RP:A Difference of Biased Opinions
Part of the The Ice Plague Cometh Arc
Frozen Throne
Satoshi perches on the arm of her throne and, for all the world, looks like a petulant child with her arms crossed and face scrunched into a sour expression. Beside her kneels Tharn, bandages in one hand and in the other a swab of fabric coated in a sickly orange liquid. This liquid is dabbed at Satoshi's forehead, causing the magus' scowl to deepen as a faint hiss escapes her. In vain, the kit tries to swat away her guard's tending, for what feels like the hundredth time. And like the hundredth time, Tharn ignores her and carries on cleaning Satoshi's wounds. For Satoshi is thoroughly wounded, lacerations cover her from head to toe, some of which still have splinters jutting out of them as if she'd been hurled through trees or a lumberyard. Beneath the many cuts are three stab wounds, in her left shoulder, her side, and her right thigh, although none seem to be bleeding heavily despite their depth and width, the blood that clings to the injuries dark and thick as if frozen. Blood of a more natural shade stains the front of Satoshi's coat and face, as it does the frozen blade lying at her feet. Again Tharn dabs at an open wound and ducks his head, hiding a grin at the wince it produces. "I told you, I don't need tending," the magus almost whines, clearly unhappy, "I'll heal just fine on my own." Tharn, as always, ignores her.
Hildegarde was informed by the courier that the Queen was at the fort, so that's precisely where she went! The knight marched into the throne room, ready to drop to a knee and present her evidence but the only thing she saw was her Queen being tended to by Tharn. The Silver wandered ever closer to the throne, "My Queen," she said, her tone of voice filled with concern - trying hard to conceal her own worry of failing to protect her Queen - for Satoshi, tone mirrored by her concerned facial expression. "What happened? Are you all right?"
Satoshi says a few choice words that can't be shared through typing, but they'd make most Rynvalian sailors blush. Whether she aimed the insults at Tharn--who is enjoying his small torment of the kit--or an answer to Hildegarde is hard to tell. Although Satoshi does not miss a beat in continuing with proper dialogue after the brief, and foul, tangent, "A run in with exiles. They set a mage-trap for me. Svilfon and I took care of them." The dark gleam in Satoshi's eye suggests there were no survivors. "But you don't face-off against a pack of trained mage-hunters without a few scratches, eh?" A bandage droops into Satoshi's face as the Frost Giant attempts to wrap her forehead. With patience out of tune with her previous comments and expression, the magus waits until Tharn finishes the wrappings before she continues. The gaze she fixes on Hildegarde is a heavy one, weary in more than just a physical sense. "They mentioned a bounty on my capture. Someone they referred to as a 'dark bastard'. It was clearly someone the exiled monks disapproved of, which further suggests my suspicions that the Time Lord has returned. And he is paying the exiles to harass us further." And yet, still the evidence doesn't sit quite right for Satoshi's liking. While the deeds are in line with the Leech's usual actions, the methods are not. What's changed..?
Hildegarde dipped her head at Satoshi's choice words, obviously a little embarrassed by the language! However, at the mention of exiles, she raised her head and settled her stormy eye on Satoshi; offering no words, just listening to her until she finished. "My Queen, I do not think this is the work of the Time Lord. The Time Lord would make himself known in some flamboyant fashion: he would not resort to these tactics, this is the work of the exiles." Her fingers flexed around the shaft of her halberd for a moment, "These are exiles at work. I have spent time in their camp, my lady, I know of their tactics." Hilde almost felt like begging the Queen to believe her, to have faith in her, but she would not stoop so low just yet. "Their monks believe themselves to hold some honour, that they are truly following Aramoth by not conforming to your rule, but they would not ally themselves with the Time Lord; they simply wouldn't." That said, the knight sighed gently and hung her head, "But I am yours, my lady, I live to serve."
Satoshi watches Tharn peel back her blood coat and begin bandaging her shoulder while she listens to Hildegarde. The knight has sunk her teeth into this issue and won't let it go. Yet... isn't that exactly what Satoshi is doing, with her belief that the Time Lord is behind these events? her own paranoid need for revenge is nearly enough to blind Satoshi to other options. A sigh escapes the magus, not quite a sound of exasperation. She is simply tired, so very tired. "Very well, Mithril. You may look into the exiles. While I do not think they are responsible for this--they simply do not have the magical means to do so--they are still involved. That was proven to us last night." As Tharn takes a step back to signal he is finished for now, Satoshi tugs her bloodied coat back up into place. She gives the guard a nod of gratitude for his desire to help, before Satoshi looks back at Hildegarde. "But do not travel alone, Mithril. Whatever it is we're dealing with, it is not to be taken lightly." As Satoshi had confided in Svilfon the day before, the storm that looms on the horizon is one that genuinely scares her. But what scares her more, is that the normally fearless wizard carries the same fear. Both of them are at a loss, in the dark, unsure of whether to fight or flee, or where to do either. It is a feeling Satoshi is quite unfamiliar with. Never have her instincts failed her before.
