While most inn rooms have just a simple bed or two and a nightstand, this is different. A huge double canopy bed takes up quite a bit of space. There is a lavish sofa with a small table to it and a comfortable chair. There is also another bigger table with well-made chairs, usable for eating or working on. In addition there is a fireplace, though in the heat of the day, that is not needed to use. There is also a tapestry on the wall depicting a lush pasture overlooking azure sea on a sunny day, quite the harmonic picture. In one corner is a brass
Once they get into the room Acharn quickly chants a minor incantation while waving his hand in a sweeping motion.
-
"V̢̛͙̣ͬͪͭͥͅa̫͚͐̆̾͌̈̚s̥̣̖̺̣̹̈͋͊ͬ͠k̮̫̙͉͂̑͌̎ͦ̕͟ ̡͙͔̣̘̟̅͌̃ͦͥ̈͟ͅb̤̮̻̲̝̼͈́̍ͯ͋͌͞o͇̓͂̿̓ͩͦ̇̓̕͢ŕ̉ͩ͏́ͅt̴̙̬̑̓͛͂̋͑͂ͥ̐ ̝̜͋́̋ͥ̏̕a̠̦̗͚͖ͤͥ̍̉l̶͚̟̦͈͖̞̜͇ͪ̉̑̋̃̿̄ͥ̐̕l͕ͩ ̃̋͌̀̒̒̈́̚҉҉̮͖̳̣̼͓̪̞d̸͚͙̟̲̍̈́̍͑̏ͤ̄̄r̛̞̍̈́̽͟i͋ͣ̀͏̗̖͚t̯̫̦̞̫̜̿ͥ͗̈́̓̅̍̈́͊ṯ̸͈̞̟̞̠ ̫͕͚͂͛ͯ̏̿͌̈́̂ ̗̺͕͕̺̙͌̅̆̃́o̬̬̭͐͐̏̄̋̿g̶̶̥̦͐̇ͮͤ̚͡ ̮̞͕̲̣̓m̷̳͇ͦ́ͨͬ͒̋̑̕ø̧̙̩̯͙͕̻ͮ̏̓͋̀͞k͚̖̼̙̗̭̦̺̔̚k̷̨̳̜̭̱̝͍͊̊̔͌̚ ̞̭͈̘̭͖̑̃̄̏̆̓ͪs̷̩̥̣ͮͤͩ̂ͣå̖̣̟̠̜̱̩͕ͣ̌ͧ̐ͪ̑ ͉̮͙̠͛̈́̓̈̈ͣ̚ͅv̵͈͙̱̫̇ͭ́́̊̋̔i̴͈̰͚̜͌̈́͂͋̍͜ͅ ̞̀̃k̗̭̠͔̏͐̿̂͒a̶̧̘̤̬̖̞̙͂ͯ̉̋͐̄ͦ̇͝n̶͂͏̟̫̫̟ ̱̩̫̜̣͉̘̍͆̆̽̇̐̓f̹̭͎͛ͩ́͂̅ø̸̳̼̤̠̠̲̹͋̌l͈̻̊̈̐ͦeͣ̑́͒̂͒ͦͩ̚͞͏̠̳̼̟̗̜ ͈̣͐̈́̚o̖̭̳͚͉̩̙̽̄ͭs̳̎̊s̵̨͎̲̩͊ ̨̭̩̟̘̙̦͎̱̜ͥ͊̌̀͝b͒͘͏̫̫̥͕͔r͖̥̫̠̮̊͐͆̄̌ͬ͝a̹̖̭̟̤̝̥͙͓ͤ̆̇̔̋̂.͖͌̂̇͐̓͊͂͒͠"
-
He then looks over at Triel and makes all the sweat, grime and dirt of the day disappear from her, making her as clean as if she had bathed and scrubbed for an hour, but without any of the soreness that comes from cleaning thoroughly. Once she is clean, he repeats the process for himself and his gear.
"Prestidigitation is always nice for keeping things comfortable." He comments as he starts removing his pack and weapons, a couple rapiers, a morningstar and a huge lucene hammer as well as a trio of chkrams.
"So, do you want to jump right into discussing things, or should we wait until after we have eaten?" The elf inquires.
Triel feels a prickling sensation along her skin as Acharn's magic tries to take hold.
