[OOC] Sacrilege War (Apocalyptic Grimdark Fantasy) (Page 14)

Also because this Collab never got posted (Damn you HB!) > **Some place in HB's country** As the heated debate grew more and more intense, the friction between the Emperor and his adviser was eased by knock on the grand mahogany door. The Emperor, still quite visibly furious, turned his sharp gaze towards the door. With a deep breathe and a calming manner, he ordered the guards to open the door. A servant stepped in and bowed his head before the Emperor and his advisers. "Your grace, there is a foreigner here who wishes the hearing of your court." He said in a low and humbling voice. "Who?" The Emperor asked, with his temper being slowly doused. "Ararllian your grace." The Emperor grunted and paced back and forth for a few seconds without responding. The rest of the men inside the room kept their keen gaze on them. "Serve him some wine or any refreshments. Keep him off from this room for a little longer. We have matters far more important to discuss." The servant nodded and walked back outside. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the servants came out handing the ambassador a glass filled with the finest rice wine the Empire had to offer along with a bottle. The servant hoped he would take the bottle and leave. Wisps of smoke lifted gently from the pipe Telance had perched between his lips. These matters took time, which he understood. Being raised in the diplomatic sector of the capital with his father had assured he had plenty of patience for the nuances and frustrations of petty politics and unneeded bureaucracy. Still after four hours and nothing but the assurance it was ‘being handled’ he figured some incentive would be necessary, after all it had been two months since the formal request was sent, and why should he wait any longer? So rather unceremoniously he stood up and blew a rough smoke ring before taking his pipe and emptying its ashes in a nearby vase before gently tucking the ivory tube away. Of course he was a distance from the harbour so walking wasn’t a particularly prudent action, thankfully however he had thought of that beforehand. Opening his rich brown coat he drew a small silver mirror from an interior pocket and walked over to an open window. Taking the mirror in hand he located his ship and began shining sunlight at a certain sentry thereupon it. The sentries’ sudden movement to the captains cabin showed he had gotten the message. [i]Though he could be a bit less obvious about it.[/i] Telance thought. It was then that a servant came up from behind with a glass of wine, of course gazing out the window Telance hadn’t noticed him and the tap on his shoulder near frightened him to death. “Dammit man! Announce your presence! Words, you have those right?” Telance blasted incredulously. After a moment he collected himself and the servant, clearly shaken, asked, “Refreshments Sir?” Telance gazed at the bottle and offered a quick thanks before grabbing it and the glass. He supposed in a moment they would be a tad less inclined to offer pleasantries. As if on cue the moment the servant turned around several large booms filled the air, though he was unable to tell them all apart Telance knew that the number was 48, a full broadside from three ships into a nearby hill or farm or something else of minor importance. The shock on the fleeing servant was clear as he seemed to move like a brand had been applied to his arse. Telance smiled, [i]incentive[/i] he thought warmly. ----- "Dam t in nIThe Empire needs the outside world! If we are to keep our old traditions and deny the outside world, we will be left behind! If it is not the Darkness that grasp our throats, then it would be our neighbors." "Our traditions has kept us alive ever since before the wars of the first Emperor. Without them, we will crumble. You must understand Jasin that this old ways you are trying to destroy has always safe guarded us from..." At that moment, several loud blast roared through the air. The Emperor and his advisors looked at each not with faces of anger but those of concern. The guards stood their stances ready for an attack. The Palace became lively with the Batyani running in all the corridors of the palace and the guards took their positions on the city and palace walls. Screaming and shouting were heard from the outside as the inhabitants of the city was taken by panic. The Shugoi temple frantically sounded their bell. "What was that?" Asked on of the Emperor's advisors. "Foriegners." The Emperor answered as he looked out the window, looking towards the ocean and the vessel responsible for the act. "Shall we kill him?" Another advisor asked. "No. Let him in. I guess we have to hear his concerns. I do not know if we could listen to him long enough without me strangling him. Let him in." One of the guards nodded and walked outside to fetch the ambassador. "You see Majin, you see all of you, this is the power of the outside world. If we had embraced this rather than shove them aside and fear them, we could have ruled the sea. We