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@Nevis I think you'll find more than just pastries in the Palais pantry's depths. Just a matter of which part of the depths are explored with the given time frame.




@FernStone @SkullsandSlippers - At any rate, it's been a little while, albeit a couple weeks since our last post and I feel it's time we moved things along so I'm giving advanced notice that we will be moving forward with the plot in a couple days.
@SkullsandSlippers - Nevis has a point in that we're anxious for your recovery and are looking forward to your post.

@FernStone - Hope you've had a great weekend and enjoyed a wonderful dance along with time spent with significant others. Here's to some solid posting before July and August come around.




I also hope you're all keeping up to date with Game of Thrones because there's some superb television and drama to be watch, especially within these last few episodes 8)
@SkullsandSlippers - Fridays onwards to the Weekends are good days off. I am in amazement at how you're able to move, let alone type with your dominant hand out of action, but hey ... what's life without a little injury eh? 8P Of course, I'll probably injure myself at some point and eat my words so ... here's a toast to better health and uhm ... minimal injuries \m/
Impatience is for the faint hearted, Nibbles, and it I know anything, Footwear's patience and presence is something to admire and consider 8).

June and July are some of the most vacation and activities laden months and I do hope that we can build on our character development before August comes around! If anything, the summer months within the Northern Hemisphere are great for being outdoors and travels where story inspirations are aplenty while the autumn and winter make for good indoor opportunities for drawing, catching up on TV shows or movies, and heavy gaming. I certainly hope that someday there will be time and finances for all of us to visit the Southern Hemisphere and their Summer months during our Winter seasons!
@FernStone@SkullsandSlippers@Nevis - Hokay, well uhm ... I terribly, terribly sorry about the long delay and I will admit that I got caught up in life and distractions. As promised, though, the post to move us forward is here! A decision must be made on where in the Palais the group will pursue and once the decision is made, it is final! This is crude democracy at its finest hour and will establish the impact and direction of the plot once our characters commit to where they wish to pursue ...





The pound of the surf grew ever louder even within the confined quarters that composed the Voltisian sewer tunnels. Lucius' head remained in a position that commanded an utmost respect for the Al Mayrin Seer's visions that would ultimately prove the difference between life or death. Her appearance spoke of an incredibly beraggled and fatigued condition, however, the girl's determination was one that few throughout history could rival.

The more the Al-Mayrin spoke, the more it became evident with how lethal Conqvist's craftiness had presented itself through preparations of underground networks. Preparations for what seemed to involve the secret backbone for a sophisticated logistics that could house several armies and the madness that went into such preparations. Lucius had to credit the Lord Sovereign for his ingenuity in holding his most lethal cards from the Sarifens or the other major Carcassonian power houses.

Then came news of an unusual mention of notable areas of interest within the Palais itself. When was there ever a time, in which the Palais never carried secrets? Time was of the essence and given Ona's vast insightfulness, the Prince found himself facing dilemmas of dire importance. The Seer's presence ultimately proved the most dangerous and it was imperative that they reached the Palais.

β€œOur time is rather short and we both have places to be, Comte Le Crosse, however, I will at least acknowledge the realities concerning your wiley cunning and that despite men and their shortcomings. Perhaps someday your natural gifts shall rival that of the quick salamanders that roam the deserts bordering Ivalis' coastal colonies. Now ... as a motherly leader of beautiful Ivalis, I can only speak my own inflections upon your affairs as an outsider and I strongly believe you should be careful to know when to heed logic over your instincts. Your expedition is in theory audacious, yet altogether as reckless as it is doomed for failure. I can offer you and your companions a chance and one chance for an escape by sea and safe passage to Media where there is chance you may seek an audience with the Queen ...”

The Councillor paused as the Chuda Chevalier vehemently wriggled and squirmed in defiance and mumbled barely legible words that ranged from colorful curses to a spat of babble that took on a furious form of venomous verbosities. A rather nasty tug of the rope bindings quickly brought the Chevalier to her knees and the muffles quickly turned to sobs of pain. For a mere moment, a flash of empathy escaped the Prince's eyes, however, his face quickly shrouded into the dark as he stepped into the shadows.

