Romani Montclaire - City Ideals (4/13)

[02:25] Still ever pouting with an upturned nose. It was as if saying his cooking was ok was something that would take a while to forgive.

"It was amazing." He mumbles, almost puffing up his cheeks as he stretched the bottle across the table and re-sat on his own pillow. The alcohol was made with is signature variety of ingredients, all grown straight from his garden.

"Alchol is fine. I can not say I do not enjoy it sometimes. As long as you share with the group."

"But we could look for Ilsa. I am not sure where she might be right now.
(Romani cos Montclaire)
[02:29] Wow.

Had she hit a sore spot for him? Was cooking his biggest weakness? Marie noted it to be such, and would use it against him one day; likely for getting her way with something, or winning some kind of argument through frustrating him.

"She's probably asleep... We usually go to my room and go to bed around this time, so I'd imagine that's where she is.

I hope she's okay after her battles."

Marie would frown in worry and then take a sip from her bottle, deeply chugging from it before setting it back down with a sigh.
(Marie ras Petrakis)
[02:33] "You're probably right, Marie. Even so she needs the rest, especially after today." Both Ilsa and Siegfried went to the battle, fighting for whatever cause Alexander desired.

"She's alright, I think. I saw her walking around the city so... make of that as you will." His eyes shifted over towards Marie who was drinking again. His hand slowly reached into his coat to which he would pull out a flask, taking a swig of the contents.

"Bleeh - how do even people drink this stuff anyways?"
(Siegfried Lohengramm)
[02:36] Sore spots aplenty for this noble as he sat at the table and enjoyed his own cod. IT was raised, and be nibbled on it, swallowing and nodding.

"It is good..."

"She may be asleep. At this hour, I would expect it. There was something else we could discuss." Romani nodded. "That is, if you want Siegfried to know. He is not the best at secrets."

He slowly looked towards Siegfried. "I recall several 'neighs' outside of closed walls and mentions to kissing."

"But yes, Ilsa is more then likely fine. Also they drink it fast."
(Romani cos Montclaire)
[02:39] "Ah, yes... The village." Marie took another deep sip from the bottle, and it was set aside again. Looking between Romani, and then Siegfried, as she would nod. "I'm eventually going to be leaving, I think.. With a few people, maybe. A group of them.

I disagree with how the Kingdom has went about these wars, and the lie and deceit behind them - as such, I'll be traveling once funding it secured to claim my own piece of land on the continent, with or without their permission.

I want to create a better world that isn't full of all of this suffering and ill intent - so to do that, I'll have to start from the bottom up. I was wondering if you two would come with me.." Marie looked between them both, and gave an awkward smile.

"It's a long shot, and I'm no leader; but I believe there is something more out there.. Something better than this."
(Marie ras Petrakis)
[02:45] "I'm the one 'neighing' so don't worry about it." After all he was the person who was forced to be a horse.

As Marie spoke he remembered she said something similar before, about creating a village or a town away from Osrona. It was just in passing something - something he forgot about until now but, it peaked his interest.

"I guess I'd go, I still have my responsibilities as a knight... and I still have to accomplish my dream." Still, as a tiny village would they be protected, would that really put an end to suffering, or would they just be running away from it?

As he thought about those things he would offer Romani a nod, quickly taking another swig from his flask, this time a lot more quickly. His tongue stuck out in disgust.

"This is gross."
(Siegfried Lohengramm)
[02:49] Romani nods.

"I think we should think about how viable this plan is, first and foremost. To build something like that, the first thing we need to do is gather funding. A round figure? Sixty thousand coins. Second, we would need enough people to defend the village. Around ten skilled mages. Third, we'd either need approval of the crown, or we would need to battle and take the land from some nation."

"There is not a place on Esshar that is not under an already existing group's claim. Something like what we want to make happen will take time and planning. We can dislike how the Kingdom is being run. We can disagree with it."

"But we can't rush our own plans." Romani explained, letting out a small sigh. "But as to if I am willing to come? Yes. I am going to have one last talk with the Stellus, but I think I may be leaving the church and making my own. If your village will have it.."

He slowly glanced towards Siegfried as he spoke. "Siegfried's acceptance shows that previous point. We will want to be on a good foot with Orsona if we want knights able to go there without breaking their oath." He nodded, watching just how fast he drank.

"It must not be that well made. I would make you some but I don't have enough wheat." he paused.

