Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:29 pm**

47th of Searing, Year 120

It had been a few days coming. Despite her station, even Eloise had a difficult time acquiring the attention of the Queen. The two had parleyed via letter for some time, though the Umpire had complained on a daily basis that she had been stuck dealing with the bureaucracy of the Queen's advisors, who had filtered her letters through their own agendas before handing them off to the Queen. All of them were hopeful of passing off the Covenant's message themselves -- and excluding the fact that the information had come from the investigations of Taelian and Eloise. They had consistently asked that the woman pass off the details first, before arriving in Alfsos, in order for the Queen to consider her request sufficiently urgent.

Of course, this was the farce -- and after a long discourse and Eloise's repeated reply of, 'I must inform the Queen myself', the pressure of discovering the bomber's identities amidst the precipice of war was enough to grant the woman the audience she wanted.

Only, Eloise did not attend. In her final letter she stated that Taelian, the man who in truth investigated the matter himself, would come to offer Queen Luteria his own regards. This was a test to see if his political skills had come anywhere from his first meeting with Loregard's Finla, and also to bring about some rise to his standing in the Kingdom's courts.

Beyond that, it was - in some way - a possible sacrifice of liability in case the Queen found their actions unacceptable. Each of the Umpire's actions were consecutive and precise -- she ensured that she would benefit from the information, or at least would not suffer for it. Even if Taelian had to take the fall for her, it only served to thin unnecessary members from the Covenant's ranks.

His mentor had always been rough, ever since he'd first come to Atinaw to meet with her again. The time they spent together in that cabin in the north, sharing stories and learning of one another's past, it often felt like a ruse. The deeper he went into the Covenant, the more he found that ideology preceded even the brotherhood they claimed to share.

But that was alright. The Covenant had offered him his own opportunities -- and now, in the eye of the Kingdom, he was waiting within a luxuriously decorated room to meet with one of the most powerful people in the world. He had been nearly stunned all those months ago as he'd met with Sahfri, the Lady of Kalzasi, but her prestige and position paled in comparison to Queen Rutheesee-Sil. This was a meeting that he would never forget, and one that he would never live down if he failed to offer the woman anything of worth.

Perhaps it was a meeting he wouldn't even live past. That remained to be seen.

"Her Majesty will arrive shortly," one of the court attendants informed him as he slightly parted the door from its frame, his fingers running across the smooth wooden hinge. The Siltori nodded slightly, maintaining a... demure, somewhat cool, expression. He wore perhaps the most regal garment he'd ever put upon himself -- a beige colored satin outfit with embroidered silver trimmings. It opened down his chest and across the wide collar was a length of encrusted gems, appearing to shimmer white similarly to a collection of diamonds. In some way it was an opulent illusion; he was wealthy, but not enough so that he could wear something like that naturally. It had all been tailored by Wylen to represent Siltori fashion in a way suitable for Atinorin court, while also maintaining enough wealth and glamour to be suitable for visiting one of Ailizane's esteemed rulers.

Taelian even wore jewelry. A golden bangle-like choker around his neck, more encrusted jewels along the edges of his sharp ears, and a glitter-like assortment of small rocks forming an arch-like pattern along his cheekbones. His silver-pale hair was short as always, though if not for his muscular frame the Elf would perhaps appear... almost androgynous.

Rather than maintaining the typical masculine ordinance of a man of Atinaw's court, with thick furs and heavy garments, Taelian was sleek and exotic. His long trousers, tied to his open satin vest by a thin leather belt, spoke of a different sort of nobility -- one not really seen much in the contemporary world. He heralded back to the fashions of the Siltori during the Clockwork days, at least what little was known and preserved.

Taelian had prepared what to say. He had been getting better at Kokalath -- he only hoped his words, loose though partly rehearsed, would be enough to satisfy the Queen's standards.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 5:07 pm**

While the attendant had said that it wouldn't be much longer, it seemed that the Queen's first test would be one of patience. In that opulent room he sat and waited, and waited, and waited a little bit longer before it finally opened with another creek, a man muttering just outside before visibly bowing out of the way through the crack. The door was swung fully open, giving a wide breadth of entrance. Of course, it was not the queen who'd enter first but a man who looked to be an Avialae. Of course, this man himself was an oddity worth ogling from the moment he stepped into the room.

His wings were curiosity all their own with the deep black of their feathers. Quiet stunningly so, it looked as though someone had condensed the night sky and tossed out all the starts before crafting it into a fine fabric with which to weave his visibly soft wings. There was a strange taper to his ears as he regarded Taelian, tilting his head to the side and allowing his similarly black hair to fall in a cascade. It was long, almost remarkably so for how well kept it was. Given the amount of care such hair would require, it spoke to this man's prestige. He wasn't chiseled. Far from it. He was fit, but he wasn't as visibly fit as most Avialae tended to be. He was average. The majority of his strength seemed to be in his leg and there was a slightly sway to his strut. She smirked slightly after appraising Taelian. "Aye. Seems you'll do." It only became evidently apparent his occupation was sailor when he spoke. Not a Vikinger, but he cared a drawl that was familiar in most members of the Order of Seafall. Despite the strangeness of his appearance that almost felt from for an Avialae, especially to those familiar with him, there was little else he could be. He didn't carry the strange assortment of features, he didn't feel stitched together as a Rathari might, and there was little else that could carry wings such as his without being a creature of necromancy or alchemy, which he certainly didn't seem to be. Even his clothing was strange. Unrecognizable foreign.

