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Post by GingerBlues on Jan 16, 2016 21:28:11 GMT -6
 The Emperor has called meeting with those he relies on. A decision needs to be made, and the ruler is not comfortable making such a large decision alone. The Divine, Defender, Sage, and council are all asked to make their voices heard and their opinions known. The fate of the Talori rests in your capable hooves. Event Journal// Located Here Premise Journal// Located HereHello Starborn, and welcome to Plot 004: Decisions! We have so much planned for you and your water babies, and we hope you enjoy the Chapter as much as we enjoyed making it for you! Please keep the following in mind!- Posts must be a minimum of 175 words. There is no maximum! - No strict order is enforced, but there must be at least two posts between your own character's posts. - Five posts is the minimum to earn the event AP/CS/FVR rewards. After you've posted five times, you receive 1 AP for every post after! - Your team is precious. Don't let anyone feel left behind! Try to interact with everyone. <3 - Have fun! Even if your pony isn't. 8'D Once the team leader has posted, you may begin posting as well! |
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Post by GingerBlues on Jan 17, 2016 9:54:53 GMT -6
 The great bay stared out the small window in the War Room, looking out over Aquore. The peaceful facade was almost convincing, leaving a bittersweet feeling deep in the emperor’s heart. His citizens needed him, yet he couldn’t help but feel as if he would only fail them. Hawkeye shook his head. No. Now was not the time to let doubts muddle his mind. Now was the time for clear thinking and decisive choices. Turning to walk back to the table in the center of the room, he glanced at each of his officials. Each looked as exhausted and concerned as the next. Each mirroring the same sleepless, bleak expression the emperor himself wore. It was evident to Hawkeye that the burden of the decisions at hand weighed heavily on each equine in the room, a fact he took some comfort in. He knew he could rely on each of them to have the Talori’s best interests at heart, no matter how different their opinions and suggestions were. In fact, that was the very reason each of them had been chosen. “Greetings.” The bay’s voice was strong and unwavering as he spoke. “I have gathered you all here today as I am in need of your council.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “I have some incredibly grave decisions ahead of me, and for the sake of the Talori and the whole of Aquore, I have chosen not to make them alone. I am far too conflicted to make these decisions alone, and I believe it would be wise to hear as many opinions as I can. Our great herd is in shambles, and I truly hope we can walk away from this table, knowing we have chosen the best course of action to bring peace to our nation once more.” No other explanation was needed, as each of the gathered equines were well aware of the chaos that plagued their streets and the moment that had triggered it all. Growing silent, he nodded, a signal that the floor was now open for all to speak . [Post 1 l Word Count 352] |
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Post by Kelpie-River on Jan 17, 2016 10:14:24 GMT -6
Cadena | Council The black unicorn mare's eyes fluttered as she struggled to keep them open. Long, seemingly endless, sleepless nights had plagued her, and the effects were beginning to show in her dull, tired expression. But beneath the exhaustion, a spark bloomed, and Cadena felt her heart rate increase as it always did when anger called to her. Her legs trembled slightly, partially from her sleep-deprived state, and partially from the strain of controlling herself. She knew that, if she were to be taken seriously on this council, she would need to control herself. Showing weakness, emotion, here would not aid her cause.
But they had killed a child. Cadena could not get the image of the bay roan filly out of her head. If I had not been so lucky, she thought, the trembling in her hooves intensifying slightly, If I had not been a unicorn, that could have been me on that ledge. That could have been my father. Letting her eyes close for a moment, and hoping she looked serine and contemplative rather than furious and exhausted, Cadena took a deep breath. She imagined the feelings she felt towards the Sacrifice were at the bottom of a large hole, then imagined herself burying them beneath pounds and pounds of earth. Those feelings would not help her here. Only calm, rational thought would.
She had vaguely paid attention to what Hawkeye was saying, and mentally ran through his speech to make sure she had understood it. Decisions. Couldn't make them alone. Needed advice. Needed peace. Got it.
Cadena took another deep breath, and willed her voice not to betray her emotions. The trained ex-Emissary at least had her talent for disguising her true feelings with her, and that - she hoped - would help. "I mean no offense, Emperor," she said, bowing her head to her leader as she began to speak. "But I do not know that peace can be achieved. We have," here she glanced at Eve, struggling to hide disgust, "in effect, murdered a child." She paused, letting the words sink in. "Can we, in good conscience, continue with the lottery, knowing that another babe might be lost? Can we honestly say that Cascade has blessed us, with these storms, after we killed a youngling? We needn't even cut her wings off; they weren't even large enough to support her weight yet." Cadena felt anger rising from its mental pit, and quickly stopped herself, letting her last words hang in the air. Taking a small step back, she lowered her head, signalling that she was done speaking for the time being.
[434 words] |
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Post by Dream-Lark on Jan 17, 2016 10:30:41 GMT -6
Rycaron | Sage
There had been many a sleepless night, incredible amounts of pacing, and report after harried report streaming into his chambers with news about what was happening in the cities streets. Things were not settling down, indeed, they didn't look as if they'd be able too on their own. What was happening? It was as if Inaria was systematically tearing itself apart, greatly aided by traitors and pegasi who were getting ahead of themselves, seemingly gaining supporters by the day. Houses were burning, stalls were being torn down, and chaos ruled rampant. Why had such a treasured ritual sparked such widespread destruction?
It was with a breath of relief that Rycaron received the summons to the War Room, entering at a ringing trot, despite how tired he was. The adrenaline of the situation seemed to be all that was keeping him mobile and focused--there would be time for sleep when all was safe. The safety of his herd came before such trivial things as his sleep and health. And so he waited as the others assembled, as Hawkeye spoke with a great, but saddened voice, attention shifting to Cadena as she voiced the first opinion.
"Peace must be achieved," Rycaron responded, voice even and soft. How could she say it could not? With that sort of attitude, they might as well do nothing, and let the walls crumble about them. He could see emotions and fatigue winning in the Councilor's mind, and it displeased him greatly, though he hide it well. Appearance and deliverance was everything, when speaking with others.
"The filly was chosen by our goddess, and we cannot question her on this matter. She alone knows why that pegasus was chosen to be honored, or why we are put through this test," The Sage opined, aqua gaze shifting to rest upon the Divine who stood to his right. Perhaps she could shed some light on this matter, if she had been given any reasoning at all by the Ocean Mother.
"I think the storms were caused by the dissent of our people, by the traitors in our midst. They were sent to show disapproval at the splitting of our herd. We must quiet these equines, restore order to help preserve the peace. The reward for the retrieval of the extremists and any information on them was a step in the right direction, and I think we should continue from there. We must settle the streets and restore safety, before we can even begin to deal with the larger issues of our people's faith in crisis at this sacrifice." Of which he was rather certain Cadena was also experiencing currently.
