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[Weirdsound]

The dragon offered a slight shrug in response. " I see no reason to needlessly meddle in matters that do not concern me, especially as I would presume this one to be of military nature. If he can be satisfied by the words of a messenger, then in accordance to your preferences there won't be a need to visit him by myself. Still, until I am sure that he has had his revenge, you are not to order his execution. "

" As I am in no particular hurry, I am willing to wait for his reply – and any designs that he might have in mind for Wild Red. In the meantime, given your position I take you to be well informed about the siege? While I would take the liberty to say that all of the pantheon keep a watchful eye on the current situation, it would be prudent to take this chance to make sure nothing of importance has escaped us. "

The boy nods, and taps one of his guards on the shoulder before speaking some orders. "Get a messenger with this news to my uncle. Ask what he wants done with the dagger, help him delilver on whatever he promised the Dragon in return, and instruct him to make peace with Glaciana and prepare for the ice realm. Get the word out to the Crowned General as well, Auratus is willing to wait, so he might wish to pay some tribute and meet with the god under better circumstances this time. If he is with Lord and Lady Infelix, they are invited as well. Can't hurt to have a Herald around when dealing with the gods..."

The guard shuffles out of the room, and Badger returns to the question of the seige. "Things are not easy. Food is low, and although we have the manpower to raise another army if we must, we lack spare weapons and the raw materials to make them. With the siege engines struck down by lightning, however, it is likely the walls could hold until backup from the mainland arrives or the Pantheon interviens directly.

Things in the city are still mostly peaceful. The Crowned General's heroics have won him the total support of the troops on the wall, so none of the factions dare challenge him. We are using the military to investigate several claims of commoners and merchants stockpiling food, and there has been a rather unsettling string of assassinations targeting skilled laborers and good military officers, but beyond that the streets are still safe. I've been told that will change once the food supply bottoms out completely in a month or two though..."

Auratus had to hide a smile at the shark-kin's initial words. True enough, there were many gods, and to say that those actually worth revering would be far and few between was sugarcoating the matter. Stemming from a race of superior beings, she had all the less reason to lower herself before them. Still, considering her displayed nature it would seem best to leave her with Tulwor. With his boat gone, he actually doubted she would stay in his service for all too long, but it would not be the dragon's loss.

" Prideful, are we? I guess one would have to beat you in your true form, and element, to prove worthy of commanding you. Should you ever tire of being in Tulwor's service, I would not mind to see your true mettle. " He quipped at the giant in a good mood. " I think yielding this one to you would suit both of you best. Though I do wonder where you hope to find a captain worthy to command her, besides maybe yourself... "

The Shark-Kin laughs at your words, "that would be the most obvious and least likely means of earning my respect, but if that were the only means of proving worthy of me, I would be stuck exploring the surface without a guide! As for my true mettle, that would be of little use to a land bound god. The process of changing forms is to lengthy to even be practical for even an extended naval battle, otherwise it would be you lot on the stage and me picking the trophies."

The dragon stole a surprised glance at the armour, before throwing a glare at the elementalist. So it truly was as he had suspected previously. With the matter out in the open, it was clear that Pyrite would come back to the arrangement of his revenge. His previous mood vanquished, he noted that obedience without honour was not as good as Canvas would have made it out to be.

" So you say the rumours were not just idle talk... This bears a question. " Leaving the middle, Auratus walked to those positioned on the left. Stopping in front of the priest, he quizzed the same. " Let me confirm a suspicion of mine. Whom is it that you serve, priest? Don't try my patience with answering "Red" to that question. You know very well what I aks of you. "

The priest gives you a respectful nod as you approach. "My worship belongs to the third brood of the Holy Fire Dragoness Ishtrarw, exempting the race-traitor Korroar of course."

The brief statement gives you lots of information. First, and foremost, you note that the Priest likely subscribes to what dragonkind politely refers to as the Unnerving Possibility. This popular conspiracy theory, which has persisted throughout the entirety of the Bellian era, is the belief that Korroar was involved with Glaciana, either politically or romantically, and both escalated the War Before Time and sabotaged his own side so as to help her gain control of the Ice Realm and the souls of many powerful dragons. Your mother has taught you that the Unnerving Possibility is one of those topics one should avoid talking about if possible, as a dragon could easily make enemies supporting or refuting it in the wrong company.

More practically, you know that a priest worshiping Korroar's litter sans Korroar would worship Vikroar the Crimson Maiden, Linporoar the Dragoness of Mirth, and of course the Robber Dragon Travoror, who's name was invoked by Red's flagship and who's soul Pyrite had implied resides in Red's armor. You know little of Travoror; He is more or less ignored by Draconic history, to the point where you know of accounts that fail to even mention his birth while discussing his siblings. Such a treatment, you understand, is usually reserved for the victims of Dragon on Dragon murder, which is a fairly taboo topic among your kind.

