KotZ

Nice work scum team.

"Well I'm relieved we cleared up that confusion." Varen chuckles and takes a swig from his flask. "Alright so we tell them not to shoot, or Chiron." He looks at the map more closely. "May I suggest we try to hit the sick bay first? hopefuloly some survivors are there and can give us the rundown."

That just screams scum.

If we want a lynch so badly... Vote: Geoff (Kotz) No, I'm kidding. Unvote: Geoff (KotZ) I honestly think Joyce is the scum. Joyce is kind of poking and has been going head to head with Susan constantly. Arguing back and forth without too much there. Vote: Joyce (jimmynick)

Sorry, I was sleeping off dinner. It's got to be Joyce. There's no other way around it. I know we need a lynch today, but I'm not scum.

Varen quickly checks himself for injuries. Pleased to see none, he says, "I'm all good here. As Kirwin asked, will there be anything to worry about? Gas leak possibilities? Is there any codeword we can give survivors to let them know we are friendly and not some space pirates?"

I know that this is a fairly quiet game, but this post just screams scum trying to defend themselves for some reason to me.

I'm gonna agree with Susan on this one. She's been pretty active and not just popping in when somebody gets killed like Joyce stated. I still don't trust either of them. That being said... Vote: Joyce (jimmynick) We need a lynch.

So pretty quiet here.

Varen explores D5 and then moves to E5.

"I must agree with Beauchamp here." The duke's tone was firm. "We will try this man ourselves. Before any sentence is carried out, I do grant you permission to try him in your own courts, as this also involves you. Does this seem fair, gentlemen?" "I am pleased you all agree this territory disputed with the Lotii are rightfully Oleon's. Allowing us to expand our colony on the island certainly is ample incentive for us to work with you." The duke thought a moment. "Yes, we agree to allowing your forces temporary quarter on the island. I must be clear though, you may not force your forces into our subject's homes. We would prefer camps outside of settlements. Remember, we are working together on this, and the hegemony of Oleander culture must not be corrupted. I would hope you would ask the same of us, if the roles were reversed. And even more importantly, we ask that the WTC be not involved. in settlements of ours. I understand we are trying to bury the hatchet, but please understand there are still some hostile feelings between our nations. And we want this endeavor to go smoothly." "As for the harbor and allowing us to move our ships and troops around, that is agreeable with us." "Now gentlemen, if all these terms are agreeable, I say we need to pull out our maps and discuss our plan of action."

Because an early mislynch screws us over hard. Two Days is much worse. Three days and we're done for, especially with two town members having been killed. I didn't think there was much more to follow up on. I don't think Susan is scum truly. It's a possibility of course but I don't think she's scum. Ash I figured could be. Playstyle he can barely blip post count, but this is a very quiet game on his end.

Susan/Joyce scum team? Although Susan Sarandon does seem new. Vote: Ash (Tariq J) Inactivity doesn't mean he's scum, but it's unusual for him. Different playstyle?

It's cute! Nice work.

Maybe trying to alter the meta? Ash doing that? Ah gee, me?

OOC: Sorry this completely slipped my mind the past few days. "Yup, on it."

I didn't get anything as well.

Thanks! And yep!

Thanks all! The window is just a normal window on rocker parts.

Ah damn. Sad to see you go, Fred. This seems dangerous to me.