With that, gaze shifted to Thaumas, the Defender, for the security of the streets and the Guard was his realm.
WC// 460
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Post by kawaiideadpool on Jan 17, 2016 11:20:57 GMT -6
Nymph | Council
The lightly painted mare kept her mouth shut under lock and key as she watched the Sage correct Caden on how the young Pegasus filly was chosen for a greater purpose that no one could quite understand. But it didn't feel right to the Councilor as she blinked slowly, her tired mind trying to process everything that had happened for the umpteenth in a row.
"Peace will be very hard to achieve, Sage," She said, her voice wasn't really directed towards him, but her bright blue eyes were locked onto him as she paused in her sentences, trying to get her sleepless mind to put it's thoughts together, "We did kill a child, no matter how you look at it. That filly was someone's child, and throwing her to Cascade probably isn't the fate that her mother had dreamed her child would have. No one was ready to see a child be given to the Goddess," She simply stated, shaking her head as the thoughts of the small filly filled her head again, "We could have stopped it. We could have prayed to Cascade to give us someone else to give to her, but no, we had to give the filly to her."
Her blood was now boiling as she stood next to Caden, sticking up for her fellow council member's views for she too agreed with them. She turned to the Divine, her face soften as she thought about how she must feel, "This has put our Divine into danger, shouldn't we be concerned about her safety as well? The citizens wish to murder her. If we can't keep her safe from them, what other things will come crashing down if we lose her?" She finished her statement, her face went blank as she let out a loud snort into the air.
She turned away from the Divine before focusing back on the Sage.
{ Words - 319 } |
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Post by posy-punch on Jan 17, 2016 11:44:24 GMT -6
Cethin | Council
Cethin had watched the sacrifice from the front lines. He had seen the filly's last few steps on her own over the edge. He had seen her body relax after Eve's prayer. In that moment, that child was as holy as the holiest horse on the grounds of the sacrifice. He flicked his ears towards each horse that spoke now, in the presence of Hawkeye. His snake-like gaze following all of them, poisonous as it was intelligent. When Nymph, another council member spoke of stopping the chosen one, Cethin quickly pursed his tongue. Those that are chosen are given a beautiful honor. "If our Divine is in danger for listening to Cascade's words... those that wish true harm to her will face worse punishment than I believe a mortal would be able to give. The gods would not tolerate their most close mortal associates' possible deaths for doing what they are told."
They would have not time to wait for the actual child's soul to be reborn, but at the moment that seemed the best best.
"Is it not an option to lay the responsibility of a past life on a newborn hippocampus's shoulder?" For the soul would return at some point, they just did not know when. He pricked his ears, warning any that to interrupt him now would not allow him to voice his whole plan.
"Now of course, this may not be the reborn soul of the filly we watched enter Cascade's embrace. However, giving this option to the people. That the hippocampus is the reborn soul of the pegasus... Problems would be easier to resolve. Such as the filly's innocence allowed her to reach the world as a new being faster?" He looked over the Sage and the Divine in a casual manner, and from them swept his gaze across the whole group.
"Of course, we would still have pegasi that are restless, but we need to target loyal pegasi, who aren't essentially angry, just confused. We need to implant the idea that nothing has ever changed in their minds, no?" His plan was a lie to the people, but it had potential. If nothing better came along.
"Now there is any plan that would likely be better than mine, as so mine is a more of a last ditch effort at bringing down the crisis at hand."
(394 Words)
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jan 17, 2016 12:27:33 GMT -6
"You, Sage Rycaron, and I speak from the same sympathies, Councillor Cethin," said Thaumas at last, stepping forward. His low, bold voice rolled through the hall like a rumble of caged thunder. "But you seek to teach them what they ought already know as absolute truth. The age, the apparent sympathy of the sacrifice matters not. It is an immeasurable honor to be chosen. This, they have forgotten." His teal-blue eyes swept over the two Lady Councillors, both having slung the word murder in their faces as if that were the truth of it. Perhaps they sympathized too closely with the dissenters in their jurisdictions, or perhaps those voices had merely been the loudest in the days leading up to this meeting and so that was the reason the Councillors felt it prudent to voice such sacrilege. He let his gaze linger for half a heartbeat on Eve, their sweet Divine, the picture of grace and beauty, so perfectly devout. He felt hitch in his heart at the sight of her now. He pitied her for this unjust struggle to which she was now subjected; the plebian dissenters had lost sight of what it meant to be Talori. He stood square, settling his bulk over strong legs, and looked his Emperor in the eye. "We could do without them." Deportation.words: 220 tags: GingerBlues Kelpie-River Dream-Lark kawaiideadpool posy-punch Queerly notes: this is so intense. :'D i don't think i've ever been in a thread with this many people before, haha! |
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Post by GingerBlues on Jan 17, 2016 12:57:07 GMT -6
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Post by kawaiideadpool on Jan 17, 2016 14:13:36 GMT -6
Nymph | Council
"So your conclusion is to get rid of them completely?" Nymph said, twisting her face up in disinterest as she looked towards the Defender, "You can't for one second think that you can get rid of every single citizen who opposes us in Aqoure?" She was now raising her voice as she looked around the room at her fellow Council members, the Trinity and her Emperor, "They will find ways to escape, and they could still thrive within our home if we don't carefully get rid of every single one." She stated her argument back towards the Defender before looking over towards the Emperor, "We can't rid Aqoure of all of them. That is just madness."
"Those who believe that the Pegasus were done wrongly will do whatever it takes to keep them safe and maybe even overthrow our nation," She said, now turning to the others. Although she did believe that it was wrong to kill the child and that maybe something could have been done to prevent it, she still stood firmly that Cascade would somehow save them from falling apart, "Getting rid of them all might just create more problems for us, and then who knows what will happen," She spoke firmly as she looked around the room.
Nymph was very familiar with the lower classes, those who might plan to kill the Divine, those who would support the Pegasi and those who indeed not want the leaders of Aqoure to kick out those whom didn't belong. If the leaders were the reason why the chaos was created than there was no telling what would happen when everyone lost fate in their power, "We have to find a way to fix this without reducing to tearing apart Aqoure."
{Words: 293} |
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Post by Queerly on Jan 17, 2016 16:11:38 GMT -6
Eve was eroding.
The voices of her fellows flowed across her silver coat and trembling soul. It was not the flow of a yawning, lethargic stream, but rapids white and fiercesome, eroding her heart, etching deep gaping crevices. She knew the accusations for what they were; insidious grains of sand dressed as pearls could not fool her, much as she would have liked to be fooled, just for a moment. Just for a moment, long enough to breathe easy and believe, earnestly, that Aquore's leadership was not divided.
