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 Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:20 pm
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Zosne’s eyes grew slightly as she lowered her head and stepped back slightly “of course it will be done” was all she said as she raised her eyes slightly to watch her leave and sighed before she looked at Brim and spoke up “what was that?” she stepped over to Brim a moment snapping her finger as she did so which attracted the attention of someone who’d come in not to long ago and just glanced over her shoulder a war demon stood there, her gear somewhat different from most of the demons under her command but then again her legion was unique “yes ma’am” she lowered her head, Zosne’s calm demeanor went serious as a cruel looking grin appeared on her face “Veresia, activate the legion, we’re on the hunt once more, we’ve got assassins to track down, and targets to identify on the Drow Village that was destroyed” Veresia grinned as she bowed briefly before looking at Brim and cocked her head “apologies is it alright for anyone to see me?” Zosne placed a hand on Brim’s shoulder and replied “he’s fine, you’re presence here will not be compromised by him” she nodded and saluted before she spun around and disappeared in a blink of an eye her coming and going as silent as was expected of a member of Zosne’s own legion. Zosne looked at Brim and could see his confusion and spoke up “my legion is a very specialized group which is why we’re not as big as most legions, we’re the predator that stalks their prey from the shadows. There was a reason we were assigned here, there are plenty who would love to know the where abouts of my agents, especially that one, Veresia is both a soldier but also an outstanding assassin, one of twenty four purely bred to be assassins., and are the shadows that also roam the land and the castle alike” Zosne’s smiled lightly as she looked Merrick for a moment and then looked at Brim again patting him on the shoulder before she stepped towards the door pausing to look at him “oh by the way, there’s some transfer paperwork for you stored in my vault attached to my office, here” she pulled out a small magic bead and tossed it his way “use that to gain entry, the paperwork is stored in transfers, make sure it gets filled out, it was supposed to be the transfer notice for that who you worry about most, but wasn’t completed” she didn’t have to say who she meant since he would likely understand who she was referring to and just waved with her left hand before taking off. She had plenty to do and no time in which to do it which didn’t bother her any in the slightest. |
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:37 pm
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Brim took the paperwork with a relieved sigh, knowing that it would allow his sister to come to the castle. She was of age for the mandatory training but Harrow was ignoring the requirement. As the daughter of the previous Baroness, she had the right to train at the fort and live at the castle. It was the most advantageous politically. But Harrow had ignored it because she was female...
He looked down at Merrick as everyone left and gave a soft sigh then frowned at the boy, "And you keep your hands to yourself with her, young man..." he teased him, gaining a brief grin from him as he moved to put him back in his crib then collected a pen and sat down at the desk to fill the paperwork out.
Thankfully, it was fast. Instead of being observed delivering it this time, he simply used a touch of fire to do so. It simply appeared on Zosne's desk.
He knew his sister would get a full escort to the castle and would be treated like royalty for the trip. He knew he could trust Zosne with his sister...
He moved back to Merrick and gave a soft sigh as he ran a hand over the boy's head briefly, "I hope I can free her soon... She deserves it, you know... She's smart, quick witted, has a fun sense of humor, and she's even more beautiful than our mother was... She deserves a chance..." he said softly, hoping he'd be able to do everything he needed to before his own time ran out. |
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:13 pm
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Cynthia gave Gaelan a smile for his protection and was about to speak when they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Her smile was wiped in an instant as she turned to face Harrow, who had followed them from the throne room, "Yes, Baron Harrow? You had something else to add?" she asked him softly.
While he had a good build and some decent looks, few females would have given him much consideration due to his attitude towards females. He gave her a sympathetic look as he approached a bit closer, "I wanted to offer my sympathies. I know that this has to be a hard loss for you, Majesty. I also wanted to ask if you knew where my nephew was. One of the guards mentioned that he thought Brimstone was in your chambers..." he started, still trying to approach her even closer.
She gave a nod to him, "He's helping with Merrick and Brianna. They were understandably upset and wouldn't settle," she told him, her clear green eyes watching him for his reactions.
He gave her a small smile, strangely looking very pleased with her answer, "Keep him as long as you need to. I have a few things to take care of anyway. But I'm always available if you need me," he said, sounding as if he was doing her a favor.
He looked at Gaelan with a curious expression.
She gave a tight-lipped smile, "Zosne was worried about my safety. So I now have a body guard. The twins will also have personal bodyguards, chosen by Zosne personally," she explained simply while offering no details, though she hoped that Gaelan understood what she was doing.
