NEW GLOBAL STORYLINE: Part 2 - A Golden Opportunity
Dec 3, 2016 7:14:54 GMT -8
Sir Caedric Moore, Lego3364, and 1 more like this
Post by Sir Caelan Munro on Dec 3, 2016 7:14:54 GMT -8
Our story continues from ~ A Path We Were Destined to Follow ~ Part 1: Here There Be Ruins
~ A Path We Were Destined to Follow ~ Part 2: A Golden Opportunity
Build by Mark of Falworth ; Story by Sir Caelan Munro
King Chartres greeted his two most important Loreesi leaders, Prince Mark of Falworth and Prince Jarius Lorean, with a wide smile on the steps of the Loreos Entrance, a relatively new monument to the loyalist province. Each of the provinces had their own monument at Lion's Head Castle, home of their monarch, and Chartres chose this particular one very deliberately, and not just because it lead to the Great Hall. He was in an excellent mood this fine sunny day at Lions Head Island and he wanted to honor his two childhood mentors appropriately. They made him think of the sunny days of his youth in Loreos, long before he was made King of Roawia.
Long before his troubles started.
“Sire it is glorious to see you in such a fine mood,” Prince Jarius declared, “and with the good news I bring, your mood may be better still.”
“Good news would be welcome for once, but as wonderful as your monument is, let us not tarry out here on the steps. The Jarl is waiting for us, and Queen Emmaline has had her best staff prepare for us a fine lunch of peacock in plum sauce with currant cake.”
“Peacock, fine indeed,” Mark forced a smile. In truth he hated eating those beautiful birds and never could quite understand why the wealthy class liked the dish, but insulting the Queen was something he would never dream of, so he followed his sovereign into the hall without stating his reservations.
And there indeed waiting was Jarl Jhirian Eindrik, the burly leader of the Northern Province, Garheim. Mark thought to himself that this meeting was important indeed, now having all the senior leaders of the factions still loyal to the King gathered in one place. The Jarl was not in armor for once, instead wearing formal robes, which eased Mark’s suspicion that this might be a war council, a turn of events he personally sought to avoid.
The hall was as beautiful as ever, and the site of it made him happy to be in the massive Lion’s Head Castle once more. Their boat ride from mainland Loreos had been a bit long, with a strong headwind forcing them to tack their way to the island. This was nothing new of course, the sea never bothered him in spite of being from a desert land, but his fellow Prince Jarius had curiously held something back in conversation the entire way, namely, precisely why Jarius had called the meeting in the first place, and that made the voyage less enjoyable. He knew Jarius had just returned from Forteresse irréfutable, the headquarters of the infamous clandestine force known as the Areani. What the details were of it all, he was indeed anxious to hear, even if he had to endure the peacock to get them.
Unfortunately Jarius was determined to wait until after lunch before relaying his news, so Mark had to be patient through all the pleasantries. At least the Queen was there, lightening everything with both her beauty and charm. Like King Chartres, she was in an excellent mood and it made Mark wonder if there could be a little Prince Chartres on the way.
After the unfortunate peacock main dish and the delicious currant cake, the lunch came to a close, and the Queen’s staff served all of them up a round of a most excellent Gramond Blanc and then cleared out as ordered so that only the five nobles were left. Mark enjoyed the wine greatly and said so, saluting their hostess.
“Yes I very much like the Gramond, although a sweet Stonewald Reisling is still my favorite after-dinner wine,” the King declared.
Prince Jarius pretended to pound the table and mock-protested, “Treason!” to which the other four chuckled.
“I am a Lenfel you know, my adopted Uncle,” Chartres finished with a smile, referring to his origin, and also Lenfald’s capital city of Stonewald.
The smile faded some on Jarius’ face, “Were a Lenfel,” he corrected. This gradually led to an uncomfortable silence as such an impropriety as correcting a King was not done, at least in front of the Queen.
Was he taking advantage of his familiarity with Chartres, Emmaline wondered to herself.
But Jarius followed it with an explanation, “You are now our King my lord, above such things as the provinces.” He smiled reassuringly and the moment passed…but actually didn’t. Lenfald was the problem which had troubled Chartres so much during his short reign.
