Fire Emblem - Seal of Fate II

[Mando Knight]

Roan's walk with Obadiah is silent for the most part... he's trying to figure out what exactly happened and how to put it into words.

"Father... we've got a problem."

[TheSummoner]

King Caspian: "Hmm, whats wrong?"

[Mando Knight]

"Someone's inciting a rebellion. They claim you're the mastermind behind the plot that killed your brother. Combined with the facts that we're trying to improve relations with Baethos and that Draven was taken in by one of the other lords, the circumstances point towards backing their claim. If there's any support for this movement by someone with resources, we might find ourselves without an army or country."

[TheSummoner]

Caspian: "Things have been unstable since my brother's death. Its not surprising that ugly rumors would be spread given how little we truely know about his killers."

*he coughs*

Caspian: "In any case, once we've reestablished stability, I suspect such things will come to an end. In time, the people will realize why improved relations with Baethos are necessary."

[Xondoure]

Magic that can bring back the dead... Lillian shudders inwardly as she thinks of the countless magical implications of such a feat... true ressurection has to be impossible, a soul cannot be recreated, can it? And if it could, would that mean she could still save her... but no, that road was necromancy, and it never ended well.

[Fishy]

While Roan is entertaining the nobles at the manor, Margana hits the taverns. Living with the lords and ladies has its definite advantages, but it does mean that she's lost track of what the common people are thinking- for all her bluster earlier, she has no idea if this is the work of one manipulative opportunist or a if there's a genuine populist uprising in the works. And she owes it to the lads to find out.

And to find out if she can still get people to buy her drinks.

"Did yah 'ear awl tha' right scrummage up a' tha castle? Wha's awl tha aboot, than?"

[TheSummoner]

Random drunk: "Buncha pissed off farmers from down south decided to take things into their own hands. Dunno why they thought a group of barely armed, untrained commoners would stand a chance against the king's personal knights, but they were so riled up I doubt they cared. Doesn't matter really, one kings the same as the next!"

His friend: "Shut up ya idiot! You're lucky there aren't any knights around or they'd put your head on a pike for saying that!"

[Fishy]

"Pull tha other un, s'got bells on et," Margana snorts. "Tha knights 'ave better things ta do than bothah us folk, aye?"

[TheSummoner]

The drunk's friend: "Eh, I'd hope. I've heard rumors, but I dunno how much of it is true."

Drunk: "Like that Caspian's men have been out silencing anyone who questions him!"

*his friend punches him*

Drunk's friend: "I told you to watch your damn mouth! If that were true, you'd get both of us killed! I dunno about you, but I'm not willing to take that chance and risk dieing because you can't keep your idiot mouth shut!"

*he turns back to Margana*

Drunk's friend: "'Course his men have been putting down the open rebellions... dunno if hes taking it that far, but I don't want to take chances."

Drunk: "Long as he doesn't do anything to us, one kings no different than the other!"

*his friend punches him again*

[tgva8889]

Katleia, shy as usual, opts to disappear once Roan enters the castle, looking for her own room in the place and generally just admiring the castle itself. Royalty. Wow, how incredible...I could never have a home this large...

[ThePhantom]

Greg, after the battle, headed to a roof on one of the towers of the castle.
He takes out one of the books and begins reading, glancing up at the horizon from time to time.

"Where is he? You said you would be back soon."

[Grim ranger]

Jalnir

Remembering his promise to the horseman, Jalnir introduces himself, "My name's Jalnir Leron. I serve Lord Anslem," he says, nodding his head toward the armored man with the lance. "As for what's going on..." Jalnir scratches the back of his head as he smiles sheepishly, "You've gotten involved in quite the confusing morass. This recent conflict was over Prinve Draven, son of the late King Orion. He currently resides here, though King Caspian wants him to return to the capital. Those troops that attacked us claimed to be sent by King Caspian via Baethos, but well...it seemed risky to simply trust the life of the Prince to those we have no proof of good intentions from. They didn't take no for an answer very well though."

Aran nods and shakes his head slightly.


"Yes, it does seem as rather confusing situation. I guess I would have been better off by not getting involved, but I just couldn't let those flying menaces get away with attacking like that..."

The knight scrathes his neck uncomfortably and leans to the wall.


"My name is Aran Rither. I was passing through here in search of job when I saw the fight and...well, you know. I am often wandering around, as job opportunities for a cavalier like myself don't just come knocking."

