MasterDAF
Senior Member
Viktor sighed at first, then nodded at the young Eclipse caste satisfied with the answer his liege provided. "Of course, Aredin."
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Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread
- Thread starter Sherwood
- Start date
Rykon
Five Thousand Club
Aredin nods in affirmation. "They are. I've taken great pains over the last year to formulate a fair and simple legal code, and I'll be damned if we don't use it. Likewise, we built this place up to see it prosper, and we will see it managed in good hands with adequate defenses." Hopefully with a few more spirit courts on our side. I pray the sun shield us from any further abuses of his nieces and nephews in the Sidereals... not to mention the growing risk of insanity.
Sherwood
Luna's Concubine
With the dawn of the next day, word of Mellar's escape from the holding cell has spread across the city. Some are nervous, but others are more confident that the enemy Exalt fled from the righteous power of the Sun Chosen, vindicating their belief that they are on a winning team. From his position in his own cell, Ragara Hax is very angry that he has been betrayed by Mellar, and is asking to speak with Aredin and Darian. Asking nicely, I might add. The other two Dragon Blooded are both still somewhat hostile, but their opinion on the situation is quickly changing to be less in opposition to following your lead.
During the night, Aysik has been on guard the entire rest of the night to make sure that Mellar doesn't show back up and try to free the trapped Exalts, and has sent Dunbar out to meet some associates that are due to arrive later in the day; a pair of other Gold Faction Sidereals that have been working to teach other Solars how to tap into their divine powers. From Aysik you are able to learn that there are several other Solars, a couple of Lunars, and several Dragon Bloods that have been a part of the training. They will be arriving in the next week, before your planned exit to scout out the ruins of Rathess.
During the night, Aysik has been on guard the entire rest of the night to make sure that Mellar doesn't show back up and try to free the trapped Exalts, and has sent Dunbar out to meet some associates that are due to arrive later in the day; a pair of other Gold Faction Sidereals that have been working to teach other Solars how to tap into their divine powers. From Aysik you are able to learn that there are several other Solars, a couple of Lunars, and several Dragon Bloods that have been a part of the training. They will be arriving in the next week, before your planned exit to scout out the ruins of Rathess.
jaydude
Five Thousand Club
Following Mellar's escape, Annika and her thieves began secretly combing the town for any other associates of the Sidereal and the Wyld Hunt, mortal or Exalted. The news that several more Exalts would soon be arriving in Gwynnin was of great comfort to her. With their presence, Annika would be a lot more confident in the town's ability to defend itself while the core circle - Aredin, Darian, Viktor, Annika and Durke - were travelling towards Rathess.
On the subject of Exalts, Annika would be blessed with the news that one of her thieves - a young woman named Idola - had Exalted as a Water Aspect Dragon-blood, greatly boosting her thieving abilities as well as her raw potential. A handful of members were jealous of Idola for having new powers and a much longer lifespan just handed to her, but the vast majority of the gang were thrilled to have another Exalt in their ranks, knowing that this would only boost their capabilities. Annika was already making plans to have Idola be installed as the second in command of her gang, in order to run it and handle day-to-day activity when Annika was out with the rest of the circle.
She considered looking for Durke, and perhaps trying to discuss their little disagreement last night, but ultimately decided against it, figuring that by now he'd be willing to let bygones be bygones, and that since Aredin had decided not to go with her idea, there was little point in convincing Durke of its merits. She turned her attention to the reports her thieves had been bringing her, trying to decide which ones she should follow up on, and which ones she should ignore. Perhaps later on she'd look into questioning the Dynast prisoners for information, though she knew she'd have to co-ordinate her actions with those of Aredin and Darian, in order to not get in the way of their conversion efforts.
On the subject of Exalts, Annika would be blessed with the news that one of her thieves - a young woman named Idola - had Exalted as a Water Aspect Dragon-blood, greatly boosting her thieving abilities as well as her raw potential. A handful of members were jealous of Idola for having new powers and a much longer lifespan just handed to her, but the vast majority of the gang were thrilled to have another Exalt in their ranks, knowing that this would only boost their capabilities. Annika was already making plans to have Idola be installed as the second in command of her gang, in order to run it and handle day-to-day activity when Annika was out with the rest of the circle.
She considered looking for Durke, and perhaps trying to discuss their little disagreement last night, but ultimately decided against it, figuring that by now he'd be willing to let bygones be bygones, and that since Aredin had decided not to go with her idea, there was little point in convincing Durke of its merits. She turned her attention to the reports her thieves had been bringing her, trying to decide which ones she should follow up on, and which ones she should ignore. Perhaps later on she'd look into questioning the Dynast prisoners for information, though she knew she'd have to co-ordinate her actions with those of Aredin and Darian, in order to not get in the way of their conversion efforts.
Rykon
Five Thousand Club
Aredin resumes his usual happy-go-lucky mood after a lengthy hibernation. Having waited til noon to rise, he catches word of Hax's request during lunch and gives the approval for an audience.
The room would be laid out much as it had before, though Aredin had a slate board where he could draw in chalk brought in. Let's see how he responds to what we know of the truth. Given the doubts of his peers and the revelation of prior inquiries, all members of the circle were requested to attend to see the fruits of the rehabilitation process.
The room would be laid out much as it had before, though Aredin had a slate board where he could draw in chalk brought in. Let's see how he responds to what we know of the truth. Given the doubts of his peers and the revelation of prior inquiries, all members of the circle were requested to attend to see the fruits of the rehabilitation process.
MasterDAF
Senior Member
Viktor spent his morning continuing to examine the Essence Pulse Grenade. He was focused on the processes through which the Jade-crystal trapped and contained the essence poured into it, and made sure to write extensive notes following the process as he formed further hypotheses. After a while, he moved the item to the side and pulled down a damp rag to wipe his face with. I don't want to risk breaking this artifact by pouring too much essence into it and forcing it to crack under the pressure. I don't know if I could repair it if that occurred. But I need to know more about it. He returned the rag to its former location, and called his automata companion over.
"Koharu?"
She looked up from her desk where she had been reading through the shop inventory records. "Yes?"
"I need your help with something." His companion walked over to join him, and he continued. "I know your memories are fragmented at best, but what do you remember about Muramasa Akihiko's crafting? I need to find a way to make progress studying this essence grenade crystal, but I'm worried if I do anything intrusive I may cause it irreparable damage. Any thoughts?"
She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "From the little bit I can access, I seem to recall him creating copies of items that he needed to commit extensive work on. Thus, he could continue his crafting without compromising the original item." She lifted the grenade and looked at it. "Perhaps you could craft a prototype of the artifact's crystal interior?"
Viktor smiled, "that's a great idea!" He took the device from her hand, and turned it over a few times in his own. "Yeah! Some kind of Jade capacitor for storing excess essence. Maybe I could enwrap the Jade in Orichalcum bands so that it retains its shape while accommodating an overabundance of essence?" The blacksmith gleefully walked around the forge, gathering different tools for the challenging task ahead and muttering excited ideas to incorporate into the theorized item's design.
