@Avali

Kenan sat on horseback, relaxed, as he waited for the leader to present themselves. Thankfully he did not need to wait long, the town's apparent leader stood before him. A woman, despite it being common for women to hold positions of power across humanity's many kingdoms, he still found it strange, his own culture was incredibly patriarchal, nonetheless, he was pleased to have such a swift response.

Hoisting a leg over the horse, he hopped off the creature, still keeping the Runeblade hoisted up on his right shoulder. He stood at ease but lifted up his chin, on his already tall frame it made him appear authoritative in a way, or at least he hoped so, perhaps it didn't look as good as he hoped, he'd never been around a mirror for longer than a day or two.

"Greetings! I'm sure you're wondering why I've come, so I shall make this quick. I am Kenan, and this..." Kenan dropped the Runeblade off of his shoulder and stabbed it into the ground. "Is my weapon. I'm sure you've heard about it. But enough about that, I have come here to attempt to win you to my cause, the lords of this kingdom have abused their power for far too long, unjust rule breeds unjust opposition, but I aim to ensure that this realm is lorded over by a kind, caring ruler, and that those that come after are of the same breed. I don't wish to bring anyone any unwarranted harm, I just aim to see on whose side you lay, if you are with my revolution, then I am hopeful that we are able to fight alongside each-other, but if you continue to support this callous regime, then you shall garner no sympathy from me or my followers."

Kenan spoke with a powerful voice, with the harsh and yet still lyrical accent of the Northern peoples.

"You speak to Grace Adarlan, heir to the throne of Adarla. If you are looking for someone to join your little revolution, you are barking up the wrong tree." Grace's voice was a quiet calm. His cheap tactic to try and intimidate went right over her head. "Now, I know who you are. I know what you are here to do. I advise against it, unless you want me to bring you back to your followers in ten 10 different pieces!"

Grace was already up to her head in one rebellion, an arrogant elf, and normal guard duties. As much as she hated to admit it, her resources were stretched thin. Either this Kenan fellow was taken care of now, or it come back to bite her in the butt. He seemed to be someone who needed to be in power, thriving off the attention. Maybe some form of single combat would keep his sorry band out of Adarla...

"And on top of that, you have no right to storm in here and tell me how my country should be run! If you weren't just a leader of some cult, maybe I would actually take in to consideration what you were saying."

@Bluetommy

@Bluetommy
@Fury Panda@Avali@DragonofTheWest@twannyman

Zande flailed his arms around like an excited muppet, eyes wide and shiny.

"Yeh, nice booty! But we can talk 'bout dat later. Fo' now les' all go git drunk and den ride horses!"

@Avali

Kenan let out a "hmmph" in response to the girl's proclamation that she was the heir to the throne of the entire kingdom. This was unexpected, and Kenan couldn't help but admit that he felt just a tad worried, nobility meant swordsmanship, a skill that Kenan had never mastered. If this girl was skilled, he could be in for a real challenge.

He couldn't let that worry show through, so he again raised his chin. He pulled the Runeblade out of the ground and held it at his side, gripping onto it with both hands in order to keep the massive beast of a sword from falling to the ground.

"I hadn't expected to meet royalty today, well, I would suggest that we resolve this peacefully but...

Kenan lifted the blade up and leveled the point at Grace, the Hagalaz rune glittering to life.

"Why would royalty listen to the 'leader of some cult'? Fight well princess, for if you slay me, you achieve an honor few have gained, and if you are slain, you receive an honorable death against a worthy foe."

Kenan lifted the blade to the skies, and then brought it down in a vertical slash, the blade trailing a crescent of yellow magic. This magic coalesced into a violent maelstrom of a ball that shot towards her.

Grace, no stranger to enchanted swords and the like, had a plan of action. As soon as the ball of fiery magic stuff was fired, Grace had her sword drawn, swatting away the ball of energy with some effort.

Her weapon, SoulBrandt, had a short, but unique history to it. Once upon a time, SoulBrandt was used as a soul collecting device by a demon: SoulBrandt deals death blow, demon gets soul. Grace ended up killing this demon, and thus inheriting the sword. She did however, convince the Church to remove the soul stealing qualities of it, rendering it a simple sword that glows purple.

"A fight to the death... If you truly want to throw your life away, so be it." Grace wasn't one for fighting, capable as she was. She was more of a pacifist, but had no qualms killing those that threatened her home. This man was no exception.

The way he held his sword was all wrong. The way he hefted it around, he either didn't know how to wield a greatsword, or was simply eager to tear his arm out of his socket. Nevertheless, Grace planned on using it to her advantage should he strike again.

