The Vraenor Empire

[Dipper]

Arterion was quiet as he considered his options. It was either watch this foreign Colonel fail to meet his expectations or listen to the Duchess spout irreverent nonsense directly to his face. He hadn't yet hit his thirties and already he felt too old for this.

"I will stay, then. To provide… moral support."

With that said, Arterion listened to the Duchess's words and felt his fists clench against his will. She was a spitfire, but it was hardly an endearing trait in this situation. When she approached the desk, Arterion was standing in an instant; teeth bared behind his helmet and a furious snarl rumbling in his throat.

"Sit. Down." There was cold rage in his voice, a trembling in his shoulders as if he were physically holding himself back. "Your fool King is not here to protect you, Duchess. The Emperor has no need of you despite what you may believe," Arterion sneered. "Before you wag that wicked tongue of yours again, I'd advise you think carefully. Our Lord willing, I will cut you down where you stand if your irreverence persists."

His boiling hatred for this woman was reaching unforeseen heights. Shaodor. It had to be Shaodor. He hadn't ever visited, but he was sure now that it was a place of arrogant fools rather than diplomats, no matter what this duchess might claim. In spite of Arterion's sudden outburst, he seemed entirely in control and reigned himself in, an almost pleased slump to his shoulders. Whether his words put her in her place didn't matter, only the fact that she now knew what enemies she had made.

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

​

The had been unaware that Darnic had even entered the room and wasn't prepared for the sudden forceful jerk backwards; landing upon his rear. His eyes and body twitched towards the one who'd stopped him, looking at the person with anger until realization slowly crept over Russell. His aggression slowly soothed as he noticed it was Darnic who'd stopped him, stopped him from most likely killing the guild leader. The slayer looked down at his gloved hands, they were drenched in fresh blood and the leather was even slightly torn in places now. He stayed seated as Darnic dished out his serious advice as well as a promise, thinking over the words.

He slowly stood to his feet after retrieving and sheathing his weapons, making no moves towards the leader. He stood to the captain's left side and spoke without looking at him. "I now remember how soft city folk and townspeople are. All your laws, guidelines and punishments." It seemed Russell's exile had him reside in the wilds a little longer than one would recommend. "So what do you think it'll be then; hanging, beheading? Either way I'm sure it'll still be too quick and painless for the likes of him." The question was more rhetorical than anything as the man didn't really wait for a response as he stepped right in front of Darnic and scowled straight at him face to face. "I also don't need a damn lecture about my anger; not from you or anyone else." His tone of voice than began to lower. "I'm not one of your damn zealous soldier boys."

His scowling expression then dropped into something more neutral before shifting to a tiny smirk as he backed off of the captain. He wouldn't admit it but Darnic had balls that was for sure and the slayer appreciated that. Russell saw them both as hounds, they were similar though there was one clear difference to the slayer. One of them wore a collar while the other didn't. Funny enough even Russell wasn't entirely sure which of them was truly collared; himself or Darnic.

With that all good and done the slayer began making his way towards the stairs, stopping as he spoke. "Oh, by the way, none of them yielded."

@Akashi

 

[Starlighter]

Catching the subtle motion of Kieran's head, Lucretia slowly eased back in her seat, acknowledging it with an almost nonexistent flick of her eyes. She inclined her head slightly to peer at the Duchess, her hands drifting to rest on the arms of her chair, and her left index finger began tapping lightly while an amused grin briefly flickered across her face. While at such a sensitive stage a declaration of how deeply she already despised the Duchess would serve no purpose, it was satisfying to witness the unleashing of Arterion's wrath.

She allowed a moment for Arterion's outburst to settle before speaking, addressing the Duchess. "You have the potential to rise far higher in the world than you have already, if you are willing to continuing working as hard as you did to get where you are. I hope that you will consider this nothing less than an opportunity to continue climbing; by helping us, you help yourself."

