Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

The sound of Ruby giggling, much more genuinely than the heiress, probably alerted the rogue to just how much of a display she was giving as she took the bundles of clothing, it certainly earned a raised eyebrow from the maid. The serving girl asked no questions, too busy to return to her duties to bother herself with what her lord's honored guests were doing during their bath. The maid was scurrying off even as Elizabeth closed the door and padded back to the bench. The Silver noblewoman discovered that there were actually four uniforms in all, even if she didn't actually need one for each of her group. When she sat down, the rogue had the demoness's rapt attention, at least, and the attention of Alice and Karina. They listened to her directions, taking the words in carefully before responding. Elizabeth only received answers as she began to dress, the trio apparently taking that as a signal that she had spoken her piece.

"Of course, milady," despite the handmaiden's new position in the family, she continued to refer to the noblewoman deferentially. It was a habit that might take some time to break. Still, Alice was as much of a yes-woman as ever, at least."I guess I could do that, Lady Elizabeth," Karina's uncertain response came second, though Elizabeth's less than genuine reasoning seemed to put her the psychic a bit more at ease regarding her task. Ruby pulled herself out of the ceramic basin before answering; "Anything for you, pretty heiress." The succubus spoke with a predator's grin, which earned a frown from Karina and a bit of hesitation on Alice's part as the new Silver moved to leave the bathtub.

At her inquiry about her followers' willingness to don the maid outfits, Ruby and Alice nodded. "It would hardly be a change for me, milady," the former handmaiden offered. "But of course, it can be such a pain to find a pretty new outfit when aliens are raping and murdering all of the good tailors." Karina was the only one who shook her head. "I'd really rather not." By that point, Alice and Ruby were drying themselves off. Karina didn't need to join the other two in their activity, having never stepped into the water. The succubus and maid waited before dressing to see if Elizabeth had any addendum to their plans, given their willingness to take the servant's garb. The psychic merely awaited her dismissal and would be off shortly after it was given.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

“That’s why we should look to save as many people as possible; one of them is bound to be a tailor.” Elizabeth said with a slight smirk, slipping her shirt on over her head, before standing up to step into her pants. “Maybe we can even establish a town; someplace fortified or hidden from the enemy.” She liked the idea of a ‘Silver-Town’ or maybe ‘Silver-city’ if there were caves or resources on the far side of the mountains they might have even been able to exploit those… of course, first thing came first. The Silver assassin pulled her pants up over her shapely rear, and then threw her chainmail top on before fastening her blades into place.

Elizabeth paused for a moment; she had three blades, her Long Knife, Short Knife, and the sword she’d found from Robin, she didn’t have three hands so it was senseless to carry three blades. Elizabeth smirked slightly, holding her Long Knife and its scabbard in one hand before looking over to Alice. “Alice,” She said simply, standing up and walking over to the young maid-turned-noble. “If you’re going to be a Silver; you’re going to need a Silver’s sword.” She smirked lightly, presenting her old Long Knife to Alice in her manner of a formal ceremony, one hand clutching the handle, the other holding the blade inside its scabbard, before presenting the handle to Alice. “This is your sword now. Try not to lose it.” She smirked lightly. She was trying to be more cordial, she needed to do something to make up the whole ‘I’m really an assassin sent here to murder my family member’ thing. But the best way to do that would probably be just to save the citizens and whomever else she could manage. Of course there was still the question of whether or not Erhard was going to die, but at this point it seemed like if Erhard did die, regardless of how it was accomplished or whether or not Elizabeth was even the architect of his death, Karina would blame her, and that grief she didn’t need.

Still, maybe some time apart would do some good. Hopeful Karina wouldn’t see fit to share with any of the servants, but maybe the likely dreadful state of Erhard’s stores would be enlightening for her. Even if Erhard had enough to support him and his staff for years, with the refugees those stores would last maybe a few months. “And everyone remember; keep an eye out for hidden passages. If we need to get everyone out during a siege, a tunnel would be our best option.”

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

(I'm not sure I offered you much to respond to here, but I didn't want to throw Elizabeth and company out of the bathroom because I wasn't wholly sure what you wanted to do with the servant's outfits. I'll try to get another response in quickly after your next post as compensation!)

Ruby smiled Elizabeth's humor, Karina and Alice seemed mostly neutral, making the joke a net-gain for the heiress's relationship with her followers, at least. There was no comment on the matter of starting their own city, the noblewoman's new sister and the succubus were too busy dressing and the psychic seemed to deep in thought. The demoness was dressed first, having chosen one of the servant's outfits. It wasn't quite the fare that one might expect of an apparent womanizer, being a long black dress with full sleeves, covered in a simple white apron, as opposed to some of the more tawdry uniforms that some nobles had their 'maids' wear. The red-haired woman looked completely natural in it, though, likely another useful benefit of her craft. Alice chose a servant's outfit as well, proclaiming that the padded clothing was much too hot. The handmaiden managed to look more natural in servant's wear than even the demoness, which probably didn't come as much of a surprise given her time spent as an actual maid. The garb on the two of them had the added benefit of looking like a standard dress, if they took the apron off. If Elizabeth wanted Alice or Ruby to look less like servants, she would merely need them to remove the apron, if she wanted them to look more the part, the reverse would do the trick.

