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[IronyOwl]

"Ugh, let's see... House Infelix is a particular gem. I won their allegiance in a card game, and many of them seem noteworthy. In particular, Chance is remarkably charming for being a young cripple, and she's betrothed to Messel the Herald, which ought to be a potent and hopefully smooth combination. And then there's Henry... six years old and already dissecting prisoners and Horizon-tainted wildlife. Truly remarkable; if this whole place burns and then falls into the sea, I'll have to make sure to drag him out of it, see what he can do elsewhere.

Other than that... I have to admit, my connections are a bit sparse. There's some elementalists out there I'm looking forward to meeting, and one especially so. But beyond that, yes, I suppose it's just vengeance and duty. And future investment, if we're to be completely honest."

He sighed. "Though if we're to be completely honest, I also intend to barter those mortals back from Mortus. Or try, anyway; I've no idea how much of a hassle that'd be for him, or if he'd be wary of it for other reasons. Still, there's got to be something I could offer in exchange, and damned if I don't need them back. Well, alright, the fat one I didn't need or think too much of, and much as I liked Lord Ryder, his son's more than qualified to take over for him. There's probably another framework manager I could find somewhere, so Nightcharm's not completely vital.

But Meltip... she was going to be a liaison between the Harpy and Bellian pantheons. Their disdain for men and Ketari's insistence on eating them all as they scream aside, that probably would have been better than all-out war at all times. Plus I owe her an heir, which... well. Overall I think bringing them back and apologizing for the inconvenience would be better than getting them all killed and attempting to move on, don't you think?"

[Weirdsound]

"Ugh, let's see... House Infelix is a particular gem. I won their allegiance in a card game, and many of them seem noteworthy. In particular, Chance is remarkably charming for being a young cripple, and she's betrothed to Messel the Herald, which ought to be a potent and hopefully smooth combination. And then there's Henry... six years old and already dissecting prisoners and Horizon-tainted wildlife. Truly remarkable; if this whole place burns and then falls into the sea, I'll have to make sure to drag him out of it, see what he can do elsewhere.

Other than that... I have to admit, my connections are a bit sparse. There's some elementalists out there I'm looking forward to meeting, and one especially so. But beyond that, yes, I suppose it's just vengeance and duty. And future investment, if we're to be completely honest."

He sighed. "Though if we're to be completely honest, I also intend to barter those mortals back from Mortus. Or try, anyway; I've no idea how much of a hassle that'd be for him, or if he'd be wary of it for other reasons. Still, there's got to be something I could offer in exchange, and damned if I don't need them back. Well, alright, the fat one I didn't need or think too much of, and much as I liked Lord Ryder, his son's more than qualified to take over for him. There's probably another framework manager I could find somewhere, so Nightcharm's not completely vital.

But Meltip... she was going to be a liaison between the Harpy and Bellian pantheons. Their disdain for men and Ketari's insistence on eating them all as they scream aside, that probably would have been better than all-out war at all times. Plus I owe her an heir, which... well. Overall I think bringing them back and apologizing for the inconvenience would be better than getting them all killed and attempting to move on, don't you think?"

The chef nods, and twirls his index finger to speed up the cooking process. "Makes sense. You hear more stories about people bargaining with the Ice Queen than with her pet sailor though for that sort of thing. Hopefully Mortus can help you anyway. And that there was Infelix at the meeting explains the bomb anyhow; They can't go two decades without losing a head o' house to tragic circumstances. One time, 'bout three hundred years ago, I scooped a small band of insignificant looking travelers off the road to spitroast for a feast, an' ended up cooking Lord Infelix and his top three successors. Only found out who they were when I tried to barter their souls to Necrim for some wine."

He pours the contents of his stewpot into the pie crust, adds a few spices, and covers it with another layer of dough. "You will like this; Old style Harpy Pie, made with generated meat in simulations of the extinct harpy race from Bellian lands. I'd be shocked if that pirate, even if you can bring her back, would be of much help with our harpies. Even if they turn out to be reasonable, I'm not sure Ketari would be..."

[IronyOwl]

"Mm. The idea was to break that by being won by the luckiest god, but I guess I should have known that wouldn't be so easy. Who's Necrim, though? Some Barbarian god of death?"

Pyrite licked his chops at the description of the meal. "Ooh... whatever happened to Bellian Harpies, by the way? Don't suppose you know where they came from, for that matter?

I take your point on Ketari, but I'm sure there's some room for diplomacy in there. Just because she ultimately intends to devour them all doesn't mean they can't have minor business with the rest of us. Well, unless they decide that's what that means. Or Ketari objects to us helping them get eaten less.

Gah. Diplomacy is hard. You have much experience with it?"

