A Kingdom Forged Is a Kingdom Earned

[Takhesis]

To the Werewolves - Your race gains strength in the vicinity of Elves and Gruns, due to old blood feuds.

 

@Ravenwolf I'd say yes as Thael referenced your race in his last post.........

[RavenWolf1010]

((Alright then... How should I start out now?..... Usually I'm better ))

[chicbecause]

(Maybe have Raven pay Xiri a visit, we can say they are really close friends or something.)

 

Xiri led Orius across the incredibly long field. They walked along the marble roads, past the forges. Xiri stopped to inspect the blacksmiths work. He handed her a long silver blade, it was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen. Long, slim, and had the queerest curve to it. The handle was made of silver and was engraved with elaborate patterns of flowers on vines that extended onto the shining blade. But the remarkable thing about it was the cut it had. When sliced in the air it would cut nothing, it would merely bend everything around it. It was not a bloodthirsty blade, as many are, it did not seek to harm anything that need not be harmed.

 

"Excellent work, Gris. I've never seen a finer blade, though I am no judge. Tanarad will be by sometime to check on your progress, he should be a far better judge than I." She said with a warm smile.

 

She left the smith to his business, after returning the blade to him. They walked along the road to the palace garden, it was huge and majestic. Nothing compared to this place. The seven streams flowed down into the crystal pool which sat underneath the garden in underground chambers. The ceiling rose high, high enough for entire trees to live happily in the lovely garden, it was like a forest within a forest with the garden. But much more tranquil, just like the rest of Evengale.

 

A rustling rang throughout the trees, Xiri stooped down to whisper to Orius. "Do you hear that? The trees are singing! Can you hear what they are singing about?"

 

"Yes!.... They say they are happy... and they want us to be happy too!" Orius said, hopping up and dancing with the closest tree, Xiri stood as he left.

 

Of course, his dance was much sillier and less treeish, but that much is to be expected. The crystal inside Xiri's puoch that hung about her belt began to glow. Xiri brought it out and it immediately began to play a message from Ariana. They seemed to be having trouble with tempers.

 

"It brings much grief to me to hear of your misfortune. If it would be of any assistance to you, I can have horses sent to you for all the men you wish to train. Windholme is not terribly far from Evengale and I can have them there by late this evening if you wish it." Xiri offered.

 

Orius ran over to her, "Whats that thingy Auntie? Its pretty, like you. Your pretty, I know because Liazar told me!..... Whats 'pretty'?" he asked, tilting his head to look up at her.

Edited February 22, 2013 by chicbecause

[RavenWolf1010]

((Ok.))

Raven spotted Xiri's town in the distance. She smiled and decided to pay her a visit. She switched to wolf form and ran across the large plane.

[chicbecause]

(Its a huge forest... HUGE! forest, with castle towers sticking out above the trees. But whatever...)

[SkullKrusher]

(( Thael ))

[RavenWolf1010]

((Oh, we'll then here-))

Raven dodged tree trunks. She eventually made it to the castle walls. "XIRI!" She shouted hoping that someone would hear her.

[chicbecause]

Xiri turned around at the sound of Raven's voice,

 

"Raven! Come in!" She said, gesturing with her hand.

 

Orius ran over to Raven and waved before running and hiding behind a large pillar that kept the cathedral like roof over the garden over their heads rather then under their feet.

[Takhesis]

In reply to Xiri's offer of horses;

 

"That would be most generous and appreciated."

 

Then she turned back to the organisation. The Elders seemed much calmer on the ground, if uncomfortable about the whole events.

 

"Can I be assured that in my absence that such quarrels as the one I witnessed will not occur again?"

 

The Elders hesitated before answering, "If it is the wind causing such things and staying Earthbound is indeed the cure, then we will be sure to remain so. We know of the importance of medical improvements - if the warning of an internal evil is indeed a plague as consensus agrees."

[Astrodeath311]

Marcus Wright, the Aquasals King

 

Marcus sighed. It had been a few days since he returned from Castle Raldunis. When he retired to his personal chambers and tried to contact the other representatives, the stone was black and he didn't know how to make it work. The stone lay on his desk, still the same black, murky color it assumed when he took it out. He sighed once more. The thing infuriated him.

