eastbound | un: raven master

( The single most exasperated sigh of this world, returning to defend the title: ) Good morning. This is the Merchant. I trust you are not adding to the blood, bones and burning of your present accommodations.

( But if this tone is to go by, that trust is... short-lived. ) You are aware I negotiated your stay at castle Netvor as a last-minute arrangement. We owe the prince a debt of gratitude. Master Anurr, a lord of dead and winds of the west, has decided to pursue what he believes to be his right of claim against the allied Brotherhood of the dead in nearby terrains. The blizzard we experience are echoes of Anurr's impressive and growing prowess.

( A pause, then, almost academically: ) In recent months — in the time since our acquaintance — certain matters have come to light: the first, that the sickness of the undead that spawned the Brotherhood was been born in my motherland of Ellethia, now decimated. My people raced to prove their supremacy over the magical prodigies of Taravast. We both succeeded and failed.

The man who oversaw that... endeavour appears to have since been walking the realms and spreading the dark waters that propagate the undead, seeking to itself gain physicality by inhabiting corpses. Once risen, the dead tend to assemble under warlords, the most notable and substantive of which is the allied Brotherhood. That much is straightforward and direct. The intentions of Matthias are less clear.

After your rest here, we must pursue him. Whether he can be undone by word or deed, his defeat appears to be the only worthwhile solution. We head to Hatthevar, on his footsteps. Not only in search for him, but also to reach a necklace of beacons that will hopefully end your stay here.

Until then: gather your strengths. Learn to cooperate. And do not make more enemies we cannot afford. I remain your devoted collaborator, if not your friend.

( ooc: threadjacking encouraged! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Matthias' activities have always been a blind spot in our information gathering. It is easy to shrug off fault, but I truly believe much of it is a complication of his actions being... whimsy. Erratic. Irrational. Therefore, unpredictable.

Messalina said the same. [ Though now he wonders what Anurr would think of her. He's been meaning to contact him about just that, but crises continue to evolve. ] We can't defeat him on our own. Not without taking losses. What are you prepared for?

At this point, nothing.

Until we arrive and may assess the circumstances on site, little can be achieved.

[ Nope. That's not good enough. ]

You've got a lot of faith in our ability to improvise. We could be doing more than biding our time.

Certainly. But our resources are limited. We can either deploy them now aimlessly or target them once we have further information.

Which resources are we talking about?

Coin, people and favours. The usual currency that ensures you are received as safely as you are, no matter where you travel.

[ 'Safely' he says. He'd really like to get a look at his ledgers someday. ]

How close are we to running out?

Our levels are not critical, but we remain unable to waste resources.

…Messalina is still out there, trying to track him down. Anurr could be motivated to do the same. You realize there’s a chance we’re leading them to him.

Perhaps. But I've given up on attempting to predict them. I can control what we do.

...and even that, hardly.

[ He’d take issue with the word ‘control’ if he didn’t get the frustration. Doesn’t mean he likes his apparent lack of strategy. ]

I assume keeping us alive and out of their grasp is still a priority.

A foremost one. Yes.

Great. Then I have no reason to believe we're in over our heads running that little errand for you.

How very kind of you.

I'm generous to a fault. We have that much in common.

[ Who else has done so many favors for him?]

Any messages you want passed on when we run into your old
compatriot?

I have nothing to say to such a man.

Really? I could think of plenty. [ It would be nice to get some things off his chest before they die horribly. ]

How did you find him?

The same scouting and information system I apply for all our deployments.

Is there a point to this line of inquiry past your attempts to egg me on?

[ There really are times when he sounds remarkably like dear old Dad. So fine, he can be honest. ]

Can you blame me? We aren't new acquaintances, and I know there's more to you than you've let slip. I think I've earned some preferential treatment, at least when it comes to your sources.

I know what you think about working with the undead, but you haven't given us many great alternatives to consider.

When has consorting with the dead ever benefitted you? Name me one circumstance.

That's yet to be seen.

You do remember that you arranged that I act as their advisor for the last few months. You brokered the deal that got me a place in their encampment in Ephes. Why do that, if you didn't think they could be manipulated?

Because at times, for all you all believe me omnipotent, I lack options for how and where to position you. I keep reminding you: my resources and reach are not inexhaustible.

Are you calling it an oversight?

I am calling it the only move permissible at the time.

Little good did you do in that position.

(no subject)

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