IceHeart

Code Geass - War For the Homeland

Due to the nature of the mission Shiomi would not be needing the services of her Glasgow, she would no doubt hitch a ride with someone to get close and then she would be left to her own devices as she assisted the infiltration, hijacked a knightmare for their forces, and of course, assassinated the Britannian pig. Shinomi stood up without a sound and listened intently to what the information offers had to say. The first matter of business, after the briefing, was to double-check all her equipment for the operation, weapons, poisons, hacking tools, and even a diving suit depending on where she would need to go.

The large European Union man gave courtesy to Lady Sumeragi with an oath and then he left to prepare. Perhaps these Europeans would be the people needed to make her wish a reality. She gave a small nod as he left and after the lecture proceeded to her own quarters.

Shiomi made her way toward her quarters to gather all the materials she needed. It was a very small room but it did have one little luxury to it, tatami mats, giving it a classic Japanese feeling. Because the room was so small she had to roll out a futon each time she wanted to sleep since a permanent bed would take up most of the room. None of this mattered of course as she was here only to gather her things. Taking a waterproof backpack she laid out each item on the floor and inspected it before either putting it on her person or in the bag for the mission. What ended up taking the most room was the wet suit, which would either be used on location or ditched to lighten the load.

Of course almost everything was black or dark in color to make it less noticeable. With everything in its proper place it was time to meet up with the squad before they headed off to battle.

Castle Grimm [A Fantasy Drama]

@Emu

The scarlet knight glanced up at the mirror and back at Craggard briefly with an explanation. "That giant mirror is one of the reasons we can have an abundant harvest every year. While the valley provides protection it also blocks out sunlight, so to extend sunlight hours for the crops that mirror was constructed a century ago. Needless to say it is off-limits to all but the caretakers."

Explanation finished, the knight continued to lead the group from the empire.

Entering Castle Grimm - Outer Wall

It took a bit of time but after some more walking the groups made it to Castle Grimm. First were the outer walls which were fashioned from some rather dark stone. Keeping with the motif gargoyles peered down at them as yet another set of large gates opened.

The first group to arrive were those from the empire, led by the red knight. There was quite a bit of chatter among the Onyxians and more than a few soldiers gave out a whistle or two at the massive, yet decorative, walls. As the gate opened they were free to peer into the outer courtyard which was quite large, no doubt to accommodate troops and equipment if there was ever a siege. The scarlet knight took the group in and made them gather a bit on the east side of the initial courtyard.

"Before we head further into the castle we must wait for the representatives from the White Rock Confederacy." That statement caused a bit of a uproar and a few curses among the Onyx representatives. "After all his lordship would not want to give either side an unfair advantage in the upcoming negotiations."

Despite this annoying piece of news quite a few were happy to get a little rest before proceeding. Thankfully the White Rock Confederacy was not very far behind and about 10 minutes later they too were let into the courtyard on the West side. The two sides glared daggers at each other, each thinking about how they would outdo the others in the coming negotiations. Getting a good look at so many people from the opposite side of the mountains was quite an experience for many as they noticed the differences and similarities between the two groups.

The two knights stood between the two groups and stared at each other for a few moments. Then, the green knight spoke, ""The White Rock Confederacy representatives have now arrived." There was a strange bit of tension in her voice as she spoke.

The stare-off continued a second longer then the red one replied, "Indeed, as have the Onyx Empire...10 minutes ago. Come on, you know what you need to do." The red knight smirked as the green knight clenched a fist and trembled a bit in anger.

"Confound it, fine, I guess you win this bet." With a grumble the Green Knight reached into a satchel on her waist and took out a small bag of coins and tossed them over to the Red Knight.

The Red Knight chuckled and pocketed the bag, giving an exaggerated pat where she put it. "Thanks sister, I'll be sure to put the money to good use after these negotiations are over. Good job on making it here first guys, I appreciate it." The Red Knight chuckled and turned to the representatives from the empire. Apparently the two sister knights had made a bet on which side would make it to the castle first.

"Well moving on, a messenger will walk out shortly to tell us to come inside to start the negotiations. Until then you can rest out here."

Castle Grimm [A Fantasy Drama]

Guys you don't seem to understand the geography I've noticed...There are two gates: One on the East side and one on the West. The two different parties are nowhere near each other and cannot see each other. In order to pass through the Mountains you have to get in the gate and go across Grimm Valley to get to the other gate. Don't worry though, the mini jump is soon so everyone can interact with each other.

So Green Knight is with the White Rock group and Red Knight with the Onyx group. I'm just making them say almost the same things at the moment so I didn't have to make two different scenes.
@Emu@AnaSilan Sunja@Vashonn@Blight Bug

Code Geass - War For the Homeland

@Fenris123 Can you not use such a dark color in the future. I had literally forgotten your character had interacted with him since I had bothered trying to read it after the initial post. If we have to highlight what your character says just to read it, it becomes quite a distraction. Usually the lighter colors work best.

Code Geass - War For the Homeland

The tallest man in the room turned to her, expressing interest in learning more about her and a little pleasant talk about her master, Lady Sumeragi. "My Lady is indeed safe and in fine health, thank you for your concern." Shimoi responded as she thought back to the last communication she had with her liege. There was not much she could do over in the Chinese Federation but she was being well taken care of and was safe from Britannia at the moment. The Chinese were not a power to be trifled with and Britannia was too busy fighting the European Union at the moment to try anything that could provoke war.

