"You provoked the FIsh-creatures when the Kraken attacked, While dozens of civilians stood no more than fifty feet from you." Her face remains a blank slate, Her voice sounding in barely a stoic whisper as she shows no sign of emotion. Malenia is not the kind to let emotion stir her actions, she has more discipline than that.
"I would have liked you to try. You are an Auryn Bearer, you have sung songs and told poems of Tragedy and Heroics. Ereni chose to engage the Titan, what little her arrows may have done in the grand scheme may have been pointless. Yet she Tried."
"Judal, the newest member of the Answer chose to follow me as I lept from the Roc to aid the soldiers trapped in the city. We did not stand by just to watch as these people were burnt by fire or crushed under rubble. We Tried." She does not turn her attention away from Stasoyla, The Jedi stares directly into the Centaur's eyes during this confrontation. "In a Hypothetical, If by chance We were in a situation where we needed your aid to get us out, After today I dont believe you wouldnt lend that Aid. I believe you would play your pipe and watch as we burned."
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Malenia - [Monk - Way of the Jedi] - Auryn: Princess of Destiny
"Provoked them? I frightened them away." Stasolya looks carefully at Malenia, almost suspiciously. "You say you would have liked me to have tried. I'm still not sure what, exactly, you think I should have done, or rather, tried to do. I cannot fit out of those windows, nor survive a fall such as you took. I have no weapons, and not even any sound that could close the distance to the titans, or be heard over the King of Monsters. Do you think the ballads and songs that the College of Lore preserves and performs are useless? That they serve no purpose? Countless lives have been saved from the strength of inner virtue inspired by the remembrance of the order of the world---of the Childlike Empress, who can create Hyboria from a single grain of sand. And, arrayed against her, many are those who, unwilling to face the futility of their own actions, the humility of their place in the cosmic order, would embrace power and judgment over others, and enforce homogeneity and blind obedience."
"Be careful, in the wake of Vader's fall, that you do not replace him, Malenia." Stastolya meets the Jedi's steady gaze unflinchingly. "Search your own heart, before you judge the motives of others. I have the AURYN, because Atreyu commissioned me. My worthiness, or lack thereof, is not the reason it was bestowed on me. And so will I follow my commission, which has never been to take up arms. Today, you have witnessed the great triumph of the Apex, and all you are concerned about is what a few flea-biters did and did not do." Stasolya seems saddened by this. "There are far greater players in this war than you, or I. We are small. We can do very little. But we have our part to play, and that is to stand on the right side of the war, ourselves."
"If you believe I am unreliable, you are under no obligation to follow, or help, or rely on me... you may steer your own course to help Hyboria. I will continue to King's Landing, and from thence to the Great Grass Sea. You may do as seems best to you, and take the others with you, if they prefer. Atreyu has put no pain of duty on any of you. He laid the AURYN to me, and so I hold the duty to myself alone. I will not impose it on anyone else."
"We are small?"The first visible sign of frustration forms on Malenia as the metallic fingers of her prosthetic hand curls into a fist. She takes a step closer to Staoyla, looking up at the taller Centaur.
"You said yourself that you woke Godzilla, I was there when Vader fell, I was a part of the group that dropped a crater on the Tarrasque. I stood on the frontline holding back an army of undead with other brave warriors. Those actions were not small, Look around you at what our actions have wrought under the guidance of Atreyu and Gandalf." Another step closer, her arms drop to her sides.
"The world has been changed by our actions, Yet you call us small." She chuckles with a look of disbelief. A small spark of electricity runs through her prosthetic hand. "I admit my faults, I know Im not the easiest person to get along with, I know I keep most of you at arms length but If ANY of you were in danger, I would not hesitate to rush to your side. You are so quick to cast doubt on what we came together for, Without hesitation you suggest I follow my own path. Im certain you would say the same to the rest."She looks back at the other members of the Answer.
"We are not Andromeda's Answer, We are Stasoyla's Expendables." She takes a few steps away from the Centaur, both fists clenched tightly still with a spark running through her Prosthetic arm. "So be it, I'll not stand beside someone who thinks so little of the rest of us."
