The War for the Rose: Book One Complete

[alexthewhite]

Go to where-ever it is that your devout brother can usually be found. A place of prayer, his room, the gardens...?

-Chapel of the Airwalker (Your eldest brother Falling Spire spends much of his time here.)

The chapel is easily the prettiest building in the keep, with three tall towers and an ornate carving into the stone around the door. Inside, there are pews to seat a hundred, but your eyes are quickly drawn to the twelve foot tall statue at the end of the room. The statue is of a man standing on top of a thick, fluffy cloud. He is looking down at his audience with benevolence, and somehow, his eyes seem to be looking straight at you no matter where you're sitting. The Airwalker, the First Flyer, the Incarnation of the Heavens, and your distant ancestor.

Kneeling at the base of the statue is a man, his robed back to you. His head is down when you come in, but he raises it when you close the door. Without turning around, he speaks.

"...Hiding Spire. Are you here to pray?" His voice is calm and even; nothing like that cackle Laughing Spire prefers.

[Whimbrel]

"If you wish, I will pray with you for a bit; but we cannot take too long. That's not the reason I'm here, you see. Father wanted me to get you. He called a meeting of his advisers."

[alexthewhite]

"If you wish, I will pray with you for a bit; but we cannot take too long. That's not the reason I'm here, you see. Father wanted me to get you. He called a meeting of his advisers."

"A meeting? About what?" Falling Spire pauses. "Aaaah. The war in the City of Southflight. Corpses stacked high, the city sealed from outsiders. I had wondered when father would have taken an interest. Come pray with me."

You walk up to the statue and fall to your knees. You interlock your fingers and place your hands against your forehead, then close your eyes. Falling Spire speaks several sentences in a forgotten tongue, then switches briefly to a language you can understand.
"And let the Airwalker grant us flight from our own evils. Khaleez vas van krujik." You hear rustling as Falling Spire stands up. "Let us go."

Your brother walks methodically but quickly; enough so that you have to jog to keep up. His legs, like his face, are long and graceful. He doesn't have quite the same amount of animation as his younger brother, though. While you walk, Falling Spire glances at passed people and buildings.

"I was told you nearly broke the nose of Whispering Dune during a sparring match." He says this as though he was telling you what you had for breakfast this morning. "Care to say anything about it?"

[Whimbrel]

He's too direct a fighter. If he doesn't learn to see past an opponent's feints and defend himself against them; he's going to get himself killed the first time he charges against an enemy!

[Neopie]

Yes. We giggled him to unconciousness.

[alexthewhite]

He's too direct a fighter. If he doesn't learn to see past an opponent's feints and defend himself against them; he's going to get himself killed the first time he charges against an enemy!

"And what did you hope to prove by emasculating him before a dozen of his friends and peers?" He isn't angry, you note. If anything, Falling Spire is just curious...and surprisingly well informed. "The boy's father is legendary for his temper. I would wager you have made an enemy, and Whispering Dune may be going home to a worse beating than the one you gave him." Falling Spire casually brushes some sand from his shoulder.

"Even if his fighting was bad, it isn't your job to fix it. That would be your teacher's job, and there are few better than Setting Sun. Your job is to learn. And utterly crushing a foe of lesser skill does nothing for either of you. He will be made a mockery of, and you will be feared and resented. Not a minute after you left the courtyard, several agreed that they would refuse to spar with you in the future." You glance at Falling Spire suspiciously. You're certain he wasn't in the courtyard. How does he know so much?

"I do not think you thought your actions through very well." Falling Spire places his sincerity into question for saying that while inspecting his fingernails for dirt.

[Neopie]

"What? We- I mean I, can make it up. Somehow. Get defeated?"

[Whimbrel]

Uncomfortable silence as you realize that your brother is right; but you don't see a way to admit it gracefully now and you don't care to further defend something when you no longer believe you were right.

[Sputnik]

Uncomfortable silence as you realize that your brother is right; but you don't see a way to admit it gracefully now and you don't care to further defend something when you no longer believe you were right.

This! Also, find some way to help Whispering Dune in the future. We feel bad about beating him that badly.

[alexthewhite]

Uncomfortable silence as you realize that your brother is right; but you don't see a way to admit it gracefully now and you don't care to further defend something when you no longer believe you were right.

Your brother feels no need to converse with you either. After a long silence (by which time you actually enter the keep,) Falling Spire finally speaks.

"I will do you a kindness and end the trouble. I think a feat of heroics by Whispering Dune should do the trick." Gently, Falling Spire reaches out for a passing man in grey boiled leather. A silent walker, like you. Or rather, an actual silent walker, not one in training like you.

"Yeah?" The man has a long scar running across his nose, and his eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion when he realized who he was talking to. "Oh...forgive me, your Blessedness. Is there some way I may serve you?"

"Quite." Your brother keeps his hand on the man's shoulder, you notice. "I want you to break into the healer's tents tonight. Take one of their more potent antidotes. Make sure the boy, Whispering Dune, is woken up, and let him chase you out. Then drop the antidote behind you. Can you do all that?"

The man frowned. "That's risky work you want me to do. If I get caught-"

"You won't. I'll be leaving a bottle of wine for the guard to find. It'll be swill, but he won't care. He'll be too drunk to notice you, so long as you're quiet enough."

"You don't have to worry about that." The man smiles ruefully. The expression on his face is familiar, you've seen it before, earlier today.

"This is a delicate matter. So in addition to your usual fee, I'll throw in a bottle of imported wine."

"Okay. Just make sure not to get the bottles mixed up!" The silent walker laughs loudly, and Falling Spire smiles. It is then you realize the look on the man's face. It's fear. He's terrified of your brother.