After they were dressed, it was time to present Alice her sword. The new Silver somehow managed to come across as more awed than she had been in the entire trip. It was more than just her sudden ascension, though, the former handmaiden looked to be positively smitten with the noblewoman, as though her hero had just offered to take her on an adventure. The new noblewoman took the sheathed weapon reverently, she appeared afraid that the thing might shatter into a million pieces if she so much as tilted it the wrong way. "I-I, I won't, milady! I'll keep this until the day I die!" Of course, the first part of keeping it was having a place to keep it. She had to borrow the belt from her padded outfit from earlier in order to place the scabbard at her hip. The sword at her side gave her the strange look of a battle maid, although given the nature of the other servants, it wasn't exactly out of place in the estate.

Then came Elizabeth's final order. "I'll keep an eye out, Lady Elizabeth," Karina replied with a nod. The busty psychic stood up and excused herself from the room without any further word. "We'll meet at the room that your cousin has provided later," Ruby offered aloud, before excusing herself in a similar manner. Unless Elizabeth stopped them for some reason or another, they would be gone in short order. That left Alice and the assassin in the room. The two women could easily find their way back to the main hall.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth smirked as she surveyed her companions; Alice seemed eager to help, as did Ruby in her own way, but the indifference Karina continued to show her troubled the Silver Heiress, in some ways a disloyal follower was less dangerous than having an apathetic one. Treacherous individuals would act in ways designed to harm; loyal ones acted in ways designed to assist, indifferent ones simply acted; they couldn’t be predicted, which made them difficult to deal with for a manipulator like Elizabeth. Elizabeth didn’t like it when her own companions made things difficult; but having Karina with them still gave their group too much integrity. She, with the possible exception of Alice, was the only member of the group that was instantly trustworthy. It made her difficult, but it made them dependable; with from the prospective of other parties at least.

Still; with a little luck and the servant’s uniforms, even the secrets that people may keep from them should be fair game. First they; Alice and Elizabeth, would meet with the captain of the guard, the leader or leaders of the refugees, Erhard, and whomever else may have had the command of the masses Elizabeth sought to exploit. Then they would; as all rational people did, have secrets, and with the aid of the servant’s costumes serving as disguises, Elizabeth and her cohorts would discover those secrets, turn them onto their owners and in doing so use them to ensure those in charge were subservient to Elizabeth. Really, this initial business was just to discover what the various parties would be hiding from them; but that’s not to say there wouldn’t be plenty to talk about.

Elizabeth may have had her own plans for those inside the fortress, but she was the curious sort and you could often tell as much about someone by what they intended to do as by what they did do. It showed their mind worked; an obvious example was the evidence that Karina had never even fathomed that Elizabeth could be capable of some of the things that she was. She was naïve, it was charming in its own way, but it was also a liability. Elizabeth had hoped to replace it with loyalty; with a little luck Karina would see that Elizabeth’s predatory mind, while morally questionable, was exactly what they needed to survive the invasion of the Necropolis, but it was still a work in progress.

As was Alice. Elizabeth happened to like Alice though, which wasn’t to say she didn’t have affection for Karina, but it was a different sort of fondness. Alice idolized her; which was charming, and something she couldn’t outright find fault in. Certainly Elizabeth wasn’t a traditional idol; her positive qualities were largely malicious, but Alice aspired to be like her and she herself aspired to be like her father, or more specifically to replace her father, and in order to do that she would need someone to fill the role she currently filled, minus the aspiration to replace hopefully.

Elizabeth nodded, more to herself than to her team, and retrieved the remaining uniforms. “We’ll drop these off in the room before locating the captain of the guard.” They could come in useful later should Elizabeth herself desire to be taken for a servant; one of the problems with being a talented manipulator and having pride in oneself almost exclusively was seldom trusting others with anything overtly important.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

(I am apparently like a dinosaur. Lying and stuff.)

Given the nature of her first task, it wasn't a surprise that it was completed without incident. She placed the servant's outfits in her guestroom on the way back to the grand foyer. It was only a short distance past that to the main hall itself. Upon her entry, she found that some of the refugees had scattered to other places. The guard captain, however, was still in the same place, only now he was dealing with a refugee and a militiaman. A few servants scurried to and fro through the columned foyer. It didn't seem like a conversation he was enjoying.

