Kassarock

How The Leaves Fall - A 18+ Murder Mystery RP

I think I know what this is based on, and if I am correct, then I would definitely be interested.

Quick question, other than the heiress, are any of the characters gender-locked?

Greetings! Candy Cane Service!

@POOHEAD189 I know that candy cane was from you, you wholesome man! My gratitude overfloweth.

The Arrangement [Suki & Kassarock]

Merry Christmas!

I'm gonna take a break for the holidays, so I'll probably post the day after boxing day at the soonest. Hope you have a good one despite this year's circumstances!

The Arrangement [Suki & Kassarock]

Well those shorter posts really lasted lol

The Arrangement [Suki & Kassarock]

"It is as I said, he is not as strong as he seems."

Lady Cheldarine sighed and let the curtain she had been holding fall back into place. As she turned back towards Princess Elise a shadow pasted over her face. A look of pain, of sorrow. The look of person remembering something they would much rather forget.

"This war, it has destroyed almost everything it touches, and that is true of both your county and mine. But Eorzia is larger and richer, and the land here... well you must have seen it on your journey to the capital. Every Formori fighting is another one taken from the fields. Every fighter that falls in battle needs to be replaced."

That expression lingered there across her features once again. From the sleeve of her dress, she drew out a small square of white silk and used it to dab the corner of her amber eyes. She did not fully loose her composure, but it was clear enough that something was clearly affecting her.

"My own husband... well, it is common enough story for citizens of both our lands." The handkerchief disappeared once more into whatever secret pocket it had been drawn from. That pained look too disappeared, but away into the other secret pocket all people possess, the one in which they hide the contents of their heart.

"But the point is that there are fewer and fewer to work the land, and the land was poor to begin with. Three of our last five harvests have been marred by Ashfall. Without a proper harvest this year, Morganyth will starve. If there is peace then the soldiers can home, they can work the fields, they can get the harvest in."

On the journey from Eorzia they had indeed past innumerable empty and barren fields, left fallow once they had entered Morganyth territory. There had been fewer signs of this poverty and privation in the palace where Elise had been staying, but the feast she had attend had indeed been meaner than those in Eorzia. There was often a lack of common foods, such as soft fruits or fresh vegetables. Even the portions of the Formori were mostly smaller than those of the Eorzians.

"So you see the dilemma that faces the King? He must have peace before the harvest. Either he risks everything, on one last desperate assault against your family and your Kingdom in order to crush you completely before the autumn, or he negotiates. Now my cousin can be a fool at times, but he is not completely reckless."

She walked back towards the Princess and seated herself back down upon the cushions there once more. Her face was grave, she was deadly seriously.

"He needs you. He needs the lands and the peace your marriage brings in order to rebuild his country, in order to salvage something from this mess of a war. It is either that or risk defeat and ruination on scale he has thus far avoided. I tell you this not for the love of my country or my people or for the sake of my cousin. I tell you this because I need you to make this marriage work too. I need you to save my sons from this war, because it is they who will be fighting it next if this peace does not work."

There was now a desperate edge to her voice.

"And it may not seem this way to you now, not after what he has done you. But now you are in Morganyth, you need him. You need Ozragad. My cousin can behave like a monster at times. But he is nothing compared to some of the men who once followed him and oppose the peace now. Men like Zakylwe Ahoraa."

The Arrangement [Suki & Kassarock]

Lady Cheldarine let out a long sigh as the Princess relayed the story of what had happened between her and the King. Her eyes lingered on the Princess as she self consciously traced the faded finger marks that wrapped her throat like some obscene necklace. When she saw that, anger flashed in their amber depths and the Lady's jaw clenched tighter. The change in expression made her look very much like her cousin for a second.

"Gods, sometimes I forget what a brute he can be when the mood takes him. My cousin was never noted for his diplomatic prowess, but even for him, this was a foolish mistake. If he was wise, he would be wooing you, not wounding you. But no, to King Ozragad everything must be a fight, a battle, a war. Even when he's trying to end one."

