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Tribunal
Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 10:45 pm
by Taelian
35th of Frost, Year 119; Late Evening
...Continued from here.
"Taelian..." Lethiril smiled softly, shaking his head as if to dismiss the Siltori's worries. He placed a hand upon Taelian's own, stroking his fingertips along the edges of his pseudo-transparent silver lines. "You're not in danger. The woman who you mentioned finding in the woods; the one who saved your life, she is the one who brought you here. She... is someone I know very well. A mage of Atinaw, like me, and a powerful one at that. I asked her if she would watch over you in the coming days. I felt... worried for you, about something like this occurring. Fortunately and unfortunately, I was right when I was."
The Elf blinked, staring into Lethiril's eyes until his gaze lost focus and his eyes darted back and forth between the bridge of his nose and the edge of his cheeks. Taelian's gaze narrowed.
"How did she... kill a Cardinal so easily?"
"She's strong, Taelian," he said. "Stronger than both of us. She's been around a lot longer, and she's originally from Daravin. That place... if it's good for nothing else, it crafts excellent magi. Masters, boundless among the Valran and Entente; she in her time was among the best of them. And now -- she... she came to me a few years ago, in Grimholdt. I've been allied to her ever since, and now Taelian, she and I reconvene every so often. Would you like to meet her, my friend? A better way than last time. She has wanted to meet you since I told her you were still alive."
The Elf frowned. "Her name?"
"Éloise," Lethiril responded. "Full name being a lot longer and more complicated. She's an Elf, like us. Half-Hytori, but she does not see it that way. She sees all of us as fundamentally from the same strand -- the same blood. Just... scattered by misfortune. The things she knows, and all that she has to say; it's quite profound. I think you ought to introduce yourself."
"Is she downstairs?" the Ebon Knight replied.
"Yes."
"Then... I'll go."
And he did. Down the steps, slowly, with a fury of dizzying sensations assaulting him. He felt he was on the verge of collapsing, midway down the stairwell, until eventually he refocused himself and took grip of the rails. Once entering the foyer proper, he turned the corner and saw the back of her head from where she was, seated in the kitchen. He stepped toward her, and the woman pulled out her seat and rose to meet him. She had caramel colored skin, with dark freckles all across her complexion. Her eyes were teal-colored, her hair long, a medium shade of brown. She was beautiful, undoubtedly, and dressed elegantly. Differently than before. She wore a long, regal dress like that of a Noble, dark blue in color with golden embroidery strewn across.
Upon the back of her hands were gold, embedded designs, natural to the Hytori... though she was only half. It explained why they were not more numerous and exuberant, though somehow the simplicity of the design did well for her.
She was a truly compelling sight to behold; a mixture of Noble, aethereal, human and yet with Elven features and grace. Taelian introduced himself with a nod, rather than with speech. She nodded in turn.
Re: Tribunal
Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 11:03 pm
by Taelian
"It is good to see that you survived to come this far," she said. "I heard you survived Daravin, as Lethiril did; the place of my home, and the place in which eastern Elves are harrowed and left to die before they can transcend in the wider world. You have done well for yourself, to still be alive. But it cannot last."
Taelian's gaze softened, as he exhaled. He appeared... tired. "What do you mean?" he inquired.
"You have grown powerful of late. Your first Cardinal, killed at your lonesome; you have adopted Summoning so quickly, calling Marghozad already to your side. A skilled Pyromancer, a skilled magi in general . . . but mages who ascend so quickly are faster to drop. The heights to which you rise always place the burden of gravity upon you as you fall. As I'm certain you've heard before."
"And so--" he attempted to interject.
"And so," she continued, "...I wish to offer you advice. You seek power within this establishment. I know you have had private discourse with Lady Sahfri, and that in some indirect way you have formed a connection to Kalzasi's structural foundation. The prince, indirectly, through his lover; perhaps soon you will love the prince himself. I know not whether your decisions were intentional, but people whisper. A strange and sudden Ebon Knight like you, weaving his way into the court of a foreign land... and such a talented mage? You will draw envy and ire. They are so rarely a fond combination."
