An RP in the World of Avernum
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3022
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written Tuesday, January 6 2004 13:36
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The only side unaware of the return of the Aizoan fleet was Linda's, much to her consternation. Just as her orders were beginning to have an effect on the overstretched Solarans, a whole new army appeared to shift the whole political landscape. For all the bravado of the populists, she had no illusions. If the populists were to attempt to take power any time soon - even though in theory they were militarily ready - they can in no way form a credible government. Men who rose to prominence due to personal bravery and hatreds are ill suited to real administration. And as the days wore on, and the more militant Eastern populists win victories - against all expectations, mind you - the less control she had over what was essentially a band of rabid dogs. She feared the day that she would no longer control the mob, and the mob would control her. A mad, glorious war then, a war without end or purpose. A true betrayal of what the populists should believe in. And she had enough of betrayals for one lifetime. The Solarans were bound to fall - their empire rested only on fear now, and without Aizoan help his words were useless. And Ironclad had the army he wanted - no use for a people to love him anymore. The Kylenians had melted into misguided and ruinous militarism. And so must they follow. If they cannot resist the tide, they can only join it, and hope that there is a bright dawn after the dark storm. In the end she assented, and as her captains cheered at some action, she hid her tears of defeat. To march north, then. With an untrained army, used only to defeats. With a force equiped with makeshift arms and only enough crossbows for a quarter of the men. With fortified outposts ahead - fortification that in one of fortune's ironies she had helped build. How Jehan Sol would laugh. She wished he would laugh himself to death. Perhaps Taron will appear with the doomguard and save them. Perhaps Sol was too busy fighting on other fronts. Perhaps the assassins would kill her before she sees all her men die. At dawn, the western populist army slowly gathered. Crossbows were dug up from hiding holes. Spell-scrolls were removed from town libraries. Fencing was pulled up as makeshift shields. Kitchen knives were stripped from mess halls. And in the streets, wives threw flowers, sang for the safe return of their husbands, their sons. Linda sang in her head too, as her force sloshed in their trail of mud. She sang a requiem for the brave, stupid old men and boys who were to be her honor guard into the lands of the dead. Her unready army laughed and chanted as though they had already won. "Death to Sol!" "Long live the people of Praglad!" --- The eastern populists had spies, too. They cared little for the army which just landed - just another few shiploads of evil imperialists to grind to a pulp. Things were going well, and they lounged in their captured Alliance goods. From a distance, they heard of the army now heading north to attack Solaria. There was silence first. Surprise at such audacity from men they had considered cowards and collaborators. Some voices were raised to send aid, and other to deny it - after all, the west never helped the east when they were in need. After a day, they made their decision. They resolved to do nothing. (OOC: Arancaytar... where are you...? Also omlette, you can try to contact Linda with your scrying mages...) [ Tuesday, January 06, 2004 13:38: Message edited by: FZ ] Posts: 269 | Registered: Saturday, May 24 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Tuesday, January 6 2004 14:37
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OOC: Sorry, FZ. School started today, and I'm under some pressure. I'll make a brief post to stay with the plot now, but don't expect major action until tomorrow. :rolleyes: IC: The party of six ((ooc: coincidence. pure coincidence, I swear)) had left long before noon, and were making good time as they had all been equipped with horses - well, riding mounts anyway, Taron thought as he eyed the old, slow donkey at the end of their line and the vicious giant lizard he rode. Taron had lost the trail of the object now, but the spell still was in place, as he could feel. As soon as they came into range, Taron would notice it. And so they rode on. They did not encounter anybody, hostile or not. The action was not here, but away in Northeast Pralgrad, on the other side of the continent ((afaik, anyway)). This place was empty of soldiers, only the occasional ruins and rubble reminding Taron that a war was currently taking place. When night fell, the six had managed to cover almost eighty miles. They consulted and quickly agreed to rest only for a few hours and ride on in the cover of darkness — even in this desolated land, it was safer that way: The Solarans were still looking for both the two traitors, and they were likely to recognize him if he encountered any. As, however, Taron reined in his lizard and called for a stop, and Bruce and Feodoric set up a campfire — making sure that it was hidden by the surrounding bushes and could not be seen from afar — they had a visitor. A man appeared, clothed in a dark robe. His face was partly concealed by the robe, but one half of it was lighted by the campfire, the left eye glinting brightle. And then, he spoke. 'You are attempting to take what is MINE, and what is destined for the one I chose. I warn you, peasants, do not try to thwart me, for it will be your end.' Taron started to say something, but the mage cut him up short when he spoke again. 'I have brought you here to listen, not to speak. I should kill you now, but for the moment you serve my cause well. Take this; as it will aid you in completing the purpose I have in mind for you. Go now, and do what is in your power to acquire the Doomguard, but remember: It is MINE.' The wizard turned, took a few steps away from them and was suddenly gone. Michael, the fletcher, walked towards the campfire to examine the things that the mysterious figure had tossed on the ground. One of them was a small, hard object, wrapped in black cloth. There was a note stuck to the cloth. Do not open this before you have the Doomguard. Taron had suspicions as to its purpose; he decided not to open it at any time, Doomguard or no. The second object seemed to be some sort of a black crystal. Taron had no idea as to what it was, but it emanated powerful magic. They would undoubtedly find a use for it later. The third was another crystal, nearly round but slightly egg-shaped. It shone with a dark blood-red color, and was warm, even hot, to the touch. Taron had the feeling he ought to remember what this was from his studies, but he could not place it. The red crystal, too, emanated magic. This doesn't make sense, was Taron's first thought. If the