Empires of Ashes

General: "You had allies in the warriors and generals of our people. Yet you turned your back on them. You could have gone against the madman without becoming the puppet of a Dracian Lord"
*The general seems to give no shits about LI*

OOC okay maybe not THAT big but you get my point, she's huge and imposing
IC Kenshin looks at Joachim, seeing if he's supposed to answer

LI: *thudding step forward. she's unarmed btw* Lords, slaves, Madmen, Sane men, Generals, peasants. Know what you all have in common?

*Joachim nods.*

Ket: "LI. We can solve this without bloodshed." *puts his arm out to restrain her from getting closer to the general*

Ket: "you call me a puppet, yet I am more free now than I have ever been."

Kenshin: I am usesugi kenshin, and this is Tokura Mako. We encountered your men in our land, and aided them, swearing to guide them and to ensure their safe return home.

Albrecht: Is that the case now? Strange. You Voldamians are loathe to leave your homeland.

Mako: they saved our lives, my lord.

Albrecht: How so?

Mako describes the encounters with the thengul and those mercenaries

Albrecht: I see...rather chivalrous of you, Joachim.

Joachim: I only did what was necessary, my lord.

*The Kaiser gives a low chuckle.*

Mako: nevertheless. We swore to get them home, so here we are.

G: What about after? You think they'll stop here? If they don't kill you, they'll install you in the throne and you'll become their puppet

LI: all their skulls break like an eggshell in my hand. Yours will too.

Ket: "LI, don't. *looks back to the general* "let them try to make a puppet of me. Do not assume because I oppose slavery, I would not see the heads of treasonous dogs roll."

Albrecht: How...noble. You remind me a young Voldamian whom I welcomed here decades ago. So unlike his kin he was....I often wondered what became of him.

Mako:...you wouldn't happen to be referring to lord Saratobi would you, my lord?

Gen: I've seen it before Ket, if a conquering nation doesn't outright annex the land, they will instead install a puppet leader. Someone who will do as they ask and obey them whilst maintaining order in the land of the defeated

Ket: "you will address me properly, uncle. Ket'verahi is my name. *he growls* let any man try to make me his puppet."

Albrecht: Yes, that was his name.

Mako: Lord Saratobi is my mentor, my lord. He taught me everything I know.

Albrecht: Really? Hm...I'm not surprised. From what I remember of the man, he was a kindly sort with a deep respect for knowledge.

Mako: he's famous in our land for being the wisest daimyo alive.

Albrecht: Oh really? Why is that?

G: "You lack the men to resist"

Mako: he's travelled the world, learned from all cultures, spent his life learning and teaching. His archives are a sight to behold.

Albrecht: Archives? So he truly did built his repository of knowledge that he told me he dreamed of forging all those years ago?

Mako: yes, my lord

Ket: "I command the immortals. I have the men to stand against any army under the sky. Perhaps not to win, but to make the enemies losses so dire, no sane man would try."

Albrecht: That is heartening news with the likes of Dracia and Kelthro stomping about.

Mako smiles
"thankyou, my lord"

"You are coletwly outnumbered by your 'allies' "

Albrecht: So, Joachim, tell me, what is the outside world like?

*Joachim explains what the expedition found in the outside world.*

mako and kenshin stay quiet
OOC am assuming that includes a description of kelthro...oh deary

Ket: "yes, but my allies are more trustworthy than you."

*The Kaiser's grip tightens on the arm rests of the chair when Joachim describes Kelthro.*

Mako and kenshin stay respectfully silent

Albrecht *steadily rising from his chair*: You mean to tell me that there is an entire nation filled with scum to lazy to do their own work? Those who do not even earn the bread, meat, and cheese on which the gorge themselves!? This is beyond the pale! I had heard rumors of this "Kelthro" and their raids, but I never envisioned it would like this!

Mako: they are the scum of the isle. They raid our shores constantly, stealing our people and locking them in bondage.

Albrecht: *Says something likely very unkind in Brigardi.* Thank you for bringing this to my attention...Yet another nation of worthless scum, as if the Dracians weren't bad enough!

"Only for as long as they consider you useful"

Mako: the dracians are kind in comparison, my lord

Ket: "I have had enough of your words of wisdom uncle, drop your spear or i will ram it through you."

Semi-ooc; *somewhere in the distance ket'verahi shouts about freeing the slaves #notallkelthrovi*

"But then you'll have to deal with an angry savage"

Ket: *confused face*

LI: may I crush him now?

Albrecht: Perhaps they are....but that changes little...

Mako nods

"The Cymriac"

Albrecht: You have all given me much to think about...I'll have food and drink brought for you. I must ruminate on this.

before any of them can speak, a raven flies into the room, a roll of paper tied to its leg