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 Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:45 pm
Once they all filed in she trotted to the entrance and glanced to either side, but did not see any other herdmembers nearby. Just because she couldn't see any, however, didn't mean there weren't any there. All the same, she trotted pas them all to the back of the shallow cavern. She halted, turned, and ruffled her wings a bit. This could be difficult, but she had already agreed to go through with it, now she only had to figure out how to word their problem. "Mavasu, Mordre, and Xla'Lanan, I have called you three here so that we all may discuss a matter of the utmost importance, which has been brought to my attention by our guest. Before we begin," she said after a pause, lowering her voice a bit and turning to Storm, "I need to know if you can tell if anyone is nearby that would be able to listen in. Those this cavern is secluded, we do have some members of the herd who would love nothing else than to eavesdrop on our conversation."
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:44 am
 Storm entered, scanning the area with a wary apprehension. She hated to be trapped in enclosed spaces. Why couldn't they meet somewhere outside in the open where she could flee if necessary? Or was this a trap. No, it couldn't be, there was no way the mare would go through this much effort. Or would she?
She scanned the others mind, but found nothing amiss other than the queen's apprehension of the situation at hand. The powers of a seer hadn't brought her down yet, and she prayed they didn't today.
She watched the others trot it, the face of Xla'Lanan widen in shock and snort ruefully. She gave him a quaint smile but kept most of her focus on Mordre. He made her painstakingly nervous.
"There is no one," she concluded after a quick scan of the surroundings. Luckily no one was stupid enough at the moment.
Xla'lanan was NOT happy wih the situation at hand. What the hell was she doing here with the queen? And there was Mordre, probably intent on weaving some spell over his eyes. The illusionist made him nervous. Useful though he was, Xla'lanan would prefer it if he didn't have to deal with him. Set that boy off and you might be trailed by an apparation for the rest of your life.
It didn't take him long to figure out what the queen meant. "You're a seer!" he hissed in disbelief, gritting his teeth together. Savit let a seer to read their minds and destroy their privacy. Every instinct told him to leave at once, but curiosity held him down. He gave a look towards Storm that said, 'If you try I'll beat you sensless' - as if he could. This day was going from bad to much much worse. 
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:56 am
 "The world is full of freaks," said Mordre as he entered the cavern, cloaked in his youthful illusion, "and once again, Advisor Xla'lanan, you are faced with the fact that some of them are more powerful than you. If I were you, I should watch my temper - all strength and magic aside Storm is now a guest of our Queen, and as a member of this herd it behooves you to be civil."
And that was another reason why he disliked Xla'lanan so intensely, Mordre thought bitterly to himself. He'd been raised in a civilised herd, and yet he acted with as much blunt arrogance as any of the mercenaries Mordre had dealt with in his time. In Storm at least he could understand some roughness around the edges: she'd lacked the benefit of a Katilenuck upbringing, after all. He was developing, not that he'd admit it aloud, a few shreds of grudging respect for her. She was powerful, and if the Queen - who was no fool, despite his worries - trusted her there had to be something in that. And at least she was mostly Jala. Xla, on the other hand, was just an idiot. It was a sad day when he would side with a crossbred outlander over one of his own herd, but frankly it was Xla and he couldn't seem to care.
"If it will set your mind at any further rest, my Queen," he added, "my boy Cai is keeping watch nearby - out of earshot, of course - and I trust him to be discreet."
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 4:00 pm
 Watching Savit talk to the 'outsider' Mavasu couldn't help but snort angrily at the fact that they were tolerating having this outsider here. Especially this close to his queen. Though upon seeing the fact that this outsider was a seer he was even more irritated. As far as he was concerned it was bad enough having an illusionist around but now a seer as well? This was utterly ridiculous.
Though when Modre entered he turned his glare on him for a few moments before returning it on this outsider.