"Junchi, I do hope you intended to let me see our guest as well," a gentle voice ran out from behind the Avialae(?) who was apparently named Junchi.

"Apologies, had ta make sure he wasn' dangerous," Junchi said, turning so he could address whoever was behind him with a lopsided smile. The expression was noticeably and immediately fond. Junchi stepped forward and the through the door came the woman Taelian had been waiting for. Luteria Rutheesee-Sil. After stepping inside the door was firmly closed behind the fair and given the slight clicking noise, it was very curiously locked. Only a single guard? Well, even if she was the Queen, it made some amount of sense why she'd only need Junchi when one properly looked at her.

Immediately, one could see how such a woman had become Queen of someplace as powerful and prestigious as Atinaw. She was interestingly enough dressed in a manner similar to Taelian himself, the clothing itself giving a perfect view of her form. While appearing lithe, every single one of her movements was graceful and calculated, and the smallest stride or wave of her arms was enough to reveal the muscle hiding beneath her seemingly slender arms and legs. There was no question to her physical strength, but Luteria had other weapons which had propelled her up Atinaw's political totem pole with ease. Those eyes, those intelligent piercing eyes that almost gave the impression of being a pure bred Siltori through and through burned into Taelian. Despite her relaxed posture, her hip was positioned just right to put emphasis on the sword lazily dangling from it. The fact Junchi didn't visibly have a weapon was almost more intimidating than Luteria's royal sword.

"Yer from Sil-Elaine," Junchi suddenly piped up. It wasn't a question as much a statement of fact. It was hard to tell if the hint of a smile that followed the comment was a good thing or bad thing.

"Now Junchi," Luteria hushed him, her tone gently chastising as she turned to Taelian was an unmistakably warm if still guarded smile. "My advisors were terribly coy about this whole situation, so I wasn't entirely sure who to expect. Please, don't mind Junchi. As you are aware, I am Luteria. A pleasure to meet you. I greet you, pale brother." The words she spoke were most certainly Kokalath, but the greeting itself was distinctly Rathari in nature. A very delicate blend, obviously created to appeal to the two largest communities in the Queen's domain. Other Rathari greeted each other as brother or sister, while using words like friend or some derivative for most other races. The only exceptions were the eleven race, which were treated as brothers and sisters with a slight addition to imply the difference. Of course, besides the Rathari only those well read on their history understood why the extra courtesy and familial touch was extended to the three Tori races.

After apparently speaking her piece, Luteria waited quietly, eyes boring into Taelian and waiting to see what he would do first. Her gaze wasn't harsh as much as curious, and perhaps even, just a little bit amused.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:23 pm**

The first sight he was greeted by was a... strikingly familiar one. Not in that he'd actually met the man before, but -- he had seen men like him. Not totally dissimilar, even if he was unique in his own right. The Avialae was less built than his average peers and he had wings somewhat similar to Riven's, though Taelian's fiance now had his magnanimous rachis that scattered an aethereal glow throughout his wingspan's shape.

This Avialae, too, betrayed their typically short and almost militaristic hair for a length of black, silky strands that further melded with the black shade of his garbs. He looked... somewhat grim, in a way that made the Siltori almost disconcerted by him. Simultaneously, however, he had spent years surrounded by Ebon Knights with their black weapons, black armor, sullen stares and often grievous, fire-shut wounds. It was almost like the man before him was a chimera of his two prior homes: Kalzasi, and Sil-Elaine.

He even mentioned Sil-Elaine. It was odd that someone in Atinaw would be familiar with the obscure realm, considering it was perhaps the weakest of all nations, with a small population and a tarnished landscape. But then he recalled what he had learned of the Queen: to some extent, she was one of their own. Perhaps she had told him. Taelian wondered what sort of stories she might have shared.

Not long after the woman arrived herself, and the anxiety-ridden anticipation that had culminated in him all felt as if it dropped to the bottom of his chest, then continued to drag down through his legs, and his feet. He felt paralyzed for a moment as he beheld her; she looked... sort of like him. Almost like a sister he'd never had, but with hair of a more earthly color. Her eyes weren't a dense ivory, but something perhaps more normal, if thrown into a prism reflected by the sun.

Junchi. She approached him. He noticed her blade -- he was a bladesman too. He supposed they... had a few things in common, though he doubted much else aside from their clothes, their heritage, their weapon of choice. How could a woman like her have anything in common with him? He was an urchin from the Pyred Bedlam. The Kingdom's gutter. Remarking upon the distinction between them almost choked him up -- he felt he had come far, holding an audience like this. But there was still so much of a journey to go.

Taelian felt his throat close. He wasn't sure what to say -- what he could say. Nothing Eloise had offered him would have prepared him for the audience of one of the world's most prominent; a Queen of one of the greatest nations in Ransera's history. That same reminder of his own inadequacy returned, and suddenly he felt small even in his diamond-encrusted satin. His leg was crossed over another, but suddenly it dropped, his feet planting upon the floor.

