Greybrook Family/Ferdinand/Rising to the Challenge

This RP between Ferdinand and Rania Easterland JeVondair is the climax of tensions between the two members of the High Council resolving their differences.

Roleplay from Vahanian Blint

Vahanian stood in the solarium with Rania, she sat on a couch, her feet curled up beneath her and a heavy leather-bound tome in her lap. Her hair was pulled away from her face and she was looking up at Vahanian in that infuriating way that let him know he was being unreasonable. Vahanian leaned against the wall, fidgeting with his pipe, he huffed and pulled out his tobacco pouch, stuffed some leaves in his pipe and lit it. He puffed away for a moment, to give himself time to breathe and time to think. He'd spent the better part of the morning trying to convince Rania to let him sit in on her conversation with Ferdinand, as a silent observer. She was adamant to not let that happen. He looked back at her, this woman he'd dedicated his life to. He stared at her in a way, he suspected, no one else had in a long time. He saw the woman behind the Oracle. She looked frail, she was thinner than he remembered and her eyes held a certain sorrow in them. He realized, quicker than he would have liked, that the sorrow was for him. She knew what she was asking, and she knew that it carried a heavy burden on Vahanian. She hated asking him, he'd given so much to her already. And yet she asked anyway. He sighed and spoke quietly. "You came to me, asked me to work with the boy. I orchestrated this whole thing." Vahanian said gesturing around him "I've earned the right to hear what is said in this meeting, especially after the last encounter we all had in this very room." Vahanian knew Rania could see his frustration, his anger. Her eyes flicked down to the sword on his hip, it was so fast he almost missed it. He read into that eye movement, and it hurt him. She read that on him to, her face was stone. He had no idea if his intuition was right, but his first reaction was that of profound hurt, he was hurt that she would think, or even consider that he would ever draw his blade in anything but her defense. Rania looked as though she was about to speak but Vahanian nodded. He knew it was futile to argue. "Not sure who gets it from who... You from the little one, or her from you...." He grumbled. He started to walk past and Rania stood, and reached out and grabbed his arm. She looked up at him and said "Vahanian..." He smiled at her and patted her hand "I know..... I know..." He reached up, and gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, smiled and said "Don't ruin him all at once, I still need the lad.." She chuckled softly at that. Vahanian dropped his hand from her face and left the room. In the hall Rania could clearly hear Vahanian get stopped as he tried to pass to the private quarters of Rania and her daughter, no doubt to visit with Stheno. Vahanian berated the paladins "Get out of the damn way, I hired you in the first place! I just came from a meeting with the ORACLE. If I wanted to do her harm, don't you think I'd have killed her when we were ALONE!?!?!" Vahanian paused and then shouted at the Paladin "DRAW THAT STEEL, AND I SWEAR TO THE GODDESS IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU DO!" Rania couldn't help but chuckle to herself and equally feel bad for the Paladin that Vahanian was taking his frustration out on. A few noiseless moments went by and she assumed that Vahanian had been let through..

Vahanian Blint

Roleplay from Vahanian Blint

After his meeting with the Oracle, Vahanian stormed through the private quarters of the Basilica. He was muttering to himself and resisting the urge to throw vases and smash mirrors. He threw open the door to his small room and slammed it shut. He nearly collapsed into an overstuffed arm chair. There was a soft knock at the door, and just as he was about to yell at the intruder, a small familiar head poked into his room. "Uncle...?" she asked, a bit timid. "Are you alright?" Vahanian exhaled his anger dying in his throat. "Little one.." He said. She entered the room and he saw she was wearing her riding leathers, a blade on her hip, and her hair pulled into a tight braid. He stood and walked over to her, she looked every inch the dangerous woman he'd trained her to be, and yet he couldn't help but still see the small child he'd nearly raised. He pulled her into a hug, her head came to about his sternum. He kissed the top of her head gently and said "Yes, I'm fine. Just frustrated with your mother." Stheno pulled back from him and looked up, defiance shinning in her eye and she said "What's she done now?" A twang of anger was clear in her voice. Vahanian couldn't help but love her for that. He smiled at her and said "What's best for me, even though I disagree." Stheno didn't seem satisfied. Vahanian lit his pipe as he looked at his young charge. "Listen to me, I know you don't and won't always agree with your mother, you may even hate the choices she makes, or the reasons behind them. But you must promise me, you should always respect her, always love her. Even when you don't want to. You only get one mother in this world, don't squander her." Stheno nodded, her face still angered - as a teenager's would be - but her mind resolute. Vahanian sat back in his chair and said "Go, little one, warmup on the training grounds with Baldwin, I need time to think, and then I need to kick your butt!" He said with a grin. She grinned back at him and turned to go. Vahanian looked out the window. Stheno rushed over to him and whispered in his ear. "What you said about Mother's... the same is true for father's." She kissed his cheek and squeezed his shoulder. An act that meant more to Vahanian than words could express. He smiled at her and as she left, and the door closed, a single tear leaked from his eye and streaked down his cheek.

