Rise of the Silver Wyrm -- The (re-)Coronation and Nameday of Li Tianshi [442]

[Morph Bark]

~ Year 442 of the Common Calendar ~
Year 992 of the Salterri Calendar

The Imperial Palace in Xianzhi Urbe, Aus-Teire


The streets of Xianzhi Urbe had been filled with colourful pieces of cloth hanging from lines that spanned the gap between streets from roof to roof. Alcoves that were on every street where lanterns would hang during the evening had small pots with burning incense in them. The canals of the city were thriving with small boats of merchants going back and forth in preparation for the celebrations. The city hadn't felt so alive in a long time. Giant birds flew overhead, carrying messages between the palace, the temple and the gates and harbour of the city.

The guests are led from the gates and harbour--depending on whether they arrive by land or ship--by a pair of guards to the Imperial Palace. There, the captain of the guard, a bearded man in orichalcum plate armor, greets the guests and asks them to check their weapons before they are led inside to the Hall of Thrones where the Silver Throne stands at the end at the top of some stairs. A carpet lays on the floor leading from the entrance of the Hall to the stairs, the rest of the room having no chairs but plenty of pillows for the guests to sit on. The guests are told the dining hall and ballroom will be opened after the ceremony.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/306/d/3/d39747125f733a18d6b8f42a142d773b-d5jrd3b.jpg
Rulers and their heirs are permitted to carry arms to their full extent, though use of them is of course prohibited. Others are allowed to carry a single weapon.

The coronation will take place first chronologically, after which the party is opened in a separate hall. Feel free to open up any time bubbles during the coronation, party, or before or after that!



--- --- --- --- ---


The war had lasted for long enough, in her opinion. My first act should be to end this fools' war and make peace, she thought to herself. This feast would provide a welcome change from the grim atmosphere that had hung in the palace for years, but it would be only the beginning of everything for her. She'd finally get rid of the Zuei lackeys and spies and punish those who had dragged the Imperium further into war after her father's death. There were enough people in high places still loyal to her father, all she needed to do was move quickly.

But first, there would be the coronation. Or re-coronation as her sisters called it, as she had been Qzarina for years now, but now that she came of age she would also take on the official responsibilities and capabilities that came with that title. She sucked in her breath as Marina roughly pulled the chords on her dress tighter. Tianshi hoped she would still be able to breathe well enough to take care of business. At least she'd look good doing it, in purple and white and silver, with just the right amount of frills. Which was to say, not enough according to some of her sisters.

"Honestly, you should've gone for pink and red instead of purple. You look much too old. A Qzarina needs a Qzare, you're never gonna get a man to turn into one at this rate. Really--" Yakked Huanle as she did her hair for her, putting it in a bun.

[DurkBlanston]

Lord Protector Cassius Caercia the Younger, still called as much despite his 38 years of age and the passing of Cassius Caercia the Elder two years prior, arrived at the Imperial Palace in Aus-Teire dressed in a fine linen shirt, pressed flat and dyed with Jarrland dyes the purple and blues of the Caercian heraldry. Beside him stood his son and heir, Markus Caercia the II, a thin young man of but 23 years who seemed intent to distance himself from his father in his Wyrmarian robes and unique hairstyle of the Wyrmar, shaved clean along his left head and grown long and braided upon the right. If it was not known better and his skin were of a different quality he might be mistaken to be the son of the man standing yet a step behind the young Emir. This man was dressed similar to Markus, in Wyrmarian robes and with a similar style to his hair, though his skin and pale blue eyes spoke of true Wyrmar heritage.

Markus' adopted son and Cassius' wife were absent from the retinue, the Lady Governess having stayed behind to care for the young child Ji as if he were true Caercian blood. The concept infuriated Cassius, but he made no mention of it to any but his brother Gaius who counseled patience and acceptance of his son's choices and "grandson's" legitimacy. Being forced to travel with the young man and his incessant Guru had nearly driven Cassius insane. They hadn't spoken a word the whole trip, continuing a six year stretch of silence barring the occasional forced social grace between the Lord Protector and his heir. The silence had been brought on by Markus' adoption of the whore-princess R'jas' child that had come about from her affair with the Guru Agni and subsequently making the bastard-child his own heir.

Cassius had admitted to himself being disappointed the war seemed likely to be at a close. It had kept him away from Palas Caercia, away from his disgrace of a son and lie of a grandson. He already missed the battlefield where men were forged into men. He had plans to pursue the land discovered in years past once this peace agreement had been settled and the rightful Qzarina restored, at least then he could avoid standing in the presence of his progeny he so despised. Perhaps Gaius might join him and they could live for battle once again and forge a stronger kingdom that might hold together through any leader it might have befall it...

Cassius looked briefly at his invitation.

"Speak privately."

He wondered what the Qzarina might have to say to him, he was not hoping for praise, he had heard the young woman despised the war and those who fought it but he knew well what he had done and was prepared to face the young woman in whatever capacity she attempted to approach him. She was his Qzare and he would respect her, but he would not see his name tarnished for fighting for her Imeprium either.

The small retinue entered the Palace after being checked for weapons. Cassius and Markus each bore a ceremonial, though still usable, sword and the Guru carried no weapons at all. As soon as they entered they split away, Cassius moving to find those he recognized from the field, Markus and Agni moving to socialize and talk with the more posh guests and the representatives of the Silver Lady.

[Aedilred]

In times past, Jarrland delegations to the Aus-Teire had arrived with a mien that bordered on the servile, painfully aware of their lowly status on the fringes of the Imperium, cowed by the Salterri nobles at home in the Imperial capital. The contrast with their entrance on this occasion would have been marked, for any old enough to remember occasions past. Alfmark was in his forties, still moving with some of the vigour and the sharpness of youth, an impression reinforced by his beardlessness, but with the effortless confidence of successful middle age. As he and his entourage walked through the Salterri nobles and officials present, it became apparent that he was actually quite a bit taller than most of them.

He wore the robes of a senior Imperial noble in carmine and gold, surmounted with a black, ruddy furred-lined cloak, the only purple in the ensemble the quartzes set in his jewellery. There was no crown, not even a circlet, to display his royal status, but the sword at his side was enough to mark him out. He was here as the victor of Salteire, a proconsul of the Imperium, the Qzarina's cousin, and he knew those who did not know him by sight would find out soon enough without any input from him. In any case, it was clear their days of bowing and scraping to the lowliest of Senators were done: they were here for the Qzarina alone.

Flanking Alfmark, one on each side, were the Qzarina's uncles, Atheldynn and Elwyr, Atheldynn wearing a purple and gold sash in concession to his official position as atheling, and, behind him, the king's eldest son, Eldred, standing out even among the rest of the dark-skinned attendees with his near-obsidian complexion and sharp elfin eyes and ears. With them were the Qzarina's grandmother, Queen Tempest, who had been dividing her time between Aus-Teire and Jarrland recently, but arrived on this occasion with her sons, and another, paler faeblood woman in her late twenties, wearing Vennland colours. Behind them, a handful of more minor nobles: ireiarchons of Tempestia, lords of the Akuul and Kornandon, the usual hangers-on.

The king strode straight towards the throne and the Qzarina, acknowledging nobody else for the moment, and halted before her. He bowed deeply, along with his more immediate family.

"My lady," he said, simply.



King Alfmark (46)
Prince Atheldynn, his heir (49)
Prince Elwyr (41)
Prince Eldred, the king's son (15)
Tempest Grant, the dowager Queen (76)
Valéria Nisakovich, mother of the titular Duke of Vennland (29)
Jonas Grant, Tempest's twin brother (76)
Others to be determined as appropriate.

[WaylanderX]

A large object darkened the skies above Xianzhi Urbe. A giant Gunungese zeppelin flying the Huroshan collors flew over, stopping a respectable distance from the Imperial Palace. Around 50 mantid riders and 50 dragonfly riders accompanied the large vessel. A hatch on the belly opened, after which a few silhouettes left the zeppelin, aflight on gossamer wings. A lift was also being let down, containing a familiar giant light-blue figure, glimmering in the Salterii sun. When the figures reached the ground, it was clear who they were. Wayve was the first to touch down on the ground, being clad in his signature fullplate, the Phoenix star shining on his chest, his relic axe strewn on his back. Kenwyn, still in the prime of his life, touched down second, immediately approaching the guards to announce their arrival and arrange their entry. A unfamiliar young man, around 20 years of age, was right on behind him, slightly weary of his surroundings.

His name was Marevain Earthguard, and he was betrothed to Cornelia Caercia, a deal forged by his uncle several years ago. Being trained on speed rather than brute strength, he was tall and slender, a slender épee at his belt, moving with a grace of someone who was born with weapon in hand. He seemed rather nervous though, never having met his bride-to-be. He just hoped she was as nice as his uncle told him....despite not having met her either. His uncle was rather carefree at times, despite being an Emperor of one of the larger nations on Telluris.
He graduated of the Academy of Culture and Prowess just two years ago, his marks in the fighting arts only slightly above average. His achievements on a intelectual level were remarkable though, having worked together with the goblins on the Gouyuu Engine.

High above him, Nyllana hovered to see if the boy would keep his wits about him. He seemed to do alright, she saw with satisfaction. She smiled, her tail curling in delight. He would make a good husband. She flew down to ground level, hovering near Wayve. Nyllana was dressed in a graceful silken-cotton gown, a sash accentuating her figure. Despite being over 100 years old, she looked as if she was 25, one of the many virtues of being the Avatar of Balance. She looked at her son, smiling deviously. Wayve might be the Shïnguard, but Nyllana couldn't get enough from teasing him anyway. Once a mother, always a mother.

"So, Wayve, my dear liege, shall I announce our arrival? I might make a good herald you know?"

An irritated look on his face, Wayve looked at his mother.

"My Avatar, I would like you not to do that. Might I request you act to your station, lest you want to disgrace Hurosha."
Nyllana pursed her lips, feigning indignation and disappointment.

"Ttss, you're no fun, Wayve."

"Just....don't. Please mother."

"Fine fine."

"Good. Marevain, with me. Let's make our entrance. Kenwyn should've arranged it by now. Grïend is almost here aswell."

With a loud crash, the Menhîrin jumped the last few meters, causing the ground nearby to quake. The lift arrived a few seconds later, carrying two young Cloudiz, both around 17 years of age, one a boy, one a girl. Wayve sighed again. Despite being some of the best diplomats Hurosha had to offer, sometimes he thought that he should take some other people with him. At least Rin and Myella had some brains, he noted, as they walked out of the lift, cheerfully and politely greeting nearby guards. With a bit of luck, he would find suitable, non-crazy spouses for them at this event.

"Show-off." He muttered. At his signal, the small group made its way inside towards the guards to have their weapons checked. Above them, part of their escort made their way into the zeppelin, leaving two dozen to guard the outside.

Wayve Earthguard, Emperor of Hurosha, Shïnguard of Kasumor (89 years old (looks like 35), married)
Rin Fireguard, Heir of the Fireguard family (17 years old, unmarried)
Myella Moonshatter, Niece to the Earthguard family (17 years old, unmarried, Fullblood Cloudiz)
Nyllana Earthguard, Avatar of Balance, Headpriestess of Ashmar (Ageless (looks like 25), Widow (you're welcome to try though xD))
Kenwyn Jak-son, Ambassador of Zargrim (45 years old (looks like 25), married)
Grïend, Ambassador of Grwîstin (He is a Menhîrin, deal with it)

[lt_murgen]

AQUA arrived in a flotilla of a half dozen of their latest designed ships. The harbor tenders and rowboat-tugs were amazed as they moved quickly and surely through the water in perfect precision. They needed no assistance because the winds themselves shifted and swirled to bring them into perfect docking position. Two huge creatures followed along, easily as large as the ships themselves. Each time they surfaced, they blew a towering spray of water into the air. The creatures settled themselves in the space between the docks, attempting to smile at the frightened dockworkers.

From each boat came a small group of people and the whole entourage walked with casual ease towards the palace. To those unused to AQUA, it was an odd delegation. Dour Quill and half-naked Islanders walked side by side with people who appeared to be Bordusii, Celerese, and Shengi. Next to them came a knot of young adults who looked to be from Tzalteclan or similar regions to the southeast. A large Komola and a knot of Beregenians provided security. The group moved slowly through the streets to the Palace, shopping, sampling the food and drink and so on. It was all carefully orchestrated to reinforce the idea that AQUA was unified and at peace with itself once again.


Andus Fitzrion (31) – Skipper General of the AQUA. Bastard son of King Rion of Celero. Raised by Opus Petrichor and confidant of Fern Cascade, Queen of Celero. :Handsome enough to turn a woman’s head and incite envy in men.
His wife Ginger Grant-Tremblor(28) Short, but with flawless bronze skin and sparkling emerald eyes. Her long black hair is artificially streaked with red and purple. Along the right side of her face is her family’s tattoo, and her chest and arms are marked with the traditional paints of the Quill. She is clearly from Tzalteclan or thereabouts.
Her brothers are Maximillian Grant-Tremblor (Max) (23). Similar to sister in appearance, though stockier and more heavily muscled. Gilligan Grant-Tremblor (18). A near twin to his brother.
With them come their adoptive parents, Martin Grant-Tremblor and his Guilderene wife.
The Senior Council:
John laFitte: (68). The child of a Solusii native and a Bordusii trader. Short- 22 chain but with a stocky, muscular build pushing close to 2 chain. His olive skin is accented by close-cropped black hair with long, pointy sideburns. He has a thin mustache that trails to points past his chin, braided with precious gems.
Pierre Mason (64): Similar in appearance to LaFittte, but thinner. No mustache, and has some appearance of the mane of the Cassian / Shengdi mixed with Bordusii stock. Triumvarite Governor for the Emerald City Region.

Hawkeye Grumby: (64). Captain Administrator of Emerald City; deformed Quill. Wife is Doris Robson. Three children 18, 14, 10. Not related to Tumnerink
Tumberink Grumby (64) Son of Jonas Grumby and an unnnamed woman. Married to Salterri pirate Huang Pei-Mei (54). Three children 15,13,10.

Salix Caprea Denali “Sadie the Goat”. (38) Typical female Quill. Ears are more prominent than most. Wears her hair in two long braids coiled around them, almost like horns. [Slight beard] Selected from amongst Quill Elder Council to serve.

A group of Quill and Beregenians provide an honor guard, captained by both :
Shale Vug (42) a Quill, and Teycoumsay(31) a Komola from Penoccident.

[SamBurke]

The Guilderene delegation enters, as overwhelmingly ostentatious as all the others. The gilded dancers are there, yes. The showy armor is there, sure. The technological prowess and advancements of Guilder are on display at every turn, borne proudly on the backs of the monstrous Trihorns and Lacertals of its far-flung empires. There are merchants galore, hawking goods or bearing enough trade agreement treaties to bury an empire.

But there is one notable, painful, absence. For the second time in the decade, Inigo is not present, and does not represent Guilder. This time, again, it is for war: but this time, it isn't his choice. In the stead of the captured Doge comes his son, the Doge-elect, Vizini.

Surrounding him tightly are the Princes of the Commerce Council, advising him constantly, non-stop, about how to act. "You must seek reparations with the Jarrs! Your father so wanted peace with them--" "Watch out for courtesans! We've got high plans for your hand in marriage, prince Vizini!" "Don't you dare make eye contact with the Salterri, dear prince! We may be seeking peace, but don't get too peaceful with any of their temptresses.""Trade opportunities galore! Look here at our roster, and just initial here... here... here... and our schedule is good!"

Vizini tried to stop the mass of overlapping voices, but was unable to be heard above the mass; that is, of course, until he made contact with one of his Unmarked, and nodded. The man vaulted over top of a Prince without concern, drawing a sword and fire bomb while in air, and landing in front of the Doge-elect with flourish. "Thank you, Q," Vizini said. "I do not wish to be ungrateful for all of your work, Councilors, but it seems to me that this I don't have time to myself, or much free will at all.

"Well, sir..." one of the men began, "You do have your own free time, here!" another finished, pointing to an hour around midnight where there was no meeting or prospectus inked in."Besides, you have duties! You must learn how to be Doge, in the sad, sad case that your father does not return!" one of them said, clearly not too sad at all.

Vizini said nothing, preferring the silence, like Q. Sometimes, he wished that he could trade places with the man, for even a day: at least he traded off with the others, and had a few hours to himself.

The procession continued on, and Vizini made eye contact with his Unmarked again. It was time to escape...

[ImperatorV]

Irvest smiled to himself as the guards led his delegation through the city. He was used, by now, to the funny looks his shining Hai Vyuma armor was getting. To those who did not know of the metal, he would appear to be wearing burnished silver. Even more confusing would be his greatsword, which was fused to the back of his armor rather than strapped on.

Absentmindedly, he turned to quiz his youngest son, the only one who had been interested in coming with the delegation. A more traditional leader might be worried about their eldest's disinterest in foreign affairs, but the Lord Chancellor's succession would go to the heir that could best prove himself - and there was no doubt at all in Irvest's mind that Dissator could defeat any of his siblings in both combat and politics. Thus, why he chose not to pursue further education for his other children.

Dissator.

Our position is strictly neutral unless one of the sides offers a suitable price for services - and even if they do full involvement is discouraged. This is a diplomatic event with a host we trust, so the infiltrators are not armed. They will have to warn of us any problems so we can deal with it. And I should start considering possible candidates for a diplomatic marriage - but you want me to pick someone I'm actually in love with.

He turned to his father, looking hopeful.

Did I get it all right?

Irvest shook his head, his pleasant lack of focus thoroughly disrupted.

I worry that you will be too ready for the Chancellorship.

Dissator inclined his head curiously.

Too ready? What does that mean?

Nothing. Just me being an old man.

How could he tell his son that he was scared of his precociousness? That he worried his adult-like behavior was a sign that he didn't have a real childhood? That was a good thing for a leader of the Triumvirate, he was sure. Was it a good thing for his son? That, he didn't know.

Still, there would be time to think about it later. They were approaching the palace.


Lord Chancellor Irvest Ethmorl - 54, Married.
Assistant Chief of Staff Dissator Ethmorl - 13, Unmarried.
General Vladmir Drakksen - 46 and tired of being dragged to every diplomatic event ever because he had one successful joint operation with a foreign power. Unmarried.
Various staff and guards.

[Logic]

Despite the generous offer of AQUA, the Celero delegation had insisted on bringing their own ship. However, they did choose to accept the protection of the AQUA Flotilla, and while the Harsh Mistress was definitely of Celerese design, she was not so extravagant as to stand out as a ship of Royalty in the fleet of AQUA vessels.

King Rion, despite the urging of both of his sons, had demanded to attend the coronation personally. His sons had managed to convince them to allow one of them to join him, and so it was decided that the Heir Prince Grant Hazael would remain in Celero with his infant daughter Vedra Amalia, while Prince Fastion Andust would accompany his father to the Salterri Imperial palace in Xianzhi Urbe, Aus-Teire.

The only person none of the royals wanted along was Ophiuchus Balido, a weaselly little man that was the nephew of the current head of the House of Lords. He had managed to come along as an interpreter, as he was the only person in the government that knew both sign language and Salterri customs.

While King Rion could not hear, he still spoke his mind. Rather loudly at times; some had even described the King's volume as a shout. He was dressed in the blue and gold silk of his second finest garments, in case he spilled on himself, and had backup attire in a case attended to by Ophiuchus. To those from the north, Rion would be described as slightly pale. But to those of the south, the King looked almost ill. His stance and demeanor gave no appearance of illness, so neither the hosts and or the other guests had not made mention of it. His blue-grey eyes had more that a twinkle of mischievousness, though few outside of his family knew of his joking nature. The King was adorned in a modest amount of jewelery, and only two weapons: a polished, but plain silver-hued dagger and his son's Knightsword. Rion was a novice fencer, but his younger son had earned his Knighthood. Fastion had encouraged his his father carry more than the dagger, and after much persuasion, Rion decided he no longer wanted to look at his son's exasperated face, and had agreed.

Fastion wore a Prince's silk doublet to his chagrin. His father had coyly destroyed his desired attire on the ship's journey over on the final day of the voyage. He had wanted to wear tunic more fitting a knight than a prince, but all of those were now ashes as the bottom of the Afric Sea. He adorned himself only with a single ring on each hand, gold on the left, platinum on the right, and he carried a golden hilted-Dragoonsword, indicating his status among Celero's Griffon riders, the Dragoons.

He was taller than his Salterri hosts, and much fairer of skin, though his complexion was dark compared to the pale skin of his father. He was not a particularly handsome man, but he was not unappealing to look at either. He often wore stoic expressions, but the were usually given away as lies by the same mischievous blue-grey eyes of his father.

"Fastion!" The King called to his son, much louder than the Princely Knight was expecting.

Fastion was startled, his father had nearly shouted in his ear. He turned to his father, and replied with his hands, saying nothing, nor mouthing the words.

< Yes, Father? >

"Damnit son! You know I can read some lips better than I can the damn hand signals. Talk to me!"

Fastion sighed a moment, then spoke as well as signed "All right, my King, but you should try to lower your volume. We are guests, and don't want to appear rude."

Rion paused a moment, "I supposed I should. You know I can't tell how loud I am being until someone tells me." The King's response was still loud, but quieter than his initial comments.

Fastion sighed again, thinking to himself. It would be easier if you didn't insist on speaking. You know how to sign as just as well as you read it.

"Father, I am going to see our hosts. Ophiuchus will see to your translations with the other guests. Pray excuse me."

As the Knight departed, the short Celerii interpreter stepped up to the king. He had grey-white hair and orange eyes. He was dressed in black and gold, with far more gaudy jewelery than was appropriate for a Doge, let alone to a nephew of a nobleman. The King noticed this man's signing was less than stellar: all those rings impeded some of the finer movements required for more complicated words.

< Ophchus, at your service, Lord King. >

Ha! Thought the King. He can't even spell his own damn name. He will make a terrible interpreter for the evening. I do wish I had someone worth their salt to translate for me, not this boot-licker. I can't expect Fastion to translate for me all evening. I do want more grandchildren, and I can't expect Grant to be the only one to have them. This damn keeps boy trying to live the life of a soldier for the rest of his days. He needs a good wife, and preferably one outside of Celero.

The King thought a moment about all of his dalliances before his marriage. At last count, he had over 3 dozen confirmed bastard children, with many more suspected. It had taken a Quill woman to settle the King down, though she was almost more than he could handle at times. He wished she was here now, but on the advice of his doctors, he had left her at home, as she had been too ill to make a sea journey.

For now, King Rion was looking to find a good stiff drink; rumor had it the Coronation Ceremony was going to be long and boring.




Prince Rion strolled up to the AQUA delegation, happy to see familiar faces. He had hoped to meet some more warriors on his trip, but AQUA had provided few.

"Skipper Andus, it is good to see you." The Knight looked up to his elder half-brother with nearly as much awe as he had for his full brother. "I would ask to spar, if it were not rather rude to our hosts." Fastion gripped his weapon's hilt out of habit.

"I am here to babysit may father more than anything, however I think the King only permitted me to attend him so he could pair me off with the first eligible wife he could find."

The Skipper-General should probably be closer to 30, considering when Rion and Fera married.
King Rion Hazael Noth - 62, married to Fern Cascade of AQUA
Prince Fastion Andust Noth - 25, unmarried (prefers to be addressed as "Knight" or "Sir Fastion" rather than "Prince." Will not correct anyone of this in front of his father.)
Ophiuchus Balido - 30, unmarried

[lt_murgen]

Prince Rion strolled up to the AQUA delegation, happy to see familiar faces. He had hoped to meet some more warriors on his trip, but AQUA had provided few.

"Skipper Andus, it is good to see you." The Knight looked up to his elder half-brother with nearly as much awe as he had for his full brother. "I would ask to spar, if it were not rather rude to our hosts." Fastion gripped his weapon's hilt out of habit.

The Skipper-General should probably be closer to 30, considering when Rion and Fera married.

[OOC: Fixed, made him 30.]
Andus smiled back. He knew the Prince well from his many visits to Celero, and while AQUA eschewed formal titles for obscure cultural reasons, the pair got along well.

"Sadly, this is not the Tellurian Games. I did so enjoy the sparring there." He gave the Prince a rueful smile. "My wife insisted I leave all my arms on the ship, but I would not go to any international event unarmed any longer." He wore a breastplate, greaves and bracers of his own design, a light but hardy combination of adamantium and leviathan leather suitable for shipboard fighting. A pair of Kukri are sheathed at his side. "Still, on our return trip, I will loan you Tecoumsay here. He makes an excellent sparring partner."

The Komola's nose twitched and his long ears rotated backwards when he heard his name. He turned and bowed to the prince, removing the carrot-leaf cigar from his mouth, "What is arising, Skipper?"

"Remind me to loan your sparring services to Prince Rion on our return trip." The rabbit-man bowed. "But your larger concern is all to true, Rion. Your father, my wife, and a dozen others will be parading their children around like prizewinning cattle at auction. It's shameful, I tell you. I recommend getting your king so drunk he sleeps through the entire event." He says with a laugh.

[Logic]

[OOC: Fixed, made him 30.]
Andus smiled back. He knew the Prince well from his many visits to Celero, and while AQUA eschewed formal titles for obscure cultural reasons, the pair got along well.

"Sadly, this is not the Tellurian Games. I did so enjoy the sparring there." He gave the Prince a rueful smile. "My wife insisted I leave all my arms on the ship, but I would not go to any international event unarmed any longer." He wore a breastplate, greaves and bracers of his own design, a light but hardy combination of adamantium and leviathan leather suitable for shipboard fighting. A pair of Kukri are sheathed at his side. "Still, on our return trip, I will loan you Tecoumsay here. He makes an excellent sparring partner."

The Komola's nose twitched and his long ears rotated backwards when he heard his name. He turned and bowed to the prince, removing the carrot-leaf cigar from his mouth, "What is arising, Skipper?"

"Remind me to loan your sparring services to Prince Rion on our return trip." The rabbit-man bowed. "But your larger concern is all to true, Rion. Your father, my wife, and a dozen others will be parading their children around like prizewinning cattle at auction. It's shameful, I tell you. I recommend getting your king so drunk he sleeps through the entire event." He says with a laugh.

OOC: You mean Fastion. The King is Rion, this prince is Fastion.

[SamBurke]

Things are thrown for a loop again as the figure in black robes shimmers across the open square in front of the gates. A clear, feminine voice calls out from the depths of the hood.

"Vizini! What a pleasure to see you! Oh, get out of the way." That last is addressed to a pair of Commerce Princes as the robed figure wedges its way between them. As it draws up beside Vizini he catches a glimpse of the face under its hood. It is the face of a woman in her early twenties, with ivory skin, jet-black hair, and eyes as green as emeralds.

"I'm Lady Lucrezia," she says with what might be a curtsey. "I've heard so much about you. Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance in person." She gives him a blinding white smile.