This was reinforced by his apparent haste to get away from it. As soon as he noticed the heiress, he quickly pulled himself away from the two, audibly dismissing them before all but fleeing from them. "Lady Silver!" He started, pointedly ignoring the two who were trying to recapture his attention as he approached the rogue. "I see you're back among the world of the waking. I understand you were quite fatigued after everything you went through. I don't suppose you're ready to speak on whatever matter you had in mind now, are you?" The man asked hopefully, apparently desperate to escape the other two.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth bowed her head, hands crossed in front of her, always mindful of a woman’s place in Badarian society. “I do apologize for my tardiness. It would appear the journey had taken more from me than I had expected.” The journey and Ruby had anyway… “I am prepared to hear you now… if I’m not interrupting that is.” Her tone was subservient and her words were handpicked not to imply any superiority to the guardsman. She was there to hear him out, and if while she was hearing his report she happened to mention her own thoughts, well then he could take them as his own if he wanted. That was one of the things she actually enjoyed about being forced to serve men; they always took credit for your ideas.

She did lean herself to one side, obviously looking back at the two men the captain was avoiding. Sometimes showing curiosity could be as helpful as hiding it. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”

(I've never known dinosaurs to be terrible untruthful? )

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

(It was just a derp reference. >.>)

"Oh, no, no, it's fine," the man responded, still attempting to avoid the other two. He avoided answering her question, instead making a request. "Please follow me, Lady Silver, we'll find a room more private so that we can speak in peace." Assuming she did follow, he would lead her up the stairs to the grand landing, then take a left and head up a second set of stairs to the left-side balcony. He would continue leading to the furthest door and swing it open to reveal a small study. The guard captain then ushered Elizabeth and Alice inside before, shooed away the other two once more, then closed the door and locked it.

The study was furnished with several bookcases, as was probably expected. There were two windows and, what looked to be a more recent addition, a crate of ammunition in-between them. A few detachable lanterns decorated the walls, burning despite the light provided from the windows in order to ward away any shadows. There were only two padded chairs in the room, surrounding a small table, though the guard captain didn't seem to mind this as he motioned for the two women to take the seats. He breathed a sigh of relief after they were inside. "No, you weren't interrupting, Lady Silver. I've been dealing with that sort of dispute all day and most of yesterday and there is little I can do for either of them." He let out another sigh at how his last few hours had been spent.

The man removed his helmet before he continued, letting it rest beneath his arm and giving the heiress her first look at the captain. He was probably a handsome man beneath his irritable expression. Short brown hair. He was meticulously groomed, no stubble to speak. The captain had very sharp features. Those features went well with his blue eyes, which appeared capable of drilling a hole through someone with a stare alone. "When the invaders come it's easy enough to band the refugees together by giving them a gun and an enemy, one that just destroyed their homes, no less, to shoot at. When they're not attacking, they want to shoot each other. Worse is when one of my men makes a move on one of the refugee's women and a fight breaks out between them and the soldiers over it. Sometimes I think we should just make one of the groups sleep outside to keep them separated." He shook his head, frustrated, before returning his eyes towards Elizabeth. "But it is not my place to vent to the nobility. What did you have to speak to me about, Lady Silver?"

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

“My apologizes captain; I didn’t mean to occupy your scarce free time.” It was an assumption his time was free at all, and honestly Elizabeth doubted it was, but apologizing was a keen way of indenturing oneself to another, even if what you were apologizing for wasn’t your fault. It showed… concern. Elizabeth took a seat. “I simply wanted to see if there were something which I could help you with. ” She folded her hands neatly into her lap. “My companions and I have fought and killed several of creatures, as well as navigated the city ruins to reach here. I had hoped we could be of some assistance in the hold’s defense. Or, perhaps I could speak to the refugees, or their leader, if they have one. On behalf of yourself and my cousin.” She sighed softly looking down to her lap and hanging her head. It was a careful act; Elizabeth had learned long ago that one of the most dangerous things she could reveal was how cunning she actual was, as long as people thought of her as the simple noble daughter they never expected a knife in the back. Of course this man likely already knew how lethal she could be, she had fought at the hold’s door, and with a little luck she’d helped save some of his men, but just because she was an effective fighter, didn’t mean she couldn’t be as innocent as Alice.

Carefully revealing information however, was often much much harder than hiding it. “Though I’m afraid we may be outmatched regardless.” Elizabeth gave as deep and heartfelt a sigh as she could muster, looking down to her hands as she squeezed the fabric of her leggings between her fingers. “The creatures…” She started, and then stopped herself, playing with the time as though she were looking for the right words, until she took a deep breath and began again. “There were others visiting the Dreslin house, when the attack began. The guards there fought… but they were overwhelmed. The creature overtook the guests, the men were killed, the women” another pause to show ‘concern’ “weren’t.” a second pause, and another deep breath. She even raised one hand to her collar, swallowing hard. Elizabeth happened to think she was a rather good actress. “The creatures… they left the others… they left them pregnant.” A slightly shorter pause to accentuate her ‘horror’ and then a deep breath and heavy huff to shake it off. “I’m concerned their offspring may bolster their ranks enough to overrun the hold.”

