Dormont Castle Outer Gates

It was a busy time in Astorea. With swords lowered and the clashing of the King of Old, Theodore, and King of New, Astor now over. The dead are buried, past tensions and rivalries are being either put to the side or resolved. The Dark Harvest, a great festival held only once a year has just begun to wrap up. It was a wonderful time for both the people from beyond (players) and the natives (NPC). Perhaps now the focus could switch to the future. That was the question actually. The damage was so severe that the future could not even begin until Astorea's ruined state was properly repaired. It may be a country now, but it was more like the remnants of one.

Today this fledgling nation from which sprang up from the seeds of a Dragon (YULAN/Astor,) a Titan (VALOR/Aaron), and a Demon (COVEN/Merkaba) would see visitors upon it's borders. Visitors that had come once before during the ceremony of King Astor to his self made throne. Western visitors bearing red armor and uniforms. Led by a man with good looks but a almost cute awkward stiffness about him. Unlike the last time however? His lady had decided to take measures into her own hands. The gates of Dormont would find a woman beyond peer. The most magnificent noble in the world! Priscilla Flanst! Accompanying her was her general Maximilian Faulkner, a small group of soldiers and a bespectacled older man in a red robe reading quietly to himself from his book.

​

Priscilla Flanst

*Ahem* Faulkner. Time is becoming more pressing if we want progress. If you would...

Maximilian

Yes my lady. Ho there friends! I have visited your fine castle once before. My name is Maximilian Faulkner of House Flanst. This is my lady, the head of the house itself, Priscilla Flanst. We had taken part in your festival which was very enjoyable I might add. However we also had other reasons for being here. Reasons that would benefit your current needs I would think. May we speak with any of your diplomats or ministers?

Ah yes and this is Drugal. Drugal Malsten! He's a accountant to the lady. His skills will be needed I'm sure.

The balding man eyed the guards before simply nodding before returning to his tome.

Rules

• This takes place upon the conclusion of Dark Harvest.
• The thread is open to anyone who wishes to participate. You may only interact with the visiting NPCs if you are in the same Location as them.
• You may switch Location at any time.
• There is no posting order. Also, you may exit the thread at any time.
• Tag those you want to address using @Username. You may only speak with those who choose the same Location as you.
• Everyone is free to react and socialize in this thread.
• This is overall a diplomatic thread, your actions will have real pros and cons. Recommended for the Nobility of Astorea or those chosen by @Astor Balthas.

HTML:

[center][l=Area]Location[/l][/center]

Post here

 

Zone Outer Gates

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Having been outside the gates trying to at least grow some plants to bring color back to the yet again struggling castle of Dormont, Harveste could easily hear the sound of voices she hadn't heard, seemingly talking to guards that had met the small girl once or twice before- usually from her visits to the gardens, which she seemed to make often, though not enough for her name to be all that notable.

Knowing what she did about flowers, she sang another melody low enough so that she wouldn't be a bother quite yet, blooming a bundle of flowers she hoped would be a good greeting to the strangers at the gates nearby. With a bouquet primarily of blooming daffodils and scattered lilacs of wild violet and white varieties, she skittered towards the beautiful noble woman from another land and the two men that had come beside her.

"Um...! Misters and miss, if you'll accept them... These are for you!"

Her words had been sputtered awkwardly, a blush on her face as she held up the bouquet carefully with both hands. "I come from a place where it's common to give flowers with meaning. In floriography, daffodils mean a hope for joy and happiness in new beginnings, and lilacs mean innocence, kindness, humility and charity..." Her spiel ended rather abruptly not long after explaining herself as she waited for the flowers to be taken from her hands. "Um, they're for all of you. I-I just felt it seemed right. I did my best to grow them to be as beautiful as I could. Beautiful as you and surely your smiles I hope to see."


@Priscilla Flanst

 

[l=Zone]Outer Gates ?? ((Can't tell if the dignitaries Location changed last post.She's with the guards.))[/l]​

One of these guards was not like the others. One of these guards most certianly did not belong. The festival had been fun, it had been a much needed breath of relaxing air and frivolity for many people, Alex included. As it had wound down and drawn to a close, some were less willing for it to be over than others. One guard she had made friends with in particular had tried his hardest to indulge in as much possible revelry as he could on the last day of the festival. The poor guy was still under the weather with hangover as a result. Alex had been one to encourage him, and he had taken her shift in her dunking booth for a while, so she had offered to take his shift as a guard at the castle for a while in exchange.