Malenia walks away, Heading west towards the far off Mountain range.
Stasolya smiles sadly. "I can see that the power that I put my faith in is not real to you... if it was, you would understand what I mean by saying that we are small. Good fortune to you, Malenia, and may you find freedom from the hatred in your heart."
“The pawn is the smallest of pieces on the chessboard but even it can put the king in checkmate,” Judal says with some thought. “But only with the help of allies.”
Judal stands indecisive for a long moment unsure of who he should follow. There had been mention of an AURYN Bearer but neither Gandalf or Etreyu had told him who to follow, just which group to go with. So now what?
I follow where you lead, he had said it to Malenia and Ereni just a score of minutes ago. Stasolya, on the other hand, had been content to watch…
Judal gives the centaur a firm nod and says “I promised I would visit her home with her.” With that, Judal follows Malenia…
Not when surrounded by Kruthiks, nor the beginnings of the skeleton horde at Hagsgate Keep, nor facing the Red Bull's inexorable inferno, nor even the Tarrasque's vast menace has Ereni appeared as distraught as she does now. Looking as Joy must have when Prince Lir allowed his father to banish her.
Or a soldier seeing her comrades splinter apart like a straw shield. It is happening again. Always does. Different than with the Infantry, and yet the same.
Only a brief glance at the way Ereni looks at Malenia makes it easy to see that she would follow the Eladrin to the ends of Hyboria, as she had with her former companion Emmett from the Infantry. The half-elf's green eyes grow somehow even more haunted and she whispers, as if to herself.
"I... I thought maybe this time the arrow could drop differently."
Ereni thinks of all the defenders of Argos, dead in droves from the Tarrasque's devastating breath weapon. Lucky they were. To miss both the falling of fiery rubble and the unraveling of The Answer. One day, perhaps their luck will be mine.
She walks quietly back to Stasolya, Cinder and Thea. Voice pitched low, perhaps not purposefully, but so only they can hear her.
"Don't know about faith or spirits or raindrops or buckets. Myself, I've always been expendable. Could be there's a light at the end of all this. Or could be just a spark about to set latrine pits ablaze. You all took me in when I was lost. Not sure you did me a favor, but I thank you all the same. Lucky. To have sisters in arms like you. Maybe one day I'll be lucky again. Until then, I'll try to make things right. I haven't forgotten our orders."
Ereni turns sadly and walks away, face perfectly still like a deep forest pool. Following Malenia to the mountains. Joy slinking at her heels.
Cinder watches the argument between Malenia and Stasolya, her head cocked to the side. So this was how it ended then? She shrugged. She had never joined the group to save the world. Or to save anyone really. It just sort of happened. She hadn't had any better plans and at the time it seemed like a good idea. "Well I guess this is it then?" She says standing next to Stasolya. She wasn't particularly close with either the jedi or the centaur, but she didn't see much point in following Malenia. The job they had been given was to search for Andromeda. That had the potential for fun, while checking on Malenia's home would either be boring or depressing. Or both. "It was fun while it lasted anyway. Don't die."
The Roc shifts and fluffs its feathers as it watches the humanoid drama unfold near it. It has no concern for the thoughts, fears and dilemmas of these small creatures; it only wants to do what it is trained to do. When the handler gives the command, it lowers its chest, setting the enclosed basket down to the ground again as it waits for Stasolya and Cinder to reenter. The handler watches Judal, Malenia, and Ereni as they walk off on their next adventure...
Hyboria crawls along below the gargantuan bird as it flies up and out of Argos and begins crossing the southernmost point of the Sea of Possibilities, over the Goron Range and across the Summer Sea until they reach the eastern shores of Hylia. The flyover doesn't reveal much detail in the infinite twilight of the world, bur they can still see that the world below has changed. The lush greens of the continent are gone, now replaced with fall colors and rusty stains on the vegetation. Through the rushing wind a few hideous screams can be heard calling up from the dying forests as terrible things living there do...whatever terrible things they do...