wizard was so powerful, he could certainly retrieve the Doomguard himself? And who did he want to deliver the Doomguard to? Kylen was dead! Why was he so desperate not to let Sol touch it? And if the mage indeed wanted to set one of the emperors onto the throne, then who remained? Sol was not the mage's candidate, and nor was Hugo — he had become Emperor too recently. Ironclad was in a fix from which the mage could have helped him with his powers if he wanted that. What did the mage truly want? Well, that could wait until later. For now, the six were intent on trying to rest as much as possible in the four hours they were staying, before riding onward... Edit: Gave Taron a little red egg-shaped something the exact nature of which he ought to know, having studied magic theory, but doesn't. :P [ Sunday, January 11, 2004 03:01: Message edited by: Arancaytar ] -------------------- Nasty trickster stalking the web! 406 victims! " "It is as if everyone had lost their sense Consigned themselves to downfall and decadence And a wisp it is they have chosen as their beacon." Reinhard Mey. The Encyclopædia Ermariana is growing. ;) Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2339
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written Tuesday, January 6 2004 16:22
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Sejii: *Sejii walked of the landing boat, glad to be home. He stretches* "Ahhhhhhhh!! It feels good to be on land again." *He walked around a little bit, in his armor(Being a Lieutenant, would he be wearing a uniform or have a badge? As long as he has Zeta, I'm fine if he has to wear a uniform.), and still had Zeta tied to his back.* "It feels good to be able to walk on land." *He made the mistake of walking into the Crossed Lion, also.* Drunk: "AGH! Not more Imperial scum!" Sejii: "Watch what you say. You might hurt something. Either feelings, or your bones." -------------------- This is MY link. Click here,or here for the yoga dance mix!Click here to get to the misc. boards! Attack, icons, attack!THIS PAGE ROCKS!! Vicious virus stalks the web, has already infected over 100 computers: read more! HAHAHAH!!!OH, I CAN'T BREATHE!! HAHAHAHA!!!! Think you're sane? Enduring the worst, to bring you the best. We have tried to not harm anything in the making of this commercial, but we failed miserably. R.I.P-Here lies NSI, may this rp be remembered. Posts: 1779 | Registered: Monday, December 9 2002 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3320
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written Tuesday, January 6 2004 17:15
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And just what inconsistencies have I lain out? What makes you think I was going to make this a super powerful mage? You always jump to conclusions. Just sit back and leave me to my own writing. I never planned to make this mage take off on a side plot. That is not how I work and is not what I am trying to do here. My objective is to give atmosphere to my character, Petoria, and give a name to the mysterious mage if possible. Not to use the mage as my own character and make it impossible to kill the mage. I don't specialize in God characters. I am sorry, but I think like Sherlock Holmes. When I find a mystery, I prefer to solve it. I can't just stop what my character is doing, and have her do something else. I have nowhere else to go with my character at the moment in this plot. I will be careful about how I proceed, but I refuse to drop the mage issue. I promise you, though, that this will not get out of hand and that your character will remain both mysterious and your own. -------------------- "Keep your wits about you, the game is afoot!" - Sherlock Holmes Mrs. Peacock: "Everything all right?" Colonel Mustard: "Yep, two corpses, everthing's fine." "What do you think I asked you here for? COMPANY?!!!" - Bette Davis Posts: 935 | Registered: Friday, August 8 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Tuesday, January 6 2004 22:20
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OOC: MSW, that character has never been 'my own'; I didn't say that to keep anything to myself, or something. And I knew that as a mystery fan you'd want your char to unravel the identity of the mage; that's why I feared there would be trouble. Don't take it personally or anything. -------------------- Nasty trickster stalking the web! 406 victims! " "It is as if everyone had lost their sense Consigned themselves to downfall and decadence And a wisp it is they have chosen as their beacon." Reinhard Mey. The Encyclopædia Ermariana is growing. ;) Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Wednesday, January 7 2004 01:38
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General Frederic's armies arrived at the southern front just after the western Populists made their final push north. The determined Populists dented the already weakened Solarans, but the arrival of General Frederic made the defense insurmountable. The Populists, fighting like madmen, inflicted more damage than they should have, but fighting against the superior training and equipment of the Solarans, they perished nearly to a man. It took 20 men to kill Linda's bodyguard and truss her up for her 'audience' with Sol. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Vahnatai Did Do It desperance.net - We're Everywhere The Arena - God Will Sort The Dead ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3022
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written Wednesday, January 7 2004 11:49
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(OOC: Er... wasn't that rather too easy, and supremely anticlimactic? Come on, an entire populist army destroyed in 6 lines, and no opportunity for any response/fight back/anything? I would have expected at least several days/posts for Linda's army even to get close enough to engage with the Solarans. Additionally, the populist army is too loosely ordered to destroy utterly, especially if you are defending. More likely that you just destroyed an initial strikeforce.) IC: Which made it all the more interesting when the women they captured was eventually found to be an one-eyed whore called Millie. Linda was pessimistic about the future of her campaign, but she still had a plan. And the first part worked perfectly. For all the much renowned training of the Solaran army, one thing had crept in without any teaching. Arrogance. And in this case, they performed admirably. It was only arrogance that could make them underestimate the populists so much that they considered a 60 man scout troop to be an entire army. It was only arrogance that could have led them to send such inflated reports to their commanders. And perhaps in that arrogance, there would be some weakness. The probing strike had cost her some fierce warriors, yes. But only warriors that are otherwise useless, who cannot follow commands, for whom hatred had already blinded him. Men who fought like madmen were one thing. Men who