Shadows of War

Thread Status: Closed
Players involved: Achera, Kila, King Fury, KokoPuffs, Sparx
Characters involved: Abraham (Sparx), Calista (KokoPuffs), Diaval (Achera), Eros (Kila), Milaeni (King Fury), Zacrae (Kila)
Setting: Haliea's Shrine, Light Territory
Time: Midday
Weather: Partly sunny, with a beautiful summer breeze



The young king of the love angels entered the observatory and removed the heart-shaped glasses he wore purely for aesthetic reasons so he could take a look around. In the bright midday sun the dark blue floors of the shrine positively gleamed in the light. The high noon sun really brought out the constellation-like flecks in the floor, and Eros couldn't help but admire how the whole thing had been polished to a near mirror shine. It was so reflective the young angel couldn't help but take a peek at himself, and with a pop of his collar and final placement of his glasses atop his head, he was looking... Well, he was looking like he was completely under dressed for the occasion. His grey v-neck was half tucked in, and he wasn't sure if he should leave it that way, tuck it in, or untuck it.

It was at times like this that Eros wished he had an assistant to tell him what looked good and what didn't as he stood there meddling with his shirt in the foyer of the observatory like a damn fool. "Nnnnnngh what am I suppoed to do?" He groaned, running both hands through his two-toned hair.

"Might I recommend a french tuck?" said a feminine voice behind him, soft as a whispering breeze. Eros turned and looked upon the fairest woman he had ever seen. Her skin was so pale it was almost white, and her equally white hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders and down her back. She was even dressed in a gauzy, lace-trimmed white gown that trailed after her like she'd walked straight out of a painting. Her blue eyes bored into his as she waited almost too patiently for an answer.

"I'm sorry, a... a what?" was all he could manage to sputter out, taken aback by this woman's glittering aura.

"May I, Lord Eros?" she asked, gesturing to his shirt.

"Uh, sure? But how do you--"

"I'm Lord Abraham's personal assistant, Zacrae," she replied coolly, tucking in just the front of his shirt before straightening out his collar and stepping back to take a final approving look. "Much more respectable," she said with a nod.

Eros took a look in the polished floor and gave an agreeing nod. "Not bad," he muttered to himself before looking at Zacrae once again. "Very dutiful of you to come before Abe to make sure everything's, uh, right and stuff?"

"I'm here to make sure things are ready for the meeting, yes. Lord Abraham likes things to go smoothly, so I came early to arrange refreshments for the lords and ladies," she said with a chuckle.

"Need some help?"

"I'd love some, thank you."

--

Before long the pair had filled the meeting room with chocolate pastries and glasses of refreshing lemonades. Zacrae had insisted he take a seat before the other lords arrived, and the pale angel had resumed her role as dutiful servant, waiting behind Abraham's chair for her lord to arrive, eagerly looking at the door with gentle eyes.

The well-aged king of the faith angels was more than capable of handling himself, but as Abraham prepared for the upcoming meeting, he felt that he was missing something. His assistant, Zacrae, had gone ahead of him to ensure the shrine was prepared for its important guests. So, he was on his own for a few hours, which wasn’t something he was unaccustomed to... but he did like the frequent company.

Once ready, Abraham still appeared more unassuming than one might expect of a high royal. He wore plain white robes with some gold trim, no special decorations. His short white hair and beard were neatly combed in a simple style. To anyone who didn’t know him, Abraham might be mistaken for a particularly old elf rather than a royal angel, but he preferred not to stand out.

Finally, the faith king stepped into the temple, ready to hear what the other angels had to say about the war. It was quiet- apparently he was still quite early. In the meeting room, there were only two other people. One was the young king of love, whom Abraham was not very well acquainted with, and the other was Zacrae, whom had clearly been hard at work to make sure the monarchs would be comfortable.

“Lord Eros,” Abraham greeted the love angel with a small bow. He then walked to his chair and gave Zacrae a slight but warm smile as he sat. “Thanks for setting up... Hopefully this won’t be too exciting.”