"For now, I only ask that you prove your worth on the battlefield. I can only pray that this will all lead to a time when my lady can return to Japan." Hopefully the Europeans would prove their worth to the Japanese cause.

Code Geass - War For the Homeland

@vancexentanThere wasn't really much to do so I thought we were gonna skip to the mission next. Figured it was just slow cause of New Years and all.

Castle Grimm [A Fantasy Drama]

The East and West Guardhouses both took the documents that were handed too them and did a thorough check to make sure everything was authentic. As soon as they were certain everything was in order they returned the documents and shouted up at the gate, "The White Rock Confederacy/Onyx Empire Representatives have arrived! Open the gate!"

The guards retreated back into the guardhouse and the massive doors creaked open outward, making some have to move out of the way or risk being hit. Behind the initial gate was revealed an iron bar gate that had to be wrenched up from gate control rooms on the inside. Once that gate was also out of the way a female knight in green armor on the white rock side, and a female knight in red armor on the Onyx side greeted the parties.

"Welcome representatives of the White Rock Confederacy/Onyx Empire. I will lead the way to Castle Grimm from here where you will be introduced to Lord Grimm. I will ask that all members of your party stay together on the way to the castle as there is much to discuss. We will not be held accountable for any accidents that occur should you happen to stray away." The meaning was quite clear, behave or there could be unfortunate consequences to say, a spy trying to find weaknesses in the outer walls, per say.

With the view now open, both parties were now free to gaze into the Grimm Valley, a hidden marvel nestled at the top of the mountain ranges with a much more gentle slope than the journey up thankfully. Obviously some engineering had been done to make the valley more accommodating to a population but most of it was natural and the land appeared remarkably bountiful for somewhere so high in elevation. Interestingly a portion of the valley was lit up more than should be normally possible, due to a large mirror reflecting light down into the valley.

"Please, follow me." The two knights bowed to their respective parties and turned to lead the groups down into the valley and south, toward the castle.

Castle Grimm [A Fantasy Drama]

First bit here is just an opening post pretty much, character thoughts and introductory posts before they get let into the Valley, and then a mini time-bump to the actual castle.

Castle Grimm [A Fantasy Drama]

Welcome to Castle Grimm

Day 1

It was a tiring journey for both foreign groups as they trudged up the narrow and treacherous path on their respective sides of the Dragon Fang Mountains. Aside from the occasional trader that dared the path it was obvious that few used these once forgotten roads. The rare animal would poke its head out to watch these strangers march along to a section of the world forgotten by the world for many years. The mountains were rugged and unforgiving as they kept climbing up and up, seeming to the top of the world.

For both groups the first sight was roughly the same, a large stone gate and coarse looking walls blocked their paths. Gargoyles and archers stared down at the respective groups. The gates would remain shut until their identities could be confirmed by the guardsmen who occupied little guardhouses on the outside of the gates.

On the West side the guardians of Grimm would see those hailing from the White Rock Confederacy, a collection of states that had alliances with each other. The members that made up their group were quite varied with many different occupations represented, though a good many appeared to the the rough and tumble type one would not want to meet if they were in a bad mood. Of a smaller portion were merchants and those of repute who owned a decent amount of wealth and land who came no doubt for lucrative negociations.

On the East side were those from the Onyx Empire, a strong kingdom with vassal states underneath. Unlike the Confederacy, which seemed to have quite a few mercenary types, the empire had quite a few strong looking soldiers and knights in their party. Their strong looking armor and weapons showed off how the Onyx Empire had invested quite a bit in their military. Along with the soldiers were those who were nobles in rich finery and a few skilled artisans of metal and engineering who were no doubt eager to see what wonders could possibly lay inside.

Neither side really had any idea what lay beyond that initial gate that seemed to glare down at them. The outside guardsmen walked up to the respective parties and demanded the letter of invitation from Castle Grimm be handed over for inspection before allowing them in. The designated group leaders quickly located the letter and handed it over to the guardsmen who inspected it thoroughly while the rest waited and watched.

Code Geass - War For the Homeland

Shiomi listened silently to the back and forth going on in the room. The one man seemed a bit miffed but at least he managed to get back on track after some side discussion. Jake proved that he could at least talk the part fairly well as he stood up for the general and his orders. It was a decent speech that made its point crystal clear, even believe a mission is impossible.

One of the easiest ways to mess up on a mission was to let self-doubt and fear cloud your judgement. A favorite tactic of an assassin was to cause a state of panic in a target one could not take out without being noticed. When the mind was clouded one could make simple mistakes or even forget basic tactics, allowing their opponent to capitalize on those mistakes. When going on any mission it was important to plan but never to fully rely on that plan so that one could adapt to the situation. Only with a clear mind, free from doubt could one always make the best decision in the field.

"I believe all relevant issues have been addressed general." Shiomi spoke in her usual monotone, "We should all prepare for the operation to come. At your command general." Shiomi bowed to General Sho from her seat, ready to depart at a single word from the general.