"Pleasure to meet all of you," the Duke of Vitoria replied, a genuine smile on his face. "In attendance from Oleon are myself, the holy Bishop François, Colonel Beauchamp, as well as my nephew Emile Perrault. The latter two I believe participated in various engagements in the recent, how shall we say, conflict. Let it be known we are willing to move past those engagements and start our relationship on a new foot. Yes, perhaps more dialogue would have worked better for everyone." "We were completely in the right..." Emile murmured to himself. Duke Perrault raised a hand to silence Emile. "Please forgive my nephew. The war was a sore spot for him. Emile..." "I apologize, gentlemen," Emile said after a moment. "My personal feelings should not affect our mission here." Robert flipped through his dossier again. "Yes, what your scouts have found is quite concerning. We've receieved word of similar things. The delegation from Oleon concurs that we cannot allow our settlements to be swallowed up by this hostile force." Duke Perrault rubbed his beard in thought. "We agree that something must be done, and swift military action could be an option. I do not wish to explain the interests we have on the island, be sure nothing unsavory or criminal. Say we pursued a joint mission and allowed you to land troops on El Oleanda, we would like to ensure your soldiers would not cause harm to the citizens or use it as an undercover spying mission to see our defenses. "I understand this would require a lot of trust and goodwill to be given between both sides quite quickly after the Terraversa affair. Then, a monk approached Lieutenant Saint-Clare and whispered something in his ear. He then passed the message on to the Bishop. François turned quickly, and said, got his answer, and nodded. The monk scurried off. "Gentlemen," he addressed the delegates, "I hope you will forgive an old man, but I grow weary. Might we take a break for an hour or so?" The Corlanders murmered between themselves, and Bishop François watched their reactions with a beady eye. Eventually a recess was agreed, and he left the table, dragging his colleagues with him. "Is everything alright, Father?" asked Colonel Beauchamp, surprised. "One of our people has been murdered," he said calmly, quietly; leading the way back to their quarters. "What!?" demanded the Duke of Vitoria. He realized the intensity of his voice and brought it back to a whisper. "How can this be?" Turning a corner they met the monk coming back towards them, a knife in his hands. The military men, putting two and two together, guarded themselves for a fight. The Bishop brushed past them. "This is the weapon?" he asked. His monk nodded. The Bishop turned to Saint-Clare. "Lieutenant, take this man's name, his shrewd thinking has given us control of this situation. Colonel, check and double-check your sentries. We have had an intruder." "Damnit, François, what is the meaning of this?!" begged the Duke. Bishop François turned and held the dagger out to him. "Our quartermaster has been slain, with this. It is a Lotii blade, I saw enough of them at the Battle of Fort Arltrees. We are meant to beleive that the Lotii are conspiring to compromise these talks, possibly by poisoning our foodstuffs." " 'Meant to'; you suspect it isn't the Lotii?" asked Beauchamp, returning from dispatching his NCO. "Of course not. If this attack was genuine, it was very clumsy. Lotii assassins are reputed to be some of the best in the world, and yet this one left a blade that indicated his country of origin, and utterly failed to kill anyone of importance? Come to your senses gentlemen." "Then who?" asked he Duke. "I could name a dozen plausible groups and nations who would want these talks to fail. The Eslandolans, The Sea Rats, The Atwi, yes. Then, of course, there are factions within Corrington and even Oleon herself who would not approve of a positive outcome." "We must warn Lord Spud's people," demanded the Colonel. "Nonsense!" cried the Bishop, catching Beauchamp's arm. "We should do no such thing, and see how they react." "I concur with the Bishop," Emile added. "They could be in danger." interjected the Duke. "We are obliged to warn them, or else suffer the consequences if he worst should befall one of theirs." "Robert," replied the Bishop, with pity, "They are in no danger. This was the work of one of their people." "What?!" demanded the Duke. "You'd better have substance for that accusation. I'll not have you hide behind your robes this time, Jules!" "We must accept that the ineptitude of the attack rules out the Lotii. Had they wanted to upset these talks, Lord Spud would likely be dead instead, and it would be Lieutenant Saint-Clare's blade that would be found in his back." The soldier looked suitably nervous at the fact he didn't have the sword at his side - these were peace talks, after all. "And yet, if we choose to bury our heads in the sand and ignore that evidence, then we must run to Corrington and beleive that our two nations, frequently at each other's throats, are