Aredin's servant arrived just after noontime and announced the request for the Twilight's presence, putting Viktor's mirth on hold. "Normally, I don't mind giving Aredin a hand or advice. But now?" He laid his tools down, and called Koharu to his side.
"We'll be there shortly," he informed the servant.
Once the servant had left, Viktor turned to his companion. "Regardless of his optimism, if we are expected to be in the presence of those Terrestrials, we shall not do so empty-handed."
Voicing full agreement, she helped him armor-up and retrieved their combined armaments. With weapons in hand, the two of them left the workshop to attend their liege.
[Essence/WP Costs: (Craftsman Needs No Tools) 7m, 1wp; (1st Craft Excellency) 9m; (1 auto-success) 1wp]
[Forge 'Red Jade Essence Capacitor' Roll: 5 Intelligence + 4 Craft(Fire) + 1 Hammer + 2 HS + 9 Excellency + 3 Craft Assist + 1WP = 16 - 3 Difficulty = 13/10 Accumulated Successes]
"Koharu?"
She looked up from her desk where she had been reading through the shop inventory records. "Yes?"
"I need your help with something." His companion walked over to join him, and he continued. "I know your memories are fragmented at best, but what do you remember about Muramasa Akihiko's crafting? I need to find a way to make progress studying this essence grenade crystal, but I'm worried if I do anything intrusive I may cause it irreparable damage. Any thoughts?"
She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "From the little bit I can access, I seem to recall him creating copies of items that he needed to commit extensive work on. Thus, he could continue his crafting without compromising the original item." She lifted the grenade and looked at it. "Perhaps you could craft a prototype of the artifact's crystal interior?"
Viktor smiled, "that's a great idea!" He took the device from her hand, and turned it over a few times in his own. "Yeah! Some kind of Jade capacitor for storing excess essence. Maybe I could enwrap the Jade in Orichalcum bands so that it retains its shape while accommodating an overabundance of essence?" The blacksmith gleefully walked around the forge, gathering different tools for the challenging task ahead and muttering excited ideas to incorporate into the theorized item's design.
Aredin's servant arrived just after noontime and announced the request for the Twilight's presence, putting Viktor's mirth on hold. "Normally, I don't mind giving Aredin a hand or advice. But now?" He laid his tools down, and called Koharu to his side.
"We'll be there shortly," he informed the servant.
Once the servant had left, Viktor turned to his companion. "Regardless of his optimism, if we are expected to be in the presence of those Terrestrials, we shall not do so empty-handed."
Voicing full agreement, she helped him armor-up and retrieved their combined armaments. With weapons in hand, the two of them left the workshop to attend their liege.
[Essence/WP Costs: (Craftsman Needs No Tools) 7m, 1wp; (1st Craft Excellency) 9m; (1 auto-success) 1wp]
[Forge 'Red Jade Essence Capacitor' Roll: 5 Intelligence + 4 Craft(Fire) + 1 Hammer + 2 HS + 9 Excellency + 3 Craft Assist + 1WP = 16 - 3 Difficulty = 13/10 Accumulated Successes]
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Sherwood
Luna's Concubine
Once everyone in the Circle has arrived, Ragara Hax is brought in. He is still in his heavy manacles that prevent him from being able to use his Essence, and he looks very subdued compared to the angry man that he was before. With a soft voice, he says, "I spent a lot of time thinking about what you said the other day. Then, when Mellar escaped, I thought for sure that he was going to come and try to break the rest of us out of the cells we were in. But he didn't, despite his big talk about us being a brotherhood against the Anath- Uh, I mean, the Solars - that we were sent out to - to kill. He betrayed us, betrayed our trust that we had in him. I don't know if what you have told me is all true, but I do know that I want to learn more about what you were telling me."
Elsewhere, Annika's band has been prowling about the seedier side of town, looking for any signs of spies or agents from the Realm that have snuck into Gwynnin. The report that she gets back from them is that not only did they find a spy from the Blessed Isle, but there is a handful of people here from Looksky poking their noses about, looking for what information that they can gather.
Elsewhere, Annika's band has been prowling about the seedier side of town, looking for any signs of spies or agents from the Realm that have snuck into Gwynnin. The report that she gets back from them is that not only did they find a spy from the Blessed Isle, but there is a handful of people here from Looksky poking their noses about, looking for what information that they can gather.
jaydude
Five Thousand Club
After spending a good few hours looking over the reports at her desk in her gang's headquarters, Annika opted to have her lunch at Mark's pub, taking the opportunity to have a nice walk through Gwynnin's streets on the way there. As she ate, she considered the reports her people had gathered concerning the spies from the Realm and Lookshy. The Realm spy was the one of most concern to her; while Lookshy was undoubtedly the main military power the circle had to worry about, Annika considered them far less likely than the Blessed Isle to take hostile action against Gwynnin at this current moment in time.
When she returned to the headquarters, she was approached by a messenger and given the news that Aredin had arranged an audience with Hax at the captive Dynast's request, and that the Eclipse caste wanted all the other Solars to attend it. Surprised and impressed that Aredin and Darian had managed to seemingly swing a Dynast around to their cause - and of course more than a little curious on how they had managed to do it - Annika was eager to pay him a visit.
She gave her gang orders to make discreet inquiries about the discovered spies - with greater priority on the one from the Realm - wanting to know more information about them before she decided to move. What were their cover stories? What assets did they appear to have on hand? What information were they in a position to find? And were there any Exalts among them? Once she had given out these orders, she put on her hearthstone bracers, her hearthstone amulet and her daiklaves, and headed off for the meeting.
Sitting down at the table, Annika listened as Hax talked about how Mellar had betrayed him and the other Dynasts - although Annika wondered if the Sidereal was in fact still around and preparing an attempt to break them out - and how he was willing to listen to what the circle had to say. Annika said nothing, deciding to leave the talking up to Aredin and Darian for the moment. She fixed the Dynast with a decidedly neutral look as she checked him with her Gemstone of Surface Thoughts, wanting to get an idea for herself of how sincere he was being.
When she returned to the headquarters, she was approached by a messenger and given the news that Aredin had arranged an audience with Hax at the captive Dynast's request, and that the Eclipse caste wanted all the other Solars to attend it. Surprised and impressed that Aredin and Darian had managed to seemingly swing a Dynast around to their cause - and of course more than a little curious on how they had managed to do it - Annika was eager to pay him a visit.
She gave her gang orders to make discreet inquiries about the discovered spies - with greater priority on the one from the Realm - wanting to know more information about them before she decided to move. What were their cover stories? What assets did they appear to have on hand? What information were they in a position to find? And were there any Exalts among them? Once she had given out these orders, she put on her hearthstone bracers, her hearthstone amulet and her daiklaves, and headed off for the meeting.