Harrow was clearly unhappy with the idea of Cynthia being protected, but couldn't say anything about it, "Of course. I'll let you go then. Just remember that I'm always available if you need me, Majesty," he gave a deep bow and moved away, allowing her to continue on her way.
She looked at Gaelan briefly, "I'll explain soon," she told him softly, then finished leading the way back to the tower.
Once inside, she moved to sit in her usual chair in the sitting area then gestured to one of the other chairs for him to sit in, "Okay, I'll do my best to explain... We know the threat, we just have to get enough proof, enough evidence. Harrow is behind the death of Lareth and most of the Drow. We know it. But we don't have enough proof right now to get rid of him. What happened in the throne room was a show. It's the start of weeding out the problems that exist in the council. Harrow is a threat, but one we know about. The problem is the threats we don't know about..." she started, pausing as a maid moved in with a tray of tea and snacks then left.
She poured tea for them both before continuing, "There are numerous others involved in Harrow's plots but we don't know who all of them are. Not yet, anyway," she paused there to take a sip from her cup then tilted her head at him a bit.
"While it may seem as if you're being used as a dressing or a show piece, you are a serious prospect as a bodyguard. None of them know your abilities. You're a complete unknown to them and they will hesitate to do anything for now. That buys us time," she continued, hoping that he understood now, "Time to find all those working with Harrow, to pull apart his numerous plots. And time to gather the evidence we need to take him down fully and properly," she finished, hoping that he'd understand the basic politics.
From here, she waited, knowing that he'd have questions.
Upstairs, Brimstone was watching Merrick toy with his feet as he waited for Brianna to be brought back by whoever Cynthia had chosen for the task. |
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 11:06 am
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Gaelan acknowledged Cynthia's smile with only a look. Harrow's presence had not gone unnoticed. He put no extraordinary effort into looking imposing during the short bout of verbal dueling that occurred between Harrow and Cynthia. But, his unforced and relaxed confidence was likely a greater inhibiting factor than any show of bravado or threatening posture. Though, these new demons were going to be far more difficult to kill than their barely intelligent predecessors. He would have to be cautious.
As the meeting ended without incident, there was no reason to do anything else but follow the queen to her chambers. It was a bemusing thought, he had gone from losing everything he had and everyone he knew to becoming a queen's bodyguard in a remarkably short time. It was practically a meteoric rise in rank. He hoped that his skills would be up to the challenge. He had never been trained in the subtle arts of the Pater's spies.
When they reached Cynthia's chambers in her tower and she invited him to take a seat, he hesitated briefly before complying. In that moment, his eyes glowed faintly. He sat easily with his sword resting against his leg. To a careless observer he would look more like a familiar business associate who had stopped by to chat than a bodyguard who was all too ready to strike in a very lethal manner should anything or anyone try to harm his charge.
The explanation was clear and concise. It sounded like Gaelan would be little more than a helpful distraction, a deterrent against desperate moves. If luck held, the conspirators would hesitate long enough for the window of opportunity to close. But, if that wasn't enough and the conspirators kept their wits... Gaelan's abilities might well be sorely tested. The Pater Humantil had not been so capable against the ancient demons by staying on the defensive. It was through capable preparation and well planned assaults that their people were kept safe. The magics that they used were powerful and persistent but they took time, time and skill.
"I understand, Your Majesty." He said after a thoughtful moment. "Would your aims be better served by preserving the secret of my abilities than by having me begin making use of them? Proper protective measures that I am familiar with would require certain facilities, as I believe you know well. Some of my methods may well be... a little out of date." |
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2021 9:30 pm
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Cynthia got to her feet as Khax came inside and gave a nod to Zosne then motioned for him to take her into the nursery, "Thank you Khax... Put her with her brother," she said softly, not wanting either twin to wake up this soon. She motioned Brimstone out of the nursery and left Khax to follow on his own.
"Brim, your uncle has already asked for you. I told him you were helping here with the twins. Zosne has finished the paperwork and sent the escort for your sister. She should be here soon. I've made arrangements for her to be housed in this wing with the other younger females in training. Harrow is probably going to protest it. Do what you can to mitigate that," she explained to him softly while Zosne waited for him.
He gave her a nod and even kissed her cheek, "Thank you so much, Cynthia... I don't know how I can ever repay you..." he said simply then let Zosne escort him from the suite.