She lapsed into silence, glancing in the Emperor's direction. The implication the Duchess had made about her recently deceased guards as spies for her uncle had sparked an idea that she wished to present to him in private. It would be a pity if the Duchess was smart enough to suspect something, yet Lucretia would expect no less, however little it mattered in the end. ​

 

[Rae]

Morrigan Saval || Duchess of Rynal​

Morrigan smirked when Arterion allowed his anger to show. How brazen. She'd riled them up just enough to illicit a response, although she noted that the woman managed to keep her expression entirely neutral. A skilled spymaster indeed. Before they could find reason to follow through on their threats, she returned her gaze to the emperor.

His subtle actions did not escape her notice, as he purposefully allowed her to see the arcane scars that marred his arm. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the gesture, knowing full well that she was treading on thin ice now. The emperor's next speech, however, was enough to rile her up. Her right eye twitched as the room became noticeably colder--to the point that every breath was visible. It took her several moments before she finally found control, although her anger still raged like a typhoon.

"I do not give a damn about your threats, Emperor. Do not pretend to know what I think, and do not try to use the name of my uncle against me. I am not a fool. I know very well that I am not the only one who suffered to gain power and status." With those words, her expression finally shifted into neutrality. Although malice lingered, she knew it would get her nowhere to throw insults. If anything, it would cause her own death.

"As for your propositions, political marriage is the most agreeable for both of us. I would sooner end my own life before being held hostage, and my uncle is a stubborn man when it comes to alliances and agreements. If you want this to end peacefully, then marriage it should be." The words tasted like poison in her mouth. She was not foolish enough to think that she would retain any sense of independence in a political marriage. The position she had fought long and hard for was now crumbling away at her fingertips--all because of these bastards. But it was better than being a helpless hostage.

Her mind drifted briefly, remembering a time when marriage was the only thing she had to worry about. She remembered her dead fiance's face but only as a mere shadow of what it truly was. The flames had burned away her family, her love, and her soul. She would do whatever necessary to stay in power, even if that meant marrying this son of a bitch.

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Kieran Gareth Throauldr, purple, solid, 12, book antiqua]

The emperor's focus went to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder before giving a slight nod to the spymaster. Kieran rarely saw his childhood friend so enraged, even on the battlefield. This woman was so close being killed, they'd be in open war by morning. His grip was tight, not enough to dent the armor but to the point Arterion knew he needed to calm down and let some of the rage boiling inside him go.

He contemplated the drop in temperature and its fluctuation to normal- it seemed to eminate from the woman. Was it magic? It seemed to be the only answer. In others who had magic potential on that scale, he had seen the volitile unleashing of such kill both the caster and many innocent bystanders. It was paramount, the emperor thought, that he train the woman personally. If this woman had gone so long without any sort of magical instruction or training, the chance that some sort of dealt incident could occur was too high for him to ignore, although he'd speak to his advisors about it before he went forward with such a thing. If he taught her too little her arcane outbursts could remain an incredible threat, and if he taught her too much she could potentially overpower many who served him and possibly even the emperor himself, although this might take years depending on her innate apititude.

Still, he had to focus on the task at hand.

Clearing his mind and putting his fist from his friend's shoulder to his throat as he cleared it, the emperor spoke simply and cut no corners. "Then, assuming there are no major objections from my closest advisors here, it shall be so. The terms of the marriage, the dowry, et cetera, will all be agreed upon before we swear an oath of betrothal to each other. After all, it would be better to have your uncle's blessing, as unlikely as it may be, but we need move forward regardless. The true treasures of this empire are the people within, and I mainly ask that when you are raised to the imperial purple you act with their best interests in mind. But still, you remain as my honored guest until the oaths are exchanged." There was a brief silence. "The imperial spouses have always shared power with the imperial blood, but only the imperial blood may be the overlord. You will be my equal in all but few areas of tradition and ancestry, but there is much to be done before the people consider you one of their own."
[/fieldbox]

 

[Dipper]

"Marriage…?"

A contemplative silence fell over him at the word, a mild discomfort stirring in his chest. He turned to Lucretia with his head cocked as if to ask if she'd heard the same as he, or if he were simply going mad.

