Snike Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Eric "Rebellion, huh," Eric said, thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should send a messenger in that case, so as to summon him and see if we can come to an arrangement regarding that. It would do well to get as many forces as we can cooperative, and perhaps even gain another fightr for this group. The Weapons may well be the way to defeat the Lord, but there is some strength in numbers." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Alley "Hahah amazing! Do you know where she is? I'd love to be the first mage at TISME to meet and talk with her! I mean lots of people want to study the demons but we don't exactly have the luxury of not being maimed in the process, so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me!" "That woman is troublesome until the most critical of situations," Stephanie warned. "I for one am thankful to only have to deal with her occasionally. It's not something someone should have to be subjected to more than ... once a month, in my opinion. I honestly have no idea what Iso sees in that woman ..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Cynthia- Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Morgan "If the Goddess has any mercy, I will be able to live in solitude unmolested by ignorant nobles after this is over. Defeat the demons and I will have little interest in your affairs, but until then I will do and say what is necessary to end this threat," she responded resolutely. Charlotte and Tristan "The Wielders will need as much help as they can get," Charlotte agreed. "I have no messengers of Jerdon to send, but perhaps Directus will be able to accommodate us in this request. Count Altair and company have been of great assistance to the crown during these troubled times- they should be rewarded for their efforts when this is all dealt with," she said, looking pointedly at Tristan. "Yes, yes I'll ask to have Mother give them honors or riches or whatever is appropriate. Jace is going to have to move out of the palace first of course," he responded darkly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Main Hall "Morgan, more than half of what you say is unnecessary; it's just bad phrasing and insults you throw in to peeve people off," Viveka objected. "I mean think about it. You can call someone 'wrong' without calling them 'ignorant' or 'stupid' too. No one who can be taken seriously themselves, and I mean no one would respond well to that, especially not people born and raised in high society." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snike Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Steps "That could be an option," Eric said, in response to the Princess's idea of using a Directus messenger. Then, he turned to Prince Tristan. "I'm not sure what he will do after the Lord is defeated, but I don't believe he will be taking up residence in the palace. Any palace, in fact." If I had a say, Prince, Alex thought gloomily, you wouldn't have to deal with Father or I ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercakete Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Privately, Beau was quite delighted that the conversation had, thus far, been proceeding according to plan. His exterior, however, was impossible to read, aside from his calm. "There is no dire need for me here and no shelter for me at my own home, presently. I am also victim to a particular set of circumstances." Rather than answering simply, Beau explained, "Yesterday, I, along with my attendants, were aiding in the defense of the castle. I was well-protected, as you can imagine, with soldiers on every side in addition to my own captain and adviser. Even so, the demons managed to get behind our defenses for a brief interval, and one attacked me. I fled, it pursued and my attendants, in turn, chased it. By the time my adviser managed to fell the monstrosity, we were quite a ways away from the castle. However, we found ourselves near the Crimson Wielders. In the past, my adviser and I had traveled with them and so, naturally, we did so again, eventually managing to arrive at TISME." Beau paused in his story before continuing a bit more irritated, "It was near there that the first particular circumstance took place. Seeing as my adviser is, in fact, a demon slayer of the Reformist Templars, the leader of the Crimson Weapons Wielders did not trust him. This led her to rather brutishly coercing him to swear obedience and to remain with the Crimsons until such a time as he is released. He was forced to take this oath under threat of death. Needless to say, he is bound to them now. Later, at TISME, the wielder of the Crimson Sword died, having been exposed to an unattended magical experiment. My captain became her replacement." The young duke's emotions became inscrutable again. "Because of these events as well as the threat of the demonic invasion and my own trust in the Crimson Wielders' ability to protect their own and general competence in battle, I have decided to go with them as an official member of their assortment." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Throne Room "Now those are troubling circumstances indeed, but you haven't allowed them to cloud your judgment, it seems," Reginald noted. "We have a representative of Elysima within the crimson group already, General Conrad Jackson; I trust you've already been introduced at least? With the way the military is beginning to lean toward the crimson weapons to address the demon crisis, their importance and influence is growing by the day. Unfortunately, I do not trust all of their 'wielders' at this time and would be mortified to learn that the sheer number of elysimians in the group has left us with the majority of the blame should something unfortunate happen during this campaign. I'll say it plainly, Duke Bellmire, I do not want the crimson leaders' defiant behavior and aggressive actions coming back on us. Our people are suffering enough. With that said, if you will agree to do whatever you can to keep the group on track with their goal of defeating the demons ... and 'out of trouble', you'll have not only full leave to join the group, but my thanks as well." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Cynthia- Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Morgan "Where I am from, fools are called fools and those who are wrong are told so promptly. Lies make everyone weaker and it is no fault of mine your civilization is built on it," she defended herself. Tristan and Charlotte "Jace is planning to cede all control of Septimus and Jerdon permanently!? This is great news, why did you not tell us sooner?" Tristan asked Eric. "The news is a little too good I fear, Jace would not wantonly slaughter so many people just to surrender," Charlotte said sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercakete Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 "If Crimson Leader Morgan behaves in such a way as to cause disdain towards Elyisimia in spite of any effort I put forth, then I will ensure it is clear that her actions and her words are her own. She does not speak for Elyisimia, as I will make clear in such an event," Beau assured the king, bowing before him once more, this time mostly as a sign of obedience. Even as he rose from his bow, he added in a light-hearted, encouraging manner, "Of course, it goes without saying that just as I will faithfully defend Elyisimia's position, General Jackson -- yes, we have met -- will no doubt keep safe his countrymen. The forces Elyisimia dedicates to aiding the endeavor against the demons will likewise be appreciated, I'd imagine. Every contribution your majesty makes will certainly only benefit Elyisimia's position among countries as well as our chances against the demons. You are quite wise to be so generous in times such as these. As I am sure the king knows, after all, such actions are what are recorded in history: the unflinching boldness of kings and the destruction of mighty foes. I have every confidence that when the time comes to make a decision regarding the aid Elyisimia sends to the collective strength of the human race, you will make the decision that best aids Elyisimia, thinking only of her future in the world that is to come." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Script Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Stuff From out of an apathy-induced plothole the Directus cavalry at TSIME materialized around The Septimus-Jerdon leadershipsnessess. "Fargo's, report has indicated that it's clear for us to progress. Unfortunately we won't be getting a visible escort other than those of us gathered here." Luc told everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Main Hall "Morgan, there are SO many things I could call you that would be true, but they would be insulting, untimely, and uncalled for," Viveka replied. "Honestly why do you think that you need to call someone a fool or say they're 'completely incompetent' every goddess damn time they disagree with you? How can adding in insults to your argument possibly get someone on your side?! Believe me I'm perfectly fine flying you back home myself and dropping you off in whatever backwater you came from when all is said and done, but until then, can you at least consider not throwing in some random insult into every rebuttal?! If we didn't know any better we'd think you were trying to get them to attack you ..." "Hmhm," Conrad resisted a full on chuckle at Viveka's argument. Throne Room "Excellent, that's everything I needed to hear," Reginald replied. After Beau's additional comment, he said, "I know what's at stake here, and your confidence in me is well placed," following with a nod and ending with, "Again, Duke Bellmire, you have my thanks." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercakete Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 The discussion sounded like it was over but it would be poor form to just assume so, however. So the young duke politely replied, "Thank you, your majesty. That is all I wished to speak with you about. Is there anything else you wanted to say?