RP:A Declaration of War

Part of the Rest in Pieces: Vailkrin! Arc

Synopsis: House Dragana declares war on the Vailkrin Houses that oppose Lady Larewen.

Bridge Across the Void

A cloaked woman sits upon a blackened steed, its eyes a verdannt glow. Emerald flames line its body, casting an ethereal tint over the nearby vicinity. Behind the woman stands several undead. Two dozen, perhaps. There are more, elsewhere, but this night Larewen does not come with them in tow. No, the twenty-four she has are plenty. Plenty to have already decapitated and strung up the two Trintus guards that flank the entrance to the city. Two more are held, bound by rope, beside the undead steed, a ghoul holding keeping them from freedom. By now, several others have run through the streets of Vailkrin, bringing with them tidings of the mad woman's arrival to their respective houses. Her self-induced exile is at an end and she awaits patiently the arrival of others.

Jesali heard the commotion in the streets from the Hanging Corpse where she and her daughter currently resided. Only after ensuring the child would be safe and secure, Jess ventured out into the streets of Vailkrin, dressed in a simple black gown lacking any embellishments, with a dark gray shawl pulled around her shoulders. She slowly made her way down the street, drawing closer to Larewen and her small, undead army. Showing no emotion to the happenings around her, she simply watched her mother in law.

Bradyn Mahara did not agree with any civil war within Vailkrin -- he did not understand the point, time was better spent serving other purposes in the studious mind of the grim noble. Still word has spread that a commotion was being made and it was a a situation that Bradyn would not ignore. Would he show outright support of anything Larewen might say or do? That was highly unlikely, but he may not blatantly oppose her either. There were many variables to consider and the survival of House Mahara was of the utmost importance to Bradyn. Bradyn does not creep through the streets, he does not hide in the shadows, he will be brought into view by long and confident strides, but the taciturn man says nothing to no one. If Larewen is paying attention, she'll probably catch the disapproving look that is cast her way.

Bradyn was not the only noble taking to the streets tonight. Lady Collete Nasar was among the first on the scene, and where Bradyn merely looked disapproving, Collete looked LIVID. Not as livid as Lord Marcus Trintus, who took one look at his murdered and captive men and drew his sword. “Dragana, you swine, what is the meaning of this?! I should run you through this moment!” “Stay your hand, Trintus, at least for now,” said Lord Alexander Markan as he adjusted his glasses. Meanwhile, Lord Mikael Ladaeth had drawn his own sword. “Bollocks to that, Markan, look at what she's done!” Lady Meliana Ventra and Lord Derrick Asharam just looked at each other. What a bunch of morons, they thought. Conspicuously absent was any representative of Torrador, which was just as well. Ladaeth would have probably started trying to hack them to pieces on sight, and the nobles of Vailkrin had enough to worry about at that moment.

Larewen responds by lifting scarred hands to reveal her pale, runed features. Mismatched eyes fix each of the nobles, one after the other. Bradyn's gaze is met with an unwavering stare, a quiet indication that there is reason behind her acts. When her stare returns, it is to Colette. The others mean little presently. "You made a dire mistake, when you sought to slaughter innocents the night of my ball. Do you truly think my guests so foolish as to believe I'd put my own grandchildren in danger? Two of them were present, you fool. As were three of my daughters. Yet you foolishly framed me for bringing an undead horde. Tell me, Colette. How much did the necromancer cost you?" hissed the necromancer upon her steed. "While I sacrificed myself to save your houses, you all were plotting my ruin. Did you not expect me to come back; to bring my army with me? This, this is but a TASTE of what I will offer those that stand against me." She gestures and the two ghouls holding the guards ended them. A blade first jammed through their heard, then severing their heads. One rolls along the ground to land at Lord Trintus's feet. Larewen's state turns toward Bradyn as she says coolly, "House Mahara, do you stand with Dragana, Alnwick, and Azakhaer?" When Lady Colette opens her mouth to protest, Larewen cuts her off, "Yes, Nasar. Kasyr told me his intentions long before he abdicated. Alnwick has already sided with me. Do you truly think I'm such a fool as to act without a modicum of support?"

Jesali wasn't privy to the political standings of Vailkrin by choice, but she knew of the houses, their respected leaders, and the relations between each house connected with her own. The accusation that Larewen threw at Colette earned her a scathing glare, but Jess said nothing. She watched the other houses expectantly as Larewen spoke, but her gaze settled on Bradyn just before her mother in law addressed him. Still nothing was said, and Jesali remained ever stoic; she hadn't even flinched at the deaths dealt.

Bradyn had not been present the night of the ball. Not surprising, really. What would Bradyn have done? Danced? Socialized? Been nice? No. While word had reached him that the party had not gone as hoped but he had not heard the extent of what happened. What he was hearing from Larewen at this very moment was first time news for the Maharan. It did put an interesting spin on the situation that was unfolding and Bradyn's cold stare transferred from Larewen to Lady Collete Nasar, watching her open her mouth in protest only to be silenced. Gray eyes go from the Nasar to the Markan, regarding Alexander with even more contempt than he had given to Larewen. Six other houses were present and Bradyn could speculate on the stances of only three of them. The relationship between Larewen and Bradyn was still a strained one, it is likely that the two of them will only ever be able to tolerate one another. Friendship was out of the question, so the only motivation he had for siding with Larewen was the survival of his house...and the numbers did not seem to be on Larewen's side. "Dragana. Alnwick. Azakhaer. Against Trintus, Nasar, Markan, Ladaeth, Ventra, and Asharam?" Two houses were not named, his own and the only other house that was not present, Torrador. Bradyn was not yet committing to a side if he could avoid it. Jesali's presence was observed, but Bradyn was distracted and she would continue to go without greeting. Priorities.

Collete scowled, but coolly responded, “We all know family means nothing to you, Dragana. Poor Shishi and his children are testament to that.” Trintus's face turned red as Larewen slaughtered his men and he spat out a four-letter word that began with a “C” before pointing his sword at her. “You'll regret that, Dragana! Your army is nothing compared to mine!” Ah, but his army wasn't there, was it? Or else he would have had her head already. Bradyn was ignored by Markan, who wrinkled his nose in disgust at Larewen's execution of the two guards. What was their crime? Trintus might have been a hotheaded brute, but his men served Vailkrin faithfully. Ladaeth sneered at Larewen. “Disgraceful. What kind of ruler do you plan to be, Dragana, if you just kill good soldiers just because they don't lick your boots?”

Larewen sneered at Ladaeth. "I'm glad you asked. Those that are executed can still serve; in fact, that is precisely how I'll redo our horrid justice system. You see, it is clear those who reside within Vailkrin do not answer for their crimes; otherwise this would not be happening. Would it?" Her head tilts then, Bradyn forgotten briefly as Colette's words settle. "Shishi? You mean the husband that has abandoned me time and time again? The man who has remarried several times, whilst I've been reluctant to take up other lovers until now? Perhaps you should do more research; perhaps even check your sources, cur. His children reside with his second wife, and none of them come before Endrin's wife, or his flesh and blood." Jesali and her daughter. "Shishi made his choice; I was not it." Her mouth splits into a wicked grin then, even as Trintus makes his remark. "I regret nothing, for each soul you sacrifice against me will be raised to fight their brethren. I tire of the tyranny the houses currently hold over this city and under me, Vailkrin will rise once more. Unlike you sorry lot, I have ambitions."

Jesali moved toward Larewen in the wake of Collete's words regarding family, choosing in that moment to fully show where her support and loyalty lie, and came to a stop just beside her mother-in-law, with one hand resting on the shoulder of the necromancer's mount. "You need not explain yourself Larewen," Jess murmured, her cool gaze fixed on the opposing heads of houses. "If they do not see it, they never will."

Bradyn had heard about all that he wished to hear as the subject shifted to Larewen and how much she values family or not. The rant about Shishi and how he made her choice, how Larewen feels so inclined to defend her actions, pointing out that she has been remiss to take another lover until recent times....All of this is met with a hard roll of his eyes. This is what we were going to bring up in this quibble? Family. Lovers. Ambitions. Bradyn has ambitions, but they do not include a willingness to recklessly claim sides in a civil war that he thus far is deeming to be trite. One point that Bradyn did agree with was that Larewen should not need to explain her love life to the nobles present. As if any of them were saints in that respect. Would House Mahara ever declare a side in this civil war? It was entirely probable, but tonight Bradyn had seen enough. Bradyn had come into the area by way of foot but he would be leaving by way of the shadows. It will come as no major shock to anyone present that in one moment Bradyn is there and the next he is gone. Bradyn's apathy at it's finest.

Collete laughed derisively. “Shishi has moments of clarity, it seems. So you've broken off your engagement to him AGAIN? Larewen, this is just sad.” Markan clicked his tongue. “Tyranny, you say. And yet you would murder people on the slightest whim. Tell me how Vailkrin would not suffer more under your rule than it would under complete anarchy?” Ventra and Asharam shared another glance, and made like Mahara and made their exit. They had much to consider. Perhaps the “wait and see” approach was the way to go.

Larewen sneers, taking Jesali's advice to heart. "You shall see soon enough," the necromancer responds with a chilling bite. "This is but a taste of my power, and now that I reside among the realm of the living dead once more, you shall soon see the full extent of what I control. Go now, to your houses and prepare, for soon my armies will fall upon you. This is a declaration of war, you fools." And with that, a detachment of her undead separate from those that accompany her, guarding betwixt the gate and the tavern.

Bradyn vanished before your eyes, perhaps never to be seen again. Jesali 's expression only changed in the wake of the declaration of war: her eyes widened fractionally, and her mouth pursed; she had expected this since the Halloween Ball, but the dangers associated with making enemies with such powerful people. She parted from Larewen then with whispered words regarding the child asleep in the Hanging Corpse, and quickly returned to the tavern.

The house masters scoffed. War, was it? Well, Larewen Dragana might get more than she bargained for. When they all joined forces, they would crush the upstart house, and put her head on a pike as a warning to all who might run their mouth in future. They departed, with whispered agreements to meet up soon to plot and plan.