There is more to this, Mark of Falworth immediately knew, but kept it to himself. In order to learn more he stated, “Well Prince Jarius, the staff is out of the room, our lunch and wine are done, and I for one would finally like to know why we are called here, immediately following your trip to the Areani Council.”
Now Jarius showed some mild surprise, and nodded. So much for his trip being a secret. Clearly the new leader of Loreos, the Great Mark of Falworth, had his share of friends in various places… even low places… With the King, Queen and the Jarl also waiting for his reply, Jarius put his hand into a pocket and pulled out something small, placing it before the King with his hand still covering it. “A golden opportunity, my Liege,” he explained, withdrawing his hand.
There on the table before the King was a golden statue, no more than four inches long and about the size of young child’s fist, finely crafted, but obviously very old. Surprised, Chartres picked it up carefully and turned it around and over, examining it. He showed Emmaline, explaining, “A creature of some sort, a dragon I think.”
“Yet there are no wings,” Emmaline observed. “Have they broken off at some point in the past?”
The Jarl reached in to take it, but Chartres kept the gold figure in hand, merely showing him closer. Jarl Eindrik could be a bit…ham-fisted…at times…
“No my queen, the wings were never there in the first place — ” Jarius answered her question, and then revealed all: “— just like the very real creature our man Gant Warden ran into on the island of Fýrdraca, at least that is what the Lenfels call the newest island.” And from there he relayed to his stunned listeners the story of the fake-botanist, an Areani spy planted amongst Lenfald’s people in the Great Western Isles, to keep the Areani aware of what that break-away province was up to in their new distant land. Warden had managed to work his way into the graces of their leadership, not a difficult thing for him to accomplish with his Areani training, and he then secured a position on a very important mission to scout out the lower peninsula of Fýrdraca.
Jarius relayed that deep in the jungle there, they had found something totally unexpected: extensive ruins of an ancient unheard of civilization on Fýrdraca, with a temple of some kind which contained, and Jarius emphasized heavily, massive amounts of golden treasure, piled so high on the floor of an extensive vault that you could get lost in it.
With his hosts already riveted by this amazing news, the prince then explained what happened next, that the party was attacked by a massive deadly wingless dragon in the underground, and that in spite of the bravery of the Lenfel Marines, only Gant and a wounded female Marine survived the attack. “No one else got out of that temple alive,” Jarius concluded somberly.
The King sat back astonished as he considered both the meaning and the implications, of this incredible event. “An ancient civilization…this is…this changes so much about what we know of history…”
Prince Jarius cocked his head a little, “Oh it’s so much more than that, my King, so much more than old tales of the ancients. Because it changes everything now, here, in the mainland.”
The Queen leaned forward, “How can that be Prince Jarius? How could it…unless, you mean the gold?”
“Exactly,” Jarius answered, and then stared at Chartres. “Imagine what Lenfald would do with such a treasure. We would never get them back into Roawia again.”
Ah, The Problem, thought Mark of Falworth, and the real reason Jarius had called the meeting. It wasn’t for the tale after all, but the consequences…and opportunities.
Jarius continued urgently, “Our wheat embargo on Lenfald has hurt them terribly, and my spies confirm that their people are edging closer to our desired state of rebellion against their own leaders, more and more every day. Remember my king that if the Lenfels split into factions, this will be a door for our forces to come in and negotiate a return to your fold: Roawia once more!”
He added with even greater concern, “But with such a massive gain of sudden wealth, Lenfald could buy as much food as they want, and hire as many Outlaws for mercenaries as they need to keep us at bay. We would lose them. Forever.”
The Jarl now spoke, “If true, such a hoard could cause much mischief. Even peace-minded men can behave strangely in the presence of gold. Could the Lenfels not use this wealth to create an even larger army to invade Loreos itself, and take the wheat fields for themselves?”
As this unpleasant possibility sunk in, Mark resisted his usual urge to take up action immediately, and instead decided to look at the article himself. Taking the statue from the King, Mark asked, “Is there more than this? Did this Gant mercenary retrieve anything else? Something more convincing?”