Vahanian Blint

Roleplay from Ferdinand Greybrook

As Ferdinand walked up the winding staircase, Ferdinand was stared at by the inhabitants of the grand building. Perhaps they had heard or knew the commotion from his previous arrival in the Solarium - it was not a well kept secret. However, rumors of the event were perhaps not as accurate. Nevertheless, the journey up the staircase grew easier upon each journey. To Ferdinand, the only difference on this occasion was the stares of the Paladin guards, whom were on guard of the Grand Templar. As Ferdinand ascended the final stairs to his meeting, he heard the quiet mutter of the Paladins talking among themselves. Unable to hear their comments, by the time Ferdinand had turned the corner, they were silent as if they were statues. Walking towards the two guards, they let the Grand Templar through into the room beyond. Entering the Solarium, the room had a essence or feeling to it that would make any man or woman to marvel. On a clear day, you can see the land, sky and sea for miles while on a clear night, the celestial bodies above come bright and alive. Past the bronze furnishings and the sofa was the balcony which looked over Rines, Ferdinand saw the figure of the Oracle: "My Oracle, I am reporting in. The city of Jidington is currently being taken..." His report seemed to fall on false ears. The elder woman made no efforts to acknowledge his arrival, showing only her back to the Grand Templar. Ferdinand took a second to digest this. While not coming across as standoffish, the Grand Templar realised whom he was speaking with and where he was. With the silence beckoning him to come to the balcony, Ferdinand began to walk across the room. His mind was cast back to the time when the Violet Storm erupted across the city and he had first met the Oracle in the Solarium, unconscious. Once the ensemble arrived, the sight of the priestess rising off the ground and bursting into magic was awe inspiring. He paused momentarily at the doors of the balcony, sizing up the situation. Perhaps there was a precise point that she wished to make even before there was a conversation or discussion. Taking the steps forward, Ferdinand was basked by the view that was presented to him. The city of Rines. Each monument, building and temple across the city was visible and in the distance, the city of Athol Margos was seen. Walking up to the railing, Ferdinand looked to the newest addition to the city - the tournament grounds. It had been built in preparation for the Oracle's birthday celebrations, delayed perhaps by armies currently in a full swing of a deployment. It was disappointing that he would be barred from proceedings. Taking a look at the Oracle, her face portrayed little but almost everything. While he was not a expert in understanding human expression, there was a pride almost in her smile but also a concern in her eye. There was something else to tell, yet Ferdinand felt the weight of his cloak pocket. Taking the opportunity as it came, Ferdinand reached into his cloak pocket and took out a small wooden box. Not a lavish box at all but practical for purpose, Ferdinand held out the box for the Grand Herald to receive: "My Oracle, please taken this brooch as part of your birthday celebrations. While not made in this era, perhaps two, I found the purple gem rather suiting. Subtle but with a aura of grace. I found a suitable jeweler if you wish to bring the gold to a shine. However, I believe it possesses greater properties this way and brings the best out of the gem." Ferdinand was concerned about the reception of this gift. While soldiers are easily appeased by ale on their day of birth, living a long life on this continent must be celebrated by gifts of equal importance. Yet, it would be easy to tell that he was not used to such situations. After all, he was a soldier first, not a diplomat or even a social character. Faith and work always came before. Ferdinand awaited the conversation to come, for he knew the gravity. the nature and the verdict of this meeting. Only now, the Oracle's face turned...