@Bluetommy

@Avali

Kenan watched as the magical blast was easily deflected. He pursed his lips as he watched it fly off into a nearby building. Well, there went one method of attack.

Meanwhile, watching from the window of the tavern, Lorne watched as the man with the Runeblade entered a fight. He had seen that man before, their paths had crossed during one of his missions for the necromancer, this man thought himself a messiah or something, or at least that's what his entourage screamed wherever he went.

Lorne noticed a small light, hard to look at and bright like the sun reflecting off of the snow. Then it got bigger.

And then it got bigger.

Lorne barely had time to yell out before he took the blast right to the chest, knocking him off of his feet and leaving a watermelon-sized hole in his chest.

"I'm having a bad day."

Kenan watched the rune as it faded away. He didn't want to use it longer than necessary, but that meant that for now he was magic-less, and that didn't help when he was about as good at swordfighting as a dwarf was at staying sober. He lifted the Runeblade, hanging it over his shoulder, wandering aimlessly as if he were waiting for something.

"I'll admit, that was quick, I can't say I can move that fast," he rubbed a thumb under his nose. "You have skill, but I don't understand the point in making pointless threats, why would you ruin an honorable duel with insults? I don't get it."

Dukhan was shocked at this excessive display of power. The simmering tension that had been present in the room before had reached a fever pitch and the once imminent danger was now very much in the present.

Dukhan held Rose gently by the wrist.

"Young one. I do not wish to push you, but I think that we really should get out of here!" he said, voice trembling somewhat.

Leta

@BrightSteel@Newshoesforever

"The damage you plan to cause will be irreversible," a voice came from the shadows in the corner of the room "a war crime."

The person in the shadows stepped forward, a winged man from the east, dressed in black leather, his wings tucked in behind him. He opened his beak to speak again.

"My men can drop the dust from above, with limited damage to your peoples," he looked over at the naga, a species he hadn't seen before, it was in a word, disgusting. "but there will be over 300 men, naga and human alike, who will be blinded on our side. No eye ware, not even the gods themselves, could stop that."

The Wingdred knew this to be true, he had played it out in his mind a thousand times in the last days.The average was 300. At worst, 71% of their own men would be blinded, while only 12% of the enemy was effected. That chance was so low it wasn't worth mentioning.

"Young one. I do not wish to push you, but I think that we really should get out of here!" he said, voice trembling somewhat.

"You think!" she yelled at the man she had threatened only minutes ago, "that sword brought the fucking world to it's knees. It'll turn our dumbarses to dust."

She stood up and ran up the stairs, "I think there's an exit through the kitchen," she reached the top and proceeded to approach the door of the only room that she hadn't been in, the one the dwarf and prostitute had taken. She didn't have time to wait for them to answer the door and explain all this shit. "KNOCK KNOCK!" she hollered as she kicked in the door with a crash. "Pants up and tits tucked! We gotta get the fuck outta here!"

@BrightSteel@EldarionI

@Fury Panda [mountain tank guy XD]

Ashana

Ashana raised her arm to the door as it was kicked in to fire a crossbow bolt from her wrist, however at the last second she stopped realizing that it was only the dwarven woman from before.
"Ahahahah, sorry to disappoint Missy. I know you would've loved to walk in on some festivities". Ashana smiled and laughed again, she grabbed a small vial from one of her pouches and poisoned the bolt she had in her crossbow gauntlet. "let's go then"... Ashana walks out the door and waits for the mountain tank to go downstairs first.

@Fury Panda (please don't hijack my magic!)

Shinji Takemitsu

hahahahahah! Shinji could not help but laugh at the bird mans prediction. "Nani demo mahō no tasuke o karite tassei suru koto ga dekimasu. Birds are no match for our mages dispersal patterns, we have 100% control. Shinji approached the man bird, unsure of how he felt regarding him. A massive blinding counter attack such as this has never been attempted, not in any battles I've fought. I believe this will fault our enemies for at least our initial battles with the enemy. Shinji was confident in his speech, feeling wholly that the powder glass was an ace in the hole ready to be played whenever necessary.

Leta

@BrightSteel

The samurai was proud. The archduke had warned Leta about this. “Out there, will be men who don’t care for the odds. They are fueled by passion, their hearts clouded. They are not Wingdred.”

“Allow me to show you,” Leta said as he reached for his waist. He pulled out a small metal trinket of some sort. Suddenly a pole extended from the trinket forming a staff. Leta raised the staff and the fine glass lifted from the samurais hand.

“As the powder moves through the air. The magic wielder must maintain extreme focus, ensuring one piece is not lost. For the others will follow. There is a 90% chance the barrier will fail causing catastrophic damage to your men.”

