlefields, grand churches where built that became way-stations and the envy of neighbouring countries.
Assassination and espionage became rife out in the middle east, therefore a need to form a secret order amongst those loyal to Church and Crown. Between the Knights of the Crown and stone masons building monasteries, a secret order began to form. The stone masons, said to be skilfully erecting Mosaic buildings of worship and refuge, were said to have completed their tasks in Sonic Speed. The King's knights kept the way clear and protected for the Masons to work, free from any retribution or attacks. The name Masonic Freemasonry and Knights of the Templar have been linked to secret organisations that have been shrouded in deep mystery.
Slave Trade
By the mid-seventeenth century, an international African slave trade had begun in earnest and continued well into the mid-eighteenth. With full knowledge of both Church and Crown, black men woman and children are shackled and transported across thousands of miles.
Under the tyrannical reign of Lord Longshanks, the English have conquered and tamed the outlands of Ireland, Scotland and Wales before beginning to expand under Queen Elizabeth. Now many of England's struggling cities in the North begin to establish themselves, from the Midlands Black country of Steel to the those creating fleets beside the gateway to the Atlantic.
It's by the River Mersey, once referred to as a cesspool rather than even a town, that a city was soon being transformed. With consent from King James and full acknowledgement of his breakaway clergy, a magnificent Anglican Cathedral was built. A city now created from the booming wealth attained from Sea ventures in African trading piracy and slavery. With many of the wealthy established families actively involved in this trade a cesspool was quickly renamed a city, then fast becoming England's second capital.
The Mersey Straights around 1710
The stench of death came from a ship's holding area arriving into the thriving port on the Mersey River. Its cargo full of rum, tobacco and sugar cane had travelled from one of many small Islands in the West Indian Ocean. Deep down this ship's bowels also contained a pit of death, where large rats scuttled around. Shackled and chained to large beams of rotting wood lay Orlundi Koffi. He was a slave drifting in and out of consciousness and alone although amongst other slaves. Amongst his people, who had unfortunately died on route. Still, if only just barely alive, Orlundi Koffi Wass Massinga, who had reached the age of 17, was African royalty. The problem for him was those who have him captive do not know this. Orlundi Coffe (Kofi) is the youngest heir to the African Massinga throne and now on his last legs would be dead by the time this ship docks.
All the cheering from above decks would mark this ship's arrival back in its home Port of Liverpool when opening the Magnificent new Mosaic Building they call a Cathedral. For the seventeen year-old Prince of Massinga this is all immaterial. His omen is to touch the soil and place a curse on the land of his captives. On their people and their children's, children.