Cynthia finally walked over to Gaelan and gave him one of her small teasing smiles, "You're lucky we already have what you require... There's actually a staircase that goes down from my room. There are another three floors down from here. One holds my workroom. One is a protected chamber. And one is exactly what you need..." she said then motioned for him to follow her into the bedchamber and over to the fireplace. There, she reached out and pressed one particular stone to the right of where the fire was burning. A moment later, an opening slid down and underneath the floor, torches below automatically lighting and revealing a staircase. She stood beside it and motioned for him to go ahead, knowing he'd appreciate the facilities she had below...
In the nursery, as Khax laid her down, Brianna and Merrick reached for each other's hands and activated an extremely rare bit of Twin-Ability/Magic. Both of them knew the danger they were in and knew the solution. So they simply accepted it.
Over the next few days, they would grow at an accelerated rate. By week's end, they would be fully adult. Thanks to Brianna's abilities, they would also have the knowledge they needed when they got that far. The only thing they would need was training in defending themselves physically.
Only Khax was a witness to the tiny spark that happened when the twins touched. Only Khax would likely understand what they'd done until someone else noticed it... |
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2021 10:13 am
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Gaelan observed the child being brought in and attended to the details of that exchange as carefully as anything else. Parenthood had not been something that he had considered as a viable option with his prior life. His current one did not seem likely to incorporate such an option any better. But, it was a very practical consideration that the children of the queen would also be prime targets for assassination.
Cynthia's return to their prior subject and her light-hearted mannerisms were both welcome. The presence of laboratory facilities in her tower was quite the surprise and Gaelan's eye twitched at the implicit danger involved in having dangerous experiments and processes occurring so close to his charge. It would be convenient but it would also restrict what he could do.
He was silent for a moment longer than usual as he briefly considered the circumstances. He was a dedicated bodyguard at present. He had to stay close and accessible but he also needed to do his preparation work. There was no way to accomplish both of these things without accepting a level of incidental risk.
He rose from his seat and returned his sword to his hip before following Cynthia to the stairs that she had revealed. The mechanism was quite cleverly designed. Gaelan was no stranger to hidden chambers and passageways but finding one this carefully made without knowing of its existence beforehand would have been very very difficult.
"Convenient. I presume that you have the necessary safety measures in place for handling accidents so close to your living quarters?" He inquired respectfully.
Given Cynthia's knowledge, it was unlikely that she had left the lab unsecured. However, as the one who would be using it, he had a duty to confirm the safety margin for his work. Many facilities, and even whole territories, of the Pater Humantil Empire had fallen derelict or been destroyed outright by research and development accidents. If others had witnessed this exchange they would probably have been confused, or even offended. But, Cynthia's knowledge made it far more likely that he could speak candidly about his concerns without giving offense.
In the end, however, he would wait to receive his answer and then descend into the passageway to find the laboratory facilities. What he could produce would depend on the materials and tools available as well as the limits of his own skills and the strength and varieties of safety measures at the lab. Still, he had a few relatively safe options that he should be able to produce without the assistance of dedicated researchers. |
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:54 am
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Cynthia gave Gaelan a small smile, "Of course... There's so much shielding on the rooms below that no one knows the rooms are there and no one ever will unless I've told them about it. Lareth knew, Brimstone, Zosne, Gypsy, Khax, and now you... That's it... You can create anything down there and it will be safe. I would never put my children at risk. I've done my own experimenting, after all..." she explained to him then left him to go on downstairs without her.
She went into the nursery to check on the twins and Khax. She saw the Drow first and took in a deep breath, "I guess you're the king now... Just let me know what you need and you'll get it... Aeri was a dear friend of mine, and a good friend of Lareth's... Just tell me what you need..." she told him softly, knowing that he needed to talk to someone... Aeriolous was his cousin, after all.... |
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:08 pm
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Cynthia smiled at Khax, "I said anything and I meant it. All the supplies you'll need, and two full regiments as well. I'll have Galen over at the fort select them for you personally. As for location... What about the Crimson Cliffs? Under the Cliffs of Blood? There's a very nice set of caves there that can be adapted easily," she offered as she moved them into the bedroom and over to her personal desk. She quickly wrote out three notes and sealed them then labeled them and handed them to him.
"One is for Galen at the Fort. One is for the steward about the supplies. And one is for Zosne to give you the deed you need for the location. And when you're ready for it, we'll have a proper coronation and a big homewarming party for all of you," she added, moving up on her toes to give him a kiss to his cheek.