Vizini grins, motioning for the others to follow behind him, and he walks along with her. "And where do you hail from, conveniently interrupting Lady Lucrezia?" he asks.



ELSEWHERE: A mysterious hooded woman slips through the streets, dodging in and out of the various processions and using their ceremony as cover. She had only one reason to be here, and no one else needed to know what it was. [SIDE THREAD, SECRET. INVITE ONLY.] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?368782-EMPIRE-SECRET-Prince(ss)-Buttercup-s-Plot-(Ongoing-Communication)&p=18006133#post18006133)

[lt_murgen]

OOC: You mean Fastion. The King is Rion, this prince is Fastion.

ooc: Derp. Andus would know who is who. Consider it the same- Andus suggests to Fastion to get Rion drunk.

"Husband, dear. It is not politic to suggest getting a regent drunk." Ginger joked, "If you wish to save the dear boy, you should challenge Rion to ritual Raaneki combat- the Duel of 100 Shots!." To Fastion she added, "There are worse things than being married."

[Morph Bark]

The party makes its way up through the streets to the palace, where Duke Clovis addresses the guard captain.

"Duke Clovis of Pavonia, my Duchess Emryn, Duke Charles, and assorted nobles and attendants. I believe we had an invitation?"

"I wouldna know, do you?" The captain assesses the Duke. The man tries hard to keep his face neutral, but the way his nose and lips twitch it looks a little like he's holding back a laugh. The man looks over his shoulder at a woman standing by a wooden pedestal with a book on it and a loose sheet of paper in her hand. She checks the sheet. "Correct. Duke Clovis Wulfendyne, son of Grand Duke William Adolph Adam Wulfendyne, and retinue. The Duchess Emryn is the Qzarina's cousin."

"Huh, well how about that." The guard captain salutes the couple. "The Qzarina will surely be honoured to see you, as will her sisters." He motioned for the guards to check them for weapons. "We've been told only heads of state and their immediate heirs are allowed to carry more than one weapon--others will have to make do with one. We Salterri understand the need for good steel by your side, but if you draw it you should be aware that there's no unguarded room in the palace and its garrison is a full legion. Duels of honour may be declared, but take it to the gardens if you must have one. That's the short of the rules you'll need to know and eh... don't disrespect the Qzarina." He added with a questioning stare, which was joined by a smirk several long seconds later. "And have a great time at the party."


He wore the robes of a senior Imperial noble in carmine and gold, surmounted with a black, ruddy furred-lined cloak, the only purple in the ensemble the quartzes set in his jewellery. There was no crown, not even a circlet, to display his royal status, but the sword at his side was enough to mark him out. He was here as the victor of Salteire, a proconsul of the Imperium, the Qzarina's cousin, and he knew those who did not know him by sight would find out soon enough without any input from him. In any case, it was clear their days of bowing and scraping to the lowliest of Senators were done: they were here for the Qzarina alone.

Flanking Alfmark, one on each side, were the Qzarina's uncles, Atheldynn and Elwyr, Atheldynn wearing a purple and gold sash in concession to his official position as atheling, and, behind him, the king's eldest son, Eldred, standing out even among the rest of the dark-skinned attendees with his near-obsidian complexion and sharp elfin eyes and ears. With them were the Qzarina's grandmother, Queen Tempest, who had been dividing her time between Aus-Teire and Jarrland recently, but arrived on this occasion with her sons, and another, paler faeblood woman in her late twenties, wearing Vennland colours. Behind them, a handful of more minor nobles: ireiarchons of Tempestia, lords of the Akuul and Kornandon, the usual hangers-on.

The king strode straight towards the throne and the Qzarina, acknowledging nobody else for the moment, and halted before her. He bowed deeply, along with his more immediate family.

"My lady," he said, simply.



King Alfmark (46)
Prince Atheldynn, his heir (49)
Prince Elwyr (41)
Prince Eldred, the king's son (15)
Tempest Grant, the dowager Queen (76)
Valéria Nisakovich, mother of the titular Duke of Vennland (29)
Jonas Grant, Tempest's twin brother (76)
Others to be determined as appropriate.

The girl king Alfmark addressed blushed when the large Jarrow delegation halted before her as she stood at the base of the stairs of the throne. "You make me feel all grown-up if you call me that, lord Alfmark." Her face looked a lot like Tianshi's, but she was a little shorter and her hair was covered by a red and orange shawl that draped over her shoulders. Her dress was elegant, but simple enough that she stood out a little from the crowd of nobles. Like Tianshi, Yinhuo was humble, but even moreso, and not as reserved. Upon seeing her uncle Elwyr she walked up to him and gave him a spontaneous hug. He had always been her favourite. "It's so good to see you all! Will you and Atheldynn take part in the ceremony? Tianshi mentioned something about that."


A few moments later, an even greater distraction is afforded as the Pavonian delegation espies that of the Huroshans. Several Pavonians start, and two or three brandish weapons, but one young guard goes further. In a single swift motion his bow is drawn, and before Duke Clovis can do more than shout "NO!!", an arrow is loosed into the Huroshan crowd.

Waylander, I'll let you decide who, if anyone, that arrow hits.

"Oi!" The guard captain shouts. "Men, contain!" A dozen of the guards standing at the palace gate take their spears and run forward to surround the Pavonians.

The clamor draws the attention of a woman standing in the entrance hall conversing with a shapely, hairy woman with long, rabbit-like ears. While her conversation partner wears the garb of a maid servant, the woman herself is dressed in what looks like a cross of a shortened ballroom dress and a navy officer's uniform, in stylish dark blue, white and golden. Her face contorts at the unruliness right outside the gate, and she comes walking up beside the captain of the guard.

"What is the meaning of this? Another bunch of nobles intending to incite a petty war?" She asks in a voice used to commanding others. "I won't be having that on my own nameday, y'know!" She glares at the Pavonians and the Huroshans behind them, all of them pale in comparison to her dark skin and purple-black hair. "If you want to fight, go grab some bricks and finish the Colosseum first." She points at a large building several hundred tai* away that looks to be under construction. "A'ight? Last man to put his sword away I'll feed to the crocodines!"


*1 tai = 6 feet = 1.8 meters

[DurkBlanston]

After the recoronation ceremony had concluded and the Salterri nobles had again pledged themselves ten times over again to the new Qzarina and the palace had begun to return to a partied atmosphere Cassius approached the Qzarina quietly.

"You wished to speak with me privately your majesty?" he queried, his tone respectful but clearly already defensive.

[RandoMan]

Konhagen and Kaitlind, High King and Queen of Mularuhm arrived accompanied by Reichtin Cedrik, the Queen's brother, and a small accompaniment of four guards. The royal couple each bore a weapon each, Konhagen the sword Kingsblade and Kaitlind its counterpart, Queensbalde wrought from mithril in ancient days. They wore light expensive fabrics and light shirts of mithril chain underneath, invisible to the untrained eye. Cedrik wore a black tunic, indicative of the military caste, accented by sea green accents his own adopted color for Clan Mithredge. Cedrik bore his own sword, neither as ancient nor as flashy as the royals' own but every inch if not more deadly. He had trained daily since seeing the fighting styles of the world at the Tellurian Games and being soundly defeated* and he now prided himself on his swordsmanship.

After being searched by the guards and having their own guards stay outside the royal couple and the Reichtin entered the Palace properly, milling about through the crowds and preparing themselves for the surfacer Qzare's coronation.

*OOC: I missed playing much there, and to be honest not sure how much I'll be able to role play here either but I'll try to do better

[Aedilred]

The girl king Alfmark addressed blushed when the large Jarrow delegation halted before her as she stood at the base of the stairs of the throne. "You make me feel all grown-up if you call me that, lord Alfmark." Her face looked a lot like Tianshi's, but she was a little shorter and her hair was covered by a red and orange shawl that draped over her shoulders. Her dress was elegant, but simple enough that she stood out a little from the crowd of nobles. Like Tianshi, Yinhuo was humble, but even moreso, and not as reserved.
The king gave a slight smile. "Ah, it always was difficult to tell you young ladies apart," he said, recovering about as quickly as possible. "It was bad enough with your mother and your aunt. I often wondered how your late father coped. I hope after the ceremony your sister will wear something to mark her out, otherwise the potential for embarrassment could be enormous." He waved at the room full of dignitaries both native and foreign.


Upon seeing her uncle Elwyr she walked up to him and gave him a spontaneous hug. He had always been her favourite. "It's so good to see you all! Will you and Atheldynn take part in the ceremony? Tianshi mentioned something about that."
Elwyr smiled at his niece. "We have been asked to participate in the ceremony, yes, although I don't know what our role will be. Have you any idea?"

[SamBurke]

"From Castle Sturmgrad, originally, though my more recent habitation has been in the Starlight Citadel. Both of those are in Pavonia, in case you didn't see which delegation I arrived with.

And are these (she guestures at the Commerce Princes) annoying you?"

Vizini turns back to them with a malicious smile. "Oh, I tolerate this rabble... but they can follow behind for our conversation..." He stops short, watching the unfolding combat, and steps back.

Q and the other Unmarked slide quietly towards the battle, drawing out their weapons. Plural.

Vizini ignores them, knowing full well that they can handle any threat, and looks more intently at this Pavonian Lady.

[WaylanderX]

A few moments later, an even greater distraction is afforded as the Pavonian delegation espies that of the Huroshans. Several Pavonians start, and two or three brandish weapons, but one young guard goes further. In a single swift motion his bow is drawn, and before Duke Clovis can do more than shout "NO!!", an arrow is loosed into the Huroshan crowd.

Waylander, I'll let you decide who, if anyone, that arrow hits.

The commotion the Pavonians made picked the interest of the delegation, but thinking nothing of it else then getting ready for a duel or something. Although this was a weird place for a duel....
The arrow whizzed through the air, dead on its mark.... after which it deflected harmlessly against Grïend's crystaline head with a small *ping*(OOC: I rolled for this btw), after which it flew in an small arc through the air, landing on Wayve's helmet. Grïend brought a giant hand to his head, staring at the Pavonian delegation, placing himself in between the rest of the Huroshans and the Pavonians. Wayve brought down the visor of his helmet, picked up the arrow and approached the Pavonian delegation, his axe not brandished, arrow in hand. He adressed the archer first, offering him the damaged arrow.

"I think this is yours, guard. You better not lose it again. It could have dire diplomatic concequences to lose an arrow that way."

He turned to the Pavonian leadership.

"May I ask what is the meaning of this, Pavonian-jins?"

A hint of amusement crept through his voice, but it did not reach his eyes, barely visible behind the visor.

"I know Grïend is big and scary, but that is not a reason to try and put an arrow in him. That said though, why do me and my people deserve this....peculiar welcome?"

OOC: He doesn't quite yet understand the issues the Pavonians have with Cloudiz blood. He only got bits and pieces from Rove's report a few events back.


"Oi!" The guard captain shouts. "Men, contain!" A dozen of the guards standing at the palace gate take their spears and run forward to surround the Pavonians.

The clamor draws the attention of a woman standing in the entrance hall conversing with a shapely, hairy woman with long, rabbit-like ears. While her conversation partner wears the garb of a maid servant, the woman herself is dressed in what looks like a cross of a shortened ballroom dress and a navy officer's uniform, in stylish dark blue, white and golden. Her face contorts at the unruliness right outside the gate, and she comes walking up beside the captain of the guard.

"What is the meaning of this? Another bunch of nobles intending to incite a petty war?" She asks in a voice used to commanding others. "I won't be having that on my own nameday, y'know!" She glares at the Pavonians and the Huroshans behind them, all of them pale in comparison to her dark skin and purple-black hair. "If you want to fight, go grab some bricks and finish the Colosseum first." She points at a large building several hundred tai* away that looks to be under construction. "A'ight? Last man to put his sword away I'll feed to the crocodines!"


Well, at least they respond quickly. And what by Ashmar are crocodines? Wayve thought.

"It was only a mistake, commander. This guard here lost his arrow, and Grïend happened to find it." Wayve said, his voice full of sarcasm.

"Also, my men did not brandish anything. We were making our way to the Qzarina to pay our respects when this....incident happened."


A little while later after the Pavonian matter.....

After some asking around, the group made their way to the throne, searching for their young host. Marevain, getting a bit impatient, whispered something to his uncle. A sudden hint of a smile appeared on the Emperor's face and he patted Marevain on the shoulder, whispering something back. After that, Marevain disappeared in the crowd.

Actually, Marevain was seeking out the Palas Caercian delegation, for he was betrothed to Claudia Caercia. After half an hour of searching around, he found them. Anxiously he approached them, bowing deeply and saluting the group.

"Good afternoon sirs. I am Marevain Earthguard of Kasumor, betrothed to lady Claudia Caercia. Nice to make your acquaintance."

Oh by Ashmar, I hope I didn't offend them. What if I did screw up my introduction..... He thought nervously while he awaited the respondse of his family-in-law to be.

[Logic]

"I wouldna know, do you?" The captain assesses the Duke. The man tries hard to keep his face neutral, but the way his nose and lips twitch it looks a little like he's holding back a laugh. The man looks over his shoulder at a woman standing by a wooden pedestal with a book on it and a loose sheet of paper in her hand. She checks the sheet. "Correct. Duke Clovis Wulfendyne, son of Grand Duke William Adolph Adam Wulfendyne, and retinue. The Duchess Emryn is the Qzarina's cousin."

"Huh, well how about that." The guard captain salutes the couple. "The Qzarina will surely be honoured to see you, as will her sisters." He motioned for the guards to check them for weapons. "We've been told only heads of state and their immediate heirs are allowed to carry more than one weapon--others will have to make do with one. We Salterri understand the need for good steel by your side, but if you draw it you should be aware that there's no unguarded room in the palace and its garrison is a full legion. Duels of honour may be declared, but take it to the gardens if you must have one. That's the short of the rules you'll need to know and eh... don't disrespect the Qzarina." He added with a questioning stare, which was joined by a smirk several long seconds later. "And have a great time at the party."



The girl king Alfmark addressed blushed when the large Jarrow delegation halted before her as she stood at the base of the stairs of the throne. "You make me feel all grown-up if you call me that, lord Alfmark." Her face looked a lot like Tianshi's, but she was a little shorter and her hair was covered by a red and orange shawl that draped over her shoulders. Her dress was elegant, but simple enough that she stood out a little from the crowd of nobles. Like Tianshi, Yinhuo was humble, but even moreso, and not as reserved. Upon seeing her uncle Elwyr she walked up to him and gave him a spontaneous hug. He had always been her favourite. "It's so good to see you all! Will you and Atheldynn take part in the ceremony? Tianshi mentioned something about that."



"Oi!" The guard captain shouts. "Men, contain!" A dozen of the guards standing at the palace gate take their spears and run forward to surround the Pavonians.

The clamor draws the attention of a woman standing in the entrance hall conversing with a shapely, hairy woman with long, rabbit-like ears. While her conversation partner wears the garb of a maid servant, the woman herself is dressed in what looks like a cross of a shortened ballroom dress and a navy officer's uniform, in stylish dark blue, white and golden. Her face contorts at the unruliness right outside the gate, and she comes walking up beside the captain of the guard.

"What is the meaning of this? Another bunch of nobles intending to incite a petty war?" She asks in a voice used to commanding others. "I won't be having that on my own nameday, y'know!" She glares at the Pavonians and the Huroshans behind them, all of them pale in comparison to her dark skin and purple-black hair. "If you want to fight, go grab some bricks and finish the Colosseum first." She points at a large building several hundred tai* away that looks to be under construction. "A'ight? Last man to put his sword away I'll feed to the crocodines!"


*1 tai = 6 feet = 1.8 meters

The commotion outside drew Fastion's attention from his half brother, and he witnessed the woman he was there to honor.

"Leave it to a Huroshan to incite someone else to violence." Fastion said dryly. "At least our host has enough sense to put a stop to it personally."

Fastion looked at her more closely and was confused.

"Andus, I thought the Salterri were human. What causes that woman to be furry, and possess decidedly non-human ears?"

[DurkBlanston]

After some asking around, the group made their way to the throne, searching for their young host. Marevain, getting a bit impatient, whispered something to his uncle. A sudden hint of a smile appeared on the Emperor's face and he patted Marevain on the shoulder, whispering something back. After that, Marevain disappeared in the crowd.

Actually, Marevain was seeking out the Palas Caercian delegation, for he was betrothed to Claudia Caercia. After half an hour of searching around, he found them. Anxiously he approached them, bowing deeply and saluting the group.

"Good afternoon sirs. I am Marevain Earthguard of Kasumor, betrothed to lady Claudia Caercia. Nice to make your acquaintance."

Oh by Ashmar, I hope I didn't offend them. What if I did screw up my introduction..... He thought nervously while he awaited the respondse of his family-in-law to be.

Markus and Agni turned to face the Huroshan young man. Cassius was off somewhere else, both sets of the Caercian delegation trying to avoid one another.

The two men smiled, clasping their hands together and bowing lightly to the young man.

"Blessings and good tidings upon you young Marevain Earthguard of Kasumor," Markus said, his voice serene and friendly.

He smiled, "I remember hearing again of your betrothal from my uncle not two months ago. My cousin is a fine girl, I'm sure you'll get along well. I should be happy to travel with you and introduce you if you were planning to return with us after the Coronation?"

[ImperatorV]

The Triumvirate delegation arrives at the palace to find the Huroshan and Pavonian delegations engaged in some sort of stand-off, surrounded by guards with an angry Salterri woman yelling at them. Irvest smiles, giving an aside to no one in particular.

Ah, Tellurian politics at it's finest.

Most of his retinue shrinks back, but the Lord Chancellor and his son keep walking, passing between the groups on the way to the door.

Excuse us, sirs, majesties, avatar, and whoever else may be here.

The rest of the delegation mills around lost for a few seconds and then start taking the long way around the other nation's delegations towards the door. General Drakksen stands near the Huroshans, casting his eyes around to see if he recognizes anyone.

[Morph Bark]

After the recoronation ceremony had concluded and the Salterri nobles had again pledged themselves ten times over again to the new Qzarina and the palace had begun to return to a partied atmosphere Cassius approached the Qzarina quietly.

"You wished to speak with me privately your majesty?" he queried, his tone respectful but clearly already defensive.


Tianshi had entered a side room to the Hall of Thrones, where she stood before an old wooden chair covered with small decorations of tarnished silver. "I did." She replied to Cassius without turning around. She touched her hand to the carving of a lily in the wood of the chair, where the silver leaf was starting to come loose. "No need to be so tense. Unless you feel you've done wrong?"

She turned around and looked at the man with an emotionless expression. Tianshi had only known Cassius as vassal to her father, a Praetor quickly on the rise, to the point that some of the older and wealthier aristocratic families in Aus-Teire regarded them with suspicion. The House of Li was very much aware of that fact. The House of Li very much cared little for the petty squabbling aristocrats. They were important to keep in mind and to retain support of, but the Caercians and the Jarrows and the Ringmakers were loyal vassals with lands under their rule of immense size. And not to forget, it was the Caercians who got Nan Hai Nian into the Imperium.

"I can see you are a man with a strong sense of loyalty, a loyalty that has bound itself to the House of Li. But," she let the word linger for just long enough as she stepped around the man, and closer, her eyes trailing over his chest and arms--clearly the arms of a man who had trained himself for battle, "a loyalty that would falter if the one it is paid to should betray your own ideals." She lifted her eyes to penetrate his.

"You performed quite well in this war. It has been a fool's war that has cost the Imperium dearly, it had its purpose and it has served its purpose. Salteire shall be returned to the people of the Priory. It will be a sign of good will to them and the world. The region is not of great strategic or economic importance either and the aristocratic families have already lost all their major holdings there anyway. Campestrus Pratum or Minotron or what its name might be next shall remain part of the Caercian dominion and bridge the gap between Imperial holdings on the west and east coasts of the continent. It will be a region of key strategic and economic importance."


OOC: Leaving an opening for you to respond. The intent was for her to let the words hang for a bit anyway to provoke a response before she'd continue.



The king gave a slight smile. "Ah, it always was difficult to tell you young ladies apart," he said, recovering about as quickly as possible. "It was bad enough with your mother and your aunt. I often wondered how your late father coped. I hope after the ceremony your sister will wear something to mark her out, otherwise the potential for embarrassment could be enormous." He waved at the room full of dignitaries both native and foreign.

Elwyr smiled at his niece. "We have been asked to participate in the ceremony, yes, although I don't know what our role will be. Have you any idea?"

"And it always will be, most likely," Yinhuo replied with a smile. "Tianshi at least is recognizeable easily due to her silver hair, and none of us have found any silver dye yet suitable for hair. Father had a lot of trouble too, but he seemed to have a trick for it..." She trailed off a bit at the thought of her father.

Her smile returned a bit when Elwyr spoke. "I think it's just mainly the Proconsuls, Praetors, Gouvernors and their heirs. To pledge their allegiance and services and to recognize the Qzarina as their only leader. Aside from the Lord, that is... Lady! Aside from the... Lady." She looked embarrassed at her mix-up, but not very regretful. At least the devised ceremony did not include any religious vows to gods or spirits the ones who vowed didn't recognize. A vow to a god one didn't worship was as useless as a wooden helmet.




Well, at least they respond quickly. And what by Ashmar are crocodines? Wayve thought.

"It was only a mistake, commander. This guard here lost his arrow, and Grïend happened to find it." Wayve said, his voice full of sarcasm.

"Also, my men did not brandish anything. We were making our way to the Qzarina to pay our respects when this....incident happened."

"EVERYONE, STAND DOWN!"

The guards slowly sheathe their swords.

"Listen to me. We are guests here, and so are the Huroshans. If anyone pulls a stunt like that again, I'll tie him up and give him to Aunt Lucrezia for a snack."

The guards shuffle embarrassedly. Clovis turns to Wayve.

"I am sorry for that. My guards get a tad overprotective from time to time. I think Fred thought you were invading Xianzhi Urbe."

[...]

Duke Clovis turns to address the woman. "Qzarina Tianshi, I presume? My apologies for the over-eagerness of my guards. We've heard tell of multiple assassinations at gatherings similar to this, including, if I understand correctly, the one that catapulted you into this position, so my men are a bit jumpy."

"Heh," The young woman let out amusedly, walking further outside to the midst of the Pavonians. At least the Huroshans took it well enough. But what if someone other than Griënd had been hit? She wondered... "Well it's not like you need to brandish anything with your mountain of a friend around. You must be Wayve. I've heard a lot about you."

She shook her head at Duke Clovis. "Close, but nae. I'm Li Fengbao Jarrow." She extended a hand at the Duke. "Princess." The captain of the guard added with a cough into his hand. Fengbao rolled her eyes.



The commotion outside drew Fastion's attention from his half brother, and he witnessed the woman he was there to honor.

"Leave it to a Huroshan to incite someone else to violence." Fastion said dryly. "At least our host has enough sense to put a stop to it personally."

Fastion looked at her more closely and was confused.

"Andus, I thought the Salterri were human. What causes that woman to be furry, and possess decidedly non-human ears?"

The woman's large ears twitched and she turned her head around. She seemed to get a little startled with Fastion staring in her direction and grabbed tighter hold of a silver tray she had with her, before hurrying past him muttering something about food.



The Triumvirate delegation arrives at the palace to find the Huroshan and Pavonian delegations engaged in some sort of stand-off, surrounded by guards with an angry Salterri woman yelling at them. Irvest smiles, giving an aside to no one in particular.

Ah, Tellurian politics at it's finest.

Most of his retinue shrinks back, but the Lord Chancellor and his son keep walking, passing between the groups on the way to the door.

Excuse us, sirs, majesties, avatar, and whoever else may be here.

The rest of the delegation mills around lost for a few seconds and then start taking the long way around the other nation's delegations towards the door. General Drakksen stands near the Huroshans, casting his eyes around to see if he recognizes anyone.

Fengbao put herself in Irvest's way and put a hand out on his chest. She looked him up and down, sizing him up. "Hm." She turned towards the guard captain. "Hrathanesse. Double-check 'em."

[ImperatorV]

Fengbao put herself in Irvest's way and put a hand out on his chest. She looked him up and down, sizing him up. "Hm." She turned towards the guard captain. "Hrathanesse. Double-check 'em."

Dissator appeared visibly outraged.

You would suspect the Lord Chancellor of the Triumvirate itself?

Irvest smiled, winking at his son to show that had been the correct response. Having the right hand be offended by a minor slight which the leader himself waved off was standard operating procedure, and one of the many techniques Dis had mastered.

Oh, I can see the reason for the searches. I will submit to your regulations.

With a perhaps overly dramatic flourish, the Lord Chancellor willed his armor to shift into a liquid, pulling away from him to form a statue of the Triumviral crest in solid shining silver behind his back.

Would that make the search easier, perhaps?

[lt_murgen]

The commotion outside drew Fastion's attention from his half brother, and he witnessed the woman he was there to honor.

"Leave it to a Huroshan to incite someone else to violence." Fastion said dryly. "At least our host has enough sense to put a stop to it personally."

Fastion looked at her more closely and was confused.

"Andus, I thought the Salterri were human. What causes that woman to be furry, and possess decidedly non-human ears?"


The woman's large ears twitched and she turned her head around. She seemed to get a little startled with Fastion staring in her direction and grabbed tighter hold of a silver tray she had with her, before hurrying past him muttering something about food.

"WOuld you care to explain, Tecoumsay?" Andus said neutrally.

"Komola come in a wide variety. Some are distinctly rabbit, like me. Others are nearly human, with some rabbity features. We are able to interbreed with humans, so she could be half-komola. I'll check."

Tecoumsay whistled, "Hey Girlie! You got some Komola in ya? " When he saw he had her attention, he smiled and said , "Want some?"

[DurkBlanston]

Tianshi had entered a side room to the Hall of Thrones, where she stood before an old wooden chair covered with small decorations of tarnished silver. "I did." She replied to Cassius without turning around. She touched her hand to the carving of a lily in the wood of the chair, where the silver leaf was starting to come loose. "No need to be so tense. Unless you feel you've done wrong?"

She turned around and looked at the man with an emotionless expression. Tianshi had only known Cassius as vassal to her father, a Praetor quickly on the rise, to the point that some of the older and wealthier aristocratic families in Aus-Teire regarded them with suspicion. The House of Li was very much aware of that fact. The House of Li very much cared little for the petty squabbling aristocrats. They were important to keep in mind and to retain support of, but the Caercians and the Jarrows and the Ringmakers were loyal vassals with lands under their rule of immense size. And not to forget, it was the Caercians who got Nan Hai Nian into the Imperium.

"I can see you are a man with a strong sense of loyalty, a loyalty that has bound itself to the House of Li. But," she let the word linger for just long enough as she stepped around the man, and closer, her eyes trailing over his chest and arms--clearly the arms of a man who had trained himself for battle, "a loyalty that would falter if the one it is paid to should betray your own ideals." She lifted her eyes to penetrate his.