Neither one of them had expected anyone to notice, as neither of them had expected anything important to happen. How wrong they appeared to be. Alex's armor was sturdy, well polished, and well maintained. However it did not exactly match the armor of the other guards on duty. When dignitaries of a foreign land approached, she was simply glad that someone else had spoken to @Priscilla Flanst instead of Alex. She didn't know proper protocol! She didn't know anything about foreign policy! She was an adventurer, not a guard!

When the guards were supposed to usher the envoys in, Alex had done her best to follow the other guards lead and pretend like she belonged. It showed, but she managed without any major disaster and listened as a woman named Cessia introduced herself. Alex didn't know who she was, but she looked important. It was at this moment that she realized she really should look into learning at least something about her local politics.

Of course it seemed the opportunity to learn would possibly be close at hand. After all, Alex was now a very conspicuous fly on the wall as she stood among the other guards trying to figure out what if anything she was supposed to be doing. For the moment, it seemed they were just standing and observing what was happening before them. Personally she had to admit that she felt she had better posture than any of the actual guards on duty.

The woman, Cessia, spoke about taking these foreign visitors to see the king soon, and she absently wondered if as a substitute guard for the day, Alex would wind up getting to see the king as well. She wasn't sure wether it would be a good idea or not, but she was in too deep already, she had to see this through to the end either way.

 

[l=Area]Castle Dormont[/l]​

Seto Kurama, Duke of Ivalice

Sitting in a wooden chair next to the window which revealed the courtyard and a fair number of people but Seto paid no attention since it was rather common for many to flock to the castle. Seto's returned his eyes to his copy of Icha Icha, holding it in his hand while he used his other free hand as a headrest for his head as his eyes turned slowly fro the right to left, absorbing every bit of information he could from the pages and trying to enjoy it as much as he could although that was a tad hard since he had read Icha Icha multiple times but he couldn't help himself since Icha Icha was such a good read for entertainment. Seto's face almost puffed up in a pout in anger when he heard a female voice interrupt his lovely reading session, dammit this was the first time he had gotten any free time in quite awhile and of course, when he takes it for a nice break, someone just had to bother him. He could never win could he? He called out once the knocking to his door.

"Yes? Who is it?"

"Your Grace? I'm sorry to bother you but I was told to inform you that a noble from a foreign land has arrived here in Dormont. I believe it is Lady Priscilla Flanst and her personal knight, Sir. Maxmilian."

Seto sighed after the maid had finishing speaking, it seemed his play time or reading time was over for the moment, it was time to go play politics in Terrasphere once more, something he wasn't looking forward too but he knew this was something he couldn't ignore it.

"Very Well I understand, return to your duties handmaiden, I shall return to mine as well."

For a moment or two, there was no reponse until he heard "Yes my Grace." Seto sighed as he looked over his shoulder again towards the window, it was cldar he didn't have eagle vision where he could notice all the little details a rogue like person could but he could see the outlines of a woman wearing a victorian era dress accompied by a Knight, no doubt Lady Flanst and her personal knight, Maxmilan. There was also a few other people as well, there was Cessia and Harveste? He couldn't tell for sure if they were the people he was thinking of, as per usual King Astor was nowhere to be seen, quite common since he hated politics more than anything. Well it was time to move he figured, Seto put his small copy of Icha Icha in his Kimono's pocket than he proceeded to open the door and walk through the frame before closing the door. He joined his hands together under the sleeves of his kimono and began walking down the corridors.

​

 

[l=Area]Master Bedroom[/l]​

Dieter was be-plagued by a nasty headache as soon as he entered Astor's body, his persona in the world of Terrasphere. The pounding was ceaseless as he struggled to get up, only to fall back down into the soft linen that was his bed. He groaned, not wanting to deal with such realistic condition so early in the day. Just as he gave up and tucked himself in once more, a gentle knock came at the door.

"Come in,"

he called out to the person behind the door.

The maid opened the door and closed it softly behind her and gave Astor a courteous curtsy, waiting for him to allow her to approach. After she received the sign, the girl quickly came to his side and spoke,

"Your majesty, the envoy from Tertoria is here. Cessia had sent me give news about it. She is heading out to usher them in now."