Jarius regarded Prince Mark. “Warden is an Areani, no ordinary mercenary. And with the beast tearing Marines apart around him he did not have time for anything else, but I find this statue convincing enough. Think of it — an idol of the exact creature which attacked — perhaps this ancient culture worshiped the beast in their very midst. Either way, the Areani Council trust his account completely.”
Now Mark studied him. “And you trust the council?”
Jarius was surprised at the question, “Of course, we share the same goals.”
“So, uncle,” Chartres now interjected to keep them from taking the conversation in an ugly direction, “what are you suggesting? That we take the gold instead? Invade Lenfel territory? Will that not lead to war itself?” He was not only well ahead of where the Prince was going, but in an effort to demonstrate his awareness to his new queen, was deliberately provocative about it.
Jarius opened his hands as if to shrug, “How would they know? The location is not easy to spot from the coast on the western side, and well into the jungle from the east. If we do it properly,” he then looked at Mark carefully, “the Lenfels will never know.”
The two princes stared at each other and after only a few seconds Mark picked up on what Jarius was not yet stating. “You want me to go and do this personally? And leave Loreos without a leader?”
“An outstanding idea,” Jarius confirmed with pleasure. “Who better to slay the dragon, with minimal bloodshed? One who has previously done such deeds. Who better to ensure competence in execution of the landing from the western side of the island? There is rough terrain and it will be difficult. Who can we trust more with that much wealth than such a loyal and noble man as yourself? As the Jarl pointed out, such gold well removed from the mainland would tempt a lesser man to take it for himself.”
“And what of Loreos? Who will take my place until I return?” Mark was suspicious, but he was also fighting off his less-noble instincts toward Jarius’ intentions.
“Well, I was hoping that you would bestow the temporary honor on myself of course,” Prince Jarius stated evenly, “but if you wish otherwise, then may I suggest the King himself take the honor?”
Emmaline and Chartres exchanged surprised looks.
The King stood up suddenly and hesitated; now this really was going in a direction he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. His move had the effect he wanted and all eyes were on him. “Are you not forgetting something uncle? The female Marine? Did she live? Her report would bring much unwanted attention.”
“I am afraid that in all great likelihood she perished my king,” Jarius informed him. “Warden reports that after their escape at the temple, they made it back into the jungle, but a nearby crocodile must have smelled the blood from her wound and it attacked them. The two were separated, but as Warden found no further trace of her, he believes she was taken by the croc. And even if not, alone and wounded in a dangerous, disease-infested jungle, she would not last long enough to return the many miles back to civilization. The ship’s captain waited only three days and then left without her.”
Chartres put his hands behind his back and walked over to a window to stare out at the ocean. “It is still my decision to make, and I do not want to risk war. At least, not yet.”
Emmaline rose and embraced him, very seriously, “But if Lenfald gets this treasure, it may mean war as well. If war is inevitable, would it not be better to have a treasury to fund our cause?”
Jarius quickly added, “Prince Mark could go with a smaller force, hand-picked and rapid of cause; in and out again from the west without the Lenfels ever knowing it.”
“And if they are detected? Or Heaven forbid it, even opposed by force?” The King still had some doubt.
“Then who better to negotiate a truce and peace with Lenfald’s forces in the Great Western Isles then the very leader of Loreos himself!?”
“Actually I am not that popular with our northern neighbors,” Mark noted dryly, referring to the Loreesi invasion he successfully led into Lenfald six years prior.
“Oh, they do not love you my dear Mark, but they fear you, which is even better at the bargaining table,” Jarius added shrewdly.
After some consideration, Chartres left his queen by the window and walked over to Prince Mark, who rose so that they could be face to face. “Can you really do this my Prince? And succeed without causing a war?”
“I believe I can,” Mark reassured him, “given the right support both here with Loreos and there with the landing.”
“And what of this horrid dragon?” Emmaline suddenly wondered, realizing that she had unknowingly just encouraged putting Mark in future danger. She sounded greatly concerned.
