Fantasy ♞Legends of Leohain♞ (Medieval High Fantasy - Main - CLOSED)

[Hawke.]

♞Shatter Roar - War Room - Everyone♞

"I don't imagine any of you would have heard of him, Cenred was the leader of the Pawenrew Rangers, a group that travels the borders between Anan, Thoigard, and the Outlands. They're supposed to be defenders but when Cenred was in charge they were little more than brigands, pillaging villages on either side of the border. He was thrown out for his brutality." Shatter Roar tried his best to give a condensed explanation. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife at that point, and in a way Shatter was glad, they seemed to understand the weight of the situation. He wished he could give them more information to ease their fears but there was none. Not yet, anyway. "We don't know if they've been deployed yet, just that they are being bred and trained to hunt mages. Without more information I can't tell you if we'll be able to hide our trail from them, the only solace I can offer now is that they are flesh and blood and can be killed with steel."
The catfolk noticed Robert then, looking particularly dejected suddenly. The forces that were out in the field gathering information were his own, and they were spread thinly. Not to mention they'd had a rash of deserters. He could understand the little Lord's frustration at their current situation.
"I have no doubt they'll march on Alban, Thoigards capital, they may give a demonstration there. The queen hasn't declared her allegiance to the High King yet, but she will have to make a choice, as law dictates she is supposed to serve Kester during times of war. But if we could get her on our side..."

♞Robert - War Room - Everyone/Shatter Roar♞
Robert's mouth felt dry, as a lord under the Queen he would also have to give up his troops to Kester, or be put on trial for treason. A trial he could never possibly win.
"If she turns to him... I don't know what I'll do. I can't give loyalty to the man who killed my family." Robert's voice, though quiet, seemed to echo in the silence. He couldn't get the memories of his family off his mind, faces twisted permanently in fear and pain. Their cries haunted his dreams when he finally managed to sleep. How could he betray them by giving his loyalty to the man responsible for their death? "I don't know what I'll do..."​

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium​

While it might not be a name that lingered within his defective memory, it was certainly one that firmly rooted itself there; a name that he hoped would remain without a face to go along with it. As he silently readjusted himself, Anzi couldn’t help the faint snarl up of his nose disrupt his otherwise blank features. The man most certainly sounded horrible, just another distributor of senseless torment, someone that would be a far more pleasant sight six feet under. Sick bastard probably gets a delightful high off the mental image of hounds nipping at pesants’ heels.

Despite his own distaste for canines, he was at the very least comforted by the fact that they were only flesh and blood. It might not be the most pleasurable experience when the time came for it, but the tiefling had no qualms with destroying the soft, squishy medium. The burning of flesh would extract pained wails from even the strongest of men, given time and intensity. Trusting in his own ability to dispatch foes when necessary, Anziium allowed his mind to settle on said topic, only to start up again on the next.

“Given the fact she is expected to act according to such law, how is it we have even the slightest chance to sway her to go against such orders? While she might not be in agreeance with Kester’s declaration of war, is really a woman to stand her ground and declare herself against him wholeheartedly? And what of her own staff, will they follow her lead of rebel?” Waltzing themselves inside the palace to hold an appearance with the queen, only to convince her to rebel against her High King would most definitely not pan out in their favor. And then what if she were to decide Kester was in his right mind? They’d all be killed on the spot.

 

[RavenSong]

Luna
Taking a few steps back she leaned her back against the nearest pillar holding up the building. Her arms crossed and her eyes neutral gazed upon the figure of Shatter Roar. Upon hearing of the one named Cenred she nodded wondering if he would become an issue in the nearest future. For now, the task at hand.

Luna tilted her head at the mortality of these canine detecting agents. Surely, it will make it difficult to hide should a party decide to ambush. Open war seemed to be the most sound approach. Peculiarly though the vampire didn’t seem much too concerned, being dead after all.

she raised her eyebrows in surprise at still a possibility of slowing down the incoming war through political means.
Looking at Anziium she nodded in agreement
“of course she will align herself with the king will she not?” She began “Why risk her life by defying the king?”The vampire paused in thought for a second. “What if we sent a spy? Perhaps someone who can get close enough to the queen to deliver a message.” Surely it wasn’t her most brilliant idea but she entertained the thought of swaying the queen in favor of this small resistance.

Luna soon looked upon Robert with sympathy. The death of his parents weighed heavily on him by the look of dread in his eyes. The brutal death of loved ones scars the mind and binds the heart in agony. Knowing that no words could bring comfort and neither could barrels of mead which lead all too many to an early grave.
She bowed her head in thought then back up at Robert as he spoke without any further words of her own.

 

[sraes]

Helewys deGrey
​

Helewys frowned, not pleased to hear that that was all of the information they had on the mage-scenting hounds so far but understanding that information in general was thin on the ground and that they had forewarning at all was almost more than could be expected. Still, it wasn't a lot to go on - they would need to plan for every eventuality and hope that they would stumble upon a way to counter the creatures when they actually came into play. Not a comforting thought.