Apparently, she hadn't been prepared to meet him either. She probably... expected Eloise, who must've been somewhere in the Queen's list of contacts. To greet a random representative of the Covenant was perhaps disappointing to her, given her station. Though she seemed... pleasant. She said that she was pleased to meet with Taelian, she even called him her 'pale brother'. He supposed that was an ode to their shared heritage -- it was something. It was enough to make the Siltori feel a little more at ease, despite the gap between them.

He drew upon his courage. The same sort that had pushed him through each initiation. Taelian tried to think about who he was -- a man who had culled a Cardinal who was on the verge of becoming a Huntsman, in many ways keeping his own revolution alive. A man who was now a master of two magics. One of those magics had been lost to the world only two decades ago. He was one of the Covenant's most talented sorcerers and warriors, even if his skill in the realm of politics was fraught with inadequacies. He was no King or Lord, but he was something. And he had earned it.

The man steeled himself and finally spoke. Within his first few words, his voice cracked, and he nearly coughed. "I-it is a pleasure to meet you as well, p-pale sister. And... Your Majesty."

Well. It was a start.

"I..." his voice cracked again. He stopped himself for a moment, paused, and tried that again. This time, it didn't go so bad.

"I've come to tell you of what I've learned: that the Hopsfel attacks were not orchestrated by the Daravinic Empire, but by House Reed of the Gelerian Imperium. I bring you this information on behalf of the Covenant, but... also on behalf of myself. Because while I do not even have a Kinship, this is a nation that I love, and I do not want it to be thrown into a war I might be able to prevent."

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:31 pm**

Luteria simply grinned as Taelian greeted her, elegantly sweeping her form on to the couch adjacent from where he himself was sitting. She allowed her elbow to rest upon the arm rest and then rested her head against her splayed hand as she crossed her ankles. Her free hand twirled a lock of her hair as she watched Taelian quietly. "Feel free to speak in our more native tongue if it so pleases you. Surely it's more comforting, for me at least, to hear my own fore bearer's words in such a far away land. And rarely does another Sil come to my court. Mostly refugees who'd find themselves unable to speak with me," she said, her mouth easily forming Silvain as though it had been the first words she ever spoke. She continued to smile beautifully, seeming content with her interjection before allowing Taelian to actually get to the reason for his visit.

That smile almost immediately fell away as Taelian continued, reporting his find to the Queen. She straightened almost immediately, the arm she'd been propping herself up with falling after making a quick motion at Junchi. "Interesting. I have my own doubts about Daravin trying to attack us given the state of things, but my people aren't as quick to believe my words as I would wish. Despite the fact they really should consider me the last person to try and defend Daravin," she snorted, tipping her head to the side with a disgusted look. "I don't despise them quite nearly as much as the Imperium due to it having becoming a more glaring thorn, but I still hold no fondness for its rulers. The fact House Reed is behind this is no shock. However..." Luteria trailed off, glancing at Junchi who'd suddenly began to pace the room at his mistress's wave.

Without warning he pulled a dagger from his belt and tossed it fully across the room, whizzing through the gap between Luteria and Taelian. The dagger lodged itself into the cushions of a third couch a little farther back. The couch itself suddenly made a garbled noise before the soft fabric was stained scarlet. "Is that the only one?" She turned to Junchi, a brow quirked. Junchi nodded silently eyes glinting. Another lopsided grin. "My, my, I'm almost shocked. You see, my dear, this situation is more fraught with double lies and double crosses than I can explain in the short amount of time I'm permissibly allowed to share with you. Junchi."

The man nodded and opened the door. Someone else entered, very obviously a Rathari given the pair of tall ears perched atop her head. What had once been pure white fur was very faintly dyed pink, and a cartoonish looking collar with a bell was wrapped around her neck while a bow was firmly affixed to her tail. She wore the ensemble of nothing more than a simple maid, and the door closed behind her and her little troll which she used to wheel sweets and tea into the room. She was quick to place it onto the table which was between Taelian and Luteria's two couches. "Thank you Valiscee, be at ease," Luteria said after the Rathari had served the pair. The Rathari nodded, smiling as her tail flicked. Her appearance was... vapid at best. A caricature of a human being condensed into nothing more than sex appeal and stereotypes. She stood blissfully and ignorantly next to Junchi who sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Now my dear, you fully understand that House Reed is a house belonging to the Gelerian Imperium. However, House Reed married into the imperial family of Daravin. I have no doubts in my mind that they're using this as an excuse to make it look like Daravin is causing the attacks. A good number of the members of my court are clever enough to realize this. However, not all of them, and not all of Atinaw's people. I know our strengths and weaknesses. While we aren't necessarily a stupid nation, and we certainly don't play into the mindless berserker category, I understand that our warriors outweigh our scholars. This simply isn't enough proof for yourself, or even my own self, to prove the innocents of Daravin and turn our attention towards the Imperium." Luteria grew quiet as she raised her teacup up to her lips.