The Divine closed her eyes.
It was not, and had never been her nature to speak hurriedly. Yet she was breaking, falling apart at the seams, her body exhausted and her spirit tumultuous like the seas.
"You speak sacrilege, Councillor Nymph, Councillor Cadena." She accused, and her voice was gravely sad, disappointed as a mother is morose for the failings of her babes. When she opened her eyes anew, they rested upon the mares, her lips pulled into the smallest of frowns. "The lottery is willed by Cascade, guided by Her Divine plan. She, in Her Benevolence, in Her All-Knowing Grace, chooses the sacrifice worthy of her embrace. We are not meant to question our Mother's choice. We are reverent servants, joyful and willful in our obedience. The child-"
And there her voice broke, shuddering on a sob she had held in her mouth like a flower for days, weeks.
"The child will be reborn, greater than she was. Such is the Ocean Mother's Compassion."
The silver mare fell silent anew, and let her fellows speak. She was no strategist, her heart settled deep within the flock, not beyond the borders where hearsay and paganism took root and festered. Thaumas' suggestion cut, eroding her soul all the deeper, for she had hoped... she had prayed that the people could be reunited.
But perhaps that was Cascade's intent. Was their well poisoned? Did the Ocean Mother, in her omnipotence, she who willed the flow of time itself - did she foresee what Eve could not, and wished to pluck poison from their midst before it could spread?
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Post by posy-punch on Jan 17, 2016 16:26:35 GMT -6
Cethin | Council Cethin listened intently to what Eve, the Divine, spoke of. Her admonishment of Nymph and of the other mare, whom Cethin had not yet been introduced to, made him feel slight contempt. He may be a sinner, but he knew his goddess's wishes were pure. He paused after the pale grey mare spoke and then said softly. "I agree with Defender Thaumas... to an extent." The stallion paused a moment before picking back up again, "Deportation should be a last ditch effort, we know how the other herds look upon our sacrifices, the sacrifice of a foal... if it got word out in a certain way, say from the extremists, alliances would become shakier. Trade could suffer and therefor the wealth and stability of the Capital would be further depleted." He cast a quick look over everyone, this Defender seemed to hold more of the same views as Cethin, but the council member was not driven to point his idea home with the larger stallion. "If we could subdue the nation first, we then would be able to find ourselves the extremists, who could be imprisoned... or sent off on the next slaving ship that passes the coast." His words were harsh, but if certain horses wished not to endure sacrifice and reincarnation, they should enjoy the corrupt cities of Aodh, forced to work and fight. "Many Talori could come to accept the sacrifice of one so young, you need only to find a way to justify it in their minds, for it is completely justified by Cascade, but they have no understanding of why. Our Divine has the strongest connection with the Water Lord, we can bring back stability without deporting those that don't agree. Spreading more fear and mistrust would dig a deeper hole, no?"[296 Words] |
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Post by Kelpie-River on Jan 17, 2016 17:06:05 GMT -6
Cadena | CouncilCadena could feel her blood rising as the Council debated the life of the deceased as if she were nothing more than a piece of meat, whose only purpose in life was to die and be changed into one of the high-and-mighty hippocampi. The mare felt her ears lay back, and she had to focus intensely to get them back up where they belonged. From beneath her pale blue veil, her eyes sparked, and she tossed her head slightly, trying to hide her discomfort at the entire situation. It was difficult to sit still and listen to the suggestion that her herdmates be taken away from their home for their outrage. Their, in Cadena's eyes, perfectly reasonable outrage.
As Thaumas suggested that they remove the dissenters, Cadena felt a shot of anger go through her, running from her skull all the way down her spine to her tail.
Before she could speak, however, Nymph jumped in, tearing down Thaumas's suggestion with succinct and icy precision that made Cadena feel at least somewhat better. She was not alone in thinking that it was wrong to throw her herdmates out for their dissenting views. How could anyone blame them? A child had died, in what Cadena saw as a merciless act, simply for the way she was born. As she had nothing to add to Nymph's comment for the moment, Cadena was silent, listening.
Now, her attention turned to Eve, who had taken a moment in the following silence to speak. At Eve's words, she felt another tremor of rage go through her, and Cadena's eyes narrowed beneath her veil. She felt her teeth grind together, and it took all of her strength not to spit her words in the Divine's face. No matter how she felt on the inside, she needed as much control over herself as she could muster. "You say that she is born better than before," Cadena stated, her voice a gravely growl as she fought to keep her composure. "I say that she had a life fully ahead of her." She paused, choosing her next words carefully, as she knew they would be highly volatile. "Do you not think, Divine," she began, her eyes boring down on Eve, "That perhaps you have misread Cascade's guidance?" With nothing to add, Cadena fell silent. She wondered, now that the words were out, hanging in open air, if she hadn't stepped too far. But, there was nothing to do now but wait for the Divine to answer.
[WC: 419] |
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Post by Queerly on Jan 17, 2016 17:36:16 GMT -6
"No."
Eve matched Cadena's penetrating gaze with measured calm, peering at her tall visage from across the vast stretch of the table. Its laquer surface glimmered and reflected like a river. It divided them, and she realized, without humor, that it was fitting.
"No," She repeated, a confidence in her voice that she hadn't felt in two long, exhaustive weeks, "I do not. By her Grace, I am the Divine, have been the Divine, will be the Divine. For lifetimes upon lifetimes, I have served the Ocean Mother across the River of Time, chosen to exact Her Divine Will, to shepherd Her flock down a righteous path.
"But if you are right," Eve continued, her voice gentling as her gaze shifted to the table, to her reflection, blue eyes gazing back, "If I erred, and the child was not meant for sacrifice... if such a thing comes to light, it is my burden to bear, the fractures of our beloved herd upon my withers alone. If that is the case, I will put myself to the sword as penance."
Her eyes swung upwards, back to Cadena, a delicate brand of resolve saturating her voice. "But debating the sacrifice is not why we are here, Councillor. We have come together to look forward, to save this land and herd we are at least united in our love for. You would do well to set your anger aside. It has no place."
