Union of the Six

Ashanti

The light elf's ears tinged red in embarrassment or anger, she couldn't tell, at the ork's words. Pansy? She stood there frozen for a bit not really knowing how to react, but by the ork's giant beaming smile, it must've been a compliment of sorts or at least something friendly. She returned his thumbs-up with a bit less enthusiasm since she was entirely confused and then turned to the scene around them. Blood was collecting between the cobblestones and flies had already begun their descent upon the corpses. She heard yelling and saw Sophia descend upon the man who seemingly started this whole mess in the first place. She was a bit sad to see him go, and she watched Sophia wreak her havoc until the man's screams subsided. The big tittied chambermaid had claimed another victim.

She found a corpse who's clothes weren't all covered in blood and ripped of the clean pieces and began wiping down her armor and boots. The coppery scent was all she smelled and reminded her of when she fought in the war. She surprisingly didn't have that many bad memories from the war, just remembered a lot of yells and the sound of metal clanging and such. The only part she truly abhorred was when the sun came out and the dead bodies started stinking up the place. Otherwise, death was a normal thing and Ashanti liked being the one doing the killing blow. She continued wiping herself off until she heard some conversation behind her. The newcomers were seemingly only talking to Sophia, so Ashanti didn't move from where she was. Her eyes scanned the men and the clothes they wore. They stood out like a sore thumb, but she couldn't place exactly where she had seen the symbols on some of the men's armor. She caught the words "Prince Hamilton" come out of Sophia's mouth and it all made sense. She had always wanted to run away from home and live on one of their ships and see a mermaid when she was a child. Now, the thought of fighting on a wooden ship and being at the mercy of the ocean and its storms seemed like hell in its purest form.

Sophia began leading the Prince into the castle and everyone followed. Everyone was probably going to get dressed up and clean themselves since the prince had caught them off guard, and Ashanti needed to get the blood off her as well. There was no dressing up for a knight, but Ashanti wiped the blood and grime off the visible parts of her and traded her blood-soaked tunic for a cleaner one as well as her boots. Her breastplate just needed to be wiped off and the elf made sure she re-braided her hair. Ashanti hadn't touched a dress in many, many years and it was hard to even picture herself in one or anything else remotely fancy. Sure, she always looked a bit grungy, but it was a no effort look and she enjoyed it immensely. She adjusted the sword at her hip before heading to the dining room.

She had barely strode in before she was pulled off to the side by the king. "If they look like they may be plotting something, don't be afraid to call them out on it. Not that you would be normally, but I'm giving you explicit permission." Ashanti nodded in response, noticing Noblesse behind him with two pastries in her hands and a giant smile plastered on her face that had evidence on it as well. It was beautiful seeing Ashanti's own bad habits latch on to the princess. She gave the princess a sly wink when the king wasn't looking and headed towards the table where food had been placed and everyone was gathering. The prince walked over to Noblesse and Ashanti's hand was already on the hilt of her sword and had it drawn out in a fifth of a second but paused when the prince kneeled some feet away. That was quite a risky move, and Ashanti's guard still wasn't down as the man started making something in his hands. She moved closer, a few feet behind him but at an angle so she could glimpse what he was doing. If he tried anything she could gut him like the fish he so loved back in his kingdom. She watched the rose being created, her sword nearly flying out when he went for his own, but it was only to..cut himself? Everyone was staring at his creation like it was a gift bestowed from the heavens, and Noblesse smiled warmly at it as she accepted it. It was quite pretty, but the blood imbuement was weird. Maybe it was an Oceanius thing that she didn't understand. Ashanti put her sword away with a grumble and moved over to where the king would sit but a few feet away. She'd be watching the man the entire time they ate, and she could care less about how he would feel because of it.

Fluffy-Kat Fluffy-Kat Shadowfall Shadowfall ig?? shadowz1995 shadowz1995 uhhh Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow
 
Xerxes Greenblood
Mentions: slim slim
Fire Kingdom Main Gates​


Xerxes had to call it in for the night. With last night's partying plus the negotiation he had with the light kingdoms queen he was feeling pretty tired. He still got to poke fun at Grimsby which put a smile on his face. Maybe one day the grim little fellow would remember how to smile. He surely doubted he came out of his mothers womb with a stoic hard expression. It did baffle him why he wanted to stay in the guard though, it only seemed to make him sour, and nothing and no one was forcing him into that position, at least none that he could think of. Xerxes had to push aside the thoughts so he could finally close his eyes and fall asleep.

He woke up the next morning, and his brother was already in his room looking over him. "Good to see you are finally awake brother, I am very proud of you for talking to the light kingdom and getting an alliance set up. However one alliance will not cut it, I want you you to head to the fire kingdom today, and make yourself presentable, you look like a slob when you sleep."

Xerxes just groaned like a beast. It was still early and he didn't want to leave the comfort of his bed, but now he had to make another alliance, and not fuck this up. When his brother finally left him, and rolled out of bed, and over to his closet, where he put on some decent looking clothes, something that he would incinerate in while in the fire kingdom. Baggy cloth pants, and a fancy looking tunic. He felt like an idiot in clothes like that though, and his expression showed it.

The fire kingdom was quite a distance farther away, and it was in the desert so taking his horse would be a bad idea. He decided he would take his Roc instead. A huge and fierce bird with talons that could rip a horse in half. Usually a hostile species, but nothing that Xerxes could handle with his forest magic and beast tongue. He mounted the beast and headed for the fire kingdom. It only took him a short distance to get their on his roc so it was still only early afternoon when he got there, and he arrived at the main gates.

Now he was getting a feeling of dejuvu where he had to introduce himself which he did. "Hello there noble fire guards. I'm Xerxes and I am here to see the fire kingdoms ruler." No doubt they wouldn't buy it and think him some crazy traveler and probably refuse him passage into the city. If he had to he would make another earthquake, or make his roc lift them both into the sky and make them dangle until they let him in.
 
Alyn Jacelyne Une
​
Jace's words struck a blow, she see it in her mothers reactions, and the girl was loving it. This was the argument that she had been planning for years now, and she would not be pulling a single punch, she wanted her mother to know the depths of her mistake. The room around them instantly grew colder, providing further proof that her argument had struck deep. Jace had to admit that the atmosphere of the room began to send a chill down her spine, she had never seen Patricia so upset, so riled, at least not after the day they had received the fateful news of David's death. The redhead stepped back slowly, her eyes following her mothers hand as it hovered just above her dagger, causing Jace's heart to pound in her chest. She flinched as her mother lunged at her! Ready to defend herself, but Patricia made a move that Jace had never expected as the queen of ice's arms wrapped tightly around her daughter.

Jace stood there for a moment, completely stunned at the sudden change of emotions, she hardly had time to react as she was quickly shoved out the door, left standing out in the doorway with a confused look on her face. She took a quick look around and inhaled sharply "Fuck me..." she exhaled, reaching up to rub her head gently. It was immediately clear this was not what she had been expecting, she had expected a fight from her mother, an argument, she didn't expect for the woman to just give in so easily. 'before I do something we'll both regret'... Jace's mind lingered on the phrase, wondering what it could possibly mean, she shook her head slowly and backed away from the door, making her way back to the upper deck. Whatever her mother had intended to do, surely it would feel much better than what Jace felt right now...

Guilt.

Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow
 
Fire Kingdom


The guards had been relaxing against the cool stone that was still casting shade as the sun rose behind it. The sound of wings flapping alerted them, and they quickly grabbed their spears as some kind of bird landed in the sand in front of them. A man got off and introduced himself as the ruler of the Earth Kingdom. The guards were suspicious but didn't want to offend the man if he truly was nobility, for it would give the man a bad impression of the kingdom and it's ruler. The gates were opened but the man wasn't allowed in. Not yet. A young boy was called over and told to deliver a message that was hastily scrawled on a small piece of parchment to the palace. The boy took off and the guards turned back to the man.

"We will have to search you for iron and copper before you go into the city." One of the guards said and approached the man. One of the guards was a Jinn himself, and simply had to stand near the man to determine if he was safe. The Jinn gave the other a nod and the guards retracted their weapons and stepped away from the entrance.

"Enjoy your stay in the city. The palace is on the other side of the river, and we will have guards escort you if you wish." The guard said.


_____

Nadian had barely let the invitation for the dark elf slip past her lips before there was a knock on the door.

"I believe something has come up, but if you want to take me up on my invitation, all you have to do is show up later tonight." She trusted the elf would slip off without being seen like always and crossed the room before opening the door. A guard handed her a piece of paper that she opened and read quickly. Hmm. The Earth Kingdom ruler came by himself to her Kingdom? It was a statement that she didn't really know the meaning of. He could level her entire city, but he hadn't seemed to have done so. It was better to just see if this man truly was who he claimed to be and what he wanted.

"Tell the cook to start preparing some refreshments. We have a ruler on his way, it seems." The guard dipped low into a bow and walked off. The Sultana had to change again, and she sighed a bit before heading into her wardrobe and searching for what she wanted. She decided she might as well dress for the party later in the evening to kill two birds with one stone, and so she quickly got into a dress and added a few bits of jewelry to tie everything together. She released her hair from the braid she wore and combed through it so it draped down her back in waves.

Two guards met her outside her chambers and the silently followed her as she made her way to the entrance of the palace and waited for the newcomer.
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Mentioned: Morgrim Morgrim and kinda shadowz1995 shadowz1995
 
Cassiopeia
Dark Kingdom, Royal Greenhouses

It is said that if one enjoys what they do, they will never work a day in their life. That saying holds true for Pia because her work was comprised of only things that she loves. Engrossed in her work, little else mattered, though that wasn't to say that the light demon was not informed when something of note did happen. As she completed her task of aiding in transplanting the seedlings to their permanent homes, a servant of the castle had come to inform her of the sudden rebellion that was being staged in the middle of Tenebris. On one hand it made Pia giddy to think of taking her dragon form and crashing through the would be usurpers, on the other hand, she was still busy at work. Her being busy at work only made her more agitated about the audacity of the civilians attempting to stage a coup considering all of the effort that she put in to making sure that this kingdom would have sustenance accompanied by the fact that she was only able to do this on account of the King's granting her the land and thereby making her job possible.

There were few things that got Pia riled up, very few. Though challenging the authority of the very demon that had given them the freedom to do so was definitely among them. Did they even have any idea of the reality of their situation? The life that they would be living had the Dark Lord not made the choice that their people also deserved their own place in the sun? She came to two separate conclusions, either they were young and stupid and had no idea how much more severe their lives could have been because they had never known anything other than the peace of the Dark Kingdom, or they had survived as much as those that had lived longer and just wanted the power. With these thoughts rolling around in her head, it took many of the garden's attendants and a cool drink to assuage her ire, and even still these attendants stayed with her in an effort to keep her calm and on task as she made her rounds through the greenhouses.