"My queen what is it you need to discuss with us?" He asked now ignoring the rest of them as his glare turned into a gaze as he looked upon the queen. "Though I don't see what this outsider has to do with this." He wanted the outsider gone and it was hard for him to ignore the fact that she was there so as he didn't try to chase her off. This was going to take all of his effort to ignore her presence even if this situation that was brought to attention was the outsider's doing.
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Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 10:29 pm
The Queen swished her curly tail, watching them all enter, and gave a nod towards Storm and Mordre. "Thank you both." She flicked her ears a bit and pawed the ground once or twice out of nervousness, picking and choosing her words now to figure out the best way to explain their predicament.
"Now," she began with a stomp of one hoof, ignoring the echo it caused, "it has come to my attention that there is a certain herd not too far from ours. To my understanding, it is a pure Reya herd." She paused there to collect her thoughts, and to let the last words sink in. "I've been told that their numbers are great and they are led by a select few; an elite group who have trained them many of their numbers in the art of combat. They may head this way at any time, and I think they may know that information about them and their herd has been leaked to us. They are not a threat yet, but I believe they will become a large one fairly quickly." She began to pace back and forth in front of them, trying to remember everything Storm told her previously. It was true, she was embellishing a little, but for such a Reya-hating herd, she thought it a bit necessary to do so. "Now. It is to my understanding that if their vicious and war-seeking leaders are struck down, the herd will be little to no threat to our great nation, and will flee far from our lands. However, if we strike down too many of their own, it will become a bloodbath. I know the beliefs of our lands, but my goal is to rid our land of what will become a large threat with as few casualties as possible. Our warriors are skilled in the art of combat with the Goddess-given grace of our beloved Jala, but I understand that this herd is vicious and has been trained very well, and I am sure all of you will agree they have an extra weapon that we Jala do not."
She paused to take a breath and halted, looking over them all. She flicked an ear, wondering if she should stop for their input, but felt she'd gone rather far to stop with so little left to explain, so she continued. "Now. I have agreed to allow our guest Storm to lead a number of our troops, as she knows fairly well the location of this herd. I think she also knows which of these Reya help to lead the herd. Her special powers, as I'm sure all of you now know she possesses, will also aid us." She looked towards Storm, ears angled forward, and bobbed her head slightly. "If there is anything I have forgotten or neglected to say, please tell me. You know more than I do about this herd, so anymore information you could share would be greatly appreciated." She then turned towards Xla and Mavasu, especially. "And any complete objection or outburst," she warned, flicking her ears back, "will be over-ruled and dealt with severely. We cannot afford to play games when such a large herd of Reya is dancing about so close to our herd."
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Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 11:24 pm
And out of seershot, as well, Storm noted. There was a limit to how far her powers could travel, she'd learned this quickly. It was a hindrance, but also something she was thankful for. She didn't want to be picking up the world's insignificant troubles, now did she?
Mavasu, she found, annoyed her greatly. His brain consisted of less material than Xla'Lanan's, who only had a bright thought once in a blue moon. The great Patriarch seemed to bubble with power and authority, and why Savit had taken him, Storm could only guess. Being able to read one's mind did not clarify logic. She was no empath.
Storm took a deep breath and sighed, knowing she truly knew very little of this herd. It contained Clytaemnestra, the ruthless battler. The feat she took on was one that could potentially leave several dead. Was she so sure, now, that it was a responsibility she could take on?
"I address Mordre," she spoke at last. "The herd takes none to kindly to the orders of crossbreeds, and I will need a firm hand, and an illusion to succeed." She cocked an eyebrow at him warily, knowing he had all right to refuse this business all together, and would if he so desired. She only hoped his loyalty to the queen was far above any grudge he detained against her. That grudge would only come to grow in the years to come, provided she had to see his face again. She'd rather not, or any of these faces.
Xla'Lanan was thinking, and doing his best at it, too. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation. In any case, the Queen was the Queen as Mordre said, and he held back any retort towards the b*****d Mordre for he would be put at a favor lower. Favor was needed with the queen, despite your advisory status. Stupid mistakes and speeches brought him down, and he'd been making many of those lately. It seemed, his mind could not be spoken as Mordre's would. Time away had wrought on his tongue. He'd need to watch that.
