[Game Thread] Road to Urik

[mountainbound]

D’aguar walks with Lanina and Big, shutting her eyes at the fly-infested corpse-pieces. She had seen worse, but somehow, now homeless and living within Tyr itself, the implicit threat was much more present. Nobles had guards to protect them from that sort of butchery -- she had nothing. The lady sidles closer to Big as they make their way down the alley, her ebony hand pulling a veil across her face to block the smell.

When she sees Faldor, her eyes unaccountably shine with wet. “Ursula,” he says warmly, giving her a hug which she returns. “Are you well?”

Smiling, she nods, but says nothing. Words stick in her throat. How far have I fallen? She thinks. Just four months ago, it was D’aguar who was giving Faldor his instructions. Four months ago, the man was serving as a messenger in the pits beneath the ziggurat. He had sought out Artek and Lanina to deliver a cryptic Alliance message to her. It seemed like a lifetime ago. D’aguar looks at the elven woman next to her. I gave you mangoes and a few trinkets back then. Now you give me food and a roof to sleep under. How far have I fallen?

Numb with memories of her old life, she listens to Faldor speak, but she can’t stop her mind from turning. Who is Faldor’s contact now? Her own contact, a dwarf named Agg’Tunk, never sought her out after her family was taken. She thought perhaps the Alliance had cut her free – too much suspected by Kalak’s minions. But the king was dead, and now a known supporter of Those Who Wear the Veil has come to ask for help on behalf of the new government. To the noblewoman, it was a strange thing, to hear the man who once hated Tyr’s leadership now imploring them to help.

His words were dark, though, and D’aguar can’t but recognize the danger in what he suggests. Finally she speaks, lifting her eyes from the untouched glass of wine before her. Her voice is cold. “I can find nothing in my soul for Tyr and its freedom. It cost me everything. But while Tythian may turn out to be as bad as Kalak, Hamanu is a proven tyrant, and his rule will be a terrible thing -- that much is certain. I support you, and the new king, but I fear for our armies if Lady Jaseela is at their command.” Their two houses had a standing feud, and the other woman’s rise to power was yet another blow to D’aguar. “What do you need from us?”

[Birched]

Faldor seems to relax somewhat as he hears Basha, Dravor, and Thron's answers. By the time Thron is speaking, the preserver is nodding his head and even smiling a little. The smile fades, however, when Maunek begins to speak about his scepticism. The mindbender's apparent willingness to hear Faldor out doesn't seem to cheer the man. The Lady Uudoorian's mournful response can't have been at all helpful to his mood, either, and he sighs before answering.

"I can hardly deny that there are hardships. I would have to be beyond blind to pretend that all is well in Tyr. But I believe that each of us should be free to make his own destiny. I believe... that it was worthwhile. Life under the lash is no life. Life as a hunted person is no life. It is now for the free to relearn how to live, and any suggestion that doing that is beyond us all I will happily dismiss as misguided at best." Faldor glances at Maunek, apparently quite willing to attempt to dispense targeted 'wisdom'.

"The problem is that there is not much of an army, and there is no coin to hire one. We free citizens must rise up to protect our fledgling state. King Tithian has commanded a number of the templars and citizens under his authority to go, but still the army is small. It may be adequate, but we are not confident of that."

"Basha, you underestimate yourself and your friends. You are known and respected in the city of Tyr. You may not have orchestrated Kalak's downfall, but you showed bravery and compassion during Kalak's treachery and enslavement, and also during the subsequent conflict and slow rebuilding. You are exemplars of freedom of mind and spirit. You are not politically affiliated. You do what you choose, and what you choose is respectful of the freedom of others. You are both recognised and trusted, perhaps even more so because you are as much victims of all of this change as anyone else. You never asked for it. But you've made the best of it, for yourselves and others."

"I would suggest that you may be able to use your respected status and strength of character to convince others that they must put personal interests aside and support Tyr. The Tyrthani family, for example, have been reluctant to get involved, and they aren't the only ones. Senator Vildeen of Tyrthani has influence with many of the lesser nobles, however, and if he stops dragging his heels then others will as well."

"Ursula, he is an ally of Jaseela, and that may trouble you. However, we gain nothing by sending Jaseela to our defence with insufficient military support."

"To be honest, it's a big mess. But we have to start somewhere, and there's no time to lose."

[zebedee]

Basha cocks his head. Respected? Perhaps by the slaves from the ziggurat pens. But by nobles and templars? He looks at his companions. Maybe Maunek? Maybe D'aguar? His grin bares sharp teeth as he imagines himself talking to the templars, and watching their blood drain unmourned into the sand. No, these people will not listen to him.