Ferdinand Greybrook

Roleplay from Rania Easterland JeVondair

...slightly over her shoulder as she gave Ferdinand a sidelong glance and an delicately-arched eyebrow at the Grey Knight. Ferdinand correctly took that as his cue to approach, and so he joined her at the railing. "Thank you for coming, Grand Templar," She said rather formally, and as if he'd had much choice. "And thank you for the gift." She plucked it from his grasp, her movement measured and slow. It was not a careless movement, quite the opposite. The Oracle held it with the same carefulness that Ferdinand had, but she did not inspect it further. Indeed, she did not even look at it. Her eyes were on him. Rania's 60 years had not been as kind to her as it might have been to other noblewomen of her rank and stature. Violence, privation, and the full range of human emotions had each left their marks upon her. Her chocolate-brown hair was streaked with silver, despite the full luster of constant attentiveness. Crows feet adorned the corners of her almondine eyes, and he could not tell if the subdued wrinkles near her lips were fro smiles or frowns. He couldn't recall the Oracle doing much of either, leastways not in his presence. It occured to Ferdinand, then, that the Oracle did her best to hide these flaws from view. Then again, he knew, very few people ever saw the Oracle at all, much less up close and far less one on one. Still, why anyone with as much power as she possessed might worry about her appearance, or at least the perception of her appearance, would be food for thought. Later, at any rate. She placed the small wooden box on the edge of the balcony's stonework railing between them, balanced precariously close to the edge where a passing headwin, or particularly determined gull, might snatch it away. Rania did not seemed concerned with his fate, and her eyes bored into his. Behind them, he could see her mind working. The same mind that had spoken to a god, challenged daimons, and brought everything around him into being was now focused entirely upon a single matter: Ferdinand. And he had little choice but to endure the intensity of her regard as she thought. His observations were on the mark, because Rania was indeed deliberating how she wanted to begin. She put forward and rejected a dozen different ways. below them, the Tournament grounds arrayed beyond the city walls below the Basilica was coming nicely. it was very large, with lists for jousting and a few arenas. there was the sandpit familiar the world over, and then there was something else, a design the Oracle herself had insisted upon. Like the pit, it was arranged in a circle of sand, which itself was surrounded by the tiers wherein onlookers might sit and cheer, but that is where the similarity ended. Instead of open ground, Rania had ordered the construction of several..arrangements. Great wooden beams that might serve as the masts of ships had been rooted into the sand, and a series of obstacles built among them. Here, fighters would expected to dance around, using their environment to engage their foes, leaping from ledges and balancing on narrow bars and platforms scattered about at varying levels of height as though they were the broken toys of some errant giant who had crumpled and tossed them about with random abandon. That this, too, had sprung from the woman before him bore some thinking upon as well, as it was yet another example that the Oracle's personally history, and the labyrinthine way in which she thought, was still something of a mystery to Ferdinand. Meanwhile, the Oracle seemed to decide on her tact. She broke eye contact with him and turned back to rest her elbows on the railing, relaxing her muscles and leaning her full weight against the balustrade. Before Ferdinand could wonder at what he should do, the Oracle schooched slightly to the side, a clear invitation for him to join her. Without looking to see if he would, she spoke, and her words drifted upon the wind. "I could ask you," she began, and Ferdinand noted that she had not chosen the Royal "we" this time, "How the enlightenment of Jidington is going. I could ask whether the siege engines I've had built for you pass roster. I could ask your thoughts on the younger knights or who the next duke could be." She sighed, and the whine of the wind stole the smothered the sound of it. "What brings you before me today, Grand Templar?" And it would have been clear to any onlooker, had there been any, that she was not talking about her birthday.

Rania Easterland JeVondair

Roleplay from Ferdinand Greybrook

The delicate balance of the box on the stone nerved Ferdinand but he knew he was in the game now - that was not part of the greater scheme. The Oracle's eyes bored into him and as close as they were, it felt like they were analysing even the smallest eye dilation. Ferdinand could tell the struggles that her eyes portrayed. Her eyes were strong with experience and scarred by the same. For a few moments, their eyes were interlocked - almost like a crushing wave that weighed his body down. Once she was satisfied, she broke the contact and relaxed. Whatever she was looking for, it seemed she had her answer. Moving to the side, inviting Ferdinand to lean on the stone, the Grand Templar dared to oblige. This was part of the propose of this meeting after all. Her comments rang true. Each point Ferdinand had a opinion or a answer for. A construction, a knight, a city, a duchy. It is likely that the Oracle already knew these answers. It was clear that there was a point to be made and Ferdinand heard it loud and clear. The drop of the royal we made it clear from the outset: "My Oracle, I am here to reiterate my apologies of my trespasses against you over the last few weeks. My opinion has surpassed what is expected of me and stepped over my lines of authority. My duty is to lead the military of Obeah. While I can provide advice, it is your ultimate judgement as our Oracle that guides us to fulfil Obeah's vision." Taking a pause, Ferdinand looked to the Oracle directly: "I am also here to to look for your guidance and repay the trust you have placed in me. As you suggested on your invitation, you believe that I can serve Obeah and the Holy See more effectively by perhaps attempting to understand the messages and vision of Obeah from you personally. Therefore, perhaps I will gain a greater scope which will inform my understanding and achieve our mutual goals. I wish to serve Obeah to my greatest extend and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve this." Ferdinand hoped that the Oracle understood the seriousness of his resolve and unbreakable commitment to their faith and vision. There was a tension that was softly carried on the wind. Perhaps only Ferdinand could feel it but he continued to expect this conversation would travel far beyond its original scope. No action was without consequence.

