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Log: Problems with Peace

Page history last edited by Sxoa 14 years, 4 months ago

         As the twilight approaches, the sun reflects its rays off the glassy towers. However, perhaps none of the sights are as impressive as the Imperial Garrison whose massive steel walls combined with the sun's rays make it look like an impregnable gold fortress. Of course, as twilight approaches, that means that all of the diplomats and emissaries have left to do whatever it is men with lots of influence and money do at night. The Satrap meanwhile still has a very important meeting and thus has the good brandy out (and since he has no bad brandy, the good stuff is in fact stellar).

Ledaal Kurnaz slips in. "Salutations o' Satrap." He makes a beeline direct for the brandy, having acquired a taste for it in his visits to Zuriel's offices. "Thank you for seeing me sir. After our last discussion, I wanted to meet with you briefly before I left. You mentioned a particularly large 'boulder' that needed to be 'collected?' Or removed from the field as it were."

  

       As Kurnaz enters Zuriel nods to him, "Kurnaz, always a pleasure. Please, make yourself at home." The Satrap himself already has a snifter in hand filled with the amber colored brandy. When he sees Kurnaz go for the brandy he says, "This one's aged for 60 years. A very good vintage, you'll like it." Instead of waiting for Kurnaz to walk over to his desk, Zuriel instead gets up and walks over to one of the two chairs near the liquor cabinet and takes a seat. "Ah yes, the stones," Zuriel recalls, "No doubt you recall my plan. Well, I put in some covert inquiries back in the Isle to see if I could have House support. The answer I got back was that if anyone tried what I was proposing, Mnemon herself would send all manner of assassins after me. Apparently she lives up to the reputation others have given her as an uncompromising matriarch. I can see why no one likes her."

 

Smiling Kurnaz pours himself a drink and sits down. "I've never met her personally, on account of my breeding those weren't exactly the sorts of parties I got invited to, but I certainly heard the stories. And LOTS of great jokes. I can't say I'm terribly surprised though, she is kind of...how to put this delicately... a super bitch."

         Kurnaz shrugs, "So the question then becomes 'What now?'" You told me when I brought this up last time that the Reds need you more than you them. I mean, does this place have a chasm of the immaterial? Dematerialized guards? She can certainly use Infallible Messengers to reach agents out here, but any agents in the threshhold are blocked off from extensive material support. Its really only summoned demons that she can send after you in any significant mass." Kurnaz takes a sip of the brandy, "Good gods thats good!"

 

         Zuriel sips his brandy slowly as he listens to Kurnaz. The comment regarding the brandy causes him to smile and lift up his snifter in recognition. "This place is proof against scrying and teleportation magic, along with wards against almost everything you can think of including demons," Zuriel assures Kurnaz, "However, bypassing wards isn't all that hard to do. A simple countermagic would bring down most of the thaumaturgical wards or the proof against scrying and teleportation. There's a full complement of elemental and demonic guards as well as regular troops, a compliment of Gunzosha commandoes, and my personal guard of Brass Legionnaires. However, even a handful of second circle demons don't really scare me. What scares me is what I heard afterwards." He takes a light sip from his snifter as he collects his thoughts, "I heard that Mnemon would not hire any assassin force. She'd hire Immaculately trained assassins and even heretical assassins. The fact that she'd stoop to hiring heretics really distresses me. She could easily hire Anathema as well. However, the fact that she'd even consider such things lets me know that I do not want to be on her side. On the other hand, I can't just change sides. I consider my well-being intricately tied with the stability of this region. Were I to perish, I can only imagine Varangia would secede and Chiaroscuro would declare its independence."

 

Kurnaz nods. "You're a powerful man, and your death would leave a mighty power vacuum. The ensuing struggle would leave the region more barren than the deserts south of here. So she'd be willing to hire anathema...that badv huh. Short of killing her, or I guess tossing her in some manacles of night, there's not really much we can do to stop her from sending out Messengers to contact folks, and there's no way to intercept them."  He pops off one more thought before taking another sip, "Why can't you just change sides? What are the Pearlies and the Imps going to do? Tell you no?"

 

         Zuriel shrugs, "Oh no, I'm sure either side would be thrilled to have me. However, I'm also sure that neither side would be willing to give me the protection I'd need to defend against Mnemon or Cathak's retribution. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me that's the main reason that Cainan hasn't switched sides too. After all, historically V'neef and Ledaal have been Cathak's allies not Mnemon. If I had more people who were capable in combat I might risk it, but as it stands the only person I know that can fight and open battle is Tsure."

 

"I'm no immaculate, that's for sure, so I don't know how much help I'd be in a straight up throw down." Kurnaz, considers his next words carefully, "How closely do you follow the Immaculate faith? I know you are a master of the styles, but I mean the texts that the monks preach?"

 

         Zuriel answers, "The Immaculate texts provide a superb guide to leading a rich and fulfilling guide. One would have to be a fool not to recognize that. I adhere to it so that others may use me as an example to how to lead their own lives."

 

Kurnaz seems dubious but shrugs, "Right then. I don't really follow them that closely, but then again the texts look less favorably on me than the rest of my kin. But anyways, thats neither here nor there. I guess it seems like Mnemon is the lynch pin here that needs to be removed. If she's gone then Cainan would likely switch sides as well. Obviously she's not all powerful with her death squads or this war would have been over before it started. V'neef is still kicking, how is she managing to stay breathing when Mnemon is after her half sisters head?"

 

         Zuriel shrugs, "V'neef is holed up in Imperial City. There's all manner of impressive defenses there starting with the Legion of Silence. Each one of those Silent Ones is as strong as 50 trained soldiers. If V'neef has the codes to the Legion of Silence, I can see why it'd be easy for her to hold out. Of course, the other option open to me would be to take the Imperial Manse myself. Of course, I'd need a group of willing compatriots willing to risk all for the good Creation."

Kurnaz smiles widely. "Ah ha, so thats the core of it then. Well...I'm no Tsure, but...you'll have my help and that of my men, whatever its worth if you go down that path."

 

         Zuriel smiles and nods, "I'll keep that in mind in the event that such an expedition proves to be the easier route. After all, with the Imperial Manse in my posession, I could end the war, declare myself Scarlet Emperor and bring back all the Houses together."

 

Kurnaz nods with a grin and finishes his glass of brandy. "You'd have my vote..."

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