Not long afterwards, the Councillor forcefully yanked the ailing Chevalier further along and towards the sewer opening where the smell and sounds of the sea's crashing waves came to bear. The Chuda's exposure under Lucius and Daedhel's watch likely sealed the girl's grisly fate and once aboard Ivalian vessels, her life would mark a slowly and painful existence that would involve every form of Ivalian torturing methods to bear. Nevertheless, the carnage that she, her fellow Crown Chevaliers, and their patron, the Lord Sovereign had wrought could not be undone nor the lives they had destroyed be resurrected. Justice, as inhumane as could be exacted, would serve to claim the girl's life into a shell of something that would barely resemble a human and the chain of events that happened and were to follow were but a taste of what would resemble the true nature of Ivalian fury.

β€œYou have my word that the moment we board Ivalian vessels, we are immediately granted the Fleet's full of protection,” Councillor Gisgo announced, β€œShould we safely cross the Eastern Seas, we may yet dock within Midia where we you will discuss.”

β€œThe offer is appreciated and in another time, I might have accepted your gifts; however, I must graciously decline your generous for I understand exactly what your words truly mean. Valania never and never will exist as another Ivalian client colony. As a people, Valanians will fight until the last fight their very last breath to their identity as sovereign subjects to none. May Athirat be with you, Councillor Gisgo. I trust you will understand our plight even during the darkest of years.”

β€œThen this will be the last we ever speak and I hope you realize the lost golden chance you may never again acquire. I trust you will one day understand the nature regarding Ivalian interests and the fruits of Ivalian matriarchy across the world. Hi barukh chei yachid ho'olamim ... (Blessed is she, oh life giver of the worlds ...)”

β€œMontjoie Saint Delacroix, Councillor,” the Prince curtly answered as the Ivalian waved her torch into several strange motions towards seemingly nothing, but the open seas. Her motions followed into decisive action as she dove into the pounding surface with the struggling Chevalier in tow. Minutes later, a faint, fast moving dark silhoutte emerged from somewhere in the pitch black and rapidly approached towards the Councillor's stroking location.

β€œWe scale the clifflines,” Lucius remarked as his eyes darted past towards his companions, β€œI'll scale first; Dae, you're second, however, you are to anchor Uriel at all costs and serve as the first one up and last off the Palais balconies. Uriel, I understand you've elements gifts and when possible, you must blow holes along the cliff-lines to allow each of our party modest shelves with which to climb. Ona, do what you believe is right, however, I strongly caution towards paralleling my location and to locate escape routes should we encounter formidable resistance."

"May Athirat and Yadin - Hamon be with us,” he murmured as he leaped towards a jagged cliff ledge before beckoning the others to follow in his stead. Moments later, pounding waves came crashed below his location as only mother nature could have allowed ...




Within a matter of minutes the motley group had miraculously scaled the cliffs without incident. The initially ascent proved rough and nerve rattling as the numerous torch bearing Crown Watch companies could be seen patrolling along the jagged paths that lead towards numerous locations that lead down towards the pounding surf. The cliffs resembled a natural barrier towards intruders, however, here and there, several narrow trails naturally formed an obvious security burden and ever a cautious man, the Lord Sovereign seemed to have spared no oversights in maintaining a sizable presence to oversee the defense against any sort of intruders that would wish to scale his cliffs. Overlooking a sharp series of cliff walls proved an entirely separate responsibility that escaped any sort of considerable forethought and much to Lucius' surprise, remained relatively unguarded save a mere handful of lightly garrisoned balconies and well furnished, marble-crafted terraces.

The pounding surf spared none during high tide had left many of the surviving members sopping wet as they escaped the notice few present Crown Watchmen's gaze. The timing, in which each individual's arrival could not have been more perfect, save the Prince himself whose sneeze very nearly alerted several guards' attention. Some skipped heart beats later, the group had fully assembled, drenched in sea water, but otherwise unharmed and still firmly commanding the element of surprise. Delays, inexperience, and politics had cost them dearly, however, desperate times had called for desperate measures and under the cover of darkness as well as the faint sounds of battle, a rare opportunity presented itself in allowing for an immediate decision upon where to proceed within the Palais itself.

