Fantasy Four Suits: Of Gods & Devils - IC Thread (Vol. 4)

[Colorless Spectrum]

Adelleid Frey

And so the meeting officially begins, but Frey had let himself be a mere listener. From Siegfried who was by his side and to the Royals in front of him. He would have voiced an opinion to let the Hearts Royals reconvene the meeting but the Queen was quick to drop the idea and let the assembly continue on. He leaned back, bringing his hands together while keeping his smile.

The Queen of Hearts made a valid point, the Queen of Diamonds said her piece in defense of her Kingdom, the Diamond's Ace chiming in but just that wasn't enough to dissuade his thoughts on the matter. Frey knew of what X is planning, and he agrees with what his King wanted to do.

Sieg whispered to his ear after X made his monologue. He couldn't help but smile a little more than he wanted at his King's last question to the Diamonds and his assitants words. "I agree with X." He started to lean forward, "There are benefits for us, Hearts and Spades with his proposal. The reduced infighting afterwards will help in future threats like the Argossians, our nobles would be satisfied with their want for war, not only that but we can divide the land between the three Kingdoms to boost our economies and defense in the long run." He let a gloved hand hover to his chin and a thoughtful humm.

"Besides, what would stop Diamonds from breaking the treaty and attack once they have recovered themselves? If someone new takes the position of King during this treaty, can you ensure that that person will not wage war in the future?" He added before finishing his piece. Despite the weight of the things he said, his tone remained somewhat sprightly that went with his smile.

Frey then turned to Myles, his fellow Joker and one who acts just like himself. He acknowledged the young man and took a piece of Alexandertorte and an Inipit in one plate and giving him an appreciated thank you. If he wasn't acting as the Jack of Clubs he would have greeted Myles as he would Declan and any other friends and Joker members he knew.

mention: Guineverre Blanca . D O V E Declan Sarmiento AI10100 Zephyr Terwilliger Iris Bastille || interaction: Xixix Valentine LazyDaze Siegfried Maria Rothschild The Prophet Myles Rein Coyote Hart Athania Kaloronos

 

[Lyth]

The barest flickering of a disturbance would precede a reaction borne from dealing with less than savory characters like the person currently interrupting her reading, only gentle discomfort forming as her senses began slowly raising the alarm to what might be lurking within the nearly packed tavern. Residents of Fair Harbor, of the college, travelers and the like were gathered here to eat and exchange the threads of gossip that would come together to form something of an idea of what might be happening in the outside world. News of the brutal destruction brought forth in Cordia had been the highest point of gossip in town, concerns about what the attack could mean for the rest of Heart territory.
Vinna would admit her initial reaction to the news was selfish as she saw all but an end to the focused schooling she had grown accustomed to, being directly beneath a General certainly meant her world was about to shift with such a vicious act committed against his kingdom. She would feel empathy for those lost, the lifespan of civilians within the four suits kingdoms seemed almost interestingly low, it seemed no one was capable of playing nice due to events she hadn’t been present for. Only the smallest fragments of information had been handed over by her parents, both insisting the world Vinna was experiencing was a much richer experience than returning to their warring homeland. A much richer experience of crawling through ruins that often would inspire anxiety as she took in carvings, paintings, and statues depicting the more sinister aspects of the magics her mother was growing wildly obsessed with.

Eyes glued to the tome Alaric had offered her, Vinna was all but ignoring the world around herself, the well maintained tavern was at least of a newer build given the age of the coastal town. Dark wood, dim lights, and a pleasant atmosphere allowed her to feel invisible and able to carry through reading as she ate a small plate of meat and vegetables that had arrived after her asking for some type of solid meal. She was admittedly drained after her day spent with Alaric, though she viewed this meal outside of the college as something of a treat after actually making progress in her casting, finally, after what felt like weeks of purgatory after her last incident. The more frustrating aspect of her powers was the overall lack of knowledge on this form of curse magic, she certainly would like to feel special but couldn’t help feeling irritated with just how slowly things seemed to be progressing. Something about hitting long stretches of magical plateau this early into her studies was causing a great deal of anxiety to build within her, worried she might land herself out of school and out of a safe space to learn.

A high pitched whistle would drag Vinna’s attention back to the tavern, away from the comfort of another spiral. The mage sitting a few tables to her left was attempting to conjure some kind of small bird, though the spell seemed to be lacking in purpose or being cast incorrectly as the small bluebird appearing would quickly erupt into a high pitched shriek and burst of feathers. Little mana would be required for this spell, judging by the amount of times the lithe mage would cast the irritating little conjuration.
Doing her best to express some level of kindness and understanding, the young psychic mage couldn’t quite understand where this person had left their manners, they certainly heard the ungodly sound their exploding bird would make. A forced deep breath would follow and Vinna would return her eyes to the pages below, forced to move several pages back as the true depth of her fragile focus showed. She really had stopped retaining information due to her own oversaturation, dreading how correct those around her had been in warning of a burnout.

Once more her attention would drift away, settling on the different patrons littered around the tavern. The larger groups had moved away from the man still casting the same exploding bluebird, though the sound was growing more unpredictable.

“Did you need anything else?” A cheery voice spoke, announcing the arrival of the server who had provided politely infrequent service throughout the evening. Vinna was quick to hand over a few coins as she ordered another very watered down beverage, well aware she would need to keep paying if she wanted her space. Twitching as the high pitched noise once more cut through the air, Vinna quickly looked at the man and allowed the server to escape without hearing the complaint quite obviously forming. Instead the words would come out as a frustrated sigh, knowing she would likely have her next drink dropped on the table as the woman jogged by to avoid confrontation.
So Vinna would consider her options, knowing moving was out of the question unless she wanted to sit with a much rowdier group along the larger shared tables. Surrendering her little island of privacy was out of the question, so she would have to simply have to learn to live with the frustration or pay the man back in petty inconvenience.

The sensation of the spell charging was faint and not something that would likely require much effort to disrupt, Vinna was quick to push out with a gentle disruption, hoping to fizzle out the conjuration and frustrate her target into stopping with the insufferable birds. No high pitched shriek would sound as Vinna felt contact, instead, to her horror, a gentle birdsong could be heard.

Watching as the successful conjuration floated around before the now excited mage, Vinna realised she had either solved or greatly worsened her problem. The little bird would soon flicker and vanish, leaving a long few moments where the mage would decide just how their time together would go.
Another shrieking bird would cause Vinna to jump slightly, exhausting amplifying her misplaced frustration. One more charge and Vinna would quickly suppress the spell again, causing a silent burst of light to appear instead of the bird. Doing her best to not stare at the man, she would push a little more mana into her next disruption, watching as the spell would produce nothing more than a few crackles. Pleased with the near consistency in her own efforts, Vinna would interfere three more times before watching the mage finally pull their notes closer. Hoping she was finally facing the final cast, Vinna would feel something of an overwhelming push back as she cast another wave of disruption. The sensation of her mind being almost completely overwhelmed for a few short moments had the petite girl calmly gripping the front of her robes in an attempt to ground herself.

The image of skeletal giants wielding spears in her direction had Vinna filled with an incredibly foreign calm, the image flickering before she could slide into a panic. Well aware she had never set foot on a battlefield, let alone battled what seemed to be something of nightmares. Realizing she was still seated in the tavern, another misplaced image would drag itself forward as her vision seemed to drift into a single point of focus, giving her a glimpse of a man quite suddenly tearing loose, his features just blurred enough that she couldn’t place them. Vinna was gripping the table by the time the second image faded away, leaving her wildly confused and almost certain she was starting to hallucinate. Perhaps she’d over extended herself or she’d pressed some unintentional buttons during her petty revenge against the mage to her left. The images wouldn’t leave her, soon easily conjured up but only fractions of their first appearance and only becoming more bizarre as she attempted to recall anything. Gooseflesh quickly rose as the sensation of discomfort quickly settled in, as though something was implanted and taken away almost simultaneously. More flashes of blurred casting and the sensation of adrenaline burning through her veins came and went in an instant, Vinna was grateful for her ability to hold it together under pressure.

Vinna could feel her anxiety rising as she quickly glanced around the tavern, unsure of what the stranger she’d made contact with might have pulled away from her. She had been told more than once to not use her powers outside of supervision for this exact reason, there was no telling what her disruptions could cause. A vacation inside of a stranger's memories wasn’t something she wanted to experience again, still rattled from the sudden intrusion and feeling quite violated over the unwelcome connection.
Pushing white strands out of her face, Vinna could still feel scraps of the memories attempting to settle themselves along a non-existent timeline, only deepening her discomfort. Her first concerns were over how she might bring this up to Alaric, unsure of who else she might confide this with, though anxiety over any rule breaking retribution would give her pause. They might have shared a successful practice earlier that day, it wouldn’t negate her directly going against being told to not use her unstable magic in public.

Carefully she would begin collecting her things, unable to stop picking through the bizarre series of images as she organized herself. The arrival of the server with her ordered drink had Vinna realizing just how quickly things had just happened, her mind couldn’t settle and her heart was still racing. A rush of endorphins could be felt responding to the painfully long moments, keeping her seated as she accepted the mug. Every part of her being was screaming at her to move but the storm of memories and feelings were keeping her planted in her seat, reminding herself she was clearly in no immediate danger within the crowded tavern.

 

[Desert Rose]

The trip to Noah's Ark was like any other only a lot longer than the elf expected. Then again the particular prey he hunted wasn't the easiest to find, but with patience, a lot of patience, and careful planning he was able to head back home with his prize. Carrying a bag with various supplies in one hand while the other carried a medium sized jar with what might look to be an insect from a distance. Walking next him in time with his steps and holding onto the elf's tunic was a short girl with child like features and a vine made mask that covered her eyes. Her head was tilted down as her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Come on now, don't be like that." The elf hummed shifting his bag so he could pat the soft silk purple grey hair of his companion. "After all we managed to get exactly what we needed." His voice was more chipper than usual. "You said yourself the other day you would like more sweets, didn't you? Well they don't come free." The elf scoffed.

The two came to a stop at the familiar home and shop with a wooden sign at the top the words Mystical Jewels graven in beautiful calligraphy "Home sweet home." Kayos gave a soft sigh as the short girl stepped forward and opened the door for them. He handed her his bag where she nearly dropped it at the sudden weight sprung on her. "Careful now...." He huffed at her and shooed her away as he flipped the sign on his shop to open-it had been closed for several days- before he shuffled to the backroom separated by flowered vines, and lit the lamps by his work station where he placed the jar and leaned in close looking over at his new subject. There it was in the middle of the jar disoriented, was a small fairy looking back up at the elf with a sense of dread.

Given the daze of the creature it wasn't hard for the elf to pick up a pair of tongs with a sticky residue on the end so when he dipped it into a pot of soil the dirt clung onto the object where he could cast small vines with yellow thorns used to paralyze the specimen. He carefully took off the lid and reached in grabbing the fairy by its abdomen the thorns piercing through their clothing and into flesh. The elf paid no mind to the crying and whimpering as he hummed to himself. Once the fairy had gone completely immobile he set it down on his work table. Removing the tongs he then picked up a long pair of tweezers to help move the limp body face down on the desk spread eagle he carefully stuck a thin pin through both hands and and feet keeping them in place for when the paralytic toxin wore off. It also helped keep the body in place for removal of the wings which were very delicate. Alora stayed away from the work area after she had put away her master's things. She still had a sense of the world around her even though her master stole her eyes. She had a rather comfortable nook in the corner made up of soft pillows and blankets and various items she might have appreciated if she could see them fully. She sat in her corner covering her ears as memories of years past plagued her mind.