This trip takes a few days, leaving Stasolya, Thea, and Cinder ready to finally be done with their journey via the Roc. They see the strange, indescribable swirl of the nothing once, in the distance, and can see the crawling chaos radiating outward from what was once Hyrule Castle, even as King's Landing comes into view...
Stasolya is silent and sad for most of the journey. She spends long hours pensively looking out over a shattered Hyboria, the discolored land and the darkened sky crying out.
"Darkness spreads and chaos blooms Across the land in dread and doom. One's hopeful eye must turn away To hold within the Shadow at bay.
For darkness is there in mortals' hearts Plucking and sighing its well-placed arts The strings of hatred, fear, and pride The Nothing's harvest is here inside.
The war is fought, without, within. Darkness brooks no back door in. Remember the light, the gratitude humble And on the rocks of evil you will not stumble."
The scene below is indicative of what King's Landing has seen in the weeks following the fall of Hyrule Castle and the ranches, townships, and villages surrounding it. The streets are filled with the homeless and misplaced, with people crowded along walls trying to make it. Of cities within cities, these being constructed of leather tarpaulins and hide tents and lean-tos of trash. It's not hard to spot from overhead as the Roc searches for a place to land. What must have been a river of refugees only a week and a half or so ago has settled into a sediment, of people trying to find their way in a city that doesn't have the means to take on all those that have flooded in.
Thea only listens as Stasolya recites her poem; only listens, and looks out of the basket, her her fluttering around her head, her alicorn as the enormous bird beats its wings to land them in a courtyard outside of a castle. Its architecture is distinct and different, built by the hands of the Samurai who rule the city, and therefore built in their image. Warriors lineup outside the steps leading up to the ornate building and watch as the Roc lands...
"I think King's Landing is going hungry," Stasolya says softly, looking out over the survivors of widespread calamity that have clustered around the city. She notes the warriors---at least the city still has some form of organization and defense. Going hungry, but not starving... yet.
The centaur is overwhelmingly eager to get out of the Roc box, as always, the urge to put her hooves on the ground so strong she can taste it. As soon as the box is on the ground again she trots out with a sigh of relief, and then turns to look, to see what can be seen from the steps of the castle. Looking at the warriors awaiting them, she nods in greeting. A deep sadness and emptiness within still mutes the outside world to her, her expression pensive and her gaze always seeming to look far off into the distance, even when she looks at someone in front of her. She reaches up to grasp the AURYN around her neck, as if to draw strength from the far-distant and much-beleaguered Ivory Tower.
There are six warriors, all of which have their faces obscured in the shadows of kabuto helms. Their lamellar armor is red with black and gold trim, and each wear the three traditional blades of the samurai. One Elven man stands between all of them, his own armor the same gold and red and black, but he lacks a helmet. His hair is pulled up and pinned over top of his head.
"Who hails from Skyloft?" The Elf calls, his demeanor hard and detached. "Who is it they send that is so important that they would grace us with one of their Rocs?"
The word is almost like a queue. As Thea and Cinder depart, the Roc handler gets the bird airborne, airborne and flying back toward the north...
"We are on a mission from Atreyu and Gandalf," Stasolya answers the elven warrior. She had the AURYN in her hand, and holds it up now, lost for a moment in her own gaze on it. So many in Hyboria have forgotten the Ivory Tower, yet it calls out to each of them."We have come to see the state of King's Landing, and if you need assistance. I can see that the people who have come here for refuge are in great hardship. The Roc was lent us only to bring us this far---we are headed south, to the Great Grass Sea."
"You see it." The warrior says, motioning around with one hand at the homeless who line the streets. "We of the Ashikaga Shogunate are doing what we can for them, but this turmoil was most unexpected. We are struggling."
The warrior, seeing the AURYN, steps down, motioning a hand back to what is clearly his bodyguards. As he nears the bottom of the stairs, he bows to the AURYN, and his retinue does the same.
"Atreyu and Gandalf." He whispers. "Is it true then, the rumors? Is it true that we have not only lost His Majesty King Hyrule, but also the Childlike Empress as well? I can see no other reason you'd be dispatched on orders from Atreyu instead. What is it that draws your attention to the Great Grass Sea?"
