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Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

So that was that, the plan to head out in the morning was finalized. Four hours past midnight, well before dawn, but would still give everyone time to sleep and rest. Some needed it most Solomon observed. Erwin was the first for obvious reasons. Jazdia also looked like she could use the rest. He wasn’t sure about the scouting party, but if they had been up all day, then rest was warranted for them as well. However, something about the pale man looked as though he would be fine for several hours more, not that is mattered. He should still sleep if he was going to join the party instead of staying back with the two Antigone men.

The pale man posed a question, and one by one people started answering it. For some, the question might have been the first time people reflected on what it was they were tasked to do. For other’s it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. But it did open the eyes of many on what killing truly meant to them.

“Death is inevitable.” said Solomon, “Those who die early are usually those who put themselves into that risk. One does not go out into the world, wage war, or even give life without even a twinge of knowing that their might soon end. So what it’s like to kill a person, it can be heart wrenching. Nothing is safe despite everything you do. It can also be a relief. The raw emotion cannot truly be felt until you find yourself with the choice to kill. To me, death is a stepping stone. If I am the one to nudge anyone onto that stone, so be it. I don’t plan for it to truly end.”

Solomon bowed his head to the pale man before he walked away to another spot in the camp where he intended to help keep watch. The details of the invasion would be finalized en route by the sounds of it. It would take an hour to travel to the mansion, so there would be plenty of time. Right now, it would be best to get everyone to sleep.

“I never really killed someone before.” said Athena. Her arm was wrapped around her spear, leaning against it with her hand under her chin. “I’ve been in plenty of battles, and I have seen people be killed. Yet, I’ve never been the one to do it. I don’t think I’d feel any different had I killed. I have wounded others and have not felt guilty about it. They have always come to attack me or those around me. No. I think that if I do to protect my allies and my kingdom, then there shouldn't be any guilt. My duty done."

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

Athena turned to look at Charles and Farris as Veronica was giving the report. They nodded at the parts where they encountered difficulty in completing their mission, as to confirm their failures. That was bothersome. But it did lead credence to Stritzel being very prepared for a confrontation. Under normal circumstances, being as close to Meche as she was, it could be argued she was protecting her place of residence. But there were too many red flags to ignore about how she went about with it. And then there was Delving. Athena knew of the King’s rocky relationship with that noble house. Especially since they had power within the navy, and their heir was the admiral. If Stritzel was working with Delving, and she was going to fortify her manor with barely any occupants, something was off.

“I don’t suppose you were able to actually count how many guards the manor had?” asked Athena.

“Eh, no, not really.” replied Charles, “With Lady Veronica unable to peak inside, and the walls getting in the way…”

“No, Veronica was able to infiltrate the manor," interrupted Farris, "How else did we know it was mostly empty? It was her scry attempt that failed. Besides, we were also spending a bit of time trying to get the geolocator operational.”

“Yeah, I suppose. We worked on the locator while Lady Veronica did her thing.” replied Charles, “At least we can confidently say that any guards the place does have hasn’t changed since we started scouting. They haven’t any reinforcements. You know, from outside the manor.”

“Yet”

Athena nodded, as her ears twitched towards the conversation between Jazdia and Veronica. Charles and Farris noticed, too, as the bear twins were also asking questions. Some planning had begun, and it was now best to focus their attention back to Veronica. After a bit of confirming the involvement of Jonas, and the motivations of Stritzel, a plan of action was starting.

“Under the cover of the night sounds ideal.” affirmed Solomon. For the entire debrief, he stood silently listening, “and though I might not appear the best suited for it, I can accompany Veronica throughout the night. She is right, everyone needs their sleep, and I do not wish for anyone to require Thernous insomnia pills. Speaking of, Erwin needs the sleep most of all.”

After Charles and Farris spoke up, Athena replied, “Really? As much as we want to avoid calling it, we need to lay siege to the mansion. We could use your help.”

“They do bring up a good point.” said Solomon, “We should not bring the carriage, it is too large and creates too much noise. Having someone keep watch over it is not a terrible idea. If we take the horses, it will be hard to move it. Our window is small if everyone is to sleep and be ready come before dawn. We don’t have any more time to reposition, nor do we have time to delay another day.”

