[center] [h1][b][u]Carn[/u][/b][/h1] & [h1][b][u]Aurielle[/u][/b][/h1] [/center] [hr] Carn was brooding. His spirits had lifted in the past few days, ever since he had that moment with Aurielle, and he had begun to revert back to his old self. As the army had neared Ketrefa, they had begun to face more and more resistance. Some of the villages actually [i]liked[/i] being under Ketrefan rule, it turned out, because the close proximity to the city boosted their trade and entitled them to some protection. Others had heard of Aurielle’s raid, and feared the same thing happened to them. As a result, Carn had to deal with brigands harassing his scouts, sentries, and patrols. And whenever they turned up at a village requesting supplies, they were more often than not refused. In the end, Carn finally had to resort to having his men take what they needed by force. Many would go hungry as a result of this decision, but he couldn’t see any other options. This wasn’t what troubled him, however. A weary expression crossed his features as he and Aurielle sat at the table in his tent. His gaze was fixated on the glowing sapphire ring he still wore; the one that was intended to bolster his reflexes. The sorceress had no such reservations about taking what they needed. In fact, she had been the strongest proponent of the measure. When Carn finally gave his leave she was the first to have her assigned warband ready to pillage the nearby villages. And they did so with almost experienced scrutiny. But she didn’t get to raid for supplies every day sadly. Today she was content to sit in Carn’s tent, copying over a rune from one of the few remaining runic tablets Esiré had stolen from the Ketrefian noble. She had her notes on the essence of magic written on the clay beside the rune, but it was written in her native Acadian. Carn looked up from his hand, and watched her for a few moments as she went about her work. “My ring,” he said, interrupting whatever thoughts she might have had. “I feel it… pulling toward the city, somehow.” Auriëlle looked up with a frown on her face. Not because she was interrupted. She had time in abundance these days and her followers were only just learning the basics of magic. The notes were as much to learn from as it was to teach others. It was what Carn said that just confused her. “You’ve had that ring for years.” she noted as she turned to look at him. “Did it draw towards the city before?” “No,” he shook his head. “But, ever since I found the ring, I’ve never been as close to the city as I am now.” He sighed. “How long have the gods been pushing me down this path? Since we met? Since my home was destroyed? Since I was born?” “There’s no way of knowing.” Auriëlle noted, dryly. From her own limited interactions with the gods, it would seem that some just don’t care. Others look on like it’s amusing. Others are just simply incompetent and useless. In all honesty, Auriëlle wasn’t so sure why people were talking so reverent of the gods still. Even now with Carn she felt like he might be giving the gods too much credit. Not that she would share those views in Carn’s own tent. She wasn’t about to upset some priest or zealot. The lot of them were a plague in this camp. “But I think the ring pulling you to the city is a good sign that you’re doing according to Cadien. Cause it’s certainly not magical.” “That’s what I was afraid of,” he said gloomily, his gaze once more falling down to his hand on his table. After a few more moments he looked back up at her. “What are you going to do when all this is over?” “Travel south.” She said. “I’ve heard of a land where the ground itself is colorful. Another that’s grand forests as far as the eye can see. Places where wheat grows great and golden every year, again and again. I’ll go south of the Anchor mountains probably.” For a second she let silence fall in the tent, as she pondered for a second on what Carn would do. “And you?” She finally asked, not finding a clear answer herself. The only thing she felt clear about was that he wanted to lead. Maybe reign over? He thought about that, but only for a moment. “Perhaps I’ll go south too.” For a second Auriëlle raised her eyebrow for a second. “Do you think Cadien will let you?” The vaguely hopeful look in his eyes was crushed. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and his palms against his forehead. “I hope so,” he whispered, though the doubt was plain. “What more can he want?” “I don’t know.” The sorceress admitted. These were the hard truths. Both of them were pawns in the hands of the gods. Though it seemed they were much harder on Carn than on her now. “You’ve come too far not to be branded for greatness though. Neither of us will get peaceful lives.” Not that she personally wanted such a dull life. But even though Carn had become the man she once knew again, she knew deep down that he still just wanted his brother. “I’m going with you,” Carn decided suddenly, his voice filled with resolve. “No matter what happens. If I have to lead any more cities or rule any more armies, I’ll probably throw myself into a river or something. Assuming Cadien doesn’t just bring me back to life somehow.” For a second Auriëlle was stunned by his decisiveness. Especially in regards to something that could go up against the god he’s championing. But then a smile, a genuine one, formed on her lips. “I’ll pry you from Cadien’s grip if I have to get you free. I promise you that.” He chuckled. “Like an old story, but the roles are reversed.” He reached across the table to place his