As he said this the powdered glass began to fall to the ground slowly at first and then quicker.

“On average this will lead to 600 needless blindings of your own men. And 16 deaths.”

Leta lifted his staff again, bringing the dust together in the air and putting it in the vial.

“If the items are levitated through the air in a container and released, the needless death is reduced to 6 and blindings, 300”

Leta walked over to the vial and picked it up moving back to where he had been standing.

“Often times the simplest solution is the best” he said as he poured the shards onto the floor. “Let us fly for the resistance.”

Leta flicked his staff again drawing the fine glass back into its housing and floated it back to the table.

@Fury Panda@BrightSteel

Nephish couldn't help but chuckle, not even so much as glancing at the newcomer. All this contention over a moot point.

"Much as I appreciate your contribution, Shinji, I'm afraid that your plan is simply not viable for one key reason."

Nephish grinned diabolically.

"I have a better one."

@Fury Panda (don't write about the glass, that's my thing dude. So is Nicci so don't speak for her she's gonna be made into a sheet sometime soon).

Shinji Takemitsu

.

Shinji was unimpressed with the birds attitude toward his mages, obviously not but an unenlightened mind. Shinji called for his favorite mage Nicci, a tall woman with long black hair and ice cold Blue eyes. She looked at Shinji and delivered an obviously seductive smile, "What is your desire master Shinji". Shinji smiled back and gave some introductions, Commander Nephish this is one of our head mages, Nicci Karuga. She helped come up with this idea. Nicci smiled and started to explain the powders properties. "You see gentleman the power is so light Nicci levitated some powder up from the barrel and let it go. that it hangs in the air for quite a while. The glass dust sits stagnant in the air, it doesn't seem to move down just waft around. As for concentration on our part don't worry, commanding winds are much easier than trying to hold tonns of glass". Shinji laughed again and clapped the bird on the shoulder, "My friend if you wish to help have your wondered fly over enemy lines and drop bombs from above. recently we've secured a black powder mill and that's given us minor explosives to work with".

Shinji staggered at nephish's claim, Pray tell, what do you think is so much better than a blinded enemy force?
Shinji looked to Nephish expectantly.

Leta

@BrightSteel@NewShoesForever

Leta swelled with anger, the feathers on the back of his neck stood up on end, but held his tongue. This human was narrow-minded, so focused on his plans success, he couldn't imagine it's failures. The slave girls talk of winds didn't help one bit either "Winds!" he thought to himself "what do humans know about winds?!" But, he stepped back at the Naga's words, crossing his arms, there were likely plans and scenarios he had not thought of himself.

"Yes Nephish," he said focusing his attention to his right, "Pray tell."

@Fury Panda@BrightSteel

Nephish's smile did not abate. These two were thinking strictly in terms of manpower. Of gains and losses in territory. How dreadfully linear.

"My intelligence puts you in control of the rural South, giving you control over Adarla's natural resources. The crown still controls the northern coast, meaning that they can still acquire the necessary resources via trade."

"Not to mention... foreing aid." Nephish's sneer returned as he hissed.

"So, instead of taking a landbound approach, I recomend that we cripple their naval operations. Left with no further avenues for trade, the crown will slowly begin to starve in a war of attrition."

Nephish's mood seemed to alternate quite a bit. Though he never fully lost his composure, it was evident that he enjoyed this.

"Likewise, this will trap the elves here, unable to reach their beloved homeland for aid or evacuation, their ranks will descend into chaos. And there begins phase two." Nephish grinned horrifically. It was obvious that he was waiting for someone to ask him about phase two.

@NewShoesForever@Fury Panda

Shinji Takemitsu

"hahahahah, slaughter yes?" Shinji asked after nephish finished his sentence about phase two.
"Watashi wa jibun no ha no shita ni teki no hada o kizutsukeru to kanjite imasu". Nicci looked at Shinji intently while he spoke his native tongue. "Anata ga nihongo o hanasu toki, watashi wa sore ga daisukidesu." Nicci obviously couldn't help but interrupt. Shinji snapped a serious look to Nicci, who immidiatly spun and stepped outside.

"apologies gentleman, she gets carried away sometimes. Now, let us plan our strategy of attack.

---

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Thunder's Whisper had made the mistake of wearing his armor into the confines of a human settlement... ever staring and questioning to as why he was wearing the bark and leaves of a tree; as if he was some mad man. Could they not tell it was for protection and furthermore camouflage? They really were naive beings. Where they got the audacity to gawk merely for being different he wondered, for he never commented on many's impractical light cloths and brightly colored fabrics. Although none could see it, a frown was present on his face. His distaste faded however, as he turned his attention to more pressing matters.

