Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 5

[SB.]

These really are aggressive negotiations, huh... Alain and Owen had very different approaches, but neither seemed to be making any real headway. These Justice Friends figures seemed to be just as deluded as their names made them out to be, especially if they thought the Wykians were the villains here. 

"Do you truly think this man is loyal to your king?" Claire raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't look like a knight of any sort. Closer to a mercenary than anything else, and what's to say a few coins can't make him say the right things?" She shot a glare at Elaine for the grandmother comment, but refrained from answering. I think I'd rather die than be related to Constance... 

Still, she supposed the old witch did have the odd bright idea every now and then. Not the letting him go part, though. "We won't need bloodshed if these 'Friends' are just willing to cooperate with us." Claire continued to watch Elaine carefully, oblivious to whatever Oshea was trying on the floor.

[Xinnidy]

"My father conspired with Raewald? That is a ridiculous proposal... it can't be." Of the words that left the mouth of that justice charlatan, the rumour of nefarious, ill-meaning plans between Raewald and his father aggressively stole Owen's attention. "You speak of King Oswald, the same whose hard work prevented a war between these two countries a long time past. Oswald had no reason to conspire against Deira. Especially... especially in his current state." Speaking of his father's death to invaders wasn't the brightest idea. Perhaps they would already be informed of such news by the raider party in Wyke, but that'd mean Deira already seized their capital, a prospect Owen dearly hoped was false. It makes no sense. What they're pledging is a grim situation. I doubt the letter from my father is real, but I doubt Olaf would kill his own messengers to forge said situation, simply forcing them to speak horrible things about Wyke would have been enough. A grim shadow hung over this conflict... It could be Malaphar, but it could also not. She wouldn't do this, would she? Would Whitwar? Toulouse?

"This man pledged loyalty to King Olaf?" Owen was a bit incredulous at their defense of Oshea, eyebrow raised and all. He looked once more to the man in question, still floating thanks to Alain's grim magic, in a rather... compromised position. His voice tone and appearance belied moreso a mercenary than one of these holy knights of Deira, just like Claire had observed. "Hmm..." How could he say it... it was a bit much for a pawn like him. "I have no interest in torturing him, and I'm sure that's not just sir Alain's reason to hang him like this." His whining seemed like the stuff that would gnaw on a good man's sanity, anyways. Good Engel. It was more productive to give the man a quick end or free him, but what could they gain from it? "I have an offer, if you would be kind to hear. I want one of you --not any messenger--, to reach out to King Olaf and give him a message for me. Tell him that Prince Owen of Wyke does wish to speak to him. I am not my father, but I have honor. He can decide the terms of this meeting, as long as it is in an area determined neutral in Myrcia. When decided, we will only bring personal guards, and the village of choice will be quarantined, both armies will have to keep their distance or the meeting is called off. I do not care which part of Myrcia he chooses it to be, as long as we are warned back of his choice." Owen had a feeling that Deira's subterfuge was not what he should be worrying about at that moment. At least Deiran troops seemed the less savvy sort he'd know. There was a good change for things to go wrong still, as the prince weighed the options. "Otherwise, understand that Deira has caused enough harm as it is, and time for diplomacy is all but over. The war will surely rage on."

"Either way, I will give this man back to you unarmed. Whatever he has brought with him will stay, as part of the defeated forces. Whatever has belonged to your forces here is to stay here. Once we give the man to you, he is your problem again." Offering a meeting was perhaps silly and way optimistic, but he had to try, at least to gauge Olaf's sanity. Owen was, after all, his father's son. As much as he didn't want to follow his steps in some other ways. At least I will know a bit more about what is going on. It was time to make firm decisions.

[Nanami Touko]

"Owen, you can't!" Cass had expected Owen to side with Alain's view of things, storming over to him with an incredulous gaze. "Are you insane? You can't trust these people on nothing but their word! This man and his men quite literally razed this village to the ground." It didn't take glasses to see the obvious destruction, some of the houses were still smoldering. "And you'd trust them at just that? You're giving away a perfect bargaining piece on a whim and a hope... Owen, please, don't do this." Obviously Cass felt nothing for the man squirming in Alain's magical grip, he'd done enough to this village. These peons of justice had no proof backing them, to Cass, this village was all the proof she needed of Deira's underhanded play. Still, all she could do was plead with Owen, he was their leader... She just hoped he'd make a better decision.