"Still not used it, pet?" The elf casually asked as he used the sharp pointed tweezers to dig into the specimen's skin just above the nub of the wing causing a soft shriek for a sudden silence. "hmm shame, can't even handle a little prick..." The elf sighed taking the silence for either it being dead or just passed out. "Do you remember when I tore off your wings, Alora?" He asked.

"Yes Master." The fairy reluctantly answered.

"You didn't even scream. What was it you said?" The elf mused and only smirked when she didn't reply, "You didn't want to give me the satisfaction, but I did get my satisfaction didn't I?"

The fairy would have been glaring if she had eyes that could, although her brow did furrow for a moment before readjusting again due to the discomfort of the thorns in her eye socket her hand reached up touching the thin vines masking the holes. "Yes..." She whispered before going to the front of the shop and sat off to the side in case any customers were to enter she could alert her master.

Kayos only chuckled amused it was so easy even after all this time that he could still get inside his fairy's pet head. He continued to cut beneath his fairy specimen's skin carefully carving the flesh around the wings until he was able to dig his way to where the wings connected and clip just beneath plucking the entire right wing from the fairy's back. He held the delicate wing up to the light moving it back and forth watching the light catch it just right. "Absolutely astonishing." He whispered, as cruel as he was he still appreciated the unique beauty of such creatures. He grabbed a small dish with a cleaning solution and set the wing inside to clean the dirt and blood from it. The process was far from over as he mended the flesh together before dumping water over the the affected area which in general was over the entire creature washing away the blood. While the first wing was in the process of cleaning Kayos repeated the same thing to the left wing.

Once the fairy wings were clean he carefully dipped them into a natural tree resin, this was so the wing could be reinforced and less likely to tear while still maintaining its original luster and shine, and set aside to dry. While the wings were drying Kayos looked around the shop at the various plants he had growing, tapping his chin with his index finger until his blue eyes settled on the weeping redbud in the corner. "Ah! Perfect!" He clapped as he carefully plucked some of the leaves off and began to gloss the leaf with the resin carefully rolling the leaf into a cylinder and bending to what would eventually settle to be an ear wrap and the wing would delicately be wired across the tip and then the whole thing would be painted over with the resin and set on a shelf to dry. Wiping his hands off on a towel the elf hummed setting the jar upside down over the pinned unconscious fairy before going to the front of the shop to take a look as his small inventory of rare items, trying to determine if he should pre-make jewelry or wait to see if he could snag some custom orders instead.

 

[SweetRose]

Masked King

The strange androgynous figure clad in black robes and wearing a white fox mask had remained largely impassive as she sat in the meeting. The mask bore only the slightest smirk as she observed the royals and their hangers-on. As the vultures circled and squared off her smirk only grew. Her hackles only noticeably rose while the Queen of Hearts spoke, and even then it was only slight. When the Fool King of the Clubs finished speaking she shook her head. With a rather dramatic sigh she rose to her feet, and took a slight bow with her arm tucked against her chest.

When she rose up her mask was filled with a vulpine smirk and her voice was sardonically amused, “What a mighty group of peacocking dragons, perched like vultures around the carrion, competing to give a ‘finishing blow’. Nevermind that that carrion was brought low acting as a shield to save our own hides. We stand here moving to destroy that which stood at our defence to sate petty hungers for blood and conquest. To be clear, I would of course never call my endlessly respectably fellow royals weak-willed cowards, and by no means would I call those who would hunt the weakest target sheep-hearted.”

She paused for a moment, and her mask distorted into a much wider grin with disturbingly detailed fangs. When she spoke her voice held an undercurrent of joy, “More than that, why should the Spades trust in the honesty and intentions of a pair of jackals? You expect me to commit my forces while trusting that the same ones who choose to prey on the weakest target do not intend to repeat the same charade directed towards the one most weakened by that war. Why my dearest Clubs, do you expect nobody to see the obvious course of action? Why yes, lets make like carrion scavengers instead of Royals. Of course that won’t happen bloodlessly, and one of the other participants might even be badly bloodied. Wouldn’t you know it, but the exact same argument applies again, and either the pattern repeats, or the instigators use their no doubt improved position to finish their conquest. Pretending that crushing the most vulnerable of the four would calm infighting is at best foolish, and at worst blatant deceit.

She fell back into her seat bonelessly and sprawled across it. For a moment it might have seemed as if she was done speaking, but then she spoke again, a certain sardonic amusement in her voice and a sharp smirk on her mask, “So you want to ask why the Diamonds should exist oh dear King of Clubs? Answer a question for me then. Why should the other three kingdoms allow the Clubs to continue to exist. You stand by far in the strongest position of any kingdom at this table, and your line of argument indicates that you have your eyes firmly set on overrunning your borders. You expect us to act as attack dogs, but why should we not bite the hand that commands? You are not yet strong enough to take us all on at once. Why should we not crush you, and then distribute your wealth and lands amongst us? You and your fellow Clubs stand as the ones in this room pushing aggression, what’s to say we couldn’t find real peace with your kingdom dissolved?”

Spoiler: Details

Addressed: LazyDaze Colorless Spectrum Present; . D O V E TPBx Coyote Hart AI10100 Mechking +anyone else in the meeting.

 

[LazyDaze]

XIXIX VALENTINE

“What a mighty group of peacocking dragons, perched-"

(Oh no, we're not doing this are we....) X's shoulder slumped as the spade king began. Had he been sitting down, the slouching would have began.

"that carrion was brought low acting as a shield to save our own hides. We stand here moving to destroy-"

(Well I guess this is happening now.)

"by no means would I call those who would hunt the weakest target sheep-hearted."

(The point it is in their somewhere...just...have...to...stay...awake)

Iris inconspicuosly pinched X on the leg, feeling as if he was drifting off into the dreamscape. However, he had heard every word, the look he returned her told her that much. X paused for a moment, wondering which faulty argument to deconstruct first. Nevertheless, he mentally unraveled the threads eloquence, void of reasoning until he mentally shook his head, assuring himself that the King of Spades couldn't be that ignorant. For X had just explained why the Clubs, or any other nation for that matter, should not be attacked save for Diamonds. Yet, those points were not addressed. Moreover, X was genuinely confused. If the Spade King was worried that kingdoms would target the weakest nation after a war, wouldn't other countries do the same after a war with the Clubs? The power disparity would be even greater in that scenario. X's shoulders slumped as he continued down this rabbit hole. It was always the worst chore, answering empty questions. Repeating yourself was even worse, making you a slave to time, paying the price of a moment to relive one already past. X sighed before he spoke. His mission: explain in as few words as possible.

"Iris...could you palm my face for me."

"W-what but...," she whispered, feeling the attention being drawn to her unnecessarily.

"My hands are sticky because of the pastry. Facepalm, your palm...my face...please."

"(What the hell) O-okay just don't do anything...weird," Iris said as her hand met the face of the Club King who was leaning over, so that she could...facepalm. He sighed as the deed was done, and then stood up as straight as his laziness would allow.

"Thank you." He his eyes then returned toward the Masked King. X did his best to remind himself to keep it short and to the point.

"One, this has already been answered. Scribes. Read." X left it at that. after nudging his head in the direction of the scribes. The Masked King could refer to them, for X was not going to repeat himself. X already explained that a war with any country other than the diamonds would cause devastation to Ornare as a whole. Anyone who gave it a little thought could foresee what that future held. Obviously, this was a sad attempt at diverting attention away from the Diamond Kingdom, who X actually hoped could come up with a valid reason to uphold the treaty. He himself, despite popular belief, had thought long and hard about it, but he could not come up with any excuse for peace to continue save for moral obligations, which were often slathered in grey. This interruption, this attempt at saving them, was only detrimental to their case.

"Two, I'm a horrible liar. You're wise beyond your years," X said as he started to stand up a bit straighter. Speaking did help to wake the sleeping bones. "Three, we owe no debt for the Diamonds acting on self preservation. You give them too much credit. Even if we did, I believe it has been paid." They were attacked, they had to defend to avoid utter annihilation. Moreover, it was the Hearts and Clubs that allowed the Diamonds to retreat into their lands before Argossians could think about driving them to extinction, some taking permanent residence during this time of peace. Together they fought valiantly so that the last battle would end in Valencia. It was a war that never even touched the Spade borders. The irony in the room had to be suffocating all present. Believing for one second that the intent of the Diamond Kingdom was to be a martyr, or sacrificial lamb, for all of Ornare was misguided and disingenuous. There was no guilt that could be weaponized here unless you were from Spade Kingdom for obvious reasons.

"Four, if you have a soft spot for the Diamonds just leave it at that." Really that's what it boiled down to. The rest was just a diversion to justify their opposition. Objectively, peace was not something that could be attained in this current climate, not for long. In fact, the Masked King never refuted the validity of anything X said. For all that he did say, the core of the argument really was that he was afraid and felt guilty. The former had no standing. If anyone was to lose out on a war with the Diamonds, it would be the Clubs and Hearts. He doubted he cared about either nation that much to protect them for their sake...evidenced by his veiled threat of attacking Clubs in the same breath. Of course, X would allow everyone to fill in this blank as well. He couldn't explain everything after all.

"Most importantly...my hands are starting to stick to my pockets. It's pretty uncomfortable." The pastries and his eating habits had taken their toll. Now he might have to stand like this for the rest of the meeting."Annnnnywho, I don't recall referring to the other kingdoms as our attack dogs, but thank you for allowing me to hold your leash for the moment."

SweetRose

 

[TPBx]

Melody Hollady​

"Ah, I knew it. I bet you kicked some ass too. Not as much as me, though." Mels laughed, flexing her small muscles. She didn't have much war experience. She had fought off a couple of thugs here and there, but nothing else that significant.

"Aye, really? Thanks, man," Melody exclaimed, her ears perking up with interest. She didn't think that her dream would come true. Melody took the guns with glee. "This is my first time gettin' my hands on an Agrossian weapon." She said, eyeing the structure of the gun. Mels turned around and grabbed a notebook with an ink pen from her travel bag. She quickly sketched an image of the supposedly stolen revolver with ease. Melody then took apart the gun, looking at the chamber "I must say, Agrossians can sure make guns. This baby seems it can shoot some serious rounds." Melody noted, gawking at the gun. The chamber of the gun seemed to handle a lot of pressure due to its thickness, allowing for more substantial firepower. Melody quickly sketched the inside components of the firearm, then put the gun back together. "Here, ya go," Melody passed the revolver back to Garrett. "The gun is surprisingly not that complex compared to the guns we have. It's a beauty, though."She added.

Melody yawned and laid her head against the wooden walls of the carriage. "Aye, I agree with that." She chuckled. She remembered running away from the cult. She had no to little regrets, even if it meant not having a roof to sleep under. "Freedom to do what ya want makes life worth livin'."

Melody shifted to the side and looked out ahead of the carriage. With her dog like eyes, she could see a bright shine up ahead. She sniffed the air and stuck the tip of her tongue out, letting her catch passing scents. "I can already smell the city. Smells way cleaner than the shitholes I've been to." She commented.