A small angel let out a deep sigh, her eyes gazing over the building in front of her. She had prepared herself for this meeting after getting the invite here; a whole room was to be filled with each Royal from each house they represented. Perhaps that couldn't really be said as a room FULL, but either way it would be many with different thoughts and ideas. Coming to a conclusion they all agreed on would certainly be the hardest part.

Calista allowed her knightly escort to hang around the outside, she could surely handle herself inside with the rest. It wasn't long before she found her way through the doors, down the halls, and entering the room the meeting would be held in.

Her small feet clacked on the floor, her heeled boots resonating on the walls. There was no surprise there were others already, even if it was just two of them at this point. It was more than enough for the start, who knew how many others would show here. Somehow, the less people would be easier to speak up with.

"Evening," she spoke softly, giving a light bow towards both lords. Once done, she made her way to the table, finding herself a nice seat to set herself into; only to gently hoist her small body up into it. Looking towards the two, then down to herself, she certainly felt overdressed for this. Oh well, this wasn't a meeting of fashion, but more dire things.

Yet another meeting in the life of a royal. The Liberty royal looked to his loyal guard, ready to embark to wherever the King had to go. He looked to his other side to see a kirkasta waiting diligently for her master to make a move. One and one. It was his preferred method of travel even when it came to seeing other royals. One could argue especially when seeing other royals, but they were no demons. There was a least a little civility to them. Soon enough, the small entourage left for Hailea's Shrine.

Upon arrival, he could sense a few of the other royals who had made their way to the shrine. It seemed as if each had an escort of some sort just as he had. The angel gave a nod to his party, letting them know to stay within distance but to relax a bit more. Dressed in near silk-like white material with a lavender shine draped over his slender figure, the Lord made his presence known to the other royals. The fabric draped over his body as if it were a loosely fitted dress with a longer train behind him. His long white hair flowed lightly behind him as he walked; landing gently beside his pale figure as he stopped to greet the other angels.

"Lord Eros, Lord Abraham, Lord Calista.. A pleasure as always," he stated as he looked around the shrine room to see if he missed any of the other royals. Oh interesting to see how each of the royals decided to dress. Some more decadent than others, but it wasn't as if he had much room to speak himself. What he wore was on the more casual side, though one could argue it was more high class based on the appearance of the material. It wasn't as if he cared. They weren't here to talk fashion.

Once the other lords had arrived, a dark presence swept into the Shrine. It was as if a demon had slipped inside, despite the guards and the close proximity to the Light Kingdom's fortress. A tall man stepped into the room, moving to stand next to one of the empty chairs. Bloodstains covered his dark robes, and a pair of dripping chained blades were strapped across his back. Darkness seemed to radiate from him.

In contrast, the woman who followed seemed to radiate light. She wore a long, flowing white dress, decorated with patterns of silver shaped like a tree. She moved to the seat next to the man, the family resemblance becoming clear. "My lords, as much as I love formalities and pleasantries, might we get on with matters?" Mileani, the Lady of Light, crossed her arms and turned her gaze on the others, waiting to see what they would do.

Beside her, her son Locke chuckled and grabbed a seat of his own, leaning back in it with a complete disinterest in decorum.

Eros watched as the others lords began to slowly trickle in, and his eyes were particularly drawn to the look Abraham gave Zacrae. The young lord leaned forward in his chair, chin resting on laced fingers, his eyes wide as they darted back and forth between the pair as the woman dutifully filled a glass and set some papers down before him, a look so tender on her face it nearly brought him to tears.

Oh.

Oh they were in love!

He quickly righted himself before he could be caught staring at the pair like a lovesick dog, though he couldn't contain the dreamy sigh that had escaped his lips. To confirm his suspicions he flipped the heart-shaped glasses over his eyes and, through their pink-tinted lenses saw that the two were in fact bound together by a red string of love. Neither seemed to know it, though. Oh, to play matchmaker for such new love!

Eros was about to speak up when the Life queen entered, just as cute as ever. She was shortly followed by Diaval, who Eros had never met before, and then...