"Yes," Stasolya says, bowing her head in sorrow, "this is true. Yet the Childlike Empress' sacrifice was not in vain. Atreyu believes she has been born again. Though we have lost near all who held the order of Hyboria up against the Nothing, many still stand." She lowers the AURYN, although keeping it reverently in her hand, and bows her head respectfully to her own two companions. Then she looks at the warrior again.
"We seek the Princess Zelda in the Great Grass Sea," she says.
"Born again." The man says, rising from his bow. "I am the Shogun Ashikaga. May I ask who you, and your companions, are?"
He eyeballs the Tiefling and the strange young woman with the alicorn.
"Princess Zelda!?" He says, in shock. "We have been told the Princess was lost at the Battle of Hyrule Castle. Are you certain she is in the Great Grass Sea?"
"I am Stasolya, of the Kiros clan. This is Cinder, and here is Thea... our other last hope."
She stands a little straighter, a hopeful smile crossing her face, as the Shogun reacts to the news of Princess Zelda. "Atreyu has said so. My certainty is in the Ivory Order that I serve... if he sends me there, that is the way to find her."
The Shogun nods at Cinder, and then squints as he regards Thea, but doesn't ask questions. He does notice as Stasolya stands a little straighter.
"It is good to be proud. You carry an unimaginable burden. I am glad I am only tasked with the welfare of King's Landing and her people and traditions."
Shogun Ashikaga moves back up the stairs, away from Stasolya a bit.
"It has been a long journey, I imagine. It would be our honor to have the three of you in for a meal. After that, perhaps we can aid you in your quest."
"We each have our duty," Stasolya says solemnly. "Never is it outside of our power to do what is our duty... though it may seem so at times. Thank you for taking care of King's Landing. Our hope remains when we stay faithful to the task we have been given."
She smiles, and looks back at Cinder and Thea. "Sir, your hospitality in these trying times marks your generous spirit. I think we would be honored to join you for a meal. I would, at least." Though already she is eyeing the steps, never having had an easy time traversing such with four hooves.
The Shogun bows, then shouts a short, simple order to his retinue, all of which begin to file back into the Shogunate's castle. He moves slowly up the stairs, never looking back to see that his newfound companions are behind him; he simply trusts that they are.
More guards stand at the doors of the castle and hold them open for the Shogun and those who accompany him as they enter the castle. It opens into an immense foyer where servants and workers mill about, going about their daily tasks. Unless he comes close to them, they ignore the Shogun, with the exception of the occasional passing pleanstry.
The interior of the castle is not only bustling with the Shogun's servants, it's ornately decorated, displaying a rich history that no doubt dated back to the Age of Innocence. Paintings, sculptures, intricate wood carvings in the banisters and railings that were along the stairs. Ornate lanterns lit the interior and gave it a warm, orange glow.
"Your majesty." A man in a lovely red kimono said with a bow as he approached the Shogun. "I see that you have brought esteemed guests. Shall we prepare a spot for them at the table?"
"Lord Chamberlain." The Shogun said, returning the bow. "Would you, please? We have honored guests indeed. They are on a quest from Atreyu and Mithrandir. I would see them well fed and rested. I shall see to them from there. We are still discussing how the Shogunate may be of best assistance to them."
The Shogun looked at Stasolya and nodded.
The dining hall was a very long table, only a couple of feet from the ground, where everyone who was invited to sup with the Shogun had to kneel along its edge in order to partake.
"Stasolya, my apologies," The Shogun said, wiping his mouth and laying the napkin aside. "Would you mind explaining to me again your mission? I want to make sure I have all the facts. Atreyu and Mithrandir have sent you here to go south, to the Great Grass Sea? Is that right? To find Princess Zelda? But why in all Hyboria is she there? Why not here where we can defend her? For clarities sake, this is not a challenge. Just...help me understand, if you do not mind. And while we are on the subject...what are you going to do with the Princess once you have her? And where is the rest of your team? Did they really send only three of you? If you'll pardon me for prying, these are strange times. You'll have to excuse me, as I'm still making sense of all that has happened."