Elizabeth laid her hands back into her lap, neatly folded one on top of the other. Prim and proper and in their place.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

The captain sighed and brought his hand to his nose, pinching the bridge and closing his eyes. It looked like a stress tic, to the trained rogue. Alice's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Silence reigned over the room for several moments. "We had feared as much," he finally replied, removing his hand. "Some of the women we liberated were pregnant with monstrosities. They gave birth to more of the foul invaders, which we slew in short order." He looked away from the two women, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. "Or I should say, my lord slew them. He took personal responsibility in the matter and killed each and every one before burning the remains. Worse, though, as soon as they were born, they were growing at an alarming rate. By the time the last lizard was slain, it was half the size of one of the battle-hardened ones we've been fighting."

The man only returned his eyes to the two women when he had finished speaking of that business. He looked much more worn down than he had mere minutes ago, as though a sense of hopelessness had overtaken him. "We - I had hoped against hope that it was an isolated incident, that the invaders were merely savages taking their toll from the conquered. If what you say is true and this is widespread, they are more cunning, ruthless, and dangerous than any of us dreaded. We will not be able to beat them back effectively and will eventually if every day they are joined by fresh fighters, born of Badaria's women. We will be overrun. The men will die and the women will find a fate worse than death." His tone was grim as he delivered the final words, though they were nothing that Elizabeth didn't already know.

The captain appeared to be buying into the assassin's innocent act, at least. He sounded entirely ready to convince himself of the conclusion she had come to in the bath, with no further input from her necessary. "Lord Erhard will never leave if he believes that we can still do something for the refugees here. I am loyal to my lord, to the death, but I believe we need to retreat and regroup. The Necropolis is already beset by enemy forces, its strategic advantages are null. To truly help the men and women of the city, we should save those we can and try to return for the rest with the gift of proper organization and better training." The captain sighed yet again before shaking his head. "But that is not something I should be speaking of to you, Lady Silver. You have already done much for us and saved many. I am humbled to have you offer your aid. If I might be so bold, any effective means to dispatch invaders or information about them would be helpful to my men and me in future combat against the foul monsters."

"As for the refugees, there are no set leaders. If you remain near any of their groupings for long enough, the ones who speak the loudest and the most dangerous are the ones who vie to bring the others under their cause. The other, less willful, refugees tend to go along with what they say. Finding a way to calm them down would be of great help." Throughout his long monologue, there was little evidence to guile on his part. Whether it was his nature, or he was underestimating Elizabeth as a woman, the man's actions and reactions did not speak of a talent for subterfuge. It was possible that the assassin had found the one person in Badaria with less aptitude for roguish endeavors than Karina.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth nodded to the captain, remaining seated in her place as she closed her eyes and thought. For his benefit it was meant to look as though she were trying to recall her encounters with the various types of the enemy, though in truth she was plotting her next move. With the refugees sporting no central leader, she faced the dubious task of unifying them. She had no delusions about how charismatic a leader she was, she already faced the challenge of earning back loyalty from Karina.

The Silver noble sighed softly before opening her eyes and speaking. “The lizards, they seem the most obviously dangerous. Their hides are hard and difficult to cut, and their claws are sharp. We encountered several on the way over here, but they seem to have no means of attacking at a range. Rifles or marksmen seem likely to be the best way to deal with such demons… While the wriggling ones, the pale ones with multiple legs and faceless heads, I met several of them on the road. They seem to come in various sizes, the large they are the more dangerous, but they’re near impossible to hit. They move as though they’ve no sense of bones, and though they too seem to have no manner of attacking at a range, their impossible contortions make them difficult to hit for even the most trained marksman.” Such as herself. “If it comes to it, I should think the best way to deal with such creature would be to corner them. Particularly the larger ones would have difficulty maneuvering in hallways or corridors. Spearmen, or others equip with polearms should beable to flank them and then pin them down.” Elizabeth took a deep breath, and sucked on her tongue.

“However, captain… d-don’t let the creatures touch you… something about that ooze that coats the creatures, it…” there had to be a better way to put this, “arouses, anyone it touches, and its effects can be…” She actually got a little flushed recalling the exact effects from her encounter in the ballroom. “d-difficult to control.”

The Silver rogue paused, taking another deep breath as she raised a hand to her collar. She didn’t like how that slime affected her, or remembering the yearning it had put between her legs or the thoughts it had put in her head. “There are others among the enemy’s ranks. I believe the fallen men return as shades of themselves. There’s no real intelligence to them, and it would be hard to say they resemble themselves, but they’re strong and dangerous. We’ve also encountered women. I don’t know if they’re some manner of shapeshifters, brainwashed victims or something else, but we encountered a pair of women in the Dreslin estate, they were completely nude and covered in the same slime as the invaders… but when one was slain the other fell with her. And frankly they seemed more interested in, uhm… ‘m-making love’ than combat.” Then she had to actually paused, it was difficult to remember all the things she had killed.