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jan 17, 2016 17:52:50 GMT -6
It has no place.The voice of his Divine flowed through Thaumas's veins like a flush of new blood, revitalizing tired muscles and lending strength to his soul. She was right, of course, but perhaps in relation to him she hadn't expected to be. In the wake of all the talking, Thaumas (who had always been fairly taciturn) was reminded of the other predominantly silent party in the room: his Emperor, Hawkeye. You see it was Thaumas's knee-jerk reaction, some lasting vestige of the headstrong Guardian he'd been in his youth, to give some cold, indifferent reply involving the inherent risks of inhabiting Aquore with the heavy burden of Alya's curse upon one's shoulders. It was an impulse he'd learned to control long ago, and now as he watched his beloved Leader and listened to his gracious Divine, he was reminded just how delicate this topic actually was. For their Empress-to-Be, their Little Queen herself, Merrill, had that abominable curse and he could never speak ill of that child. It wasn't his duty which prohibited him from disrespect to her, either, or at least it wasn't only his duty; he loved his Emperor too much to ever let Hawkeye think for a moment that Thaumas would allow his own prejudices to influence the way he treated his child Empress, and to be true the child was a delight. "My Liege," said Thaumas, his tone a murmur but his volume projecting so that all could hear, "we aim to guide you as best we know how, but we are all masters of our own professions, and nothing more. You are the master of the Whole, in the sum of your experience and ours. I would be much benefitted to know your position on the conflict at hand, however blurred such position may be, Lord." words: 303 tags: GingerBlues Kelpie-River Dream-Lark kawaiideadpool posy-punch Queerly notes: it's so hard not to make him kind of everything i hate in modern politics :'D |
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Post by GingerBlues on Jan 18, 2016 12:50:59 GMT -6
"Enough. All of you." The Emperor's voice rang out over the arguments around him. Sighing heavily in frustration, he continued. "I did not ask you here today to squabble among yourselves while you let your emotions get the best of you." Hawkeye paused for a moment, shooting a stern glance at Nymph and Cadena. " As Eve has stated, we are not here to discuss the sacrifice. I understand some of you may be doubting our great Sea Mother, but that is between you and her in the midst of this great test of faith. The sacrifices have always been and will continue to be, guided by her and her alone. She has chosen to embrace a child for the first time in years, but that does not change anything about the practice." He nodded briefly, acknowledging the Divine as he spoke. This was not the time for petty arguments and accusations, especially against their spiritual leader. Eve had done nothing wrong, and Hawkeye knew how deeply each sacrifice effected the grey mare. For anyone to accuse her of murder was ludicrous, and the Emperor was sick of these council members acting as if the Divine were on trial. "Our most pressing issue at the moment is deciding what must be done to bring peace to our nation once more. Only then can we begin to heal." The bay's voice trailed off slightly, his heart heavy with the sorrow, loss, and confusion of his people. "We must deal with these dissenters, as they are putting more lives at risk than their own. How many horses must be slaughtered needlessly by these terrorists before you are willing to do something? I must agree with Thaumas in this. Our guardians must be ever vigilant, and we must choose a penalty fitting of their crimes. Deportation may be our best option. I am not saying we get rid of everyone who disagrees with us... But we can not hesitate to punish those who break our laws. " Hawkeye looked to Thaumas, hoping the large stallion would have more ideas on how to implement that. "We must also decide on a course of action to help calm the people and ease their doubts. We need our people united, not fraying at the edges. The Talori are strong because they stand together. If our people stay divided, Aquore will fall."
[Post 2, Word Count: 393]
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Post by Dream-Lark on Jan 18, 2016 14:50:40 GMT -6
Rycaron | Sage
Tension was rising like the tide within the room, and Rycaron felt nearly helpless to stop it. He could only watch, as equine after equine spoke, arguing and not at all coming close to the point. And there was Eve. He heard the shudder in her voice, knew that of all of them, she was the one feeling the most at this time. The Divine was the one being blamed for the entire calamity, alongside their Goddess. It was not right. Delicately, the stallion leaned to the side, barely brushing his flank against the silver mare's, an offer of comfort and to let her know she was not alone. It was the barest of touches, but more potent for all of that. Physical contact was not something to engage with with the Divine, but this time was not like most. A deep breath filled chest, the fins along the side of his jaws twitching and flaring briefly, until he exhaled and relaxed himself. He was the Sage, he could not emotions be shown. Be level headed. See both sides. Diplomacy. Now more than ever, a calm voice was needed, especially since Hawkeye seemed so distracted, unsure of what to do, as were the rest of them. Ears twitched as Thaumas beseeched their Emperor to speak, and he responded. Into the silence, the Sage entered his opinion, having strung his thoughts together like pearls on a string--and just as delicate they were. "If the extremists are quieted, then we have a chance to calm the rest of the herd, sooth their confusion and ruffled feathers," Rycaron offered, agreeing with his Emperor and the Defender. "The safety of the herd and the apparent crisis in faith stand as the two largest problems we currently face, and I do not think them separate." The golden hippocampus paused for a moment, aqua eyes searching those about the table. "Is there nothing we can do about the storms? Might the Clerics be gathered, and asked to help sooth fears, to assure all that Cascade is not angry about something she Herself has ordained us do? Could we not have a ceremony, a blessing, something of the sort to give a sign to all we could gather to watch that we are still in Her favor? We could summon those few who have been reincarnated and remember it, see if they would be willing, and volunteer, to speak before the gathered herd at the Mother's Grotto. I think that would do much to help the situation, and to bring the people back together." With those smooth, soft words, gaze reluctantly turned to Eve. She would be best able to come with a solution along those lines, if she thought it would help, however loath he was to put her back into the spotlight. Right now, the herd's needs had to come first. WC//476 {Tooootally talking about Naveen and dragging his handsome butt further into the drama, if willing~} |
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Post by kawaiideadpool on Jan 19, 2016 14:34:28 GMT -6
Nymph | Council
Nymph was conflicted.
Here she was feeling as if the death of the filly was a wrong doing, and she stood firmly next to Caden in their beliefs. But the sorrow that stricken the Divine's face was one that spoke words to the Council who stood across the way from her. Taking in a breath, she collected herself, and reminded her soul that the Divine was most likely suffering greater than what any of them could be imagining and for that she felt sorry that she, for a moment, thought the Divine had misunderstood Cascade's wishes. But she was so far away from the Divine that she couldn't offer her any source of apology except for a sorrow filled look and heavy, sleepless eyes.
Collecting herself once more, she cleared her throat, "I agree with the Sage," She said, turning her head in the direction of the Trinity member as she nodded her head up and down, "We must offer them some form of peace to ease their minds," She said as she tried to calm her nerves as she spoke. Although she believe the filly's death wasn't something that should have happened, she didn't want her comrades thinking that she would go against Cascade's wishes so her she was, letting her words flow out of her mouth as she tried to find reparation for herself. She twitched her ear in thought as she let out a soft sigh, feeling certain that it would take them a while to find a solution that they could all agree on.
"And if we absolutely need to we could find a way to get to the dissenters, and hopefully change there ways by showing them that Cascade only wants the best for us," She said, choosing her words carefully and delicately as she spoke, too busy letting her eyes dart from face to face to really focus on one person, "And if, they don't change there ways than maybe we could get.... ahem, rid of them," She said, keeping her poker face strong as she mentally cringed at the words of getting rid of someone, even if it was just to deport them from their home.
