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Post by Stormwall on Dec 26, 2016 3:22:16 GMT
"The Darkwood's a strange and vicious place. Isolated, inbred villages and towns with little traffic or trade between them. Many many things in the forest, and the forest is just about everywhere. Between that and the marshes...well, here's my opinion, and it's one coloured by some bias. I've been through there, lost friends in there. The Darkwood could have a fortune in gold, iron, gems, and sorcery, but who'd mine it and what roads would they use to carry it out? Driving a road through the Darkwood, even a main trunk line, you'd run the risks of marshy ground, angry creatures, swamp infections, contaminated or insufficient supplies, and locals with all kinds of secrets. Could it be done? Probably, but there'd be a real cost, and it'd never be a popular project. Fascinating, though. Ugly but fascinating."
On the verge of saying more, Stormwall hesitated, then shrugged.
"You could say I've given it a thought or two over the years. What stage are your plans at? Concept, financing, recruitment? As a friend I feel like I should talk you and your people out of going anywhere near the Darkwood. As an explorer, you have my attention."
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 26, 2016 19:53:37 GMT
Kaelen frowned as he listened to what Stormwall had to say about the Darkwood. It sounded even worse than what the scouts had reported. They had not ventured that far into the land though, so that might be the reason why. The Darkwood was sounding like a terrible prospect for advancing the holdings of Mystmarch, but it might just catch the attention of the Runic Circle more. The mages had a weird obsession with places like that, even the places filled with more malicious spirits back on the islands. This was discouraging news, but at least it might keep them from investing time and coin into a land that was not going to reward it. "Thank you for that information. I will be sure to have it past on to the Council and High King." Kaelen said as he approached a brothel. The establishment was popular even during the working hours of the day it seemed. There was men trying to cover up their faces with hoods and wrapped scarves lined up out in the street. A few of those in line even had that particular curve only women carried. Workers of different races all worked there in the business of lustful pleasure. Kaelen would be lying if he said he hadn't visited these sort of places. He just looked at it for a moment before he continued on past the ever growing line. "What about this 'Silverclaw Valley'? A messenger arrived with a letter from a Baron seeking to meet with a representative of the High King. What sort of place is it and what kind of resources might they have?" Kaelen asked as he glanced back at the centaur. The conversation was revealing a little information but that was the point. He was wanting to see if the fact others were showing interest in Mystmarch aid might sway opinion to being better.
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Post by Stormwall on Dec 26, 2016 20:14:48 GMT
Other cities flaunted their wares more openly, but Coalhurst's brothels were discreet by comparison to this place. Granted, that might be because lineups tended to freeze. Then again, you wouldn't see Ashdellers covering their faces so compulsively. That implied a different relationship with shame, perhaps a fetishistization of sorts.
"Silverclaw Valley appeared out of nowhere," he said at last. "A magical barrier protected and concealed it until fairly recently. The barons are divided and in a state of unrest against their king. The whole place is more or less of interest: it's an unstable but promising market. The valley has a surplus of salt, silver, and dressed stone. They build good castles and walled towns out there. Some of them are scared of the outside world; others are anxious to reach out. There are concerns that other foreign powers may be backing some of the barons, trying to engineer the king's overthrow."