[Geno9999]

"Just to be sure, I think we should travel to the prisoner's village to ask the locals about these... miracles.
In a way, I have some doubts about her testimony." Said Rakken

[Mando Knight]

"Do we have any leads on the killers? Perhaps we can bring the rumors to a halt faster if we bring the culprits to justice."

[Noble Savant]

Anselm looks over to Jalnir and Aran, frowning. "I'm just a simple man, and I don't know much about all these politics but... this much is clear, Jalnir. Those men did have the... King's permission to come here and demand the prince. A foreign army would have a hard time getting around otherwise in these times." He gripped his lance tightly, looking grim.

"Whatever else is happening, the king wants the prince very much. Perhaps Baethos offered to take care of the problem for him. To curry favor with their new ally perhaps." Anselm looked over at Aran for a moment. "No matter what happens, we're the Royal Guard, and we're sworn to protect Prince Draven. You're involved in this damn political business now cavalier, but you can leave it if you want. No one but us is left, no one will bother you if you get away fast."

He sighed, hesitating a moment before plunging on. "But if you want a job, and know the risks, we're always hiring."

[TheSummoner]

Obadiah: "Actually, thats what I've been investigating...

*he pulls out several papers and hands them to King Caspian*

Obadiah (explaining for Roan's sake): "After we retook Nagandra, I was ordered to Baethos with two objectives. The first was to inform them of our victory. The second was to search for leads on the men who attacked... I was to spend a month in Baethos and then head to Ortham and spend a month there digging for information. If I found anything, I was to return immediatly.

*he pulls out the note Roan took from Valdrosta*

Obadiah: "The enemy leader at Nagandra was a man named Valdrosta. The letter implies he served someone named Bartrek, who calls himself "Blightlord." They call their group the "Crimson Shadow." It took me a while to gain access to their records, but when I did, I spent the next few days searching for those names and terms. Valdrosta was a peasant from the village of Hormel in western Baethos. Eight months ago, he and a few others disappeared from the village. They were assumed dead. I could not find any record of any Bartrek or those two terms. My report details all of the information I could find about Hormel, Valdrosta and the others who disappeared around the same time.

------

Rancet (after Rakken speaks but before the rest): Agreed. Without confirmation, her claims are too outrageous to believe.

Gilford (after Anselm): Baethos would jump at an opportunity to gain favor with King Caspian... that much is safe to say... But to think that he would allow them to strong-arm his own subjects...

[Xondoure]

Gilford (after Anselm): Baethos would jump at an opportunity to gain favor with King Caspian... that much is safe to say... But to think that he would allow them to strong-arm his own subjects...

"Perhaps he was unaware of the methods Baethos would use to obtain their goals... but how could anyone be that foolish when they have a line of death and carnage leading to the feet of those monsters, and the demons they call mounts!"

[Istari]

"Perhaps Baethos was instructed to take him peacefully, but disobeyed their orders. It would not surprise me if they wanted his favor at whatever cost."

[TheSummoner]

Gilford: "Its possible... the soldiers didn't attack until after they were refused the prince. However, even in the scenerio where King Caspian bears the least guilt, it was an incredibly irresponsible and impulsive thing for him to do. Several men have already died unnecessarily because of him, and if he lets Baethos sway his descisions, many more will."

[Geno9999]

Gilford: "Its possible... the soldiers didn't attack until after they were refused the prince. However, even in the scenerio where King Caspian bears the least guilt, it was an incredibly irresponsible and impulsive thing for him to do. Several men have already died unnecessarily because of him, and if he lets Baethos sway his descisions, many more will."

"So, basically either these Baethos soldiers weren't really on the King Crispy's orders and they for some reason wanted to take the prince, OR we now have a reckless king on the throne." Said Rakken.
"...Why do I suddenly hope that the soldiers just wanted to try to kidnap the kid?"

[Noble Savant]

Anselm frowned at the ground, thinking hard. "We have at least one enemy now... With Baethos. I don't think they'll forgive us for this, whatever our reasons. But what about Caspian...?" He looked at Gilfrod questioningly, before muttering one more thing. "We might need some allies of our own, either way."

[TheSummoner]

Gilford: "The king's reaction will depend entirely on how strong his ties to Baethos are... Even before King Orion was killed, he was working towards strengthening Taymeer's bond with Baethos... Whether he would risk relations with them by acknowledging we fought to defend ourselves from an unprovoked attack or have the lot of us executed to preserve his good standing with Baethos... Only time will tell for sure..."