“Fine then, I trust you guys enough to know what you’re doing.” said Athena.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance Wilds

---

As black cat got closer to the scout party and Jazdia, its form suddenly began changing. After a bit, Athena was walking near the elf and her fire arrow.

“I guess, you didn’t need me, after all. I didn’t expect one of your friends to be among those sent by Antigone.” said Athena. The yokai looked towards the scouting party. Interestingly enough, they were just as an odd mix of characters as the initial party sent by Kin Fredricus. When Athena first approached, she could only count three, but there were four present.

“For what it’s worth, the two on horses are with Antigone.” Athena stood by observing the pale man and her two colleges from Antigone while the Jazdia caught up with the lifeless lady, Veronica. Whatever news the king had sent them didn’t seem to include the change in the mission. For the best, giving it a second thought. It would not do to have valuable information in the wrong hands should the messenger be shot. But in the end, Athena was glad that the meet up went off without any complications.

Athena walked down the hill with the others as they continued their brief chat. At the same time, Athena spoke with Farris and Charles, asking them how goes the traveling and their mission. While Charles started to explain it, Farris cut him off, toting that it would be better if everyone, especially Thernous were present to hear it. Athena shrugged and they reached the camp shortly after.

Back at the camp, Solomon walked away from the horses after a few of them started to settle down to sleep. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it looked like scouting party had arrived with Jazdia and Athena. Among them, Solomon was surprised to see Veronica. He could have sworn that after the last incident, she would be done with these kinds of missions, instead wanting to focus on changing her newly claimed land. His head lowered covering his face in further shade. The king must be pulling as much talent he can across multiple facets of the edging war.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

It was night again, and camp was not exactly being made. Some of the party were expecting the unite with a recon team that, others were attempting to sort out a camp. The issue with fire came up between the bears and Louise, but otherwise, everyone was simply playing the waiting game. Jazdia had already taken to the hill. Solomon dismounted the carriage to deal with the horses. Solomon wasn’t quite sure what was the plan for the rendezvous beyond that there was to be one.

A black cat with two tails was sitting in a tree. Shortly after Jazdia had mentioned they had stopped, Athena exited the wagon to get a view of her surroundings. It took her a moment to get her barrings, having slept in the carriage almost the entire day. That was probably irresponsible of her, but it didn’t matter now. The first chance she got, she dashed through the foliage of the nearby trees before climbing up one, and sitting in wait. She could see that Jazdia had decided wait atop the hill. Athena figured that would make the most sense. It was the highest landmark, and it would give her an unobstructed view. Athena didn’t mind being where she was, but she kept her senses alert.

She didn’t know where the scouts would be coming from, so Athena didn’t keep her focus in any one direction. Her ears would twitch at new sounds, and her head to quickly turn to new stimuli, quickly checking if the source of the disturbance were the scouts. Once the noise of their horses started to filter through the trees, Athena jumped down and ran through the grass towards where she expected to cross paths. So far that appeared to be near if not on the hill with Jazdia. Not surprising. Jazdia had set fire to one of her arrows, just enough to mark herself as a waypoint.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Kindeance

---

Solomon hoped with winter having passed, the restoration of Fanghorn could continue steadily. At least enough to the point those forced to live outside of its walls could return to the safety of its gates. Solomon’s skill with the carriage was really put to the test crossing the bridge. It was narrower than the sections of the bridge still standing, and more than once did the wheels creep near the edge of the pathway. Thankfully, Solomon was able to finally cross, and the carriage sped away west towards the Stritzel estate.

After the ruined remains of Fanghorn was lost behind the myriad of trees and other nature features, the bear sisters started to bother Thernous and even Solomon about what had happened there. Their pushiness made the carriage drift as they shifted their bodies to focus on the two arguably elderly men with their inquiries. After Solomon steadied the carriage, he spoke.