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It felt like he'd swallowed some small demon that was desperately trying to claw its way out of his stomach. Well, that wasn't a pleasant feeling to wake up to. So, in accordance with those vicious hunger pains informing him that he had skipped the most important meal of the day, the first sound Tas made was a groan as he curled himself into a tighter ball at Namid's side. Namid was hungry, too, but presently more concerned with Tas. So, he nudged the human's back gently and released a puff of air from his nostrils followed shortly by a small, throaty whine. "I'm fine, I just... I think I slept in..." Tas half-moaned as he sat up with an arm still clutched around his stomach. He certainly didn't feel like standing up would be a very good idea at the moment, but he also knew he had a wyvern to feed and tend to. Namid had it rough last night... I have to at least try... the courier thought as he slowly stood up. In spite of his care, Tas still felt dizzy and so shielded his eyes with his other hand while he swayed some. I need to eat something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 "I would imagine it to be some sort of carryover from when she was human, Stephanie." Damian replied, before addressing the mage. "As for where she is now, I couldn't tell you. She isn't the easiest to track." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Alley "If this was her personality when she was human, she should be spending her time with Levski, not Iso," Stephanie reasoned. Next she sighed. "I suppose history is stronger than compatibility, though." "Ahhh crud," the mage muttered in disappointment. "First friendly demon ever and I can't get an audience." "Oh I'm certain she'll show up to see Iso at some point," Stephanie mused aloud with a hint of agitation in her voice. "Oh? Who's Iso? Where do I find this guy?" "Err-please don't go bothering him over this ..." "Oh no worries, I can just follow him around in secret until she shows up. It might be a bit of a surprise when I pop out of the shadows, but he won't be bothered before then, I promise, heheh!" "Goddess, me and my big mouth ..." Throne Room "No, that is all. Be safe on your journey Duke Bellmire," the king bid farewell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercakete Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 "I am certain your majesty's aid will be invaluable towards that end," Beau replied with a deep bow of both respect and farewell. The conversation ended, the young duke turned and began to leave. As he was passed, Raemond fell in beside Beau, remaining silent until they exited the king's presence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Cynthia- Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Morgan "But those that disagree with me are nearly always incompetent fools, coddling their feelings does not make them any more correct," Morgan responded to Viveka somewhat confused. "You all have lived with lies so long that you have grown accustomed to them and prefer them to harsh truths- that is why the demons took you all by surprise. You did not want to believe they were back, so your leaders ignored the mountain of evidence suggesting they were. Many people paid for those lies with their lives yesterday." Charlotte and Tristan The discussion about Jace's intentions would have to wait however, as their escort had arrived. "This will be more than sufficient Count Altair. Let's be off, there is much to do," she said, locking arms with Eric and expecting him to know what to do from there. Tristan merely groaned as he went down the steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Tiria had been barely paying attention to the conversation going on between Beau and the king, and had instead been keeping watch on the room just in case someone, or something, should attack them. She knew the chances of such a thing was basically zero, but she couldn't just stand there. The only time she paid attention was when the crimson sword was mentioned. Does he want me to demonstrate the sword... no, he seems to just care that it binds us to the Crimson group. As the talks finished, she followed the duke out, with a bow to the king on her way out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Adena walked out of the hospital wing of TISME and asked for directions to the nearest place she could get food. As she walked along, she managed to switch up a turn and ended up outside instead. With a slight sigh, she walked around to the main entrance just in time to see the escort arrive for the people waiting there. Seeing Alex there, she gave a slight wave before quickly pulling her hand down and blushing slightly. The group there clearly had important business to take care of and didn't need her to be distracting them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arich walked into his lab and frowned at the state of it. Various of his experiments had been thrown to the ground. Luckily, the wards on his most dangerous ones had held. One of them had a slight crack in the middle of a bottle, but it appeared to be doing fine. He continued to stare at his room, and then sighed. He started the job of cleaning up, wishing for the first time that he could have an assistant around to do some of the work that he didn't want to do. But, he thought with a sigh, an assistant would just end up being more trouble than they were worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercakete Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 "'Temporary Chief Adviser', am I?" Raemond questioned the young duke as they walked, now out of earshot of the king and those who had been in and around the throne room. "What would you have me call you? Your ties to me needed to be clear in such a formal meeting," Beau lightly replied then quickly changed the subject before Raemond could actually answer his question, "I believe that went well on the whole. Don't you?" "Well, yes," Raemond somewhat grudgingly replied. "I should have to inform Morgan of my status in the group if she does not learn it from