TPBx

Garrett Valerian

Garrett sighed. The wagon ride had been pretty relaxed after the initial confusion. The bright city came into view as Ariandel came into view. Supposedly it was a shadow of its former self, but even still its magnificent traditional architecture and beautiful stained glass had stood out from anything else he had ever seen in Argossia. The buildings looked like they were drawn out of the early days of Argossian history with wood and marble structures being laid out in classical fashion. There was a sense of wonder in the untouched history of what many of the older folk in the Empire referred to as Argossia's Rebellious Son.

Eddy continued to lead the wagon through eerily quiet streets. The wheels began rolling over the leftover destruction from the war. Only a few people were left to roam around a city that was built for thousands. Behind the beautiful facade it was apparent that this nation still suffered heavily. On every brick you could still see the burn marks leftover from Imperial firebombs. Bullet holes riddled many of the buildings and structures. The streets stained with the ash of human flesh and blood. It was an inevitable part of war, but the stories Garrett had heard from whistle blowers stationed here in the Kingdom of Diamonds are what prompted him to never return to Argossia. The Empire did disgusting things to this place full of their own history and people, that he could not see his old home in the same light.

In the distance he saw the Kaloronos Manor now coming into view. It stood as one of the few remaining buildings in full repair, though that was mostly thanks to his tireless dedication. He then realized that the other guest with probably needed a place to stay. "Yo, Mel, do you have a place to stay for the night? I wouldn't take your chances on the streets here. Things do get kind of dicey out there," Garrett asked. He knew from experience, after he handily dealt with a gang of other thugs a few months prior for Eddy.

 

[AI10100]

S A R M I E N T O , D E C L A N
Location: Valencia
Mentions: Coyote Hart Colorless Spectrum LazyDaze . D O V E TPBx The Prophet ​

Twig was the only one who wanted to stop the meeting to deal with the threat but he was quickly shot down by Guin herself. She had absolute confidence in Leo and how he would be able to handle it. She had a point. If anyone could handle any opponent, it would have been Leo. Declan took steps back to the side once again as Myles continued his rounds with the pastries. He reached out to the runner and sent him back to Corda for another report and to reiterate what Guin had said. The telepath had half a mind to leave the meeting. The air was getting tenser as the Diamonds were being backed to a corner - to defend themselves.

Frey had spoken up, backing his king. At least the newly appointed Jack had more confidence than your average Joker, but not any of the haughtiness that one would get out of getting power for the first time. Declan placed his hands behind his back, idly playing with the cloth of the overly expensive vest he was wearing. His thoughts started to wander, merely waiting for the news of Corda rather than the meeting. Even as the King of Spades began to speak, Declan could barely pay attention.

His eyebrows creased ever so slightly as he familiarized himself with the presence of everyone in the meeting - trying to ingrain their unique consciousness into memory so he wouldn't be caught by surprise when they're sneaking around. Something had been utterly familiar about the Spades King but he couldn't quite place it. It's like when you've passed someone so many times that you kind of knew their face - but you don't know from where or who it was. The strange sense of familiarity made him slightly unnerved but decided to put it aside for the moment as a voice entered his head.

His hand clenched around the cloth, wrinkling it before he let go with a small sigh and smoothed it out. "It has come to our attention that the man had managed to take out the militia in only a couple of seconds. Leo had him locked, but this mysterious attacker was saved... by a wyrm." He reported to the Hearts royalty, careful to not disturb their attention too much from the meeting. He eyed X, who was complaining about his sticky fingers. Declan reached to the bottom of the cart and pulled out a basin and poured some water into it. "Leolin is chasing the wyrm out of Corda. Are we sending a group after him?" He questioned. He placed a handkerchief on his arm and grabbed the basin.

He looked at the King of Clubs, presenting him with the basin of water to wash his hands in and the handkerchief on his arm so he could wipe off the water.

 

[AI10100]

T O L L A M B E R , V I E R
Location: Vistus, Club Kingdom | STORMCALLER QUEST
Interactions: LazyDaze SweetRose ​

After the discussion, they all spread out to do... practically nothing for the rest of the trip until they either encounter a problem or the trident itself. Hopefully the latter, but she knew that was highly unlikely. Vier had set off to check the massive ship, memorizing each hallway and each door to make sure she knew where to go in certain situations. Nathaniel and Howard followed her closeby, knowing better than to detach themselves from their leader.

For hours, Vier wandered around aimlessly - offering help where she could or offering Nathaniel for menial labor she could not do. He would often complain jokingly, which was taken lightheartedly by the crew. The mercenary kept herself at a distance from such mingling, sending Howard to make sure that Nathaniel was behaving himself. She had taken a nap once to regain her strength. She called out to Howard who quickly responded and told her that they'd meet her on the deck.

She leaned over at the railing, taking in the salty air. She gave Wysteria a small nod of recognition before turning back to the seas. Nothing as far as the eye could see. Though that quickly changed as a ship passed. Vier had paid it no mind. Soon enough, there was another - but she decided to finally take a good look at it. The ship was definitely ransacked. When they saw another ship, another ransacked ship. Every ship they saw was the same story. That was disconcerting. Pirate ships were commonplace in Clubs waters after all, so they were likely the answer.

The spotter pointed out a sinking trading vessel - set up in flames.

Nathaniel took out his bow, Howard nodded at them and quickly retreated to safety to be able to relay orders telepathically during the possible fight and Vier ran her fingers across her rings. She stopped on two of them on her ring finger, turning to Wysteria as she gave her orders. The mercenary twisted the rings, idly looking at the pirate ship coming. "I have a lightning trap designed for medium beasts." She mentioned. "Perhaps that will do for capturing someone?" She suggested. It wasn't made for intelligent beings, but it was enough to hold rowdy beasts. Surely, it meant something against a person as well.

 

[AI10100]

Z U L R I C H , H Y A C I N T H
Location: Mystical Jewels, Clubs Kingdom
Interacting with: Desert Rose ​

Hooves clapped against the stone road as Hyacinth made his way through the town with his carriage. He looked around, giving a smile and a nod to those who he passed by. He wondered if he should set up a stall to try and sell some of his excess things. The mercenary guild had a building out here too, so maybe he could make a trade with the mercenaries. They always had a good relationship with the merchant guild - the two guilds having been tied together for centuries.

He thought about visiting a branch of the merchant guild. It had been a while since he had paid a visit and he wondered if there was any news. It was a place of trading galore - any and everything you would need could be found in any merchant guild building. When you look hard enough, you really could find anything. Everything could have a price tacked onto it - and for those that were more... physical based, they merely passed it onto the mercenary guild who would be more than happy to take any job that would give them a few coins.

"Maybe we should visit a... friend." Hyacinth idly mused to himself, talking to his horse as they trotted down. A few minutes later, he finally found the sign - Mystical Jewels. He hopped off of the carriage after parking it properly. He gave his horse a carrot for his troubles. He headed to the back of his carriage and took out his trough and placed it in front of his horse with the feed inside. He unclasped the horse from the carriage and patted the side of his neck. "I'll be back. Be good." The elf muttered to the horse as if it could understand him before turning around and entering the store.

It wasn't hard to spot the elf over the counter, looking over his wares. Hyacinth made a conscious effort to be as loud as he could be while opening the door before gently letting it close behind him. "Kayos." He greeted the much, much older elf as he walked towards one of the displays. The elf didn't display many things, understandably so. Sometimes jewelry was favorable when it was custom made for a customer. It would be a waste of material when it stayed as a display and never sold. And it can attract... unwanted attention from certain people with sticky fingers.

Kayos had quite a unique kind of jewelry. No one could doubt the quality of his wares - and his materials are what set him apart from other jewelry makers. It was not something Hyacinth would particularly do - there was a certain hassle in having to hunt down your materials. Still, that's what made it different.

"How has the business been? Good, I hope?"

 

[Desert Rose]

Kayos Amadil
Location: Mystical Jewels, Clubs Kingdom
Interacting with: AI10100
​

"Why is it always dusty in here?" The elf muttered to himself opening a cupboard underneath the counter and grabbing a duster made of fine feathers where he carefully brushed the dust off of the shelves and displays. "I was only gone for a few days..." he sighed shaking his head. Of course he had a slave to take care of the cleaning, but dusting the shelves and jewelry was something he preferred to do.

"hmm..." Kayos hummed as he set the duster back down and picked up a thin banned ring made out of metal with a delicate red and yellow tea rosebud in its set. The rose was laced with resin to harden the flower to keep it's shape and color. "It's a shame we haven't sold this one." He sighed looking it over making sure it was truly up to his standards. "Perhaps if I marked the price down, since I am adding a new collection of the fae jewelry I could let up on the price." He pondered before carefully putting it back in its spot on the shelf. The ring was a more simple piece in his collection something he made with extra material he had around at the time.

"Someone is coming." Alora softly said tilting her head to the door as if she sensed the horse and carriage outside.

"Tend to them..." The elf waved his hand in annoyance as he put away the duster and pulled out a box from another cupboard one that had metal ring bands of various sizes. "I could make a skeletal ring!" He chimed with delight. "hmm let's see, it could be a bracelet with connecting chains from rings, and in the middle...." Kayos paused when he heard his name and ever so slightly flicked his eyes up towards the visitor before looking back down digging through the box to pull out roughly appropriate sized rings. "I can then put the fairy skeleton hand in the middle and then connect to the rings with the rest of the chains... or just connect it to one ring." He continued to mumble to himself. The elf had ever so slightly stiffened upon hearing his name. It wasn't that he didn't like his name but he did find it terribly rude to be called by his first name instead of his last, especially by those far younger than himself.

A few more moments of tending to his things before he placed the rings back in the box and back into the cupboard. "Mr. Zulrich" He spoke pleasantly letting the name roll off his tongue more than usual to suggest his irritation. "A bit slow as of late, but I only just returned from marshes." He said now giving the man his full attention before stepping around the counter and properly greeted the young elf. "What brings you in today? I just got a fresh specimen, and can accept custom orders." He grinned "I just made a beautiful set of fae winged ear wraps..." Is voice dropped as he looked around as if other people were in the shop listening "They look best on an elf." He winked before letting out a soft laughter.

"Please... won't you stay for tea? Tell me how have you been, anything new and exciting?" Kayos asked watching for a moment as Alora heard the request and was already heading through the back and up the spiral staircase to their living quarters. The elf pulled out an extra stool for Hyacinth as he gesture "please, sit..." he said sitting down on another stool, after all it had been awhile since he indulged himself into a decent conversation with another elf.

 

[SentinelSevn]

"I need answers..!" A voice grumbled out, the owner hidden between the shade of two of Fair Harbor's buildings. It was followed by a crack, the sound of metal grating brutally into the gravel at his feet. The dim torch of a wayward lamp illuminated the space for just a moment, revealing two figures. A taller man shrouded in a cloak that fell just below his knees, clutched tight around his shoulders and to his chest. The other one of the city's guard, clad in a cheap armor that was emblazoned with the Hearts' crest across his shoulder, who appeared to be rigid and kneeling before the other figure. His face looked directly upwards towards the face masked behind the hood, with a solemn, painless expression washing over his features.

