Ffh Nes Ii

The ritual was ornate, as lavish a ceremony as a Councilor would have been granted. The High Shaman herself presided, although she felt uneasy over performing full rites for an outsider, particularly one of such beastly visage. The Council had decided, however, that the mysterious horned creature should be considered an envoy from a foreign nation and given full respect and dignity in death. Of course, the prospect of an angry and alien spirit stalking the Kappa swamps probably influenced their decision more than any diplomatic concerns. As she finished the rites and solemnly lowered the bones into the spirit pool, she wondered if she would ever see another creature like this one. She shuddered at the sheer mass of the giant skeleton and hoped that if she did, it would be across a diplomat's table and not the field of battle.

Tomorrow, 3rd april, Friday is last day to make your offer to hire elven mercs.

Well... my orders are in. Immac, I expect an update tomorrow morning, OK?

A big city, somewhere on Erebus.
A big plazza in the middle of the city.
A small street leading to the plazza.

This is the fifth day of summer of year 401. It is early morning.

The sun is not yet visible, but the eastern sky is slowly losing its black mantle, and stars blink out of sight one after the other. The lone drunk beggar in the middle of the plazza stirs as feet clobber by and people start walking around him.
They are busy people, waking up early to go to the fields, to prepare their stand on the market or go to the mine. These workers move quickly and purposefully avoid the beggar in the middle of the plazza. They ignore him as if he wasn't there.
They also ignore the other person, in the small street, but this is not on purpose. Or, better said, not their purpose. The man, clad in black robes, seems to meld in the surrounding shadows. His face is hidden by a large hood, and it is difficult to guess where exactly he's looking at. He seems to look at the plazza, waiting for something to happen.
As the sun beams once again tear through the night sky, he only casts a brief glance eastwards towards the firy globe rising in the sky. He remains still when the shadows slowly start turning around the plazza.
Around him, men, women, children move around the city, the streets, the plazza. Some of them walk past him without noticing. They are busy, intent on their purposes.

The beggar wakes up as a merchant's guards kick him in the ribs.
"Clean this, says the trader. I need that space for my clothes. It's market day today, we can't let a lazy beggar spoil the best place in the city."
The beggar is kicked out of the plazza without ceremony and the trader starts pitching a tent and prepares boothes. He sells some of the best clothes in the north. He's very proud and thinks of himself as one of the most important people around.
The man in the shadows never looks at him.
Other merchants arrive and soon the plazza is full of people selling, buying, and mostly haggling. The place is full of life. Dogs bark and children shout. Women laugh and drag men into invisible nets they will never escape.
The man in the small street remains in the shadows, oblivious to the life around him. Even when the sun moves, it seems there's always some shadow to welcome him, on either side of the street.
It's impossible that the lurker hasn't moved. Shadows came from the east. Now they come from the west, and he still bathes in them.
But noone saw him move.
It wouldn't be surprising if there had only been a few people in the plazza, but all the streets are full. People walk on each other's toes. They elbow their way through the crowd, hustle and shout at each other.
But noone touches him. Noone shouts at him, watches him. Noone sees him, but he sees all.

He watches.
He waits for something to happen.
Maybe he hopes that something will happen, but Hope has fled Erebus long ago, only to be replaced by Despair.

When the crowd thins, when the throng breaks into small groups, when the groups thin in turn and split into lone men and women, when the beggar comes back, drunk, and falls asleep in the middle of the plazza, the watcher is still there. Immobile. Watching. Still waiting for something that didn't happen.

When the night is darkest, the silhouette rises his head and looks at the stars.
"Midnight", whispers a breeze.
The lurker moves. He crosses the empty plazza, and looks at the beggar.
"You don't wear any, but you do have shackles."
A long pause, as the silence of the night answers the queer figure standing above the beggar.
"And noone broke these shackles... Slaves."
The disgust in the man's voice scares a rat away.
"They who should be the proudest, have chosen to remain the servants of the servants of a servant. O Cairill, mother, it is good that you didn't live to witness such cowardice among your people."
The voice grew stronger.
Angrier too.
"Sheep. We were a race of lions, and our children became sheep. Let them be. I will not be shackled. I will not allow myself to fall like they did."
The beggar stirred in his alcoholic slumber. A deeper darkness fell over the plazza, soon to be gone. When stars shone again, the dark-robed man was no longer there.

No longer in the small street.
No longer in the plazza.
Maybe no longer in the big city either.
But he was still on Erebus.
And he was no longer just watching.

I think I'll post a lost of all the suppositions I received about who I may be when I finally reveal myself.
But there is a hint, which is very very far-fetched.

ew--- good story- my i like reading it... especially since i can surmise what your diplo response was.