"You provoked the FIsh-creatures when the Kraken attacked, While dozens of civilians stood no more than fifty feet from you." Her face remains a blank slate, Her voice sounding in barely a stoic whisper as she shows no sign of emotion. Malenia is not the kind to let emotion stir her actions, she has more discipline than that.
"I would have liked you to try. You are an Auryn Bearer, you have sung songs and told poems of Tragedy and Heroics. Ereni chose to engage the Titan, what little her arrows may have done in the grand scheme may have been pointless. Yet she Tried."
"Judal, the newest member of the Answer chose to follow me as I lept from the Roc to aid the soldiers trapped in the city. We did not stand by just to watch as these people were burnt by fire or crushed under rubble. We Tried." She does not turn her attention away from Stasoyla, The Jedi stares directly into the Centaur's eyes during this confrontation. "In a Hypothetical, If by chance We were in a situation where we needed your aid to get us out, After today I dont believe you wouldnt lend that Aid. I believe you would play your pipe and watch as we burned."
Malenia - [Monk - Way of the Jedi] - Auryn: Princess of Destiny
"Provoked them? I frightened them away." Stasolya looks carefully at Malenia, almost suspiciously. "You say you would have liked me to have tried. I'm still not sure what, exactly, you think I should have done, or rather, tried to do. I cannot fit out of those windows, nor survive a fall such as you took. I have no weapons, and not even any sound that could close the distance to the titans, or be heard over the King of Monsters. Do you think the ballads and songs that the College of Lore preserves and performs are useless? That they serve no purpose? Countless lives have been saved from the strength of inner virtue inspired by the remembrance of the order of the world---of the Childlike Empress, who can create Hyboria from a single grain of sand. And, arrayed against her, many are those who, unwilling to face the futility of their own actions, the humility of their place in the cosmic order, would embrace power and judgment over others, and enforce homogeneity and blind obedience."
"Be careful, in the wake of Vader's fall, that you do not replace him, Malenia." Stastolya meets the Jedi's steady gaze unflinchingly. "Search your own heart, before you judge the motives of others. I have the AURYN, because Atreyu commissioned me. My worthiness, or lack thereof, is not the reason it was bestowed on me. And so will I follow my commission, which has never been to take up arms. Today, you have witnessed the great triumph of the Apex, and all you are concerned about is what a few flea-biters did and did not do." Stasolya seems saddened by this. "There are far greater players in this war than you, or I. We are small. We can do very little. But we have our part to play, and that is to stand on the right side of the war, ourselves."
"If you believe I am unreliable, you are under no obligation to follow, or help, or rely on me... you may steer your own course to help Hyboria. I will continue to King's Landing, and from thence to the Great Grass Sea. You may do as seems best to you, and take the others with you, if they prefer. Atreyu has put no pain of duty on any of you. He laid the AURYN to me, and so I hold the duty to myself alone. I will not impose it on anyone else."
"We are small?" The first visible sign of frustration forms on Malenia as the metallic fingers of her prosthetic hand curls into a fist. She takes a step closer to Staoyla, looking up at the taller Centaur.
"You said yourself that you woke Godzilla, I was there when Vader fell, I was a part of the group that dropped a crater on the Tarrasque. I stood on the frontline holding back an army of undead with other brave warriors. Those actions were not small, Look around you at what our actions have wrought under the guidance of Atreyu and Gandalf." Another step closer, her arms drop to her sides.
"The world has been changed by our actions, Yet you call us small." She chuckles with a look of disbelief. A small spark of electricity runs through her prosthetic hand. "I admit my faults, I know Im not the easiest person to get along with, I know I keep most of you at arms length but If ANY of you were in danger, I would not hesitate to rush to your side. You are so quick to cast doubt on what we came together for, Without hesitation you suggest I follow my own path. Im certain you would say the same to the rest." She looks back at the other members of the Answer.
"We are not Andromeda's Answer, We are Stasoyla's Expendables." She takes a few steps away from the Centaur, both fists clenched tightly still with a spark running through her Prosthetic arm. "So be it, I'll not stand beside someone who thinks so little of the rest of us."
Malenia walks away, Heading west towards the far off Mountain range.