And it was far from the only discouraging information of the meeting - not that they'd truly expected anything else - although hearing that the Queen of Thoigard hadn't yet declared for Kester at least gave them some room for hope. The points brought up by the tiefling man and white haired woman were all too concerning however. Conversely, though, there were plenty of reason she might be willing to align with them. She could have magic in her own bloodline for all they knew, protecting family would be a not-insignificant motivator. Or perhaps just political motivations would be enough - after all, long shot though it was, if Thoigard sided with them and then won... Well, the Queen would stand to gain a lot from the victory.

But all of it was merely speculation. Helewys knew nothing of the Queen in question other than that she existed so her motives were well beyond their ability to guess.

"I'm sorry, I've been a bit out of the loop for a while now." They spoke up in a brief lull between questions, addressing Shatter Roar. "You speak only of Thoigard's Queen - what of Saphia? Have they already sword their allegiance to Kester or is there still any hope of help from that quarter? One country on our side is necessary-" it went without saying that having all three countries after them was probably a death sentence unless they wanted to flee to the Outlands and hope for the best, "-but if both Saphia and Thoigard joined us we have much better chances."

 

[Hawke.]

♞Shatter Roar - War Room - Everyone♞

"We may not have a chance, not without showing her that we stand a chance against Kester, as for Saphia... We'd have a similar problem. They have the largest mage college in Leohain, but they may not join our cause if we can't show them that we've got the forces to go up against the King." Shatter looked to Luna then, "A spy would be useful, someone of noble heritage could have a chance of swaying the queen. But that's a risky endeavor."
He glanced towards Robert, considering it for a moment before brushing that thought aside. No, certainly not. For one he wasn't expendable, and he was painfully incompetent at even acting like he was of noble blood as he'd shown only moments ago. "If you can find someone that we could get on the inside, I'd be more than willing to humor you. In fact, having anyone on our side would be nice..."

♞Thelind - War Room - Everyone♞
"What about ser Aldwin Olbrecht? His family has ties all over, even as far as the Veridipalus." Thelind had only met the young knight a few times, but he was a kind and compassionate man, "Surely he would be sympathetic to our cause. Perhaps he could sway the queen to our side. Unless of course, our Luna has another idea. As for Saphia, you're correct on that front, they're not just going to give us their loyalty without reason. But I say we focus on smaller targets, start spreading word around the villages and see what troops we can muster from them. Perhaps try and get in touch with the Pawenrew guild."

♞Shatter Roar - War Room - Everyone♞
"A good point, if we can win the commonfolk and get a few of the noble families on our side... We might win the favor of Robert's people with a small celebration, a bit of leisure during these grim times will boost everyone's morale." Of course this came with its own set of risks, but in Shatter's mind the pros outweighed the cons. "Keep an ear out for any work to be done too, even if it seems menial." ​

 

[Sleipnir]

Seia sat back deep in her chair to consider all that was being said. Another bully, she decided quickly of the Cenred. ...Fine. He's as much flesh and blood as any other. This was of no concern to her: Here was a man who needed justice, after all, and she was unconcerned with status or position. She let the conversation move on, having no authority or position to speak of her own. After all, what was she, but a commoner?
A good point: If we can win the commonfolk...
This caused Seia to sit up some in her seat. "...If it's the support of the people you want," she began carefully, "Then we may be able to get it, if we can just find the right nerves to hit. Men aren't wont to dabble in the oppressions of those unlike them. But we may be able to create resistance yet."

Silvyr, too, listened dutifully, but with much more apparent interest and a brow furrowed in deep consternation as he too considered the information placed before them. His attention was cast to Robert first, and again, he felt a stab of empathy and pain -- it was not, after all, only Robert's family that had been lost, and Silvyr still felt his failure to protect the family -- or to die trying -- keenly. It will not happen again, though, he promised himself. He took a breath and nodded, raising his head again and turning his attention to Shatter Roar. "I am not a man of diplomatic persuasion," he declared. "Nor am I a man born of the right stock to offer weight to any letter or request we might write or make. I am, after all, naught but a bastard. However..." He turned just his eyes back to Robert with a bit of a nod. "I am a knight. I am a man of the blade, and should there be recruits to train, men to command, and positions to secure, I shall gladly swear my shield to the cause. It would not do, after all, to send green soldiers into any confrontation, planned or otherwise."

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn
​

Many of the names and places being thrown around flew well over the tiefling's horns, she only having a vague and rudimentary understanding of the various inter-kingdom relations thanks to some basic schooling during her youth. Oh how she wished she had only payed them any attention. Information of magic-sniffing hounds and whom exactly was training them meant little to nothing to herself personally, but judging from the reactions of those who seemed to glean meaning from it, it apparently held some significance. She scowled in confusion at the entirety of that problem as a whole, but chose to keep her thoughts to herself. Surely, she reasoned, if enough instances passed in the cities of innocent people being targeted for as absurdly ludicrous reasons as "this dog can smell magic in your bloodline", perhaps the kingdom may end up in revolt by itself. 'If the king has any brains in him, he'll keep those mutts in reserves to only root out insurgents' she thought to herself.

Topic now turning to the conversation of the queen of Thoigard, she agreed with fair enough most all of what was brought up. Gaining the people's favor and their support would be paramount if any aspect of this war was to turn in their favor. After all, what's a kingdom without it's people?
With this her brain felt satiated enough with all the new information, she fell silent and awaited for anyone else to speak up. After a few moments of silence and contemplation passed to show otherwise - and the luscious aromas of breakfast began to waft into the war room - Fara sat up in her chair, letting the focal light shining down on the warmap catch the front rim of her face. Clearing her throat and offering a warm, fanged smile, she looked around the room.