It didn't take much for Pia to calm, not that the efforts of the garden attendants weren't appreciated, but after a sip of the tangy but smooth drink she was brought, the pink skinned demoness quickly realized that there was nothing in a rebellion that she should immediately concern herself with because she held onto unshakable faith in her king that he could quell the uprising before it could even rear its ugly head and that was only if the fully capable beings he surrounded himself with couldn't do it beforehand.

So it was that she calmly continued her task of setting free orbs of light throughout the greenhouse and attending to anything that needed her attention only to for a second time have her work interrupted by yet another castle servant, though this one was paying her a visit for a much different reason and one that she welcomed more than news of a rebellion. She couldn't help but release an amused little giggle that chimed from within her like a bell and slowly diminished as it seemed to drift away from her, the idea that on one instance she was receiving a message of a rebellion and on this she was being summoned to breakfast under the function of diplomacy with the intention of offering hospitality to a prince no less.

Making an appearance in her state of disarray was simply unheard of, she couldn't show herself to royalty from another kingdom with dirt on her hands and feet, not to mention the sheer frock she wore so at the first mention of the king's desire to have her present at this breakfast, Pia delegated what were normally her responsibilities to the attendants nearby which included making sure all the reflectors were in place so that the plants in the greenhouses could get ample light in the absence of her own false light before she left to make herself more presentable, asking the servant that had come to fetch her to follow in order to apprise her of any necessary information which evidently included the need for more apples.

"Apples?" Pia looked to the maid quizzically as the request was made, highly doubting that a representative of basically any other kingdom would come specifically to the Dark Kingdom and ask for apples, something that was not even native to these lands, she couldn't help but question why they were needed as she tidied up and changed her garb though in response to the question the maid mentioned hippogriffs which caused a childlike excitement to pass over Pia's features and in response she offered direction to the maid on which greenhouse she should go to in order to fetch the desired fruits as well as who she should ask for them.

It didn't take long before she was on her way to the dining hall once she felt herself presentable and so she would arrive dressed in what many would likely assume was a nightgown rather than any sort of clothing that should be worn when out in public. Of course any who really knew Pia would know that what she was wearing was probably as close to formal attire as the half demon would actually come, so while their visitors would possibly be surprised, those that frequently saw her would likely think nothing of the gray gown she wore that was made of layers of a sheer fabric that clung to her torso and could easily make an individual question if they were able to see her nude figure through the dress or if it was just an illusion caused by the light. The neckline of the gown had an asymmetrical cut that was lined with clear gemstones and left one shoulder and arm completely bare while the other had a long sleeve made of a single layer of the fabric that the rest of the gown was made from, though the sleeve bore a long slit down it that stretched from her shoulder to her wrist and was kept closed at her wrist by a single gem. The skirt flowed around her legs, accented by another decorative slit on the same side as the long sleeve that began at her hip.

To say the least, her dress wasn't altogether extravagant and that fact was made more evident by her lack of footwear which allowed for the crimson tips of her clawed toes that matched the appearance of her hands to be seen. She wore no jewelry and her long rose gold hair was brushed but as always, allowed to flow freely down to her waist, and as though to accentuate her casual appearance, her demeanor didn't really say anything for serious displays of formal protocol as she strolled in somewhat tardy to the gathering, and stood on the side of the King and the beautiful female entourage that he seemed to enjoy surrounding himself with. Her posture was just as casual as her entrance, though she did offer a bright and toothy grin to the prince that exposed each of the sharp points of her foremost teeth, an interested but playful gleam in her nearly solid white eyes the irises of which only discernible by the faint gray rings around them and at their centers.

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 (you freakin' happy, bro? xD) YES BITCH. - SHADOW (D: in the words of Nogood, RUDE!) Fluffy-Kat Fluffy-Kat (I have determined that Pia will call Noblesse "Moonflower") Britt-21 Britt-21 slim slim Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow
 
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Arriving at the gates to the Dark Kingdom, Oliver wondered just what moments brought him to this one.
Flashback:
"Wake up ya drunk! Yer room rent is over."
"Huh, what? I thought I still had another nigh' 'ere!"
"Nope, that was yer last night. You just didn't remember because you were black out drunk!"
"Shi'! Look, before I go, can ya jus' tell me where the Earth Kingdom is?"
"Yeah. It's right in that direction." The innkeeper was leading him in the wrong direction on purpose. And right down to the Dark Kingdom.
End flashback.
Ollie didn't like the Dark Kingdom. Rumors of most of the inhabitants being women made him terrified of the place. The succubi, the other female demons and just the lack of other Satyrs was scary as shit. Cautiously, he entered. And immediately headed to the tavern. He had to get some drinks. He'd gone most of the day sober. Which made him already have withdrawals. He was addicted to the stuff. He had to have some more, his own supply had ran out! But that also made him check his pockets. Just as he thought, no money. Looks like he'd have to do it the old fashioned way. Pick some pockets for a little bit of money and then spend a night at the tavern. Leave as soon as possible. As he passed through the streets he saw, a lot of succubi and incubi. Which made him very nervous. In the end he pretended to see what people had for sale at the stalls. If someone came up next to him he'd just take their money and go. His first target was a regular demon. It was a man of course. While it made it especially hard to deal with him if he caught him, he wouldn't risk pickpocketing a woman. He heard the old saying. 'Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman.' So he was scared as shit of them. Making his way over to the man he looked at the stall he was looking at. Which were some kinda clay figurines or something, he didn't know. They were made in the shapes of small animals. It was actually pretty nice. But the man was getting ready to leave. Oliver knew what to do. As he wanted to go the way Oliver was in, Oliver pretended not to be looking and bumped into the man. This was actually just a ploy to take his coin purse and go.
"So sorry, didn' see where I was goin'." Oliver apologized, for more than one thing. He moved fast to the tavern, and up to the barkeep.
"I need a rum. Righ' fockin' now." He lay down twice the amount, the little bribe so he could get some of that good shit. And of course, he did. With a cheer, he sat on down and began to drink it. Fast.
"Oi! Kid, what're you doin', drinkin' a man's drink?" Asked a patron goer. Who just so happened to have a bad attitude.
"Wo' th' fock does it look loike I'm doin'? I'm drinkin' it. Why? There somethin' wron' with that?" Oliver had gone and done it. The man got up and made his way over to him. "That a challenge, boy?"
Before he could make another sassy remark, Oliver lunged at him. A tavern brawl! Punches and kicks were thrown. Bones were probably broken and fractured. Would anyone step up to stop this fight?​
 
(Since no one can really do anything with you over there)

Since there was a rebellion that had literally happened just moments ago, everyone was more or less still reeling from it. The normal guards in particular were on edge. They had orders from the captain to be on the lookout for any possible sympathizers of the uprising. Word had quickly gotten around of a fight breaking out in one of the few Tenebris taverns, causing the guards to react almost immediately and haul what we call ass to that location.

However, by the time they got there, it seemed the fighting had been taken care of. There was one thing that set the Kingdom of Darkness apart from the other nations. There wasn't a single man, woman, or child that was afraid of getting their hands dirty to protect the peace of their lands. Desh's words earlier that day also helped solidify that foundation within his citizens. This was THEIR kingdom and they needed to protect it just as much as the king or his armies would.

The barkeep, along with some help, had broken up the combatants and tossed them out of the tavern on their asses. He turned to the guards and the dark elf's eyes lit up in gratitude, "Ah, good timing. These two just got into a brawl and we had it taken care of." The guard looked like he was about to ask but that was answered for him before he could even get the sentence out, "It was the damn goat. He bought a drink and then lunged at the guy. I've never seen him around either, so I figured he's some outsider causing trouble." The guards looked around to the citizenry and nearly all that had witnessed the fight agreed with that statement.

Outsider or not, he had caused a fight in Tenebris. So their laws applied to him. "Take him in and throw him in a cell. The King will decide what to do with this tourist when he is done meeting with envoy."
​
Slothtastic Slothtastic
 
Crown Princess Alva Patricia Une
Elucidator Captain's Cabin, Kraken Bay​
"I'm comin' in." Came Captain Hydraena's confident voice as the door was opened a second time after Jace's departure from the cabin. The sight that greeted her was a sobering one. Patricia was slumped over in the chair she sat earlier on, the bloodied dagger she almost used to harm or even kill Jace was sticking out of a nearby wall as Patricia stared at the frozen blood on her palm. If was clear that she had cut herself in a moment of anger and self-loathing and Captain Hydraena was smart enough to keep quiet as she carefully approached the woman.

"Merle.... Tell me.... What should I do....?" Patricia suddenly said, surprising the Captain as she would never refer to her by her given name. Unless... Taking a guess as to what her Matriarch wanted, she decided to test out something.

"What are you talking about, Patty? Its not like you to suddenly call me that." Hydraena said, kneeling before Patricia and reaching out for the bloodied hand, finding the cut to be nothing serious and that Patricia has already frozen the wound shut. Still, the Captain pulled out a length of clean cloth and began to slowly bandage the cut, not feeling any attempt or requests for her to stop. Once the cut was bandaged, Patricia shifted her gaze over to her hand and then to Hydraena who simply stood at attention. Having finally raised her head, Hydraena could see the tear tracks on the emotionless Princess's face.

".... Come on. Let's go outside for some fresh sea air. It always makes me feel better." Hydraena offered, holding out a hand. To her surprise, Patricia smiled sadly and accepted it.

"Maybe... But do remember that I'm part Mountain Fae and not part Seafolk." With that small joke, the pair exited the cabin with quiet chuckles as the frost slowly begins to melt.

Two Hours Later​
"DROP ANCHOR! We have arrived, My Grace." The Helmsman stated as Patricia gazed off to the horizon at the small fleet of hunting ships. There was an odd silence that dropped among even the crew. It was as if everyone could sense the danger of being there. Within reach of the krakens below.

"Alright men! Ready ballistas and Tempests! We will meet whatever foul beast that comes this way with fire and harpoons!" Captain Hydraena ordered, shattering the silence and spurring the crew into action. Patricia simply kept silent and continued gazing to the distance. It was almost time. Time to face the scourge of the seas. Time to hunt Krakens.

Nogoodname Nogoodname Crumbli Crumbli

Prince Alba Hamilton Une
Darkness Kingdom Castle, Diplomacy​
"Ah, slow down Princess! Ahahaha! I'll answer all of your questions of course but its best to listen to what Lady De'Lexington says and seat down to enjoy our morning meal together." Hamilton graciously said, bowing towards Sophie and even playfully winking at her before taking a seat that seemed suitable enough. As the group began eating their meal, Hamilton took a moment to entertain Noblesse's questions.

