More To Say

Steelwood Company Hall: Lobby  ---
 * ''The Steelwood Company are a private Sellsword Company that apparently formed around the same time as the township of Northreach did, rising as a "Fighter's Guild" of sorts - only one that operates within the Imperial Law, often being cited as a Mercenary Company directed by morality as well as money.


 * ''Operating as a collection of independent agents under a unified banner, the Steelwood Company is mostly comprised of former Bladesmen and officers of the Imperial Watch who have been discharged for various honorable reasons, such as injury, illness, or age. Those operating under loose morals are turned away at the door.


 * ''Their contractors are usually merchants doing trade runs between Northreach and the Market District via Wedgecrest, East Leg, and Eastwatch, as well as explorers and adventurers heading out into the Wildlands, looking for a little extra steel to back them up.


 * ''Their crest is that of a gold shield emblazoned with a longsword, with the blade of the sword stabbing through an hourglass; a crest that dominates the back wall of a lobby that has been sparsely decorated with ornamentation, though exists as a room with a black stone floor, redwood paneling on walls of dark gray stone, and white marble finials.


 * ''A staircase leads up to a second floor behind the back wall, while a door on the northern wall leads to a side room, most likely belonging to the company's Captain. A single desk and a large board of contract requests are the only items of furniture to be found in the lobby itself.

--- A small red and grey-clad figure paces the lobby of the sellsword company, her thickly curled head bowed and her hands folded demurely behind her. She does not appear to be a customer, as no one is showing much interest in her; rather, it appears that she has just adopted the building as a sort of refuge from the night.

Lucius Nepos enters the Steelwood Company with a smile on his face, looking rather relaxed. His armoured form quickly blends in with the rest of the soldierly types around here. He sees Milora and heads on over to her, being as she really doesn't fit in and is easy to spot. "I like this place. If it doesn't work out for me, the Knight thing, maybe I'll join up with them. I would qualify I think."

"One would hope so. Otherwise I would begin to seriously question their standards." Milora doesn't look at him, however, and continues with her pacing; in fact, she stiffens slightly.

"Tribunal got you in a tussle, Milora Lomasa?" Lucius's eyebrows inch upwards.

She frowns slightly, casting a rather sharp glance in his direction. "You could say that."

"And why would that be?" Lucius asks plainly, moving to sit down. His green blue eyes raise up to meet hers, unemotional.

"It appears that Serath Kahar has vanished," she says quietly. "I have only a slight inkling as to why; it is not generally being spoken of outside of the Tribunal. I hope that he is ... alright."

"He is the most accomplished ranger of our time, and the best swordsman I've ever seen. Better than your husband. I've seen him fend off a horde of Wildlings for what must have been half an hour or more. He can take care of himself." Lucius states, shrugging. "Quite honestly? What are you going to be saying in your own defense?"

"That isn't what I meant," Milora replies simply, going back to her pacing. "In my defense of what, Lucius?"

"Of your actions during the whole debacle." Lucius says, calmly. "Specifically - making a deal with a force which you could not control, that is, Gale, and then not executing her immediately. If I were you, I would claim youthful excitement, or something similar."

"I beg your pardon, Lucius," is the calm reply, "I mean to tell the truth."

"That you were wrong? Ah, I see." Lucius states simply, moving to take a seat on a nearby bench. He leans against the wall.

"Why are you even speaking to me, Lucius?" Milora asks bitterly, furrowing her eyebrows and turning away from him.

"Because you are still a child, and you deserve the chance to learn from your mistakes, however grave they are. Adults make mistakes, as well. I'm past the grace period." Answers the soldier, his eyes gaining a tired look to them.

"Well, I hate you. So there." Her frown deepens and she turns to peer at him in irritation. "Regardless of whether you believe it or not, I was selected for this position for a reason and I have always, /always/ done my best for Fastheld. I have been wrong and I have done /stupid/ things, but believe me that when I did them I saw no better alternative. I wish that my choices could yield no negative consequences, but unfortunately that is not the case. What exactly is it that you want?"

"You hate me. Very mature." Lucius rolls his eyes. "I actually came to talk to you about another enterprise. It just happened that this was the avenue of conversation that we ended up pursuing. I'm very sorry to hear that, in any case."