It is also possible that the main object of her worship is Limporoar, the only surviving member of the brood in question. To the best of your knowledge, the Dragoness of Mirth keeps a court of fawns somewhere far to the north of Bellian lands, where she occupies her time writing and directing comedies set in the golden age of Dragonkind. Your mother dislikes her, as she allows and even encourages lesser beings to depict dragons on the stage.

[IronyOwl]

"...Better than anybody else has done in all these years."

She falls silent to ponder your question. "It sounds like you know more than I do. It has been ages since I dealt with the Orcs, and even longer since I spent time with their common mortals, and tribal politics can bring great changes in that amount of time.

If I had the names of some of the prominent tribes involved, I may be of more use to you, but even then I suspect many tribes would easily be younger than my exile. That said, finding out what tribes are doing what may be a good idea regardless; It may very well be easier to deal with various tribal elders on their own turf than the generals, diplomats, and high priests likely holding this siege force together in our backyard."

"Mm, quite possibly. Any tips for dealing with Orcish clans in general?

That said, I know there's a priest of the Golden One at the fort outside the city. He wields an artifact blade you might or might not be familiar with, and serves as an instrument of purifying pain for his master. Do you think attempting to negotiate with him would accomplish anything, directly or in setting up a meeting with his god?"

The mage gives the choice a few minutes of deep thought. You suspect he isn't the sort of person usually ask for his opinion on things. "Given the choice... I'd lean towards yourself over the Dragon. As my last master has just proven, serving Dragons doesn't always end well. And when all things are considered, I spend my wealth on pleasure and improvement anyhow, so I might as well skip the middle man -erm, middlegod."

Pyrite smiled at the pleasant surprise. He might just get a mage after all, though he still wasn't thrilled with the man's servile nature. Loyalty was great in moderation, but serving until death seemed a tad excessive.

"Can you cross water by yourself? What about storms? Could you take others with you, or would you need a boat for that?

For that matter, how are you underwater?"

Jorgen gives you the stink eye as you approach him. "If ya be looking fer an apology o' some groveling, keep moving. I did nothing more o' less than what I was paid to did, and if I am ta be punished fer it, so be it. I fer one am a man o' honor, and I will not speak good o' my employer's killers, nor betray his spirit in front o' his women."

Pyrite snorted at this. "An honorable mercenary serving a treacherous assassin past the grave, eh? How noble," he added flatly. "'Punished' is putting it lightly. Your master murdered three of my favored servants and tried to feed a city under our protection to its enemies. If you can't find some way to make yourself useful enough to repay us for your part in that, I'll have to figure out a more creative way to exact a toll."

[Weirdsound]

"Mm, quite possibly. Any tips for dealing with Orcish clans in general?

That said, I know there's a priest of the Golden One at the fort outside the city. He wields an artifact blade you might or might not be familiar with, and serves as an instrument of purifying pain for his master. Do you think attempting to negotiate with him would accomplish anything, directly or in setting up a meeting with his god?"

"Hrrmmm... Your best bet is to do business with smaller clans which have older leaders. Small means you can play their fear of their neighbors, old means they may be less ambitious and arrogant, and also that you can play their fear of their offspring or other internal insurrection."

He left fang offers a seemingly involuntary twitch, and she moves on to the topic of the priest. "That would be Suffering, a modified orc older than myself. The Master took all the sorrow he felt when he lost his mother, and put it into that champion. Each time the Master lost a sibling he didn't hate to the Chimera, he gave that sorrow to suffering as well. I suspect he did the same when the children I bore him were slaughtered... As long as the Master of Monsters has reason to mourn kin, it is said that Suffering can neither be killed nor subverted as an instrument of the Master's Will."

"His weapon..." she winces and starts shuddering and stuttering, "it is called Hopebane. J-just laying eyes on it unsheathed is enough to render even a being of my power imo-imoble with pain. T-those who come in contact with it suffer so greatly that, almost without exception, they end their own lives should they survive the encounter. The enchantment on h-hope bane is so powerful that it even burns a bit for me to try and hold its image in my head, so I'd rather you don't pursue t-this line of discussion further."

The spider takes a moment to calm down after discussing the sword, before continuing. "You might be able to set up a meeting with The Master through him, although you might be better off popping in unannounced at Luminous Lagoon with an acceptable offering, but negotiating directly with Suffering would be impossible, unless the Master already has designs or contingency plans for this seige that involve negotiation. He cannot be subverted as an instrument of the Master's Will."

Pyrite smiled at the pleasant surprise. He might just get a mage after all, though he still wasn't thrilled with the man's servile nature. Loyalty was great in moderation, but serving until death seemed a tad excessive.

"Can you cross water by yourself? What about storms? Could you take others with you, or would you need a boat for that?