*Gilford thinks for a second*

Gilford: "Telma still relies heavily on my aid... Even though things have become stable since Valmir's death, his daughter is still young and inexperienced... I believe I can count on her for support should it be needed... Korsa remains a wild card... Alexandra has always been the type to wait for the best moment before taking action, her aid will not come easy. Bellard is a worthless oaf and has followed Caspian like a lost puppy for nearly a decade. Its safe to assume Debrum will side with Caspian regardless of circumstances."

*a pause*

Gilford: "I will leave for Telma in the morning and continue to Korsa once I finish my business there. Tell me... what is it that you and your men plan to to, Anselm?"

[Mando Knight]

"Do we have any leads on the organization's goals? Perhaps we should investigate any possible links between them and the uprisings."

[TheSummoner]

Obadiah: "Aside from the name of the group and the names of a handful of known members, we know next to nothing about them. I will continue invesigating and try to find a link, but at the moment, the best we can do is speculate."

Caspian: "Very well then... Unless you have any other important information, you're dismissed. Rest up and we can go over your report in detail tomorrow"

*Obadiah exits (Unless you have some reason to want him to stay, in which case feel free to stop him)*

[Mando Knight]

Roan waits a beat after Obadiah leaves. "I suppose I'll leave as well, then." He starts to head out and look for the other members of his crew.

[tgva8889]

Katleia stumbles into Roan before he leaves the castle, still in awe at the size of the place. "Oh! Hi, Roan. I w-was...lost." Against her previous appearances, Katleia appears rather cheery and happy despite recently having been in harsh combat against rebels. "D-do you n-know wh-where we're g-going?"

[Noble Savant]

Anselm paused for a moment, biting his lip. "I think... I think that whatever we do, Prince Draven must remain with us. With all due respect to your guards Milord, we have the most experience in this matter."

Anselm sighed, muttering softly. "I miss the old days, everything has become so intense now."


"Milord, it seems the men want to investigate that village, Nulten. It seems like a solid lead to me." He thought about it for a moment. "To get to the village, Milord, the Royal Guard will have to pass through Ortham..." He trailed off, looking at him questioningly. The implication was clear.

[TheSummoner]

*Gilford walks away and returns with a large map of the continent and opens it on the table. He searches the map for several seconds...*

Gilford: "Nultan is... right here..."

*he points to a spot on the map on the contested Ortham/Baethos boarder*

Gilford: "I don't like it. You'd be taking the prince into a war zone. How do you expect to keep him safe in such a place? Although... Depending on Caspian's next actions, he might not be much safer if he stays here...

*he goes silent for a few seconds. He then draws a few lines on the map*

Gilford: "I can't guarantee the soldiers of Ortham would be happy about a group of unknown armed men from Taymeer traveling through their country... If you take the prince with you, it would be too dangerous to explain your mission..."

*he points to one of the lines he marked*

Gilford: "This is the most direct route you could take... you would reach Nultan quickly, but it would take you dangerously close to battle. I cannot allow you to take the prince if you choose to go this way."

*he points to another, much curvier and less direct*

Gilford: "This land route would be much safer, but it would take you far out of your way. Theres also a greater risk of being discovered and investigated by Ortham as you would spend a much greater time traveling."

*he points to a third line, one passing through the sea*

Gilford: "Port Nassas is in northern Ortham, a mere two days away from Nultan if you hurry. If you could make it past Nagandra to Port Salvan in the south, you would be able to bypass most of the danger. Luckily, King Caspian and the majority of his men are still in Hebron so making it to Salvan should be fairly safe so long as you hurry."

*he pauses*

Gilford: "Regardless of how you get there, the area around Nultan will be much more dangerous. You're likely to encounter soldiers from both Ortham and Baethos... soldiers who would probably see you as enemy combatants and attack without hesitation. Try to find a safe place for the prince to stay before making the final stretch..."

[Mando Knight]

Roan smiles as the timid archer joins him on his walk. "Right now, I'm looking for the rest of our group. I was going to offer that you all could stay here until things calm down a bit. If rebels are bold enough to attack the citadel, then I don't think the roads will be much safer."

[TheSummoner]

*As Roan and Katleia walk and talk, a man approaches Roan*

Man: "You're a guard here, right?"

*he doesn't give Roan a chance to speak before continuing*

Man: "I've been wandering this damn place for too long... See that the king gets this."

*he shoves a letter into Roan's hands and starts walking away. The letter bears Gilford's seal*

Man: "They always build these damn places too big... never build them the same way and its impossible to find your way..."