hands on hers. “Thank you,” he said, seriously, and then began to lean forward- “Carnelian!” The flap of his tent was pushed aside, and Lothar barged in. Carn leaned back in his chair. “It’s just Carn,” he growled in frustration. “What is it?” “We need to talk,” Lothar insisted. He looked toward Aurielle, and his expression darkened. “In private.” “What did the portents show you this time Lothar? Should I be dead yet? Did Cadien ask you to kill me?” Auriëlle said as both a jest and taunt towards the priest. “It’s not like we’re on the opposite team. Spit what you want to say.” Lothar gave her a flint-hard stare, before turning back to Carn. “The raids need to end.” Carn sighed. “I don’t like them any more than you do, but we have little other choice.” “Have some faith!” Lothar hissed. “In stealing what we need, we’re no better than those we fight against. You were chosen to stop these practices.” “I can’t do that if half my army deserts me because they don’t have food, can I?” Carn demanded. “Have faith,” Lothar insisted. “The gods can provide.” “Didn’t you once say that the gods expect us to be independent?” Carn asked. “Besides, I can’t base my decisions around what the gods [i]might[/i] do. If they intended to provide us anything, why didn’t they do so before now? Perhaps Titania could have given us some food, instead of armour that barely fit half of us.” “Perhaps she could have,” Lothar said, “if you hadn’t driven her away.” “I didn’t drive her away,” Carn countered. “She just couldn’t accept that a god her creator didn’t like had also pledged her support! All her talk of helping people and casting emotions aside amounted to nothing once it was she who had to put in the work. Even the armour was only gifted to us out of spite, and it got four good men killed.” “Listen to me,” Lothar insisted. “If you carry on like this, you risk drawing the ire of more gods. And the ire of a god is far worse than mortal troubles like hunger or thirst! And you may think it’s necessary now, but in your later years these decisions will haunt you.” “And what do you know of making decisions?” Carn asked bitterly. “Seems like you let the gods decide everything. Or what you think the gods want. A rather convenient way to absolve yourself of responsibility, isn’t it?” That took Lothar aback. For a moment, his features were tinged with regret. Then, he became outraged. “You insolent boy!” he all-but-shouted. “You know nothing of the decisions I have made, the regrets I carry, or the burdens I bear. I am giving you this advice because it is in your best-interest. Because of the debt I owe to you, and to Cadien.” That gave Carn pause. “What debt?” he asked, confused. Lothar fell silent. “Go on, tell me.” “The-the debt I owe to Cadien, for he is the creator of man-” “No,” Carn interrupted. “You said you owed a debt to me. What is it?” “You saved New Thyma…” “No, you asked me to save that village. You gave me the sword to do it, and you helped me in the fight. It was a joint effort so I hardly see how you owe me a debt for that. So, tell me the truth. Why are you doing this?” Again, for a few moments, Lothar was silent. “I…” he finally said. “I was at Thyma.” “Yes, I know,” Carn said irritably. “Have you lost your-” “The [i]first[/i] Thyma,” Lothar interjected. Carn’s eyebrows rose. “What?” “I was part of the force that destroyed Thyma all those years ago…” Lothar spoke quietly. “I was arrogant and misguided. I thought I knew the will of the gods, but it wasn’t. It was my greatest regret. Helping you was to be my redemption.” Images flashed through Carn’s mind. His village burning. His mother falling with an arrow in her neck. His father being struck down in a duel. A robed mage standing next to the killer... He leapt to his feet. [b]”You!”[/b] With three quick strides he crossed the tent, seizing the mage-priest by the throat and hauling him outside. The sorceress just rolled her eyes at the talk about faith and the gods. If faith was enough, the gods would’ve made a just world. Where there was no such thing as hunger. Where there was no pain. Instead they made this. She let the two men bicker though, knowing her own opinions were already well known. After all, she was the one who fought against an emissary of a god and survived to live the tale. It was a shame the branch didn’t leave scars. It would’ve made for a great story. Then the conversation took a strange turn. Debt? She wasn’t aware of what had happened exactly at Thyma and New Thyma. Though she knew Carn’s version of the tale. Then the little slip up occurred and her entire face lit up. The thorn in her side for weeks now was amongst the people that killed and kidnapped Carn’s family!? Heavens she couldn’t imagine better news for herself. She followed the conqueror as he dragged the priest out, keeping a respectful distance. This was going to be Carn’s show and she knew it. As Carn shoved Lothar out in the center of the camp, many heads turned in confusion at the sudden outburst of violence. The priest was thrown to the ground, and a second later Carn had already drawn his sword and pointed the blade at his throat. “You murdering bastard!” he uttered, loud enough for all watching to hear. Lothar did not move. “You’ve been at my side all this time,” Carn hissed. “Knowing what you did to me! To my family! To my people! Even before that, you were hiding out in the reconstruction of the place that [i]you[/i] destroyed!” He pressed the tip of the blade into Lothar’s neck, opening up a small trickle of blood. “Tell me. How did you think this