For that matter, how are you underwater?"

"If you are talking about the Storm around your castle, I could get through that. I can cross water at great speeds, and survive under it for as long as I need to, but my magic only works while I am awake, so I cannot partake in long voyages without a boat, unless it follows a coast or chain of islands so that I may have places to rest. I can take about four times my weight with me before it starts slowing me down, but such travel is rather uncomfortable and a bit dangerous for passengers."

He blinks in contemplation. "There are better elementalists out there for the mundane travel stuff. I specialize in single combat, and large scale water manipulation. The later takes time, and requires access to my meditation chamber, which is presently somewhere at the bottom of the harbor, but if I had access to it, I could call up a monster wave with only about a week's additional work; Red had me working on one to level the islands you are hiding in the storm, and it is nearly done."

"An honorable mercenary serving a treacherous assassin past the grave, eh? How noble," he added flatly. "'Punished' is putting it lightly. Your master murdered three of my favored servants and tried to feed a city under our protection to its enemies. If you can't find some way to make yourself useful enough to repay us for your part in that, I'll have to figure out a more creative way to exact a toll."

Jorgen merely sneers and spits in your direction, before muttering something under his breath that your translation ability renders as "of course he would fucking blame all of us for Ogov's plan."

At this point, Ogov himself, who couldn't have possibly heard the mutterings, chimes in. He seems almost cheerful, which is strange, because unless one of the mages was being less than sincere, it was likely that whatever signal he had been sending them was now moot. "Don't mind him. Defiant is stupid speak fo' Scared Shitless. If he thought he was even remotely useful, he'd be throwing himself at your feet, but all he can do is swing a sword and command a boat; He has seen you fight on the docks, so of course he knows you have no need of the former service, and he is short sighted enough to assume that just because you didn't attack us with boats proves that you don't have any and never will."

[IronyOwl]

"Hrrmmm... Your best bet is to do business with smaller clans which have older leaders. Small means you can play their fear of their neighbors, old means they may be less ambitious and arrogant, and also that you can play their fear of their offspring or other internal insurrection."

He left fang offers a seemingly involuntary twitch, and she moves on to the topic of the priest. "That would be Suffering, a modified orc older than myself. The Master took all the sorrow he felt when he lost his mother, and put it into that champion. Each time the Master lost a sibling he didn't hate to the Chimera, he gave that sorrow to suffering as well. I suspect he did the same when the children I bore him were slaughtered... As long as the Master of Monsters has reason to mourn kin, it is said that Suffering can neither be killed nor subverted as an instrument of the Master's Will."

"His weapon..." she winces and starts shuddering and stuttering, "it is called Hopebane. J-just laying eyes on it unsheathed is enough to render even a being of my power imo-imoble with pain. T-those who come in contact with it suffer so greatly that, almost without exception, they end their own lives should they survive the encounter. The enchantment on h-hope bane is so powerful that it even burns a bit for me to try and hold its image in my head, so I'd rather you don't pursue t-this line of discussion further."

The spider takes a moment to calm down after discussing the sword, before continuing. "You might be able to set up a meeting with The Master through him, although you might be better off popping in unannounced at Luminous Lagoon with an acceptable offering, but negotiating directly with Suffering would be impossible, unless the Master already has designs or contingency plans for this seige that involve negotiation. He cannot be subverted as an instrument of the Master's Will."

Pyrite's eyes widened slightly at this.

"Really? Well, that's impressive... What might happen if I show up without an offering? What kinds of offerings does he like? And most importantly, how do you think he'd view me and any business I had to discuss?"

"If you are talking about the Storm around your castle, I could get through that. I can cross water at great speeds, and survive under it for as long as I need to, but my magic only works while I am awake, so I cannot partake in long voyages without a boat, unless it follows a coast or chain of islands so that I may have places to rest. I can take about four times my weight with me before it starts slowing me down, but such travel is rather uncomfortable and a bit dangerous for passengers."

He blinks in contemplation. "There are better elementalists out there for the mundane travel stuff. I specialize in single combat, and large scale water manipulation. The later takes time, and requires access to my meditation chamber, which is presently somewhere at the bottom of the harbor, but if I had access to it, I could call up a monster wave with only about a week's additional work; Red had me working on one to level the islands you are hiding in the storm, and it is nearly done."

"I see..." Pyrite responded, sounding a little concerned. "Well... a duelist and endbringer might be nice too. How far inland can you generally affect?"

Jorgen merely sneers and spits in your direction, before muttering something under his breath that your translation ability renders as "of course he would fucking blame all of us for Ogov's plan."