Though she allowed him a moment to speak, Taelian did not. He instead listened, allowing her the opportunity to continue to weave her tale. He was curious of what she wanted, and what she meant to say to him. It was all a great deal to contend with; everything this night. He was overwhelmed.
"I was once in line to become a Lord. But I learned that mages are not meant to be in power; not in name, at least. The people are too suspicious of us. Elves, even moreso, for we bring with us the potential for avenging wroth. I have learned, Taelian, that the place for an Elven mage like us is in the bedlam of a Noble's court. As advisers; as watchful eyes. Spymasters and weavers of plots. Whether we love our Lord or plan to betray him, we must carry a Lord all the same, and we must never place ourselves in the position to be rend adrift at the end of a guillotine. I can teach you, Taelian, how to become a skillful magister of court."
The Siltori looked at her, confusedly. He did not understand from where all of this came. "What makes you think I want to be some... court mage?" he asked.
"Your desire for power," the woman said. "I know that you want it; perhaps not even to the extent that you really do. But... if it is power that you want, it is I who might help you acquire it, young Ebon Knight. Our people have remained in either the shadows or the fields for too long, wincing from the master's whip or planting the seeds for his crop. We must now command our own fate."
Re: Tribunal
Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 11:26 pm
by Taelian
"...I have founded a magical academy of sorts, near Kamdin in Atinaw. It is called Melitene. I was hoping to invite you to come there; to be a student of mine. It is where Lethiril learned to properly Summon, though I will admit, his magical talents are not incredibly robust."
Taelian almost laughed, though the tension caught the humor in his throat. It was true; he noticed that Lethiril had not progressed much. He appeared to be stagnant at the level of a lower-intermediate, and had expressed several times that he remained unable to even partly commune with a Tyrid Archetype. Meanwhile, Taelian had progressed far more.
"More than that, I would teach you how to become a skilled navigator of court. To join the service of a Lord and to let your desires funnel through him, disguised as his own. I would dress you properly, teach you etiquette, inform you of the regional politics and then beyond; I would allow you the opportunity to go where you please, though we would remain connected through a Transpositioner's eyes. You would become a powerful man, Taelian. You would hold all of the opulence you require, whether that be some or none. And more importantly, you would have the means to enact ideological truth."
It was a lot on offer. But... she was Lethiril's friend, and slowly Taelian's trust for the Dratori began to come restored. He hadn't tried to use him, or manipulate him, in some time. And he -- and apparently his friend -- continued to look out for the Ebon Knight, to protect him from harm. Besides... he needed something like this, in the moment. A distraction, from all of the turmoil that clouded his life. Not twenty four hours ago, he had been on the verge of a breakdown from all of his deranged, jealous emotions. These ongoings... they offered him a sort of purpose. And besides -- power was what he wanted. Perhaps not for himself, but if he needed to be the arbiter through which it channeled, he would be.
He wanted to liberate his people. He wanted to shepherd Sil-Elaine. If foreign machinations were what was necessary, perhaps to become a powerful man comparable to a woman like Sahfri, then he felt he could only be considered as fulfilling his mission. Hunting individual Dranoch was not enough; he needed to do more. All of his journeys had shown him that.
"Fine," he said. "But you will teach me more magics than this. All of this -- it is not enough. And if I am to advise any ruler in Atinaw, it will be the Queen."
Re: Tribunal
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:29 pm
by Paragon
Taelian
XP: 5/5
Magic? No.
Politics: Mage-Advisers
Politics: Steering the will of a Lord
Politics: The options for a disgraced mage
Politics: Politically, Elves are treated with suspicion
Spycraft: Forging A Conspiracy
Spycraft: Court Spymasters
Location: Melitene
Location: Kamdin
Comments: I like Eloise. I like where this is headed. I'm getting very Brotherhood of Sorcerer's vibe. I like it.