Sitting down at the table, Annika listened as Hax talked about how Mellar had betrayed him and the other Dynasts - although Annika wondered if the Sidereal was in fact still around and preparing an attempt to break them out - and how he was willing to listen to what the circle had to say. Annika said nothing, deciding to leave the talking up to Aredin and Darian for the moment. She fixed the Dynast with a decidedly neutral look as she checked him with her Gemstone of Surface Thoughts, wanting to get an idea for herself of how sincere he was being.
LowRollLyfe
New Member
The sun beats down heavily upon the barren earth beneath, leaving the air behind it thick and dusty. The sounds of metal and wood striking each other rings out from a courtyard within the walls of Gwynin, punctuated by the rough shouts of men on the flat ground. Standing to the side of the activity occuring in the middle of the yard is Durke, a frown fixed firmly to his face. He surveys the field, watching small 3-man groups of shield fighters taking part in skirmishes against each other. However, the longer Durke watches one group the harder his expression becomes.
The middle soldier in the group of three, Kent, was quite talented and that was evident from each of the skirmishes results. Rarely was he successfully struck by his opponents, and he was quick to seize any opening they gave him. However, while he 'survived' nearly every exchange, his group mates were much less fortunate. Time and again, Kent would take an opening and expose the flank of his ally. His allies were unable to adjust and would be quickly felled before Kent could successfully strike the remaining members of the opposing squad, leaving Kent as the only survivor of the exchange. Durke shook his head, this kind of selfish thinking is what gets good men killed on the battlefield.
Finally, unable to watch any longer, he walks forward and towards the two nearest groups of soldiers that were most recently engaging each other. As he walks onto the battlefield, Durke calls to his second-in-command "Gerard! Call a hold, I need the boys to learn somethin'."
Gerard cups both hands in front of his mouth, "Cap'n wants order! Assemble in ranks now, ya bunch a' dogs!" He then turns and follows Durke to the middle of the field, moving to stand by his side.
Durke waits patiently as the men quickly line up at attention in front of him. He looks up and down the small number of men assembled before him before speaking. "Y'all are doin' well, been seein' a lot of progress...However, I see many of ya' don't understand the point of the exercise. Kent, Powell! Assemble your squads for skirmish, a demonstration is in order!"
Kent's face, recently a smirk, shifts into confusion as his squad is called forward. When his men and Powell's have finished moving into position, Kent turns to Durke. His voice is confident when he speaks, sure that his view on the matter is correct. "Cap'n, I don't understand the point of having us demonstrate; I don't need the practice. Shouldn't Edric's squad be here in our place? I understand Powell needs the help, but having me demonstrate is unnecessary. "
Durke grins as he looks at Kent. "What are you sayin', boy? It's you that needs this more then the other men in your squad. You leave your men open to attack while in formation; time to show that to ya' first hand." Durke walks over and gestures for Powell to hand him the practice blade. "I'll be takin' Powell's place, so you can show me up close how skilled and right ya' are."
Kent scowls, then readies his sword and shield. He and his teammates march forward, toward where Durke and his partners are located. In a flurry of swings, the two shield walls converge on each other. Strikes bounce harmlessly off steel for nearly a minute, until Durke throws a shot to the left side of Kent. Believing he sees an opening in Durke's guard, Kent deflects the shot away from his shoulder and pulls his shield in to protect his front and exposing his left partner's side. Sure that he had gained the upper hand on Durke, Kent's face splits into a smile; he brings his sword in a sweeping motion towards Durke's right temple, only to be surprised when his sword arm is locked in place by the sword he thought he had deflected. He steps back to find the ally on his left crumpling to the ground. Before Kent and his remaining ally can retreat, Durke's left partner strikes him in the ribs. The last remaining member of the squad sees the unwinnable situation and drops to his knees in surrender. Durke, a blank expression on his face, turns and returns the dull blade to Powell before congratulating the squad on their form. He then turns back toward Kent, "I hope ya' learned somthin' through this exchange."
Kent, still panting from the exertion, rises from his knees. He snarls at Durke, his eyes squinting through the pain in his ribs. "Learned something? There was nothing to learn other than we stood no chance against you." He turns his head to include Powell and the victorious squad in his gaze. "Go ahead, be proud! Of course your squad won, YOU, the 'honorable' Durke, were on the squad! It was impossible for us to win in that situation! You taught me nothing!"
Durke's eyes narrow as he looks down on the small man in front of him. In a flash, he steps toward Kent and reaches behind the boys head with his empty hand. Durke rams his head into the metal encased forehead of the soldier, using his hand to pin their heads together. "I know yer strong, I know you want to prove yourself but killin' isn't the job of the shield line, livin' is! The man to your left and right and behind rely on you to live! Killin' the man in front of ya means nothin' if it gets everyone else, all your allies, dead! You think ya' have no chance just cause one man is better than ya?! That kinda thinkin' along with fightin' for yourself is what will get ya' killed! If you noticed, none of my strikes landed on you or yer partners; I trusted m'allys to help me win." Blood trickles down from Durke's forehead and onto his nose, his eyes burning into the other man's soul. Finally, after a few more seconds pass, Durke releases Kent. Kent collapses to the ground, realization slowly working its way into his mind.
Durke pulls back, addressing the men assembled as one. "We fight to endure, to survive to the next day. The only way to do that is to rely on each other, to protect each other. The enemy will crash on our shields time 'n time again, but we won't fall. When they are finally battered 'n broken from hittin' us, then we will break through them. We are like the mountains: separate we can be walked around, encircled and conquered, but together we form an impenetrable range no foe can overcome."
He turns around and walks over to Gerard. "Run it again, our walls need practice." He walks back to where he had been standing before; however, this time a courier appears to be waiting for him. The man waits for Durke to stop moving before he speaks. "Good day, Lord Aredin sends a request for you to meet him, to see the progress with the prisoners."
Durke sighs, then looks at the messenger. "Tell Aredin I appreciate the offer, but I don't want nothin' to do with the interrogation of the prisoner. I have to train up my men, they aren't ready for our upcoming travels." Durke stops for a moment to bark out a few commands to the trainees nearby, then looks back at the messenger. "I trust m'lord 'n lady to do the right thing. They'll understand."
The middle soldier in the group of three, Kent, was quite talented and that was evident from each of the skirmishes results. Rarely was he successfully struck by his opponents, and he was quick to seize any opening they gave him. However, while he 'survived' nearly every exchange, his group mates were much less fortunate. Time and again, Kent would take an opening and expose the flank of his ally. His allies were unable to adjust and would be quickly felled before Kent could successfully strike the remaining members of the opposing squad, leaving Kent as the only survivor of the exchange. Durke shook his head, this kind of selfish thinking is what gets good men killed on the battlefield.
Finally, unable to watch any longer, he walks forward and towards the two nearest groups of soldiers that were most recently engaging each other. As he walks onto the battlefield, Durke calls to his second-in-command "Gerard! Call a hold, I need the boys to learn somethin'."