Then it was like a dark cloud shrouded the room as the elder son of light walked in. He was a twisted abomination of a thing, and Eros had to restrain himself from reflexively making a ward against evil. Why was he here? He was a royal, true, but he'd eaten the tainted fruit of temptation and crossed over to the other side... it was baffling to him why the queen thought such a thing would be wise. And he was dripping blood everywhere from those weapons of his--were weapons even allowed in the shrine? The lord of love's face wore an uncharacteristic frown, but it wasn't he who spoke up, but rather Abraham's dutiful assistant.

Zacrae had been flitting about the room filling each royal's glass, but her piercing blue eyes narrowed as Locke strode in with his bloodied weapon.

"My Lord," she said softly, leaning over his shoulder to speak low into his ear. "This is a place of neutrality. I request that you please leave your weapons at the door." While she spoke in a tone like a delicate glass flower there was an edge of an order to her words, and a hint of a scolding growl. While it was unusual for an angel of her station to speak in such a manner to a royal, Zacrae had the age and respect for the Goddess to not see her temple sullied. And the poor acolytes who worked to clean the floors certainly deserved better than to clean blood of the mirror polished floor because of an arrogant lord...

She straightened her posture, nose crinkling from the scent of blood--demon blood--and she set about pouring a glass for Locke and his mother. With refreshments poured, Zacrae stood behind Abraham, hands clasped behind her back. If she felt unease at the blood of her kin being split, she didn't show it.

"Well if you insist, Lady Mileani," Eros said with a shrug.

"I propose that we consider peace talks with the demons." He leaned forward again in his chair, elbows propped on the table as he rested his chin on his hands. "This war has gone on long enough. It's cost us all friends, family, subjects--" A look of sorrow fell over his face. His own parents had been taken by the war, catapulting him to his status as King too early. "--on both sides." He made sure to stress the word.

"Why continue to fight a fruitless war when we could help each other prosper?" Eros leaned back in his chair, arms wide in a large shrug. "We're two sides of the same coin, after all."

As the remaining royals filed into the room, Abraham found himself growing more uneasy, and not only because the Lady of Light had brought her blood-soaked son to a formal meeting. Nobody actually liked to discuss matters such as these, least of all Abraham, and everyone was eager to get on with things. The war was something he had done everything he could to avoid whenever possible, even if it meant looking too weak or passive.

So, when Eros suggested peace talks, the Lord of Faith was pleasantly surprised.

"I agree with Lord Eros," chimed Abraham. "That this war is older than I am is harrowing. I doubt there are very many creatures who have ever known a world without the war."

He rubbed his temple as he spoke, trying to find his words. What more could he offer here? It was useless to ask for peace without a strategy or even an idea of how to begin. Would demons even be receptive of such talks? Angels and demons were, technically, two sides of the same coin, but that also meant they were opposites. Would they be willing to embrace the differences? Would angels? Abraham glanced at Locke. What kind of common ground did they have?

"We would need to frame discussions in a way that would most appeal to them, but I don't know much of the current demon monarchs. I do know many have thrived in war and welcomed it, but others still care more for the well-being of their people. People who would likely find more progress in peace, when resources aren't being prioritized for fighting." Abraham was mostly thinking aloud at this point, but they had to start somewhere. "The same is true of us. Would anyone disagree?"

There weren't any more who eventually showed to the meeting, the small angel of life had -as elegantly as possibly- re-positioned herself to sit upon her own legs in the chair; finding it much easier to make better eye contact with the other royals around. It was a calm presence, at least at that moment, until the air grew a bit heavy and uneasy around it. The faint smell of blood only grew stronger as the lady of Light and her son made their way in; a weapon just on him even if no one else had them upon their person.

Her bright eyes lingered on them for a moment, one small had came up to cover her mouth and nose lightly; then she turned herself to look upon those who spoke. This was surprising, in all honesty, that the firs two were so inclined on wanting to end the war. It was something she herself had wanted as well, especially after the deaths of the last Lord and Lady of Life.

