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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 18, 2022 5:58:49 GMT -8
Lillian responds, "Well, I'd need to know where she is, foremost. Anything that could help convince her to leave the Wyld Boys, anything that could convince them to let her leave. And anything about the merchant they are believed to have killed."
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Post by Daos on Jan 18, 2022 14:38:34 GMT -8
"I don't know where she is; if I did, I would have sent someone to retrieve her by now," Mereida admits. "But I have been in contact with her. I've received a few letters from her, although I'm not sure how. They just appear on my doorstep in the middle of the night, seemingly. I'll write her back and leave the letter on the doorstep, and the next day, it will be gone. She must have some kind of system in place to retrieve and drop off these letters. It might be a way to track her down."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 18, 2022 14:53:56 GMT -8
"And the contents of these letters...they...led you to believe she was ensorcelled?" Lillian questions.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jan 18, 2022 18:58:05 GMT -8
"What did you do with the people that you gathered alive?" Ladonna asks.
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Post by Daos on Jan 18, 2022 20:49:29 GMT -8
Ladonna
"They were brought back here, interrogated, tried for their crimes, and executed," Damon answers simply.
Lillian
"No," Mereida says. "I know my daughter, and I now she would never act in this manner. She is a well-behaved young woman who would never associate with criminals or aid them in their crimes. Understand?" Mereida says slowly.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 19, 2022 6:10:22 GMT -8
Well, no, Lillian thinks. She worshipped Crizza and was this close to helping Buho fall to a plague in his name. She is unsure if Merida will believe her, though--and if she does, what then? Merida has complete power over her, and to..."rock the boat" like this would be risky. So she simply nods.
"Is it acceptable for me to read these letters?" she asks.
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Post by Daos on Jan 19, 2022 14:57:45 GMT -8
Mereida thinks silently for a bit, then says, "You may read them, but they are not to leave this room. And you are to discuss them with no one. Finbul, dear, can you fetch the lockbox underneath the bed." "Oh, uh...sure," Finbul says. He kneels down and finds the lockbox, and then brings it to the old knight. She uses a key on a chain around her neck to unlock it, then removes three scrolls and hands them over. They are written in Tardish. {First Letter}Dear Mother,
I know you won't understand why I have to do this, but there is more to life than titles and duty. There's love and freedom and I need both. I have to follow my own heart, and that heart belongs to Jherek. Our betrothal may have been arranged, but he is my world, my soul. I will always be by his side, even when death comes. I know this isn't what you want to hear. You want a dutiful daughter who will inherit your ranch and carry on your legacy and produce for you grandchildren. But I don't believe in destiny. I've been in touch with Crizza--yes, the god--for awhile now. He speaks to me, and I speak back. He has chosen me as his champion, and this overrides any familial duties. I'm sorry, but I hope you understand.
-Katya "Well, I certainly get why she doesn't want the general public to know about this," Panola mutters. {Second Letter}
Dear Mother,
I'm sorry, but I can't do as you asked in your reply. If I return now, I'll never see Jherek again. You'll marry me off to some random man I've never met, you'll make me give up my mission to free Tardiff from the clutches of tyranny, and I'll be miserable until my dying day. I'd rather die than give up my freedom, or the man I love. Nothing you can say or do will change that. You need to understand what I'm trying to do here. When I overthrow the queen, Tardiff will be free. No more slavery, no more serfdom, and equal rights for all. No, I don't care what happens to the ranch. Leave it to the Padners, they do all the work there anyway. If the baron doesn't like that, he can actually step foot out of his fancy manor and do something about it.
-Katya "She wants to do what? With what army?" Finbul balks. "I'm not sure she's even thought this through..." {Third Letter}
Dear Mother,
Okay, wow. I admit, I wouldn't have guessed you knew who my father was, and have been hiding it all this time. I guess it's good to finally know, but I don't see how it changes anything. He'd deny it, even if he knows. I'm a bastard, regardless. Which is something else I hope to change once I've cleansed the country of its corrupt rot. Once the queen's head is on a pike, there will be no laws, no succession, and no titles. So none of it will matter at all soon. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear about your health. I hope you recover. But I cannot return home now. You would no doubt have an armed contingent waiting for me, and would lock me in the cellar to keep me from leaving again. Admit it.
-Katya "Paranoia, delusions of grandeur...you really have your work cut out for you," Panola notes. |
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jan 19, 2022 17:20:37 GMT -8
Ladonna was hoping that at least one of them was alive. "Did any of them give up any idea as to where Jherek could have disappeared to?" she asks.
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Post by Daos on Jan 19, 2022 19:59:52 GMT -8
"I said they were interrogated, didn't I?" asks Damon. "Of course we asked them. Even under divine scrutiny--a truth-telling prayer--but none of them had any idea where Jherek disappeared to. In fact, half of them felt betrayed over it. The other half naively believed he was going to show up and rescue them from their grisly fate. Obviously, he didn't."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 20, 2022 6:27:11 GMT -8
Lillian makes a very annoyed face.
"Merida, if it turns out to be impossible to fulfill the terms of the contract--by being unable to clear her of charges, perhaps--what will happen to me? Will I be made a serf out of spite?"
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Post by Daos on Jan 20, 2022 14:43:03 GMT -8
"Let me make it clear," Mereida says. "My daughter is my legacy. She is all that matters. If I lose her, I have nothing left. Do you understand? Try to imagine the absolute worst fate I could inflict upon you...then assume it will be ten times worse than that. I want to make sure you are absolutely incentivized to do everything in your power to return her to me. Serfdom, slavery...having your voice removed so you cannot sing, having your fingers removed so you cannot play music...I don't care, whatever it takes to motivate you."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 20, 2022 14:58:53 GMT -8
You're an absolute psychopath, you realize that? Lillian thinks, barely stopping herself from saying them out loud. Katya won't listen to me. I'd rather run away with her merry little band of rebels than inevitably fail and face you. You've already ruined my life. I hope you're happy. She grins bitterly as she has a realization. "...everything in my power? I possess enchantment magic like that you suspect Katya is under. Would you have me use that?"
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jan 20, 2022 19:33:48 GMT -8
"I mean, him and Katya left us without a second thought," Ladonna says. "So it isn't so surprising that they would leave their own people either. Where were their base camps?" Ladonna asks. "It is possible that there might be a clue there as to where they could have gone."
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Post by Daos on Jan 21, 2022 14:14:15 GMT -8
Ladonna
"Not that any of us could find," Damon answers. "The first base was in the Hartwood, not too far from town, actually. A bunch of Ruaran refugees have sort of moved in since then. Personally, I don't like the idea of the Ruarans having a foothold in the middle of Tardiff like that, but they did help in taking the Wyld Boys out, and the Woodfangs promised to keep an eye on them. The second base was in a cave on a cliff overlooking the River Dark, to the west of here--not too far from the capitol, actually. As far as I know, it still sits abandoned."
Lillian
"I expect you to do whatever it takes to bring her home, safe and sound," Mereida says simply. "I need not be privy to your specific methods."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Jan 21, 2022 19:28:55 GMT -8
"It seems like their base camps are the only leads that I have," Ladonna says with a sigh. "Well, thanks for the help, and good job at taking care of the Wyld Boys. I see that you've done quite well."
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