“It was not just your brother’s doing.” said Solomon, as he twisted the reins in between his hands, keeping the horses on course. “The plants? A friend of mine grew them. The fires? An evil mage. The crater? That is where the mage put an end to himself. No, most of the damage done to that town was self inflicted by outside oppressors. If you want to blame Cedar for anything, it’s providing the seeds and winding the road leading to the city. He only wanted to hinder the evil mage’s routes of escape. Now hold on, I need to focus a little. It looks like we will be stopping soon.”

For the most part, everything Solomon said was mostly the truth. Cedar may have planted the seeds, but it was through August’s power that they started to grow through the night. It gave the brambles a head start until the sun fed them and the magic really spiraled. August was an undead druid in which Solomon befriended long ago. Cedar planted the seeds and their means to grow, but August took over those plants when Cedar visited the keep with the others. It was also Asevor’s decision to incinerate the plants once they grew unruly. It was a decision that truly set fire to the town.

Solomon purposefully did not mention the wild magic rain dance. There wasn’t any point to it. Even had Cedar not cast a localized hurricane, the fires alone would have killed townsfolk and destroy infrastructure. The weather spell could be said to have replaced the damage that would have been caused by fire to that of wind and water. Solomon did not entertain any further questions the girls had, as his attention went from them to the elf archer on the black steed. After Jazdia spoke with Thernous for a minute, she directed them to head further north.

After several more minutes, they were lead off the side of the road, into a clearing near a hill. The trees were thicker here, making traversing farther into the clearing impossible for the carriage. Jazdia came back around and stopped next to Solomon. She posed a question, and Solomon took a moment to turn his head around the potential campsite. Still out of view of the estate, but dangerously close to any of their frequent visitors, the hill looked to offer a perfect vantage point.

“I think this spot should do just fine. I worry about cover though. Should anyone wander by, it will not be hard to miss our carriage. The hill would be a suitable place for anyone to keep watch.” said Solomon.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Kindeance

---

After a rocky initial start, Solomon managed to keep the carriage on the road. The bears had managed to climb back into the back, and Thernous appeared to be by himself among among the passenger seating. As the roads were windy, and mostly uneven as new paths were flattened by people and vehicles moving around the large bunches of brambles. Thankfully, the withered nettles were mostly dead, so there wasn’t any risk of them overtaking the new paths. However, the number and size of them probably left most people wanting them gone to procrastinate in actually clearing them.

The camp and the remains of the city were just how Solomon had last remembered seeing them the last time he had come back. He occasionally dealt with Von Kruber’s widow and recovering some of what they could from the city. Now no longer as tall as it was, there were still remains of a giant beanstalk drooped and withered over the remains of the keep. Since the plant no longer supported that side of the building, it has since partially caved in.

Solomon looked at the family with a sadness in his eyes. At the time four months ago, it felt like the party had little choice than to engage the paranoid wizard, Asevor. And that battle had forced some into desperate measures. Were it not for these measures, Asevor might have succeeded in whatever plans he had involving the prince. Losing him there didn’t feel like an option. The cost of all that was the suffering of those, like the woman and her kids. They stood there, begging for food, to help supplement the dwindling stores the refugee camp was barely holding on to.

“It is unfortunate.” Solomon said softly to himself, barely audible to even those in the carriage, “The lives of these people uprooted by political turmoil, and desperation. How the life of one had managed to cost so many.” Solomon kept his head down, as the woman back from the carriage. He waited for Jazdia and Erwin to finish their conversation before he got the horses going once again towards the western bridge.

The bridge was hastily repaired, wooden scaffolding and boards with some of the brickwork rearranged to keep it together as much as possible. Evidence of a new stonework was seen strewn about as the bridge was being rebuilt. The work was adequate enough to cross, but its quality and condition meant it would not last long. Once the bridge is crossed, it would be almost another day’s travel to Strizel’s estate. The first of the party’s explicit objectives.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

Athena shifted in her spot once the sun was well over the horizon. She let out a huge yawn, raising her arms high above her head, while also standing on her toes. They slept in longer than what was probably planned, but the disturbance last night had taken its toll. Athena picked up her spear and shield when Jazdia rode up upon her horse. The elf suggested Athena rest more, a suggestion she readily welcomed. She walked around the carriage, and climbed in shortly after the two bear sisters had climbed down. Once she was inside, she all but disappeared. Items were still shifted as though someone was moving about, but after the noise settled, it was hard to see if anyone was actually in there.

