Reckless Abandon [o]

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk

but in deed and truth

The crimson sky was the first thing to catch his eye. It was no sign of foreboding, merely the passing of the day as the sun reached the horizon the young lordling was riding toward. Eric pulled his horse's reigns, stopping atop the hill he found himself at the peak of. How long had he been traveling? He didn't know, only that it had been a week since he had entered the borders of Plegia. In truth, he hadn't known he was in Plegia until he reached the first town within the Medon territory. There was very little difference, he found, between countries to tell them apart, at least that's what he'd thought. It hadn't been till he caught a glimpse of the vast desert he reconsidered his previous claim. There was no place as hot, dry, and unforgiving within Ylisse to his knowledge. It had taken three days just to see the end of the sand and another one to reach where he was now.   In the distance, he saw a vast blue that melded with the sky.  His indago orbs were wide.

"So, this is an ocean..." He spoke softly to himself in awe.  He'd heard of stories, but having been planted squarely in the center of Ylisse he'd never seen anything bigger than a lake his parents had taken him to once.  He'd never spent much time around water in truth.  On the edge of the shore was his destination-- or new destination he should say-- a large port town by the look of it, ships of all sizes adrift in the port and out in the open waters, fishing vessels, war vessels, transport ships, his imagination filled in what he suspected the specs in the distance to be.  But no, this wasn't time to let this side of him take over.  Ever since the Raid on Halebend he couldn't get it out of his head that there were hands in play under the table that weren't in the best interests of Ylisse, both as a continent and a nation.  

The question was, who benefited from a war between Plegia and Ylisse?  It was a tough question, it could possibly be any of the Nobles striving for the title of Exalt, wishing to use the attacks as leverage to add pressure and further his claim.   Eric didn't care who claimed Exalt... but one willing to put the very lives of his innocent countrymen; mothers, children, fathers all perishing under the blades of the bandits bearing the arms and colors of Plegia.  It was more than Eric could bear.  He'd die before he allowed anyone like that lay claim to his home.

Now, however, he faced a different predicament.  Which way... was the capital again..?  With no map at his disposal, he'd gone off of memory alone and sketchy directions he'd picked up every once in a while from towns.  Either he was bad at following directions or-- he was simply bad with directions period.  Either this or he was too proud to ask for a guide or a map.  As it stood, he was in a precarious position-- alone in a foreign land.  It wasn't the best position for the young lord to be in-- however there was one good stroke of fortune that no one knew his nationality nor his stature.  He shifted the cloak he was wearing about his shoulders, his purple hair flowing from the hood about his shoulders.  Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't armed.  Unless he ran into a patrol or waylaying bandits, he was certain to remain safe.

Tags:  @anyone who wishes to join
Comments: Outside a port town, lost Eric is lost! anyone wanna play?!

[Ariel]

Amidst the eternal waves of time From a ripple of change shall the storm rise Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon Behold the Razgriz, its wings of black sheath -- Ellinor Graun, A Blue Dove for the Princess Grust remained an ever-changing landscape in the midst of the Plegian Civil War. While the towns themselves rarely came under siege, pockets of combat were a constant threat along the countryside. With both the Plegian Royal Forces and Grimleal Headquarters set on islands, and with no real navy to speak of, the shoreline had been both a staging point and a battleground more times than most could count. Of course, more often than not the towns were safe from such madness, especially after the last scuffle that had popped up in a village. Ariel didn't want to believe it, but apparently a band of commoners with logs, ladles and pointy sticks had managed to decimate two platoons of warring soldiers without taking a single casualty. So now the skirmishes did their best to mind the distance from the nearest town. It made walking around here feel safe, even if it wasn't the best place for someone of her status to be. The port walk was fairly busy as ever, even if there were no ships in the port proper. But hearing someone marvel at the ocean gave the young Valkyrie pause. A young man said it, and he didn't appear to be with anyone. The accent was foreign to the Plegian-born woman, he appeared too sparsely armed to be Feroxi, and anyone who had arrived from Valm certainly wouldn't take such awe at seeing the ocean. That left only one choice: Ylissian Dog, no doubt trying to stir up some trouble. As if she needed any more of that. "The ocean isn't that impressive. It's just like a lake, only there's more of it." The brunette stood next to Eric, a look on her face that was in all honesty pretty difficult to discern what emotion she was trying to show the most. Disdain, confusion, genuine concern, and yeah, probably a little fear too. "You're taking a huge risk, coming this far west from your Exalted little duchy. There's kind of a civil war going on, and here you are anyway. What in Grima's name are you doing here?" If she was wrong with her guess, then things could get incredibly awkward...but she's pretty much on the same political level as the Queen herself. Who's he going to whine to?

