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[Ardas]

The Royal Feast...

The Great Hall of the keep was abuzz with activity. Chevaliers, barons and ladies of low and middle nobility filled the place, with servants and retainers complementing them. Everyone wore ornate dresses and clothing: from furs of the north to the silks to the south, in all colours and styles.

Among them Edgard, opulently dressed in Ralkarian silks and with a gold chain with Arborvent tree in pearl adorning his chest, alongside his two sisters and four brides. Even though his Arendalis alliance was a sealed matter, some form of "fairness" to the other brides had to be displayed. This was also the chance for Eleanor and Elise to make final impression on Conricht brothers.
Although Albert seemed taken in by Elise, either out of genuine interest or because he sensed that it was his duty to do so, Eleanor still was "free" from any suitors, although she herself eyed Prince Richard.

Everyone awaited Albert and his opening address, eager to see who will be chosen for queen consort in the course of this event.

Spoiler:  De Arborvent Sisters (click to show/hide)

Elise de Arborvent -Edgard's older sister, younger than Albert by 2 years. [4] Her green eyes, auburn hair and pleasant smile are enough to make her an enticing bride for most. [5] She is well disposed towards Albert and others in his court, knowing well of her position and future arrangments. [4] She received standard eductation and does not fall short of other ladies and stewards, capable of handling her affairs and eager to do more.

Eleanor de Arborvent - At 19, Edgard's younger sister is also without a suitor. [5] Although superficially similar to her older sister, she manages to surpass her. With blue eyes and the same auburn hair, beautiful neckline and trademark Arborvent smile, she is considered to be among the most beautiful in Arborvent court. [3] She remains polite and composed, but she is yet to be approached by apropriate suitors. [5] It is undeniable that she is also the cleverer of the two sisters, serving as Edgard's eyes and ears among the nobles, capable of doing a lot by using her wit and her looks. Carrying out steward duty bores her, although she can handle it with ease.

[micelus]

A camp had been hastily erected at the entrance to the valley. Comfortable enough that the men didn't complain, cramped enough that everyone had to share tents. Safety in numbers of course. An ice drake did more damage to a more spread out camp than a centralized one, after all. The peasants and camp followers had been busy preparing meals and racks as well as any other equipment needed for processing drake corpses. The clan lords and Osir himself had been busy thinking up plans on the hunt.

"Now Revechig, I've been in hundreds of hunts before and its always a good idea to hit the drakes from all sides. They can't attack everyone, you know."
"Well I t-"
"Pah, only cowards would do that! A drake should be fought in a duel; they're noble creatures after all."
"What has your father been teaching you? Drakes are just beasts, nothing noble of em'."
"Really? Well we keep a drake at our hall and he's the smartest little thing I've ever seen sur-"
"Let's get back on topic. Boy, Thane Askuir knows this more than you know. We'll follow his plan."

As the discussion continued, a messenger came.

"My lord, horsemen. From Northwatch." Osir looked at him. Clearly tired.
"Hm? Guess he changed his mind. Come on, best be greeting him."

And so, Osir, with some of his clanlords, went and met with the marquis and his cavalry.

"Marquis Lionel, change your mind, have you?" His clanlords were nearly completely oblivious to what Osir was saying; he was speaking in Adranic right now.

[Tiruin]

Renart rode up to the fore of his guard, saying something quick to the leader, (I told you to be discreet, not to tell the messenger!) before meeting up with the Comte.

"Greetings fellow Lord, and yes. I have. I just wanted to note something between our vassals -- peasants and all, but that will have to wait. More pressing matters reveal themselves."

He couldn't help but angle his eyes to the men behind Osir.

"Does your motley collection of people explain your reason of hunting in my lands without warning? I'm quite sure my messengers were dispatched with the promise of speed, but didn't expect a return this early."

He held up his hand as a warm gesture of greeting.

"Let us hunt together, my fellow. I wouldn't have given this up for anything. You are attending the Summer Feast, right?"

And questions for later on.

Proceed with Osir's hunt, if he wishes.

[micelus]

Osir took the marquis' hand and shook. Such an Adranic gesture.

"I wasn't planning to...but my steward tells me my men won't be ready till autumn, so I guess I will be."

Osir released his hand and looked at the regiment of the marquis.

"A bit much for a a little hunt, but your choice."

Osir walked back to his men and told them, in Haegar, that the marquis was helping after all, with a little joke about the marquis' indecision.

Turning his face to Renart, he said, "Well, come on. A hunting we shall go, as the rhyme goes."

Hunt the drakes with Renart.

[Caellath]

Before the feast...

Idleness wouldn't take him anywhere, and even if the exercises and minor smithing jobs could give him minor distractions, the blacksmith knight needed a way of starting to prove himself useful to the kingdom.

Finding no reason not to ask the King about the possibility of an assignment being granted to him or asking about permission to take part in the drake hunt otherwise, Talinth stopped wandering around Stormstead and moved towards the royal palace, quickly getting to the stone building he had once visited.

Once more, he stood in front of the soldier guarding the place, Sahainn following close behind.
"Is the King holding audiences at the moment? he asked the person in front of him.

