EMPIRE4! The wedding of Bjorn the Archer

[bc56]

Overvann is awash with excitement. The grand hall in the fortress of Sikkerhet has been cleaned out, new torches have been installed, and the whole thing gone over by painters, sculpltors, and other artists. The actual ceremony will be performed later, in the Grotto of the Ancestors, but here and now, there is feasting, dancing, and music.

The icicles hanging from the battlements of the fortress twinkle in the light of numerous iron braziers illuminating the area, and in the distance, the lights of the capital city of Festning can be seen.

All of the neighbors (and most everyone else) have been invited. The only thing left to do is party.


Bjorn Hodeskalle - the groom
Aeshra Kesmar - the bride
Olaf Hodeskalle - the groom's father
Clara Hodeskalle - the groom's mother
Kendra Hodeskalle - the groom's sister
Hrothgar Hodeskalle - Olaf's estranged cousin
The bride's family, who I haven't named.
Assorted nobility from Overvann, Tevrus, region 91, and Delwin.


Olaf is welcoming guests as they come through the door. He's less armed than usual, which means his sword is resting near the door in case of uninvited guests. The bride and groom are resplendent in their wedding finery, the center of attention. The delegation of Kobolds have just unveiled their gift, an exquisite marble statue of the bride and groom, and the recipients are feigning surprise, because they posed for it earlier this year.

[nadiri]

The delegation of Lindeen was very small. The nation was newly birthed and its gathering of magical energies of all types despite the risk of religious retribution was not something that put most at ease. Regardless they pushed on and meeting with the various "independent" nations was absolutely essential to the survival of a state as small as Lindeen.

Vashta Narada was present alongside her two cleansers, they practically crackled with experimental energies, the vibrant aura they gave off would be completely ignored by those untouched by the divine but those whom actively worshiped could see the almost cerebral and alien force these three distinguished mages gave off. It was a sign of their dangerous games with the magical energies which coursed through them.

When they did approach Olaf the gift they presented was a a singular flower, a stunning and vibrant blue which curled beautifully to take in the sunlight which over four hours grew from a seed into its full vibrant self before rotting into nothing before birthing from the earth again and repeating this process again and again for eternity. (or at least until the magic withered as well though it had already lasted over a month on the trip to Overann.

"We thank you for your invitation."

[bc56]

Lindeen

"It is our pleasure. Please, present your gift to the couple themselves, as soon as the Kobolds are done, of course. It is quite wonderful." The huge, red-bearded man with a patch over one eye gestures to the smiling couple as the Kobold sculptors set the statue in an appropriate place where it can be seen by all, but is not blocking anything. Olaf's wife approaches and whispers something in his ear for a few seconds, then vanishes back into the crowd of guests."So tell me, " the warlord continues, "Does your land truly pursue the doctrines of all religions?"

[Aventine]

These were interesting times, and not in a good way. There was something to be said for the monotony of long-distance travel after the insanity in D̨vatla. Time for D̨züssätt to put this thoughts in order. Crossing north across the sands of Regno, the first D̨vatlan prince to do so, far away from his brother and the hawks calling for renewed war with Avakon, blaming them for the king's death. War was coming one way or another, not that that didn't suit the D̨vatlans, but it made diplomacy all the more important. By all accounts these northerners could fight...

D̨züssätt arrives at the feast with the inevitable bounty of gifts: rich silks, high quality ironworks (particularly weapons and armor), and dragon shrimp spice among a variety of less characteristically D̨vatlan luxuries. The prince is dressed simply, suspecting the hosts might be more impressed by martial simplicity than an extravagant opulence to match his gifts. He approaches Olaf and bows, "Your highness, I am Prince D̨züssätt of D̨vatla. These are dark days for my family, and it is a pleasure to be invited to join yours in a moment of joy."

[bc56]

Dvatla

"Indeed. We are grateful for your extravagant gifts, especially while your land experiences dark days. It is a terrible thing to lose a father. I too lost mine at a young age." Olaf looks somber, out of place among the celebration. He'll probably cheer up soon though.

[Minescratcher]

Collissa was exhausted. The journey from Ti Linnad had taken nearly a month: Collissa had planned to fly northwest with a small contingent of Wingknights, as was usual for the Northern Council's diplomats, but at the last minute Jannan Noross had been thrust into the trip as well, with no explanation from the Council. He had been likewise reticent to explain exactly what was going on, merely hinting that it had something to do with Rhune and, to a lesser extent, Yondar. Jannan had little experience with pegasi (besides being rather on the heavy side for a rider), and so the delegation had been forced to charter a ship from Arfordir. To Collissa's surprise the passage of the strait had been less of a danger than expected, but as if to make up for the disappointment their ship was soon blown off course into the western seas.