[Xinnidy]

Cass was protesting against his decision... it was a bit awkward to have his focus taken away so suddenly. "I feel like it would be vital information, at least for me. Cassandra." Even if Deira denied to comply, it'd spell him all he needed to do. His face formed a frown, was it really that gullible to take the man's things and throw him away? Some would argue that the defeated forces' belonging going to Raewald's army was a given, nonetheless, making it not much of a trade. Owen sighed. I really don't want to think about this much longer. What a pain. He'd been focusing on the big picture, but it was true that this man ordered a raid to this village, and whatever these justice friends were doing earlier to warrant an explosion, it was sure to have damaged some of the villages' structures.

It was certainly annoying to go back on his word, nonetheless. Just for the sake of his sister, no less? He didn't want to sound this negotiable, biting his lip. He had sort of glossed over the situation over King Olaf's claims. "Considering the damages to the village, I will also request something of high value in exchange for him. Deira was greatly responsible for the destruction here, even if you try to spin it for a 'just cause'." He pointed at the tallest of the justice smorgabords. "Your hammer, or his bombs, or a weapon of value you might possess. Isn't that the least you can do for a comrade-in-arms?" They probably didn't bring high sums of money, and touching that would almost make it seem like a ransom. Good thing honor in words was almost arbitrary.

[Shin]

Justice for a Price

"King Oswald was a man I looked up to, it was disturbing to hear his acts..." Jonathan began, pausing at the mention of the king's health. Surprise spread across his face, leaving the verbose speech giver lost for words. The other Justice Friends waited for their leader to regain his train of thought, looking between each other awkwardly. "I was not aware that King Oswald was in a poor condition, my condolences to you both as his heir and his son. Your words seem reasonable, perhaps you are indeed the moral paragon that I had believed you to be. Very well... in the name of Justice, I shall agree to your requests. I shall depart with the Justice Blade in exchange for this man's life. It is a heavy blow, but I believe in your honesty, Prince Owen."

Jonathan drew a golden sword from his belt, stepping forwards and offering the hilt to Owen. "I shall go speak with King Olaf personally and deliver your message. In addition, our forces shall retreat from this village. This is a battle that your men have won, it would be dishonorable to attack after our discussion." he replied. "Justice Friends, we are to fall back! Our attention is needed elsewhere, and I must return to the capital to speak with King Olaf. Prince Owen, I hope we do not have to face each other in combat. Neither Deira nor Raewald will wait for this meeting. I pray you survive until that time."

Constance's question was met with further confusion. Elaine looked over at Claire again, her expression rather worried. "I feel your grandmother might not have much time left with us, once the madness sets in... it's a sad tale." she warned in a hushed voice. "Does she ask you these strange questions too?"

Edited November 25, 2017 by Shin

[riariadne]

"Oh, from elsewhere? Hmm... I'll leave you with some of it still, you probably could use it more than us." Sidney opened up the second chest, examining its contents, then put half of the gold in the chest next to the girl. "Here, gold can always come in handy for you. If you're hungry, you can have the food in here... and I can't imagine lots of uses with this whip here." I can't imagine many constructive uses for this anyway... well, a couple, but that's definitely not something to be going over...

Sidney gives 500g to the girl and gives the option of taking the Turnip to her, keeps Whip

[Xinnidy]

"Neither Deira nor Raewald will wait, that much is true." Owen nodded in return, stepping forward as well and accepting the gift, taking the sword by the hilt. "Let him go, Sir Duhammel." He motioned with his hand for Alain, and took a few steps back. "Your sentiments are shared, Sir Justice. May we never see each other on the battlefield." That would be it, then... that wasn't as bad as what could have been. Owen was still confused as to why Oshea was this valued to them, but that was a mild mystery at best. The real issue was reaching out to King Olaf, one whom the prince never met before, not that he remembered. It was incredibly hard to gauge what kind of person the king truly was, even if conjecturing was so simple.

[Jotari]

Seeing the situation was being resolved peacefully, Constance made her way over to the Owen. "Your grace," she said in a low voice. "I believe we should investigate these towns the Raewaldean army is supposedly sacking. If it's true, we need to curb such behavior before it grows worse."