But the freedmen, the gladiators. Maybe? He wonders if Lissan had survived the turmoil. The woman had like Basha and Big... well, until they had refused to fight. He sighs. And listens.

OOC: Do we know what's happened to Artek?

[mountainbound]

Jaseela was the arrogant widow of a senator who died of suspicious causes, and after his death, she refused to pay the (late) House Uudoorian thousands in unpaid debt owed by her husband. D'aguar had no cause to trust the woman, much less want to be a part of her army. But there were many houses she did not have contact with, and House Tyrthani was one of them. She was just thankful they weren't going to have to deal with Jaseela herself -- she hoped, at least.

"This Senator Vildeen, what kind of man is he? Will he listen to reason, or does he need to be shown some sense..." She lets the sentence hang. After all, she and Faldor had been "in" on more than one Alliance intrigue that involved the use of the arcane -- or daggers -- to tip the scales in their favor. If there was anything more than sheer diplomacy needed here, she trusted that Faldor would be up-front about it. It only took a glance around the table to recognize that the assembled Kreens looked more like a group of mercenaries than diplomats.

Finally taking a sip of wine, she sorts through the smattering of information she had about the various noble houses of Tyr. Being a native Raamite, she never took the time to fully immerse herself in the affairs of the senators. She had the affairs of the Alliance to think about. Now it seems she should have paid better attention to her husband when he was discussing the politics of Kalak's Tyr.

Action K (Nobility) on Senator Vildeen of Tyrthani Dice Roll: 1d20+9 (6)+9 Total = 15

[Elfman6]

Thron's eye glazes over for a moment as talk of political intrigue stepped into the light as the gist of this little meeting. Smart was a word that had been used at least once in his past to describe the half-elf. The very thought of trying to navigate the political sphere of Tyr though is already starting to develop itself into a headache for the druid though. After a single glass, it most certainly is not the wine. The feeling puts a grimace on his face.

Reaching up to rub at his temples, Thron shoots a questioning glance at Dravor. The bard, more than any other person in this room, should have learned the intricacies of civilized life. His very career had depended on it until enslavement. Assuming that everything he mentioned was at least accurate.

"Any suggestions for those of us who aren't diplomatically inclined? I don't exactly see some full of himself noble listening to either myself or Basha, unless of course we were to blight his fields and slaughter his herds and that particular course of action leaves a very nasty ashlike taste in my mouth."

[zebedee]

Basha grins, and nods.

[Birched]

Faldor holds his hands up in the air, urging calm. "The Senator will almost certainly see the Lady Uudoorian, especially if she asks in person and in public, and plays her cards right. And I think I know just the place for that. I can arrange for her, and any of you, as well, to be invited to observe the Senate. And, Ursula... I am not sure what will be necessary, but we should start by trying to reason with the man."

"As to whether you all will have any sway, I can tell you that the politicians are entrenched. Senator Vildeen is still only a man, and can be appealed to as one. You may be beneath his station as a noble, but one of you may still be able to make him see reason. And if this seems like a desperate gamble, that's probably because it is."

"Perhaps it would be best nonetheless to choose carefully who might accompany Ursula. And let's leave the blight and slaughter options off the table for now."

The preserver shakes his head. "And yes, there are other ways you could help, Thron. The whole situation is a tangled web of the worst kind. For instance, there is the problem of the gladiators. It seems that, unlike the nobles, they are ready to fight for Tyr. Too ready. It seems unlikely that anyone will be able to keep them from marching out by the end of the week, with or without the rest of the army. I'm afraid I don't even know where to start with that one, but perhaps you might find a way."

OOC regarding Artek Artek has drifted away from the group. Although he stopped by the shelter several times in the days following the devastation at the arena, he has not been seen for many weeks. The last anyone has heard is that he signed back on with the Tyr military and was posted out of town.

[Elfman6]

Thron smirks. "This is a dying world. I want to leave the blight and slaughter options off of the proverbial table. Just illustrating a point, but I'm certain you were already aware of that."

He looks fondly into his empty glass and shrugs. It wouldn't do to refill his cup and dull his senses. He sighs and sets the glass back on the table, leaning back in his chair. "Perhaps I might find a way. Perhaps I might find a carrikal in my skull. Equally likely. Although I am leaning towards 'carrikal in skull' part as the likely outcome. People generally don't like those who are smarter than them and aren't afraid to show it."

[Elucidus]

OOC Sorry guys, been busy this week, my post won't be that great.

Lanina traveling with most of her friends would normally have reacted badly to the refuse and body parts, but her experiences from the pits are still fresh in her mind and she ignores them as best she can.

She feels completely out of place, grinning at Faldor when he speaks, she seems to most indecisive. After Faldor speaks up this last time though her face takes on a more decisive look. She looks over to big. "I am sure some of us could help with the Gladiators. They often respect those of a larger stature."

