EMPIRE! Voices from the Shadows

[WaylanderX]

This is a thread for members of the Empire! game only.
If an Empire! player sees this thread and wants to join, plz send me a PM, I'll send you a plothook from which you can join.


Elemental


Original Letter:

This message is brought by raven. The bird is ragged, filthy and tries to peck the servants eyes out when they take the letter. The letter itself is sealed with sickly green wax, upon which a symbol resembling a raven impaled upon a pike is embossed. The writing is erratic, the ink a brownish shade of red. The parchment is splattered with small droplets of the “ink”.


To the Greatest Leader Ashenia has ever known,

Greetings, o Great King of Ashenia. I have send this letter to offer thy my services. As your mightiness is most likely aware, the Hurosha empire still hold great enmity towards the holdings of Ashenia. The Earthguards poison the souls of all living things! THEY MUST BE ERADICATED! DEMONS, DEVILS! Give me 5.000 troops to aid my cause! In exchange, thy shall recieve from me two regions of Hurosha's lands. Yes, Yes, Ashenia shall be rid of its nemisis! I humbly ask thy to send thy reply with the raven that brought this message. If I get a raven back with possitive news, I shall await thy in the “Tripoint” Inn, on the point where the borders of Ashenia, Bordeux and Celero converge. I will be there in exactly two months from when you recieve this letter.

For the Glory of Ashenia!

A Friend

Tansan's Reply:

A messenger in a billowing scarlet cloak approaches the gates of Earthhome riding a horse. The horse he is riding is of a local Kasumori breed as he has apparently exchanged horses on the way rather than wait for them to rest. The guards see that he is extremely exhausted, but rather than rest, he demands an immediate audience with the Emperor stating that it is of paramount importance that the King of Ashenia's message be delivered as soon as possible.

To His Majesty Wayve Earthguard, greetings;

I am forwarding to you a copy of a letter I received recently by trained raven, no doubt, you will find the contents very disturbing. While I admit the offer of nearly half your empire is tempting, I rather doubt the blood of Hell runs through your family's veins and I am certainly not the greatest king Ashenia has ever known.
Furthermore, I wish to inform you that I will attempt to apprehend this criminal and place them on trial for conspiracy to commit regicide, the penalty for which is death, though given the way this letter was written, I may have to confine the perpetrator to an asylum instead. If you desire to be present at their trial or interrogate them yourself, I extend to you a formal invitation for a state visit to Ashenia to coincide with the trial which I expect to begin in three months.

Yours in trust,
Tansan Toranath II, King of Ashenia, Prince of Eseda, &c


With some difficulty, the King's personal falconer manages to attach a letter to the raven's leg. In contrast to the letter the raven had brought, this one was sealed with dark red wax and the writing clear and neat. The message however was but a single sentence.

I will meet you at the Tripoint Inn on the date you have specified to discuss the matter in further detail.
Tansan Toranath II.

OOC: I'm just going to ask... Where are you going with this Waylander? If you have a story in mind you want to pursue, best to let me know before I just arrest this guy and have him executed for high treason.

Wayve's Reply:

As the messenger returns home per dragonfly, his horse being dropped of by hovercraft a few days later. The messenger carries a letter, sealed with the Huroshan royal seal.

To King Tansan Toranath II of Ashenia,

I thank you for your swift and just response. I have no qualms with your people apprehending this lunatic and executing him. However, a swift interrogation might be in order, so I must request permission to send a delegation, numbering around 10 individuals, to do just so just before the trail. You have my gratitude and trust.

May your Prowess lead you to greatness,

Wayve Earthguard, Emperor of Hurosha, Shïnguard of Kasumor


TheWombatOfDoom

Original Message:


This message is brought by raven. The bird is ragged, filthy and tries to peck the servants eyes out when they take the letter. The letter itself is sealed with sickly green wax, upon which a symbol resembling a raven impaled upon a pike is embossed. The writing is erratic, the ink a brownish shade of red. The parchment is plattered with small droplets of the “ink”.


To the Emperor of the World and the Dawn,

Greetings, o Great Emperor of the Dawn. I have send this letter to offer thy my services. As your mightiness is most likely aware, the Hurosha empire is a scourge upon this world. The Earthguards warp the mind of all they come into contact with! THEY MUST BE ERADICATED! DEMONS, DEVILS! Give me 10.000 troops to aid my cause! In exchange, thy shall recieve from me four regions of Hurosha's lands. Yes, Yes, The dawn shall finally break through! I humbly ask thy to send thy reply with the raven that brought this message. If I get a raven back with possitive news, I shall await thy in the “Heart of Wine” Inn, on the point where the borders of Lyradis, the Heartwaste and Raaneka converge. I will be there in exactly two months from now.