"Well now, from what I, a mere uneducated pyromancer, can give an opinion on, all decisions are best made with a full stomach, and it seems we've been given quite a bit to decide. I, for one, vote we adjourn the meeting for now and head for the mess hall to enjoy a hearty meal, don't you? Helps get the brain juices going, from experience." she prompted, meeting everyone's various gazes as they gradually tracked to meet her in eye contact with a grin.

 

[Hawke.]

♞Shatter Roar - War Room - Everyone♞
Shatter nodded in agreement as Seia spoke. "I'm sure that will be fairly easy, given the current climate. And not everyone is going to be a fan of the king after all." Striking nerves wouldn't be hard, but sustaining an army certainly would be, his attention then turned to Silvyr, "And I will accept your help, your help in training incoming troops will be invaluable." He offered him a smile, or as much of a smile as he could manage. "You will be a great leader, I'm sure of it... Though training isn't the only thing they will require, they'll need armor and weapons, food, shelter... Among other things." The war room meeting had not lasted long, and there was certainly some silence from those who were still trying to find their places but Fara was right, this early morning meeting had lasted long enough, as the sun shed more golden light through the windows it was easier to see the tired looks the lionfolk was getting. "Let's conclude this meeting then, I'm sure Lord Robert's cooks have prepared a fine meal this morning."

♞Great Hall of Umbra Keep♞
The table in the great hall was not nearly as ornate as the old war room table, scratched and scuffed from many meals and parties held there. Currently only half of the long table was in use, set with plates of eggs and roast meat, sweet bread, dried fruits, jam and honey. It was not the most lavish spread but it was certainly more than most would have. The only source of heat was from a large fireplace at the back of the room, it was also the only real source of ambience. Most lords would spare no expense to keep musicians on staff, and at one point house Warren did have musicians, but the family fell on hard times and could hardly afford to pay them for their services. The instruments still sat in the treasury, a lyre and harp made of fine wood imported from Saphia, an ornate lute, a set of drums gifted to them by some long lost king centuries ago, and many others.
But the hall was now silent except for the chattering of servants and the crackling of wood.

♞Robert - Great Hall - Looking for Silvyr ♞
Robert only stopped by his chambers briefly to change into something a bit more comfortable before heading to the great hall. He had left behind his heavy cloak for a shorter, lighter one, as well as a cream colored tunic and brown pants. Under his hair the golden circlet of a lord poked through, but that was the only jewelry he wore. A symbol of status. He was in no hurry to get to the great hall, it was a struggle to even leave his own room. He would have been happy to simply crawl into bed and try to sleep, hoping that perhaps the sunlight would keep the nightmares at bay. But he had things to do, so reluctantly he left, walking down the stairs into the hall.
He had many memories here, both good and bad. But they felt distant and foggy now, Shatter Roar and Thelind had already taken their places and were speaking quietly to each other. But Robert paused, he was expected to sit in the high backed chair at the head of the table. It didn't feel right, it was not his place, it shouldn't be his place. He sat though, looking around for Silvyr, he hoped that he could talk to him about the dreams. Perhaps he could offer some sort of counsel, despite not being a diviner of any sort. Mostly he just wanted to hear that they meant nothing, and that they were just his mind trying to process all that had happened.​

 

[DovahBeat]

Once the meeting was adjourned, Krow left the war room. He paused out in the hall, stepping to the side to let others pass, while he debated on going to breakfast or going back to bed. Or the library. With short sigh, he decided that eating would be the best decision. It wasn't often for him to have a good meal ready.
He started on his way down the halls, taking his time to get to know the layout of the keep, even if he would be a little late to the meal.

((Waiting on Sleipnir for seia to terrify krow))

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Skotadi​

With the conclusion of the meeting skotadi had remained quiet throughout a few notes and point flicker through the ancient crocs minds. namely how everyone acted, it had hardly been the most coherent of meeting to say the least, while many a tale had a dysfunctional group coming together to save the da... this was different it wasn‘t slaying a dragon banishing a beast.. this was war those were the stories where the ending was never happy but it was always bloody. He wasn’t so sure how this tale would go But it would certainly be a grand story.. if he lived long enough to tell it.

sweeping those thoughts aside for the moment something far more interesting the matter of breakfast. It would have been a royal occasion if not for the somber nature of the place little more a eerie fire and low chatting to fill its halls still the atmosphere was... unqiue in skotadi’s eyes pleasantly quiet The only part truely disappointing was the food.. hardly what could be called a good breakfast skotadi knew he could have prepared something far better with the same ingredients but... in the same amount of time and in such quantities not so thusly he had little reason to dwell on such a thought.

 

[RavenSong]

Luna


Her attention beckoned from one side of the room to the other before Shatter Roar finally returned to her with an inquiry to follow up on her proposed plan. She bowed her head as if to notion she didn’t have further ideas. Although many possibilities were brewing in her mind.

Surely it wouldn’t be the first time she’s had to break into a strangers chambers. After all, she was a vampire and the art of breaking and entering was something that her kind had to learn quickly lest hunger drive them mad.