could have kept the ghuls at bay with less lives lost." ----- Just outside in the royal halls, where the ambassador waited and where several servants frantically ran about, several Batyani marched. They were a group of 10 and marched directly at the ambassador. They stopped in front of him and made no effort to hide their distaste for the outsider. A man came before them, a monk. He served as the speaker of the silent group. One of the Batyani made several signs with his hands while fixing his ravor shape stare at the ambassador. The monk watched his hand carefully and after the batyani was done, looked at the foreign diplomat. As the guards approached Telance held his nose and downed the rest of the wine glass in one long go before looking for a place to rest it and after finding none jovially tossed the glass out the window behind him. As they came to a halt before him he stood to attention and commented caustically, “Well good day Sirs! My, I can just see the alacrity radiating off you this afternoon.” They didn’t seem to react to that, which of course made the comment all the more sarcastic. The man at the front of the stone faced group seemingly translated some bizarre display of hand flailing and spoke, “The Emperor and his court would like to see you.” Telance tossed the bottle of wine to the speaking man and asked, “Hold this for me would you? I intend to finish that.” Before he followed the group. The group marched with the foriegner behind them. The monk walked besides the foriegner. He was but one of the few who could translate the ancient sign language of the Batyani order. The order has become secretive of their old traditions, like most of the Empire with theirs. The Batyani stopped in front of the grand mahogany door. One of them took hold of the metal latch and knocked three times. The door opened for them and they seperated into two lines, opening a path for the ambassador. The monk motioned for the ambassador to enter in a polite manner. One of the guards inside announced his coming after being handed a scroll. "The Honorable Telance Unhin now enters the royal court of Empire, the soul and heart of the Khraisyd, the home of all the Kahmer people." The guards said. The monk besides the foriegner translated what the guard said in the ambassador's native language. The Emperor and his advisors gave the ambassador a look of hostility. Not as threatening as the furious gazes of the Batyani but they certainly were not welcoming. A brief moment of silence fell upon the room. The Emperor and his advisors seemed to the study the man that stood before them. Half Elven blood, half their brother. Although that was not the case here. Elf or not, outsiders were always seen with distrust amongst the Kahmer people. Finally, the silence was broken when the Emperor spoke. "Mu sallan du gwaulo." He said with a voice that hinted how he felt towards the ambassador. The monk immediately translated. "It is a pleasure to meet you foriegn de..." The monk stopped himself before he could slip. [i]Gwaulo[/i] meant "Foriegn devil" in the tongue of the Kahmer although it has taken the meaning of just being one from a foriegn origin. The nobility and other more recluse kahner has kept using the phrase as a deregatory term. "I mean honored guess." The monk was able to finish. The Emperor smirked at the monk's mishap. He would have told the meaning to the man himself but he rather kept their meeting brief. "Vania sal-el nallat et zakkam?" The monk, trying to avoid another mishap, took a second to translate. "Why do you grace us with your visit?" Telance put on an air of professionalism when the doors opened and proceeded to enter the court. The face he wore was one of precise features, one well practiced. Though he did permit himself an errant smile when the translator began what could only have some racial slur or another before cutting themselves off. Telance had to admit though, when the Emperor asked why he was here he desperately wanted to respond with all the sarcasm that comment was due. Of course speaking to royalty had its own rules and such a retort might well have left him a tad light headed as it were. Regardless Telance responded in the formal tone he had been forced to practice many a time, “Why your majesty, I come merely in keeping with my people’s word. Two months ago I am told a messenger arrived here and presented a formal request concerning Kunios, a settlement of my people, the Jestua, on your coast. Said request reportedly asked only that you, as ruler of this land and its people, uphold your own laws and as such guarantee these settlers continued safety within your nation. As we have been made aware they have been victims of savage and unprovoked attacks. Clearly these were unlawful actions of a select few, certainly something you would not find diffculty in remedying.” Telance gave the room a quick look before beginning a pace and continued, “ However to our dismay and astonishment it appears you took no action to punish these attackers or to protect these Jestua, neither before nor after