Seeking Council [c]

[Viscera]

It is said that there is a time and a place for everything. That there is a method and pattern to many of life's circumstances. However, it didn't help with matters of irritation. It didn't stop the feelings of annoyance, of disappointment, and even foul jealousy. The Hierophant of the Grimleal knew these feelings well when it came to the High Priestess, but she strove to drown them out and not let them get the better of her. Even her father, fearsome man that he was, counseled her on restraint and not letting her feelings get out of hand.

But still, to think that Viscera had nearly been named the High Priestess herself, only to get it swept out from under her by a girl. Not a woman, but a girl. It was absolutely confounding and had very nearly led her to do something rather unseemly in response. She had to admit something though.

Viscera had to admit that Ariel had done some really damned good things for the Grimleal. Mere months into her station and not only had the younger woman begun to drag the Grimleal back from a dangerous ledge, but she pushed forward. She drove the Royals back and now forced them into a stalemate for control of the nation. It was beyond what a great many had expected, Viscera included.

And now the Hierophant drummed her elegant fingers on the top of her desk, the steady beat coming to a halt as she finished reading the report. The white haired priestess had made it a point to stay up to date on their situation as well as keeping their faith strong. And all things considered, she wasn't liking the lack of action. It was clear that both sides were waiting for a critical strike, a pivotal moment to seize everything in one swift action. But there were also certain issues at the border. Odd movements from Ylisse that weren't well accounted for.

"Lady Viscera, I've sent along someone to retrieve the High Priestess as you've requested."

The crimson eyed Cleric looked briefly over her shoulder at the lesser acolyte and nodded before waving him off with a gesture of her hand. Right now, she needed to talk with that extraordinary girl she'd once held such jealousy for. The High Priestess would know what to do with their current situation and for whatever reason Viscera couldn't quite figure out, Ariel seemed to like having her around to bounce ideas off of.

---
Tags: Ariel

[Ariel]

"To lead in this world you need physical fitness, a facility with languages, a tolerance for exotic food and the bugs that come with them. But ultimately there's no greater qualification than the ability to look someone who ruined your life in the eye and say "Let's work together"." --Spymaster Weston, on Grudges Things were getting hectic once again, and this time the Plegian Royalty had nothing to do with it. Several days had passed since a chance encounter with an Ylissian lordling made Ariel aware of a rather sticky situation involving brigands dressed as her own forces - no doubt trying to draw yet another nation into a war the High Priestess really didn't want any part of. It would have to be addressed quickly, but apparently other issues had popped up, involving the Hierophant. It was she who had been assumed to be next in line for the title Ariel now wore, and that made Viscera someone to be cautious around - not for lack of trust, but ambition had a funny way to skewing people's rational thoughts. Of course, it helped that the Priestess wasn't going into this alone. "You've done a few passes over the villages that have been sacked, Victorie - what all do you make of what you've seen?" The silver-haired pegasus knight was just barely trailing behind the brunette, clad in a new plate armor that fit her perfectly and bore no blasphemous symbols whatsoever - merely a blue ribbon wrapped around itself on one pauldron. Having a known Ylissian noble checking on such things made information gathering in the east so much easier for the Grimleal, and at the moment it appeared no one was any the wiser. And even if she hadn't been baptized in Grima's holy fire, Ariel trusted Victorie to keep her informed of how things were developing. If the Hierophant took issue to that, she'd have to suck it up.

TAGS Viscera victorie

 

[victorie]

OOC: SO MIGHT HAVE ACCIDENTLY USED CERES FONT COLOR AND TOO LAZY TO CHANGE IT SORRY ))

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie was keeping stride! Well, struggling to, her boots clicking sharply behind the High Priestess, she felt exposed walking around the Grimleal keep unarmed, even to this day, but she figured she had little to worry about with Ariel there. "A raid I figure, they didn't seem to do much in the way of murder, but there was much in the way of burning. It was hard to see through most of the smoke." She remarks, her brow quite creased as the Ylissean picks up the pace a bit and huffs under her breath, she may as well be jogging at this point. "I'm planning on heading back up tonight, but I doubt there will be much more I can garner. I will say though, it wasn't the work of just bandits. This was to make a message." She remarks quite confidently with a sharp nod. "Bandits wouldn't take the time these raiders did, this was scorched earth style, precise really." She'll muse, pursing her lips and smoothing out the ribbon a bit before that hand trails up to push a stray bang of silver hair free from her eyes.