For the Dawn!

A Friend


Triumvirate


Original Message:

This message is brought by raven. The bird is ragged, filthy and tries to peck the servants eyes out when they take the letter. The letter itself is sealed with sickly green wax, upon which a symbol resembling a raven impaled upon a pike is embossed. The writing is erratic, the ink a brownish shade of red. The parchment is plattered with small droplets of the “ink”.


To the leaders of the Triumvirate,

Greetings, o noble masters of democracy. I have send this letter to offer thy my services. As you mighty people are most likely aware, your neighbours of the Hurosha empire still embrace the evils of emperorship and supression. The Earthguards suppress the population! THEY MUST BE ERADICATED! DEMONS, DEVILS! Pledge 5.000 troops to my cause! In exchange, thy shall recieve from me half of Hurosha's lands when the evil is purged. Yes, Yes, Democracy shall reign the world! I humbly ask thy to send thy reply with the raven that brought this message. If I get a raven back with possitive news, I shall await thy in the “Claw of the Mantid” Inn, 2 hours west from Farreach outpost, at the border with Woodwind. I will be there in exactly two months from when you recieve this letter.

For Democracy!

A Friend

Triumvirate's Reply:

A letter is returned via the same raven so that it may return to wherever is proper.


Friend of the Triumvirate,

The Triad Council has reviewed your letter intensely and found its offer intriguing. We shall gather forces and seek to have a general meet with you personally at the aforementioned site. I hope we may come to a satisfactory arrangement once there.

Triad Council


Another letter is sent to Earthhome via insect carrier along with the original letter sent to the Triumvirate.

Emperor Wayve Earthguard,

Blessings of Ashmar upon you friend, I hope this letter finds you well. I write to you now to inform you of a strange letter received by the Triad Council this past week concerning your nation. Its content and construction are concerning and speaks of a deranged and dangerous mind. I have included the original letter with my own that you might review it and see the madness from which my concern arises. Although I suspect this simply to be the work of a madman and that he asks for troop support speaks of a lack of actual forces of his own this letter still represents a clear and present danger in that a radical with capability to write and seal a letter with a personal sigil seeks to depose your rule and there remains a possibility that he might draw support from those with whom Hurosha does not share as close bonds.

We of the Triumvirate have written back that we shall meet this 'Friend' at the Inn he specified with troops, and we plan to, though not for the purpose of his support but simply to act as an auxiliary to any arresting forces you would send. Perhaps together we can stop this issue before it becomes a danger like that of Kuramkesh.

Your Friend,
Speaker Aluic Shaeldtae
Triumvirate

Wayve's Reply:

A messenger returns to Aloren per dragonfly. The messenger carries a letter, sealed with the Huroshan royal seal.

To Speaker Aluic Shaeldtae of the Triumvirate,

I thank you for your swift and just response. Your message bears grave tidings. I will send Orion, the Arche of the Eastern Skies, with a detachment to arrest this culprit. However, to prevent the suspect from fleeing, I would like some assistance from the Triumvirate to hear him out and see if the suspects tell anything useful. Orion will, with your leave, meet you 30 minutes east of the meeting point 3 hours before the deadline, to finalize any tactics that could be needed. You have my gratitude and trust, my friend.

May your Prowess lead you to greatness,

Wayve Earthguard, Emperor of Hurosha, Shïnguard of Kasumor



Logic


Original Letter


This message is brought by raven. The bird is ragged, filthy and tries to peck the servants eyes out when they take the letter. The letter itself is sealed with sickly green wax, upon which a symbol resembling a raven impaled upon a pike is embossed. The writing is erratic, the ink a brownish shade of red. The parchment is plattered with small droplets of the “ink”.