Images began to rapidly flash through Quillon's mind, memories of the guard's time while he was stationed in Valencia during the war. The peaceful city bustle that was nowhere out of the ordinary, to the sudden change of pace to the war that ravaged the city moments later. There were glimpses of the wyrm that only drove a cold fear in the man's memories. And finally, the moment that Quillon recalls WIlliam showering the entire city in a rain of icy spears. The moment that Quillon lived himself, but from a different angle. All that remained of the guard's memory of the war were of him being pulled from the rubble and being rushed to a healing mage, before his next known memory revealed to him was waking up at the infirmary about half a week later.

A moment's silence between the two of them, and the standing figure let out an irritated grunt. "You know nothing." A wave of his hand sent the figure crashing towards the stone wall, the deafening clamor of the guard's armor screeching against it sure to grab the attention of a few wandering souls. Quillon watched as the guard slumped onto the ground, and he then released the hold that he had over the man's mind.

The guard groaned, slowly regaining his own consciousness. His head turned to either side as he struggled to grasp an awareness of his surroundings, not knowing how or why he found himself painfully on the ground of an alley instead of patrolling Fair Harbor's borders. He looked up again at the figure before him, but was unable to get out any words before the color in his eyes glazed over, Quillon's hand raised towards his face.

"You didn't see me. You'll continue your patrol as normal." He ordered, casting another spell which the guard followed by quickly standing to his feet before walking away and out towards the street. A long sigh escaped Quillon's lips, now that he was alone. He had learned nothing again, for the past three years after he had learned that William's Chaos Skulls had vanished after their battle at Valencia. The same artefact skulls that gave him so much grief, were now roaming again in the open world untethered. His only lead was that they were no longer in Valencia, his search in the neighboring cities had been less than fruitful. At least thus far..


Quillon found himself wandering into yet another tavern, not unlike the many that he had entered throughout the years. But today it wasn't to find a place to stay for the night, but it was because it was to find easy targets among the myriad of people who were looking to relieve themselves after the long day's labor and stresses. Hopefully with at least one person who could lead him closer to what he wanted.

He was met with the sounds of people laughing about, drinking the night away. The sounds of adventurers and friends telling stories of their heroics. Few were casting spells, both for entertainment and for laughs. Here and there Quillon would catch his eye on a few who stuck to themselves, but none looked particularly interesting enough to converse with. Besides, it wasn't a social experiment that had that brought him upon the tavern. Quillon took the first open seat at the bar, ordering himself the first drink that came to mind to keep the barkeep's attention from himself.

His eyes began to wander towards the other occupants, finding which one would make the best distraction for the others not to pay him any mind when he would begin to casting his spells. His own spell had to be weak enough to avoid detection, but also strong enough that he could cast over a broad range of people instead of picking through them one by one. The shrill shriek of a bird like it was being strangled quickly caught his attention, and he turned his head over his shoulder to spot a young mage trying to conjure a magical creature out of thin air. Perfect.

Quillon watched and observed the younger mage continue to cast and fail in succeeding to summon the bird, learning the timing of the mage's charge and when he would decide to cast. And after a few minutes began to charge a spell of his own, a mind reading spell meant to encompass a broad group of people, in perfect sync with the moment that he felt the other mage begin to charge a spell of his own. Careful to never let his own spell reach a greater strength than the other mage, he cast the spell at the exact same moment the other mage would attempt to summon the bird.

A flurry of different memories began to flash in Quillon's mind in a fraction of a second, and he scoured nothing that involved the skulls other than the baseless rumors that he was already aware of. But his failure was nothing that he had been new too. He looked towards his first set of targets. A circle of mages that sat to themselves at a table as they retold tales of today's adventures, and none looked to have paid any mind or even noticed the spell that was cast over them. When the young mage again tried to conjure another bird, Quillon attempted again with the next table. And the next. And the next. Continuing on as the summoning mage's bird shrieked in failure every single time to the next set of people and finding near zero results regarding what he was seeking.

As Quillon worked his way around the tavern, he knew that he was soon going to run out of targets. He almost didn't care to even attempt it, seeing as how the other mage that he was in tune with seemed to be struggling more and more to cast another spell. He charged the spell that would encompass the last of his mind reading for the night, and as the young mage cast for the bluebird, Quillon cast his own. However, the moment that he cast his own spell, Quillon knew that something felt off about this particular cast, almost as if it were intercepted.

His vision began to blur as a rush of different, focused memories that rushed into his mind. Quillon couldn't pinpoint which individual it was that he was living the memories of. In fact, it was almost as if he didn't have control over the memories that he was seeing. For a moment he felt himself, in someone else's shoes, walking in the shadow of two older figures, a man and a woman. Quillon couldn't quite pinpoint the feeling, but he almost felt safe around the two. The area around them was dim, illuminated by the lamp that was held in the hands of one of the people before him. They appeared to be glyphs, engraved along the walls of the dark corridors that at the moment he couldn't make out. But at least he knew that someone had quite the colorful history..

Quillon couldn't make out more of what he saw before the images shifted again. This time he felt a surge of mana rush through him as the individual that he embodied began to charge up the power for a spell. It was a peculiar emotion, feeling such power rush through him for what ultimately would be near nothing in his own body. But as the power in the spell grew Quillon already began to feel that something was about to go awry, but he could wait in anticipation as the spell continued to grow in power; stronger than what he would have expected from the little body that he was in. And as the spell erupted between his fingertips, the memory shifted before he was able to feel its wrath.

Again. He was in a different location. Quillon found himself kneeling at the bedside, the same woman that he had seen roaming the ruins earlier. However this time, the woman lying in the bed looked many years older than the time that could have passed, seemingly wasted away until she was near skin and bone. Quillon didn't know this woman, but he felt a somber gloom linger in his chest. A heart-wrenching pain, as he was forced to mouth the words goodbye by whoever body it was that he possessed. He felt the feeble woman reach forward, slowly trying to brush a stray tear away from his face. He closed his eyes as he anticipated the gingerly pressed hand against his cheek, only to open his eyes again to see the scene shift.

He locked eyes, or at least a eye, with the figure in the mirror. A singular deep hued violet, like a gemstone. Her, his?, silver-blonde hair ran near shoulder length. Quillon watched as the woman in the mirror reached up to her own face, pressing her fingers down to the crackling features that ran through her other, pale white, eye. She was young, a child compared to him, in her twenties. But what was so peculiar about her, Quillon couldn't pinpoint why.

A final flash of blurred vision, and Quillon found himself seated atop the barstool at the tavern again. It couldn't have been more than half a second that he was lost in the memories of someone else, but there was an immediate other feeling that brought him to a slight panic. Whoever it was that he had seen in those memories, she was there, and she had just cast the same memory reading spell on him. How she managed to get away with it without him knowing, he was less than sure; there was no sign of anyone close to his level that would have managed to do it.

Quillon quickly rose out of his seat, leaving his drink and payment atop the bar along with a hefty tip. Keeping his cloak clutched tight to his chest, Quillon walked over to the area he had last cast his spell over. He ignored the young mage with the bird, finding him as dimwitted as they come and with no semblance to the woman that he had seen himself embody in those memories. The other group of mages at the next table seemed to be just as irrelevant. There was just the one last booth, and one that the server was currently attending. He made his way towards it as the server took his leave, and there she was; sitting by her lonesome with her face buried in some book. Her scarred eye was facing the wall of the booth, but it made no difference that the girl was unmistakable with the bright, silver-toned hair.

Without another word, Quillon took the seat across from her and quickly pulled the book down to lay it flat atop the table. "You," he began to say, "who are you?" Curious eyes challenged hers, as he tried to decipher who or what she was. He pulled back the hood of his cowl in just the slightest, hoping to jog her memory for someone she would have recognized in whatever mess of memories of his that she had seen, the same way that he was able to identify her off of hers.

 

[Kisaki]

Melody Holladay​

Melody let out a couple of 'oos' and 'ahs' as the wagon moved through the capital. The rebuilt buildings looked pretty impressive despite being built in the past five years. However, the ugly leftovers of war were still there. Melody could smell small hints of smoke and death permeating throughout the city. She wrinkled her nose, "Gods, I sometimes hate this nose." She muttered to herself. The smell would take some time for her to get used to.

Melody looked around the quiet streets. She started to notice the run-down state of the city despite the grand buildings. It was a little letdown for her seeing the capital so dead. It shouldn't have been of surprise, though. She heard that capital was hit hard by the war. She still thought there was hope for the city. Especially with her handiwork.

Melody looked over to the large manor that sat in full repair. The manor was probably had someone very dedicated to keeping it in pristine condition. She shook her head, then turned to Garrett. Her ears twitched at the offer. "Huh, really?" She asked, somewhat surprised. She was sure she would be staying at a run-down hostel. "Sure, bud. Sleepin' here is probably the best offer." She laughed lightly. Melody certainly didn't want to face any robbers during her first day in the city.

Melody pulled her travel bag over to herself and pulled the straps over her arm. She hopped up, her bag towering over her slightly as she stood up straight. "Uh, thank ya, wagon driver." She called out to Eddy as they approached their destination.


TPBx

 

[Remembrance]

Art de GlaceFrom the corner of his eyes, two arrows fired from the open space granted by the door. Beside him, two of his men were shot dead. Art's mind glazed over as the eleven soldiers he had assembled were reduced to nine. Nine soldiers who now knew the dangers of dungeon crawling. Nine soldiers who just saw their comrades fall to a trap. 68 Soldiers who now know the dangers of dungeon crawling and the sight of their comrades dying.

A thought ran threw Art's mind, that these men were expendable. Art was doctrined to believe that any who follow him are expendable. An everlasting idea gained from his education in law and generals. He was taught to believe that people are replaceable and that doing so is beneficial. As a leader of a large kingdom, perhaps this would be more valid. But for a leader of a small retinue, this concept was unreliable and only for the wicked of leaders.

His men's discontent turned to fear. Their relaxation cut. But there would be no rally. Nothing would deny the dangers of spelunking into something as dangerous as this. The Thief King, even in death, still terrifies the masses. Art turned to the onlookers and instructed they bury their comrades. And with a hand motion, Art and his men ventured deeper into the lair.

Handed a torch, he kept his eyes peeled onto the ground. Art told the party to not touch anything and to alert him of anything suspicious on the walls, ceiling, or ground. Art himself kept his sound perception passively active. The sound of a trap activating is faint but distinctive. Enough to be distinguished from footsteps or the soft sounds of a lit torch. Ahead of them, a sharp turn. There, two crossbows rigged together remained unloaded. Art studied the contraption before halting the party and peeking around the corner, looking out for any sounds.
Coyote Hart

Nikko ElrinA group clad in robes. One with a red sleeve. Their movements are quick and decided. An ornamental knife cutting into something, the sound reverberating around them. And so, it shall begin.

Nikko slashed his dagger into the rope, releasing the cover over the caravan bed; revealing various wooden barrels. He sheathed his dagger and carefully turned over one of the barrels, letting it slide off the caravan bed onto the hard dirt road. Nikko was lucky the barrel didn't break on impact. It was a copper toss as to whether or not it would break but he's been having a lucky streak. Dropping to the ground, Nikko turned the barrel upwards and grabbed a metal rod, the end of which was flattened and sharp. He punctured the wooden barrel, between the wood top and the metal seams. He pushed down onto it, tilting the rod until the barrel top snapped off.