"I will be right back."
(Romani cos Montclaire)
[02:52] {Item} You drop Sake x1.
[02:56] "I potentially have the funding secured. The Queen just recently asked Elizabeth for forty-thousand coin, which was accepted. She's willing to put up full funding, as long as we give her a bit of time to gather the coin." Marie tapped her nails on the table, and nodded as well - continuing on to the next point. "As well as that, people to defend it is an issue. Ilsa has accepted to become my personal retainer.

So far it'd be Me, yourself, Siegfried, Ilsa, Elizabeth, and her group which I assume consist of two to four people but I don't consider them muscle. Everyone else? Is relatively loyal to the crowd.

If all goes well, I can get Ophelia to come along, and maybe with her? Her brother - that'd be idealistic. I don't expect Kabal or Uhli to come along, for obvious reasons; and clearly my cousins wouldn't. I'm sure if you went? You could get Dianna to come along, and I'm willing to bet Uriwould as well.

Then we'd have a chance at Therian members. Biru would likely come along if I really asked, and that means we have Rinn on our side; which means Illburg is on our side - and as long as we're not Anti-Osrona or Myllenoris, we should fly under the radar." Marie had clearly put some thought into this, and would nod towards Romani.

"As well as this, I don't intend to do this for some time - I won't be leaving before I'm twenty-one assuredly."
(Marie ras Petrakis)
[03:01] There was a quick look of shock on his face. Forty Thousand Coin. It was an amount of money he could only dream of having, and yet it was given up just like that.

"I like the idea. A place where we can live away from everything, where we don't have to get involved in politics. A place where we can live our lives without worrying about others." It was a nice thought, but, he still had concerns.

"The Dragon Lord won't be friendly with us just because one person is there, and I still plan on being a knight. No matter what I won't give up that title." It was his dream, his goal. He spent years trying to achieve it and he wasn't going to throw it all away.

"Besides, Biru participated in the war, on Theria's side - that won't sit well with Osrona, they're going to demand that they be turned over." He'd state with a quite shake of his head.

"We're going to encounter trouble, we won't fly under the radar."
(Siegfried Lohengramm)
[03:05] Funding could be taken care of. That little bit was a relief at least. But even so, there were still other issues that dotted the noble's mind as he sat there.

"If I leave the church, and make my own branch, it will be within this city until either you make the village, or we get kicked out. I will see if there are people from that willing to follow us to the new location." Romani said with a simple nod, looking up from the table.

"Ophe coming along would be nice. I have not had a chance to really talk to her brother. But I could see about talking to a few other people that I know about too." He nodded.

"Not sure about Therian members. Again, we would either need an existing kingdom's permission to build, or to attack and take the land from one. That means that we will have enemies, right out the gate no matter what approach we have. We can try to keep fighting out, but a little bit will always be there." He said calmly.

A glance was made towards Siegfried. "And Siegfried makes a point, that side is likely to be Orsona more then Theria or anything else. There will be people willing to give up titles. I know that I still want to be a Montclaire if we do this."

"No matter what, there will be problems, and trouble facing whatever we build."
(Romani cos Montclaire)
[03:12] "A church would be lovely, Romani - I can't say I'm terribly religious in the way that most are, but I find religion to be a warm comfort that's appreciated at any time of day." Smiling, she'd look the way of him - nodding. Certainly not a religious zealot like some, she was known to believe in Kraus and the like, even if she made crude jokes; like calling Romani by the name of Azreal.

"It's unfortunate that we will have enemies, but there is no other way - hopefully some form of mitigating disasters that may be caused by that can happen, but I don't intend on being a purely passive bunch either. I recognize the need for war, and why it happens like any other." Marie frowned, lips thin at that, but she would nod; eyes closing, as a sigh escaped her.

Fingers continuing to drum on the table.

"I hope to deal with Osrona as little as possible when this happens, at least until Serea makes her exit -I love Alexander more than anything, but he is not King and you will not convince me of that. We all know who pulls the strings... Asta has more influence in this kingdom than he does, and his mother much more than that." A disappointing truth spoken, she'd then look between Romani and Siegfried.

"As well as this, if you don't mention it to anyone else; keep my name and title out of it. One could consider this treason if it was spoken the wrong way; when it's not. Word passes from the pigeon, to the raven who misheard it, and then to the crow; and by then it's so bastardized I sound like Eros Petaris incarnate."

Then she'd smile, and look to the way of Romani.