were madmen were quite another. Perhaps their suicidal attack had sown some seeds of fear in the Solaran lines. Perhaps they provided some martyrs to revive the populist cause. Perhaps they even fooled the Solarans into weakening their southern flank for the real attack force. But that was too much to hope for. What the probe had given her is an insight into how the Solarans are defending their land. Defense in depths seems to be the key - weak units to sponge up the initial shock of the attack, and then a deployment of reserves to surround and counter. A formidable plan, one that would no doubt crush any conventional force. She must be unconventional, then. There, in the reports, must be a solution. An answer to the puzzle. Frederic's reserves appeared not to cooperate well with the current garrison. The counterattack focused too much on non-essential troop formations. So she formed a plan. Divided her forces. And found a target. At the small, tactically insignificant farming village of Lincoln, where forest met river, the hammer will first fall. [ Wednesday, January 07, 2004 12:43: Message edited by: FZ ] Posts: 269 | Registered: Saturday, May 24 2003 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Wednesday, January 7 2004 12:47
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Battles are not my forté. However, if that was not your whole army then it was not Frederic's whole army either, just to make the proportions right. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Vahnatai Did Do It desperance.net - We're Everywhere The Arena - God Will Sort The Dead ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 2242
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written Thursday, January 8 2004 12:54
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OOC: I'm waiting for my character to get new orders from Drakefyre. -------------------- "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes back into you." -Friedrich Nietzsche Posts: 469 | Registered: Thursday, November 14 2002 08:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Thursday, January 8 2004 14:57
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And I'm waiting fot prem to tell what happens at the meeting between Gideon and Vida. I'm not being impatient, though, really; I understand what it's like to be busy, and I certainly don't expect her to stay up late for it. prem, if you read this, I'm honestly not complaining, I'm just informing. =] IC later, possibly, but more likely after prem's post. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon TEH CONSPIRACY IZ ALL Les forum de la chance. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, January 8 2004 15:45
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"So what is it you say that you've brought me here for?" Some time had passed since we saw General Hugo crowned Emperor. In that time, there had been a flurry of promotions and firings that Hugo saw as long overdue; based more on merit than Kylen's odd whims, the new appointments have removed a lot of the stinkers from the Kylenian army, and given them a unique, but perhaps too late, tactical advantage. "Exalted sir, I have been studying on our problem for some time now, and I think I have come up with an answer." "Yes?" Hugo looked somewhat miffed. The court mage -- who had helped him assassinate Ardek by accident -- knew this. He went right on in his circular path: "Exalted sir, do you happen to know of the Jouven uprising?" "Yes, yes, of course I do. What does that have to do with anything?" "The Jouven were a sea people; the Empire was not, for the most part. They knew things about ranged warfare we couldn't even dream of doing now; by all indications, they were far ahead of even my work in magery and ballistics. But I have found something that may be of some interest." "Hmm?" Hugo's annoyance dropped. Ancient research? My, this would be interesting. The mage grinned widely. "Sir, we have, ourselves, the catapult; but it is a recent invention. They had it centuries ago, and they have a number of improvements on it." Hugo's face clouded. He was ready to throw the mage out in the street; five minutes of chatter for incremental improvements? The mage went on, "And we have also found missiles which will... do much for our cause." The clouds left his face. "Please, come out to the courtyard. I have something to show you." --- Hugo looked on the device with blank shock. This was a catapult? It had a faintly alien, demonic air to it -- an intimidatingly powerful air, as a matter of fact. The catapult next to it looked primitive and rough-hewn. It occurred to him that the contrast might have been merely aesthetic. "We have two equally skilled catapult crews prepared for this demonstration, along with a field of targets. First, the accuracy demonstration." The mage pointed to the north field, which contained two man-sized targets. "Each catapult will pull off five shots; the new weapon will fire red stones, the old one blue." The demonstration lasted a while; two red, large red stones had hit bullseyes, and two near-misses were red, compared to a single near-miss. The next demonstration was rate of fire. The new catapult worked effortlessly and quickly, throwing out about three times as many shots in three hours as the other. (Part of this was due to the fact that the strain caused the other machine to break down horribly; the other part is that, even in its prime, the old catapult worked about half as fast as the new one.) Then came the power demonstration. The old catapult took down a wall in five shots; the new one took it down in two. Reparability: the new machine could be repaired faster by fewer, less experienced tinkerers. Durability: The new machine could take much more damage. Transportability: the new machine was only slightly heavier, and could be dissassembled and reassembled in working order relatively quickly. And then came the new ammunition. The mage fixed a special hook on the firing cord, then carefully set a bundle of sealed clay jars into the weapon. The jars, held together by a string cut at a certain angle (the mage assured the increasingly excited Hugo that the string could be cut in such a way that the jars had different range, spread, and tactical use), came apart in midair, and scattered towards the ground. Hugo frowned a little -- what was the use of peppering a wall with small stones when you could do just as well with a big one? Then the jars crashed into the ground and caught fire. Hugo reared back in shock to see the field before him burst into flames in a dozen places. He ordered a bucket brigade. The mage shouted, "No! That'll just fan the flames on!" -- and a firebreak was quickly thrown up. --- The next day, there was a broad patch of scorched earth outside a seemingly unimportant hamlet in Kylenian territory, and the mages of Hugo's faction were working on an army's worth of the new invention... [ Thursday, January 08, 2004 15:46: Message edited by: General Secretary Custer ] -------------------- ¡Viva Chile! ¡Viva el Pueblo! ¡Vivan los Trabajadores! Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Friday, January 9 2004 15:27