Although she had no problem with this task she hesitated to volunteer out of sheer ignorance to the situation. It was a special task. To break into the queens quarters undetected and to somehow convince her that a rebellion was brewing could backfire. Not to mention the possibility of the queen either just not believing her or having her mind made up, already chosen to align with the king. Either way it seemed like something she would have to discuss at a further time. Privately.

Luna was a discreet and crafty creature. She didn’t like her plans becoming public knowledge. Mystery to her meant survival.

As the sun began to trickle into the fire lit meeting hall she began to feel the familiar weakness of her curse. “I draw the blood of night and the dawn drains the life from me” she thought in silent bitterness. Her skin beginning to crack and the red glow in her eyes slowly fading. Gravity seemed to pull her towards the earth, ironically reminding her of the grave she’ll never fill. At least willingly.

Once the party seemed to be retreating for a meal Luna followed distantly as she reached into her robes for another vial. Drinking the ruby red blood as the scents of her mortal past filled the air with nostalgia.
After having fed some her mind became sharper although not as quick as she would otherwise be. It would do for now.
she sat at the table as she gazed upon the feast being served. “Well, isn’t that just delightful?” She said sarcastically as she turned to face Skotadi who seemed to be very unimpressed by the elaborate breakfast. “Such a shame this food would just turn to ash in my mouth.” Her voice slowly becoming more of a whisper as the sun began to burn much more brightly.
she managed a weak but determined smile at Skotadi before looking at her hands in disgust. “Ugh..”
it was now that she wondered why she came prepared for a fight when in fact there wouldn’t be much fighting. She thought of her lovely day dresses and the veil over her face. Alas she would be seen in her weakened state. At least her condition wasn’t a surprise, although maybe a mistake.

she sat up straight in her chair as she crossed her arms with the expression of one who would be unable to participate in some kind of grand celebration. Although being in the company of others warmed her more than she’d care to admit.

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn - interacting with TheCrowKing (and open) ​

Truth be told, Fara felt rather sheepish now, having realized that she had let her stomach speak on her behalf, undoubtedly leaving an immature impression with those whom she had yet to make an introduction to show contrary. She shrank back into her seat, trying to turn up the collar of her cloak in an effort to hide her face from the others. Thankfully, this shame lasted only about as long as it took for her stomach to quietly grumble to her again, at which point, she deemed an appropriate amount of time had passed to not seem obnoxiously over-eager for a hot meal that didn't taste of ashes and charcoal. Grabbing the cuff of her brother's sleeve, she enthusiastically led him into the parade of others filtering out of the war room, and toward the great hall.

As the more chipper of the two tieflings danced the other into the large opening where the grand table resided, she tilted her head at the dimness of the lighting. She pointed to a seat next to where she was standing, much to Anzi's protests, softly instructing him, "Come, come. Sit and eat, you'll need your strength today. Be grateful it's not another brick of soot." Her brows knitted upward, perplexed as she gazed around. Was it always this dingy and dourly lit this early in the grand hall and she had simply slept in the other day late enough for the sun to rise more? No, this couldn't possibly be it. "Surely there must be another reason it's so dark..." she mumbled out loud to no one in particular. Firmly planting her hands on her hips, she meandered back and forth a couple paces, looking upward into the open air as the wheels began to turn in her head. 'A lump of wax, a pinch of soot, aaaand THOSE symbols.... yeah... Yeah, I think I might have something here!' she worked out, her face lighting up into a beaming smile. Turning to her body to her elder brother, she placed a hand on his shoulder while maintaining a gaze on the hanging air above the table. "Stay here and eat, I'll be right back," she relayed.

Quick as a brushfire, she scoured the room, grabbing a rather sorry looking silver candelabra that contained naught but stumps of candles, long since gone cold. 'Perfect!' she thought to herself in delight, snapping off the hardened wax knob and beginning to furiously mash and fold the crumbling clump into a more clay-like consistency between her fingers. The faster her digits worked, the quicker the wax softened, pumping just a couple degrees of heat into her fingertips. Keeping the momentum, she hurried over to the fireplace, plunging her hand into the coals so much as a moment's hesitation (much to any onlooker's shock), and retrieving a small clump of black residue from the depths. In the hand with the wax, she shaped a small bowl shape, quickly stuffing the soot inside and folding it into the now grimy mixture with that same hand. Free of the burnt wood tar, her other hand's index nail began slashing small shapes into the air in front of the seemingly maddened red girl's face. The shapes clung in the air, emanating a soft orange glow and gently spiraling around each other as if gears on a pinboard. Dashing a final two rings around the outside of the geometric patterns, they began to whiz faster in their gait as Fara muttered what some could consider famous last words, "Fingers crossed, here goes!"

Tearing off a small globule of the mixture in her fingers, she held it in a pinch up to the runes. Calling out softly in the language of magic, she beckoned her will into action, "Spirits of hearthfire, hear me and heed - cast light on the shadows and bring warmth to the frozen," blowing on the clump toward the circle like a dandelion being used to make a wish. As if humoring the imagery it invoked, the clump began to glow the same gentle sunset hue and blew away from her hand as she released it, passing through the sigil and spiraling upward and away with fervor. After a couple seconds of its flight had passed, the light faded, seeming to have evaporated the ball.