"Hmm... alright, got it. Thanks Divi, you may go now."

It did not take Astor look to decide on what to do. Grabbing onto one of the pillows at his side, he tucked it at the head of the bed right behind his lower back before he leaned back. Although it seemed rather pressing, Astor didn't want to rush the meeting. He figured he should extend an invitation to all of the high-ranking nobles to attend the meeting as well, if they were truly his vassals then they too had to uphold civic duties.

Opening up his palm menu, Astor started to tap furiously at the keyboard, composing a mass message. Once he was done, he simply pressed send before he got up and headed into the walk-in closet to dress himself.

Mail

To all my nobles,

It's time for you lords and ladies to answer the King's call. The Tertorian Envoy is here. Drop whatever you're doing and come to the throne up posthaste if you want to do a proper job as a titleholder in this country.

If you don't get here in the next hour, or is way too late, I am going to have the guards lock the doors.

See you in a while.

From: @Astor Balthas
To: @Alonso Thorlion @Seto Kurama @Lucia Mierz @Amane Hirota

 

[l=Area]Audience Hall[/l]​

Priscilla Flanst

Priscilla looked at the flowers and seemed to analyze them with a great deal of scrutiny being sure not to touch any before giving a small smile to @Harveste .

"Faulkner. I shall accept her kind offer. It's only appropriate!"

The blonde knight took the flowers with a nod of his head to the small Faerin.

"Thank you generously. Faerin are such docile creatures. You certainly know your place, good girl. Indeed I am here for charitable reasons. I'm benevolent and gracious... I know! Hohohoho!"

With that Cessia would escort the noble woman to the Audience Chamber to wait for @Astor Balthas. Lady Flanst took out a small ornate fan and began to gently wave it while she waited for someone... anyone of merit to arrive. She had to wonder if this was normal routine? Did Astorea always leave emissaries sitting around like this? How dreadful! At least they brought her inside and not waiting at the gate asking a bunch of questions or something ridiuclous. This little country that could needed to get it's act together if it wanted to be worthy of her much sought after attention!

"How... quaint this place is. You are recovering from war. It's not unexpected for your land to be less than pleasant to look upon. So do not apologize! I can understand that your king is tired from all of his hard work however I do hope we could get this going soon? I am a very important woman myself and do not like wasting my time. If he is still in bed it would unfortunate. Hohohoho!"

In truth she did not want to cause them to feel wrongly about her intentions so she was sure to follow up like any good noble should.

"Regardless I look forward to this meeting. I have never met the man and he has piqued quite a few interests. I would not have risked my life crossing the Naryu Canyon for just anyone. Falderen never had much love for House Flanst nor we them regardless how our King feels. This is a new era and I am one who is happy to offer a hand in ushering it forward a bit faster."

Actually she came to the eastern lands sometimes on a whim for beaches and festivals. That was not important to mention though.

Relationship Level:
-2
​

 

[l=Area]Audience Hall[/l]​

Lucia had spent her day in game experimenting as she often did, after the creation of Alice, the Abomination, she'd had to look deeper into the more unknown species of undead. Those types of twisted and amalgamated creatures were foreign to her, if possible Lucia wanted to firmly root her abilities with average human-like undead but the situation was too good to pass up. Corpses from the were-wolf like monsters and remains from soldiers here and there were just too fine a material to let go to waste. It was for that reason she'd tried claiming custody of as many corpses as possible for Alice's creation leading to the birth of one of her stranger summons. "Well, at least it's starting to adapt and understand how to use it's body to some extent." She murmured polishing off the last of her notes. There were still more things for the creature to work on, but her theories were forming up nicely with some supporting facts.

It was while she was confirming new methods of supporting and supervising her ever changing abomination that she tilted her gaze up at the notice of a mail. Initially curious about what someone might want with her, she inevitably dawned a bleak expression and bitter smile. "... Haa... He's passing the buck? This one must be troublesome, Astor wouldn't pass on an easy job." Lucia couldn't help a mild complaint, half in jest half in seriousness. Astor was a capable person, at least better in regards to civil service then she was, it was for that reason she expected this to be something within her abilities but at the same time, it had to be something Astor didn't want to do himself. She could only conclude it was because the task was in some way unsavory, but Lucia didn't know much about he outside world, she didn't have much of an interest in external powers or territories she felt were unrelated to her goal. 'The game' of politics wasn't exactly something in her wheel house.