Oh--right. Forgot about that.
With some concentration, she's able to force the prickling sensation to continue, letting her clothes and skin be refreshed and made clean.
"Mmm." She starts setting her equipment aside--her backpack, her scythe, a hand crossbow, a knife and a club.
"If you'd like, we could start now." Triel looks around at the suite before taking a seat on the sofa. She sinks down into it a bit.
More luxurious than my room back home.
Acharn has seen plenty of lavish rooms in his time, even if he hasn't been in the richest environments since the fall of Kyonin. However Triel is still new to him. He studies her as they settle into the room.
The more I look at her, the more beautiful she seems. Before this I never thought I would be attracted to dark skin like hers. I'm seeking vengeance from the drow, not to make love to them. Yet she has been wronged by her people too and is working against them. That puts us on the same side. Then it's not so bad that I feel attracted to her.
The way we are going about this, together, almost makes it seem like we are something more than just people who met this morning. I kinda like the idea of that.
Acharn smiles slightly as he sinks into the recliner next to the sofa. Before today it was been a long time since last he smiled, but in her presence he has smiled twice already. She's of the same mind as me, not wanting to waste time when we can do stuff instead.
"Let's get to it then. I asked you a question previously, I would still like to know how you would deal with things if we do end up in a fight. Of course it's not fair that I'm the only one asking questions. Feel free to ask about anything you might wonder about. I already told you a bit about my fighting style."
"Let's get to it then. I asked you a question previously, I would still like to know how you would deal with things if we do end up in a fight. Of course it's not fair that I'm the only one asking questions. Feel free to ask about anything you might wonder about. I already told you a bit about my fighting style."
"Yes, that you bolster your swordplay with magic." Triel leans back into the sofa and lets her fingers play with the hem of her chain shirt. "Admittedly, I've only recently taken up some form of combat myself."
She looks over at the scythe leaning against the sofa. "That scythe there used to belong to my brother. He taught me how to use it, though I prefer to talk my way out of trouble or rely on magic to keep me safe."
"Speaking of which..." The drow looks back over at Acharn. "...how familiar are you with the occult?"
Acharn is lost in thought for a moment as he searches his sharp mind for an answer to her question. Before long his eyes light up, he puts his long slender fingers together and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, quite interested to learn more
"My education is quite thorough, and my thirst for knowledge haven't abated over the years. Even if it has taken a backseat to other things in recent years. I've found a few passages here and there referring to occult lore or something called psychic magic. I believe it uses the power of the mind. I wish I knew more though. It's quite intriguing if there is another discipline of magic than divine or arcane, because they didn't teach that at court. Is this what you use?"
Triel nods. "Indeed."
"It started out as being just a hobby on my part, really; whenever Qilué and Talice weren't fighting each other or making our family seem weak to our enemies, I spent my time in our library. Some of the books there spoke of a form of magic that didn't need words of power, strange gestures, or unwavering faith in mad gods--of a power born from the thoughts and emotions of the self." She looks down at her hand.
"The knowledge I found gave me pause for thought. If we had this knowledge, why didn't anyone in our family use it?" She scratches behind her ear. "Why didn't we employ this to, say, bend the minds of others to our wishes? Or unlock secrets that would allow us to step forward into the ranks of the true Great Houses?"
"The answer to those questions came to me swiftly. I made sure not to share what I found with anyone else; if the wrong people heard of what I had discovered, it would've spelled the end of our line... well, at least before the civil war began." Triel's demeanour turns grim.
"Hmm. You're right. They're probably much craftier than I am... not that that's saying much, eh?" Aramus chuckles and nudges Jonathan in the side, then follows after him through the crowd. The big man moves like the opposite of a ghost: where the Gardener slips through the throng without drawing attention, Aramus bumps into people and has to push them aside. Most people he's kind enough to, apologizing and trying to move past without causing too much trouble; if anyone gives him an overly rude reaction, he returns a stink eye and pushes past anyway.
As they move through the crowd and back out into the streets, Aramus muses alongside Jonathan, grunting and humming rather than speaking aloud. "Well, with all the magic, maybe they could use something... else? Something not magic at all. Seeing invisible things doesn't help if they're just hiding well, right? So maybe if everyone's so worried about magic, a regular person could just walk up and stab them."