Fara's shoulders slumped, disappointed in the results when suddenly it FLARED to life again and began burning where it had seemingly extinguished, as if a candle itself had been ignited and suspended in the air. The small but precious flame flickered in the air, then stabilized, shedding another small area of light over the dining table she had blown it toward. Positively brimming with pride, Fara giddily clapped her hands and quietly squealed to herself. "Eeeeee! It worked!!" Quickly repeating the process of pinching off the remaining amount in equal sized blobs and blowing them through the magic circle, there suddenly became a loose shotgun of 8 magical candles floating daintily over the crowd of diners.

 

[sraes]

Helewys deGrey
Interacting with: TheCrowKing Open​

Helewys sat back in their chair as the meeting drew to a close - for the time being at least - feeling both frustrated and relieved in equal parts. They didn't know what they'd expected from the war meeting when they'd arrived but being given some information then send off to breakfast with no course of action decided upon was certainly not it, although it was probably for the best. While they itched to have something to do, something useful to contribute in this fight right then and there, making a hasty decision and running off immediately after it was not the way to go about this. Not when there were so many lives on the line.

And while they knew that intellectually, it didn't make the waiting any less of a chore.

"Breakfast it is." They said to themself, bracing for the stiffness in their side from sitting for so long. Luckily it was bearable and quickly faded once they'd straightened up, especially after they'd sent a thin pulse of magic into the area to deaden the nerves somewhat. Truly they were looking forward to not dealing with that any more. Joining the slow flow of people leaving the war room, they followed the majority of the group as they headed towards where they assumed the dining hall to be - they hadn't been up and moving enough the little time they'd been in the keep to have figured out where everything was, so they were hoping the rest of the people here did. The tiefling woman who'd called for breakfast certainly seemed confident of her direction at least, pulling the man she'd been sitting with along behind her.

As they walked into the great hall, Helewys saw the food laid out along the table before them and was suddenly stuck by the realization that they were famished. They were pretty sure it had been days since they'd had actual freshly made food rather than trail rations and they would cheerfully kill for some of the sweet bread laid out nearby; they didn't wait around, seating themself next to a young woman with startlingly pale hair and taking a slice of the bread from the loaf nearby.

The seat also happened to give them a very good view of the room and of the tiefling woman running around it.

"Is she always so energetic this early in the morning?" They asked, directing the question at the other tiefling who she'd been dragging earlier - they'd seemed familiar with each other. The woman looked like she was trying some kind of spellwork, though Helewys' education did not lean that way at all so all they could glean was that it might have something to do with fire. Still, it was an interesting process to watch and the results were lovely so they gave a few appreciative claps when the floating lights ringed the table. It did make things seem much less gloomy.

 

[Sleipnir]

It wasn't Seia's nature to chase after people, but as the others at the table -- other than lord Robert's boy, anyway -- remained what was, to her, infuriatingly passive, and subsequently dispersed to gather themselves a meal, the girl's attention drifted to Krow. She recalled what he'd said in front of everyone, gods and men alike, and it wouldn't leave her alone. She sighed and stood up, wandering after him. Food would have to wait, this matter -- it was an immediate thing.
"Hey."
As he rounded into the hall, Seia's steps and voice followed him, and as soon as she was out of the chamber with the others, and alone with the boy, she hurried after him. Her next move, just as soon as he was within an arm's length, was to push him by the shoulder, knocking him back into the wall. "Watch that tongue when you're in public, yeah?" She cornered him against the dull stone, her hands lifting to rest at her hips. "You don't talk about necromancy. Get it? You don't. People like you and me, they kill us. Don't matter what you mean to do with it. You don't talk about it."


Silvyr had only taken a brief leave of the room in order to pace the halls outside, looking out the windows in hopes of catching glimpses of what it was he'd be working with. His mind was full of images of battle, of swords and steel and the matters he'd taken on. It would be no small job, this he knew. But it was not a matter he dared step away from. He was, after all, here to serve.
But, ultimately, he could not stay out in the hall forever.
Silvyr returned to the room and stayed by the doors for just a moment, his eyes wandering back to Robert. ...It would be improper for a knight to take a seat next to a lord, surely. It was not his place. But Robert seemed distracted himself, and as if he was looking for something, and so Silvyr approached with another bow. "...My lord?" he greeted him again. "Is something bothering you, Robert?"

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium
Interacting With: Caligena sraes

To say he was mortified at his sibling’s sudden declaration was an understatement, Anziium’s very hide prickling as the numerous eyes directed their attention at the horned pair. Despite his previous actions to awaken her for this very meeting, he was now regretting it all. Perhaps having her clear and far away from actual business would have been all the wiser. Afterall, she wasn’t supposed to be here anyway. Why I didn’t march her back home to our peeved mother is beyond me, he thought wearily to himself, the bridge of his nose pinched between his thumb and forefinger. If only one of the others could transmute her into a letter or something of the sort to be sent by a courier, it would cost far less than someone to escort her back.

Certain that Fara’s suggestion would be cast aside to continue the meeting, the male tiefling had brought his irritable gaze back towards Shatter--only for the dismissal to become official. Expression warping back to that of a mixture of shame and annoyance at his sibling’s butting in, Anziium took a moment to gather himself from his seat with a sigh. With the conclusion of the meeting, his intentions were to retire back to his sleeping quarters to work away at his own projects, but that plan was instantly doused the moment Fara leapt up.

