"Let's get this over with then, shall we?"
"Indeed. Let's." the Butler replies stiffly, turning away from you and leading you outside. Amuis is a large city, larger than most you've seen in your time, but most of the building are slums, or uninhabited by the general population.
[3] The walls are sturdy, made from the matrix of the copper that is dredged up in the mines, and sturdy only due to their size and girth, ringing the city like some obscene, fat ring of green-streaked stone. But, you notice that it isn't manned in places, only around the palace.
[2] The guards seem...un-intelligent, to say the least, putting style over actual defense in terms of armor, and using strangely shaped, hard to make, copper-ornamented swords. They barely constitute two regiments of strength, which is divided between the palace and the general city.
[1]And, after a moment, the butler accompanying you takes you to a small cafe, where he asks veterans of several...engagements, about Dru's initial tactics and motives. Most just inform you that Dru runs terror campaigns, and slips away before anyone is any wiser as to what their strength is or how many men there are.
The young princess you've recently married approaches you, frowning as she asks,
"Duchesse Araline is visiting our city, 'dear'. Should I send her away or have her killed or something?""And we need your men protecting my city...The mercs are gone and we need defenses besides the guard."Attempt to decipher the handwriting.
Also, look into how the healing is going.
[3] The translation is slow at times, but you soon decipher the wretched hand-writing that is in the steel-bound book, revealing the writer of the book is a Hadran Grath, and he wrote it ages ago, approximately fifty to a hundred years ago.
[2]
A being of fire from the Other, summoned by magic fire, as well as vengeful spirits, possibility of rising naturally. Upon its slaying it reverts to magically charged ash. It MUST be scattered to wind or wave, or bound within a vessel of iron or it will resurrect. It's made of the aforementioned blue fire, is a bestial creature, taking the form and spirit of the recently dead to bind it to this plane...
[5] The healing is...doing well. You're up and moving, the chest wound healing up nicely after it was split open by your constant movement while battling the Black Warg. Your frostbite hand is still frostbite, but much better looking, and you can actually move it.(([2/3 hp] recovered.))
[6] The first time you pick up a sword with your gold-studded hand, pain flares through it, up your arm, to your shoulder. But minus the gods-terrible pain of it all, it seems most of the muscle, if not most of the flesh, is still whole enough for you to flex it. ((50p required instead of 100 during physical therapy))
"Your Majesty, might I suggest something? So far our trust wasn't abused and honesty is something I value. Capable men are always needed in Guard or in Watch. I suppose there could be a place found there, if you agree and he says yes."
Thoughtfully Logan scratched his beard.
Would you liked that man? Being a man of the Kings Own?
He glances up to Valerian behind his blindfold, shrugging, slightly, as he replies in the same, neutral tone of voice to him,
[4]
"I would enjoy running the Watch, personally. I have always enjoyed keeping monsters and criminals from harming the people."He pauses, looking up to Logan with a frown.
[6]
"If I do become a king's man, I have some requests before I can agree...I'm not slaughtering innocents for you, or controlling them for you. Criminals don't count, however, and neither do other mages. I do not wish to fight in an actual war, or against my countrymen, but I will if need be."
He pauses a moment, frowning, before continuing.
"I also wish to be a part of the Inquisition, if possible, and allowed to roam free without constant guards or a brand or scar or tattoo. I know I'm not in a position to be making requests or deals or demands, but I value my freedom and the freedom of other, lawful folk."[~] After the meeting with The Red King Artag of Dru, you're lead away by a surly, silent Jaklin to a small, but still cozy room. She flops down on the bed and watches you carefully, hand on her sword hilt.
[3]After a while, you're summoned by the Red King, into a small reading room, where a number of books, parchment and other things are resting on the tables. Your supplies, freshly searched, you notice, are sitting beside it, open. Nothing but anything that can be used as a concealed weapon is missing.
[2] Most of the papers that you find on the nobility are charred, or worm-eaten. The trees all end with the last generation. The dates show that before Artag took power, the noble houses were all massive, cumbersome things, all intertwined with the nation and the king's own line.
[3] The history of Dru begins after they fought off Lannica, then Amuis for their independence, their people bolstered with raiders and wanderers, their blood enriched by the strong heritage these people brought with them.
For many years, Dru has ripped chunks away from Amuis, warring with Nocte every now and then over border or trade disputes. It's larger than both, but strong noble tradition made it hard for it to do anything of note, and the nobles have, quite a few times, put another child on the throne instead of the actual heir.
Artag took control, and, his first act as a child king of only fourteen, was to slaughter most if not all of the nobles at a bloody feast, followed by waging a harsh civil war that ended only months ago and exterminated the last of the nobility.
"Finding everything alright?"