[micelus]

Mildly embarrassed that he hadn't known that, Ketemos began to mumble a question about the dragons, before catching an interesting idea in the man's words. "...So if your people served Rexxis, I would assume that some of your people joined the ranks of divinity? Am I right to assume that the Bellian pantheon is simply one part of a much larger pantheon that existed during the War?"

[escaped lurker]

At the mention of his kin's supposed origins, the dragon furrowed his brows deeply. Their antics were growing in profanity and number. He already had noticed that they had the nerve to teach the hallowed tongue of dragons to mere mortals, and now he further heard them to be the result of inbreeding. Had he played with the though of it being preferable to be taken as slave, to having a debt to House Skullcrest, he now counted himself lucky that he had not sullied his own, supreme lineage by doing so. After the mistress of the house had finished talking, he did so in turn. " Well, if your pet has told you about me, then you should already know that these dragons declared war on me and my fellow gods. Even on me in particular, I would say. If you are willing to divulge any information on them that we might find helpful, we would be sure to put it to good use - and, if anything, I would keep that deed of yours in mind. The grudge they keep against you would also be of interest, if you wish to tell as much. " After offering a light shrug towards his last sentence, he continued. " As for Pyrite, I guess the degree of kinship should best be determined by the both of you – I lack the insight into how far both of you would define it to be so. Still, if you would be interested in meeting him, I would tell him as much. "

Seeing how close the appearance of her children seemed to be towards that of the half-god in question, he actually was quite sure that they could not be that far removed from each other. Well, not that it mattered to him – Pyrite was bound to find out about his assumed kin sooner or later. Actually, since he planned to take his future priest back to the castle, it really would be quite soon. Focusing his thoughts back to the matter at hand, he spoke. " Well, I am certainly not the most conventional god in the bellian pantheon, so even if they had further inhuman qualities, I would be among those few who would see no reason to find their appearance disagreeable in any way. I guess I would take your child to Newbellum Castle for schooling, but it obviously would still be free to visit you when the occasion arises. As far as I am concerned, the choice of who I woudl wish it to be, would come down to the question of which of them would be fit to represent those qualities which mortals associate me by;  Any of them apt at mercantile matters, or in possession of a vengeful nature? "

[Weirdsound]

At the mention of his kin's supposed origins, the dragon furrowed his brows deeply. Their antics were growing in profanity and number. He already had noticed that they had the nerve to teach the hallowed tongue of dragons to mere mortals, and now he further heard them to be the result of inbreeding. Had he played with the though of it being preferable to be taken as slave, to having a debt to House Skullcrest, he now counted himself lucky that he had not sullied his own, supreme lineage by doing so. After the mistress of the house had finished talking, he did so in turn. " Well, if your pet has told you about me, then you should already know that these dragons declared war on me and my fellow gods. Even on me in particular, I would say. If you are willing to divulge any information on them that we might find helpful, we would be sure to put it to good use - and, if anything, I would keep that deed of yours in mind. The grudge they keep against you would also be of interest, if you wish to tell as much. " After offering a light shrug towards his last sentence, he continued. " As for Pyrite, I guess the degree of kinship should best be determined by the both of you – I lack the insight into how far both of you would define it to be so. Still, if you would be interested in meeting him, I would tell him as much. "

Seeing how close the appearance of her children seemed to be towards that of the half-god in question, he actually was quite sure that they could not be that far removed from each other. Well, not that it mattered to him – Pyrite was bound to find out about his assumed kin sooner or later. Actually, since he planned to take his future priest back to the castle, it really would be quite soon. Focusing his thoughts back to the matter at hand, he spoke. " Well, I am certainly not the most conventional god in the bellian pantheon, so even if they had further inhuman qualities, I would be among those few who would see no reason to find their appearance disagreeable in any way. I guess I would take your child to Newbellum Castle for schooling, but it obviously would still be free to visit you when the occasion arises. As far as I am concerned, the choice of who I woudl wish it to be, would come down to the question of which of them would be fit to represent those qualities which mortals associate me by;  Any of them apt at mercantile matters, or in possession of a vengeful nature? "

"Your phrasing betrays the fact that you are ignorant of these Orcish Dragons. They did not declare war on you. One did perhaps, but they lack the unity to make such a decision as a group. The four remaining despise each other. It is only their mutual fear of the Chimeras and the extinction of their line that keeps them from each other's throats. Do you know which one attacked you? I could offer better council if you did." The voice briefly adopts an air of superiority, which is quickly purged mid-sentence. Perhaps you have won an inkling of respect.