What was once locks of long brown hair turned white as fresh as the snow he stood upon while his formerly brown eyes turned blue. This change in features represented the embodying of the Aspect of the Ancients. This was a primal force that allowed him to sense the presence of powerful creatures and other great anomalies, even over great distances. Using that and other magic ensured him that he was on the correct path. But following wasn't going to be enough, if they held any hope of lifting this lands horrid curse and saving the people of Adarla before the tides of war buried them in a frozen tomb, he would need to cut it off soon.

Speaking of cutting off... Whisper mused as he focused on the ensuing duel in the distance.

The female combatant was foreign to him, yet the palpability of her authority was enough to signal a status of importance in some facet; good or bad, he could not decipher. On the other hand, the rather handsome man who wielded a blade imbued with runic magic, was no doubt a recognizable figure to many of Adarla. The Messiah; another man lost to the ceases cycle of injustice and violence that mankind were no less privy too. Blinded by war and politics, or their jaded ideas of "freedom" to deal with the greater problem that lay before them.

"The Permafrost." he whispered. The name he coined for the perpetual winter fit rather well in his opinion.

The duel raged on. Blade pitied against blade. Ideology against ideology. Just as their authority seemed to give off a pressure, so did their principals, values, and goals with each move.

Clearly they lacked moral fiber though, as they dueled on despite the collateral damage it caused; seemingly oblivious the fate of the beam of magic callously launched into a crowded tavern. Yet Whisper saw. Despite long since relinquishing hold of his Aspect, he needed it not to watch as the orphaned magic cut through one of the tavern patrons.

Lives where in danger, yet while stopping the duel was imperative, possibly saving a life held priority.

Undeterred by the power and savagery being tossed around him, Whisper casually skirted around the invisible arenas edge, content to letting the combatants continue their petty squabble for now.

With ease he slipped into the tavern proper, his 5'11 wooden and leafy stature no doubt garnering some attention from onlookers not so keen on the battle outside. Almost immediately he laid eyes on the injured victim and was just as quickly by his side. A cavernous hole in the man's chest told Whisper all he needed to know.

The natural order had claimed this man.

Whisper moved to grant the man his final rights, returning his soul to which it was granted, but paused. Realization dawned over him and withdrew his hand.

"Pardon this one for his presumptuousness, a being un-death this one now understands you are. No true harm has reached your body." True enough. Indeed only superficial harm marred his being. His unnatural status was anathema to him, but he by no means displayed it.

Arathion watched the duel in play with interest, paying the rest of the situation around him no mind. Every step, every swing of their weapons or technique used Arathion watched like a hawk, his mind racing with calculations and possible simulations as if he was the one fighting himself. The duel while brief was only giving the crown prince only information to work with should he get involve but it also served by providing the motivations for both individuals. Grace was stronger than she appeared, truly a princess worthy of her kingdom but for all her noble characteristics her kingdom, the very people she governed were failing her. This sudden arrival of this "Messiah" was not apart of the agreement and admittingly Kenan was looking the part of the legendary human warrior. If these foreign stories were true and he brought a force of his own, the high elves of Asur were not equipped to fight this battle.

For all of Arathion's bravado of destroying rebels, the reality was settling in that perhaps this whole situation was becoming a situation that they were not ready to overcome. Arathion debated about interfering with the duel but should Kenan recognize him, things could possibly complicate on the fact that the Asur has clashed with foreign human kingdoms in the past. There was also the fact that Arathion also respected Grace's responsibility to immediately stand up and challenge this Messiah, should he interfere he would be compromising her honor and his own... the fight had to end on their terms.

With the next upcoming events possibly affecting the outcome of the war Arathion turned away from the duel and began to disperse his gathered men into various direction, the elvish commands quick and decisive as the troopers carried them out without hesitation.

Leta

@BrightSteel@NewShoesForever

Leta smiled, finally someone who was willing to play the long game. "Hold on Shinji," he said, putting his hands on his hips, the feathers on his head flattening back down. "I like your plan Nephish, but I worry about reinforcements."

The feathered man stepped forward, closer to Nephish at the table, "As long as the crown can afford to bring others into this fight, we take the risk of being attacked from two fronts on the water."

Leta pulled out a map from his satchel on his side and set it on the table "I request that we either destroy or steal their holdings within the city of Aldara." He circled a point on the map that he believed to be the vault of the crown. "We could than use some of the profits to hire impartial messengers, informing the remaining mercenary factions and armies that they will be unable to repay any debts."

He looked up at the naga "But, we can discuss this more after you explain phase two.", he said falling directly into his social trap.