"I'm Kynlis," she says brightly. "Sorry about before. You know, on duty and all that..." She sighed before cocking her head as she looked at him. "And you are Theain." The crazy man.
"Nice to meet you." The girl then turned to Clair. "How much longer before we get where we're going?" she asked. Definitely asked, not whined or complained. One did not whine or complain to their superior officers...Unless they were friends. And never out in public. It still sounded like it though.
Post by Theian Geian Makarn on Nov 21, 2009 23:49:33 GMT -6
Theian smiles. "Well, hello, Kynlis! Glad you remember my name! Why are you so intent on leaving these fine plains? Look at the grass, so green and young. Smell this air, fresh, without a trace of filth! You might not see these plains again, so enjoy them now!" He laughs and marches on, walking to another soldier to chat about the army...
Post by Richter Abend on Nov 22, 2009 0:34:23 GMT -6
"If we kept marching, we'd reach the pass at nightfall," interjected Richter. "However, getting caught in the pass with our pants down would be stupid. We'll camp at the base of the mountain and go through the pass tomorrow morning. That way we'll be well rested and prepped in case we do encounter anyone unfriendly waiting for us in the pass." Richter wasn't worried though. If any Lycian patrols spotted them now, they wouldn't be able to mobilize any force large enough to stop them in time.
Richter's thoughts all focused on this next encounter. All out war would be inevitable, but it may not begin with Ostia. Yes, the Prophet wanted it so, but that's because he wanted an iron rule over Lycia. Richter's ultimate goal was to overturn the Prophet, so perhaps Lycia could help him. The Lycian League would probably be all too happy if they could ally with a force of Etrurians to defeat the Prophet.
If Richter could expose the Prophet, then he could convince many of the Etrurian soldiers to march upon Delphia. With that, they could crush the Prophet and restore peace to Etruria. The situation was delicate, however. If he failed to convince the soldiers to march upon the capitol, then the fight would come to Ostia, and the Prophet would claim rule over Lycia. On the other hand, if they did take the battle to the Prophet, he'd have to avoid the possibility of Lycia trying to turn Etruria into a fiefdom. Richter sighed. It was all so complicated. Life as a mercenary was so much simpler than this. The simple fact remained: The Prophet was an oppressor, and oppressors must be stopped. One way or another, Richter would bring peace to Elibe.
Last Edit: Nov 22, 2009 3:06:55 GMT -6 by Richter Abend
Post by Theian Geian Makarn on Nov 22, 2009 13:54:21 GMT -6
Theian laughs with another soldier, talking about eachother's adventures. Apparently, this one had been to Ilia, and had (for some mad reason) loved his time there. Theian simply comments on his adventures... and his bad luck at the poker table, which had left them laughing madly. Theian sees Richter's look and tells the soldier that they would talk again. He walks over to Richter.
"Commander, are you well? That look is the look of a man staring at his father's deathbed. It is one of anxiety, grief, and stress... Is there a battle coming?"
Post by Clair Feldsky on Nov 22, 2009 18:35:36 GMT -6
Clair, having Kynlis' question answered by Richter, didn't bother with saying anything. It was just as well. She didn't really have a good fix on their position. Theian continued bouncing around from person to person. He was so talkative...She couldn't tell whether it was genuine or a genuine act.
She listened to what he'd said about the clean, fresh airs of Sacae, but that only brought up memories of the pure air in the skies of Illia. No land could match Illia for it's refreshing breath. Of course that was wasted on many people because of it's terrible cold. She missed the smell of the pines that were the only tree hearty enough to thrive in her home.
"So, it's a pass in the mountains that is large enough for us, but small enough to not warrant attention, and it's about half a days march away... Ostia must really be worried if they can't even spare a small detachment to cover the pass." Clair said this out loud, though it was not really directed at anyone. Sometimes her brain worked better after hearing things out.
An Ilian Falcoknight intensely devoted to her homeland, who has a grudge against the Prophet of Etruria.
Lv20 Falcoknight HP46/46 Str19 Skl28 Spd26 Lck9 Def15 Res26
Killer Lance
Iron Sword
Iron Lance
Vulnerary 1/3
Delphi Shield
Thunder Lance
Supports:Aidan C,Cefia C,Derick C,Garith C,Kynlis C,Marcus C,Marle B,Richter A
Updated:Ilian Concerns
Post by Richter Abend on Nov 22, 2009 19:58:43 GMT -6
"Staring at my father's deathbed?" replied Richter, stress laced in his voice. He sighed. "Yes, I guess I am. I've been staring at his death bed for the past 5 years. It's the only thing that keeps me going." Richter turned to look at Theian. "War is coming no matter what we do, but as for the terms of battle, well, that's still up in the air." Richter's face grew hard.
"Tell me your thoughts, Theian, Clair... What would cause soldiers to fight their own country? Would a dictator be enough motivation? Is freedom desired enough?" Richter stared at them with a face that made it unsure whether he was serious or not.
Last Edit: Nov 22, 2009 20:05:52 GMT -6 by Richter Abend
Post by Theian Geian Makarn on Nov 22, 2009 21:23:44 GMT -6
Theian looks at Richter. He had stared at his father's deathbed for 5 years... One could only dream about what happened. He listened to Richter's question.
"Tell me your thoughts, Theian, Clair... What would cause soldiers to fight their own country? Would a dictator be enough motivation? Is freedom desired enough?"
Theian thought about it... What would cause soldiers to turn on their country? "Richter, what are you thinking? Are you planning to turn the army against its leader? Well... I guess... Money to one extent, but it only lasts for a short time. I guess, it depends on the armies' beliefs. Richter, if the reason you wish to turn this army against its nation?"