“Fara-” He started, voice low enough it was something between them and them alone. No, he didn’t want to start a scene, but he didn’t want to go through this sort of thing on a daily basis. Which is exactly why he had planned to arrive at the Keep alone. Alas, his words were entirely disregarded as she drug him around like a pup on a string, paying little attention to who she bumped into along the way. Which only irked him all the more as he had to thread the needle between a few people, very actively contorting his body to avoid bumping shoulders. Thankfully enough, they’d beat the crowd in no time, one of the first to toss themselves in the gloomy dining hall.

As it was apparent his protests wouldn’t hold much weight in this conversation, he didn’t even bother turning back, just sourly plopping into the seat. “Right…” He’d come to murmur, rolling his bronze orbs at her next-to-nothing attention span. At the very least she isn’t shoving silverware into my face for the time being. Exhaling defeatedly, Anzi briefly glanced about the gathering diners before deciding he wasn't much interested in the half-hearted chatter breakfast would bring. Instead, he found himself dipping his gaze to a small pocketbook nestled upon his lap, gaze so engrossed with whatever lie upon the pages it took a moment to realize he was being spoken to.

The tiefling's gaze would stray from his lap, flicking over those around him to locate the voice. A brief crossing of gazes would have him learn it was the elf he'd been minorly curious about. A name certainly didn't come to mind as he pondered over their words as he attempted to remember the question that most definitely slipped over his head. "The girl?" He inquired, slipping a thumb between the pages he'd momentarily been invested in. "I suppose so. Although, I will say fanning her ego will only make this a more common occurrence."

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn - interacting with TheCrowKing , sraes , and open
​

Rubbing the remaining sooty, waxy residue on the hem of her sleeve, Fara beamed with glee and pranced her way back to where she left her brother. On her way there, she patted master Shatter Roar's back, chuckling jovially and nodding in a pseudo-wave as if to note a silent "hey thanks" before continuing her stride. Plopping her posterior onto the seat of the chair immediately adjacent of Anzi, she swung her legs around, nodding and smiling at the various looks she had garnered before turning to said sibling, who -- to exactly no one's surprise -- was nose-deep in a book. She grabbed a small bun and tore in half, placing one jagged tear on his plate, and the rest on her own, as well as another normal size one before he could have the time or attention to scold her for putting food in front of him. Quickly following up by reaching to deftly scoop some eggs and meat onto her plate, she looked up and at the healer who'd taken residence across the table from them.

"Ah who's this? Finally make a friend, Anzi?" she chortled, knowing full well it was likely just happenstance they had chosen there to sit. "Pleased to make your acquaintence, I'm Faralynn, but you can just call me Fara, or as my brother likes to address me as, A Huge Pain In The Rear," she greeted with a laugh, extending her now grime-free hand toward the elf.

 

[Hawke.]

♞Shatter Roar - War Room - Fara/open♞
Shatter Roar watched as Fara ran about grabbing candles, he was not particularly knowledgeable when it came to magic, but he was sure Fara was about to do something... Silly. Silly was a nice way to put it. The girl was always silly, but it was a welcome thing. It was only when she plunged her hands into the still roaring fire that he stood up, mouth agape "Fara! what-" He quickly silenced himself as he saw her come away unscathed, he was not very used to people who were fireproof.
"Gods it's going to take me a long time to get used to that..."
With a soft thump he sat back down to watch the rest of Fara's display, eyes following her every move as she carved symbols into the air, and when it seemed to fail he tilted his head a little. "How disapp- AH!" Suddenly something above him flashed and instinctively he covered his head, bracing for an impact that never came. He could hear Lady Thelind across from him snickering and looked up at the light floating above them. He shook out his mane and huffed, trying to regain his composure before anyone else noticed his reaction. "Very good Fara, thank you for the light."

♞Robert - War Room - Silvyr♞
Robert too flinched at the light, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. He seemed to forget for a moment what it was that bothered him when Silvyr asked. "...Oh, where should I start?" He laughed weakly, many things bothered him, of course, having become a lord in a matter of what felt like minutes to him. But that wasn't Silvyr's problem, it was the dreams that Robert feared would become everyone's problem. "Do you believe that dreams sometimes have meanings, Silvyr?..." Admittedly Robert was not sure that he believed such things himself, or how we was supposed to approach the topic. He feared Silvyr would think him a fool.​

 

[sraes]

Helewys deGrey
Interacting with: TheCrowKing Caligena Open
​

Tilting their head, Helewys took a bite of the sweet bread on their plate and waited until the tiefling man realized they'd asked him a question and looked up from whatever he was so absorbed in. They were very tempted to lean over and try to get a glance at whatever was in the man's lap but figured that would be a bit nosy for someone they'd just met; the table was also too wide, they doubted they'd be able to see what it was without crawling halfway across the damned thing. A pity, they were curious. Still it probably was better to not get on anyone's bad side immediately - that would come in time they were sure, healers always ended up dealing with people at their crankiest.