"You performed quite well in this war. It has been a fool's war that has cost the Imperium dearly, it had its purpose and it has served its purpose. Salteire shall be returned to the people of the Priory. It will be a sign of good will to them and the world. The region is not of great strategic or economic importance either and the aristocratic families have already lost all their major holdings there anyway. Campestrus Pratum or Minotron or what its name might be next shall remain part of the Caercian dominion and bridge the gap between Imperial holdings on the west and east coasts of the continent. It will be a region of key strategic and economic importance."

OOC: Leaving an opening for you to respond. The intent was for her to let the words hang for a bit anyway to provoke a response before she'd continue.




"No, I do not feel I've done wrong Qzarina, but many do not share my sensibilities I've found," Cassius stood at attention as though he were standing as a lieutenant being inspected by his commander, "You're aware of politics my lady, and you know politicians can't stand the sight of a bloodied sword. Love a soldier, hate a war, that's the way of things around here and I don't know if you're a soldier or a politician my lady."

As the Qzarina moved around closer and behind him he felt himself take a deep breath. The Qzarina was young, beautiful, and dangerous, not least of which for her position as his liege. He met her eyes, struggling to keep his thoughts calm and shielded, a position he was not well versed in. Rare indeed was it for him to defend, he had trained himself to attack and it had left his ability to repel an attacker atrophied. He felt her overpower him, seeing through his false veneer.

"You read a man well for someone so young," he said simply.

He slowly let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as she spoke again and moved away from him.

"I thank you for your trust in administering the land my lady, I shall ensure it is well stewarded," he answered, seemingly holding back on responding to the rest of her statement.

OOC: I hope I hit the right gaps. Also, totally unexpected sexual tension for the win, right? :P Tianshi's 17 here right? Cassius is 38 and married at this time. Zoinks.

[Rain Dragon]

"You know, I would not have expected an invitation to a Salterri party. Considering... What happened... Coupled with... How we must look to... Those of the Imperium are unlike the others, perhaps?"
"The extraction plan is as near to perfect as it can be." Ainiveous examined a claw coolly. Though he was never intending to attend the event proper, an eternity experiencing little simply did not appeal to him. "At least, in the humble opinion of a lowly farmer."
"I do not worry for my life; you do. Besides, any who would believe you to be none other than a lowly farmer has not visited the Bat Caves in recent years. Though, I suppose I am one of the few souls not native to the place to have visited."
"It is as it should be."
Aipiskaupus placed his eyepatch over his right eye.
"I cannot claim not to understand, though I'm sure the vast majority who knew the truth would remain puzzled."
"That is good to hear."

"Luftus Nochenwaurm ready, sir! Lower the sails!"
"Aye!"
Ensuring his eyepatch was properly placed, Aipiskaupus gestures with a claw toward the Orthyknin Prince. "The final 'obscure island' was many fjarlmikils ago."
Ainiveous bowed slightly, smiling at the Kaiser. "Perhaps without you here bothering me, I could rest in peace..."
Raising his antennae, Aipiskaupus made his way above deck. The sky was bright and though he had closed his eye against it, the daylight nonetheless caused great discomfort until finally Aipiskaupus could open his eye a crack without becoming instantly blinded. Of course, his Great Uncle Fauratan Thuidans had not surfaced yet and as such the airship was covered by scurrying Masked Ones as they rushed to prepare the Airship for its final landing for the day.
Fauratan, expert on ocean faring technique and yet not currently present. Aipiskaupus raised one antenna slightly at the thought.

The Luftus Nochenwaurm silently slithered through the sky, the light tailwind urging them forth swiftly toward the steadily growing break in colour between the sea and sky. The Salterri Imperium, one of the largest known Empires since the time of the Cataclysm. The centre of turmoil for decades, or so certain historians would lead one to believe. Yet today, though there certainly were ships of war present, was a time of peace. A celebration. As the Kaiser's airship decelerated, he only hoped it would remain as such.

--OOC--
I was bored and sketched Aipiskaupus. Unfortunately, the scythe head is waaay too big for some reason without me noticing. /Way/ too big. The pincers are slightly smaller than intended again. I guess the Kaiser just has small pincers. >.>

The other one's the airship the Kaiser arrived in. It's less lazy, but still pretty lazy.
http://i.imgur.com/ZZ1oFED.png
http://i.imgur.com/1fyjYmY.png

EDIT - Typo

[Kitsanth]

An airship flying the colours of the Sovereign Principality of Niskovia had arrived with the Ferans and was in the process of setting down passengers via a basket lift.

Grand Prince Vanya Nisakovich was only just starting to show his age. His hair noticeably darker than it had been 10 years ago. A sling cradling his left arm was the only sign that he had been injured 6 years ago. Aside from that, Vanya had dressed impeccably - a gown tailored for the southern climate paired with a silken over-robe.

Beside him stood his granddaughter, Zhenya, heir to the Niskovian crown. Standing just 5'3" tall, her hair was a much more vibrant red than her grandfathers. She also wore traditional Niskan dress, the heir ring prominently displayed on her right hand.

Also travelling with them were Galina and Teodor, two of Zhenya's cousins. They had expressed an interest in seeing the Imperium's capital.

"I will be fine vnuchka. I'm not even in any pain at the moment." Vanya said quietly.

"You havn't been able to feel anything below your elbow for days now, dedushka. I still feel that taking this long journey was reckless. These people are barely finished with a war! And you cannot wield a sword." Zhenya said, the worry obvious in her voice.

"That will not be an issue on this day," stated Vanya, "These people are celebrating, the paths they followed would have been uncertain these last years. Now a new day is dawning for them and their way has become clear."

Zhenya exchanged confused glances with her cousins before asking, "But, they do not follow our ways."

"And you think they become less relevant when discussing people who are not our own?" Vanya asked.

It was clear to this grandchildren that Vanya was being rhetorical with that question and so they remained in thoughtful silence as the lift reached the ground.

"Come, the palace is not far."

Grand Prince Vanya Nisakovich (80)
Crown Princess Zhenya Nisakovich (31, married)
Princess Galina Nisakovich (23, unmarried)
Prince Teodor Nisakovich (23, unmarried)
A handful of guards, both Niskan and Karranan, led by Captain Dhauneld

[Rain Dragon]

The six mismatched Feran airships approached the Salterri Harbour of Xianzhi Urbe, Aus-Teire gently. The large flighted bone serpents rattled a little in the seabreeze as they gently tugged the airships toward the harbour where the other ships were docked. Only the Kaiser's personal airship and the airship flying the Niskovian colours came low enough to throw a rope down to the dockworkers. No sooner had the first rope been secured than a rope ladder was thrown down and the silhouette of Aipiskaupus Thuidans Kaiser could be seen climbing down. A few more ropes secured and a couple rope ladders later and a group of two scythe-wielding male Haljans, two Haljan females and one Griuhna Haljan female stood before the dockworkers.

"Where can I unload the barrels of Lothra Dragk Absinthe?" Aipiskaupus tried to catch the attention of a nearby Salterri with the question.

The five Feran airships drifted away toward the nearby river.

Aipiskaupus Thuidans Talzjands Leikeis Kaiser - 5'6 - 99
Fauratan Thuidans Farsjomas - 5'4 - 97
Spark - 6'0 - 71
Gear - 5'10 - 136
Hat - 5'7 - 84
Mendev - 9'11 - ??
Elyx - 10'1 - ??

[lt_murgen]

A group of Islanders lay about on the pier, watching the Pono frolic in the harbor. As the airships came into sight, they watched them with interest.

“Lumbering things.” Said one.

“Little better than rememberance balloons.” Another commented.

A third took up a spyglass and studied them more intently. “No, they have some minor sails, to allow them to sail with the wind.”

“Give me that.” The man snatched up the spyglass and studied them. “Brother, you know the Ways of the Winds better than that. They can barely tack against a cross wind with sails that small. Put them in irons and they would be all but useless.”


“Yes, but imagine what we could do with one! We could take it anywhere, in any direction.”

“Hush fool!” An older man finally spoke. “No one should know what is coming.”

The other three bowed to the senior monk. “Yes, magister.”

The old man sighed. “Ignore them. At least,” he spoke quietly, “until their regents and entourages have disembarked. After that, I’m certain casual and unobtrusive test of their ability to handle strange and contrary winds would go largely unremarked.” The other three grinned at the old man’s words.


************************************************** ********************************

Unaware of the malicious 'investigations' his aeromancers were planning, Andus led his party to the main event. He surrendered his spear, kukri and shield as requested, assuring the guards that he trusted in their ability to keep them safe.

As he entered the throne room, he admired the craftsmanship and decor. He was heartened to see the cushions and low tables. Islanders followed similar decorating practices, and he found them far more comfortable and practical than the ovverstuffed chairs and couches of the east, or the hard tables and benches of the north..

His party bowed low to the Qzarina, and made their introductions when the young lady had a moment. "We are honored that our small realm was invited to attend the event of such a sprawling and powerful Empire." He said without pretense.

[Morph Bark]

Before Clovis can react, Charlie slips past him and takes Fengbao's outstretched hand, bending over to plant a kiss on the back.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess. I am Duke Charles, and I've heard a great deal about you from Em."

Having his face so close to Fengbao's own highlights an anomaly that anyone looking at Charlie would probably notice. Where nearly all Pavonians leave the head unmarked by sigla, along with the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, Charlie has intricate gold-and-black designs traced all across his face, surrounding the eyes and ornamenting the temples and forehead.

Fengbao raised an eyebrow at the young man. "Well, someone's certainly got his manners all lined up. Hope ya haven't told 'm all bad stuff, Em. How're ya cousin?" She smiled at Emryn, walking over to her to hug her, casting aside the formalities.

"Ya sure brought an interesting bunch of trouble along. My apologies, Duke, the Pavonians and Wulfendynes especially are greatly welcomed. Best to have good neighbours, eh?" She grinned and motioned for them to go past the guards--of course not without a check--and gave another curious look at Charles. The tattoos on his face were of a kind she hadn't seen before, but they reminded her of the Islander facial tattoos and the godana of the Raaneki that her father had also born. When she'd catch him looking her way, she winked at the young duke. She could always ask him about those markings at the feast.


How old is Charlie here, by the by? Tianshi/Fengbao/Huanle are turning 17, obviously.



Dissator appeared visibly outraged.

You would suspect the Lord Chancellor of the Triumvirate itself?

Irvest smiled, winking at his son to show that had been the correct response. Having the right hand be offended by a minor slight which the leader himself waved off was standard operating procedure, and one of the many techniques Dis had mastered.

Oh, I can see the reason for the searches. I will submit to your regulations.

With a perhaps overly dramatic flourish, the Lord Chancellor willed his armor to shift into a liquid, pulling away from him to form a statue of the Triumviral crest in solid shining silver behind his back.

Would that make the search easier, perhaps?

Fengbao and the guards stood speechless. They had never seen anything like that. Fengbao was almost struggling not to feel outraged that he hadn't used a trick like that at the Tellurian Games so she could've seen it in full combat action. "Um, yes. Though considering the nature of it, I think I should ask you to leave it in our care until you leave again. Policy for tonight is to allow rulers to carry any weapons they wish other than explosives, but this might startle a lot of the other guests. Or at least allow me to have you be accompanied by one of our guards, as to inform others of it without causing a panic. You there!" She yelled at a guard who was rather short and thin as other guards began to search the other members of the Triumviral delegation. The guard gave a scared yelp from behind the face-guard and hurried stood at attention. "Take care of it." She told him and turned to Irvest again. "He can accompany you or take your armor. We know it may be a matter of honour, so I'll leave it to your discretion--a trait I'm sure is a virtue among the Hrathanesse. If you leave it in our care, it will be taken good care of."


The guard will come along if Irvest decides to not leave his armor behind and I'll do so RP bits for him with Irvest and Dissator, if you're up for that.



Tecoumsay whistled, "Hey Girlie! You got some Komola in ya? " When he saw he had her attention, he smiled and said , "Want some?"

The Komola woman looked visibly shocked at him over her shoulder and gripped the tray tightly. She huffed at Tecoumsay. "Why, I never!" She cried out indignantly in a posh-sounding voice. She looked torn between wanting to walk away and tend to her serving duties and smashing the tray into Tecoumsay's head. Eventually, she seemed to decide against the latter and walked away towards the kitchens.


On a note: Komola can't interbreed with humans actually (the maid is just one of the ones that look more human because I wanted to have more variety in looks among the race), though I've been thinking about them perhaps being able to do so with catfolk and the beast races of Drugaud--perhaps even werewolves. Of course, it's not for lack of trying on part of the rabbitfolk or their Salterri and Islander neighbours.

...and now I'm thinking what would happen if someone later on were to introduce magic that would make it possible.



"No, I do not feel I've done wrong Qzarina, but many do not share my sensibilities I've found," Cassius stood at attention as though he were standing as a lieutenant being inspected by his commander, "You're aware of politics my lady, and you know politicians can't stand the sight of a bloodied sword. Love a soldier, hate a war, that's the way of things around here and I don't know if you're a soldier or a politician my lady."

As the Qzarina moved around closer and behind him he felt himself take a deep breath. The Qzarina was young, beautiful, and dangerous, not least of which for her position as his liege. He met her eyes, struggling to keep his thoughts calm and shielded, a position he was not well versed in. Rare indeed was it for him to defend, he had trained himself to attack and it had left his ability to repel an attacker atrophied. He felt her overpower him, seeing through his false veneer.

"You read a man well for someone so young," he said simply.

He slowly let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as she spoke again and moved away from him.

"I thank you for your trust in administering the land my lady, I shall ensure it is well stewarded," he answered, seemingly holding back on responding to the rest of her statement.

OOC: I hope I hit the right gaps. Also, totally unexpected sexual tension for the win, right? :P Tianshi's 17 here right? Cassius is 38 and married at this time. Zoinks.


"That you shall," Tianshi nodded, saying it as if it were fact rather than a confirmation of trust. She stopped before him and put her hands on her back.

"People have called you a dog of war. If they meant it as an insult, they were wrong to do so, because a dog can learn many tricks and their loyalty is unquestionable. It is only when the dog attacks someone--an innocent, a guest, an enemy who hasn't yet outlived their usefulness--that the master teaches them how the sharp end of a spear feels." Again, a cold pause.

"You're both loyal and useful," Tianshi continued slowly, as she played with something in one of her hands that churned out disconcerting musical tones--two tiny spheres made of discordian rock painted with religious symbols of harmony, but the tones they were supposed to make were twisted, as if she held them too hard. "But if you ever disprove that loyalty, your usefulness shall not outlive it long. Do I make myself clear?"


Yay, symbolism!

Heh, sorry about that. When I wrote the earlier piece I thought the penetrating gaze might come across as sexual in nature, so I downplayed things the rest of the post, but when you mentioned it it stayed with me a bit. Then I wrote this piece and I thought of her moving two balls around in her hands that is supposed to be a Chinese relaxation technique that also helps the wrists and... well, here's the result. :P

Tianshi is indeed 17 now, as this takes place on her birthday. And you hit all the right pauses. (Saying that makes it sound like a Quick-Time Event.)



~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Later ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

At the strike of six, a man in blue robes bound with ropes made with silver thread stepped forward next to the throne and banged a large wooden staff on the stone floor three times. "All stand before the Lady and the Lord and the Lady!" He called out to the assembled guests in the Hall of Thrones. Some were already standing, others sitting around on the pillows. Next to the man stood Yinhuo, who had put on a red and orange sleeveless coat over her dress that blended well with the rest of her and made her look like a priestess of the Lord of Fire, but instead of all the golden accents and jewelry that one of those often wore, hers were all silver, showing faithfulness towards her own heritage and to her family. On Yinhuo's other side stood her mother Ambryn, who wore a mixture of Li purple and Carmine red.

Five musicians began to play, striking and caressing sheets and blocks of discordian rock, some smooth, some rough. The musicians were covered by similar robes, only their scaly hands and the tips of serpentine faces visible as they sat on the floor near the front.

Tianshi strode forth with long, elegant steps that were quick and decisive, as if she was on her way to an important meeting rather than her own coronation, but perhaps that was better than looking like a bride without a husband. In her hands she held a silvered sword. The Qzarina was followed by several of her sisters. Huanle, ever dressed in pinks and reds, carried in her hands a white lotus in a large silver bowl with some water, causing her to walk a little slower than Tianshi. Behind her walked Fengbao in her dress-cross-uniform and Shuxian, who wore a blue dress that left one leg open and who carried a sword by her side. When they arrived at the end, in front of the throne, the staff struck the floor again three times to signal that the guest could sit down again.

The three sisters stood behind Tianshi as the priest stepped forward. "Li Tianshi. A new age dawns. Shall you ride the rays of the sun and lead your people to glory and happiness?" "I shall." "Shall you be an example to all and reflect radiantly upon those who would lose hope, and shroud those who need a strong shield, as silver Heng'e is to Wu Jingshen?" "I shall." "If a child comes to you, hungry, naked and afraid, what shall you do?" "I shall clothe him in silk and steel, I shall feed him grain and honour, I shall guide him with truth and power so he shall not fear another man." The priest bowed, turned to Yinhuo, who held up a basket from which he took a necklace made up of silverbell flowers that he put around Tianshi's neck. Then he took the basket and Yinhuo stepped up. "Li Tianshi. The fire of each day shall be followed by the dark of each night. Shall you guide your people with the fire in your heart and the silver in your soul?" "I shall." Yinhuo bowed, took a necklace made up of fire lilies from the basket, and put it around Tianshi's neck. Next, Huanle stepped forward with the large bowl of water in which the white lotus floated. She held it up and Tianshi handed the silver sword to Fengbao, before washing her hands and face in the bowl.

Tianshi turned to face the crowd of people that had been assembled as a Komola maid came forward with a purple pillow that had a jewel-encrusted hairpin on it that she gave to Ambryn. "Loyal men of the Imperium, stand before me." She called out to the gouvernors of Pontensulae, Penoccident, Shengdi, Discordia and Nan Hai Nian, and the Praetors and Proconsuls that ruled the vassal states. "Stand with me and your blood and pledge it to mine once more." This part had been communicated to them, though the exact words of their vows had been left open.

The music rose in intensity, but remained rather typically serene for Salterri music even as it did, whilst Tianshi ascended the steps to the Silver Throne with her mother. As they stood before it, she knelt before Ambryn and had the hairpin put into her hair. The tiny stones in it gleamed in the light in a rainbow of opal, ruby, amber, turqouise, sapphire, diamond and pearl. When she rose, Yinhuo took the staff from the priest and banged it on the floor. "All hail to the new Qzarina of the Imperium!"

Thank gods they didn't make it all long and tiresome, Fengbao thought to herself as she raised the silver sword to hail her sister.


In case you want to do something with the vow thing, go right ahead.

Murgen, since you don't have Martin present I don't think you'll include him just for this, but should you want it, you're free to do something with this as well.

[Logic]

[SPOILER=For Durk]The woman's large ears twitched and she turned her head around. She seemed to get a little startled with Fastion staring in her direction and grabbed tighter hold of a silver tray she had with her, before hurrying past him muttering something about food.



"WOuld you care to explain, Tecoumsay?" Andus said neutrally.

"Komola come in a wide variety. Some are distinctly rabbit, like me. Others are nearly human, with some rabbity features. We are able to interbreed with humans, so she could be half-komola. I'll check."

Tecoumsay whistled, "Hey Girlie! You got some Komola in ya? " When he saw he had her attention, he smiled and said , "Want some?"
Fastion, who previously was embarrassed for being rude himself, was now mortified to be associated with such a crude individual. Thinking fast, the prince elbowed Tecoumsay in the gut, attempting to cut off his remarks, but alas, was too late. The words were said, the damage done.

"My dear Lady, please forgive me for my remarks. As for this buffoon, simply ignore his harassment. I doubt he will have anything of value to say." Fastion turned to Tecoumsay and glared at him, hoping the man would get the point.

[Aedilred]

As his turn arrived, Alfmark stepped forward, drew his sword and placed it point down on the ground, his right hand raised in a gesture of sincerity.

"In the sight of the spirits and the ancestors before whom this sanctuary is holy, I, Alfmark, King of the Jarrs, the Venns and the Sylphids, Prince of Farridon, Imperial Proconsul, swear on my own account and that of my subjects that I shall to Qzarina Li Tianshi be true and faithful, love all which she loves and shun all which she shuns, according to the laws of spirits and men and the order of the world."

His adopted brothers and heirs swore the same in modified forms:

"In the sight of the spirits and the ancestors before whom this sanctuary is holy, I, Atheldynn Atheling, Lord Jarrow, shall to Qzarina Li Tianshi be true and faithful, and love all which she loves and shun all which she shuns, according to the laws of spirits and men and the order of the world."

"By the Lord before whom this sanctuary is holy, I, Elwyr Jarrow, will to Qzarina Li Tianshi be true and faithful, and love all which she loves and shun all which she shuns, according to the laws of spirits and men and the order of the world."

[SamBurke]

The bulk of the Pavonian delegation follows the Dukes through the gates, but a dozen or so figures in crimson and purple (four armsmen, two muscular Jaeger porters, one rather pale girl in what appears to be her underwear, and a half-dozen or so servants of indeterminate purpose), follow Lady Lucrezia, merging with the Guilderene delegation. As they entered the palace, Lady Lucrezia sheds her outer robes, revealing herself to be clad in a beautiful floor-length black dress with a plunging neckline. One of the generic servants collects the robes, folding them into a prism of black fabric which he tucks under one arm.
"So tell me, Doge Vizini, what do you intend to do now that you have the throne?"

Charlie is twenty-two, by my count.


"I can't tell you much of my plan for the future, good Lucrezia, but..." He pauses and smiles at her much more appealing dress. "I can say that they involve making bigger waves than a launched Ark. And that starts... right now."

He stands up, places his hand on his sword, and takes a deep breath. Time to crash a coronation?

[lt_murgen]

The Komola woman looked visibly shocked at him over her shoulder and gripped the tray tightly. She huffed at Tecoumsay. "Why, I never!" She cried out indignantly in a posh-sounding voice. She looked torn between wanting to walk away and tend to her serving duties and smashing the tray into Tecoumsay's head. Eventually, she seemed to decide against the latter and walked away towards the kitchens.



Fastion, who previously was embarrassed for being rude himself, was now mortified to be associated with such a crude individual. Thinking fast, the prince elbowed Tecoumsay in the gut, attempting to cut off his remarks, but alas, was too late. The words were said, the damage done.

"My dear Lady, please forgive me for my remarks. As for this buffoon, simply ignore his harassment. I doubt he will have anything of value to say." Fastion turned to Tecoumsay and glared at him, hoping the man would get the point.

"Aww, dearie! Don't be like that!" Tecoumsay ran, kinda hopped, off after her.

Andus sighed. "There's a reason he go ran out of Pennocident. Chasing after every tail he sees. Still, he is exceptionally skilled as a bodyguard."




In case you want to do something with the vow thing, go right ahead.

Murgen, since you don't have Martin present I don't think you'll include him just for this, but should you want it, you're free to do something with this as well.
Martin can be there, I just didn't include him in my party since technically he is an NPC.

[Logic]

"Aww, dearie! Don't be like that!" Tecoumsay ran, kinda hopped, off after her.

Andus sighed. "There's a reason he go ran out of Pennocident. Chasing after every tail he sees. Still, he is exceptionally skilled as a bodyguard."

"Not unlike our dear father at that age." Fastion said dryly. "It is a wonder where our father got it from, as our Ashenian side is well known for being prudes, while our Celerii side is not far off from that mark either.

In any case, please excuse me, brother. I may need to rescue father from Ophiuchus. If not, I shall be mingling with our hosts and other guests."

Fastion half-bowed and departed, seeking a more martial mind to match wits with. He expected to find one among the Huroshans, and sought them out.

[SamBurke]

Vizini begins to walk towards the front, hands on the lone sword he's carrying. He waits, biding his time... right after the Hailing would be the best time.

[DurkBlanston]

"That you shall," Tianshi nodded, saying it as if it were fact rather than a confirmation of trust. She stopped before him and put her hands on her back.

"People have called you a dog of war. If they meant it as an insult, they were wrong to do so, because a dog can learn many tricks and their loyalty is unquestionable. It is only when the dog attacks someone--an innocent, a guest, an enemy who hasn't yet outlived their usefulness--that the master teaches them how the sharp end of a spear feels." Again, a cold pause.

"You're both loyal and useful," Tianshi continued slowly, as she played with something in one of her hands that churned out disconcerting musical tones--two tiny spheres made of discordian rock painted with religious symbols of harmony, but the tones they were supposed to make were twisted, as if she held them too hard. "But if you ever disprove that loyalty, your usefulness shall not outlive it long. Do I make myself clear?"


Yay, symbolism!

Heh, sorry about that. When I wrote the earlier piece I thought the penetrating gaze might come across as sexual in nature, so I downplayed things the rest of the post, but when you mentioned it it stayed with me a bit. Then I wrote this piece and I thought of her moving two balls around in her hands that is supposed to be a Chinese relaxation technique that also helps the wrists and... well, here's the result. :P

Tianshi is indeed 17 now, as this takes place on her birthday. And you hit all the right pauses. (Saying that makes it sound like a Quick-Time Event.)


"Discipline is important my lady, in dogs and men. I take no offense at her majesty's analogy, it speaks of a hand to whom discipline is not unknown," Cassius responded in the cold silence.

Internally he was surprised at the Qzarina's sharp understanding of disciplined hierarchy. For all that he was his liege Tailong had been a bit too carefree for Cassius' taste, too much the hero and too light a hand to be a truly effective leader. He wondered where then his daughter had picked up the characteristics, characteristics of a true leader of men.

"As the rebels of the Priory fell upon the blades of the Imperium I should fall upon your own blade should you call for it my lady," the man stood rigid, his ears ringing at the disharmonious notes.


No, I like it! It's some good stuff for sure. Lots of reversal of power here too, falling on blades and whatnot :smallwink:






~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Later ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

At the strike of six, a man in blue robes bound with ropes made with silver thread stepped forward next to the throne and banged a large wooden staff on the stone floor three times. "All stand before the Lady and the Lord and the Lady!" He called out to the assembled guests in the Hall of Thrones. Some were already standing, others sitting around on the pillows. Next to the man stood Yinhuo, who had put on a red and orange sleeveless coat over her dress that blended well with the rest of her and made her look like a priestess of the Lord of Fire, but instead of all the golden accents and jewelry that one of those often wore, hers were all silver, showing faithfulness towards her own heritage and to her family. On Yinhuo's other side stood her mother Ambryn, who wore a mixture of Li purple and Carmine red.

Five musicians began to play, striking and caressing sheets and blocks of discordian rock, some smooth, some rough. The musicians were covered by similar robes, only their scaly hands and the tips of serpentine faces visible as they sat on the floor near the front.