"I say we wait for winter. Ground them," Xla'Lanan said at last.
He knew full well as everyone else that their advantage lay in the sky and that leather wings worked poorly in the freezing temperatures of the snow. That was the only thing he had to offer. If he said anything else it would be a b***h fit about the situation at hand, and he would not coud not be seen any more of a fool. Curse you, ******** Illusionist. If it weren't for that old man people might actually some bearing with the queen.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 7:03 am
"The Advisor has a fair point," Mordre observed. "Our advantage in the air persists only while the cold weather does...just as my illusions persist only as long as my consciousness does, Outlander Storm." He turned his gaze to her. "If I am to defend you from the herd's suspicions, you must remain within my range - a concept I am sure you are familiar with - and do your utmost to see that I am not severely harmed. My concentration is good enough that I can do this..." He concealed her horn with a carefully crafted illusion. "...while working on other things, but only for as long as I remain in good condition. In the event that my concentration is broken, I advise you to have some sort of contingency plan - having never had a horn of my own to conceal, the best I can think of is to hide yourself entirely."
Of course, Storm would know that he had far more than a horn to conceal. Hiding himself entirely was his strategy when his illusion of youth broke down, for whatever reason, but it did seem a little extreme for Storm's much smaller "problem".
I suggest we both put our minds to something more effective and less obvious, he thought, knowing the seer would pick it up. I'd discuss it aloud if I didn't think it might bring me under suspicion. The Queen knows my true form, as you do, but I'd rather neither of these two idiots got wind of it - the longer they think I'm physically frail and defenceless, the better.
"The only trouble I can see with the Advisor's suggestion, however," he continued, returning to his previous tack, "is that the herd may already be too close. Are we likely to be forced into action before our advantage can come into play? Have we any suitable intelligence on that - or, failing its existence now, can we gather some?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:40 am
Reya? Near their borders? And this outsider being allowed to lead some of the troops? Mavasu wasn't sure want to be more angry about. He was furious about both situations. "How is it possible this filthy group of Reya managed to be this close?!" His voice was now tainted over and the gazed calm look he had just moments ago when addressing his queen was now gone. "I feel we should strike them all down when the moment is right and live none alive." He voiced his opinion which was biased as it was as he hated the Reya even more then he hated his own slave.
Turning his attention on Storm distrust in his eyes he stomped his hooves into the ground. "M'lady not to go against you but why can't she just tell us where the location is and who the leaders are? And let someone more qualified lead the troops." His voice calmed slightly as he spoke to his queen though his look of distrust turned to hate as he continued to watch the outsider.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:08 pm
Well, it hadn't exploded, as she'd thought it might have, especially with Mavasu and Xla'Lanan present. She let out a small, relieved sigh, though she knew they certainly weren't out of the woods yet, as far as conflict could go. One ear twitched as she listened to their comments and concerns, tempted to ignore Mavasu's statements altogether. But alas, she couldn't do that.
She nodded towards Xla, figuring she'd give him at least a bit of credit and acknowledgment for coming up with at least something. "Yes, thank you, Xla'Lanan. Winter does seem like the best time to set forth," she said thoughtfully, clicking her tongue as she pondered on possible situations and their outcomes. She decided to leave Mordre's intelligence questions to Storm, as she hadn't a very good idea just how close this herd was, so she wouldn't be able to give a very accurate answer. Her dual-colored eyes alighted on the Patriarch, and she nodded towards him. "Our long-range troops must have missed them, either that or they are outside their designated rounds. How they've become so close no longer matters. The only thing that matters now is to get rid of them with as little loss on our side as possible," she explained firmly, trying to get her point across politely into his thick skull. "She will lead the troops because she knows the lay of the land much better, and she knows where this herd is. I don't want to take any chances with directions someone could misremember or forget, especially during the winter months. It's bad enough we're sending our troops to do battle without sending them to die from hypothermia." She doubted that going in the wrong direction could result in them getting lost and freezing to death, but...hopefully that would appease him. Maybe.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:01 pm
Storm couldn't help but smirk. Somehow it was just like Mordre to ensure the safety of his own hide. However, despite his warnings, she wasn't going to be doing any running or hiding.