TAGS Eric

 

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk
but in deed and truth

The young lord didn't turn from his perch as he looked out, the sun setting beyond the blue expanse, the eastern sky already darkening making it clear the final light of the day would wait for no man.  He would be a bit surprised someone had heard him and already pegged him for a Ylissian from what little was said and what little she knew about him.  He wasn't about to argue details, however.  It mattered not what she thought of him and as long as he neither confirmed nor denied her nationality it was simply her hypothesis based on a plethora of assumptions.

"If a puddle is just a bunch of raindrops, what kind of storm must there have been to create something so vast?"  He pondered to himself aloud.  "To think someone had to whether such a trial.  And to think such beauty would be produced by something so terrible."  Of course, he didn't know how the ocean had been created in the first place, it could have just simply been brought into being since the beginning of time-- but would logic dictate something emerging from nothing?  Of course not.

"Whatever presumptions you may have made, in all else s eyes I'm no more than a traveler. One would have to be stupid or have a death wish to trespass on one's lonesome.  Then again, to you I must fit one, if not both categories for you to call me Ylissean."  A small chuckle escaped him, finding his situation to be rather humorous.  "Very well, you've caught me."  He played along with her accusation, knowing it was in his best interest to be up front.  "Civil war is exactly what has brought me to Plegia in the first place."  Just so happened it wasn't Plegia's he was referring to, but he needn't divulge that information.  "I know only in a broad sense of the civil war that burdens the land.  My focus of late has been with my home.  Peace is a luxury no country is familiar with these days.  If it isn't in-fighting among the Ylissian Nobility for the title of exalt, it's the constant bloodshed that comes from a life in Ferox."

No doubt she would take his words to confirm what she'd assumed, however that wasn't such a bad thing.  Unless she turned out to harbor a resentment toward Ylisseans and her head had been filled with anti-Ylisse propaganda from birth.  But what were the chances of that?  Alright, with her words, it was obvious she didn't like Ylisse and with her almost immediate association with Grima, he could ascertain that she worshiped him.  Such a stance could only mean she supported the rebels that were rallying against the current royal house of Plegia.  Even if he happened to be in a region where such was widely accepted, it was still a risk in itself to utter such words, especially to one who she believed to be a foreigner where Grima was widely despised outside of the Plegian borders.  Was this a test to see if he could be riled?  Perhaps, but more than not it was simply how rooted Grima was in her mind.  Best remain cautious and open-minded.

"Being that I know so little of the risks and goings on of the Plegian war, would you care to explain what you mean?"

Tags: Ariel

Comments: ----

[Ariel]

In all honesty, Ariel should have seen this coming. Of course the Dog is pawing to ascend to the Exalt's holy throne (She had heard reports from some spies that it was actually made of porcelain, but surely it was some manner of crude joke...right?) but if he's all the way out here, then there must be other things on his mind. Many things could be happening, but there was one idea that stuck in the Plegian priestess' mind. He must be trying a career as a diplomat - broker a peace with Plegia, and the rest of the Pound will beg for him to lead them. In a way, Ariel had to admit that there was an effort being made. It would do less than a sharpened fork against a knight's full plate, but he was trying. So the least the Grimleal High Priestess could do is turn him loose on her enemies. "The Plegian Royalty, warmongers that they are, doesn't like the Grimleal because one of their excommunicated idiots thought to try bringing Grima back from the dead. So she split off from the religious sect and decided genocide was the appropriate response. The Grimleal objected vehemently, and here we are." It was a horribly abridged and sorta-accurate retelling of events, but it painted the picture well enough for the Ylissian to color it in - as long as he stayed within the lines. Yes, he might be able to peg what side of the fight she has stake in, but in her blue tunic and lacking any significant defining symbols tying her to the Fell Dragon, her identity as the Grimleal's highest commander was likely pretty safe. "In complete honesty? The war's a giant waste of time. From what I hear several nobles have a keen interest in dragging the fight out, though - might just be waiting for the Royal coffers to empty and blame it on the Queen. It wouldn't be the first time Plegia has collapsed from a war they ran out of funds for." She indeed had heard that - from the Queen herself, corroborated by her small but quite capable band of spies. Still, the man hadn't given Ariel much of an answer, and her face showed that slowly growing impatience.