The two of you part with the silent walker, and your brother murmurs to you. "That was Creeping Ring. Good man for this sort of work. Even if he's caught, no one will miss him." Falling Spire pauses. "And the guard will most likely be demoted. I can replace him with someone a bit more...receptive to me."

[Whimbrel]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

[Sputnik]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

This!

[crash826]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

This!

YEsssssss. Hiding will basically be the most psycho. OK?

[Whimbrel]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

This!

YEsssssss. Hiding will basically be the most psycho. OK?

I dunno crash. "the most psycho" usually end up dead. I think we should just go for a small to moderate bit of psycho. And by that I just mean that Hiding Spire admires her brother very much for his leet skillz.

[Neopie]

[QUOTE=Whimbrel;5122182]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

This!

YEsssssss. Hiding will basically be the most psycho. OK?

[crash826]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

This!

YEsssssss. Hiding will basically be the most psycho. OK?

I dunno crash. "the most psycho" usually end up dead. I think we should just go for a small to moderate bit of psycho. And by that I just mean that Hiding Spire admires her brother very much for his leet skillz.

Yeah, alright.
(someday... I will have her brutally murder and eat someone. someday. 8D)

[alexthewhite]

Thank Falling Spire. He is so clever, always two steps ahead. You really admire that.

"Thank you for the help, Falling Spire," you chirp happily. "You're so clever. If you weren't a Priest, you'd make as good a Lord as father. Better, maybe!"

"We all have talents." Falling Spire is as unshakable as ever, though you think you see the faintest creep of a smile on the edges of his mouth. "You are good with a dagger. Our brother is good with a bow. Our sister is good with..." Falling Spire clears his throat. "...at putting on display the gifts mother left her. I? I am good with my ears and my tongue. I serve better as a tool. For our father, our home, our kingdom. That is why I became a Priest. We are here."

The council room is at the base of the Spire of Flight, the tallest of the three towers of the Keep (the other two being the Chapel of the Airwalker and the Longshot Spire.) It seems most of the others have already arrived. Guarding the door is a familiar figure.

"A little one and her brother," remarks Striking Shield, his eyes dimly twinkling. "Here to discuss matters of state with old men."

"He is saying we will be bored." Laughing Spire appears behind you, longbow slung over his shoulder. "Well met, little sister. Well met, older brother."

"Hello, Laughing Spire," says the robed brother neutrally. "If you think you will be bored, why attend at all? There are numerous perfectly serviceable brothels open at this hour."

"Tempting, I'll admit, but I have to attend. It's the burden of being the future Spire Lord," Laughing Spire responds cheerfully. "I was the second in line for the position, until the one in front of me chose to have his manhood chopped off instead."

"I am not a eunuch. And I pray for us all the day you become Spire Lord." Then, without waiting for an answer, Falling Spire strides forward. "May I enter?"

Striking Shield nods, and Falling Spire enters without hesitation.

"He's definitely a eunuch." Laughing Spire winks at you and is too let in. But when you move to follow, Striking Shield puts up a hand.

"Little one, you are not a member of your father's council." Striking Shield looks down at you with amusement. By all means, he should let you in, so why isn't he-

Oh. He wants you to talk your way in.

[DS Piron]

State the facts. Remind him why you are allowed in.
I mean, what wrong with seeing Daddy at work?

...There's also the "I'll get daddy to fire you if you don't" card, but it's dangerous, and he probably has good job security...

[alexthewhite]

EDIT: (I should mention that this sequence is a "convincing" sequence, in which you must bend the person to your will to get what you want. This being something of a tutorial, it's near-unfailable, but in the future, these can be failed, and there will be negative consequences.

For posts during a "convincing" sequence, please use Hiding Spire's exact wording. This is also preferable during the regular adventure, but I will accept non-exact wording outside of "convincing" sequences.

And, to avoid future confusion, I will indicate whether or not the current sequence is a "convincing" one.)

[Neopie]

"Really. I have as much worth as the rest of them? Is it because of my gender? My Age? I am just as smart as my brothers, SMARTER than some. I have an intellect. I have a different perspective to share. One more opinion is worth any amount of gold."

[mellifluousMastermind]

"Think very carefully about what I will say to my father if you do not grant me passage. Think also how harmless my influence will be on the events inside.
If you're in any way a reasonable person, then you should let me in."

[Whimbrel]

"Think very carefully about what I will say to my father if you do not grant me passage. Think also how harmless my influence will be on the events inside.
If you're in any way a reasonable person, then you should let me in."

Agreed.

[alexthewhite]

"Think very carefully about what I will say to my father if you do not grant me passage. Think also how harmless my influence will be on the events inside.
If you're in any way a reasonable person, then you should let me in."

"Your father?" Striking Shield puts a hand over his mouth. "I have known your father, little one, since he was a babe on his mother's teat. I am not a man, only a shield. If your shield does not do what you wanted, you do not blame it. You blame yourself for not using it properly." Striking Shield smiles kindly at you. "Do not threaten your elders, little one. One day, I may be your shield. And you do not want something you entrust your life with to have any sort of weakness."

"As for your presence, it is not what I am concerned with. Your father hopes to protect you from the evils of the world. This meeting shall contain talk of many of these evils. Thievery. Death. Rape. You are too delicate for such talk, little one."

[Whimbrel]

Infirmity of body is not infirmity of mind. I know already of these evils; ignoring them does not cause them to cease to exist. Quite the opposite; turning a blind eye allows these atrocities to continue without fear of reprisal or justice.

[maxicaxi]

Infirmity of body is not infirmity of mind. I know already of these evils; ignoring them does not cause them to cease to exist. Quite the opposite; turning a blind eye allows these atrocities to continue without fear of reprisal or justice.

SHES THREE.



proceed