Triel nods, her expression softening a bit. "Maximo? Ryx? Do you see those two over there?" She points out the elven lady in the Kyonin-made dress, and the cloaked figure next to her.
"I think those two are my sisters--and that they mean us harm." All trace of aloofness is gone from her voice. "Part of me hopes that I'm wrong, but..."
Maximo's blood chilled as his stomach sank, the duo's gaze following Triel's lead and spying the pair she pointed out. His vision... it WAS a premonition of the future! The kobold's little mind started to race. If drow were here that meant to do harm, that meant others could be here planning the same! What if they did start something - Triel might be accused of conspiring with them! Who were they targeting? What was the plan? Were there more? How many?
Ryx let out a short hiss, snapping the kobold from his thoughts and drawing his attention. The pair of yellow eyes stared at each other silently for a moment, before Maximo nodded, pulling out his sickle and buckler. "Right. I can't panic now. Sorry." He looked up at Zalika and Triel, frowning. "Lady Zalika, if you have any security on hand, I suggest you stay close with them. Lady Triel, we should let Master Archan and Johnathon know too. Ryx and I will try to sneak in behind them. If we're lucky, they might let something slip about their intentions."
Maximo tucked in on himself and slowly moved towards the two Triel suspected were her family, Ryx quickly and silently behind him. With the crowd cover, he shouldn't have any troubling staying unnoticed, but hearing anything... that was a different issue.
"Citizen Maximilian, I am glad I could speak to you before the event properly begins," Jonathan begins as he approaches the Galtan representative. His posture indicates an old friendship, seeking to throw off any curious about what he might be doing. "Maximilian, I trust you received my earlier report, but I have managed to acquire some very sensitive and... useful information." Jonathan speaks softly, barely above a whisper. "Lady Zalika, the princess from Osirion... she has met privately with at least one other delegate; Mephiston Thrune of Cheliax. I managed to infiltrate the embassy and eavesdrop on their meeting. He seeks to install her as the head of her own reigon's alliance, as an investment for the future. No deals are set in stone here, but I believe she means to be his ally at least here in the conference."
"She seeks respite from the Burning Prince and the Firebleeder above all else. Any offers that might lend her aid would pull her away from Mephiston, though I cannot say for sure what other delegates she might have spoken with. However, given the nature of the Firebleeder, I imagine Irrisen's delegate has received a visit as well." Pausing so as to let Maximilian speak, he scans the room for other major players and whatever information he might have on them.
Maximilian nods slightly, his face not showing any expression. "I see. Your contact with Lady Zalika is fortuitous. I have yet to make definitive contact with the rest of her party. Commander Kasib is... less than open to contact from anyone who uses divine powers and there is a great deal of internal tension in their faction. I must admit, Mephiston may have jumped on a useful ally. See if you can continue to ingratiate yourself with her for the moment. I'll see how the meetings progress before making a counter offer."
As Jonathan scans the room, he takes in the other attendees. He recognizes the representatives that he's already encountered, as well as noticing a strange looking man. He's incredibly pale, with marble-like skin and sunken red eyes. His face is half buried in a black cloak and his two guards are covered head to toe in black armor. This must be Lord Razven Simion, the representative from the Tyrant's kingdom.
At first Acharn is scanning the crowd, trying to place the various people he sees in their correct faction. Just as he tries to place the elf with the robed figure Acharn notices Triel beckon for him to come over. He does so almost immediately and hears about her identifying them to Maximo. What he hears sends chills down his spine. Drow disguised as elves, demonic agents. Let's hope we manage to get something positive out of this conference after all, rather than it turning into a huge gain for the forces of the Worldwound.
"Your sisters!" Acharn says forcefully, though in a low voice so as to not raise alarm. "Having such as they here can't be a good sign." He disregards the fact that before today he would have seen the presence of any Drow here as a bad sign, he keeps making exceptions for Triel, hopefully that won't come back to bite him.
"When your house split, did they continue following the old way, or did they turn to the new one?" He doesn't want to mention anyone following Deskari out loud. That would draw ears and eyes to them, which he didn't want.
"Yes, Maximilian. I will see to it that I continue to make her acquaintance." Without another word, he disappears into the crowd, spotting the others as they search for him. He raises his eyebrows, amused. 'Looking for me? That cannot be good.' His eyes spot Zalika first moving through the crowd, moving to intercept her.