"Sadly no. Despite its name, only the Merfolk city is underwater. As for the creatures, there are many. Both harmless and dangerous. In fact, I came here on a handsome little hippogriff myself. If time allows, I would happily introduce him to you, Princess. As for the matter of sunlight well.... It depends. In the capitol, its usually overcast and snowing but it gets real sunny in the farmlands and the shoreline to the South. I cannot do it enough justice just by words. If I may be so bold as to extend an invitation for all present to come visit Oceanius one day. Then maybe I'll be able to repay this hospitality you have shown me."

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Fluffy-Kat Fluffy-Kat slim slim Britt-21 Britt-21 (Sorry its short)
 
"I hope there comes a day where we can journey freely betwixt nations in such a way." Desh affirmed with a nod after swallowing a bite of his food. He would love to travel around Linhael and get to know the world in its entirety without having to jump through the hoops of aggression and hate. "Assuming this war doesn't consume us all in its fire." The king said rather gravely, marking an end to the small talk.

Approaching footsteps caused Desh to turn around and catch a glorious eyeful of a gorgeous demoness hybrid. Desh's eyes flicked down Cassiopeia's provocative form once or twice before he gave the demon of light a smile and nod of thanks at her presence. He wasn't about to start talking business without her here. The king turned back around to face his guests but he couldn't help taking a glance at both Sophia and Cassiopeia right by each other. He shook his head with a light grin playing on his lips before dawning the face of the King of Demons.

'Merciful Goddess above, I thank you for making me the luckiest demon in the history of our kind."

The demon looked to his daughter and ran a hand over her pale hair. He really was the luckiest demon to have ever lived.

"Prince Hamilton. I understand you have come here to forge some kind of negotiation with me and my kingdom. As of right now, I see nothing the Oceanius nation could offer me besides a military force and that would mean you benefit from my armies as well. So, I know you didn't come here with that as your lead proposal. So, enlighten me... what does your kingdom want and what do you have to offer us in return."


(Keeping it short to move negotiations along and so you dont have to stress too much on making big posts Grim. So we can get this done quickly) Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow ​
 
"Th' fock yeh call me?! I'm a Satyr dammit! No' ta mention, th' fat fock 'ere challenged me. So wo' else could I do?!" He asked as the guards took him away. He didn't fight back, he knew that it was useless. Best he could do was prove his case in a court or some shit.
shadowz1995 shadowz1995

Um...scuse you? What is this? Two lines? Uh yeah... how about no. Fix this or it gets taken down.
 
Lady Gwendolyn Arwoll
Misty Hollow, Principality of Oceanius.​
Direct: Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow
​
Gwen stands there dumbfounded as the man runs to the edge of the boat. As he releases the contents of his breakfast she lets loose a very audible groan and shakes her head in disapproval. She felt bad for him but knew he wouldn't favour her approaching and offering him help. Too much care and it may seem manipulative, better to remain a little distant. At least that's what she thought was the smart thing to do.
She walks over to the edge of the ship and places her hands on the banisters again, looking out to the waters. The chill of the crown princess' ice magic had skipped over Gwendolyn as she moved. Entering a state of thought, she wouldn't say another word for a while now unless it was needed. She was there to witness the kraken hunting, to protect the crown princess, and secure her position of respect among the high nobles.

She looks back towards the deck, turning herself around and resting her rear against the railing. She spots the captain and the crown princess and her daughter all interact with one another quite freely. Well they all entered the quarters quite freely, what they did in that room was beyond her. For all she knew they could be trying to murder one another.

Naria Alejandro
Hacing outskirts, Igninium.​
Direct:

The day begins to grow old and tending to her goats was fine but not for the entire duration of the day. Often she'd use her lunch time to haggle with vendors or establish new routes/partners to ensure her continued value in the Hacing slave rings. Today was slightly different however as she planned to do neither and instead relax with a friend of hers at a local, lower class tavern.
Rallying her goats up and herding them to the gates, Naria waves down a guardsman who reluctantly opens the gates so she may send her goats out to graze on 'greener' pastures amidst the external farming fields. It takes a few minutes to herd her goats through the open gates. The guards sling insults and slurs in her direction encouraging her to pick up the pace as impolitely as possible. Once through they eagerly close the gates once more and return to lazing about the walls.

Naria takes her group to a small external paddock for grazing and rather than waiting around for them to finish like a good shepherd, she surveys the area and finds a farmer sampling the texture of the soil in the paddock. She smiles and waves to him, but fails to draw his attention. "Oi! Can you watch my flock?"
The farmer looks up at her and nods with a polite smile. He was a dark skinned man wearing baggy clothes with a large hat covering his face from the scorching sun. She reaches into the bag and lobs a golden coin in his general direction. It lands relatively close to him and doesn't go unnoticed. He scoops it up and tucks it inside his pocket. She felt he'd been paid enough to keep her goats safe and even if he hadn't, he wouldn't dare steal her goats. No one stole Naria's goats.
She lingers in the paddock a moment to pet the largest of the goats and makes her way to the gate she'd used to enter. Placing a hand firmly on the wooden top she hoists herself over and clears it without a hitch.

She returns to the gates and recieves another volley of insults from the guards, this time for being so undecided on where she wanted to go. "Is this how you get your fixes? Being rude to little girls?"
"Actually yes. It helps me feel more important. Hardly anyone uses this gate and you insist on making us do our jobs."
"I know, I know. I'm literally from the depths." The gates are slowly cranked open as she speaks and she wastes no time slipping inside while the leading guard keeps his eye on her as she emerges out the other side. "Exactly! Now run inside runt before I close them on you."
"I'll be coming out to get my goats again anyway!"
"I won't care, my shift ends soon." She gives out a small laugh though mostly to appear polite as she didn't particularly find him funny. With the guards the best policy was to laugh at their bad taste jokes, comply to their requests, and if the need arose hiding was always a valid option. Picking up the pace she breaks into a light jog and heads straight to her place to check on the caravan once more. The slaves were still in the back and hadn't done much moving if any at all. That worried her a little but they were all breathing so that was good enough for her.

Jumping off the caravan she sprints again this time heading a few streets over to her planned resting place. Arriving at the back door, out of breath and tired, she plants her fists against it and breathes heavily to try and compose herself. After a minute there was no change. The street behind her was empty but the door hadn't moved. She knocks again and still nothing. Concerned for her friend inside, she reaches down to the handle and takes a firm grip. She turns the handle and as it begins to move she hears a voice from the other side.
"Yeah baby. Hold it nice and tight. Jiggle it around a little too."
"Oh my fucking god."
"Come on, baby. You know you want to. Play with me like that." She lets go of the handle and looks away before turning around with a big smile on her face. The street was still clear so she could be fairly immature without fear of being looked down upon. Taking the door handle in her hand she turns it left and right as fast as she can, the voice on the other side making a number of different noises. "Yeah baby, oh yes. Oh I think I'm going to unlock if you keep this u-uhh- up. UGH!" The voice makes a loud groaning noise and she pulls the handle towards her, openning the door and revealing a brown skinned man with animal features much like herself.
He was mostly skin as well but his bestial traits were even more obvious than hers. His hair was that of feathers and his legs appeared poultry in nature. He had a loosely fitted blue shirt with a stained apron on covering his front. "I see you and the door were getting your freak on."
"You know me, can't control myself around doors." She goes to walk inside but finds herself pressing against his arm. She looks up at him confused and he shakes his head. "What's the password?"
"Nazeem, go to hell."
"Go to hell, orange ale, I suppose they're close enough." He lowers his arm and takes a step outside to retake the door. Naria goes inside and presses herself against the wall waiting for her fellow beastkin to finish closing the door. He takes his time with it and makes sure to lock it behind him again.

The two walk through the back of the tavern to the bar where he returns to his chores. Naria on the other hand pours herself a drink of their below counter range which doesn't sit well with the other staff of the tavern. "Careful Ney, there's been quite a few guards about today. You've got a new caravan in today?"
"I didn't actually come here for that but yes, I do."
"Aww growing soft on us? I bet you came here for my charming company."
"Definitely not for the free drinks." She says sarcastically raising the drink to her lips and giving it a sip. It went down smooth but the heat that followed was never worth it. She couldn't understand why nobles drank such drinks when there was enough of a burning heat outside. "Tabs aren't free, you have to pay them back one day."
"When I die, I promise you can pick it up from my glorious mannor. You'll need to fight off my many sons and daughters for it though. Be careful of their knights too. In fact I don't think you'll get it until they die."
"Very funny. So what's your real reason for being here if not for the trade?"
"It may surprise you but sometimes I like to kick my feet up with friends."

Elrich Typhanos
City of Alisette, Elysium the kingdom of light.​
Direct/Collab: Historical Storyteller Historical Storyteller

"Are you sure this is the right place, my Lord?" said Murali, one of Walter's squires.
They were in Chapone Street, one of the most ancient areas of the city of Alisette. It was so old that the streets were beginning to form long cracks on the surface, travelling from one end of the street to the other. Little leaves grew in corners where the stones broke, this man-made construct finally giving in to the forces of nature, and soon enough if this wasn't repaired then people would be seeing plants sprouting all over the place. The houses were large and made of stone, almost resembling that of a small castle. The people here seemed well-off, for they carried pouches filled with gold and silver.

"Well, I'm not sure," said Walter, "But I noticed that this chapel here doesn't have many followers. It's strange really, most chapels would be filled to the brim once the people heard news of me waltzing in this city."
It was time for Walter to dismount, he let his horse stand still first so it wouldn't knock him over once he got off. In his left hand he grasped the reins firmly just in case his horse friend decided to take a few steps forward to make his life a bit more miserable. "Now, don't you cause trouble for me, boy." said Walter grimly. First, he removed his feet off the stirrups, then he leaned forward and put both hands on the horse's neck. He lifted his right leg high in the air, swinging past the back of his saddle and landing straight into the ground with an audible thud. Afterwards, he tied the horse to a nearby pole so the horse wouldn't get funny ideas and roam around while Walter was gone.
His friends did the same thing to their horses, they knew how to take care of themselves.
"I got a bad feeling about this," Murali muttered under his breath. The lad was always scared of everything, mice, men, insects flying in the breeze. There seemed to be no limit to the fear this boy had. One of the main challenges in dealing with Murali was to get past his anxiety and inspire a sense of enthusiasm in him, lest he shut himself inside a castle forever. Never seeing what lay in the outside world.

"Can you stop being so scared of everything?" said Coburn, who was already weary of Murali's fears, both real and imagined, "Or at least just shut your mouth and take it like a man."
"You two, shut it," snapped Walter, "We're near a chapel, don't be so loud."
The chapel appeared fairly traditional with the white paint chipping away from the bricks and golden detailings creeping around its entirety. It was positioned awkwardly between two smaller buildings that were pushed more to the front to allow room for its wider rear. In addition the chapel was fairly tall and almost loomed over the street with its domineering shadows. The sounds of hearty laughter and ringing bells escape from inside via the gaps beneath the doors and french styled windows. The window choice was unique given its chapel style stained windows but its location almost demanded such a thing. Regardless of any unorthodox design choices, sounds of joy and festivities escape the building to the streets.