[Nanami Touko]

Cass grasped the hilt of her sword as this supposed friend of Justice came towards Owen, but their greeting had been mostly cordial. She still didn't agree with him in the slightest; a sword for this man's life? He seemed to matter so much to them, he had to be worth more than that. What a mistake... All she could do was sigh. In the end, he was their leader, even if he was her brother. "What a bother..." It was dealt with, at least... And she'd get to meet Gewaint soon. That would definitely improve her mood, and help her forget her minor frustrations with Owen.

Constance had a valid point, as much as she was part of the problem during negotiations. "Suppose that isn't an awful idea, to see if these blowhards have any value in their words. If the Queen's having her men go around doing the same as Deira, then a discussion is like in order." Not that she thought much would change by talking to the queen, were this true. She did like having her way. All the allegations being true would do would be to prove these crazies right. And Cass thought she had problems...

Whatever, distract yourself, you're getting wrapped up in it. If things were going to start wrapping up, then... "Claire!" Cass chirped, heading over to her. "Sure is one fun mess we're stuck in now, huh? At least we all got through it without any more problems... You're all good, right? Nothing broken, nothing bleeding?"

[Xinnidy]

Constance had come closer with a rather... sensible suggestion, to which the prince nodded. "We can't be everywhere at once, but we can investigate, we'll be passing through a few villages next, if we separate from the main body of the forces for a moment we can certainly ask around and take a look at any damages." Since they were already making course changes in their march over Myrcia, it wasn't far from manageable. Cass seemed to remain at a foul mood, however, even after Owen reconsidered his negotiation. Why did she seem so bothered? "Let's wrap up around here, and check on the villagers." I wonder what they have to say about this attack.

[Vestige]

Alain couldn't help but snicker at the sight of Oshea floundering around. It was quite unbecoming of a man who so prided himself on grandeur and grace. He listened intently to the exchange between Owen and Jonathan, the latter of whom continued to espouse the idea that somehow Deira was innocent, and it was instead Ethel who was pulling the strings. Ethel was a lot of things, but a woman bent on a tyrannical rule of the entire continent was something he found a bit hard to believe. Stubborn and dominant, yes, but stupid she was not. He knew likely as well as Ethel herself did, that her meek advisers would like for nothing more than to depose her from the throne and regain their influence over the crown. Such a crusade would be an easy avenue to paint her under the spell of madness. It just didn't make sense, and he couldn't believe it. 

It was good that Cassandra had managed to at least convince Owen to demand compensation for Oshea's life. Though, she seemed quite soured by the whole ordeal. As she ought to be. I understand you're trying to take after your Father Owen, but perhaps you ought to realize you're a Prince without a Kingdom. Any meeting with King Olaf was bound to be one-sided. Olaf would have all the power at the negotiating table--he'd already captured Owen's biggest piece after all. 

"With pleasure, Prince Owen," Alain obliged, releasing his grip on Oshea and hurling him forward. "Go on then, friend. I have removed my filthy cultist hands from you. I look forward to hearing about the justice you faced when next we meet," he mused, leaving Oshea to meander as he pleased. 

"A word if you will, Prince Owen," he said, approaching the group. He shot Constance a disapproving look. You're the reason these clowns even sprung up in the first place, and then you have the gall to be ordering me around? Honestly... 

"I'd like to usher a warning. Your father was praised for his ability to negotiate peace and prosperity for his Kingdom, no? If what these men say is true, and your father truly was conspiring with Queen Ethel, I urge you to ponder upon the reasons why your father of all people, would cast aside diplomacy if Deira was truly so eager to make peace. I would also urge you to be careful as this campaign continues. This meeting of yours with Olaf may prove fruitful, but take care that the apple you will come to hold is not filled with poison." 

[SB.]

Nothing about Malaphar, huh... Well, it would make sense that he wouldn't appear to a group like the Justice Friends. They would likely have picked a fight with him from the very beginning, and Claire doubted that it would end well. A brief grimace appeared on her face as she imagined it - even if this band of fools were their enemies right now, she didn't wish Malaphar upon anyone.

In the end though, the Friends left with Oshea, but Owen had gained an opportunity. Naturally, he was drawn into conversation by the other mages immediately after. That made Claire smile slightly and shake her head. He never has a moment to himself, does he? Well, it wasn't like she was any less busy - with Cass back to talk again, although the princess seemed kind of tense still, much to Claire's confusion.