Gerard cups both hands in front of his mouth, "Cap'n wants order! Assemble in ranks now, ya bunch a' dogs!" He then turns and follows Durke to the middle of the field, moving to stand by his side.
Durke waits patiently as the men quickly line up at attention in front of him. He looks up and down the small number of men assembled before him before speaking. "Y'all are doin' well, been seein' a lot of progress...However, I see many of ya' don't understand the point of the exercise. Kent, Powell! Assemble your squads for skirmish, a demonstration is in order!"
Kent's face, recently a smirk, shifts into confusion as his squad is called forward. When his men and Powell's have finished moving into position, Kent turns to Durke. His voice is confident when he speaks, sure that his view on the matter is correct. "Cap'n, I don't understand the point of having us demonstrate; I don't need the practice. Shouldn't Edric's squad be here in our place? I understand Powell needs the help, but having me demonstrate is unnecessary. "
Durke grins as he looks at Kent. "What are you sayin', boy? It's you that needs this more then the other men in your squad. You leave your men open to attack while in formation; time to show that to ya' first hand." Durke walks over and gestures for Powell to hand him the practice blade. "I'll be takin' Powell's place, so you can show me up close how skilled and right ya' are."
Kent scowls, then readies his sword and shield. He and his teammates march forward, toward where Durke and his partners are located. In a flurry of swings, the two shield walls converge on each other. Strikes bounce harmlessly off steel for nearly a minute, until Durke throws a shot to the left side of Kent. Believing he sees an opening in Durke's guard, Kent deflects the shot away from his shoulder and pulls his shield in to protect his front and exposing his left partner's side. Sure that he had gained the upper hand on Durke, Kent's face splits into a smile; he brings his sword in a sweeping motion towards Durke's right temple, only to be surprised when his sword arm is locked in place by the sword he thought he had deflected. He steps back to find the ally on his left crumpling to the ground. Before Kent and his remaining ally can retreat, Durke's left partner strikes him in the ribs. The last remaining member of the squad sees the unwinnable situation and drops to his knees in surrender. Durke, a blank expression on his face, turns and returns the dull blade to Powell before congratulating the squad on their form. He then turns back toward Kent, "I hope ya' learned somthin' through this exchange."
Kent, still panting from the exertion, rises from his knees. He snarls at Durke, his eyes squinting through the pain in his ribs. "Learned something? There was nothing to learn other than we stood no chance against you." He turns his head to include Powell and the victorious squad in his gaze. "Go ahead, be proud! Of course your squad won, YOU, the 'honorable' Durke, were on the squad! It was impossible for us to win in that situation! You taught me nothing!"
Durke's eyes narrow as he looks down on the small man in front of him. In a flash, he steps toward Kent and reaches behind the boys head with his empty hand. Durke rams his head into the metal encased forehead of the soldier, using his hand to pin their heads together. "I know yer strong, I know you want to prove yourself but killin' isn't the job of the shield line, livin' is! The man to your left and right and behind rely on you to live! Killin' the man in front of ya means nothin' if it gets everyone else, all your allies, dead! You think ya' have no chance just cause one man is better than ya?! That kinda thinkin' along with fightin' for yourself is what will get ya' killed! If you noticed, none of my strikes landed on you or yer partners; I trusted m'allys to help me win." Blood trickles down from Durke's forehead and onto his nose, his eyes burning into the other man's soul. Finally, after a few more seconds pass, Durke releases Kent. Kent collapses to the ground, realization slowly working its way into his mind.
Durke pulls back, addressing the men assembled as one. "We fight to endure, to survive to the next day. The only way to do that is to rely on each other, to protect each other. The enemy will crash on our shields time 'n time again, but we won't fall. When they are finally battered 'n broken from hittin' us, then we will break through them. We are like the mountains: separate we can be walked around, encircled and conquered, but together we form an impenetrable range no foe can overcome."
He turns around and walks over to Gerard. "Run it again, our walls need practice." He walks back to where he had been standing before; however, this time a courier appears to be waiting for him. The man waits for Durke to stop moving before he speaks. "Good day, Lord Aredin sends a request for you to meet him, to see the progress with the prisoners."
Durke sighs, then looks at the messenger. "Tell Aredin I appreciate the offer, but I don't want nothin' to do with the interrogation of the prisoner. I have to train up my men, they aren't ready for our upcoming travels." Durke stops for a moment to bark out a few commands to the trainees nearby, then looks back at the messenger. "I trust m'lord 'n lady to do the right thing. They'll understand."
MasterDAF
Senior Member
Viktor and Koharu sat still in their chairs, wordlessly watching as Hax was lead into the room. The blacksmith was taken by surprise, hearing what the Terrestrial had to say as he spoke before the assembled members of the circle. When the captive man momentarily tripped up, starting to describe them as Anathema and then quickly switching to Solar, Viktor's eyebrows furrowed. He walks like a duck, and seems for the most part to quack like one too. But how? He stole a glance towards Darian. Did she truly convince this zealot to lower his flag and take up ours in the span of one day?
Viktor had disagreed with Aredin in the past, believing the younger man often acted hastily and without thought for consequences. He tried come to terms with this when he swore his pact of loyalty outside Chiaroscuro. Yet it left him in a grey area he was unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. A good friend could provide critic, but as he'd learned at Lookshy a subordinate did not argue with their leader. A good soldier does not question their commanding officer.
He did not wish to cause dissention, or bring undue problems onto his friend and lord. He wanted to believe the results Aredin had brought forth before them. After all, if Viktor could craft wonders with his hammer, who was to say that Darian couldn't do the same with her words? The crafter knew she possessed a preternatural gift for showing others the ship of light floating in an ocean of darkness. And yet...
"He keeps referencing the conversations you had prior with him," Viktor stated slowly, trying to think through each of his words before saying them. "Obviously, he is not foaming at the mouth for our blood as when last I was in his presence. So that is unquestionable progress." He rubbed his chin. "What did you discuss, that changed his tune so drastically?"
Viktor had disagreed with Aredin in the past, believing the younger man often acted hastily and without thought for consequences. He tried come to terms with this when he swore his pact of loyalty outside Chiaroscuro. Yet it left him in a grey area he was unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. A good friend could provide critic, but as he'd learned at Lookshy a subordinate did not argue with their leader. A good soldier does not question their commanding officer.
He did not wish to cause dissention, or bring undue problems onto his friend and lord. He wanted to believe the results Aredin had brought forth before them. After all, if Viktor could craft wonders with his hammer, who was to say that Darian couldn't do the same with her words? The crafter knew she possessed a preternatural gift for showing others the ship of light floating in an ocean of darkness. And yet...
"He keeps referencing the conversations you had prior with him," Viktor stated slowly, trying to think through each of his words before saying them. "Obviously, he is not foaming at the mouth for our blood as when last I was in his presence. So that is unquestionable progress." He rubbed his chin. "What did you discuss, that changed his tune so drastically?"