"My intention was originally to head down towards that purple forest. They say occultism teems there, so it's out of the reach of both the Desert and Myllenoris. If it's some how purified, at least in where we intend to build, do you think that it would be far enough out?

There's also the swamp land to the east, closer to Osrona, but that sandwhiches us between them and Theria."
(Marie ras Petrakis)
[03:22] "I would like the church as well." He'd state with a nod. "It's something I need, everyone needs it." He needed it at least. The more he lived the more he saw life's tragedies, and religion was what kept him sane, the fact something up above was protecting him.

"I understand what your saying, completely, but - I don't know. I want to not worry about Theria, about war, about everything - but that won't happen. I don't think any settlement will ever achieve that, not this one, not another one."

"People are just greedy, it doesn't matter how noble our intentions are, what we want, people are going to see us and they're going to want to attack. This war with Theria and Illburg makes that clear." He'd state, shaking his head.

"And even if we do make this happen - I don't think living in a swamp or a forest tainted by occultism, even if we purify it would be the most pleasant experience."
(Siegfried Lohengramm)
[03:28] Romani nods.

"I see that there could be good, and evil done because of religion. It can be something that people hold hope in. But it can also be something used to wage false holy war. I want to build a church that I believe in. A church I trust in. A church that can rehabiliate people and bring them back to society if they fall too far." Romani explained, smiling a small amount.

"Like what happened to Kofe. Like I wanted to happen to Tea." There was a small pain in his voice, shaking his head.

"There is no escaping enemies. A good person should not just freeze and ignore evil. But we may be able to work things out more as a fringe group instead of a big one. And while I understand you don't want to work with Serea's Orsona, we can still work with Alexander. He is King, so if he signs something, she has to respect it."

"It is just getting what we need to him and not Serea." He said calmly with a nod. "And of course. What we speak about stays between these walls."

"But we are not building in an occultic forest, that is just inviting evil." He rolled his eyes at the idea.

A glance towards Siegfried. "I still think that the swamp is better then the occult tainted forest by far. And if that is the only option," He shrugged.

"I could deal. Could you? But yes, we will have to deal with people who are greedy and will want to take from us, no matter where we go."
(Romani cos Montclaire)
[03:33] Marie paused at Romani's words, and then smiled.

"I want that too - Asta's lies, and Serea's fanning of the flames, have left me feeling less than confident in our Church or its inhabitants. I can't even look the Stellus in the eye anymore. A church that believes in people, sounds wonderful..." The Princess chuckled, her faith shaken more times recently than ever before; and it wasn't the faiths fault. It was the people in charge.

Looking over to them both though, Seigfried /and/ Romani both seemed to hate her idea! She would then point and then glare between them both. "Well that's why I said Purify it! I-It could be the first job of your new church! And since it's going unused, none of the factions can contest our claim to it /especially/ after we clean it up! It's the perfect plan!" Those of little faith. Though shaking her head, she'd sigh to Romani.

"He believes in his motherswords, and her promises. When I spoke to him about our concerns over the Holy War, he quickly made it clear that my own suspicions were true. It /was/ just a land grab even to him.

I'd love to work with Alexander, but that does mean working with Serea's Osrona." Then she'd sigh - realizing she wasn't going to purify her forest and turn it into a cute place so easily. "I'll... get a map tomorrow and circle some places out, for building. Give you my opinions on it.

Anything else we need to go over?"
(Marie ras Petrakis)
[03:41] "The church should always believe in it's people. As should the people." He'd state with a nod before taking a moment to pause. "Without the church I would've starved in the slums. Without them, I wouldn't be alive today. I would be dead, forgotten, nobody would know who I was." It was an eerie fact he brought up, as it weighed on him.

"Purifying an entire forest, we'd need something, like a Chiron Shard, but, I don't think I have to state how rare they are..." His gaze shifted over towards the two, not expecting a response but, simply laying the facts down. "I mean, look at Myllenoris, that place was once the home of the Elysium Coven, and it still isn't purified." Each time he had been there chills ran down his spine, as if something was lingering about still. "Especially the place they call 'The Vale', I don't want to go near it."

"But in all honesty - ifAlexander doesn't like what is mother is doing, you should tell him to assert his authority as the king." He'd state bluntly, influenced by the alcohol in his system. "She has to listen to him, to not follow an order from him would be a crime." Because that's how things worked, right?