"See? Grapes." Nikko declared proudly as if he was at graduation and these were his children.
The guard peered in with suspicion, plucking one from the top and popping it into his mouth.
Nikko smiled in response, proclaiming; "Best grapes in all of Ornare." Their motto, not only spoken in word but painted onto the side of their caravans.
The guardsman appeared in deliberation for a moment before nodding, "It is pretty good." Looking at Nikko up and down, the man asked, "What's with the robes?"
Chuckling with a great big grin, Nikko replied: "There was a storm back over there, we were unsure if it would follow us here." He pointed back at the road from which they came as he crouched down to grab the barrel top. "So are we clear to pass through the city?" He asked as he rose.
"Go ahead." The guard responded, ushering his men to follow him back to the walls.
Nikko grinned and bowed his head at each guard leaving before laying the top over the barrel and pounding the other end of the rod onto it, snapping it back into place.

Taking a deep breath, his face turned from utter glee to one of grim and mental exhaustion. He rolled his eyes as he gestured one of the cultists to help him put the barrel back into the caravan bed. He threw the cover over the bed, tying each corner onto metal bars hammered into the wood. Nikko gestured to the driver as he hopped in the front, accompanied by another cultist. They both removed their robes, revealing a white silk shirt with buttons and turtle-neck like collar. The only difference between their shirts was Nikko's had an insignia placed over the area where his heart is.

As they rode through the city of Ishveil, they tried their best to get marketers and stall owners to place an order for "The best grapes in Ornare." They were unsuccessful. After being searched through for a second time, Nikko and his caravan left Ishveil and on towards a small town between the city and Nalore.

The sun began to set and it was clear to the group that they wouldn't make it there this day. Following sunset, they found a forest covering and hid their caravan. Setting up a small fire and laying out some plain cloth sheets, they rested for the night.​

 

[Cyan Hide]

Helena Beaumont
​

Helena sat also been sat quiet, and composed, watching passively and carefully, playing close attention to what everybody was saying. Her own King was now escalating things, so she cleared her throat and spoke in a weak, sweet voice that was filled with authority and dignity if not strength or pride.

"A three-on-one war with the Clubs would wreck far more damage to this land than a three-on-one war with the Diamonds, which is already, I argue, too much. Of course I'm not suggesting we all do nothing and let Diamond recover. That's not the answer and would make nobody but Diamond happy. But we must not let short term greed cloud our judgement of the long-term effects this meeting could have on our land for decades if not centuries to come.

Look how much tension lies between our nations as a result of such a comparatively small shift in the balance of power. If we wage war on Diamonds with the goal of taking it over and dividing it amongst ourselves, what happens next? Do you think we'd have peace? Do you think the spoils would be divided fairly? We'd all have suffered equally and no one nation would be stronger than the other two? Do you understand how careful we would have to be in that scenario to avoid another war, and yet another? It could cause an irreversible chain of events that would see us fight each other and get weaker and weaker until we are easy picking for the Argossians, or we wipe ourselves out before they even get the chance.

We have all come here to talk, and to bargain, and make treaties, compromises and deals. Even if War is declared today, it should not be for the goal of eradicating one of the four suits from existence. Ruin is not what any of us truly want."

Helena turned to Athania, and smiled. For a brief moment, it was as if her eyes glowed with glee.

"So I do agree with some of what you've said. However, the current treaty is also something in need of discussion. Circumstances have changed, after all, to sadly put your nation on the back foot. The terms between us must naturally change to reflect this."

 

[TPBx]

Melody Holladay​

Melody let out a couple of 'oos' and 'ahs' as the wagon moved through the capital. The rebuilt buildings looked pretty impressive despite being built in the past five years. However, the ugly leftovers of war were still there. Melody could smell small hints of smoke and death permeating throughout the city. She wrinkled her nose, "Gods, I sometimes hate this nose." She muttered to herself. The smell would take some time for her to get used to.

Melody looked around the quiet streets. She started to notice the run-down state of the city despite the grand buildings. It was a little letdown for her seeing the capital so dead. It shouldn't have been of surprise, though. She heard that capital was hit hard by the war. She still thought there was hope for the city. Especially with her handiwork.

Melody looked over to the large manor that sat in full repair. The manor was probably had someone very dedicated to keeping it in pristine condition. She shook her head, then turned to Garrett. Her ears twitched at the offer. "Huh, really?" She asked, somewhat surprised. She was sure she would be staying at a run-down hostel. "Sure, bud. Sleepin' here is probably the best offer." She laughed lightly. Melody certainly didn't want to face any robbers during her first day in the city.

Melody pulled her travel bag over to herself and pulled the straps over her arm. She hopped up, her bag towering over her slightly as she stood up straight. "Uh, thank ya, wagon driver." She called out to Eddy as they approached their destination.


TPBx

Garrett Vallerian

"I'll have a room prepared then," Garrett replied. "You go on your way and explore the city for a bit. When you come back just ring the bell and tell the guards you're looking for me. I'll make sure to tell them to let you in if you ask." He stepped off the wagon and waved Eddy off. The carriage pulled away from the Kaloronos estate leaving Melody and Garrett by themselves. He shook off the dust left behind by the wagon and leaned up against a lamp post. "I need to take care of business around here, so unfortunately I won't be able to join and show you around. Though if you don't feel comfortable out there you're welcome to do so as well. Anyways take care." The man got up and made his way to the entrance to the mansion, where the doorman opened up the door and let Garrett in.

He went to the guard room where the squad leader was around doing some administrative work before the next shift began. Garrett approached him and they exchanged a few words before the Guard Leader made his way elsewhere. Garrett proceeded to one of the upper floors of the mansion and let himself into Athania's room where he left his belongings and rested on the couch for a bit. He then left the room and made his way out to the field and grabbed his working gear and started working on projects that had been going on around the manor such as helping the construction teams repair the remaining destroyed rooms as well as taking care of the yard and garden.

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

Elijah Addison Saar
Stormcaller Quest

Elijah sat by the ledge of the ship, she let her hair be brushed by the breeze of the sea while the crew wandered around to do their required jobs. A smile crept up her face as the cool wind hit her face despite the swerve of the ship. She was used to it and no swerving would ruin this journey for her.

Eadrick simply watched her from afar, Sebastian by his shoulder. "Take that frown off your face, look how happy Elijah is!" The red creature reprimanded him.

The man could only rub the back of his neck, he gave Sebastian a quick glance. "I'm just worried. She gets caught up in her own world sometimes that she doesn't notice her surroundings." He stated shyly, moving his hands to his pockets.

"You worry too much, my friend." The crab commented, slapping his limb to the man's cheeks. Eadrick flinched at the sudden contact, sure that the piscine smell would stay on his cheek. His face scrunched in disgust as he leaned his face away from Sebastian. "Ugh, don't do that." He exclaimed lowly to which the crab just laughed off.

"Captain!" A voice cried that took Elijah and Eadrick's attention. The crew had started to move about and prepare, this was one of the few things why Sandra didn't want her adoptive daughter to venture too far out into the sea. Pirates, shipwrecks. The head of the Saar family had battled those vermin way too much to be able to count and still they lurk the seas with arrogance. Eadrick was there to bring Elijah back if the journey had become arduous, he'd do it in a heartbeat and leave everyone else to die if he had to.

"Eadrick," Elijah called beside him, he hadn't noticed that she already wade her way to him but her face had a seriousness he hardly saw all the years they'd been together. "Are you ready?" He nodded as an answer to her question, clenching the sword that hung by his hip.

The white haired woman turned around, her demeanor suddenly changing into the complete opposite of what she showed to him earlier. "Ahh, I'm so excited... The shipwreck holds so much stories and not only that, we're about to fight with pirates!" She said rather gleefully despite the grimness of the situation. While the Red Pigoen surely wouldn't go down so easily, one way or another, people will die.

Eadrick let out a sigh and placed a palm to his face, Sebastian simply changed shoulders to perch on and said, "Be careful what you wish for, Elijah."

"Oh, I know." She gave her crab a soft smile and took the heirloom that she got from Sandra from it's sheath. Something that the older woman believed to bring good luck to it's owner, like a superstition. "I'll be careful."

Once Wysteria had given them orders, Elijah saluted their leader with a smile turned her gaze to the other ship that headed their way. She took in a breath and steeled her heart for the upcoming battle, taking Eadrick's hand into hers for comfort. "I'm here." He said to her, knowing full well that she may be excited but this was still new to her.

"Leave at least one for interrogation," Elijah whispered to herself as a mental note and continued, "Alright! I'm ready." She pumped herself up, giving life to the fire of excitement within her and gave her fellow members an encouraging smile.

mention: || interaction: LazyDaze AI10100 SentinelSevn SweetRose

 

[vielpotato]

The Assassination of the Century

The Guild Master himself instructed Lazara to gather whomever he needed to dispatch the targets, with oddly specific directions attached. And that is exactly what Lazara did. He brought two Umbras with him and the Guild's newest Second to go after the targets: a certain group of the Jokers. The main target, whom Lazara and one Umbra would go after, was someone who was told to be in his dormitory, who recently left his realm to sleep. in the joker lair. Once approaching the room and making sure the coast is clear, a poison made to knock out this person specifically was released to allow Lazara to approach him and dig into his head to allow for all of his memories to be looked at, including the face and locations of the secondary targets to what the Target Samael Nicks was a part of and who he is related to. With the business down, Lazara snapped the target's neck allowing for a silent and clean kill.

Once the information gathering and kill confirmed, Lazara gathered the one item he was told to bring: The mirror, that Lazara tapped with a small draining wand as instructed. Directly after the mirror was grabbed a flesh eating poison was made by Lazara to dissolve Samael Nicks while the Umbra assistant, who had Bone Manipulation, made small bone rats to move the bones away and effectively remove the body from the lair. With the memories of Samael, the faces of the secondary targets were sent to both Zinnia and the new Second.

The primary target is down, be smart about taking out the secondary targets please. Just because I am here does not mean that I want to get my hands any bloodier than they already are. Be careful of mirrors and showing evidence, for once one is alerted the job gets needlessly harder...



EmeraldSplash Xanto

 

[AI10100]

Z U L R I C H , H Y A C I N T H
Location: Mystical Jewels, Clubs Kingdom
Interacting with: Desert Rose
​

The younger half-elf seemed to have caught onto the irritation but smiled it off nonetheless. Many people called him too easygoing, even when dealing with people and beings far older than him - those that demanded respect. Those who were put down by humans all this time. Oh the discrimination that they regularly faced from humans puts many things to perspective.

The arrogance of an elf is not so easily pushed aside.

"With the war and all, many people don't turn to jewelry to spend their leftover money on. A shame really." Hyacinth sighed. Though, that wasn't to say the merchant guild suffered from this. In fact, they thrived during the rebuilding. With orders coming in for materials, they were able to circulate the money as usual. Not to mention, many nobles have turned to arming themselves once again once the rebuilding had stopped and they were pushing to get back to full power.