"The church looks mighty good and the fellows inside seem pretty happy," said Coburn with a tone of satisfaction in his voice. He then turned to face Murali as he had a piece of his mind to give the young boy, "Now, don't tell me you're gonna be scared of a few merry men. That's taking the definition of pussy to a whole new level, Murali."
"Just you wait, Coburn," replied an unfazed Murali, "When you talk shit like that, bad things usually happen."
The group approach the doors closer now, pressing their hands upon it. With a gentle push they creep open. Behind the thick, gold painted doors lay a dark hue about the place. The sounds of jovial luminian singing and ringing bells was louder but the main feature of the enterance tainted their joy to most. Skulls were stacked high in the long enterance as both a feature wall and a divider to keep the heat and sound inside as best they could. The wall was two skulls deep and edged with dark wooden frames and while the majority of the skulls appeared human, some were considerably larger than the others with sharper teeth or additional eye sockets.
Beyond that wall was still concealed from the enterance but the singing and bells slowed to a halt. It was clear the light from outside creeping up onto the feature wall had broken through the other side and alerted the monks and patrons of the chapel to the newcomers' presence. While the sounds were soft, metal tugged against metal which lapped at wooden floors.

Walter took one good look at the room around him, seeing all the skulls on the walls and on the ceiling before turning back to face the others. "I think we've stepped into the wrong neighborhood, let's check the next chapel."
"Yeah," said Coburn, "Let's do that."
"I told ya so, but you didn't listen!" yelled Murali.
"Oh, shut up, you little twat." The group begin to turn around for their hasty exit but fail to leave in time. As Walter takes his first steps away from the door he feels a lanky, skeletal hand grab at the back of his clothes. Walter is immediately taken aback by the confrontational behaviour of the monks and looks over his shoulder with a scowl. Before he has the chance to say anything the monk begins to pull on him with his lips twisting into a broad yet thin grin.

"Welcome lamb, are you lost?" They part only to speak an almost taunting greeting in the ancient tongue of Luminian. He tugs harder bringing Walter into the darkness of the interior where other monks stand by the door adorned with iron halos and chains digging into their bodies from all over. One of the monks had a chain digging into his face, covering one eye that appeared to have been lost quite some time ago. "The bastard cometh, beware the death he brings!"
They begin to chuckle amongst themselves as they bring him deeper inside around the feature wall, his party being treated roughly the same. Once passing the edge of the wall he spies the interior of the chapel. A calm and collected place with blue light streamign throughout. The pews of the chapel had been pushed aside and in the middle of the room were children, women and a few men dressed in their casual attire. Many of which appeared to be luxurious. "You enter a sacred place, bastard. You know this to be true?"

"You call this a sacred place, freakshow? You and your little skullfucker friends pulled us inside a madhouse." Walter slowly, almost dramatically lifted his right fist, "And as for dragging me in like that, I have one last thing to say." He extended his middle finger. "Fuck you."
"My Lord," said Murali in a whisper, "Now is not the time for hostilities. We're outnumbered and surrounded as we speak. Did you just see how fast they came and hauled us all the way here? Listen to reason. Listen to logic."
Walter nodded his head, there was no fighting his way out of this so he had to choose his options carefully. Before them were supernaturally powerful beings that moved much faster than they could react. It would not be good for their health if they were to deal with these fellows aggressively. Besides, all these people wanted was a show of faith, even if they were indeed strange they probably meant no harm.
"Right," Walter rubbed his eyes vigorously, "So, skullfucker, is this the famed Dark Chapel?

"Be calm your flailing tongue, and speak true the words of our past." The leading monk says, turning his attention towards Walter with a nasty gaze. His smile turned to frowning at the notion of disrespecting both his vow of celibacy and the dead. "Dust trails our words as too they should yours. There is no common here, only Luminian." The monks begin nodding in tandem with each other. To speak common in the chapel was a punishable offence regardless of who they were. Even children were caned for speaking in common while inside unless at a whisper's tone. "Aye aye!"
"Beware bastard your sharpness may be a double edged blade. Lest you cu-"
"Why must we waste our time with such men? May not we return to our celebrations?" A man from the circle interjects, tilting his head to the side. A corpse lay stretched out across the altar being prepared for burial. In the dark chapel, death was clearly a celebrated and beloved event.

"I asked a question," said Walter, this time in Luminian, "Is this the Dark Chapel?" His tone growing more impatient but his choice of words being surprisingly polite.
"Yes, of course, this is our home. The dark chapel as some refer to it. Others call it the chapel, others call it the halo. We've many names here within these walls of bone and stone."
"Monks! Please! We've business to attend to. You're burrying my father, are you not?"
"Why of course, sir. Of course." The monks pass the group by for the most part. Two remain behind near the door to ensure no funny business occured. It was quite common for the dark chapel monks to pull people in from the streets, hence its avoidance by most who weren't of patron status. The monk who had brought in Walter made his way over to the corpse of the old man. He places his hands to his chest and whispers gentle words into the ears of the man. The other monks begin chanting and the people there return to their singing and dancing. Around the wrists of the women were braclets covered in small bells and around the ankles of the men were the same.
"Join us! We've lost a great man this day!"

"I... uh..." Walter glances uneasily at the entire spectacle, unsure of what to do. So much was happening at once that he was caught entirely by surprise, but the pressure of rejecting the monk's offer was too enormous for Walter to fight back so he decided to accept. "Yes, I'll join." Murali, who knew Luminian, understood what Walter and the monk were saying so he joined in with Walter without a word. For Coburn and Tekoa who did not speak a word of Luminian, they were at a complete loss at what to do next. They chose to stand by quietly in a secluded corner while ceremony continued.

Elliel 'littlestring' Cralieth
City of Alisette, Elysium the kingdom of light.​
Direct:

"Do you see it, Mittens!?" The small half spider runs through the streets clinging to her pet cat in a grip so incredibly tight that those walking past had to take a second look to make sure she wasn't trying to strangle it. The black and white cat seemed somewhat used to this grip and remained unphased by the hold. Elliel giggles to herself stamping her feet on the cobbled roads. Coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of a main road she mumbles to herself, "So much to do, so little time."
"Where to first, Mittens?"
"Meow."
"But the palace feast is tonight, not today."
"Reeeow."
"Mother? She won't know of this. I promise. We'll be home in a day or two. She thinks we're fishing." Elliel looks up from the cat catching a few odd glances as they assumed she was either from the earth kingdom or insane. Unfortunately she was neither of those, she was simply projecting onto the cat and answering her own concerns.

She picks up the pace and makes her way to the grand cathedral of Alisette. She was an avid worshipper of Lumin but never got to attend proper sermons back in the mountain city of Oshus. Despite their vassal status the religion wasn't all that strong there. She passes a number of smaller buildings along the way with a few vendors peaking her interest. What little wealth she'd gathered from doing odd jobs around the city for family (both close and extended) was slowly being whittled away by the trinkets she could spy and the food that seduced her senses.
Drifting off the path for a fifth time, she finds herself at a small vendor who sold a mixture of sweets and gamy meats. He was the first merchant selling meats she'd seen while inside the city. Perhaps he'd be able to explain why they didn't exactly sell many of them within the city. "Interest you in a candied mouse, Hysh?"
"Umm, I uhh, yes?"
"Only two copper." Reaching into her purse she takes out the amount requested and hands it over to him. He smiles and passes it straight to her. She lets go of Mittens and feels him climb onto her abdomen. With a smile and awkward twist of her body she passes the candied mouse to her cat as a treat, making the merchant return a warm smile. "Wouldn't the lady like one too?"
"Me?" She raises a hand to her chest, one of her pointed fingers pressing against her own sternum. "Aye lass." He says moving his hand back towards the stand as if waiting for her call.
"Uhh, yes. I would. With that the merchant passes her another and leans back against his stand.

He was enormous, or at least appeared that way to her. He was about six foot tall with arms the size of tree trunks and a beard that was tied in a messy bun to his chin. His red hair reminded her of the dwarves she'd been raised alongside but his size alone was enough to prove he wasn't one of them. "You new around here?"
"I uhh, yes. I'm from Oshus."
"I was once in your shoes. Small village in what's now known as the earth kingdom." He extends a hand to her which she hesitantly grasps. Unlike the other vendors, he scared her. He was too large to feel comfortable in the company of. His voice was too rough, his muscles too large, and even his eyes were too vibrant. "Name's Haeden. I'd love to chat but you seem to be a little overwhelmed at the moment. Come back any time."
"Elliel and yes. I mean I'd like to as well."
"I'll be here until tomorrow evening." She nods and takes her leave, waving to him shakily. Once the awkward farewell was done and over she turned her attention back to the path at hand. She had to go and find the grand cathedral and attend a sermon even if they weren't holding one at the moment. She needed to just see the interior of such a sacred and divine place.
 
