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 Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 11:42 pm
 Feral had lived his entire life in the Shadow Herd, from colt to stallion. The way of Shadow, the twists, the turns, the never-ending struggle and espionage, subterfuge and conspiracy, was his life blood. He'd lived his life under his father's tutelage, but the lessons he'd learned had turned him...cold. He was frozen, and for the longest time, repulsed by his father and rejected by his mother, he had felt numb. Useless. Worthless. And he just hadn't cared. He hadn't cared enough to change that. He'd been at the bottom, and he hadn't had the energy or the will to change that. Why change it? It was where he belonged, and what could he possibly gain by increasing his rank?
But no longer. Now he felt a faint fire begin to kindle him. He felt...drive. For the first time, he felt ambition, motivation, something other than this terrible apathy consuming him. Now he wanted things to change. Wanted things to happen. He wanted. And to get what he wanted...he would have to rise. And there were only two options to rise in the Shadow. Either he had to join the army--led by his mother, his vicious, cruel, uncaring, vindictive mother--or he had to rise in the court. And the Dark Court was what he had been raised for. His father had trained him to be a dark courtier, to be a duke, and that's what he would be: a duke.
And that meant going through the Queen.
He waited nervously for her, tail twitching, wings trembling. Deep breaths, Feral. Control your tells. His muscles ceased their agitated spasms and he waited for an audience with their ruler. He would need to impress her. Prove his loyalty. Whatever she demanded, he would have to give.((I'm assuming this happens after Tepey joins.))
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Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 12:55 pm
Blodeuwedd had indeed heard the message that Feral der Martertod wanted to meet with her. The one-time lover of her now-missing brother, son to her Death General and Fire Duke of Chaos, Feral was, despite having little to no visible ambition, someone she could not ignore. If Feral had ambition, he could conceivably wreak havoc in the Shadow, and Blod could not afford any kind of revolt, especially from someone as remarkable in the Shadow as Feral.
And with the arrival of Tepey R'Pat and his brother Cometary, things had changed. The apathetic Feral had begun to express an interest in changing his stature, and to express ambition. This want could mark a dangerous shift in the chemistry of the herd, unless she could keep Feral happy. As he was no warrior and had been trained by Plamen to be a courtier, it was time to take Feral seriously. It was time to make Feral, quiet, cold, and, at times, passionately romantic into the Chaos Duke Plamen had intended his cold son to be, regardless of what long-term effects this could have.
Thus, she strode out to meet him, quite soberly. She'd need to find leverage. Something to keep Feral from rebelling. As her now-lost brother's ex-lover, he could rightfully call for royal attention and cause trouble Blod was not prepared to deal with. It was time to get leverage that would keep Feral a Chaos Duke quite happily, and to do so, it was time to take the risk and confer with the one stallion who, if not for apathy and no real blood ties to her throne, could destroy Blod.
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Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:57 am
Even as Blod was listing the threats the lyra posed against her rule, Feral was listing, in his head, all of the assets he could provide. He was impartial, he had family connections without being beholden to either the Duke of Fire or the Death General, he could be calm and collected, he was objective, he was loyal. And besides, the queen had something that Feral wanted very much: Tepey R'Pat. He'd met the new consort a week ago when the algiedi had first joined, and he'd instantly fallen in love. How could he not? Tepey was so beautiful, so elegant, so clean, his dark mane cascaded down his neck as a symbol of grace. Cometary was nice in his way, but his pale mane and eyes, eh, they stood out too much. Nothing like those smoldering eyes Tepey had.
Feral hadn't felt so excited about another star since his crush on Blod's brother. That was another lifetime ago--back before Blod had rebuilt the Shadow from the ground up. That had been back when his family had no connections at all. They'd just been commoners, back when pretty much everyone was. He'd swooned--in private--over Hemlock, and his heart had broken when the other stallion had disappeared. Now, however, he felt that burning desire return. Blodeuwedd was striding up to him, and the look on her face was not a happy one. He stiffened, adopting instinctively that same impassive mask he'd worn most of his life. When she was close enough for interaction, he bowed low. "Dark Queen, heir to Ophiuchus's legacy," he murmured. "I beg an audience with you."
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 2:36 pm
An openly polite call to formal and respectful conversation. This was a good omen. From what she'd seen, so far, none of Plamen's get had the gift for scheming that Plamen did. But perhaps that was because Plamen was a poor excuse for a father, and any child of his ignored by its mother and instead foisted off on him was going to be lonely. Well, they could either form themselves into quiet little schemers or schemers with a penchant for the dramatic, but it would apparently be without much training or support from their crazy father. Given that Feral was far more rational and not the schemer Plamen was, perhaps it was time to switch tacks, and treat him as a loyal minion getting a worthy handout from his monarch.
"I greet you, Feral der Martertod, Dark Courtier. For what purpose does such a highborn noble seek me out?" she asked politely and carefully. Best to get a feel for him. In the meantime, run through all the potential ways to satisfy Feral. Greed? Vanity? Acceptance? Power? Mischief? Love? Love seemed the best, given his history, but, for the moment, she had no idea who to offer to sate the seemingly apathetic stallion. Tepey's brother Cometary had said something favorable upon seeing him, but shelve that until she'd actually talked to Feral.
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:15 pm
Loyalty. That was the trick. Loyalty, and the ear of the queen to get what he wanted most--some time alone with the queen's own consort. To do that, he would have to be the most loyal person in the herd. This glacier would have to be a rock for Blod to even consider such an outrageous proposition. But Feral was desperate, and desperate stars do stupid, dangerous things. The trick...was to do it right. The trick was to find a way to survive to collect bravery's reward. And for this prize? Feral was willing to be very brave indeed to quench this fire in his chest.