"I have a question for you, dear one. And keep in mind I reward honest people more than I bestow my favors on a boot licker. I'd rather someone rude and blunt be under my command than someone who can do nothing but sing my praises, and in turn do nothing to offer fresh insights to achieve the best outcome for this country. Do you actually love Atinaw as much as you earlier claimed? Or is there something else to your actions here. What do you actually desire? If I was a true God who could grant any of your desires in the world, what are the things you would ask of me. Speak honestly now, and we'll see where we go from there." The smile had returned. Sharp, but curious and warm enough to not seem cruel. If anything, it felt like Luteria was issuing Taelian a challenge.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:30 pm**

The woman spoke to him an offer: that they converse in . . . Silvain, as she demonstrated by fluidly switching to the tongue. Taelian smiled softly as a blush formed upon his glossy ivory cheeks, the pale color easily displaying the rouge through his skin. He nodded lightly, and replied to the woman in Silvain: "Yes, Your Majesty." Tha, dae banrigh. "The ones I meet, as well, are always downtrodden escapees of Turoth -- whether from our old homeland, or our new one. Though I've met one other, like you, in a position admirable. The Lady Sahfri of Kalzasi. She is the reason I wield this blade," Taelian stated, gesturing an off-shoot glance to Ard Fuil, his excellently crafted Runeforged weapon.

The few Siltori in power outside of their forsaken home . . . he'd met with a number of them. He felt... honored. And as they began to speak in Silvain, he found his confidence brewing; a sort of confidence he did not even hold among his peers. Taelian felt at ease like this. It was the tongue he'd been raised with, the one he swore his Knightly vows to, the one with which he spoke to Aldrin Sil'Jalus. Silvain was a language of power, one that belonged in the mouths of those who wielded it. Speaking to Luteria like this, he almost felt as if he was speaking to a sister. Like she had effectively asked to be.

The Queen spoke of Daravin and her doubts -- and her disgust for the nation, though one that was superceded by her feelings towards the Imperium. Before arriving in Atinaw, Taelian had held no thoughts towards the Imperium himself, seeing it only as a strange and exotic human nation known for its technology. It was tied between global power and isolation, in a way, as other nations feared it and Atinaw barred it from much of the rest of the world.

But the more he learned of New Atheism and their fear and hatred of magic... even their aversion to the Dragon Gods, he struggled to understand why they held the values they did. And that confusion, in a way, became a source of his own fear. The thought of the Imperium ripping through Ailizane and reforming their world once again scared him -- they would take the last beautiful thing away from the old legacies. Magic; the arcane, the splendid, the supernatural. And they would do so violently, teaching mages that they have a rot that can only be expunged by a pyre.

He did not want that. He understood the Queen's aversion, and her difficulties. People were often fools; soldiers most of all. They were fashioned like clay by promises of glory; by myths, and by the exaggerated evils of their enemies. Daravin was perhaps the most hated nation in their world, and the 'absolute' aspect of the monarchy was often the surface of it. The Queen was constrained by her vassals and their will.

Taelian found himself feeling some level of empathy for her. As much as a man could feel... anything like that for a Queen. They lived in trying times, and the precipice of war was a harrowing thing. He realized though that he had come at a good time.

Taelian only then realized -- many seconds after the fact -- that Junchi had just murdered a spy who had been hiding in their midst. The Siltori blinked as he witnessed the blood flowing out from the sofa's shape, questioning whether he had missed something or whether he was falling into some sort of an illusion. The events prior quickly played within his mind again; he nearly jumped. He had been so captured in his thoughts, and so absorbed by the Queen's presence, that he hadn't even noticed the events in-between.

But . . . she didn't seem phased by it. Somehow that was natural to her -- he didn't get it. Surely something like that wasn't natural to anyone, he could only think.

The Siltori found himself beaten by his nerves again. He awkwardly laughed as he turned away from the pooling blood, noting that a cat-Rathari with a particularly... pedestrian outfit entered their midst. Her coloration and everything about her, including her demeanor, made the Siltori reel back slightly as he withheld what he could only call a cringe. He wondered why the Queen kept such odd people in her midst. First the gloomy Avialae, and then...

My dear, the Queen called him. His attention snapped back. Taelian quickly realized he hadn't introduced himself -- it was a folly. He wanted to get his findings off of his chest, though now he was aware that they would not be enough. She spoke of the garish nature of her country, and the wills of her people and those who effectively arbitrated her commands. Again the image of a chained monarch played through his mind -- Taelian knew Atinaw wasn't particularly centralized. It had that in common with Daravin. The Queen was powerful, moreso than any individual Finla, but they had the ability - together - to undermine her.

She asked him a question. Dear one, again. "Taelian," he finally introduced himself, his boyish smile returning. She asked for his honesty, though he had always intended to give it. Taelian had never lied for Eloise, largely because he did not find glamourie to be an effective way to build trust. And the Queen... he wanted her to trust him. Because he felt he could be trusted. Lady Rutheesee-Sil was the ideal of what he had always wanted to see; a strong, brave Siltori ruler. One who honored her heritage and cared. He promised himself then that he wouldn't lie.

"I want..." he began, then paused. He'd already begun skipping her questions; the Ebon Knight nervously laughed. He still found it so difficult to focus, confident or not.