Mark smiled his usual grin. “I am indeed worried my dear queen…that this overgrown lizard will not offer up enough sport to make the trip worth it for me! I assure you that I have not only slain worse, but that if it lives and breaths, it can be brought down as well. Perhaps, if he is not challenging enough, I shall strike the beast with my left hand, to relieve the boredom.”
The return of Mark’s usual bravado made everyone in the room feel more comfortable with the plan. The Jarl now stood as well and slapped his fist on the table, making the dishes shake (and Emmaline concerned for the welfare of her best table settings). “I pledge full support to this expedition,” he declared. “With the King’s approval, I will give Prince Mark a letter directing full support with our resources in Grimfell to be at his beck and call,” he stated firmly, referring to Garheim’s own island in the Great Western Isles.
Although Mark understood that the Jarl’s move was equal parts loyalty and also equity for a portion of the treasure, he also saw the wisdom of a joint Loreesi-Garhim venture. It was politically desirable; in case things went awry and they were discovered, they could prove to the Lenfels that it wasn’t just Loreos acting rashly alone. Even more important, it was logistically sound, as Mark could both depart faster, undetected without the need for a large force from Loreos, and also Grimfell was the island closest to the southern peninsula of Fýrdraca, where they were headed. “That is much appreciated,” Mark politely agreed.
Mark of Falworth then addressed Prince Jarius very seriously. “I turn the Province of Loreos over to you temporarily, my prince. Once she was yours, and now once again for the duration of my absence. But keep my real treasure, my Dear Loreos, running well with grace, as a strong stallion into the wind. For surely I will come back for her,” he smiled, “for I will have no other steed!”
Jarius smiled as well at his metaphor, “I shall water and care for her as my own, yet she will long for the return of her master.” The two grabbed up goblets and raised a toast to the agreement.
It seemed that they all now agreed…except the King, who took a deep breath, and briefly pondered while the other four waited. The King’s eyes drifted over to the statue, lying on the table, its gold glittering in the afternoon sunlight. He picked it up and considered. “Such a massive undertaking, for such a small token…” After several long moments he straightened up and faced Falworth.
“I charge you Prince Mark with this task. Gather the forces you need in secret and make haste to the island of Grimfell. Use Garheim’s resources there for the briefest of incursions into Fýrdraca. Slay the beast, recover the treasure. And we shall all feast upon your glorious return!”
Mark snapped his boots, nodded and said cheerfully, “Gladly my King.”
“But secrecy is everything,” Chartres stated firmly. Then, upon realizing they had left out one key part of the plan, he added, “Whatever are you going to tell your people of your absence? It will be several months at a minimum.”
“Oh, that is the easy part King Chartres,” Mark explained confidently, the light shining in his eyes, “we just tell them that I am on an extended hunting trip...and it is the truth!” He added as an afterthought, “We just leave that bit about the treasure out of it…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our story will continue with ~ A Path We Were Destined to Follow ~ Part 3
To go with this Global Storyline Update, we have a sweet little mini-challenge for you if the main Global Challenge XIV - Show of Force isn't keeping you busy enough: build a life-size (4 inch) model of the dragon in this story. For those of you who like sculpture this should be fun, but for those who have never tried modeling with LEGO, challenge yourself by taking a stab (bite?) at it.
- The dragon is golden for the point of the story, but we all know there aren't enough Pearl Gold parts or other gold element variations in the LEGO inventory, so for the purposes of this challenge, any color close to gold will do (medium dark flesh, nugat, dark tan, tan, white, sliver, light bley, etc...). If you can actually build this thing out of gold LEGO elements, wow, you have really impressed me and that will get you an additional 2 points...but it must be 4 inches in RL.
- Post your entries here, and also in your main faction thread so that you get the personal points.
- Take the picture so it can be used later in a LoR setting such as a table top or neutral background.
- Entries will earn 3 personal points, only 1 entry per builder.
- If we get more than 2 entries, a poll will be taken and the winning faction will get 3 points.
- Suspense date is December 31, 2016, midnight your time. Of course if you are building at that time you probably could use the sound of fireworks as your "time's up"...
- If the winning model passes the "Thor's Hammer" test (it must be "worrrrrrrtheeeee") then it will be used in a future Global Storyline Update. This is why the picture must be in a setting we can use in LoR.