"Mighty queen, long have I lounged in indolence and uselessness to your cause." Feral pushed the fire into a core at the center of his being and hoped that crucible would not overflow into his voice. In a calm, smooth voice he learned from his father, he continued. "But no longer. I see the world shift and change, and I would ensure that you remain the highest power in the lands. To that end, I beg you grant me the chance to prove myself. Make me the Chaos Duke of Ice, and I will find you allies and fresh troops for your conquest."
He'd thought about that a long time. For all his trickiness, his father was a gifted speaker. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no interest in using that gift for anything other than riling up Retinadeath and buttering up the queen. What the Shadow Herd needed was not charm, but allies. Allies to aid, allies for aid, allies to subvert, allies to betray, allies to conquer. Feral wanted to be a diplomat. To expand the rule of the Shadow herd. To get away from his herd, to prove he was trustworthy even when no one could watch him, to find pretty things to tempt Tepey with. Yes, diplomacy. Who better to be an ambassador and negotiator than a star without conscience or sentimentality?
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 1:03 pm
Duke of Ice. There was a deceptively simple twist. Chaos Duke of Ice...worthy for such a cold, laconic Star, who apparently had his father's silver tongue. Less molten and slick, though, more precise and proper as a thin layer of hoarfrost. Only thickened on him, icy all the way to the core. Unlikely to melt if someone touched it. But he hadn't made any kind of other request that indicated whether he really was as fragile as hoarfrost or not. Something to consider carefully, of her missing brother's ex-lover.
Allies and fresh troops. Good idea. That meant he'd be a diplomat, potentially worthy and uninterested in attempting to seize power. He could still hire mercenaries and allies to help unseat her, but she could hear the placatory words he chose so carefully. Could be a ruse, and this might be the most gifted liar of Plamen's get, but she could always test him. If he proved disloyal, accidents could happen, or she could conveniently fail to properly pay up whatever she promised. But if he stayed loyal, this could solve some issues for her.
She smiled slowly and broadly. "Of course," she said sweetly. "That is a worthy request, Feral der Martertod, new Chaos Duke of Ice. I suppose, as you indicated an interest in diplomatic missions, that I should send you out quite soon, no?" Get him out in the field, see what happened next, that was what came next.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 11:54 am
He...he had the job! The opportunity for favors and respect! The chance to earn loyalty's reward from the Queen who had everything he had ever wanted! Feral's face remained emotionless, but he stood straighter under the welcome weight of the new title. The Chaos Duke of Ice's eyes were narrowed in contemplation. So, he was chief--read, only--diplomat in the Shadow. So...what was his first step?
Damn. His first step was an icky one. "I would gladly go forth anon for your bidding. But first, I shall seek counsel with the Chaos Duke of Fire. He should have information on other herds that could prove useful. Our first step should be to determine who might be a likely ally." And the second step? For this conversation, not for diplomacy (which would, of course, be formal contact with the other herds), but for himself and for this conversation? "I hope, if I may prove worthy," he added slowly, "that I might be allowed an introduction to your...new consort." Easy now, don't sound jealous or, worse, make her jealous...but Feral's mind was burning and racing, and he had to get it out of his throat before it overflowed like lava. But despite his speeding heart, he kept his voice casual, hoping to sound like he was merely...curious. Not the raging lust he felt.
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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:38 pm
Blod nodded. A reasonable first course of action for the new Chaos Duke of Ice, get his bearings and prepare for his first mission. "You have my blessing and my trust," she said, half lies, all glib smiles. Part of the problem resolved, and if he chose to answer to Plamen first, excellent. Plamen was markedly disinclined to betray her. After all, Plamen was happy as long as Blod let him cause mischief and have his warped relationship with the Death General, Retinadeath, which Blod was perfectly fine letting him get on with. A smooth relationship she didn't have to worry about, and she had Feral in a good spot.
His request, however, caused the Queen to lift her flaming brows inside her bone helm in surprise. That was the stallion's request? To meet her new consort? Interesting. Not Cometary. Tepey R'Pat. Feral der Martertod was interested in Tepey R'Pat. After all, he did swing that way. Blod recovered quickly and smiled innocently. "Of course. Now, go, go and do your very best for our herd," she said.
Nope. Feral wasn't going to get Tepey. Blod had spent time searching for a good, strong vain idiot, and she'd found it in Tepey. She couldn't afford to hand off her consort to Feral. Besides, Tepey didn't seem to swing that way. But Cometary...Cometary, if push came to shove, might prove a sufficient sacrifice to keep Feral tamed.
Blod lifted her head and turned away, a gesture of dismissal. Gears turned in the Shadow's political machine, gears frozen by the destruction of the original herd, gears not yet slotted into place. And far be it for Blod to stand in the way of those gears turning.Geyser Eelborn Forgot to quote you in Ciaradh and Irishstorm. Check that out, too. And I think we can wrap this one up, yis?
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 4:37 pm
The queen had phrased her words as carefully as Feral ever had. Inwardly, he frowned. He would not be able to get precisely what he wanted from Blod, then. She was too canny, too possessive to give him what he wanted outright.
Fine, then. He was a Chaos Duke now. He had all of the tools necessary to get what he wanted. All he had to do now was to play his cards correctly. He bowed his head once more to his queen and slipped off to have a little chat with his errant father. Gather a few more tools. Draw a couple more cards. Then the game would begin.
This was a game that he had been born to do. He allowed himself a small smile, and the newest cog in the Shadow's machine began to turn...elfstar89 Yeah, I think we're done here.
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