"Lady Caliana, I noticed you were searching for me?" Jonathan says, gently tapping her shoulder from behind. "Is there some way I could be of assistance to you? I noticed Maximo searching for me as well. Has something happened?"
"When your house split, did they continue following the old way, or did they turn to the new one?"
Triel glances briefly at Acharn before replying in a lowered voice. "They followed what they believed to be the strongest side--they pledged allegiance to the new way."
Zalika strides quickly through the crowd, moving at a brisk pace, and arrives on the scene just to catch the details of the tail end of the masked man's conversation with a rather bland looking man. Unfortunately, she loses track of both in the crowd, but gives a start in surprise when the Guardener taps her on the shoulder.
"Triel has spotted her family here in the conference, disguised as elves. She believes that we are all under threat, and so, I'm updating you as a courtesy, nothing more. If you are looking for someone to guard, stand with Triel, its possible that her family are here at this conference for her personally, I'll return quickly, I have my own people to update" she answers him by way of an explanation, pointing towards Triel rather than the disguised drow in question, to avoid attracting undue attention in that direction.
Zalika kindly waits until the man has finished with his questions before heading in the direction of Father Makar. Quietly updating him on the situation, and urging caution, Zalika then heads in the direction of Mephiston, making eye contact and giving him a meaningful glance until he can successfully wave her through his personal guard.
"We have a slight problem" she mutters extremely quietly, noting the many ears in the conference. "A colleague of mine has identified drow here in this conference disguised as elves, and has reason to believe that they are here to cause harm or hardship during this conference. I'm letting you know as a courtesy, although I would prefer it if no drastic action was taken as yet, as we don't know for sure why they are here, or what their plans are."
Zalika pauses for a moment, before dropping her voice even lower."More to the point however, I'd like a small favour, if you wouldn't mind", she remarks, pressing a small note into his hand. The note mentioning Zalika's feelings about the masked man, that he was waiting for her the moment she stepped off her boat upon arriving at the conference, that he had been shadowing her since then. He doesn't have a name, won't show his face, and even as early as her first meeting, hinted that he knew a lot more about her than he really should. He had insisted on following her everywhere, acting as a bodyguard, but had also just been overheard reporting to a man named Maximilian with the topic concerning Zalika. The note also continues remarking that Zalika believes that man is a Grey Gardener, which makes him a fairly powerful member of the Galt delegation, and far outstripping his claim that he was just a lowly guard back when she had first met him.
Zalika waits quietly, letting Mephiston read it, before continuing in an undertone. "I'd be very so grateful if you could check this out for me, and obviously find a way to discretely tip me off if anything comes up. Usually, I wouldn't bother, but with the disguised drow showing up, I'm looking harder at anyone unusual thats taken an interest in me, and in this case, I need to know why. Since there is a small chance this could impact on any possible negotiation between us, I thought it best to update you as soon as I could. If you decide to help me with this though, I'd request that this be done as soon as possible, as I'd prefer having an answer before active negotiation starts occurring between all factions present here."
"That is worrisome," Father Makar replies in a hushed tone. "But I must warn you against taking any immediate action. Even though the drow are not trusted, they have not been barred from the conference in any way. Only the demons are unwelcome here." He scowls, clearly not happy with this decision. "If we act against them before they attempt to harm someone or impede the negotiations, we will be the ones who are punished for attacking guests of Absalom. If you can, try to catch them in the act, then you may act with impunity to purge those foul creatures from the city."
Mephiston says nothing for a moment, looking over at his devilish adviser. The devil nods and waves over a hovering imp. Once again, he doesn't speak, but the imp flies off a moment later. "Thank you kindly Lady Caliana. I'm not surprised that they've made an appearance, but it's helpful to have confirmation."
"My thoughts exactly" Zalika replies, relieved and grateful that Father Makar had shared her opinion as to how to best handle the situation. The last thing she wanted was disagreement between she and him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To be perfectly honest, I almost assumed that you knew, or at least had a hunch" Zalika responds to Mephiston, fully aware at how extensive some nation's intelligence services were. "At any rate, I'm glad you found this useful, even in a rather small way. Please excuse me, I should reclaim my seat, on the off chance nothing happens and I still need to speak. Until next time." she finishes, giving a deferential nod before disappearing back into the crowd, meeting up with Triel, Acharn and anyone else nearby.