"Either way... I guess scouting out for a potential location isn't a bad idea, just incase."
(Siegfried Lohengramm)
[03:45] Romani nods.

"I do not know how much Asta lies. I know she still presses it is a holy war. But still, her lies are still better to me then a man literally demanding blood." He admitted, shaking his head all the while then letting out a sigh.

"Even purified. It is a bad idea. We will have people call us witches and be disowned by Orsona by the time a day is through, then we have armies marching on us." He threw up his arms. "Absolutely /not/." He shook his head again.

"He believes Serea, yes. But it is his kingdom. If we put it in /his/ hands, it will be fine. you do not let it into the wrong hands. And sure. Send me the map and I will get to work looking on it." He let out a small sigh.

"A church should help people. We are not here to just serve the crown. We are suppose to help the people, like you Siegfried." He nodded in agreement, drawing curiosity as a Chiron shard was brought up. He puffed up his cheeks a little.

"Maybe if we had that. And yes, we need to encourage the king, not abandon him to his mother. We need to put the power in his hands, not ignore him and take it away."
(Romani cos Montclaire)
[03:51] "What - Why would they think we're Witches for getting /rid/ of the Occult! Plus you're a holy man anyways!" Marie huffed and pouted, crossing her arms; glaring between them both before groaning and rolling her eyes. "Fine, fine - no Occult forest. Babies.

I'll work on getting a map and checking out some area's - we just need to make sure we're as out of the way as possible, to avoid unnecessary attention. Again, this isn't a /now/ thing, but a future thing. We still have a lot of work today... Our first - let's get a Chiron Shard." Marie's eyes seemed to gleam.

Was she still on that forest thing?

"I want to build a wonder for Romani's new Church - there are rumors of some Holy Magi going far beyond their usual limits, into an entirely new form of magic; one that can bring people back to life, without the use of Necromancy or Dark Magics. These are just rumors, but I say we stir up some competition; a technology race between two Churches only benefits the Kingdom as a whole.

Romani? Look into finding information about one, and set up an expedition for it." Marie rose from the table now, stretching and groaning as she'd twist and pop her back; eventually yawning as she looked between them.

"Anything more we need to talk about, or dismissed? Putting the power in Alexander's hands would be difficult; we need to break up the three leader positions to do that, and that means a new leader. Either Siegfried becomes a Lightbringer, or you become a Stellus Romani - then we can keep the bargaining board strong for our intentions rather than it always being an agreeance between the three as it is now.

We can talk more on this tomorrow yes? I think I'll retire to my room, for now."
(Marie ras Petrakis)
[04:02] There was a quick nod from Siegfried. Still, a Chiron Shard.... he brought it up as a joke, a far out possibility but, maybe it could happen. "It'd be nice if we got one but, we'd probably die trying to. Where do you even look to get one? Aren't they fragments of Stars or something?"

It was just a far out possibility. Something grandiose that would probably never be achieved, but, hope is something everyone relies upon right?

"I've heard of that magic, apparently it's called White Magic. Exarch Altin learned it but, I'm not sure to what extent. Still, if you can revive people, that's against human nature... it's probably a consequence to doing it."

The act of revival, taking one's soul, putting back into someone's body. That is Divine Magic, it's the only magic that can touch souls, despite the fact they joke about Romani being Azrael... everyone who attempts such a magic, dies...

"I don't have anything to add. I plan on becoming a Lightbringer of course, that's always been my dream." He'd state his gaze shifting towards Romani.

"That's all I have say tonight really."
(Siegfried Lohengramm)
[04:07] "We do not know if we can make it stay gone." Romani pointed out with a sigh and a pinch of his brow.

"Right. Map first. Check out the areas, see what works, get a Chiron shar-" He paused at that. The explanation was given to him, but going after the shard himself? Something to bring back the dead? The ideas that he was given. There sounded to be a lot of stress coming for his shoulders.

"I will need to form a group for that. But it is not impossible." Romani crossed his arms over his chest as he admitted it with a nod.

"I will see about it. And it is not that difficult. We just need to get to him. To talk to him." He sighed, glancing to Siegfried.

"We can find one if we listen to rumors. And I have not heard of white magic before. Might be worth a looking into." He shrugged. "Ask them about it. If you can." His arms crossed over his chest.

"And that is all for me. I will let you two get some rest. Tomrrow, I have to go and voice my grievances with the Stellus. To the Stellus. It will be a long day."

He sighed.
(Romani cos Montclaire)