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 26, 2016 21:27:54 GMT
Seemed that no one really knew much about this Silverclaw Valley. It might be worth just getting into the place and figure out the political climate from there. If need be they could move more troops in and hold a city or town. The main problem was just not knowing which nations and peoples would be trying to lay claim to the various regions. It sounded like a keg of that dwarven powder and Mystmarch needed to be a part of it. "Interesting. Thank you." Kaelen said as they continued down the road. It certainly was odd that Marston was so blatant with its brothels, but by this point it would just cause more problems than good to force them into more discretion. "What other nations might there be trying to lay claim to the Valley? We are aware of Ashdell and a few Free Cities seeking more trade partners, but they are all too far from Silverclaw Valley to be interested in claiming it." They needed more information about their neighbors and this seemed like a good way to find out who all was nearby. Mystmarch was new to the main land after all and rumors were hardly reliable. If forts needed to be built and large numbers of troops trained then the sooner they started it the better. Hopefully this Ashdell turned out to be a true enough ally and trade partner to not be a problem. Stability was good for the both of their markets after all. Stormwall
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Post by Stormwall on Dec 26, 2016 22:01:45 GMT
"Oh, Ashdell's not all that far from Silverclaw Valley, as the crow flies, but I wouldn't worry. The Sovereign Guilds aren't what you'd call expansionist, not in a territorial sense. My guess is we'll see the Free Cities and, frankly, Mystmarch try to make and keep a friendly, stability-inducing, trade-focused presence in Silverclaw. I doubt any of the nearby kingdoms would try an outright conquest. Then again, I've been wrong before, and Silverclaw itself proves that entire nations can pass unnoticed if they really want to do it."
Stormwall weighed his next words, then shrugged. "I suspect the Guildmasters are holding back from intervening. With no effort on Ashdell's part, other powerful trade interests will set up a convenient presence in Silverclaw Valley. There's a risk -- any real conquest and occupation in the valley would give an enemy a decent staging area to become a threat to Ashdell. But that risk has mitigating factors." First among them, that any Ashdell-hostile occupation of Silverclaw Valley would suffer from long supply lines, while being close enough to Ashdell to keep counterstrike options open.
"In short, at this point, the Guildmasters are probably predicting that you and the Free Cities will wind up with a strong trade presence in the valley, to everyone's benefit."
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 26, 2016 22:25:27 GMT
Well it seemed that Stormwall had little more information him on this subject as well. Disappointing but not unexpected. They might be looking at a strong chance of a trade agreement but each nation needed to keep things as secret as possible. It would seem they came to an stop in the conversation for now. Perhaps it was time to shift things to the next step. They were wanting to sell timber to them to build ships with, so why not show him the ships? Kaelen began to head in the direction of the port. The further along they went the more shops and less entertainment buildings there was. It was becoming clear what the make up of the city was like if the centaur was paying attention. The sails of ships began to come into view as they got closer to the port. The banners of Mystmarch and other nations rippled in the ocean wind as a multitude of different races all worked together to load and unload cargo. It was impossible to be able to count all of the ships docked at the port quickly. The dry dock was as busy as the port with ships of different shapes and building being repaired. Kaelen took in a deep breath. He savored the salty smell even if the natural stink of any port was too mixed in with it. He held an arm out in the direction of the sea of ships. He said, "Welcome to the Marston Port. Does it look to be a good fit for the Ashdell ships?"
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Post by Stormwall on Dec 27, 2016 1:19:59 GMT
"In its way. Ashdell is landlocked, as you know, but there's a good-sized river through the heart of it. Ashdell boats, for war and trade, have a shallower draft than your big deep-sea ships. In Ashdell, we use what the old Empire called holcs - maybe you know them by other names. No proper keel; shallow draft, as I said; good for rivers and canals, and coastal operations, but not for crossing seas. They can carry a good deal of cargo, though. Riverine and coastal routes between here and there are manageable, I'm told, though it remains to be seen whether those routes will turn out more reliable than the old roads." Stormwall chuckled. "Believe it or not, I once spent a good deal of time on a ship. Centaurs may not be often associated with seafaring, but I find ships and shipbuilding fascinating. As to your initial question, yes, I think this port will accommodate Ashdell holcs easily. And it'll have to, of course: even if your homeland's magical storms allowed sea travel by outsiders, the crossing would be too treacherous for holcs."