To the most honourable king of Celero across all ages,

Greetings, o noble king. I have send this letter to offer thy my services. As you mightiness is most likely aware, your allies of the Hurosha empire embrace the evils of supression and devil worship of the foul being they call Ashmar. The Earthguards contaminate and destroy their subjects! THEY MUST BE ERADICATED! DEMONS, DEVILS! Pledge 5.000 troops to my cause! In exchange, thy shall recieve from me the region called Zargrim and Tekorva when the evil is purged. Yes, Yes, Celero shall show the world its worth! I ask of thy to send thy reply with the raven that brought this message. If I get a raven back with possitive news, I shall await thy on the Eastern side of Nature's Citadel. I will be there in exactly two months from when you recieve this letter.

For the Glory of Celero!

A Friend



SamBurke


Original Letter


This message is brought by raven. The bird is ragged, filthy and tries to peck the servants eyes out when they take the letter. The letter itself is sealed with sickly green wax, upon which a symbol resembling a raven impaled upon a pike is embossed. The writing is erratic, the ink a brownish shade of red. The parchment is plattered with small droplets of the “ink”.



To the most cunning man in the Empire of Dawn, Master of Coin,

Greetings, o noble one. I have send this letter to offer thy my services. As you mightiness is most likely aware, your allies of the Hurosha empire embrace the evils of supression and stop honest people like yourself from making a decent profit at every turn. The Earthguards plainly rob their subjects of all their money! THEY MUST BE ERADICATED! DEMONS, DEVILS! Pledge 5.000 troops to my cause! In exchange, thy shall recieve from me the region called Gwrîstin and Shikurai when the evil is purged. Yes, Yes, Guilder shall show the world the true way of coin! I ask of thy to send thy reply with the raven that brought this message. If I get a raven back with possitive news, I shall await thy on the south of the Caudarn Killan in Zargrim, 10 minutes north of the Guilderene border. I will be there in exactly two months from when you recieve this letter.

For the Glory of profit!

A Friend



Morph Bark


Original Letter


This message is brought by raven. The bird is ragged, filthy and tries to peck the servants eyes out when they take the letter. The letter itself is sealed with sickly green wax, upon which a symbol resembling a raven impaled upon a pike is embossed. The writing is erratic, the ink a brownish shade of red. The parchment is splattered with small droplets of the “ink”.

To the Greatest Qzare the Salterri Emperium has ever known,

Greetings, o Great Qzare. I have send this letter to offer thy my services. As your mightiness is most likely aware, the Hurosha Empire still holds a deep grudge against the people of the Silver Sea. The Earthguards will corrupt your people! THEY MUST BE ERADICATED! DEMONS, DEVILS! Give me 5.000 troops to aid my cause! In exchange, thy shall recieve from me one region of Hurosha's lands. Yes, Yes, the Salterri shall prove that they rule all Under Heaven! I humbly ask thy to send thy reply with the raven that brought this message. If I get a raven back with possitive news, I shall await thy in the shadows of The Gates of Salted Earth and Molten Sea of our Blessed Mother, She-Of-Silver-Spear-and-Coin, Who Guards Us in the Day and Watches Us at Night. I will be there in exactly two months from when you recieve this letter.

For the Silver Lady!

A Friend

[SamBurke]

Inigo rides, his men spaced behind him about a hundred yards, and circling above in flights of the quetzals. As he comes to the border, he waits, quieting the restlessness of his Trihorn with some sweet mountain grass.

After a few hours, it's clear the man is not going to arrive instantly, so Inigo gets down, and begins pitching a one-man camp, sword at the ready. Who is this friend? And what does he truly desire?

[Elemental]

A return message is sent back with the dragonfly tamer. It is short and to the point.

Very well then. We will delay the trial until after your delegation arrives. However, any interrogations you conduct will have to be witnessed by a member of my Court.
Yours in trust,
Tansan Toranath II


Two months later at the Tripoint Inn...

A figure in a hooded white cloak with silver embroidery (the King to be precise) entered the inn, a shining figure amongst the travellers still marked by the dust of the road, and walked up to where the innkeeper stood behind the bar wiping glasses. He placed a bag of coins on the bar.
"An emissary has requested that I meet with them and they chose this location. I apologise for any inconvenience that this causes you and your patrons."
This almost ritualistic apology complete, the King turned and seated himself at a table in the centre of the room to await the emissary to reveal himself.
Tansan had by no means come alone. At least a third of the patrons were in his employ and soldiers were waiting to surround and storm the building should the need arise.

[ImperatorV]

Quinton is busy this week, so I'll be taking over RP duty. Yay for Federations!