Then she smiled at him, "I'll be alright. It'll take me some time in the end, but I'll be alright. Galen and the others at the fort found a further plot on myself and the twins but we've nipped it in time. Now I have a personal bodyguard, and the twins will have their own set of guards until Merrick is old enough to take the throne. Then I'll be able to retire without worry," she assured him, hoping that he'd understand.
Brimstone agreed with Zosne but something was bothering him a bit... In the end, he had to speak up, "Zosne... I know that Cynthia wants Al'gaan for Merrick's protection detail, but you seem to have forgotten one thing... Gypsy's gone into heat... And he's there..." he explained to her, hoping that she'd get the point... |
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:14 pm
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“Thank you very much, once things are settled down enough for us all, a coronation and homewarming party will be a welcomed events for everyone I’m sure, I just hope I can live up to the expectations of being the king of my people, but time will tell, for now I’ll take my leave so that I can get these letters to where they need to be and also rally my people to our new home” Khax placed a hand on her shoulder before he took his leave and head for the door to head down stairs. Khax paused slightly before he left the room and looked at the twins for a moment and wondered what he had experienced and before he arrived and moments before Cynthia came in if he should say anything but after a moment he thought against it not entire sure what he experienced was anything noteworthy and simply continued to the door.
Zosne smiled teasingly and replied “oh that isn’t a problem, after the King died things likely went into motion that would override that desire temporarily, but even if he doesn’t get here immediately a detail has already been assigned to Merrick when the time comes to watch over him until Al’gaan can take his place as his guardian” Zosne understood a few things, that Brim likely didn’t know anything about but she wasn’t at liberty to speak of considering that neither Al’gaan nor Gypsy has showed up yet. Zosne turned her head to look at Khax as he came out of the tower into the castle hall where they were and bowed her head slightly “I do believe thanks are in order Lord Khax” Khax looked confused for a moment before he realized what she was referring to and just nodded “no doubt but I was just fulfilling my duties to the realm, also I have a letter for you” Zosne looked amused as she gracefully accepted the letter and opened it reading the contents before she nodded “of course the proper deeds to the lands in question will be processed and delivered to you swiftly, go ahead and lead your people there, I’ll have the documents delivered to you there” Khax nodded “understood take care” Zosne bowed her head slightly as she watched Khax walk off before she tucked the letter away in her clothes and just looked at Brim completely amused “the poor man, has a long journey ahead of him, his people were completely decimated and the dwarves fared no better from the attack, the letter was from the queen authorizing land for them to rebuild” Zosne made sure that Brim was following as she started walking in the direction of the direction of Lord Harrows quarters in the east wing of the castle. |
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2022 12:52 am
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Cynthia saw everyone out except one of the twin's attendants, specially chosen by Zosne. She gave Kazha a nod as he moved to sit in the nursery and keep watch over the babies so that she could take a break to deal with everything that had happened so far.
She moved to sit on the bed and looked around the room, noting everything that had Lareth's touch on it. She now had to move on without the one she'd fully given her heart to. She didn't know what the gods plan for her was now.
She suddenly felt her age weighing on her, pressing on her shoulders with the full weight of so many years... So many years that she'd lost count so very long ago... Now...
She finally laid down and curled up on the bed, only now letting her tears fall. Now, when she was alone, when no one would see, where no one could judge...
She eventually turned to face the wall and silently cried. The only signs of her grief were the occasional draw of a shaky breath and the occasional shaking of her body as the emotions rose and fell within her.
She would be strong again when it was needed. For the moment, she could grieve. Soon enough, she would have to put her grief away and be the queen that Lareth and her children needed her to be. For now... For now she could cry... |
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 6:15 am
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Cynthia finally got up in time to get the note from Kam and issued her orders. So she was looking composed as Al'gaan and Brimstone walked into the sitting room, "Brim, would you arrange for a tea tray to be sent up?" she asked, relieved when he simply nodded and moved to take care of it. Then she looked at the other demon, "Al'gaan, you'll be in charge of Merrick's bodyguard detail. You'll screen each one in the detail, do regular checks of his rooms when he's old enough for them, screen his nanny's and teachers, and provide escort when he leaves the castle. You'll also be in on all of his training, though Gypsy will oversee his fighting training primarily. Since he's Lareth's heir, in more ways than one I'm guessing, you'll have your hands full with him as he grows," she explained to him as she sat in her usual chair.