Hildegarde near flinched at the sigh, feeling that it was more exasperation than anything else. Of course, the knight was a paranoid and near self-loathing soul, so she did look into things more than she should have. "I do not wish to start a war, my lady, so perhaps sending in a scout or someone who can move about undetected? However, if it is your wish, I shall go ahead and see what I can find." The knight was not keen to take another person with her, though, not after what happened to Sabjorn. She would not put another family through such a horror. But she was certain, so absolutely certain that the exiles were the cause: who else would be able to do such a thing? True, they did not typically use magic but that did not mean it was beyond their reach; if there was a will there was a way. Maybe she should let it go, though. She did not want to bring down the anger of her Queen.
Satoshi plucks absently at the bandage above her eye, thoughts distracted as her mind attempts to mull over too many possibilities. At Hildegarde's words, she shakes her head. "As you said, you have seen and understand their tactics. Better than most, I would say. I would not trust this to anyone else unless you do not wish the task." Satoshi sits back then, finished speaking. That is, until she catches a glimpse of something in Hildegarde's expression. The knight wears her heart to clearly upon her sleeve, it is a thing easily read by one like Satoshi. And so, the foxkin says, as if reading the Silver's mind, "Do -not- go alone. Of any order I have given you before, this one ranks high above them in importance. They know by now what we are capable of, they will be prepared, and I'll not lose a good knight because she is unwilling to go into danger with a kinsmen at her side. Every warrior in Frostmaw is willing to lay their life on the line for their city, it is what separates them from the exiles, so do not insult them by denying them their choice."
Hildegarde was ready to bow and depart once the Queen had finished speaking, afraid she might continue to test her patience! "I shall not go alone, I will seek out Tormund and--" she felt herself almost say Sabjorn, but she had to remind herself that he was no longer living. "Gunjar and Onjar, brothers by blood and battle, they are brave warriors." She nodded her head and cleared her throat, "I would rather not fight, so I shall see if we may scout ahead and spy something, rather than dive into violence. I would rather not shed blood."
Satoshi nods, in agreement. "We need information first, violence second, so this is a scouting mission above all else. I only insist you take company, for the exiles have proven more than once that they are not below using ambushes. If it helps, Svilfon and I are attacked northwest of the city gates. I doubt the monks would have gone far from their camp, if they were intending on bringing me back alive."
Hildegarde nodded stiffly, "Would you mind telling me the details of the attack?" The knight wanted to know what she could, to determine the tactics used in said ambush.
Satoshi's expression looks worn at the request, and yet, as she tells the story the magus grows more animated. While the entire situation was a painful one, there's a certain brightening to Satoshi's demeanor as she recalls fighting alongside Svilfon, against six Frost Giant monks. The ambushers had been skilled, and were nearly successful in capturing Satoshi. But in the end, wizard and magus triumphed through their usual improvised means, allowing Satoshi to be sitting here before Hildegarde now. Battered, bloodied, and in a fair degree of pain, but alive. Or as alive as an eidolon can be considered. By the time Satoshi stops talking, details delivered, she's in an improved mood and sits with a bit more dignity than before--despite being covered in blood, splinters, and bandages.
Hildegarde could not bear to let her gaze linger on that worn expression, feeling as though she was most definitely testing the patience and temper of her Queen. Alas, she listened carefully to the retelling of the story and nodded, "You say they used sigils or runes to dampen your magic?" the knight took special note of that, feeling as though it'd be in keeping with the monks of Aramoth who would want to fight without magical means. But the knight felt perhaps she had taken up too much of Satoshi's time, so with that she gestured to the door, "Shall I take your leave to go?"
Satoshi nods, not at Hildegarde's last question, but the first. "Magic dampeners, yes. The symbols are old, only a few sects of Aramoth monks still use them." She only recognized them after having spent years in the company of one of Aramoth's most capable anti-mages. "If you encounter them, it shouldn't have much effect upon it. It simply smothers the ability to use magic actively. I'm more concerned with the fact that they were prepared and waiting for me to enter the woods." Satoshi isn't sure she'd have gotten out of that situation, if Svilfon hadn't been with her.
Hildegarde said to Satoshi, "That suggests to me that they know you better than you think or that someone was helping them."