Good luck everyone, and happy building, and we hope to have the next storyline update sometime in the next few weeks, so watch out for it...
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
~ A Path We Were Destined to Follow ~ Part 2: A Golden Opportunity
Build by Mark of Falworth ; Story by Sir Caelan Munro
King Chartres greeted his two most important Loreesi leaders, Prince Mark of Falworth and Prince Jarius Lorean, with a wide smile on the steps of the Loreos Entrance, a relatively new monument to the loyalist province. Each of the provinces had their own monument at Lion's Head Castle, home of their monarch, and Chartres chose this particular one very deliberately, and not just because it lead to the Great Hall. He was in an excellent mood this fine sunny day at Lions Head Island and he wanted to honor his two childhood mentors appropriately. They made him think of the sunny days of his youth in Loreos, long before he was made King of Roawia.
Long before his troubles started.
“Sire it is glorious to see you in such a fine mood,” Prince Jarius declared, “and with the good news I bring, your mood may be better still.”
“Good news would be welcome for once, but as wonderful as your monument is, let us not tarry out here on the steps. The Jarl is waiting for us, and Queen Emmaline has had her best staff prepare for us a fine lunch of peacock in plum sauce with currant cake.”
“Peacock, fine indeed,” Mark forced a smile. In truth he hated eating those beautiful birds and never could quite understand why the wealthy class liked the dish, but insulting the Queen was something he would never dream of, so he followed his sovereign into the hall without stating his reservations.
And there indeed waiting was Jarl Jhirian Eindrik, the burly leader of the Northern Province, Garheim. Mark thought to himself that this meeting was important indeed, now having all the senior leaders of the factions still loyal to the King gathered in one place. The Jarl was not in armor for once, instead wearing formal robes, which eased Mark’s suspicion that this might be a war council, a turn of events he personally sought to avoid.
The hall was as beautiful as ever, and the site of it made him happy to be in the massive Lion’s Head Castle once more. Their boat ride from mainland Loreos had been a bit long, with a strong headwind forcing them to tack their way to the island. This was nothing new of course, the sea never bothered him in spite of being from a desert land, but his fellow Prince Jarius had curiously held something back in conversation the entire way, namely, precisely why Jarius had called the meeting in the first place, and that made the voyage less enjoyable. He knew Jarius had just returned from Forteresse irréfutable, the headquarters of the infamous clandestine force known as the Areani. What the details were of it all, he was indeed anxious to hear, even if he had to endure the peacock to get them.
Unfortunately Jarius was determined to wait until after lunch before relaying his news, so Mark had to be patient through all the pleasantries. At least the Queen was there, lightening everything with both her beauty and charm. Like King Chartres, she was in an excellent mood and it made Mark wonder if there could be a little Prince Chartres on the way.
After the unfortunate peacock main dish and the delicious currant cake, the lunch came to a close, and the Queen’s staff served all of them up a round of a most excellent Gramond Blanc and then cleared out as ordered so that only the five nobles were left. Mark enjoyed the wine greatly and said so, saluting their hostess.
“Yes I very much like the Gramond, although a sweet Stonewald Reisling is still my favorite after-dinner wine,” the King declared.
Prince Jarius pretended to pound the table and mock-protested, “Treason!” to which the other four chuckled.
“I am a Lenfel you know, my adopted Uncle,” Chartres finished with a smile, referring to his origin, and also Lenfald’s capital city of Stonewald.
The smile faded some on Jarius’ face, “Were a Lenfel,” he corrected. This gradually led to an uncomfortable silence as such an impropriety as correcting a King was not done, at least in front of the Queen.
Was he taking advantage of his familiarity with Chartres, Emmaline wondered to herself.
But Jarius followed it with an explanation, “You are now our King my lord, above such things as the provinces.” He smiled reassuringly and the moment passed…but actually didn’t. Lenfald was the problem which had troubled Chartres so much during his short reign.
There is more to this, Mark of Falworth immediately knew, but kept it to himself. In order to learn more he stated, “Well Prince Jarius, the staff is out of the room, our lunch and wine are done, and I for one would finally like to know why we are called here, immediately following your trip to the Areani Council.”
