Act 1 Scene 3: Shadow on the Sun [Alliance of the Renewal]

Miya's arms crossed as she jerked a curt nod, not particularly mollified by the response. "I'd rather co-opt the Guild than destroy them. It is better to take over established systems that than create new ones."


"Let me introduce myself more properly. I am Miya Fleetfoot, Night Caste Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, incarnation of a chap I believe was called Shadowed Arrow or something like that."
 
White Lilly


White Lilly appears a bit flush "Now that this small matter is hopefully resolved to everybody's satisfaction, can we get down to the main matter at hand? or did the small dispute regarding the Guild make you forget that we do have a Shadowland we need to deal with?" She takes a deep breath before she keeps on going "I understand Vargas that you have strong feelings on the matter, but I do believe that the first order of business should be the restoration of Balsa, and after that we can all sit down and discuss our plans for the future."
 
Glad that hadn't gotten anymore difficult, the solar sailor nods, "Quite right, we were told you had a method of cleansing the entire city...?"
 
"Indeed I do. And let me assure you, I will help you get rid of your shadowland. All I need is a few of my most trusted men to protect me while I use the proper protocols to reclaim the land in the name of the Sun.


Now, I understood the city still stood, even if its walls are empty.


Since you have been the ones fighting off the invasion, it seems fair that you be the one in charge of the kingdom of Balsa now. Depending on wether you are willing to join our cause, we can help you repopulate the city and establish a stable and strategically well placed dominion.


Balsa has always have interesting natural ressources, and being one of the first major stops of the Guild in the southeast of the Confederation, trade will never stop and we would be ideally placed to control it." answered Vargas.


"And don't forget about Denandsor... Balsa is far closer from the Empty City than we are !" added Renfyn
 
Jonas


He looked rather bored with the theatrics and drama, even more so of the drama and statements of duties and so forth. "Yeah, you guys discuss all of that. Until then I am waiting outside." He did a light two-finger salute and then exited to go enjoy the outside as he preferred.
 
Filipo smiled at Arelean's comment:


"It would be a great opportunity for both our nations to ally ourselves with the leaders of Metagalapa. I will go with you to Balsa, and it will give us some time to talk about it. Wether you want to take the reins of the Kingdom of Balsa or not, we will be glad to discuss potential mutually beneficial relations."
 
Hiraeth


Hiraeth sits quietly smiling to himself as the others talk around him. He nods in agreement with Vargas as the orator preachs about the Guild, cheers and raises his bottle to Miya as she speaks her statement of intent with the guild, nods in respect to Arelean and raises a hand in farewell as Jonas leaves. Apart for that the fat monk sits seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
 
Shauni spoke with a much calmer voice that she did when yelling at Hiraeth.


"Before you erase the shadowland, I'd like Triumphant Truth to take a look at what happened in Balsa, he's the one you can count on to find out the truth."


"Indeed" answered Filipo "We need to know the origin of this massacre... the Confederation will probably let it slip so will the Guild, but we will not !". He turned to a servant near to him and whispered something in his ear, the servant bowed and left discretely.


Minutes passed, Vargas planned the trip, and a new fellow entered the room.


***


Esbilon you're up !
 
Triumphant Truth


The man who entered the room was not an imposing figure, he was of average height and build and just over twenty years of age. His head was shaved clean, leaving only a long, intricate mustache. He was dressed in a robe of good quality fabric and laced sandals. His eyes, however, glowed with an intensity that few could match, they seemed to absorb everything in the room instantly and accurately, stripping the layers of masks and lies from anything they gazed upon.


He put his right fist in his left palm and gave a slight bow, as he began to speak a full golden disk lit up on his forehead. Greetings, honoured chosen. I am Triumphant Truth, formerly magistrate of Thantos and now a Hammer of Heaven. I am pleased to make your acquaintance and look forward to journeying with you.
 
That very same night, a banquet was held in your honor.


For most of you, this felt like having found your way back home, a comforting sensation that no matter what happens, you will always be welcome and safe here.


The festivities are great, but no excesses are made, you simply enjoyed a good meal with an excellent wine (pride of Provacour for hundred of generations) and learn a few bits from the member of the Alliances themselves.


Early in the morning on the next day, King Filipo, Vargas, Truth and Idawa travelled with you, as well as Bratax and 10 of his red armored men, called the Crimson Guard. Modjorak, the gryffon mainly stayed at large but followed his master, getting apparently relatively along with Eleclaethil.