Satoshi nods again, a hand pressed to her forehead as if thought pains her currently. "Precisely. Whoever hired that group knew enough about me to send them in prepared. The fact that I was wanted alive suggests it is more than just the exiles. The exiles only wish to see me dead, so that one of their false jarls can try for the throne. So I repeat, be wary, Mithril. Our enemy knows us, while they're still shrouded to us."
Hildegarde nodded in agreement, "More than the exiles but it could still be them." She then raised a hand, "I shall leave you to rest, my Queen. I apologise for my questioning and so on," she said with an apologetic dip of her head, "I shall contact my men and see what we can do."
Satoshi lifts her right hand to salute Hildegarde, managing not to wince despite the pain such movements cause. "Swift hunting, Mithril."
Hildegarde offers a bow in response before turning to take her leave.
Eliason strides purposefully up to the great doors of the throne room. The legionnaire is dressed in his finest armor, the Desert Legion crest (a broadsword crossed with a lightning bolt) etched boldy on his breastplate. It is unusual for the big man to feel so small, but next to the queen's guards, he begins to know how a dwarf my feel next to him. After a few short words with one of the guards, he is granted entry and confidently steps forward toward the throne. Luckily, he avoids any missteps or falls before he sinks to one knee before Queen Satoshi. Lowering his head, he speaks out across the room. "Your Majesty! I am Collin Eliason, sent as an emissary from Lady Alicia e Tenebris of Chartsend."
Satoshi, after Hildegarde's departure, had sunk back into the icy comfort of her throne, eyes closed. The respite is brief, however, for mere moments after her knight leaves, a man in impressive armor enters and kneels, declaring himself as from Chartsend. Hastily, and yet gracefully, Satoshi composes herself, so that she shifts from her exhausted lounging into a more regal arrangement upon the throne. She sits with such self-assured confidence that it is almost easy to overlook that Satoshi is covered in dried blood, bandages, and the clear evidence of heavy injuries not yet fully tended to. Beside her, a young Frost Giant in the armor of the Queensguard stands, healing paraphernalia in his hands and at his feet. The emissary is given a nod from Satoshi along with a gesture indicating he doesn't need to kneel. "Greetings to you, then, Collin Eliason. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Eliason rises to his feet, eyes moving up to take in the sight of the queen. Of course, the legionnaire had seen her before at the games, but to stand in the presence of one so famous momentarily robs him of his words and blinds him to her obvious discomfort. Silently he curses himself for having forgotten his memorized speech, but then realizes that he probably looks foolish just standing here stumbling over his own words. This results in flustering him further. Finally, he stops his mouth from moving and clamps it shut, trying to gather his thoughts before speaking once more. "Your Majesty, I am not sure how to say this without sounding crazy, but I requested to be sent here. My dreams have been disturbed of late and I wanted to warn you myself instead of sending our appointed ambassador before she is ready." He pauses, looking around as if to reassure himself that it is safe to speak. "I believe that there is a great evil descending upon Frostmaw..."
Satoshi's fatigued expression clears, intrigued by the words. "Do you? Your dreams tell you this?" Despite the wording, Satoshi's question is not mocking in tone. She sounds genuinely interested at what the legionnaire has to say. A glance, almost too swift for an observer to catch, is exchanged between Satoshi and her guard. What storm is brewing, that others outside Frostmaw's lands have felt omens and the desire to come here to warn the queen? How can it -not- be the Time Lord behind this all?
Eliason , encouraged by the Queen's obvious interest, nods eagerly. "It does not happen often, your Majesty. But there are times when I am given warning by Arkhen of impending evil. I cannot explain it, but it has never proven wrong." He pauses dramatically, sapphire gaze sweeping about the room before coming to rest once more on the woman before him. "If you would like, I would share with you what I have seen."
Satoshi lifts an eyebrow to further show Eliason has her interest. At the mention of the God's name, the magus looks more closely at the legionnaire, as if she expects to see a holy aura about him. "We don't see many of Arkhen's followers here. Although the ones I have met have all proven worthwhile people. What is it he has shown you?"
Eliason bows his head in respect at the Lady's honoring of his god's name. Lifting his eyes to gaze upon the queen, he smiles gently. "If I may..." Lowering his eyes once more, the man speaks a short prayer in an archaic language. Lifting his face, his color of his eyes visibly begins to change, fading out until only the whites are showing. A few moments pass and an unfamiliar voice speaks through the man's lips. "The hand of the abyss touches Winter, tainting the snow with blood. Ice meets darkness and the Lady falls. Beware the prideful show of the mighty! Friends and allies heed the call..." As the last word echoes across the throne room, the man's eyes slowly fade back to their sapphire hue.