my nations modest request. Now said request specified consequences if refused…” Telance paused there, the look on the various members of the royal courts faces at his reply so far, especially that last sentence, told him all he needed to know, namely that they would be rid of him in a most foul manner, if only they could. No matter, Telance went on, “Of course with no response at all, and continued inaction, I was dispatched here to take up the matter personally. Imagine my shock at this terrible circumstance being treated with such flippancy that I was left to wait for hours. Still, with a small reminder things sped up considerably. Now that I am here we can give this sensitive issue its due, no harm done." [i]Well except to whoever owned that land…[/i] Telance mused. “Now that I am here of course I would be happy to receive an official response to my nations request, and if possible an explanation of your prior inaction.” Terance doned a welcoming and warm smile, though for however genuine it looked any trained eye could see it as the fake it was. "Ahh yes Kunios. I have been there myself on a few occation." He offered the ambassador a seat as one of his servants came in carrying a royal seat made of the finest wood and silk the Empire has to offer. "Where your kin has made a profit of our misery. Where you use our fallen brethen as your slaves, denying them the peace of death." The Emperor said in the foriegner's native language. One of the Emperor's advisors approached him to try and settle his nerve but he pushed him back with slight force. The advisor moved back, keeping a worried look the Emperor's face. The monk beside the ambassador now handed the man back his drink he carries awkwardly until now and moved back slightly away from him. In fact everyone in the room seemed to have now moved to keep their distance from the two except for the guards and the Batyani who moved towards the Emperor, flanking his sides. "And I suppose the rabble that attacked those traders of death, those mourning for the lose of their love ones, has to be taken and made responsible for their acts. Yes, of course." He called one of the servants in the room towards him. The servant walked slowly, clearly shaken and scared. The Emperor whispered for the servant to bring in some wine into the room. Either he or the ambassador was going to need it. They were going to need a lot. The servant nodded and left. The gaze of the advisors followed him until he was out of the room and then back to the Emperor. "Tell me Mr. Telance, how best should we punish this people? What method of retribution should be enacted on this mob, who were taken by their grief and took matters into their own hands? The laws of my people are not clear on this. Perhaps you could enlighten me on how best to serve justice here." Telance was beginning to get anxious now, though he scarcely showed it. It wasn’t the Emperors do good speech that put him on edge though, it was the reaction of the rest of the room. Certainly this man wasn’t actually considering harming him? Telance normally would have dismissed that thought but it seemed this Emperor was some sort of heartfelt sentimentalist, and that was scarcely better than raving insanity. Still he had a job, like it or not the message was to be put across, and clearly at that. Telance inhaled audibly and began with his best veil of false sincerity, “Why your majesty I am hardly a legal man nor a philosopher, my job here is merely to make clear the Ararllian position on this issue. Of course of what little I do know of law, well I believe that the punishments should be fitting to the crime. For the five murders, five executions, and of course damages in property paid for by any other conspirators not engaged in the killings. I have no knowledge of what compelled these people to commit such brutal acts, but that is not my concern. All Ararllia wants is justice majesty.” Telance saw some of the court wince at that last remark, well it seemed Emperors response was going to be a show indeed. Telance thought grimly [i]hopefully a show I survive[/i] as he tensed in anticipation of a response. Just as the ambassador finished his responce, three servants entered the room. Two were carrying a table and one was carrying a silver tray with a bottle of white wine and several glasses. The Emperor kept his eyes fixed on the foriegner. The advisors moves towards the Emperor, to make sure he wouldn't make any brash actions. However they still kept their distance towards the Batyani. The muscular elves with tattoos stretching throughtout every bit of their flesh only answered to the Emperor. If the Emperor wished so, the Batyani would have killed the amabassador before them. However the Emperor was able to keep relatively calm and civil. The advisors worried he wouldn't keep this temper for much longer though. "You ask of justice?" The Emperor asked as a table was laid out before him and the ambassador. "Justice for your people. For those who grow rich from our suffering, from our anguish." One of the servants poured