Putting some thought in, it would be nice to show up in style. If it's an Envoy, they'd no doubt have an escort, bringing someone for that escort to socialize with on an even playing field would be a nice change of pace as well. After all, to enter the good graces of a person, it was always helpful to have mutual associates or other connecting factors. "Sylvanas, I'm afraid this one isn't the best place for you to join me. I'll take Mortimer though, so please watching over things here while I'm gone?" Lucia spoke, dusting herself off she began to make her way to the the place Astor asked her to go, the gentleman phantom appearing beside her in a small puff of smoke initally in the familiar undead form of a wraith as they made their way to the meeting place.

Upon arriving Lucia made sure she was at least presentable, while this wasn't exactly in her wheel house, she would certainly try to put forth the effort so as to not make the player country look bad. Beside her, Mortimer supported her in her preparations, everything from straightening her accessories and making sure her hair was nice as they went. In the time between being called and making it to this place the phantom had gone through a bizarre change. What was once a floating undead phantom was not quite so any longer. While he had a similar silhouette and style of dress he had legs that moved well and fine as well as a head of short light brown hair. The undead had a welcoming and holy glow about him, his identity as an undead hard for those who were unfamiliar with his identity impossible to discern. For the sake of keeping up pretenses and ensuring her image was not one of darkness, Lucia had long prepared this neat and useful skill of her's with a proud smile as the former phantom worked.

"Matriarch, it seems all is well. Shall we proceed as discussed?"
"Yes, thank you. While some of our people might recognize you as a wraith, these people don't have access to adventurer's special logs so you don't need to conceal yourself too strictly. Just act as you always do, if things go well, we'll use this magic for other interactions in the future."
"I understand, while this type of situation is still very bizarre for me Matriarch, I shall take the appropriate measures."

Mortimer as he was now was different from normal, an avatar of light, while Lucia could only sustain this transition for one, maybe two of her subordinates at best there was no need for more then one to meet a noble. This was not a war with creatures who thrived or fed off of the undead after all. Instead it was a normal meeting place, one where she felt Mortimer's skills as an assassin and familiarity with high class culture would be useful. Before entering, Lucia was announced properly, giving an introduction that adhered to etiquette befitting her position. When or even if it was his turn to ever do so, Mortimer would follow along, humble and flattering in his efforts to appeal as one of Lucia's supporters. After exchanging pleasantries though, Lucia would be able to notice there weren't any other among the noble powers who had arrived yet it seemed. "It would seem I'm the first among our dignitaries to arrive though, I'm sure they're tied up with something extremely pressing to keep them from being a part of this reception. I'm sure they'll arrive here shortly to join us, until then I can try my hand at keeping you entertained?" Lucia made her best attempt at offering the noble woman something to alleviate the possible frustrations of others not appearing immediately.

Naturally, Lucia herself wasn't particularly adept in social situations, she had always seemed to be cursed by a life of mediocrity and despite that tried to put forth as much as she could to make the foreign noble's visit as interesting and welcoming as possible. Uncertain if this was just a vacation, a political meeting or something that had some yet unseen ulterior motive, Lucia tried to proceed in a manner that was both delicate and cautious of mistake... though inevitably she feared they would no doubt be made, the worry didn't prevent her from at least trying.

 

[l=Area]Audience Hall[/l]​

She was in the midst of logging off, about to rush an assignment when the message came in, startling her with a seldom heard chime. Ever since the guilds disbanded in the aftermath of Astorea, the people in her friends list seemed to have gradually dropped contact one by one: be it work or falling interest that beset them, she knew not, only that they stopped coming online. Maybe the game's realism scared them off, Amane mused as she curiously swiped open the mail. All these different factions and their politics, helping Yladia and balancing our relations with Falderen... It was daunting, she admitted. If it weren't for how incredibly fun, even empowering, it was to wield magic, to have people depend on her — she couldn't say for sure, but she might have left. She wasn't cut out for this, all her distant dreams of becoming a relevant and important party in this world aside. She could heal, and she liked to think that she had people's backs in a battle, but everything else left her feeling woefully ignorant.