The Council member feared for not just herself, but the people standing around with her. If Aqoure fell, it would surely spell disaster for the nation.
{ Word Count: 391 } |
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jan 19, 2016 17:56:18 GMT -6
Cardinal Law, First: thou shalt not blaspheme, lest the Emperor in his kindness -- long may he reign -- lock thee away in his dungeons for repentance. Cardinal Law, Fifth: thou shalt not murder, lest thee grace the Eithnean markets as a good rather than a principal.The language wasn't quite the official text, and perhaps Thaumas's own preferences and prejudices lent flowery sentiment where there ought be only cold, clear judgement, but it was a mantra quickly becoming the Defender's internal theme on the conversation. Satisfied at an innate level that his instinct to rid Aquore of sand-flea sympathizers garnered some success, Thaumas remained stone-faced and rather silent from his position 'round the table. His old friend Rycaron was diplomatic and even-tempered as always, which the Defender appreciated in light of the whiplash-inducing about-face presented by Councillor Nymph. He kept his face impassive. "Open acts of treason have been and will continue to be justly and swiftly punished," said the Defender with calm and quiet in his voice. He referenced the wave of blasphemous extremist terrorism plaguing Aquore like a dirty pox, and by this point in the conversation he was sure that nobody present needed him to iterate official policy on the matter. He was certain they'd all been reflecting on various legal and correctional consequences since That Day. "But we welcome a deterrent effort," he continued, speaking not only for himself but for the Guardians he led. Fewer Talorians resorting to crime meant less work and less danger for the Defender and his Guardsmen. "Councillor Cethin and the Honored Sage may have the right of it, my Liege, but if the living proof of our blessings" -- and here, he chilled his breath as he spoke so that it steamed in the warm southern air -- "and our Reborn cannot sway them, then they must quiet, or accept the just consequences of their actions." words: 317 tags: GingerBlues Queerly posy-punch Dream-Lark kawaiideadpool Kelpie-River notes: third of five! i think he'll stay quiet for a while now, and leave it to those wiser than he with regards to community relations. this is essentially his entire position in a nutshell, and he's not a wordy person, so... :'D ta-daaaa... /crawls back under rock |
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Post by Kelpie-River on Jan 20, 2016 17:00:22 GMT -6
Cadena | Council
The black mare was still seething, but she quieted herself enough to listen as the others discussed what to do around her. Her nostrils flared, but she kept her teeth clenched to avoid saying anything else out of turn. Since Hawkeye had been forced to stand up and chastise his council, Cadena realized that perhaps she had stepped too far out of line. The Divine had not been shaken by the council member's comment either, and in fact had eloquently shot down the point, so Cadena realized that she was not going to get anywhere on the path she had taken.
Perhaps, as much of a bad taste as it left in her mouth, Cadena would have to try a little civility. More flies with honey and all that. So, she kept her trap shut and listened as the others threw about suggestions, her mind working a mile a minute, eyes following the speakers quickly. Perhaps it wasn't such a terrible idea to listen to the testimony of those who were blessed with the ability to remember their past lives. While Cadena's faith leaned more towards Alya - though no one but she was aware of this fact - she could not deny the power of those who had seen their past through Cascade's eyes.
"It's not an entirely terrible idea," she grumbled, her ear flicking with irritation at the fact that she had to back down from her position, if nothing other than to please Hawkeye. "But if you want to go that far, why not find the Reborn herself?" she asked, not able to completely leave the subject alone without a little heckling.
[wc: 274]
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Post by posy-punch on Jan 20, 2016 17:48:42 GMT -6
Cethin | Council
Hawke's silence was enough to bring Cethin's eyes down to the ground for a split second. Then the stallion nodded calmly and settled back to listen to the next few speakers. "The issue with finding the reborn herself is that she is only a week old, assuming the rebirth happens almost instantaneously, which I highly doubt because child bearing can't possibly be so timed, no?" Cethin spoke almost at once after Cadena's proposal. "If we could find her... who's to say she'd be able to speak to hordes of angry mobs. You'd be putting the child up in front of possible death again. This time however, she wouldn't be reborn, but would finally lay at rest." The stallion's eyes flashed. "If you did that you'd be forcing her up like she was brought to the cliffs. However this time she would need to fear for her life." The stallion had thought the same thing before hand, so perhaps he was being hypocritical, but after hearing the opinions of others suddenly he rejected his first idea. "I agree with letting those blessed with the memories of their past life to speak, but not with finding the reborn filly." He dipped his head politely to Cadena, even though he'd just voiced himself against her opinion. |
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Post by Dream-Lark on Jan 22, 2016 12:26:37 GMT -6
Rycaron | Sage
Aqua gaze settled upon Councillor Nymph as she spoke, carefully hiding his surprise. So now she was in an agreeing mood, was she? Well, that was good news at least. It meant he had spoken the right words, and she was able to see reason. Otherwise, Rycaron would truly have begun to wonder how she had even managed to become part of the Council in the first place. Then again...all three of the council members were younger, just having been appointed in the last couple of years. Perhaps they were not used to their new positions yet? No, that didn't matter and this was not the time to be thinking such things, the hippocampus reminded himself with a mental shake. What did matter, was that four of them, if he was reading those present correctly, were in agreement with trying to shut down the extremists, if perhaps not in exactly the same way. Details could be hashed out later, as always. He nodded to Nymph, and then to Thaumas, to show that he accepted his words. At least he was willing to attempt to try another method first. If the persuading didn't work, then Thaumas and his Guardians certainly had their work cut out for them. Rycaron was halfway surprised when even Cadena seemed to agree with him--but then she had to keep talking. Did this mare even hear herself? She had been spouting blasphemy about the Divine and the last sacrifice, how awful the filly's peace had been....and then she went and suggested they drag force another little one, even younger than the sacrifice had been and force her in front of a crowd. Just who did she think they were? Did she have any idea how such a thing would frighten a young one? She'd barely be able to speak if she had been reborn right away, anyway! The Sage hide away his thoughts, though the fins along his jaws flexed, gaze shifting to Cethin, as he pointed out all the flaws in Cadena's remark. At least he had the sense he'd been born with. "What Councillor Cethin says is true. We would have no time to find the mare blessed with the reborn filly, and we most certainly do not have the time to wait until she is born and able to speak. Perhaps though, it would be worth looking into in a year's time or so, if we still have doubters," Rycaron responded smoothly, allowing none of his disdain for Cadena to show. However, he would show he understood her point, even if most of it was completely rubbish and implausible. "We would need any adults who would volunteer for this, for I am not willing to force anyone to do such a thing. Forcing others against their will is not a Talori custom," he added lightly, a delicate reminder of her previous outbursts. A mental tally showed that nearly everyone was on board with this type of plan, but it had yet to be seen what the Divine thought of it, and how it could be managed, or if their dear Emperor approved. Gaze shifted between the two of them, and breathing was kept to an even tempo. For now, there was peace within the room, and the tension seemed to have eased. Hopefully it would stay that way. WC//556 Post 3 |
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Post by Kelpie-River on Jan 22, 2016 20:21:14 GMT -6
Cadena | Council
Ah, there it was. Cadena felt the urge to smile, but she fought it off. Wouldn't do for that to be seen right now, especially after she had mouthed off and made herself to appear the fool here. But that, truthfully, had been her intention. Because now, her other Council members had shown that they cared, at least a little, for the filly, even though they only seemed to care now that the pegasus filly would be reborn. It wasn't the kind of realization Cadena wanted them to have, but it made the situation slightly easier to bear. The fact that both Ry and Cethin had shown that they were concerned for the Reborn's life gave Cadena hope that perhaps they weren't so insensitive as they had first appeared. True, they only cared now because the filly would be born as a precious Hippocampus, and that still boiled Cadena's blood, but the fact that they cared at all was enough to put her blood into a slow simmer for the time being.