"I will make my way to her. I would take note of them, if possible." He watches her as she makes her way towards her own compatriots and then Mephiston, before making his way back towards Triel and the rest. 'I imagine she has caught on by now... with Acharn's slip-up she could likely piece it together... revealing myself might gain more trust than continuing this charade.'
Realizing the group is likely on edge, he makes pains to announce his presence with a bit of a cough before sliding up behind them. "Lady Caliana informed me of your predicament. Where are the two of them, and what can you tell me of the two of them?" He watches for Zalika's return, his eyes snapping about the room. "It is against the edicts of this conference to attack another unprovoked, but I might watch for any ill-goings-on. I have no... official capacity to fill otherwise, at the present moment."
Acharn's voice turns cold. "That's what I feared. Given what you've told so far I imagine you didn't part on the best terms. Undoubtly they would at the very least like to silence you if they knew about you spreading the word."
Suddenly he grabs Triel's hand and pulls her with him. Despite his great strength he tries to be careful to not hurt her. "Come with me, I'm not letting you out of my sight now, something could happen. We need to tell madam Ross and the others." He sets a brisk pace into the crowd hunting for the Andoran leader.
Zalika returns to the group, her updating done. "I spoke with the various other faction leaders, and all of them agree. As per the rules of the gathering, a first strike against Triel's family members would break the terms agreed upon by everyone that attends this conference. Furthermore, if we broke it in such an obvious fashion, all that does but encourage other nations to do so immediately after. Its important that we move carefully, and wait for the drow to act first, and then counterstrike".
Zalika lets this sink in for a moment before continuing almost as an afterthought. "Of course, if these drow do interfere with the conference, someone should probably keep an eye on Triel just in case. The last think we need is some hysterical delegate confusing Triel with her sisters...so if conflict does break out, just keep an eye out for anyone looking to twist the chaotic situation to their advantage. In the meantime, either we stick together, or alternatively, stick with your own delegation members, assuming they are aware of the situation. Short of that, just wait for this conference to fully begin I guess, I'm sure everyone will breath easier once this is all over and done with."
Triel instinctively tries to jerk her hand away from Acharn's grip, but relents as he explains his reasoning. "...very well."
Don't coddle me. I'm a drow female, not a surfacer child.
Maximo slips through the crowd, trying to get close to the elven pair. However, the man half turns as Maximo brushes a little too close to a minor functionary who gives an indignant yelp. He tugs on his partner's arm and she glances over her shoulder. She looks at the little kobold, but just smirks and continues walking. "We have a shadow," she says, just loud enough for Maximo to hear. Be on your best behavior."
Maximo frowned as he heard them speak up, taking note of his presence. Seems the element of surprise was lost... Maximo stood up as Ryx followed suit, staying close and behind his partner as he addressed the pair.
"You should be." Maximo spoke with as deep a voice as he could muster, staring coldly at the pair. Although he knew his size made it hard to intimidate anyone, his demeanor more than made up for it. He was all business. "...I have a good idea who you two are, so when you give me your answer, be sure it's the truth: why are you here, and what do you intend to do?"
"The conference is open to all, is it not?" the woman says. "We simply wish to observe and learn what the good people of Golarion plan to do about the encroaching demons."
She's mocking you rather openly.
Triel instinctively tries to jerk her hand away from Acharn's grip, but relents as he explains his reasoning. "...very well."
Don't coddle me. I'm a drow female, not a surfacer child.
Acharn notices that Triel is uncomfortable and tries to mend the situation. He relaxes his grip further, but does not let go. "If I can do something to keep you all in one piece, I will, even if you don't like it. This is a precarious situation. Just my presence might deter things, but alone, who knows what could happen..."
Before they can make their way to Madam Ross Jonathan catches up to them.
Realizing the group is likely on edge, he makes pains to announce his presence with a bit of a cough before sliding up behind them. "Lady Caliana informed me of your predicament. Where are the two of them, and what can you tell me of the two of them?" He watches for Zalika's return, his eyes snapping about the room. "It is against the edicts of this conference to attack another unprovoked, but I might watch for any ill-goings-on. I have no... official capacity to fill otherwise, at the present moment."
Acharn looks over at the masked man with a nod. "Very well, thank you. I assume you know the situation, eyes in every shadow, ears in every crowd, am I right? Is he aware as well?"