Acharn studies Triel intently as she talks. The sound of her voice is melody to his ears. It soothes his being to listen to her. On top of it, what she is saying is quite interesting and sits listening in rapt fascination.
Finally he comments. "This sounds ominous. I can't help myself but wonder what you read. Is it safe to share? Or would the knowing itself be dangerous?"
A serving girl arrives in the room as Acharn and Triel talk. She bows her head respectfully, setting two plates set with prime cut steak and stewed vegetables on the table in the sitting room. "Pardon me sir," she says. "The chef sent me up with your meal." She repeats the small bow to Triel, though her bow isn't as low and she looks almost... afraid as she quickly makes her exit.
The guard shakes his head. "I don't believe that anything needs done ma'am," he says. "Father Makar retired early, saying he needed to cleanse his soul to deal with the heathens and Legate Kasib left right after he came back. He seemed rather agitated."
As Maximo walks out of the temple and nearly falls over as he stumbles on what seems like a large stone. However, as he looks down he sees that it is in fact a scale, nearly as large as his fist and giving off a silvery shine. It seems almost impossibly bright and polished and he can feel a warmth coming off of it. Ryx scrambles toward the scale, sniffing it curiously and looking confused, but intrigued.
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Acharn studies Triel intently as she talks. The sound of her voice is melody to his ears. It soothes his being to listen to her. On top of it, what she is saying is quite interesting and sits listening in rapt fascination.
"This sounds ominous. I can't help myself but wonder what you read. Is it safe to share? Or would the knowing itself be dangerous?"
Triel is about to reply when the serving girl comes up with their meals.
"Ah. Thank you." She nods at the serving girl and casually flips a gold piece at her before she can make her exit.
Once the serving girl has left, she takes her plate and starts walking over to the dining table. "I believe the knowledge is safe to share now, if only because the only ones who would object to it are too busy dealing with Deskari."
"As to what I actually read, well..." She sits at the table and bids Acharn to do the same. "...for a very long time, the only sorts of spellcasters in Zirnakaynin were wizards, sorcerers, priests and bards. All of whom follow conventional rules of magic--wizards, sorcerers and bards create their spells with arcane gestures and components, and priests rely on faith and symbols to act as vessels for their demon lord's power."
"The magic I discovered, on the other hand, followed no such rules--psychic magic requires no easily-noticeable gestures, nor devotion to a sadistic higher power, and rarely requires additional material components to work. All it needs is the ability to think, and feel." She starts cutting a piece of her steak. "As such, it's the perfect tool for aspiring assassins."
"Part of me wonders how long Mother had those books... and who she received them from."
"Did Legate Kasib say what he was after? Zalika enquires curiously, thinking of the possibilities as she asks the question. "If he was after either Father Makar or myself specifically, I suppose I could track him down and ask him what the issue was...does anyone know where I could find him at this hour?"[/b]
"I'm afraid I can't say," the guard says. "He came back with Father Makar and he didn't seem too keen on seeing you either. I think he might have been going to meet with someone else. I'm afraid he didn't tell anyone ma'am."
"Well I imagine if he doesn't want to see me, then there isn't really any point in forcing the issue unduly..it would probably cause more trouble than its really worth. I think I'll retire for the evening and get a good rest in this case, although feel free to update me should anything significant require my attention."
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Acharn gets slightly embarrassed as Triel tips the serving girl. It's simply not right that the woman has to pay. Money has been scarce lately though. I'll have to find some way to make it up to her.
He holds out the chair for Triel as they move to take seating around the table.
While she talks he starts eating, though he doesn't let his gaze go from her, intently following her words and studying her face.
“If what you saying wasn't so interesting, I would find it hard to follow due to the distraction of your beauty.” The noble elf says with a straight face as he puts down his knife and fork.
"This all sounds quite intriguing. I've heard about casting without components before of course, those with magic in their blood or who undergo rigorous training are able to eschew material components. There are also ways to cast spells both without moving and without sound, though both come at a cost in power of the spell and opportunity cost spent practicing other aspects." Eating is momentarily put on hold as he responds to her.
"For that to be an aspect of the magic itself, that's really neat. As you say, it could be a perfect tool for an assassin, but also for a diplomat or negotiator, wishing to sway dealing to her side. I would like to know more about it, maybe even learn how to use some aspect of it myself."