"I-- sorry. I wasn't lying when I said I love this country. I left Sil-Elaine perhaps two years ago, and I've never felt at home since leaving. Only here have I found acceptance. Here is where my home is -- a cabin away from everything, and even a castle-fort in Loregard. Here is where I became engaged to my Arlaed, a tradition I'm sure you're familiar with. The love of my life; my soul and my heart. Here is where I became someone worth admiring, strong and committed enough to struggle against the evils that plague our world. It is because this nation is kind at heart, rather than simply being strong. It is a place that accepts and extends warmth. As you have done to me," he said. It was evidently clear that... he was speaking the truth.

"As for what I want... well. I will tell you, though perhaps you will be surprised. I am an ambitious man, My Queen. Most of what I want, even you cannot grant to me. Perhaps even a God can't. I want to see our home -- Sil-Elaine -- restored. I want for the Elves to be able to unite again and restore their strength. The Siltori, Dratori, Hytori, even the Fae'Norai." He forgot the Rathari -- mostly because he didn't even know that they were kin. That was how lost Elven history had become. "Perhaps they should do so in Daravin, where we originated. I am not fond of the cruelty that it would take to return that land to Elven hands. I have wondered at times if the Siltori could find a new path -- if we could no longer be shackled by this obsession with an ancient home. As beautiful as it may be, our Gods have moved on from it. Perhaps we should too," he said. It was almost solemn, coming from him. He, too, had fantasized about a restored Daravin. But Taelian had changed.

"I want Atinaw to be strong. I want this place that I love to no longer be pressed between two Empires, always prepared to stand its ground to the last. While I admire the courage of this Kingdom, I feel sorrow for it. I joined the Covenant to improve myself -- but I learned that what I want to do is bolster others around me. I am no Kaitos; I don't want infinite power. I want to lead, to guide, to kindle life. For that reason I want to go far, because I believe that I could bring prosperity to others around me. I... am Famished, My Queen. I do not know if you know what that means, but--" he paused, "--it means I've struggled to feel the way others do. But recently I've begun to... repair myself. And I've learned that I care, a lot. That there's a fire brimming within me that I want others to see. I suppose, before I die, that's all I want. To shine it on others -- especially my people. Because they deserve some hope after so long in the dark."

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 1:33 am**

Luteria listened quietly, folding her hands and resting her chin on them as she leaned forward, giving Taelian all the time he needed to speak his words and think them through well. She gave him all the silence he could have asked for and continued to sit in silence for a couple moments after he was done speaking, her eyes searing into him. Slowly, the corner of her mouth quirked upwards and she leaned back. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and released it in a long and heavy sigh before the smallest amount of tension finally bled out from her shoulders.

"Do you know the reason why Junchi mentioned Sil-Elain earlier? Why he felt the need to comment on the fact your first breaths were taken there? Because mine were as well. On the side of a dirty street corner to a Siltori woman who'd managed to escaped, only to be dragged aback. She had a husband and a family. But she was also one of the least corrupted Siltori seen in years," Luteria toyed with her hair for a moment, her eyes distant and her voice little more than a forlorn whisper. "Breeding stock. That's all they really saw when they realized she could carry more than just a single child. And such, was I born. Of course, mother was a stubborn one and realized the worst would come if we stayed there. So she tried to escape. It didn't work out, and I was born on the filthy street side in the darkest corner of the deepest slum she could find. As far from prying eyes and hungry fanged mouths as she could get."

Luteria's shoulders shivered for a moment as she re-straightened herself, seemingly shaking off some dust. As though that's all those memories were to her. Dust. "Of course, you can't expect a woman to give birth on a diseased street corner and survive, now can you? I lived. She did not. It took a long time for her former husband and my half-brother to realize I so much as existed. Took them even longer to try and free me. I'm sure you understand what I mean when I say I did things that I well and truly regret, all in the name of survival. I dropped to lows that I never wish to think of, let alone speak of again." She paused again, her voice noticeably cracking for half a moment before she cleared her throat. Junchi extended on shivering wing to brush against the shoulder of the forlorn Queen, casting his own gaze towards some kind of distant memory. Even the recently entered Rathari had taken an air of something more somber.

"Eventually I can here. Still with dreams in my eyes, so naive to how broken I maybe already was. I might have become Queen, but by the time I took the throne my fire was already too stamped out to do little more than protect Atinaw. I had not the strength to try and save my home, either of my homes, and slowly I'm running out of the power to contest the Imperium. My gods no longer care for me, so there will be nothing waiting to deliver its aid when the Imperium decides to knock on our walls. Sink into our cities and rot away my country like some kind of feral decay," Luteria's tone slowly became furious and rightly so. The pain and anger reaching across her expression was something that looked almost too natural on her features before she managed to compose herself. A small smile slowly began to reappear.

She reached out across the table fearlessly, without any kind of hesitation, and pressed her hand to Taelian's left cheek. "You remind me a lot of when I was younger and still had that fire. Except, I think the difference between us is that you're not going to be burning out any time soon. Quite the opposite. It seems like your flames are still quite vibrant, and your words give me an amount of hope I don't know how to express." Her eyes were slightly misty now, but her smile seemed wider and more genuine.

