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[birdy51]

His suspicions were confirmed. It would seem that they were plotting against the Emperor. What a grand act of treason! How blind he was to this injustice! Yet, he knew these few to be honest; at least in some regards. Perhaps they could be talked out of this madness. It was clear they needed some scholarly guidance on the subject. The great old one harrumphed mightily and joined into the conversation.

: "If I may; I do not quite see what is so bad about the Emperor we have now. Yes, I've heard reports that he's a rotten scoundrel at times. But he keeps his nose out of the affairs of Garaz, and has let Garaz the Younger turn my home into a burgeoning state. Troy VI chose his general well. Now Garaz is on the cusp of a new age of prosperity through trade and commerce. My daughter can attest to that better than I can these days, but I would fain dishonor both his and Empress Helra's memory through the overthrow and death of her son now. I respect their memories too much for that, despite some of their... Less flattering moments."

[Blade Master Model 42]

"The Emperor turns a blind eye to the slavery in Kretos. In my book, that makes him scum." Suddenly, Sheila's voice took on a quality that suggested that she had learned the next few sentences by rote memorization. "Besides that, the Empire suppresses magic and magical research for their own benefit. Plus, their exorbitant taxes allow the nobility to live lives of opulence courtesy of the blood, sweat and tears of the peasant class."

[birdy51]

Miguel folded his arms in annoyance. He wasn't fond of Kretos ever since they decided to start allowing pirates to attack to attack trade ships off the coast of Garaz and horking up metal prices as a result. Those Kretosian dogs had the occupation of their coastline coming to them for their iron mongering. And magic. That was another story.

: "What the Duke of Kretos does in his domain is his business. If you wish to start a war with anyone, you may do so with that rat. I care not for his simpering kind. The Emperor may allow slavery to happen, but he has not enforced it. Secondly, magic is dangerous. It's not something that you should allow every common man to practice with. One misfiring lick of flame could set a whole town on fire, up in smokes in an instant."

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Yeah, and one man with a knife can slaughter a family, but you haven't seen the empire trying to round up the cutlery! There was a time when people were free to practice magic like any other skill, and the only thing that screwed it up was the noble classes and their stupid dragonstone wars."

"Anyway, Kretos is a part of the empire, and that makes the slavery the Emperor's business, whether you think so or not."

[birdy51]

: "You're grasping at straws. Cutlery can kill a man, but it's a vastly ineffective as a weapon. A simple platemail will stop it dead in its track. Magic is different than that. Magic pierces armor, gets right up into it and rips to shreds. You can't defend against that. A mage with any basic Fire tome will be able to accomplish much more damage than any foppish fool prancing about with a knife, even against trained soldiers. Our young lady friend with the Lightning tome might be inclined to agree with me on that."

He motioned his hand at Sonja and continued.

: "Now, there is no denying that slavery is unethical and that the Emperor is in some part soiled in the bargain. But there is not much he could do, even if he wanted to. Let us discourse. Has it occurred to you that it may be dangerous to abolish slavery in Kretos? The Duke is a coward, but he's not a fool. If the Emperor were to ever call him out on slavery here in Kretos, he would secede. War would be inevitable, and Garaz would be dragged into the conflict as well. Given the dukes... Less than honorable tactics, I would imagine that he would have no qualms against using the local population as a bargaining chip to save his own life. Hundreds, no thousands would die in the resulting conflict and the economic development of both Garaz, Kretos, and the Troian Empire would be set back as a consequence. Further..."

Miguel lowered his voice and leaned into Sheila and Leo.

: "I do not trust your commander. It's well known that the Duke of Kretos is not a man of honor. And yet she seeks an audience with him. This is an idea that I cannot comprehend. In my eyes, by seeking to align herself with him, she solidifies her own position as a tyrant. I am not blind to the way that she has treated you and your allies in these few days past. She's using you for her own political motivations. She may preach higher cause, but she's just a slave driver as anyone else. And from what I can see, you are the slaves. Why do you stay with her?"

[Haspen]

@Grifen:

Yonn and Grifen rode up the hill, following the road.

"Miss Grifen, if I may - what's your family name? I never caught the wind of that."

@Candy:

"Quest? What kind of special quest do you have on mind?"