Now Jarius showed some mild surprise, and nodded. So much for his trip being a secret. Clearly the new leader of Loreos, the Great Mark of Falworth, had his share of friends in various places… even low places… With the King, Queen and the Jarl also waiting for his reply, Jarius put his hand into a pocket and pulled out something small, placing it before the King with his hand still covering it. “A golden opportunity, my Liege,” he explained, withdrawing his hand.
There on the table before the King was a golden statue, no more than four inches long and about the size of young child’s fist, finely crafted, but obviously very old. Surprised, Chartres picked it up carefully and turned it around and over, examining it. He showed Emmaline, explaining, “A creature of some sort, a dragon I think.”
“Yet there are no wings,” Emmaline observed. “Have they broken off at some point in the past?”
The Jarl reached in to take it, but Chartres kept the gold figure in hand, merely showing him closer. Jarl Eindrik could be a bit…ham-fisted…at times…
“No my queen, the wings were never there in the first place — ” Jarius answered her question, and then revealed all: “— just like the very real creature our man Gant Warden ran into on the island of Fýrdraca, at least that is what the Lenfels call the newest island.” And from there he relayed to his stunned listeners the story of the fake-botanist, an Areani spy planted amongst Lenfald’s people in the Great Western Isles, to keep the Areani aware of what that break-away province was up to in their new distant land. Warden had managed to work his way into the graces of their leadership, not a difficult thing for him to accomplish with his Areani training, and he then secured a position on a very important mission to scout out the lower peninsula of Fýrdraca.
Jarius relayed that deep in the jungle there, they had found something totally unexpected: extensive ruins of an ancient unheard of civilization on Fýrdraca, with a temple of some kind which contained, and Jarius emphasized heavily, massive amounts of golden treasure, piled so high on the floor of an extensive vault that you could get lost in it.
With his hosts already riveted by this amazing news, the prince then explained what happened next, that the party was attacked by a massive deadly wingless dragon in the underground, and that in spite of the bravery of the Lenfel Marines, only Gant and a wounded female Marine survived the attack. “No one else got out of that temple alive,” Jarius concluded somberly.
The King sat back astonished as he considered both the meaning and the implications, of this incredible event. “An ancient civilization…this is…this changes so much about what we know of history…”
Prince Jarius cocked his head a little, “Oh it’s so much more than that, my King, so much more than old tales of the ancients. Because it changes everything now, here, in the mainland.”
The Queen leaned forward, “How can that be Prince Jarius? How could it…unless, you mean the gold?”
“Exactly,” Jarius answered, and then stared at Chartres. “Imagine what Lenfald would do with such a treasure. We would never get them back into Roawia again.”
Ah, The Problem, thought Mark of Falworth, and the real reason Jarius had called the meeting. It wasn’t for the tale after all, but the consequences…and opportunities.
Jarius continued urgently, “Our wheat embargo on Lenfald has hurt them terribly, and my spies confirm that their people are edging closer to our desired state of rebellion against their own leaders, more and more every day. Remember my king that if the Lenfels split into factions, this will be a door for our forces to come in and negotiate a return to your fold: Roawia once more!”
He added with even greater concern, “But with such a massive gain of sudden wealth, Lenfald could buy as much food as they want, and hire as many Outlaws for mercenaries as they need to keep us at bay. We would lose them. Forever.”
The Jarl now spoke, “If true, such a hoard could cause much mischief. Even peace-minded men can behave strangely in the presence of gold. Could the Lenfels not use this wealth to create an even larger army to invade Loreos itself, and take the wheat fields for themselves?”
As this unpleasant possibility sunk in, Mark resisted his usual urge to take up action immediately, and instead decided to look at the article himself. Taking the statue from the King, Mark asked, “Is there more than this? Did this Gant mercenary retrieve anything else? Something more convincing?”
Jarius regarded Prince Mark. “Warden is an Areani, no ordinary mercenary. And with the beast tearing Marines apart around him he did not have time for anything else, but I find this statue convincing enough. Think of it — an idol of the exact creature which attacked — perhaps this ancient culture worshiped the beast in their very midst. Either way, the Areani Council trust his account completely.”