Post by Richter Abend on Nov 22, 2009 21:32:25 GMT -6
Richter remained passive. Yes, that was his plan, but that wasn't the only reason he was thinking about it. "I was just wondering, that's all," he said coolly. "I was just thinking about the reasons somebody would fight. Are people fighting for their countries? Are they fighting for their leaders? Are they fighting for peace? Are they fighting for money? What causes people to fight for something?"
Last Edit: Nov 22, 2009 21:39:42 GMT -6 by Richter Abend
Post by Theian Geian Makarn on Nov 22, 2009 21:55:42 GMT -6
Theian looks at Richter. "They fight for everything you said. But they also fight for another thing: they fight for pride, for glory, for the chance that when they're old, they can look back into the years of great wars, and they can truly say 'I was in it; I fought in that war and crossed blades with *insert name here*'. Or maybe, they are fighting for a chance to serve royalty, to be a leader, and not a servant."
Post by Richter Abend on Nov 22, 2009 23:11:37 GMT -6
"Serve royalty, huh? I'm no king..." thought Richter to himself. "Fight for glory? Perhaps. To say one fought against the Prophet. To say one fought to free Etruria and the rest of the world." The fight for peace and the fight against oppression were noble causes. Those could ignite fires in the hearts of men. "To use St. Elimine's teachings against the Prophet. To expose his evils..."
Richter turned his head back to eye Valorian. Yes, he was from the Prophet, but maybe, just maybe... "And here I was thinking you were just a loudmouth mercenary..." said Richter to Theian.
Valorian had actually been walking up behind them, and was right behind Theian when he was speaking. As he finished he spoke up.
"Or perhaps some fight because they enjoy it, because they love the sight of blood. Or perhaps because they found a place where they can place themselves above other people and be commended for it." He looked to Theian.
"I saw a soldier die a few days ago who fought for pride. It twists you, it corrupts you, and it will destroy you."
He paused. "And then there are some, who simply fight because it is the 'right' thing to do. They are the unfortunate ones, the ones with enough of a conscience to realize what they did when it came down to their life. A man on the battle field is the devil himself, capable of doing terrible things in the name of survival."
He seemed to glare right through Theian. "Be careful what you glorify. And pray that you never see a real war."
Post by Richter Abend on Nov 23, 2009 12:53:53 GMT -6
Richter raised an eyebrow. Valorian was quite obviously anti-war, but wasn't the Prophet's motto peace through war? Odd... "You seem to demonize soldiers quite a bit," he started, "but Valorian, what if it was a war for peace? Perhaps we fought to free the world from a, oh, I don't know, a ruthless dictator?" Richter shrugged. "You needn't glorify it, I mean war is a terrible thing, but you can't condemn the soldiers for fighting. You can't expect to negotiate with one who thinks they're god." Richter stopped. He was trying to test Valorian's position on the Prophet. Valorian may be working for the Prophet, but their worldviews didn't coincide. Richter was living proof that you didn't have to like the person you worked for.
Jya had listened to the conversation back and forth, here than there. She didn't bother to pay too much attention, but instead had her eyes flit from person to person. Naturally or rather habitually she looked for any place they might keep valuables. If none of those was found, she simply kept examining areas where her weapon can stab through, just in case one of them tried to catch her.
"So umm, can I uhh, nevermind," she muttered, in her usual quiet tone. She was the type of person who was never noticable in the first place.
Post by Clair Feldsky on Nov 23, 2009 15:17:58 GMT -6
Clair wasn't exactly sure where this was pointed but she feared the worst. A split. A choice between the Prophet, who said he stood for unifying the the world in peace even if war was necessary to achieve it, and Commander Richter who she served under and had witnessed fighting for the same goal. It was a hard place to be caught in. Should she follow the Master of the army, or the Leader of the army? She didn't want to think about all of that at the moment, so she did something her father used to tell her. She put the problems she couldn't deal with aside, and focused on what was at hand.
What would cause people to turn on their National Leader. Her voice wavered as she spoke in betrayal of the Prophet. "In order to turn people against their leader, you must instill a sense of rightness in the cause and they must be shown why the leader must fall.... Soldiers who value money alone can be bought. Those who merely enjoy killing," She glanced stealthily over at Morgoth before looking away, "will become loose cannons after the conflict. The only soldiers you can truly count on are those strongly committed to the leaders or the cause."
All other thoughts seemed to be drowned out by what she had just said. Such was her distraction over the issue being discussed.
An Ilian Falcoknight intensely devoted to her homeland, who has a grudge against the Prophet of Etruria.
Lv20 Falcoknight HP46/46 Str19 Skl28 Spd26 Lck9 Def15 Res26
Killer Lance
Iron Sword
Iron Lance
Vulnerary 1/3
Delphi Shield
Thunder Lance
Supports:Aidan C,Cefia C,Derick C,Garith C,Kynlis C,Marcus C,Marle B,Richter A
Updated:Ilian Concerns
Post by Richter Abend on Nov 23, 2009 16:06:43 GMT -6
Richter turned to Clair. He could tell what she was thinking; it was written all over her face. She knew Richter was suggesting war against the Prophet. He knew she was loyal to the Prophet. This had always been his plan all along though, to defeat the Prophet. He wouldn't have been able to come as far as he had if had let that spill. "And what are you, Assistant Officer? Money, devotion, both? Would you be willing to fight your leader for a higher cause?" Richter asked calmly. He paused and waited. It was a loaded question. Her "leader" didn't necessarily mean the Prophet. It could mean him.