Once they do make their way over to Madam Ross Acharn is all business. He bends close to whisper to her "We believe we've identified disguised agents of the one we are here to oppose. We should be on our guards because anything can happen."
Maximo snarled back. He couldn't tell if she was making fun of him or telling the truth, but he knew one thing: Triel was worried by them.
If they worried her, that was reason enough to be suspicious.
"Not to the demons, or their supporters." Maximo tightened the grip on his sickle and buckler as Ryx hissed angrily, back arching up as his hairs stood on end. "...but I think I know part of why you're here. You're here to hurt her... aren't you? ...I will respect the city's requests and refrain from forcing you out, but you should leave while you can. Because if you do anything to harm the people here... I will kill you."
"You can try little lizard," the woman says. "But if I do decide to harm someone, I very much doubt that you'll ever know about it."
We'll see about that... Maximo thought, staying relatively close to the duo, eyes locked on them. He wasn't about to let them out of his sight. They had to be up to something. They HAD to be...!
Madame Ross leans a little closer to hear Acharn's whisper. "Keep to the rules of the conference," she warns. "But I'll make sure to double the guard. We've all been expecting spies, and this just confirms our expectations."
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Triel looks around the conference warily, grimacing when she sees Maximo conversing with the elven woman and the cloaked one. "I hope for our sake they'll be enough."
She doesn't make a move to take her hand out of Acharn's.
...feels warm. Odd.
"Lady Caliana informed me of your predicament. Where are the two of them, and what can you tell me of the two of them?"
Triel slightly nods in Maximo's direction. "Over there. One is in a heavy cloak, but has a twisted arm underneath it. I wasn't able to get a good glimpse of it, but it could've been a mark of Lamashtu--or rather, a former one. The other is the elf woman in the dress--it looks like it's undergone a few repairs."
"I will see what I can do," Jonathan says, before fading back into the crowd towards Maximilian. "Citizen, I have disturbing news. I have explicit reason to believe there are two drow that have infiltrated the conference, likely as spies or perhaps assassins. They have disguised themselves as surface elves, and one hides a twisted arm that may be a mark of Lamashtu. The kobold whom I wrote about in my report is speaking to them now, by the alcoves; I fear he may believe them to be the darkness he spoke of, if such visions are to be taken seriously." Jonathan moves to fade back into the crowd, making one last comment before he leaves. "I will keep watch on them; if they make for an assassination, I will deal with the problem."
With that, Jonathan leaves the delegate to his own business, confident he knows what to do with the information. He instead weaves his way through the crowd like a ghost, trying to make his way towards the two drow and Maximo without drawing any undue attention.
Maximilian responds only with a small nod. He raises a hand as if to gesture you closer. "You know your duty Gardener Haykes. You have my confidence in this. If you believe them to be an imminent threat, you have leave to do what is necessary and I will insure that no one asks too many questions." As Jonathan moves to tail the suspected drow, the woman glances in his direction and smiles, but says nothing as she moves to a comfortable viewing point near the Whispering Tyrant's representative.
Triel watches Jonathan disappear into the crowd.
"Don't underestimate them..." She says aloud to no one in particular.
They've survived worse than surfacers trying to kill them.
As Jonathan departs Acharn is a bit disappointed that the gardener will probably be able to do much more to affect the situation than him. Acharn is a man of action and he likes to resolve whatever problem he faces, but not all situations are possible to solve by neither sword nor magic and for those he recognizes that other have more suitable skillets. The feeling lasts but a moment though as he focuses on the fact that he have a much more important task, namely protecting Triel.
Zalika returns to the group, her updating done. "I spoke with the various other faction leaders, and all of them agree. As per the rules of the gathering, a first strike against Triel's family members would break the terms agreed upon by everyone that attends this conference. Furthermore, if we broke it in such an obvious fashion, all that does but encourage other nations to do so immediately after. Its important that we move carefully, and wait for the drow to act first, and then counterstrike".
Zalika lets this sink in for a moment before continuing almost as an afterthought. "Of course, if these drow do interfere with the conference, someone should probably keep an eye on Triel just in case. The last think we need is some hysterical delegate confusing Triel with her sisters...so if conflict does break out, just keep an eye out for anyone looking to twist the chaotic situation to their advantage. In the meantime, either we stick together, or alternatively, stick with your own delegation members, assuming they are aware of the situation. Short of that, just wait for this conference to fully begin I guess, I'm sure everyone will breath easier once this is all over and done with."