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 27, 2016 7:07:50 GMT
The Mystmarch ships were a mixture of larger deep sea venturing ones and the shallower draft kinds like the ones that the Ashdell sailors used it seems. The access to both kinds of ships meant goods could get to more markets and get supplies around faster than it would have been by caravans. The only issue was that it meant there was always a high demand for more lumber, and the early signs of that were becoming more obvious every day. A trade deal with Ashdell for lumber would be beneficial to the production of ships. They could always use more ships out on the waters bringing more goods into and out of Mystmarch territory. This was especially going to be true when Mystmarch began to grab more land on the continent. "That is true, but perhaps you will be able to set up some coastal cities of your own one day. The ocean does offer great things to those who brave her." Kaelen replied back as he looked at all of the flags snapping back and further. "Now then, how about we finally head towards the Marston Keep?" The question was more rhetorical than literal as Kaelen began to walk towards the Keep. He liked ships, but they reminded him too much of battle. The siege was not pleasant when they had landed in and around Marston to take it. Blood flowed as freely through the streets as it did across the beach. The red tide reflected the intensity of the invasion, and the ocean only reminded him of it all. It was a soldiers duty to march ever forward for their kingdom. It was their duty to kill. But no matter what his duty might be, he could not say he completely enjoyed fulfilling it. He did every time he was asked to though, and would continue to until it took his life from him. Stormwall
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Post by Stormwall on Dec 27, 2016 12:58:52 GMT
"You have a point, and there are those among the guilds who would be interested in building colonies, but this coast might be a bit far for safe expansion. Still, I'm sure it's being discussed." They came into sight of the keep. Clearly enough, it predated the Mystmarch presence here, and Stormwall spotted repairs and scars. "A good battle-tested fortress," he said. "It seems well able to defend this city. Maybe the surrounding territory as well." Kaelen Silverblood
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 27, 2016 15:24:31 GMT
Colonies would be a good idea for a nation such as Ashdell so that they could get some places to harbour their forces and traders. With the Empire gone, the continent was ripe for the taking for any group willing to be a little aggressive with their trading and conquest. The main problem was where and how the people of Ashdell would seek to create colonies. Mystmarch was seeking alliances, but you always had to keep an eye on everyone. You knew an enemy was out to crush you, but it was always a question if an ally would turn on you or not. Kaelen looked up at the Keep as Stormwall made a comment about it. The scarred stone was a constant reminder to the Mystmarch forces here of a hellish siege that had taken place. The old governor and his remaining loyal soldiers held up inside of it for months. Men died gruesome deaths as they rushed the gate of the keep and the halls inside. It had been trapped by methods both magical and mechanical. In the end they had claimed the Keep, but it cost too many lives. "It certainly could and has." Kaelen finally replied after the silent pause. "We plan to improve it all as well. Now, lets get inside and we can rest for a bit." Kaelen began to walk towards the keep's gate. He liked Marston, but the keep held too many bad memories. He had lost more than a few brothers-in-arms to take it in the name of the High King. He understood why it was needed and why so many lives had to be lost, but that didn't mean he had to accept the lose of lives as a good thing. No, getting sent around the continent as either a commander or diplomat was better. It got him away from this keep and the reminder of those blood filled days.
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Post by Stormwall on Dec 27, 2016 15:59:55 GMT
Kaelen Silverblood had seemed well at ease up until now. The mood shifted, and Stormwall didn't quite know what to make of it. Then again, the human had mentioned how he'd fought in many campaigns to take and hold this territory. It stood to reason that the keep, the obvious centre of the violence, would hold dark memories for him. "If you aim to improve it," he said offhanded, "I'm told Silverclaw Valley's dressed granite is pretty much unmatched. Their castles are well constructed, and they sell good stone in bulk. So it's said, in any case. I could easily see this keep getting a barbican, or perhaps higher crenelations. Not my area of expertise, castle engineering, but you're right: you have any number of options." For the life of him he couldn't remember where they were heading on their roundabout tour, what their final destination might be. Rather than look foolish, however, he remained silent on the subject. "I may have spoke too hastily about the Darkwood," he said. "There's one half-decent road that runs through it, and you could link up with a place known as Haven. Are you familiar with it?"