"You make excellent points, Counselor, Sage," she said, her tone falling into a more civil pattern now that she had satisfied her internal curiosity. "We would want no harm to come to a child," she added, her eyes hooded from beneath her gauzy veil. She kept the smile out of her voice, as well as off her face, as she continued to speak. "Perhaps having those past sacrifices speak would work to assuage the doubts of our more...outspoken herdmates."
The wheels were churning in Cadena's mind now; since she had made her point, at least in her own mind, about the child, she was more capable of clear headed thinking for the moment, which was sure to be appreciated by the other horses. "But, for our loyal members, should we not offer a gift of goodwill? An olive branch if you will?" the mare queried, her eyes betraying the wash of thoughts running through her mind as she latched on to this new idea, one she hoped could actually be helpful to the group of horses surrounding her. "Of course, we would have to be careful, to make sure none of the worst dissenters chose to attack," she added, hoping that the Talorians would have more sense than to attempt attacking the Emperor or the Divine. Despite her personal feelings over the sacrifice, more death was not the way to solve this issue. "What if," she continued, momentum growing as she spoke, "we held a meeting. Not a forum for horses to voice their woes...but...a party. A gathering for all who are willing to make peace?"
She fell silent, feeling finally how her exhaustion had trained her. The anger, fury that had filled her at the beginning of this meeting was gone, and she was unwilling to let it rise again, as it had drained her so completely. With the memory of Cethin and Ry's words against hurting a child stuck in her mind, Cadena assuaged herself with the knowledge that they did care - at least a little bit. That was enough to quench her fire...for now.
[WC: 525]
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Post by Queerly on Jan 23, 2016 2:51:20 GMT -6
Eve was at a loss, and she did not relish the unusual sensation.
For years, for centuries, she had felt she'd known the answers through countless meetings, discussions, and all the little life crises of faith and home life that plagued the average Talorian at least once during their life cycles. Yet as Eve stood between Rycaron and Thaumas, drawing what strength she could from their firm, steady presences... she was lost, and it terrified her.
The Divine closed her eyes and swallowed, letting the voices flow over her, through her. Nymph's soprano floated across her silvery fur like droplets, and she could feel the Defender's bass within her chest. It was thunderstorm- the kind that was distant, that you could fall asleep to, feeling strangely safe. Ryacron was a calm, deep lake, his mind catching every nuance, each little unsaid word. Cethin was white rapids, quick to think and speak with wisdom. Cadena was the tumultuous sea, her rip currents deadly, so deadly if one did not pay attention, and yet was not without bountiful potential. And Hawkeye, her beloved Emperor, as close a brother as one could be without sharing the water of the womb, was the most grand of falls. Larger-than-life, his voice pooled within their hearts and souls.
Differences mattered not, she supposed, when they yet drew from the same source. So long as each of them loved Aquore, loved Cascade, in all Her Compassion and Glory... then surely She would guide their paths. The realization brought her resolve. It brought her certainty.
"A celebration would require heavy security, lest we repeat history all-too-fresh." She said, blue eyes shifting from Cadena to Rycaron. "But I do not think it a bad idea. May it quell the unrest and reunite our people, Sea Mother willing, for Cascade is Forgiving, ever Benevolent. "
A delicate pause. "But let us not forget that Our Mother, who gives us this land, who bore the Oceans and traverses the River of Time, bares no tolerance for blasphemy or sacrilege. Those who have committed irreverence against Cascade, and those who have slain Her people in the streets: they deserve not Her Embrace, nor will She turn her Gaze upon them in Forgiveness." And it was here she looked to Thaumas, Cascade's sword and shield, the Paragon of the people. "I agree with Thaumas, that those who have broken our most sacred laws must not be allowed to remain within our borders."
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Post by GingerBlues on Jan 24, 2016 11:19:56 GMT -6
The Emperor stood in silence, listening as his officials finally began discussing logical solutions to the problems that they faced. They didn't all agree, but they were speaking civilly, and Hawke welcomed the differences in opinions, they were what made the Talori strong. Just as all rivers flowed from the sea, all Talorians came from Cascade herself. It was what united them, even in their differences.
"Would it truly be wise to celebrate in the midst of this tragedy? I agree that an address to the people is in order, but what truly is there to celebrate? A celebration of the herd's lost faith? A celebration of those murdered? I feel this is too somber and reverent a topic to approach it in such a manner..." He trailed off, mulling over the possibilities. "I won't rule it out, but I certainly think we should look at this from every angle..." The emperor paused once more, letting his words sit for a moment. "We should also consider waiting until things are at least moderately safer. Even with tightened security, asking any of our people to speak out in this way would be incredibly dangerous, and I can not, will not, knowingly put them in harms way. We may have to think of smaller ways to begin restoring their faith and unifying the herd while the immediate threats are removed."
Flicking his ears around to listen briefly to the storm raging outside, he spoke again. "As for the dissenters, they must be dealt with swiftly, and without mercy. If Cascade chooses to forgive them for their crimes, so be it, but I will not. Too many lives have been lost, too much damage has been done to the herd, and too much doubt has been sown in the hearts of our citizens for any kind of leniency on the matter." The bay inhaled slowly, considering what his next words would be. "Those suspected of treason will be tried before the council, and those found guilty will be transferred to the prisons and deported at the first availability." He snorted softly, giving his statement a sense of finality. "I agree that we can not afford to let them stay a moment longer. Thaumas, I will need you and your guardians to be most vigilant and unwavering in the days to come..." He looked to the Defender, knowing the severity of what he asked. It would not be an easy task, weeding out those who wished the Talori harm, but it was a task that had to be done.
