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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura


    hold me in this wild, wild world; Kromium/Warrick
    #1
    hold me in this wild, wild world
    'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
    In the blink of an eye, he vanishes from Sylva and reappears in Tephra. Nothing will ever beat the sheer thrill of flight, but you can’t beat the expediency of simply vanishing from one place and appearing in another. Curiously, he notes he brought some of the ice with him; it had built around him while he was trying to keep a rein on his magic, and here it still is. Carefully he steps away from the thick patch of ice that had formed underneath him, already beginning to melt in the heat from the volcano. There are many things that he needs to do, now that he’s emerged from his self-imposed partial social exile, but it seemed logical to come check on Warrick first; there had, after all, been tension here in Tephra the last time they had talked. A potential challenger for the bay-and-navy stallion’s throne.

    Brennen had promised his support then, and he means to uphold that promise if still necessary. Glancing around, he takes a moment to take a few true deep breaths and admire the scenery, a little smile quirking at the edge of his mouth. Beqanna had truly created some beautiful places, he must admit, even though he still fiercely misses his Tundra many a long sleepless night. All the while he’s been walking, looking, and now the stallion stops, and quietly calls out for Warrick or other Tephran diplomats.
    hold me in this wild, wild world
    and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
    BRENNEN


    @[Warrick]/@[Kromium]
    #2
    Kromium
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    The last time he had laid eyes upon the bay stallion, Karat was being returned home.  A follower of the brotherhood had swept his sister away in a moment of childish passion.  He believes that they had both learned their lessons and so he never spoke a word of it to Karat.  Though she had always been different since her return.

    Brennen is the last horse he had expected to see here in Tephra.  Perhaps it was a courtesy call, or word had gotten to the island of a leadership change.  Either way it did not matter to him.  He would welcome the bay politely and inquire of his journey.

    The iron horse arrives in a timely manner.  Settling before the winged equine with a simple nod of his head, "Brennen.  And to what do I owe the pleasure?" Emerald ears tilt forwards in anticipation of a spiel.  The bay had never been known to be short of words...



    @[Brennen] sry its short but he's unsure of the circumstances for the visit. Best to get all the info lol
    #3
    hold me in this wild, wild world
    'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
    He’s expecting Warrick. Preoccupied, still turning his encounter with Arthas over and over and over in his head, examining every instant; he hasn’t had time to even wonder is changes have happened in other Kingdoms. When Klaudius backed down, or decided tangling with Warrick wasn’t worth also tangling with Ischia, Nerine, and Hyaline, he’d stopped worrying about his bay-and-navy counterpart. The (former) King of Tephra was no weak link in their chain, after all. Now the heavy sound of approaching steps calls his attention to the present and he turns his head, body following; Brennen knows the very heavy footsteps don’t belong to Warrick but still he’s not expecting a vaguely familiar face either.

    One blink, another, as Brennen reorients himself for the meeting he’s about to have, instead of the one he was expecting. The exact wording of the boy’s sentence, the way he’s holding himself…Brennen can read between the lines. And though he recognizes the stallion who he last saw as a child, and acknowledges that he’s grown, he’s still a child to Brennen. “Kromium,” he says thoughtfully, and reserves judgement on the actual change of leadership for later. Partly because he can tell there was no violence, thanks to his new enhanced extra senses (magic sure is coming in handy, in ways he never expected); partly because he needs to ask the boy a question that’s been floating in his mind since he left Arthas and Sylva.

    “I just left Sylva, after meeting their new King, Arthas formerly of Loess,” the bay is actually relatively unsure of the gray’s true allegiance; how former is his loyalty to Loess? “Sylva, under Modicum Mortem and Astarael killed two of my children. They tortured my grandson. They killed your mother.” Arthas had wondered why Brennen cared about Krone, which only indicated that the gray didn’t understand the bay King at all. His takeover of Ischia had nothing to do with dislike of Krone, and he had wished her the best in her new life in Tephra – which she hadn’t gotten, after being kidnapped and killed in Sylva. “Ischia was prepared to go to war with Sylva, under her previous leadership, over these crimes. And if I find out who killed my daughters, I will still make a move, even if completely on my own. But I am not planning to attack Sylva now, under new leadership, and kill anyone who may very well have been acting under the orders or compulsion of their former leaders.”

    Brennen is sure he’s not disappointing Kromium’s expectations for him to speak, but if he’s planning to run a Kingdom he should be prepared to talk about politics. His true curiosity is on the tip of his tongue (’do you know who killed your mother, Kromium?’) but he doesn’t ask that. “I came to tell Warrick that Ischia no longer plans to go to war with Sylva, though I have warned their new King if the atrocities continue, my Kingdom’s plans may change.” If they continue to kill and rape and torture, Brennen will be hard-pressed to stand idly by. “I suppose now I am here to speak to Tephra’s new leader. And what are your plans, Kromium?”
    hold me in this wild, wild world
    and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
    BRENNEN
    #4
    Kromium
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    As he had known, the bay was not short of words or information.  Krom settles into the space he occupied, to listen attentively to all that is said by the Ischian King.  His only movements no more than a flicker of ear or twitch of muscle.

    His emerald gaze does not leave the bay, but behind the glass his brain works quickly to decipher the messages within the speech.  He finds it odd how quickly ranks have changed since he too met with Arthas, or perhaps the stallion had been playing him the entire time.  He would reserve judgement on the matter and engage in what was at hand.