[Sirus]

: "Ain't really got a family name, not like like most folks. Closest thing would probably be the name of the clan my family's in. It's a Masallan thing."

[Haspen]

"Oh, apologies. I've spent most of my youth on the island, so foreign customs are, well, foreign to me..." The pleasant conversation was cut short by the fact taht they were approaching the summit. A large plateau, dotted with single trees and occassional flower patches.

A pair of soldiers armed in round shields and pilums were flanking an elderly man in clerk's robes, who looked at Yonn with distrust.

"Sir Yonn... you're back. Most fortunate." He rolled his tongue a little. "I reckon the traitor Matilda have been dealt with, then? And who is this pretty lady at your side? Spoils of victory?"

"Don't you joke, Amadeus. I'm back because it turns out there was a misunderstanding. Matilda and her companions are down there and I promised them safety, so we can solve this mistake. Where is my grandfather? I need to speak with him."

"...Well, a misunderstanding it must be. I will go ask for the Duke to come and greet your friends, then." The old man went into the palace, followed by his two guards.

"Well, we're doing fine so far. Masalla, you said? How's it like? Anything like Kretos?" He asked, turning to look at Grifen.

[Sirus]

Grifen hesitated a little before answering that question. The harshness of slave labor combined with a faint but ever-present smell of smoke (from the iron mines and foundries, she assumed) left the nomad with a rather poor impression of Kretos. She opted for a diplomatic response.

: "Eh, a little like Kretos. Folks back home mine for gems instead of iron, though most of 'em are small, and there's a lot of open plain where herds of animals are raised. I hear there's a lot of trade and money in the cities, but I ain't ever been to one. So who's this Amadeus fella?"

[Haspen]

"An advisor to my grandfather and my teacher since I was youth. He is serving under Duke longer than I live. And Masalla sounds-"

A bolt fired from crossbow struck the ground between them. And then another, startling the horses.

An entire squad of bow and crossbowmen were shooting at the two!

"Run!" Yonn rode down the hill, having enough mind to smack Grifen's horse on the rear; it got startled enough and carried Grifen after Yonn before she even knew it.

@Down there:

Some stray arrows and bolts struck the ground in front of Matilda.

"The hell is happening there!?" She didn't have to wait for answer much, as Yonn and Grifen rode to the group.

"The castle guards, they shot at us! THEY SHOT AT ME!"

"What? Grifen, is that true?"

[Sirus]

The whole thing had happened so quickly, Grifen didn't even have time to be scared.

: "Sure seemed that way! I didn't even do anything wrong!"

[Haspen]

"That's it. First I'm invited here, then ambushed, then I find out that entire island seems to be after us. I've had enough, I'm going to pull the answers out of the Duke's throat. If everyone on the island will gang upon us later, so be it. But first, I want some answers, and I will have them! Leo, Sheila, others, please help me in this, hopefully, last battle. After that, you get your money, and I'm dismissing you-"

"Wait, what? You want to attack the castle? This is second largest palace in the whole Empire! You will never clear it with numbers as pathetic as... as this! You need an army!"

"Or help from someone who lived here all his life and thus knows more secrets about it than anyone else."

"..."

---

"So Yonn believed that wench, huh..." The beautiful and rather young woman leaned against the throne, pondering.

"Lady Esmeralda! Matilda and her soldiers are marching toward the castle, with Lord Yonn leading them!"

"Amadeus, go tell my dearest husband and ask him for more soldiers. My loyal guards!" She rose from the throne as the elderly advisor quickly left the throne room. "Be strong! Yonn is no longer the heir of our Duke. He is a traitor, leading assasins toward the very heart of our beloved nation. Strike him down! Put his head on a pike! Forget the fact he was living beside you for years - he has forsaken your loyalty in this very hour! Death to the enemies of Kretos!"

---

Yonn sighed, stopping at the summit. The soldiers retreated inside, seeing the armed people near him.

"So?"

"Allright. From the entrance, the door to the right leads to barracks. The throne room is behind two rooms, if you go straight through the entrance and the door to the north. My grandfather should be there. If not, he will be on the upper floor, in his study. Conveniently, stairs lead from throne room right into the area where the study is located. If you're quick, we should be able to get to him before half the castle guard gets to us."

"Great."