Acharn picks up his knife to gesticulate. "What we've talked about so far doesn't cover the actual effects of the spells. Coming back to the point I tried to make earlier. To succeed in battle we need to know how we can best help each other affect the outcome. For example, I got a number of different spells, but I can only prepare about half a dozen each day. For today for example I've prepared one spell to make enemies fall down or to drop things and another to make it appear is if it's night, robbing people of sight. The spell I feel that I've mastered the best is one inflicting crippling cold, robbing people of their strength and making them lethargic so they move about slower and react slower to combat. Could you share with me what me some of the things you can do?"
As Acharn waits for her to reply he starts eating again, not wanting to let the food get cold.
“If what you saying wasn't so interesting, I would find it hard to follow due to the distraction of your beauty.”
Triel just arches an eyebrow and takes another bite of her steak.
"I would like to know more about it, maybe even learn how to use some aspect of it myself."
"As would I." The drow looks down at her plate and picks up a stick of celery with her fork.
"What we've talked about so far doesn't cover the actual effects of the spells. Coming back to the point I tried to make earlier. To succeed in battle we need to know how we can best help each other affect the outcome. For example, I got a number of different spells, but I can only prepare about half a dozen each day. For today for example I've prepared one spell to make enemies fall down or to drop things and another to make it appear is if it's night, robbing people of sight. The spell I feel that I've mastered the best is one inflicting crippling cold, robbing people of their strength and making them lethargic so they move about slower and react slower to combat. Could you share with me what me some of the things you can do?"
"Nothing so fancy as that, really." Triel says in between mouthfuls of dinner. "Most of my powers can be replicated by mages or priests of similar strength--I can heal wounds or inflict them, as well as divert attention away from myself. I only have a few unique ones, such as throwing objects at people, seeing people or items that share similar power to mine, or even grant myself a rush of adrenaline to better fell an opponent."
Maximo tumbled to the floor, looking back to see what had caused him to lose his footing... and the result was odd. He stared blankly as Ryx investigated the scale, before slowly moving to pick it up. Was this...? It couldn't be, could it?
Carefully turning it over in his claws, Maximo investigated the scale silently, before his eyes glazed over and his pupils widened, darting over the object. Something about it made it glow... made it warm... made it... comforting. He wasn't sure he could figure it out, but he tried everything he had at his disposal. "...what do you think, Ryx? Do you think... it might actually be...?"
Maximo examines the scale. It seems to feel even warmer in his hands, though it stops glowing once he holds it. As he looks at it through his mage sight, it blazes with incredibly powerful holy magic for an instant before the blinding light calms down. The underlying magical aura seems to be one of enchantment. He frowns as he rotates it again, wondering what it could be. It can't be silver. Wait... could it be a scale made of platinum? Maximo suddenly realizes that it contains a powerful blessing that can be shared with anyone who Maximo considers his friend.
I wish I knew what she was thinking. Obviously our races have major differences, but just by talking together we are able to overcome that. If she likes me though, that's something else entirely.
"I'm not sure I would call it fancy. My teachers were able to preform far more impressive feats of wonder. It's useful though. Your magic sounds useful as well. It's great to know what each other are capable of, to get to know each other better.”
Acharn stops to eat a bit of the food, savoring a piece of the steak. "How are you finding the food? I quite like it. Good food always gets better in great company."
Not that I've had too much of that as of late. What wouldn't I give to have my old friends back alive?
"I'm not sure I would call it fancy. My teachers were able to preform far more impressive feats of wonder. It's useful though. Your magic sounds useful as well. It's great to know what each other are capable of, to get to know each other better.”
She leans back in her seat and offers Acharn a slight smile.
"How are you finding the food? I quite like it. Good food always gets better in great company."
Triel looks down at her steak. "...It's good."
I'm just thankful I'm not eating trail rations for once.
She resumes eating dinner, and this time she starts eating more quickly. "I've been living off of beef jerky and hardtack before I arrived here, so this is a delightful change of pace."
"I used to have food like this, or better, back in the palace." He pauses for a moment.
Your people brought it all crashing down... Though you are looking to get them back as much as me.
"That's a long time ago though."
But I'll never forget.
"Lately I've been just been living on travel rations and similar simple fare."