News have spread out in several countries that the Grigori received a strange scroll, written on human skin.
It looks like this information was leaked by the Grigori themselves.
The text of the message is reproduced below:

Greetings to the Council of the Grigori.
It is a shame that a nation who learnt independence of the Gods wouldn't stay independent of other men. That the Grigori would fall so low as to bow in front of its betraying neighbors.
You call yourselves vassals? You are slaves. Slaves of the Bannor who turned against the mighty Fists of Balance. Slaves of the slaves of Sabathiel. Slaves of the slaves of the slave of Junil.
But now the traitorous Sabel Guards are dead, fallen against the orcs as they should have years ago if the Fists of Balance hadn't been sacrificed for them.
Now the Bannor are weak. It is no longer time to bow, and still you ask them for help against unknown dangers? You fear werewolves and Dove Yellow when you shouldn't fear gods themselves!
It is time for you to rise. Call upon the Bannor for help. Should they come, you should greet them the way they greeted the mighty Fists of Balance.
If you are to be a nation again, send a signal to the north. If a Grigori was to be seen on the fifth day of Summer 401 to break free of shackles in the main plazza of Cevedes, then you would receive help in your just fight for freedom.

Signed:
T.

Click to expand...

OOC:
I'd like to point out that my faction cannot be contacted, and that it's useless ot try to make diplomatic contacts with me right now. If you read teh above IC, you'll learn that someone sent a scroll to the Grigori, and someone waited for an answer in Cevedes. Now please be creative and explain me how you would contact me if you want to. I will not answer, and will disregard, diplomacy until you have an idea of how to reach me, which will probably be after next update.

What foul treachery and lies are these?

Grigori, you are not slaves, you are a great and noble people. Our agreement is nothing but a mutual treaty agreed on fair terms. We are not the ones who betrayed you, we had nothing to do with the planning of excecution of the fists of balance, we only felt obliged to take part as a member of the Northern Alliance. The planning and leadership of the campaign was down to General Caswa of the Amurite nation and it is they who are responsible for the deaths of those good men of the fists. I will also point out that they still control the Patrian Artifacts that teh fists wielded in battle.

Finally, the Sabel Guard are dead, but they were just a small comonent of the Bannor Army. We had sent them on every international campaign to conceal our true strength from our enemies. Beware, an attack on the Bannor will not be tolerated, and invaders will be crushed immeditately and with ease.

The Bannor.

Charles, clear your PM box please.

You know, I notice that the Amurites are prosporous in both NES games

Seon said:

You know, I notice that the Amurites are prosporous in both NES games

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@immy. can you get on messenger soon? I have something to ask you, but it's not really worth cluttering an email with...

Thanks,
thomas

Ekolite said:

What foul treachery and lies are these?

Grigori, you are not slaves, you are a great and noble people. Our agreement is nothing but a mutual treaty agreed on fair terms. We are not the ones who betrayed you, we had nothing to do with the planning of excecution of the fists of balance, we only felt obliged to take part as a member of the Northern Alliance. The planning and leadership of the campaign was down to General Caswa of the Amurite nation and it is they who are responsible for the deaths of those good men of the fists. I will also point out that they still control the Patrian Artifacts that teh fists wielded in battle.

Finally, the Sabel Guard are dead, but they were just a small comonent of the Bannor Army. We had sent them on every international campaign to conceal our true strength from our enemies. Beware, an attack on the Bannor will not be tolerated, and invaders will be crushed immeditately and with ease.

The Bannor.

Click to expand...

tell that to the Grigori Terrorists, Freedom fighters, or whatever they call themselves (and deserve to be called so).

I don't understand why there would be grigori freedom fighters. All we're doing is helping them out for a small and reasonable price. That's all there is to it.

the grigori people might be disinclined to agree with you...
their government may have forgiven the 'great trechery' but the people definately have not.

OH YEAH:
remember orders are due tomorrow not sunday!

Uh... *Backs Off* Time for plan 12ZHG.

Where's my update, Immac?

sunday or monday orange.
i am still waiting on many order sets

Ekolite said:

I don't understand why there would be grigori freedom fighters. All we're doing is helping them out for a small and reasonable price. That's all there is to it.

Click to expand...

I was merely reffering to the PM and the story he wrote. You know for some reason, I think that it was a bad idea for them to reveal their agendas so easily to da world, now Ekolite would definately come for them.

Of course... if Grigori fighting against the Bannor is only a ploy to distract the Bannor army while the mysterious T opens the hell gate and unleashes the demon army onto Erebus...

*Rushes off to hide under desk*

Oh shht.

Looks like I have to pay...twice more or so gold to my... friends...

Oh shht. I am screwed.

Message sent, messanger is put down with his crazy madness. May Cassiel lead the true path.

May your paths be clear.