"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
01-27-2019, 04:15 PM (This post was last modified: 01-27-2019, 04:16 PM by Mary.)
Mary
It has been a busy spring, giving birth to there precious princess Sabrina. For a moment it consumed Mary's time, but it was quickly brought back on track when she heard of Bane and Lepis' abandonment.
Today Sinner and Mary head out to Loess, to meet this new ruler that Bane crowned. There has been plenty of disgusting rumors, rumors of war that Mary only hopes to find a rumor.
Alas she travels beside her king, one whom she considers a friend, in silence. She is ashamed of the alliance she gathered, one that had no intentions of falling into the hands of a stranger. She got along with Bane, and Sinner even didn't seem to mind him. She can't help but wonder why he vanished so quickly, and even more, what Sinner thought of the situation.
Was he blaming these unfortunate events on her? As she draws to the border she was once invited to pass, she does not feel the same relationship with Loess. Instead she halts and gazes around the rather silent kingdom. With no one to be found, she allows a whinny to escape her maw, making her presence known deep within the kingdom. She quickly glances a gring to Sinner before looking back for a greeting.
He’s restless, watching the borders for either of his daughters to make their way home. He knew Adna was still upset with him but Sabbath had been glued to his side since he returned to Loess. The day is already halfway through and still he sees no sign of his middle child on the horizon, though a pair does approach from the eastern subkingdom. His head tilts, studies them briefly before deciding he does not know the woman at all. The other one stirs faint memories that try to reach the surface before they’re harshly shoved back into the recesses of his mind, Still, he doesn’t bristle at the sight of him or find within himself any sense of hatred. This one must be fine, he supposes.
He bridges the distance between them, long legs moving fluid over the grasses with his head held high. They don’t seem eager to cross over into his home despite the region they travelled from, a fact that makes him all the more curious. Starsin and Ophanim had explained that the Brilliant Pampas and Sylva were to be his only allies, after all. He kept a watchful eye on the borders they didn’t share and kept an ear out for those who might seek to harm any of them. It was his duty as the king, after all.
But perhaps that feeling is not so mutual.
He comes to a stop before them, his lipless mouth full of pointed teeth all gleaming in the midday sun. Vulgaris seems neither ashamed of the ghoulish face nor proud of the glimmering oil slick scales across his body. There is only quiet patience nestled in his eyes as he offers a brief nod of his head.
“Well, we haven’t had any Sylvans in quite some time. I am Vulgaris, king of Loess,” he says as his gaze begins to focus on Sinner now. Had Carnage not locked away all his memories, the serpent might recall that he rather liked the Sylvan king. He’d been the voice of reason while Arthas and Wolfbane had argued over thrones. How pleased he might be to see the crown still rested comfortably on the hellhound’s head.
But that isn’t the case, so the creature is entirely new for him once more. He finds comfort in the company of other monsters just as he did before, though, and he finds himself oddly content now. Perhaps in another life they could even be close friends.
01-28-2019, 01:49 AM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2019, 04:47 AM by Starsin.)
lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me, do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?
If she had a choice, she would choose to have no allies. Unfortunately, they aren’t quite in that kind of position, and so, for now, they would keep the rest of the south on their side. The maturity of her body betrayed the fact she was, in fact, still only two years old. Being as she didn’t trust anyone, it was difficult for her to put trust into other lands, but Ophanim seemed to think it was wise that they at least be in someone’s good graces, and so, she obliged. Her young and brash mind wanted to resist, she wanted to fortress Loess away, but she begrudgingly accepted that they couldn’t do that.
She certainly didn’t trust any of them, however.
From a distant knoll she watches Vulgaris approach the strange mare and the hellhound, and almost immediately she is bristling. She doesn’t recognize them, and she is too far away to delve into their minds, but she is instantly suspicious, as she is of anyone that enters.
At a swift and decisive pace she makes her way towards them, rapidly closing the gap even though she never breaks from a walk. Her dark blue eyes flip sharply from the mare — young, but older than herself, though probably not by much — and then to the hellhound stallion. She draws alongside Vulgaris, offering him a hint of a smile, though her attention is focused on the visitors.
She only relaxes slightly when he greets them as Sylvans, and an inderscinable tap into their minds answers her questions; Sinner, and Mary, leaders of Sylva. ”And I am Starsin, royal advisor for Vulgaris.” The softness of her voice contradicts the mistrust that brews in her chest, but she is careful to keep her face a mask of poise and feigned politeness. ”I suppose you are here because you have heard about the changes in the kingdom?” Here, her lips lift into a small smile, her eyes once again resting briefly on the two of them, in turn.
01-28-2019, 05:55 PM (This post was last modified: 01-31-2019, 12:11 AM by Sinner.)
there is but one rule hunt or be hunted
Rumors are only said to be rumors.
But the rumors he heard about Loess did not feel like gossip on the wind from little chitty birds that spread such things like wildfire. These rumors were dangerous—they threatened his own personal intentions and challenged the opportunity for himself to become more. Sinner may have tolerated bending the knee when Arthas became annoying to him about where Sylva was placed but submitting under Loess had been the better part for him and Sylva.
However, under another ruler it was different.
He had once met the now-snake king, but that did not settle completely with him. The hellhound was not exactly sure what the intentions of the snake-king and his new comrades would be. Rumors of war told him otherwise—chaos and destruction. He personally liked the idea of creating such things. Hell, he enjoyed bringing the plague into Beqanna itself. But when it became personal, blocking his own advances it was another story.
Vulgaris became an enemy.
Making their journey to Loess takes no time from Sylva. They were rather eager to make the short trip to visit their neighboring king. Sinner was more eager to settle the matter. He kept his eyes focused ahead, paying little mind to make conversation with Mary. All he could think about was the conversation that would unfold and how everything would play out.
The hound wears his stoic expression as they reach the border. Mary gives the call, bringing the snake-king and his newly appointed adviser. Sinner focuses on the king, there is an oddness of distance in the air. Something does not feel right, or certainly Vulgaris has forgotten their introductions at one point in Brilliant Pampas. He pushes the thought aside.
“It has been awhile,” he says, keeping a content tone as he takes in every detail and interaction that plays out now. “I am Sinner, and this is my co-ruler, Mary.” His eyes are kept focused on the dapple Friesian, but flicker to Starsin when she asks them about the changes in kingdom. Why else would we be here? He thinks with mild humor as ill-intent thoughts pass through his mind.
A minor smile, warm and friendly as any dark beast can manage, lifts on his dark chiseled features. He licks his teeth obviously, feeling the sharpness of each canine tooth across his tongue. “Yes. We heard the news. It only seemed necessary we needed to come to Loess to see if it was true. It only felt like yesterday Wolfbane and Lepis had visited us in Sylva.” He pauses for a moment, flickering his red-yellow glowing gaze between the two gray horses. “What happened to them?” He asks then falls silent.