She had been a bit worried with going too and forth from home and Plegia, but her family was preoccupied with Ceres being a drama queen to worry about their wanderlust obsessed daughter and she was little more than the pegasus knight that attended after Ariel to the Grimleal. "So, do we know who is doing this?" She asks, cocking an eyebrow as she finally comes astride with Ariel, the pegasus knight clicking her tongue and shaking her head. She may have conflicting allegiances at the moment, but she was not a fan of the random raids on Ylissean lands. "So we can do it back to them." She growls under her breath, rolling her eyes upward in annoyance now. It seems Ariel's new spy, or was it confidant? Was a little hot headed at the moment.

It may have to do with the fact she's still smeared with soot from her last ISR mission.

Ariel Viscera

### | @tagged | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Viscera]

ascension reincarnation until becoming another being, monstrous and destructive.

WORDS 197 TAGGED Ariel victorie NOTES siiiiisters

The office of The Hierophant was a spacious one as the duo would find after eventually reaching their destination. Most of it was quite cluttered though, decorated with various religious paraphernalia and symbols, a large eloquent painting of the Mark of Grima resting right behind where Viscera sat. The white haired Hierophant herself wore black robes that were quite marvelous to look at, the beautiful maiden a sight for the eyes. Viscera looked up from a sheath of papers, placing them down on her desk before removing the silver rimmed spectacles she wore for reading. Her crimson eyes focused now on the High Priestess and her silver armored escort before she stood and bowed her head to Ariel. "High Priestess, thank you for answering my call. If you don't mind my asking, who is that with you?" Come to think of it, she had heard rumors of Ariel gaining a sidekick of late. But that still didn't answer her question proper and the Ylissean features of both the woman's face and her armor was unmistakable. So long as they were willing to convert to the truth, she had no grudge against those foolish people, but still.

[Ariel]

Ariel purses her lips as she files away that little note - far too organized for your average bandit raid, and a scorched earth policy was sending a message. Well, message received alright. "Thanks for making those runs - I need to know what's happening over there and I'd just look out of place. As for who's responsible?" The valkyrie pauses a little, sighing. "According to the raiders' claim, I sent 'em. Which is an absolute load of crock, and may both Naga and Grima smite me now if I'm lying to you." One look at the High Priestess' face told Victorie everything she needed to know - there was a fiery determination in her eyes, and the way she seemed to contort herself in delivering that piece of news made it clear her disgust was genuine. She had no hand in this. It didn't take too much longer to reach the Hierohant's office. While Victorie would likely be more than a bit intimidated by all the paraphernalia (to say nothing of the clutter!) the woman herself was quite demure in her appearance - something calming amidst the turbulent scene around her. It seemed being so tranquil amidst so many troubles was a common theme among the Grimleal officers. "Lady Hierophant, it's good to see you again. This is Victorie, a Pegasus Knight I brought into the fold a few weeks back - she's been helping with surveillance of late." Ariel left out the part where she was Ylissian - it wasn't important to her at this point, and Viscera probably already knew (or at least suspected) making it needless to point out. "I understand you needed to speak with me, so by all means, speak." Hopefully this either would be brief and would let Ariel return to the more pressing issue at hand -- or had she any luck it would relate directly to that matter.

