RainDash

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

"Indeed, Orion. I thought it best to start with honesty as opposed to you undoubtedly finding out later, my endearing host. Unfortunately, I find that Karesh is more interested in scouting the area first. Also, the fact that you know he is here won't let him steal from you. I have ways of," Ryoichi paused to try and find the right word to describe what he was talking about, "convincing him to return the items in question. Do not worry, I think he does it more as a proving than to actually harm anyone. Alas, this meeting is off to a sad start because of him, but do not worry. You will find that House Aseryo is more focused on the demon threat than this feud."

Ryoichi bowed deeper to show more respect. It was embarrassing, but he wanted to air the truth before somebody -Karesh- did more than just scout the castle and they discovered that he had stolen something. Even worse, if Karesh decided to show up out of thin air then it would seem even more suspicious. It would be best to say it immediately and avoid as much drama as possible along with giving a promise that going forward that he would not lie to their allies. Even if it wouldn't be true at time he wanted to project such a reputation as much as possible.

"As for 'letting him rob you', my Lady Tosen, I'm afraid that as I entered the building he up and vanished. When one wishes to locate Karesh, he is usually gone. He will show up when he wishes to, and no sooner I'm afraid."

The Valley

I don't have a problem with it.

The Valley

"Maybe it's the herbs, some of them do drive an animal mad...?" Amaeda said nervously as she carefully grabbed the things that marked her as a clear witch and moved them out of sight again. Lost amongst the common items. She was safe again, until that animal went and ruined yet more things in this store.

She nearly breathed a sigh of relief until she heard Finn say, "What the...?"

Her reaction was near comical, her whole body seemed to tense up in terror. She also noted that the animal had not only taken out most of her usual stock, but it had knocked loose all of her witchcraft supplies. The guard was poking at a jar made to contain certain potions and poultices, mainly of the deadly sort, and Amaeda would have died on the spot if not for the seeming inattention of the guard. She had to contain this, fast.

"How about we cut a deal, twenty for everything and you don't really talk about most of the stuff you saw. I often get strange artefacts from travelers and don't know what to do with them. The rumor that I have such things could very well cost me my business," Amaeda lied, "so not letting people know I have strange things in my shop is a primary concern of mine."

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

welp. Gonna go fix that now and go read through everyone biographies again.

The Valley

"Hmm... I've found that there are few herbs that he-" Amaeda began before the dog darted into the store before she could stop him. The sound of shattering pottery came from inside and she could almost feel her cool slipping away. "H-how about we go inside and you tame your beast while I assess the damage done. While I don't practice witchcraft, I've found that sometimes combining certain things tend to end badly. Especially when they're mixed through an animal running through my store."

Hopefully, Amaeda's ingredients for a scrying spell were still intact. If she could find Morgia Thatch then that would be best. Of course, if the dog knocked over all of the ingredients... she just hoped that nothing too important had gotten knocked over. Wait... were the bay leaves in the pots and the viperweed in glass or was it the other way around? Either way, the dog left her a mess to sort out, and hopefully this ruckus wouldn't reveal her as a witch to the nice guardsman. She didn't really want to go out of business due to her habits.

"Are you sure that he's not always like," Amaeda said and waved her hand at the damaged store, "this?"

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

I'm going to wait on posting as Karesh until someone else posts. Let some time pass before I reveal where he's vanished to.

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

Ryoichi had no choice but to face the new Lord of House Tosen. On one hand, he was glad that older Lord had recently fallen gravely ill, which meant that Ryoichi could know that the man calling for his brother's head was now going to be on his way out of his life. On the other, this new Lord Tosen was an unknown variable. Still, as Ryoichi walked to the palace he made note of the lack of vegetation and water. He had leverage here, to motivate this new lord to join forces and stop this petty war long enough that they could kick out the demons from their respective lands. Worst case, he could try and force people to realise that they were on a side without much food or water.

Another worry was Karesh. The Rabbit, as he called himself, was gone from sight. Ryoichi had no idea where the thief had gone, nor what on earth the man was thinking. They would get in trouble if he was caught, but at the same time, Ryoichi had hired the man for this specific purpose. Carnesale had been upset at his taking Karesh into his retainership, but it would be better than trying to explain what he'd been doing raiding the Aseryo vault.

Such a thing had become rare in recent days, as the famine drove people to the rich, who always seemed to have just enough enough food. Ryoichi knew that his own store couldn't hold out forever, but if he could end this feud.... Ryoichi didn't like it, but it had to be done. No more deaths or pointless skirmishes in the streets. It wasn't too bad, but with the drought things were getting worse by the day. He had to remind himself that he couldn't afford to be bitter about his brother's death now. Doing so would just make things considerably worse.

The march inside revealed wilting flowers and dead-eyed paintings. It had a faintly uneasy feel to it, but Ryoichi ignored it, instead looking along the rafters for his retainer. He didn't find him as he was led into a large room where a long table stood. The room for the negotiations no doubt. From how the chairs were set, the Lords were to be facing each other. Ryoichi had to remind himself that he wouldn't be looking into the face of the Lord who had ordered his brother dead. With a pause, Ryoichi adjusted his cape and weapon, then entered the room.

The red armor glinted as the other Lord stood to greet them. A few words poised to ensure their cooperation. Ryoichi had done this dance many times before. He moved to his respective chair and placed the sword down in front of him as a sign of trust. He didn't look to the rafters to find his missing retainer, nor did he break eye contact with Lord Tosen.

"You will have to forgive me for not eating first, as I have seen enough banquets to know to always let the host eat first," Ryoichi said, bowing slightly to show respect. He knew that eating first meant not knowing if there was poison in the food or not before eating it and thus, it equalled playing a dangerous game. It was better to exercise caution in a tense situation like this. "Also, one of my retainers makes it a point to break into places that he is not supposed to break into, so if you could please return him here if you find him, I would be eternally grateful. Karesh Salib is a skilled thief, but I had hoped that he would exercise at least some self control today. As you can tell, it is not so."

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

Same here, but I'll try.

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

Nice Lord! @The Omnipotent Sphere I'm the Aseryo Lord. Ryoichi has some history with the Tosen house, so I recommend reading his history some. I think they'll get along though.

The Strife of Ostaria | Fire Emblem-Inspired RP [18+]

I'm still here.