With Gaelan still in the workroom, Al'gaan and Khaza would double as her bodyguards for this meeting. Having the twins in the nursery upstairs simply added to that. As well as the fact that most demons constantly underestimated Cynthia because she was human.
Brim came back in and nodded, "The tea tray is on the way up. I'll go check on the twins," he said simply, leaving when Cynthia simply nodded to him.
As Zosne and Gypsy escorted their guests into Cynthia's sitting room, Gypsy paused outside the tower to make sure that none of Harrow's spies had seen anything. Just in case...
Cynthia smiled as Kam escorted Luna in then gave the queen a respectful bow, "Queen Cynthia, allow me to introduce you to Luna. Luna, meet Cynthia. I think you two will get along quite well," he said simply then led Luna to sit with him on the couch when Cynthia gestured for them to sit.
Cynthia gave a calm and composed smile, "Your reputation precedes you Luna. And is something, to be honest, that I'm looking forward to exploiting a bit. If you're alright with that," she said honestly, showing that she had no problem with Luna's presence being as public as possible.
Kam gave a grin, "Well, we recently came into some information that could prove useful to you. Seems that my father was plotting with a few others to overthrow you and Lareth, kill off Merrick, and do some rather unmentionable things with Brianna. Luna rather objected to that," he said teasingly, knowing that Luna would appreciate the way he'd worded that one.
Cynthia nodded, "Well... We can reliably say that the twins have been affected by Lareth's death... Brianna in particular... She's acted to speed up their growth. I know it's beyond rare among demon twins, but she's somehow done it... And..." she hesitated there, not exactly sure how to word the next bit, "And she saw her father... What had been done to him and the Drow... You see... It wasn't just Lareth that they took down... They killed off most of the Drow and the Dwarves living with them... Aeriolous had sent a group off to scout a new cave system before everything happened, so some of them still live... But the plague that was sent through them killed men, women... children... And Brianna saw that... Even as young as she is, it's affected her... When she was brought back, she started the speed-growth..." she somehow got it all out before Gypsy pushed in the tea tray and gave her something else to think about.
Gypsy gave her sister-in-law a nod then gestured to the door, "I'll be outside the door if you need me. Need to make sure that no one knows about this until you're ready for it," she said simply then left them again.
Kam gave a nod then looked at Luna, "If little Brianna saw all of that... Then they've hurt her more than I expected... Luna... She's... Little Brianna is a born healer... She's... She's the kind of child that needs to be protected and cherished... I won't say she's soft, but..." he hesitated, not sure how to explain Brianna's sweet and tender nature to her without making the girl sound weak.... |
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:15 pm
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Luna
Luna followed Zosne towards Cynthia's chambers, listening carefully to Kam as they walked. She found his comments about Gypsy to be quite interesting and decided that she may have to see about personally testing the woman's skills at some point, even if it wouldn't necessarily end well for her. She really did enjoy the idea of a dangerous and painful fight.
Luna looked around the sitting room as she was escorted inside, happy to let Kam make the introductions. She followed him over to the couch when Cynthia gestured for them to sit, allowing her attention to switch to the queen as she looked her over. Her lips twisted into her wide Cheshire grin when she heard Cynthia speak about exploiting her reputation a bit. "Oh, I'd be offended if you didn't use my reputation to your advantage," she said.
She looked over to Kam as he began to explain why they were there, appreciating his wording. He really was quite nice to have around because he could sum up her thoughts so quickly. She frowned when she heard about the way that the twins had been affected by Lareth's death, clearly not pleased about the news. Her frown deepened when Cynthia went on to describe that most of the Drown and Dwarves had been killed as well and that little Brianna had seen that and been affected by it.
She contemplated what she should say as Kam started speaking again. She simply shook her head when Kam tried to figure out how to explain Brianna's nature without making her sound weak. "Children like her are truly special. I love inflicting pain, but I do hold quite a lot of respect for those who heal others. Especially when they're children. She truly does need to be protected and cherished."
She leaned back a bit, her red eyes glowing a bit as she looked at Cynthia. "Exploit my reputation however you like. I don't take kindly to threats on children. Most of the rules I live by can change when I get bored, but never my rule against harming children. That particular rule is set in stone." She held out a hand and allowed a file to appear in a flash of hellfire. She examined it for a moment and then held it out for Cynthia to take. "Here. This is the information that I extracted from Vekun, verified by my spymaster. It's not everything, of course. Vekun is a waste of skin that they would never be dumb enough to trust with everything. But it should be a pretty good lead for any investigation into the conspiracy."
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