Tianshi strode forth with long, elegant steps that were quick and decisive, as if she was on her way to an important meeting rather than her own coronation, but perhaps that was better than looking like a bride without a husband. In her hands she held a silvered sword. The Qzarina was followed by several of her sisters. Huanle, ever dressed in pinks and reds, carried in her hands a white lotus in a large silver bowl with some water, causing her to walk a little slower than Tianshi. Behind her walked Fengbao in her dress-cross-uniform and Shuxian, who wore a blue dress that left one leg open and who carried a sword by her side. When they arrived at the end, in front of the throne, the staff struck the floor again three times to signal that the guest could sit down again.

The three sisters stood behind Tianshi as the priest stepped forward. "Li Tianshi. A new age dawns. Shall you ride the rays of the sun and lead your people to glory and happiness?" "I shall." "Shall you be an example to all and reflect radiantly upon those who would lose hope, and shroud those who need a strong shield, as silver Heng'e is to Wu Jingshen?" "I shall." "If a child comes to you, hungry, naked and afraid, what shall you do?" "I shall clothe him in silk and steel, I shall feed him grain and honour, I shall guide him with truth and power so he shall not fear another man." The priest bowed, turned to Yinhuo, who held up a basket from which he took a necklace made up of silverbell flowers that he put around Tianshi's neck. Then he took the basket and Yinhuo stepped up. "Li Tianshi. The fire of each day shall be followed by the dark of each night. Shall you guide your people with the fire in your heart and the silver in your soul?" "I shall." Yinhuo bowed, took a necklace made up of fire lilies from the basket, and put it around Tianshi's neck. Next, Huanle stepped forward with the large bowl of water in which the white lotus floated. She held it up and Tianshi handed the silver sword to Fengbao, before washing her hands and face in the bowl.

Tianshi turned to face the crowd of people that had been assembled as a Komola maid came forward with a purple pillow that had a jewel-encrusted hairpin on it that she gave to Ambryn. "Loyal men of the Imperium, stand before me." She called out to the gouvernors of Pontensulae, Penoccident, Shengdi, Discordia and Nan Hai Nian, and the Praetors and Proconsuls that ruled the vassal states. "Stand with me and your blood and pledge it to mine once more." This part had been communicated to them, though the exact words of their vows had been left open.

The music rose in intensity, but remained rather typically serene for Salterri music even as it did, whilst Tianshi ascended the steps to the Silver Throne with her mother. As they stood before it, she knelt before Ambryn and had the hairpin put into her hair. The tiny stones in it gleamed in the light in a rainbow of opal, ruby, amber, turqouise, sapphire, diamond and pearl. When she rose, Yinhuo took the staff from the priest and banged it on the floor. "All hail to the new Qzarina of the Imperium!"

Thank gods they didn't make it all long and tiresome, Fengbao thought to herself as she raised the silver sword to hail her sister.


In case you want to do something with the vow thing, go right ahead.

Murgen, since you don't have Martin present I don't think you'll include him just for this, but should you want it, you're free to do something with this as well.

As the ceremony called out for the leaders of the Imperium to step forward Cassius did so following the Carmines, Praetor following Proconsul.

Cassius unbelted his sword and knelt to lay it at the feet of the Qzarina. Remaining kneeling he looked up at the Qzarina.

"I Cassius Caercia, Lord Protector of Palas Caercia, Sterkelv, Wyrmar, and Minotron, Imperial Praetor of the Salterri Imperium do swear my sword and life to Qzarina Li Tianshi wholly and completely and bind my blood and the lords beneath to her majesty and all her rightful heirs from this day unto eternity."

From behind him Markus Caercia came forward, removing his own sword belt and kneeling to the side of his father.

"And I Markus Caercia II, Emir of Palas Caercia do so affirm these vows, sanctified by the blood of the Wyrm Below in the sight of the Lady Silver," so saying Markus drew a vial of Hulutahn blood and dipped two fingers gingerly in it, tracing a line from his jaw down to his chest.

Those paying close attention might note the irritation and rigidity entering Cassius' demeanor and the admiration and pride of the Guru Agni.

The two Caercians stood back up, rebelting their weapons and striding purposefully back to their previous positions. Markus stood a defiant step closer to the Guru Agni than his father but few other than Cassius were likely to notice.

[ImperatorV]

Fengbao and the guards stood speechless. They had never seen anything like that. Fengbao was almost struggling not to feel outraged that he hadn't used a trick like that at the Tellurian Games so she could've seen it in full combat action. "Um, yes. Though considering the nature of it, I think I should ask you to leave it in our care until you leave again. Policy for tonight is to allow rulers to carry any weapons they wish other than explosives, but this might startle a lot of the other guests. Or at least allow me to have you be accompanied by one of our guards, as to inform others of it without causing a panic. You there!" She yelled at a guard who was rather short and thin as other guards began to search the other members of the Triumviral delegation. The guard gave a scared yelp from behind the face-guard and hurried stood at attention. "Take care of it." She told him and turned to Irvest again. "He can accompany you or take your armor. We know it may be a matter of honour, so I'll leave it to your discretion--a trait I'm sure is a virtue among the Hrathanesse. If you leave it in our care, it will be taken good care of."


The guard will come along if Irvest decides to not leave his armor behind and I'll do so RP bits for him with Irvest and Dissator, if you're up for that.


Irvest frowned for a moment, thinking. Paranoia had always been an Ethmorl trait; but that was not the main reason he didn't want to be separated from the armor. He was thinking about the recent deaths in Hrathan - people being suffocated by Vyuma. The prevalent explanation was murder, but some Mtambuzi had pointed out how the miners in the Pit of Sudelphir had found the metal originally: it had come out of the earth, slowly moving towards them. And he knew, from using the stuff, that it liked being close to people. Some part of him wondered if maybe the metal could "learn" from the way he manipulated it, changing it's shape and solidity. When he was near to it, he could control it, and he had never observed the metal to move without being commanded, but what if? That was always the question. There was a lot they didn't know about it.

I... It's not something I had thought of. I guess some could be shocked by it.

He placed his hand on the metal, his Osuro enhanced senses immediately picking up the simple mental frequencies he used to control it. There was a sense of warm familiarity that flowed through his mind as the armor spread across his body, and he willed it into the shape of plate mail, with a glob on his back flattening and sharpening into a sword.

Your guard may accompany me. Also, I will endeavor to not change it's shape to avoid causing any problems.

~later~

While no one was callous enough to sigh, there was visible relief from the Triumvirate delegation when they realized the ceremony would be short; democracy tends to cut back on intricate oaths and ceremonies, and many had feared the process would be incredibly boring. Irvest noticed the Doge moving forward; he cycled through possible explanations, before deciding he would either make some kind of statement or start a fight. He reached back, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. His agents in the city had spotted Unmarked in the service of Guilder, but had been unable to pin down where they were exactly...

[WaylanderX]

Markus and Agni turned to face the Huroshan young man. Cassius was off somewhere else, both sets of the Caercian delegation trying to avoid one another.

The two men smiled, clasping their hands together and bowing lightly to the young man.

"Blessings and good tidings upon you young Marevain Earthguard of Kasumor," Markus said, his voice serene and friendly.

He smiled, "I remember hearing again of your betrothal from my uncle not two months ago. My cousin is a fine girl, I'm sure you'll get along well. I should be happy to travel with you and introduce you if you were planning to return with us after the Coronation?"

A moment of doubt flashed over Marevain's face.

What....travel? Alone...to Palas Caercia. But, I am not rea....oh buckle up Mare, you're ready for this. Your Prowess is large enough to handle this. Your uncle counts on you.

His face became resolute. As if his very soul had decided on something.

"I would be honored to travel with you, sirs. Would it be alright for me to bring my own mount with me. My mantid is very dear to me and has always served me well."

A light blush appeared on his face.

"Could you tell me a bit more about your cousin, sir? What is she like?"




~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Later ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

-Snip-

The whole Huroshan delegation saluted, placing armored hands upon their hearts and spoke, as if their minds were one. Wayve's eyes locked with Tianshi's during the chant.

"Hurosha acknowledges Li Tianshi as the Qzarina of the Empirium! May Ashmar bestow his Prowess upon thy! KANGEI ASHMAR!"

A small smile seemed to form upon the Shïnguard's lips, but Tianshi is too far away to be sure.


"Heh," The young woman let out amusedly, walking further outside to the midst of the Pavonians. At least the Huroshans took it well enough. But what if someone other than Griënd had been hit? She wondered... "Well it's not like you need to brandish anything with your mountain of a friend around. You must be Wayve. I've heard a lot about you."

She shook her head at Duke Clovis. "Close, but nae. I'm Li Fengbao Jarrow." She extended a hand at the Duke. "Princess." The captain of the guard added with a cough into his hand. Fengbao rolled her eyes.

Wayve let our a cheerful laughter at the captain's addition.

"Well well, princess huh. It's a pleasure to make your acquintance, my lady. I figured you couldn't be an ordinairy commander. An ordinairy commander wouldn't adress me with "Wayve". Not that I mind terribly, as long as you are prepared to drink a cup of Sublime Scotch with me, of course."

Upon seeying the reactions of the Pavonians on the revalation that Fengbao was a Salterri princess, Wayve raised his eyebrows.

"But at any rate, princess commander Fengbao, I think this..... misunderstanding with the Pavonians is solved. Al"

He adressed the Pavonian delegation:

"This isn't the first time this is happened. If you have time, would you mind talking this matter through in some more detail? The emity the Pavonian people seem to harbor against those of Cloudiz blood confuses and distresses me."

[SamBurke]

"It's time," Vizini whispers, stalking forward along the side of the room, to make his grand entrance. He wasn't Doge yet, so perhaps his actions wouldn't mean anything, but at the very least, the world would know his intent. There wasn't any other way to take a sword, was there?

He waited until the Hailings were finished, and added one of his own, stepping towards the center of the stage.

"I Hail the Qzarina, Lady Tianshi of Silver..." [Insert anyone who wants to cut him off]

[Rain Dragon]

A group of Islanders lay about on the pier, watching the Pono frolic in the harbor. As the airships came into sight, they watched them with interest.

“Lumbering things.” Said one.

“Little better than rememberance balloons.” Another commented.

A third took up a spyglass and studied them more intently. “No, they have some minor sails, to allow them to sail with the wind.”

“Give me that.” The man snatched up the spyglass and studied them. “Brother, you know the Ways of the Winds better than that. They can barely tack against a cross wind with sails that small. Put them in irons and they would be all but useless.”


“Yes, but imagine what we could do with one! We could take it anywhere, in any direction.”

“Hush fool!” An older man finally spoke. “No one should know what is coming.”

The other three bowed to the senior monk. “Yes, magister.”

The old man sighed. “Ignore them. At least,” he spoke quietly, “until their regents and entourages have disembarked. After that, I’m certain casual and unobtrusive test of their ability to handle strange and contrary winds would go largely unremarked.” The other three grinned at the old man’s words.

Five of the six airships drifted away from the dock where a few sentients had left. The mighty flighted bone serpents flew slowly, dragging the airships low over Aus-Tiere as they made their way toward the place the Salterri Imperium had allowed the tired Luftus Nochenwaurm to rest for a time.


"It's time," Vizini whispers, stalking forward along the side of the room, to make his grand entrance. He wasn't Doge yet, so perhaps his actions wouldn't mean anything, but at the very least, the world would know his intent. There wasn't any other way to take a sword, was there?

He waited until the Hailings were finished, and added one of his own, stepping towards the center of the stage.

"I Hail the Qzarina, Lady Tianshi of Silver..." [Insert anyone who wants to cut him off]

"Some party, eh, Kaiser? Hurray! Long live the... KTSAAAREEEEE! That's how you say it. Yes?" Fauratans Thuidans Farsjomas lifted a large wooden mug to the room enthusiastically as he walked in. His antennae were raised very high, but otherwise the enthusiastic Haljan's face looked incredibly serious.
"Kaiser?"

Fauratans could only see Mendev, Elyx and the Haljan females as he looked around. Mendev and Elyx both had their ears laid back against their heads as they tried to make themselves look as small as possible, though for a Masked One 'small' is not an easy thing to achieve.

[Kitsanth]

"Some party, eh, Kaiser? Hurray! Long live the... KTSAAAREEEEE! That's how you say it. Yes?" Fauratans Thuidans Farsjomas lifted a large wooden mug to the room enthusiastically as he walked in. His antennae were raised very high, but otherwise the enthusiastic Haljan's face looked incredibly serious.
"Kaiser?"

Fauratans could only see Mendev, Elyx and the Haljan females as he looked around. Mendev and Elyx both had their ears laid back against their heads as they tried to make themselves look as small as possible, though for a Masked One 'small' is not an easy thing to achieve.

The Niskans had watched the coronation in silence, solemnly observing this foreign tradition.

"I begin to understand your reasoning dedushka," stated Zhenya as proceedings seemed to draw to a close.

"If you remember that understanding is only the beginning of wisdom, you are sure to be a great leader for our people." Vanya replied, somewhat distracted by the Haljan's arrival.

The Grand Prince was a little surprised when he saw that the Kaiser was not with them.

"I had best go discover the whereabouts of the Kaiser, you three should attempt to mingle," Vanya said to his grandchildren, before seemingly departing.

The three exchanged perplexed glances. Interact with these foreigners without their grandfather to shield them? It was not something they had been expecting.

Vanya suddenly spoke from behing them, "Most of them will not be that strange, or have you Galina and Teodor, forgotten your brother's partners already?"

With those parting words, Vanya really did head over to the Haljans this time.

"Come, Valéria may be here. I've not seen her in years, it will be good to see her again," decided Zhenya, setting off into the crowded hall, Galina and Teodor following closely.


"Fauratans! Lost the Kaiser already? And the evening has barely even begun."

[Rain Dragon]

"Fauratans! Lost the Kaiser already? And the evening has barely even begun."

"Apiskaupus Thuidans Talzjands Leikeis Kaiser, you mean?" Fauratans drinks deeply from his mug, "Pff, I never had him in the first place! Oi Spa- Chsss!" Fauratans hisses as the bottom of Spark's scythe connects with one of his legs.

[Morph Bark]

"It was quite a ride for the first couple of years, but I'm doing well."

As Fengbao hugs her, she whispers something in her ear...


"As my father might say, good neighbors make for a happy life. I hope that your sister's reign proves as prosperous and blessed as his has." Clovis's voice was polite, but a shade too formulaic to sound truly spontaneous.

Breaking off their hug, Fengbao gives Emryn a nod.

"Thank you, Duke Clovis. I have faith that it will at least be so."



Irvest frowned for a moment, thinking. Paranoia had always been an Ethmorl trait; but that was not the main reason he didn't want to be separated from the armor. He was thinking about the recent deaths in Hrathan - people being suffocated by Vyuma. The prevalent explanation was murder, but some Mtambuzi had pointed out how the miners in the Pit of Sudelphir had found the metal originally: it had come out of the earth, slowly moving towards them. And he knew, from using the stuff, that it liked being close to people. Some part of him wondered if maybe the metal could "learn" from the way he manipulated it, changing it's shape and solidity. When he was near to it, he could control it, and he had never observed the metal to move without being commanded, but what if? That was always the question. There was a lot they didn't know about it.

I... It's not something I had thought of. I guess some could be shocked by it.

He placed his hand on the metal, his Osuro enhanced senses immediately picking up the simple mental frequencies he used to control it. There was a sense of warm familiarity that flowed through his mind as the armor spread across his body, and he willed it into the shape of plate mail, with a glob on his back flattening and sharpening into a sword.

Your guard may accompany me. Also, I will endeavor to not change it's shape to avoid causing any problems.

"That is acceptable. My sister--well, all of them really--are like to be highly interested in seeing its capabilities, but that might best be saved for a private meeting. Then again... Salterri love a good spectacle."

Fengbao gestured at the guard, who went to stand next to Irvest. "Right this way sir." The guard said, sounding a bit nervous.



Wayve let our a cheerful laughter at the captain's addition.

"Well well, princess huh. It's a pleasure to make your acquintance, my lady. I figured you couldn't be an ordinairy commander. An ordinairy commander wouldn't adress me with "Wayve". Not that I mind terribly, as long as you are prepared to drink a cup of Sublime Scotch with me, of course."

Upon seeying the reactions of the Pavonians on the revalation that Fengbao was a Salterri princess, Wayve raised his eyebrows.

"But at any rate, princess commander Fengbao, I think this..... misunderstanding with the Pavonians is solved. Al"

Fengbao grinned at the Shïnguard. "I hope you'll forgive me. From what I've heard Huroshans are rather informal, unlike many who visit this palace. I'll gladly drink a cup of your nation's brew, see if it matches up to the vodka and wines from around here." Tactically she declined to tell him that she was technically not allowed to drink by order of Tianshi, though she would restrain herself until the party. One had to celebrate one's 17th nameday, after all! She looked at the Avatar behind Wayve, the magnificent red axe on his back and the large, lumbering Griënd. "I should sent a guard with you as well, to prevent such further occurences."

She snapped her fingers and pointed at another guard who had stood next to the one she'd sent along with Irvest and of similar stature. "You! Make sure noone, Pavonian, Imperial or otherwise, disturbs these people. They are honoured guests of the Qzarina and we'll not have an incident on our hands." The guard saluted eagerly--or at least that was the easy assumption, like half the guards this one had his face guard down as well. "And don't let the maids serve up the best drinks." She grinned. "I reserve that right personally."



"It's time," Vizini whispers, stalking forward along the side of the room, to make his grand entrance. He wasn't Doge yet, so perhaps his actions wouldn't mean anything, but at the very least, the world would know his intent. There wasn't any other way to take a sword, was there?

He waited until the Hailings were finished, and added one of his own, stepping towards the center of the stage.

"I Hail the Qzarina, Lady Tianshi of Silver..." [Insert anyone who wants to cut him off]

Fengbao and Shuxian turn around, silvered longsword in Fengbao's hand, a thin orichalcum one quickly drawn by the other from its sheath. "That's quite far enough, boy!" Entirely disregarding the fact that Vizini was probably older than her, she looked ready for battle. "Put your hands behind your head and comply with a secondary search!" Guards standing by the walls circled around the guests to interpose themselves between the Qzarina and the Guilderene, while others moved to stand beside nobles and royals to ensure their safety.

The guards with Irvest and Wayve clumsily drew their swords. "D-don't worry Chancellor. Ev-verything is is under control." The first said. "Is what that Guilderene is doing Prowess?" The second wondered.

Noticing Vizini's golden eyes, Fengbao's own narrowed. "You're Tzaltec, aren't you?" Huanle clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. "Nooo..." Yinhuo put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "He's too handsome to be an assassin."

[ImperatorV]

"It's time," Vizini whispers, stalking forward along the side of the room, to make his grand entrance. He wasn't Doge yet, so perhaps his actions wouldn't mean anything, but at the very least, the world would know his intent. There wasn't any other way to take a sword, was there?

He waited until the Hailings were finished, and added one of his own, stepping towards the center of the stage.

"I Hail the Qzarina, Lady Tianshi of Silver..."


The guards with Irvest and Wayve clumsily drew their swords. "D-don't worry Chancellor. Ev-verything is is under control." The first said.

There is a barely audible lhhop as the Lord Chancellor's sword detaches from his armor. He still holds it in the same position, scanning the crowd, the roof, any alcoves. He registers the guard's assurance, and without thinking murmurs You have [I]him under control.

It was true, all eyes and swords in the room were on the Guilderene. And that was exactly the problem.

[SamBurke]

Vizini smiles, winking one eye at Fengbao. A moment later, he wonders why, but no matter. While she was certainly a worthy distraction, she was still a distraction from his true purpose. Perhaps after the deed was done.

He waited until they performed the search, which turned up only the clearly visible ceremony sword at his side. No other weapons, no armor, not so much as a cape-pin that could be dangerous. Other than, of course, his Guilderene charm and bargaining skills; but the guards could hardly stop him from negotiating a trade deal, could they?

The Doge-elect steps forward, almost to the dais, and holds up his left hand to keep the guarsd at bay. Then, slowly, carefully, with the eyes of the world watching, he draws it.

"Many years ago, my grandfather was considered by some to be a man of consequence. He ruled a great nation, which he had fought to rule, which he had struggled to tame: and he did this with violence. It is held secret by my people, but in many cases the Doges of ancient ruled in this fashion; how else to keep rowdy sailors and vicious businessmen to maintain themselves in a "nation" without force or power?

"This is how my grand-sire lived his life... until he didn't live it. It was in the years of the wars that the Doge visited a battle site, and saw with an eye granted perhaps by a higher power, the evils that it had wrought on his lands, his people... and upon his own family. From there, Guilder's history changed, and Tumberink the Just rewrote its destiny. He wrote it for peace.

"So, then... perhaps you're wondering why I bear this sword, and why I interrupt proceedings?" He turns to the audience, backing onto the dais to address the crowd, and drawing the sword with a flourish.

[Reggiejam]

Valineth and her daughters, Kyria and Loris, arrived somewhat late to the Coronation, a factor attributed to the twins' near refusal to accompany their mother on the journey. Both had insisted bitterly that they had important duties to attend to across the Faedas holdings and they hadn't the time to journey all the way to the Salterri Imperium simply to witness the crowning of a Qzare. Their tone had changed somewhat when Valineth reminded them that her own duties as Queen were more important than their duties as Princesses and that it was unwise to snub a fellow sovereign. Still, both seemed to hold some manner of disregard for Valineth's words but the Queen paid them no heed and they agreed to come along.

It was a problem of late, the girls in taking on more responsibilities had become less and less deferential to their mother despite their mistakes. Kyria had led 1,000 Yorukunin to their deaths and now it was Valineth who was forced to meet with the High Priest Divonorum and discuss a diplomatic solution. Kyria had assured her conquest was feasible and Valineth had allowed her daughter to fail in the hopes she would learn a lesson but it seemed all she had done is borne yet more resentment. So too did Loris look strangely upon her mother, for though Valineth had brought word of Kina from the Cities it was Loris who had so embraced the teachings of the religion and acquired copies of Call of the Mother and begun to distribute them to preachers and speakers throughout the hold. Valineth's careful reticence to upset the native cultures had seemingly engendered a black mark in Loris' zealous opinion and now both daughters drew away rather than closer to Valineth.

Valineth and Loris had come unarmed, but Kyria bore a Yorukuni style sword forged in bronze at her hip along with a light armor that left her wings free. Valineth and Loris wore no armor, though Valineth's elegant violet monarchial dress was a far call from Loris' sweeping black dress that seemed to swallow the floor in its train. It was cut deeply in the front and back though her wings, even folded close as they were, hid her pale back from view. All three's silver hair and violet eyes marked them as fae blooded and the twins near identical features and those shared with their mother marked them as family.

After being checked by the doormen the three women had been allowed inside, making their way through the crowd to meet with those they knew.

[Aedilred]

Just for once, it would be pleasant to have an international event that didn't at some point involve weapons being waved around. He supposed Tailong wouldn't entirely have disapproved, given the way he had introduced himself to his future bride, but this was ridiculous.

"Are you mad?"

The volume of his exclamation shocked even himself. It was possible not even Elwyr's siblings had heard him raise his voice before.

Almost alone among the delegation from his family, he was completely unarmed, so even as the rest of the guests and guards had their swords half-drawn, he was able to step forward, between Tianshi and the intruder, both hands outstretched.

Belatedly, he realised he'd now drawn attention to himself, and as eyes began to turn in his direction, old habits reasserted themselves. He spoke quietly and very quickly, his words starting to run over each other as he attempted to get them all out fast enough to make a difference.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you think you're doing, but assuming you mean no harm to the Qzarina you would be very well advised to drop your weapon immediately before you are hacked to pieces. I'm sure you intend something extremely dramatic, but you are interrupting a ceremony of great solemnity and importance to over a million people, not the least of whom is my niece and officially the most powerful woman in the world, so that purpose has been well accomplished, congratulations. Your name will go down in history alongside Thamiel and Ridovo as a successful crasher of parties. If you wish to proceed any further however I suggest in the strongest terms that you say what you came here to say right now in the most straightforward way possible and stop waving that sword around immediately."

He paused for breath. "You look ridiculous anyway."

[DurkBlanston]

A moment of doubt flashed over Marevain's face.

What....travel? Alone...to Palas Caercia. But, I am not rea....oh buckle up Mare, you're ready for this. Your Prowess is large enough to handle this. Your uncle counts on you.

His face became resolute. As if his very soul had decided on something.

"I would be honored to travel with you, sirs. Would it be alright for me to bring my own mount with me. My mantid is very dear to me and has always served me well."

A light blush appeared on his face.

"Could you tell me a bit more about your cousin, sir? What is she like?"


"It would be quite un-Caercian if not more un-Wyrmarian to turn down the request of a personal mount. I am certain my father would not mind your request," Markus smiled pleasantly.

"It's been a couple years since I saw her I must admit, but she must be about the Qzarina's age now. She takes after her mother in her eyes, the blue of the Wyrmar, but she looks quite Caercian all told. I've heard some describe her similar to my sister, and if that's true I can assure you she must be quite beautiful. Many young men at court would fight the Hordes of Shengdi that Cornelia Caercia look upon them. If cousin Claudia has turned out the same then it should mean you are quite the lucky man," the young man answered.

[lt_murgen]

Earlier....

So too did Loris look strangely upon her mother, for though Valineth had brought word of Kina from the Cities it was Loris who had so embraced the teachings of the religion and acquired copies of Call of the Mother and begun to distribute them to preachers and speakers throughout the hold. Valineth's careful reticence to upset the native cultures had seemingly engendered a black mark in Loris' zealous opinion and now both daughters drew away rather than closer to Valineth.


Andus took the opportunity to greet Valineth and her daughters. It was critical to the Kina worshippers within his sphere of influence that the relgiion grow, and they were doing a remarkable job.

He bowed, "Greetings! I am so pleased to see you have chosen to attend this event. It should be quite a spectacle." The woman might notice that he did not bear the coiled bracelet that so many worshippers of Kina wore as a sign of devotion.




Just for once, it would be pleasant to have an international event that didn't at some point involve weapons being waved around. He supposed Tailong wouldn't entirely have disapproved, given the way he had introduced himself to his future bride, but this was ridiculous.

"He paused for breath. "[COLOR="#FFA500"]You look ridiculous anyway."

Andus whispered to Tecoumsay, "Be watchful, something is clearly afoot. And not with the man in the middle." Speaking louder, he clapped his hands, "Well said, well said! Please, put up your sword and let this wonderous event reach its proper conclusion, with no more antics."

[Rain Dragon]

Fauratans Thuidans Farsjomas noted the Imperial royal guard reacting to the actions within the room. Even the fool who had a sword mounted on his back had a hand to it (though if Fauratans remembered correctly of what little the Spaiha revealed to him, said 'fool' was from Hrathan and Tuor; a nation well known for its professional killers).