Narrowing her eyes, she sticks her tongue out at him. "Well, you're behaving like an ass! I was perfectly happy to steer clear of this topic; /you/ brought it up." She looks at him for a moment and then sighs. "Well, it'll hardly do me much good to apologize to you, will it? Go on, then."

"I'm speaking the truth. If that paints me as an ass, it's only because the person I'm talking to does not want to hear the truth." Lucius says, with that equal lack of emotion he's been showing since entering the hall. "But this other enterprise.. well, have you heard what Varal wants to do with all of those men he's raised?"

"You are behaving like an ass because you are assuming that you know anything more than a /fraction/ of the situation, my reasoning and myself," Milora replies hotly. "You assume that what you /think/ is true; Celeste Mikin does that, too, and I hate it. So stop - shut up, unless you fully understand the circumstances. And I certainly don't see you asking, so I can't imagine that's going to happen. ... No. I haven't. I can't imagine it's good."

"I /know/ I am right when I say you should have killed her upon apprehending her. I've seen the story from enough angles and from the mouths of enough people to know that I am right about certain things. I will not open this topic up again. END it, now." Lucius says tersely, his eyes narrowing at Milora. "There is a threat to the Empire greater than Gale. Gale was a mere sideshow compared. The Black Wildlings have the ability to strike us where they please. They must be dealt with. Now that the Aria is open, I can see how possible this would be. A scouting party of sorts."

"Fuck you," Milora replies, her face reddening as talk of Black Wildlings is lost – on her, anyway. "She would have killed me first and you /know/ it."

"Now, if we are to scout the Wildlands, we have to do it in force." Lucius simply ignores what Milora is talking about, using his hands to try and paint a picture. "Varal's men, I do not know if they are tested veterans or simply former ducal guard with spears. In any case, we will probably have to move by boat, because unless I can convince the Archon that Varal should be let through, he'll have to come some other way. I can do some preliminary talking before, though. Do you know of any good rangers, out there?"

"You saw what she did to Wheat! /Destroyed/, Lucius. He couldn't do any-damn-thing and he was superior to me in every way," she spits. "You just don't /fuck/ with someone that powerful; it took two skilled archers and a /giant rockwolf tearing at her bloody throat/ to incapacitate her, and you expect me to have been able to bring her down myself? I took care of her the only way I could possibly have. SHUT UP!" That draws the attention of some of the establishment's personal; now flushed, she lowers her voice again. "An expedition will require teamwork and interior support. I won't do anything so dangerous with someone who doesn't trust me. Send Mikin to speak to me about it."

"Bound and gagged she couldn't defend herself. She had to get out of her restraints before she could do anything, Milora, this I saw with my own damned eyes. This I know from my training in the Blades. That's how a Mage loses their power. No senses, no power. This is the end of the conversation about that. Do you understand, Milora Lomasa, or should I simply walk out now and pursue something more profitable and useful?" Lucius purses his lips.

"You're /wrong/ and you won't even /listen/ to me. Bound and gagged she couldn't defend herself, is that it? It took less than five minutes from the time you noticed her attempting to escape before she was utterly free of her bonds. A little gesture of the hands - that's all, Lucius. No senses, no power, indeed, and yet /she escaped/. What will you do about that hole in your logic, Lucius? Walk out and away from me? I was your friend, you bastrd." Now one of the attendants nears, almost gingerly, apparently to seek the ejection of the two troublemakers.

"In five minutes you could have killed her, I do believe. If you wish to continue to act like this, like a young lady instead of a woman, that's your right. She had likely been going at those bonds for more than five minutes, though. In any case, I wish you good luck. I hope you will cool down and we will be able to talk like adults, soon, so that we can continue the topic of the Wildlands." Lucius says, coldly. He nods at the attendant, smiling towards him. "My apologies. She is very excited tonight." He moves towards the exit, hands clasped behind his armoured back. His steps aren't quick.