TAGS victorie Viscera

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie puts a hand to her collar, her head tilting forward a bit in a nod as she shoots the High Priestess a smile. "I try, and any excuse to take Rose out is good enough for me." She remarks simply, not exactly sure where they were going at the moment but she did feel as if she had a purpose walking along Ariel. Even if that purpose still made her feel more than a little conflicted with the whole death cult thing. "What reason would you have to attack Ylisse anyways?" She asks, arching an eyebrow before she blinks and then furrows her brow as she gets a look at that face Ariel gives her, the pegasus knight awkwardly hooking her finger into her collar as she diverts her eyes away with a whistle. "How anyone could say no to that face is beyond me." She remarks, a small bit of sweat beading on her forehead as she swelters a small bit thanks to all the jogging after the fiery priest.

And then there's the room, the Ylissean knight flicking her eyes about and letting her hands rest on her hips as she slowly cocks an eyebrow and gives the woman in the seat a queer look. She would continue to hold that look for a moment before she ever so slowly gives the hierophant a wolfish smile and cocks an eyebrow. She's that type of pretty which is absolutely terrifying. She would of course give the other woman a half wave as she is named, the Pegasus knight quite happy that there's yet to be any name dropping of her family. Because you know, that would make things awkward, but for now she'll stand beside Ariel with her arms crossed over her chest.

She's quite a cute sidekick really.

### | Ariel Viscera | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Viscera]

ascension reincarnation until becoming another being, monstrous and destructive.

WORDS TAGGED Ariel victorie NOTES N/A

Victorie, hm? Well, another name to file away among the ranks of the Grimleal. She made it a point to remember most of their group's members after all. And if she wished to know more of their new initiate, Viscera would simply talk to her later. "Greetings, Victorie. I am Viscera, The Hierophant of our order. It is a pleasure to meet you." She spared some words for greeting for the new member before sitting down once more and focusing her attention on the High Priestess, gesturing toward two seats near her desk for the two to sit if they wished. "Yes, I have been wanting to speak with you. There's been some disturbing things lately from our spies' reports. I've no doubt you noticed them as well. Signs of soldiers from all sides of the border going about hither and thither, be they Grimleal, Royal, or even Ylissean. It's all quite odd and more than a little distracting. Has Medon reported anything strange of late to you?"

[Ariel]

Ariel takes a seat in one of the chairs, pulling the other out to make it easier for Victorie to seat herself - it seems her luck may have finally been something better than "abjectly terrible" for a change. While it's going to take some more to confirm that the two were in fact related, operating on the assumption they are makes things a lot cleaner - and if they aren't, it can be revisited when it's needed. "I've heard nothing of Medon, no. But I have heard of a rather disturbing series of incursions, allegedly between Ylissian commonfolk and bandits operating under the Royal Plegian flag - as well as incursions created by bandits bearing grimleal colors." With a trained eye, the Priestess scans several of the documents within reach, trying to draw some conclusions as to who or what exactly was going after them. "Now I know better than to antagonize Ylisse when we already have a war to fight, and I know the Queen isn't desperate enough or stupid enough to do it either. Say what you want, this reeks of a false flag operation." Ariel turns to her pegasus knight, arguably the person best suited to sniffing out who would be in charge of such slanderous banditry. "Anything either of you have that might give us any leads?"

TAGS victorie Viscera

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie will lean back into her seat, her hands going out to run across her thighs and then down to her knees as if she's fixing a skirt which doesn't quite exist at the moment. Odd. Maybe just a nervous fidget? "Charmed." The silver haired Pegasus Knight will chime in response, her voice thick with the accent of a noblewoman that even she could not hide under her rough and tumble demeanor. And to say nothing of the fact she still feels awkward when one refers to it as their order. One might even notice the little twitch from the knight before she fidgets in place once more and clears her throat. "A false flag?" She'll ask, leaning back into her seat and furrowing her brow as she stairs up towards the ceiling of the place. "Well, I'll admit I'm not quite sure who's land it was, but I wouldn't put it beyond two squabbling minor lords to conceal their men as a common enemy to avoid responsibility for a raid." She'll remark, eyes still upward as she gently tilts her chin back and furrows her brow. "But, that seems too easy, and usually there is more in the way of stealing when that happens." She'll add with a hum and an unsure expression. "Admittedly, when my father had me hunt down one of these parties, they were quick to drop their uniforms and ill gotten gains and flee, this... This I think is different." The noblewoman will remark, sitting up in her seat and glancing between Ariel and Viscera before chuckling a bit.