She falls silent for a second, but then begins speaking of her own dealings with the beasts. "I was born in a distant land, and flew across the sea on a kite of silk as a hatching to make this island my home. I was taken in by an Orc as a pet, and soon caught the attention of one of their Gods, who calls himself Master of Monsters. The Master took me in, raised me to maturity, taught me much, and even fathered my first few clutches of children. The Orc Gods, as a rule, however, a forbidden from breeding into predominantly non-draconic blood - it is the great decree of their long dead matriarch. When Master's brothers found out about me, they raided his lair at Glow Lagoon, slew my children, and beat me to the point where they assumed I wouldn't survive."

The creature lets out a sound that must be her version of a sigh. "A small Harpy Band took pity on me, and helped me to recover as much as I could, and to find this very hideout, where I have been hiding for ages."

She pauses in thought when the children come up again. "Those terms sound fair. Blake is the one who takes after his father in business. I was hoping that he could be made a bookeeper so I could eat the failures who presently hold that post, but I will give him to you if you wish. Linda is the one with the wrathful temperment, but she is very close to her father, so she might react poorly if she finds that the whole situation came about because you sought to punish Haze. I might also recommend Anne, who you just met, her best quality is her obedience, which should suit any god regardless of other interests. Kentin is still a child; I mention him in case the idea of training your priest from a young age appeals to you."

Lastly, she considers Pyrite. "If he is interested in meeting me, I would see him. Perhaps introduce him to the offspring you take, and work from there."

Mildly embarrassed that he hadn't known that, Ketemos began to mumble a question about the dragons, before catching an interesting idea in the man's words. "...So if your people served Rexxis, I would assume that some of your people joined the ranks of divinity? Am I right to assume that the Bellian pantheon is simply one part of a much larger pantheon that existed during the War?"

"Rexxis' original allies numbered far greater than today's Bellian Pantheon does... I'm not sure at which point you could start calling his group a Pantheon, and which beings would qualify as members in the early stages though."

Tonk's wife brings out the root-tea. It is exceptionally bitter tasting, something likely drunken more for one's health than taste. "If you don't like it, don't feel obligated to finish... Most of my studies focus on the time before the war. I'm not sure I'm the one you want to be questioning about early Bellian days."

"Mm. The idea was to break that by being won by the luckiest god, but I guess I should have known that wouldn't be so easy. Who's Necrim, though? Some Barbarian god of death?"

Pyrite licked his chops at the description of the meal. "Ooh... whatever happened to Bellian Harpies, by the way? Don't suppose you know where they came from, for that matter?

I take your point on Ketari, but I'm sure there's some room for diplomacy in there. Just because she ultimately intends to devour them all doesn't mean they can't have minor business with the rest of us. Well, unless they decide that's what that means. Or Ketari objects to us helping them get eaten less.

Gah. Diplomacy is hard. You have much experience with it?"

"Formal diplomacy experience? Nah. I've fed some diplomatic meetings, and listened in on enough of em to have a very foggy idea of how the whole process works." Oinkiney grunts, "Can't say I envy the diplomat. It don't look to be an easy job."

He pauses in though when you mention the Harpies. "You know, I'm not quite sure. I wasn't around when they vanished. All I know is that one time, I visit Bellian lands for the first time in three quarters of a century, and they are all gone. I'm guessing you lot finally got fed up with 'em, or that Valor made them the target of one of his genocidal hunts."

[IronyOwl]

"Hm, curious.

...is Valor fond of genocidal hunts?"

[Weirdsound]

"Hm, curious.

...is Valor fond of genocidal hunts?"

"Speaking as the target of such an action, I'd say he is."

[IronyOwl]

Pyrite's eyes widened in surprise. "You were... your people were wiped out by Valor? What happened?"

[Weirdsound]

Pyrite's eyes widened in surprise. "You were... your people were wiped out by Valor? What happened?"

"The Boarsmen took Alvin's side in the Red River Rebellion. I warned the other gods not too, and the chieftains, but they didn't listen. We fared well enough in battle, but Alvin has a bad habit of favoring more war-like races over his own people, so the other gods, Big-Nasty-V in particular, have a bad habit in turn of slaughtering races that Alvin grows close to, so that it cannot be said any Barbarian race has the favor of a Bellian God. These habits did not play in our favor."

He shakes his head and grunts. "I was the last god he caught. He let me live because I was too ugly to make a trophy, and to pathetic to make a good war story."

[IronyOwl]

Pyrite winced.

"Sorry to hear that. Do you miss them? Ever dream about getting revenge on Valor for it?"

[Weirdsound]

Pyrite winced.

"Sorry to hear that. Do you miss them? Ever dream about getting revenge on Valor for it?"

"I'm not a fighter. I'm not even a god anymore. He is. Unless he is stupid enough to eat something I give him someday, I think revenge is out of the question..."

He trails off, ignoring the question about missing his people, and suddenly the light springs back to his eyes. He pulls the pie out of the oven, and puts a slice on a plate for you. "Enjoy friend, we both deserve to, after today."