Acharn nods to Zalika. "Thank you. Of course we should keep the sanctity of the conference. It wouldn't be much of a sanctity if we didn't. Still, we need to be ready for things if they happen and take steps to prevent unnecessary danger and escalation of the situation." He then turns towards Madam Ross. "Could you send word to Tiberius and Lord Gyr. Especially the later should know as he's probably the best equipped to do anything about the situation at all given his nature as the host."
Acharn looks over at Triel, the corner of his mouth twitching in something almost looking like a smile. "I'll stay with Triel to make sure she is safe. It would be very unfortunate if something happened to the one of us who knows what they are capable of." Besides I want to keep her safe, but I can't really go telling that out loud can I?
Acharn squeezes her hand reassuringly, trying to convey his feelings to her. He notes that her hand is much smaller than his. While it's hard to tell much more through their gloves he can imagine that her hand is much softer than his which is calloused from countless hours of dueling and practice which various weapons. It further reinforces his feeling of protectiveness for her.
Zalika winces slightly as she observes Maximo and the Gardener heading for the drow. She knew firsthand how quick the kobold was to anger, and hoped he wouldn't do anything rash.
"Seeing as roughly half of us have ignored my advice and promptly split off in random directions, I think I will return to my seat and resume my usual preparation for the speeches I am sure will soon follow. I am assuming that the conference will still go ahead assuming anything less than a full scale attack, so I'll proceed in the naive assumption that the drow are merely here to spy, nothing more. There is little else I can do here in the interim anyway" she remarks, turning and heading back towards her own countrymen resuming her place.
"I'll stay with Triel to make sure she is safe. It would be very unfortunate if something happened to the one of us who knows what they are capable of."
Triel looks him in the eyes.
The corner of her mouth quirks into what some people would consider a slight smile.
"Smart of you."
Don't let it go to your head.
A uniformed man steps up to the table and loudly bangs on the wood. "Announcing Lord Gyr of House Gixx, Protector of Kortos, First Spell Lord of the Grand Council, Primarch of Absalom!" A tall man with sharp eyes and graying hair enters the room from the north end of the keep. The First Guard immediately form up, pushing the crowd back and forming a corridor for him to approach the table. He takes a seat between the Free Nations and the Chelaxian representatives. "I thank you all for your presence here today," he says, looking over everyone at the table. "Our world faces perhaps the greatest threat it has ever seen. But I see the enmity between each of the groups here today." He folds his hands in front of him. "I am not foolish enough to think that I can make these difference disappear in the coming days. I'm not that arrogant. But I am here to find the middle ground. No one nation at this table can survive against the forces that now besiege our borders. If we do not find somewhere that we can stand together, then none of us will live long enough to regret it."
Zalika shrugs. "Excuse my lack of decorum, but from someone in your position, thats a relatively easy speech to make. Sure, I'm sure that the vast majority of us recognise that the Worldwound represents a significant threat that needs to be handled, but asking other nations to stand against the hoards is asking far too much, especially when some of us have additional enemies threatening our boarders, in addition to the Abyssal forces that everyone can recognise is a major threat. I understand that you, Lord Gyr, would like us all to hold hands, sing songs and go charging into the breach together but lets to realistic, several of us wont move forward until we can be sure that we actually end this conflict with a nation to go back to".
"I am fully aware of that Lady Caliana," Lord Gyr says evenly. "If it was, we wouldn't need to call people from halfway around the world to come here and talk out their problems. The simple fact is that we have no choice. We will either find a middle ground or we will die." He sighs. "You've all had a chance to walk through the city today. Tell me, what did you see? I know what I see. I know what I've seen every day for damn near half a decade. I've seen my city flooded with refugees from every corner of the world. Be they from the lands consumed by the Worldwound, or from one of your own nations, fleeing some tragedy or catastrophe. The population of the city has risen by nearly fifty percent just from people trying to find anywhere else that they can feel safe. We are here to find a way to make this world a little safer for everyone. We can either work together to find that way, or we can give up and let the Abyss overrun everything. I leave that for the council to decide."