Oh wait there was Bob! “They also have some kind of titans. We passed several on the way here, but they were headed toward the Dreslin estate. Colossal things, and very difficult to kill, I had the head of one with me. I believe it is in the room Erhard has loaned me if you’d like to examine it. They fight like men, but don’t appear to have any concept of pain. There were several with that thing when we arrived.” That’s right, there might be more of those wriggling tentacle masses. “I’d not seen anything like That Thing until I arrived here. So I don’t think there are many like it… but when I slashed at it, I’m almost certain it used magic to heal itself. I’m no mage myself; but I believe that shows intelligence. I should think killing those first, though difficult, may prove to disorganize the other creatures, since I’ve not seen any others show much more that bestial instinct.” Elizabeth raised a hand to her lip, nibbling her finger lightly as she thought. “I suspect that slime the creatures are coated in may be some manner of symbiot. I encountered some pools of it that came alive with I dipped my daggers in to examine them. Though I can’t be sure that wasn’t simply the influence of the paired women, I met them at the same time.”

Elizabeth mentally ran through her list as she chewed on her finger. Lizards, Rubbers, Ghouls, Slimes, Naked Women, Titans… She looked up for a moment. “I don’t know if this may be helpful. But some of the titans didn’t look entirely human. Some has animal aspects to them, such as horse or canid faces.” and That Thing. That was it as far as she could recall. She hated lizards.

“I just wish I could be of more help. I can kill a few of them myself, father saw to it I was trained in the martial arts as a matter of status, I don’t think he ever expected me to use what I learned.” Ahh it felt good to lie after so much of telling the truth. “I just wish there were some way we could lead everyone here to safety… some means of escaping without the notice of the creatures.” Elizabeth stood up, if there was some hidden escape-way, the guard captain would likely know about it, if there wasn’t, well. They may be in trouble.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

"Good that your father did, his choice to see you trained might have saved us all today," the captain offered a small compliment. "I will take what you have said to heart, perhaps this information will save some lives on the battlefield. Would that there was a way to escape without the invaders' collective notices. But I do not think we have a any other course but to fight our way out. First, we would still need to convince Lord Erhard that it is time to retreat and regroup." He spoke with a frown. The man didn't seem to understand what Elizabeth was hinting at, or didn't want to speak of it. Regardless, whether there was a hidden tunnel or not, he probably wasn't going to share the information.

The man brightened up slightly afterward, however. "Ah, that reminds me. Lord Erhard and a few craftsman looked over the skins you brought in. It turns out that they have a few magical properties that were usable in enhancing some armor." He strode toward a corner. There were a few ominous looking items laying beside black leather armor. The presence of the gear quickly made it obvious that he had intended to meet her in the room they stood in. He picked up a sizable, grey circular object with obvious care and returned to the assassin before gingerly handing it off to Elizabeth. "We found this in the creature you slew outside the gates. We decided to check the vile thing after Lord Erhard determined that the skins had magical properties. It seems that many of these invaders can be cut open or harvested for valuable materials. This is an incredibly potent item but the craftsmen were uncertain of how to utilize it in creating better armor or weapons."

After Elizabeth had taken the grey object, the man returned to pick up the leather armor. "This is the armor that was created with the skins and a few of the lesser stones found on the titans you slew outside the gate. Watch." He held it up to one of the torches. No matter how close the captain held it to the light, the armor remained shadowy. It absorbed the light. "It is yours to do with as you like, as they were skins that you harvested. I have considered trying to convince Lord Erhard to harvest the bodies of the creatures laying around the estate but it would be difficult for me to justify the risk." He presented the armor to Elizabeth to take if she pleased.

"Anyway, I believe that concludes all the business I had to request of you. Will there be anything else I can do for you, Lady Silver?"

(Elizabeth gains 1x Greybrain and 1x Shadowy Armor AV = 5, EV = 1, TP = 30, DU = 3, +6 Stealth.)

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth nodded lightly to the captain, taking the grey sphere in both her hands, carefully turning it over in her palms as she studied the thing. “Interesting… I have a sword that spent the day buried beneath one of the wrigglings’ corpse. It too was shifted.” She was just thinking out loud, but it was an interesting phenomenon. Should the opportunity arise she might have to consider planting a sword in a monster’s chest, then returning a week or so later. Though that would require the ability to return… perhaps if one were to be taken prisoner... though it could be difficult to take one alive… maybe if a pregnant woman’s offspring were to be made available… though those were thoughts for another time. She’d need to find some place to keep this grey orb.