The small angel took a deep breath in, ignoring any hostile feelings that still lingered a bit in the air. "I also agree with both Eros and Abraham," she soft voice echoed through the room, "it's been going on far beyond what any war should ever be. How many have lost loved ones in the war? How many of those were just innocent beings who had nothing to do with this?"

Calista's small hands gripped the table in front of her, her body gently leaned forward as eyes gazed around to the others in the room. "It need not just be us, but others who want their people safe," she added on, "but Abraham is right though, if we want to talk peace, we need to know how to appeal to the opposite. I hope that any who might no agree can possibly come see that this is best. Not just for us, not just for them, but for all creatures that inhabit the lands of our world."

The slender angel listened to the commotions as each of the royals continued with their idle chatter. That is, until a darkness he only felt when in the presence of demons took over the room. How could a demon of all creatures be at a place known for purity and tranquility? Sure, it was as if the sheep were calling the kettle black, but it wasn't as if the other lords could sense the demonic blood that mingled with the angelic. Before he could say a thing or either of his guards could move to attack, a more common face appeared, setting the small trio at ease; well as much as they could be considering their latest guest.

"Could you be anymore dramatic Mileani? What am I saying." He already knew the answer. Diaval rolled his eyes as he took to a chair with a glass of wine held casually in his hand, given by the other royal's attendant. She really had gone above and beyond. The royal took note to thank her later before departing for the evening. The wine slowly licked at the edge of his lips as the male took a sip, listening to the Love royal's proposal. He nearly spit out the very wine he was trying to enjoy. Try to end the war? Had they gone mad? Sure, an end to the war would make his life so much easier, considering he wouldn't have to hide half his life, but there were too many pieces in this game for it to go over smoothly.

The angel placed his glass down and stood up once more. "This isn't the first time something like this has been proposed and it certainly won't be the last," he started. "This war has been engrained into our blood whether we like it or not. Even if we all agree to end it, there is still the matter of the demons. Are we so sure they are willing to give up so easily as well?" Famine may be willing to give up but the other kingdoms... Given what each of them stood for, the answer was most likely no. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but we need to go over the logistics. If both angel and demon monarchs agree, we still need to convince the masses and that could take centuries in and of itself."

The war wasn't easy, but neither would be giving it up. Could both sides really stop? If so, will their governing territories be as willing as their monarchs are?

Mileani looked between the angel lords with shock as they began to talk of peace. Her hands tightened to fists, which quickly turned white as she squeezed them tighter. With each that spoke, her frustration grew larger, until Locke looked over at her in alarm. He was sensitive to the changes in his mother's mood, and noticed quickly how she was taking the discussion. She likely would have exploded at the others, had Diaval not spoken up. She took a deep breath to calm down, then rose to her feet.

"As much as we may want peace, the demons clearly do not. Even if their leaders do not desire war, which I have to doubt, the people are still aggressive. My son, Locke, has been patrolling the border for weeks and he has painted a rather worrying image. I had him come here today so you could hear it from him. Locke?" She turned to look at her son, who had gone back to lounging while she spoke.

Locke sighed slightly, not a big fan of this type of discussion, then rose to his feet. "Four attacks. In the last week alone, demons have struck across the Light Kingdom border four times. Each time in different places. They come in, attack the border patrols, then press deeper into our territory. Any civilians they find are attacked. The outpost towns raided. It is a good thing we are still in summer, because they take any food, weapons, or magical items they find. Shrines to Haliea are burned. Each raid retreated when reinforcements arrived, but our forces are stretched thinner than I'd like. They aren't just raiding, though. They are probing our defenses, looking for weaknesses. Ones I've seen have mentioned that Vaerath is with them. They are preparing to invade us."

His bit said, he sat down and grinned. The idea of a full invasion got his blood boiling. So many fun fights in his future...

Mileani nodded. "Exactly. Even if we wish to consider peace, we must be ready for war. For the last few years, we have had an Oracle while they did not. We tried to show restraint and kindness by not using this to our advantage. Now that the situation is reversed, the demons seem eager to punish our mercy." Her hands clenched again, this time in sheer fury. How dare they?