Scanning through what was written, as she got further down the note, her hand froze, straying from its position hovering over the logout button in alarm. The Tertorian envoy. Had she heard of such a kingdom before? If she had, for the life of her she couldn't recall it. Not their leaders, not their customs, nothing. She would be walking into this blind. For a brief second Amane was tempted to dismiss the message, but then she shook away such senseless thoughts. She didn't have to accept the position of Marchioness, but she choose to pick it up, with all the responsibilities that came with it. Letting Astor down after he entrusted her with it didn't sit right with her.

Pulling herself onto Dia's back, the horse neighing at the sudden mount, she set as swift a course as she dared towards Dormont, petting Dia's neck in apology. Hopefully she would make it within the hour-long grace period that Astor had given. If not, she supposed she could always try to teleport in, but that would have to be a last resort. It was already going to be mortifying enough stepping into a diplomatic meeting late, let alone porting herself in. As she neared the castle, a weight lifted off her chest at the sight of the guards ushering someone in. She made it in time, then. Pausing to hand Dia over to the stablehands, she took a couple of minutes to adjust her hair and outfit as best as she was able to, before making her way inside the gates.

Forcefully burying her trepidation deep within her gut, Amane put on as dignified a smile as she was able to, taking measured steps as she entered the reception hall. Her eyes fell on a blond lady in red, her attire very much rich in quality, and a familiar necromancer engaging her in conversation. Based on her bearing alone, the felis immediately guessed that she was the envoy Astor has mentioned. Despite his curt message however, the king was conspicuously absent from the very meeting he had demanded urgency for. Which...would mean that she would have to work the room as well, so to speak. She had been hoping to get away with standing at the king's side, doing little else but looking important, and maybe engaging in small talk with dignitaries that held less prominent positions. But with only @Lucia Mierz keeping the envoy company, she couldn't just find a nondescript seat to occupy and bid her time without seeming incredibly offensive — she would doubtlessly have to approach the lady herself.

Stopping in front of the party, she offered @Priscilla Flanst a 45 degrees bow — her kimono making a curtesy impossible — before turning and giving Lucia a slightly shallower one. "Your Ladyship, Duchess Mierz," she greeted, praying her voice didn't bely her nervousness. "It is an honour to meet you, my lady. I am Marchioness Amane Hirota of Astorea; forgive my tardiness, I'm afraid my location was a distance away. Speaking off, I hope your own journey towards our lands fared well?" Oh, how she hoped she wouldn't mess this up.

 

[l=Area]Audience Hall[/l]​

Roland fidgeted with his robe. The silken garment had cost him a fortune, apparently being an import from some eastern country Roland had never heard of. However, with such an event arriving in his standard attire likely would have drawn more eyes than he would care to have on him, or so he thought. Upon entering the audience hall, a quick scan of the room indicated that a variety of players had chosen to forgo formality, sticking to their regular adventuring gear for the event. Roland merely clicked his tongue and strove inwards leaving a trail of citrus-scented cologne in his wake.

He had hoped to get a bearing on the current political climate. After all, despite his early efforts in raising the empire, he had only learned of his title of Duke recently. According to the missive sent by Astor's aide, he had gained the title some time ago but had missed the naming ceremony. While that was likely possible, Roland couldn't help but feel the title was begrudgingly given to him after his encounter with Astor in prison, but he would never know for sure. Regardless, that left him at a bit of a disadvantage. With the newly minted title, he wasn't sure what power structure had formed in the kingdom. If he had a mind to climb the political landscape, he'd need to be a quick study. The thought made Roland chuckle softly, after all, he had no intentions of doing such a thing. He was here for a specific purpose, to gain more information on Vermillion, and Narth.

Waving his hand as if performing a parlor trick, he produced a crystal goblet filled with a beautiful dark red liquid. The contents were a unique brand of grape juice, but looked and smelled much like wine. Even if it wasn't his intention to influence the political meanderings of nations tonight, he had no intention of being here under the influence of alcohol. Afterall he had already proven to himself time and time again he couldn't be trusted in such a state.