"A fun mess?" That one got a slight frown out of her. "It's always a mess, really. Ah..." Maybe that was overly negative... "Well, we'll get there. I'm alright, anyway, no injuries or anything." Her pride had been wounded slightly, from missing so many spells towards the end of the battle, but that wasn't the kind of thing you could have a staff at. 

Instead of lingering on that, Claire tweaked her head to the side slightly and gave Cass a curious look. "Are you alright?" She supposed that it was nothing new for Cass to be forwards and direct while talking, but it seemed a little off. Maybe she was just imagining things, though...

[Nanami Touko]

"A, good..." Maybe fun mess wasn't the right way to put things. Maybe, but Cass was more worried about Claire asking her if she was alright. Did... Did she not seem alright? Cass was taken aback a moment, was it her face? Tone? Posture? Anything...? In any case, she wasn't entirely alright, so perhaps Claire saw something in her that she hadn't noticed. "No, I... Not really, I suppose. I'm not the most pleased with Owen's decision... And, well." She fiddled idly with the hilt on her sword, smiling awkwardly and chuckling a bit.

"It's, a few things. Apparently, someone that looks like Owen has been seen fighting elsewhere... And in my mind, the only person that could be is Gewaint. I'm excited, but at the same time, I'm worried. I don't quite know how my brothers are going to get along... Or if I'm going to be in the middle of it." That was her first worry, and the other, "and I'm... Still scared of fighting, I suppose." It made her blush, how embarrassing... "Not of failing or getting in over my head, just... Of losing myself, again. It's difficult to not think about things." She shot Claire a wry smile, and a bit of a worried look, running a finger along the end of her hair. "I should be alright, though. Thanks for asking."

[Jotari]

Constance tapped Cass on the shoulder. "May I speak with you?"

[SB.]

Claire didn't really get why Cass was against Owen's decision (they'd traded the worthless Oshea for something of real value), but it didn't take a genius to realise why Cass hearing that her second brother was nearby would throw her off a little. "Well, even if it is him, we don't necessarily have to see him..." It was a logical assessment, but her words lacked conviction. Things just never seemed to go that smoothly... "But with that last thing, well..."

It took a few moments for Claire to find the right words, looking back across the village before speaking again. "I think," she started, speaking fairly slowly. "That it's unlikely that we'll get into a battle anything like... that, again. If that's what you're worried about." She thought that she'd caught the just of it, but the mage could never be quite sure what was going on in Cass' head. 

Claire regarded Constance's arrival with a suspicious glance, after what she'd done to Oshea, but held her tongue. I thought that these two hated each other...? Yep, she definitely didn't understand what was going on in Cass' head.

Edited November 28, 2017 by SB.

[Nanami Touko]

"That's the thing, I want to see him. I'm not too worried about Gewaint and I, I... I think he likes me. It's Owen I'm more worried about. So that's, really what's got me bothered..." Even Owen seemed apprehensive about things, but Cass only hoped the two could get along. She was about to speak to Claire over her helpful words regarding their fighting, but the person she least wished to see decided it was about time to interrupt things.

"If it involves me going somewhere with you, no. If you can say it here, then get it over with. Otherwise, I'd much rather continue speaking to Claire." Ugh, it was always something with the old bag... Either telling Owen something stupid, or bothering someone else for an inane reason.

[Jotari]

Constance glance at Claire. "Fine then," she muttered. "I don't know what relationship you have with your brother beyond behind closed doors. Frankly I don't care. But don't undermine him in public. When you question his decisions he has no choice but to listen out of respect. That makes him look weak. When he decides something he must look resolute, if people are to respect him. Having you question his actions so openly only will encourage others to do so too."

Edited November 28, 2017 by Jotari

[Nanami Touko]

Cass' glare only narrowed. "Who do you think you are?" It was rhetorical, Cass didn't quite care who Constance thought she was, and if she thought this was good advice, or advice Cass would be listening to, her age was getting to her. "Owen will tell me if my interruptions bother him, and no one else. We are not in the Queen's court, and we are not at a meeting with any of our army's delegates. Otherwise, I will voice myself when and if I please. Is that clear?" Especially when he was doing something foolish. If she couldn't tell her own brother to reconsider an option, who could?

Edited November 28, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[SB.]