If worse comes to worse, I can snap if off myself. She responded in her head, finding it a subject no one else needed to worry themselves with. She doubted, however, that this would become necessary.
Agreed, she answered with a mental sigh, attempting not to let her face show anything on the conversation between she and Morde, while concentrating on the speech at hand. What I know of now, is that one segment is led by a Reya mare. There would be a minimal of five or six in her party alone, but that isn't to say there aren't more led by others. I've confronted some of the males - their fighting skills aren't terribly overbearing, but that might be due to their cocky nature. She paused and added as an afterthought, But their horns are tipped with poison. Melantho's memory flashed through her mind and she hissed. Partly hoping that she hadn't accidentally flung the picture to Mordre, but mostly because she didn't want to think about how much she missed the mare.
"We don't, and its to dangerous to take a look to be sure. There is a possibility, though remote, that they too have wielders of magic," she answered Morde's questions in the open.
"The reason we don't strike them down," she growled heatedly towards Mavasu, "is because that would be the same bloodbath that Reya gave Jala herself, and those are boundaries you seek to break, vile Reya nature withstanding. I don't think that you want to become like the Reya, hmm oh noble Patriarch?" She paused. "So unless you have any better ideas, I suppose you should stop complaining." He pissed her off to no end, but then again, most of the Katilenuck did. Most Nequus did. She was just a giant ball of angry.
"To wait until winter is both wise and unwise," she said while taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "In any case, I recommend strengthening your borders. Let no one through, Jala or not, until you are sure of their reason for being present."
She gritted her teeth. "I don't have answers for you at this time, its up to you lot to make a decision."
Xla'Lanan beamed. Not only Mordre had admitted his plan as worthy, but the queen as well. This was what he lived for.
See world, he wasn't that stupid afterall. Perhaps they should rethink his status!
What was Storm babbling on about? Being like the Reya? "Don't compare us to them, crossbreed!" he snapped. "We're nothing like them." Perhaps he shouldn't have spoken with such foracity, perhaps it deemed him low in status, but he would not have his kind belittled by her.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:41 pm
"Calm yourself, Advisor Xla'lanan," Mordre said coolly. "I am sure Outlander Storm meant no offence - she was merely pointing out the fruitlessness of a pitched battle, and the needless bloodshed it would cause on our side. If we concentrate on skirmishes and small groups while strengthening our border patrols, our lands will be safer and our losses will be far less. As to waiting for winter, I do not think it is a matter for consideration. Our borders, as Madam Outlander says, must be strengthened starting now. Dealing with this herd in a pitched battle seems both highly dangerous and unnecessary - a small strike team would be able to ascertain the threat level more accurately, and engage any strike teams they may have sent out if necessary. Madam Outlander has already agreed to lead our team due to her superior knowledge of the enemy, and, with my Queen's permission, I will accompany and support her. Once the enemy is found, mighty Patriarch, your battle prowess will be much needed." He thought it best to soothe Mavasu's bruised ego - as much as the stallion was disagreeable, he couldn't deny that he was strong. Having him refuse to go, or worse somehow get in the way of their plans, could be disastrous.
"My advice would be for us to set out as soon as possible," he continued. "The matter of numbers, of choosing team members, of our heading and how long we should be gone - that I leave to those more experienced in such matters than myself. I would suggest consulting Tactician Undine; she has distinguished herself on many occasions in the past and her wisdom may be invaluable."
Storm's sent thoughts surprised Mordre briefly - he'd known she could read his mind, but to place thoughts of her own in answer? A useful skill indeed. Poison tips, hm? Just like them. I'll leave warning the soldiers to you. And if as you say there aren't many in this strike team, and they are not the most skilled warriors, is it the mare of which you speak that concerns you? What do you know of her skills?
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