Lineages were the least of Arterion's concern, yet that didn't stop him from concerning himself over the potential backlash this would cause once word spread. He could only hope their love of their nation overcame their fear of change, no matter how much he himself despised the arrangement. And if Shaodor were to become an ally…

… By Arterion's estimation, they wouldn't last long in a fight, but they were ferocious in their own right. Perhaps exploiting their resources in peace would be easier than wasting men to maintain control.

Arterion once more looked to the Duchess and ground his teeth audibly. He skirted the edge of the desk and strode toward the Duchess with an eerie calm so he could look into her eyes. His imposing stature notwithstanding, Arterion's voice was soft. Deceptively so.

"If you'd prefer to meet your gods early, simply let me know. I will always be nearby."

Once his hatred of her had been properly sated, Arterion turned back to the Emperor. "If you will allow me, I can take her back somewhere safe until we depart. The Lord's rooms should suffice."

 

[Akashi]

Despite the Slayer's response to his words, a sigh escaped his lips. The leader of the guild was broken by the poor state he was in. "Then don't act like one.." Turning around after giving Russell a look, he grabbed their prisoner by the collar and dragged him, and threw him just before the exit.

"Stand up and walk.." Darnic ordered, and the leader whimpered, listening to what he said and did so. The Guild had been defeated, and those who surrendered, lived to see another day. The same could likely not be said for their leader, but that was for the Emperor to decide.

Pushing him, the leader walked. Crying in the process, there was no way out for him. Ignoring the Slayer, Darnic walked past him and outside the building. The people of Ildir rejoiced when they saw the result of their attack. They were victorious, but this was just a small fry.

Eventually, Darnic made it to the Emperor. Opening up the doors, it looked like their leader was well settled in his new, temporary home. "As requested, your majesty, we've brought you the leader of the Merchant's Guild." Kicking the latter, he fell down on his knees.

@AceSorcerer @BlueFlameNikku

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

​

When Russell had walked outside and followed Darnic as he seemed to be ignoring him now; the slayer was mildly surprised at the change of tone from the people of Ildir. Perhaps now they were seeing that this empire wasn't all demon tales and nightmares. A subtle smile would creep up on the slayer's face. It brought back pleasant memories for him; memories that were before his exile. Maybe he still had some chances to make new pleasant memories with these people. But there was still something he had to confirm before he made his decision; whether to truly call the Vraenor empire his home or not. He had to see the man who leaded them, see the man who presumably put Russell in his current position. That would be the deciding factor.

Russell continued to follow along until he was stopped at a doorway that Darnic had opened and entered; two imperial guards crossing their weapons barring the slayer's path. He could see past the obstruction, a room filled with a fair amount of people who all looked for lack of a better word...important. Russell glared at the two guards, clenching his leather gloved fists. There were many things the slayer wanted to say and or do a lot of things to these two guards that he was sure would only further hinder him at the end of things.

He held his tongue and chose his words more carefully. "I was apart of the operation that took down the merchants guild."

The guards didn't move or respond.

"I created the plan that we used to assault the guild?" Asking in a more unsure questioning tone.

Still no response whether they didn't care or didn't believe him, Russell was unsure. Either way the slayer was getting more irritated by the second and so were the guards at this point.

Russell gripped his right fist tighter and grit his teeth, his voice raised slightly more than his prior sentences, clear with anger. "I'm the one who beat that fat slaving piece of shit within an inch of his life for killing an innocent woman right in front of me. I need to see what's going to happen next."

What happened next surprised Russell. The guards told the slayer to stay where he was and to not enter the room beyond. They uncrossed their weapons but stood closer to each other at the edges of the doorway. The part that calmed Russell down was the realization that they didn't shut the doors. He could hear and see into the room though admittedly it was like being in the cheap seats at an event but it seemed the last part of Russell's plea truck a cord of sort. It wasn't ideal but the slayer would contempt with it for now; putting the guards at ease as he visibly relaxed and observed.