For a moment Roland mused his surroundings. It seemed that @Priscilla Flanst was currently entertaining a good portion of the nobility simultaneously. One look at the girl told Roland everything he wanted to know about her, snobbish, uptight, and likely booking a hidden agenda. Still, that didn't prevent him from waiting until they made eye contact and shooting her a flirtatious glance that included a quick wink and knowing smile, before moving his predatory gaze upon the balding account, Drugal. Striding confidently across the hall, Roland approached the man with the most insincere smile he could muster. "You must be Drugal," Roland said in a friendly tone, "One of my men at the gate stated you were an accountant employed by the Flanst family. I was hoping I could steal you for a moment to settle a debate one of my constituents has fabricated. An unbiased third party would be extremely valuable in the matter..." Roland let the request hang in the air a moment seemingly awaiting the man's response, but moved to grasp the man's arm as if it to pull him away despite this.

 

[l=Area]Audience Hall[/l]​

Priscilla Flanst

After having to wait for such a long time, Priscilla finally was able to meet some of the Astorean nobility.... interesting weren't they?

"Hohohohoho! Pressing tasks? I see! Entertaining me you say? Splendid!"

Flanst's eyes shifted to the tall pale looking man next to @Lucia Mierz , before setting them back the well composed woman. It was then that @Amane Hirota approached. Priscilla nodded her head but of course bowed to no one other than those who truly had authority over her. Even 'equals' were inferior to the glory of Flanst.

"It did, it did, hohoho! I keep only the finest of soldiers. Maximilian is superb! In most ways at least hohoho!"

Maximilian flushed a little at the arrival of the Felis. He wondered if the other one he met during the ceremony might arrive? Regardless Astorea had some of the most beautiful Felis he'd ever laid eyes upon and it made his job difficult.

"I must ask for some tales about how you became nobility? The birth of Astorea is one of more interesting events to happen recently. Although... we do need to move along. I am here personally to offer as much of House Flanst's assistance as I can. Which being Flanst of course, is a great deal hohohoho!"

Meanwhile @Roland Rutledge attempted to gain the attention of Drugal, the accountant. The man looked up from his book with a look of extreme irritation. He scowled some like a grinch during Christmas.

"Yes.. yes what is it? Shouldn't you be with the other nobles over there? I'm not the noble boy... she is."

He waved a hand at Lady Flanst and looked back into his book grumbling.This unfortunately did not remove the annoying fellow.

"...What?"

He continued to look over pages now in silence.

Maximilian

"Hm?"

The blonde knight looked towards where he thought he heard Drugal's voice. It seemed someone had approached him separately? It was a little suspicious so he took it upon himself to pull away from the group of chatting noble ladies and see what was going on.

"Hello there. I'm Maximilian Faulkner. Drugal here dislikes chatting, he's rather introverted I'm afraid. Care to take up your question with me or perhaps my Lady?"

Relationship Level:
-1​

 

Lucia maintained a business smile. If nothing else, the skewed different between 'Lucia' and 'Yuan' made it easy to be fake much to her own chagrin. The Flanst woman's personality was grating, almost quite literally bringing to mind the discomfort of a cheese grater. Lucia didn't bat an eyelash though or even flash a wink as she continued watching with that warm and inviting smile disassociating any unpleasantness she felt. Greeting Amane with a sweeter smile though, she encouraged the woman with a gentle and reassuring nod, feeling like the poor girl might be discomforted by the fullness of the room. Patting the woman gently to try and keep her spirits up as she spoke. "It's good to see you Amane." Lucia took a bit more of a relaxed approach to those who weren't a part of the game's system, those cogs in the machine were rigged with all sort of traps and risks that made it hard to be honest and genuine.

Though Flanst's words weren't missed by Lucia, a particular choice of word happened to strike Lucia as off making her hesitate though. Glancing back to the woman, Lucia paused, a musing hum coming form her lips as she processed the woman's words once more, carefully, before finally speaking. "I see. Then should I take it to mean you are here as the a representative of the Flanst family? Or the Tertorian kingdom as a whole?" Lucia asked, wanting to be certain before proceeding with any kind of talks of assistance or anything of the like. In truth, while it might seem similar, the two were vastly different in what they meant. The support of merely a single family of a kingdom could lead to things like encouraging a rebellion or staging a kingdom as a fall man if a rebellion went wrong, while the support of a kingdom as a whole, while a little less shady was still a monumental trouble. "While I wouldn't mind keeping you entertained, I'm afraid if we're to press onward with business matters that sort of official distinction will be important. Can I assume your offer is on behalf of your empire?" She asked to first make the woman's intentions a little more certain. If the empire wasn't behind her, then any decision made in haste would be more disastrous then doing nothing.