He savors a mouthful before continuing. "Life has been a constant struggle lately, always focusing on survival and the next step forward in a harsh world filled with obstacles. Just like at this conference is a desperate attempt to deal with the situation by people who don't really see eye to eye."
He puts down his cutlery for a moment to look her straight in the eye. "It's nice to enjoy the simpler pleasures in life for a change until we undoubtedly are tossed into the ranging river of current events again tomorrow."
An almost full smile appears on his face. "Like this food as one example..." He lets the word hang in the air while he waits on her reply.
Triel finishes off the rest of her meal as Acharn speaks.
"It's nice to enjoy the simpler pleasures in life for a change until we undoubtedly are tossed into the ranging river of current events again tomorrow. Like this food as one example..."
"...and what as another, I wonder?" Triel finishes for him.
She arches an eyebrow. "Really, you can stop being so coy about it."
Acharn gets up from his seat in a smooth powerful motion and takes a step around to Triel where he brings a hand to her chin, turning it up against him.
"The best way to unwind after a long and stressful period, is without a doubt to take part and lose oneself in the carnal pleasures of the flesh."
His hand glides up her chin and plays gently with her ear while he looks into her eyes.
"You are the most attractive being I've ever laid my eyes on. What more, we share the same goal and interest. By joining together we would get to know each other even better, could share even more, the ultimate pleasure."
Maximo held the scale quietly in his hands, it's use flooding his mind as he looked it over. This... this couldn't be from a dragon... could it? It was platinum! There was no such thing a platinum dragon... right? "...Ryx... you don't really think this is from... it couldn't... right?" Maximo looked down at his weasel for a bit, before looking back at the scale.
...it was a blessing, to be sure. He had way to fathom why it was here or how nobody else picked it up before him, but he was grateful to have it. Perhaps... he should do a bit of research. Try to figure out if it could've come from something in Absalom. Besides, it was getting late... he should head back to the Free Nations HQ. Archan! He was versed in magic! Perhaps he could tell the kobold if such a thing as a platinum dragon existed... or it anything else had such scales! Slipping the scale carefully into his pack, Maximo bade Ryx to follow him back to the Free Nations, moving quickly and quietly through the streets to avoid attention... wanted or not!
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Triel looks up at Acharn, then down at his hand playing with her ear.
She gets up from the dinner table and walks over to the sofa, sliding her chain shirt over her head and setting it down on one of the cushions.
Dressed now in a plain white top and brown pants, she turns back to him with an arched eyebrow.
"...aren't you overdressed?"
...
The Gardener tries to run off after the Spell Lord, but to no avail. The First Guard seems to be taking their job very seriously. No one is permitted to follow the Lord of Absalom as he heads to his private wing to work on whatever business he has to attend to for tomorrow.
Aramus does his best to keep pace, but there comes a point at which the pair simply can't follow Lord Gyr. "Well, a man's entitled to his privacy," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I'm off to check on some things, see if anyone else needs a guide, and then maybe get some sleep." He claps Jonathan on the shoulder again and grins. "I'll be seeing you again, I'm sure. Even if it's only at a distance!" So saying, the large hotspur sets off, making his way back into the city streets.
After a couple moments he stops suddenly as if a thought has hit him. "I never did get that bread!" he shouts, and then he bounds off once more.
The next morning dawns with a fiery sky, the sun rising almost painfully slowly and painting the air red for nearly an our at down before it fully rises. Everyone rises in their beds, safe and sound.
Zalika rolls out of bed with a sigh, noting that sun's slow rise and the uncommonly long red morning sky. Deciding that such an event probably wasn't a good omen, Zalika nevertheless resolves to be on her best behaviour, the good nights sleep had done her good and she felt refreshed and ready for what was probably going to be a long tiresome grind with the various other delegates to work out some sort of deal no-one in the end would be happy with.
Refreshing her spells for the day, she heads directly for the conference, deciding that when she saw Father Makar arrive, they could talk strategy then.
By the time Triel gets dressed and comes downstairs for breakfast, she's feeling quite relaxed and ready to face the day. Even the rays of sunlight shining in through the windows can't do much to darken her mood.
She takes a seat with the others at the inn and orders herself a plate of bacon & eggs for breakfast, looking around to see if Jonathan, Aramus or Maximo are around.