another first. The other Elyisimians will benefit from this knowledge as well, I presume. Ah, I suppose it would be best to simply tell everyone at the same time. I wonder if Morgan is capable of gathering everyone into one place without an imminent threat nearby." "If you need an imminent threat, I suppose I could suffice," Raemond sarcastically suggested, not exactly in the best of moods. "Hm? Why so cantankerous?" Beau asked, shifting from his gloating to something more neutral. "Morgan is one we're going to have to deal with relatively soon. I'd suggest instead of patting yourself on the back, you start helping me figure out what I'm going to say about why I'm not with the bulk of the Crimson group," Raemond grouchily replied. "Oh, Raemond," Beau sighed, "You really do know how to take the joy out of a successful discussion. Very well. I'll apply my mind to your trouble and see what I can come up with." You're the one who got me into this mess to begin with. Raemond mentally grumbled. He tried to push that thought out of his mind as he worked on brainstorming what he could tell the druidess once they met up with her. The brainstorming didn't last long, however, as Raemond froze mid-stride. "What is it?" Beau asked, stopping as well, though he was beginning to get a bit annoyed with Raemond. "She's close by. So is another of the wielders and I don't mean the good captain," he replied. His concern became much more apparent, then, as he began brainstorming with a new concentration as he glared at the floor with a hand on his hip and the other covering the lower half of his face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 "You really would be better off not... some of our companions are very... cautious of people sneaking around... if you were caught they would probably kill you on sight, and I don't think I'd be able to do anything to stop it..." Damian muttered with some anxiety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Alley "But I'm from TISME," the mage whined. "I've even got this little insignia and everything ... though it's so small I guess not everyone would recognize it," he admitted with a frown. "Oh I have an idea! I heard that one of the researches was working on a magical device to detect demons. It's something to help out the army when they go on the march, but there's no way to test it properly just yet~" "I REALLY do not like where this is going," Stephanie interjected. "Please stop. The fewer people who know of Miranda's true nature, the less likely she is to cause another incident." "Incident? But we can warn them she's a friendly demon, can't we?" "Until a few months ago, I didn't believe in such things, and despite what the people of Redwood might tell you, I'm a very open-minded individual." "Urgh, this reeks. This is a once in a lifetime opportunityyyy ..." Main Hall "'Incompetent fools'? Look in the mirror for just two seconds why don't you?! They're the ones with all the money, all the armies, and all of the political power. You think sheer stupidity maintains all of that? You came from the sticks with nothing but a crimson tome and a mouth that just won't quit to get their help to fight the demons because you can't do it alone. Not only can you not take on the demons without help, but you can't even secure that help because of your high and mighty attitude. You SOMEHOW manage to burn down more bridges than we even had to start with; it's ridiculous! If anyone's incompetent here, it's you," Viveka fired back. Feeling the need to tone things down a bit and balance out the arguments for everyone's sake, Conrad chimed in heavily. "We all judge other people by our own standards; I've found labeling useless as a whole. As for this situation with the politicians, we simply fail time and again to convince them beyond any doubt that the crimson weapons are the key to defeating the demons, nothing more, nothing less." To Morgan specifically he said, "If I told you that the crimson weapons were actually the key to our destruction, not our salvation, would you believe me, or would you need some serious convincing after everything that's happened? After committing yourself completely to the opposite, can you so easily accept a new truth on my word and circumstantial evidence alone? Everyone considering helping us is struggling with a similar query." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Cynthia- Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Morgan Morgan decided to ignore Viveka's tirade, mentally labeling the pegasus knight as being an idiot as she responded to Conrad. "But there is no reason to assume the Crimson Weapons were created for anything other than the end of demons- it was one of your heroes who created them after all. The Reformists know nothing of the weapons and still they insist on their and our destruction- this is a prime example of the blind leading the blind. I cannot make people see when their eyes are shut," she responded, hands on her hips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Main Hall "Before I respond to that, let me first state for the record that this is not an attempt to alter or disprove your current beliefs about the crimson weapons, only to point out where some of the doubt is coming from, and more importantly, why." With that disclaimer laid out for her, Conrad continued. "You've heard time and again that the crimson weapons are demonic in nature. That