"Regarding what you speak of, you're right. There's only so much I can do and I'm not miracle worker. If I could return Sil-Elaine and Daravin to how they once were, to give us back our home, I would have in a heartbeat even if it took my very life and soul to accomplish. What I can do... Is help you in making a new home not just for yourself but for all the Siltori. Not just the Siltori, but all our kin. Including, the one member of our kin who you don't seem to know about. Though it's hardly fair to blame you for it. I only know as such because the number of them that exist in my country. Them themselves understand their birth, and its story, and it has understandably spread to my ears over time." Her smile turned back to what it had originally been, proud and cunning, "Dear Taelian, there is a reason that when I was looking for a country to settle in, I chose Atinaw. And there is a reason that Atinaw is so welcoming of our kind. If you would allow me, might I tell you a story?"

She allowed Taelian the right to say yes or no, but it was highly unlikely he'd say no so she cleared her throat while he answered and took one last sip of her tea to wet her throat. "Long ago, as you might know, there were only Hytori. The suffix of -tori as you might or might not know is given to all races that are 'true elves'. There are of course the Hytori, the Dratori, and ourselves. We the Siltori. However, unbeknownst to a great many there is, or more so was, a fourth member of our kin who lost their right to be called tori after it was quite fiercely taken from them. No, not the Fae'Norai. I mean a race much older. The first race to ever split off from the Hytori, and by that regard, the second race to ever exist. These creatures shaped themselves as followers of Aedrin and took the Elven Weald quite seriously, living as shamanic people and getting along with the land. They were originally called the Rathtori."

"Unfortunately, this was the time when the Mistlords were starting to take an interest in our world and us mortals. One by the name of Myshala took an especial interest in the Rathtori. So she decided to make them into toys. Violently she tore them apart, carefully keeping them alive just to stitch them back together in old fashions. Valiscee, hold out your arm for me," Luteria paused her story to turn to the cat Rathari. Valiscee held out her arm, covered in marks and stripes. "Some Rathari look more... patchwork than others. This is why. Myshala used the Rathtori to try and understand how mortals work, so she could create her own races. Unfortunately this came at the cost of the Rathtori as a whole. Torn apart and sewn back together, it was said that the Rathtori were broken right down to their very souls. That they were so deeply and badly broken, they shouldn't have survived. As though a Huntsman had left its meal half finished. Myshala left them, and the Rathtori simply became known as the Rath. No longer even being considered a proper race. Aedrin pitied them so that he tried to turn the survivors into animals, since their souls were more fitted now to that kind of existence. The Rath, however, reacted strangely and became the kinds of creatures you see today. The suffix of -ari was given to them, meaning 'one elves'. The reason they dedicate themselves so fully to their "purpose" is because ever Rathari lives in the pursuit of once again becoming whole. Once again becoming elves."

"I chose Atinaw with that in mind. While it has a sizeable human population, it has an even large Rathari population. Rathari themselves are sympathetic of Siltori. It isn't hard to see the reflection of tragedy as a common link. It's impossible to win back the old home of the elves. But it might be possible to make a third. To try one more time. To use Atinaw and forge it into a country that's well and truly a safe haven for all breeds of tori, as well as others who might be suffering due to their positions in life. That is exactly where you come in. I can't accomplish this on my own, and as the years drag by I'm slowly loosing the fight I have left. If you so wish to follow this insane dream of mine, then I might very well have a job for you," Luteria said, her smile returning in full force.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 10:13 am**

The first thing he truly learned of the Queen was a harrowing and disheartening thing. She had been born in the slums of Sil-Elaine... likely the Pyred Bedlam, just like him. To a dead mother like his own, surrounded by filth and hunger, like himself. To think that an urchin of the Pyred Bedlam like him could become a Queen... it ignited all manner of potential in his mind. Taelian found himself moved by her story; inspired. Though as she explained the lows she had met and the things she had been forced to endure, and how her fire had begun to wane... he found himself filled with sorrow. At one point he had felt much the same. It was perhaps because he was a Famished, capable of stilling those grim emotions and mindlessly carrying on, that he had survived those low points. Sometimes he truly wondered if being what he was could even be considered a strength.

She seemed to think so. The woman mentioned a fire in him -- and even verged upon some sort of idea for him to undertake, a path worth following. Before she elaborated, however, the woman noted his ignorance on the true fourth Elven race. The Fae'Norai were not truly their kin by blood, only culture and history. Instead... it was the Rathari who joined them in their kinship. Taelian's expression grew fraught with some level of confusion as she spoke of their schism -- but not one by choice. As she detailed how they had effectively been sundered from the Hytori, shaped into the chimeric entities they are now by the will of a cruel matron, only to be tossed aside. Then left as nothing. Then reformed.

There were a lot of Rathari in the Kingdom, yes. And to learn that they were all kin to him -- it was a surprise. One that made him feel only more at ease. That they, in some sense, shared in their origins and even in their suffering. Thousands of years later and they were still cast adrift.

The Elves had been forced to endure a great deal of pain. Even now, the original people were forced to wander through the world always as second-class citizens, reviled and treated with mistrust. People justified their fear in them. They did the same to the Rathari, who he had seen be treated like beasts in Daravin's interior realms. Their long history, their brotherhood with the natural world, it somehow made others fear them and their distinctive ways.