Rykon
Five Thousand Club
Aredin sighed inwardly at the news of Durke's absence and had his servant sit in his place to relay the significance of the information. Aredin did not want to have to repeat himself more than necessary, especially with such lengthy intel.
Once Hax was among their number, Aredin greeted him warmly with a smile. "I am glad you want to listen, I will do my best to depict the state of things as accurately as I understand them." Turning about to the slate board with a hefty stick of chalk in hand he began to draw on the opposite ends of the board. "On this side, here's what I know of what we understand to be true..." The board depicted a sun, a moon, a star, and a serpentine shape roughly resembling a dragon. "The exalted host was conceived by the celestial exalted by the Incarnae, chief dieties of heaven. The sun, the moon, and the five maidens of the stars were joined by the five elemental dragons, children of Gaia, to endow us humans with divine might. Their purpose was to overcome their greatest foe. Their own creators. The very same that live in either of the two hells we know of." Aredin paused his explanation as he synced the diagram with his pacing.
"My understanding of what you have been taught, is that there are Solar and Lunar 'Anathema' who exist with some sort of stolen power via a demon. This power takes root in people at random, I guess. I'm not really privy to all the tenets of your faith, so please, bare with me." This diagram was the same as the first, but the sun and moon were clutched by a crude caricature of a fiend. "These 'demons' are addressed the same, yet summoners call different demons... and here's where my headache begins so I'll move on. Despite the sun and moon having their powers perverted, this star child that betrayed you inherits his power from the Maidens as I explained here earlier, and you from the Immaculate Dragons, who are also somehow Dragon-Blooded themselves." Aredin stopped and turned to face Hax. "Here's where the story they pitch seems to fall apart for me, so I'll concede that you should fill in the correct doctrine as they have taught you, but regardless the inconsistency in the world narrative seems really awkward, and dare I say, fabricated."
"Now, let's say you ask yourself. 'If all this is true, why are we being lied to like this?' I've been wondering that myself, and I've been worried too, about what the answer is. Your master would not answer me, but Aysik, our resident Sidereal told me his account. This, by the way, is why I asked you here Viktor. I learned that the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction made this plot to cut us out of creation because they believe we are all doomed to go mad with power." Aredin paused as his words sunk in. "So I'm either a demon, which I have no malicious compulsion upon me at present... Or I am doomed to eventually go insane... as are all of us. Allegedly. I personally have no hard evidence other than the testimony of Aysik and what few memories I inherited from Exaltation, but Hax I ask you... You saw my wrath at the death of my servants. You've seen how we treat people here. You can look at our laws, our crops, our clergy, our guards... all of it is for the singular desire to prosper together. I lost both of my parents and my twin brother to Raksha. A close friend, one who saved my life, was born into the chains of slavery. My beloved wife suffers from blindness... I want to eliminate these maladies. All of us do. So if we are doomed, as my examinations indicate, then I want to find the cure to the madness too. I will not abide the tactics of the Bronze Faction who turned on both of us. They pit us against each other because solving this problem was too hard for them. They gave us up to die, they gave you up to die. Were it not for your Empress in the great calamity, they would have left creation to die having torn apart the very unified force that protected it. Now we see Raksha, Deathlords, Demon cults wreaking whatever havoc they want." Aredin stopped himself from letting his blood boil in outrage at the consequences of reckless decisions. "Even their foretelling of the future they knew to be flawed... "
"Anyhow, Hax, that is an honest account of everything I understand to be true. The same to all my brethren here. I hope your eyes have been opened, and I hope you will join us to make the world a better place. We need everyone to come together to solve these problems. We are the same. We are Exalted. We fight, we win, we do the impossible. Let's prove these traitors as the fools they are."
[Side A 18 successes persuasive intent "This makes sense",
Side B 18 successes persuasive intent "This seems obviously inconsistent and messy",
Wrap-Up 18 successes persuasive intent "They are sincere in their words and goal of prosperity"]
Once Hax was among their number, Aredin greeted him warmly with a smile. "I am glad you want to listen, I will do my best to depict the state of things as accurately as I understand them." Turning about to the slate board with a hefty stick of chalk in hand he began to draw on the opposite ends of the board. "On this side, here's what I know of what we understand to be true..." The board depicted a sun, a moon, a star, and a serpentine shape roughly resembling a dragon. "The exalted host was conceived by the celestial exalted by the Incarnae, chief dieties of heaven. The sun, the moon, and the five maidens of the stars were joined by the five elemental dragons, children of Gaia, to endow us humans with divine might. Their purpose was to overcome their greatest foe. Their own creators. The very same that live in either of the two hells we know of." Aredin paused his explanation as he synced the diagram with his pacing.
"My understanding of what you have been taught, is that there are Solar and Lunar 'Anathema' who exist with some sort of stolen power via a demon. This power takes root in people at random, I guess. I'm not really privy to all the tenets of your faith, so please, bare with me." This diagram was the same as the first, but the sun and moon were clutched by a crude caricature of a fiend. "These 'demons' are addressed the same, yet summoners call different demons... and here's where my headache begins so I'll move on. Despite the sun and moon having their powers perverted, this star child that betrayed you inherits his power from the Maidens as I explained here earlier, and you from the Immaculate Dragons, who are also somehow Dragon-Blooded themselves." Aredin stopped and turned to face Hax. "Here's where the story they pitch seems to fall apart for me, so I'll concede that you should fill in the correct doctrine as they have taught you, but regardless the inconsistency in the world narrative seems really awkward, and dare I say, fabricated."
"Now, let's say you ask yourself. 'If all this is true, why are we being lied to like this?' I've been wondering that myself, and I've been worried too, about what the answer is. Your master would not answer me, but Aysik, our resident Sidereal told me his account. This, by the way, is why I asked you here Viktor. I learned that the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction made this plot to cut us out of creation because they believe we are all doomed to go mad with power." Aredin paused as his words sunk in. "So I'm either a demon, which I have no malicious compulsion upon me at present... Or I am doomed to eventually go insane... as are all of us. Allegedly. I personally have no hard evidence other than the testimony of Aysik and what few memories I inherited from Exaltation, but Hax I ask you... You saw my wrath at the death of my servants. You've seen how we treat people here. You can look at our laws, our crops, our clergy, our guards... all of it is for the singular desire to prosper together. I lost both of my parents and my twin brother to Raksha. A close friend, one who saved my life, was born into the chains of slavery. My beloved wife suffers from blindness... I want to eliminate these maladies. All of us do. So if we are doomed, as my examinations indicate, then I want to find the cure to the madness too. I will not abide the tactics of the Bronze Faction who turned on both of us. They pit us against each other because solving this problem was too hard for them. They gave us up to die, they gave you up to die. Were it not for your Empress in the great calamity, they would have left creation to die having torn apart the very unified force that protected it. Now we see Raksha, Deathlords, Demon cults wreaking whatever havoc they want." Aredin stopped himself from letting his blood boil in outrage at the consequences of reckless decisions. "Even their foretelling of the future they knew to be flawed... "
"Anyhow, Hax, that is an honest account of everything I understand to be true. The same to all my brethren here. I hope your eyes have been opened, and I hope you will join us to make the world a better place. We need everyone to come together to solve these problems. We are the same. We are Exalted. We fight, we win, we do the impossible. Let's prove these traitors as the fools they are."