The armor was much more interesting and even Elizabeth was unable to conceal her intrigue. Had Ruby flayed the lizards knowing their skins were mystical? It seemed there may be much the succubus wasn’t telling her… And then there was the question of whom to wear the shadowed armor. Her thoughts instantly went to herself; they would of course improve her favored ability of stealth, but then there was Alice, she needed armor and the shadowed nature of the leather might enable her to keep up. “Impressive.” Karina could also use some armor, though she wasn’t clear whether armor would impede her spell casting. Ruby seemed fine in the nude. “Alice, would you mind taking that. I think it’ll suit you.” She smirked back to her newly adopted ‘sister’ before returning her attention to the guardsman. Elizabeth bowed her head lightly, holding the grey-thing between her hands in front of her. “Thank you for your time Sir. I’ll see if I cannot convince the refugees to cooperation. Excuse me.” She bowed her head once more and politely took her leave.

She sucked her tongue as she stood outside the captain’s chamber. “Hang onto that armor, we’ll see how it fits you after we meet with the civilians, sister.” She smirked a little, both because she expected gifting the oddly enchanted armor to her noble handmaiden to be met with her usual praise and adulation, but also because dropping ‘sister’ in reference to Alice in situations where she might be overheard was step 1 in convincing the world that they were actually related, and more importantly, that this was a secret. Elizabeth turned on her heel to face the young maid and smiled warmly. “Now, let’s see about finding the refugees.”

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

The short remainder of the meeting went off without a hitch. The captain offered a nod as the rogue left. Elizabeth, of course, had no issue with the locked door. The assassin had been trained to pry information from places and people who really didn't want her there. Opening a door that the key was still inside was hardly going to daunt her.

She handed the armor off to Alice, who reacted much as expected. "Y-yes, mistress!" The mousy girl seemed to adore the armor, or perhaps she adored the thought of having armor and a sword of her very own. Every addition seemed to put her closer to being the heiress that she so obviously idolized. "Thank you... S-Sister." The skinny girl sounded as if she were weighing the word in her mouth. From the joy Alice took in using it, Elizabeth could guess that the former servant quite liked the sound of it. There were some obvious benefits to the maid acknowledging her new status as sister in public as well, of course.

The assassin still had quite a bit of work to do, however, and so next it was off to find the refugees. Her first stop was the grand foyer, which led to most places in the house, in her experience. It turned out to be a decent first stop, as well. With the absence of the guard captain, several groups of refugees had taken up the hall. Much as the man had explained moments ago, a few of the refugees were louder than others.

"These nobles don't care about us, they never cared about us!" A man proclaimed.
"How can you say that? Lord Erhard saved us!" A woman responded.
"You're just saying that because he tried to woo you. From the sounds of things it's working!" Another man responded.
"That's not true! You're just jealous because you don't have the courage and charisma of Lord Erhard!"
"Yeah right! Where was his courage once things really got bad? He saved us because it was convenient. He hasn't left his little stronghold since!"
"It's because he has to care for us!"
"Look at how many of us there are! If he equipped all of us we could go out there and save most of the others, then escape this city. He's just too scared to do it!"
"No! He won't do it because this is all a conspiracy by the nobility to keep us further down. Those things are probably experiments by the Lich King himself! We should revolt!"
"How can you both say that? This is the safest we've been since the invasion started and you'd throw it all away on a chance? Lord Erhard surely knows what he's doing!"

The argument seemed ready to continue. With one side pushing that the refugees arm themselves and flee the estate and city. Another suggesting that they needed to overthrow Erhard and the guard and revolt against the city entirely. And only one voice claiming aloud that Erhard knew what was best.

Throughout all of this, the pikemen at the door looked unsure of what to do. If Elizabeth let it drag on or misspoke, it might instigate violence.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Cue Dramatic Music

Elizabeth smiled like a snake, discord was such a wonderful thing, so many people just waiting for someone to take control… “So what would you do?” She spoke up, still standing on the upper-floor, leaning over the railing to project her voice and her presence over the refugees. “Flee?” She began her way down the stairs, caring herself with the grace and poise of a true noble woman. “To where would you have us run? South-to demon ravaged Artmist? Or North-to Crolia, where a horde of armed battle-torn Badarians are sure to be met with kind eyes?” She scoffed slightly as she reached the base of the stairs. “Or perhaps it’s your hope that the amazons and the jungles of the East will find themselves accommodating?” She surveyed the crowd, careful not to carry herself as a threat, but simply as a noble, weighting her words not with commands, but with the authority of intellect removed from emotion.

“We could fight to the last man, and none could say that Badaria died easy, but Badaria would die. And all that would be left of it would be the moaning whores of our enemy, your wives and daughters, reduced to the pregnant prostitutes of the inhuman creatures that are even now closing rank around us. I have seen firsthand what becomes of the women who fall to these dogs, and I tell you this because I am afraid, not for myself, or for my sister, but for Badaria. I fear that when this day ends Badaria will be a kingdom of whores, not because our enemy is stronger, for they bleed and die as do all our enemies, and no enemy can stand against a united Badaria, but I fear that when this day ends it will not be sung as the day Badaria stood together, I fear that it will be known as the day Badaria died, not to beasts or creatures, but to infighting and petty squabbling.” She gradually added more vigor and venom to her words as appropriate.