a glass for both parties and then walked away. "Then it shall be so." The Emperor took the glass of wine and swallowed half the glass. The warm liquid seared through his throat then down to his stomach but he couldn't hardly care. He needed the drink badly. "Rest assured that justice will be delivered, as you have defined justice at least. Those who have taken the traders lives will have theirs taken too. The shipment of lost beast shall be repaid in another shipment of our fallen bretheren." The Emperor poured more into the glass, not bothering to drink to the rest. He took another deep gulp. "We are civil here, I can assure you that. We have offered your people many great bounties from our land. The trade between our people has only grown ever stronger. We may not be so welcoming of outsiders but we do our best to accomodate them if they have no place to stay. We are quite generous, as your people know." Jajavisin then turned his head from the ambassador around towards the open window that gave him a good view of the sea. There the vessel still floated. "We do not take kindly to threats. No matter the arms used against us, we will fight back. The Kahmer has not survived from all the perils put up against us if we were not as resiliant. That little ploy of yours a minute ago would not deter me from taking more drastic actions against the tensions between our people. You can take this message back to the Ararllian royal court. We will not easily bow down, we will not be pushed aside and treated like slaves. If we are forced to fight, then to the very last Kahmer we shall." He took up his glass and held it towards the ambassador. "Now that our negotiations our done, a drink perhaps. I can tell you sorely need one." Telance leaned back for a moment and observed the Emperor. The old elf was certainly quite the character. He commanded a presence among his peers that the Queen in Mosian fell hopelessly short of, and beyond that he seemed to be an experienced drinker. The latter of which Telance greatly respected, too many were shy around the bottle these days. Taking up the glass Telance took a long drink, the tension in the room had only increased with time and if nothing else alcohol was sure to make further escalation somewhat difficult before the meeting ended. He let out a sigh and replied, “Indeed we know of it majesty, and thanks to your wisdom today that trade is sure to blossom even further.” Telance brought himself upright to look directly at the Emperor before he spoke candidly for what may have been the first time in their short meeting, “As for your message, well you have my word it will be delivered. Though, and this is coming from someone who grew up there, I doubt they will do more than nod and forget it. They can be quite fickle in interests, and I have never known the Queen or the Noble council to look into something much after they have what they want.” Telance paused and took another sip, “Of course I will remember for what little it matters, and I’ll have the damages to whatever was hit paid for. In lieu of an apology I hope that can be some small consolation.” "I care not if they dismiss my words now. They will remember it in time. As our people have learned our tragedies, yours will too." The Emperor said in a low, hush voiced, to almost a whisper. The anger that had permeated the room, that which had been burning within the Emperor as he tried to convince his advisors that change was desperately needed within the Empire or that when the Ararllian interrupted his session, was now gone. All that was left was brooding. He was suddenly left to wonder what would become of his people. When not a fleet but one mere ship and inflict such panic and terror throughout his lands, the ways of his people had to change if they wanted to survive. The means by which foriegners conducted themselves could prove beneficial. He became aloof, lost to his own thoughts. Telance took yet another sip and was soon back to the ever professional façade. He moved and pulled a cloth wrapped around something from his coat, being slow enough as to not frighten the guards. Placing the bundle on the table he unfolded it to reveal a blackwood pipe inlaid with delicate golden patterns and a small pouch of dried Carcha petals, “And of course, a gift for your majesty.