At this point, Ogov himself, who couldn't have possibly heard the mutterings, chimes in. He seems almost cheerful, which is strange, because unless one of the mages was being less than sincere, it was likely that whatever signal he had been sending them was now moot. "Don't mind him. Defiant is stupid speak fo' Scared Shitless. If he thought he was even remotely useful, he'd be throwing himself at your feet, but all he can do is swing a sword and command a boat; He has seen you fight on the docks, so of course he knows you have no need of the former service, and he is short sighted enough to assume that just because you didn't attack us with boats proves that you don't have any and never will."

Pyrite looked to the tactician with an entirely too wide, entirely too saccharine, and entirely too pointy smile.

"No doubt!" he said, also entirely too cheerfully, while walking over to Ogov. "On the other hand, I've heard you're quite bright! Bright enough, even, to make a lot of plans. Plans involving, say, explosives, the high command of a city's military, and three of the most talented and favored servants of a local god."

He continued to stand there, beaming a cheery, needly smile.

[Weirdsound]

Pyrite's eyes widened slightly at this.

"Really? Well, that's impressive... What might happen if I show up without an offering? What kinds of offerings does he like? And most importantly, how do you think he'd view me and any business I had to discuss?"

"If you showed up without an offering, at best you wouldn't be taken seriously. At worst you would be taken into custody for modification or slave labor. He likes artifacts, rare curios, and unique creatures, but in principle the point of the offering is to express a degree of submissiveness, and the actual thing offered is of little importance. Just by looking at you, I can say with some confidence you have next to no chance of convincing the Master to view you as an equal..."

She begins to shuffle around the room a bit as she talks. "unless your pride gets in the way then, your best bet is to present yourself as a being that is at least worthy of being noticed, who happens to share some intrests and hobbies, and who happens to be presenting a chance to inconvenience is hated brothers. If you present yourself and your ideas in that manner, you should have his favor without issue."

"I see..." Pyrite responded, sounding a little concerned. "Well... a duelist and endbringer might be nice too. How far inland can you generally affect?"

"My personal best is four miles. I suspect I could do at least twice that, but I have never had occasion to, and Monster Waves are too much work and too much mess for me to be firing off just to test my limits. The one I'm working on now would be my biggest yet; I'd be looking to go five or six miles in. Wild Red told me to rush it and not worry about precision though, so if you are thinking of having me hit the blockade fleet, I don't think I could do so without giving Kiatown a bath as well."

Pyrite looked to the tactician with an entirely too wide, entirely too saccharine, and entirely too pointy smile.

"No doubt!" he said, also entirely too cheerfully, while walking over to Ogov. "On the other hand, I've heard you're quite bright! Bright enough, even, to make a lot of plans. Plans involving, say, explosives, the high command of a city's military, and three of the most talented and favored servants of a local god."

He continued to stand there, beaming a cheery, needly smile.

The tactician smirks back. "Oddly specific, but yes, I could make a plan like that. I grew up in one of the Powder Cities, explosives are in my blood. The way I see it, there ain't no sin in blowing up somebody who you would just have to kill in a more painful fashion down the road. If, hypothetically speaking of course, a Bellian in Kiatown were to explode, that Bellian will have been done a favor by the quick nature of the death; My late boss expressed a deep and creative interest in finding new and intresting ways to kill and otherwise violate Bellian highborns."

"And if, hypothetically speaking, the god who favored those blown up Bellians decided to seek revenge on yours truly, well," Ogov snickers, "lets just say that other plots, of my design, against Kiatown may already be in motion. There might also be some schemes to doublecross the orcs kicking around in this brain of mind. Those Bellians would sure be missing out if I died because a son of Telen suddenly felt the need to bust out an Auratus impression."

[IronyOwl]

"My personal best is four miles. I suspect I could do at least twice that, but I have never had occasion to, and Monster Waves are too much work and too much mess for me to be firing off just to test my limits. The one I'm working on now would be my biggest yet; I'd be looking to go five or six miles in. Wild Red told me to rush it and not worry about precision though, so if you are thinking of having me hit the blockade fleet, I don't think I could do so without giving Kiatown a bath as well."

"No, actually... just out of curiosity, do you happen to know how far inland the Orcish Fort is?"

The tactician smirks back. "Oddly specific, but yes, I could make a plan like that. I grew up in one of the Powder Cities, explosives are in my blood. The way I see it, there ain't no sin in blowing up somebody who you would just have to kill in a more painful fashion down the road. If, hypothetically speaking of course, a Bellian in Kiatown were to explode, that Bellian will have been done a favor by the quick nature of the death; My late boss expressed a deep and creative interest in finding new and intresting ways to kill and otherwise violate Bellian highborns."

"And if, hypothetically speaking, the god who favored those blown up Bellians decided to seek revenge on yours truly, well," Ogov snickers, "lets just say that other plots, of my design, against Kiatown may already be in motion. There might also be some schemes to doublecross the orcs kicking around in this brain of mind. Those Bellians would sure be missing out if I died because a son of Telen suddenly felt the need to bust out an Auratus impression."