"Well, as interesting as things may be here I feel that I've arrived a little early." Fauratans notes even a lupine form within the crowd. "Hopefully nobody is wed up there."

Fauratans begins to leave the room, leaving behind Spark, Gear, Hat, Mendev and Elyx (who are not making any moves to become included in the shenanigans before them).

[SamBurke]

Just for once, it would be pleasant to have an international event that didn't at some point involve weapons being waved around. He supposed Tailong wouldn't entirely have disapproved, given the way he had introduced himself to his future bride, but this was ridiculous.

"Are you mad?"

The volume of his exclamation shocked even himself. It was possible not even Elwyr's siblings had heard him raise his voice before.

Almost alone among the delegation from his family, he was completely unarmed, so even as the rest of the guests and guards had their swords half-drawn, he was able to step forward, between Tianshi and the intruder, both hands outstretched.

Belatedly, he realised he'd now drawn attention to himself, and as eyes began to turn in his direction, old habits reasserted themselves. He spoke quietly and very quickly, his words starting to run over each other as he attempted to get them all out fast enough to make a difference.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you think you're doing, but assuming you mean no harm to the Qzarina you would be very well advised to drop your weapon immediately before you are hacked to pieces. I'm sure you intend something extremely dramatic, but you are interrupting a ceremony of great solemnity and importance to over a million people, not the least of whom is my niece and officially the most powerful woman in the world, so that purpose has been well accomplished, congratulations. Your name will go down in history alongside Thamiel and Ridovo as a successful crasher of parties. If you wish to proceed any further however I suggest in the strongest terms that you say what you came here to say right now in the most straightforward way possible and stop waving that sword around immediately."

He paused for breath. "You look ridiculous anyway."
Vizini bowed himself towards Elwyr. "I may look ridiculous now, but at least it is in the service of a good cause. Not all are so gifted."

He thinks for a moment about the accusation... and smiles. "Am I mad? Am I daft? Insane, wild, out of control or well outside the lines? YES. But that, dear Elwyr, is precisely the point. If the Qzarina thinks me out of turn, then she's well able to have me killed... the Pavonians and H-T assassins can take care of that even if she doesn't act. So for now, listen to the insanity, and seek some truth in it." He turns the sword, and grabs the blade, extending it towards Fengbao, who seemed to be very interested in her sister's safety.

"I present this sword, and with it, the oath-curse that my father gave to me, just as Tumberink his father gave it to him. Accept the terms, reject them, do as you will: but they are here, recorded for history."

Vizini waits until Fengbao has grabbed the sword before continuing.




"There is much evil in the world, in the nation, in the hearts of men and man. This evil can be approached in many ways and cast in many lights. That is not the question.

"The question of every good ruler is simply: can they recognize the evil?

"The question of every great ruler is: can they fight it?

"And there are still greater rulers, those who shall shape the destiny of their empire for all of history. That is who you can be, and if I had my way, would be. There is only one way that you can be remembered for good, and not for evil. You must recognize evil, and you must fight it... but you must always respect peace. Seek peace. If there is a chance to save a life, take it. If there is a chance to repair the bonds of friendship, take it. If there is a chance to make amends, whether you were in the wrong or not, whether you are told to or not... take that chance.

"The only truly grand rulers in the eyes of history are those who can conquer without killing, influence without men, and win without warring. Fulfill this to the best of your ability, to the utmost of your life and beyond."

"Regardless of what you do with this curse, I return to you the sword of your ancestors, and I Hail you as the Qzare over all the Salterri Empire, its lands, dominions, and peoples. You rule, and have the choice... and my fate shall be your first." He bows his head, fully recognizing that the Salterri probably should kill him to preserve order.

Still, it had to be done.

[WaylanderX]

Clovis looked somewhat sheepish. "The problem is a simple enough one. Many ages ago, our greatest enemies, the Formor, were driven from Pavonia into the depths of the Black Sea. They were legendary for their skill at warping and shaping both their own bodies and those of the legions of slaves and monsters they employed. Ever since, anything that looks like it might have been a product of Formor fleshcrafting draws our attention. We of the royal family, and most of the more educated Dukes, know of your true origins, but evidently not all of our people have gotten the message yet. I am sorry for Fredrick's overzealousness."

"We cannot shift our shape, as your legends depict, but still some of your people find it hard to beliefe. Quite unfortunate, I must say."

"Fortunately no harm was done other than a scratch on Griend quite hard head. Your apology is accepted, sir Clovis."

With a dry smile he added:

"If you would, try to spread the message around a bit. I do not fancy an arrow in my head at this point in time."


Fengbao grinned at the Shïnguard. "I hope you'll forgive me. From what I've heard Huroshans are rather informal, unlike many who visit this palace. I'll gladly drink a cup of your nation's brew, see if it matches up to the vodka and wines from around here." Tactically she declined to tell him that she was technically not allowed to drink by order of Tianshi, though she would restrain herself until the party. One had to celebrate one's 17th nameday, after all! She looked at the Avatar behind Wayve, the magnificent red axe on his back and the large, lumbering Griënd. "I should sent a guard with you as well, to prevent such further occurences."

She snapped her fingers and pointed at another guard who had stood next to the one she'd sent along with Irvest and of similar stature. "You! Make sure noone, Pavonian, Imperial or otherwise, disturbs these people. They are honoured guests of the Qzarina and we'll not have an incident on our hands." The guard saluted eagerly--or at least that was the easy assumption, like half the guards this one had his face guard down as well. "And don't let the maids serve up the best drinks." She grinned. "I reserve that right personally."

Fengbao and Shuxian turn around, silvered longsword in Fengbao's hand, a thin orichalcum one quickly drawn by the other from its sheath. "That's quite far enough, boy!" Entirely disregarding the fact that Vizini was probably older than her, she looked ready for battle. "Put your hands behind your head and comply with a secondary search!" Guards standing by the walls circled around the guests to interpose themselves between the Qzarina and the Guilderene, while others moved to stand beside nobles and royals to ensure their safety.

The guards with Irvest and Wayve clumsily drew their swords. "D-don't worry Chancellor. Ev-verything is is under control." The first said. "Is what that Guilderene is doing Prowess?" The second wondered.

"I look forward to it, princess commander." Wayve replied with an equally big grin. "And thank you for the .... security I guess."

He measured up the guard, trying to judge his Prowess. Wayve turned back to Fengbao.

"By the way, princess, if I may be so bold. Have you already thought about a .... sparring partner, if you catch my drift. Rin here might prove to your liking, if you are willing to try him out."

Rin Fireguard, who had been staring at Fengbao all this time, perplexed at a non-Kasumori warrior woman, came to his senses and grabbed his lance somewhat tighter.

"I-if you would, my lady, I will be happy to accomodate you."

Would Fengbao be interested in marrying a Fireguard? :P


At Vizini's appearance.

Wayve adressed the guard first, internally facepalming.

"In a way, yes. His bravery is admirable. However, this way is too flashy, too dangerous. What is the point when you place yourself so close to death's embrace. Some see merits in letting themselves seperate into the Four Elements ahead of their time, but personally I think that is just a waste of potential."

To Vizini Wayve said, speaking up loudly.

"For you it may be a curse, young Vizini, but from what I've seen, it has also given your people guidance and prosperity. Or lots of money and gold, to put it in a Guilderene way. Do not think of it only as a curse, but a blessing aswell. A piece of advice from the past."


"It would be quite un-Caercian if not more un-Wyrmarian to turn down the request of a personal mount. I am certain my father would not mind your request," Markus smiled pleasantly.

"It's been a couple years since I saw her I must admit, but she must be about the Qzarina's age now. She takes after her mother in her eyes, the blue of the Wyrmar, but she looks quite Caercian all told. I've heard some describe her similar to my sister, and if that's true I can assure you she must be quite beautiful. Many young men at court would fight the Hordes of Shengdi that Cornelia Caercia look upon them. If cousin Claudia has turned out the same then it should mean you are quite the lucky man," the young man answered.

All sorts of images flashed through Marevains head, one more indecent or ridiculous than the other.

"If that is true, I can barely wait to lay eyes on her myself."

And on Cornelia Caercia too, if those stories hold true.

The thought flashed through his mind before he could stop it. He always had been fond of watching at pretty women, despite his general shyness regarding said women. He even had quite the reputation back home regarding that. However, that was years ago, and now he was a man grown, a proud warrior and noble of the Earthguard family. His Prowess wouldn't fail him.

"Also, I'm very relieved that I can bring my mount. I'm quite attached to him." He smiled mischievously. "Although I hope you do not mind the buzzing and flying that much."

[TheDarkDM]

For a moment after Vizini's proclamation, there is silence. Then, the terse response of Huroshan wisdom. But before another voice could be heard, the silence was dispelled by measured applause. Applause from a single pair of hands. Applause that nevertheless would likely put the entire assemblage on edge. For in the doorway of the Hall of Thrones stood Nezetkhamun, Teotlkan of the Tzaltec Empire. At seventy-six years of age, his shoulders had finally bowed beneath the weight of his royal vestments, yet he stood without aid. His skin had wrinkled from sun and salt, yet it still shone like burnished bronze. And his golden eyes still twinkled brightly, all too capable of cruelty and kindness, love and hate.

"Well said, grandson."

The Teotlkan stepped fully into the room, dragging a trailing mantle of crimson silk and gold embroidery behind him. Beneath it his garments were black, highlighted in gold and shining rubies. None of his heirs followed - instead, a dozen figures in black leather and red laquer masks kept pace, the chained daggers at their waists gleaming dully in the torchlight. The Unmarked had made their presence clear at the International Council, and there was little point to concealing themselves here.

"Honored Qzarina Tianshi, a thousand pardons for my late arrival. My ship was set upon by a storm while crossing the Golden Sun Sea. But I arrive with the good will of Tzalteclan, and the blessings of the East."

[Kitsanth]

"Apiskaupus Thuidans Talzjands Leikeis Kaiser, you mean?" Fauratans drinks deeply from his mug, "Pff, I never had him in the first place! Oi Spa- Chsss!" Fauratans hisses as the bottom of Spark's scythe connects with one of his legs.

Fauratans Thuidans Farsjomas noted the Imperial royal guard reacting to the actions within the room. Even the fool who had a sword mounted on his back had a hand to it (though if Fauratans remembered correctly of what little the Spaiha revealed to him, said 'fool' was from Hrathan and Tuor; a nation well known for its professional killers).

"Well, as interesting as things may be here I feel that I've arrived a little early." Fauratans notes even a lupine form within the crowd. "Hopefully nobody is wed up there."

Fauratans begins to leave the room, leaving behind Spark, Gear, Hat, Mendev and Elyx (who are not making any moves to become included in the shenanigans before them).

"If you come across your nephew, be sure to let him know that I was wondering about what could possibly keep him from a party such as this," called Vanya.


Elsewhere

Zhenya and her cousins had been watching all the commotion.

"They are all so dramatic," said Zhenya, then prompted by Galina's signing*, she added, "you're right, they do seem to enjoy making their entrances."

Galina sketches some more signs. 'Yes, this will certainly have an interesting end,' thought Zhenya, in silent agreement with Galina.


OOC: *Galina is mute

[Morph Bark]

"I look forward to it, princess commander." Wayve replied with an equally big grin. "And thank you for the .... security I guess."

He measured up the guard, trying to judge his Prowess. Wayve turned back to Fengbao.

"By the way, princess, if I may be so bold. Have you already thought about a .... sparring partner, if you catch my drift. Rin here might prove to your liking, if you are willing to try him out."

Rin Fireguard, who had been staring at Fengbao all this time, perplexed at a non-Kasumori warrior woman, came to his senses and grabbed his lance somewhat tighter.

"I-if you would, my lady, I will be happy to accomodate you."

Would Fengbao be interested in marrying a Fireguard? :P

Fengbao sized up the Fireguard boy. "He looks like he could still use someone to teach him how to wield a spear properly, but I know Kasumori value a good arm. I've had such challenges before, perhaps I should make an open challenge in the palace gardens after the ceremony." The guard captain coughed behind her, but she paid no attention. "What's your rank?"


Well, she doesn't know what the Fireguards are, but he's welcome to try. :P



Lady Lucrezia leans over to whisper in Huanle's ear, her warm breath caressing the girl's neck.

"Don't worry, little flower. I think I know what he's trying to do, and it's not assassinating your sister."

Huanle shivered at the breeze in her neck, already a bit on edge with the situation. She stared at Lucrezia with a frightful look in her eyes. "Oh my god." The words may well have invoked worse imagery.



Vizini smiles, winking one eye at Fengbao. A moment later, he wonders why, but no matter. While she was certainly a worthy distraction, she was still a distraction from his true purpose. Perhaps after the deed was done.

He waited until they performed the search, which turned up only the clearly visible ceremony sword at his side. No other weapons, no armor, not so much as a cape-pin that could be dangerous. Other than, of course, his Guilderene charm and bargaining skills; but the guards could hardly stop him from negotiating a trade deal, could they?

The Doge-elect steps forward, almost to the dais, and holds up his left hand to keep the guarsd at bay. Then, slowly, carefully, with the eyes of the world watching, he draws it.

"Many years ago, my grandfather was considered by some to be a man of consequence. He ruled a great nation, which he had fought to rule, which he had struggled to tame: and he did this with violence. It is held secret by my people, but in many cases the Doges of ancient ruled in this fashion; how else to keep rowdy sailors and vicious businessmen to maintain themselves in a "nation" without force or power?

"This is how my grand-sire lived his life... until he didn't live it. It was in the years of the wars that the Doge visited a battle site, and saw with an eye granted perhaps by a higher power, the evils that it had wrought on his lands, his people... and upon his own family. From there, Guilder's history changed, and Tumberink the Just rewrote its destiny. He wrote it for peace.

"So, then... perhaps you're wondering why I bear this sword, and why I interrupt proceedings?" He turns to the audience, backing onto the dais to address the crowd, and drawing the sword with a flourish.

Just for once, it would be pleasant to have an international event that didn't at some point involve weapons being waved around. He supposed Tailong wouldn't entirely have disapproved, given the way he had introduced himself to his future bride, but this was ridiculous.

"Are you mad?"

The volume of his exclamation shocked even himself. It was possible not even Elwyr's siblings had heard him raise his voice before.

Almost alone among the delegation from his family, he was completely unarmed, so even as the rest of the guests and guards had their swords half-drawn, he was able to step forward, between Tianshi and the intruder, both hands outstretched.

Belatedly, he realised he'd now drawn attention to himself, and as eyes began to turn in his direction, old habits reasserted themselves. He spoke quietly and very quickly, his words starting to run over each other as he attempted to get them all out fast enough to make a difference.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you think you're doing, but assuming you mean no harm to the Qzarina you would be very well advised to drop your weapon immediately before you are hacked to pieces. I'm sure you intend something extremely dramatic, but you are interrupting a ceremony of great solemnity and importance to over a million people, not the least of whom is my niece and officially the most powerful woman in the world, so that purpose has been well accomplished, congratulations. Your name will go down in history alongside Thamiel and Ridovo as a successful crasher of parties. If you wish to proceed any further however I suggest in the strongest terms that you say what you came here to say right now in the most straightforward way possible and stop waving that sword around immediately."

He paused for breath. "You look ridiculous anyway."

Vizini bowed himself towards Elwyr. "I may look ridiculous now, but at least it is in the service of a good cause. Not all are so gifted."

He thinks for a moment about the accusation... and smiles. "Am I mad? Am I daft? Insane, wild, out of control or well outside the lines? YES. But that, dear Elwyr, is precisely the point. If the Qzarina thinks me out of turn, then she's well able to have me killed... the Pavonians and H-T assassins can take care of that even if she doesn't act. So for now, listen to the insanity, and seek some truth in it." He turns the sword, and grabs the blade, extending it towards Fengbao, who seemed to be very interested in her sister's safety.

"I present this sword, and with it, the oath-curse that my father gave to me, just as Tumberink his father gave it to him. Accept the terms, reject them, do as you will: but they are here, recorded for history."

Vizini waits until Fengbao has grabbed the sword before continuing.




"Regardless of what you do with this curse, I return to you the sword of your ancestors, and I Hail you as the Qzare over all the Salterri Empire, its lands, dominions, and peoples. You rule, and have the choice... and my fate shall be your first." He bows his head, fully recognizing that the Salterri probably should kill him to preserve order.

Still, it had to be done.

"Well said, grandson."

The Teotlkan stepped fully into the room, dragging a trailing mantle of crimson silk and gold embroidery behind him. Beneath it his garments were black, highlighted in gold and shining rubies. None of his heirs followed - instead, a dozen figures in black leather and red laquer masks kept pace, the chained daggers at their waists gleaming dully in the torchlight. The Unmarked had made their presence clear at the International Council, and there was little point to concealing themselves here.

"Honored Qzarina Tianshi, a thousand pardons for my late arrival. My ship was set upon by a storm while crossing the Golden Sun Sea. But I arrive with the good will of Tzalteclan, and the blessings of the East."

Fengbao's eyes widened at the sight of the sword, which had a golden-orange sheen. Its edge, covered in finely-carved ancient runes of Old Imperial, was worn after centuries of use even as a sword that had been forged for ceremonies. The heavily decorated hilt was twice as long as necessary, wrapped in fine white leather, with a guard inlaid with jewels and a pommel that held the largest diamond she'd ever seen. "You son of a goat," She swears as she takes the sword from him, "this is..."

Tianshi still stood at the top of the stairs, not even having sat down on the Silver Throne yet. She looked down on Vizini with a look of curiosity upon her face. She brushed a rogue strand of her silver hair behind an ear and set one step down the stairs. The new Qzarina smiled curtly at the Teotlkan as the man came forth. The Unmarked were a bit of an unsettling presence to the guards, but the Qzarina seemed unphased. Between the security checks at the gate, other nations no doubt having brought security in the form of disguised assassins, the avatar of a foreign god and a legion of palace guards she was certain that if someone tried something, at minimum the other delegations would keep them in check and at worst all of the aggressor's number would be courting Death to the utmost limits.

"We thank you for your presence, Teotlkan Nezetkhamun. My father often wondered what it would be like to have the blood of the dragon as a guest." She wondered if the one time he had pondered so aloud it had been because he had been literally named 'Supreme Dragon' in the Silver Tongue. That was like to matter little to those who put such high value in gold instead, however.

"Doge-elect Vizini of Guilder, step forward please." She bid him as she moved down the stairs and halted on the second step. She motioned to the floor, as if it were a command to kneel. "Where the hell did you get the sword of the Qzares?! It was supposed to have been entombed with Xiu Hanyeo in Salteire!" "Fengbao, please." The younger sister held her mouth and stepped forward to hand her elder the sword that had once belonged to their father. Tianshi looked it over with a scrutinizing gaze. "It is indeed the real one. These markings can only come from use throughout the ages. Do tell, Doge-elect Vizini of Guilder, how did you acquire this and what do you expect to get in return?" She hadn't dealt with Guilderenes personally much yet, but the tales were telling: a Guilderene thought of gain first. Huanle looked on at Vizini with starry eyes.

"So romantic."

[SamBurke]

Vizini nods, taking a deep breath, and making sure to flex once or twice for any ladies sizing him up in the crowd. If he was going to die, he might as well break a few hearts while doing it, right? Inigo would have said something like that... just with bravado, and confidence... he would have actually broken the hearts, too.

He was the one daring enough to take the sword, was he not? Father always was a crazy one.

"I will tell the tale, but I do ask that you remember the evil was not mine, I simply bear it, and in bearing it, I have sought justice. My father sat with Tailong as he died, killed by the madman Ridovo. He said that they talked of many things, but never told me what they were. When it was ended, my father realized that the sword of the Qzares was present, and he took it." Vizini flinched at the collected gasps, yells, and threats from the crowd. Death truly was an option here, he reminded himself. Speak carefully...

"My father said that he wished to find peace between Salteire and the Salterri, to interfere and combine them back into a peaceful Empire. I told him that such was foolishness, was meddling. But he did not listen to me, and was determined... that is, until, a few short months ago, he disappeared in combat in the far West. It was then, recieving this invitation and armed with the chance to make right a wrong, I travelled, to give back to the Qzarina what was hers, and to, hopefully, end the conflicts."

Somewhere in the back, a Commerce Councilor fainted. Another one screamed, "HE DOES NOT REPRESENT THE OFFICIAL THOUGHTS, OPINIONS, OR POLICIES OF GUILDER!" Their charge had truly gone wild... they had been seemingly unable to keep him restrained.

[DurkBlanston]

Cassius' voice was one of the more noticeable in the jeering of the Guilderene Doge as he spoke of his father robbing his dead Qzare of his sword,

"He had no right! Grave robber! Defiler!"

"This fool ought to be split in twain by that sword," he grumbled more quietly to the Jarrow delegation he stood near, "Damn Guilder and all its Merchant Princes and Doges, fools the lot of them. May the Qzarina be merciful to us all and end this quickly."

[ImperatorV]

Irvest relaxed, re-attaching his sword to the back of his plate. No fighting to be had here, it would seem. Maybe an execution though.

It was interesting that the Doge-elect chose to do this in public, without warning. There was a reason for this. Trying to garner support for his peace movement with a dramatic statement? Likely. The merchant prince's outburst gave him another idea though. This... Vizini was it? He did not seem the exploitive merchant type. Perhaps there was some conflict between the Doge and the traditional powers of his state. Similar to what scholars had hypothesized would have happened with the nine guilds if Loki the Ascendant had not handled them so skillfully (and with the Ignato armies behind him). If the young Doge-elect wanted to rule differently than the merchant princes would have him... Very interesting indeed.

[Aedilred]

Alfmark had not released his grip from his sword, his eyes suffused with a cold fury. Guilderene arrogance was truly staggering. First their unnecessary intervention in and escalation of the war, then the theft of the Qzare's sword which had done who knows how much to prolong it. Now they deigned to return it by interrupting the coronation and bestowing what Vizini himself described as a curse on the Qzarina.

It was not entirely Vizini's fault, he allowed, for most of the blame rested with his fool father, presumably rotting in some western dungeon by now, and the sword was now back where it belonged. But the Doge-elect still had to bear responsibility for his own actions. He gave a curt nod at Cassius's words, but held his tongue, for this was for Tianshi to address and he would not challenge her authority at her own coronation, but he allowed his gaze to drift towards the King of Celero, with whom he had previously corresponded about the theft of the sword. He wondered how much the deaf king had understood of Vizini's speech.



Fengbao's eyes widened at the sight of the sword, which had a golden-orange sheen. Its edge, covered in finely-carved ancient runes of Old Imperial, was worn after centuries of use even as a sword that had been forged for ceremonies. The heavily decorated hilt was twice as long as necessary, wrapped in fine white leather, with a guard inlaid with jewels and a pommel that held the largest diamond she'd ever seen. "You son of a goat," She swears as she takes the sword from him, "this is..."
Atheldynn struggled to suppress a smile as he recalled the gutter press pamphlets of a few years before (and from what he understood, the remarks scrawled on walls and monuments in Maos after Jogay's raid) making almost that very assertion. It was probably a coincidence, but the thought of his niece reading that sort of trash amused him more than he could express, especially given the seriousness of the situation and not least because she probably did. Of course, the longer this went on, the harder it was going to be not to laugh. It hadn't even been particularly funny.

[DurkBlanston]

All sorts of images flashed through Marevains head, one more indecent or ridiculous than the other.

"If that is true, I can barely wait to lay eyes on her myself."

And on Cornelia Caercia too, if those stories hold true.

The thought flashed through his mind before he could stop it. He always had been fond of watching at pretty women, despite his general shyness regarding said women. He even had quite the reputation back home regarding that. However, that was years ago, and now he was a man grown, a proud warrior and noble of the Earthguard family. His Prowess wouldn't fail him.

"Also, I'm very relieved that I can bring my mount. I'm quite attached to him." He smiled mischievously. "Although I hope you do not mind the buzzing and flying that much."

"A Hulutahn chitters, a Perytons shrieks, the buzzing of a mighty Kasumori insect can be no worse to bear," Markus said, altering a common phrase from Wyrmar from its more existential purpose to serve as a fitting answer.


What does Marevain look like?

[Reggiejam]

Earlier....


Andus took the opportunity to greet Valineth and her daughters. It was critical to the Kina worshippers within his sphere of influence that the relgiion grow, and they were doing a remarkable job.

He bowed, "Greetings! I am so pleased to see you have chosen to attend this event. It should be quite a spectacle." The woman might notice that he did not bear the coiled bracelet that so many worshippers of Kina wore as a sign of devotion.


"Skipper-General," Valineth smiled, "A pleasure for both of us. I can hope only that this event does not end as the Summit did," she said her voice growing solemn.

"The loss of Opus Petrichor was felt even in the Heartwaste," Loris picked up, "Such a devout man of the Faith being killed by that madman Ridovo was a tragedy beyond compare."

"Know that your salvation or destruction is within your control, the Mother of the Night will not save you from yourself," Loris quoted from Call of the Mother, "Ridovo shall have his time."

"And there shall be no mercy lent upon him by the Mother," Kyria finished.

Valineth seemed to have shrunk as her daughters took charge, they were prideful, indicative of great Prowess Wayve might say, but to Valineth it seemed they were too overeager to take command without consideration of their surroundings. The Fae Court still buzzed with fearful whispers regarding the two young women, though they seemed to have developed a cult of personality among some in the Court and the Yorukuni Aristocracy praised them. Wenyavuk still stood the path of cautionary trepidation with Valineth but Loris's charming and inspiring work to spread Kina had done much to erode the natural caution of the Northern tribes.

"Tell me Skipper, how fare things politically in the Cities? I hear you grow closer with the Crown in Celero, perhaps a union of policies in mind? I must say I would be supportive, both yours and the Celerese are considered good friends to Faedas and while I am sure my husband would petition have you join Hurosha as he has finally worn me down to do I must say yours both seem nations more befit to a freer path."

[DurkBlanston]

Clovis, who was standing nearby, interjects, addressing both the Caerci and Jarrish delegations.
"It is true that the old Doge had no right to take the sword, but how is the new Doge to blame for returning it? If what Inigo did was wrong, then what honorable course is left to Vizini other than attempting to right said wrong?"

"It is not that the fool would return the sword his father stole with which I take issue, it is the overly grandiose and disruptive manner in which he has chosen to do so," Cassius grumbled, "Damnable Guilderenes think the world revolves around them, can't even let the Qzarina have her coronation uninterrupted."

[SamBurke]

"It is not that the fool would return the sword his father stole with which I take issue, it is the overly grandiose and disruptive manner in which he has chosen to do so," Cassius grumbled, "Damnable Guilderenes think the world revolves around them, can't even let the Qzarina have her coronation uninterrupted."
Vizini smiles and bows. "I was informed by my historians that the sword is to be presented after the Hailing of the coronation, so that is what I did... Besides, in Guilder's tradition, we find that the greater the memory of an occasion, the more important it is to history. Thus, I performed the highest honor I know of to mark this great day and hour, be it good or dark in the eyes of the Qzarina.