 

There was a rap on his chamber door. He called out, "Come in." The door opened and a servant walked in, bowed, then said, "M'lord, there's a treasure chest that a hurricane brought in, apparently. There were some of the Aquasals coming back with pockets filled with gold."

Marcus sighed for the third time today. He spoke quickly, obviously annoyed by the news, for now he would have to leave his chambers. "Fetch my men. Tell them to meet me outside my chambers, and if you'd like to come with I wouldn't blame you."

The servant bowed once again and left the room. A few minutes later, he returned with the Kingsguard, the knights dedicated to protection of the King. Though, the Aquasals weren't a very knightly people, the Kingsguard was little more than trusted advisors and a few mercenaries. It was all Marcus could do at the time.

He buckled on the untouched Cloak of Kings and put on the Crown. Then, he strode confidently out of the room. The servant who informed him of the news trailed far behind.

 

He walked to his stables and mounted the finest beast picked specially for the King. The coronation ceremony was something of a sight, the Aquasals were unused to being ruled by a monarch once again, and some actually threw fruits at his head. They all missed, thankfully not staining the royal Crown. It sat unused in the Throne Room, off to the side behind the throne itself. It had the deepest blue sapphire that could be found at the time, and the sapphire itself was said to descend from one of the Gods. The rest of the crown was skillfully made with gold, and other jewels such as turquoise and rubies. The Cloak of Kings draped beautifully over his shoulders, and accented his face and the little stubble of a beard he kept for a few years. It made him look like a king, not just a lord of the castle that happened to be the King's castle. He'd won it in a duel, one of the wits, not of the blade.

 

He waited as his Kingsguard mounted horses of their own. The servant looked dismayed as he saw them, then color filled his face as he realized that Marcus was looking at him. Marcus said with a stifled chuckle, "Take one of the horses. Just be sure that you return it or bad things[TM ] will happen." The servant nodded quickly and hopped on one of the horses, and watched with a pale face as the king rode off on the majestic beast.

 

Marcus rode the animal hard, for at the rumor of possible free gold, he knew that the Aquasals would flock to it and drain the coins before it could be harvested. When they arrived, he saw Aquasals riding from his kingdom and following him. He sighed for the fourth time. There would not be much time before his people were swarming by the thousands. As he rode up a hill, he noticed a person look quickly out of a cave, then dash out of sight. Glints of light fell to the ground near him and Marcus knew it could only be a few things. Shiny metal. Gold, perhaps. He redirected his horse and set to the cave the person had came from. He looked at the ground, and saw discarded pieces of the precious coins. He dismounted and walked towards the mouth of the cave, which looked to be dark if not for the unlit torches near the ground. He lit one up using a piece of flint and iron he found laying near them, and held it up high. Then, he walked forward a few steps and could clearly see the mountain of gold that greeted him. It was probably the seventh or eighth biggest pile of gold he'd seen, but all paled in comparison to the Royal Treasury, which by King Davian's graceful order allowed him to spend. Of course, Marcus' conscience did not allow him to become a money-greedy pig, and literally spend it all. No, he was better than that.

 

The pile of gold was easily enough to buy at least a five-hundred medium-grade mercenaries. He was certain that there was more, but it had been filched by the greedy Aquasals who found the cave first. That gold was now gone. A plan quickly came to his mind as he thought about how to transport the gold efficiently back to the treasury. A water pit, for he heard the roaring of a waterfall nearby. Surely he could harness its power to transport the coins. He gave quick orders to his men, as well as the servant who came with. "Move all the gold to the mouth of the cave. I have a plan as to how we can transport it without drawing the attention of the general populace."

 

They did as they were instructed. About thirty minutes later, all the gold was moved to the mouth of the cave, while Marcus took off to a nearby waterfall.

 

 

[HOLY BALLS BAT-MAN. 5 PARAGRAPHS O. M. G.]

[Thaelasan]

(( I like your planning, using water as a motor system. Very nice.

As for Lore Master, it will occur in a day. Once you are all done meeting, I shall timeskip the roleplay forward to the first day of the Pestilence. ))

[SkullKrusher]

(( Thael, come post so we can go find the dragons. My post is upward. ))

[RavenWolf1010]

Raven smiled and walked towards Xiri. "How has it been my friend?" She asked. "Everything good I hope?"