Malenia - [Monk - Way of the Jedi] - Auryn: Princess of Destiny
Stasolya smiles sadly. "I can see that the power that I put my faith in is not real to you... if it was, you would understand what I mean by saying that we are small. Good fortune to you, Malenia, and may you find freedom from the hatred in your heart."
“The pawn is the smallest of pieces on the chessboard but even it can put the king in checkmate,” Judal says with some thought. “But only with the help of allies.”
Judal stands indecisive for a long moment unsure of who he should follow. There had been mention of an AURYN Bearer but neither Gandalf or Etreyu had told him who to follow, just which group to go with. So now what?
I follow where you lead, he had said it to Malenia and Ereni just a score of minutes ago. Stasolya, on the other hand, had been content to watch…
Judal gives the centaur a firm nod and says “I promised I would visit her home with her.” With that, Judal follows Malenia…
Not when surrounded by Kruthiks, nor the beginnings of the skeleton horde at Hagsgate Keep, nor facing the Red Bull's inexorable inferno, nor even the Tarrasque's vast menace has Ereni appeared as distraught as she does now. Looking as Joy must have when Prince Lir allowed his father to banish her.
Or a soldier seeing her comrades splinter apart like a straw shield. It is happening again. Always does. Different than with the Infantry, and yet the same.
Only a brief glance at the way Ereni looks at Malenia makes it easy to see that she would follow the Eladrin to the ends of Hyboria, as she had with her former companion Emmett from the Infantry. The half-elf's green eyes grow somehow even more haunted and she whispers, as if to herself.
"I... I thought maybe this time the arrow could drop differently."
Ereni thinks of all the defenders of Argos, dead in droves from the Tarrasque's devastating breath weapon. Lucky they were. To miss both the falling of fiery rubble and the unraveling of The Answer. One day, perhaps their luck will be mine.
She walks quietly back to Stasolya, Cinder and Thea. Voice pitched low, perhaps not purposefully, but so only they can hear her.
"Don't know about faith or spirits or raindrops or buckets. Myself, I've always been expendable. Could be there's a light at the end of all this. Or could be just a spark about to set latrine pits ablaze. You all took me in when I was lost. Not sure you did me a favor, but I thank you all the same. Lucky. To have sisters in arms like you. Maybe one day I'll be lucky again. Until then, I'll try to make things right. I haven't forgotten our orders."
Ereni turns sadly and walks away, face perfectly still like a deep forest pool. Following Malenia to the mountains. Joy slinking at her heels.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Cinder watches the argument between Malenia and Stasolya, her head cocked to the side. So this was how it ended then? She shrugged. She had never joined the group to save the world. Or to save anyone really. It just sort of happened. She hadn't had any better plans and at the time it seemed like a good idea. "Well I guess this is it then?" She says standing next to Stasolya. She wasn't particularly close with either the jedi or the centaur, but she didn't see much point in following Malenia. The job they had been given was to search for Andromeda. That had the potential for fun, while checking on Malenia's home would either be boring or depressing. Or both. "It was fun while it lasted anyway. Don't die."
The Roc shifts and fluffs its feathers as it watches the humanoid drama unfold near it. It has no concern for the thoughts, fears and dilemmas of these small creatures; it only wants to do what it is trained to do. When the handler gives the command, it lowers its chest, setting the enclosed basket down to the ground again as it waits for Stasolya and Cinder to reenter. The handler watches Judal, Malenia, and Ereni as they walk off on their next adventure...
Hyboria crawls along below the gargantuan bird as it flies up and out of Argos and begins crossing the southernmost point of the Sea of Possibilities, over the Goron Range and across the Summer Sea until they reach the eastern shores of Hylia. The flyover doesn't reveal much detail in the infinite twilight of the world, bur they can still see that the world below has changed. The lush greens of the continent are gone, now replaced with fall colors and rusty stains on the vegetation. Through the rushing wind a few hideous screams can be heard calling up from the dying forests as terrible things living there do...whatever terrible things they do...