"But what I find most interesting is that while the vassals and governors are quick to speak, the only voice which truly matters is silent. Perhaps we would all do better to wait for the voice of the Silver Wyrm?" He begins to turn his head attentively to Tianshi, when Clovis yelled at one of the Princes somewhere in the back of the hall.


Charlie responds to this shout by taking off down the central hall, skidding to a halt in front of the Commerce Princes.

"In case it wasn't clear", says Clovis, "that means 'While the Alpha is talking, Omegas like you had better shut the Deep up'"
"Oh, how many years I've wanted to yell that..."

[Aedilred]

Had the room been anything like quiet, the grinding of Alfmark's teeth would likely have been heard some distance away, and if looks could kill, that on his face would have been deadlier than a full chyfta of Sunder archers. Tianshi might be Qzarina, but she was still a girl of seventeen, unused to authority, and likely taken aback not just by the Guilderene's interruption (not to mention the brief moment when it looked like he was about to try to kill her) but by the blunt way Vizini had announced the theft of the sword from her father's body. Dealing with the unexpected decisively was a necessary ability for a ruler to acquire, but, equally, buying her the time to do so was a duty of those loyal to her. She would speak when she was ready, her subjects would be silent when she did, and it was for nobody to insist she spoke at their convenience, least of all the man who had put her in this position.

He wished his nephew were here. The Emperor had been left to clear up the mess caused by Guilder before and had he been present would no doubt have stepped in by now to rein in his unruly subject, lest it cause him yet more embarrassment. It seemed in the absence of a higher authority in the immediate vicinity Guilderenes considered they were laws unto themselves.

[Morph Bark]

Tianshi raised a hand and the five musicians simultaneously slapped their stone instruments with clawed hands, causing a loud and resounding gong to reverberate throughout the Hall of Thrones.

"One of two of those reasons you give was not needed, Vizini of Guilder," she began, "an end to the war that has torn this land apart since the time of Hanyeo was ever the first thing on my mind to do as Qzarina. The second reason, however, I thank you for. While it was our understanding that the sword of the Qzares had been buried with Hanyeo, its return pleases us. Your father might perhaps be punished as a scoundrel for taking off my father's body that which was not his, but as he has been taken captive by foreign powers we may never know whether he intended to give it back himself or not."

She held up the sword in her two hands and felt its weight, admired its grandeur. The knowledge that she was holding an ancient artifact that had been held by all previous Qzares was thrilling. What might might lurk in its orichalcum blade?

"As to this curse of Tumberink the Sage, I can tell you all that a quarter of it I've already achieved. Another quarter is soon to follow." She ascended the steps of the stairs. "If all that my people and all people of Telluris and their lords would ask of me as they recognize and acknowledge me is to recognize and fight evil, than by the spirits and the ancestors, I shall. I was born of champions," she smiled at her mother, "of the Lady and the Lord," she looked around at Yinhuo and the Jarrows, the gathered Salterri and northmen and the cloaked avatar, "and I am and shall be unto death, in spirit and in word and in act, a true Qzarina of the Salterri Imperium."

As Tianshi sat herself down on the Silver Throne, the guards and her sisters cried out in hailing with abandon, their lungs emptying themselves without a lot of words for at least a full minute. Tianshi let it wash over her until it began to die down and then spoke again. "I believe you all must be hungry by now. We have ensured that you will most certainly be satisfied with an assortment of foods and drinks, and the enjoyment of music and dance. Enjoy yourselves today, for duty awaits tomorrow."


"Oh, dance we shall," murmured Fengbao, as she went ahead of the guests to lead them to the hall where the food would be served on tables standing by the walls, to leave plenty of room in the middle for groups to converse or dance. She herself had her eyes set on going outside, and after having led the guests to the other hall and having snapped up an a plum, she opened a large glass set of doors that led to the palace gardens from the two feast halls they had set up.

Huanle immediately grabbed Vizini by the arm to drape herself over him. "Soooo, tell me more about Guilder's exotic eastern lands?"

[RandoMan]

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Later ~~~ ~~~ ~~~



The Mularuhm High King and High Queen placed their right hands over their chests and swore allegiance to the new Qzarina, first in Common and then in the Ancient Dwarven Tongue, sealing themselves in a solemn vow.

As the chaos erupted from the Guilderene Doge's antics the Dwarven couple stood stoically by while the Reichtin readied himself to draw his blade if needed to protect the Qzarina.

[DurkBlanston]

Damn Guilderenes, Cassius thought to himself as the Qzarina ended the spectacle. As the rest of the guests moved off to partake in the fine Salterri feast Cassius made his way to the newly resilvered Qzarina to address the private meeting requested in his invitation.*

*OOC: Closing the time loop and poking for continuing that convo :smallbiggrin:

[TheDarkDM]

Nezetkhamun inclined his head at the Qzarina's welcome, before withdrawing to an empty space in the hall to observe the final act of his grandson's little play. When it had finally ended, and his grandson was safely ensconced with a pair of foreign beauties, he walked with surprising speed to intercept the young Doge-elect.

"That was quite a performance, Vizini. No doubt it will be the talk of the Imperium for weeks to come."

He then began speaking in the language of Vizini's mother, the language of Tzalteclan.

<I see you've attracted a pair of colorful vipers, grandson. Take what pleasure you can from them, but never forget that their pretty words hide poisonous intent.>

He delivered his message with a smile, a grandfather sharing some private joke with his grandson, and when he was finished he turned to the princess Huanle and lady Lucrezia.

"I hope you are enjoying the coronation thus far, my ladies?"

[Aedilred]

Alfmark released a breath he hadn't known he was holding, and finally took his hand off his sword. Tianshi had dealt with that well enough. As she took the throne, he hailed along with the rest of his people.

That concluded his formal obligations, at least. He bowed to the Qzarina, nodded to Cassius, and made his way into the throng of other guests. Spotting the Niskan delegation, he waved Valéria over and approached them, bowing slightly to Vanya.

"Lord Prince, welcome to Aus-Teire. It is good to have you here, and I should also like to take this chance to thank you for your efforts to save the Qzarina's father in Propinlonge. Valéria has told me a great deal about what happened there."

[Rain Dragon]

"If you come across your nephew, be sure to let him know that I was wondering about what could possibly keep him from a party such as this," called Vanya.

"Oh, you know Aipiskaupus... Though, I did not expect a coronation to be so... I'll talk to you later, I think!"
Fauratans scuttles away to interrogate some guards. It shouldn't be too difficult for them to know if they had seen his nephew or not. Indeed, all Fauratans had to ask was, 'Have you seen a Haljan walking around by himself wearing an eyepatch and black coat? He looks a bit like me, but about this much taller.'


Vizini smiles and bows. "I was informed by my historians that the sword is to be presented after the Hailing of the coronation, so that is what I did... Besides, in Guilder's tradition, we find that the greater the memory of an occasion, the more important it is to history. Thus, I performed the highest honor I know of to mark this great day and hour, be it good or dark in the eyes of the Qzarina.

"Yes!" "Good show!" Mendev and Elyx's bright ears perked up at what they thought was a very interesting coronation. They were about to gleefully raise their hands to the air when Mendev smacked his head on a low-hanging something, producing a loud metallic clang.
"Ahh, that was not smart..."
"No, it was not..."
Embarassed, the Masked Ones tried in vain to hide behind the three Haljan females.

Gear raised an antenna at the pair, "I will be sure to recommend inviting Guilder to Feran events in the future."
None of the other Ferans seemed about to disagree, though Spark was thinking how highly inappropriate the Guilderene's actions truly were and how easily everything could have gone so horribly wrong.


As Tianshi sat herself down on the Silver Throne, the guards and her sisters cried out in hailing with abandon, their lungs emptying themselves without a lot of words for at least a full minute. Tianshi let it wash over her until it began to die down and then spoke again. "I believe you all must be hungry by now. We have ensured that you will most certainly be satisfied with an assortment of foods and drinks, and the enjoyment of music and dance. Enjoy yourselves today, for duty awaits tomorrow."

Finally Spark wondered how they had managed to come as late as they did and stil not miss the ceremony. Spark, Hat and Gear wandered around the hall looking for the food. Freshly slain raw meat, to be precise; something they have largely had to live without for weeks.

Mendev and Elyx wandered over to the Niskovian delegation instead.

EDIT - Lightening Elyx's speech.
EDIT - I made a sentence better.

[TheDarkDM]

Nezetkhamun chuckled at Lucrezia's reply. The sound was resonant and warm, and held a deep affection.

"Yes, Vizini is quite the showman. Much like his mother. I must say, I'm surprised she decided not to attend the coronation. There was a time she would have seized the evening from the Qzarina simply to cause a scandal."

He lapsed into silence for a moment.

"Ah, excuse the musings of an old man. This is a night of celebration, a night for the young. You should enjoy it."

[Kitsanth]

"Oh, you know Aipiskaupus... Though, I did not expect a coronation to be so... I'll talk to you later, maybe!"
Fauratans scuttles away to interrogate some guards. It shouldn't be too difficult for them to say if they had seen his nephew or not. Indeed, all Fauratans had to ask was, 'Have you seen a Haljan walking around by himself wearing an eyepatch and black coat? He looks a bit like me, but about this much taller.'

With Fauratans' departure, Vanya headed back to find out what his heir had been up to.


As Tianshi sat herself down on the Silver Throne, the guards and her sisters cried out in hailing with abandon, their lungs emptying themselves without a lot of words for at least a full minute. Tianshi let it wash over her until it began to die down and then spoke again. "I believe you all must be hungry by now. We have ensured that you will most certainly be satisfied with an assortment of foods and drinks, and the enjoyment of music and dance. Enjoy yourselves today, for duty awaits tomorrow."

Alfmark released a breath he hadn't known he was holding, and finally took his hand off his sword. Tianshi had dealt with that well enough. As she took the throne, he hailed along with the rest of his people.

That concluded his formal obligations, at least. He bowed to the Qzarina, nodded to Cassius, and made his way into the throng of other guests. Spotting the Niskan delegation, he waved Valéria over and approached them, bowing slightly to Vanya.

"Lord Prince, welcome to Aus-Teire. It is good to have you here, and I should also like to take this chance to thank you for your efforts to save the Qzarina's father in Propinlonge. Valéria has told me a great deal about what happened there."

Finally Spark wondered how they had managed to come as late as they did and stil not miss the ceremony. Spark, Hat and Gear wandered around the hall looking for the food. Freshly slain raw meat, to be precise.

Mendev and Elyx wandered over to the Niskovian delegation instead.

"I am most privileged to have received an invitation to this auspicious event, King Alfmark. And it is good to see you again granddaughter." said Vanya in reply to the King's greeting, "I was deeply saddened by my inability to do more to help. Had Tailong lived, I would have done everything in my power to ensure his safe return to the Imperium. It was unfortunate that his injuries were beyond the skills of Aipiskaupus."

A brief glance about the room reveals that the Kaiser is not yet present, so Vanya decides to introduce the rest of his entourage. "Before I neglect my manners any longer, allow me to introduce you to my granddaughter and heir, Zhenya." he says, indicating the Niskan standing at his side.

"I am most honoured to make your acquaintance, Lord Sovereign." said Zhenya, bowing slightly in greeting to the foreign King, "and it is good to see you sister, I hope you have been enjoying life in Vennland. Please accept my most sincerest condolences for the loss of your husband. From what grandfather has told me, Siggi conducted himself with great dignity during his final day."

"And these are Galina and Teodor." The twins bowed in greeting, Galina sketching the signs for respectful greeting.

Noticing the approach of a pair of Masked Ones, Vanya decided to introduce them as well. "I do not believe that you have encountered any of the Masked Ones of Fera, King Alfmark. It is my honour to introduce Mendev and Elyx to you."

[Rain Dragon]

Noticing the approach of a pair of Masked Ones, Vanya decided to introduce them as well. "I do not believe that you have encountered any of the Masked Ones of Fera, King Alfmark. It is my honour to introduce Mendev and Elyx to you."

Mendev and Elyx waved black gloved hands gently at the King Alfmark, their long silver claws shimmering in the light. Ears moving quickly back and forth with interest, Mendev and Elyx carefully observed the foreign King with bright eyes. They wore light black robes of a fine cut with accents of various brown and bright purple cloth. A black cloth belt rested upon their hips and dragged along the floor behind round hoof-like feet. Covering their lower faces were simple pieces of black cloth. Each held a black tricorne hat beneath the right arm.

[Morph Bark]

"Discipline is important my lady, in dogs and men. I take no offense at her majesty's analogy, it speaks of a hand to whom discipline is not unknown," Cassius responded in the cold silence.

Internally he was surprised at the Qzarina's sharp understanding of disciplined hierarchy. For all that he was his liege Tailong had been a bit too carefree for Cassius' taste, too much the hero and too light a hand to be a truly effective leader. He wondered where then his daughter had picked up the characteristics, characteristics of a true leader of men.

"As the rebels of the Priory fell upon the blades of the Imperium I should fall upon your own blade should you call for it my lady," the man stood rigid, his ears ringing at the disharmonious notes.

No, I like it! It's some good stuff for sure. Lots of reversal of power here too, falling on blades and whatnot :smallwink:

Tianshi held the rock spheres still and the sounds disappeared. She smiled at Cassius. "Good. That's what I needed to hear. You are dismissed."

When Cassius, reached the door, she called out one last time. "Oh, and Cassius? Tell your son's Guru that he is to stay in Xianzhi Urbe until further notice. I wish to send him with my sister to accompany my uncle on a trip to the north."


Dun dun dunnn :smalltongue:



As soon as Qzarina Tianshi had the situation under control, Charles slunk back to the Pavonian delegation, carefully grabbed his cloak in one claw, and slinked off into a side room. He soon reappears, human and clothed once more. Later on, he waylays Fengbao just after she opens the doors. "Do you mind if I join you, Princess?"

"If you call me 'commander' and got a good enough sword-arm, then you may." Fengbao motioned casually with the silver sword she still carried. "Pull out your sword."



Meanwhile, Lady Lucrezia drifts over to join Huanle and Vizini. "Ah, Vizini, I see you've found a friend. You know, blossom, I'm not sure we've been formally introduced. I'm Lady Lucrezia Zola Sturmvarous Markov, and you are?"

"That was quite a performance, Vizini. No doubt it will be the talk of the Imperium for weeks to come."

[The Teotlkan] then began speaking in the language of Vizini's mother, the language of Tzalteclan.

<I see you've attracted a pair of colorful vipers, grandson. Take what pleasure you can from them, but never forget that their pretty words hide poisonous intent.>

He delivered his message with a smile, a grandfather sharing some private joke with his grandson, and when he was finished he turned to the princess Huanle and lady Lucrezia.

"I hope you are enjoying the coronation thus far, my ladies?"

"Oh, I haven't had this much fun in ages. Marvelous show Vizini put on there, plus I've just met a handsome male and a lovely young lady. What's not to enjoy?"

"Princess Li Huanle Jarrow, at your pleasure," Huanle replied to Lucrezia happily. "I certainly would hope this event will be the talk of the Imperium for weeks to come, it wouldn't be a good coronation if it wasn't!" She followed up on the Teotlkan. "I wouldn't doubt that a coronation in Tzalteclan would be the talk of the day for a long time, too! Um, not that I'm saying there should be one soon, pardon me Your Highness."

The girl thought for a bit. <We have turtle-shell soup.> She smiled at Vizini and the Teotlkan, satisfied with her own Tzaltec words.


To clarify, Huanle is not fluent in Tzaltec, she's just picked up some random phrases from markets and books. Just in case you were worried I'd make her fluent on the spot. Of course, the characters may be worried all the like. :smallwink:

[DurkBlanston]

Tianshi held the rock spheres still and the sounds disappeared. She smiled at Cassius. "Good. That's what I needed to hear. You are dismissed."

When Cassius, reached the door, she called out one last time. "Oh, and Cassius? Tell your son's Guru that he is to stay in Xianzhi Urbe until further notice. I wish to send him with my sister to accompany my uncle on a trip to the north."


Dun dun dunnn :smalltongue:



"Thank you your majesty," he said, making his way towards the exit.

Cassius smiled to himself. What a pleasure it would be to come with orders from the Qzarina herself to separate Markus and that thrice damned Guru. Perhaps he could take Markus out to the field of battle and attempt to salvage his son's masculinity.

He turned around to address the empress, "I shall pass on your command at once Qzarina," he paused, "Might a wager a question my lady? What is it you plan to do with the Priory situation, outside returning Salteire and bequeathing Minotron to Caercian care I mean. Do you plan to punish them?"

[Logic]

Through all the commotion, King Rion was glad he could not hear it. He was perhaps more glad that he was not the cause of it.

Ophiuchus really was a terrible translator. Rion had to strain his eyes to try to make out what the idiot boy was trying to say, and he signed so slowly that Rion was forced to try to read lips; mostly to his own amusement.

After the commotion died down a bit, and after the Qzaria had seated herself upon the Silver Throne, Rion approached her with his gifts.

"In honor of your name-day, Qzarina, I give you a traditional Celerii gift to someone coming of age." Rion said, with Ophiuchus needlessly signing Rion's statement for the benefit of the Qzarina.

Rion produced a small wooden box with platinum filigree, carved meticulously with the seal of the Salterri Imperium on the lid. The box contained 17 platinum coins, one for each year, and a dozen of the finest Griffon feathers in all of Celero.

But most important of all, was the note* Rion had placed in the box. The deaf King was determined to have more grandchildren after all.


---

After Rion and Ophiuchus left the throne, Fastion approached Tianshi on his own. Knowing his father, the King would simply take the opportunity to attempt to haggle the Qzarina into a marriage with Fastion. The knight did admit that she was lovely, and there could be worse fates than marriage, but the less he had to hear about it from his father, the better.

"Lady Qzarina. Allow me to introduce myself, and apologize for earlier. I am Sir Fastion of Celero. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for inviting the Royal party of my home country to your coronation and name-day." Fastion spoke quickly and concisely. He did not want to be in any more awkward situations that he had to, but his honor would not let him ignore his hostess either. Thankfully, his father was no longer present, but if Fastion was right, then Ophuichus was translating the conversation Between Fastion and the Qzarina for the King at this very moment.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier. I am a curious man, and had no idea the Qzarina I was to meet was a Komola. My father prepared several things for me to study on our voyage here, and I elected to train with my shipmates instead." Fastion absentmindedly placed his hand on his sword hilt. Upon realizing what he had done could easily be construed as an act of aggression, his eyes went wide, he unbuckled his sword belt, and took three steps back away from the throne, hoping the misunderstanding would be sorted out soon.

Qzarina Tianshi,

I write now to you to declare my love to you. I will move mountains, divert rivers, and steal the very sun from the sky for you. You need only take my hand to show your love for me as well.

Signed,
Fastion Noth, Prince of Celero
OOC: The note is forged, by King Rion himself. Rion is looking for a wife to tame his younger son, and preferably one that will have Fastion "marry up." Several of these notes are written by Rion, and he plans to hand them our to other unmarried ladies as Fastion gets rejected. Fastion knows nothing of this plot by his father, and I suspect there may be some comic consequences as more of these notes are produced throughout the evening.

[Rain Dragon]

"There is no food, Kaiser." "Trust me, we looked."
"Perhaps if you had been here earlier it wouldn't have been eaten already!" Fauratans Thuidans Farsjomas clicked his pincers cheekily as he drank more absinthe.
"You know as well as I that humans do not eat uncooked meat. Besides, it took forever to find a dockworker who was not terribly busy. I should not have brought an entire airship of lothra dragk absinthe as a surprise for the Qzarina-"
"Is that how you pronounce it? It sounds different to how the last one was spelled."
"Because they are a different gender, Farsjomas. Anyway, the Imperial Palace is quite beautiful you know." Aipiskaupus did not usually like being interrupted, but by this point his uncle Fauratans (who was two years younger than himself) had done it so many times he barely noticed anymore. Spotting the Grand Prince Vanya, the Kaiser passed by him on the way out.
"I hope I do not miss much, but we need to go fishing. We're absolutely famished by this point." Though his accent was still rather obvious, his words were clipped and clean as he spoke in the common tongue out of consideration for the foreign King present.
"Sorry that I should be so rude, King. I will likely not be interrupting again."

By the time the Haljans had reached the coast, many of those from the airships had already been there a while and unloaded some absinthe. Aipiskaupus interrupts one of the Kvista who were admiring the landscape.
"Do we know the laws for fishing here? I wouldn't want to upset our hosts and we do have rations in the airships."
The scythe-wielder of the Kvista Aipiskaupus was addressing did not seem too pleased about the prospect.

[Kitsanth]

"There is no food, Kaiser." "Trust me, we looked."
"Perhaps if you had been here earlier it wouldn't have been eaten already!" Fauratans Thuidans Farsjomas clicked his pincers cheekily as he drank more absinthe.
"You know as well as I that humans do not eat uncooked meat. Besides, it took forever to find a dockworker who was not terribly busy. I should not have brought an entire airship of lothra dragk absinthe as a surprise for the Qzarina-"
"Is that how you pronounce it? It sounds different to how the last one was spelled."
"Because they are a different gender, Farsjomas. Anyway, the Imperial Palace is quite beautiful you know." Aipiskaupus did not usually like being interrupted, but by this point his uncle Fauratans (who was two years younger than himself) had done it so many times he barely noticed anymore. Spotting the Grand Prince Vanya, the Kaiser passed by him on the way out.
"I hope I do not miss much, but we need to go fishing. We're absolutely famished by this point." Though his accent was still rather obvious, his words were clipped and clean as he spoke in the common tongue out of consideration for the foreign King present.
"Sorry that I should be so rude, King. I will likely not be interrupting again."

By the time the Haljans had reached the coast, many of those from the airships had already been there a while and unloaded some absinthe. Aipiskaupus interrupts one of the Kvista who were admiring the landscape.
"Do we know the laws for fishing here? I wouldn't want to upset our hosts and we do have rations in the airships."
The scythe-wielder of the Kvista Aipiskaupus was addressing did not seem too pleased about the prospect.

A discreet hand gesture from Grand Prince Vanya has Captain Dhauneld, who until this point had been discreetly shadowing the Crown Princess, follow after the Kaiser.


"Kaiser, Grand Prince Vanya has requested that I make available to your people the produce stocked aboard the Royal Airship." says Dhauneld once the Kaiser appears to have a spare moment, "the Sovereign would have made this offer himself, but he is still deep in discussion with King Alfmark."

[Rain Dragon]

A discreet hand gesture from Grand Prince Vanya has Captain Dhauneld, who until this point had been discreetly shadowing the Crown Princess, follow after the Kaiser.

"Kaiser, Grand Prince Vanya has requested that I make available to your people the produce stocked aboard the Royal Airship." says Dhauneld once the Kaiser appears to have a spare moment, "the Sovereign would have made this offer himself, but he is still deep in discussion with King Alfmark."

"I couldn't possibly. We shall figure something out, I'm sure. Besides, it wouldn't feed everybody and we do have food. Fresh food would simply be nice after weeks at sea eating nothing but preserved meat for the most part. We could not fish enough fresh fish for everyone, after all." The Kaiser was rather unused to being discreetly followed without having noticed, and tried to hide his discomfort at the captain having done so.

[SamBurke]

"Princess Li Huanle Jarrow, at your pleasure," Huanle replied to Lucrezia happily. "I certainly would hope this event will be the talk of the Imperium for weeks to come, it wouldn't be a good coronation if it wasn't!" She followed up on the Teotlkan. "I wouldn't doubt that a coronation in Tzalteclan would be the talk of the day for a long time, too! Um, not that I'm saying there should be one soon, pardon me Your Highness."

The girl thought for a bit. <We have turtle-shell soup.> She smiled at Vizini and the Teotlkan, satisfied with her own Tzaltec words.


To clarify, Huanle is not fluent in Tzaltec, she's just picked up some random phrases from markets and books. Just in case you were worried I'd make her fluent on the spot. Of course, the characters may be worried all the like. :smallwink:
Vizini nodded. <"Very good!> Perhaps I could teach you a little more? It's a tricky language, but if I show you how to move your lips, it shouldn't be a problem." He winked.


Nezetkhamun chuckled at Lucrezia's reply. The sound was resonant and warm, and held a deep affection.

"Yes, Vizini is quite the showman. Much like his mother. I must say, I'm surprised she decided not to attend the coronation. There was a time she would have seized the evening from the Qzarina simply to cause a scandal."

He lapsed into silence for a moment.

"Ah, excuse the musings of an old man. This is a night of celebration, a night for the young. You should enjoy it." "I don't see nearly enough of mother these days," Vizini says. "Some of our doctors say that there's some sort of blight on her... one even thinks that it's the doing of that devil Ridovo. But that is dark news of a darkness that will not stay in the light of this hall. So let us drink, eh?" He raised some ale to his lips and drained the rest of his drink.



Gear raised an antenna at the pair, [COLOR="#800000"]"I will be sure to recommend inviting Guilder to Feran events in the future."
None of the other Ferans seemed about to disagree, though Spark was thinking how highly inappropriate the Guilderene's actions truly were and how easily everything could have gone so horribly wrong. One of the Princes is present, and twists around. "While we certainly appreciate your love of our find homeland, I hasten to say that young sir Vizini's actions in no way are the official policy of Guilder.... not that, of course, we disavow his actions or disagree with his stance, but we most certainly do NOT take a stance on the correct Qzare of the Imperium. But in taking such a non-stance, we do not have a positive OR a negative reflection on any of the sides involved. Just to be... clear."


"Oh, I haven't had this much fun in ages. Marvelous show Vizini put on there, plus I've just met a handsome male and a lovely young lady. What's not to enjoy?"
Vizini smiles at Lucrezia... she certainly was making some moves... was she married? A very important question... not that Guilder frowned on politically required harems.

[Morph Bark]

Vizini nodded. <"Very good!> Perhaps I could teach you a little more? It's a tricky language, but if I show you how to move your lips, it shouldn't be a problem." He winked.

"That would be lovely!" Huanle replied. "I've been practicing Southern Pavonian lately and it requires some weird tongue movements, but I'm getting the hang of it more easily than my teachers thought, since I didn't do too well with Raaneki." She looked displeased with that, but reverted quickly to a cheerful look. "Ooh! I'm sorry my lords Doge, Teotlkan, I have to tripsy. My sister's looking to open up a challenge and I wouldn't wish to miss that!" She let go of Vizini's arm and made her way to the glass doors that led to the palace gardens outside.

By the way, could you use darker colours for some characters? Vizini's is visible enough, unless it is in a quote, but the others are not readable at all.



Charlie took half a step back, and with a flourish he drew a heavy black sword. "As you wish, Commander Li."

"A black sword, eh? Shame that," Fengbao noted with a look almost of pity, that slowly gave way to mischievousness, "the silver of Heng'e always pierces the black of night, pup." She launched at him, the best defense being a good offense.

[Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?331102-EMPIRE!-The-Community-Dice-Rolling-Thread&p=18039469&posted=1#post18039469), standard duel rules]




"Thank you your majesty," he said, making his way towards the exit.

Cassius smiled to himself. What a pleasure it would be to come with orders from the Qzarina herself to separate Markus and that thrice damned Guru. Perhaps he could take Markus out to the field of battle and attempt to salvage his son's masculinity.

He turned around to address the empress, "I shall pass on your command at once Qzarina," he paused, "Might a wager a question my lady? What is it you plan to do with the Priory situation, outside returning Salteire and bequeathing Minotron to Caercian care I mean. Do you plan to punish them?"


"That depends entirely on how they respond to my offer." The Qzarina replied, without tell of what the offer was--likely just the offer of peace.



After the commotion died down a bit, and after the Qzaria had seated herself upon the Silver Throne, Rion approached her with his gifts.

"In honor of your name-day, Qzarina, I give you a traditional Celerii gift to someone coming of age." Rion said, with Ophiuchus needlessly signing Rion's statement for the benefit of the Qzarina.

Rion produced a small wooden box with platinum filigree, carved meticulously with the seal of the Salterri Imperium on the lid. The box contained 17 platinum coins, one for each year, and a dozen of the finest Griffon feathers in all of Celero.

But most important of all, was the note* Rion had placed in the box. The deaf King was determined to have more grandchildren after all.


---

After Rion and Ophiuchus left the throne, Fastion approached Tianshi on his own. Knowing his father, the King would simply take the opportunity to attempt to haggle the Qzarina into a marriage with Fastion. The knight did admit that she was lovely, and there could be worse fates than marriage, but the less he had to hear about it from his father, the better.

"Lady Qzarina. Allow me to introduce myself, and apologize for earlier. I am Sir Fastion of Celero. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for inviting the Royal party of my home country to your coronation and name-day." Fastion spoke quickly and concisely. He did not want to be in any more awkward situations that he had to, but his honor would not let him ignore his hostess either. Thankfully, his father was no longer present, but if Fastion was right, then Ophuichus was translating the conversation Between Fastion and the Qzarina for the King at this very moment.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier. I am a curious man, and had no idea the Qzarina I was to meet was a Komola. My father prepared several things for me to study on our voyage here, and I elected to train with my shipmates instead." Fastion absentmindedly placed his hand on his sword hilt. Upon realizing what he had done could easily be construed as an act of aggression, his eyes went wide, he unbuckled his sword belt, and took three steps back away from the throne, hoping the misunderstanding would be sorted out soon.

Qzarina Tianshi,

I write now to you to declare my love to you. I will move mountains, divert rivers, and steal the very sun from the sky for you. You need only take my hand to show your love for me as well.

Signed,
Fastion Noth, Prince of Celero
OOC: The note is forged, by King Rion himself. Rion is looking for a wife to tame his younger son, and preferably one that will have Fastion "marry up." Several of these notes are written by Rion, and he plans to hand them our to other unmarried ladies as Fastion gets rejected. Fastion knows nothing of this plot by his father, and I suspect there may be some comic consequences as more of these notes are produced throughout the evening.

Tianshi got up to take the box from Rion as he stood almost at the top of the stairs and surveyed its contents with care and smiled. "A curious gift, but fitting. Thank you, King Rion of Celero. Your country has always had my father's love. I would like to visit someday to discover the reasons as to why."

The letter caught her attention. She looked a bit oddly at it, almost suspicious--letters of congratulations were usually stuck to the outside of gift boxes among Salterri nobles, but perhaps this was just one of those northern peculiarities. She took the letter and read it just as Fastion was coming up to her. She looked him over as he spoke and let out a chuckle near the end. "I hadn't thought the northmen to be so keen to unbuckle their belts before me, though it is a sign becoming of your honour. My good sir Fastion, I thank you for your kind words, but though my silver hair is unusual I had not thought I had grown fur and large ears overnight. Why, I'd be rather surprised if my family contained even one of them."

She found Fastion handsome, if rather awkward and rigid in his manner. Tianshi knew he was a prince of Celero, so perhaps that had something to do with it--the pressures of royalty. "Is it ordinary for the Celerese to attempt to woo one whom they've never met before, as if there could be none other?" The Qzarina still held the letter in her hands and had a bemused look on her face, though the question sounded serious.

[Aedilred]

"I am most privileged to have received an invitation to this auspicious event, King Alfmark. And it is good to see you again granddaughter." said Vanya in reply to the King's greeting, "I was deeply saddened by my inability to do more to help. Had Tailong lived, I would have done everything in my power to ensure his safe return to the Imperium. It was unfortunate that his injuries were beyond the skills of Aipiskaupus."
He gave a grim nod. "It is an uncomfortable truth for sovereigns, I fear, that not everything is within our power. I have spent... more time than I ought debating with myself whether there was a way to save Tailong, given what Valéria has told me of what transpired, but I suspect everyone, even Rongyao, did what they could - at least, within the bounds of honour. I shall have to honour his memory by protecting his heir, and doing what I can to ensure that something like that never happens again. I have already corresponded with King Rion on the subject of proper protection of guests on such occasions."


A brief glance about the room reveals that the Kaiser is not yet present, so Vanya decides to introduce the rest of his entourage. "Before I neglect my manners any longer, allow me to introduce you to my granddaughter and heir, Zhenya." he says, indicating the Niskan standing at his side.

"I am most honoured to make your acquaintance, Lord Sovereign." said Zhenya, bowing slightly in greeting to the foreign King, "and it is good to see you sister, I hope you have been enjoying life in Vennland. Please accept my most sincerest condolences for the loss of your husband. From what grandfather has told me, Siggi conducted himself with great dignity during his final day."
He took her hand and bowed slightly. "An honour to meet you, Lady Zhenya. You are..." he paused for a moment, trying to recall the details of the extensive Nisakovich family- "Lady Valéria's sister, if I am not mistaken? If you and she are anything alike, I am sure the people of Niskovia have a bright future ahead of them."

He nodded at her remark about Siggi. "My cousin was a troubled young man in his last few months of life, as I am sure Valéria has told you. Perhaps, in the event, it is better that he did not succeed to his Dukedom, for I fear after his injuries he would not have taken well to it. Valéria, however, has proven an able governess, inasmuch as her mother-in-law permits, at any rate," he added with a hint of a smile.


Noticing the approach of a pair of Masked Ones, Vanya decided to introduce them as well. "I do not believe that you have encountered any of the Masked Ones of Fera, King Alfmark. It is my honour to introduce Mendev and Elyx to you."

Mendev and Elyx waved black gloved hands gently at the King Alfmark, their long silver claws shimmering in the light. Ears moving quickly back and forth with interest, Mendev and Elyx carefully observed the foreign King with bright eyes. They wore light black robes of a fine cut with accents of various brown and bright purple cloth. A black cloth belt rested upon their hips and dragged along the floor behind round hoof-like feet. Covering their lower faces were simple pieces of black cloth. Each held a black tricorne hat beneath the right arm.

"I have not, or at least, not that I remember, and I am sure that I would. Our contact with the far west has been much lesser than I should like, though there is a sort of dull inevitability to it, given the geography. I should say that any friend of my lord Prince is a friend of mine, though many wars have been caused or escalated by such a sentiment, so I shall restrict myself to a more straightforward greeting. A pleasure to meet you then, sirs. How are you finding the south?"

[lt_murgen]

"Skipper-General," Valineth smiled, "A pleasure for both of us. I can hope only that this event does not end as the Summit did," she said her voice growing solemn.

"The loss of Opus Petrichor was felt even in the Heartwaste," Loris picked up, "Such a devout man of the Faith being killed by that madman Ridovo was a tragedy beyond compare."

"Know that your salvation or destruction is within your control, the Mother of the Night will not save you from yourself," Loris quoted from Call of the Mother, "Ridovo shall have his time."

"And there shall be no mercy lent upon him by the Mother," Kyria finished.

Valineth seemed to have shrunk as her daughters took charge, they were prideful, indicative of great Prowess Wayve might say, but to Valineth it seemed they were too overeager to take command without consideration of their surroundings. The Fae Court still buzzed with fearful whispers regarding the two young women, though they seemed to have developed a cult of personality among some in the Court and the Yorukuni Aristocracy praised them. Wenyavuk still stood the path of cautionary trepidation with Valineth but Loris's charming and inspiring work to spread Kina had done much to erode the natural caution of the Northern tribes.

"Tell me Skipper, how fare things politically in the Cities? I hear you grow closer with the Crown in Celero, perhaps a union of policies in mind? I must say I would be supportive, both yours and the Celerese are considered good friends to Faedas and while I am sure my husband would petition have you join Hurosha as he has finally worn me down to do I must say yours both seem nations more befit to a freer path."

"Celero and AQUA have had a long history of being small nations caught between great powers. We both have been very fortunate to have not been absorbed by force. So it is natural that we find mutual defense and accord." Andus said. "Yet our scholars have not found a solution that satisfies both nations... sensibilities. The Islanders are very proud and independent, annoyingly so. I certainly see the advantages of allying with a powerful nation such as Hurosha. I must bow to the will of my people and try to find another solution." He sighed.

He turned to Kyria, "The Children of Kina will hunt down the followers of Ridovo wherever they can find them, rest assured. The Council has allocated funds for such adventures. Some of the practices and mutilations upon his followers are abhorrent in extreme and threaten the natural order of life. The death of Opus may have been the harbor-bell warning of the incoming typhoon."

[Rain Dragon]

One of the Princes is present, and twists around. "While we certainly appreciate your love of our find homeland, I hasten to say that young sir Vizini's actions in no way are the official policy of Guilder.... not that, of course, we disavow his actions or disagree with his stance, but we most certainly do NOT take a stance on the correct Qzare of the Imperium. But in taking such a non-stance, we do not have a positive OR a negative reflection on any of the sides involved. Just to be... clear."

Gear raised an antenna with amusement, allowing Spark to speak as befitting her position.
"Of course, for those not somehow involved with such a delicate issue such a non-stance is best and one that Fera also takes. Also, returning the family sword is rather important. Gear was merely commenting on... Guilderene Flair and determination. A passing statement."

All three Haljans thought the Prince spoke as though setting down terms for a trade rather than starting conversation.


"I have not, or at least, not that I remember, and I am sure that I would. Our contact with the far west has been much lesser than I should like, though there is a sort of dull inevitability to it, given the geography. I should say that any friend of my lord Prince is a friend of mine, though many wars have been caused or escalated by such a sentiment, so I shall restrict myself to a more straightforward greeting. A pleasure to meet you then, sirs. How are you finding the south?"

"Thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you as well." "It is charming. We are glad to have come."

Mendev and Elyx were unsure of etiquette for adressing the King, so simply settled with lowering their eyes and standing behind the Niskans.

[Kitsanth]

He gave a grim nod. "It is an uncomfortable truth for sovereigns, I fear, that not everything is within our power. I have spent... more time than I ought debating with myself whether there was a way to save Tailong, given what Valéria has told me of what transpired, but I suspect everyone, even Rongyao, did what they could - at least, within the bounds of honour. I shall have to honour his memory by protecting his heir, and doing what I can to ensure that something like that never happens again. I have already corresponded with King Rion on the subject of proper protection of guests on such occasions."


He took her hand and bowed slightly. "An honour to meet you, Lady Zhenya. You are..." he paused for a moment, trying to recall the details of the extensive Nisakovich family- "Lady Valéria's sister, if I am not mistaken? If you and she are anything alike, I am sure the people of Niskovia have a bright future ahead of them."

Feeling that anything more said on the events at the International Council would only amount to empty platitudes, Vanya decided to step back and allow Zhenya to lead the conversation. Though he had been preparing her to take her place as Sovereign for just over five years now, this would be Zhenya's first practical experience outside of signing papers and attending tedious meetings.

"All children of our House are trained in the arts of leadership, though I'm sure you've heard this from my sister. I, like my sister, am merely a credit to our ways," says Zhenya humbly, attempting to deflect the compliment.


He nodded at her remark about Siggi. "My cousin was a troubled young man in his last few months of life, as I am sure Valéria has told you. Perhaps, in the event, it is better that he did not succeed to his Dukedom, for I fear after his injuries he would not have taken well to it. Valéria, however, has proven an able governess, inasmuch as her mother-in-law permits, at any rate," he added with a hint of a smile.

"With the loss of her husband, I'm sure Valéria would feel that is her duty to oversee his obligations. I know I would feel the same way, still, it'll be good to catch up with her at some point tonight." Zhenya paused, "It is unusual in Niskovia for such close family members to have barely seen each other over several years, it is something our people will likely grow accustomed to with time."

[Reggiejam]

"Celero and AQUA have had a long history of being small nations caught between great powers. We both have been very fortunate to have not been absorbed by force. So it is natural that we find mutual defense and accord." Andus said. "Yet our scholars have not found a solution that satisfies both nations... sensibilities. The Islanders are very proud and independent, annoyingly so. I certainly see the advantages of allying with a powerful nation such as Hurosha. I must bow to the will of my people and try to find another solution." He sighed.

He turned to Kyria, "The Children of Kina will hunt down the followers of Ridovo wherever they can find them, rest assured. The Council has allocated funds for such adventures. Some of the practices and mutilations upon his followers are abhorrent in extreme and threaten the natural order of life. The death of Opus may have been the harbor-bell warning of the incoming typhoon."

"Know that the cousins of Faedas stand with you Skipper-General," Kyria said, "We shall abide our Mother's law and hunt down any of the Ridovo cult." her words made it clear the "Mother" was Kina, not Valineth.

"Binding the House of Varinel and those whom it represents to my husband Earthguard was not an easy decision. The people of Sanctuary and Heartwaste Holds have long held independence dear, but the desires to reunite a broken land and ensure survival in the north won out in the end. Of course, such does not preclude aid to our allies and spiritual cousins of AQUA, if there is anything you should desire Skipper-General, you need only ask," Valineth smiled.

"We heard of the destruction of the Golden Sun Earthquake, is there anything we might be able to do to lend aid?" Loris asked, her preacher's voice strong and caring.

[lt_murgen]

"Know that the cousins of Faedas stand with you Skipper-General," Kyria said, "We shall abide our Mother's law and hunt down any of the Ridovo cult." her words made it clear the "Mother" was Kina, not Valineth.

"Binding the House of Varinel and those whom it represents to my husband Earthguard was not an easy decision. The people of Sanctuary and Heartwaste Holds have long held independence dear, but the desires to reunite a broken land and ensure survival in the north won out in the end. Of course, such does not preclude aid to our allies and spiritual cousins of AQUA, if there is anything you should desire Skipper-General, you need only ask," Valineth smiled.

"We heard of the destruction of the Golden Sun Earthquake, is there anything we might be able to do to lend aid?" Loris asked, her preacher's voice strong and caring.

"I thank you for your offer. The quake was centered upon the tree that some Quill hold as sacred to their spirit god Atur," He said the name with some tone of dismissal, "They refuse to let non-Quill near to their grove. Outward from that, the damage was less. I believe our tradespeople and craftspeople can handle the rebuilding, but any skilled help is always welcome."

[WaylanderX]

"A Hulutahn chitters, a Perytons shrieks, the buzzing of a mighty Kasumori insect can be no worse to bear," Markus said, altering a common phrase from Wyrmar from its more existential purpose to serve as a fitting answer.


What does Marevain look like?


Marevain's face lit up. These Caercians were not bad, he had to admit. He might grow to like them in time.

"You have my gratitude, gentlemen. I will accompany you to Palas Caercia after the coronation."

Marevain is a slender young man, not as well-muscled as most Kasumori warriors. He has both wings and external gills, although they are almost always hidden behind his cloak, a red one laced with Tanedhan feathers. He is clad in mithril chainmail with adamantine reinforcements at the weaker spots. His weapon is an epée. He can be considered quite handsome by some, with golden hair and a smooth shaved, honest face.


[COLOR="#800080"]"A black sword, eh? Shame that," Fengbao noted with a look almost of pity, that slowly gave way to mischievousness, "the silver of Heng'e always pierces the black of night, pup." She launched at him, the best defense being a good offense.

[Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?331102-EMPIRE!-The-Community-Dice-Rolling-Thread&p=18039469&posted=1#post18039469), standard duel rules]


Rin followed the two combatants, his spear at the ready for the duel. The only reaction he gave at Charlie's transformation was a raised eyebrow. He certainly had seen stranger things, and killed stranger things too. He watched Fengbao beat him ruthlessly the following two rounds, most likely quite angry at the cheating Pavonian. He chuckled. His form was quite clumsy, he saw. Perhaps could make quite an impression on Fengbao after all.

"Commander Fengbao, I would like to spar a round with you as well, if you please."

His spear at the ready, he sank into trance. The only thing he saw was an enemy, a monster of the blade. And monster had to be purified. He charged at Fengbao, his spear's crescent blade flying with lightning speed towards Fengbao's heels.


https://www.kungfudirect.com/prodimages/TDL/TD-Chan-b.jpg
rolls: 12, 14, 14 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18045282&postcount=972)

So, do you want to arrange a marriage between fan-girl and onmyouji dude?


"Know that the cousins of Faedas stand with you Skipper-General," Kyria said, "We shall abide our Mother's law and hunt down any of the Ridovo cult." her words made it clear the "Mother" was Kina, not Valineth.

"Binding the House of Varinel and those whom it represents to my husband Earthguard was not an easy decision. The people of Sanctuary and Heartwaste Holds have long held independence dear, but the desires to reunite a broken land and ensure survival in the north won out in the end. Of course, such does not preclude aid to our allies and spiritual cousins of AQUA, if there is anything you should desire Skipper-General, you need only ask," Valineth smiled.

"We heard of the destruction of the Golden Sun Earthquake, is there anything we might be able to do to lend aid?" Loris asked, her preacher's voice strong and caring.

"Well, I did not force you to join the Hurosha Empire, Valineth. From what I have heard the past couple of minutes does seem to imply that."

Wayve was cassually standing behind Valineth, his voice cold, his face stern.

"I am not one to rule absolutely. Those who are to be my vassals shall be my equal and be treated as fitting for their Prowess. So in a way, they would still be free, even if Celero and AQUA were to join under my banner."

A small smile flashed across his lips.

"That offer still stands by the way, should either AQUA or Celero change its mind. But we Huroshans are not to force somebody. So please, my dear, do not spread false rumours about me and our ways, if you so please. Now, if you would excuse me."

Wayve walked away towards the refreshment table.

[Logic]

Tianshi got up to take the box from Rion as he stood almost at the top of the stairs and surveyed its contents with care and smiled. "A curious gift, but fitting. Thank you, King Rion of Celero. Your country has always had my father's love. I would like to visit someday to discover the reasons as to why."

The letter caught her attention. She looked a bit oddly at it, almost suspicious--letters of congratulations were usually stuck to the outside of gift boxes among Salterri nobles, but perhaps this was just one of those northern peculiarities. She took the letter and read it just as Fastion was coming up to her. She looked him over as he spoke and let out a chuckle near the end. "I hadn't thought the northmen to be so keen to unbuckle their belts before me, though it is a sign becoming of your honour. My good sir Fastion, I thank you for your kind words, but though my silver hair is unusual I had not thought I had grown fur and large ears overnight. Why, I'd be rather surprised if my family contained even one of them."

She found Fastion handsome, if rather awkward and rigid in his manner. Tianshi knew he was a prince of Celero, so perhaps that had something to do with it--the pressures of royalty. "Is it ordinary for the Celerese to attempt to woo one whom they've never met before, as if there could be none other?" The Qzarina still held the letter in her hands and had a bemused look on her face, though the question sounded serious.
Fastion stammered as his sword belt clattered to the floor, his hands held at waist level. "I-I'm not sure to what you are r-referring. Woo you? Why do you think I am trying to woo you? Not that you aren't a lovely young lady, aaaaaaand I'll just shut up now before I dig myself into a whole I can't possibly climb out of."

Fastion began to sweat in his doubly uncomfortable doublet. What he wouldn't give to be out of this awkward situation.


---

Rion watched from nearby, doing his best to read the lips of his stubborn son and the Qzarina Tianshi. Ophiuchus was repeatedly signing incorrectly the Prince's words, much to Rion's annoyance.

I swear, this fool is worth more as a poison-taster than an interpreter. The King mused.

[Morph Bark]

Lucrezia smiled back, seeming to laugh at some secret joke. "Yes, let us drink our fill tonight."

Lucrezia glanced over. "Ooh, and my nephew's dueling her. This I have to see." She followed close on Huanle's heels.

As Fengbao's sword stabbed forth, Charlie leapt into a flying tackle. But even as he sprang, his form splintered and reformed as an enormous black-furred wolf, which slammed into Fengbao and knocked her flat. The sword flew from her hands, and ivory teeth stopped just short of closing on her throat.

As you can see here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18039733&postcount=970), Charlie wins the first roll but loses the next two, so I presented my idea of how he might win round one. He's not supposed to be that good of a pure swordsman, so we can have Fengbao tell him off for cheating and insist on a pure sword-fight for the rematch and tie-breaker. She'll win handily. Morph, if you'd like you can write up the rest of the match, including Charlie's actions. He's supposed to be quite strong, but rather unskilled.

Fengbao had the air forced out of her lungs when she hit the paved garden path and retaliated quickly with a double kick to Charlie's exposed stomach to get him away from her. She rolled over and got back up, taking a moment to collect herself before weaving around Charlie with cuts of her blade as she kept low and bobbed up and down with her upper body, as if she was standing on a ship and tried to keep standing amidst the unruly seas. She landed a cut on him and in the small opening that created her free fist connected with the end of Charlie's vulnerable snout to cause him to fall down howling.

"Technically, I said only if your sword-arm was good," the second of the Li sisters began, "but nice try regardless, pup."

Huanle had been watching excitedly, and her expression became one of utter fascination when Charlie shifted his form into that of a large wolfman. "It's like in the stories," she whispered, and she ran over to him after the duel had concluded, before Fengbao could even offer to help him up and kneeled beside him. "You fought well, oh valiant prince." She said to him, and planted a kiss on his furry forehead. "May my love lighten your pain."

Fengbao rolled her eyes and moved to help the young man up. "Isn't that kind of thing reserved for winners, anyway?"

"Good idea!" Huanle clapped her hands together. "Anyone who beats Fengbao gets a kiss!"

"Not from me!"

"From both of us!"

"You're loathsome," Fengbao complained.

"Fengbao knows Raaneki kissing techniques!" Came the sharp-tongued reply, the source of which swiftly got out of reach of her sister's hands.


I can't really apologize for Huanle laying it on thick. It's the way she is, but that makes her pretty easy to portray. :smalltongue:



Rin followed the two combatants, his spear at the ready for the duel. The only reaction he gave at Charlie's transformation was a raised eyebrow. He certainly had seen stranger things, and killed stranger things too. He watched Fengbao beat him ruthlessly the following two rounds, most likely quite angry at the cheating Pavonian. He chuckled. His form was quite clumsy, he saw. Perhaps could make quite an impression on Fengbao after all.

"Commander Fengbao, I would like to spar a round with you as well, if you please."

His spear at the ready, he sank into trance. The only thing he saw was an enemy, a monster of the blade. And monster had to be purified. He charged at Fengbao, his spear's crescent blade flying with lightning speed towards Fengbao's heels.


https://www.kungfudirect.com/prodimages/TDL/TD-Chan-b.jpg
rolls: 12, 14, 14 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18045282&postcount=972)

So, do you want to arrange a marriage between fan-girl and onmyouji dude?

"Aye, sounds fair, Huroshan." Fengbao nodded. "You're the Shïnguard's boy, aintcha? This should be good."

Fengbao took no time hesitating and was set to fight. She got into a battle stance, but was unprepared for the wild rush and whirling manner of Rin's blade. She tried to side-step the attack, but it was too wide and got her on her ankles, sweeping her right off her feet as blood flew. She cried out and rolled over, getting up again quickly, but gritting her teeth to bite away the pain and launched a counter-attack with her blade. She got in too close for the crescent spear to be effective and cut upwards.


[Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?331102-EMPIRE!-The-Community-Dice-Rolling-Thread&p=18045282&viewfull=1#post18045282), mine below yours]


Sure, no problem. My only other idea for her was to marry a male from Chief's Divinorum family--as long as it wasn't the ruler of course. My only real demand is that I'd get at least one (or more, that'd be fair 'nuff too) of any resulting children (if any come up) back, to be raised as part of the extended Li family. Any resulting children (whether they will ultimately be part of the Imperium or Hurosha) will have the right to be taught by Salterri scholars, artists and soldiers and so on and so forth.

Also, I cut-off midway the second part of the duel, leaving how the result of that part (a win for Fengbao) up to you. Since Rin narrowly won the last roll, the duel is ultimately his. Pretty obvious too, with Fengbao being wounded on the first strike like that.



Fastion stammered as his sword belt clattered to the floor, his hands held at waist level. "I-I'm not sure to what you are r-referring. Woo you? Why do you think I am trying to woo you? Not that you aren't a lovely young lady, aaaaaaand I'll just shut up now before I dig myself into a whole I can't possibly climb out of."

Fastion began to sweat in his doubly uncomfortable doublet. What he wouldn't give to be out of this awkward situation.


---

Rion watched from nearby, doing his best to read the lips of his stubborn son and the Qzarina Tianshi. Ophiuchus was repeatedly signing incorrectly the Prince's words, much to Rion's annoyance.

I swear, this fool is worth more as a poison-taster than an interpreter. The King mused.

"No, please, do continue. At this rate you might make the Mularuhm dwarves envious." The Qzarina replied with a small smile. The man seemed an idiot, but he was certainly amusing and not too haughty about it. A sense of pride was never wrong, but in the quantities in which it had been instilled in many noblemen she had come to know it had always been a bit much. She folded the letter and stuck it inside her sleeve. "Why don't we go for a walk, so my lord can clear his head, and perhaps find the words he needs?"

[Aedilred]

"With the loss of her husband, I'm sure Valéria would feel that is her duty to oversee his obligations. I know I would feel the same way, still, it'll be good to catch up with her at some point tonight." Zhenya paused, "It is unusual in Niskovia for such close family members to have barely seen each other over several years, it is something our people will likely grow accustomed to with time."

Alfmark nodded. "It is unusual in Jarrland too, even among more distant family members. My cousins Athelmere and Edwyrd, my brother Alfwigg and cousin Radber - Siggi's father - were raised almost as siblings, and I along with Mere and Edwyrd's own children, to the point he later adopted me as a son. In recent times the necessities of politics have seen many of us shipped abroad, though, and that has been a blow to all of us, especially for 'Wyrd's daughters, scattered all across the east... though not entirely of our own volition," he added, slightly sourly. The youngest of those sisters had been abducted as a child and her sanity had reportedly never recovered, culminating in the spectacle at the last Grand Ball.

