| To Tell a Tale |
| Summary: | The Powerful Man tells the story of year one. |
| Date: | 06-01-1866 |
| Related: | Any of the Year One Events, and all Powerful Man related stuff |
| NPCs: | {$npc} |
| Players: |
 |
With a sigh the man sat down on the edge of the Bed. “I never wanted any of this you know.” He says softy. Leaning back he rests on his elbows looking at the ceiling. “It’s hard to believe this all began a year ago with a, of all things, a White Hall attack on a fortress. But it did.” He chuckles softly. “My god. I thought I had orchestrated the downfall of a major Galenthian Fortress, but that damned Cassomir, always that damned house, Sir Henric led the Tarris forces to victory and saved the Duke. It would have been nice if he had died there. But of course, he didn’t.”
The man shakes his head and takes a deep breath. “From there it was easy, I simply traveled. Took a vacation to the Njorvolk Colonies in the Northern Wastes. I spoke to Ragnar and began arrangements with private forces.” He laughs merrily for a moment. “If that old dodger ever finds out that half his ships did my bidding for an entire year?” He slaps the leg of his companion who lies in the bed beside him. “But it also gave me opportunity. I met with the Ice Queen and gave her what she wanted. Steel.” He shakes his head. “Such a simple thing to us, but to the Northern Tribes? Invaluable. With this steel they began raids that would eventually lead to full fledged war!” He looks over his shoulder and smiles. “Can you believe it? Just some steel.” He shakes his head.
Once again the man sighs. “But that woman. She has it in for the D’Arran. I wanted a full border war, she only wanted to reclaim some ancient artifact or heritage or something.” He waves a hand. “Who knows with these barbarians. They’re just so…. Barbaric.” He laughs again. “Multiple attacks. Raiding villages, burning stuff. It’s all so frustrating. Still. I got my war when the Ice Queen made her demands. And guess what?” He pauses. “That’s right! She demanded the Barony of D’Arran. Barbarians. What can you do huh?”
He thinks for a moment. “The South. The Thorns. The Galenthians and their silly Succession. Who knew a people could be such sticklers as to who was more closely related to who to cause such wars? It literally needed the tiniest of push before Galenthia was in a second Succession War. Rose against Thorn. Rook Keep, Haron, all of it. All because I convinced just one person to back the Thorn’s actual son in hiding. One person. That was all. Everything else just… Fell into place.” He waggles a hand. “Well. More like gently pushed into the right shape, but the message is the same.”
The man is silent for a long moment before he picks upa Cardinal’s cap and places it on his head. “Alphard. That glorious bastard. He took the Chaos Shard I offered him without a second thought. I knew what would happen. It heightens the emotions. Makes you do irrational uncontrollable things. He wanted to finish what his Thorns started and kill off the Cassomirs. They had grown so high so fast. They had to be knocked down. Now? Now they are led by the Black Lancer.” He laughs. “The Black Lancer. His only crime is telling a woman I love you.” He looks at the person on the bed. “But you know that. YOU orchestrated the Black Lancer. For that I suppose I should thank you, it gave me much to work with. A degenerate failure and a broken girl to cripple what is likely the South’s greatest house?” He laughs and stands up. “No. things went perfect. So. I must apologize for you though. You were so close to finding me. So close. You actually had me once. “ He chuckles and makes the sign of the one over the Corpse before him. “I suppose I didn’t give you absolution for your sins…” He sighs and moves toward the door. “Whelp. Too late now, but thank you so much for listening. You always were a good listener.”
With that, the Powerful Man walked out of the Inn in Murias where he had found his quarry. With a nod he moved on, putting Alina al’Sylenthar’s corpse far from his mind. He had another year to plan.
END YEAR ONE
Welcome to Year Two.