RP:The Alnwick Agenda

Summary: During one of her trips to Vailkrin's Council Room, Larewen finally happens upon Lord Jaymes Alnwick of House Alnwick, whose support Kasyr advised her to obtain prior to his abdication.

Vailkrin Council Room

Jaymes is standing near the table wearing the finery of nobility, a black coat (think 18th century) with dark crimson accents is worn over a waistcoat of the same dark red and black poet's shirt, his black pants are tucked into a pair of black leather hunting boots. A group of papers is in the man's hand and he seems to be reading them intently, a silver ring on his right hand marks him as a member of House Alnwick.

The steady, carefully measured tapping of heeled boots upon the floor served as the herald to Larewen's arrival. When she crested the stairs that led into the council room, there was some small measure of relief beneath the ebon veil that obscured her features. The necromancer had dressed in her usual garb: an emerald bustle gown accented with black fabric. Her hair was drawn upward into a bun, upon which a fedora was carefull placed, and pinned beneath it that veil. The light offered by the icy pillars provided the elf with some idea of where she was and of those that might be present, but not in the same manner that Jaymes would see her: she was blind, with only the ability to see magic. Thus, when those dark eyes fell upon the master of House Alnwick, it was not because of natural light, but rather that familiar glow of dark, unholy magic. "Necromancer," she murmured quietly, and more to herself than any form of odd greeting to the male. Her nostrils flared slightly, inhaling his scent from where she came to a halt. "I've not seen you," she observed, this time more vocally. Her eyes narrowed slightly, faintly off from staring directly at his face. An ironic choice of words, given her condition. While he bore the signet of his House, Larewen only bore the Nathali soul-pendant gifted to her (unfortunately), by Kyperion, and that verdant color by which a certain family amiably referred to her as Green.

Jaymes looks up at the sound of the woman's footsteps. Carefully he scans the woman. "No." he replies, "You wouldn't have." A brief moment of silence as he waits a heartbeat before speaking again. "I've not seen you before either milady." Softly he sets the papers down on the table and grabs a blackwood cane capped with a deep red ruby. Walking smoothly around the table he bows, "Allow me to introduce myself, Lord Jaymes Lucianus Alnwick, lord of my family. May I ask who I have the pleasure of addressing?"

Larewen caught a glimpse of the bow, if only because the magic that coursed through him dipped with his movement. It was like watching silhouettes, really. Her gaze followed him, if somewhat slowly, as he came around the table and there was a click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth in the wake of his introduction. "Lord Alnwick," she echoed after a moment, in part to commit the name to memory, and in part to verify she'd heard him correctly. After all, had he not been one of the ones that she'd been instructed to seek out? The corner of her lips twitched upward slightly in the form of a smile. "Lady Larewen Iseng Dragana, and of the same position within my own House," came her answer in like. Her head tilted slightly. "Kasyr advised me to seek you and yours out; however, that has proved to be a tad bit more difficult than he expressed. Did he leave word with you, bychance?" Word of her intent, that was. Then again, it was no longer any small secret that Dragana had her eye on the Vailkrinian throne.

Jaymes rises from his bow and quirks an eyebrow, "the Lady of House Dragna?" he says a curious sound to his voice. "A young house if I'm not mistaken." Moving back to the table he pulls out a chair and lowers himself into it. "Please have a seat milday," he says with a gesture to another chair, "this could prove to be very interesting." A wave of his hand and whispered incantation brings two glasses of blood wine to the table, the spectral hands that carried them were invisible to normal sight, taking his he leans back into his chair and crosses his legs, waiting for her to sit before he answers her question.

Larewen might have been vexed by such a dismissive observation in the past, but seemed this time to be hardly affected by such. "Yes, you could say we're the baby of the bunch, but that's not a fact that ought to be taken for granted. We have earned our place," came the elf's retort, surprisingly calm and collected even to herself. After a moment, the necromancer lowered herself into the chair, seating herself carefully and with a propriety garned by a nobility that undoubtedly preceded the establishment of her House. If she were not blind, she'd undoubtedly scrutinize him. The glass of wine is ignored, but not intentionally - it was out of the range of her magical sight, and thus might as well not exist to her. "Indeed, it very well could. How up to date are you on recent happenings?" It was almost as if she were prying.