After momentarily squeezing raw salt water from his ruined shirt and undergarments, Lucius stole a glance towards a dark and unoccupied, yet familiar hallway where a flood of memories and emotions momentarily brought the man back towards days long past. Nearly two decades had passed since he had fled the Palais' hallways and though the decorates and Sarifen alterations had drastically altered the historical Delacroix royal residence; much to Lucius' delight, the base interior had remained largely intact. He recalled his last days within the Palais had brought him some levels below and with knowledge of looming Sarifen forces approaching from land and sea, time had not allowed his earlier self to have enjoyed the residence's existing luxuries. His flight to Vectis came under immense duress and even through the harrowing blur of barely dodging Sarifen Sipahi brigades, the lung burning hardships that followed, and death defying memories still burned within his mind as if they'd happened the previous day.

β€œMademoiselles and fellow Seigneurs,” he hissed after finally collecting his thoughts into coherent sensibilities. His eyes darted quickly towards several furnished corridors that diverted towards respective locations withing the Palais' grounds. β€œI believe we've a responsibilities to commit towards and input shall prove paramount towards which rare opportunities to pursue. We must decide and we must decide now. Once we've reached a common consensus, we will commit and there shall be no turning back!”
Alright folks ... post coming in some odd hours so the wait won't be much longer! I hope you enjoyed the MCM London Comic Con @FernStone! If you're still poking around, @SkullsandSlippers, maybe the off-time from work'll let ya visit Quebec and Montreal like you did some summers ago! Seems like there's a ton of Conventions happening around this time of year like Anime Expo in L.A. and the long awaited Comic Con in San Diego. Since summer in the Northern Hemisphere is also around the corner, it means more free time to do other things like traveling, relaxing, learning, or work on side-projects.

That being said, let's make the most out of summer yeah?
Good to know that good things are coming for all of us, even when curveballs sometimes hit at the most inopportune times.

@Nevis, I do hope the job hunt goes well and that we can up our creative writing activities. I feel like I've been swamped, but at the same time, I say that having a busy life is a good life.

@FernStone - Good luck on your last final and please have a merry good time with your righteous IRC buddies. I know that Comic Con will be a lot of fun and that the weekend will blink before your eyes. Best way to milk every memory out of your weekend is to bring a camera, take tons of photos, and ... wait for it ... do stupid things that are not that stupid ;P.

Maybe you can take some experiences from your Comic Con weekend as writing inspiration for future flashbacks with Dae! As the saying goes, the best stories come from real-life inspirations!




Let's keep ourselves updated on the comings and goings of our colorful lives because I feel like the future's got plenty of colorful tales to share 8). In the mean time, I have been putting off something I should've finished a long time ago and will now be taking out my newly acquired free time to draw portraits of our main characters. Expect to see posts and artistic black and white portraits of our characters in the near future ...
@FernStone & @SkullsandSlippers & @Nevis - How are you all doing? Finals are done, Summer is here, the Greater Job Hunt is real, and post incoming, within the next day or so. Stayed tuned!
@FernStone - So proud of you and happy to hear that you'll be finishing high school with flying colors. Thank you for the wishes because I'll need them for this last final next week. Pulling all nighters as I did on Sunday night isn't fun and something I hope to never have to do again. I want to also wish you luck on your own finals because Computer Science can sometimes really pull the wool out of even the best. You'll get a chance to make your mark on the world and learn all about living on your own while acquiring life-lessons where ever you go. Entering university and eventually earning your degrees will certainly leave you emotional and reflective of all your decisions and experiences with your peers and colleagues throughout your stay in academia. After you make your run through school, it's figuring out your job situation and having something lined up for the moments after graduation. I personally vote for snatching opportunities to study abroad because you get to learn about different cultures, meet cool people, and live in areas that are vastly different from where you grew up!

I know we've had conversations about the schooling systems within the UK and the US and we'll just say that institutions in both countries have their effective methods and systems in place to prepare students for the work force even though academic institutions can sometimes be some of the most intellectually repressive locations on the planet (@SkullsandSlippers - You can vouch for me here since you're a teacher and know some of the ins and outs of early educational establishments ;). The key is to make the most out of your education and apply your learned skills to whatever things you want to accomplish in your career and making sure you don't let distractions or stupid, arrogant, or ignorant people ruin your experiences 8).

On the flip side, Altaea will be rolling relatively soon where there our characters can get a chance to interact more and have an effect on the way current events are playing out!
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