Elsewhere in the camp, the party packed up their supplies, completely extinguished the barely smoldering remains of the fire, and mounted their steeds. The horses well watered and fed, it was time to get a move on.

“I think I’m getting the hang of driving.” said Solomon as he passed by the carriage, “If you don’t mind my learning curve.” Jazdia stopped her horse nearby to speak with Thernous as he climbed into the drivers seat. He took a moment to look around trying to find the reigns, eventually finding them looped on hooked portion of the seat. Someone else made sure the horses were hooked up properly. Solomon noticed that Erwin was taking position near the front upon his horse. Solomon didn’t hear Thernous’ order before, but upon seeing Ewrin, what Jazdia said was making sense. Solomon turned in the seat to better face Thernous.

“I have to agree with Jazdia. Sleep deprivation is not healthy. He will be risking impaired judgment and poor coordination. As an outrider, he will be less perceptive. For a mission like this, we need to as many of our comrades as able bodied as possible.”

Solomon turned back forward, readjusting his comfort on the wooden bench. His eyes fell upon Erwin once again. It was clear this wasn't the guard's first time keeping awake through the night. However, now was not the time to display his endurance.

“You best listen to her.” he affirmed.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

Athena kept her guard up even as the eldritch horror turned to leave, the light of his lanterns extinguishing into the darkness of the night. Her eyes remained trained on his position, watching him leave farther than the others could feasibly until he was even hidden in the darkness beyond what her eyes could see. Only then did she rise from her stance, lowering her shield and spear. She sighed, thankful that there wasn’t any further escalation. She turned her head sharply to stare at Erwin, currently arguing with Jazdia.

“I think what needs to be said has been said.” interjected Athena. Though most of her ire was with Erwin, she was speaking those arguing by the former merchant campsite. “We’ve wasted too much time dealing with this, and we’re only wasting more by arguing about it. Let just finish resting for what time remains, and then we can leave at light.” There was a lot Athena wanted to contribute to the conversation, such as how information he was worried the eldritch peddler might convey was the very same information he gave willingly. Or how he was willing to risk the envoy and the mission as a whole pursuing a crime they weren’t sent to investigate. But Athena truly believed in her own words. The stress of the situation had finally hit her with a wave of exhaustion to the point she didn’t know if she could continue her watch through the night.

“I think Thernous ends on a good note. We all need a moment to cool our heads.” said Solomon, “The conflict is over, and a little sleep would do everyone some good. Rose and Lileh have already gone to bed. If you all wish, you can discuss it further once we are on the road again.” Solomon walked in between the guard and elf, to split them apart and headed back to the camp.

Whether it was his words or not, the argument ended. Slowly, but surely the others were making their way back to the camp. Jazdia was the first, heading straight for the shallow cave on the hillside cliff. Athena followed her shortly, deciding that she would keep watch for the rest of the night. She ended up circling around a spot near where the carriage was parked, and sat down with her back against the wheel. She kept her eyes at either side of the road, and her ears twitched on occasion. For Solomon, he sat by the fire, watching the others as they resettled for the night. It was certainly a start to their adventure. Unlikely to be boring.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

This was not at all what Athena expected to happen. She agreed with Jazdia when she also stepped in to help wrangle the shopping spree girls. And when Erwin escalated after the once Goodenough was on his way, She also spoke up with Jazdia. It wasn’t really worth the hassle. Athena didn’t like the man, she wasn’t disagreeing with Erwin on that, but they already had another mission to take care of. The closest town was Fanghorn, and though they had guards on hand, their resources were still limited.

Then Erwin made good on his threat. The gunshot hit true, the fluttering of several birds filling the void of silence after the thunderous boom deafened those near. Athena’s ears flattened as she flinched from the explosive echo. Jazdia’s appeal to put the gun down ignored.