She looks back at Faldor and then to her friend D'aguar and nods with a calming smile. "I would like to accompany her, as well. I have experience in talking people into doing things they don't think they want to do at first."

[zebedee]

Basha chimes in. "I will speak to the gladiators. I will speak to Lissan. She fights for different reasons than me, but she fights for a reason. Not simply to kill." He shrugs. Surely some of the gladiators are simply thugs and murderers. But he cannot reason with them, anyway.

OOC: Basha would probably have tried to go and see Artek, so we're going to have to say that the army won't let him Also - did Lissan survive - or, rather, did she survive the games? Obviously, Basha would remember that much, since he made up a little ditty about it.

[Peter172]

"I will go to see this Senator Vildeen," Dravor said standing straight, his eyes flashing with indignation, "how anyone could not see the folly in inaction is beyond me! but don't worry," he said with a sly smile, "I know better than to let my temper get the better of me during negotiations...an appeal to reason should be a good starting point," Dravor muttered, "then if that doesn't get the job done, pointing out that he will likely loose his station and possibly his life just might."

[mountainbound]

The dark skinned noblelady nods, content with Dravor and Lanina as her traveling companions. Truth be told, she was thankful that Faldor had some other task for the more battle-hardened Kreens, since there are few things noblemen enjoy less than the presence of sun-scorched lowborns pressing their interests. "Very well, if Senator Vildeen will see Dravor and I, then we will do our part to convince him of his responsibility. I do hope he will listen to reason, since it seems that is all we have to give him." D'aguar knew the city's resources were already tapped for the impending war, and she assumed there was little in the way of monetary incentive that Faldor, or his contacts, were willing to spare for recalcitrant noblemen. "Where is his estate?"

[ShadowcatX]

Maunek glances at Dravor, a slight smirk on his face. "Always eager to take up with the lady preservers." Maunek shakes his head and turns back to Faldor.

"I could. . . ensure, Senator Vildeen joined our cause, but would you and the alliance so eagerly bring slavery back to Tyr? If not than I fear my presence at his estate, should my abilities become known, would cause more whispers and distrust than they would anything positive.

However, I may be of some use among the gladiators, given my time among the slaves and my past position as an overseer. I will accompany Basha and speak to them if you do not have any objections."

[Birched]

Faldor shakes his head. "I do not believe that it would be wise to attempt to take over the Senator's mind. In the longer term, that could have bad consequences, no? Quite apart from ethical considerations. Unless I do not understand your capabilities. We need him to support this conflict for its duration, not just make one statement of decision."

And then the preserver smiles. "I am very glad to have your assistance. It sparks hope in my heart. I will not presume to advise you overly in how you approach these situations, although I will tell you what I can if you have questions."

"As far as setting up an appointment with the Senator goes, as I said, I think it best to approach him with the request at a council session. Perhaps just afterwards. I think that it should be staged well, as, unfortunately Ursula, although you could have easily obtained an audience previously, your current position is less sure. Strong enough, though, I think. I doubt he will refuse you in public. Or even at all, if you have something to offer. As for his estate, it is outside of town, but he has a residence in the Nobles' Quarter where he conducts audiences."

He turns to face Basha and Thron. "As for the gladiators, I'm afraid that you'll have to find your own path."

 

Artek and Basha Without special information as to Artek's location, he would be difficult to locate. Serious effort might work, if one were to canvas other soldiers and get lucky and find one who knew him. Artek was feeling quite adrift after the events of the last chapter. Also, those who pay attention to and understand the emotional state of others might have doubts about whether he'd be able to fit back into a soldier's life for long. If he's drifted away, he'd be even harder to find.

[Peter172]

Dravor frowned as Faldor revealed the potential difficulties in seeing the Senator, though now that he thought about it, he figured if he was a Senator, he wouldn't be too eager to hear the arguments of former slaves and a homeless, poor Noble either. What could possibly be in it for him? Dravor wondered, and his concerns deepened, along with his frown.

"So we need something to offer him, in order to gain his ear...any ideas Lady D'aguar, Lanina?" Dravor paused for thought, then suggested, "perhaps the name of Lady D'aguar is enough, but we should have a back up plan just in case, but convincing him that he might gain an even loftier position if he were to help keep Tyr free is all I can think of. We have nothing to offer but words, and I hope that's enough, otherwise it seems I'll be joining Thron in a life roaming the wastes," he smiled at Thron to show he meant no offense, but he was city bread, and the thought of eeking out a living in the harsh, barren lands did not appeal to him over-much, though it appealed to him a lot more than building a new monument to Hamanu's glory.