[Side A 18 successes persuasive intent "This makes sense",
Side B 18 successes persuasive intent "This seems obviously inconsistent and messy",
Wrap-Up 18 successes persuasive intent "They are sincere in their words and goal of prosperity"]
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Psychie
Princess Psychie
Darian nods slowly as Hax describes his turn of heart. "Unshackle him." She waits for the sound of the chains being removed before doing anything. Then she rises, and walks over to the Dragon-Blood. "Ragara Hax, you came here, looking for blood. We have shown you mercy, and, hopefully, opened a window to the truth of the world as it regards the Solar Exalted. While you speak the right words, there are many trials that you will have to go through to prove your change of heart is genuine. I do hope that we can convince you to stay here in Gwynnin of your own free will, but I will not have you held any longer. That would make us no better than the people you once fought along side with. There are many things, truths about the Celestial Exalted that we can show you, if you decide to stay here and repent for your past wrongdoings."
jaydude
Five Thousand Club
When Viktor described Hax's previous beliefs as "foaming at the mouth", Annika turned to him with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if he really thought it was a good idea to insult the man they were trying to win over to their side. And even though she knew it would be meaningless, she did the same to Darian when the Zenith gave the order for Hax to be unshackled, personally considering this a worse idea. Then again, she hadn't spent as much time with Hax as Darian had, and knew less than she did about how the rehabilitation efforts were going. So she kept quiet.
She sat and listened as Aredin gave his explanation. She had known of the different types of Exalt, and had a general idea of what each of them were for, but she had never known that they had specifically been created to fight the creators of...well, Creation. She took note of how Aredin pointed out that the Solar and Luna Exalts were supposedly corrupted by demons according to the Immaculate Philosophy, but it was the supposedly normal Exalt who had made the decision to leave his allies, whereas the "evil" Exalts were clearly trying to create a just, fair and prosperous society.
His talk of "madness" afflicting the Solars, and it being the reason the Bronze Faction had carried out the Usurpation made Annika think back to her talk with Mellar. Until now, she had assumed that the thing that had led to the First Age Solars losing their way was merely completely normal corruption, the kind that could affect anyone who had a large amount of money or power, and could have been dealt with by mundane methods. Was there really some kind of supernatural explanation for why the Solars of old had acted the way they did? Some kind of...curse? And if so, would it really be possible to break it before the Solars of this age started to become corrupted?
She could have said something to Hax. She could have sympathized with him, talked about how it was understandable for him to have nothing but hatred for "Anathema" when he had spent his entire life in Realm-based societies, being constantly given reasons to hate them by his teachers, his carers, his peers and the Immaculate Order, and not having a chance to see anything like Gwynnin, that contradicted what he had been told, and provided an alternate viewpoint. She could have started a conversation along these lines, but she figured that Aredin and Darian had just given Hax a lot of things to take in, and so she said nothing.
She sat and listened as Aredin gave his explanation. She had known of the different types of Exalt, and had a general idea of what each of them were for, but she had never known that they had specifically been created to fight the creators of...well, Creation. She took note of how Aredin pointed out that the Solar and Luna Exalts were supposedly corrupted by demons according to the Immaculate Philosophy, but it was the supposedly normal Exalt who had made the decision to leave his allies, whereas the "evil" Exalts were clearly trying to create a just, fair and prosperous society.
His talk of "madness" afflicting the Solars, and it being the reason the Bronze Faction had carried out the Usurpation made Annika think back to her talk with Mellar. Until now, she had assumed that the thing that had led to the First Age Solars losing their way was merely completely normal corruption, the kind that could affect anyone who had a large amount of money or power, and could have been dealt with by mundane methods. Was there really some kind of supernatural explanation for why the Solars of old had acted the way they did? Some kind of...curse? And if so, would it really be possible to break it before the Solars of this age started to become corrupted?
She could have said something to Hax. She could have sympathized with him, talked about how it was understandable for him to have nothing but hatred for "Anathema" when he had spent his entire life in Realm-based societies, being constantly given reasons to hate them by his teachers, his carers, his peers and the Immaculate Order, and not having a chance to see anything like Gwynnin, that contradicted what he had been told, and provided an alternate viewpoint. She could have started a conversation along these lines, but she figured that Aredin and Darian had just given Hax a lot of things to take in, and so she said nothing.
MasterDAF
Senior Member
As Darian gave the order for Hax's shackles to be removed, Viktor shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; to him it seemed as though the world had gone mad. "You're unchaining that Immaculate murderer?"
He slowly stood up from his chair and pulled his daiklave close for easy access, though he did not slip into a combat stance. "I don't doubt your good intentions, if perhaps misguided, but you are being played for fools by this Dynast filth. To interrogate him was wise, but to trust his words as truthful?"
Viktor spat in front of Ragara Hax. "I spent my entire youth fighting these blood-crazed zealots, and mourning the losses we suffered at their hands." His eyes narrowed. "Wait, you're a Ragara, right? So if my readings concerning your 'Great' House were accurate, your family probably just paid for most of the pains inflicted upon us. You wouldn't dirty your own hands, oh no. Not when you could strong-arm someone else into killing Lookshyans while watching from a safe distance away, right?"
He looked back to Aredin. "No way did one of the Realm's esteemed hunters turn tail overnight and cast aside their loyalty. No, whatever you thought was happening during your interrogation, they must have been weaving some kind of spell on you that has muddied your senses."
He slowly stood up from his chair and pulled his daiklave close for easy access, though he did not slip into a combat stance. "I don't doubt your good intentions, if perhaps misguided, but you are being played for fools by this Dynast filth. To interrogate him was wise, but to trust his words as truthful?"
Viktor spat in front of Ragara Hax. "I spent my entire youth fighting these blood-crazed zealots, and mourning the losses we suffered at their hands." His eyes narrowed. "Wait, you're a Ragara, right? So if my readings concerning your 'Great' House were accurate, your family probably just paid for most of the pains inflicted upon us. You wouldn't dirty your own hands, oh no. Not when you could strong-arm someone else into killing Lookshyans while watching from a safe distance away, right?"
He looked back to Aredin. "No way did one of the Realm's esteemed hunters turn tail overnight and cast aside their loyalty. No, whatever you thought was happening during your interrogation, they must have been weaving some kind of spell on you that has muddied your senses."
Sherwood
Luna's Concubine
Red Shadow Claws
Kalin Scarlet
It is late afternoon as the two of you are lounging at the front of a boat heading down the river, anxiously waiting for your first sign of your destination: a small town called Gwynnin. You have been hearing rumors for a while of a growing cult devoted to the worship of the Unconquered Sun, and supposedly, just like the lands controlled by the Bull of the North, it is even run by several Solars! If the rumors are true, this might just be a huge break for the two of you, as opposed to being constantly on the run from the Wyld Hunt.