Around a week later you arrived in sight of Balsa... Vargas was alerted by Bratax of something and he came to Captain Spider:


"Brother,my watchful protector tells me there is a Guild caravan with hundred of slaves in the surrounding of the city... we should prepare for an assault ! Me and my men will aim for the leader of the caravan, you take care of the guards protecting the slaves..."
 
The captain remains at his post as they near the city, guiding the landship with a masterful ease. His calm posture tightens a bit at this news and above as though sensing his agitation Striga began a calm chirping melody. Thinking fast with a silent mental beration of /oh. Yeah./ he stretches first one arm and then the other...Always keeping one on the steering wheel, "About that......" He says, eyes still focused ahead and not looking directly at the griffon rider "You are aware that Miya is attempting to convert the Guild to a more noble practice...and truth be it, before I ran into such a plethora of the chosen of Sol Invictus, even I had come courting the aid of the guild......Well, long-story-short.....that caravan is in fact under our protection.....So to say the least, I'm rather loath to take out the gaurds......" He turns now to the man that was the mortar of the Alliance, curious as well as wary as to how this might go over.....Glad at least, he had Striga's calming influence nearby should things go poorly.....
 
Vargas looked stunned:


"You... are... protecting slavers... you... you can't be serious ?! Did they have some liverage on all of you ?!


I mean... we can spare the guards if you want to... but... we must free the slaves !"
 
White Lilly


White Lilly approaches Vargas "I am not with this Caravan. As i told you I was called to heal Captain Spider, and only stayed with them because I wanted to cleanse Balsa, and was then told that you can help destroy the shadowland."


-----------------


OOC: I haven't realized the caravan has slaves. For her that mean that she might be getting Limit Break, cause I'm pretty sure even if she tried to convince Iron Crane she wouldn't be very successful.


White Lilly rolled the following in his 4 dice:


8, 3, 3, 3


Using 7 as the target number, the roll resulted in 1 successes.


So right now she's got 1 point of Limit Break.
 
Idawa


Idawa does not look happy.


"Slaves, you said? That is in direct opposition to our goals, if not us directly. There is no denying that they must be set free with utmost expedience. However, we have quite a spectrum of methods set before us. Nobody needs to die."
 
Crimson Arroyo


Crimson hops down from the top of the mast of The Web, "Oh be practical, I don't think we want to spend our time taking care of a bunch of slaves while we clean up the shadowland. Not like they're being mistreated anyway..." she says with a shrug.
 
"So much for the stealthy approach," grumbled the tall, sinewy man as he guided a well-built trade barge up the river towards Balsa. He was roguishly handsome with a faint teal-blue tinge to his skin and a shoulder-length fall of blue-black hair, clad in an elaborate captain's coat of midnight-blue and silver. A black jade breastplate and matching wavecleaver finished up his outfit while an anima of rippling green-blue water lashed the barge but didn't harm it thanks to the black jade medallion tied to its wheel.


"You're a lot more noticeable than me, Maren," observed the coffee-haired, bronze-skinned beauty who stood a few yards away. She had bright blue eyes and an intricately folded sari of pink and green silk over a yellow choli, her oversized pink silk fans tucked into the waistband of her sari. "My anima's not going."


"Yes, but it could be and nobody would know," pointed out the Water Aspect before his eyes widened. "Oh. My - is that a landship?!"


"Yes, it is - so there's an enlightened mortal or Exalt there..." Maressa peered down and cursed softly under her breath. "With a Guild caravan... and Provacour's banner?!"


"This is... interesting," Maren said, looking over at his Night Caste ... student? Perhaps. Not yet a partner. "Might as well head over to there. No doubt we've been spotted."


"Offer our help in return for some spoils?" Maressa suggested.


"Possibly. We haven't hit Provacaur yet since that fat Deceiver took over there."


"Eclipse, if you would."


"Is that what they're called? Thanks for the correction." The river-pirate guided the barge down the river towards the caravan. "I want that landship."


"Want hard enough and one might magically appear."


They both laughed.
 
He turns and gives his fellow solar a look, tired from skirting the issue till this moment "Yes, We're gaurding Slavers, and slaves, and merchants and merchant families and yeddim and horses and I think I saw a camel mixed in there....My first goal is to protect life, we can worry about making it happy, or how you deem it should be happy later. As Crimson said, it's not as though they're being mistreated and there is a potential shadowland to quash. Unless you think freeing a few slaves takes precedence over stopping the works of deathknights......"


The captain is interrupted by a shout from on high, "Ship, Ho! Dragon-blooded spotted!"