"Will it? I don't think that would be a bad thing - at the very least she will keep us entertained." They said with a slight smile when he looked up and caught their eye, about to add something else when the woman in question appeared at his elbow and started doling out food and introductions. To their amusement she seemed just as energetic sitting as she did running around the room flinging fire into the air.

"Nice to meet you, Fara. I'm Helewys. That was an interesting bit of magic you did - I don't think I've seen anything quite like it, though I'll admit I have a rather limited experience of spells outside those used for healing." Reaching out, they gave her hand a quick shake before extending the hand over to her brother next. "And of course it's nice to meet you as well, my new friend. Anzi was it?" Waiting for his response, they looked the siblings over in a brief glance. Now that Helewys knew they were related and were side by side they thought they could pick out a few similarities between the two of them although from what little they'd seen their personalities were very different. Then again maybe Anzi just wasn't a morning person. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what is it you are reading? You looked pretty absorbed there for a moment."

 

[DovahBeat]

It wasn't Seia's nature to chase after people, but as the others at the table -- other than lord Robert's boy, anyway -- remained what was, to her, infuriatingly passive, and subsequently dispersed to gather themselves a meal, the girl's attention drifted to Krow. She recalled what he'd said in front of everyone, gods and men alike, and it wouldn't leave her alone. She sighed and stood up, wandering after him. Food would have to wait, this matter -- it was an immediate thing.
"Hey."
As he rounded into the hall, Seia's steps and voice followed him, and as soon as she was out of the chamber with the others, and alone with the boy, she hurried after him. Her next move, just as soon as he was within an arm's length, was to push him by the shoulder, knocking him back into the wall. "Watch that tongue when you're in public, yeah?" She cornered him against the dull stone, her hands lifting to rest at her hips. "You don't talk about necromancy. Get it? You don't. People like you and me, they kill us. Don't matter what you mean to do with it. You don't talk about it."


Silvyr had only taken a brief leave of the room in order to pace the halls outside, looking out the windows in hopes of catching glimpses of what it was he'd be working with. His mind was full of images of battle, of swords and steel and the matters he'd taken on. It would be no small job, this he knew. But it was not a matter he dared step away from. He was, after all, here to serve.
But, ultimately, he could not stay out in the hall forever.
Silvyr returned to the room and stayed by the doors for just a moment, his eyes wandering back to Robert. ...It would be improper for a knight to take a seat next to a lord, surely. It was not his place. But Robert seemed distracted himself, and as if he was looking for something, and so Silvyr approached with another bow. "...My lord?" he greeted him again. "Is something bothering you, Robert?"

The feathers on Krow's back and wings stood up on end as he heard Seia call for him, and he had started walking faster until she pushed him against the wall and cornered him.
"Ow, watch it, I have wings, you know. Pressing them against a stone wall doesn't feel very nice." It was the least timid thing he had ever said to a girl, but his nerves still showed through.
"I-i-i'm sorry! It just slipped out, I ramble when I'm nervous-- wait. You know necromancy? You've got to teach me! uh,, please?"

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium
Interacting with: sraes Caligena​

One could only assume Anziium wasn’t the most talkative of people considering his near-immediate receding back into the inky text laid upon his lap. Under the assumption he had thoroughly answered the question at hand, he had felt there wasn’t any further interaction necessary; Helewys would have had a more riveting conversation with a stone wall over the male tiefling. However, the deafening silence wouldn’t last long, it ever did with Fara within range.

"Ah who's this? Finally make a friend, Anzi?"​

Was it too late to relocate to a different seat at the table? Unfortunately enough for him, that seemed to be the case, as his sister was already slopping out plates from the neighboring chair. Figures she would choose now to free herself from the center of attention to embarrass me further. “Nice of you to join us-” He muttered curtly, a brief glance cast at what was to be his plate, only to ignore its existence afterwards. It wasn’t as though he had planned to partake in a conversation with anyone throughout the duration of the meal, but between the seemingly extroverted pair of Fara and Helewys, he appeared to be caught in the middle

Hoping that his sister would be enough to entertain their associate, the tiefling dismissed them both for the comforts of his booklet, only to yet again, be drug back into conversation. Bronze gaze lifting once more, he glanced warily at the extended hand, probably looking at it far longer than one should before deciding he wasn't about to shake it. "It was Anziium, Anziium Aravrye, actually. As for the reading material, it was nothing important, I'm just not fond of listening to my sister run her mouth when no one wishes to hear it." While that was partially the truth, it appeared he wouldn't be speaking further on the booklet, it's presence eliminated from his hands to be lost within the confines of his own pockets.

"And you're one of the few that have witnessed the dangers of this war firsthand...? Care to share?" It wasn't a very kind turn of the tables, but he rather not talk of himself.

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn - interacting with TheCrowKing and sraes ​

Giving a sly smirk at her brother's welcome, Fara was quite pleased with the reception Helewys had offered back, giving a dainty but brief handshake in return. Honestly it was a breath of fresh air to have such a pleasant interaction with whom she would instantly consider her new friend, especially after all the dour faces everyone had during the meeting. "The feeling is mutual!" she beamed back, retracting her hand back to the plate now full of food. In between a couple of bites, she responded to the comment about her spell, covering her mouth with a napkin she was delicately dabbing crumbs and sauce away with, "Thank you! I had only worked out that particular spell just then so I'm quite pleased with the results!"