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 27, 2016 16:22:53 GMT
Kaelen managed to get himself out of the depressing mood he was in. He turned to look at Stormwall after he had begun to speak. It was appearing this Silverclaw Valley was going to be the place to be for Mystmarch, but it also would likely be the a target for other nations. It would need to be judged if it was worth the effort or not. Kaelen knew he was likely going to be the one to have to make that judgement as well. It was always him that had to do this kind of thing. "I can not say I know of this Haven place." Kaelen replied back to the centaur. "What is it like? What do they have to offer and on which side of Darkwood are they?" A pair of guards with a finely dressed woman in her late thirties to early forties came walking towards them from the gate. She smiled as she approached. As she came to a stop, she curtsied to the pair as she said, "Welcome to Marston. You must be the representative from Ashdell. I am Lady Witford. My husband is the Lord of the Marston province, but is sadly away for political reasons. Come in and relax. I will have the servants begin a meal right away."
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Post by Lailoken Wyllt on Dec 27, 2016 21:12:07 GMT
The wooden vessel rocked against the steady chop of the Marston port. Not much to look upon, the Knarr drifted aimlessly along the horizon. While he had successfully culled the storms that rummaged between the various islands of Mistmarch, he could not temper the anger that he felt across the waves. No matter how loudly his baritone voice spread across the sea, he could not stop the storm from taking what it would. As he looked back across the wake behind him, he spotted the last glimpse of a white sail, attached to a square rigged mast. Bobbing, nearly inseparable from the white foam of the chop, he said his goodbye in the only way he knew how. By moving back and forth across deck, plunging a rower down into the water.
He might have muttered some form of incantation, spray of the ocean washing over his face. But he wasn’t insane. The ship wasn’t living, it had no essence. It would go where it pleased, isolated from his influence. It was just fortunate that the vessel was aimed towards the port.
Waving his hands frantically as the ship drifted towards the port, he yelled for people to move out of the way. There was a particular Cog, sitting peacefully at port, that stood directly in his way. His brow furrowed as he looked towards it, hand held as visor above his eyes. If he didn’t know better, he thought there was even a fresh coat of paint on the bow. Things happen, he told himself, as he grabbed his staff with inlayed burnt silver and looked for the cushiest bit of water to land in. Just as the ship neared, he dived into the chopping water to the sound of creaking and moaning wood. As he breached the water, brown hair drenched in the salty sea, he watched with mild disgust as the boat carved a massive hole through the Cog. Before long, the two would take a dive in the sea together.
He hoped he wouldn’t be seen. While he put no value in such things, he knew others took great pride in their ships and various built products. As he pulled himself up the ladder, partially submerged in the dock, he yanked himself up onto the pier as a crowd gathered around the crash. Smacking some of the water from the now heavy fur coat, he looked dodgily around before shirking any form of responsibility as he made his way to the Keep. It wasn’t difficult, he fathomed, to navigate to it. After all, cities tended to be built around them. It was his first time visiting Marston, in the flesh, though he had known the place in his dreams. Booming, bustling, shiny baubles and the sort of trade that never interested him.
As he found himself upon the gates of the Keep, he had but a singular mission. To dissuade the envoys of the Mistmarch from pursuing the Darkwood, though he hardly would call it such. Places like this no longer had any attachment to the forest. Molested and wrong, it was a gate to allowing corruption and infestation into the Islands and more importantly, into the Ravenwood.
“Hello, can I help you?” The guard spoke as he stood watch of the gate. Lail, more or less, ignored him for a moment as he looked upon the keep.
“‘Tis a mighty door. Far bigger than the one of the Runefull Vale.”
“Oh, are you from the Runefull Vale circle?” “Me?” Lail may have been soft spoken, but he was hardly devoid of expression. And this expression might have been somewhere between insult and disbelief. “Spirits no. I’m from the Ravenwood.”
“So...you are a member of the Ravenwood Runic Circle.”