"Later.." he says as he springs to action, shifting course so as not to bring his ballistas to bear but keeping them within a manuever of facing appropriatly should hostile intent be detected.... "All hands ready at battle stations, Chosen please report to the aftcastle" He called his great blade to hand, unsure what this could be.....Surely if the Wyld hunt had come they would not be so obvious...? The Web continued her course, onwards towards the caravan though now moving to between the water and the guild merchants....

ooc;


Not a captain myself, let me know if I need a diferent term than aftcastle.....
Click to expand...
 
At the cry of "Dragon-Blooded!" and the responding call of "Battle Stations" and "Chosen", Maren and Maressa exchanged a sardonic glance. "I guess they aren't happy to see us," the river pirate observed blandly.


"More like paranoid. Your anima's going full bore, remember?" Maressa pointed out. "And that suggests it's probably a Celestial in charge of that ship."


Maren made a wry face. "Wonderful, so we can't steal it?"


"It's got the banner of Provacour on it. I thought we were talking about going straight because they're around."


"Wonderful, Maressa. Why couldn't we have one of those nice corrupt Deceivers who let honest criminals do their thing in peace?" The river pirate held up his hand. "Raise the banners and a white flag!"


On the barge, a pole was hoisted bearing three flags: a grey barge and midnight-blue waves bisected with a white sword, the personal banner of Maren Sidaris, the infamous river pirate; the aforementioned white flag; and a new one - a crossed pair of folded pink fans superimposed over an empty golden ring on a violet-edged pale grey background. It was Maressa's personal banner, depicting her primary weapons and the Mark and colours of her Caste.
 
White Lilly


On the ship White Lilly takes up position at the forecastle. She doesn't take any action for now other than take a look at the approaching river vessel, and she relaxes visibly when she sees only two figures on it. Surely two figures, even Dragon-Bloods, wouldn't be too much of a match for such a large number of Solars, and she was loath to inflict pain on any living being if there was a way to avoid it.
 
"Hold it" said Vargas, "She's one of us..."


He took some time to let things settle and spoke his mind as he always did.


"This were you are wrong brother, we are at war with every form of misery and harm inflicted to man.


I can see the hand of the sun at work here... a reunion of solars, a shadowland forming, and slaves to free.


Can't you tell he wants to help you getting rid of the taint of this land and offer these souls a second chance ?!"
 
White Lilly


Overhearing Vargas, White Lilly approaches him solemnly, and says "And how do you propose to free these slaves? I do very much hope that you do not plan on killing these men so you can free the slaves, because wouldn't that be like inflicting more harm? Doing so will only reinforce people's opinions about Solars"
 
Vargas looked sad.


"Taking out the ennemies of man sometimes necessarily implies killing men... at one point it is inevitable that we battle against the Dynasts, and then countless soldiers will die.


It is the way of the world... the very way we are trying to change, but until we are powerful enough to do so, blood will spill because of us, it is inevitable my dear, though regrettable.


But I agree, we could avoid slaughtering those men, I just... really hate slavers and they tend to continue their activities shamelessly even after you have given them a second and a third chance.


I could bend their minds to make them free the slaves... but perhaps our brothers from the Eclipse could find a good compromise with the guildsmen."
 
Jonas


He audibly groaned hearing the lecturing Priest up above. The man's voice was too damned loud to ignore in the first place considering he was practically yelling.


He looked to Jonas, the horse, and wryly said, "I didn't know we had peacocks as well as fanatics along for the ride. What did I get us into old buddy?"


The horse neighed in annoyance and shook its head at him as if understanding his word, when all he understood was his owner's tone.
 
Crimson Arroyo


Vaulting over the rail of the ship, Crimson lands next to Jonas and quietly says, "Know what ya mean. Folks have got some awful strange ideas." The slight shake of her head as she speaks is made extremely evident by her large curled horns.


"I'm gonna go have a word with that Dragon-Blooded up there, make sure our new friend here knows what he's talking about," she announces loudly enough for those on deck to hear, before taking off at a run toward the barge.


------


Crimson is activating monkey leap technique at this point, though I highly doubt it will be at all relevant.
 
Triumphant Truth


Hefting his hammer and shield Truth walked quickly to the aftacastle. After listening to the deliberations of his fellows he spoke "We do not know if the slaves are suffering, there are those who would prefer a life in slavery to one in poverty. And surely the wholesale slaughter of guards who most likely have had little say in what cargo they are protecting, does not seem like the best way of healing this broken world." Pointing at the approching barge, he continued: "But let us first of all find out why a dragon-blooded river pirate is hailing us."
 
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