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Calvin Veras
Calvin had woken that morning to an assault of pips and squeals that resonated through the hallways and into his room. He laid there until he couldn't take it anymore and quickly got dressed, pulling his shirt and pants on quickly as he grumbled.
The room for the hatchlings was quite close to him and took barely any time to reach. He unbolted the door and slowly pushed open the large metal doors wide enough for him to slip through and close behind him. The hatchlings were in a circle of sorts, some on the ground while others were on the nests a few feet off the ground. Calvin made his way closer to see what was happening and tried not to step on any of the wyverns as they scurried here and there and continued their noise. He shooed them away and finally got close enough to the center of the hubbub to see a mouse. Calvin let out a small sigh, the tension fading out of him as he watched the frightened creature try to escape the predators that had circled it. The hatchlings were barely three weeks old and the size of a cat and hadn't left the room yet, so of course a mouse would confuse them and cause such a racket. Calvin made note to send someone to make sure any mouse holes were covered. The hatchling began to bite at the mouse and Calvin quickly scooped it up. A few hisses ensued, and Calvin shook his head. "This thing could have a disease or whatever mice carry. You act like you don't fed in here." Calvin left with the mouse in his hand and let it go when he got outside.
The weather was nice and the bustle of the city seemed to be going underway. A shadow crosses overhead and Calvin looked up to see a familiar wyvern swooping entirely too low to the ground, followed by another familiar yell. The wyvern started flying sideways, which was a habit wyverns did when they were young when they didn't want to train anymore. It seemingly worked and the creature landed awkwardly and barely gave time for its rider to get off before heading towards a sand pit situated close by and rolling around in it as if it actually had an itch.
The rider was a young girl named Lani, who had recently been chosen, was a fiery red-head who had been paired with a stubborn wyvern who wanted to do nothing more than sleep and eat, not practice aerial evasions and attacks.
"I can't stand this animal! I know how fast he is, I watched him chase an Igninuim stallion and its rider with zero effort just because the rider had bought meat and put it into his saddlebag!" Lani cried out exasperatedly, and Calvin chuckled a bit and patted her on the back.
"I have time for a lesson I believe. C'mon, you and your wyvern don't have to be buddies, but you do have to have a level of trust. You've entwined now thanks to the bond, but the bond can't be the only thing keeping you together."
Calvin whistled and the wyvern immediately and approached the two, making its rider huff in annoyment at the animal's sudden willingness to obey. Lani got on and Calvin made sure the saddle was tightened and in place before nodding. Lani squeezed the wyvern's side and it took off, its wings batting the ground for a few moments until it finally rose.
"Now, make sure you're squeezing with your thighs and keeping your spine straightened! You need to make sure both of you are in sync, which means body and mind. Think of yourself as one unit when you're in the air!" Calvin called up. The wyvern was quite speedy and the two were actually working well together, even if it did require his assistance. He talked through dives and such and tricks Lani could do while flying, which included standing up and even dropping off of the wyvern when it swooped low to the ground so she could shoot some fake targets and get picked up by her wyvern when it circled back. She complained about the holes in her shirt from the wyvern's claws, but Calvin could see she was pleased with their progress. Calvin finally announced they were done and the two landed back on the ground. They both were tired and their chests were heaving but they looked more at ease than before, and that's all Calvin could've wanted. It was his job to make sure these creatures and their riders bond were strong and they made use of it. Lani gave him a nod of thanks and the two headed back to the stables. Calvin didn't have much to do and decided to go to the market for some Bankell meat that wasn't exactly the best-tasting thing but the wyverns loved and a few more kegs of wine for himself and the other Hatcher is she wanted it. He realized he hadn't seen the woman all day. She was an Ifrit named Alecia who wasn't evil but ifrits were known for being exactly that and he couldn't help being a bit nervous around her. Ifrits were known for hanging out underground, so she loved her job that consisted of visiting the underground hatcheries and such. Calvin enjoyed talking to her, especially when she had something to drink and it made her normally terrifying appearance smolder and turn into something he could deal with. It was a bit ironic for a demon to be unnerved by an Ifrit, but it couldn't be helped.

The Hatcher got out a wagon that was near the horse stables and hitched up a dappled mare. They started down the dirt road and the large gates were opened so they could pass. The streets were crowded thanks to the festival and the horse seemed uncomfortable by the swarm of people. Calvin tried to comfort it over the noise of the market as the wagon slowly made progress towards the stalls.

He bought the wine first and heaved the three kegs into the wagon, the weight causing the rickety thing to shudder a bit. Hopefully, the wagon wouldn't give up on them on their way back. Calvin led the horse by its reins instead of getting on the wagon as he led the animal through the market. He had a definite idea of what he wanted, but he somehow found himself buying trinkets for good luck and special lanterns for the festival to light when it got dark. Calvin had almost forgotten about the festivities going on thanks to work, and he wondered if Alecia would cover for him since she wasn't exactly the partying type. He had gotten an invite to the palace as well, and he wouldn't miss it for the world, especially since the Sultana herself would be partaking in some of the special dances. Calvin was daydreaming and unaware of the girl who was in his path. Thankfully, he didn't collide into her with too much force. He was snapped back to his senses and immediately started apologizing for what seemed like an eternity until he sensed something. Ah, she was a wyvern rider. It didn't excuse his clumsiness, but it was a topic to speak up on so he could distract her from his rudeness.
"I'm terribly sorry, my head was in the clouds like usual. Say, do I know you? Wyvern riders have come and gone through the Hatchery in Hacin and here as well and I don't really forget faces."

(cliche meeting, i know. lol.)
Nogoodname Nogoodname
 
Arissa and Felric Camenor with Sridit and Caralyss
(Collab with Soviet Panda Soviet Panda )​

The Queen of light stood outside of the palace as she awaited the two important guests. Her head tilted back slowly as she gazed up into the sky, a small smile creasing her lips, the sky was beginning to darken, it was almost time... Looking back, Arissa saw that the streets were crowded with people, celebrating the festive night, friends and family met together to drink and laugh, to relax after a long year of work. The festival of Lights was a peaceful and exciting time, ripe with games and impressive displays. The Queen gave a small grin as she watched a young boy, no older than his teens, the kid cupped his hands together and shut his eyes, concentrating carefully before a small ball of bright light formed in his hands. He grinned to himself, and then knelt down to show it off to another, much younger child, who stared into the light with awe. The teen then stood once again and took a step back, before winding up and launching the ball into the air! It soared up high in the air before it exploded violently into great streaks of blue and violet hues against the backdrop of the afternoon sky. The younger kid laughed giddily and quickly tried to recreate the act cupping his hands and taking a deep breath creating a small ball of blue light, but in his excitement the kid lost control of his magic and the light exploded in his hands, eliciting a small giggle from the Queen of light.

Her gaze shifted back once again to the main road as she awaited the two royals, who arrived a few moments after. A small smirk formed on the fae's expression at the dichotomy between the two rulers, how they managed to work together to keep peace in that small city of theirs Arissa would never know... but they did. The Queen gave a polite smile and a wave as the two approached "Hello! Hello! Good to see you two once again" she chimed, her gaze shifting from Caralyss, to Sridit who.. was lagging behind just a bit.. the poor dwarf.

"The pleasure is ours." Caralyss said as she reached Arissa first, curtsying as best one could with the lower half of a spider, her entourage following suite.

By the time the Hysh had finished their greetings, Sridit had reached the ruler of Elysium. "It's good to see you again as well!" The small dwarf all but shouted, a large grin nearly splitting his face in two. "Where's your husband? Have you finally found a way to get rid of him?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye, the joke obvious. "Bah, listen to me ramble. I'm sure he'll show up eventually. I heard there would be a feast. Oshus is a ways away and the trip always makes me hungry." Though he said he was hungry, he stood patiently by the door and waited for Arissa to lead the way.

Caralyss meanwhile stayed quite, though she was slightly fuming. Sridit had swooped in and took control of the conversation, effectively ruining her chance to talk about anything other than a meal for the time being. She could at least dismiss her entourage now, having Hysh numbering in the teens going down a hallway, even single file, is often uncomfortable for those wanting to go in the opposite direction. Without saying a word, and looking to barely move at all, her entourage dispersed. To do what nobody but Caralyss knew, perhaps it was to secure a place of rest for their Queen. Well, honestly, that was most likely it, but there was always to possibility of a couple making sure no one got any ideas while the Hysh Queen was visiting.

Arissa let out a faint laugh "Ehehe, Felric is just a little busy at the moment, you know he loves to keep busy... " she mused, turning to make her way past the gates of the palace, leading her guests through the courtyard. "You must be starving!" The elf said, glancing over to the drawf once again "I know the long journey can really make one hungry, don't worry though, a feast is being prepared as we speak by the finest chefs in the kingdom! Only the best for my people" The queen of light glanced around slowly as they walked and gave a small smile, people were already beginning to file in to the courtyard, and in no time the entire castle would be flushed with partygoers from all walks of life.

The group of them found Felric speaking with Relkynd, Arissa approached and gave the king a smile, nodding to the captain of the Solari "Sorry, may I borrow him for a moment?" to which the captain nodded and stepped back. The Queen took her husbands hand "Come, say hello to our guests!" Arissa urged, pulling him over to meet with the other royals.

Felric gave the two a warm smile and looked the two over quickly "ah, good to meet you two once again, how are things in Oshus?"

"It's..." Sridit began before Caralyss cut in.

"Oshus is fairing well. The celebration have the people enjoying themselves. Though some denizens enjoy themselves a bit to much." It was obvious she meant the dwarfs of Oshus, who would be drinking themselves into a stupor at this very moment. And they probably wouldn't even be celebrating Lumin. Oh they'd acknowledge his existence, but they wouldn't hold many, if any, of the rituals that those in the rest of the Kingdom might.

Sridit, meanwhile, glared daggers at the Hysh that had interrupted him. He was going to say that, well, most of it. He might have left out that last part, but everything else was the same. So why did she have to go and interrupt him. "Harrumph," he began again, "Oshus is doing just fine. As fine as you can expect it to be doing, at any rate. But what has the rest of Elysium been up to? We don't hear much in Oshus. The merchants are busy haggling their prices and we get so few representatives from the rest of the Kingdom."

Felric.. detected that he may have struck a nerve, and the two rulers shared sideways glances for a brief moment before Arissa spoke up once again "Elysium is doing great! Thank you, I have some incredible news to share tomorrow, though I don't think it would hurt to share it now" she said, taking a quick look around before leaning in to the two "We've officially made peace with the earth kingdom! Isn't that incredible? Xerxes himself came down to negotiate the terms. I plan to announce it to the kingdom as a whole tomorrow" she said, unable to wipe the bright smile from her face.

Both Caralyss and Sridit leaned in when Arissa did. The two had different reactions to the treaty, however. Sridit's face once more split into a grin at the good news. "That's excellent news! If you hadn't told us now, who knows how long it would have been until the news reached us! I'm sure the people of Oshus will be glad to hear of this."

Caralyss meanwhile stood silently, her face remaining emotionless. While it was nice to have one less enemy off the board, it took away a potential ally for her long term goal of complete freedom for the Hysh. Then again, it brought another piece into play for the short term of gaining control over Sridit and Oshus. "That is very good to hear." she said after Sridit finished.

"Isn't it so?" Arissa beamed, the queen of light wanted to continue, but from the end of the hall Relkynd spoke up, his booming voice echoing through the room. "Everyone, if I may have your attention!" He called out, waiting for the conversation to die down before he spoke his next words. "The feast is ready in the dining hall, please take an eat all you like, courtesy of our fair king and queen." And with that he pushed and held open the doors to the dining hall allowing the people entrance.

"Ah, sorry I must have been rambling for quite a while, let's go eat" Arissa said, giving a dismissive smile at her little spark of excitement. The king and queen made their way to the dining hall with the rulers from Oshus. The dining hall mostly catered to nobles and other royalty of Elysium, there were much too many people at the castle to seat all of them, so seats at the table were fairly exclusive with the rest of the partygoers being catered to by servants. Arissa sat at the very end of the long table, Felric to her right, ample space was left to allow Caralyss and Sridit to sit by them, a fair amount of room being made for Caralyss's.. special needs.

"Or we got here just in time!" Sridit boisterously said, his booming voice competing with the other conversations that were being held. And with that, he strode over to his seat beside the King and Queen of Elysium. His chest was puffed out and strutting like a rooster, albeit a bantam. He was given a seat of honor, right next to the two, and he knew how important that was. Well, it was in Dwarfen clan politics. It meant you were close to them, one way or another. And while he knew he'd never be as close to her as her husband, sitting right next to him was pretty damn good.