Now Mark studied him. “And you trust the council?”
Jarius was surprised at the question, “Of course, we share the same goals.”
“So, uncle,” Chartres now interjected to keep them from taking the conversation in an ugly direction, “what are you suggesting? That we take the gold instead? Invade Lenfel territory? Will that not lead to war itself?” He was not only well ahead of where the Prince was going, but in an effort to demonstrate his awareness to his new queen, was deliberately provocative about it.
Jarius opened his hands as if to shrug, “How would they know? The location is not easy to spot from the coast on the western side, and well into the jungle from the east. If we do it properly,” he then looked at Mark carefully, “the Lenfels will never know.”
The two princes stared at each other and after only a few seconds Mark picked up on what Jarius was not yet stating. “You want me to go and do this personally? And leave Loreos without a leader?”
“An outstanding idea,” Jarius confirmed with pleasure. “Who better to slay the dragon, with minimal bloodshed? One who has previously done such deeds. Who better to ensure competence in execution of the landing from the western side of the island? There is rough terrain and it will be difficult. Who can we trust more with that much wealth than such a loyal and noble man as yourself? As the Jarl pointed out, such gold well removed from the mainland would tempt a lesser man to take it for himself.”
“And what of Loreos? Who will take my place until I return?” Mark was suspicious, but he was also fighting off his less-noble instincts toward Jarius’ intentions.
“Well, I was hoping that you would bestow the temporary honor on myself of course,” Prince Jarius stated evenly, “but if you wish otherwise, then may I suggest the King himself take the honor?”
Emmaline and Chartres exchanged surprised looks.
The King stood up suddenly and hesitated; now this really was going in a direction he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. His move had the effect he wanted and all eyes were on him. “Are you not forgetting something uncle? The female Marine? Did she live? Her report would bring much unwanted attention.”
“I am afraid that in all great likelihood she perished my king,” Jarius informed him. “Warden reports that after their escape at the temple, they made it back into the jungle, but a nearby crocodile must have smelled the blood from her wound and it attacked them. The two were separated, but as Warden found no further trace of her, he believes she was taken by the croc. And even if not, alone and wounded in a dangerous, disease-infested jungle, she would not last long enough to return the many miles back to civilization. The ship’s captain waited only three days and then left without her.”
Chartres put his hands behind his back and walked over to a window to stare out at the ocean. “It is still my decision to make, and I do not want to risk war. At least, not yet.”
Emmaline rose and embraced him, very seriously, “But if Lenfald gets this treasure, it may mean war as well. If war is inevitable, would it not be better to have a treasury to fund our cause?”
Jarius quickly added, “Prince Mark could go with a smaller force, hand-picked and rapid of cause; in and out again from the west without the Lenfels ever knowing it.”
“And if they are detected? Or Heaven forbid it, even opposed by force?” The King still had some doubt.
“Then who better to negotiate a truce and peace with Lenfald’s forces in the Great Western Isles then the very leader of Loreos himself!?”
“Actually I am not that popular with our northern neighbors,” Mark noted dryly, referring to the Loreesi invasion he successfully led into Lenfald six years prior.
“Oh, they do not love you my dear Mark, but they fear you, which is even better at the bargaining table,” Jarius added shrewdly.
After some consideration, Chartres left his queen by the window and walked over to Prince Mark, who rose so that they could be face to face. “Can you really do this my Prince? And succeed without causing a war?”
“I believe I can,” Mark reassured him, “given the right support both here with Loreos and there with the landing.”
“And what of this horrid dragon?” Emmaline suddenly wondered, realizing that she had unknowingly just encouraged putting Mark in future danger. She sounded greatly concerned.
Mark smiled his usual grin. “I am indeed worried my dear queen…that this overgrown lizard will not offer up enough sport to make the trip worth it for me! I assure you that I have not only slain worse, but that if it lives and breaths, it can be brought down as well. Perhaps, if he is not challenging enough, I shall strike the beast with my left hand, to relieve the boredom.”