This trip takes a few days, leaving Stasolya, Thea, and Cinder ready to finally be done with their journey via the Roc. They see the strange, indescribable swirl of the nothing once, in the distance, and can see the crawling chaos radiating outward from what was once Hyrule Castle, even as King's Landing comes into view...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Stasolya is silent and sad for most of the journey. She spends long hours pensively looking out over a shattered Hyboria, the discolored land and the darkened sky crying out.
"Darkness spreads and chaos blooms
Across the land in dread and doom.
One's hopeful eye must turn away
To hold within the Shadow at bay.
For darkness is there in mortals' hearts
Plucking and sighing its well-placed arts
The strings of hatred, fear, and pride
The Nothing's harvest is here inside.
The war is fought, without, within.
Darkness brooks no back door in.
Remember the light, the gratitude humble
And on the rocks of evil you will not stumble."
The scene below is indicative of what King's Landing has seen in the weeks following the fall of Hyrule Castle and the ranches, townships, and villages surrounding it. The streets are filled with the homeless and misplaced, with people crowded along walls trying to make it. Of cities within cities, these being constructed of leather tarpaulins and hide tents and lean-tos of trash. It's not hard to spot from overhead as the Roc searches for a place to land. What must have been a river of refugees only a week and a half or so ago has settled into a sediment, of people trying to find their way in a city that doesn't have the means to take on all those that have flooded in.
Thea only listens as Stasolya recites her poem; only listens, and looks out of the basket, her her fluttering around her head, her alicorn as the enormous bird beats its wings to land them in a courtyard outside of a castle. Its architecture is distinct and different, built by the hands of the Samurai who rule the city, and therefore built in their image. Warriors lineup outside the steps leading up to the ornate building and watch as the Roc lands...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"I think King's Landing is going hungry," Stasolya says softly, looking out over the survivors of widespread calamity that have clustered around the city. She notes the warriors---at least the city still has some form of organization and defense. Going hungry, but not starving... yet.
The centaur is overwhelmingly eager to get out of the Roc box, as always, the urge to put her hooves on the ground so strong she can taste it. As soon as the box is on the ground again she trots out with a sigh of relief, and then turns to look, to see what can be seen from the steps of the castle. Looking at the warriors awaiting them, she nods in greeting. A deep sadness and emptiness within still mutes the outside world to her, her expression pensive and her gaze always seeming to look far off into the distance, even when she looks at someone in front of her. She reaches up to grasp the AURYN around her neck, as if to draw strength from the far-distant and much-beleaguered Ivory Tower.
There are six warriors, all of which have their faces obscured in the shadows of kabuto helms. Their lamellar armor is red with black and gold trim, and each wear the three traditional blades of the samurai. One Elven man stands between all of them, his own armor the same gold and red and black, but he lacks a helmet. His hair is pulled up and pinned over top of his head.
"Who hails from Skyloft?" The Elf calls, his demeanor hard and detached. "Who is it they send that is so important that they would grace us with one of their Rocs?"
The word is almost like a queue. As Thea and Cinder depart, the Roc handler gets the bird airborne, airborne and flying back toward the north...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"We are on a mission from Atreyu and Gandalf," Stasolya answers the elven warrior. She had the AURYN in her hand, and holds it up now, lost for a moment in her own gaze on it. So many in Hyboria have forgotten the Ivory Tower, yet it calls out to each of them. "We have come to see the state of King's Landing, and if you need assistance. I can see that the people who have come here for refuge are in great hardship. The Roc was lent us only to bring us this far---we are headed south, to the Great Grass Sea."
"You see it." The warrior says, motioning around with one hand at the homeless who line the streets. "We of the Ashikaga Shogunate are doing what we can for them, but this turmoil was most unexpected. We are struggling."
The warrior, seeing the AURYN, steps down, motioning a hand back to what is clearly his bodyguards. As he nears the bottom of the stairs, he bows to the AURYN, and his retinue does the same.
"Atreyu and Gandalf." He whispers. "Is it true then, the rumors? Is it true that we have not only lost His Majesty King Hyrule, but also the Childlike Empress as well? I can see no other reason you'd be dispatched on orders from Atreyu instead. What is it that draws your attention to the Great Grass Sea?"