TAGS Eric

 

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk
but in deed and truth

Her answer confirmed his line of thought, rather than a test it seemed her thoughts as Grima as her god were steadfast, with such devotion he could only assume that such faith was blind and would fill in whatever holes or flaws in logic in the faith that was called for rather than critically thinking about it.  He should know, he'd been raised as a devout of Naga his whole life only for him to question his faith and come up with too few answers to base a decision upon.  He believed Naga and Grima were real divine entities, he also believed in the stories he read in history books-- what he could not believe was that these entities were supreme.  Grima had confirmed this, having been defeated if only temporarily twice by human hands.  If the will of a God is absolute, human hands would never be able to change their fate-- but they did.  However from this thinking sprung more questions and more answers were still lost to the void.  Some questions just simply didn't have answers-- or at least not unbiased answers fanatics of each sect wouldn't spew.  Whatever answers he could find, he would simply have to uncover for himself.

"So the Grimleal would plead self-defense." It was an amusing notion to say the least, but in a twisted way made sense.  The Grimleal wouldn't be the ones declaring war, simply reviving Grima-- which would force the Plegian Royals into action to stop it.  Whatever loss of life that followed the Grimleal would simply pin the blame on the ones declaring war despite themselves being the initiators.  "I can understand, it's not like the Grimleal want war.  It's the Royal's fault for declaring whatever petty war they wish for in the first place."  He nodded.  Made perfect sense... if the deity the Grimleal were summoning wasn't a harbinger of the end of times.  Then again, this debate was a far cry from his real purposes in Plegia, war against Gods would have to come later.  "I'm in no position to say anyone's thinking is flawed.  To the Royals, no doubt the Grimleal would be seen as a threat for resurrecting their master-- to the Grimleal the Royals are at fault for declaring war.  Such politics are Plegia's own until a time it affects the other nations."  Unfortunately, it was already affecting the other nations, however Ylisse was simply not in a solidified enough state to take action even if it wanted to.  Not until a time it united under a single leadership could attention be turned to the other countries.  "Though this is just common sense coming from a traveler."  He chuckled, "It wouldn't do for me to start talking foreign policy with just any random stranger I meet on the road."  He shook his head continuing in an overly casual tone though his suspicions aroused by this stranger's in-depth knowledge, if the Queen's funds were growing low, surely such information wouldn't be broadcast to the world-- even if the Grimleal did know, they wouldn't allow their enemy to know they knew unless they were to use such as a bargaining chip... but to say such to a complete stranger...  

"If only there was someone I could talk to at hand."  He sighed, "Then I wouldn't have to find the Queen.  The Grimleal and Plegian attacks on Ylissean villages are undoubtedly a combined declaration of war-- but if they're both so worried about their own civil war then such attacks would be tactically unsound, wouldn't you say?  Why start a second war when both sides are so drained from their own fighting?"  He blinked before tapping himself on the forehead with a palm. "Oops, I seem to have let the cat out of the bag.  But what are you going to do?  It's true, Plegia and the Grimleal seem to have a secret treaty you aren't telling me about."