At first glance, the town waterfront is unremarkable. But you are both proof that you can't judge a book by its cover. As the ship slowly works its way to the docks, you are able to finally hit solid ground for the first time in days.
Wandering about, the townspeople are upbeat, and the whole place looks quite prosperous. There is even fresh construction underway, including a facelift being done to a town temple dedicated to the worship of the Unconquered Sun! It would seem that the rumors are true. What do you do now?
Sherwood
Luna's Concubine
In the meeting room, Ragara Hax looks confused. Annika's Gemstone of Surface Thoughts can read from his mind that he is genuinely puzzled. Either he is an excellent liar inside his own head, or he is trying to understand just why Viktor is so upset. It would seem that many of the horrors that were committed in the past have been wiped clean from his mind.
Psychie
Princess Psychie
Darian lets out a sigh. "Hax, would you please step into the outer room for a moment? I have a few things to discuss with my fellows." She sits silently waiting until she is certain that the Dragon-Blooded man is no longer close enough to hear what she has to say next. "Viktor, there is a reason why Hax is the way he is right now. Just like you have your own amazing gifts that were given to you by the Unconquered Sun, so do I. One of my . . . Charms that I plied on him was one that changed some of his memories. He literally is not the same person he was a few nights ago, unable to remember the atrocities that he committed in the name of the Wyld Hunt. If we continue with treating him in a positive manner, his conversion to the ways of the Light will be complete."
She pauses in her recital of the facts to turn to Viktor. "Before you ask, no, I have never used this power on any of you. It is not a power that I use lightly, and I would never try to manipulate my friends in such a manner. But consider this. If I had not done this, we would be left with few options for dealing with Hax and his cohorts. Death, interment for an indefinite amount of time, or ransoming them off to return on some later date to try again and again to kill us. Perhaps next time they would get lucky enough to take out one of our number. That is a loss we cannot stand to let happen. So yes, I ripped into his mind, and would do so again to keep from having to kill another person and have that blood on my hands when I could have done something about it."
She pauses in her recital of the facts to turn to Viktor. "Before you ask, no, I have never used this power on any of you. It is not a power that I use lightly, and I would never try to manipulate my friends in such a manner. But consider this. If I had not done this, we would be left with few options for dealing with Hax and his cohorts. Death, interment for an indefinite amount of time, or ransoming them off to return on some later date to try again and again to kill us. Perhaps next time they would get lucky enough to take out one of our number. That is a loss we cannot stand to let happen. So yes, I ripped into his mind, and would do so again to keep from having to kill another person and have that blood on my hands when I could have done something about it."
jaydude
Five Thousand Club
Again, Annika listened, this time hearing Viktor's protest at letting Hax be unchained, and Darian's explanation that she had in fact modified the dynast's memories. That was all she needed to confirm her suspicions about Darian, and both her eyebrows went up in shock at the revelation that she had such a power.
Annika gave no reply for the first few seconds, as she gathered and considered her thoughts on what she had heard, and confirmed her opinion on the subject. Finally, she spoke.
"Well...I hardly think it's fair for me to object to what you did on ethical grounds. After all, if I'm going to be a spymaster in your new empire, I'm going to have to do a number of questionable things myself. Assassinations, torture, and yes, manipulating people into doing things they normally wouldn't be willing to do. So I don't think I can protest about you modifying memories without coming off as a hypocrite. Though I hope that we won't have to do that for every potential ally."
Annika gave no reply for the first few seconds, as she gathered and considered her thoughts on what she had heard, and confirmed her opinion on the subject. Finally, she spoke.
"Well...I hardly think it's fair for me to object to what you did on ethical grounds. After all, if I'm going to be a spymaster in your new empire, I'm going to have to do a number of questionable things myself. Assassinations, torture, and yes, manipulating people into doing things they normally wouldn't be willing to do. So I don't think I can protest about you modifying memories without coming off as a hypocrite. Though I hope that we won't have to do that for every potential ally."
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Red Shadow Claws
Six Thousand Club
Seven-Winged Sirocco was in one of her usual spots, standing on Pale Heaven's Star's shoulder, in her animal form of a red falcon. As the ship comes to a halt, she takes wing, as she has done many times on the journey, to survey the area from above. keeping a close tab on her Bonded Solar. It would be good to not have to run from the Wyld Hunt, but a part of her knew that with a group of Solars on his back, she might need to get busy herself, finding things to do other than just being his bodyguard.
Rykon
Five Thousand Club
Aredin was in utter shock, anger bubbling over through the link in the ring. "Viktor what the hells are you trying to do!? Have you caught Darian or myself walking through your workshop bad mouthing your work or heaven forbid, SPITTING IN YOUR SHOP!?" Aredin rubbed his eyes trying to calm down. "I asked you to trust our capability to do our job and how do you respond!? You publically disrespect my wife and my house. You judge this man based on his birth and the lies he was fed as a babe. Do you not realize if we measured by that standard we'd be condemning Lookshyans like yourself!? Heaven help me..." Aredin paused to drink from a wine skin in his stash. "Don't you ever undermine us publically like that again. You have a problem, tell us and we'll work it out in private. Sheesh... spitting on the gods dammed floor..." Aredin grumbled, relief setting in as he relaxed from his frustration.
MasterDAF
Senior Member
"No."
Viktor stepped away from his chair, leaving the daiklave behind as Hax no longer posed an immediate threat. He did not wish to transition this heated disagreement from words to weaponry, and knew that if he approached now with a blade in hand that was the message he would be sending. Koharu changed position to rise and follow him, but a quick gesture from the crafter's hand convinced her to stay seated.
"I judge that man based on his actions since birth. I judge that Dynast for his slavish devotion to an unwavering faith, one that propagates the 'wisdom' of rule-by-blood and servitude of the smallfolk over one fueled by personal accomplishment and service to the state."
He nodded towards Darian, but kept his eyes on his liege. "Perhaps your wife has a point. If Darian has truly shaped his mind to change who he is, then I suppose he is no longer the man that committed the atrocities I blame on his people. It may even be a fitting choice for one such as himself, providing an opportunity for repentance in the eyes of the Incarnae. Such an ability would need to be limited to use on denizens of the Realm though, and never for twisting the remaining inhabitants of Creation. If such precautions were taken, than I concede it might prove a useful tool for eradicating the toxic culture of the Dynasts."
Viktor's eyes narrowed. "But then you, the man I put my faith in to lead us, have the gall to threaten the honorable warriors of Lookshy with your abominable act? MY PEOPLE?! They who have selflessly kept the world safe for hundreds of years from the horrors beyond the world and beneath it?!"
The craftsman shook his head, and pointed at Aredin. "You worry about my spit dirtying your precious floor?" His boot slammed down upon the wet spittle, smearing it across the floor. "With your words, you spit upon the very sacrifices Lookshyan soldiers make on behalf of us all!"