"My sister would say it was the actions of the 'Spineless rat of a Steward' but I don't think he is that smar-" She'll start before she frowns quite suddenly. "Scratch that, I think he is just dumb enough to start a war he doesn't need." She remarks, crossing her arms over her chest. "... Unless the Steward wants the war to cement some position of power." She'll add, only to uncross her arms to give the two a 'dunno' expression. "It' funny, Ylisse is more cut throat than this death cult." She'll tease.

### | Viscera Ariel | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Viscera]

"Anything either of you have that might give us any leads?"

That much was obvious enough for Viscera. The white haired Hierophant began to speak about her own suspicions before the Ylissean woman cut in, mentioning her suspicions and one particularly interesting theory.

"... Unless the Steward wants the war to cement some position of power."

Deigning to let the 'death cult' comment slide, Viscera tapped a finger upon her current stack of reports before opening a drawer on her desk, briefly rifling through it before retrieving another thin stack of papers. An artist's take of the Steward of Ylisse was attached to it as well.

"Lord Matthias, correct? Our spies indicate he is quite lacking in support. He could be using the bandits as hired hands to push a war that would cement him as the leader of Ylisse. Still though, for such a man at a high position, I'd not think him so ill advised or foolish to attempt something like this."

Viscera paused, closing her eyes for a moment and adopting a thoughtful expression.

"What I suspect are renegade factions. They could be Ylissean, Grimleal, or Plegian for that matter. But either way, it's not like it'd be hard to find a band of brigands to pay off considering the last few years. Either way, someone wants a war, that much is obvious. Whether it's a war against Plegia or a war against Ylisse ultimately won't matter. Our problem is both in stopping them and figuring out what to do if they succeed." She practically spat the last word out, her graceful composure slipping just slightly with the emphasis.

"The Chariot is prepared to lead us, but it's too soon. We need to figure out how to put a stop to this before it hits the worst case. If we have any mercenaries still on retainer or some extra hands in Medan, we could use them to try and capture a band of the brigands and find out who they work for directly."

---
Tags: Ariel victorie

[Ariel]

"A false flag operation is when you do something while representing yourself as someone else - then whoever you targeted goes after who you pretended to be, not you." Ariel explains the term as Victorie looked a bit perplexed. She'll shoot the Ylissian pegasus knight a glare at the 'death cult' remark, but if the Hierophant isn't going to make a big fuss of it, she shouldn't either. A steward is brought up between the two of them, and the information compiled by the Grimleal spy network made for an interesting, if not short read. "He stands to gain a lot if this works and he's behind it...but he stands to lose even more if it fails. Looks like a good fall guy from my standpoint, but we'll keep that on the backburner." Having a suspect was good, but as ever the High Priestess needed to play defense before she could start going on offense. "If Ylisse declares war on Plegia, we'll have no end of problems - doesn't matter if they go after us or the Royals first at that point. We need to get in front of this, and fast." While trying to capture the raiders as they made their moves was an attractive idea, it meant hiring mercenaries that Ariel really didn't want to employ - too many of the locals were in the job for "the thrill of the hunt" - meaning they'd kill their own if it meant a more interesting fight. What she'd give for a few swordsmen whose loyalty was to coin alone... "Here's my plan, but feel free to interject. We send a few operatives to the villages that were sacked to help rebuild and recover. We also send a few operatives to the next village we expect to be hit and fight the bandits there. What we need to do is show that the Grimleal aren't the murderous scumbags they make us out to be. Once they're willing to listen, we have them smoke out the true culprits. In the meantime, I need to pay a visit to Her Royal Highness. Either she's pulling a very convincing double bluff, in which case we point Ylisse to Gra's shores; or she's been duped same as us and we coordinate a way of stopping the masquerade." Ariel's plan was a bold one that would take a fair strain on the Grimleal's resources. Nothing they couldn't handle...as long as it worked.