“My cousin took us in. He didn’t need to do that, and were he to think only of himself he would not have. For the more of us there are, the more of them will come for us, and there are many of us, and there are more of them. And yet he took us in.” She surveyed the crowd once more walking from the stairs to physically interject herself between the arguing parties. “Because we are all blood, because we are all Badarian.” She looked from one man to the next, meeting their eyes with her ice cold glare. “The Necropolis is lost.” She paused for the reality of that to inset itself upon the crowd. “The Lich King has left us to die.” But not long enough for them to break her momentum. “Now; we can lay down, and allow the enemy to overwhelm us, and they will say Badaria died weak. We can fight to the death, and they will say Badaria died strong. Or we can unite, and they will say Badaria never dies.” She there was a little more bloodlust in her throat as she spoke, a little more ferocity in her eyes. She was getting caught up in it herself.

“My family’s guards stand ready to die for us!” She whipped herself on her heel and pointed to the pikemen with enough force that she felt herself willing them to snap to attention. “My uncle’s son stands ready to lead us!” She stomped a heel to punctuate. “We will head west, to the sands of Anudor, and we will steal back that which the beast folk stole from us! And we will arm our sons, and our brothers with rifles and gunpowder, and we will rain down almighty vengeance upon these beasts that took our homes! And they will know our fury, and all will know, Badaria Never Dies!” Elizabeth howled venom to the crowed, possessed of divine fury and her own mad ambitions.

“So Strap Yourselves Right! Quit Your Bickering & Know That Today, Noble, Knight, Or Common Man, We Stand United. Know That Today, Though We Leave The Necropolis, We Carry Badaria With Us! Know, In Your Hearts, & In Your Minds, That No Force Neither Mortal, Man, Demon, Beast, Monster, Or God Can Stand Against A United Badaria! We Are The Single Most Powerful Nation In The World! We Are Citizens Of Immortal Badaria! No Force Can Conquer Us, We Return, With The Inescapable Vengeance Of Badarian Blades! We Will Wash Over The Necropolis! We Will Raise Monuments To Our Brothers, & We Will Remember This Day As The Day, We Refused To Die!”

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Dramatic Speech [X = 10].

At the end of Elizabeth's impressive speech, applause actually sounded throughout the hall. Many of the refugees seemed impressed by the way the woman held herself, and if not by that then her word. Even the pikemen seemed to stand straighter at the patriotic language. The woman took up her cry. "It's as she said, Lord Erhard didn't have to take us in! He's saved us already! Soon he'll surely lead us to safety to regroup and live on, just as the lady has said!" She didn't seem to be too aware of what the idea would entail, but the vocal woman had obviously sided with the heiress. Many of the other refugees in the room seemed to side with the Silver and her new-found crier as well.

The two men weren't ready to back down yet, however. "Words are fine but where's the action? I'll believe your grandiose story when I see it!" The man was obviously wavering, having issues arguing against a woman who had just shared in his own strategy, but still ready to speak against the assassin if she made one small misstep.
"Yeah, right! If we leave here we'll be killed, one way or another. Either conveniently left behind as they escape or killed by them so that we don't eat too much. It's all just another ploy by the nobles. What are we doing listening to women, anyway!? They should be pregnant and cooking our meals, not spouting off like this!" The second man's only defense against Elizabeth's silver tongue appeared to be a mixture of dementia and crudeness. It seemed very unlikely that she would manage to bring him to her side.

Still, a large majority of the refugees had sided with her. The first man was teetering. The militiamen present were definitely for her. As a bonus, the atmosphere was much less deadly and didn't seem likely to turn violent. If it did, her side would surely win. The heiress was making progress, even if she couldn't convince the few rallied behind the conspiracy theorist to see things her way.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

“If you believe actions,” Elizabeth half turned toward the first man. “than help us all, by taking action.” She smirked a little before turning back toward the crowd. Now it was time to organize them. “We’ll need the help of every able bodied man and woman, men shall act as guards, no one goes anywhere without a compliment of at least three armed men. To insure no impropriety by anyone,” She looked to the conspiracy theorist. “these guards will be composed of one from my family’s guard, and two militiamen; my family’s guards know how to fight, but they’ll need your support.” She looked to the men again, slowly looking from one man to another, trying to gage their commitment.