He swept his arms in a wide gesture. "Why do you think the Realm has been unable to mount a large offensive against us yet? Undoubtedly they've heard rumor of our open worship to the Sun. It's because of the brave men and women of the Seventh Legion, tying up resources and pinning down Dynast troops at every turn. The Realm has its hands full, and Lookshy keeps it that way."
Viktor stepped away from his chair, leaving the daiklave behind as Hax no longer posed an immediate threat. He did not wish to transition this heated disagreement from words to weaponry, and knew that if he approached now with a blade in hand that was the message he would be sending. Koharu changed position to rise and follow him, but a quick gesture from the crafter's hand convinced her to stay seated.
"I judge that man based on his actions since birth. I judge that Dynast for his slavish devotion to an unwavering faith, one that propagates the 'wisdom' of rule-by-blood and servitude of the smallfolk over one fueled by personal accomplishment and service to the state."
He nodded towards Darian, but kept his eyes on his liege. "Perhaps your wife has a point. If Darian has truly shaped his mind to change who he is, then I suppose he is no longer the man that committed the atrocities I blame on his people. It may even be a fitting choice for one such as himself, providing an opportunity for repentance in the eyes of the Incarnae. Such an ability would need to be limited to use on denizens of the Realm though, and never for twisting the remaining inhabitants of Creation. If such precautions were taken, than I concede it might prove a useful tool for eradicating the toxic culture of the Dynasts."
Viktor's eyes narrowed. "But then you, the man I put my faith in to lead us, have the gall to threaten the honorable warriors of Lookshy with your abominable act? MY PEOPLE?! They who have selflessly kept the world safe for hundreds of years from the horrors beyond the world and beneath it?!"
The craftsman shook his head, and pointed at Aredin. "You worry about my spit dirtying your precious floor?" His boot slammed down upon the wet spittle, smearing it across the floor. "With your words, you spit upon the very sacrifices Lookshyan soldiers make on behalf of us all!"
He swept his arms in a wide gesture. "Why do you think the Realm has been unable to mount a large offensive against us yet? Undoubtedly they've heard rumor of our open worship to the Sun. It's because of the brave men and women of the Seventh Legion, tying up resources and pinning down Dynast troops at every turn. The Realm has its hands full, and Lookshy keeps it that way."
jaydude
Five Thousand Club
Annika sighed, before she drew one of her daiklaves from its sheath and slammed the pommel down onto the table with a loud bang, hoping to distract Aredin and Viktor from their argument. After that, she got up and stood between the two men, leaving her blade on the table, and looking somewhat annoyed.
"If I might put this back on track? I didn't come away from my work to watch a shouting match between the pair of you." She said as she looked between the two of them, before turning to the Eclipse Caste. "Aredin, I don't blame you for wanting to defend your wife's intelligence, and Viktor's response was a far more volatile one than I would have used. But at the same time, his general viewpoint is understandable, considering that Darian chose to unshackle our prisoner, who previously expressed a desire to slaughter us all. I know that you and Darian aren't fools, but even so, neither of us had much reason to believe that you and her could convert a member of the Wyld Hunt to our cause after only a single day, or at the very least convince him not to start attacking anyone, especially since Viktor never even attended the first questioning session."
She then turned to the Twilight Caste. "And Viktor, I doubt that Aredin meant to deliberately insult Lookshy and its people, or ignore everything it's done for the East. He was simply trying to point out that it's unfair to judge someone based on their background, or judge a city based on a single person from it. And like I just said to Aredin, I understand why you disagreed with the decision to let Hax go unshackled - sun knows, I didn't think it was the best of ideas either - but there was a way to express that without insulting anyone, and you didn't take it. I'm actually wondering what you were thinking just now."
She gave another sigh, before she stepped back. "Anyway, can we have a discussion that doesn't involve us all disrespecting or jumping to conclusions about each other? I wouldn't be surprised if Hax was laughing at us from behind the door right now."
"If I might put this back on track? I didn't come away from my work to watch a shouting match between the pair of you." She said as she looked between the two of them, before turning to the Eclipse Caste. "Aredin, I don't blame you for wanting to defend your wife's intelligence, and Viktor's response was a far more volatile one than I would have used. But at the same time, his general viewpoint is understandable, considering that Darian chose to unshackle our prisoner, who previously expressed a desire to slaughter us all. I know that you and Darian aren't fools, but even so, neither of us had much reason to believe that you and her could convert a member of the Wyld Hunt to our cause after only a single day, or at the very least convince him not to start attacking anyone, especially since Viktor never even attended the first questioning session."
She then turned to the Twilight Caste. "And Viktor, I doubt that Aredin meant to deliberately insult Lookshy and its people, or ignore everything it's done for the East. He was simply trying to point out that it's unfair to judge someone based on their background, or judge a city based on a single person from it. And like I just said to Aredin, I understand why you disagreed with the decision to let Hax go unshackled - sun knows, I didn't think it was the best of ideas either - but there was a way to express that without insulting anyone, and you didn't take it. I'm actually wondering what you were thinking just now."
She gave another sigh, before she stepped back. "Anyway, can we have a discussion that doesn't involve us all disrespecting or jumping to conclusions about each other? I wouldn't be surprised if Hax was laughing at us from behind the door right now."
Psychie
Princess Psychie
Darian holds out her hands to Viktor, "Please, my friend. Be calm and let us explain. For my part, I am sorry that I had not told everyone about my ability before; I was worried that you would judge me harshly for it. I do not believe that Aredin has meant to disrespect Looksky in any way. Let us try and keep our calm as we discuss this, so we don't fracture our friendships."
jaydude
Five Thousand Club
Darian had added her own voice to what was going on, and Annika turned to look at her. "I'm not going to lie; the fact that you possess that kind of ability doesn't really make me feel comfortable." She admitted.
Then her voice softened. "But I'll take your word for it that you haven't used it on me, and that you don't plan to do so. I'd hate to have to break the agreement between myself and you."
Then her voice softened. "But I'll take your word for it that you haven't used it on me, and that you don't plan to do so. I'd hate to have to break the agreement between myself and you."
LowRollLyfe
New Member
[PREVIOUSLY]
Durke turns and gives Viktor a firm punch in the shoulder. "Well why didn't you just say that in the beginnin'? You go talkin' 'bout how that there sword is special made for you and it sounds like only you could use it!" Durke puts his hands on his hips and leans back while letting out a gruff laugh. "Goin' and confusin' me like that! I would love fer you to teach me how to magicize these shiny things!"
Durke turns and gives Viktor a firm punch in the shoulder. "Well why didn't you just say that in the beginnin'? You go talkin' 'bout how that there sword is special made for you and it sounds like only you could use it!" Durke puts his hands on his hips and leans back while letting out a gruff laugh. "Goin' and confusin' me like that! I would love fer you to teach me how to magicize these shiny things!"