Zalika looks around the table, trying to weigh things up. "Well, I guess if no-one else wants to begin, then I'll start the discussion. I tend to agree with the honorable Lord Gyr that the Abyss is a huge threat..but it remains a threat that must be fought together, since I feel its a task that will require all of us. Unfortunately, its difficult for Osirion to fully commit its troops to shutting down the Abyss, so long as the Firebleeder pushes into our lands, laying waste to pretty much anything that stands in its way. As a show of good faith, I can send a contingent of our fire specialist spellcasters to assist with any other nations that might have there own...issues to deal with - its not as if they can do anything against our current enemy, but if you wish for Osirion to fully commit to this long campaign against Deskari, then I'll need some assistance to alleviate the pressure the Firebleeder is currently exerting on our military".
Zalika sits back in her chair after her minor suggestion, glancing at the other delegates to pick up anything of usefulness.
Seeing Triel smile, even if it's only slightly, sends a jolt through Acharn. It's pretty much the first time she has shown anything resembling a positive reaction to him.
As the conference proceeds Acharn finds himself unwilling to let go of Triel's hand. It feels nice holding her. To not make it too obvious to everyone around he takes a step closer to her, hiding their contact between them. "Do you think they'll try anything while everyone are distracted by the conference?" Acharn whispers in her ear.
Up close he can't help but notice how perfect her ear looks, long and sleek with a perfect curve. He feels an irrational desire to lick it, but he quickly banishes the feeling.
As the conference begins Acharn tries to keeps a careful eye on what is going on around him. He doesn't disregard the discussion, but he isn't planning to say much until most of the various representatives have had their say anyway. However between the distraction of the woman next to him and the discussions going on Acharn ends up paying more attention to those things than working to spot anything amiss.
Triel feels her toes curl as Acharn whispers into her ear.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they did." She whispers back as she surveys the crowd.
...dammit, didn't expect him to get this close. And he's whispering in my ear. Did he plan this? No, he couldn't have.
Her cheeks start burning slightly.
Maximo stared down at the disguised drow... but Zalika was needing help in the conference. Unfortunately, he could only be in one place at a ti-
The kobold paused, before glancing down at Ryx, then at Johnathon as he approached. Oh yeah! He sort of could be! ...sorta! "Ryx! Help Johnathon keep an eye on those drow. I should go help Zalika!" Ryx bobbed his head, before snaking off to Johnathon's side, curling against his leg and hissing as he found him. Maximo, meanwhile, moved up to the conference table behind Zalika, catching the last bit of the discussion.
"I have an idea!" Maximo piped up, sidling alongside Zalika and up to the table's edge. "I have an idea to help Lady Zalika AND stop the Worldwound armies at once!"
Zalika considers the urge to roll her eyes skywards but masters the impulse. "If you have an idea sir, then please feel free to share, I couldn't speak for the others, but I certainly hate being kept in suspense..."
Lord Gyr nods. "All are welcome to speak their minds today. This meeting is public to allow the people to voice the concerns they have with their leaders."
Maximo seemed kind of shocked that his idea was being so welcomed. Perhaps he was expecting more backlash that a humble kobold was speaking up.
"Uhm... well, back in my tribe, we have the big, angry burning iguana creatures called kyrana. We'd lure them around with fire to repel intruders when we needed to. So, I was thinking... the Firebleeder is already big, burning and has a bad attitude, right? So, like a really, REALLY big kyrana. We not get something that it really likes or wants, hold it in front of it, and then lead towards the Worldwound! That way, the demons are dealing with the Firebleeder running amok in THEIR home, and Lady Zalika's people can regroup and help us! Only problem is, I don't know what the Firebleeder would like that much..." He cocked his head at Zalika, hoping she might have an answer. "You have the most experience with it... what WOULD it like so much to chase after it?"
"The answer is nothing, because it exists to destroy, pure and simple. My guess is that it will probably lay waste to Orision and then simply move to somewhere else. Its impossible to negotiate or reason with, it is, in effect, a force of nature. Manipulating it, I believe, is probably harder than killing it outright".