[IronyOwl]

"Indeed," Pyrite agreed cheerfully, trying to drop the matter quickly. He began digging into the pie, wondering just what original harpy tasted like...

[escaped lurker]

"Your phrasing betrays the fact that you are ignorant of these Orcish Dragons. They did not declare war on you. One did perhaps, but they lack the unity to make such a decision as a group. The four remaining despise each other. It is only their mutual fear of the Chimeras and the extinction of their line that keeps them from each other's throats. Do you know which one attacked you? I could offer better council if you did." The voice briefly adopts an air of superiority, which is quickly purged mid-sentence. Perhaps you have won an inkling of respect.

The dragon grinned wryly before replying. Reliable information was not easy to come by, so he was delighted to get a second opinion on his distant kin. " You are right about my lack of knowledge – We did try to ask some orcsish slaves about their former masters, but the knowledge we gained from them was scant at best, if not even confusing in regard to their nature. As for my attacker, the cur had only the courtesy to give out his position within their pantheon. " He spat out the name, content to show his hostility towards the dragon in question. " Grand Stratagem - is what his followers call him. Even as we know him to be a god of provocation, he has achieved as much. It may be a bit vexing, in the sense that he has achieved his aim, but Newbellum Castle has decided to take him up on the offer. "

She falls silent for a second, but then begins speaking of her own dealings with the beasts. "I was born in a distant land, and flew across the sea on a kite of silk as a hatching to make this island my home. I was taken in by an Orc as a pet, and soon caught the attention of one of their Gods, who calls himself Master of Monsters. The Master took me in, raised me to maturity, taught me much, and even fathered my first few clutches of children. The Orc Gods, as a rule, however, a forbidden from breeding into predominantly non-draconic blood - it is the great decree of their long dead matriarch. When Master's brothers found out about me, they raided his lair at Glow Lagoon, slew my children, and beat me to the point where they assumed I wouldn't survive."

The creature lets out a sound that must be her version of a sigh. "A small Harpy Band took pity on me, and helped me to recover as much as I could, and to find this very hideout, where I have been hiding for ages."

Auratus listened to her story silently. For one of a spotless lineage like himself, copulating with a mere immortal beast of might like his host, was obviously out of the question. The notion that his kin on the island would do so was as such certainly distasteful in its own right, but not all that surprising. The reaction it had earned from its siblings, however, had the dragon massaging his temples. After a while, he broke the silence. " … how appalling. A dragon harming his kin is already frowned upon, but going as far as killing one is a traitorous act against dragonkind as a whole. While I might not think of Halfbloods as true dragons, they are of sufficient lineage that one should consider them kin. " Leaning back into his chair, he sighed deeply. After kneading his brows in thought for a few moments, he locked his eyes at the dark depths of the ceiling. " Without a doubt, their actions can only be considered a grave outrage. Let me assure you that I sympathize with your loss, and will take their offence into due consideration for any interactions that might arise with those three. "

Leaving their darker topic behind, Auratus found himself to be in what he would consider his element. Seeing as both children were from immortal blood, both would be a good choice, or so he felt. Still, the boy might easily be displaced by someone with more talent, whereas it should be quite harder to find another being as his sister, her possibility for enough future strength to back up her character somewhat of a selling point to the dragon. " Indeed, once he sees your child we will know. Considering his character, he should be interested, but maybe exactly because of your similar nature, he could turn out to be uninterested instead. " Offering a non-committal shrug, he continued. " Regarding my choice, how about this then? Call for Blake, and I will assure you that I will maintain friendly relations with you and your family in the future, for as long as you do the same. " The face of the dragon was betrayed with slight anticipation, the proposal to follow seemingly striking his fancy. " Call for Linda, and I additionally promise that when I act against our mutual foe, my claws will be netted with the venom you offered previously. " Suddenly seeing the possible error in his offer, he hastily corrected himself. " Obviously I don't plan on killing him on account of being a fellow dragon, but severely punishing him is something that I feel to be proper. As such, what you would give me for the later agreement can't be a lethal venom. "

[micelus]

Drinking the tea, Ketemos flinched at the liquid's flavour, nearly retching at its bitter taste. Coughing, he continued the conversation.
"What is...this? It's not exactly something one comes to like instantly I would believe. A remedy to some ailment?" As he said this, he looked into the tea, curious and unsure about taking another sip.

Regardless of what the elementalist said, Ketemos continued on, pushing aside talks about history or tea for now. "As for history, I find that getting several opinions is better than just one opinion; easier to see any biases or such...but enough about that for now. Best to get back to business." He took another sip of the concoction, somewhat unsure if it was a good idea.

"The automaton is back at my abode; would it be feasible for you to travel with me there or shall we have to arrange something else?"