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[Chevaleresse]

"Well, that's quite a broad question. Where to begin. . .

Well, Cawallader in particular is known for our rich deposits of iron, among other valuable resources. Our culture and traditions. . . Once again, a broad question. I suppose I could note what I've found strange about this land, if you'd like, so you could draw a comparison. To start, I was expecting a trial by ordeal - while I suppose this could be considered such, it does not seem to be part of the laws of this land. My family has been in power for just over a century. I will admit, if you want a proper summary of our rule, I may not be the ideal person to talk to; still, I will say that we have lost territory, territory which I had hoped to win back after my errand in your Empire."

[Lucus Casius]

: "Well, I was going to narrow them down a bit, but the broad overview is certainly helpful."

The shaman taps his chin in thought.  There was another hint, in that admission of lost territory.  Perhaps his peer over in Modern Geopolitics hadn't been so off in his assessment, after all, despite the girl's earlier claims.

: "What was your errand, precisely?  A diplomatic mission to the Empress, perhaps, or some other powerful noble?"

: "Ah, forgive me if we're getting too far away from the original topic.  Though since it was brought up, I am curious as to why a noblewoman would be traveling without support and retinue.  Or why she would not have been retrieved from prison by an agent of her family."

[Chevaleresse]

"I did have a small retinue with me, mostly of soldiers, but I wanted to travel quickly; a royal entourage is cumbersome, if you are being generous with your description. I do not know what happened to the rest of my men after I ordered the surrender-" she grimaced at this "-but I still hold the hope that they will be released safely." She closed her eyes, pausing for a moment. As small as that hope may be.

Gawen reopened her eyes and continued. "My errand is the same reason I have not been retrieved. I had hoped to offer the services of my personal guard as well as a surplus of arms and armor in return for later aid. I am still not expected to return for. . . gods, how long has it been? Regardless, a lack of messages is not unexpected. The paths between the Empire and Cawallader are few and dangerous, and for more than just the treacherous footing."

[Lucus Casius]

: "Hm.  Yes, I suppose the regional politics would deter couriers, if you could even manage to find one while in prison.  Amongst other things."

The shaman gave a soft sigh, fiddling with one of his tomes again.  It seemed a poor idea to ask about her soldiers; with the legal system in the state it was, dependent on the whims of regional and local courts save for certain... higher profile cases, he had little more idea where they were than she did. 

: "...So, then.  Trial by ordeal, work as--if you'll pardon the term--mercenaries.  I understood that the mountain princes had strong warrior cultures, though I'll admit, I didn't expect it to be quite so blatant.  Perhaps I should have studied the topic more.  Are your people still at war, or merely planning for it?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Well, a princess doing mercenary work - I won't shy away from calling it what it is - is not typical. Leading soldiers into battle, perhaps, but in my case I had plans that I wished to personally oversee. As of now, we merely plan for war; none of our neighbors dare to assault us for fear of someone striking them in the back. Unless something has changed from the time of my departure, of course."

[Lucus Casius]

: "...One doesn't need to be an expert to know the situation in the principalities changes with every sunset."

: "But, ah, pay that no mind.  Pointless musing!  I'm sure you're right."

The man took a deep breath, humming again as he considered his next question.  Perhaps the nobility other than her family?  No, not that.  Alliances and trading partners?  No...

[Chevaleresse]

"Forgive me for my optimism. 'Warrior culture' or no, I'd rather my home be left unmolested." She had half a mind to ask whether his tendency to be irritating in the extreme was deliberate or a happy accident. However, she'd been raised with some modicum of proper manners - though she supposed her inquiry might be considered impolite as well. "I must ask; what drove you to study something so expressly forbidden? Simple curiosity does not seem to be worth a death sentence."

[Lucus Casius]

Shaken from his thoughts, the man stared at the princess for a moment.  Then he laughed.

: "Nonsense!  If simple curiosity is enough to build one's life and work, it's enough to accept death.  One doesn't study something just because it's useful.  They study it because they genuinely wish to learn about it!"

: "Well, assuming they had a choice, of course."

The man closed his eyes, growing silent for a while.  Long enough for the princess to probably consider prodding him for another question.  Before she could do so, he opened one of his eyes again.

: "But that doesn't answer your question, really.  No, it was not solely curiosity, though I never would have accepted the position if that hadn't been a factor."

: "No.  I did indeed study forbidden tomes, but our dear captain was perhaps a bit mistaken in suggesting that my acquisition of them was illegal.  I was, as it happened, commissioned to study the subject.  Quite legally, in fact.  As were all of those working under me."

[Solymr]

Edmund worked his way into the conversation.

: So what did you find in those forbidden tomes, that the Academy felt the need to backstab you?

[GiglameshDespair]

Ghamina gathered her silken skirts and gave a curtsey. She was smiling slightly it had been too long since she sang properly, and was complimented as was proper.

"...Pozdravleniya. You vill remain unhit for now."

It was probably the closest to a compliment the bard was going to get from Wolf.

"...how kind of you. What is that you keep speaking, any way? I don't recognise the tongue."

[Lucus Casius]

William raised an eyebrow at the intruding priest, recalling the words of the captain.  This was the one who had inquired into purchasing blood magic tomes, wasn't it?  If so, most would assume that the knowledge sought by the man would likely be thoroughly forbidden, and used to acquire more.

Not that the shaman cared overly much.  It wasn't as though he was about to condemn the pursuit of knowledge, forbidden or otherwise.  And it wasn't as though it was explicitly illegal for him to talk about.  Not since the project was shut down and he was sent to prison, anyway.

: "Ah, well, damnably little.  Scraps and pieces, but nothing particularly solid, and little particularly usable."

: "That was precisely the problem, you see.  The Academy hardly stabbed me in the back over the tomes they'd given me to study.  The academy barely even had any influence over the project.  Too important for the war effort to be left to civilian committees, or something along those lines."

[Solymr]

: I see. The hypocrisy of the Empire claims another mind. First they used the Academy to exert a monopoly over magic, restricting the knowledge and incarcerating people for being too dangerous, and now they incarcerate another one because it wasn't dangerous enough when they intended to use it.

Edmund chuckled to himself.

[Lucus Casius]

Well, a bit of a stretch, to his mind.  Or a rather large stretch.  Other than that hypocrisy bit, which he could certainly get behind.  Still.

: "Something along those lines, I suppose.  Still!  We managed to develop a few simple countercharms before they shut us down."

: "Pity, that.  We were close to making some major breakthroughs, too."

[Solymr]

: Hmph. The time to have investigated about it was 35 years ago. But instead they forbade it, being too afraid about possible "dangers" instead of actually learning what the dangers were and how to deal with them. Fools.

Edmund coughed a bit before continuing.

: Ah, whatever. Their bad decisions will eventually catch up to them. What was this major breakthrough you speak of?

[SeriousConcentrate]

"...how kind of you. What is that you keep speaking, any way? I don't recognise the tongue."

Wolf was silent for awhile, save the cracking of her knuckles, but eventually she did speak.

"Yerbian tongue... difficult. Self-taught. Easier to think and to speak in own language."

Wolf looked up toward the sun rising over the mountains, seemingly amused.

"But Vulf has been everywhere and comes from nowhere. All places are home to her. It is a good life."

It seemed she planned on staying mysterious, though perhaps she had given a broad hint a moment ago.