“ Jajavisin was brought back from his thoughts when the foriegn dignitary presented him a gift. He guided his gaze towards the present being handed to him. He was awestrucked by the intricate ornate patterns on the pipe presented before him. He tried his best to hide his wonder but he couldn't help himself. He knew that this was only a formality, a way showing respect from one nation to another. In this case it was probably sent to dispatch those that have wronged the Jestuans with haste. However the Emperor couldn't help but marvel at the majestic piece of work laid in front of him. Though the Emperor did not smoke, it would make a fine addition to his growing collection of foriegn oddities. "Truly it is fine work of craftmanship." He was forced to remark. Telance eyed the piece with interest and responded, "Quite, I am told only a couple of these are made in as many years. Who crafted it I cannot be certain, but whenever I have come across one they have been unique in detail but all equally astonishing. The wood is of the rarest type found in Ararllia, almost only found in the capital forest, the gold work is remarkably fine too." Telance took another sip before putting the glass down and carefully standing up. "But I digress, my duty is not to bore you with the details, I suppose now that our business is done here I should take my leave." Studying the intricate patterns of the pipe, the Emperor was aware enough his sorroudings to at least give a reply to the parting diplomat. "I cannot let you leave without exchanging your generousity. I am aware that the voyage you and your fellows on that ship at port is quite long and tedious. Let me offer you and the crew of your vessel some of the gifts of our waters. The Mahai-mahai are plentiful this season and I am sure that you will have more than enough for your travel. They are being brought to your ship now along with some rice." Telance moved a stray golden hair from his face and dusted off his coat. Though somewhat unsteady due to the drinks he had steadily been consuming over the course of the day he managed to compose himself and give a courteous bow, "It was a pleasure majesty." Of course that was a lie, negotiating with royals was always an endeavor fraught with risk and tension but this had been rather above most of his prior experience, namely it was the first time he had started to fear for his life. Telance reflected that the atmosphere and more pertinently the group of edgy guards around the Emperor had left him anxious for most of the meeting, enough so that with the combination of drinks he told the Emperor that his message was unlikely to be heeded. Thankfully his majesty hadn’t reacted too strongly to that slip. Leaving this place would be refreshing indeed. "It has been indeed." Jajavisin was still busy at awe with the ornate device. He did however manage to pull his attention away from the pipe to properly bid the ambassador farewell. "You can tell the court of Ararllia to expect the shipment of the ferals with the next two months or so. As you can imagine, the proper entrapment of this beast is very difficult and only a few of my people are willing to capture them. Rest assured they will be delivered. I wish you all the best with your return home Mr. Telance. Till we meet again." The Emperor placed his palm on top of the ambassador's hand and gently bowed his head. This was a sign of respect for the Kahmer people. This was all curtisy of course but Jajavisin also didn't want to offend Telance by making it seem that this was but a personal assault on the ambassador. The little stunt the dignitary pulled off might have made the Emperor upset to say the least but he was only trying to make a point. Jajavisin knew that the Ararllians and most of his neighbors viewed his people as savages and primitives. Such people would be ripe for any to exploit and take advantage off. Though the Kahmer would laregely ignorant of the outsider world, most would still knew when their foriegn neighbors were ready to swindle them. The Kahmer are not as simple or foolish as outsiders would like to believe. The strong warning the Emperor gave may be shunned and put aside by the Jetsuan nobles but when another incident like so arises and if the Ararllians decided to take more drastic measures, blood would be spilled between them and the Kahmer. It would not be the easy victory that they would predict but one that would cost both people. Jajavisin hoped that such a tragedy would never come. Telance scratched his head and looking to the Emperor reciprocated with a significant degree of false sincerity, “I understand, until then.” Telance made a small bow to return the gesture and turned for the door. Though the Emperor has been more than a little caustic throughout the meeting it was the atmosphere of the room that had drained him. Telance continued walking toward the door, given the effort it was taking to avoid a stumble at this point he really had no need, nor want to look back. Bottle of wine cradled gently he waited until a servant had opened the door before departing. It was with a near fall just beyond the door he realised he should have arranged a transport back to the ship; this walk was going to be a tad of an adventure.

[OOC] Sacrilege War (Apocalyptic Grimdark Fantasy) Page 14

Isotope I am Spartacus!

Goldeagle1221 I am Spartacus!

Tatsua Aiisen The Lewd Maid

Isotope I am Spartacus!

Goldeagle1221 I am Spartacus!

Isotope I am Spartacus!

Grijs

Isotope I am Spartacus!

Monkeypants

Isotope I am Spartacus!

Monkeypants

Grijs

Goldeagle1221 I am Spartacus!

Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

Tatsua Aiisen The Lewd Maid

Isotope I am Spartacus!

Monkeypants

Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

Grijs

Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.