Acharn is up bright and early as has been his routine for the past century. Still, he spends the first hour of the day meditating and studying his books.
As such he arrives downstairs a bit after Triel. He takes a seat next to her and gets his own breakfast. Somehow despite the brevity of the day there is a smile on his face. His normally serious mood seems to have broken.
"Hopefully today will bring some more clarity to the situation."
When the food comes he dives into it, eating hungrily to replenish his energy.
Maximo remains curled up where he spent the night - next to the fireplace of the tavern, with Ryx wrapped around him. However, as Triel and Archan come down, the weasel wakes up and stretches itself, before trotting his way towards Triel, tilting his head up at her. Is he... bigger today than he was yesterday?
Maximo, without the warmth of his partner, edges his way closer to the fire pit in search of warmth. His arms wrap around the platinum scale he found last night, with a number of small scrolls strewn beside him. Looks like he feel asleep reading last night...
Triel looks down at the approaching weasel and breaks off a piece of scrambled egg with her fork.
"Oh, good morning. Did you sleep well, Ryx?" She asks as she takes a bit of scrambled egg and leans down to feed it to the white weasel.
Jonathan declines to come downstairs in the morning, preferring to both eat earlier than the others and maintain his privacy. His room is sparsely furnished, and the Gardener spends the morning at his desk, absentmindedly eating a sandwich brought to him by one of the inn's employee's. On his desk are scribbled notes, clearly written in some sort of cypher, that he seems content to pour over for several hours. After finishing his sandwich and not finding whatever it was he was looking for, Jonathan puts his papers away and heads downstairs, finding the others just now awake.
"I was not aware you were staying here," Jonathan comments towards Triel as he heads past her with a tray of empty dishware, "I did not expect the General to welcome you to his bedchamber so quickly; or rather, I did not expect you to accept." He gives Acharn a look of confusion, but nothing more. "I would expect you both realize the potential political ramifications for the Free Nations Alliance, and will keep that in mind during the conferences."
"Her service to the alliance was accepted by Madam Ross yesterday. Why would she not be here then? As for the ramifications..." Acharn smiles an uncharacteristic smile, at least for his old self. "It'll show everyone here that it's possible to work together if we try. That even the most unlikely of pairings can work together. People gathered here seem unwilling to talk, much less trust each other."
As for the political ramifications for myself if the other elves find out about it and confront me about it, I'll deal with that if it pops up. Hopefully that won't happen until we've started harvest the fruits of our alliance though.
Finding Father Makar is fairly simple. He's eating breakfast in his private suite, though he's happy to invite Zalika in for breakfast and a talk before they get started for the day.
The building is rather busy this morning as guards, functionaries, and others make their way around. A full squad of Eagle Knights is in full armor in the common room by the time the party wakes, while a few messengers run around the building and move in and out as they carry messages off to other places. Madame Ross is having breakfast with her aide as the group arrives. "Come, take a seat," she says, waving Acharn and Triel over, though it seems that anyone is welcome to join her. "I have a feeling you'll need a good breakfast today."
Zalika knocks lightly before entering Father Makar's private suit, spotting him eating breakfast. "I imagine that today will be a very important day for the both of us, and I wouldn't mind us both being on the same page. I'll be blunt with you, as you well know, I'm personally of the opinion of reconciling viewpoints that might be opposites, and so, I'm naturally concerned at your outburst against the Cheliax representative the previous day. I understand that you might not wish to work with him, and that their might be better or more reliable allies to work with, but please keep an open mind. I suspect by days end everyone will be forced into a compromise that no one particularly likes so from my perspective, there's not much point in complaining about it!"
"For a man whose homeland was eradicated, you are disturbingly optimistic." Jonathan hands his tray off to one of the workers, resting his hand on the hilt of his rapier instead. "They will not see this as a partnership; it will be seen as a betrayal. They are unwilling to trust each other, and without a doubt they will not trust you. They will accuse of consorting with the known dark elf spies amongst our number, of having been seduced to evil and to trafficking with demons. I care little personally for your lover's tryst, but public knowledge of it will ensure you make many enemies for us during our stay here in Absalom." The Gardener pauses again, fingers twitching on the pommel of his blade, his knuckles cracking beneath black gloves. "If that is what occurs, your exile is likely; do you wish to lose another home so soon after the first?"