"Oh, I decided to stop by to restock on some of your jewelry. No customer orders, sadly, but here's your share from the sales." The half elf grabbed a coin pouch from one of his pockets and dangled it a bit in front of him before handing it to Kayos. "Managed to sell it at a... reasonable price for its quality." The sly smile said it all. While he didn't entirely rip off a noble out of their money, the item was too rare to pass up tacking a few more gold coins onto its price. It just needed a bit of convincing for some people, but they always give in at some point. It was just a matter of finding the right words and finding the right kind of person.

His eyebrows raised in curiosity as Kayos continued to tell him about his recent ventures. He laughed alongside the man's offer of an ear wrap. "Ah, sounds like an enticing offer there sir. But alas, I would have to decline. Such expensive jewelries would be lost on a merchant." Not to mention, he doubted the elf meant that it would look good on him. His half blood rounded his ears a bit more than that of a normal elf, but pointed enough to recognize that it wasn't a human's ear either. He did appreciate the thought however. "If you're willing to get it off your hands and into mine to find a buyer, well, I am more than happy to do so." More items in his shop mean more things he can sell. A variety of objects in a shop attracts many customers - some odder than others.

"Of course... if you'll have me." He responded with a small bow to show his respect and then sat down on the given stool. "Aside from the staggering taxes the kingdoms have imposed upon us, nothing too exciting." He's had to adjust so many of his prices just to make sure that people bought from him. It's starting to ease up nowadays, but the inflation was still something. "I've gone to the Spades and let me tell you, the dwarves are recently closing in even more. They've cast quite a lot of glares when I visited Lindheimer." He shifted a bit, clasping his hands together on the table. "The Spades Queen, you know of her yes? Mortemiah? She's been queen for so long - I didn't expect her to get defeated by some upstart. A new queen to rule the Spades, I wonder how she will do." He mused. For his entire life, he's only known Mortemiah as the Spades Queen. An elf on the throne was certainly something his mother liked to talk about. But now she's gone and tensions are rising. He wondered how that will go...

 

[Mechking]

Arimand Argus Dornwell​

Arimand tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, this meeting so far was an utter waste. He played with the thought of letting the golem outside the room barge in and hand him Hofund's blade, just to remind them that he still has it in his possession.

"Everyone seemed to have forgotten that us Diamonds and the Spade Kingdom are still allied. But sure, let's say hypothetically speaking all Kingdoms declare war on the Diamonds. Naturally, I will act in a way that guarantees the survival of as many citizens of my Kingdom as possible and do the most logical move: I'll concede!"

Arimand let everyone in the room take his statement in for a few seconds before he continued.
"Our territory and assets will be split up between the remaining three Kingdoms and us Royals will be stripped of our position. All of you will need to deal with my Kingdoms problem and the war-hungry warlords will be dissatisfied while I can enjoy my retirement in my noble estate. That would be the best course of action, wouldn't you agree? And, the most hilarious thing is, I will become a Noble of one of your Kingdoms."

Now his gaze sharpened with cold intent towards the room.
"And as a Noble, I am eligible to challenge any of your positions. Essentially, I would be increasing the power of my Kingdom and my position thanks to everyone present."

Being done with his retort, Arimand focussed his attention to the Hearts Queen and sent her a telepathic message:
"Having fun, Queen Bianca? Remember: the gods are watching!"

With a wave of his hand, he seemed to dismiss the notion of war...or everyone present and continued with a hint of sarcasm.
"Putting the small matter of the survival of my Kingdom aside, things need to change. Nobody present seemed to have learned anything from five years ago where we all stood at the edge of oblivion. If things were to continue like before, with the same old feuds and border disputes, the same meaningless wars, what would happen the next time the Argossians come? Sure, that might only be the case in a few decades, but the prospect is still there. Or let us focus on more recent threads such as the Jokers or the Royal Flushe: what would they be capable of, given a few more years or decades of meaningless infighting? Not to mention the Diamonds; the entirety of Ornare would undergo a drastic and catastrophic change, if not complete destruction."

Arimand let out a small sigh before resuming, not intend ing to let anyone else speak before he is finished.
"Naturally, I propose a peace treaty. Or more accurately: An alliance or a coalition. Some way for us four Kingdoms to more or less harmoniously coexist. All disputes would be settled by everyone and if one Kingdom were to act aggressively it would be the duty of the other three to keep them in check. We would be able to have open trade between all of our nations as well as the exchange of magical and technological knowledge, allowing all of us to benefit greatly and withstand all foreign and intern aggression!"


Athanas Cyan Hide TPBx LazyDaze SweetRose . D O V E AI10100 Coyote Hart Colorless Spectrum The Prophet

 

[LazyDaze]

XIXIX VALENTINE

X half listened to the others as he continual shifted his hands in his pockets. He made note of the important parts and placed the other parts in the caverns of his mind. The remnants of the sweet pastry filling had finally joined his hands, and the fabric they rested on, in holy matrimony, however, X could only dream of divorce from this unpleasant situation. He couldn't help but notice that Queen Mazeltov (Mortimiah) had undergone a magical facelift....or something. She seemed a bit less....dead. Even dyed her hair. It was almost as if she was an entirely different person. (She was) She reiterated some of the same opinions of her King, but also conceded on certain points in regards to X's view of the situation. Before he could respond, Arimand finally spoke up for his own country. He spoke well, confidently...yet a bit misguided.

"King Errands (Arimand), you're assuming my proposal asks for your surrender. My plan actually involves you lying in a ditch somewhere, preferably without pastry filling on your hands....with pastry filling on your hands."

X knew Arimand was a sly speaker, but holy crap dude! On the surface it seemed like a pretty sound argument, however, even if Arimand was successful, his earlier points about running a war mongering state in poor condition would only be magnified since the stronger country would have their king overthrown by a foreigner. More importantly, would anyone in their right mind keep a symbol of hope alive when taking over as a new regime, let alone a legitimate threat? Surely Arimand didn't think he could dance around that as if it weren't obvious this future of Ornare excluded him. X knew there was no perfect solution to this problem, but the others essentially wanted peace for peace's sake. None of the arguments so far were anything he could realistically take back to the Club Kingdom without push back. He doubted everyone else would be entirely okay with that either. Then again...he hadn't heard news of a spade revolt after they essentially became the Diamond sponsors the past years. Moreover, if they grew unhappy with X......

"Nevertheless, everyone overlooked the number one reason the Diamonds will be left alone. First, the Queen of Spades is so adorable I could die. Second, the Clubs will destroy anyone who lays a finger on the Diamonds." Iris practically gave up trying to read X's mind. Why the hell did he have to go through all of that hoopla if he he was just going to agree with the peace treaty.? She mentally threw her hands up in defeat as she continued writing what she was sure would be a rollercoaster.

To be fair, X never stated he want to destroy the Diamond Kingdom. He only thought that would objectively be the best decision. After all, if you could kill a child in exchange for world peace it would still be a difficult decision for most. Of course, he could have asked how everyone felt about helping the Diamonds, but that would be too....normal? X then took a look at the scribe who was recording the events of this meeting. No one, not even their ally, took this hard a stance at defending the Diamonds. If the Spades had said this, there wouldn't have been much debate. With any luck, X just provided the other nations an excuse as to why they would leave the Diamonds alone, especially the Hearts. "I'll be honest with you...preserving peace for peace's sake is not something I can take back to my kingdom. If I had it my way, we would all be on the beach lounging. So, sorry I had to test you..actually I'm not. Anyway, my people really want you guys dead; that has nothing to do with me though. That said, even I'm aware that if I were to retire, you guys will have a problem."

X thought about scratching his chin, but his pockets *sigh*...so he knelt down...then began to inchworm on the ground as he spoke. "...We can discuss details later, but I plan on eventually being active at the Argossian front. Leaving them to their devices seems to produce Valencia sized tanks outside of our intel. I'll need Diamonds recovered for that. Also, I'm glad you mentioned the Flushe. Clubs have already made steps to counter them. The Hearts have dealt with them for far too long."

X turned on his back and continued his inch worming around the room in order to scratch that hard to reach spot. As for your other requests, you'll have to take me out to dinner first King Errand." X then rolled back and the leapt back to a standing position. "...This sharing of wealth and knowledge is a bit one sided. I can only agree not to raze...*yawn* you to the ground...nothing mor....ZzZzz."

X finished his final statement, content with what he had laid down. The rest of the arguments should be taken care of by the others, primarily the Jacks. Of course trade routes would probably be open, but he had no intention of acting as the second sponsor of the Diamonds. They had to play things carefully, rushing into this happy go lucky Ornare would only hurt the cause futher. If need be Iris would wake him up...hopefully. X knew the Club nobles would probably still be annoyed that they couldn't capitalize on this situation, but he would offer them something more than restoration, advancement. X didn't always go about things in an ordinary fashion, but he knew what he was doing. He was well aware of what was at stake.

"He...oh gods he fell asleep....standing up..."

Mechking

 

[Coyote Hart]

The Assassination of the CenturyView attachment 777012

The Guild Master himself instructed Lazara to gather whomever he needed to dispatch the targets, with oddly specific directions attached. And that is exactly what Lazara did. He brought two Umbras with him and the Guild's newest Second to go after the targets: a certain group of the Jokers. The main target, whom Lazara and one Umbra would go after, was someone who was told to be in his dormitory, who recently left his realm to sleep. in the joker lair. Once approaching the room and making sure the coast is clear, a poison made to knock out this person specifically was released to allow Lazara to approach him and dig into his head to allow for all of his memories to be looked at, including the face and locations of the secondary targets to what the Target Samael Nicks was a part of and who he is related to. With the business down, Lazara snapped the target's neck allowing for a silent and clean kill.

Once the information gathering and kill confirmed, Lazara gathered the one item he was told to bring: The mirror, that Lazara tapped with a small draining wand as instructed. Directly after the mirror was grabbed a flesh eating poison was made by Lazara to dissolve Samael Nicks while the Umbra assistant, who had Bone Manipulation, made small bone rats to move the bones away and effectively remove the body from the lair. With the memories of Samael, the faces of the secondary targets were sent to both Zinnia and the new Second.

The primary target is down, be smart about taking out the secondary targets please. Just because I am here does not mean that I want to get my hands any bloodier than they already are. Be careful of mirrors and showing evidence, for once one is alerted the job gets needlessly harder...



EmeraldSplash Xanto

Oh joy. You're here. Well, welcome to the Joker base. As the person who makes slice-of-life stories where the Joker base is the setting, I'll do my best to guide you through it. The Joker base was unfortunately cramped. Well, the dorm rooms weren't, but the hallway connecting all the rooms together wasn't particularly large. Four people could walk side by side in the hallways, but no more. A battle in the hallways would be problematic for anybody. The rooms are much better. They have higher ceilings, are much more breathable, and have their own personality to them, based on whoever lived there.

When the group of assassins opened up the door of Samael's room to enter the hallways, the hinges squeaked like a tortured mouse. The Jokers couldn't be blamed for it. They weren't at the same level of wealth as the nobles, so they sometimes had to make do with what they had. Thankfully though, it didn't seem like anybody noticed beneath the amiable chatter and conversation. The hallway outside was lit more brightly than at night, with more of the oil lanterns lit to discourage intruders-- not that it matter much against the invisibility rings of the Assassin's Guild. As noon was getting nearer and nearer, the Jokers were beginning to walk out of their dorm rooms and funnel down the hall, where each of them would open the door leading to the mess hall, as Samael's memory told. Some of these Jokers were a part of Samael's mirror team, but there were many other Jokers around them as they moved towards the mess hall. Each of them opened the door, walked in, and let the door shut behind them. The rich smell of a rich vegetable stew wafted down the hall.