best by a common enemy. That the best solution would be to reach the exact outcome that our friends across the table are hoping for." The Bishop made a noise. Was it a chuckle? A Scoff? Both? "If this is the Corlanders, as I suspect. I begrudgingly respect them for this." "This is absurd, Jules," replied the Duke. "I know Corrington's envoys. I have dined with them on occasion, and I will not believe that they are capable of such conspiracies!" "They should be warned," agreed Beauchamp, siding wih his superior. "Fine," conceded the Bishop. "But tell them that we found no weapon. See how quickly they produce some poor Lotii prisoner as proof." "I have an idea," Emile spoke up. "Give me an hour. Uncle, if you want this meeting to go well, give me an hour. That's all I ask." The military men shared an uneasy glance. "Who are you normally negotiating with, Father, that this is your first reaction?" begged Beauchamp, changing the subject. "Priests," replied the Bishop. "Now, if you don't mind, I really do think I need a rest. Continue the delegation." The other men shared a glance. Duke Robert then said, "Do what you need to." Duke Robert went to the Corlander delegation. "Fogrgive us gentlemen, but just thirty or so minutes more. We are all famished and the Bishop needs some rest." Forty minutes later the meeting reconvened. "Sorry for the delay," Robert said. "The Bishop is still feeling unwell." Now the rest of the Oleon delegation was just him and Beauchamp. "My nephew is... looking for something. As we were discussing... "The Crown of Corrington has no designs on permanent settlements on the island - on successful conclusion of hostilities against the Lotii, all Corlander military personnel will withdraw from the island, both from former Lotii territory, Carnite territory or Oleonese territory (should our negotiations here allow us entry to your territory on the island). The Crown of Corrington would recognise that El Oleonda would fall within an Oleonese 'sphere of influence' and would recognise the legitimacy of all Oleonese settlements on the island, both current and future. "You claim no designs for permanent settlements on El Oleonda when we complete this proposed victorious mission. And I would hope you would pull back forces after a such engagement where they do not belong, and I assure we would do the same if in your territories. The 'sphere of influence' seems preposterous. There is no "influence.' It is Oleon and her colonies and territories. I would say the same for any settlements you have elsewhere. That being said, I appreciate you and your Crown recognizing the legitimacy." At that moment, the doors to the room opened. Emile Perrault entered, practically dragging a quite angry looking, tied up soldier that came to the delegation. Emile proclaimed "I present to you, Hugo Mollet." Emile then went up to Lord Spud and produced a Lotii dagger. "This man, Hugo Mollet, is one of our men. Well, used to be." "How dare you work with these corries?" Mollet spat. "After Terraversa?" Emile ignored him. "He turned to the Lotii, or they found him. Eitherway, he was trying to kill you, Lord Spud. He himself killed our quartermaster a few hours ago in an attempt to keep our meeting break down. Perhaps he thought turning to the Lotii was an acceptable way to keep Oleon proud against you." Emile pushed Mollet to Lord Spud. "As an effort of goodwill, I turn him over to you. Do what you may." Duke Robert swallowed hard. "Well this is all news to us. So, it seems like the Lotii are trying to influence nations and cause us to break out into war so they can easily pick up the broken pieces. It seems that the only way to continue forward is for us to work together to crush the Lotii and show them the power of Oleon and Corrington. "As we continue with this, we are willing to grant your so called "sphere of influence" for the Corlander settlements. As you are asking for the ability to position your military on our lands, I can only ask in response we do the same, and possibly on ships as well. If we are to work jointly, then let us do so."

OOC: Full response to come shortly.

Duke Perrault sat in the bouncy carriage, quite content with the ride. His nephew, Emile, was not too keen on the ride. Not as smooth as the sea. Well aside from storms. "A rough bouncy start to our journey," The Duke of Vitoria said, "just means the rest of this endeavor should go smoothly." "Of course," Emile replied, not particularly believing his uncle. "Have some faith, nephew." Robert sat up in his seat proudly. "We have a job to do with important people, both of Oleon and the Corries. Also, let's try not to say 'Corries' in front of them. May come off impolite." "How did I get stuck back here?" a guard whispered to himself.

Let's spread the love! Free drinks at the cafe corner! Vote: Chez Albert (Zepher)

"I met this guy once. Totally drugged out of his mind. Was telling crazy stories about some massive battle for the end of the world. There was a dragon. Oh yeah I had to defend him in court. That was fun."