Luteria spoke of a third home for the Elves -- not SIl-Elaine, not Daravin, but... Atinaw. A place not only for the Siltori, Hytori and Dratori, but even the Rathari who had been long forgotten. Even Daravin, back when it was encompassed by Silor, had likely never been a home for the beaten Rathari. But this realm could be -- or so she wished. A place for the Fae'Norai too; a place for them all. And perhaps even a place for men, where they could learn to co-exist. To build a new culture rather than to experience each other's lives as separate forms.

What was strangest was that the woman seemed to want... Taelian to do it. To consider it his mission. That... confused him, more than anything else did, because -- he was still young. His fire did burn, but he was afraid of immolating his surroundings. And he didn't know how he could do it; did she want him to serve her? To manage some form of migration? He wasn't a particularly skilled administrator or bureaucrat. He was a warrior and an enforcer. Perhaps, at best, he was a mediator.

He was dutiful, though. He always got things done. Never let himself fail, because he believed in the things he did. Perhaps that was what she saw.

"I... would be happy to assist with this dream, however I can," he said quietly. The man was now beginning to realize that his life was about to permanently change. "What is your mission for me?" he asked, biting his lower lip. He was almost afraid of the words that would soon follow, because then the change would become real; it would materialize. But he supposed that was okay. A simple life for him and Riven in the woods, as tempting as it was, would never be enough. He wanted the world to change.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:49 am**

Luteria's expression split into an utterly outstanding smile. "There are a lot of things I'm going to ask you in the coming days and years. There's even more you're going to have to learn. However, that is the greatest benefit of youth. There's a lot you haven't learned yet, but there's room to learn it in the proper manner," she said as she quickly waved towards Junchi. The man pulled out a file of sorts from... where exactly? It was hard to catch. Either way he pulled it out and placed it into Luteria's lap. She very delicately flipped it open and pulled out the papers instead before discarding the file on the table. Her eyes flashed as they ran over the "Fortunately, you've put yourself into something of a position we should be able to quite deftly pull it off."

She placed three little packets of paper in front of Taelian. Each one bound with twine at the top right corner. They read Raellon, Loregard, and Yzranor respectively. "The reason for the Imperium so easily getting into Hopsfel has a much simpler answer than Daravin trying to cross the border. There's a traitor among my kinsmen. Corruption, and not just on a small scale. I believe a very Finla is helping them. Now. I already have an educated guess regarding which Finla it is. Looking at our history and records it makes enough sense. There isn't much I can do without evidence though, since even as Queen accusing a Finla would be like declaring war. The first ruler of Atinaw did everything in his power to try and disallow a civil war, but if I try to attack this house without supporting evidence, there isn't any question what things would fall to. That's where you come in. This works out wonderfully. You'll travel to each of the three clans and try to get close enough with the Finla to find evidence. While I have a good guess, it's better safe than sorry, so I've narrowed it down to the three most likely candidates. I also want to see if you can figure out my guess and why. For all intents and purposes, consider this a test with strong consequences if we don't figure out which Finla it is in a reasonable amount of time." She smiled but her expression was moderately more grim than it had been.

The packets themselves were a loose collection of details about each family, their main source of income, their most prominent members, and various other smaller details like what each Finla favored in a person. Strength or magic, honesty or praise, and all other number of traits. "Unfortunately, I can't send you to them under my name. If they understood it was me sending you it would defeat the point. So for all intents and purposes, this little conversation never happened and you got waylaid by my advisors when you tried to deliver the news, okay?" She held a finger up to her lips and winked, grinning in a fox like manner. "It'll be on your to appease to each Finla enough to get their dirty secrets. This is also part of the test. Let's just say it'll help me decide where you're going to be the most helpful in ushering in our little dream. And surely whatever dirty, conniving old fuck saw fit to try and hurt my country, well... When we have our evidence and the right to slaughter the mutt like a traitorous dog, I want their heart on a platter and their head on a pike!" She grinned. All teeth. Junchi coughed and the Queen flinched slightly.

"Ah, right. Grimholdt and Kamdin are also suspect for the time being thanks to the fact they're coastal towns, but I'll be sending one of my other agents there since they're less likely. You just need to focus on those three. I'd recommend maybe delving into their history a bit and asking the locals of each town. They might be able to offer some good insight. Use your resources well and hone your crafts as much as possible. For the both of us." Luteria cleared her throat momentarily before snapping her fingers. Valiscee interestingly enough was the one to step over. While her demeanor hadn't really changed, and at surface level she still looked like... that, there was an unknown depth to the glint of her eyes.

"This is Valiscee, from this moment on until we figure out who's the culprit, she will be your handler. As to keep ourselves unconnected, you'll be going through Valiscee any time you find new information of note or have something important to send me. Similarly, all information I have for you will be sent through her. I'll be making sure to keep in touch while you work. The both of you, do try to get get along," Luteria said. She was giggling and smiling every time she glanced between Taelian and Valiscee. As though she was playing a small practical joke amid how serious the conversation had become.