Ferdinand Greybrook

Roleplay from Rania Easterland JeVondair

An eternity, or perhaps just a week, seemed to pass in the interminable moment as the Oracle carefully considered her Grand Templar, and vice versa she knew. It was true that she had not really cared about his answers to her opening questions. There was very little in the Sacred Realm that was beneath her notice. Rather, she’d wanted to observe how he would answer. Would he bluster? Would he pontificate or use the opportunity to belabor one of her positions as he so often had in the councils and quorums that governed the realm? No. Ferdinand just stood there, back straight at parade rest and waiting patiently for her thought process to finish, come what may. Solid and as unperturbed as she, despite the underlying anxiety she knew had to be here. Her shoulders relaxed every so slightly as she made her decision. “Walk with me, Templar.” She commanded and turned away to walk the balcony with her hands folded behind her back. After a moment Ferdinand fell in step behind her. The morning had turned bright and busy. Huge fluffly clouds raced across azure skies and sapphire seas, shading the bustling port and city of Rines as the capital roused. Sunlight beat off the resplendent white walls and towers that guarded the city and templars, He knew, roamed the city’s lower reaches, burning and barring undead that roused occasional from the endless catacombs beneath the capital. “I was wroth with you, Ferdinand. And I wanted you here before me so that I could see the apology in your eyes, to know that it was genuine. Now…” she paused for a moment, and he behind her, as she looked over her shoulder to regard him. “And now I think, perhaps, that I was mistaken.” The Oracle resumed her pace. They came full circle, passing the gift Ferdinand had brought, still perched precariously on the ledge. Rania neither sped nor slowed her stately pace as they passed it. “When I was your age, Grand Templar, I was given three precious gifts. The first was my life. The second was that of my daughters. The third was that of this realm. And Ferdinand,” she paused again to regard him inflecting his name with some emotion, “There was no one in all the world more burden, more alone, then I was. In Keffa, I was set on my own against a world of daimons, hostile faiths and army’s greedy men. I was Grandmisstress, Grand Templar, Grand Chancellor, And Grand Inquisitor, marshal and Vice Marshal, Duchess and Margravine, Priestess and Ambassador, all at once. Then the Veiled Goddess, upon learning that I am merely mortal, answered my prayers and sent me a fourth gift in the form of Vahanian Blint. Oh,” she waved her hand as if to dismiss an unasked question, “not simply the man himself, but what he came to be. He was my Will made manifest. My sword, my shield, my very own right hand. And he did this because he saw my vision, inundated himself in it, and made it his mission. His mission.” She stressed again. “And because he did, he knew my mind, and I cannot tell you the relief it was to no longer be struggling toward these impossible goals on my own.” Again, they rounded the gift. He hadn’t moved. The Oracle continued, circling her Solarium as they clouds rolled in and out above them, seemingly just out of reach. Wind tore futile at her tightly bound coil of braid as she carried on. “But then, his role had to change. It was not an unexpected change, him stepping down as Grand Templar and becoming a Duke. Him. Grehk. That had always been a part of my plan. What I had not accounted for, Ferdinand, was you.” She rounded on him then, stately as ever, like a twisting of silk. Ferdinand noticed she was in the same spot she had been when he’d arrived, and his gift remained close at hand. “Vahanian is, and always has been, his own man. He did things his own way, but he always worked toward the goals I shared with him, and so our relationship as powers of this realm was frictionless.” Her eyes darkened at that, and Ferdinand knew why. “It’s not that you weren’t my first choice. Truth told, I knew Antonia would never be the general I wanted. The matter was I did not know you. But because Vahanian spoke for you, I expected the impossible of you: I expected you to fill his boots and walk them just as he had. But you didn’t. You couldn’t. And the reason for that is because you did not know me. How could you have? You are very young yet, you have never been to Keffa. You were not here for the Great Pilgrimage that brought me here, nor part of the struggles and wars we fought against claw, tooth, root and vine to impose Obeah’s will on the peninsula. And this is not your fault, the fault is mine for expecting you to know my mind despite all of these things, even though you didn’t have all the pieces that we did, see all the strands of possibility we could.” “I have brought you here,” she went on, her almondine eyes flashing with sunlight as they bored into his depths, “Is to rectify the rift that misunderstanding has caused, to bring you into my confidences as I did your predecessor before you, so that you may know my heart and be my Will as he was, and with it, command of my Farseers, not to mention my ongoing support. If that can happen, I will rest easy once again. If it cannot- “she rested a hand against his gift and tapped repeatedly it with her slender forefinger and only a fool would miss her meaning, which Ferdinand resolutely was and did not. “-then I will resolve the matter to my satisfaction via other, more laborious means.” It was not a threat, not really, Ferdinand knew. Hers was the sort of power that didn’t need to make threats. No, he reasoned. His gift, he realized now, had been co-opted by the Oracle as a symbol representing the relationship between the two of them. And, as with any gift, she would not accept something that did not fit. “Vahanian the Man may have been my vassal and servant, but Vahanian the Grand Templar was my team mate and partner. I may have been the Will that moved his Arm, and we were not always of one mind, but we were always unified in striving towards the goals the Veiled Goddess set down for me to accomplish. But before you can be made privy to these things, before I can allow you to know as we know and see as we see, you would first have to commit yourself to that Will, to trust that when I speak in the name of the Veiled Goddess, that I am speaking for Her and that her Will is made manifest through me. I am failable, yes, as all mortals are. Vahanian had his own mind and council, as I expect you to as well. I do not expect you to agree with me in all things, but to gain my full trust, to be part of the tiny circle I keep around myself, I must demand that recognize that the imperatives I bring before you are to be executed. Question me, caution, me, convince me, protect me, but never challenge me. Not in public where the knights of the realm might perceive their leaders as less than unified. Do you understand, Ferdinand? I neither desire nor require blind, servile obedience. You are not a peasant nor a dog, and I have less need of either. You have a keen mind and a powerful will of your own, I have seen it. THAT is something I can use; something that will benefit the entirety of the realm and faith if properly directed. THAT is the potential I see, and that, in the end, is why you are here now before me.” She picked up the box, rescuing it from the ledge and folding it safely in her hands before her, but not opening it. “My question to you, Ferdinand of the Sacred Realm, is are you prepared to rise to the challenge? Can you bear the responsibility of joining my closest advisors and keeping my council, and join them in helping me enact the Will of the Veiled Goddess from the top down, and keep close my deepest secrets? Or is the apology you came with worth only as much as this?” She held his gift up on the flat of her palm and raised an eyebrow.