Tags:  Ariel
Comments: ---

[Ariel]

"You appear to want this war over - makes you a perfect person to discuss foreign policy with." Ariel nods, taking in the man's tale, until he gets to hinting of an alliance between the Grimleal and Royal Military against Ylisse. The High Priestess' blood froze and her face paled at the news, before scrambling to regain some level of composure. "I...we have no operations scheduled in the East at this time. Not even diplomatic relays - I've been meaning to do something about that, but the homefront's been so busy of late it keeps slipping my mind..." The young brunette continues muttering, to herself in much more hushed tones now, as Eric begins to piece things together. Surely this woman was no mere commoner - she spoke as if she had authority over what happened. She did look far too young for the part, barely as old as he was for that matter. Of course, all of those thoughts went rushing away when Ariel started talking at a reasonable volume again. "The Plegian Queen is a two-timing, lecherous skank who swiped the throne when no one was looking. But not even she is stupid enough to actively try and drag a third party into our war, and I'm not stupid enough to give even tacit support to the matter." Yeah, dragging Maeve's name through the mud like that probably wasn't necessary, but it surely didn't hurt her case at current. "As I believe the saying goes, someone is pulling the wool over Ylisse's collective eyes. Quite the cunning plan I'll admit; few would bat an eye assuming she and I are in cahoots when it comes to Ylissian suffering." There's a pregnant pause as Eric might finally start to realize exactly who he's talking to right now - even without her robes of office. "So you decided to come over here and find out who to take out first, did you?"

TAGS Eric

 

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk
but in deed and truth

There it was.  Eric's pupils dilated as she had started her outburst, but he kept the cool appearance otherwise.  Her immediate response and the ferocity with which she was denying his claims were truthful, he could see it.  How she knew such things, she would have to be a high ranking member of the Grimleal.  Though, the cult had been cautious as to the identity of their leaders, no one outside the Grimleal could have had the possibility to know who they were unless they made it as plain as day to their identities.  The girl's word choices, though, gave him the insight he needed to piece her true identity together.

"Very close."  He smirked, "My purpose was to find the truth and to make further judgement on my findings.  As you well know, Ylisse is without an Exalt, and so the Duchies are operating independently from the rest of the kingdom.  This being said, it would take a common enemy to unite the houses once more.  Using these attacks to serve the purpose of re-unifying Ylisse would prove to be a simple and very effective way of re-establishing the government."  He let the idea hang for a moment before shrugging and waving a hand.  "But war is costly, families are torn apart and what's more, with Ylisse's economy the way it is most the money would likely be coming from nobleman's personal coffers.  Hardly an effective way of waging war.  Not to mention there'd be the process of dealing with the other noble houses forming a conglomerate and the whole thing would be very tedious and drawn out and come around full circle once the war was over deteriorating leaving no lasting mark.  Far too much effort for everyone involved for so little gain.  That's why I've come on my own without an army behind me."

This was very true, with his private army behind him he could have further added the logs to the flame of war-- returning action with like action and repaying blood with blood.  What he wasn't telling her was that he'd already deduced the attacks to be associated with bandits, however even using common thugs the Grimleal and the Plegian Military wouldn't use their own distinguishing uniforms-- it would defeat the purpose of employing an unrelated entity to execute attacks.  Even so, it was good to hear with his own ears that even the Grimleal wouldn't be so brazen to start a war they weren't prepared for.  Eric's eyebrows knitted a little closer together.  If the Grimleal and Plegia weren't involved, then who would benefit from such a war?  The only thing that came to mind was it could possibly be a ploy of one of the other Noble Houses in an attempt to execute the plan he had already established.  It was smart, but no one had stepped fourth to forge the alliance... was he waiting for something?  Or perhaps was his plan to not step forward at all?  There was still too little information on the subject.

"You have good instincts, I don't wish for needless bloodshed.  I would much rather hear the accused speak for themselves than take things for granted.  Appearances, of course, are not always as they seem."  He may have paused here and given her a knowing look, "It is clear to me you are truthful, and with what evidence I know it is highly unlikely the Grimleal are involved, though I will still seek out a member of the Plegian Royalty to discuss this same matter with.  For all I know they are the culprits attempting to paint the Grimleal in a bad light.  Seeing as your party is under suspicion, I thought it prudent to inform those involved of what was happening.  However, I cannot say the other Duchies within the Halidom will be as understanding as I, or as forgiving.  I don't know what sway I might hold over them, however with your support I would attempt to stay their hands for as long as the truth remains clouded."  