"Valiscee is unsure of if we should actually trust the boy or if her majesty is just simply taken with another of her kind," the cat Rathari said, ears flattening slightly. "However, Valiscee shall endeavor to do her upmost to follow her majesty's commands. She will observe to the best of her her abilities!" Valiscee straightened and did a mock salute of sorts before glancing at Taelian. Looking him up and down, her eyes slitted like she really was a cat analyzing a piece of prey.

"I can't draft up a proper contract for you since we shouldn't speak of our agreement. However, understand that sending Valiscee with you is binding enough. I wish you all the luck in the world and greatly hope that we're able to figure this situation out. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we finish? Any requests to make or anything else to share?" Luteria relaxed once more, reclining slightly and seemingly utterly pleased. Either with herself or with Taelian, possibly both. Her eyes, however, were still dagger sharp as they occasionally caught on the papers laid out in front of Taelian.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 12:28 pm**

The Queen spoke a lot following what he said. She gave him a great deal of directive, information, and an insight into the inner-workings of her mind. She believed there was a traitor among the Finla and pointed towards three specific regions -- Loregard, Raellon and Yzranor. One of them was a realm he had already become acquainted with; Taelian was imbued into the courts of Loregard and had worked with the Finla from a distance for some time. Eloise wanted him to become one of his premier advisors, like she was with the Finla of Grimholdt.

Yzranor, he knew little about. He'd heard of it, of course, but it was across a massive lake and much of what he knew of it revolved around raids from Korkann-Drus and the many terrors of the world's beasts. Then, there was Raellon, which Wylen advised. It was a realm saturated with magic, and it was the frontier in the war against the Imperium. It was also a place he had only recently spent a great deal of time in, as he'd been forced to hunt one of Wylen's loose abominations across miles of farmland.

In order to research Loregard, he only needed to continue what he was already doing. Wylen would be his key to Raellon, and Yzranor . . . well. He supposed he had some concept of how he might acquire favor with them. He was a mighty warrior and was capable of taking down Druskai ships; anything but a Warbarge, really. He considered the possibility of proving himself in war, though with the addition of the files he knew there were plenty of ways he could attempt to please the rulers of each respective realm.

He would start by returning to Loregard, and then he would direct himself to Raellon. Taelian recognized that all three of the realms listed were effectively frontier states with the Imperium, and he supposed their incentive might be joining with the Empire, or -- perhaps just being spared the carnage. Something about all of this did not rest well with him, though. He doubted it was Finla Iulide, for one. He had spent enough time in court to see the man's passion for Atinaw, and also his strength and commitment to his duties. It would have been incredibly out of character for him to orchestrate something like this.

The mage's lips seemed to shrink as he bit and twisted them amidst the Queen's words. He was given a retainer -- all of this had to be separate from her, as Taelian had to be... unsuspecting. Even leaving the palace, it was likely best to do via portal so that no one would know he ever came. He supposed it was good that he was so well-adorned upon entering; with all of the jewels and everything reshaping his appearance, it would be difficult for others to place him immediately.

It didn't matter. Before the rumor mill started, he needed to have an answer to this crisis. War loomed and the Queen had faith in him. This was a task he could not forsake.

"My only request is that you investigate the ongoings of Kamdin and Grimholdt, My Queen. There are events transpiring there that are of great risk to the Kingdom -- and now that I have the opportunity to draw your eyes to them, I believe it would be wise for you to study upon them. It may be good for you to hold audience with the Finla of Grimholdt, as they are already aware of many of these events. As I will be away, focusing on discovering the traitor in our midst, it would be wonderful if I could rest assured knowing that the Dranoch threat on the Kingdom's coast is being dealt with," he said. It was quite a thing to ask something of a Queen -- but she said she valued honesty. And so he decided he would be honest.

"I will not fail you," he told her. "I will begin investigations immediately, and I will not tell anyone other than those I utterly trust of our conversation. Thank you, my Lady. I wish you good health -- now and always."

Taelian looked upon Valiscee then, and quietly regarded her. "I will speak with you soon," he told the Rathari. He held nothing against her, but his focus and drive were somewhere else, now. He only imagined how he might take on such an insurmountable task.

A portal opened before him, and he stepped through. It would lead him back to Ard Sgiath, where he would focus on drafting plans and examining the files he had been given, in order to understand better the Lords, their motivations, and their flaws.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 12:44 pm**

Taelian

Points: 10

Magic?: N/A

Lores:

Politics: Meeting a Queen
Politics: Engaging with a ruler
Politics: The Monarchy of Atinaw
Politics: The dangers of high-politics
Jewelsmithing: Jewel-encrusting garbs
Jewelsmithing: Sculpting features with jewels
Spycraft: Spies in the midst
Spycraft: Vassal plots

Rathari: Their Origin
Queen Luteria Rutheesee-Sil: A Siltori, like me
Queen Luteria Rutheesee-Sil: The Ruler of Atinaw
Queen Luteria Rutheesee-Sil: Took a liking to me
Queen Luteria Rutheesee-Sil: Kind-hearted
Queen Luteria Rutheesee-Sil: We want the same things

Loot: A File detailing basic information about the Finla families of Raellon, Loregard, and Yzranor.

Loss: N/A

Injury and Overstepping: N/A

Comments:

This was a really fun thread to write and you played Taelian well. I'm sure things are going to get super interesting from here on out.

Enjoy your Cat Girl

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