Empires of Ashes

she goes over to kenshin

*He turns back to the fire.*

after a minute she goes to find joachim

*He's sharpening his blade.*

"hello"

Joachim *not looking up from his work.*: Gutentag.

"A fine blade"

Joachim: Mm. Some of the best steel in Brigard.

"what do you call it?"

Joachim: This? A long sword.

"ah. are they common?"

OOC: hang on....they're Line infantry armed with long swords? European officers used sabres and a pistol

OOC: Joachim's not line infantry. Hell, most of his expedition isn't. Only five of them have the rifled muskets.

IC:

Joachim: Yes, though you'll rarely see them in daily life, outside of war anyway.

OOC maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt
steeeeeeaaaaaaaaaam
IC "oh?"

Joachim: A sword's not good for anything but killing men. Men are the least of our worries in Brigard.

"true"

Joachim: So, is there something you needed?

"I...did not know the reality of your home. I am sorry for my ignorance"

Joachim: Why are your people always apologizing for things you couldn't have possibly known?

"It is a matter of honour"

Joachim: Ah......Honor...A fine way to keep dinner party civil, not so useful on the battlefield.

"honour here keeps war with the soldiers and not with the civilians"

Joachim: Tell that to the Brigardi that have been slaughtered by so called "honorable" warriors from Dracia and the Thengul clans mad enough to raid us. There is no honor in war. Never has, never will be.

"Lands outside voldamia do not beleive in honour. Here, war is the matter of warriors and only warriors"

Joachim: The Dracians would disagree with that. They would argue that they have honor, but that it only matters in their civil wars. Let's face it, honor is just a way of making war sound noble and grand.

"Dracian honour is an oxymoron"

Joachim: So is Thengul honor. Or Kelthrovi honor. It's why my people don't have any. We're not so embarrassed by our atrocities that we have to mask them behind honor.

"Outsiders do not know true honour....no offense"

Joachim: Then please, explain what "true honor" is.

"true honor is having a warrior people and constant internal war, with at most a hundred civilian casualties in nearly a thousand years"

*He laughs.*

Joachim: That's all well and good when you don't have to worry about rival empires and when you can force it, but when rivals start to eye your territory, honor does you no good. And let's be honest, when a city is taken, it is almost guaranteed it will be sacked and the populace slaughtered. No amount of honor prevents that.

"No voldamian blade is willingly sullied with innocent blood"

Joachim: I will believe that when I see it.

"how can you see that which doesn't happen?"

Joachim: You can't, it's as simple as that. And it is rare that a conquering army is as merciful as you make those of your people out to be, given how many clans are constantly warring with each other.

"it is the benifit of the caste system"

Joachim: Slaughter doesn't discriminate.

"where you're from maybe. where you're from you dont know your family history"

Joachim: Because we're to busy trying not to starve to death when the snows bury entire cities. You'd have trouble knowing who your great grand aunt fucked into your family if you were in our situation.

"and we'd likely have trouble upholding our honour in your situation"

Joachim: Upholding your honor would only make things worse. Believe me, where I'm from, if you're fighting an honorable fight, you did something wrong when you engaged your opponent.

"You've missed my point"

Joachim: And that point is what, exactly?

"the obvious point that our cultures are different largely due to location"

Joachim: Ah. Well, you've made your point. So what? I'm not likely to change my mind when it comes to "honor" anytime soon, and neither are you. But tell me...Out of which of our nations, one that holds to honor and one that doesn't, which one has had actual success at making Dracia suffer? *Sly grin.*

she grabs her kanabo handle
"*angrily*Careful brigardi"

*Joachim is still wearing a sly grin as his blade casually falls to his side in manner that would allow him to defend himself if need be.*

Joachim: What? I simply asked a valid question.

"and your 'valid question' disrespects the graves of my ancestors"

Joachim: Kind of hard to disrespect someone that's not alive anymore. If you want respect when you're worm food, do something worth respecting before you're dead. But if you died having lived your life with nothing worth respecting, why should I care? If you want me to respect your ancestors, then I'm afraid it's to late for them. But if you want my people to respect you when you're dead, then stop fighting Dracia with "honor" and start breaking them over your damn knee!

"What do you know of it?! the last time you fought dracia was centuries ago! My father, my mother, my brothers, all lie dead, their remains scattered on the battlefield, due to the dracian war machine you disrespectful swine!"

Joachim: Yes, and what did their death's amount to? Lost territory for your people and hopeless battles. They died before they even reached the battlefield. If you fight Dracia honorably, you will lose. Every. Single. Time. Why did my people win centuries ago? Because we didn't fight with honor. We didn't just charge them. We unnerved them. We out maneuvered them. We used their own view of us to our advantage. The men that died centuries ago died so that no Brigardi land lived under Dracian yoke. What has your family died for, but prolonging the inevitable? If your people are so blinded by their honor, then maybe it's time to let it go so you can truly see what is happening!