She did hope that her cautiousness helped Amane see that making sudden promises would be dangerous. They had no real way of knowing the other person's desires even if she admitted to something, being certain that it was truth was difficult. "I am curious though, about what you'd like to offer us, at least, I'd always believed there's no such thing as a 'free lunch' right?" Lucia couldn't help adding on top of the previous concern about legitimacy, this was an important deal as well. Walls could be repaired with Geomancy, stone could be cleared with myriad of magics and work could be done by her undead if necessary. The things she felt they needed however, population, food and experts were things that one couldn't so easily seek from the outside.

She spoke, glancing back towards Mortimer briefly. The masked man glancing back to Lucia, meeting her gaze for only a flash before gently gesturing with a modest bow to excuse himself. Roland didn't evade her sight or notice, even if it was only in passing. Seeing the man being approached by the knight, Lucia felt it might be safer to have help. The holy avatar brought it's arms behind it's back and proceeded in a dignified manner, the former phantom's gentlemanly demeanor unchanged with the shift in identity. The assassin was more at home then usual, possessing legs once more was a breath of fresh air, but Mortimer wouldn't be so distracted by his more human form that he'd lose his purpose.

"Gentlemen, I hope it wouldn't be unreasonable for me to join you while the nobles discuss business?" Mortimer offered with a humble gesture. Neither subservient or oppressive, he endeavored to maintain the neutral exterior of someone with respect and responsibility. As an assassin, he was intimately familiar with nobles and how to move among them, at such a time, it was best to remove himself from the discussion and instead observe and support where needed. The knight and accountant were no doubt a pair that he should make efforts to relate to, it was more befitting of his status.

 

Roland let his grasp fall free, as he focused on Maximilian. He had somewhat hoped his actions would peel the Priscilla from the others, but in the end the knight would have to do. Roland flashed the man the kind of toothy smile a child would when caught with their hand in a cookie jar. "I see, you are quite the gentleman to take on a civil servant's duties, Mister Faulkner was it? I don't believe I've had the pleasure of speaking with you before, I am Duke Roland Rutledge." Roland's head bobbed slightly in place in the semblance of a bow, old habits died hard.

In a heartbeat all sense of formality left the swordsman, as he leaned back into a relaxed posture cocking his head to the side with a smile, "You see one of my constituents has fabricated a potent-" His words were cut off by the intrusion of one that Roland didn't quite recognize. Squinting his eyes, Roland took in the Mortimer's appearance as the odd man interjected. Roland clicked his tongue in minor annoyance before leaning forward and lowering his voice so only the three could hear him, "The others here likely do not know your lady's secrets, but I've seen first hand what kind of magic she wields and could likely guess to the nature of your..inhuman aura." Pulling back Roland smiled, "Do me a favor and deliver a message that states Duke Rutledge would like her cooperation in the upcoming negotiations unless she would like that to come to light."

Roland then continued to stare at Mortimer as if his presence was unwelcome, clearly waiting for the assassin to leave before resuming his conversation with Faulkner.

@Lucia Mierz

 

[l=Area]Audience Hall[/l]​

Alpha had stepped into the hall with no small amount of merriment as she had just finished decorating several of the back-alleys of Astorea with Wintersday cheer! May the roads forever gleam with mistletoe and makeshift Mister Potatohead ripoffs. "La di do," she whistled with each jolly skip, her hands sitting comfortably in her hoodie's pockets while she inspecting every single aspect there was to see in the country's castle. Despite the state of ruination the rest of the kingdom was in, she found the adequate state of Astor's place a sight for sore eyes. You'd be surprised at how long you can look at broken infrastructure and trashed buildings before it all began to meld together and everything seemed dull and insubstantial. "Di do dah."

As she hopped around, often comparing the smallest of things to the pristine perfection that was Vermilion's own manor, something had caught her eye. Or rather, someone. You see, Alpha had been keeping herself distant and shy since recent events following the entire Falderen debacle (well, unless you count several guest appearances as a lead role in a few Stokbon plays and her own participation in the Dark Harvest festival). She had her reasons (mostly because she was busy angst-ing and emo-ing and wallowing in self-pity and despair while she was squatting in dilapidated houses that were up for sale to the general populace). The thing was, however, that all that meant that she hadn't seen many of her friends during that time period and, to see @Roland Rutledge again after that long period of time, excited her.