[Post 3, Word Count:425] |
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Post by Dream-Lark on Jan 24, 2016 11:42:26 GMT -6
Rycaron | Sage
A party, or gathering...the idea had some merits, but the Sage did not think the timing was appropriate. Too many were in danger, and such a gathering with heightened energy might well mean disaster again. But if things calmed down...he could see if would be a good idea then, to attempt to arrange. It seemed the Divine was of the same mind, ears attuned to her now, as she spoke. And then Hawkeye chose to speak. He had ever been hard to read, keeping such a detached demeanor, but he appeared more at ease, and the hippocampus breathed a barely seen or heard sigh of relief. Things were moving in the right direction within the War Room, then. Aqua gaze turned to Thaumas, on the other side of Eve, for it seemed he would be the first to be in action. First would be rounding up all of the extremists, those causing the most problems. If they were to wait on a gathering, and needed something smaller in the meantime...but what would work? "I shall send word to all the Emissaries, and if anything of note comes up regarding extremists and their whereabouts, I shall send the reports on immediately to you, Thaumas," Rycaron announced. He was already having that done, for the emissaries where his eyes and ears within the land, but he would update their mission, make sure it was as specific as possible. And if need be, they would report directly to the Defender or nearby Guardians if it was urgent. In the meantime... "Could we not bring most of the Clerics from Kiephis, and house them at the Temple? We can station a few guardians there, but making the clerics more readily available to speak one on one with the citizens may help to calm their fears and doubts as well. Their reassurances could be very useful," the chestnut equine murmured into the silence, tone thoughtful. It was the only other idea he could offer at the moment, as he racked his tired brains for more. WC//343 Post 4 |
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Post by Kelpie-River on Jan 24, 2016 11:57:19 GMT -6
Cadena | Council
The black mare had to admit, she was a bit stung by Hawkeye's blunt manner. Of course, he had a point, but she felt that, perhaps, his views were a bit skewed by the weight resting upon his shoulders. The dismal manner of his speech further aided Cadena's impression of this. To be fair, the mare's outrage was petty, based in the feeling that, now she was contributing like a good little pony, should be spoken to in the same manner. In conclusion, it appeared that both Cadena and Hawkeye had their points, both tinged with emotions that would be better left outside of the war room. While she had been mentally considering this, Cadena had vaguely been aware of Hawkeye ordering that the dissenters be judged by Council and deported. As his word was final, she supposed that there would be no way around the action now, and decided to leave the point alone.
Carefully arranging her features to hide her affront, Cadena chose her next words carefully, painfully aware that she could not, under any circumstances, speak in the same manner to her Emperor as she could to her fellow Council members. Whether she should speak that way to any of them was another question, but the Marwari cross had a good idea what she could and couldn't do, without taking should into account whatsoever.
"With all due respect," she began, dipping her head to her leader in a show of respect, "I believe that you and I see things in differing manners," Cadena continued, stating the obvious. "Where you see Talorian lost faith, I see a chance to bring horses together, to comfort them. To show them the bounties of Cascade and remind them of her grace." Cadena fell silent for a moment, then picked up again. "But the safety of the Talorian herd is too great a risk at this time, I agree," she stated, glancing towards the Defender and imagining how much more strain that would put upon him and his followers. "Perhaps that is an idea better left until this settles. However, Emperor, you speak of celebrating the deaths of our Talorians. While you say it in jest to the idea, I ask you, why not?" She paused for a moment, letting the question sink in, before continuing. "Why should we not, in some fashion, celebrate the deaths, or at least memorialize them? We could dedicate a ceremony to those who have lost their lives. It might help our grieving herd mates."
Cadena paused again, waiting until she had her thoughts collected to continue her speech. "And, we could," she suggested, glancing between Eve, Ry and the Emperor, "perhaps dedicate part of the ceremony to the Sacrifice? I know it is unusual, but it is just as unusual that a foal be chosen in the Lottery. It might help to assuage the anger if we show that we mourn the death of the filly as a Pegasus, and when the time comes, after thing settle down, we can celebrate her life as the chosen of Cascade? It might help the grieving to see that we do care that a filly was chosen, and that her first life was cut short."
"And, as our Sage has suggested," Cadena added, nodding to the reddish hippocampus, "the Clerics could indeed help our herd mates. They are versed in healing physical wounds, but surely they could help aid in the healing of mental ones as well in these dire times." It felt a great weight off Cadena's shoulders to be - mostly - on the same side as the Sage again. As an ex-Emissary, she had been chosen by the Sage to do her duties, and she held him in great esteem.