Pyrite managed to keep his composure for most of the tactician's response, but couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at "Auratus impression."

"Oh, very well," he chuckled, his sugary expression melting to genuine amusement. "I suppose you're too useful to dispose of, or else good at making yourself sound as such." He bared a still amused but slightly threatening grin. "Of course, your crimes are still impressively severe, so please don't go thinking you'll be out of this mess anytime soon. Disarming the second wave and unsieging the city are the first steps to not being made into some manner of meat tree or pain clam, not the last.

In any case, I'd ask to hear about these schemes of yours, but I suppose we're in questionable company, so maybe that should wait.

Speaking of..." His eyes wandered past Hogshead and the priest to Red's women. He assumed Mild would be little but a pretty face, if that, but Tilda might prove interesting. Likely also angry and insolent, but oh well.

"You," he said disinterestedly, nodding to Mild Red as he approached, "Anything to say beyond 'Please ransom me instead of doing terrible, terrible things?'"

He came to a stop in front of Tilda Thorn, whom he regarded with somewhat more attention. "And you. Interesting choice in master, though it doesn't seem to have worked out."

[escaped lurker]

Kiatown

The boy nods, and taps one of his guards on the shoulder before speaking some orders. "Get a messenger with this news to my uncle. Ask what he wants done with the dagger, help him delilver on whatever he promised the Dragon in return, and instruct him to make peace with Glaciana and prepare for the ice realm. Get the word out to the Crowned General as well, Auratus is willing to wait, so he might wish to pay some tribute and meet with the god under better circumstances this time. If he is with Lord and Lady Infelix, they are invited as well. Can't hurt to have a Herald around when dealing with the gods..."

The guard shuffles out of the room, and Badger returns to the question of the seige. "Things are not easy. Food is low, and although we have the manpower to raise another army if we must, we lack spare weapons and the raw materials to make them. With the siege engines struck down by lightning, however, it is likely the walls could hold until backup from the mainland arrives or the Pantheon interviens directly.

Things in the city are still mostly peaceful. The Crowned General's heroics have won him the total support of the troops on the wall, so none of the factions dare challenge him. We are using the military to investigate several claims of commoners and merchants stockpiling food, and there has been a rather unsettling string of assassinations targeting skilled laborers and good military officers, but beyond that the streets are still safe. I've been told that will change once the food supply bottoms out completely in a month or two though..."

Auratus slightly grimaced at the mention of assassinations taking place. Considering the overall situation, everything was about as good as they could hope them to be, but this piece of news was worrying indeed. " I hear the blockading fleet belongs to Rattigont, a demigod from Turnbell's womb. Hearing the situation, it would seem he is already making his presence felt here. While fighting off his ships should not prove too troublesome, they are not the main problem about him, nor what you mortals should be afraid off. Well, with him flying his mother's flag so freely, I have little doubt that House Riptide has already told the other houses to take fitting precautions? "

Hearing the somewhat ominous line of his host,  Auratus could only make sense of Messel the younger having become the general. He certainly had shown enough spirit beforehand, the main reason for him becoming a herald even. It would not be surprising, but planning to make sure of the matter, he asked. " Regarding the Crowned General, I was not yet made aware of his identity. Since you spoke of Herald Messel, am I to presume that it is him? "


Mortus' Meeting

Mortus calmly shrugs off your rant, although you think you detect the slightest hint of a frown when you mention his daughter. You suppose he deals with alot of anger, pleading, outbursts, bargining and other such behavior in his line of work. "Telen told me Chell's kidnapper is a Deep Dragon. I don't know ta full history, but I understand that they don't always see eye to eye wit or follow ta same rules as ta rest o' yer lot. Why should I trust my daugher's fate ta the diplomatic efforts of one who was likely taught in ta grand draconic tradition o' whitewashing conflict and differences between dragons. They could have reason ta hate ya that we don't even know about."

He blinks, and pauses, almost as if he is giving your words further consideration. After an uncomfortably long silence, he speaks again. "But even if we were ta put our faith into ya plan, crossing Valor is dangerous. Not unlike yerself, his temper is short, an unlike yerself he is stronger than me, and has more influence over Rexxis than I do. I'm not saying his will couldn't be subverted, but ta price o' failure, or even detectable success, could be high for all 'o us... It is not path I be willing ta walk just because somebody wit clear ulterior motives tells me its fer the best."

Receiving Mortus' answer, the dragon frowned deeply. It would seem that the god of death did hold his adoptive daughter dear enough, but fearing Valor was indeed a good reason to not act impulsively. Sunken into thought, Auratus meandered about the room, even ignoring the discussion of which god to call.

Suddenly exclaiming loudly, he stormed to the table with new-found bravado. " So how about we just act upon the rules that Rexxis himself has set! Just a matter of presentation... "

Assuming the stance of a speaker, he recited his ploy.