"Oh, yes, because I could have /utterly/ shot her from horseback and risked taking off Sahna Nillu's head. That's just like a man and just like you, Lucius, not to give at /all/. I was obviously a complete idiot in some respects, but I did not do /everything/ wrong." She follows on his heels, full of emotional charge. "ARGH. I /hate/ that you condescend to me in this way. That isn't fair, I don't do that to you and I'm supposed to be a /Duchess/ or something like it."

"Then if Sahna Nillu was the one who prevented you from doing so, she is the traitor, and you did not simply make a mistake." Lucius shrugs as he turns back. "In any case, you are irritating these people far more than you are irritating me. Come outside, please."

Northreach: Medial District  ---
 * ''Having grown in the shadow of the northern Aegis wall, the Seamel township of Northreach is somewhat of a dark horse; a dark horse in both a literal and metaphorical sense, no less. Much of the township is often set in perpetual shadow, cast by the six-hundred foot wall that looms above it, making it a somewhat cold and umbral township, though one that tends to import a lot of torches and lanterns.


 * ''However, in the literal sense, Northreach is a township that developed entirely beyond the public eye. It grew as a township that drew little attention, funded by a mysterious benefactor of House Seamel, while the Empire left the construction of the North Gate to the Imperial Watch and their engineers. Thus the two grew in tandem, and the unveiling of Northreach as a township around that awesome gate was a surprise to all.


 * ''As a location, Northreach drips Imperial architecture and style. Most of the buildings that form the moderate township are neatly arranged around main roads, with passages and alleys running between them, with no sense of crowding to be found. Townhouses of charcoal granite walls and timber support beams dominate the architectural design of the township, with larger estates providing the various services that all townships offer, as well as a few that remain unique to Northreach alone.


 * ''The Wailing Wench Tavern, a large inn and publican building, stands in the very middle of what is known as the Medial District, acting as a central hub of activity. Directly next to the Tavern rests a two-story building belonging to the Steelwood Company, while the Swiftwolf Archery Tradehouse stands near to it as an equally large merchant townhouse, while smaller trade buildings flank them on all sides, attempting to profit from the trade they draw in.


 * ''The North Gate looms in the north within the gap in the Aegis, while the southern gate that leads back onto Northreach Road is to the south. The Sinistral District, acting as the residence district, rests to the west, while the Dextral District, acting as the trade district, can be found to the east.

--- "That wasn't Sahna Nillu's /fault/. It was her task to prevent her from escaping, and so they had to be in close proximity; a fat lot of good that did anyway. I don't /mean/ to irritate you. I know I have no right to behave in this way, but I'm /so angry/." She emits a frustrated sound, rather like a growl. "You don't have to blame someone for everything, you know."

"Of course it wasn't Sahna Nillu's fault. Just like the fact that she casted some sort of spell, which, luckily Norran and I did not feel to supposedly prevent us from carrying out Imperial Law. That wasn't her fault, either. I do hope you bring this up at the Tribunal, whenever it will happen. When somebody, no matter who they are, breaks the Law, they should be punished. I imagine she'll pay a fine and be off, for she is a Duchess. There are two people above the Law right now and she is not one of them." Lucius shrugs, pausing.

Milora seems significantly less impassioned as she hits the cool air; she crosses her arms and casts her eyes downward as she follows after Lucius. "So, now what? Do you hate and despise me forever and ever? Am I totally beyond your faith? /What/, Lucius?"

"Nothing. I told you before. You may have heard, but you obviously were not listening. When I talk to you in such a way, it is because I am both older and wiser than you, because you are young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Your upbringing as a noblewoman has closed you off to the truth of the way we Fastheldians live. I am ten years your senior, Milora. That is all." Lucius shrugs. "People make mistakes. You made some. As have I. Many of them, in fact. We all have to live with them after. But I won't admonish you any further than tonight. I won't bring it up again, unless it's very pertinent. I am not vengeful."

She seems all right with accepting that now that she isn't angry any longer; she gives a half-hearted, one-shouldered shrug and looks up at him gravely. "I didn't mean it when I said that I hated you, Lucius. ... I'm sorry. I am just very, very, very sorry."

"I know you didn't." Lucius says, simply. One corner of his lips raises upwards a slight bit. His green blue eyes shift towards Milora momentarily and he inclines his head. Nothing more to say. --- Return to Season 6 (2007)