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OOC: I'd better do an IC again... Oh, and I'll soon need to know by PM or via you-know-what what outcome of Taron's quest I should opt for. IC: Taron, Bruce, Feodoric, Ronald, Michael and the nameless assassin broke their camp shortly after midnight to travel on. Carefully covering the fireplace and scattering the ashes, they concealed the fact that anyone had been camping at this spot. After another short meal, they were off again to travel. Mere hours after they had set out again, Taron felt a pressure on his ears and had to swallow. A light tug pulled at his brain, slightly east from the direction they were riding in. 'I've got the Doomguard's trail again,' he muttered just loud enough for the others to hear, 'which means they must have stopped somewhere. We could not have lessened our distance so swiftly otherwise.' 'Now the real fun starts.' Bruce said, sarcastically. 'What do you think, do we attack immediately?' 'We don't know where they're keeping it, and how well it's guarded. We have to see their fort, or encampment, first.' Ronald said. He was the most experienced military person in the party, matching Taron in his archery, and far exceeding him in his tactical knowledge. The Doomguard did not move any more, which meant that its carriers had indeed either camped for the night, or reached the Solaran fort they were taking the Doomguard to. Only two hours later, the six had traversed the ten miles that still lay between them and the Doomguard. They arrived at the Solaran fort some time before the fourth hour past midnight started. It was not even a proper fortress, but more a moderately fortified camp, an outpost marking the beginning of Solaran territory. It was well-equipped with defences in order to deal with frequent Kylenian incursions, who occupied the land it bordered on. Now, however, no attacks were likely to come. The fort was built on the slope of a hill overseeing the surroundings on three sides, but not the fourth, which was the top of the hill itself. It was here that the small group gathered to make their further plans. The assassin rode up to Taron and spoke, so softly it could almost be a whisper: 'I shall try to get near and see where they hold the construct, so that we may concentrate our efforts.' He dismounted, took a few soundless steps, and was gone into the darkness. They were approaching the fifth hour when he returned. Summer had ended weeks ago, and sunrise would not come for another three hours. The assassin, seemingly well-trained in the skill of spying, handed Taron a small sheet of vellum on which a crude map of the fortress was drawn, the Doomguard marked with an X. Taron already knew where the best route of attack lay after one glance at the paper. Bruce and Michael were half-asleep, because they had kept the watch in the evening when the others had rested. Feodoric approached Taron. 'Any further plans?' Taron looked again at the paper, then at the fortress. He explained his intention to Feodoric and Ronald, who had also dismounted. 'Looks good to me.' Ronald said with the experienced tone of a trained tactician. 'When do we start?' 'We will allow those two,' Taron indicated Bruce and Michael, who had by now started to snore, 'to catch up on their sleep, so they'll be of use when we attack.' He thought again. Then he answered. 'At dawn. We'll strike with the first sunlight.' [ Saturday, January 10, 2004 00:42: Message edited by: Arancaytar ] -------------------- Nasty trickster stalking the web! 406 victims! " "It is as if everyone had lost their sense Consigned themselves to downfall and decadence And a wisp it is they have chosen as their beacon." Reinhard Mey. The Encyclopædia Ermariana is growing. ;) Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 2242
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written Friday, January 9 2004 17:32
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OOC: I'll be Taron's opposition at the Solarian fort. It started to get dark as Kevin reached to Solarian "fort." It was on the border of Solarian territory. It was little more than a camp with makeshift walls and a few guard towers. It was also quite undermanned. Sergeant Lincoln had reached the fort and greeted Kevin as he arrived. He said that a mage wanted to see him. A Solarian Battle Mage met with Kevin inside one of the main tents. The Doomguard was there as well. "Greetings Captain, and a job well done. The Doomguard is unharmed and is almost battle ready," the main began," we are preparing to transport it deep into Solarian territory where there it will be safe. With hope it will be combat ready within a few days." Kevin spoke up, "I still have to see that it makes it back intact. I will guard it until it is through the portal," said Kevin. The sergeant spoke up," I'm going to return to base. Good luck Captain." Lincoln left with his men that night. Kevin set up a few men to help guard on the walls. -------------------- "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes back into you." -Friedrich Nietzsche Posts: 469 | Registered: Thursday, November 14 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3022
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written Saturday, January 10 2004 15:16
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Lincoln fell without a fight, its small garrison fleeing, perhaps wisely towards the main Solaran defensive line. Within days they would arrive, and tell of the populists' capture. Linda did not worry about this. In fact, she counted on it. As she rode through the town, she assessed the mood of the ordinary people. Not that bad. Most had stayed indoors in stubborn passivity, but there was even some around, cheering the incoming troops. No doubt these were the ones who had relatives put to the sword and fire by Solaran lackeys. But it still cheered her heart a little, reassured her that she was on the right side. Hopefully, the bigger cities would show more support. The discarded weapons of the fled garrison were quickly picked up. A rough wooden pallisade was produced in hours, and Linda assigned the defenders to their respective tasks. She wondered if Sol would take the bait. She was not hopeful. Posts: 269 | Registered: Saturday, May 24 2003 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3377
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written Saturday, January 10 2004 18:09
