It was an easy walk to the castle at the heart of Bastion, and Aynia would find that even though a war was most certainly an oppressive threat, life in the capitol was relatively unchanged for now. The castle was familiar, and the walk to her personal suite was just as routine and mundane as it had been since before Aimsir was invaded by the forces of Chaosium.
What was odd to Aynia was the fact that there was a light shining out from her door. If there was any trepidation or fear, it was soon settled when she opened the door. Sitting in the open windowsill was a man dressed in the Yellow and orange of a clan Summer nobleman, but his face was pale porcelain and gold mask wreathed in purple smoke. He got up jovially and bowed deeply, "Hello, my queen! I trust that your meeting with Lord-Captain Tattone of the Fleet went well?" His voice sounded as though he was smiling, although the mask showed nothing of his expression except a slightly bemused look, as though the figure was in on a joke that hadn't been explained yet. "I'm sorry that our first official meeting is like this, my predecessor was much more into pomp and theatre." The smoky head looked up at her as he rose from his bow, "As you might surmise, I'm your Oracle, my queen, and I bring strange news. You may want to take a seat, as this is certainly jarring indeed."
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
Aynia Moreaux
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Aynia arched an eyebrow and looked amused. She came through the doorway and closed the heavy wooden door behind her, turning and pulling the bolt shut. She spoke as she walked over to the table, "Then I suppose I don't need to ask why you are in my suite." Sitting down she poured a glass of wine for them both, sitting one at the seat next to her and holding her own in a hand.
"Care to have a seat, or will you just lean into my window looking fashionable?" She grinned and took a sip of her wine.
The figure laughed, and took a seat, "I'm happy to sit with you, my queen," he looked at the glass before shrugging and taking it, swirling the liquid. "I wish I could say that this was a social visit to introduce myself to you, but sadly you may need more than a single glass." He set the glass down and clasped his hands together. "My queen," He began, "the portal in Aimsir is calling out to somewhere else now. I don't know where, and I don't know how, but I get the feeling that we will be receiving some aid from somewhere beyond our warren for the first time in a long time." His mask appeared to be very serious. "They will be landing in Aimsir, my queen. Far from your aid."
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
Aynia Moreaux
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Her face was perfectly neutral, except for the polite smile. Her her eyes were like ice, frozen on him briefly before they looked over to the window. "How are these portals opening?" She looked confused before turning her gaze back to meet his eyes. "Do you know for certain there will be aid coming from these new arrivals? How do we know we are not about to experience something that is as terrible as Chaos?" She took another sip of her wine, perhaps a bit larger than her last.
The figure followed her gaze, and shrugged. "The portals in Aimsir were already strange. This incursion may have allowed them to be opened from beyond, or perhaps the portals are just snatching wayward souls." He put his porcelain nose close to the wine glass and nodded to himself. "As to how I know that they will bring us aid? To be honest, I cannot say for certain they will, but to be honest, they will be few, and set in the heart of Chaos, the enemy of one's enemy, eh?"
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
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She kept her look of concern. "I suppose, though we don't know that Chaos will find them an enemy. The fact it is a small group is advantageous to us, but very disadvantageous for them. If I knew they wouldn't slaughter anyone sent that does reach them through Chaos it would be a little easier of a decision. It will be hard to spare the resources."
The figure shrugged his shoulders, "I cannot say that I know for certain whether or not these new guests will be of use to us, but still. my queen, they are an anomaly, and you may yet have need of them." He rolled his smokey head, "as for Chaos' intentions, they are not known to share well, I imagine the Crimson Knight and his merry band of monsters will strike at these surprise guests as soon as they are able. I would still enjoy to learn about these intriguing newcomers."
The glowing eyes behind the mask shimmer, "perhaps you can use the Fleet to ferry them about? I would offer my own resources, but they are woefully inept at combat."
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
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Her eyes twinkled as she looked over at him. "It is a very intriguing situation we're in. I haven't had time for studies in a while now, but if there are other ways into this Warren... if there are others capable of coming here, we need to understand how and for what reason." She swirled her finger around the crystal rim of the wine glass, and a quiet hum could be heard through the room. After spending a moment in thought she lifted her finger and the hum stopped.
"Calling on the Fleet isn't a bad idea. After the gift I just handed them it would do me good to have their loyalty reassured."