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"Yes," Stasolya says, bowing her head in sorrow, "this is true. Yet the Childlike Empress' sacrifice was not in vain. Atreyu believes she has been born again. Though we have lost near all who held the order of Hyboria up against the Nothing, many still stand." She lowers the AURYN, although keeping it reverently in her hand, and bows her head respectfully to her own two companions. Then she looks at the warrior again.
"We seek the Princess Zelda in the Great Grass Sea," she says.
"Born again." The man says, rising from his bow. "I am the Shogun Ashikaga. May I ask who you, and your companions, are?"
He eyeballs the Tiefling and the strange young woman with the alicorn.
"Princess Zelda!?" He says, in shock. "We have been told the Princess was lost at the Battle of Hyrule Castle. Are you certain she is in the Great Grass Sea?"
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"I am Stasolya, of the Kiros clan. This is Cinder, and here is Thea... our other last hope."
She stands a little straighter, a hopeful smile crossing her face, as the Shogun reacts to the news of Princess Zelda. "Atreyu has said so. My certainty is in the Ivory Order that I serve... if he sends me there, that is the way to find her."
The Shogun nods at Cinder, and then squints as he regards Thea, but doesn't ask questions. He does notice as Stasolya stands a little straighter.
"It is good to be proud. You carry an unimaginable burden. I am glad I am only tasked with the welfare of King's Landing and her people and traditions."
Shogun Ashikaga moves back up the stairs, away from Stasolya a bit.
"It has been a long journey, I imagine. It would be our honor to have the three of you in for a meal. After that, perhaps we can aid you in your quest."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"We each have our duty," Stasolya says solemnly. "Never is it outside of our power to do what is our duty... though it may seem so at times. Thank you for taking care of King's Landing. Our hope remains when we stay faithful to the task we have been given."
She smiles, and looks back at Cinder and Thea. "Sir, your hospitality in these trying times marks your generous spirit. I think we would be honored to join you for a meal. I would, at least." Though already she is eyeing the steps, never having had an easy time traversing such with four hooves.
The Shogun bows, then shouts a short, simple order to his retinue, all of which begin to file back into the Shogunate's castle. He moves slowly up the stairs, never looking back to see that his newfound companions are behind him; he simply trusts that they are.
More guards stand at the doors of the castle and hold them open for the Shogun and those who accompany him as they enter the castle. It opens into an immense foyer where servants and workers mill about, going about their daily tasks. Unless he comes close to them, they ignore the Shogun, with the exception of the occasional passing pleanstry.
The interior of the castle is not only bustling with the Shogun's servants, it's ornately decorated, displaying a rich history that no doubt dated back to the Age of Innocence. Paintings, sculptures, intricate wood carvings in the banisters and railings that were along the stairs. Ornate lanterns lit the interior and gave it a warm, orange glow.
"Your majesty." A man in a lovely red kimono said with a bow as he approached the Shogun. "I see that you have brought esteemed guests. Shall we prepare a spot for them at the table?"
"Lord Chamberlain." The Shogun said, returning the bow. "Would you, please? We have honored guests indeed. They are on a quest from Atreyu and Mithrandir. I would see them well fed and rested. I shall see to them from there. We are still discussing how the Shogunate may be of best assistance to them."
The Shogun looked at Stasolya and nodded.
The dining hall was a very long table, only a couple of feet from the ground, where everyone who was invited to sup with the Shogun had to kneel along its edge in order to partake.
"Stasolya, my apologies," The Shogun said, wiping his mouth and laying the napkin aside. "Would you mind explaining to me again your mission? I want to make sure I have all the facts. Atreyu and Mithrandir have sent you here to go south, to the Great Grass Sea? Is that right? To find Princess Zelda? But why in all Hyboria is she there? Why not here where we can defend her? For clarities sake, this is not a challenge. Just...help me understand, if you do not mind. And while we are on the subject...what are you going to do with the Princess once you have her? And where is the rest of your team? Did they really send only three of you? If you'll pardon me for prying, these are strange times. You'll have to excuse me, as I'm still making sense of all that has happened."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York