"Ruuuudoollllffffff!" she shrilled out. Her stark shriek could've been compared to a banshee's scream as she scrambled through the crowd, her eyes locked onto the bush of purple hair. Perhaps it was a stretch to say that Alphabet Chocolate recognized Roland's presence only by his purple hair but, considering the surprisingly low amount of players and NPCs alike who had purple hair, it seemed obvious to Alpha. There was also the fact that the only other purple-haired person she'd ever seen was Vermilion and to compare the masculine and feminine figures of Roland and Vermilion would be like comparing a deformed apple to an exotic east-Asian guava fruit.

Just as she latched onto Roland's back, her limbs wrapped around him like a spider, she noticed his company. A very attractive, fair-faced friend, indeed. Her face flushed and she pinched Roland's neck, whispering into his ear. "Oooooh, who's that?" she blushed, ducking to hide her face from Maximilian Faulkner. The man seemed to glow with warmth and plain old handsomeness. If it weren't for his blonde hair and distinctive facial characteristics, she could've compared the charisma he exuded to Narth's own (bless that hot boy wherever he was; Alpha would find him one day and they'd get married in a nice chapel somewhere). And then, looking away for a second, she saw a very peculiar figure standing off to the edge who seemed to be a part of the conversation (how did she even miss him in the first place?!). "Ooooh, who's he?" Alpha nudged Roland, staring pointedly at Mortimer. It didn't seem as if Roland enjoyed the man's company and if he didn't, then Alpha didn't either...

And then it clicked. The presence of an extremely handsome man, the presence of someone Roland, of all people, didn't like... it was obvious and Alpha berated herself for ever falling for anyone other than Narth. What kind of friend was she if she fell for tall, blonde, and handsome?! "I get it," she said, winking slyly from a vantage where she was sure no one could see. "It's okay Rudolf! It's been, like, ten years since we last hung out but I'm Alphabet Chocolate: Expert Wingwoman and Professional Matchmaker! I'll make sure that guy won't get between your date," she said smugly, gesturing at Maximilian. "He's pretty cute, though! You're one lucky man, Rudolf! So lucky!"

 

"It's good to see you as well; it's been too long," Amane agreed as Lucia offered some measure of comfort, shooting the necromancer a grateful smile. Thank goodness Lucia was here was as well — out of the two of them, she seemed like she knew what she was doing, her demeanour when conversing with Lady Flanst both calm and assured. And so the felis took a metaphorical step back, letting Lucia handle the more political and complicated aspects of forging a tentative alliance with a lifting sensation of relief, the realisation that she had someone more knowledgable to count on doing wonders on her nerves.

Though she may not be of much help with politics however, Amane was hardly going to leave Lucia to pull all the weight. She came here for a reason, after all, to do her part as an Astorean noble, and that couldn't be achieved by passively standing by as others fought to wrought change, as tempting the lack of responsibility might be. What she couldn't make up for in the political sphere she could hopefully do so in the more social aspects of diplomacy — Lucia didn't seem like the type to offer empty niceties, and she could be wrong, but the Lady Flanst seemed like exactly the type to lap up laudation. No, lap wasn't the right word. It was more like absorbing praise, taking what would be flattery to others as not even compliments, but the simple and genuine truth. She didn't think the noble was boasting, when she claimed that her knights were the finest. Indeed, to Flanst it might as well be fact. Goodness, it has been a long time since she had to interact with anyone with this level of arrogance.

"Perhaps after the necessary talks are over, we may exchange some tales?" she said when Lucia had concluded her questions. "I would love to hear about Flanst and your kingdom. I have never crossed beyond the borders of Falderen and Astorea myself, but it sounds like a magnificent place." It wasn't all sweet-talk — the thought of other kingdoms, their different cultures, environments, and cities, truly intrigued her, and she didn't doubt that House Flanst — whatever weight that carried within the kingdom of Tertoria — was a veritable power in and of themselves. The scholarly part of her that carried her through her highschool years was definitely eager to learn more, and as long as she took care not to divulge too much about themselves, Amane figured it would be a fair trade, and might allow Astorea to learn more about the mostly unknown kingdom.

@Lucia Mierz, @Priscilla Flanst