"I am always happy to be of service, my queen." The figure rises from the chair and gives a grand bow, his air of playful duty unphased, "If you require my services, I can stay a while longer in the castle, but I fear for my books and records." The smug mask had seemed to regain that air of in-the-know. "I trust that however you decide to welcome these newcomers, I trust in you, our fearless leader." He made to move to the open window,as if to leap free and escape. "Anything else you require, my queen?"
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
Aynia Moreaux
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"I believe I shall call our Lord Captain back to our meeting chamber before she gets too far away. I appreciate your advice." A grin crept on her face. "Perhaps the door would be a better option to reach your quarters here, however? I may require further assistance, and I would appreciate any new updates as you receive them. I'm sure your books and records are safe in the hands of the Clerics, yes?" She gave him a pointed yet playful look, daring him to challenge her request.
The figure's shoulders sagged slightly, and the mask's playfulness became reproachful. "Very well my queen, I am, as always, at your disposal." The figure turned and bowed deeply again, before opening the door and stepping out into the halls, humming a village tune as he went.
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
09-14-2023, 08:22 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-14-2023, 08:34 AM by
The Bloody Bay Fleet. Edited 1 time in total.)
The morning brought bright light and birdsong, and while there may have been troubling news the night before, the idyllic sunlight of the Warren would not be cowed. The day continued, with preparations to gather forces to face the Aimsir threat, gathering reports from the Library, and other such events. The easy hurriedness was broken, however when Kelsey entered the castle, followed by the masked spirit of the Oracle in his oranges and golds, chattering away at Kelsey about how glad he was to finally sail on a Fleet ship.
"Excuse me, my queen," the Lord-Captain remarked testily, "but what is the matter of this? And who is this... this... spirit?" The Oracle flung a hand to his chest, "Why, Lord-Captain, I am the Oracle of Caer Sidi! I am mind and magic made manifest! the unbound joy of knowledge!" Kelsey groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And is it true that I'm sailing this... man to Aimsir because we will be receiving aid from outside the Warren? What... what madness has this being led you to believe?"
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
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Aynia was sitting on the chaise lounge in one of the small libraries in the castle. This one was quaint, quiet, and the best place she had found for sneaking away with a good read. She was engrossed in a most wonderful book and was just getting to the good part when suddenly the door flung open. She looked up at Kelsey with a nonchalant expression, not even bothering to put her book down as the Lord Captain walked swiftly into her prior refuge. She could tell Kelsey was rather flustered and her lips formed a small smile as she sat up and put down her book next to her. "I understand you must feel some level of frustration, but I promise it won't be that bad. I've instructed my handmaiden to gather a chest with things I will personally need. I'm sure our Dock Master will be able to outfit the ship with all that will be needed for our journey. All that is left to do is decide our departure time and finish last minute chores. That is unless our dear Oracle has any pressing matters, or yourself Kelsey?"
Kelsey's mouth worked as she stared at the queen, who seemed as nonchalant and in control. The poor Lord-Captain looked as though she were a fish out of water, her cheeks filling with air and her mouth flapping but no sound came out. "My Queen, you... you trust this thing? He is... not what I imagined the Oracle to be. To be completely frank, I doubted it's existence at all."
Sensing that she had little chance of denying Aynia, Kelsey hung her head. "I shall be happy to serve you, my queen, if this is as trustworthy as you claim it to be."
The Oracle clapped his hands in glee, the smug mask beaming. "Excellent! And while I am injured by the thought of being anything less than trustworthy to the dear queen, I shall suffer that slight with grace. I am, after all, going to guide you to where our guests will arrive." Kelsey grinned in response, but her eyes still showed doubt and fear
The Grand Bosun, Parcival MacDonnaugh, Voice of the Grand Admiral and Master of the merchant fleet
Aynia Moreaux
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Aynia stood and walked over to stand by Kelsey. She looked at the Lord Captain with a smile, her icy blue eyes somehow less striking and more soft. Aynia felt a little bad that Kelsey was unprepared, and wondered for a moment if perhaps it could have been introduced to her a different way. Ultimately however what was done was done, and they needed to focus on moving forward with confidence. "I know that this is all sudden for you. It does seem our Oracle is rather excited for the trip and may have rushed the announcement..." She smirked at the Oracle and gave a quick wink. "However it was quite the surprise for me at first as well. What's done is done, and I do humbly request we be on our way by high noon. Surely over two hours is enough time to prepare? In the meantime I will get ready myself."