"I am glad, and fortunate, that my daughter has been able to stay in Jarrland rather than moving to Faedas with her husband. Sadly, however close we may be to our family, there is no getting away from the fact that Niskovia, and Ashenia for that matter, are just a bloody long way away from here. It is the price of a foreign policy, I suppose."

He started slightly at the sound of steel clashing, and looked over to see Fengbao sparring with the Pavonians and Huroshans. He turned back to the Niskans, raising his eyebrows as if to say "typical".

"On the subject of family, a thought has occurred to me. Our friends in Raaneka and the Jewelled Cities - and it is a relief to be able to call them friends again, I must say - had a policy of sending children to foster in each other's lands that they might learn more of each other's cultures and build relations. We have done something similar in the past on occasion - Queen Tempest was warded in Jarrland for six years, and our own princess Anguryn is now resident in Raaneka. Perhaps, given how difficult contact can be otherwise, it would be worth extending that policy, and with your permission some of Valéria's children might be fostered in Niskovia for a while - not Kasmi, I think, but perhaps Yuli or some of the girls. Even one of my own twin boys, maybe. I should of course be happy to receive any members of House Nisakovich in my own lands."

[Kitsanth]

Alfmark nodded. "It is unusual in Jarrland too, even among more distant family members. My cousins Athelmere and Edwyrd, my brother Alfwigg and cousin Radber - Siggi's father - were raised almost as siblings, and I along with Mere and Edwyrd's own children, to the point he later adopted me as a son. In recent times the necessities of politics have seen many of us shipped abroad, though, and that has been a blow to all of us, especially for 'Wyrd's daughters, scattered all across the east... though not entirely of our own volition," he added, slightly sourly. The youngest of those sisters had been abducted as a child and her sanity had reportedly never recovered, culminating in the spectacle at the last Grand Ball.

"I am glad, and fortunate, that my daughter has been able to stay in Jarrland rather than moving to Faedas with her husband. Sadly, however close we may be to our family, there is no getting away from the fact that Niskovia, and Ashenia for that matter, are just a bloody long way away from here. It is the price of a foreign policy, I suppose."

He started slightly at the sound of steel clashing, and looked over to see Fengbao sparring with the Pavonians and Huroshans. He turned back to the Niskans, raising his eyebrows as if to say "typical".

"On the subject of family, a thought has occurred to me. Our friends in Raaneka and the Jewelled Cities - and it is a relief to be able to call them friends again, I must say - had a policy of sending children to foster in each other's lands that they might learn more of each other's cultures and build relations. We have done something similar in the past on occasion - Queen Tempest was warded in Jarrland for six years, and our own princess Anguryn is now resident in Raaneka. Perhaps, given how difficult contact can be otherwise, it would be worth extending that policy, and with your permission some of Valéria's children might be fostered in Niskovia for a while - not Kasmi, I think, but perhaps Yuli or some of the girls. Even one of my own twin boys, maybe. I should of course be happy to receive any members of House Nisakovich in my own lands."

"And yet, there are places even further apart than our distant lands. I admit to being somewhat grateful that none of my siblings or cousins married somewhere more distant, that and at least the journey to any of the Imperium's vassals is pleasant when done by airship." Zhenya smirks a little, "I do not envy some of the journeys my grandfather had to make before the airship."

Zhenya turned to see what the King had been startled by. 'To test skill of arms in such a public setting? A strange custom these foreigners had' thought Zhenya to herself.

Vanya listened with great interest to King Alfmark's proposal.

"I would not be averse to such an arrangement," says Vanya, entering the conversation once more. "Mykola's twin daughters would likely benefit from some time spent in their mother's homeland. Though it would be a shame for them to be apart from their mother..." Vanya pauses contemplatively, "I will just have to suggest that she travel with them as chaperone during their foster period."

Zhenya smiles, pleased with Vanya's decision, "I would be most honoured to foster any of my sister's children. I will even return that honour when my youngest are old enough to travel such a long way."

"Fosterings such as this are rare in Niskovia. Our most similar custom is quite different," Vanya revealed. "If two clans have been in conflict that cannot be resolved, they will exchange heirs. The idea being that one cannot act in such a way against one's own family. I find you way to be much more amicable."

[SamBurke]

Gear raised an antenna with amusement, allowing Spark to speak as befitting her position.
"Of course, for those not somehow involved with such a delicate issue such a non-stance is best and one that Fera also takes. Also, returning the family sword is rather important. Gear was merely commenting on... Guilderene Flair and determination. A passing statement."The Prince nodded, but still walked off with the petrified air of a man who'll do a lot of Public Relations work that evening.

Whatever that air looks like.

Meanwhile, Back at the Love-Octangle
Vizini can feel the squeeze of Lucrezia, and despite his best hopes, a shot of adrenaline runs through his arm, and with a style unlike him, he flexes. The arm fills her hand rather well, even for a less athletic Guilderene.

But on the other hand... Fengbao was a specimen, in more ways than one. Her motions were clear and smooth like Prowess, but so was her form. A fierce personality on top, with a whole lot of spirit... Then, suddenly, an idea struck him.

"I will challenge you, My Lady." He steps forward and bows. The time for romancing had come, but it had a very different face than usual.

[Reggiejam]

"I thank you for your offer. The quake was centered upon the tree that some Quill hold as sacred to their spirit god Atur," He said the name with some tone of dismissal, "They refuse to let non-Quill near to their grove. Outward from that, the damage was less. I believe our tradespeople and craftspeople can handle the rebuilding, but any skilled help is always welcome."


"Well, I did not force you to join the Hurosha Empire, Valineth. From what I have heard the past couple of minutes does seem to imply that."

Wayve was cassually standing behind Valineth, his voice cold, his face stern.

"I am not one to rule absolutely. Those who are to be my vassals shall be my equal and be treated as fitting for their Prowess. So in a way, they would still be free, even if Celero and AQUA were to join under my banner."

A small smile flashed across his lips.

"That offer still stands by the way, should either AQUA or Celero change its mind. But we Huroshans are not to force somebody. So please, my dear, do not spread false rumours about me and our ways, if you so please. Now, if you would excuse me."

Wayve walked away towards the refreshment table.

Valineth smiled at her husband, a thin veil of public politeness covering something else, "Such was of course not my intention to imply Wayve, I apologize if I had done so."

As he walked away she excused herself to follow him.

"Father's prowess in battle is great," Loris began,

"But his prowess with the public is less so," Loris finished, "Forgive him, he is old and protective of what he has built and possessive of his wife and daughters and the words they say. He has not embraced the Mother. The balance of Ashmar is noble, but often incongruous with the desire for Imperial spread and control."

"As we were saying however, Faedas shall always seek to ensure the land of our faith is safeguarded and secure whenever possible."


As Valineth caught up to Wayve she gripped his arm in an affectionate gesture but her hold was tight, and she turned to smile up at him but her words were not as kindly.

"Perhaps my liege-husband you could explain your desire to sabotage not only my attempts to maintain good favor with AQUA, who I should remind you I spurned for you, but also ruining my attempt to regain some level of respect from our daughters who grow more and more distant as the years pass?"

[Logic]

"No, please, do continue. At this rate you might make the Mularuhm dwarves envious." The Qzarina replied with a small smile. The man seemed an idiot, but he was certainly amusing and not too haughty about it. A sense of pride was never wrong, but in the quantities in which it had been instilled in many noblemen she had come to know it had always been a bit much. She folded the letter and stuck it inside her sleeve. "Why don't we go for a walk, so my lord can clear his head, and perhaps find the words he needs?"

"Far be it from me to refuse a lady." Fastion replied. Though still nervous, his tone was less revealing than moments ago. For some reason, Tianshi intimidated him like no other. Why, the Princely Knight could not discern. But no matter the reason, he was glad to speak to her without an audience, especially one containing his father.


---
The Celerse King Rion watched humorously as his son was bemused by the Qzarina.

Well, it seems that plan is going rather well. I may not need the rest of these after all. Rion thought, holding his right hand the other letters in to his breast pocket.

< The Qzarina is asking Fastion to go for a walk. > Ophiuchus translated, almost as she was rising.

"I know what she said. My eyes are better than your signing, boy. And would you finally take off all those gaudy rings. You look like a man competing to be the Doge of Guilder." Rion said, perhaps a bit too loudly.

After getting some stares from the Guilderines present, Rion recovers quickly: "Oh, stuff it. I'm a quarter Guilderine, you know. My Great-grandfather was Humperdink, the Doge of Guilder!"

[SamBurke]

< The Qzarina is asking Fastion to go for a walk. > Ophiuchus translated, almost as she was rising.

"I know what she said. My eyes are better than your signing, boy. And would you finally take off all those gaudy rings. You look like a man competing to be the Doge of Guilder." Rion said, perhaps a bit too loudly.

After getting some stares from the Guilderines present, Rion recovers quickly: "Oh, stuff it. I'm a quarter Guilderine, you know. My Great-grandfather was Humperdink, the Doge of Guilder!"

One of the Princes begins to get huffy, defending his nation's honor with a few platitudes and rather detailed examples. Thankfully, however, he gets cut off by an Unmarked. Vizini sent Q over, and the man quietly picks up the Prince and walks the now-flailing minister back to the punch table.

"Vizini understands," he says with a rasp barely above breath, and then leaves. His duty is done.


Q also leaves a small note, which reads:


Don't worry... I too seek change. Talk?

[Aedilred]

"I would not be averse to such an arrangement," says Vanya, entering the conversation once more. "Mykola's twin daughters would likely benefit from some time spent in their mother's homeland. Though it would be a shame for them to be apart from their mother..." Vanya pauses contemplatively, "I will just have to suggest that she travel with them as chaperone during their foster period."

Zhenya smiles, pleased with Vanya's decision, "I would be most honoured to foster any of my sister's children. I will even return that honour when my youngest are old enough to travel such a long way."

"Excellent, I shall make the arrangements, and of course, we should be happy to host Sellyn as chaperone."


"Fosterings such as this are rare in Niskovia. Our most similar custom is quite different," Vanya revealed. "If two clans have been in conflict that cannot be resolved, they will exchange heirs. The idea being that one cannot act in such a way against one's own family. I find you way to be much more amicable."

"I have heard of this practice, and I think in the days before unification it was not unknown among our people. It is rather reminiscent of the taking of hostages, although it makes sense in principle. Still, it seems a shame for such things to be used only as measures to prevent war rather than to encourage friendship."

***

At an appropriate juncture, Atheldynn approached Tianshi, accompanied by two retainers carrying a large box. "My lady, we have a coronation gift for you, although I wonder if it would be better presented privately."

[DurkBlanston]

"That depends entirely on how they respond to my offer." The Qzarina replied, without tell of what the offer was--likely just the offer of peace.



Cassius nodded and departed the private room at last.


Returning to the main room from a private wing of the palace Cassius made his way towards where his son and the Guru were speaking with a Kasumori. Probably Marevain, the boy Gaius had pledged to Claudia along with Protectorship of Minotron, a stretch in his brother's authority certainly, but at least his younger sibling had maintained the promises of familial ties to his own progeny.


Marevain's face lit up. These Caercians were not bad, he had to admit. He might grow to like them in time.

"You have my gratitude, gentlemen. I will accompany you to Palas Caercia after the coronation."

Marevain is a slender young man, not as well-muscled as most Kasumori warriors. He has both wings and external gills, although they are almost always hidden behind his cloak, a red one laced with Tanedhan feathers. He is clad in mithril chainmail with adamantine reinforcements at the weaker spots. His weapon is an epée. He can be considered quite handsome by some, with golden hair and a smooth shaved, honest face.

"Then you are Marevain Earthguard? Pledged to my niece Claudia?" Cassius asked as he entered the conversation, "You have Kasumori blood no? The Ritians may not care for that, they may be removed but they have Pavonian heritage. You'd best be sharper than you look," the Lord Protector spoke brashly.

"Guru Agni," a cruel smile curled at his lips, "The Qzarina has requested you stay in Xianzhi Urbe, she wishes to send you North on a diplomatic journey."

"Father, Guru Agni is needed in Palas Caercia, he has helped me coordinate domestic affairs while you've been off on the battlefield, can't you request to the Qzarina someone else be sent?"

Cassius turned to face his son, his mouth twisting into an angry snarl but before he could speak the Guru interrupted.

"I should be pleased to serve my Qzare, my Emir," he addressed Markus, "You are yet ready to guide the court without me, and it would be better still to know greater the North, I have confidence in you."

Markus made no protest, accepting the Guru's words without question which seemed only to infuriate Cassius more.

"I am pleased this works for you both," he spat venomously and marched away.

Morph

Cassius makes his way through the crowds of people looking for one man, a friend, General Jiao'ao.

[Kitsanth]

"Excellent, I shall make the arrangements, and of course, we should be happy to host Sellyn as chaperone."



"I have heard of this practice, and I think in the days before unification it was not unknown among our people. It is rather reminiscent of the taking of hostages, although it makes sense in principle. Still, it seems a shame for such things to be used only as measures to prevent war rather than to encourage friendship."

"It is agreed then. I will be sure to arrange things on our end once I return to Niskovia."


"Unless there is something else you require, I shall take my leave of you. I should track down the Kaiser and I'm sure there are others you planned to talk with here."

[Rain Dragon]

Indeed, finding the Kaiser did not prove too difficult. It would seem he had made his way by himself back to the event and was trying his best to participate in the celebrations (despite the fact the party seemed tamer here than it was currently in various sections of the nearby coast of Aus-Tiere, a little further inland and by the river). Squinting at a seemingly empty corner, the Kaiser opened his pincers, bared his pointed teeth and drew back his antennae.

"What are you doing here, Dals Thuidans?"

Blinking once, the Kaiser seemed to regain composure and barely swayed at all as he made his way over to a snacks table bearing small morsels of fish. He somehow managed to bear himself with great dignity while doing so.

EDIT - Missed a sentence.

[Morph Bark]

Shuxian had watched the duel between Fengbao and Charlie at first, but grew bored with it when it seemed like her elder sister was going to continue this for a while, especially with competitors being pushed by Huanle. There'd be plenty more duels to watch or even participate in in the future. Besides, she liked them better without weapons.

She turned around and walked into the hall to grab another goblet of Niskan vodka and went over to where King Alfmark was standing talking with some Niskovians. "Hello uncle," she greeted him, though he wasn't really her uncle--it still felt more respectful than calling a king 'cousin'. She raised her goblet at the other guests. "Could you introduce me to your new friends, who make such fine drink?"



Meanwhile, Back at the Love-Octangle
Vizini can feel the squeeze of Lucrezia, and despite his best hopes, a shot of adrenaline runs through his arm, and with a style unlike him, he flexes. The arm fills her hand rather well, even for a less athletic Guilderene.

But on the other hand... Fengbao was a specimen, in more ways than one. Her motions were clear and smooth like Prowess, but so was her form. A fierce personality on top, with a whole lot of spirit... Then, suddenly, an idea struck him.

"I will challenge you, My Lady." He steps forward and bows. The time for romancing had come, but it had a very different face than usual.

Fengbao blows a strand of hair aside that had gotten loose. "Bring it, goatsie boy."

[Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?331102-EMPIRE!-The-Community-Dice-Rolling-Thread&p=18057283&posted=1#post18057283)]



At an appropriate juncture, Atheldynn approached Tianshi, accompanied by two retainers carrying a large box. "My lady, we have a coronation gift for you, although I wonder if it would be better presented privately."

Tianshi raises an eyebrow at the suggestion, but chooses to not openly question it. Atheldynn was family, after all. "Very well, we can go to one of the side rooms." She stands and makes her way to the room where she had spoken Cassius not much earlier.



"Far be it from me to refuse a lady." Fastion replied. Though still nervous, his tone was less revealing than moments ago. For some reason, Tianshi intimidated him like no other. Why, the Princely Knight could not discern. But no matter the reason, he was glad to speak to her without an audience, especially one containing his father.


---
The Celerse King Rion watched humorously as his son was bemused by the Qzarina.

Well, it seems that plan is going rather well. I may not need the rest of these after all. Rion thought, holding his right hand the other letters in to his breast pocket.

< The Qzarina is asking Fastion to go for a walk. > Ophiuchus translated, almost as she was rising.

"I know what she said. My eyes are better than your signing, boy. And would you finally take off all those gaudy rings. You look like a man competing to be the Doge of Guilder." Rion said, perhaps a bit too loudly.

After getting some stares from the Guilderines present, Rion recovers quickly: "Oh, stuff it. I'm a quarter Guilderine, you know. My Great-grandfather was Humperdink, the Doge of Guilder!"

"Ever a knight, you are," Tianshi noted before they left the Hall of Thrones, looking over her shoulder at the people still gathered there, "as the Pono flies so the mantid swims and the conqueror bleeds ink." She put a hand on Fastion's arm and guided him towards the gardens, yet unaware of the duels that took place there.

[Aedilred]

She turned around and walked into the hall to grab another goblet of Niskan vodka and went over to where King Alfmark was standing talking with some Niskovians. "Hello uncle," she greeted him, though he wasn't really her uncle--it still felt more respectful than calling a king 'cousin'. She raised her goblet at the other guests. "Could you introduce me to your new friends, who make such fine drink?"
Having been about to bid farewell to Vanya, Alfmark paused for a moment, then smiled. "Of course," he said, and turned back to the Niskans. "Lord prince, my lady, this is my cousin Princess Li... Shuxian, the Qzarina's sister. "My lady, High Prince Vanya of Niskovia, his heir, Princess Zhenya, and-" he gestured towards the Haljans behind - "Masked Ones Mandav and Elyx of Fera."


Tianshi raises an eyebrow at the suggestion, but chooses to not openly question it. Atheldynn was family, after all. "Very well, we can go to one of the side rooms." She stands and makes her way to the room where she had spoken Cassius not much earlier.

Atheldynn followed her. "I apologise for the subterfuge - I promise, it is nothing sinister." He gave a rather thin and forced smile. “I should first say that this is a gift from the crown, but under the circumstances we thought it better for me to present it. When kings talk, it is all but impossible to keep politics out of it, but I am no king, probably never will be, so I can speak more easily.”

He put his hands on the box and sighed slightly. “I am so very sorry about Qzare Tailong. We were not especially close, but he was my brother all the same, and he deserved better. When my father died I was stuck on the wrong side of the canal blockade, but Elwyr tells me even at the last he never gave up hope that Tailong would be found alive and well. In some ways, I am thankful my father did not live to see the Council, for that would surely have killed him more sadly and painfully than the fever ever could.

He looked down quickly, blinking rapidly as if to clear his eyes of tears. “The world already seems a darker place without your father in it. He... may not have been a great leader – although among your ancestors that would make him something of an exception – but he was a good man, and I know which I value more highly.

“Selecting a coronation gift was... not all that easy, since I'm sure you have no more need of useless trinkets or ceremonial weapons, so we decided we should provide something rather more personal, since we are in the best position to do so.”

He unfastened the clasps on the box and opened it before lifting a large object free from within and holding it out for presentation. It was a carved amber dragon, a little over a foot tall, with tiny amethysts set in the eyes. The dragon was coiled, its wings half-unfurled, but although its poise and aspect was one of strength and confidence, its posture was protective rather than aggressive, and a closer look revealed that its tail was coiled around eight small eggs.

“It is Wenyavuk amber,” he said by way of explanation, “which I'm sure your mother can tell you about if she hasn't already.”

FYI (in case you weren't already aware) the significance of Wenyavuk amber goes back to the 381 Grand Ball, after which Athelmark was given an amber carving in gratitude for his efforts to help Ania an Pajen; it has come to be symbolic among the royal family of the importance of good deeds and moral integrity in addition to politics and statecraft. And of course the word/name “Amber” has a family importance all of its own...

[SamBurke]

Shuxian had watched the duel between Fengbao and Charlie at first, but grew bored with it when it seemed like her elder sister was going to continue this for a while, especially with competitors being pushed by Huanle. There'd be plenty more duels to watch or even participate in in the future. Besides, she liked them better without weapons.

Fengbao blows a strand of hair aside that had gotten loose. "Bring it, goatsie boy."
Vizini smiles, and bows. However, he is notably without a sword, given that the only one he'd brought had been surrendered in the Hailing. That doesn't seem to bother him though. "I'll just take a different kind of weapon." He unbuckles his sailor's belt, an oddly plain piece of lacertal leather, with a twined center of mithril. "I'm ready."

[Rolls in OOC, pretty sucky]
Regardless of his confidence or decent skill at swordplay, it's clear to Vizini that he is vastly outmatched. Huanle presses her advantage quickly, pushing him back again and again; despite the technically longer "reach" of his belt, it's not enough to make contact with her sword hand, so he has little hope of surviving.

After being pressed back twice, however, he has an idea. Vizini whips the belt around, catching the other end in his hand. He's gonna try something new...


Charlie abruptly stiffens, then gives Lucrezia a penetrating look. He addresses her in an undertone, in a guttural tongue that Huanle would recognize as South Pavonian. She replies in the same tongue.


Charlie: Aunt, you have fed tonight? Naomi is at the dining wander rosy, and you look a bit too hungry for my comfort.
Lucrezia: No, I have some ... special ... plans.
Charlie: Are you mad? If you try a fledgling argue here, especially an important as this, they will demand to be blood. Clovis and it will give them.
Lucrezia: I know what I'm doing. It is all planned out, do not worry.


Charlie lets out a surprisingly lupine growl and pulls at his hair.

Lucrezia addresses Huanle, switching back to Common. "So, Huanle. You seem to have taken it on yourself to improve your sister's romantic prospects. Any boy you particularly have in mind for her?"

Q moves closer, over hearing parts of the conversation, and uncertain of their intentions... Lady Lucrezia had an oddness about her that worried him. Master Vizini was not safe here.

[Kitsanth]

Shuxian had watched the duel between Fengbao and Charlie at first, but grew bored with it when it seemed like her elder sister was going to continue this for a while, especially with competitors being pushed by Huanle. There'd be plenty more duels to watch or even participate in in the future. Besides, she liked them better without weapons.

She turned around and walked into the hall to grab another goblet of Niskan vodka and went over to where King Alfmark was standing talking with some Niskovians. "Hello uncle," she greeted him, though he wasn't really her uncle--it still felt more respectful than calling a king 'cousin'. She raised her goblet at the other guests. "Could you introduce me to your new friends, who make such fine drink?"

Having been about to bid farewell to Vanya, Alfmark paused for a moment, then smiled. "Of course," he said, and turned back to the Niskans. "Lord prince, my lady, this is my cousin Princess Li... Shuxian, the Qzarina's sister. "My lady, High Prince Vanya of Niskovia, his heir, Princess Zhenya, and-" he gestured towards the Haljans behind - "Masked Ones Mandav and Elyx of Fera."

Despite feeling thwarted in his attempt to leave, the Grand Prince was impeccably polite with his greeting. He also took a moment to wave over a pair of Niskans who had been standing nearby.

"It is an honour to make your acquaintance Princess," Vanya said in greeting, careful not to say her name as he was unsure of the pronunciation and did not wish to offend.

Zhenya bowed slightly, "I am honoured to be here, my grandfather had brought several casks of Karintiya's finest as a gift for your sister. I'm sure that the servants have already seen them delivered."

"I have also some more personal gifts for your older sisters... though am unsure of Salterri custom on such," said Vanya, sounding somewhat hesitant, "Perhaps you could advise me on which gifts would be most appropriate?"

[Rain Dragon]

He gestured towards the Haljans behind - "Masked Ones Mandav and Elyx of Fera."

((OOC - So there is no confusion, the Masked Ones are not Haljans. They are very slim, tall humanoids who I described a page back.))

Mendev and Elyx were unsure how to be introduced by a foreign entity rather than their liegelord and so simply waved a little at mention of their names before attempting to fade into the background again.

[lt_murgen]

At some quiet point after the main event, John LaFitte and Tumberink Grumby bring to your attention their newly discovered islands. They intimate that rulers attempting to stabilize an empire (or assist in stabilizing an empire) will have to deal with dissenters and those unwilling to accept peace. Perhaps banishment to the Islands would make for a more humane alternative to more... harsh penalties.

[Morph Bark]

OOC

As I had less time since this Monday for RP this week, I figured I'd try give the dangling threads in here some closure via OOC instead of trying to pick them up and keep them going.

Tianshi obviously very much likes the gift and makes it clear that she'll treasure it.

I also really liked the symbolism of the artifact.

I obviously had Shuxian come up to Alfmark and the Niskovians to establish a connection and make the betrothal with Teodor somewhat reasonable. On the gifts she'd probably make note that something exotic and artistic or of martial origin would fall in good earth among a lot of Salterri nobility, including the Qzarina. Customs on gift-giving I've not much thought about, but they are usually done in public unless otherwise requested, and sometimes with a bit of spectacle.

If there was anything in particular you'd thought of gifting them, you can mention it to me. Would be fun to bring those up in later threads.

To which island region would they be referring to? It sounds like a good idea, though of course it'd mostly be with regards to commoners of that sort rather than individuals who held power at some time.

Huanle disappears later on, yes. To Lucrezia, in Charlie's presence, she makes some kind of comment like "well, I know there's one guy that could fit her, but he's way too cute".

[lt_murgen]

[QUOTE=Morph Bark;18093270]
To which island region would they be referring to? It sounds like a good idea, though of course it'd mostly be with regards to commoners of that sort rather than individuals who held power at some time.

Region 91, the Bloomenwalkd Isles. It is an island chain with mind-alterning plants. If you have someone too popular to kill but too dangerous to imprision, then banishing them to an island full o mind-altering plants is not a bad alternative.

[Kitsanth]

I obviously had Shuxian come up to Alfmark and the Niskovians to establish a connection and make the betrothal with Teodor somewhat reasonable. On the gifts she'd probably make note that something exotic and artistic or of martial origin would fall in good earth among a lot of Salterri nobility, including the Qzarina. Customs on gift-giving I've not much thought about, but they are usually done in public unless otherwise requested, and sometimes with a bit of spectacle.

If there was anything in particular you'd thought of gifting them, you can mention it to me. Would be fun to bring those up in later threads.

A common coming-of-age gift for members of Niskan nobility are a pair of throwing knives. Customarily, weapons given as gifts are personal possessions of the gift giver. At 80 yrs old, and personally having favoured throwing knives, Vanya has quite the collection. As the Qzarina and sisters are of high status, these particular knives would be ones that Vanya had personally commissioned for himself not long after he became Sovereign - there is a certain amount of symbolism involved in the giving of gifts in Niskovia - as such these knives are of Niskovian Star Metal and not imported Razdissi mithril.

He would have liked to commission them some Niskan style gowns but not having any way to know sizes, he has instead brought along several bolts of cloth - the finest Niskan yak cloth and dyed with the finest Karintiyan dyes (Karintiyan dyes being particularly vibrant and coming in a range of colours. So the Qzarina and her sisters can have their preferred clothing commissioned.