[WC: 624]
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jan 24, 2016 12:48:16 GMT -6
It had been difficult for Thaumas to take the two Lady Councillors seriously since they'd voiced their profane impiety at the opening of the forum. He could not, in good conscience in the face of his beloved Emperor, ignore them, but for some time now he'd been thinking of their contributions herein as an insight to the enemy's machine. These are the insecurities of character, the wants of experience, the wavering faiths upon which the devils prey, thought the Defender, keeping his jaw firmly locked in place as Councillor Cadena lay forth her most recent in a series of foolish proposals. They could sway these two, were there not some element of their psyches which keeps them ranked so loftily in our employ.As the Emperor, in his magnanimity, both put the ill-conceived 'party' plan to rest and issued Thaumas an order he'd been bent on obeying since the violence's outbreak, the spotted stallion tucked his chin and dipped his head low as a sign of his devotion to the cause. He murmured his assurances, and once his head was unbowed, he nodded sharply at Rycaron's contribution. If there was one thing pertaining solely to this mortal realm of which he was absolutely certain, it was that he would be glad to have his old friend's help in the days to come. Both their efforts would be sorely needed to right the wrongs which had been levied on Aquore, on Emperor Hawkeye, and on their precious Eve. It was Councillor Cadena's apparent shamelessness which prompted him to speak again. " Celebrate the deaths of the righteous?" Thaumas asked quietly, almost lazily, in his rolling double-bass. "Mourn the sacred passing of the Chosen One?" Two suggestions of hers, each directly contradictory of both good sense and of fealty to their Wave-Mother. He paused, and then continued thoughtfully, "A Councillor advocating lawlessness." Take care, madam.words: 312 tags: GingerBlues Queerly posy-punch Dream-Lark kawaiideadpool Kelpie-River notes: fourth of five! |
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Post by posy-punch on Jan 24, 2016 13:28:24 GMT -6
Cethin | Council Member Cethin caught the Defender's last words, they stung even the snake-like official, in their bluntness towards the Councilwoman. "Let us scrap the celebration and formal mourning idea, no?" The stallion kept his voice level. "With the dissenters, the Council is well versed in quick and fair trials. We'd be able to lay judgement to many as fast as possible." He grit his teeth quietly and then spoke again, "As for calming things down, we want to set an example of piety and of peace and concord. The dissenters are spreading discord and death, contradicting everything our Capital is here to bring." The stallion swung his gaze across the group. "Perhaps allowing the Divine to make unscheduled appearances in the Temples to speak with the faithful and hold prayers with them. The Royal Guard patrolling the streets more so, checking in on houses, showing that the Capital is not just hiding away discussing things, we need to be acting to start the road to recovery." He mulled over his next words for only a second or two before finding the way he wished to word his thoughts. " Councillors should be sent out to other parts of the city, outlying villages that may be suffering, any place that has been majorly affected by dissenters, or dangerously affected," he added, "should have some official within the city boundaries. We want to spread the message of power, but care. Each horse would be accompanied by a quartet of Guards, Send horses that are well versed in combat to more insecure regions, the horses with dangerous or combative blessings would be good to have. I myself am blessed with poison generation, though I've not used it enough to make it very powerful."He gave no chance for anyone to jump in yet, "Obviously we want those that are well versed in their blessing, or even blessings in dangerous regions. Horses with healing blessings can go through afterwards, those with soothing abilities would do well in those regions."Then he flicked his gaze to the sky for a moment then leveled it again, "Obviously we'd need to be in somewhat of a secure region, never send a non-soldier into a war zone where anything could happen." He looked at Thaumas and Hawkeye, "Perhaps sending soldiers out to flush out extremists and then immediately after sending in the what we could call peace envoys would provide a start to the healing process?"[405 Words] |
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Post by Kelpie-River on Jan 24, 2016 14:40:58 GMT -6
Cadena | Council
"That is not at all what I have suggested, Defender," Cadena stated, her teeth grinding together as she felt the stallion's words tumble from his mouth in an accusatory pile. The suggestion that she was inciting lawlessness infuriated the mare, and all she wanted to do was take a back hoof to the Defender's face. But, that would accomplish nothing (except satisfying her for a second or two), so she resisted the urge - though her hind foot might have twitched a little - and stuck to verbal methods of getting her point across. "And you would be wise not to twist my words again," she added, her ears pinned back for a moment as she struggled to keep her composure. "You suggest lawlessness, but you seem not to have a grasp on what I have actually suggested," the mare added, her gaze fixed on the Defender. "But, I see that you have forged a final opinion of me, and thus it is useless to try and explain, so the motion shall indeed rest," she added, flicking her tail in a motion of finality.
Without another word to the Defender, Cadena turned her attention to Cethin, ears pricked towards him as he explained his idea for visiting the villages and temples to bring strength to the horses just beginning to recover from the attacks. They weren't all that bad, to be honest, though not the method Cadena would have endorsed.
At this juncture, Cadena had two options. She could respond with the same coldness that her suggestions had been met with, or she could pander to the other Council members, in hopes that this meeting - which had begun to drag on - would soon be brought to a close. Well, to be fair, there was a third option, which was in between the two. Though she would have liked to go with the first, Cadena chose the mid path, knowing it would the best of the three paths to take, considering her track record thus far.
"It is not a poor idea," she said, indicating Cethin with a flick of her ears. "Though, it could use with some polishing," she added, compiling thoughts as she spoke. "Firstly, if the Divine is to visit Temples on a random schedule, will a detail of guards need to be organized? It would not be good for anyone, the Divine especially, should she be attacked while comforting our herd mates.
"And secondly, on that point, does it give the impression of safety or of fear if we do assume that our Divine should travel with a guard. By that, I mean, will the Talorians coming to Temple see the guard as a way to keep themselves and the Divine safe, or will they see the guard as an omen that even the Temple is unsafe?"
"You suggest that the horses with the ability to fight go to the most dangerous regions, and I agree. However, Councilor Cethin, you also state that the Dissenters should be driven out before some areas of Inaria are reached, which brings me to my next question.
"If we assume that we must act on Councilor Cethin's advice to clear Dissenters before visiting certain parts of Inaria, we must understand that it will take time to clear out dissenters and make certain it is safe for our Council members and Guardians to visit the cities in question. While there are some areas we may visit with relative safety now, can we depend on these peace envoys to spread quickly enough to be of a tangible benefit?
"If anyone has answers to these questions, then I am sure that we are all willing to listen," the mare said, flicking her gaze to each Council member in turn. With this, she fell silent, waiting to see what the horses would say.
[WC: 638]
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Post by kawaiideadpool on Jan 24, 2016 18:48:07 GMT -6
Nymph | Council Member.
The painted mare had laid quite for a moment, not wanting to raise her voice again till she had heard everyone voice their opinions. She stood there, next to her fellow councilors as her bright blue eyes darted around the room. She chewed on her bottom lip in thought as she studied the features of all of the others in the room.
Thaumas, she had met him before, and he still had that strong, and unmovable look about him as he stared almost blankly out into space as he refused to give any indication about the emotions he was feeling at this time. The Sage, Nymph found herself struggling to figure out exactly what he was thinking, so after a while of letting her eyes take in her appearance, she let out an inaudible huff of air before letting her eyes fall on the Divine. She seemed so delicate and fragile standing in between the two male members of the Trinity, and she couldn't bear to look at her for very long for Nymph's soul still felt a slight guilt for doubting the Divine.
Her ears perked up at the statement the Sage had made in order to get information for the Defender, so she quickly slid in her words, "I can go around some of the, ahem, lower classes and see if they have anything to offer," She said, knowing very well that there would at least be a hand full of people who would give her the insight they would need, and no matter how little the information she got was; she knew that anything could help them in this time of need.
Listening carefully between the conversation between her fellow councilor members and the Defender, she turned towards the black mare standing next to her, "Councilor Cadena, no one has to know that there is a guard with the Divine, if she does feel as if she can travel to the temples," Nymph said, choosing her words carefully as she spoke, her head turned towards her fellow Lady Councilor as she spoke, "I'm sure the Defender can come up with some way to make sure that his guards go unnoticed, and somehow make them blend in those who do come to see her." She thought over the last thing Cadena had said before turning to look around the room, racking her brain over the best words that could be said.
"If peace is brought by a certain amount of time then I guess that is a risk we might just have to take," She finally said, these words probably being the boldest ones she had spoke in a while, "What if we don't take that risk? So what if we get put into harms way, I don't think anyone in here wants to see Aqoure fall just because we were afraid to venture out."
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