alone is reason to question our claims of being able to destroy the Lord with them. If not for the fact that they were created using light magic, this would all be far too counter-intuitive to stake all of our lives on. Even now, we're asserting to all of our allies that 'the Lord can be vanquished using fragments of his own power forged in physical form'. It's nothing at all if not a bold claim." "We don't even know what possessed him to make the weapons in the first place," Viveka interjected. "We can just assume he made them specifically to destroy the Lord, but it's just as likely he wanted to make the weapons just to see if he could. He made them after the Lord was sealed the first time, right? Look at the other heroes when you consider Berthold's actions; they're all proud, or stupid, or BOTH. We have no reason to assume any differently with Berthold; he was a weapon-smith with access to extremely rare and valuable material, not preparing to save a world that hard already been saved." "No objections, here ... regarding the others being proud and stupid," Reese chimed in. "Anyway, my point is, we can't just assume Berthold was preparing for the situation we're in right now by making the crimson weapons. None of the other 'heroes' were preparing for this, so why would he be any different? That's wishful thinking," Viveka concluded. Not sure exactly how to tactfully return to his own example argument, Conrad said, "We are placing faith in Berthold's results, not necessarily his intentions, thankfully, but unfortunately that leaves us with even less proof that the crimson weapons are the solution we say they are. So to summarize, our allies are expected to believe our claims based on the following; our theories, the numerous attempts of the demons to steal the weapons from us, and the overall effectiveness of crimson weapons versus demons. If you have something to add to this list that isn't purely conjecture, maybe we can refine our position somewhat and reassure those willing to listen. If not, then it's best to let sleeping dogs lie, as there is no reason to expect anyone else to change their minds about the weapons based on just those three things." "General, a quick question now that you mention that," Reese chimed in yet again. "Hm?" "The demons fled after Helenos went down, correct? But according to what I've heard, she doesn't lead the demons. I suppose this question is for you too, Morgan. What do you people think about that? Are the two events related? The timing seems to suggest so, but again, it's circumstantial." "It'd be nice if defeating Helenos was what saved Ilyphina and not that they got bored tormenting us and killing innocent people and left," Viveka muttered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snike Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Eric and Alex Eric was about to answer that Jace wasn't planning on ceding, but right then, Directus escort appeared. Dear Princess Charlotte locked arms with him and waited expectantly, so the former templar led her down the steps and over to the group of knights. There, he helped his liege onto the back half of the saddle of one of the horseman. Meanwhile, Alex waved back at Adena, before following her brother and the royalty down to the escort. There seemed to be the possibility that they wouldn't have enough space for everyone to ride, even doubled up. If that turned out to be the case, the general would merely walk. She WAS the least important figure in this group, after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Cynthia- Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Morgan "Bethold somehow 'accidentally' making the Crimson Weapons makes less sense than him intending to use them to destroy the demons," Morgan countered. "One does not stumble upon the secrets of making weapons infused with hellfire and light magic by happenstance. Any arguments against the Crimson Weapons due to their nature are idiotic anyway- one can cause devastation to humanity with anima magic or swords as well, but those people do not have religious orders after their heads," she stated. "All evidence seems to indicate that Helenos and the other demons are not aligned- I do not think her defeat and the demons' retreat was linked. Perhaps they thought their chances better if they retreated and regrouped with their fellows- I would expect another attack soon in any case," she responded to Reese. Charlotte and Tristan Tristan made his way up behind Fargo, sighing. Charlotte smiled at Eric's chivalry as she sat behind Jeanne. "Let us be off then!" she commanded commandingly. Edited March 19, 2013 by -Cynthia- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snike Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Off to the Races Ok, so both the Prince and the Princess were set to go, that just left himself and Alex to be seated... But there was only one seat. Someone would have to walk. "You take it," Eric said, once he realized that fact. "No, it's your meeting. You take the seat," his sister replied, calmly but sternly. "But-" "Do you even know how to get to the palace from here?" The resulting silence was telling. Jace's daughter forced a smile, as she said, "Go. I'll catch up later." "...Alright," Eric said, before mounting up on the last open spot. "See you there." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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