" The Young Gods of the Islands of Plenty, have valid reasons to believe that attacking the barbarian gods with an army of mortals would highly jeopardize the safety of Chell. To that end, they have resolved to retrieve her before calling one of the established gods as helper, as Rexxis, King of Gods, has generously offered. "

" Further, since rescuing Chell is also linked to the reward offered alongside, and none of the established divines present to judge it, the young god which would rescue her, will be given the right to choose said helper in compensation. "

Facing Mortus, the dragon ended his little speech. " … This, in essence, is what you will tell to the court. Leaving the war after her rescue, will indeed heighten the chance that we are able to retrieve your daughter alive. Valor might not be too happy about it, but this is a far cry from crossing him outright. Neither of us will have to fear his wrath, with the least amount of danger to Chell. Any remaining misgivings? "

[micelus]

Hidden Hall

Ketemos shrugged. "To be truthful Auratus, I think any and all request I would have of you would offend you. For now, I guess all I can ask for is that you remain vigilant and careful with your dealings."

"But yes, the Gates will remain open for your and the rest of the gods...Now, I best not keep you here any longer. Need to archive what's left of the collection here; a dreary task and one I would rather not bore you with."

[Digital Hellhound]

Selma's Gate

Tulwor directed his words at the dragon and the Shark-Kin both.

'Malcome'll prove himself to you, shark-kin, I wager. If not... perhaps the crew will choose someone else to lead them. I would not be pleased if Malcome was harmed, however... or the ship used against its purpose.'

He smiled with a hand on Helmhammer. Subtlety was quite overrated. Of course, before she could take her place on board the ship, he'd need to locate the ship - and do many more important things besides. The castle hold her until then, if need be.

[Weirdsound]

"No, actually... just out of curiosity, do you happen to know how far inland the Orcish Fort is?"

"Not off the top of my head, but I know it is well constructed and on High Ground, so it may not do much. Furthermore, it is a bit close to Kiatown, and again I'm not sure if I could hit it with this particular wave without putting the city in the line of fire..."

Pyrite managed to keep his composure for most of the tactician's response, but couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at "Auratus impression."

"Oh, very well," he chuckled, his sugary expression melting to genuine amusement. "I suppose you're too useful to dispose of, or else good at making yourself sound as such." He bared a still amused but slightly threatening grin. "Of course, your crimes are still impressively severe, so please don't go thinking you'll be out of this mess anytime soon. Disarming the second wave and unsieging the city are the first steps to not being made into some manner of meat tree or pain clam, not the last.

In any case, I'd ask to hear about these schemes of yours, but I suppose we're in questionable company, so maybe that should wait."

The tactician falls silent for a few seconds, clearly not completely happy with your response, but after a spell he clears his throat. "Very well then. It will be a starting point... First bit of tactical advice; If I were you, I'd tell these damn dread pirates not to spread the word that I escaped with my life. If word gets out I'm working for you, 'twill be much harder to diffuse my own plans."

"You," he said disinterestedly, nodding to Mild Red as he approached, "Anything to say beyond 'Please ransom me instead of doing terrible, terrible things?'"

He came to a stop in front of Tilda Thorn, whom he regarded with somewhat more attention. "And you. Interesting choice in master, though it doesn't seem to have worked out."

"All I would like to say, is that if you may find any hint of whatever passes for mercy in that wicked crieten heart of yours, you will grant me a quick death so that..." Mild Red's speech, a long winded romantic plea for death mixed with heavy racism directed at Bellians in general and you in specific, isn't worth paying much attention to.

Tilda's answer is perhaps a bit more noteworthy. "That a woman would choose somebody offering her wealth, power, and affection is of interest to you shows that you must have a very low bar as to what passes for interesting among mortals. Would you also be fascinated to know that I have friends who are kind to me, or family that I am related to?"

[Weirdsound]

Auratus slightly grimaced at the mention of assassinations taking place. Considering the overall situation, everything was about as good as they could hope them to be, but this piece of news was worrying indeed. " I hear the blockading fleet belongs to Rattigont, a demigod from Turnbell's womb. Hearing the situation, it would seem he is already making his presence felt here. While fighting off his ships should not prove too troublesome, they are not the main problem about him, nor what you mortals should be afraid off. Well, with him flying his mother's flag so freely, I have little doubt that House Riptide has already told the other houses to take fitting precautions? "

Hearing the somewhat ominous line of his host,  Auratus could only make sense of Messel the younger having become the general. He certainly had shown enough spirit beforehand, the main reason for him becoming a herald even. It would not be surprising, but planning to make sure of the matter, he asked. " Regarding the Crowned General, I was not yet made aware of his identity. Since you spoke of Herald Messel, am I to presume that it is him? "

The boy shakes his head and offers a sad smile. "We know about the Demigod, and the military is trying to take precautions, but we lack the resources to try and protect the general public and hold the wall at the same time. They don't seem to be after the nobility, so most of us have heightened security a bit, but in all honesty more could be done."