30 minutes east of “Claw of the Mantid” Inn

The Lord Chancellor's instructions had been simple: Arrive at the designated meeting place three hours before he was due to meet with the strange revolutionist. Naturally, General Vladmir Drakksen had arrived four hours before. He had made his way up the ranks by being thorough and cautious, and he saw no reason to stop now. Especially with a delicate matter such as this. So, he arrived early and patiently waited for the Huroshan detachment.

[WaylanderX]

Guilder

Emerging from the woods, seated upon a Direwolf, lone rider rode towards Inigo. The Direwolf snapped at his rider, only to be harsly reprimanded by a whip the rider was carrying with him to keep the beast under control. When he approached close enough, Inigo saw him to be an old man, maybe 60 or 70 double-cycles (years) old. Most of his teeth were gone or rotting, and a gaping hole could be seen where his left eye once was. He wore a rough spun cotton traveling tunic, with no emblems visible. Despite traveling alone, no weapons could be seen on the man. He stopped 10 meters from the spot Inigo had set up his camp. He grinned his hole-riddled, brown-rotten smile. Despite his appearence, his manner of speach was formal and interlectual.

"Good day friend. Might I assume that you are the one that I contacted by raven? The one that came from Guilder?"


Ashenia

Almost as soon as the King was seated, a shadow sepperated itself from the wall on his right, taking a seat at this table. The man was clad in a muddy dark-blue cloak, his frame skinny and small. His eyes were flickering all over the tavern, as if expecting danger to appear from the air itself. Finnally, his eyes settled on the King.

"Greetings...friend. You are from Ashenia yes? A letter by raven you have recieved yes? I am glad you come, oh yes yes."


Triumvirate

About half an hour after the Lord Chancellor's forces arrived, a familiar humming sound could be hear from the south of their location. Some minutes later, two dozen dragonflies and again as many mantids landed next to them, their leader dismounting rapidly to confront Vladimir.

"May Prowess be with you, friend. I am Orion Airguard, Ache of the Eastern Skies. I see you've arrived even early than I have. We had to take a detour as not to raise suspicion flying over the meetingsite. With whom do I have the honour of cooperation with?"

[ImperatorV]

Vladmir was not the type that was good with introductions, so he decided to stick with the basics.

I am Vladmir Drakksen, ranking general of the Northern Triumvirate Army.

Now, I believe you will want to know our plans for capturing this revolutionary?

[Elemental]

"This is most irregular, as I am sure you are aware. Still, you requested my presence and I have come. You mentioned a great opportunity for me and my realm. Please. do explain just what you mean by that. Raising my army isn't something I do without good reason."
After the king spoke, he took a flask of Heartwine out of his pocket and poured it into a glass. He would probably need it later.

[WaylanderX]

Vladmir was not the type that was good with introductions, so he decided to stick with the basics.

I am Vladmir Drakksen, ranking general of the Northern Triumvirate Army.

Now, I believe you will want to know our plans for capturing this revolutionary?


Orion smiled.

"Yes we do, general Drakksen. This socalled revolutionary shall not escape our grasp. We might even get some valuable intel out of him."

The Arche pulled a map out of his backpack, unfolding it and giving it to Drakksen.

"If you would please, you will go into the tavern, feigning interest in this plan of his to prevent arousing suspicion. Extract all the information you can. Some of my forces will be present inside the tavern itself, disguised at normal worksmen getting a good drink. The rest of my men, together with yours, shall lay in wait 100 meters from the tavern, with scouts hiding at regular intervals at 20 meters from the building."

Orion looked at Vladimir.

"Do you agree with this plan, my friend?"


"This is most irregular, as I am sure you are aware. Still, you requested my presence and I have come. You mentioned a great opportunity for me and my realm. Please. do explain just what you mean by that. Raising my army isn't something I do without good reason."
After the king spoke, he took a flask of Heartwine out of his pocket and poured it into a glass. He would probably need it later.

Skittishly looking around the inn, the man leaned close.

"Just as I said in the letter, o great lord. I can help you finish of Ashenia's enemies of old. My m...Me myself have some unfinished bussiness with them aswell. They exiled me, defiled my name, sire. All because of my desire for rightousness. As such, I want your help."

"Lend me your strenght sire. I can lead your troops into the heartlands of the Hurosha Empire without being spotted, silent and deadly as a shadow. After the Huroshan army has been defeated, I will take my rightfull place and Ashenia will get what it deserves."