It was the scene of a fantastic community of what could be called either terrorists or revolutionists. Shame on the Assassin's Guild for breaking in, but they're in. Even despite the traffic of people moving towards the mess hall, it seemed that the assassins wouldn't be discovered yet-- if they played their cards right.

vielpotato EmeraldSplash Xanto

 

[. D O V E]

Guineverre Victoria y Blanca​

"Having fun, Queen Bianca? Remember: the gods are watching!"

Hints of disappointment flickered on Guin's face after Arimand gave his reply. She has been sitting idly and silently watching as the rest of the occupants squabble like children over Diamond's survival. Her eyes briefly trailed off to the now-asleep King of Clubs. He managed to agitate a room full of powerful people from the four kingdoms using a single hypothetical scenario, all while providing sound arguments. He was giving quite an impressive performance during this meeting. Oh, if only he didn't deliver his points while acting like Three's newest wyrm.

Then, her eyes moved to the Spade's mysterious King, regarding each movements of her mask with absolute scrutiny before tilting her head to the right ever so slightly. The Masked King, as her Joker spies in Spades informed her, was fresh in her position and there was little to nothing known about her background. Regardless, she countered King X's scenario with a good point, backed up by her Queen. Attacking the Diamonds would catalyze a chain of war. Still, the fact remains that if one of the kingdoms was truly persistent on expanding borders, targeting the Diamonds would be the wisest choice instead of the Clubs or the other kingdoms for that matter. It was an easy answer for an easy question. So, really, Guin was curious as to why the Spades were mobilizing their troops by the Heart's borders.

Finally, she pried her sight off the Spade's corner when she felt Twig move beside her. It then landed on a slip of paper which the Jack slid her way. Intrigued, the Queen of Hearts took the sheet and wordlessly read it. Sanguine eyes visibly widened afterwards and she flung her gaze to Twig, using her hands to subtly signal him something before he left the room. Another news followed shortly after. Corda's latest perpetrator was a part of the Royal Flushe apparently. Whether he was part of the original team or a new one, she couldn't possibly know. What she did know was that the Flushe needed to be taken care of. Once and for all. Same goes for this meeting.

"I see. Send a team of trackers after them. It might lead us to the new Flushe's hideout." She telepathically commanded Declan.

Guin set her goblet on the table after one last sip. "I never forgot, King Dornwell." She said, out loud, as she finally refocused on the King of Diamonds. She had set the perfect stage for him to reveal everything about the gods. She couldn't understand why he chose to go on about conceding and usurping the prospective conqueror instead. Although, she supposed, Arimand has always been rather dense. "For the past five years, I've been opening the eyes of the Heart and Club's royalties. For the past five years, I've been desperately looking for ways to stand a chance against them."

"It's time to reveal the truth." She slowly rose from her seat and regarded everyone with a solemn expression. She swiped her right hand over the air and her magic permeated the air on cue. Small figures constructed by her mana floated above the table. A brief reenactment of the War Engine's destruction played before the royalties before the figures came into a sudden halt, like they were frozen in place. "995ASF, immediately after the Coalition won the war, time froze for everyone but King Dornwell and me." She left out the part about the King's death for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, the small mana constructs followed the Queen's regaling. "A William Code from a different timeline, who had seen several futures, appeared and warned us about beings far more powerful than any of us. The gods."

"He revealed the reason why the William Code of our timeline acted against the Coalition so randomly; he was under the control of one. A god who wants to exterminate us, mages, from the face of the world." She looked around the room as the scene of her constructs shifted to depict the cryomancer barraging Valencia with icy projectiles. Then, it changed into a picture of a plain of ruins loitered by death. "Our greatest mage, turned against us by one god, and we don't even know how many more share the same goal."

"The answer to my question is this: we should prolong the treaty for the survival of all magekind." She pressed her hands against the table and leaned forward, brow furrowing as her eyes gleamed with determination. "Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades; we are all in danger. We are not each other's enemies. Queen Kaloronos is correct; we need to unite because our true enemy is much larger, much powerful, much dangerous than all of us combined."

"I know this is difficult to swallow and there are plenty of questions running in your heads right now. Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you. But do bear this in mind when they finally come and we all lie in the fallout of our infighting: I told you so." She snapped her fingers and the all of her constructs swiftly dissipated into thin air. "Ladies and gentlemen, the fate of Ornare is in our hands." Guin took her seat and politely requested for more tomato juice, waiting for the inevitable comments of absurdity and faces of disbelief.

Mechking LazyDaze SweetRose Coyote Hart TPBx Cyan Hide AI10100 (Literally everyone else in the meeting. There are too many I can't keep up!)

 

[Coyote Hart]

A Letter of Warning

In collaboration with Kloudy
. D O V E LazyDaze AI10100 Colorless Spectrum TPBx SweetRose Cyan Hide Mechking

After his not too well thought out outburst regarding the terrorist attack in Corda, Twig bashfully returned to his seat, his cheeks tinted with pink. He tried to act like nothing had happened, and poured himself another cup of tea as he listened in on the meeting.

He didn’t like the direction that the conversation was going. War was not something that Twig supported. It was a waste of human life, a construct bent on causing despair on both sides of the war. Yes, in war there would be a victor, but if one compared where they started out in the beginning of the war and where they were at the end of the war, did one side really prevail?

Regardless, Twig allowed Guin and X to take the lead in the conversation as he sipped on his tea and jotted down notes on his paper-- none important, one of them was a fleeting thought of whether putting a savory cream into the crust of pizza was a good idea. He’d have to talk to Guin and Kaiden about that later.

As the meeting ensued, a servant of the castle admitted himself into the room surreptitiously. He quietly moved across the room so as to not disturb the highly important discussion the royals were likely having, cutting a direct path to the Hearts royalty. The servant approached the nearest royal, Twig, and stopped short just behind him.

"My Heartship, my apologies but there is a gentleman outside requesting an immediate audience with one of our kingdom's royals. He bears the Crest of the Sealer." The servant whispered in his ear, awaiting Twig's response.

Twig frowned and tilted his head to be able to speak into his ear-- at normal volume, since it was already whisper-like. He was wondering why the Sealer of the Dragon would be demanding an audience at a time like this. It seemed unlikely that he didn’t know about the severity of the meeting. So did that mean that this was something dire and important?

“At a time like this? How did he seem?” Twig asked the servant, “Was he flustered in any way? How did he arrive?”

The servant shook his head, "His features were concealed by a hood, but his tone seemed calm. It appears he arrived here with a merchant caravan."

Strange. It didn’t seem urgent, but the choice of a merchant caravan was an unusual one indeed. Twig didn’t understand why it was necessary to have an audience at this moment, but this was the Sealer of the Dragon. It would be impossible for Twig to refuse him.

Twig tore a small section off of the sheet of parchment he was taking notes on and scribbled on there, ‘The Sealer of the Dragon has requested my presence. Keep the meeting afloat while I’m gone.’ He then inconspicuously slipped the paper to Guin, and stood up, adjusting the ribbon around his neck as he did so. He noticed Guin signaling to him to collect information and help her, and he nodded with understanding.

“I’ve made a severe lapse of judgment,” Twig announced, gesturing to his teaset and empty tomato juice chalice, “Please excuse me for a second.”

Twig flipped over his sheet of parchment and making his presence as little as possible, snuck to the door, and apologetically left the meeting room. There was a distinct lowering of tension as soon as Twig left the room. The might of the royals in the meeting room was truly… unbearable.

A few servants mingled in the halls, some of them being Jokers. Twig spotted Cilantro trying to blend in near one of the benches as he read a manga. The young man looked up as Twig walked past him, but Twig just gave him a relaxed smile and continued on his way to the entrance of the castle. The servant that had notified Twig of his visitor followed from the meeting room, gesturing for the royal to follow him. They ventured down the castle's hallway into a side room meant for ambassador visitation. Inside, a man in a long cloak sat at an ornate wooden table. A chair stood on the opposite side, clearly intended for Twig to sit in. The Sealer looked over to the royal healer as he entered but didn't greet him. Having delivered Twig, the servant closed the door behind himself as he exited the room.

“Good day,” Twig greeted the Sealer with a nod, “I heard you wished to discuss something? I apologize for being tight on time, as there is a meeting going on, but I’d be glad to spare some time to talk.”

Twig took a seat next to the Sealer and reached into his bag. He realized he forgot his teaset at the meeting room, and instead substituted with his hip flask of apple cider, clasping it in his hands in front of him on the table, the bottle acting as a symbolic barrier between him and the Sealer.

The man simply watched Twig as he took his seat, features still cloaked by the shadows of his hood. He seemed hum to himself for a second as the royal greeted him, apparently thinking something over.

"I believe an introduction is in order," The Sealer said. His voice sounded old but well-spoken, like that of a noble.

"My name is Tiberius Falkenfare. I am the current Sealer of the Dragon." He produced a silver Crest from an inner pocket, showing it to Twig for examination. The item looked extremely old but in good condition.

"And you are? I requested the presence of a royal, but I do not know you." The Sealer leaned back in his chair, arms crossed with an air of enigma.

Twig nodded, pretending to recognize the crest. He had only read about the Sealer of the Dragon in a few books, none of which he had time to sink into due to having to maintain his medicinal knowledge, as well as from folklore during his time at Woodheart Village.

“My name is Zephyr Terwilliger, the current Jack of Hearts,” Twig introduced himself with a friendly smile. He forced his mana signature to expand, and he reached into his bag to procure a copper coin, flipping it to Sealer Falkenfare. For anybody doubtful of his identity, the mana signature of the copper coin and Twig’s mana signature would line up. And if they were further doubtful, comparing the mana signature of the copper coin with any other particular coin would likely also match up, considering the number of years Twig had been in power. The Sealer picked up the coin and felt it between his fingers, giving a confirming nod and setting it down again.

"Very well, this will do." The Sealer pulled his hood back to reveal his face to Twig. His face seemed as old as he sounded, likely in his sixties or seventies. There was a certain roughness about his features that seemed to suggest a life of enduring in an intense environment. Wrinkles and shallow scars. Yet still his expression was steely and resolute. Perhaps most surprising about this reveal was his eyes. On closer inspection, his right eye seemed to have a tattoo of a hand over it, the man's pupil resting in its palm.

"I have come to deliver you this," Tiberius now procured a small metal cube from his inner pocket, letting it rest on the table between them. It had a manastone set in its centre, "I have been instructed to ask you to play this enchanted recording before the royals gathered here today."

“I see,” Twig said as he picked up the cube. He looked up to look Tiberius in the eye, specifically the one with the hand tattoo on it. The imagery reminded Twig of Olivii’s tattoo of a hand with an eye on the palm, located on the back of her neck. “You’re one of Dorian’s followers.”

Although it was likely a bad idea, once again reached into his bag, and went through into one of the handheld mirrors he had on him and snatched his amulet. He subjugated the cube to a small dose of Drain, not enough to drain any significant mana, but enough to see if he thought, there was godly intervention happening here. The cube indeed was subjected to the drain spell as intended by Twig.

Tiberius nodded and replied simply, "Yes, I follow Dorian, Hand of Control."