Rania Easterland JeVondair

Roleplay from Ferdinand Greybrook

Ferdinand understood the messages that were delicately laced throughout the Oracle’s speech. The Grand Templar knew the landscape as it was and how he had caused the rift that was between the two. He knew the honesty and wisdom in the Oracle’s words – his mentor had fought to earn his position in the Grand Council and he was given the benefit of the doubt on that basis. While he could lead the armies of Obeah through the Enlightenment, defend against the rogues that plague the theocracy and claim anew land whom had forgotten civilization, somewhere along the way, the mission was blurred. The Enlightenment was the cause of Obeah. It wasn’t the conquest for the sake of prestige like in the histories of other continents. This was the vision of the Oracle and in turn, Obeah. For Ferdinand, the misunderstanding and rift began as soon as he disassociated Obeah’s will and the Oracle’s. They are one and the same. There was an earning within Ferdinand to earn the respect of the woman infront of him. He could conquer territory or defend the Theocracy’s lands but without the will or vision, where was he? Another general. While he was confident in his abilities, the idea of being compared to his predecessor and teacher was a far stretch. He has not gone through the pain of the Great Pilgrimage, the conquest of the Athol Margos peninsula nor the last daimon invasion. The stories and insight of his mentor’s darkest days only prove to him that he had much more to learn. As the sky above them continued to forecast a glorious day and the noises of the city silent in comparison, Ferdinand looked into the eyes of the Oracle. What did she see before her? Did she see zealous arrogance or a man of undoubted faith? Could he be trusted? Could he rise to the challenge? As ever, the Oracle did not portray more than she wished to expose. Ferdinand could see something there. He had never experienced visions nor the like from Obeah or hold the sheer breadth of a lifetime's wisdom. Yet, in her eyes or a glimmer of light maybe, he saw what he needed to. While perhaps dramatic, Ferdinand took his sword from his holster, raised it infront of him like the oaths of loyalty of old and went down on one knee and proclaimed: “My Oracle, I swear to you that I commit to the Will that you speak is the Will manifest of Obeah. Through my oaths and faith, I shall execute the imperatives that are brought to me as you see fit and rectify the wrongs between us. I shall follow you not blindly but through my faith and mind alike. I will rise to the challenge and the responsibility of keeping your council with the secrets that they hold. While I shall not be the gift of my mentor unto you, I will endeavour for you to use my sword, shield and mind in compliment to your own and ever pursue the Will’s goals.”

Ferdinand Greybrook