Jaymes finds it is now his turn to smile, "I know many things. Though I may have been absent my family still maintains old alliances and even older friends." Taking a sip of wine he watches the woman, "I know of the fall of the Ginavi, not necessarily a sad loss, and the rise of Dragana. I know a certain vampiress who desires to sit upon the throne of Vailkrin." A sly shift to his features precedes his next statement, "I might also know who would and would not be willing to let, if not even assist said vampiress." The lord closely watches the woman's face, being in politics for so long he had long ago learned that even the slightest twitch of facial muscles can tell volumes about a person or situation. "The one answerI don't have as of yet though, is where my family stands on this matter."

If there were any doubts or questioning to be had in lieu of Jaymes's words, they did not express themselves upon the elf's features. That smile simply remained intact. "I would not have expected anything less, and might have been saddened otherwise," she replied, almost in jest. "I do not seek permission in obtaining my goals, though the acceptance of the other Houses and our allies is certainly a boon. What I seek is to breathe life back into Vailkrin, for lack of a better term. We possess the resources to excel in the dark arts, and we are distant enough from most other civilizations that, should something go wrong, the damage can be contained. In addition to that, there are alliances that need to be maintained, and others that need to be solidified. Hildegarde has offered me her support, in exchange for three simple things on my end: my support, my allegiance, and an ambassador from House Dragana to protect their sacred grounds. Reginae of Alithrya also seeks an alliance with Vailkrin, something that was put into action prior to Kasyr's abdication, and never completed."

Jaymes nods, "Well milady you speak well." he says honestly. "I too wish to see power and glory return to our city. My only fear is that after that power is obtained it could make you lose sight of your goals, well that and the strength and position of my house." He continues watching her closely for a reaction. "If I were to throw my support behind you, how would you remeber me and my house when you sit upon the throne...and with my help you will sit upon the throne."

Larewen attempted to better fix her stare upon his, with little success. His words almost seemed to amuse her. Almost. "I have nothing to gain from losing sight of my goals, nor do I have anything to gain from failing the other Houses, yours included. Kasyr valued your input, and held you in high regard - and I imagine there is a reason he did so. This is a task not so easily accomplished by one person alone, and your aid would not be forgotten. I would ask that you do for me as you did for Kasyr, and I would bestow upon you the same respect. Diplomacy is your strong point, if I recall correctly? There is much use for that, in the coming days."

Jaymes nods, "I'm glad you understand politics." he says sitting back and crossing his arms, "You have made a good argument for your position milady, consider yourself backed by all of the resources of House Alnwick, though until you actually gain the throne I expect to be treated as an ally, not a servant." Another swig of wine follows his words, "You do remember correctly," he continues, "diplomacy is the very life blood of my family. Remember that when you need a minister of foreign relations." he says with a wink. Larewen's lips curled into a smirk, this time belying her amusement at his words. "I've no need for anymore servants, Lord Alnwick, and were that the case, I'd simply raise them myself," came her reply, her tone significantly lighter. It was almost silvery. A moment later, after he'd finished speaking, the elf rose to her feet. She dipped her head with intended farewell, but not before noting upon his magic. "I see that you're a necromancer as well, Lord Alnwick. There are matters I would like to discuss with you regarding that, too - and the Necromancer's Guild. Perhaps I can catch you another day this week, for that discussion?"

Jaymes smiles and rises to his feet, "Of course milady, perhaps next time I can invite to my home." A bow follows, "If you would like for me to speak with Reginae on the behalf of Vailkrin merely send me a file on the state of things so I can see ours and Vailkrin's will done. If you have any other work for me you know how to reach me."

Larewen smiled more warmly in the wake of his words. "I will send you the information, and perhaps we can meet with her together. Reginae has been trying to catch me for some time now, but our schedules rarely allow us to cross paths. Until next we meet, Lord Alnwick." And with those words, the blind woman carefully made her way back to House Dragana.