He offers a chuckle when you ask about the Crowned General, but his confidence breaks a bit as he speaks. "No, it is not Messel. The crowned General is Rothwell Skullcrest, the heroic siege engineer who disobeyed orders and fired from the wall in vein attempt to save the soldiers on the beach, executed most of the military command for issuing the order forbidding the men on the wall from helping, and of course... well... lead the charge to... um... well rescue you from the wicked and vile Orc God.

For his efforts, most of the rank and file soldiers tried to make him King, but he refused on the grounds that only the gods could do that. He instead rules under the title of Crowned General. Once he came into power, Rothwell took measures to see that his friends of his were in control of the Houses that recently lost leaders. I was given charge of Lionpaw, and Chance, whom Rothwell admired from across party lines, was quickly wed to her betrothed. She and Messel are now Lord and Lady Infelix."

Receiving Mortus' answer, the dragon frowned deeply. It would seem that the god of death did hold his adoptive daughter dear enough, but fearing Valor was indeed a good reason to not act impulsively. Sunken into thought, Auratus meandered about the room, even ignoring the discussion of which god to call.

Suddenly exclaiming loudly, he stormed to the table with new-found bravado. " So how about we just act upon the rules that Rexxis himself has set! Just a matter of presentation... "

Assuming the stance of a speaker, he recited his ploy.

" The Young Gods of the Islands of Plenty, have valid reasons to believe that attacking the barbarian gods with an army of mortals would highly jeopardize the safety of Chell. To that end, they have resolved to retrieve her before calling one of the established gods as helper, as Rexxis, King of Gods, has generously offered. "

" Further, since rescuing Chell is also linked to the reward offered alongside, and none of the established divines present to judge it, the young god which would rescue her, will be given the right to choose said helper in compensation. "

Facing Mortus, the dragon ended his little speech. " … This, in essence, is what you will tell to the court. Leaving the war after her rescue, will indeed heighten the chance that we are able to retrieve your daughter alive. Valor might not be too happy about it, but this is a far cry from crossing him outright. Neither of us will have to fear his wrath, with the least amount of danger to Chell. Any remaining misgivings? "

"Following that logic, lad, we could save Chell with even more ease by calling upon one of the deities likely to give a boon as opposed ta send an army. Ta Orcs would likely not notice such passive support."

Mortus offers a dark chuckle and shakes his head. "Dose it look like I was born yesterday? Unless ya be much closer friends with Chell than I thought, Yer plan benifits me more than ya. Ya be up ta something, lad. Operating under the assumption that ya be trying ta get out of killing that Dragon, you may still do something rash o' silly to that end, and I'll look like a co-conspirator for sticking me neck out an' buying ya time ta do so."

[IronyOwl]

The tactician falls silent for a few seconds, clearly not completely happy with your response, but after a spell he clears his throat. "Very well then. It will be a starting point... First bit of tactical advice; If I were you, I'd tell these damn dread pirates not to spread the word that I escaped with my life. If word gets out I'm working for you, 'twill be much harder to diffuse my own plans."

"Very well then. Try to avoid mentioning he got out of this alive," he called out casually to the assembled pirates.

Tilda's answer is perhaps a bit more noteworthy. "That a woman would choose somebody offering her wealth, power, and affection is of interest to you shows that you must have a very low bar as to what passes for interesting among mortals. Would you also be fascinated to know that I have friends who are kind to me, or family that I am related to?"[/glow

He let out a snort of laughter. "I was more referring to the reckless insanity, actually. Perhaps I just didn't know him very well?"

Receiving Mortus' answer, the dragon frowned deeply. It would seem that the god of death did hold his adoptive daughter dear enough, but fearing Valor was indeed a good reason to not act impulsively. Sunken into thought, Auratus meandered about the room, even ignoring the discussion of which god to call.

Suddenly exclaiming loudly, he stormed to the table with new-found bravado. " So how about we just act upon the rules that Rexxis himself has set! Just a matter of presentation... "

Assuming the stance of a speaker, he recited his ploy.

" The Young Gods of the Islands of Plenty, have valid reasons to believe that attacking the barbarian gods with an army of mortals would highly jeopardize the safety of Chell. To that end, they have resolved to retrieve her before calling one of the established gods as helper, as Rexxis, King of Gods, has generously offered. "

" Further, since rescuing Chell is also linked to the reward offered alongside, and none of the established divines present to judge it, the young god which would rescue her, will be given the right to choose said helper in compensation. "

Facing Mortus, the dragon ended his little speech. " … This, in essence, is what you will tell to the court. Leaving the war after her rescue, will indeed heighten the chance that we are able to retrieve your daughter alive. Valor might not be too happy about it, but this is a far cry from crossing him outright. Neither of us will have to fear his wrath, with the least amount of danger to Chell. Any remaining misgivings? "

"Following that logic, lad, we could save Chell with even more ease by calling upon one of the deities likely to give a boon as opposed ta send an army. Ta Orcs would likely not notice such passive support."