“Erwin!” she shouted before the merchant started to change. She stood watching as the thing grew larger and grosser as tentacles sprouted from almost every part of his form. She raised her shield, and lowered herself more defensively. She gripped her spear tightly with her other hand, the point aimed towards the monstrosity’s direction. She took a couple steps forward, keeper her eye on the monster, more so on his lance. Unfortuneately, the creature moved before she could and struck Erwin’s torso, sending him flying back. Athena quickly dashed from where she was to stand in between formerly Goodenough and Erwin. She took a quick look back to see that Solomon had somehow already reached the man, making sure he was okay. Confirming that Erwin was alive, Athena returned to looking down the nautical horror.

Solomon had been watching the peddler leave, and then Erwin taking a shot. Bad decision by the looks of it. The darkening of the merchant’s shadow and the shadowy aura of the earlier pulse had a true source. He wasn’t just a man who had learned magic, this was a being that was truly capable of harnessing it. A being Solomon had once encountered so many years ago. One that supplied him the power to go down his current path.

As Erwin landed on the ground, Solomon rose from a black shadowy mass near by to make sure he was okay. The hit he took was surprising soft in appearance, appearing to only have pushed him back than attempted to pierce. Either way, he was conscious, and Solomon’s attention wasn’t truly needed. Solomon stood up from his position on the ground, helping Erwin stand as well.

“Come on up, you’re okay.” said Solomon. Despite being decrepit in his own right, Solomon was able to be stable and study enough to help Erwin up, “ Have you ever been taught to pick you battle, young man?”

Athena stayed where she was. Even though the entity visibly backed down, calming even, Athena kept her guard up. Her stand made it clear she was being defensive as opposed to hostile. She didn’t know what Goodenough turned into, but she didn’t want to risk the creature turning aggressive again and landing another blow against those around her.

“Please keep back.” shouted Athena to those very people. While that included most of the women, it was directly more towards Louise who approached the tentacled entity. Athena’s fingers slowly raised and lowered onto her spear, making sure her grip was solid. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, but she still felt uneasy about the elevated situation. One thing was for sure, the party wasn’t going to get much rest for the duration of the night.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Solomon Sparrow & Athena Voltspear

Location: Kindeance

---

Solomon hummed softly at what Jazdia said. A binding spell of some sort. One that relied on darkened magic. That alone gave creed to the bearded Goodenough’s ability to take care of himself. Even to help take care of others. Then there were the cages. Solomon wasn’t sure of the specifics of the merchant’s wares, but from the ornate weaponry to the jewelry, the cages felt very out of place.

“Unless his trade is luxuries. Would you believe he catches exotic animals?” said Solomon in jest. He continued watching the others as Erwin walked past the doctor and elf, and then again with a stack of papers, “but more likely something less than ethical, let alone legal. Perhaps we should be grateful the cages are empty. But should they not be in our presence, I guess we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.”

Vaguely aware of the commentary behind her, Athena kept her attention to Erwin. The thought of papers had occurred to her, but after the reveal of the magical properties of the items it felt unlikely the merchant would be associated with any of the trade guilds. Having papers on the items made sense, until Lily said something, she assumed they were ordinary items.

When Erwin returned with his own identification, Athena reached out in an attempt to stop him, only muttering out a few sounds, but was too late as Erwin began reading out the book. Athena felt it was a bad idea to share this information. For one, it was unnecessary to compete with the merchant. Second, this envoy was meant to be secret. If news that the King’s relatives were a part of the caravan, it might tip off whatever force that had been blocking Rascade’s previous attempts.

Athena lowered arm back down, resting it around the spear she had leaned up against her shoulder. What’s done is done. Gripping the spear firmly in her hand once again. Athena straightened up. There was something about the man’s smile she didn’t like. Then again, she just didn’t like the man, so she couldn’t justify to herself anything about why. She just felt increasingly uneasy. If the man was prepared with papers, why did he go through the hassle with Erwin to reveal them?

“Erwin, perhaps we’d wrap this up soon. We’ve wasted too much time, and we still need to rest.”