Tags: Ariel

Comments: ---

[Ariel]

Ariel nods at the man's assessment of war. "It is a brutish time and resource-wasting boondoggle that were there a choice I would wholly avoid. But when there are these...these people who are so dead set on our annihilation, I've not much choice, do I?" It was understandable, when someone's threatening to kill everyone who so much as thinks like you, not going to war isn't exactly an option she's afforded. And for someone clearly so vaunted among the Grimleal ranks, the brunette healer doesn't appear to be the type to send blood and hellfire towards anyone that disagrees with her. It makes her easy to approach, if nothing else. "I understand your concerns, but Her Majesty has been quite busy of late - the war effort has no doubt been a strain. I doubt she'll agree to meet with anyone, much less one of Your people." The animosity between Ylisse and Plegia needed no explanation, and a noble-born appearing to want a path to the Exalted Throne made him even less likely to hear anything. "I expect she would make an exception for me, though. We...see eye-to-eye more than most would think." Interesting how two warring leaders would be able to speak so freely with each other - but then again, there was a lot Eric may have assumed that wasn't exactly true. Ariel spoke with such simplicity and clarity, her voice making it clear she'd get to the bottom of this -- but if she's got an agenda of her own, could he just leave it at that?

TAGS Eric

 

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk
but in deed and truth

What a peculiar girl.  Eric had to admit that when he imagined talking to a Grimleal he hadn't expected anything to be nearly this civilized.  More or less, he'd thought he'd have been attacked on the spot for being Ylissean-- especially since he was travelling alone.  Then again it may have simply been that she hadn't expected to run into anyone.  Quite honestly he was in much the same position in how unprepared he'd been for this chance meeting.  He hadn't thought of it before, but having been on the road for the past week or so, it was quite possible he smelled-- he'd done his best to wash in what bodies of water he could.  Suddenly he felt a lot more self-conscious than maybe he would have liked.

"I'm afraid such an arrangement just wouldn't do.  Firstly, I'm not sure if the Queen would truly heed your words without a second thought.  Secondly, it would be much more convincing if the victim were present rather than the formerly accused.  Lastly, you've made it quite clear that your personal view of the queen is shall we say-- tepid at best, and I wouldn't be surprised if she had similar feelings toward the Grimleal.  Perhaps she'd respond to the calling of the Grimleal, but the information may not be as well received as from a third party."   It was a delicate position they were in.  On his own, he could see she was right that he might be denied audience with the Queen as such claims as he was bringing weren't substantiated as of yet and easily dismissed as not a Plegian concern.  However, if this girl was to be the only bearer of this news he wasn't sure the message would remain intact and the severity of the situation might be lost seeing as it was his home being attacked and not this girl's. "I think a more prudent course is a representative of each faction be present in this meeting.  Do you think such terms would be acceptable for the Grimleal?"

Tags: Ariel
Comments: I sent ya a pm that could possibly lead to some pretty good rp if you're up for it.

[Ariel]

"I understand your concern, but I know that woman. She's cunning enough to hold a throne she has no claim to in the face of dozens that would murder their own mothers to take the crown. She's not stupid enough to attempt this, and if she were I'd have little difficulty ending this war myself." There's a sense of assurance in the Priestess' voice, she seemed quite determined to have this work her way. "This is something she and I need to discuss, just between the two of us - to determine a proper response, if nothing else. And not to be curt, but I can't say I quite trust you - we've only just met, after all." Ariel did have a point, there was no reason she could put any stock into his claims. It very well could just be a ruse from the Queen herself to make the girl look a fool; Grima knows there are far too many of her own people waiting to take advantage of such a folly. "Do not worry that your warning will go entirely unheeded - there are a few among your people I do trust with such matters, and once I've obtained some form of corroboration, they'll join me when I bring this to the queen. But that will be on my time, and on my terms. Until then..." Ariel pinches her nose, her mind made up. "Any such rebels wearing her or my colors, please dispose of them by whatever means necessary. If they were of the Grimleal you save me the trouble of executing the scurrilous bastards, if they're not then it's no concern of mine, is it?" To say hearing such morbid (and crude) language from a teenage girl was likely a shock. But at the same time...this woman carries Power, and she's well aware of it. If she gets a bit raunchy with her words, there really isn't anyone to complain to.