Satoshi grows still, right down to her usually mobile tail. As the words wash over her, the magus' vulpine whiskers stand on end, stiff as needles. This is not just random poetry the legionnaire speaks, she can feel the power behind them like the fingers of a spectre down her spine. Upon the return of blue to Eliason's eyes, he'll find Satoshi sitting rigid and alert with claws sunk into the ice of her throne as if it were soft leather. "Arkhen... spoke those words to you? Were you told anything further? Details we might be able to use...?" Satoshi can't help the faint glimpse of hope that enters her eyes. Anything at all, and she might be able to know which direction to go in this matter. Thus far she's been pulling at straws.
Eliason turns his gaze back to the Queen once his sight has returned, silently noting the way in which the Lady sits. Now that his message is delivered, the legionnaire visibly relaxes and takes note of Satoshi's condition. This elicits a frown from the man, but no comment... It is not his place to inquire further. "I..." his eyes flicker toward the giant guards about, obviously nervous to speak further in front of them. After a moment he resolves to deliver what he had come to deliver. "There is one other thing... this was a separate dream, but perhaps it will help. "I saw a great fire burning in the midst of the snow. Great figures danced about it, chanting things I could not understand. I cannot promise that this is tied to you, but it very well could be."
Satoshi slumps back into her throne, not caring that it ruins some of the regal posture she had carried. A hand presses to the bandages around her head, although the cold pressure does nothing to relieve the pain, it is simply a gesture Satoshi makes when burdened. With these two simple movements, Satoshi has transformed from the solemn warrior queen, to a small, seemingly harmless foxkin, fatigue heavy in her features. "If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, than the storm that comes is blacker than I had imagined. I thank you for your words, ill-omened as they appear, for ill omens are better than no omens. The fact that you came all the way from Chartsend to deliver them in person speaks highly of yourself and Lady Alicia. If you require rest or refreshment, you shall have all that you ask for. This may be the City of Aramoth, but we are happy to play host to one of Arkhen's, for his children always bring light and strength where they walk."
Eliason bows deeply, the sight of the queen in her weakened form sending a thrill of dismay down his spine. Rising again, he straightens into full posture and speaks. "Then my warning has come upon an already burdened realm..." He lowers his eyes momentarily, doing a few mental calculations. Touching the hilt of his sword idly, he informs Satoshi, "If it is your wish, your Majesty, I will remain here and send word to Lady Alicia. I can have a score of Desert Legion here in a week to assist with whatever we can. Each follows their own holy path, but we will stand for Frostmaw if need be..."
Satoshi regards the offer a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Traditionalists in Frostmaw might disapprove of accepting aid from outside sources, and yet, Frostmaw has grown and opened in the past three years of Satoshi's reign. Change is necessary even when some may balk at it. And so, the magus nods to Eliason. "That would be appreciated. While Frostmaw's lands are cold, your men will find our welcomes are warm. Tharn," the guard beside her straightens, at attention, "please ensure quarters are made ready for master Eliason's men when they arrive. And inform the shaman of the words Chartsend has brought us, see if they cannot divine further meaning from it." Saluting Satoshi, the guard retreats a number of paces, for while he has orders he will not depart to attend to them until the meeting is over. The magus is his ward, after all.
Eliason nods in acceptance of the offer, his gaze slipping up momentarily to regard Tharn before returning to the queen. "If there is anything else I can assist with, please feel free to send for me." Turning as if to leave, the man stops before slowly turning back around and regarding Satoshi. "Your Majesty, if I may. My friend Aela has been elected as ambassador to your realm and will be presenting herself here in a few days for your approval. If you grant her leave to stay, I would include her as part of our troop. She is equally as skilled as any of other legionnaire and I believe she is already friends with one of your own, a certain Hildegarde... The ambassador's name is Aela and she is a dear friend."
Satoshi salutes Eliason as he turns to leave, only to have her ears perk up at the additional note. She nods, understanding. "I will look forward to her arrival then. If she is a friend of one of my queensguard, she is a friend of the realm. She will be welcomed, you have my promise."
Eliason bows deeply once more. "With your leave, then..." Turning on his heel and marching toward the door, he congratulates himself for not looking like a complete fool during his first official meeting with the queen. But it appears that his luck has run out, since he accidentally passes too close to the edge of the door. The plate armor on his shoulder catches the edge of the door allowing his feet to continue forward while his torso remains. With a deafening clatter, he falls hard upon his rump. It is good that his armor is so noisy as it keeps the curse that issues forth from his mouth from being heard. Pushing himself to his feet, he straightens his armor, refuses to look back, and exits with as much dignity as he can muster.
Satoshi liked that legionnaire well enough. But after seeing him trip up and fall on his tail... Satoshi adores him. Nothing beats an emissary who knows how to recover from a mishap, as cool as a cat!