Caralyss's slender, stilt like legs softly tapped on the tile floor as people made way for her. They made way for her not only because of what she was, but what exuded from her. There was an aura around her much like the aura around Arissa. Not the one of warmth, but one of rulership. Caralyss was a Queen, and this aura around her made sure everyone knew it.

As the two took their seats, Caralyss simply tucking her legs close to her body and Sridit having to give a little hop to reach the seat, the food was uncovered. Neither Caralyss nor Sridit hesitated in serving themselves, aside from letting their host go first, as was polite. Sridit was a storm of flailing hands and calls for things to be passed, his short stature leaving many things just out of his reach. Caralyss, meanwhile, could reach just about everything. And what she couldn't she patiently waited for and snatched it up before Sridit could. Petty, yes, but she so enjoyed annoying the halfling.

Arissa couldn't help but chuckle at the petty display, it wasn't exactly very subtle that the two were constantly at each others throats. The king and queen mostly let them be as, for the most part, they got along well enough to manage the kingdom. At least.. much better than any representative Arissa could send, much to her own regret. The city state sat in a strange position in the kingdom, one that the queen of light couldn't really resolve, they belonged to Elysium, yet the city was very defendable and heavily guarded, not to mention the labyrinthine design of the city made it difficult to attack and occupy. If Elysian rule was challenged, and a rebellion were to spark, the result would be a bloodbath... one that Arissa hoped to avoid.

The queen of light ate her meal with a practiced grace instilled in her through countless instruction in her youth. The castles chefs had really gone all out for this meal, beautifully presented meals of all kinds. The rest of the nobility wasted no time scarfing down the free food, washing it down with more wine, it was of note that most of the partygoers were well past inebriated by now. Hours blurred by as the four royals chatted the night away, up until a wary Felric nudged his queens shoulder "I believe it's almost time.." he muttered.

"Oh! Yes! You're very right!" she said, in shock at how quickly the time had gone by. "Thank you very much for coming by you two, it's been a pleasure! But we have some.. business to attend to" she said, sending the king a sideways glance. Felric gave a curt nod "If there's anything you'd like to discuss, we'll be available in the morning" he said as the two got up to leave.

"The pleashure is all ours!" An inebriated Sridit shouted as the two excused themselves, his speech slurring slightly. At this point he had downed many glasses of alcohol at this point and it had begun to show a long time ago. But like any true dwarf, he had managed to keep his act together fairly well. He hadn't even vomited.

Caralyss had only sipped at her drink. So she was much more coherent with what she said. "Thank you for having us." she said politely. She hadn't gotten any advantages over the dwarf politically, but she had hopefully left a good impression on the two rulers. She wasn't close to causing a scene like her counter part.
 
"It would be an honor." Buras said, accepting the invitation to the group. There, now he had been formally invited. Now he could tell his fellow guardsman, truthfully, that he had enjoyed the festival with others. Perhaps he could even say that he had spent the festival with a woman. He wouldn't be lying, that was the trick. He was apparently bad at lying, the other guardsman could see through him no matter how hard he tried. But he had no problems telling the truth, if only partially.

"I am glad you enjoyed it." he nodded in appreciation at the compliment he was given. She must not come here often, thinking a simple meat pie was so good. Well, then again, the River's Blessing didn't appear to be one of those inn's that didn't give a damn if their patrons had a tongue or not. "There will be more, and much better, meals during the celebrations. If you get hungry, then feel free to find something."
(( Britt-21 Britt-21 Short post from me to.))
 
Nui En & Freya Whiterose
Earth Kingdom
Collaboration between King Crimson King Crimson and Shadowfall Shadowfall
​
She could see everything from there, atop the highest perches the Earth Kingdom had to offer; the sprawling Glade, which grew larger by the day, the merchant roads connected to it, which spread about through the Forest like a labryinth of dirt vains, carrying hundreds of thousands of little ants that bustled to and fro; reaping the plentiful bounties of the nature around them and reseeding the fruits they had plucked from their heavy harvests.
Such as it always was; Man and it's Mother Earth in an eternal dance, no leaf ever left disturbed, no blade of grass ever trampled upon, everything living in perfect harmony.
So tranquil...
So peaceful...
So boring.
---
Nui had been sitting there, in her usual spot; a particularly sturdy branch that sat high on one of the gargantuan trees that dotted the forest, shielding the land below from the baleful sun's rays.
There was a time when she would escape to this spot to marvel at the majesty of the Earth Kingdom and all of it's inhabitants. now, it was where she went to escape from working.
Whispers of war were on the wind, and her already tedious job of providing guidance to travellers became even more boring as the number of brave souls willing to risk traversing the land dwindled.
The fools, She bitterly thought, staring out to the horizon, where she could just barely see where the forest's winding roots ended, and the rocky, tundra signifying the beginning of the Elysium territory began.
What she wouldn't give, just to walk past that edge and see what lied beyond. But what would she do then? Where would she go?
A sudden, dangerous jutttering shook her away from her thoughts, and nearly off of her perch. After ungracefully scrambling back to a comfortable position atop the branch, Nui cast her eyes downward, hoping to find what had dared to disrupt her daydreaming.
She found the culprit immediately; a charging tide of upturned dirt and rock, with a single elf riding upon it like foam being carried by the sea.
It was difficult to make out any discernable traits, but whoever they were, they were certainly causing quite a disturbance.
Nui bit her lip in slight frustration. Whoever this troublemaker was, it fell on Nui to see them dealt with, and the last thing she needed was to be chewed out again by the scout chief for not doing her job.
Taking a deep breath for concentration, Nui set her eyes on her target, then with an eerie calmness, let go of the branch, surrendering herself to the cruel downward tug of gravity.
The whistling song of the cascading wind in her ears, the feeling of adrenaline running hot in her veins colliding against the chilling touch of the stiff air current that made every hair and pore on her skin stand on end, Nui had to admit, this was one of the few things that she never truly could get sick of. Her body shimmered, cloaked in an unnatural, dark distortion that made her falling form look like a plummeting shadow, from which a myriad of black feathers dispersed from within.
Gone was the girl, never having touched the ground. Now a stately, ebony crow stood in her place, flapping it's lithe wings to slow it's downward descent, before propelling it's small body forward, following the path of rubble left in the elf's wake.
---
Nui found the girl easily enough, scratching at some strange rock formations in the middle of a clearing. She knew what those stones were, and it made her wish that she still had her lips, so that she could scowl in disgust.
Golems. She hated golems.
She had initially expected them to make her job easier, when the scout chief had announced their arrival. Instead, she found she now had to worry about rescuing every idiot, overzealous traveller that drew their blades upon seeing them. Luckily, Nui learned rather quickly that a few strikes to the markings on their head was enough to deactivate them.
If this elf was who she thought she was, it seemed that she had the golden opportunity to air her grievances, and with that in mind, she darted toward the golem the elf was working on and landed upon the top of it's head, mere inches away from her hand. She gave herself a few moments to study the elf's face, and oddly enough, found that she had no recognition of her.
With the suddenness that she had appeared, Nui cast off her featherly form, leaving behind her usual, tired-looking self, squatting atop the golems head.
With bored, leering eyes, she gazes down at the elf beneath her, and tactlessly asks, "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?"
---
"Let's start from scratch again you damned thing..." It was her fourth one today. The golems had been acting up a little with their commands, getting mixed up with who to protect, and who to attack.The newest set should fix this, and bind them all to one set, but she had to make sure with each one.was properly working. She didn't want some farmer being pummeled to death by these things because they mistook their tools for weapons.
"Life..."
Suddenly, a bird landed atop the head of the golem she was working on. Intially, she payed it no heed, merely attempting to shoo it away before continuing to write another complicated rune. It wasn't until the bird became a full sized person that she looked up. In fact, she did a little more than look up, she jumped. Startled, she was taken aback when the snide character questioned her important work.
"Golem repair, move along." She stated simply, composing herself once again from her state of shock, back into her important runescaping.
The mysterious visitor's only response to Freya's request was to shift about atop the golem until she found a more comfortable postion to sit in.
"Golem repair, huh?" she apathetically responds.
"That's exactly what I said. Now can you please get off my golem, I am very busy, and do not want any of these runes to be smugded or messed up." She brushed away the dust that had been misplaced from the girl's sudden appearance. "And, who are you to be questioning what I am doing?"
"Me? Just someone that's been keeping these golems from attacking every merchant and villager they come across." she replies, as she slides down the golems back. Once she's back on the ground, she props herself upon the golem's side with her elbow and adds, "My name is Nui En, and I'd like to know why you're making my job as a scout harder."
"Harder?" She looked up from her rune scribing to fully assess who exactly dared to interupt her. "Look, right now i'm really trying hard to fix whatever is wrong with your golems. This is new magicks, so it really isn't perfected. You're just going to have to suck it up and tell travelers to put away their swords when they see these things." She rolled her eyes, and got back down to business. "And make sure you don't slice up a few more of my creations as well, I hate having to clean up over and over again."
Nui was starting to get a headache from this, something that she only showed with a minute twitch of her brow.
It was getting late anyways and her shift was over.
Nui gave an exaggerated, shrug of her shoulders as she took her leave, dismissively scoffing,
"Whatever. Just try to figure out how to work your little rocks before they go and kill someone innocent, yeah? Oh, and clean up the mess you made coming over he-"
The girl suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, as if frozen in place by some unknown force.
It was a subtle sound that stopped her, one that she had heard many times before;
The rustling of leaves, the scraping of blade upon scabbard.
She could hear it 10, maybe 15 more times, one after another, on each and every side.
She silently cursed herself for her own misfortune.
She wouldn't dare reach for the sword at her side, not yet.
To do so would only provoke them into springing their trap sooner.
With a notable, grave seriousness in her voice, Nui carefully whispered as she retreated from the edge of the clearing, "How long will it take you to get those things up and running?"
Raising an eyebrow, she looked to Nui with a bit of confusion painted over her face. "A few minutes. . . Is there. . . Something wrong?" Evidently, there was without a doubt. Quickly thinking, she quickly wrote
"Life"
"Bind"
"Bind- Nui"
"Kill"
"I've got one done, you better hope to all glory that whatever 'it' is isn't named Nui."
As if in response, 'it' emerges from the obscuring darkness of the underbrush. A large man, his face covered sans his eyes, which were just as sharp and murderous as the sword in his hand. Three more crawl out from the space behind Freya, with knives and swords at the ready. Another two spring out shortly after at Freya's flank, just as threatening and just as heavily armed.
"We're going to need more than a few minutes..." Nui grimly responds, drawing her own blade as the men cautiously moved to close the distance, waiting for one of their targets to make the first move.
The golem however, was the first to make a move. Immediately assessing the situation. It had no other purpose but to Kill, with it's bound participants being Freya and anybody named Nui. She hoped that nobody else would come to try and aid while the golem was still on Kill mode. Freya herself summoned a sword, The Stoneforged Blade. The golem stands firm, assessing which of the strange figures he is to engage first, before his decision is quickly made for him when one particularly cocky bandit lunges fowards towards his creator. Almost with a assured stride, it leans forwards and twists it's hips into a fearsome punch. The bandit is sent reeling as Freya arms herself.
Surprised by the their companion's demise at the hand of a sentient pile of stone, one bandit finds itself the new subject of the golem's attention, desperately dodging it's massive stone fists, whilst hacking away at it's body with a crude, heavy maul, the other, smaller bandit, turns his attention on Freya, dashing towards her with a vicious, primal battle cry, and a pair of razor sharp axes raised in each hand, One of the men at Freya's side joins in on the assault, while the other charges towards her other companion, who had just stabbed her blade deep into the lone bandit's throat.
Nui quickly turns to meet the bandit's charge, just barely managing to raise her sword in time to block the strike, and nearly being flung backwards from the impact.
She was quickly being overpowered in the exchange, which her opponent expressed with a wicked cackle, which turned into a pained, gagging cough once Nui's hand flies from the handle of her blade and chops him in the throat.
Suddenly depraved of the ability to breath, the man retracts his arms to massage his crushed windpipe, leaving him completely open to the devastating kick aimed at his temple, which brings him to his knees, barely conscious enough to register the incoming sword, which plunges through his shoulder and into his heart.
A counter attack was put in order by Freya when she was suddenly taken by surprise by the two bandits screaming bloody death at the top of their lungs. She was barely able to raise her sword to defend herself when two axes came bearing down on her, their blades biting into her own weapon. With a grunt, she thrust a foot into the bandit's stomach, sending him reeling backwards into the hungry maw of the earth, swallowing him to his neck. She could only snort at her small victory before she was knocked to the ground herself by another attacker armed with a heavy bludgeon, coated with little metal scraps. However, the bandit decided to forgo the club to go straight to strangling.
This was his demise, as a spike of earth had found itself perferating the chest of the poor sod that found himself atop of Freya. She grinned as the body was raised up and off her, and she stood up to dust herself off. The body was shooken off the spike that had formed at the ball like protrusion of the golem that had been tasked to protect her. Despite the greivances that the lookout had given to her, Freya appreciated the work that the golems did do, even if they created a few problems here and there.
"Hmph. Guess those golems are good for something after all..." Nui dryly comments as she pulls her sword out from the recesses of the bandit's clavicle.
Things seemed to be going better than expected; more than half of the enemy's forces were dead. One was missing, though, from the state of the golem they were fighting, she could only assume that they had experienced the same fate. They had even managed to take a prisoner.
Everything seemed just about over...
Until she noticed the earth around the half-buried bandit cracking and shifting apart, struggling to restrain the man's violent struggling.
Before Nui had the chance to call out in alarm, the man bursts out from ground, his helmet flying off to reveal his green skin, massive, overgrown tusks and red, beady, murderous eyes. He lunges toward Freya, hands outstretched to rip her limb from limb, with an indomitable, primal "WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
Without as much as a look as to where the attack was coming from, she raised her arm up in a grandiose motion. With said motion, the ground shifted to emulate her motion to deadly effect. The tendril of earth easily went through the forehead of the beast-man, the tendril having little to no resistence passing the empty head of the bandit. And there it hung, the bandit limp as it's mouth hung open, slackjawed. It's eyes resting outside of their sockets by but a thread of biological tissue, the only remnants still telling the viewer that there was once a face where there is now stone.
"Oops, I guess we won't know where they came from." She said sarcastically. Shrugging, she beckoned the golem over to her, continuing her rune scribing. However, she was not as concerned for the golem as she was for her comrade.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Nui retorts, as she inspects what remained of the most recently deceased bandit.
It didn't surprise Nui that they would be orks; bandit parties usually were.
But she had never seen orks be so...calculating, in their approach.
Something was wrong here...
After a few more seconds of searching, she was ready to write off her misgivings as just being some post-ambush paranoia.
Until a slip of her hand released a small avalanche of silver to fall from the ork's purse.
She bent down to inspect the odd pieces of metal,
Silver Hearts; at least a dozen of them. She recognized them from her conversations with Dark Kingdom traders.
Stranger still, however, was the black and red badge sitting amongst them, bearing the same insignia; a standard for Dark Kingdom captains, not something an average cutthroat would ever carry.
She held it in her hands for quite some time, mind abuzz with dark possibilities.
Were these really just a band of simple bandits?
Or a sign of things worse yet to come?
"I'm going back to The Glade to report this." Nui states, holding out the incriminating badge for Freya to see.
"If I were you, I'd get as many of those golems running as I could, and then do the same."
"Hmph. Now you understand the importance of the golems." she said with a smirk. Turning her attention back to her soldier, she added a new rune to her golem.
"Kill- Greenskin- Black and Red"
Nothing good could ever come out of kingdoms hiring mercenaries, and this event just proved it to her. Dark Kingdom was never trustworthy in the first place, even more so of the vile greenskins that blight the land nearby the Dark Kingdom. This easily was a small scouting party, so there must be more somewhere. Or maybe they had a hit on her.
Shuddering at the thought that somebody might want specifically her dead, she carved out a final rune of linking, designating this specific golem as captain. Raising the earth for a new body, she waved off Nui so she could complete her task, making sure to add a few more stone monsters to the patrol.
Maybe it was the grim nature of the situation, or maybe it was just because, she found it funny, but Nui couldn't help but earnestly smile at Freya's comment as she walked by.
"Yeah, you were a really big help back there. Thanks, whoever you are."
With that, she takes flight, heading toward the capital on hurried wings.
---
She'd flown all night without rest, and by the time she arrived at the glade, it was morning again.
She roughly landed, ignoring the screaming muscles in her arms and legs and rushed toward the city's central hub, where the largest tree in the land, and it's most exalted proprietor (or better yet, his brother) were sure to be.
Morgrim Morgrim Crumbli Crumbli
 