“With the men acting as guards the women will move in teams to gather and inventory our supplies, if we’re short or running low on anything essential we’ll need to know now.” They may have to brave the Necropolis to gather enough essential, that hadn’t occurred to her, she’d assumed Erhard’s supply cash would have everything they needed but it was entirely possibly they hadn’t expected to have to flee the Necropolis when they made it. “If it results that we need to leave the stronghold to find something, my team and I will personally handle it. There would be no sense in endangering your lives any further.” Or involving amateurs who could get lost to the enemy horde and lower moral, plus it seemed like a good showy maneuver to win some more support.

Now she just needed something final and inspiring to close on. “The first thing we need to access is our available food supplies and transportation…. Remember, we either stand together as Badarians, or we fall separately as cowards.” It wasn’t her best work but she managed to give it a certain heartfelt sincerity, that she blamed on the fact that she was honestly asking for help. She couldn’t save everyone alone. It was one of her major arguments against trying to save everyone.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

The slightly less disagreeable man only grumbled at her return on his words. The heiress made headway in that regard, though not enough to bring him to her side vocally. It was still better than what she had achieved out of the foul-mouthed conspiracy theorist, who not only continued to oppose her on the basis of what could be found between her legs but did so loudly. "I'm done listening to this nonsense! Whoever is with me, meet me in the other common area that our gracious masters have been so kind as to give us." He stood up and moved to leave, a few others mimicked him. It was an action that returned the pikemen to alertness, lulled as they had been by the heiress's words.

The number of dissenters making their way out of the foyer was small, only three counting the conspiracy theorist. If they went unimpeded, they would be gone from the grand room in mere moments, traveling through the doors that also led to the hall containing the guest bedrooms. The remaining refugees ignored them, either siding with the heiress or too indifferent either way to bother moving. The only other woman who had been willing to speak up so far continued in her support of the heiress. "If there's something we can do to help out, we should do it! No matter what class we belonged to before the invasion, we're all Badarians. We can't just sit here lazily and let others defend and protect us!" Despite the amount of naivete her words dripped with, they probably supported Elizabeth. A few calls of support came from the crowded room.

The calls were scattered and not all of the group in the room was wholly sold on the Silver noblewoman's grand speech, but the majority was willing to go along with her plan. Those who weren't entirely for her would likely go along with the assassin if only because their comrades were. The rogue would be able to finalize her orders and then move onto the next portion of her plan.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth smirked. Only three people, that wasn’t too many, “The first thing we’ll need to do is gather all our supplies in one place. We can’t prepare to move properly if we don’t know how much we have to move. This means that it is of the utmost importance for everyone to do their part and share. This is no time to be selfish, so if you see someone struggling with a burden, help them lift it, if you’ve got more than you need, spread it around. Today there are no classes.” her initial instinct was simply to have them quietly murdered there were so few, but better not, least their claims be justified by their deaths.

Still, it sat poorly with her to simply let them out on their own without observation. She could send Alice, but then she’d lack a second set of eyes… There was that woman who kept proclaiming her cousin’s chivalry; she was worth investigating at least. The Silver rogue took a deep breath and steeled herself for Erhard’s fan. She seemed an acceptable enough woman, though something in the way she doted on Erhard reminded Elizabeth of Alice, maybe it was something hereditary to win the affection of naïve young serving maidens. The Silver daughter approached the supporter slowly; she didn’t want to look like she was obviously seeking out her supporters, it had to look like she was just approaching one of the vocal members. “Hello, Elizabeth Silver, I’d like to thank you for your support of my cousin. I’m certain it helped.”

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine.

(Short post is short but after 3 tornado sirens I say fuck it, gotta keep this moving. >.>)

"It was no issue, Lady Silver," the woman replied with a calmness that Alice wouldn't have possessed in the same situation. Speaking of the mousy former maid, she was currently busying herself by watching the proceedings of the refugees following Elizabeth's words. Erhard's fan did offer a polite curtsy to the heiress, suggesting that she was not ready to wholly follow the rogue's claims of a Badaria undivided by class. "Lord Erhard saved me. He saved all of us, in truth. It is easy for some of them to forget that while we're safe. It is a bit more difficult for me to forget after what happened out there," she explained with a frown.

"But you surely did not come to me to hear me wail," the woman continued, a morbid smile playing about her lips. "What service can I be of to you, Lady?"

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

“I’m looking for someone who’d be willing to play courier. It’s important that Erhard and his guards are kept informed of developments here. What supplies we’re short on, what we have in abundance, whether or not we will need carriages or carts to help transport the sick, wounded, or elderly. That sort of thing.” It was all true, though Elizabeth didn’t know where they would get such things should they be needed. Hopefully Erhard had possessed the good sense to stockpile transportation in addition to ammunition, or at least kept a few war-horses about that could be repurposed to work horses. “I understand that this might not be the most, popular, of positions, but it’s important if we’re going to get through this that we work together. Someone needs to bridge the gap.” And it wasn’t going to be her. It was probably a bad idea to the pull the ‘bridge’ from the nobles anyway.

“Think you can do it?”