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Vida watched the Solaran emissary with cold, calculating eyes. "Your information is out of date," she said softly. "Kylen is dead. As for the Ironclads and the Populists-" Vida shrugged. "What gold have they to offer us that you do not?" "And the weapons?" The Solaran asked angrily. "Seven orders! Seven taken straight to the Populists." "All our shipments to you are delivered as per the manifests. What happens to them after they are delivered is not my concern." The Solaran opened his mouth to speak, face lined with derision. Vida overrode him with a sharp gesture. "You, however," she continued, "Are perilously close to breaking the heart of our contract. No- do not argue. Jehan Sol will know what I mean. You may tell him that I do not appreciate his threats." She dismissed him with a cavalier attitude that no doubt grated him no end. Watching him leave, she smirked. "Damn aristocrats. Think they're too good for the rest of us." Morgan nodded in wholehearted agreement. "The Captains are demanding a meeting," she said, bringing up the reason for her appearance. "They are, are they? I've been wondering when they'd come out of the woodwork. What took them so long?" Morgan shrugged. "Word is that Collinegan dropped anchor at the docks not two hours past." "Figures." Vida grimaced. "What about Crandall?" "He's waiting in your office." Vida smiled. "Good. It's time I met this fledgling Emperor." ____________________________________________ The large office felt crowded. Gideon Ironclad paced none-too-patiently around the polished oak desk. There were three soldiers with him; once watched his Emperor, the other two kept guard with a suspicion that did them credit and amused Vida greatly. Crandall stood to one side; he turned swiftly as she entered the room, a look akin to relief flitting across his face. His fingers weaved into gestures, discreetly hidden from the Imperialists' sights by the edge of the desk. The report was quick and to the point. She nodded minutely to him, then turned to the Emperor. "I apologise for the wait, sir. There was a small matter that required my attention." "Nothing too serious, I hope?" Gideon waved his hand airily, accepting her bow as a sign of greater respect than she probably intended. "Not at all, simply aggravating." Vida watched him with the intensity of a horse merchant. She mouthed a few more pleasantaries, to which he responded in kind. Then she got down to business. "I am glad our ships could be of service to you, sir." "Yes, yes," Gideon said. "Your loyalty to the rightful Emperor is most gratifying. I must see that you get a position in court once I have returned home. Lord of the Navy, perhaps. Yes, that would suit you well." Vida blinked. Glancing at the others, she saw one soldier quickly suppress an expression of pain. Crandall merely shrugged minutely. She spoke only when she was certain he had intended no insult. "I thank you, sir, but our current arrangement is adequate for now." She paused, then continued carefully when the Imperial candidate showed no other reaction than smiling and nodding. "Now, our current arrangement is adequate, but it can certainly be improved. We have ships; you have need of transport and trade. Transport we have provided you with, the other can be obtained quite readily - for a small price." She continued to outline a proposal that in peacetime would have been called outrageous at best, if not outright piracy. Gideon continued smiling and nodding, and Vida began to wonder if anyone could be that ingenuous. Curiosity got the better of her; she revised the starting prices upwards as she continued, watching for some sign that he knew what she was doing. He smiled and nodded. The soldier closest to him began to take on a distinctly panicky air. He whispered something too soft for Vida to hear at her next pause. Gideon spoke then, for the first time in five minutes. "Ah yes, thankyou for reminding me. There've been some disturbing rumours going around that SAFT has allied with that upstart Sol. I do hope they're not true - it would be most unfortunate for our relations otherwise." "If I may remind you, sir, SAFT is strictly neutral. But I will be frank; the Solarans sent us an offer. We considered it." Her eyes were hard. "He will receive our polite rejection very soon." "Good, good. It would really be most unacceptable for you to side with Sol, you know." Looking at him, Vida's expression softened. "Of course. Now, if we may continue-" The soldier who had the Emperor's ear grimaced, looking as though he were ready to interrupt again. Vida changed tack smoothly. "-I have news that may interest you greatly. General Warderson has returned with the Aizoan army, and is docked not far away. He has requested an interview with all the Imperial candidates. If you wish, we can take you to him as soon as you are ready." Gideon's face lit up at the news. Posts: 356 | Registered: Saturday, August 23 2003 07:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Saturday, January 10 2004 18:22
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"So how did you say this chemical works, again?" "Well, according to the reports, it latches onto moisture, burning most intensely using that moisture as a fuel. Human skin being rather moist, it is particularly effective against it." "Hm. So far as I can see, there'd be no call for using it extensively except after rain or snow." "Extensively, no. But it will make a welcome addition to our forces." General Hugo blinks. Then he inclines his head and blinks again, longer this time. "My god," he says -- a lapse, being as how no proper Emperor can hold too much henotheistic sentiment -- "what about the Navy?" The mage's mouth opens a little. "The navy. My god, exalted sir, that's one I hadn't thought of. I don't think it's one they'd thought of, either -- all of their schematics involve putting it in jars or canisters. But what if we could mount it in a hose and --" There is a brief silence. "Oh my god, exalted sir -- do you realize what we've stumbled into?" "Victory," the ex-general says airily. ... Meanwhile, the Kylenian army has continued to strike harder and harder blows against the Populists; the line of the levee army in Solaran territory has set in for a hard fight, having already sent the Solarans' southern flank into unassuageable chaos; where the Kylenians don't field significant and threatening guerillas, the Populists do... ... -------------------- ¡Viva Chile! ¡Viva el Pueblo! ¡Vivan los Trabajadores! Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 3320
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written Saturday, January 10 2004 21:04