“No, no. I’m an ambassador of the Runefull Vale Circle.” “But I just -” Lail held up his hand. “Listen. I need to get through this mighty door of yours, so I’ll tell you a story in exchange for entrance.” “You don’t have to do that, members of the Runic Circle are permitted-” “A long long time ago, before you or I were here. The mountains lived as a giant figure. And he was in love with the forest. But one day, he and the wind got into a might disagreement. The wind threatened to derobe the forest, to blow all her leaves from her bosom. As much a champion of the forests modesty as there ever was, the mountains laid down and curled himself around the forest. To protect her.” He waved his hand towards the distance. “You might not know, but that giant still rests there to this day. I believe they are called the crown mountains. Because...it looks like a crown.” He pointed to the top of his head. Turning back to the guard, quite proud of his retelling, he looked towards the gate.
“Deal is as good as any other, right?”
The guard, taken back for a moment by amusement, turned and waved for the door to be opened.
“I appreciate it. You know, I’m not sure I could sit still for that long. He must have really been fond of her.”
Walking with staff in hand, he made his way into the keep as the gates closed behind him.
Kaelen Silverblood Stormwall
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Post by Stormwall on Dec 28, 2016 2:57:33 GMT
Kaelen Silverblood Lailoken Wyllt"I believe Haven is just to the south of the Darkwood, though I could be wrong. It's in a forested area, ocean to the immediate west, mountains to the east." Stormfall paused as, over the walls of the keep, he heard the distant sound of one ship colliding with another. Sodden wood crunched and water burbled. When the resulting shouts comprised outrage rather than agony and terror, he ignored it as a normal dockside accident. He put his focus on the new arrival. "Lady Witford." He bowed in the centaur fashion, one arm across his chest. "Your welcome does you as much credit as your home. Thank you for your hospitality. I'm called Stormwall." Behind him, across the castle's courtyard, the gates opened to receive someone else. Stormwall glanced over his shoulder, then kept turning for a better look. A man had come in, a wild man apparently, reminiscent of the kind that plagued the enchanted forest around Ashdell. Something about his eyes, perhaps. As a guest, it wasn't Stormwall's place to offer greetings or the duties of a host. He stayed silent and kept watching.
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Post by Kaelen Silverblood on Dec 28, 2016 18:09:32 GMT
The sudden appearance of a new man at the gate following the sound of ships crashing into each other got everyone's attention. It was not uncommon for ships to crash into one another at ports as the winds and seas dictated where the wooden vessels ended up more than the mortals that captained them. The man who approached however seemed to be a rather wild looking man with a stave....a stave with burnt silver inlay. Kaelen frowned slightly as he saw this and immediately knew what it meant. A Runic mage. "My Lady, Mr. Stormwall, I will go see to our new guest. Why don't you show him around the Keep and tell him tells of Lord Gareth during the campaign?" Kaelen said with a friendly smile. He didn't wait for a reply from them however before he suddenly departed to meet up with the mage. Kaelen strode over to Lailoken Wyllt quickly on his long legs. As he got close to the man he called out, "Hail! What brings a member of the esteemed Runic Circle to Marston today? I am Kaelen, and who might you be?" The man was wild looking and seemed to be here on some sort of mission. The look in his eyes was one that Kaelen had seen many a time in the eyes of the runic mages he had worked with often in battle and out. They were odd ones on principle, but not bad sorts. They devoted their lives to the pursuit of magic and knowledge after all, and the strangeness of the world just seemed to seep into them. ================ Lady Witford just smiled to Kaelen as she watched him depart. She turned her attention to Stormwall and said in a polite tone of voice, "Please forgive Kaelen. He might not always act like it, but he has a greater sense of duty than anyone other than my husband. Why don't we just heed his words and head inside the Keep? I am sure he will join us inside soon enough." The wild man had the look of a Runic Circle mage to him, but if he had business with Lady Witford then she knew Kaelen would bring him straight to her. She hated it when he husband Gareth was gone, but she felt safe in a foreign land with Kaelen around. She could just leave things in the younger man's hands and know it would get done to the best of his abilities. At least it would so long as the other side did not have a temptress. "Have you heard the story of what my husband, Lord Gareth Witford, did once he captured the old governor of Marston?" Lady Witford asked as she waited to see if her guest would agree to join her inside the Keep.
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