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[h1][b]GM Post[/b][/h1]

[h2]Drakkan Day 2 (Tournament/Other)[/h2]
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Evienne watched over the processions with quite a bit of pride, the clashing of steel music to her ears as she made her rounds. Every so often she would stop to observe a fight she suspected would be of great interest before returning to the outskirts to speak with various personalities. Rarely was there a moment of rest for the woman but she took it in great stride, after all it was how her father raised her. Strong, independent, and most of all… a leader. She suspected that of her siblings, despite her not being the eldest, she was most likely to inherit her father’s position upon the throne. Evienne was the fiercest, and sharpest of mind. Challenging her elder siblings would be an easy task for her, that she was certain of.

“[color=gray]Are you certain? Is that really him?[/color]”
“[color=gray][i]I’m pretty sure. Not quite what I expected from the rumors if I’m going to be honest.[/i][/color]”
“[color=gray]Against Salazar at that, poor kid… Doesn’t have a chance in hell.[/color]”

The short snippet of nearby conversation pulled Evienne’s attention from reprimanding a crying Gem servant, the drakkan princess stepping up to see what the commotion was all about. Down below in the pits were two warriors gearing up to face off, both faces she recognized almost at once.

Salazar had been quite involved with the royal family, quick to lend his support to her father in most regards. The two didn’t always see eye to eye on certain subjects, but the man was sharp enough to know which battles were worth fighting, and which were not. She had a fair amount of respect for the man and his family, each of his children a force of their own. The man he was pairing off again was one such child, a younger son who tried very little to hide his distaste for his heritage. Azilon Dantanath, brother to a man receiving a bride this Reaping and possibly one of his own if she gathered her intel correctly. No doubt something her uncle had trapped him into, but that still raised the question of what had drawn him to the capital in the first place. Slowly a smile spread across her lips, arms tucking in loosely around her torso.

“[color=f49ac2]I wouldn’t be so certain. Just watch.[/color]” She mused, half-hanging over the banister to watch the duel play out. Evienne was fairly certain that neither competitor was fighting at full capacity, Salazar blatantly holding back with his choice to fight bare handed. Even still many blows were exchanged and both fighters were fatigued by the end. She had a feeling that Salazar had purposefully lost, but it was difficult to tell with the man as he had strange ways of pushing his children to their full potential. The men who had been talking before looked at one another stunned, clearly uncertain as to how they should react to such a battle. Evienne simply shot a smirk in their direction before heading out to continue her rounds.

She was certain to tune in to any of the battles that included her prized guests as Azilon was not the only one to jump into the fray. Her father and her uncle were the ones that got to choose the warriors worthy enough to receive brides, however, she had yet to pinpoint what exactly drew her family to them. Some were obvious, feats of strength in battle either in major tournament or war, that was an easy spot. Others included some of the finer nuances of politics that she did not understand. It was also entirely possible that she just simply had no idea who the recipients were, thus this tourney served as her window into their beings. One could tell a lot about a warrior from choices made in battle, even a mock one such as this.

A few more battles carried on before Evienne made her way back down to the pit to address the crowd. There was nothing that she loved more than stirring up the blood of fellow warriors, wishing that she could participate alongside them instead of playing host.

“[color=f49ac2]Is this all you’ve got? These fights are putting me to sleep, is there no Drakkan here worth his horns in a fight?[/color]” Her grin matched her taunt well, shouts of those willing to step up to her challenge filling the air. She opened her mouth to say something else when a presence from behind her cut her off.

Spinning around on her toes, the young woman was quick to duck out of the way and hop back a few steps as man swing at her with a dagger. At first she assumed him to be a rowdy contestant hasty in his desire to prove himself, however there was a look in his eyes that spun a different tale. He moved to take another swing and again she sidestepped away, lightly bouncing backward away from the man. This seemed to anger him even more, Evienne tensing up to dodge once again only to find herself taken somewhat by surprise as a rather large arm wrapped itself around her neck in a chokehold.

Taking this as his cue, the knife wielding man charged forward, bringing his arm down to pierce her chest with the weapon. Evienne caught the man’s hands before his attack could connect, holding him off for a strong moment before she felt her physical strength faltering. She was no slacker when it came to her training, however her position was less than ideal which left her in a rather tight spot. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a few of the guards arms at the ready, more than ready to charge in at the men for laying hands on a member of the royal family. Catching the eye of one of them, she signalled that their assistance was not necessary and to just watch. The men obeyed reluctantly, concerned of what would happen to them and their families if it got back to the prince that his daughter had been killed on their watch.