was going to end!?” “In death, or attonement…” Lothar whispered as he closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. “It is your choice.” And in that moment, an arrow slammed into Carn’s shoulder. He staggered, stepping away from Lothar’s prone form. Instinctively his free hand came up to clutch the shaft. He turned to see who had attacked him. A lone bowmen, whose neighbours promptly drew their weapons, but before they could attack him, he suddenly burst into flames. As he fell to the ground screaming, Carn looked to Aurielle into confusion, but this was not her doing. Of all the mages present, none had uttered a single word or made a single gesture, so it couldn’t be them either. “You should have heeded Evandra’s warning, brother…” Lothar whispered sadly. This drew Carn’s attention back to the priest, and the anger resurfaces. He gripped the arrow hard and yanked it out of his shoulder, grunting and bringing out a spray of blood as he did so, but already the wound was beginning to heal itself. “Enough of this,” he growled. “Lothar, you are guilty of the destruction of Thyma, the murder of one of Cadien’s champions, and the attempted murder of his children. I sentence you to death.” And with those words, Carn tossed his sword up into the air, caught it in a reverse grip with both hands, and plunged it downward into the priest’s chest. Lothar let out one final cry of pain, and then the life faded from his eyes. Carn pulled the sword free and stood up, his breathing heavy. “The mages… need a new commander…” he whispered, somewhat numbly. He turned to Aurielle, his sword still dripping with blood, while the burning archer still screamed. “I’m taking your warband away and promoting you to Lothar’s position. Do you object?” “I don’t.” she said, grinning from ear to ear, mostly at the corpse of the former priest. In her own dreams, it was she who burned him to cinders but she could give Carn that honor. But she did get control over the mages. Who looked at her with worried eyes. Rightfully so. Most of them were stuffy and boring. Luckily the latest progress of her own followers meant that about seven of them were in charge of protecting the mages now that they were learning magic themselves. Still, the stuffy priests and druids that accompanied them were going to be an issue for sure. “Enough gawking!” Carn shouted. “Get back to your business. And someone, clean these up!” he said, referring to both Lothar and the archer, who had finally expired but was still burning. He looked back to Aurielle. “We have much to discuss. Come with me.” And with those words he marched back into his tent. Auriëlle waited for a few seconds, looking at the still burning archer and the body of Lothar with a faint smile on her lips still. “You heard the man.” She then said when Carn was already inside. “Clear out and start cleaning this mess up!” With that she followed Carn into the tent. Even though he commanded her. Under normal circumstances she would’ve stepped away. Show him she wasn’t just some puppet he could have blindly execute orders. But right now there was something different about Carn. He was so much more forceful. She liked it. No she [i]loved[/i] what he was becoming! “So what needs to be discussed?” Carn turned to face her. There was anger in his eyes, and deep down the pain of betrayal. Religious ramblings aside, Lothar had meant more to him than he had let on, but the deed was already done. Justice, or vengeance, had been dispensed. No use dwelling on it now. “Nothing at all,” he said as he stepped toward her and pulled her against him. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] The post opens with Carn and Aurielle hanging out in a tent. Food supplies in the army have finally fallen low enough for his armies to have to resort to raiding. He’s also starting to come across villages who are actually loyal to Ketrefa, and now faces guerilla resistance. Carn is a bit depressed, because his ring has started to make him feel this weird pulling sensation toward Ketrefa, which leads him to conclude it was always meant to guide him there (it’s actually just responding to the ring that Grandmaster Varsilis has, but Carn doesn’t know that.) He and Aurielle talk a bit about what they’re going to do after the siege is over. There’s a surprisingly sweet moment where they agree to stay with each other, and are willing to defy Cadien’s plans if necessary. The moment is ruined when Lothar comes in, objecting to the supply raids against the innocent villages. He and Carn argue back and forth for a bit, before eventually Lothar lets slip about a debt he owes to Carn. Carn is confused and presses him further, until he finally reveals that he was part of the group that destroyed Carn’s village and killed Konrad. This whole thing with him helping and advising Carn was meant to be a form of attonement. Carn is pissed off. Just as he is about to execute Lothar, one of his own men (who is implied to have also been part of Lothar’s group) shoots him with an arrow. That man promptly bursts into flames, a result of the curse Evandra placed on Lothar’s men so long ago. Aurielle is thrilled at all these developments, while Carn is both angry and upset. Carn then takes her back into his tent and tries to forget about everything that just happened. [/hider] [hider=Prestige Summary] [u]Carn[/u] [b]Beginning:[/b] 52 +5 for 10,000+ characters [b]Ending:[/b] 57 [u]Aurielle[/u] [b]Beginning:[/b] 40 +5 for 10,000+ characters [b]Ending:[/b] 45 [/hider] [hider=MP Summary] No MP spent. [/hider]