It was a miracle, she thought, that we made it in time at all.

She stood now at the entrance to the fortress, seemingly lost in thought. After a minute, Jannan nudged her gently and she started forward. She bowed before Olaf, and introduced herself and Jannan.

"I bring two pegasi for the couple, with trappings of deep purple. I believe they have been led to your stables."

[bc56]

Ti Linnad

Olaf greets the Linnadi ambassadors. "Thank you for your generosity. Your land's pegasi have served my warriors well as mounts."

[nadiri]

She offered a rather brief smile before granting their host a nod. "We have no interest in the worship of the gods but the manifestation of the powers they grant mortals. We in Lindeen believe we can cast off the weight of the gods and use their gifts unfiltered purifying their essence and manifesting it anew for our benefit." With these words she made her way into the greater dining hall taking in the celebrations smiling gently through them all.

Getting the bride and groom the gift was placed in their care along with a warm greeting from the leader and cleansers wishing them success and the promise of the mandates gift before turning back to Olaf. "It is incredible how little they care, and how the spirits have many intense rivalries and their own rules, we are left so ignorant of the world but there is so much to learn. We feel Initia has grasped the basis of this but it still does not go near far enough."

She turns back to Olaf and makes a considerate side glance, "so tell me, how are you coping with being surrounded by an empire as powerful as regno? You remain independent in the face of the sultanate it must feel daunting. We also have the massive Ti Linnad on our border and concerned they may swallow our sovreignty."

[Aventine]

Dvatla

"Indeed. We are grateful for your extravagant gifts, especially while your land experiences dark days. It is a terrible thing to lose a father. I too lost mine at a young age." Olaf looks somber, out of place among the celebration. He'll probably cheer up soon though.

Sorry for the delayed response. Also, I didn't exactly make this clear, but D̨züssätt is a cousin in the royal family...in his 30s. The dead king was a 19 year old with no kids. And for the record, the war-hawk brother is N̨amodl. (Entirely off-topic: this is the problem with making the changeover of rulers early in the round for a change, Vëkhglis's death was written as happening shortly after his crowning, meaning that my reaction to the assassination (this round) was delayed like two years...shrug)

"I thank you for your kind words, though my royal cousin was not so fortunate as to have children before his untimely death. We will survive. I'd be more worried about the cowards and assassins. Soon they'll face us in an honest fight." With a smile D̨züssätt moved on to make way for other guests, looking to see who else was already present...


Ti Linnad

The prince approaches the Linnadi representatives when they are free for a moment and bows respectfully. "Greetings, Your Excellencies, I am Prince D̨züssätt. I must thank you, word has spread of your people's work to track down the hand behind Vëkhglis's assassination. I should warn you though, if you haven't already heard, many are blaming the 'Divine Principality' of Avakon. Not without good reason: they made it clear they are our enemy. All in all, the worship of Coatl is not the most popular in D̨vatla now. Some are already whispering that the Linnadi are too close to the other Coatlists." The prince gives an apologetic grimace before continuing, "Hopefully our true enemies will be exposed soon...and destroyed."

[bc56]

Lindeen

Olaf frowns at the reference to overthrowing the gods. Such talk is dangerous heresy. As soon as Narada is not looking, he'll make a holy sign to ward off evil. However, he continues the conversation. "I do not fear Regno, although their lands are large, their armies are weak. War is on the wind, and, by Thur, I will be ready for its arrival."

[Minescratcher]

Ti Linnad

The prince approaches the Linnadi representatives when they are free for a moment and bows respectfully. "Greetings, Your Excellencies, I am Prince D̨züssätt. I must thank you, word has spread of your people's work to track down the hand behind Vëkhglis's assassination. I should warn you though, if you haven't already heard, many are blaming the 'Divine Principality' of Avakon. Not without good reason: they made it clear they are our enemy. All in all, the worship of Coatl is not the most popular in D̨vatla now. Some are already whispering that the Linnadi are too close to the other Coatlists." The prince gives an apologetic grimace before continuing, "Hopefully our true enemies will be exposed soon...and destroyed."

"Indeed," replied Collissa, "I know of my fellow Coatleans' support for the Principality, but the Premier cares little for Allantalos. It is true that he might be a useful pawn against the Pellocians or the Karysites, but I think you need not worry that we will get involved." Jannan nodded thoughtfully at this.

"The Council, to my knowledge, has little interest in the south beyond our allies in Whitefeather; merchants and diplomats have been turned ever northward in the past few years."