    When Brennen finishes with an inquiry of his plans, Krom mulls it over with an adjustment of his posture before speaking, "It seems only yesterday that I too had met Arthas... Though he introduced himself as champion of Loess.  How quickly ambitions change."  His gaze focuses more strongly on the bay as he addresses the question asked, "I will do what is best for Tephra.  I wouldn't say from first impressions, that Arthas is a murder, especially of children... But his comrade, Vulgaris, did suggest I give up a child of Tephra as a sign of my proposed peace between our lands.  Of course I denied them and sent them on their way." A twist of his emerald ear brings his crown to turn and look to the lands, "I do not want them as enemies, but I will not separate families to establish a simple concept of armistice.  If they wish to cause a war I will not hesitate to bring one to them, but I prefer that as last resort." He thinks of his mother, of the children Brennen has lost, of his own family and their safety, of his home and its people.  His gaze return to Brennens again, "I am sorry for your loss Brennen, and if I shall find out who murdered your children I will be sure to inform you.  I am unsure I can trust a kingdom for hire, which Loess claims to be, to have good intentions and Sylva has a long history of wrongdoings, no doubt.  If they should be working together, your war may still come.  I do not want rivals nor will I fight someone else's battles, but if they should threaten Tephra and its people in any way, again, I will join the cause to end atrocity."  

    He quiets, awaiting what is to be Brennens response...



    @[Brennen]
    #5
    hold me in this wild, wild world
    'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
    His first impressions are of an individual far more mature than his sire. Of course, a spare moment of thought supposes that Krone must have had a steadying influence on the kid. The bay will reserve final judgement until he finds out what happened with Warrick, but first impressions mean a lot to Brennen. If he never has to deal with Klaudius it will be too soon, but as of yet he’s pretty okay with the man’s family.

    The younger man speaks of his own experience with Loess and Sylva and Brennen listens attentively. He files away the knowledge that Arthas was recently Loess’ champion before going to Sylva, the name of another who is associated with them. He doesn’t react outwardly to the mention of swapping children, but inwardly he mulls it over. He’s agreed to such things before, with trusted allies, but recent experiences have made him sore over the subject of children, and he wonders if that was ever a good idea. Right now, he’s keeping all of his children as close as possible, and hopes Kromium is wise enough to do the same. He seems focused on family, so Brennen thinks he’s probably not going to be doing anything to endanger his any time soon.

    The ice king does nod, murmur a quiet, “Thank you,” to the boy’s promise to tell him if he hears anything about the killer. Their killer. Alonwy and Khaeli. A wave of grief threatens to overwhelm him, but he’s spent the time he hid himself away re-learning how not to drown in it, and so he lets the wave wash over him and then roll on, meanwhile forcing himself to surface and continue to pay attention. The rest of his family and his brothers deserve his time and attention as well – he cannot spend it all on his daughters, even if he wanted to.

    “I am hoping to avoid war as well.” he responds quietly. “I prefer my fighting for fair sport, or for defense of my loved ones. Not for true violence, unless I am forced.” A moment of consideration, a silence. They both know he won’t ally himself with Sylva, no matter their change of leadership, and he shares the same reservations as Kromium about Loess, though he’ll go visit anyway. Nerine had engaged with them since they became a for-hire nation; perhaps he will solicit Scorch’s opinion. “You don’t want any Rivals. Are you looking for allies, or will your Tephra be a neutral entity?”
    hold me in this wild, wild world
    and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
    BRENNEN
    #6
    Kromium
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    He cannot imagine the emotions of loss Brennen must live with each day without his children.  Krom has no children of his own but his siblings are everything to him -even the ones he does not find within these lands.  A single day without his twin sister is unimaginable, they are but two halves to a whole and would not be complete without the other.

    His wait is short, as Brennen begins again.  A twist of emerald ears shows he is listening, even as his gaze strays to imagine war in Beqanna.  Why there could not be peace amongst them was unfathomable to Krom, but he assumes boredom is to partially blame. Greed the other.

    His attention returns fully to the bay stallion as he ends with a fair question.  Krom responds with a knowing answer but uncertain it can truly exist here, "I wish for Tephra to remain neutral from the politics of Beqanna, but as Arthas has mentioned, it is a foreign concept for the lands."  His head turns in thought with a slight chuckle, "In fact, I can guess who will come knocking upon our door first.  If Sylva is now ruled by Arthas, it won't be long before my denial of their offer will become forced." He thinks of the look on the greys faces when he had refused them and their kingdom. "War is violent, but in the name of the ones I protect, I won't give it a second thought. I protect Tephra and everyone who calls it home, so if they wish to meddle where they don't belong, I will fight for Tephra until my last breath."  His tone ends strong, the iron horse wasn't negotiating his family or home to tyrants and he'd die protecting them.  "I would imagine Tephras people would do the same, but I would not force them to fight -if the drums of war should sound on our time here."

    He focus recenters on the King of Ischia and remembers a time when he was an heir to that kingdom.  He had been young then and wasn't in the position to fight for their island home.  It seems only yesterday they had left the sandy beaches in exile.  He thinks of all he had lost, but how much more he had gained since that day.  A smile breaks the plane of his flattened lips, "I do hope Brennen, that we can put our pasts behind us.  I hold no hard feelings for our histories shared." The reconciled moment gives way to a more somber subject matter, "Though we have not heard from our father since he was to challenge for Tephra over a year ago, I believe you to be an honest man and would have said if you knew of his whereabouts..." He pauses breifly in hopes that they can look out for one another, "If you hear anything would you let us know?"



    @[Brennen]




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