The return of Mark’s usual bravado made everyone in the room feel more comfortable with the plan. The Jarl now stood as well and slapped his fist on the table, making the dishes shake (and Emmaline concerned for the welfare of her best table settings). “I pledge full support to this expedition,” he declared. “With the King’s approval, I will give Prince Mark a letter directing full support with our resources in Grimfell to be at his beck and call,” he stated firmly, referring to Garheim’s own island in the Great Western Isles.
Although Mark understood that the Jarl’s move was equal parts loyalty and also equity for a portion of the treasure, he also saw the wisdom of a joint Loreesi-Garhim venture. It was politically desirable; in case things went awry and they were discovered, they could prove to the Lenfels that it wasn’t just Loreos acting rashly alone. Even more important, it was logistically sound, as Mark could both depart faster, undetected without the need for a large force from Loreos, and also Grimfell was the island closest to the southern peninsula of Fýrdraca, where they were headed. “That is much appreciated,” Mark politely agreed.
Mark of Falworth then addressed Prince Jarius very seriously. “I turn the Province of Loreos over to you temporarily, my prince. Once she was yours, and now once again for the duration of my absence. But keep my real treasure, my Dear Loreos, running well with grace, as a strong stallion into the wind. For surely I will come back for her,” he smiled, “for I will have no other steed!”
Jarius smiled as well at his metaphor, “I shall water and care for her as my own, yet she will long for the return of her master.” The two grabbed up goblets and raised a toast to the agreement.
It seemed that they all now agreed…except the King, who took a deep breath, and briefly pondered while the other four waited. The King’s eyes drifted over to the statue, lying on the table, its gold glittering in the afternoon sunlight. He picked it up and considered. “Such a massive undertaking, for such a small token…” After several long moments he straightened up and faced Falworth.
“I charge you Prince Mark with this task. Gather the forces you need in secret and make haste to the island of Grimfell. Use Garheim’s resources there for the briefest of incursions into Fýrdraca. Slay the beast, recover the treasure. And we shall all feast upon your glorious return!”
Mark snapped his boots, nodded and said cheerfully, “Gladly my King.”
“But secrecy is everything,” Chartres stated firmly. Then, upon realizing they had left out one key part of the plan, he added, “Whatever are you going to tell your people of your absence? It will be several months at a minimum.”
“Oh, that is the easy part King Chartres,” Mark explained confidently, the light shining in his eyes, “we just tell them that I am on an extended hunting trip...and it is the truth!” He added as an afterthought, “We just leave that bit about the treasure out of it…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our story will continue with ~ A Path We Were Destined to Follow ~ Part 3
Mini-Global Challenge: Build the Fýrdraca Wingless Dragon Figurine
To go with this Global Storyline Update, we have a sweet little mini-challenge for you if the main Global Challenge XIV - Show of Force isn't keeping you busy enough: build a life-size (4 inch) model of the dragon in this story. For those of you who like sculpture this should be fun, but for those who have never tried modeling with LEGO, challenge yourself by taking a stab (bite?) at it.
- The dragon is golden for the point of the story, but we all know there aren't enough Pearl Gold parts or other gold element variations in the LEGO inventory, so for the purposes of this challenge, any color close to gold will do (medium dark flesh, nugat, dark tan, tan, white, sliver, light bley, etc...). If you can actually build this thing out of gold LEGO elements, wow, you have really impressed me and that will get you an additional 2 points...but it must be 4 inches in RL.
- Post your entries here, and also in your main faction thread so that you get the personal points.
- Take the picture so it can be used later in a LoR setting such as a table top or neutral background.
- Entries will earn 3 personal points, only 1 entry per builder.
- If we get more than 2 entries, a poll will be taken and the winning faction will get 3 points.
- Suspense date is December 31, 2016, midnight your time. Of course if you are building at that time you probably could use the sound of fireworks as your "time's up"...
- If the winning model passes the "Thor's Hammer" test (it must be "worrrrrrrtheeeee") then it will be used in a future Global Storyline Update. This is why the picture must be in a setting we can use in LoR.
Good luck everyone, and happy building, and we hope to have the next storyline update sometime in the next few weeks, so watch out for it...
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave