| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Taylin rode through the northern gate of Akanos at the head of a column of foot soldiers. When all the men were in the parade grounds she turned to the captain and gave him instruction for seeing to the men.
"Get the men into the barracks here near the gate. Don't let them get too drunk tonight. We leave for Pesol in the morning. We have a long way to go to catch up with the army."
The captain nodded and began yelling orders to the soldiers. Taylin left the task to his competent direction. She gathered her two personal guards to her side and kicked her horse into a trot. They headed down the road toward the ducal palace. |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
| Roleplay from Hamilton Vita |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Duke Hamilton was holding a just court when an aide whispered in his ear. Raising his hand to stop anyone from speaking, "This court must be continued at another time. The remainder of this case will be resolved by the council of judicial officers." He could sense the morale drop a wee bit, but he knew it would only continue to rise.
Walking swiftly to his foyer, he spotted Dame Taylin patiently waiting while he was upon on the upper level. He could tell his servants had done their duty in welcoming her properly. While he was still in a position to observe without being noticed, he stood back to gaze upon Dame Taylin of his former region, Sanzzos. Her light brown, wavy hair seemed to gently flow from her head. The hair was what first caused Hamilton to pause. As he began to walk forward, she turned in in his direction and he paused again to take in her bright green eyes that only complemented her light green dress. Descending down the stairs with a smile, he extended his gloved hand towards her as he approached. |
| Hamilton Vita (Duke of Akanos) |
| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Taylin extended her hand to the handsome Duke Hamilton. She gave a small curtsy as the Duke brushed his lips across the back of her hand.
"Good afternoon, Duke Hamilton. I hope I am not intruding on your court sessions. Watching a lord hold court is an interesting way to learn someone's character."
Taylin stood and straightened the skirt of her dress.
"So, Duke Hamilton. You mentioned fine delicacies, fine drink, and fine talk of current events. Well, here I am. I hope notice of my arrival reached you in time for you to prepare appropriately." |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
| Roleplay from Hamilton Vita |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Hamilton smiled, "Have no concern for the issues of courts. It is only the matter of landed nobility dispensing justice to minor nobles. As far as dinner, it is prepared." Offering his arm to the lady, "You are new to this continent are you not? I'm not an expert on other families, but I don't believe an Indirik has been upon these shores as of yet?" Arriving at the grand hall, Hamilton directed Dame Taylin to a chair as he took his own ornately decorated(mahogony with silver accentuations) chair. As they sat, the first course of food was chicken with fennel. Alcohol of their choice was offered and Hamilton ordered an Nbasahan light rum while casually mentioning it wasn't as good as Obsidian Island rum.
Chicken cut into pieces, fried, and simmered in water. Ground almonds, fennel, and parsley mixed into the water to form a paste. Boiled together until sauce thickens and strained over the chicken and served. |
| Hamilton Vita (Duke of Akanos) |
| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Taylin took the Duke's proffered arm and let him lead her out of the courtroom. Asthey walked along, she admired the artwork and tapestries upon the walls of the broad hallways.
"You are correct, Duke Hamilton, on both accounts. I am indeed the first of my family to travel the Far East. I intend to show my family that I am capable of making do on my own. It is hard to prove your competence if there is always a brother or a cousin to whom you can run when there is a problem or inconvenience. So, here I am, a few thousand leagues from my family's holdings on the East Island."
"I only arrived here in the Far East two weeks ago. Since then I have been traveling nonstop. Lord Balthazar tells me that the view over the bay from my estates in Sanzzos are magnificent, yet I have not had the time to see even a single one of what he describes as legendary sunsets. You once maintained an estate in Sanzzos, did you not? Have you had opportunity to see them?"
When they arrived at the grand dining hall, Hamilton escorted Taylin to her seat. The steward arrived with a selection of various drinks. With the steward's expert advice she selected a dry, white whine with a marvelous fruity bouquet. As he had predicted, it was the perfect complement to the meal.
"Rum with chicken, Lord Hamilton? That is an interesting choice. Does it go well together? I suppose I shall have to try it." Taylin motioned one of the servants to bring her a sample of the rum. "By the way, do you know where this wine is from? Quite good. Perhaps my steward can procure a few bottles for the cellars." |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
| Roleplay from Hamilton Vita |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Duke Hamilton beckoned with servant to bring the bottle of wine and upon inspecting it, declared it from Upasael. "You see, I have only recently become duke of Akanos and the wine of Akanos Duchy has not yet seemed to differentiate between regions as much as duchies. As far as the choice of rum, I must confess it is a bit of weakness in me as it was the preferred drink of my youth. In addition, I was often subject to having nothing to drink, but rum. I've been on several journeys of ship to other continents and not all of them have been well-planned or well-stocked. It seems rum is always in supply though."
Hamilton paused and leaned forward as if to confide a secret, "As far as the selection of chicken, it seems to go with the rum more than the rum goes with the chicken. Though all the social circles seem to insist one organize a dinner the other way around, I often cannot resist the chance to drink a rum."
Hamilton leaned back and after a bite of chicken, "But you were speaking of the sunsets of Sanzzos before the dinner, were you not? I must confess that while I spent much initial time in my estate, the war with Ethiala took me away. And after that, I became the duke. Honestly, I don't remember the sunsets. However, the sunrises were a spectacle to behold. Perhaps you will have to be a judge of their relative beauty." |
| Hamilton Vita (Duke of Akanos) |
| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| "Upasael, you say? Well, that would explain why I haven't run across it yet. I haven't had the chance to pass through Upasael yet. I think I've circled all the way round it, but never through. Perhaps I could impose on Baron Bruiantt to have a few bottles delivered when next I talk to him."
When they were finished with the main course the servants cleared away the many platters and dishes. More servants appeared to refresh the drinks.
"So tell me, Lord Hamilton, what is the political landscape like here in the Far East. I have orders to march for Topenah, and I leave for the city at sunrise. Do you know what the ultimate objective is? So far we haven't been given much information. Just "rally here" or "Move there". It's hard to know what I should prepare for if all I know is that I have to march around, set up camp, and wait for more orders." |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
| Roleplay from Hamilton Vita |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Noticing that Hamilton had stuffed himself quite fully, as usual, the servants skipped the next course and instead brought out the delicacy of the evening, the Akanosien Tart. Hamilton noted the food and changed his drink to an imported light-bodied red wine from An Najaf of the East Island. It was a rare drink for the Far East and was rarely brought out by the duke.
"Do you wish to join me in this fine bottle? It's quite rare and is of the vintage of the Confederacy of Fontan from several years ago where I presided as banker, marshal, and acting general."
As the servant poured a glass for Hamilton, he moved to wait upon Dame Taylin's decision.
"As far as the political climate of Ohnar West, I must confide that you've joined us at a rather peaceful time. I've been a heavy advocate of strengthening our papanian ally, but such events are slow to transpire."
Evidently thinking of his words carefully, he began to explain, "On the eastern island, it seems I wouldn't be able to speak of events for their innate secrecy. But on this far eastern island, I can't speak of events out of relative ignorance. What I can tell you is that we are moving to assist our allies in conquering north of the river for Papania. In addition, Mosesadelphia's ruler is trying to insist that we are an evil cabal out to destabilize his realm. It appears Soliferum is upset that Mosesadelphia is no longer the puppet they wish, which may result in Soliferum joining our side and pressuring Cathay from the south. The Arcaeans seem to be easiest to acquire knowledge from when you meet them." |
| Hamilton Vita (Duke of Akanos) |
| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| "An Najaf red? A taste of home! My family had a bottle or two of it back in Montauban. Truly, you flatter me with such a vintage. Even on the East Island this is an uncommon one."
Taylin gestured her consent to the servant as hamilton continued.
"North of the river? Then Cathay is the target of the current campaign. What do you think are the chances that Papania has the forces to take control fo the land?" |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
| Roleplay from Hamilton Vita |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Hamilton smiled at Taylin's acceptance of the wine and the compliments that came with the acceptance.
"Regarding Papania's ability to hold such land in estates, I won't claim to know. It would be the pinnacle of incompetence if they hadn't taken the time to consider it. I suspect that they can hold it if they are moving to conquer it. Once it is done, Ohnar West will be that much more secure with our borders bolstered by strong allies. My only concern would be for Arcaea's lack of strategic positioning geographically. From what I've read though, Arcaea was once down to a few regions and their military fought off the advances of several realms before coming to the recent victory over Ethiala."
Hamilton grimaced his face in the process of holding in a yawn as he finished his Akanosien Tart.
"A younger noble, especially of the female variety, can often stumble across quite a bit of information though. Have you heard anything about the current situation?" |
| Hamilton Vita (Duke of Akanos) |
| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| "No, I haven't yet had a chance to discuss regional politics with anyone other than yourself so far. I have spent too much time running back and forth across the realm just getting situated here in Ohnar West. Perhaps I shall have time in the near future to learn more from, well, whomever is willing to talk, I suppose."
Noticing her own empty wine glass, the Duke's stifled yawn, Taylin set the empty glass down.
"Please excuse me for keeping you so late, Duke Hamilton. I see that the day has taken it's toll on you. Perhaps we should call it an early night. I depart early in the morning for Ozrat."
Taylin stood from her chair, placing the embroidered napkin on the table next to the empty tart dish.
"The meal was most excellent, my Lord Hamilton. I hope to have the opportunity to repay your generosity at some time in the future." |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
| Roleplay from Hamilton Vita |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Duke Vita was momentarily embarassed at the thought she had noticed his aborted yawn.
"Very well Taylin," Hamilton said as one of the table aides pulled Hamilton's chair back, allowing him to rise.
Snapping his fingers, a female servant appeared in the room. "Please escort the noble lady to the entrance. Be sure she is treated well and leaves in safety."
Turning to the dame, "It has been my pleasure to meet you in person. I too look forward to discussing such matters again. May the command of troops do you well in the coming days."
Hamilton walked over to the half-full wine bottle, he pulled his gloves out again, pulled them on, and picked up the commoner-touched wine bottle. Holding it in his hands, he watched as his servant ushered Taylin out. Once she was out of sight, the duke walked to his chambers with the bottle. Thinking back upon the evening, he nearly muttered to himself, "Well, isn't she a fine specimen of the female noble," but successfully kept the thought to his head. |
| Hamilton Vita (Duke of Akanos) |
| Roleplay from Taylin Indirik |
| Message sent to everyone in Ohnar West |
| Taylin allowed the young maid to lead her back through the maze of corridors. She played the evening's meal back through her mind to fix the events firmly in her memory. She hadn't been able to get much solid information from the Duke. That was to be expected for a first meeting, though, so no surprise at that.
She couldn't make up her mind as to whether the Duke enjoyed the evening or not. The man had actually yawned during the desert course. And then he hadn't offered her a room in the palace for the night, either! Was that an intentional slight? In any case, it was not a good sign at all. Still, he did have some good information, and no doubt there was much more he could tell her, with the proper motivation. And it was not as if spending time with the man was onerous, either. The excellent food and wine alone were well worth the price of a few smiles flashed in the Duke's direction and some girlish laughs at the right times.
Well, Duke Hamilton wasn't the only noble in the realm. There were other prominent nobles who might have the information she needed if she couldn't get it from Hamilton.
By the time she finished all her musings they had arrived in the courtyard. Her two guards were there with the horses. The three of them mounted their horses and rode off through the city streets. |
| Taylin Indirik (Dame of Sanzzos) |
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