[ImperatorV]

Vladmir nods appreciatively.
I'm glad you've thought this out. I have a small facet to add to the plan; if the target doesn't suspect anything, I will offer to lead him on an inspection of my troops. If he agrees, I can lead him a few ranks in and then arrest him surrounded by hundreds of troops. Escape, even with underhanded tricks, would be nigh impossible. If he refuses, it will provide a cue for your agents inside to make their move.

[WaylanderX]

Vladmir nods appreciatively.
I'm glad you've thought this out. I have a small facet to add to the plan; if the target doesn't suspect anything, I will offer to lead him on an inspection of my troops. If he agrees, I can lead him a few ranks in and then arrest him surrounded by hundreds of troops. Escape, even with underhanded tricks, would be nigh impossible. If he refuses, it will provide a cue for your agents inside to make their move.


Orion clapped his hands.

"Sounds mighty fine to me. I suggest we get into position now the plan is clear."

The Huroshan forces began to move into position, with a few soldiers, dressed in farmers clothing, walking leisurely towards the inn.

[ImperatorV]

Orion clapped his hands.

"Sounds mighty fine to me. I suggest we get into position now the plan is clear."

The Huroshan forces began to move into position, with a few soldiers, dressed in farmers clothing, walking leisurely towards the inn.



Three hours after Orion and Vladmir parted ways, an entire division of troops in Triumvirate regalia marched up the Claw of the Mantid Inn. They stopped exactly one hundred yards from the entrance, and parted ranks to allow their general to pass through. He entered the inn, looking around for his contact. No code word or description had been provided, so he had no way of knowing who the revolutionary was. He simply bought a drink and sat down by himself, hoping the contact would come to him.

[Elemental]

"This is an intriguing proposition, there is no doubt of that. I am certainly surprised that you have determined a strategy to defeat the Huroshan army with only five thousand men.
"Your claim surprises me. As far as I am aware, the Earthguard family has ruled unopposed for generations. Still, I am no expert on their history."
The King stood and took a sip from his wine glass.
"We will have to speak more on this in more private surrounds. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. And thank you, for your confession."
As Tansan spoke these last, a third of the patrons in the inn stood and drew swords, each one of them singing as they left their scabbards in the way that only mithril could.

[WaylanderX]

Three hours after Orion and Vladmir parted ways, an entire division of troops in Triumvirate regalia marched up the Claw of the Mantid Inn. They stopped exactly one hundred yards from the entrance, and parted ranks to allow their general to pass through. He entered the inn, looking around for his contact. No code word or description had been provided, so he had no way of knowing who the revolutionary was. He simply bought a drink and sat down by himself, hoping the contact would come to him.

And indeed, after a while, a fat man came walking towards Vladmir. He wore a filthy shirt to small for big body, together with parts made of burlap.

"Greetins mate! Me be Ridovo, ya new lord. I reckon' ya came here to gimme me troops?"

The fat man seated himself opposite of Vladmir, with the chair creaking under the sheer weight of the man.

"Ya doin' good to comply mate! With ya troops, Imma gonna take over Hurosha, be its lord ya know. Imma gonna have allda food an' girls a great man like me coulda want. So were are da lads?"


"This is an intriguing proposition, there is no doubt of that. I am certainly surprised that you have determined a strategy to defeat the Huroshan army with only five thousand men.
"Your claim surprises me. As far as I am aware, the Earthguard family has ruled unopposed for generations. Still, I am no expert on their history."
The King stood and took a sip from his wine glass.
"We will have to speak more on this in more private surrounds. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. And thank you, for your confession."
As Tansan spoke these last, a third of the patrons in the inn stood and drew swords, each one of them singing as they left their scabbards in the way that only mithril could.

As soldiers stood up and came closer, the man let out a nervous laugh.

"D-D-Did you think I wasn't prepared for that? I am the M-Mighty Ridovo. PERISH!"

The last words lets his mouth in a very high pitch, almost as the squeeking of a rat. But upon uttering that word, the remaining two-thirds of the inn stood up, rusted longswords and pitchforks, that were hidden for view, readied for battle.

"I g-g-give you one more chance to pledge your support to me. Y-y-you would do wel to give in."

[Elemental]

"I certainly admire your audacity. However, your men are armed with rusting swords and farming tools, mine have only the best mithril. Not to mention, an entire army.
"Captain, you know what to do."
At this, the guards moved into a defensive formation around the King as two of them moved to apprehend the man calling himself Ridovo.