She stood up from where she was sitting and crossed over to the tall narrow windows that looked down from the tower to the palace and the city beyond it. Her fingers grasped the edge of the curtains, pushing it back so she could observe Cirith Anyr in all its strange and solemn glory.

"He sits up here, brooding in his towers, surrounded by all his soldiers, behind his walls." She tutted. "But he's not as strong as he seems. You remember that awful scene when you first came to this city? Ozragad has made many enemies amongst his own people for pursuing peace. I imagine you can also surmise for yourself that peace does not suit his own temperament either. Have you ever wondered then, why he pursues it?"

The Arrangement [Suki & Kassarock]

I might switch to doing slighter shorter posts to get through this conversation?

Or we do a collab to get the dialogue flow better? After all I'm not narrating the Lady's thoughts like I do with Ozra

The Arrangement [Suki & Kassarock]

Lady Cheldarine followed her host to the cushioned divans that were tastefully arranged around the hearth of the Princess's receiving room in the Silver Tower. She waited for Elise to take a seat before she herself settled down opposite her on the other side of fireplace, neatly gathering her skirts as she did so. The Formori woman listened to the Princess's response with her head cocked to the side. A ghost of smile played across her lips.

"Well it certainly seems to have caused yourself some trouble, your Highness. I know my cousin is not an easy man to get along with, he is as you said, stubborn. Perhaps if you told me what happened exactly I could be some assistance in repairing this rift between you? After all, I do know him better than most."

At that moment there was a flicker of an idea in the eyes of Lady Cheldarine. She turned to the Formori serving woman who had been discretely attending them from the back of the room and smiled wide at her.

"I am however, somewhat parched this morning. Such a long way up to the palace, and so many stairs! Seems silly considering its all still underground, doesn't it? You wouldn't be dear and fetch us some tea would you?"

The servant glanced over to Princess Elise as if searching for a counterorder, before bobbing her head obediently and disappearing out of the room. When they were alone Lady Cheldarine turned back to the Princess, holding one finger up.

"A moment please."

She stood and briskly walked over the door, placing her ear flat against it and listening for a few moments before seeming being satisfied by what she did or did not hear. She then walked over to one of the internal walls of the tower, lined with dark wooden panelling. With one finger she tapped on each of panels, listening as she did so. At the fifth panel she stopped and listened longer more intently than she had at the others, lingering for half a minute. Eventually she was again satisfied by what she heard, it was only then that the Lady turned back to the Princess and returned to her seat by the fire.

"Well that makes me feel better, it appears Manawyndan is not currently up to his old tricks. Walls do have ears in this palace I'm afraid. Still, no unwanted eavesdroppers at the moment." She let out her soft husky laugh. "Now tell me, why has my cousin locked you up in here?"

Just a thought

@Kassarock It was slightly worse than that iirc. People were free to create their own worlds, which means that you had an infinite number of threads that would all be occupied by one player, because fuck going to other worlds if I can sit around on my own. There was also a sort of power balance scaling, whatever, where your power was measured in terms of whether or not you could destroy a city, world, galaxy, whatever the fuck. Shit was crazy. And it made no sense to anyone just looking for a PW rp.

It was basically arena RP, "but definitely not arena RP guiz trust me!" run amok.

@Odin

Oh yeah I remember now, and yeah that is worse. Having an infinite multiverse just completely undermines the point of a persistent world. Just seemed like a get out clause for making anything consistent or y'know actually persistent.

MFP #3: Wish (voting and feedback)

@Calle I know I can vote for other entries, but so far the only one I would definitely vote above my own is Bango's.

I will probably do a feedback post right before voting closes or just after it, I just don't think its helpful for me do so during the voting period, considering I myself am inherently biased because I'm a participant. I don't want to unduly influence the outcome of the contest until everyone has had chance to make up their own minds first.