TAGS Eric

 

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk

but in deed and truth

The young lord blinked and sighed, a hand coming up to brush his bangs out of his eyes.  "It seems your mind is made up.  Even if I were to decline you'd probably just go off on your own and hold council with the queen without me anyway.  Well, if you see fit to confront her without any such proof other than my word then surely you trust me a bit more than you're letting on."  He smirked teasingly.  "Or perhaps you're just the type of girl to trust foreign travelers."  He teased, chuckling as he continued.  "If only there were more people like you among the Halidom's nobles, perhaps it might have been possible to have united once more and prevented suffering."  He dismounted from his horse and took several steps toward Ariel.  "You seem like a good person, even if our pedigree would make us enemies.  I would hope it would be possible to forget past grievances, for the current Ylisse and Plegia are not the same as they once were.  The transgressions of our fathers shouldn't shape the actions of today.  If we allow ourselves to succumb to such hate, how can we ever move forward?"

 He had received information for information, even the Grimleal's blessing to dispose of whatever traitors were threatening his home even if they were Grimleal themselves-- not that he needed such, but it was comforting to know war wouldn't come from self-defense.  Still, the fact she wanted their conversation to be private raised flags in the young lordling's head.  Why wouldn't she want him in audience with the Queen?  There were several options for this-- firstly they were going to discuss private home affairs that he simply didn't have the need to be there for.  If this was the case, his audience would be allowed but simply be brief as to explain the situation and perhaps discuss several options in dealing with these false Plegians.  The second reason he wouldn't be allowed was if she presented the news in a way that was favorable only to the Grimleal and perhaps to the detriment of Ylisse.  Though he didn't want to admit it, this seemed more likely.  Being that they were the only two who knew of this within Plegia it would be easy for her to spin the situation in whatever way she chose.

"Are you absolutely sure there's no way a joint meeting would be possible?  Even should you say no, it would still be my duty to proceed and attempt to hold audience with the Queen anyway.  It would more or less make things easier for us to all discuss it together rather than separately and there would be less room for error.  Whatever else you wish to present to her Majesty afterward is none of my concern, however on dealings that include the safety of my home and my subjects I will see it through to the end."  He was decisive in his answer, letting her know whatever the answer, he wasn't going home just because she'd given him a pat on the head and shoo'd him off.

Tags: Ariel
Comments: ---

[Ariel]

Ariel had heard quite enough idealistic drivel from the Ylissian man - his intentions seemed pure, and his mind was there enough that he could draw some conclusions based on what she had told him. But his insistence to be a thorn in the Priestess' side would not serve one bit. "Things may not be what they once were - that's true. Were the circumstances different, I feel I could be a great ally to both your throne as well as mine. But at the same time I've learned the hard way that your people just love to stick their nose into places it ought not be sniffing about. There's something to be said of cats and curiosity." It was hardly an apt remark, given the canine moniker commonly used by the Plegian folk for Ylisse and her people, but that wasn't really her concern at the moment. The man was insistent, she'd give him that much. But there was still a lack of trust as of yet, and until the story could be verified... "Look - I can't exactly stop you from trying to see Her Majesty. But you're not going to get in, you're not going to give her anything she can really act upon, and you're not going to give her a reason to do anything about it. Once I have one of my Ylissian colleagues back up this tale, I'll bring it to her, and that's something she won't be able to ignore." Sure, he might not just scamper away, tail tucked between his legs. But he certainly isn't getting any warmer a reception from the Grimleal High Priestess, that's for certain. "So was there anything else you wanted to say, or are we pretty much done here?"

TAGS Eric

 

[Eric]

I design not in word or talk
but in deed and truth

Well, so much for keeping the peace.


The lord shook his head, "It seems we're done." He spoke in a matter-of-fact way, completely ignoring her insults.
 He mounted his horse again a little disappointed.  He'd wished to have had a better reception from the priestess.  Whatever the case, he'd gotten the answers he'd needed.  Perhaps she was simply stating the truth, but he wasn't about to take any chances.  As far as his visit to the Plegian Royalty being in vain, he would decide that upon delivering his message.  For some reason he could feel that though he'd been straightforward there was more to this than the girl was letting on.  Whatever it was, perhaps it was just his imagination or perhaps he was simply being paranoid.  He shrugged the thoughts off.  "Perhaps we may meet again." He dug his heels into his horse's sides, the beast starting into a gallop toward the port town.

Tags: Ariel
Comments: ---