[Thaelasan]

Davian soon came into the guest room quite late, but still seeming undeterred by his tardiness. He bowed gracefully, but also looked apologetic at the same time.

"I'm sorry. I'm taking care of some problems that have suddenly arisen. I can't get a hold of Lord Marcus, and the Nephelisi keep responding to my trade messages with anger. Worse, the Humans keep seeming to forget to write back to me. And it's only been a goddamn day! If this keeps up..." he tapped his chin worriedly, moving to sit beside the Grun lord. He had foregone his normal golden and silver ceremonial robes in place of armor-looking king regalia.

"I apologize. I should not dump my problems upon you so quickly." He frowned, patting Argoth's shoulder kindly. "In any case, what did you need?"

He seemed to have forgotten the dragons altogether.

[SkullKrusher]

(( Are the Dragonkin and Dragons affected as well or not? ))

 

Argoth watched the outdoors through the large window in the guest room, a cup of warm tea in his hand that a maid had brought for him. Even though his race was known for being very agile, fast and willing to fight, he enjoyed taking a seat and observing the kingdom and the snow that slowly fell around. Finishing the tea, he placed the cup and turned to the door. It was King Davian. Argoth quickly rose and bowed to him before taking a seat along with him. "Sir, it's expected that we adapt to these hardships since we just don't have an alternative. Even I am affected by these problems - I am very tired, although we Gruns are very energetic." Argoth spoke and stiffled a yawn with his hand before turning to the King again. "Sir, if you don't have anything important to do, we could head off to the Dragons. We still need to speak with them and see if they are willing to assist us in the times to come." He spoke, watching Davian for his reaction.

[chicbecause]

"Not so I'm afraid. It is a wonder you were not summoned to the meeting, we have much to discuss, my friend." Xiri said solemnly.

 

A tall, male Elf only a few years older than Xiri walked quickly into the garden. He had straight, white hair that reached just beneath his shoulder blades, tied back in a braid underneath his shining, silver helmet, and striking green eyes. Orius immediately greeted him by jumping out of his hiding place and onto his leg, determined not to let go.

 

"Ah, Tanarad." Xiri greeted him.

 

By now both the older and younger Elf were wrestling around on the ground. Tanarad stood and gave a small bow with hs head, clasping his right shoulder with his left hand. Orius, however, decided the fight was not over and continued trying to knock the older Elf down to no avail.

 

"All goes well and on schedule, have we received word from the Nephelisi?" He asked.

 

"It pleases me to hear this, as for the Nephelisi; A foul wind has blown in Windholme causing unprovoked anger out of their kind, as result they can only travel on foot. I have offered lady Ariana horses for swifter travel and she accepted, I have yet to receive word on how many she needs. If there is nothing else you wish to bring to my attention then you are dismissed to carry out your duties." Xiri answered.

 

"Yes, M'lady." Tanarad answered, once again pushing Orius gently to the ground-- a thing he had been having to do throughout the conversation. He bowed again and left.

[Thaelasan]

(( Oh they'll be affected, in time. Each curse only affects all of the kingdoms save 2. This time they were mine, but they rotate. I just wanted you to see what occurs when they do. ))

 

Davian suddenly lit up, his eyes wide.

"Oh my apologies, Argoth! I had forgotten completely!" he groaned, face-palming. "Yes. We should do that immediately. I shall contact my legislature for them to continue ruling in my absence. Please, make yourself at home while I am away! Washul'dan is waiting!"

With that, he quickly pulled his robes about him and left the room in a hurry.

Edited February 25, 2013 by Thaelasan

[SkullKrusher]

Argoth nodded, rising from his seat. "Yes, sir. I shall be awaiting your return here." He spoke and bowed before the King left, sitting yet again. "Tea, please!" He called out and a young maid walked in with a silver tea set, serving him again and filling the cup with hot tea. "Thank you very much, miss." Argoth spoke and made his trademalk smile, causing the girl to sligthly blush. "N-no problem, sir..." She spoke, taking the set and walking out of the room with a soft pink hue on her cheeks and a small smile on her face. Taking another mouthful of tea, Argoth sighed in relief and gazed at the outside. Edited February 25, 2013 by SkullKrusher

[Lore_Master]

((Sorry for not posting lately, spent the weekend at my mother's house. Will try to get a post up soon.))