(This is a gag post)

Victor nodnodded at the Queen and proceeded to jump out of the window like some dark, caped crusader from a parallel universe....
​
slim slim
 
(gag post as well just cuz)
The Queen watched the dark, handsome figure vanish off her balcony. God, the way he traveled was so mysterious and enticing.
She could see what was happening here. She was face to face with greatness and it was strange. All she could say was, "you're welcome. I'm just an ordinary demi-guy."
shadowz1995 shadowz1995
 
Prince Alba Hamilton Une
Darkness Kingdom, Diplomacy​
"Of course your Grace. We must have all lost something from that sorid affair..." Hamilton mused, staring into his cup as some rather unpleasant memories resurfaced. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Desh guessing that he would offer the Principality's armies to the deal. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Indeed. Its not just a military alliance I am offering. I am also offering trade, information and access to the Principality's sea routes. I doubt you may have not heard of the Blackscales? We have eyes and ears in almost every nation. Except this place of course. And the things I have learnt... Well, its all so very.... interesting and I am interested in sharing this information for other forms of information." Hamilton's brotherly smile was replaced with a sly and borderline preadatory one for a moment before he settled for a regular smile. "If you accept of course. I'll have to hear your side before we can come to the proper terms."


shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Fluffy-Kat Fluffy-Kat slim slim Britt-21 Britt-21
 
Alex Mason
​
"Hey! Did they come in yet?" Alex asked as she finally found the stall she was looking for where a grinning hafling returned her question with a nod. "Ahh! Hey there kiddo! Got it right here" the female said, she was just roughly half Alex's size, having to sit up on a rather large stool in order to face her customers eye to eye. Long red hair ran down her back in a ponytail, and vibrant green eyes stared excitedly at her customer as she passed over a small cloth sack, which Alex carefully took into her arms and peeked inside. The wyvern rider gave a small grin as she glanced inside to find three small fruits, peaches! Grown right in the earth kingdom and enchanted with special magics to keep them nice and fresh, a rare commodity in Igninuim. "Perfect, Vanic's gonna love em" she said before sliding a small sack of coins over to the shopkeeper, who was quick to check through it's contents before giving a thumbs up, satisfied with her pay. "You know I always deliver! Tell the big guy I said hi ya hear!?" To which Alex nodded and gave a polite smile "Thanks again" she said, turning to walk away with a small smile.

The wyvern rider had been so focused with her plans for the rest of the afternoon that it seemed she had completely lost her focus, letting out a small "oh" as she bumped up against the other person. "Ah, sorry!" she said quickly, hoping she hadn't caused any harm as she met eyes with the man. Recognition bloomed nearly instantly in the younger girls eyes, Calvin Veras of the hatchery, definitely not an easy person to forget just because of his... interesting appearance. She gave a simple nod at his question "Oh I remember you, it's me, Alex Mason, remember?" she asked curiously.

"You probably remember me, I er.. forgot to properly tighten my saddle on Vanic the first time around" she said, her cheeks turning a bright red as she alluded to that one moment of embarrassment in her training. One strap out of place had sent her into a free fall right through the clouds, she would have died! Were it not for the quick thinking of the trainers. The other new riders never really let that little scene go.. "You remember Vanic right? It's actually his birthday today, three years seems like such a short time doesn't it?"
typhoon typhoon
 
Alyn Jacelyne Une​


Jace gazed out over the railing of the ship as she attempted to clear her head of the events that had transpired moments ago. What was she going to do..? The redhead mulled over the options for a moment with a deep sign, glancing down into the water as the ship finally began to take off. For the most part Jace just kept to herself for the rest of the journey, and gave her mother an especially wide birth this time around in hopes that she could just avoid the problem for now. It was better this way, just to give her mother a little time to cool off, and herself time to think of what to say during their next inevitable encounter.

After hours of quiet sailing the ship finally seemed to arrive at their destination. The loud shouting from the helmsman a good enough indicator as any causing Jace to jolt up slightly. The redhead stood back and out of the way as she watched the crew spring into action at the orders of Captain Hydraena and she remembered exactly why she had come along. The kracken hunts were a time of great excitement! Nothing got the blood boiling like hunting one of the most dangerous creatures in the sea on it's own terms. Within no time Jace had returned to her former spirits and glanced around with great intrigue, it reminded her of her childhood dreams to run a ship such as this for the navy, regaled by tales of her mentor, Captain Flintè's exploits of dubious authenticity.

Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow
 
The demon king's crimson eyes seemed to narrow ever so slightly as the prince of the Principality began to talk less about friendliness and more about why he was here. Deshwitat had paused his eating so he could pay full attention to the vastly younger man and it was with good reason. Desh was never much of a politician, so his natural weakness was things like this. Of course, knowing this, the Dark King approaches every diplomatic situation very suspiciously because he can't tell the difference between false promises and true ones. An entire nation's armies at his side to bolster his own terrifying military strength was already a promise that could be taken on its own but if there was one thing Deshwitat didn't absolutely need, it was armies. He had taken the world by storm, ripped a section of Linhael for his own people and fought all five rulers simultaneously to secure it. His people were more than strong enough to hold their own against any military force. They had already proven that again and again during the 100 year war that nearly ripped the planet apart.

The other things the young prince was offering were things he very much needed. Spies, assassins, and scouts were something that Desh had a severe lack of. He didn't have any spies or assassins at his disposal at all and his scouts were strictly for military purposes. Information won entire wars and Deshwitat was not ignorant to this fact. The promise of open trade was also something they needed. No one traded with Tenebris for obvious reasons and they had to result to trickery and deceit to get much needed supplies into the kingdom so the Denizens of the Dark could thrive.

These two promises were great.....very much needed but then came the part were Desh was the weakest at.

'How the hell do I know if they will keep their promises?'

The king sighed heavily and remained silent for a moment after Hamilton stopped speaking. He stared at his food like it had just picked his pocket from how hard he was thinking. "What you offer sounds great Prince Hamilton. But I should tell you something about myself."

The archdemon looked up from his food to lock eyes with the Water Prince, every feature of his face locked in a thoughtful expression, "I doubt you know much about me as a both a man and as a ruler so I will tell you here openly. I am not a man that enjoys war but I am unbearably good at it. I am a warrior and a general but I am not a politician or a diplomat. I am not shrewd nor do I possess the cunning needed to get myself and my kingdom what we need to thrive by word of mouth."

"So while you tell me these things I do very much need, I have a crippling doubt that will more than likely make or break this alliance."

"How can you prove to me that your words are true? Exactly how do I know you wont abandon the dark when it suits you like all of you lightwalkers have done for millenias? How do I know you wont use us as meatshields and then turn on us while we are weak? How do I KNOW you won't betray us?" The last of his words had some measure of anger in them but it was clear it wasn't directed at the Prince. At least, not entirely. It was the cumulative pain of centuries of strife against the world.​
 
Prince Alba Hamilton Une
Darkness Kingdom, Diplomacy​
Hamilton's smile widened slightly as the tempting deal was being considered but he made sure he didn't look too excited. It might just make Desh suspicious and even less willing to make the Alliance official. Still, having the fish be hooked is only step one. Time to reel it in.

"I would have figured as much, given the way you handled that little mini rebellion." Hamilton mused, skewering a cherry tomato with his fork and gazing at it as if it were something a little less innocent. After taking a moment to slowly eat it as he listened to Desh voice out his justified mistrust. A smart choice when dealing with one such as Prince Hamilton.

"How? Oh fret not your Grace. I have a solution to all your trust problems..." Hamilton quietly said as he wiped his lips with his napkin and got up from his seat. He then removed his sword scabbard from his hip and knelt before Desh, holding up Boreas with two hands.

"Should we betray you, you have the right to claim my head. Kill me, use me, sell me away. I will give myself over to you willingly for I have no doubts about our future Alliance." Hamilton raised his head up slightly, revealing a determined glint in his eyes and slightly maddened smirk.

"After all.... Even the brightest of oceans has a dark abyss in its depth. Our nations are more alike than you think, Milord."

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Britt-21 Britt-21 Fluffy-Kat Fluffy-Kat slim slim

Kraken Hunting Party
Elucidator, Kraken Bay​
"A little too quiet for me tastes...." A sailor muttered as he kept watch on the hunting ships and the waters below. Just as the moment he said that, there was a muffled splash as large tentacles wrapped around the furthest hunting ship and the it literally buckled as it was crushed into fine splinters. A few men tried to abandon ship but were pulled down by somethi in the water.

"KRAKEN AHOY! Grandmistress, orders?!" The First Mate shouted as the hunting ships began firing their harpoons before one launched away, having been lashed to the boat. The escspe boat barely made it 5 meters before it was swatted back underwater.

"READY TEMPEST BOLTS ON THE BARRISTA!" Captain Hydraena ordered as Patricia remained stoic as ever. If any one of the krakans were to get too close, its going to be the balista's shots that will chase it off. Hopefully. "LASH THE SAILS! REMAIN ALERT EVERY ONE!"

The Captain's orders were suddenly silenced by a dull roar. And it was close.... Very, close.

Nogoodname Nogoodname Crumbli Crumbli
 
Xerxes Greenblood
Mentions: slim slim
Fire Kingdom Palace​


Xerxes had no need of assistance from the guards. They made the directions quite clear, and at the present moment he didn't really feel like having a small army of guards follow him around, and inspect his every movement. He was there to make a peace treaty, not to be visually dissected by a bunch of strangers.

"No no, that will not be necessary thank you, I can find my own way." He gave them a curt bow, and left. On his way he was able to soak up some of the fire kingdoms culture. It seemed deeply enriched by trade and tradition, not something he had first hand experience in. The culture seemed very alien to him, but these were people he was trying to make his friends with, so he would have to try hard to be sensitive to their ideals, and polite.

He need allies more then ever since he could feel the war coming, maybe others didn't want to admit it, but he had been ruling for a long time, and had seen a lot of fighting in his time. His hairs stood up on edge from the electricity in the air, knowing full well a blood bath would be coming. Even his enemies should see it. Earth Kingdom having no alliance for thousands of years, and then suddenly going for a second one after a single day. He'd hope this would not make it difficult to secure an alliance with the fire kingdoms leader.

Minutes pass by and he finds himself at his destination, and the queen herself waiting for him, and his acute sense of smell could pick up the scents of fine foods being prepared. How thoughtful of her. She looked extravagant in her outfit, and he felt embarrassed that she had to dress up so nicely for him, or at least that's how he saw it.

"My lady, you are looking especially charming this evening. I apologize for the sudden interruption, but I was hoping as ruler to ruler we could speak alone. I feel that the fate of both of our kingdoms depends on it, and my offer is sure to interest you." He said, before realizing his mistake in not introducing himself properly. "Oh how rude of me, I am Xerxes Greenblood, ruler of the earth kingdom." He bowed politely and gave her a smile. "So good to meet you."
 
Deshwitat rose from his seat as the Prince approached and he watched every twitch the young man's muscles made. While he didn't react to his sword being drawn, given that the king could tell there was no hostile intent behind it, it didn't exactly make him any more comfortable. Prince Hamilton Une offered up his life should they ever be betrayed for whatever reason. The offer was sound but Hamilton's borderline insane level of confidence gave the King pause. He didn't trust this boy. He acted like the exact type of person that worked on his own agenda... not for the sake of his kingdom. The kind of people Desh didn't exactly agree with.

So the Archdemon grasped the sword by the handle and admired the craftsmanship momentarily. It really was quite expertly made.... the blade swung down towards the prince's neck in the blink of an eye and only stopped just before it touched the skin. "A brave sacrifice from such a noble man... Come now Prince Hamilton, I said I wasn't shrewd. That doesn't mean I am a fool. I personally fought against the rage of your mother in the 100 year war when she lost her lover. Regardless of whether you, your sister, or your mother betrays me..." The crimson hues of the demon king were practically giving off their own light with the intensity of his bloodcurdling ire. The tip of the blade he was offered came to rest just under Prince Hamilton's chin and he forced the Water royal to look up at him and meet his blood red glare. "Do you believe your mother capable of just letting you walk off to your death should things not work out? Because the woman that I met on the battlefield was a woman whose rage and passion took the form of a soul freezing storm. That was over her lover."

"Do you truly think I will believe that she will let her only son be executed because of a deal he made without her knowledge? Because if she and I have one thing in common? It's that NOBODY brings harm to those we love. I would tear this entire world apart for my daughter. I feel like she would do the same." Deshwitat removed the blade from the kneeling man's chin and flipped it around so that the prince could grasp it by the handle once more, prompting him to stand and return to eating at his seat.

"You are right Prince of the Principality. We are much more alike then you think. Though it may not be in the way you hope. Still, you have given me options and I will consider them. For now, we have something of a truce. War is brewing just over the horizon and while I do not give you my kingdom's armies, I can promise there will be no attacks coming from us to you."

"If you wish for trade, it can be arranged and should your people need sanctuary, you may find refuge within our borders."

The demon king crossed his arms and regarded each and every member of the blackscale assassin escort that he had brought along for a good moment before he continued, "If you wish to make a true alliance, I will need to speak to Queen Une, your mother and ruler of your nation. If the words you shared here today come from her lips, then this alliance will be forged...."

The demon king returned to his seat and the weight in the air from his power began to cease, "For now, you may finish your meal and enjoy yourself in this kingdom. There are tournaments being held, the taverns host great food, and the Succubi and Incubi are always looking for a meal... if that strikes any of your fancies." The king gestured with a genuine laugh and smile to the Prince and his blackscales.
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Wandering Grim Hollow Wandering Grim Hollow Britt-21 Britt-21 Fluffy-Kat Fluffy-Kat slim slim Roleplay Skittle Roleplay Skittle
 
Kayne Greenblood
Mentions: King Crimson King Crimson
Earth Kingdom Palace

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Xerxes was off in the fire kingdom, hopefully successfully discussing peace treaties with their ruler, meanwhile Kayne was left organizing the clean up from last nights festivities. There were many half naked bodies laying in the street, scattered clothes, and mugs left over with droplets of alcohol still remaining inside. Half the guard was taken off their regular patrol route so they could make sure the people that passed out in the city would be returned home safe and sound to warm beds. The missing clothes and mugs had to be picked up and disposed of properly before they succumb to the overgrowth that nature would bestow on them. Many of the guards were grumbling about having to clean up the other's messes, but it at least gave them something to do besides watch out for intruders and mush men. That and the fact that the golems were being tinkered with and yet to be perfected, being on the guard border meant having to put up with crazed constructs that attack anyone with a sword, being them.

So while it was menial work it was at least easy and safe. That would change though as one of the earth kingdoms scouts was bringing news of a supposed dark kingdom attack. When Kayne hears of this news he would be sure to take action on his brothers behalf. Kayne commanded just as much respect as his brother, not by being related by blood, but by being the voice of reason, and a respected tactician of the earth kingdom people. He had green-lit many projects that prevented the death of countless earth kingdom citizens in the many years of war that had long since passed. It was then that the scout Nui came knocking.

Kayne sent off his two personal guards to take a short break when Nui entered his midst, he was in trusted company and had no need of two armed brutes to protect him from trusted allies. "It is good to see you scout, I see you are not part of the clean up, and you are here with a worried expression, tell me have you found something of relevance?" He asked her with a questioning expression. He was concerned that she may have found something of some serious importance, which meant his job would be more difficult.
 
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