TAGS victorie Viscera

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie cannot help but revile in the glances she gets when she comments about their jolly little death cult, the young woman shooting them a cheesy grin in return as she brushes a bang free from her sight and leans back into her chair, kicking up her legs to cross them one over the other as she peers down her nose at her two companions. Or well, her two superiors.

"It would also be quite awkward if Ylisse declared war, I am quite sure my father would go to many lengths to have me at his side, if only so I can lead his levy into battle." She remarks with a gentle hum, arching her eyebrow some as she shoots Viscera quite the look, it seems she's happy to ever so quietly dump little snippets here and there to see if she can't get the hirophant to tug on the lead she's giving her. "And, while my allegiance may well sit here, I do not know how much pull I would have in that situation." She remarks with a nod to herself before she puts a foot on Viscera's desk and carefully tips her chair up on to it's back two legs as she precariously balances on the spot with a sweet whistle.

"And who do you suggest lead this? I'd offer, but that would not exactly be subtle now would it." She remarks, wagging a pointer finger in the air a bit before she tilts her head to the right. "Though... I figure I could lead the assault as long as the men following aren't openly Grimleal?" She asks, furrowing her brow as she kicks back some, eeeever so close to the point of no return and tipping the chair into a crash. "It'd be quite a story if the Silver Stag of Superior vanquished a rampaging party of bandits threatening the poor sweet people of Ylisse." She'll add, waving her hand in the air now before she puts on a wolfish grin. "No one need know about the prisoners we capture for information." And then she'll suddenly glance towards Viscera, her lips puckering before she puts on a mock expression of shock. Oooh, did she say that out loud?

She most certainly did~

### | Ariel Viscera | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Viscera]

"In the meantime, I need to pay a visit to Her Royal Highness. Either she's pulling a very convincing double bluff, in which case we point Ylisse to Gra's shores; or she's been duped same as us and we coordinate a way of stopping the masquerade."

Viscera nodded along as she spoke the plan, it was sound enough and would certainly be a welcome sight in place of the bandits' attempts to weave discord. Order needed to be brought about in this situation. However, the next thing the High Priestess said brought a frown to the Hierophant's lips.

"If you intend to do so High Priestess, I must insist on you taking a guard detail with you. The last time you were alone was far too close for my liking. You're our heart and soul, Lady Ariel. We need you to help guide us during these turbulent times." Sure, she may not have liked losing to this girl, but it would do no one any good for the High Priestess to die or be captured by their opponents.

She looked from Ariel to Victorie as she started to speak up once more.

"I am curious of the house you come from. You don't seem to be a normal Ylissean soldier girl."

The girl then proceeded to draw a slight eye twitch of annoyance from the Plegian woman as she proceeded to put up her feet on Viscera's desk. For the most part however, the Grimleal priestess kept a resolute look of calmness upon her face.

"Though... I figure I could lead the assault as long as the men following aren't openly Grimleal?"

One of Viscera's hands began to drift over towards her staff behind the desk as she continued to look at Victorie, the Ylissean girl continuing to taunt and tease the Hierophant. She had been kind enough to let the "death cult" comment slide, but this? As Victorie gave her that teasing look of "shock", the Ylissean would find her chair suddenly gaining even more elevation and her weight sending her tumbling ass over head backwards onto her back and crashing on the floor quite loudly due to her armor.

The Hierophant was already out of her seat and stepping over towards Victorie, stabbing the impudent new arrival in the chest with her staff and knocking the wind out of the Pegasus Knight as she was forced down onto the floor once more after she'd begun to rise.

"Let me tell you something, girl. You are not in Ylisse anymore. You are not in whatever high born pampered luxury pad you had there. You are in the Grimleal. You are in our High Temple. And you will show respect. You are lucky that I believe in the High Priestess' decisions otherwise I'd have you flogged."