[Takhesis]

Her guards collected the volunteers - only 100 of them if she counted herself and her guards. A lot less than Arianna had hoped for.., but it was better than none, considering the normal mindset of the Nephelisi - she was lucky to get that many.

 

Later there would be time for drafting, now was just to get the basic layout done.

 

She contacted Xiri again, the number of horses now known.

 

"Sorry about the repeated contact in such a short timeframe... I now have the exact number of volunteers for training. There's 100 in total."

 

As she waited for the reply, she had the travel supplies packed and double checked. She wanted to be ready to head out as soon as the Elven horses arrived.

 

Her last minute instructions to the Elders where to continue the research - and for feathers sake avoid the mind-altering winds, she didn't want to come back to find that a civil war had taken place in her absence.

 

Windholme, Total Population 10k

Nephelisi ready for travel to Evengale - 100

[SkullKrusher]

(( Bump. Thael ))

[Thaelasan]

Washul Verus Dan flew across the open plain, his mind free and bright. Yet something seemed off about the air and wind currents he had felt under his wings since he could flap them alone. As a guardian of nature, he could feel such changes, and they were quite robust.

He grunted, curious as to the origins of this new development. He had no idea what could cause something like this but it felt quite ominous in nature.

Suddenly, however, his mind was caught in a flare of pain and confusion. He flapped wildly to steady himself as a voice permeated every fold of his brain.

They are coming for your loved ones. They are coming for your mate.

"Who?!" the dragon called, confused. The wind had ceased but this didn't change his feelings about the situation at all.

They are going to kill the dragons. They are going to kill you.

"Who would do something like that?!"

Davian has been taken by the very demons he has been trying to defeat. You are the last race left that the demons have yet to touch. They are going to corrupt you. They are going to take you. You must stop them.

"No!" the dragon yelled helplessly. The wind swept up again, spinning him in circles like a leaf among the breeze. He was unable to do anything but soar.

They come soon. Defend yourself or die.

The dragon's eyes were slits. He growled in fury as the wind began to rage around him, his wings sending it into a tempest. He knew not why but suddenly his body was filled with pure rage. He wanted to kill anyone who touched his family, who came near them. No one would kill his wife.

He flew back to his roost, a shadow following his flight, a grin upon its intangible face.

 

((That's why I wanted control of them.))

 

----

 

Davian walked back into the waiting room to see Argoth standing by a window, seeming to be in deep thought.

"I do that myself on occasion." Davian remarked happily, moving to stand beside him for a moment.

"This world we live in is massive and beautiful." he continued, gesturing. "I don't want it to be destroyed, Argoth, and can you blame me?"

[SkullKrusher]

(( Oh lord, calming dragons. ))

 

Argoth stood by the window, deep in thought as he enjoyed a cup of tea. This was his third one, actually, and he had been standing there for around ten minutes, yet the calm and peaceful surroundings of the castle did not remind him of anything that had yet to come and ruin somebody's life. He turned back around to the door, spotting Davian coming inside, yet he remained on his seat this time, listening to the man that he respected so much and nodding one time before answering.

"Sir, even if I tried to tell that this world was ugly and full of evil, that it should burn and be destroyed, I simply cannot - there's so beautiful things, so good people, so much things that give the simple life of anything a meaning... alright." Argoth spoke, rising from his seat and placing the cup down on the table.

"We won't reach Washul'dan anytime soon if we stay here, sire, so we might as well get going. It's not that we cannot reach the top of the mountain today with the Royal steeds you have, bred by the best tricksters and trainers, yet it feels as if... something will make it tougher than normal. It's just my feeling, so we should not worry about it. Let's go, sire." Argoth said, prepared to follow.

[RavenWolf1010]

"Oh my." Raven fidgeted with her armor. "We should go soon then."

[Thaelasan]

(( Who is Raven speaking to? I forget. ))

 

Davian grasped Argoth's hand and nodded.

"Very well then. I'd propose carrying you and flying there but I know not of your feelings about such things. You may not enjoy flying. I personally find it a myriad of ecstastical feeling." he grinned. "But that's just me."