[Dwarmin]

"Is the King holding audiences at the moment? he asked the person in front of him.

"For you? Certainly. Head right in, Saer. The Kings in the Aerie* today-a bit of a Hike, but easier to find..."

*The Aerie-the highest and central tower of Castle Windheath

--------------------------
During the Feast...

The King stood up to get everyones attention. He was dressed, as to be expected, in regal finery-but he seems to have left out of the some frills approved of by the older generation, preferring comfort and rakishness over tradition. Which is to say, he's dressed like a young man.

If Richard attends, it might amuse him to see Albert is still wearing the long, thick black and gold embroidered cloak he favored on their nights together, chasing the women of the docks and raising Hell-Albert always called it part of his 'Dashing Ensemble'. It seems some things never change.

...

"Welcome All, to Windheath Castle-My Lords, Ladies, esteemed guests from far Lands...

I will be brief, for this is much to do tonight!

This feast, I hope, will give you all a time to put on your best front-for tonight, is a time for Wisdom and Beauty to shine, hands to be offered, and we would hope-for Love to bloom.

Let your hearts be merry-this is a night we look toward our futures, and whom we will spend them with. Let's hope we all choose wisely!" The King says, offering a toast.

The Game is on.

Albert walks over to Eliza's table first, offering his hand. He liked her-quite alot. She was an excellent dancer. It would give the other women (he intended to dance with a few) a fairly high bar to clear.

"My dear, might this King humbly request your first dance this evening?" He says, removing his hat with a smile.

Action: The King offers to dance with Eliza first.

[Shootandrun]

Try and track down a more skilled spymaster for personal training.

[4] You gather rumors and information, and in the end there is no doubt left in your mind. [6] The best spymasters of the known world are here, in Windheath; they go by the name of the Spiders, and are the greatest crime lords of their time.

Hunt the drakes with Renart.

[3] Your men go down into the valley, but you fail to find prints - there is no snow at this time of the year, sadly - and your dogs cannot find any scent. [1] The alternative strategy of sending riders into the woods to try and force the drakes out of their hiding is just as successful; riders start disappearing. [6] Your men explore the woods in larger parties, determined to find their prey. One of the bands [4] lead by a clan lord falls behind.

No member of that party returns to the camp once the night falls. Frost drakes are hunters, like men, and some in your band start wondering who is hunting who.

Attempt to explain to the peasents that I own these villages now and ask the king for some documented proof

Use Ban Yi Soong's ship as bargaining tool. Tell them it is a Merchant ship, and remind them what it has.

[1] The bandit moves faster than you have ever seen anyone move; he takes out a club from his belt and hits you square on the head. You hear a vague buzzing noise and fall to the ground, blood falling before your eyes. As you lose conscience, you hear the man's words...

"Trying to negotiate with a highwayman in that situation... I'm nearly feeling sorry for..."

[1] You wake up in a clearing in the forest. The bandits have left you your breaches, and nothing else. You have no idea what time it is, or where you are. [5] Someone left you a note in the clearing, however. It reads "Road that way" and there is an arrow scratched on the bark of a tree. The bandit must have been honest when he said he didn't want to kill anyone obviously retarded.

Action: The King offers to dance with Eliza first.

[2] Eliza accepts to dance with you with a delighted smile. However, just as you start moving towards the dance floor, someone rushes towards you and whispers a few words.

"Your Highness - His Majesty Charles IX and His Majesty William III have arrived. The steward slowed them down so you could welcome them at the entrance. Pardon me, my lady..."

With that, the herald half leads and half pulls you toward the door, forcing you to abandon the young lady. As soon as you are there, he quickly says a few words of apology and opens the door of the hall.

[5] The first man to enter is Charles, King of Arendalis. A tall, slender man in his forties, with brown hair and simple garments (for a king - he would still make any Duc look like a peasant), he is obviously a natural leader of men. He bows before you - a custom technically required by guests, but that no king would normally have been humble enough to respect - and speaks in a warm and flowing tone.

"Albert Conricht of Windheath, I am pleased to meet you. I wished to come here to congratulate you for your crowning, and to present [1] my daughter to you and your nobility. She is the youngest of my children, and time has come for her, I believe, to marry a man worthy of her birth."

[3] The second man is William, King of Normark. He is smaller and apparently much stronger than Charles, and he is also in his forties. He bows, but you feel that he only did so because the other royal did, and he smiles politely, if not warmly, at you before speaking.

"Albert, I am most honored to finally meet you. Like my [4] peer, I have decided to visit you to congratulate you for the beginning of your reign, and to present the ladies of my family to your kingdom. [4] With me are two of my daughters and my two younger sisters, all without a husband."

[Dwarmin]

"Such fine treasures you bring, my fellow Kings.

I thank for your courtesy, and grant you all the luxury my house can provide."

His figuring was William had come to be polite-more or less. They were already on good terms, he recalled. Or were they?

Charles on the other hand...well, he only had one reason for bringing a single daughter-he wasn't shopping around. He wanted an alliance against Donnerstein.