Of course though, she had to reign in her excitement to explain every detail of each part of the magic - she was sure it'd be unbelievably boring to practically anyone else, not to even mention that Hel had just mentioned not knowing anything outside of medicinal magics. She'll leave it at that for now and can explain further if they wanted, she decided.

Leaving the rest of the conversation to the other two engaged at the moment, the girl focused more on her meal instead. She gave a quiet giggle at Anzi's mention of her prattling habits, taking no apparent offense to the jab, only to almost choke on her current bite of meat at her sibling's bluntness in asking about such a sensitive topic. Choking down the stuck bite, she subtly nudged Anzi's foot with her own with a reprimanding glare.

 

[Sleipnir]

Silvyr stood by patiently as Robert groped for words, still and attentive with soft blue eyes. Do you believe dreams sometimes have meanings, Silvyr? Those were his lord's words. He looked away, jaw set, and considered this for several moments. One hundred little moments from his life rolled through his mind as he considered those words: Moments in battle, moments at home. He recalled scenes of war, standing tall and proud with sword and shield in hand. He recalled dry grass on fire. He recalled lifting his sword and cutting through the very flames, and how the edge of his blade seemed to hold the blaze upon it, and fighting with it. "I don't see why not," he replied thoughtfully. "Among us stand all kinds of warriors wielding all kinds of magic. Who's to say a dream couldn't hold significance? ...What have you seen?"

Though it might not have been obvious in her expression, which remained for several moments hard and reserved, Seia did take note of Krow's wings and made a promise to herself to be more careful with him. Birds were fragile, after all, and she wasn't used to being around fragile things. When he switched gears, though, she returned to him, startled. She made a face and jerked her head to one side. "Of a sort," she replied quietly, looking away. "I... channel it. Kind of. Through a weapon. I don't know, I'm not exactly... scholarly, like you and that lot in there. But if you want to learn," she added, looking back at him, "you learn to keep your mouth shut about it, alright--? You out yourself, you out me, too. Then I have to get out of here, I won't be able to bring myself to leave you behind... then I'm dragging around a frightened bird, and I doubt you'd much care for the swamps."

 

[DovahBeat]

"Hey, if it ever comes to that you don't have to worry about me. I've been hunted before. Why do you think im missing an eye? And why my ears are all torn up?" Krow assured right back. "And I'll work on not nervous rambling, if you teach me. I know about it already I just... can't get it to work." He half shrugged, his tail twitching behind him. He then looked back up at her expectantly. "So, you'll teach me?"

 

[sraes]

Helewys deGrey
Interacting with: TheCrowKing Caligena Open
​

"That's even more impressive, creating a spell on your own like that. I'd love to talk with you more about it sometime - I've some fire magic myself but its uses are very limited, I'd be interested in seeing if I could figure out how to be more flexible with it." Even calling it 'fire' magic was possibly a bit of a stretch as they'd never so much as conjured a spark so much as used the ability to heat metals and liquids, mostly for sterilization purposes. Still, if they could expand on that a bit it might be interesting though for now they would let Fara eat without interruption.

Speaking of interesting.

Hand extended, Helewys waited for a long somewhat awkward moment until Anziium looked up at them with a clear disinclination to take it. At least he answered their question instead of just ignoring that they'd even spoken as they thought he might do for a second there - even if it was more of a brush off than anything as he quickly hid the book away. And a rude one at that. 'Well, that's certainly one way to be told it's none of my business.' Sitting back they let their hand fall back down to the table, only a slight tension around their eyes outwardly showing that Anziium's question had bothered them.

"Did you have anything specific you wanted to know about it, Anziium?" The slight frostiness of the question wasn't very subtle. Absently they tore a bit of a sweet bread on their plate into small pieces, not actually eating any of it. "If you think it will help, I don't mind talking about it but I hardly think the breakfast table is the best place to be discussing such things. Might ruin people's appetites. If you just wanted me to stop asking questions, though, all you needed to do was say so."

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium
Interacting with: Caligena sraes Open
​

Knowing such reprimand would come in response to his sudden ill-mannered turn of topic, he had awaited such action from his sibling, only to counter her nudge with an even more forceful kick. Dearest sister, you ought to remember whom is eldest among us and take such to heart when questioning decisions. His sister held no right to socially discipline him, regardless as to how foul his tongue became. If she wished to play as an authority figure, she should have remained home to tend to the four children after her with their father and mothers.

That discourse aside, away from prying eyes, the male tiefling rose a singular brow at such a response from the elven healer. He hadn't anticipate such a brazen response, more so a hushed silence to befall them at his icy words. Anziium wasn't miffed, no, not particularly, more so ready to cut them down with harsh words, if they so wished. Serrated tail coiling about the legs of his chair, the scholar rest his chin upon his steepled hands, unamused. "Considering our meeting centered around the tidbit of knowledge of hounds and nothing more, why not pool together all the firsthand knowledge we have in our possession? It would be quite selfish to keep such to yourself when everyone here would benefit. Please, enlighten us as to how even a lowly healer managed to elude Kester's men. You appear well, so that leaves one to only imagine the soldiers are sub-par enemies or are completely incompetent. Unless there is some upper hand you had on them? You, yourself, just admitted you aren't much adept at other magics, so that wasn't it-"