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Petoria sits for hours waiting for the mages to gather up all the information that they can about the Saxton School of Magic. While she is made to wait, she continues to examine the piece of cloth. While turning it over and over in her hand, she becomes aware of a strange magnetic field from the cloth. She ponders over this for a while. Then she remembers a spell she was taught as a child for lowering magnetic fields. She snips off a piece of the cloth and sets it in the glass case once more. She then proceeds to cast the spell she remembers on it. The cloth trembles and shakes in the case and begins glowing a strange green color. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ceases. When she removes the piece of cloth, the magnetic field is gone and the cloth feels weaker in her hands. She sets it in the case again and starts bombarding it with various other spells. The cloth instantly catches fire from the first fire spell and burns up. Petoria: "Ingenuous! Why didn't I see it before?!" The creators of the robes simply created a magnetic field around them and reversed the polarity of any spell directed towards them, thereby nullifying the effects from them. The robes weren't immune after all. It turns out that the simple magnetic characteristic did the work of making them look immune to any normal person, while they were in reality, vulnerable to the trained eye. If the right person sees it, all they have to do is deactivate the field and the mage will become rather weak. For the first time, someone has figured out the secret to the seemingly powerful mages that Saxton had been turning out for a while, and Petoria realizes the significance of her discovery. It is then that the mages finally return to her with all the literature that they could find, and Petoria starts pouring over it intently. She sits for hours on end skimming through each book, looking for information on the mages. Its takes quite a while before she comes across a single book with listings of the graduates from the school. Most of the other books only preached on the philosophy of the teachers there or just described general information about the school. However, she now held in her hands, the ultimate tool to discovering the identity of this rogue mage. As she ponders through it, she starts writing down the candidates for owner of the robes she had been studying. She knows many of them all too well. She finally narrows it down to three separate possibilities. The descriptions are brief, but to the point. 1. Ayin Yovak Eyes: Gray Height: 6 feet tall Robes: Black with " λ ", " β ", & " Ψ " on them Specialty: Fire spells and projecting images Last Known Location: Southern Pralgrad in the city of Horus just south of the Swamps of Dralgath 2. Tsadi Ducumsey Eyes: Dark Blue Height: 5'6'' Robes: Black with " Ώ ", " Ψ ", & " λ " on them Specialty: Fire Spells and Mind Control Last Known Location: Western Pralgrad city of Juniperous 3. Lamda Valetine Eyes: Dark Green Height: 5'9'' Robes: Black with " α ", " λ ", & " Ψ " on them Specialty: Fire Spells and Telepathy Last Known Location: White Peak Island She sits back content in her work and contemplates for a while which one of the three mages it could possibly be. She examines the cloth swatch again and tries to match the torn symbol up with one of the extra symbols in each of the descriptions. After ten minutes, she finally makes headway in deciphering the torn symbol. It closely resembles the " β " symbol and finally she decides that the mysterious mage in black can be none other than Ayin Yovak. She writes this name and description down and takes it by person to Mayor Flagstaff. Petoria: "I believe I have finally identified that rogue mage that passed by here." (Handing the mayor the paper) "Here is his name and a brief description of him." Mayor Flagstaff: (Looking it over) "Hmmmm. Very interesting. I have heard of this mage before. I once met him." Petoria: (Staring at the ground in thought) "I too have heard of him. Though I never had the pleasure of meeting him, I have been unconsciously aware of his presence before." Mayor Flagstaff: (Looking back up at her) "Well, I can't say that I actually conversed with him, but I have run into him once before while traveling. You may not know this, but he is what we call an independent. He prefers to work alone, though he occasionally hires mercenaries to do his dirty work for him. He doesn't side with any one political party, but the Populists are closest to his ideals. He believes in pretty much what we believe in. Rule by the people. He will fight against anyone who opposes his ideals." (Looking back at the paper lost in thought) "But something still puzzles me though..." Petoria: "Why he rode past the city and made for the border in the way he did?" (Noticing his gaze) "You needn't look so surprised. That point has been puzzling me too. There is really no reason for why he should go over the mountain, ride the length of it across the plains, and then go over them again, heading for the ferry to the Ironclad border. He could just as easily head north across the Ironclad border from the Green Plains. It doesn't make any sense." She ponders over this for a few minutes. Petoria: "Unless...He might have wanted us to take notice of him. However, at the moment I confess that I cannot understand why. Well, I think we will find out sooner or later." (Looking back at the mayor) "Are you going to send out a search party for him?" Mayor Flagstaff: "No, I think we better stay neutral. He most likely has something in store for us later. He would know it if we started trying to track him down. I suggest we just sit back and wait for him to act first. If he is planning something, we will find out about it eventually. But somehow I don't think we are his target." Petoria: "I am inclined to agree with you. If you ask me, I think he will be back eventually. Perhaps he will use this city to hide in in the event that he needs to. This city offers many places to conceal yourself without alerting others to your presence." (Looking at the quickly receding light outside) "I better get back to Tavern. Good evening mayor." Mayor Flagstaff: Please, Petoria. Call me Julius." Petoria: "Very well. Good evening Julius." She gathers her things and leaves for the tavern. -------------------- "Keep your wits about you, the game is afoot!" - Sherlock Holmes Mrs. Peacock: "Everything all right?" Colonel Mustard: "Yep, two corpses, everthing's fine." "What do you think I asked you here for? COMPANY?!!!" - Bette Davis Posts: 935 | Registered: Friday, August 8 2003 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Sunday, January 11 2004 03:40
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The Kylenian troops in the center of Solaran-supported territory were doing quite well against the remaining border forces, who were not prepared for such a quick and relentless attack. That paved the way for the Populist entry, which countered considerably less resistance than expected. When Commandant Krilon swept into the Kylenian forces, a vicious battle ensued, with firestorms flying like the Empire had never seen. At the end, the Kylenians were overwhelmed by the superior training and numbers of the Solaran army. Forced to retreat, they stumbled back. On their way, they passed retreating Solaran troops of their own. The leader of the retreating Solarans gave a quick description of the Populists and incited the routed Kylenians to catch the Populists in their moment of weakness and unpreparedness. Charging, the Kylenians swept into Lincoln, fire arrows burning down the hastily erected barricades and firestorms devastating the guards on the walls. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Vahnatai Did Do It desperance.net - We're Everywhere The Arena - God Will Sort The Dead ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3022