Acharn sights and with a serious but rueful face he says. "You are right. People with react with a mix between incredulity and anger. Undoubtedly some will be blinded by their emotions and take rash actions. Most do not understand that to overcome the enemy we must understand them. Triel is a miracle in that regard, increasing our chances of success manyfold, though only if the different sides can be made to work together." Acharn looks over at Triel with a half-smile.
His eyes turn serious as he looks over to Jonathan. "But you understand right? Better than most I would wager. That knowing is more than half the battle."
Triel isn't really responsive to Jonathan's remarks, as Acharn has already said much to address his concerns.
She gives Acharn a stoic glance in response to his half-smile. "Thank you."
"I understand full well what you mean, but I am not a diplomat. I am, as you have mentioned previously, a Gardener. I solve problems in a more pointed manner than Madame Ross or her associates, but now is not a time for my methods of resolution." The Gardener removes his hat, setting it on the table beside him, revealing close-cropped black hair, just beginning to gray at the temples. "But those gathered here for the conference, they are not warriors, most of them. Not in the sense that you or I would consider ourselves, anyway. To them, it is a statement of personal alliance with the drow, and that will be the end of any sway you might have held amongst those gathered here."
"To me, it is simply practical to learn what you know of your people and their plans," Jonathan says, looking now at Triel. "Unless you were to become a threat... I see no reason to not ally ourselves with you, and it seems Madame Ross and the others have reached the same conclusion. But they trusted Acharn's judgment, and those I report to trusted mine as well. Others will not be so willing to accept your story."
Acharn shakes his head ever so slightly. "Some might view it that way. Others will be more open to a wide variety of interpretations. I'm not leaving Triel alone to the wolves, or her family as the case might be. But I won't flaunt us working together either. That might be enough, that has to be enough, to get at least some to listen to me. Though, just like you, diplomacy is not my field of expertise, so I'll be limited in what I can do regardless. Triel, got the sweeter mouth. Maybe she'll be able to sway someone with the right choice of words." He looks over at Triel and gets lost in studying her mouth. Oh, what a sweet mouth indeed.
"Regardless, there is not much we can do from here. Let's be off to the conference."
Triel arches an eyebrow as Acharn stares at her mouth.
She abruptly turns to Jonathan and nods. "Yes--we should be off."
"Did you have a specific question in mind, sir?" She asks the Gardener as they move to where the conference is being held.
The various groups once again gather for the conference. Security is as strong as ever, and it takes a few minutes to get inside the kee'p. The crowd is actually a little larger than yesterday, but the First Guard have the doors locked down tight. Finally, all of the delegates, save Lord Gyr, have arrived and seem ready to begin. Time drags on an the minutes pass before Lord Zaldan finally slams his fist onto the table. "Oh enough of this! I don't have time to waste sitting here, waiting for our host to get finished with his breakfast!"
Lord Tiberius glares at the younger man. "If you wish to begin without Lord Gyr, by all means. I'll be sure to have you explain why we began without the lord of the city we're meeting in."
Zaldan growls. "In case you forget, you invited me. And I will not waste my time sitting here, twiddling my thumbs."
"Enough!" the Winter Witch representative snaps. "Send a messenger to find what's keeping Lord Gyr at once. We can review the reports while we're waiting for his arrival." A functionary from the Free Nations glances toward Madame Ross, who simply nods. He runs off to deliver the summons.
"I have the first reports here," Lord Tiberius says. "The demons have made another push south and east. Ustlav and Galt are taking the brunt of the attacks for the moment..."
I wonder what's keeping Lord Gyr. I hope nothing happened to him, that would be most unfortunate. Acharn thinks as he scans the crowd for danger and waits for the ruler of the city to return.
The news of Lord Gyr's delay isn't pleasing to Triel's ears. ...how much do you want to bet that he's just been assassinated, Vindir?
Her body tenses up and one of her hands starts to creep to the handle of her scythe before she stops herself and puts her hand back down. She listens to Lord Tiberius' report as he goes on...
Zalika isn't happy at all with the meeting starting without the ruler of the city, but appreciates the compromise. Zalika is happy to listen to the report in silence. She appreciates learning what the demons are doing but doesn't have the first idea how to combat that push, and anyway, she still has her own problems to deal with