Action: The King greets and kisses the hand of each lady in turn-starting with Charles youngest daughter- and inviting them to the Feast. Look for any that particularly catch my eye.

[Caellath]

Still before the Feast...

The young knight nodded and entered the palace, navigating effortlessly through the castle this time - Sahainn would point the right way towards the King even if the blacksmith happened to be in doubt, the monarch's scent already memorized by the worg.

In what didn't seem to be more than a couple of minutes, man and animal reached the Aerie. Talinth approached the entrance, producing more noise than usual and announcing his intentions.
"Your Highness..."

[Tiruin]

At Osir's Camp

Renart moved up next to his fellow 'Lord' near the campfire. "A pleasant night, tonight.

"So were you sent here on your own quarry, or because you heard word from my men about our predicament with these cold drakes?" He glanced back to the tents set up by his men. "These don't seem to be the ones that plague my land, specifically."

His mind wandered onto a topic that wouldn't dwell on the matter at hand for the moment.
"And there's also a problem about our vassals. The peasantry, specifically. Skirmishes along the borders of land and such, I'm thinking about a border to settle in stone the boundaries of our lands.

[Taricus]

Of course, there was one guest that no-one could've predicted would show up, especially without their namesake...

The main hall doors swung open, revealing a very stunning woman in fairly simple garb, only wearing a blue tunic, trousers, along with a pair of leather gloves and boots. Her hair as golden as the sun, and her eyes as green as emeralds. The only true indication of her rank would be the elaborate and exquisite amulet she wore, made out of gold and encrusted with some of the finest gems to come out of the silver spines.

The "Duc" of Spirituaser, the blauritter, was indeed a woman. And Ursula was here, with a rather evil smile on her face.

The hunt was on...

[micelus]

Osir was by a fire, still thinking about the ice drakes. They had taken quite a few men already. Smart things, they were. As Osir dwelt in thought, Renart came by.

"Hm? Well, to be honest, I just came because I've never had a chance to hunt a drake before. It's just a hunt, nothing else."

And then this Renart mentioned something more serious. The problem with the absurdly loyal and yet troublesome peasants.

"Yes...a well defined border would be useful, but really do you expect peasants to well, care? Borders, to a peasant, are the things of lords and kings, a peasant cares not for such rulings unless it affects them. And so, to make this border practical, it would have to be enforced with some armed guards. That, my marquis, would take ducats"-Osir threw a coin into the air and caught it with his palm-"and organization. But if you're determined about this, then I guess you wouldn't mind spendin' a little anyway.

((While this rp is goin', here are some actions.))
1. Lay out some carcasses of a few animals a little bit into the valley.
2. Order the men to dig out a few fortifications facing the valley.
3. Gather the lords and search for any caves or obvious dens in the undergrowth.
4. Look for marks on the vegetation.
5. Assure the men that the frost drakes will be taken (+1 since they're Haegar).

[Dwarmin]

Still before the Feast...

The young knight nodded and entered the palace, navigating effortlessly through the castle this time - Sahainn would point the right way towards the King even if the blacksmith happened to be in doubt, the monarch's scent already memorized by the worg.

In what didn't seem to be more than a couple of minutes, man and animal reached the Aerie. Talinth approached the entrance, producing more noise than usual and announcing his intentions.
"Your Highness..."

The door is opened by the Kings bodyguard, who nods.

Albert is talking with another man as you enter-but they're already shaking hands-and and he makes his departure.

The King motions for Talinth to take a seat at his round table, clearly not caring for the rules of formality.

He speaks aside to his guard-a silent seeming man wearing an eyepatch.

"Alonse, go get the kitchens to provide a repast for Sir Talinths hound. From what I can recall, Worgs like the taste of Beef best of all."

Which is to say, it made the best bait for traps. But he didn't say that part.

"Well, speak Sir Talinth. Is this perhaps about the wedding feast tonight?"

[Shootandrun]

Richard politely bowed before the two other kings, then kissed the hand of each lady, in the same order as his brother. Since his rank was technically that of a duc, he knew he did not have much hopes of getting the hand of one of the daughters, but William's sisters remained valuable targets. He thought about inviting one to dance, but decided to let his brother deal with the royals alone for the first few minutes.

As he was trying to find Duc Edgar and his sisters, another woman entered in the hall. He did not recognize her, but he knew she was a woman of high rank - a duchess, as indicated by her amulet. He mentally reviewed his knowledge of Adranic nobility, but he could find no one who fitted her rank and appearance. Still, this was good news - a duchess visiting such a feast was a duchess seeking a husband. He walked towards her and, following the custom, kissed her hand.

"My Lady, welcome to the King's feast. His Highness is busy welcoming the royal families of our neighbors, but I am certain he will be available shortly. I am Richard Conricht, Duc of Altaregia and Prince of Windheath. However, I must admit I do not know who you are, despite your birth - and your beauty."

[Taricus]

"I full well know, Richard. 'Tis not as if we haven't met before. I assume you're familiar with the Blauritter?"

Ursula cracked up a snarky smile at Richard. This would certainly be amusing...