Mortus offers a dark chuckle and shakes his head. "Dose it look like I was born yesterday? Unless ya be much closer friends with Chell than I thought, Yer plan benifits me more than ya. Ya be up ta something, lad. Operating under the assumption that ya be trying ta get out of killing that Dragon, you may still do something rash o' silly to that end, and I'll look like a co-conspirator for sticking me neck out an' buying ya time ta do so."

Pyrite pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going poorly.

"The exact phrasing is, what, 'take his life?' I doubt we could play the wording too badly, but if certain people were willing to be flexible on the matter," he said, shooting Auratus a warning glance, "We could probably get out of this without physically killing him. Anything's better than death, right?" he finished pointedly and primarily at Auratus.

He took in a deep breath. "All we'd have to do is build some sort of harness to enslave him utterly instead. Valor couldn't possibly object to him serving as our personal possession, as his 'life' would clearly have been taken, just placed on a shelf rather than discarded. The other dragons might be more or less enraged by that than death," he glanced at Auratus again, "but at least it's fixable. He could potentially be ransomed back, earn his freedom, or just be bought off of the other gods and released by any particular one interested in seeing the natural order of things re-established, mmm?"

[GiglameshDespair]

Pyrite pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going poorly.

"The exact phrasing is, what, 'take his life?' I doubt we could play the wording too badly, but if certain people were willing to be flexible on the matter," he said, shooting Auratus a warning glance, "We could probably get out of this without physically killing him. Anything's better than death, right?" he finished pointedly and primarily at Auratus.

He took in a deep breath. "All we'd have to do is build some sort of harness to enslave him utterly instead. Valor couldn't possibly object to him serving as our personal possession, as his 'life' would clearly have been taken, just placed on a shelf rather than discarded. The other dragons might be more or less enraged by that than death," he glanced at Auratus again, "but at least it's fixable. He could potentially be ransomed back, earn his freedom, or just be bought off of the other gods and released by any particular one interested in seeing the natural order of things re-established, mmm?"

"With pride of dragons, more enraged, I would think. You know how prideful they are. Not always reasonable, no.

Besides, I want to eat him. A fitting thing to consume besides harpies, yes? Maybe we could bind him like the storm-lizard in our tower, and I'll only eat him a little, but letting him go again seems ineffective. Ah, he could hold a grudge, indeed!" Ketari laughed."Of course, that decision can come after we defeat him, yes?"

[Weirdsound]

"Very well then. Try to avoid mentioning he got out of this alive," he called out casually to the assembled pirates.

"You 'eard im boys. Anybody who mentions that bugger be alive forfiets a limb... or other external body part... o' my choosing? Understood!" Barks a middling dread pirate officer with an impressive under bite.

He let out a snort of laughter. "I was more referring to the reckless insanity, actually. Perhaps I just didn't know him very well?"

"If somebody more stable were to have made me a comparable offer, I would have considered it." She shrugs, or at least comes as close as her bindings allow to doing so, "and we figured this was actually a fairly safe plan by our standards. Red didn't think you would act against him in such a direct fashion until the more immediate issues of the blockade and orc siege were dealt with."

[IronyOwl]

"With pride of dragons, more enraged, I would think. You know how prideful they are. Not always reasonable, no.

Besides, I want to eat him. A fitting thing to consume besides harpies, yes? Maybe we could bind him like the storm-lizard in our tower, and I'll only eat him a little, but letting him go again seems ineffective. Ah, he could hold a grudge, indeed!" Ketari laughed."Of course, that decision can come after we defeat him, yes?"

"I do wonder... but there's only four left and I have it on good authority that they dislike each other. Hopefully they'd consider slavery a pleasant middle ground between losing someone they need and tolerating someone they hate.

If you mean whether to let him go or not, I suppose it could. If you mean whether to eat him or capture him, I'd rather have the collar on hand if we need it, and avoid having to make it if we don't."

"If somebody more stable were to have made me a comparable offer, I would have considered it." She shrugs, or at least comes as close as her bindings allow to doing so, "and we figured this was actually a fairly safe plan by our standards. Red didn't think you would act against him in such a direct fashion until the more immediate issues of the blockade and orc siege were dealt with."

"We almost didn't, but our dragon here insisted on striking now. Not that the giant took much convincing either.

What about afterwards? Where'd he see this all going in the long run?"