"And one more thing."

"Mm?"

"You will not harm the servants or unarmed people. Only those who bear arms against us. I don't want this battle to turn into massacre of innocents." Matilda looked at Yonn.

"Allright. Servants we will spare. But my mercenaries need supplies and gold."

"Fine, then they can have armories and treasuries of the castle. Not that there are many in this part of the castle; most of the storerooms are in the left and right wing." Matilda nodded and turned to others.

"You heard our friend. Killing innocents is bad, looting is fine. Help yourselves with the goods, but try to not get into unnecessary fights. Do not loiter too much. We go to the throne room, and if Duke isn't there, we search for him in his chambers. Simple as that."

The party have arrived right before the entrance to the crimson palace. A welcoming comitee of mages and archers was already preparing themselves.

"Here we go!"

//NPC: Yonn Kretos joins the party! He levels up every 2 of your levels, until 'most' of you reach level 10 (first class, not total).

~~Player Turn 1~~

Objectives: Kill the boss. After that, split into two groups (or not, up to you) and go up the stairs on the left and right from throne room.
All treasures in chests, that won't be looted by you, will be 'lost' by the end of the chapter.

Enemies stats here!

Spoiler: HP (click to show/hide)

Mercs:
Alec Slyvir: 21/21
Candy: 22/22
Efa Llewelyn: 20/20
Fezz Scordato: 26/26
Grifen: 25/25
Julius Orto: 24/24
Leopoldo Belmonte: 26/26
Miguel Cervantes: 26/26
Sheila Vega: 29/29
Sonja Lutece: 25/25

Allies:
Lady Matilda: 27/27
Raphael: 29/29
Yonn Kretos: 27/27

Enemies:
Kretosian Swordsman A: 26/26
Kretosian Swordsman B: 26/26
Kretosian Swordsman C: 26/26
Kretosian Swordsman D: 26/26
Kretosian Crossbowman A: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman B: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman C: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman D: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman E: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman F: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman G: 25/25
Kretosian Crossbowman H: 25/25
Kretosian Longbowman A: 24/24
Kretosian Longbowman B: 24/24
Kretosian Longbowman C: 24/24
Kretosian Longbowman D: 24/24
Kretosian Axeman A: 28/28
Kretosian Axeman B: 28/28
Kretosian Axeman C: 28/28
Kretosian Axeman D: 28/28
Kretosian Spearman A: 26/26
Kretosian Spearman B: 26/26
Kretosian Spearman C: 26/26
Kretosian Spearman D: 26/26
Kretosian Spearman E: 26/26
Kretosian Spearman F: 26/26
Kretosian Spearman G: 26/26
Castle Guard A: 30/30
Castle Guard B: 30/30
Castle Guard C: 30/30
White Mage A: 22/22
White Mage B: 22/22
Scholar A: 23/23
Scholar B: 23/23
Black Mage A: 24/24
Black Mage B: 24/24
Black Mage C: 24/24
Black Mage D: 24/24
Sister A: 20/20
Sister B: 20/20
Treasurer A: 24/24
Treasurer B: 24/24
Concubine Esmeralda: 31/31

Walls&Doors:
Reinforced Door 4.5: 50/50HP, 10DEF, 5RES
Reinforced Door 20.5: 50/50HP, 10DEF, 5RES
Crumbled Wall: 5.10: 20/20HP, 5DEF
Door: 8.13: 40/40HP, 5DEF
Door: 9.17: 40/40HP, 5DEF
Door: 14.17: 40/40HP, 5DEF
Door: 12.14: 40/40HP, 5DEF
Door: 11.19: 40/40HP, 5DEF

[birdy51]

Miguel turned sharply to Sheila and nodded.

: "We'll have to finish our conversation later young lady. To arms!"

No action. But there will be one.

[freeformschooler]

@Raphael, Yonn

: "I'll tell you after this is over. Hey, Mister Yonn! Take this extra vuln. If Leo can't reach someone who's down, would you revive them?"

EDIT: NOT DOING ANYTHING YET

[Reverie]

Sonja wrings at her hair, and distraughtly stands on her toes to get a look into the castle.

: 'This isn't happening...' Tugging at Miguel with her free-hand, she explains without hesitation: 'I'm with you.'