Twig raised an eyebrow at the results. He was hoping that nothing would happen, which would confirm his suspicions that this was from a god. Unlike Guin, he couldn’t taste the mana signature of the dysidia, as he didn’t have it enter his body. And even if the did allow the dysidia to enter his body, it would probably taste like a hot burning pain. Twig dropped his amulet back where he left it and removed his hand. Regardless of whether this came from a god or not, the fact that this utilized magic likely meant that it wasn’t made by one of the gods that was against the use of magic.

If Tiberius was one of Dorian’s Disciples, Twig knew that even though Guin motioned for him to get his help, he couldn’t risk having the Dorian’s Disciples discover Guin’s revival magic as revival was the furthest thing from balance.

“Could I assume that this cube was from Dorian then?” Twig asked, “I’d like to ensure the safety of my fellow royals before I activate it.”

Tiberius shook his head this time, "He has only instructed me to deliver this. It was sold to me by a merchant some decades ago. I believe it is meant as a warning from another."

“I guess there’s no way to ensure our safety,” Twig grimaced as he looked over the cube, “I guess we’ll just have to square up and get it over with.”

Twig pocketed the cube into his bag, and took out a bottle of apple cider as he did so. It had been made that morning, so the top of the cider wasn’t as scummy as it would be later in the day. He offered the bottle to Tiberius.

“I apologize, I haven’t been a very courteous host,” Twig said, “If there’s anything else you need to talk about, would you like some cider?”

The Sealer raised a hand, "No, thank you. I drink only from the bounty of Yune. I shall be returning home soon."

Tiberius stroked his beard for a moment, considering and ruminating. He returned his attention to Twig after some kind of brief internal insight, "I have some business of my own with you. How is the Soul of the Dragon God? Is Axton here?"

“Axton…” Twig’s voice trailed off as his face was contorted with lingering pain, “He was kidnapped by the Royal Flushe eight years ago. Last we knew, he had been alive, but that was five years ago.”

Twig looked at Tiberius in the eye and said, “If you can lend your assistance, it would be most helpful. We believe the Royal Flushe are trying to reawaken Darigaas or obtain his strength in some way.”

Twig was surprised that Tiberius hadn’t known about Axton’s abduction even after all those years. It wasn’t like the Hearts kept it secret-- there was even a monument in Atria to Axton. Tiberius must have been as much of a hermit as the illusioner who just ate noodles every day in the Joker base was.

Tiberius frowned at this disturbing news. To hear that Darigaas' soul had fallen into the hands of nefarious villains was certainly a worry. The Sealer steepled his fingers together as his mind turned over this new information.

"Tell me more of these Flushe villains. If they possess the soul, great calamity could befall this kingdom- no, Ornare." His attitude was matter-of-fact and proper, but Tiberius was not an indifferent man. Every disciple had a part to play in fate and his was to prevent calamity. These unfortunate events would not best him yet.

"We can talk more on this matter in the future. I will be staying in Valencia for some time until this matter is resolved. Go, I have kept you long enough," The elder man gestured to Twig's bag, which held the enchanted transmission cube, "You must deliver the message. It is meant for all of you to bear witness to."

“Of course, thank you sir,” Twig stood up and gave a deep nod of his head in respect as he prepared to leave the room, “I’ll have a room be prepared for you to stay in. All the Heart royals will appreciate any assistance you can give.”

As Twig left the room, he conveyed to one of the servants the order to prepare a room. Knowing that he had been gone for way too long, Twig was hasty in his return to the meeting room, only stopping to throw Cilantro the bottle of cider. Unlike when he made his exit, Twig didn’t take much care in keeping himself inconspicuous.

“I apologize for interrupting,” Twig said, “But I…”

Twig hesitated. How would he frame this strange situation? Most people didn’t even believe the gods existed. X, Frey, Guin, and Cass would back him up as they would know this was no joke, but he didn’t know how the others would react. And he hadn't been there for Guin's speech.

Twig felt the burn of attention from the other royals, and he made haste in speaking. He decided to speak the truth. Nobody would take him seriously if he said that he found the box in the bottom of the loo anyways.

“While I was gone, I met with the Sealer of the Dragon,” Twig said as he took the cube out of his bag, “He entrusted me with this magical recording and instructed me to play it in the presence of all of you.”

Twig turned to Darien, the most magically capable person in the room, and with the cube outstretched asked, “Ace Zelltear, do you by chance recognize the mana signature on this item?”

Darien was surprised when Twig addressed him directly but examined the item nonetheless. He shook his head upon running his eye over it, "No, I don't. It seems to be a standard spell, I don't sense much power from it."

“That’s a relief,” Twig said. He turned to the other royals and asked with a serious countenance, “So, what do you guys say to seeing what this cube has to offer?”

 

[The Prophet]

𝕾𝖎𝖊𝖌𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖆 𝕽𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉​

Taking a moment to listen to the royals speak in response to the Club's proposal, Siegfried was assured of one thing.

Some of these Royals were…..different.

The King of Spades' rebuttal was flawed, enough so that even King Valentine was quick to shut it down. Then came their Queen, whose point he could work with. The Diamonds were in check; they had to accept whatever the rest of them proposed. War was an aggressive stratagem to be sure but through diplomacy, a bigger profit and Club position could be had. Rolling the chess piece in his hands Siegfried attempted to play his way into a spot he could work, though was stopped prematurely when he realized that a cheery-looking servant was offering pastries to the Club side of the table. Eyes scanning the cart, Siegfried could not deny the allure, however he could not partake. "My apologies, but I make it a point to not eat while on business. It would be most improper to eat something like that at a time and place such as this. I must decline." He mused, waving his gloved hand dismissively as if to get the servant out of his headspace. It could not be more aptly timed, for the king of diamonds finally spoke in defense of his own kingdom. And quite frankly, it struck him as quite….. Short-sighted. If a war were to happen and the ruler surrender, they would be executed or imprisoned. Even In an idealistic world, one would be stripped of everything and made a commoner, not given a position of nobility in an enemy kingdom. Siegfried began to lean forward to whisper his take into his king's ear, but surprisingly his King was already ready with a rebuttal, so he leaned back and crossed his legs in wait.

Listening to his king and trying to predict or understand him was an arduous task in itself. Watching his own king, ruler of his land and its subjects get onto the floor in front of everyone and inch along the floor as he switched from wanting Diamond gone to playing the stout defender was rapidly draining his ability to keep his prim and proper appearance. And to top it off, the Royal even fell asleep standing, like some beast. If one were to pay attention to the new royal advisor, one would notice the smallest of cracks in his composure being the momentary twitch of his eyebrow as Siegfried turned to listen to the all but certain response of the other Royals. The advisor could already hear them already, comparing his king and queen to the rest of the Club's attendance and shaming their King in particular. The lengths one goes in the pursuit of knowledge was truly astonishing.

Listening patiently for the Queen of Hearts to finish speaking, Siegfried blinked rapidly as she seated herself. Hand coming up to the bridge of his nose as Siegfried visibly shook in heavily restrained emotion. Frustration? Laughter? Both? Neither? Whatever the case, Siegfried took a moment to himself before returning to his unblemished appearance. He spoke up higher than normal, enough for people at the table to hear but there to still be a case of which he was only saying it to himself or fellow Clubs. Speaking with refinement and eloquence befitting of someone in politics, Siegfried spoke up for the missing Club.

"Forgive me, that was most inappropriate of me. Seeing as our king is away, I believe I should voice a….concern. Moving on, I was most unaware of an event as important as this becoming an uninspired theatre play. One can not possibly be asked to believe that at the historic battle of Valencia, a William Code from an alternative timeline that may freely travel through time and space, pausing such for everyone in the world save for two people appeared out of nowhere. Then proceeded to claim that the reason for William's actions were the actions of a deity that apparently abhors magic and its practitioners controlling the William of our timeline and making him use magic to attack others. Why not just make William kill himself, ridding us of the strongest mage in his quest to end us all? Or, gather up hundreds of thousands of Williams from different instances in time to stop this all-powerful God? Or flit about to tell the rest of the royalties? Is there any sort of proof to back this 'truth' other than word of mouth? This claim is so utterly fictitious and theatrical that I find myself wondering if I might catch the stage play at a later date. You're asking us to unite because of a scary God, one of which the Queen of Hearts says is stronger than all of the kingdoms combined. If one were to believe in this delusion, what would be the point of fighting something that is so much more powerful than the sum of our kingdoms? Aren't gods nigh immortal?"

Seigfried leaned forward in his chair as the Jack of Hearts excused himself for seemingly nature-related reasons, and it was at that moment he felt something roll down his arm. Jolting slightly, Siegfried watched as a strange, unusual green coin slipped from his sleeve and landed in his lap. Where did this come from? Thinking back on this morning, he couldn't exactly piece together when he put on his person or even saw it ever for that matter. Carefully picking it up, he slipped it into his pocket and kept his hand in, making a mental note to study it later. Perhaps his sister slipped it in his coat as a sort of good luck charm? But them when- Siegfried shook his head slightly to dispel the thought as the Jack returned. He'd be curious later; now he was watching royals act out a play. Listening to the Jack speak on the box, Siegfried felt his brow twitch once more. "Oh yes, the strange and mysterious cube that he received after talking to the 'Sealer of the Dragon' while out to answer nature's call. How ominous. Let me guess; 'I am the evil God, and I hate you for not being together as one person. Ally with each other or face my wrath?' I believe I read this in a fantasy novel years ago." Siegfried mused once more, not finding purchase in this scene. "For a matter so important, one would expect notification post-Valencia when such transpired, not half a decade later."

This...play as he'd taken to calling it felt so fake; so unfinished and unbelievable. People couldn't possibly believe this, right?

Right?

 

[Cyan Hide]

Helena Beaumont​

Helena listened silently as others spoke. Arimand's scenario of surrender was painfully optimistic. No Royal of any post-war nation would grant him Nobility. If he wasn't put to death, he'd live his life as a mistrusted outcast one excuse away from being put to death. But his other points did match up with hers. Even X was beginning to concede. They were all of them on the same page, it seemed. Though X fell asleep after making a rather uncouth remark about her own appearance. It was hard to believe that this man had taken formal King training. There was no rush to receive an apology from him. There were more important things to worry about. Guin had started to speak.

Helena watched the magic display, and listened to Guin's words, and after the Queen of Hearts was finished, Helena sat down, put her hand to her chin, and looked deeply troubled. The arrival of the Jack of Hearts gave her more to worry about. He stated that he had met with the Sealer of the Dragon, and that he had a recording for all the Royals to hear. Even if it was not related to Guin's alarming story, it was a recording addressed to them. It concerned them. They should listen to it.

Seigfried seemed sceptical. Helena cleared her throat. "The story is indeed ludicrous and incredible. It's a story you couldn't make up. And if you wanted to make up a story, you'd go smaller. Furthermore, Guinevere, The Queen of Hearts, is the one telling such an otherwise embarrassingly ridiculous story. I for one think she must be telling the truth. This is grave news that I don't quite know how to respond to. We are, indeed, no match for Gods. As for the recording, we won't learn anything by ignoring it. We must play it. If little power can be sensed from it, it is probably not a trap or weapon. Just in case, I will set up a barrier between us and it, before it is played."