Knowing her strength would not hold out against such an assault, Evienne pulled the arms down to control where the blade would enter her body. She winced as the blade sliced through flesh, the smell of fresh blood filling her nostrils as it did so. Kicking up with her feet, she rammed the top of her head along with her horns into the face of the second man who held her in place, hearing the satisfying crunch of of bone as his nose shattered upon impact. Releasing his grip on the girl he stumbled backward, hands covering his face as he groaned with pain. She stood tall and maintained eye contact with her initial attacker, now very aware of yet a third person who took the opportunity to box her between the first two and himself.

Slowly, and quite deliberately, Evienne removed the blade from her body a deadly glare upon her features. It seemed like an eternity that the pair remained locked in silent battle, neither moving for fear of breaking the trance.

Something from outside broke the stare down, causing all three to charge in at her at once. Evienne snickered, amused at their futile attempt to overpower her with numbers. The third stranger pulled a much larger blade from a sheath on his hip, first to arrive at the princess with a hefty swing. Using the stolen dagger to parry, she redirected the momentum of his attack so that she could retaliate, wasting no time in slashing the bloodsoaked metal across the skin of his exposed neck. Before his body could finish collapsing, Evienne had already shifted her weight to bounce away from another grapple attempt by the man with the shattered nose.

“[color=f49ac2]You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that.[/color]” She hissed, ducking under his arms to stand behind him. Spinning around, she buried the blade in the side of his skull where it remained as he too collapsed. Leaving it be, the princess shifted her gaze back up to the first man who now looked frightened. Unarmed and trembling, he retreated a few steps as she stalked toward him. He opened his mouth to speak but was promptly cut off as the woman was suddenly right in front of him, a strange sensation rushing through his chest. Slowly he glanced down to find its source, discovering that her hand had disappeared inside his torso. The sharpened tips of her fingers pierced the man’s heart, the organ and its keeper panicking before expiration.

Pushing the corpse away from her in disgust, the woman turned her gaze back to the people surrounding her. Some were frozen in awe at the spectacle, uncertain of how to react to such a display. Others found themselves on their feet, weapons at the ready in case they were called upon to fight.

“[color=f49ac2]It seems a few of you have forgotten the strength of the royal household and its members. Let this serve as a reminder to you all that we are not a force to be trifled with haphazardly. I am Evienne, daughter to the King’s firstborn Gaelnesh and future successor to the throne. A throne, might I remind you, that has worked tirelessly to assure a future for our people.[/color]” She barked, gazing fiercely into the crowd as if challenging anyone else to try their luck.

“[color=f49ac2]If this is the best you have to offer in terms of an uprising, consider me disappointed. Somebody dispose of these pathetic low-lives, I have business to attend to.[/color]” Evienne carried herself with her usual poise and confidence as she retreated from the pit, closely accompanied by several guards who attempted to check on her wound. She waved them away, gritting her teeth against the irritating pain.

“[color=f49ac2]I’ll be fine, I’ve sustained worse sparring against my siblings… They weren’t exactly skilled, or prepared for that matter. The blade does not appear to have been poisoned either but only time will tell. In the meantime, I need to send word to my father about what has happened here. Somebody get the messenger hawk ready for me.[/color]”

As the woman took her leave, Ehkota could barely contain his grimace of displeasure as he gazed down upon the bodies she left behind.

“[color=f4a460]Such a waste they were. Barely an entertainment.[/color]” He sighed to himself, a slight glimmer of amusement flickering behind his eyes despite his outwardly grim expression.
“[color=f4a460]Might not have gone exactly as I planned it to, but if she does as I expect her to… Daddy dearest will be rushing home in no time to check on his most prized possession.[/color]”

“[color=gray]Do you think so, sir? Displaying such weakness seems beneath a man of his stature.[/color]” One of Ehkota’s guards piped up, eyebrow raised in confusion.

“[color=f4a460]It’s only a matter of time. He’s allowed an attack on his own blood to happen in broad daylight. If he cannot protect his own daughter from harm, how can he claim to be our future? My brother refuses to acknowledge the discourse caused by our father’s rule, and it will be because of this that he will fail. We’re simply… helping matters along.[/color]” He snickered, leaning his back up against a nearby wall.

“[color=gray]Understood sir.[/color]”

[hider=Summary]
Evienne watches Az’s fight… And anyone else that wants to jump in and tussel. Goes down to taunt some peeps to get more fighters in the groove…. Gets stabbed. She no like being stabbed. Absolutely murders three guys, makes angry speech, then writes letter to papa bear.

Ehkota talks in private to his own guard, clearly not hiding his involvement from them.
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