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Post by Daos on Mar 13, 2022 22:34:36 GMT -8
"I do not believe he is honest about his intentions," Daos answers. "Lenkinshire claims to have no idea that would have been a consequence of his actions."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 14, 2022 5:47:41 GMT -8
Lenkinshire nods furiously. "Yes, I had no idea the barrier was tied to your life, Miss Serpentine! If I had, I would have just let Ozymandias kill me!" Miss Serpentine seems a bit taken aback by Daos' proclamation. "You...you believe that the Night's Breath...were founded by...Ozymandias?" "Ozymandias threatened your life, Lenkinshire?" the King questions. "Yes, he came to me in a dream--uh, a magical dream--and said he'd reach through the dream and snuff out my life if I didn't do what he asked." "The Night's Breath. Founded. By Ozymandias," Serpentine repeats, stunned. The King strokes his beard. "What did he ask, exactly? And what did you do?" "He asked me to kill Selena Serpentine. So, I looked through my contacts--my fathers contacts, not mine, found this...Night's Breath, met with their envoy, the honorable--once-honorable! Met with Countess Cryfold, sent my request, gave the money to her, and the assassins handled the rest--I swear!" "And did...'Ozymandias' tell you to hire the Night's Breath?" "Uh, no, your highness," Lenkinshire replies. Selena mutters something Daos doesn't understand. Caelynn recognizes the Draconic. It's hard to catch, but she makes out "...but Ozymandias didn't found the Night's Breath..."
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Post by Daos on Mar 14, 2022 9:05:56 GMT -8
Daos isn't sure what to make of their reactions. He thought for sure that Ozymandias being still alive was the bigger bombshell than his personal theory about the Night's Breath origins. Clearing his throat, he says, "Regardless of how they were founded, they are obviously a severe threat--not only to this nation, but to the entire world. What's more, Ozymandias is not finished with them. We have additional intelligence from Lenkinshire that they also intend to target a gnomish student in New Arcadia named Trite. We are not certain why she is a target, but it might be worth investigating to find out. What's more, your majesty, is I would request you consider showing mercy to the prisoners. While their guilt is not in question, both have proved cooperative so far, and may have additional intelligence or insight on the Night's Breath and their movements. Sparing their lives may be worthwhile."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 14, 2022 9:56:51 GMT -8
The King nods, slowly. "Yes...yes, I see the wisdom in that. You may have yet to live, Lenkinshire."
The Count gasps with joy and falls down, bowing to the king. "Oh! Thank you, your majesty, I promise, I will do everything in my power--"
"But we still have much more to discuss. This Trite woman, and--for example, how in Elshodi's name did Ozymandias turn himself into a lich?!" the King bellows.
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Post by Daos on Mar 14, 2022 13:37:05 GMT -8
"I am not certain, your majesty," Daos admits. "But if he does still live in some form or another, we must find a way to destroy him for good. If he is able to reach out to others in their dreams, then even if we neutralize the Night's Breath, he may still find others to enact his will."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 14, 2022 20:25:55 GMT -8
Caelynn had been keeping quiet for the most part, but she had been studying Selena. It was rare to see her so stunned before. Even though she was keeping a neutral face, she was a little disturbed by what she had heard from Selena. "Honestly," she finally says. "It seems we still have a lot more questions than answers as to what exactly is going on."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 15, 2022 5:23:53 GMT -8
"Oh, most certainly!" Miss Serpentine says. "Is Ozymandias now a lich, and if so, how? Did he found the Night's Breath, and if so, how? Why involve, out of all nobles, Count Lenkinshire? Who is this Trite, and how is she involved? How do we kill this hypothetical Lich Ozymandias?"
"Why don't you answer that last one, then?" Meine snaps.
"It's not that simple. Liches exist only in the world of theory and fiction, both of which are happy to contradict each other to serve their own purposes. There are liches that regenerate from a phylactery, liches that regenerate in the Abyss, liches that regenerate from a particular bone, liches that regenerate from a single scrap of bone, and liches that don't regenerate at all!"
"We'd have to kill'em at least once, though, and the Foccu army is strong enough to do that," King Leonard says. However, Selena shakes her head.
"A mage of Ozymandias' power can destroy an army with a flick of his wrist. A few warriors of exceptional strength may have a chance. A thousand soldiers would be obliterated. Still, the army could prove useful in clearing a path to the Mouth, as long as we can provide weapons to overcome the Demons' resistance to mundane attacks."
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Post by Daos on Mar 15, 2022 14:05:08 GMT -8
"Some research may be in order," Daos agrees. "But for now, we should focus on dismantling the Night's Breath entirely. Without them, Ozymandias will have to rely on individuals instead of a well-connected organization. That should buy us more time to figure out what to do about him."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 15, 2022 19:53:53 GMT -8
"I agree with Daos," Caelynn says with a nod.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 16, 2022 5:39:03 GMT -8
"And how do you propose we do that?" Selena asks. "We have two options: focus on disbanding their operations within Foccu, or identify the location of their home base and destroy it. The first is far more manageable, of course, but the latter would have a greater impact."
"Um, excuse me, Miss," Valerie says, finally speaking up. "But what would make it harder to do the second thing, with their home base?"
"For one, we'd have to locate it. As the Night's Breath erase the memories of their Agents, and even their Negotiators, as a security precaution, this will be difficult. For another, if the base is in a foreign country, we can't send Foccu's army to wipe the Breath out without hours and hours of diplomatic red tape--time we simply do not have. Finally, if an assault was launched, the Night's Breath has access to scores of highly trained assassins and more than a few powerful spellcasters. They will be difficult to beat."
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Post by Daos on Mar 16, 2022 13:54:41 GMT -8
"What do you think we should do then?" Daos asks.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 16, 2022 17:19:44 GMT -8
"Then how do we go about disbanding their operations here?" Caelynn asks.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 17, 2022 6:02:32 GMT -8
"Then how do we go about disbanding their operations here?" Caelynn asks. "Have soldiers and agents lead investigations, find their bases, and destroy their teleport circles," Selena answers. "That will cut off their ability to travel from base to base instantaneously. If the resident Handler was killed, that would also help immensely. They would lose access to their magical communication, they could no longer refresh the Geases on Agents or erase incriminating information from their minds. The loss would cause panic and disarray within the organization. If we're lucky, this will drive them out into the open, leaving them open to a direct assault. "As far as this little team is concerned," Miss Serpentine says, pointing to the four of them. "I recommend you investigate Night's Breath activity in Cryfopolis. Caelynn, I believe you grew up there, so your familiarity with the city will speed up your progress." "What about the Gnome, Trite?" Meine interjects. "Are we just gonna leave her to die?"
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Post by Daos on Mar 17, 2022 12:38:17 GMT -8
"It's a good question," Daos agrees. "It doesn't make sense for them to target some random student. There must be a hidden reason, and it may be worthwhile to investigate that."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 17, 2022 20:22:41 GMT -8
Caelynn nods to Selena, before looking to Daos then back to Selena to see what her answer is to that question.
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