There's absolutely silence around the table for a full two or three minutes after Maximo speaks. Madame Rose sighs and rubs her temples, but doesn't seem to know what to say. "He's not entirely wrong," Minister Mephiston finally says. "I'm not certain that we could push a spawn of the destroyer to attack where we wanted it to, but the general idea is sound. If we could redirect the beast to unpopulated territory, it would take half the pressure off the people of Katapesh and Osirion and allow them to put more resources into their war with the Burning Prince or provide support to fight against the demons."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Lord Tiberius asks. "It's one of the most powerful creatures in existence and hardly amenable to reason. The amount of sheer arcane power necessary to force it to leave would be... immense."
"...but how much power would one need to simply get its attention?" Triel speaks up, her curiosity piqued.
"My understanding is that it spends most of its time underground. Therefore it would make sense to assume that it perhaps does not have a high tolerance for sunlight. In addition, the creature was defeated by cold magic in the past, and is likely wary of it still. Engaging it with ice or water, might encourage it to roam elsewhere, although its impossible to predict where it would go. Due to its appetite for destruction, it could easily move to one of your own nations."
"We don't have to reason with it. We just have to get it's attention and lead it where we need it to go. That's what we did with the kyranas.
Maximo nodded at Triel's comment, before looking back. "Exactly! Couldn't we annoy it and get it to follow us? Like... I dunno, throw a rock at it?" Maximo asked, followed by what sounds like something between a hack and a squeak from someone in the crowd. Johnathon will likely look down to find Ryx just laying on the floor, as if embarassed.
"...well, I mean, a really BIG rock! Even if we can't get it to the Worldwound, couldn't we lure it into the ocean or something? I mean... either it would go into the water and be quenched, or just sit angrily on the shore, right?"
"Considering the creature itself burrows...I don't think throwing a rock at it would do the trick. You could try creating an entire glacier over its head, and that might get its attention but remember, this is something that is colossal in size. I heard reports that the creature literally throws lava from a significant distance. Furthermore, you can assume that the creature isn't remotely suicidal, and thus wouldn't run into the ocean. I think annoying it certainly isn't the smartest decision, but hey, if you were volunteering..."
"It's not smart, though, is it? You said it was like a force of nature. How hard can it be to trick the thing into a trap?" Maximo frowned at Zalika, folding his arms.
"I don't know anything about the Firebleeder, but at least I'm trying to help. But you and Johnathon have been shooting down all my ideas. I know they may not be sophisticated, but neither the demons nor the Firebleeder can be faced head on, so we have to think of a way to get past their sheer force. I'd like it if someone else here had a plan they'd like to put forward. If I thought volunteering would help, I'd gladly do it... without expecting anything in return, I might add. Which I'd bet is more than anyone you've spoken with here is willing to do." Maximo looked back at the other faces around the table.
"So unless anybody knows something that we could use to teleport the monster into the Worldwound... I'm out of thoughts."
"I shot down your idea because it involved 'throwing a rock at it'" Zalika responds testily, very much irritated. "I'm always open to new ideas, but your inexperience with this monster is impacting on your ability to offer worthwhile suggestions. Its about as smart as your average animal, which means that its not entirely devoid of sense, even animals know when to avoid danger. You speak of antagonising it, then fine. Piss it off, watch it hunt the unfortunate person down and then... it goes back to Osirion, where its most comfortable? Do share with how that helps my nation."
Still annoyed, Zalika takes a deep breath and noticeably calms down. "Mephiston is however, quite right. Its entirely feasible that we could drive it out if we reminded it that it is NOT unkillable. Blast it with cold magic, and while you risk antagonising it, and escalating the situation, it is also equally possible that it might simply rampage elsewhere. Of course, if you were bringing powerful enough cold mages into Osirion to defeat it, then you might as well try killing it for good, and remove the risk of it travelling to another allied nation. Personally, I'd consider enlisting Irrisen for aid, as its spellcasters are second to none in regards to cold magic. In fact, one possible alternative is using Irrisen's powerful winter magic to cordon off the Firebleeder. The winter witches have had proven success in spreading winter but without knowing the details of such magic, I couldn't say if it could be used to make Osirion an unattractive hunting ground for the Firebleeder, or even be used to trap the Firebleeder within a certain radius of land."
Triel glances at Acharn and rolls her eyes as Zalika and Maximo bicker.
"...and if employing ice magics don't work, what's your plan then?"
Aside from selling your people's souls to devils for the power to kill it, I mean.
"I mean, if it's been driven back by such power once before, and it's as intelligent as you claim, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to imagine that it'll have learned from that last experience."