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written Sunday, January 11 2004 06:15
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Damn. The wrong people fell into the trap. Linda immediately relayed orders to her strike teams to delay their plans. The remaining defenders were quietly withdrawn, but had suffered some casualties. A thin stream of refugees escaped with them, but the majority were left to the pillaging of the Kylenians. The strike teams maintained their position, restlessly waiting her command. Stupid Kylenians... why do they have to ruin everything? After a few hours, it began to rain, putting out the fires of two attacks on Lincoln, and turning the ill-maintained paths into a nightmare of trodden mud. For now, the Kylenians were unlikely to leave, and the Solarans were unlikely to sally forth from their defensive positions. Camping in scattered tents and hiding in smaller nearby towns, the populists waited. --- On the East, a sufficiently large number of rowdier populist easterners had become motivated to do something about Warderson's force. Seeing the disembarkation of the troops as a stage of weakness, they begin to mount a campaign of arson and vandalism to disrupt the army's operations. Posts: 269 | Registered: Saturday, May 24 2003 07:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Sunday, January 11 2004 11:49
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"Exalted sir, it has taken us longer than expected, but we have finally rigged the Dorian Kylen, the Imperius, and the Ilai Hugo with a flamelauncher and all the fuel it could use." "Excellent! Now we can do what Kylen, may the Gods grant him rest, never had the chance to. Summon the SAFT emissary!" "Yes, exalted sir!" A harried-looking diplomat who has the air of an old sailor looks at the Kylenian emperor balefully. "Yes, Your Illigitimacy? What can I do for you now?" Hugo ignores the barb -- spectacularly unusual, the diplomat thinks, and begins to worry. "I am giving the Alliance an ultimatum. Surrender to us immediately, and you will be given full clemency, and the heads of your organization will be given positions at the head of the Imperial Navy if they so desire it, and free rein as they had before the War if they don't. If you decline this unwontedly generous offer or do not make any response to it within two weeks --" (Note here that the diplomat would take about half that long to make the round trip if all went well) "--the Kylenian Empire will sweep the ocean sea clean of your scourge once and for all!" The diplomat sputters indignantly. "You will show yourself the door, I should hope, and tell your principal of this as soon as possible. One more thing: Whether or not she does accept, you would be best-advised to spend as little time in the Empire's territory as possible. You have insulted the dignity of the rightful Emperor and engineered more intrigue against him, be he myself or my predecessor, than anyone present in your faction." "I should be glad to take that leave," the diplomat ejaculates at last, and he scampers out of the royal audience hall. ... "One more thing, Thasius." "Yes, exalted sir?" "Is it possible for the SAFT to duplicate the material we're using?" "Hardly, sir. It took our best chemists a long time to get the mixture right, and I doubt they have any mages better than ours. Even if, under the worst circumstances, they capture one of the battleships -- here I note we have given explicit instructions to the captain of each ship that they are to burn it before such a thing happens -- it would take them long enough to figure it out that they would be doomed long before then." "Excellent." ... [ Sunday, January 11, 2004 11:51: Message edited by: General Secretary Custer ] -------------------- ¡Viva Chile! ¡Viva el Pueblo! ¡Vivan los Trabajadores! Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 517
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written Monday, January 12 2004 12:47
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OOC: Alec, I hope it's ocurred to you that most magic would far outrange your greek fire, and even most bow-fire. Given that SAFT are almost universally better sailors than you, destroying them may not be quite the walkover Hugo seems to think. IC: Confused by the lack of response, Warderson has again sent messages to the various faction leaders. Meanwhile, he is not sitting idle in the face of the populist resistance-every village within 50 miles of the AIA's base now has a aignificant garrison, as well as a well-stocked stables to provide a strong communications network. Meanwhile, Major Tarem, on his own initiative, has begun a campaign to win the hearts of the local merchants by offering the services of the Imperial troops as caravan guards for free. Although the move is not one that can be passed off as invented for sheer goodness of heart, the majority of the merchants accept the story that the AIA wants to keep trade going to ensure that the populist rebellion has the smallest long-term effect possible. A minority of hard-bitten cynics claim that Tarem is merely trying to ensure that the crops that villages are gathering in are bought by the merchants and taken to storehouses in the more heavily guarded cities, where the rebels cannot get at them. As it happens, they're right. It promises to be a long winter for the eastern populists, especially as the AIA's arm is expanding all the time. OOC: Senjii is currently a caravan guard. Londar has been sent on a special mission to try and infiltrate the populists. That alone shouldn't be hard, seeing as their numbers are still growing steadily if slowly-what will be hard is making his voice heard, getting himself into a position where he can give information of use to the AIA. -E- -------------------- Let them eat cake! Polaris Boards: The misc board's thriving, and there're plenty good RPs. Join now! H00rj! Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3022
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written Monday, January 12 2004 13:47
