|
|
Post by Hilda Brandr on May 20, 2015 1:03:00 GMT -5
 I wield my blade
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
for the sake of everyone It was the first meeting of this formation of the High Council. Hilda had met Taksaka through a previous meeting, but that was some time ago and Savas's father was still alive and acting as the Elf Representative at the time. This would mark the first High Council Meeting since his death, and Savas's occupation of the Representative position. She had met with Savas before in Cydonia, but even then those were different circumstances. It was hard to tell how he would fare before the half-dragon.
The trio sat before one another in the circular chamber, each taking a seat in their respective thrones oriented with their backs towards their respective city-states. Each throne was set to allow them to be seated at a large circular table, which used magic to project a scaled version of a drawn map of Terra Heroum upon its surface. It was a tool said to be designed in the days of the Hero King for planning his military actions, but now it saw more peaceful use. At least, it would if things were all calm.
"Savas, Taksaka, it is good to see you both again...I am not sure if you two have met." Hilda spoke up, realizing shortly after her greeting that this may well be the first time the other two had seen one another. She was lucky enough to have seen both prior, given the difficulty of travelling between the city-states regularly. Well, it was difficult if you made sure to remain near home.
"I wish that we could discuss lighter matters, but you both are aware of the rising concern all across Terra Heroum." |
made by eden @ gs and thq |
|
|
|
Post by Savas Lambros on May 20, 2015 1:28:09 GMT -5
Savas sits in the chair of the Elven Representative uneasily, shifting far more than he should have. He'd seen this chair exactly once before, and then it was solidly his father's chair, and it still felt that way now. It was an uncertain feeling, but it just didn't feel like he could fill it properly.
"It is good to see you too, Hilda. You look exquisitely polished as ever." A double compliment, on both her appearance and her preparedness and demeanor. While he was new to formal politics, having a command in Elven forces demanded a certain knowledge on kissing up to people. Still, he didn't push it any more than that. From what he remembered of Hilda, she didn't take especially kindly to overfloweryness.
Turning to the half-dragon, Savas steels himself as best he can. He's never encountered this man before, and he wasn't sure what to expect. He appeared just as serious as Hilda proved herself to be...but you could never be sure of what you see. The Woods taught him that much. "I haven't had the pleasure, unfortunately." Laying out a sheaf of papers, he lets out a sigh. "Hopefully in the future, there will be more time for friendly meeting and greeting."
Back to Hilda, his face grows somber. "Panic sweeping the realms, phantasm attacks on the rise, a hundred year-old cult skulking around, and the public assassination of one of the three strongest leaders in our nation. I believe that covers most of it, unless there's something I've forgotten."
|
|
|
|
Post by Taksaka on May 21, 2015 17:06:24 GMT -5
Taksaka was in quite the sour mood-- More sour than the natural bitterness called his disposition, that is. It wasn't any single thing, really-- No major occurrence occupied his mind, or singular event had befouled him. It was just one of those days. Those days where every tiny thing seems to be against you-- Waking up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak. The half dragon was not a believer in Karma, or a higher force against him, but instead placed some minor faith in patterns he saw through a day. Consistency of events or some such. And if the rest of his day was any indication, this meeting was going to leave him with a headache.
Story of my life. Ah Taksaka, ever the pessimist.
Annoyance, even a minor amount, often led to rudeness towards those whom didn't deserve it. So rather than make a snap at either of the other representatives, he simply grunted and wave his hand at their introductions. Nothing nice to say better not to say it and what not. Basic formalities had never been Taksaka's strong suit, and in his foul mood he didn't trust himself not to make some undeserved quip or remark. That's not saying a mere wave of the hand was very polite, but brushing off formalities was something the half dragon could live with. People expected it of him regardless. Instead he'd just cut to the heart of the matter.
"That's the gist of it, at least."
A small nod of agreement.
"The question is the cause. These events aren't unrelated, something is stirring up these changes. The most obvious answer would be the cult: They are the oldest known constant. However, it's also quite possible they're simply another symptom; I find it hard to believe an old decrepit relic of a cult somehow managed to achieve such a widespread effect on their own. Something else must be at play."
|
|
|
|
Post by Hilda Brandr on May 22, 2015 15:06:53 GMT -5
I wield my blade
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
for the sake of everyone Right down to business. It was a nice way to handle things, one Hilda enjoyed, and Taksaka was also quite willing to do. The two agreed on efficiency, though she wasn't sure how well Savas would adjust to the two. It would just have to be something she saw for herself to learn the answer to.
"There's always something behind a cult; we've yet to find their patron." Hilda added on, pulling out her own rolls of parchment and setting them before her. Hesitantly, she tapped on the table near her and a smaller version of the map appeared before her. She hadn't had the chance to use this table much, so its functions were still a bit unusual for her. Using her finger, she drew circles on the map around the Cydonian Woods, the crags in and around Ba'dagar, and the foot-hills around Andor.
"Savas summed it up well, but I think there's some importance in the details. A lot of the Phantasm attacks have been aimed at the City-States and their surrounding areas. Sure, we get the odd reports from out in the wilderness, but the vast majority of notable assaults come from these areas." her tone was flat, not exactly enjoying the obvious assumption that could be drawn from this, "This cannot be a mere coincidence."
Sifting through the parchment before her, she pulled a document with a list of the known properties of Pact Magic. Not being a mage herself, this information did not come second nature to her so she had to reference it.
"So long as the Patron lives, the pact mages will retain their magic. And so long as there are non-Mages who desire magic, more pact mages can and will be made through those Patrons. The cult is the most obvious culprit, and there's plenty of reasons why they would still be around. Unfortunately...there's been no conclusive evidence that they are directly behind these yet." |
made by eden @ gs and thq |
|
|
|
Post by Savas Lambros on May 22, 2015 15:34:44 GMT -5
Savas listens to the concerns, and tries to form a solid opinion of the points they brought up. His frenzied research into the situation beyond the Cydonian Woods since his father's assassination left holes in his knowledge, but from what he could tell so far, what they said generally made sense.
"I agree more with Hilda...What little hard information I've been able to gather on them, the cult seems to be a very real threat, not merely a 'decrepit relic.'" His eyes widen slightly, and he shakes his head. "I do not mean to offend, it's simply a surprise that they've been able to hide themselves as well as they have."
Still his words have merit, there's no way to just dismiss the possibility. "There very well might be something else at play...perhaps this cult is merely one tool of the Patron, who has larger plans." Thinking, he rubs his chin. "Is something that strong being present even possible? Manipulating the phantasms and directing a cult, all in an attempt to overthow one nation...it's sobering to even consider."
|
|
|
|
Post by Taksaka on May 30, 2015 23:28:25 GMT -5
"The Patron is the clear and present threat. The Cult itself is simply the body of the snake."
It seemed it was time to quit beating around the bush about it. While Taksaka had some very choice subjects he would like nothing more than to bring up, such as the reports of persecution against reptilian Beastfolk that seemed to be popping up, they were hardly important in the grand scheme of things. Callous as it may sound, Taksaka had a responsibility to those whom were or might be killed by the recent surge of phantasmal attacks. If that meant letting racism slide into the backburner for a while, so be it. It could always be addressed after the matter at hand was resolved.
"Our first order of business should be locating and identifying this Patron. Obviously it isn't stupid, or it'd never be able to keep a cult of Pact-Mages hidden for so long. But even so, nothing could cause such widespread unrest without leaving traces."
Which brought him to a rather unsavory bit of business. Taksaka was somewhat loathe to suggest it, but the practical side of him always managed to smother what little sentiment he had if it meant better for his people.
"The most obvious way to get this information would be a Witch Hunt. Or an inquisition, a purge, whatever the polite word for it is. You know what I mean, and so does everyone else in the country no matter what name gets put on it. We stamped the Cult out once, we could do it again-- And this time when they go scurrying back to whatever holes they've been hiding in, we'll make sure we do a more thorough job eradicating their threat."
Nobody liked "Witch Hunts." Obviously Pact Mages were reported and arrested as the public became aware of them, but sometimes more drastic measures were taken in times of paranoia and fear. People would be arrested and tried for even being associated with possible Cult activity. Hundreds of innocents would fall into the cross hairs of public fear and panic-- But it was very hard for real Pact Mages to stay under the radar when the entire country was looking for shadows and finding them even where they didn't exist. Immoral, somewhat cruel, and incredibly unsavory, but it got the job done. Public opinion was already swaying towards panic and fear, and it wouldn't be long before citizens decided they'd enact their own justice on whom they thought might be cultists.
"That said, there's no saying this isn't exactly what the Cult is aiming for. They must know that they're kicking at a hornets nest by becoming so vocal again-- They're painting bulls eye's on their backs just by making their existence public knowledge. No, either they mean to get wiped out or they're banking on us trying. Or they're incredibly stupid, which in all honesty would not surprise me in the slightest. But at least someone with half a brain must be pulling some strings, or they'd have all died a long time ago. I can only assume this is their Patron-- A dragon if their name holds any meaning, or at least something appearing to be one. Finding and killing it should be our number one priority-- We can discuss stopgap measures to keep the peace and manage these attacks afterwards."
With that, he passed the floor to the two other delegates with a wave of his hand.
"I'm open to less extreme suggestions."
|
|