It seemed as though Constance had come along to deliver a lecture. Wonderful... Are we really doing this now...? Even if there was some truth to what Constance spoke of, the way she was going about it didn't seem like the best way to handle Cass - and it only took Claire one look to realise that was the case. Can't we just have some quiet...? She knew that they were fighting a war, but they didn't have to verablly fight each other during their offtime.

"Does this really matter right now...?" Claire muttered to neither of them in particular, looking between the two with a small frown. She understood Constance's point, but it wasn't like Owen had a particularly wise advisor at his side in the first place. Angus... did things, Claire assumed at least, but she couldn't imagine him filling the same role as Lionel. He was younger than Owen, for pity's sake. It was easy to see why Cass would want to stick her nose into things.

[Jotari]

"I don't think Owen will tell you," Constance said. "That's the problem. He respects your position, you should respect his. We are facing enemies, in case you haven't noticed. We might not be at court, but we're also not in your private chambers, having a private discussion. He is not Owen here, he is acting king of Wyke. We're not unalike, princess. Back in the day I would question your father in the same manner. That's why I know what dangers lie in undermining a ruler's position."

[Nanami Touko]

Cass nearly hissed. How come everyone knew her father but her? This was becoming incredibly frustrating, and she had nothing else she wished to say to this hag. There should be nothing wrong with my interjection. Nothing. He's my own brother! Whatever... I refuse to listen to this. "You're right, Claire. Can I borrow you for a moment?" Cass was enjoying her rhetoricals, taking Claire by the arm and dragging her away from another annoyance. "How impressively frustrating some people manage to be," she muttered, ending up a bit away from everyone else, hopefully not to be interrupted again.

"I did have something I wished to speak to you about, now that Alain's made his colors clear." She was speaking, of course, about the page he'd given her. Fishing it out of a pouch at her waist, Cass unfurled it with a small smile. "I was wondering if you'd be able to help me cast it. He said it would be my last step towards things, so... Better to get a head start on it now, rather than later, no?"

[Jotari]

Constance sighed. That should have went better. But what else can I do? She really does remind me of myself. But her actions absolutely must be curbed before any more people get hurt.

[SB.]

If Constance had heard Claire's objection, she'd decided it wasn't worth acknowledging. Claire groaned quietly, wondering if she should step out of the conversation on her own before Cass whisked her away. Well, that solves it... Obviously, the princess wasn't happy about it, but Claire could only offer a shrug. "Constance is... something." 

Still, the princess' irritation quickly vanished, and its place was... intrigue? "Huh..." Cass' words had been strange, and the spell was unfamiliar. It wasn't that Claire couldn't read it, but it was strange that she hadn't encountered such a simple spell at all in any of her studies. It took a moment for her to recognise what it had to mean.

"Oh." Claire's mouth remained slightly open afterwards, torn between curious thoughts and the idea of torching the page right there. "Cass, what...?" How had this come about? "I don't think that messing with things we can't really understand is a good idea..." If this really was some page from a Belial spell... how did Cass end up with this? The person behind it was obvious enough, but still. What did you do, Alain?

[Nanami Touko]

Claire seemed confused, then worried, and almost upset. Was this a problem? She cocked her head, folding her arms. "What's wrong with looking into new things? I don't really understand what you're worried about..." What was everyone's deal with this magic? Even the Justice Clods had called it evil. Cass shrugged. "I just figured I'd ask. I'd really rather not deal with Constance about it... And Alain said to see him again after I'd cast it, so that'd only leave you as a reliable source of magic. Is it really that bad? Isn't it just a spell?" Maybe Claire could explain what she was so bothered about...

[SB.]

“Looking into new things is...” As much as Claire wanted to protest, her words trailed off. I mean, I do it all the, but... This was different. It had a real cost. She couldn’t budge here. “Cass, if that’s the type of spell I think it is, you don’t want to be casting it.” She shook her head.

“You do know that it comes with a cost, don’t you? Or did Alain not tell you that?” If he’d kept his allegiance under wraps all this time, Claire wouldn’t put it past him. “Constance told me that Belial is a trade. What you give up is equal to the power you gain - so in order to get anything of real worth from it...” She let the implication sink in for a few moments, before sighing.

“I won’t pretend that I fully understand it, because I don’t. I don’t know about Belial or Engel or any of that, but fiction tends to be based on real events. I don’t even know why you’d want to risk something like this...” Claire fixed her friend with a worried expression. Just what did Alain tell her to convince her?