The sound of Viscera's office door opening reverberated in the room before a couple of guards in combat dress entered, shouting. "Lady Hierophant! What's-" She held up a hand, cutting them off short. The guards looked from the Hierophant to the High Priestess and then down at the Pegasus Knight on the ground. After a moment, Viscera looked from Victorie's face to the guards. "Nothing of import. Go back to your posts." They hesitated before nodding and closed the doors once more.

The Plegian's staff rose from it's place on the Ylissean's breastplate and transferred hands before she offered an outstretched one to the other woman. "You are also lucky that I believe everyone can be taught a proper path."

---
Tags: Ariel victorie

[Ariel]

"Are you two quite done? Neither of you are beyond replacement, and at this moment I won't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind." There's a deathly chill in the High Priestess' voice that makes it entirely clear she is not to be trifled with in this matter. While Viscera has been with Ariel enough to recognize that tone, it's one Victorie hasn't heard, and it's as if the room and everything in it seems to drop by a quick twenty degrees, the Ylissian Knight's blood almost solidifying in her veins. "If you two can't get along, I'll chain you together until you can -- but I'd like to think the two of you don't need such crude methods. Do you understand?" She'll give both of them enough time to nod before proceeding. "The last time I spoke with her Highness, I dropped in on her taking a moment to herself in Gra. It only seems proper to extend the same courtesy - Viscera, have one of our messengers inform the Queen I'll be around the villages of Altea in a few days' time. She ought to take that for what it's worth." "Victorie, You'll be sticking around and providing overwatch for our little meeting. I don't want to be able to spot you, and more importantly, I don't want HER to be able to spot you. Think you can manage that?" It's clear the young woman before them, younger than either of the two she was ordering around, did not suffer fools. It's part of why she was chosen to lead, after all.

TAGS victorie Viscera

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie went wide eyed, a hiss escaping her as she shot an arm forward in a desperate attempt to catch herself as the chair meets the point of no return and the poor Ylissean noble is sent a tumbling backwards. "Nnn-Yyyeak!" She'll squeak as her legs go up, her eyes see nothing but ceiling and her armor goes thud, leaving her in a nice pile of silver glittering knight. She'd stare upwards for a moment, her brow furrowed and arms stretched outwards to either of her sides as she lay on her back. Well, ok, she definitely deserved that. To be honest, the fall wasn't all that bad! She's really quite used to this type of ignominious tumble what with being a jouster and all, but in front of Ariel? From some frilled up Plegian Priestess?! Oh no! That will not stan-

Oof!

She'd go right back down, the staff now pinning her to the floor as she balled her fists and grimaced. She was becoming quite red in the cheeks, and Viscera would notice her head would only tilt further down and her eyes narrow all the more as she continues on berating the young pegasus knight. Quite honestly, she looks about ready to hit Viscera by the end of the browbeating! But, then the hand is the offered, Victorie cocking an eyebrow before she takes it and hauls herself up, shooting Ariel an 'is she crazy?' look before she brushes a hand against her pants sharply. "I will be sure to remember that." She'll grumble under her breath, ever so ready to comment about the flogging before she darn well jumps out of her skin at the tone of voice that Ariel uses.

She'd cringe at the speech, and then at the thought of having to be tied to Madame Crazy, her hands going to her lap as she bows her head quickly enough that one can think she's practiced this. And truly? She has, she'd been scolded enough by her father to know how one needs to look apologetic, and she's putting it to real use as now she's quite terrified! Between the threat of disappointing her new high priestess and the very real danger that her loyalty could be called into question, well, she's not going to speak back.

"Understood High Priestess." She'll report, her voice full of genuine remorse as she tilts her chin up somewhat to hear the plan.

"Absolutely." The Pegasus Knight will bark, beating her fist to her plate of armor in a rather knightly salute. She wasn't exactly the stealthiest, but she wasn't about to say no nor not try her hardest.

### | Viscera Ariel | What a big meanie head jerk

❖ nox ❖