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Seeing that without some "cooperation" from the Solaran defenders, her offensive had ground to a standstill, Linda began to send out messengers and couriers to those she feel she can deal with - the AIA, the New Ironcladists and SAFT. The message given to each was practically the same, handed to them on a simple sheet of vellum. "Linda of the Western Populist Coalition sends her regards. Better relations between us can be of mutual benefit, as we have common foes. Though one day, we may be forced to fight, it is better as men of honor today to act side by side. The Western Populist Coalition fully disowns the actions of the scattered eastern populist groups, but there are enemies within who would seek for the Coalition to take on a more extremist line. If you are men with foresight, respond to this message with a emissary of your own, or with magical telecommunications. Confidentiality is essential." --- Towards the east, the tactics of the populists grow more desperate, but also more dangerous. Many groups now attack merchants without warning. Some raiders have been reported to throw fire-bombs at crop carts instead of attempting to rob them, attempting to deny the AIA supplies at risk of their own starvation. The guerilla war begins to get ugly. Posts: 269 | Registered: Saturday, May 24 2003 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Monday, January 12 2004 14:26
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General Warderson received a response from Jehan Sol within the next few days. It detailed the extensive victories against Populists, Ironclads, and Kylens, as well as its impeccable resolve to maintain the glory of the Empire as did Ironclad I. Sol requests the assistance of General Warderson in squashing the Eastern Populists and helping unite eastern Pralgrad under the banner of Sol. In return, he will receive a promotion and grand dukedom, and the assurance that the Empire will remain intact. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Vahnatai Did Do It desperance.net - We're Everywhere The Arena - God Will Sort The Dead ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Monday, January 12 2004 18:31
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"Greetings, General." "Greetings, my liege." Gideon Ironclad, still feeling slightly seasick from his quick voyage from the SAFT headquaters to Warderson's headquarters, sat down in the offered chair. He briefly wondered where the General had found such a good chair, and how he had managed to get it for himself. "You got my message?" "Of course. It came soon before my landing." "I'm glad it got to you. You see my situation, then?" Kellen sighed. Guarding the Emperor from his potential allies was not the highest on his list of priorities, but if he could prevent any more attempts to trick the Ironclads into ridiculous deals, it was worth it. "I do, and I also notice that, as of yet, you are the only Imperial candidate who deemed me important enough to meet with." Warderson knew that Ironclad had been very close-by when he had sent the summons, and that he had had a much easier time getting to this port than any other candidate would have had. But he could tell immediately that this was a man who liked compliments, whether they made sense or not. "Well, yes, Vida was very good about that, of course. But you are right; the others don't seem to take you into account as much as they should." "Ironclad I was a good man," said Warderson after a pause. "I was sad to learn of his death. I was even more sad to hear of the chaos in my beloved Pralgrad. I want this to end, and I want it to end now." "Then we have a common goal." "It would seem so. But tell me; where is your council?" "Dead, or captured, it would seem." "Then you would be ruling by yourself, at least at first." "By myself, yes. And with those who help me regain my power. "Ahh. An offer of land, I see, and of power for myself. Do you know that every candidate with a head soundly on his shoulders will offer me exactly the same thing?" "They would?" Kellen barely managed to contain his frustration. He leaned over, and whispered in Gideon's ear, "They would. But they would want Aizo for themselves. You wouldn't." Warderson watched th Emperor's face carefully during this. "They would," he said slowly, as Kellen stood straight up again. "What do you have to offer me that they don't?" "Aizo." This was a complete lack of tact, of course; when haggling, one generally does not state one's ideas so openly. But it seemed to work. "Aizo. Aizo already belongs to the empire. I left enough men there to keep it under control. By the time anyone returns to Aizo, it will be as much a part of the Empire as White Peak, or even Pralgrad. Why would you give that to me, my liege, while your opponents would not?" "I wish only to restore myself to the throne, as is my right. I want these rebels crushed, and I want order in the Empire. If I have that, you can have Aizo; under my power, of course, but you would be all but sole ruler of the entire continent. "Sol is an usurper; if he wanted order, he would never have placed his bid for power in the first place. If he sat on the throne, he would be like a greedy child, grabbing all he can for himself, and sharing with none. Kylen is dead, of course. Hugo has no claim to the throne, none whatsoever, even less than Sol or Kylen did. The Populists have already expressed their contempt of you and your army; if they get their way, the empire will be an empire no longer. It would be a loose union of many small provinces, all but warring with each other; the chaos we have now would not compare. Only Sol has anything like my legitimacy, and he would not share power. No; if you want order, you must fight for me. Disregard the pretenders; I am your Emperor." ***** To the west, Ironcladist forces were busy putting down the Populist rebellions around the rivers. These Populists had no order, no semblance of order; they were simply a bunch of rebels, vainly grasping at false hopes, inspired by their western and northern counterparts. Without their leaders, they were simply mobs with pitchforks, easily crushed and then ignored. Considering this, it is easy to understand why an assassin like Lucas quickly made a name for himself. To the southern Populists, it was a name of terror. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon TEH CONSPIRACY IZ ALL Les forum de la chance. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Monday, January 12 2004 20:10
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(Omelette, range isn't the important part. It's somewhat more difficult to set a ship on fire with a fireball than with gallons of napalm; bear in mind that magic is not what it will be in the Imperial heyday.) Warderson was given a simple response by Emperor Hugo: "Honored, patriotic Genl. Warderson: My predecessor died by the hand of the Populists; my forces are being eaten alive by the Solarans, who call themselves loyal but coddle the anarchist monsters in order to kill more of us. I have come across several advances that do not do me as much good as they could. With your resources, the Solarans and Populists would have no choice but to surrender. In the name of the future of our glorious nation, help me, and with me, the only men truly loyal to the Empire, and we will rule the world together. Yours, Emperor Hugo I" [ Monday, January 12, 2004 20:12: Message edited by: General Secretary Custer ] -------------------- ¡Viva Chile! ¡Viva el Pueblo! ¡Vivan los Trabajadores! Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |