NationStates Jolt Archive

Official Statement from the Foreign Ministry of Derscon

TOO ALL ALLIES AND FRIENDS OF DERSCON

The Czar cordially invites you for a getaway to his private flat to discuss diplomatic-related stuff, and then basically have a "get-to-know-everyone-again" thing. Everyone's invited. Bring a friend!

God bless,

Count Franz von Papen
Foreign Minister to the Czar
The Protestant Prussian Czardom of Derscon
============================
OOC: Sort of post arrivals. You drive up in a limo to the gates of the flat, and the guards let you in, and then we go on.

A layout:

The flat is in the shape of Castle Neuschwanstein. It is basically surrounded by forest (which is where the gate is), but to the south, there is a beautiful beach, bordering the Dersconi Sea. For an RL equivilant, think the Carribean.

Great Place, enjoy! :)

My reply will come tomorrow

After gaining necessary clearance, a single RT-2007 VTOL, saturated in Raysian Colors, approaches the forested area near the flat, and sets down in a small clearing near the gate. 4 Guards, 1 Pilot, and 1 Woman step out of the Raysian plane. All wear a standard leathery Raysian Military Uniform Armor (http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/uniform.htm), even the woman. They leave the Pilot and one Guard at the plane until Dersconi security can take over, while the rest walk a few hundred feet towards the Gate. The Guards are carrying Raysian RP-188 Bolt Guns (http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/boltgun.htm), and the others are carrying Glock Model 18s.

The Woman, not wearing a helmet like her guards, introduces herself as Kally Race, wife of Commander in Chief Kyle Race, making her the First Lady of Raysia's Military. The miniature procession moves in towards the meeting site, taking in everything.

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/rsig5.jpg (http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/factbook.htm)

OOC: My President is also currently doing many other things, but for the sake of roleplay, he has acquired the tres-uber ability to be in many places and do many things at once, fair enough?

IC:

As sun set near the Tsar's private flat, there was a ground flash, and a tremendous poof of #cc66cc (roughly purplish-pink) smoke, and a grand limousine appeared. Out stepped President Hansien to the tune of a fantastically scary-sounding Mozart symphony, and with him came the secretary of state, the Crazy One that some known as Dailey.

"Hello," said Hansien to the nearest guard. "I've come to see the Tsar. And I've brought a friend."

OOC: My Czar can do it too, don't worry. ;)
=====================

The Guard nodded and the gates opened. The limo was escorted to the parking area, which was a giant paved circle with a fountain in the center. They were escorted to the Grand Hall and left there.

"Ah, President Hansien!" came the person from the doors.

"I'm Franz von Papen, the Foreign Minister. The Czar is back at the Kremlin doing some sort of diplomatic bullshit, but he'll be back shortly. Now, the guards will take your bags to your room. Meanwhile, I'll take you to the living room." Going all the way to the back, he opened two modest oak doors to enter a very unmodest room.

It was HUGE.

The floor to ceiling windows (mind you, the room is two stories high with vaulted ceiling) were arranged perfectly for the best view of the beach. If you looked far enough, you could see the dolphins playing.

It was really a much larger scale room of the Lounge from the Kremlin, but it was a lot nicer. The bar was fully stocked with three bottles of everything the Greater Prussian Wine and Spirits Shoppe sold, as well as soda.

The couches were arranged in various circles, but there was a computer at the back that could rearrange the furniture for speakers, viewing the three 75'' plasma screen televisions, etc. Billiard and dart tables were around, as was a roullette table, two poker tables, a blackjack/Red Dog table, and thousands and thousands of books, ranging from the comic book to the political science books plus the reference books. On the coffee table in the front of the room near the one TV, there was a tray with three wine glasses and a bottle of Napoleon Premier, which could go on the market for over a hundred grand, but for some reason, it doesn't.

"I hope you like it," Papen said, motioning them to sit down.

"Ivan should be here soon. Don't worry, you can scrap formal stuff here. If he wanted this to be formal, it would be at the Kremlin."

~~Anna'll show up after she gets done at the Kremlin, lol~~

"Dude, this is uber," said the secretary of state, who had never bothered to concern himself with formalities anyways. He began to run about, ordering and then drinking wine, gambling, and engaging in other unseemly activities for esteemed statesmen such as he.

Hansien was explaining this to Franz von Papen; it was almost routine, as he had to do this everytime Dailey showed up in person anywhere, unless, of course, he had already shown up there before. "Of course, I use esteemed in a very loose sense," he added, and ordered a wine.

post added

OOC: I know.

And Kaymrill, when we're done with the other thread, the Czar will probably take you on his plane to the flat/castle, since they're both heading that way anyway.
============================
Papen greeted Kally Race and took her to the room.

"Well, looks like you're the first." He gives both of them a ten pound chocolate bar.

"First three to get here get a door prize." Papen smiled. "Hope you're not lactos intolerant."

OOC: Anna has an errand to run before then, lol. Besides...the thought of a plane is a little unnerving for her and her ilk. They like the open sky. ^_^

Oh, btw...it's "lactose"

OOC: Anna has an errand to run before then, lol. Besides...the thought of a plane is a little unnerving for her and her ilk. They like the open sky. ^_^

Oh, btw...it's "lactose"

Fuck you and your grammEr police. :)

(yes, misspelling intentional)

Fuck you and your grammEr police.

How about no, and...With the mistake capitalized like that, I could tell.

How about no, and...With the mistake capitalized like that, I could tell.

Just making sure. ;)

OOC: Just so you know, that makes two thousand posts for Derscon.

And buddy...I'm not that dense, lol.

OOC: Just so you know, that makes two thousand posts for Derscon.

And buddy...I'm not that dense, lol.

YAY! Two thousand!

And who knows, best to cover everything.

Papen greeted Kally Race and took her to the room.

"Well, looks like you're the first." He gives both of them a ten pound chocolate bar.

"First three to get here get a door prize." Papen smiled. "Hope you're not lactos intolerant.""...Actually...," she says, looking embarassed, then suddenly cracking a smile. "I'm just kidding, of course we're not! Heh, I never was a good liar, even as a politician. Thank you very much!" She says, handing the chocolate bar to one of her guards, who quickly lashes a strap to the huge bar and slings it over his shoulder like a rifle.

"So what's the Itinerary for this little summit?"

After dropping off her younger brother and her unruly "pet" back at the Valshath, Crown Princess Annastrianna changes into slightly less formal (and more comfortable) attire than previously.

"Tralla, get Specter ready...I'm going out."

T -- "But, Highness, the Queen was planning for you to --"

A -- "I know very well what her Majesty wanted me to do today. And trust me, I'm not doing it. Tell her it's followup for the alliance meeting I had earlier. I'm getting a vacation for the first time in fifty years, even if it is only for a short while."

A few minutes later, she sets out on Specter, a different glider. Instead of being a crescent in flight, it resembles a platform with shaped sides. It also has a chair for its rider to sit in. Instead of zooming in, it has a more graceful air to it. Anna teleports to just outside of Dersconi radar, and flies the rest of the way in, to not risk startling the extremely jumpy Dersconi military she found so amusing. At the final security checkpoint, she brings Specter out of its transport form and it changes into its bird form. It is a bird unique to Kaymiril...on the largish size, with a longish neck and a graceful crest. Its eyes are intelligent, and its song is pleasing to the ear. It sits quietly on Anna's shoulder, not even considering going off and causing trouble, as Glider normally would.

A -- *Looking around* Oh...have I beaten the Czar and Shogun here?

"Yes, you have," someone said. When Annastrianna turns around to look at the voice, she sees fifteen Praesillei Dei soldiers and five Honour Guards forming a half circle around her, and then another group formed on the other side, surrounding her.

"This is a no-fly zone, and a restricted area. You are under arrest." (OOC: Derscon does not recognize diplomatic immunity laws)

At that moment, ten Apaches circled around the helipad and the Imperial Blackhawk landed, along with five other Balckhawks. The Czar and the Shogun stepped out, and seeing the guard formation, Praetorian Guardsmen immediately surrounded them with their shields. When the Czar saw what was going on, he shook is head in disbelievement and amusement.

"For God's sake, Annastrianna, can't you come by normal transportation routes?" The Czar has a smile on his face as he walked up to her and embraced her. The guards saw that she was friendly, apologized, and walked off.

"One day you're going to get yourself killed. Anyways, let's go." The Czar was in "informal" attire, which included a red beret, a white army-style class A shirt with various medals and a purple silk sash with the Rekjyavich-Andropov coat of arms and the Greater Prussian insignia on it, and a black cape.

He led them into the castle, and as they passed the guards, they paused to salute him. The Czar of course saluted back, and they eventually made their way to the "living room." The Czar chuckled at Hansien's gambling spree.

"Like it?" Ivan said, directing his question to the Shogun and Annastrianna.

The limousine bearing the Crown and Sword Emblem of the King of RightWing Conspirators on the flags. The limousine came to a stop at the front of the palace, and Prince Nathaniel stepped out from the limousine. This was his first appearance as a member of the royal family, and most people did not realize that King Jason had a son. He nodded to the guard as his chauffeur pulled a small duffle bag from the trunk and followed the Prince closely.
"I'm here to see the Czar." his voice was smooth and young, and he brandished his invitation. "I am Prince Nathaniel Conners of the Conservative Empire."

Something odd...something dangerous...crackled across the Princess' eyes as the guards surrounded her, an automatic and involuntary response to any form of danger. By a force of will she subdues it, but then the Czar comes, and things get worked out.

"I'll come by normal transportation means when you develop some. You definitely need to...I don't know...have these guys play whatever your race's version of Thrityh is. They are way too tense."

Anna returns the Czar's embrace, and walk with him and the Shogun castle.

"And I might get myself killed someday...but that's a risk we all run."

*To his question when they get there*

"Not bad." She looks thoughtful, observing and analysing all that's going on around her.

OOC: Just how tall is the Czar? B/c Anna comes up to a whopping 5'6"...which I am guessing is quite a bit shorter than the Czar. The only thing making up for her lack of height is the sheer power she can control, her ability to speak well, and the fact that she actually can fight. Actually, she thinks tall. She could look down her nose at one of your eight-foot tall guard guys.

The Czar smiled. "Well, normal is truely in the eyes of the beholder. And the guards are supposed to be tense and paranoid -- they're paid to be that way. The strongest and smartest of them are in the Praetorian. They're not paranoid, but if they sense danger they follow a 'shoot first ask later' policy."

When the Czar saw the limo pull up, he walked over to greet the arrival.

"Nathaniel! Nice of you to come. We're on our way in, so just tag along! By the way, this is Shogun from Pschycotic Pschycos, and this is Annastrianna d Maril of the Temple. You two, meet Prince Nathaniel of RightWing Conspirators." He led them into the lounge and popped out a new bottle of [i]Napoleon Premier, and set the bottle of the Temple's wine that was a gift on the table as well. Ivan nodded, to Anna's response to his question.

"Thank you."
===============================
The Czar is around 6'6.6''

The Shogun's name is Himura Kenshin.
_______________________________________

Anna nods at Prince Nathaniel.

"Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro." ((Peace and long life.))

She then tilts her head toward the bottle of Kaymirilian wine.

"Yeah...you might want to be careful when drinking that. It is vastly different than that which you are accustomed to drinking...and even among my kind...you either like it or you don't."

Prince Nathaniel nods and smiles at Anna "Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro." he repeated to her, though his accent probably got in the way he was fairly quick at picking up the distinct sounds of other languages. "Ahh it's very good to see you Czar." he said bowing slightly, "My father sends his regrets that he could not attend, but rumors of that ruffian Folkner have sprung up. Can't have that athiest fool interrupting or attacking the delegates for the upcoming diplomatic conference. My mother sends her regards as well." his voice glided effortlessly and smoothly from his lips. "How have you been?"

Anna's eyebrows rose slightly as the RWC Prince repeated back to her the formal Kaymirilian greeting. For his first time hearing the Drow language, and his first efforts to bend his tongue to it, it was a good effort. She was willing to overlook the errors in articulation. After all...it wasn't every day you got to hear a human attempt Drow.

The Czar shrugged as he and the prince sat down.

"Meh, no problem. You should have killed Folkner while you had the chance." He tasted the wine, had a curious look on his face, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Quite good, actually. I like this." He turned back to the Prince.

"I'm doing as well as a person running a nation and an Empire can do -- like shit." He smiled and took another sip of the wine. It was very good -- nowhere near the Napoleon Premier, but good just the same.

Anna takes a seat.

"Connesieurs call it the best of last century's vintage's. The "second place" wine was actually designed to clear up sinuses...I didn't really like that one. The one I like best is a vintage only thirty years old...very dry, but very good, too."

Anna grins slightly.

"Don't say the stress of the job is getting to you...what did you just tell my younger brother not four hours past?"

OOC: Hope you don't mind Derscon...if you do, I'll deat it
IC:

Joe Kowalski, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, arrived a minute late in his shuttle.

"Damn that relativity thingy. Made me late again. Here, take my guns..." he says to his aide as he takes out four M1911s, three Glock 18s in .40 S&W, two micro-uzis, a Glock 22, CAR-15, and a mini-LAW from out under his trench coat. The Aide looks overwhelmed as the Commandant throws a grenade (with the pin still in it) on top of the pile and the poor lieutenant just collapses. They then get into a 2005 Corvette C6, with its active camoflage paintjob, and drive to the gate quickly.

The guard says, "Name and buisness?"

"Commandant Joe Kowalski, I'm here for the ball."

"Ah, yes. I see that a special requirement has been made for any rep from your country. Could you please step out of the car so we can search you?"

"Why?"

"To make sure that you carry no weapons."

"Oh...hold on..." Joe then pulls out a Titan .25 out of his ankle holster, a shotgun pistol from his belt, and four knives from his pockets. The guard then runs the scan and Joe is welcomed in, where he promptly goes to meet the head honcho.

Princess Annastrianna's eyes narrowed slightly as the Commandant stepped in...a human would only be able to notice taht the tips of her ears -- pointed sharply, as with all her race -- moved slightly. A man accustomed to walking in weapons...multiple weapons...many of them heavy. She did not allow her analysis to run more than a split second, then she nodded at the new comer.

Kommandant Kowalski walks up to the bar and smiles at the attractive, female bartender. He says in his normal, raspy voice, in a habbit he learned in the trenches of China, "Whiskey please. Jack Danels if you have it." The bartender comes back with the requested drink and she hands it to him. He immeadiately consumes the first shot, the second, third, and fourth. However, because of his heritage, he often drinks, and he ate an apple on the trip here, his blood alcohol is only .02. The Commandant then comes over to meet the Derscon representative and starts a conversation.

OOC: No problem.

The Czar has the Praesillei Dei bring the Marine's weapons to him as the Commandant sat down opposite of him. the Czar smiled.

"You have an excellent choice of weapons, Joseph." (OOC: We're all on a first name basis here at the flat.)

He looked over them again as he handed back the weapons to the guards, but kept the Titan .25.

"If I can't trust you, you shouldn't be my ally." the Czar hands over the gun back to the Commandant, and in turn pulls out his gold-plated .50 Desert Eagle.

"This babe took down the man who killed my father. I never take it off me." He hands it to the Commandant.

"Wanna see?"

*waits for response*

"Anyways, you like blades, too, I see. Swords too? Or just knives. Either way, you're a friend to me," Ivan says, smiling and taking another sip of the wine.

A most impressive array of weapons...but is all that really necessary? Oh, apologies, I am Annastrianna.
But six weapons? And the way you walk, at least a good half dozen more...some of them heavy.

OOC: This is what Anna looks like, save that Anna's eyes are blue.

http://groups.msn.com/CaveOfSpiders/drowandothercreatures.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=327

Joe takes his knives but refuses his pistol. He tells the Czar, "Thank you, but I checked them willingly because I wished to drink and not do something stupid under the influence or just plain miss my target because I'm drunk. Thank you anyways." he finishes as he takes the Desert Eagle.

"You know, I haven't seen one of these things gold-plated since we captured that Chinese General in 2011. Nice piece. I assume we can shoot it after the party?"

Joe then turns Anna after oogling over the overpowered piece. He then says, "What's wrong with a man carrying what weaponry he sees fit? I carry at least twelve pistols, three shotguns, a rocket launcher, and two machine guns with me at all times...Old habit..." Joe replies, chuckling, "I don't believe we've met. I'm Joe Kowalski, and you are?"

I am Annastrianna d' Maril, Crown Princess of the nation of Kaymiril, representative of the region the Temple. Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro.
I find your...habit...of carrying around so much weaponry a bit redundant. The bulk itself would make it more difficult to move, even if you grew accustomed to the weight. Then again...I don't find it necessary to carry around weapons.

*she holds up her left hand and draws a little bit of energy, forming a glowing white sphere*

With just a little bit of concentration, nobility of my race are able to create...confuse...injure...heal...destroy.

"Yeah, well, certain weapons are for certain situations. We humans aren't as adept as you Drow are. Wish we were, though, so I didn't have to carry a med bot with me everywhere...President's orders..." Joe replied as he took another shot of Whiskey.

My transportation unit keeps me in constant contact with the palace...this Gul class unit is inferior to my Oreb, but it does just as well in that function. Glider's more rambunctious than Specter. If anything were to happen that I myself could not handle, a soldier, a mage, or a medic could be there in seconds.

Ivan nodded and handed the pistol back to the guard.

"You have a point, there. I have a high alchohol tolerance -- genetic -- so I don't worry about it. Besides, the Guards know how much I can handle, so they'll stop me before I get too drunk," the Czar said with a chuckle. He took a sip of the Napoleon Premier and smiled.

"Oh yes, there's a shooting range out in the fields. Got a trap shoot set up, too."

*time and conversation elapses*

The Czar shrugs. "Some humans are as adapt as the Drow, though. Genetic -- my fathers side of the family are sorcerers, related to the supposed 'Thunder God' of the pagan religion that the natives of this land worship. Zeorden, I think was the name." he shruged again. "My mothers side had the gift of telekinetics, which is nice." To demonstrate it, he made the bottle of the Kaymirillian wine float up and fill his glass.

"Has other purposes, too, but let us not worry about them." He looked up when the door opened.

"John!" The Czar got up and embraced the newcomer.

"You two, I'd like you to meet crown prince of Derscon and my son, John Rekjyavich. John, this is Kommandant Joe Kowalski of Crazed Marines, and this is Annastrianna d' Maril, crown princess of Kaymirill." John greets both of them and looks with a bit of delighted curiosity at Annastrilanna.

"A bit of a long first name, no?" John says as he sits down by the Commandant. "I had a sister named Anna. She died a long time ago, though." Ivan looked up at John.

Must you bring up the blast? he said, communitcating telepathically.

I'm sorry, just loosing half your immediate family doesn't slip your mind that often.

Anna nods at Derscon's crown prince.

"My mother's original given name was even longer than Annastrianna. d' Maril merely means "of Maril"...Maril being my family name. I go by Anna among friends. And I know how it feels to lose a sibling...my younger brother was killed in combat sixty years ago."

"Well, John. Looks like we aren't the only ones in this club. My brother and his fiance were killed in the Chinese attack that destroyed Miami. After that, us triplets signed up and pretty much took revenge for that. I feel your pain. Now, I see your country as a beautiful and bountiful land. When you inherit the throne, what do you suggest be done to increase your nation's bounty?" Joe finished as he took a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass.

The Prince nodded. "At least you have a nickname, Anna, if you don't mind me calling you that." It was odd, really. The Czar and John looked almost exactly alike. Once you hit thirty, aging decreases almost to nothing. It was a strange sight. John scanned Anna stealthily. Jeez, she's nice looking. I wouldn't mind getting to know her. The Prince was a bachelor, and a good-looking one at that, but most women didn't come near him because he was A) A prince, and B) looked exactly like his dad.

"One must sacrifice something dear in order to rise to power. Sometimes, though, you wonder if it is really worth it." He poured himself a shot of Napoleon Premier and the Kamyrillian wine, had a sly smile on his face, and mixed them. He had a look of satisfaction on his face.

*conversation elapses*

"Me?" John smiled. "I don't know if I can. Civil rights in Derscon are fairly good -- no racism, etc, while the society is fairly ethical." He thought a bit.

"Not much I can do to boost the economy, though, without decreasing anything else. You must balance it, really. I'm willing not to be the biggest economy in order for people to be happy. But, at the same time, how far are you willing to go? Eventually, the economy collapses if you give the people TOO much freedom, and no one is happy. Give the economy super powerful, and you're controlled by corporations." He took a sip of the mixed drink.

"You need a balance, and we finally found it. There is nothing I can do but maintain order, really."

"Very well put..." Joe said, taking a sip, "But what would you do if your homeland was invaded. Possibly by an enemy you know naught about and your weapons are powerless to defend against? And yes, we have been in this position a few times."

The only thing about maintaining balance in a society such as this is that you have to make sure your culture does not grow stagnant. Many older nations that have achieved what they consider a "good balance" have become so entrenched in custom that they have forgotten that, and progress has become undesirable. It happened to my nation during the reign of Kaymiril IV, and we are only starting to break out of that nearing the end of the reign of Kaymiril VI.

((OOC: This just goes to show you the level of difference between different nations. One jumps directly to defense, while the other thinks of progress.))

"Truer words have not been spoken Lady Anna. I feel that my country is becoming too entrenched in nastalga and tradition. I feel that our very victory shall bring us defeat if we do not stop celebrating the victories of yesterday and fight for the victories of today and tomorrow." Joe said, drinking a little more.

Anna nods. "My distant ancestors found it so, Kommandant Kowalski. While the Queens of Kaymiril have attempted to give drow society a more enlightend lifestyle, they are one of few lines to do so. The mainstream of Drow society still practices live Drow sacrifice to Lolth, and vengeance and warfare, and treachery, are common themes of life. Within a thousand years, I believe that what remains of that society will have killed itself off."

After standing in the back of the room for a few minutes, waiting to jump in, Kally speaks up. "I don't see why a culture needs to progress. Stagnation only occurs when people don't like their own culture. Raysia is a nation that thrives on old-fashioned cultures. people come to Raysia seeking to find a place where their cultures can grow, and become strong again." She walks closer to the conversation. "It is very much possible for Technology and Culture and Economy to grow independantly... There are families that raise kids you could swear seem like they were raised in the 1800s, with strong families, excellent educations, and the like, but they live perfectly modern lives... in fact we have living standards far above the average nation."

Her guards now outside the room, she turns to the Prince and the Czar, stepping towards them and extending a hand, "Sorry I'm a little Late, I am Kally Race, first lady of the Commander in Chief of Raysia."

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/rsig5.jpg (http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/factbook.htm)

Anna looks at Kally with some bit of amusement.

"You then believe that humankind would be better off never having progressed from the cultural expectations of the caveman? Believing that the earth was still the center of the universe? Thinking that venegeful gods were waiting to sweep down and kill them all through drought should something go wrong? No...progress is a good thing. And who knows? Perhaps, someday, thousands of years from now, our own descendants will look back on us, and think 'how entirely backwards they were.'"

OOC: Commandant is spelled with a C
IC:
"I have to disagree. Progress in and of itself is not a good thing. Because progress will always be biased, pure progress will tear down a society faster than none. Why do I say that? The bias of progress is against morality, generally. Without morality, a soceity wil decay into a rut of numbers and nobody can claim responsibility or leadership. We must limit progress just enough to where we do not hinder life, but we will not harm it. The Golden Mean of the Greeks."

OOC: That's like the fifth time somebody's spelled it with a K.

IC:

True...progress does need to happen at the rate society finds acceptable. Then again, that is the basic theory of economics, politics, and warfare.

Anna looks at Kally with some bit of amusement.

"You then believe that humankind would be better off never having progressed from the cultural expectations of the caveman? Believing that the earth was still the center of the universe? Thinking that venegeful gods were waiting to sweep down and kill them all through drought should something go wrong? No...progress is a good thing. And who knows? Perhaps, someday, thousands of years from now, our own descendants will look back on us, and think 'how entirely backwards they were.'"
"The Majority of whom I speak of are Jews or Mormons who want their cultures back the way they were before other cultures started screwing with them. If you ask them, they will say their culture was around before any of that stuff you refer too. Both religions believe that their culture is based on the culture that existed many thousands of years ago."

The Czar nodded. "Correct. Our culture has lasted over one thousand years, and look at us. Our culture embraces technology advancement and the Lord, as both exist and are necessary for survival, in physical and spiritual survival, respectively." He swirled his glass and emptied the glass.

"Jesus Christ, why are we talking philosophically?" He looked up at the approaching figure.

"Sorry I'm a little Late, I am Kally Race, first lady of the Commander in Chief of Raysia," she said. Ivan stood up, shook her hand, and motioned to a seat.

"No such thing as lateness for this event unless you show up after we all left! Anyways, I'm Czar Rekjyavich Ivan Andropov III, Czar of Derscon and Archchancellor of Greater Prussia. This," he said, motioning to his son. "Is Prince John Rekjyavich, my son. Anyways, Kally -- you don't mind if I call you that, do you? -- would you like a drink? We've got two fine selections of wine here, over a hundred over at the bar, and if you don't want alchohol, there's a selfserve soda fountain over by the bar."

OOC: I know, I bit my tounge the first few times thinking it was a simple typo.

IC:
"Ah, yes...Miss Kally, excuse my rudeness, you seem to have caught me in the middle of a philosophical debate. I am Commandant Kowalski of Crazed Marines. I hope you forgive me. Please, take a seat and enlighten us on your views a little more."

"Kally's fine, and Thanks, I think I'll go raid the pop machine," she said, smiling, walking over towards the bar, grabbing a cola, then taking a seat with the other delegates.

Why are we talking philosophically? Obviously because we felt like it...that and it's a generally safe topic, until and unless one party or another decides that they are the ABSOLUTE RIGHT and refuses to budge, in which case it gets ugly.

*The Princess shrugs*

Personally, I've always been curious about the human race's obsession with athletic activities.

Kally smiles politely, "I don't intend to budge on anything philosophically or tehologically, that's not why I came here... but I have no objection to you having your own personal Philosophy. And hey, we're hear to learn about each other, aren't we?"

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

"Very true Miss Anna. I have seen many a bar fight that stemed from Politics, Philosophy, and stubborness. Now, does anybody disabree with my view?" Joe finishes as he finishes the rest of the glass and thinking that he has had enough booze for the night. He excuses himself and gets a Coke and asks Kally what she wishes for a drink (as he implied, Chilvary has not died in CM).

*Nods at Kally* Yes, we are here to learn about each other...and a very enlightening time I've been finding it.

*To Kowalski* Barfights stem from short tempers made shorter by alchohol, and a general desire among the bar populace for violence. My people generally believe that alchohol should be consumed only in moderation. Well...everything in moderation, and always prepared...two different mottos among my people.

Kally smiles again and raises her already full cola, "I'm fine, thanks. And as for your view, I have to agree... such "progress," is in my mind nothing more than regression. Miss Anna here seems to think that we are gradually progressing away from being cavemen, or animals... I would have to say I believe her intentions would most likely lead us towards being more ape-like... no self control, doing what you want, taking what you want, excessive laws, free love and what have you... We should strive to evolve from Man to God, not from man to ape."

You mistake me, Lady Kally. Civilization is a thing better for any race. I cannot, however, recall anything that I may have said to draw you to that line of thought.

In a tone trying to be far from mocking, "I believe you said I "believe that humankind would be better off never having progressed from the cultural expectations of the caveman'..."

Anna leans back in her seat, steepling her fingers together. The tiniest bit of irritation at this human's lack of comprehension flickered in her eyes for a portion of a second. When she spoke, it was in an even voice, lacking any sort of emotion.

"It was in response to you raising your doubts as to the desirability of progress itself. If society should not progress and everyone should be content, then why should your society have progressed beyond that of your prehistoric ancestors?"

"Miss Anna, as I seem to recall from my Drow cousins, Elvenkind seem to have a high tolerance for drinking almost comparable to Orcs of Dwarves...no offense meant...but how can you expect to feel the same things drinking that humans do?"

"Also, sporting events prove one of two things at any moment. One, games are based upon the ancient arts of war which have never been fully phased out. Thusly, they prove who is the best warrior amongst the group. Also, they are a way to prove who is best fit to perpetuate their genes...Pardon my frankness about that." Joe says, sniggering and thinking about a cheerleader he once knew.

Anna leans back in her seat, steepling her fingers together. The tiniest bit of irritation at this human's lack of comprehension flickered in her eyes for a portion of a second. When she spoke, it was in an even voice, lacking any sort of emotion.

"It was in response to you raising your doubts as to the desirability of progress itself. If society should not progress and everyone should be content, then why should your society have progressed beyond that of your prehistoric ancestors?""Good question.. Why should we have progressed culturally beyond the culture that existed since Adam and Eve? Like I said, technology has advanced, but it can do that independantly... I see no reason whatsoever why we need to drastically 'progress'."

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

The tolerance of Elvenkind for alchohol has been proven to exceed that of Dwarves on a regular basis, and Orcs...don't even get me started. Give an Orc a mug of beer, you won't hear from him for two days. And I don't expect to feel much of anything the same way as humans do, not being human.

And we have sporting events...but none of the incidents where we have fans trying to kill each other because a particular favorite lost.

*To Kally* I have never seen a tool pick itself up and invent something. Even should it be a robot, it still needs programming, which has to originate in sentient life. When something new exists, a rule comes into play "supply creates its own demand." Seventy years ago, what is now our most common mode of transportation did not exist. Today, you find almost a hundred varieties to suit different purposes. I do not see how a people cannot change when a major advancement in technology, scientific fact, or medicine occcur. Technology must keep pace with society, but society must also be open to technology.

"The sport in which I believe you're talking about is soccer. We do not like it in CM, we prefer the killing done on the field where it can be controlled easier. That's why we love football. As for a tool inventing itself, you have forgotten the part about a fully sentient AI with a network link. It can physically manifest itself by creating a body for itself. I've seen it happen before, and when the AI revolts, it ain't pretty."

The Czar is around 6'6.6''
ooc- the antichrist ;)

Kally just flat-out fails to see the connection, "I do not understand... what on Earth denotes that to be able to program a robot you must not be old-fashioned in your dealings with your fellow man and your family. The work has changed from mostly physical to mostly technological, but that doesn't have any effect on Society. In fact, I would argue that it's almost the same amount of stress and work, just performed differently. A farmer works just as hard as a computer programmer... in fact, they could live the same life at home with their families, it's just a difference of exhausting himself physically, and one exhausting himself mentally."

Baron John Constantine Augustus, commander of the militia's arrived at the gate, his limosine bearing the Ridgian flag. The guard rolled down the windom and said,
"Ridgian Delegation".

He waited for the guards to take him to where he was going



ooc- Can you bring him to the place he is supposed to be?

the Baron's pic-
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/481px-Baron_von_Steuben.jpg

False. A farmer requires a different education than does a computer programmer. Education affects lifestyle. The more farmers society has compared to computer technicians affects what general level of education is needed in society. Societies with higher literacy levels and more demand for higher skilled jobs are considered "advanced" compared to other socities. However, "Xun naut telanth d' yutreess selg'tarnen xuil oolos." To each her own. Believe what you will, and I will believe what I will.

OOC: Cherry Ridge, that's what I thought, lol.

"I beg to differ on that analogy. My Grandfather was a farmer, as was my dad. I grew up on a farm. Farming taks its toll on your mind, body, and soul. You can't farm and not get tired. I also have programmed, and it only wears on your mind and fingers. Just a technicality..." Joe says as he finds a 2-liter of Coke, sits down, and opens it.

Education affects culture? I really don't see how going to a Public School, A private school, or being home schooled can affect ones morality and interpersonal behaviors.

Kally Smiles at Joe, "That is true Joe, but nevertheless it should have no effect on ones culture, should it?"

"It affects social skills, therefore affecting one's association with their fello man, and therefore there is the chance that they will stray from religion. It happened to a few of my cousins...but I'm just a country boy in the big world." Joe said, chugging the Coke.

Anna merely raises an eyebrow at Kally. "Such fascinating things are the minds of humans." She levitates the bottle of Napoleon Premier and pours a little into a glass, then takes a sip.

"We really should begin a trade in wines. I'm certain my people would find the Dersconi wines to their liking, and there are several hundred different varieties of wine from the Temple, and Ina brews a few harder liquors."

"Like I've been trying to say, the home-life tends to be independant of environment in Raysia. Both Rural and Urban homes tend to be basically the same, as far as level of education, strength of family, and religious activity. I guess it depends on surrounding cultures screwing with each other." she says with a slight laugh to herself, taking a drink of her cola.

OOC: I've got to go at 9 Central, that's 5 minutes from now, so I'll limit what I say next.

IC:
"You're right Miss Anna, we're gonna have to do the same." Joe said, finishing off his Coke. He excuses himself and heads towards the restroom to empty his full bladder. Afterwhich, he picks up another 2 liter of coke and sits back down.

Anna laughs at Joe.

"When all that caffeine hits, you aren't going to be able to sit still."

"I know, ain't it great?" Joe says, feverishly, "Caffene also helps my system absorb alcohol quicker as well, so I'm pretty close to being sober."

Sober and bouncing off the walls...really, too much caffeine is like the reverse effect of being intoxicated.

OOC: *waits for the guards to crack up laughing* :P

IC: Kally, quickly being lost out of the conversation, pulls out a PDA and begins reviewing some of the latest technical data on the RMT "Forzando." (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=392091)

The Prince re-entered the room, "Sorry urgent Phone call...Father gets a bit nervous when big events are happening...takes mom and myself to calm him..." he smiled. "Do you happen to have any vintage scotch? I could fancy a drink..."

------
OOC: Sorry for the absence, I lost the thread and got busy!

Joe begins to snigger at the Gundam outside the gates," You know, it's been a long time since I've seen one of those things. I traded mine in because it ate up too much in the way of nuclear fuel, and had the tendency to self-destruct in the most inopportune times." Joe then laughs again as he unconciously holds his side at a scar.

One of the nations in my region produces similar mechanisms. I first got in one when I was twenty-three...haven't been in one since I was forty.

ooc- I dont feel like doing this rp anymore

ic- Antonettes aircraft flew around and turned back to CR.

OOC: Uh, PP, in case you forgot, you came with the Czar. Just a reminder. ;)
=======================

The Czar comes back into the room and sits down.

"Sorry about that. I had some stuff to attend to." He grabs a Mountain Dew and starts drinking it.
===========================
Outside

the Praesillei Dei and the Honour Guards waved the vehicle through the gates. it was motioned to the steps of the castle opposite the fountain, where the baron was escorted to the shinndigg. When the doors opened Ivan looked up.

"John! Nice of you to come!" Ivan stood up, embraced him, and led him to the couches.

"Anything to drink?"

OOC: I did? I'm sorry, being booted from my comp. all weekend put a monkey wrench in the gears. I'm sorry. I'll post again in a few minutes when I get things straightened up. And crazed marines, I just level the rainforests, but yes this particullar one is rather costly. I switched to using electric batteries in most of the others. (Enigizer)

Allright, all cleared up. I'm ready for an official IC.

IC: "Sorry about that," said the Shogun, stepping out of the restroom. "It's those damn inflight meals again. They get me every time. So, what's going on now, besides the obivous attempts at keeping order among half-drunk, half-high diplomats?"

Anna raises an amused eyebrow at the Shogun, half of her mouth turning up in a grin.

"You put these things in such a lovely manner."

"Hey, ain't my fault that I'm so blunt. God made me that way. You got a problem, deal with him." he replied chuckling.

OOC: Hey, had to make up an excuse for my 6 page absence.

Anna laughs.

"Yes, I remember what it was like, being thirty. With time, you'll either grow more tactful, or more blunt. Then again...thirty for us doesn't even compare with thirty for you, so..."

OOC: Jeez, CR, too good for me, eh?
========================
The Czar shook his head. "You two seem to get along nicely. And besides, what's wrong with being blunt?" He looks at the Prince of RWC. (forgot the name o.O)

"So, how is ol' Conners doing?"

Well, my mother always said that excessive bluntness is only a bad thing when referring to blades and politicians. Seen a couple executed for their habits of making their...I guess the best way it translates is opinions, but with a negative connotation...known among the people.

"Hmmmm. Blunt, blades, politicians, and executions....give me a sec.....GOT IT!! Execute politicians with blunt blades! I was always good at these word things." *whips out a crossword* "I need a 3 letter word for 'obvious'." (No meaning to the conversation, so I'm not being a smart aleck.)

If I've grasped the slang of your language correctly, that might be "duh."

Well, my mother always said that excessive bluntness is only a bad thing when referring to blades and politicians. Seen a couple executed for their habits of making their...I guess the best way it translates is opinions, but with a negative connotation...known among the people.

"Excecuted?" The Czar said. "Technically, I could, as the Magna Carta doesn't apply in Derscon, as we recieve the crown by God, but I don't need to. Usually the militia handles that for me." The Czar smiled slyly."

"And when I mean militia, I mean the angry pitchfork crowd. It isn't organized in any sense of the word. Just an angry mob. If they've been marked, though, the police knows not to step in their way."

Well...we condemn such politicians as traitors...and traitors we execute by our own hands. Something that carried over from classical society. ((classical DROW society))

TEN POINTS TO ANNASTRIANA!!!

Angry mobs? A little internal secret, political opponents are the real reason we created nuclear testing fields. ;)

We don't have political opponents. A Council decides on legislation, but we have all but absolute power. We are a monarchy. All other politicians can be elected, but we are in control.

"Who needs politics anyway?" the Czar said. "My father tried a Reichstag once, and all it did was drain the treasury. So I killed it, and now I don't have to worry about politics. I mean, local governments are elected, but for cities, etc, a noble heads them until either I or a 75% vote from the people say he sucks. Hell, if I say they suck, they're removed!" The Czar took a sip of the wine. "Basically, John over here handles the National-local relations." The Prince rolled his eyes.

"And what a joy that is," he said, with obvious sarcasm.

Anna nods at the Prince.

"That's still my department back at home. I skipped out on doing a statistical compilation report of some opinion poll or other to come here. Personally, I don't regret that. Numbers will remain...but how often does one really get an invitation to come here and spend time with fellow monarchy and national leaders, in a relaxed atmosphere such as this?"

"Never," the Czar said, smiling. "As I'm the only one with the gull and the crazines to do it!" He drank the last of the one liter bottle of mountain dew.

"Obviously, you'll have to wait a bit, but who's up for a visit to the shooting range? We'll have to wait a bit until ya'll sober up and all, but it's always fun."


OOC: Last post until I head to bed early. I've been running on fumes for the past month, so I need to recharge. :)

OOC: What kind of gull? Seagull? Bay gull? ((just say it, you'll get it))

Anna nods. "Humans and their alchohol intolerance."

((Then again, she's been sipping at two total through all of this, and she could probably give even the Czar a run for his money (not that she would...), because of the elven(kind) high alchohol tolerance. She has no room to speak, lol.))

Joe looked at the Czar, the Shogun, and finally his Lieutenant aide who kinda cringed at the idea of an intoxicated Kaowalski shooting the LAW.

"So, anyone want to play a game of 'Pin the tail on the Liberal'? The rules are pretty simple, you shoot at the Liberal, trying to hit his ass. Each time you hit, you get 10 points. If you kill him, however, you lose twenty points. Each non-fatal and not gleutius maximus hit is three points, and a miss is minus two. Also, your score is multiplied by your Blood-alcohol content plus one. If you're stone sober, you still multiply by one." Joe, almost totally sober, then takes his Glocks back from the Lieutenant.

Kally sighs while still reading over her PDA, and without lifting her eyes quietly says "Total Democracy is highly overrated... Elections and politics... they only bring hatred and violence and division... it's much simpler to simply let God call our leaders."

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

Prince Nathaniel sat down his scotch and nodded at the guests "I apologize, but I must take my leave. My father has requested me at home."
He bowed slightly and about-faced, walking towards the exit.

If you use an RPG, what kind of points to you get? *grins evily*

"If you use an RPG, then the game is over because there's nobody to shoot at. But you could use a crossbow and get ten points extra when you hit them." Joe said, laughing a little.

Kally looked shocked, "You people aren't serious... are you? I mean, seriously, what kind of gangs were you people raised in?" She slouches back down in her chair. "Besides, I'd grab the first 10 points from Miss Anna here!" She giggles lightly to herself, patting her Select-Fire Glock Model 18.

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

"Well...I was raised on a farm and we kept on having Greenpeace protest our living, so we made a sport of running them off creatively. We deducted points for fatal wounds and poor accuracy. The Police didn't mind since this happened weekly and we gave them fair warnings each time via signs saying in big, bold print 'NO TRESSPASSING! VIOLATORS WILL BE SHOT, SURVIVORS WILL BE KNIFED!' I mean, we even gave them warning shots at their feet and they kept coming like sheep to slaughter." Joe says, a little indignant, "After all, someone who wanted to rob us could have sneaked in with the protesters and pillaged our house and land."

The Czar laughed.

"I've got a few people in the Palace dungeons left over from the Communist revolt a few years ago. If you want, I can have the guards pull them out and let them run around on the fields." He pulled out the gold-plated .50 Desert Eagle, and he also pulled out another one, exact copy. He twirled them around like you'd see in an old western film, only he added arm movements to go with it. What no one knew was that the arm movements were part of a ritual that the old Andropov sorcerers did before they went to battle in order to enchance their abilities. (The Andropovs were renouned for their telekinetics and their ability to freeze things. Think of them as the family of the Lin Kuei from Mortal Kombat, only Russianized, and much cooler, no pun intended ;))

He then stopped them suddenly, barrels up at a 90 degree angle, and had a sly grin on his face.

"Shall we?" Prince John just shook his head.

"You realize that a .50 will tear him a new one. Literally, this time." The Czar shrugged.

"And?" He turned to Joe.

"Up the asshole counts for ten points, and through one of these holes counts for five, eh?" Alchohol had a strange affect on Ivan. While physically he was never affected, he always got a bit loopy -- kinda like a teenager that just ate a bunch of sugar packets he stole from the pizza place.

"What points do you thinks I should get if I shoot a point detonation delay grenade up his arse? I mean if it goes up and explodes inside the body." Joe asks, preparing his escort's OICW for such a feat.

"What points do you thinks I should get if I shoot a point detonation delay grenade up his arse? I mean if it goes up and explodes inside the body." Joe asks, preparing his escort's OICW for such a feat.

"The amount of intestines in pounds you get splattered on your body divided by the volume in Hertz -- no pun intended -- his scream is. Catch is, if he dies, you lose all of your points." He sips some of the root beer he got for himself.

"So, you want me to get some of the pinkos in the dungeon out?"

"Maybe...I was just thinking something simple like 50 points per main section of the body it destroys. You know, the head, chest, groin, and legs." Joe replies. For some reason, he always got -19 points per shot.

"Oh well. Now, last time I'll ask, are we going to play or not? I need to know if I should get some people from the dungeons."

Well, I was separated by my family at 5. I was raised by a wandering swords master, and then I becam an assassin for the government. 100 kills in 6 months, not including guards etc... I even began doing them in broad daylight. So, yea. I'm in. Oh, can I attach a katana to a crossbow, for added difficulty due to the curve of the blade?

The Czar stared at the Shogun.

"You can try, but if you miss, you lose all your points, just for the hell of it. If you can get it up his ass without killing him, though, you get fifty."

Nice, I'll try it the first shot so I don't lose any. Then I'll switch to the good ol' .44 Magnum.

Kally looked shocked, "You people aren't serious... are you? I mean, seriously, what kind of gangs were you people raised in?" She slouches back down in her chair. "Besides, I'd grab the first 10 points from Miss Anna here!" She giggles lightly to herself, patting her Select-Fire Glock Model 18.



A kind of energy crackles across the Princess' eyes, and the energy levels around her increase, something any mage in the room would be able to feel. Anyone looking can see her almost physically push it down, and she smiles at Kally without humor.

"I would suggest you do not even jest as such. The last who did so was not so fortunate as to last so long as you have."

She then turns her head to the men.

"My nation long ago decided that doing harm to others for something so minor as a disagreement as "left or right" is crude and barbaric. And you would do it for some sick sort of pleasure, no less. If that is the sport, I will not be joining you."

Her lip curls derisively.

"Do not your own scriptural texts tell you to "love thy neighbor, and pray for those who persecute you?"

Kowalski says, "Count me in.", as he gets out his 2 Glock model 18s ( in 40 S&W) and is M1911. He then duct tapes the two glocks pistol frames to each other and points the three guns in a ready position.

"Excellent," the Czar said.

"I'll stay here," John said. "As you know, I'm not too good of a shot, and I need to work on something." Ivan raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. You," he said, pointing to a Praesillei Dei.

"Yessir?"

"Get....oh....six Communist rebels from the dungeons. Bring them out to the ranges."

"Yessir." Ivan motioned to the Shogun, Kally, and Joe. "Let's go. That door over there will lead us to the range. Follow me." With that, they were gone, with Anna and the Prince sitting on the couches. John shook his head.

"I don't understand my father sometimes," he started. "He's not usually like this." He shrugged. "Oh well. The prisoners will be killed afterwards if they survive, no doubt. Hell, it's probably a blessing that they've been selected to die. Who knows what goes down in the dungeons. No one is permitted down there, and even the Czar refuses to go anywhere near there." He stood up and got himself a root beer.

"Would you like anything, Anna?"

*reacts to response*

He returns back to the couches and sits beside Anna.

"My father has been acting strangely a lot these past few days, come to think of it." He set the glass on the coaster on the table. "I don't understand. He says I'm just imagining it, but I know something is....." The Prince's voice trails off as John looks Anna in the eye. My, how beautiful she is. Ivan has been trying to get John to get married soon, and frankly, Anna appeals to John, but two things stood in his way. One, she wasn't a Christian, and the Czar set down the rules early -- "You will not marry a non-Protestant." Granted, he technically could, as arranged marriges are not forced upon anyone by law, but to do so would dishonour the family name, and Ivan may disown him. And two, John was very shy when it came to women of any sort. He shook the feeling off and mustered the strength to look away.

"Something is just different, and I'm genuinely worried."

"Just grab me anything...we don't have "soft drinks" in the palace, so I don't know what I like or don't."

She sighs and puts her head in her hands, and then puts her elbows on her knees.

"To arbitrarily send people to their deaths...in the short time I've been here, I've seen so much hypocrisy."

Anna was technically Deist...there was too much order in the world for it to have come from Chaos...and, having familiarized herself with most major religions, had decided that Christianity spoke highly for itself, and the text, unlike many, was not self-contradictory. However, she had not seen the evidence, and she had her line's gift for skepticism.

"When a child notices a change for the worse in a parent, I have rarely found the child to be wrong."

She stands up and walks over to a window, looking out.

"This is a beautiful nation. I am not regretful of the alliance I forged...but I am wondering if I spoke to the right man."

She steeples her fingers thoughtfully, her thumbs touching her chin and her forefingers over her mouth.

John Rekjyavich was a much different man from his father. Less hostile, more thoughtful. Had he been drow, she might have dropped a word or two in her mother's ear...but he was a human, and not a pure mage. The line of Maril had to be kept pure, which is why the Crown Princess was married after she took the throne. Duty then came before self, and a wrong choice was unlikely.

((Ah, to heck with it, I'll just post as Kaymiril from here on out. No more posts under "Annastrianna d Maril" it's just too inconvenient))

John scanned her face and her eyes, looking for any signs of thought.

"You know, you should meet my brother. He was adopted into the Rekjyavich family, though, so he cannot be the Czar. He's probably the most powerful mage in Derscon. Granted, that doesn't say much, but I think he'd give you a run for your money." He smiled and read her face. Damn. She's thinking the same things I was, and she says no, probably for the same reasons. Oh well, screw that idea.

"Hypocrisy?" The Prince shook his head. "I know it is, too. One does not speak of hypocrisy to a man like that, though. He may be a Christian, but he'll take your head off. He's a berserker if I ever saw one. Calm as ever, but if you set him off, you're dead -- literally." He shook his head and thought. Meh, might as well converse on something.

"So, Anna, are you married yet?"

Joe was walking back to the range, guns in hand, and just happened to hear, "Spiritual scripts forbid such.", or a vairant. Joe remembered that such scripts were often mistranslated, and reading the Torah himself he read it as "Thou shall not commit murder." instead of the commonly known, "Thou shall not kill". He then reminded himself that these people were Communists, traitors, were sentenced to death, and this would end their suffering.

Your brother probably would be able to give me a challenge...then again, I have not been fully trained in magery. Any of our Third Rank mages or above would probably just roll their eyes at the thought of a human mage with potentially enough ability to challenge them.

*Anna shakes her head at the Prince's question*

No. The heirs to the throne of my line marry after they take the throne. And what of you? I'm sure that a man with your title must be very popular with the ladies of your nation.

*Her eyes never leave the scenery outside*

OOC: Derscon???

Kally, realizing they were being serious, stood up, about to protest, "Exactly what did these rebels do to deserve this punishment?"

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

Apparently, they voiced their opinions - opinions that differ too much from the government -- too loudly. And for that, they are tortured and killed. But I tell you the truth, the day a nation no longer allows its people the freedom of opinion, that nation becomes a communist state. Maybe not in economic policy, but it becomes a communism of the mind. No one feels safe voicing legitamite concerns and grievances for the genuine fear of losing their life. But consider:

Have they not eyes? Have they not organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cool by the same winter and summer as a Christian is?

*The princess pauses for a moment, hoping her allusion to one of humanity's own best writers is taken the wrong way, then continues on."

If you prick them, do they not bleed? If you tickle them, do they not laugh? If you poison them, do they not die? And if you wrong them, shall they not revenge? If they are like you in the rest, they will resemble you in that. If a communist wrongs a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. And if a Christian wrong a communist, what should his sufferance be by Christain example? Why, revenge. The villany you teach them, you can be sure of them executing, and it shall go hard...yes....it shall go hard.

*Anna had spoken softly, her tone laced with bitterness and sorrow.*

OOC: That's an excellent quote for times like these, and yes, it comes directly from Shakespeare. Act III Scene i, Merchant of Venice, spoken by Shylock.

Those are true words. And most people tend to agree with them. However, there are times when the voicing of opinions can lead to harm. Think about what would happen to the nation if that were to happen. The result could lead to anarchy or communisim. Derscon also plays a large part in the defense, management, and economy of the region. Imagine the people hurt by this. Though the initial change would look good, people getting what they want, in the end, more people will end up hurt than helped. So, this is the only way to go.

There is blood on my hands, and I will not deny it...but torture...never. And never have I done anyone injury in the name of "entertainment." Humans and your gladiators...grow up.

Example is the greatest deterant that is understood even where language boundaries exist.

Every time you kill you lose a little bit of your soul. That little bit doubles when you kill in cold blood. Have you killed so many times that you have no soul left to sympathize with your fellow human beings?

But I have said my part. Should you insist upon your act of barbarism, go. And let your own God judge you.

"For once I agree with you, Anna. I will not stand for senseless violence. If these people are mass Murderers, or terrorist masterminds, or some horrible thing like that, then I'll come join the fun... But if these are merely people who believe differently, or protest peaceably in the streets, then I will have no part in it... or this alliance."

Yes, indeed you are correct. Derscon, if these people are guilty terrorists, serial killers, or other such atrocious criminals, I will join you. However, I will not kill the person myself, and I will not join you if it is a politicol reason.

OOC: PP, there is no person called "Derscon."
============================
The Prince shook his head.

"They were all communist militants, rebels against the Crown and God, and they all killed innocent civilians, or were directly responsible for the deaths of them." The Prince shook his head. "And they are not tortured, as far as I know. The Czar is more humane than that." He looked at Anna.

"They all deserve to die in a much more cruel way than they will. But I don't think the Czar was serious." Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. No one thought of it, until the Prince went pale and wideeyed.

"Shit!" He jumped up and started running for the door when assault rifle fire was heard. When they all looked out the window, you could see the Praetorian Guard forming a shell around the Czar with their shields and about three of them blasting their OICW's in the general direction of downrange. And then they all were gone.

Seven Praetorian Guards, ten Honour Guards, and fifty Praesillei Dei soldiers stormed the living room. The Praetorian Guards picked the Prince up and took him off. John managed one, longing glance at Anna, before he was whisked away by the Guard. Meanawhile, the Honour Guards stationed themselves at the doors, and the Praesillei Dei all had their weapons aimed outside, at the doors, or around the general direction of the guests. At the door to the range, Commandant Joe was taken inside by two Honour Guards. His weapons were taken away again.


In the Czar's office, the Prince was outraged.

"What in the name of God was that about?!?!?!" The prince screamed angrilly.

"Sir, the Communist pig wrestled an off-duty SS officer on the range and took his gun. Unfortunately, he managed a shot before we could disarm him." When the Guard said "disarm," they meant "pump him with lead until the body was nothing more than a pile of goo." The Prince fell into the chair, his face paler than ever.

"Dear Lord...."

OOC: Bwahaha!

Crazed Marines, normally I'd never have agreed to your idea, but it allowed for this, so thanks. ;)

Kally raises an eyebrow, then smirks to herself, "So much for that... How about something else?"

A Platinum-armoured Honour Guard entered the room.

"What the hell happened?" A regular Honour Guard came up to him.

"There was an SS officer at the range already, for one reason or another. When the rebel was released, the officer turned on the Czar and fired. We took the Czar out of harms way and eliminated the threat, as well as the rebel. The injuries sustained were not serious." The Platinum Guard nodded, and noticed Kally's smirk.

"And WHAT do you think is so funny, miss?!?" It was not a conversational tone.

Just use the nuke idea. You don't have toworry about that with my idea.

-----
OOC: My bad, I'll fix it.

Kally simply ignores the guard... if she had the freedom to shoot commies in this place, certainly she had the right to freedom of speech. She approaches one of the guards at the doors to the living room and says quietly, yet seriously, "I don't know what's going on here, but I want those two guards who accompanied me here to come in here with me. They're right outside the door, if you would please." She leaned a little closer to him, "If that's not possible, then I'm afraid I'll just have to leave."

Kally is not normally the snotty type, but when She is surrounded by troops with guns pointed near her, she starts behaving much more agressively.

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

Just use the nuke idea. You don't have toworry about that with my idea.
OOC: Nuke Idea?

Anna just shakes her head at the commotion and sighs.

Those who ask for trouble are more than likely to get it.

sure, tie em' to a stake in the middle of a desert and sell tickets...

That's very boring.

Not when you put a soundtrack to it. If you have 45, you can drop a nuke evry time you're supposed to clap during the song BINGO. Hell, you can even sell popcorn. I know we do that sometimes. People even sing along.

I don't know, I still think it'd be terribly dull. *she walks over to the darts board, picks up a dart, and twirls it in her fingers, much as one might twirl a knife. She walks to the center of the room and throws it. It hits in the center of the board, in the "bulls eye" but just a hair off center*

Xsa, I'm getting rusty. Anyway, just how badly was the Czar injured?

If it's more than a flesh wound, I'll go after the bloody corpes and his family personally. Not kill them, but give them a reminder. No one attacks a friend and ally with impunity.

Well, my next question was going to be: and what sort of medical resources do you have all the way out here?

I may not be fully trained in that area, but I have a greater than average training in Gray class magick. *For the benefit of the others in the room* Healing magick, that is.

He won't allow magic here. The medical staff, however, is probably one of the finest.

I figured. Magick isn't "fashionable" here. Something of an irony, the reason they give, but whatever.

Medical Center

The Czar was being watched over by a nurse and more Praetorian Guards than you could count -- well, actually, twenty, but by the time you got to "one" you wouldn't be much more than a pile of goo. John was by his side.

"How badly are you hurt, and what happened?" John looked genuinely worried.

"Me?" Ivan responded. "The bullet nailed me in the chest. Thankfully, it missed my lung." John shook his head.

"You shouldn't have let the prisoner out." Ivan smiled.

"Prisoner? There is no prisoner. The dungeons are under the Kremlin, not my private flat." John was very confused.

"Than who was that?" Ivan grinned.

"A Praesillei Dei officer. So was the SS officer. It was a setup." John looked appaled and shocked.

"Why?" Ivan laughed.

"Because I could!"

"Jesus Christ dad, you had me worried sick! Don't ever do that again!" If someone could look angry and relieved, John looked that way.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. It was ju---"Suddenly, his body twiched, and the heart monitor went dead. John's eyes went wide.

"Doctor!" But he was already there, hearing the alarm. The Prince was worried, but he couldn't be near the bedside any longer. He stepped outside and heard the defribulaters (sp butchered) go. He walked down to the Living room where the guests were.

"Guards, dismissed." With that, all armed personell were out of the room.

"Jesus Christ, my dad has the sickest sense of humour on the freakin' planet."

--during the wait--
Bored, Anna conjured a nail file and began touching up her nails.

Wow...have I really let them go that long that they've gotten uneven...well...I'll just blame it on paperwork.

--when John comes down--
"So, what happened?"

OOC: Did I miss what happened to the half a garrisson of soldiers in the living room? lol they kinda... dissappeared... oh well.

IC:

Kally hadn't seen too much Magic outside of healing in her life, even in all her travels... Elves were still weird to her. She kept her distance from the creepy elven witch while wandering about the room.

Commandant Kowalski was just stunned at what had happened. HE guessed that the Commie had taken a gun, and was kicking himself for not seeing it. If only he had seen. He called his driver to get his shuttle ready and prepare to leave as soon as he was released. This was no longer safe, and he thought a country in turmoil would not be a good thing to stay if he was a reason for the turmoil.

OOC: Witch? Ouch. Witches and warlocks are the variety of mage that goes out and causes people trouble for not other reason than for the enjoyment of it. Think Morgana le Fay, or the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wizards and Sages do people good at no benefit to themselves. Think Merlin and Gandalf.

Mages do not go out of their way to benefit random people, but they do not cause people harm for no reason. They will help people, most of the time, and will only go and do them damage when that person has done them/a friend/or family harm.

It is into this latter category that Anna fits.

BTW: 100th post!

If all else fails, maybe they'll find a loophole in the laws baning human transmutation, making it legal down here.

...No...it is still a form of necromancy...and there is something...wrong...about necromancy. Best to leave the dead to their rest.

The Czar walked back into the room, seemingly unhurt. In fact he had a huge smile on his face.

"Sorry about that. I forgot to tell the Praesillei Dei who shot at me that I'd be having guests over. I guess the alchohol clouded my judgement a bit." He sat down on a couch.

"The whole thing was actually a test. I wanted to test all of your reactions to the situation. I wanted to test the Praetorian Guard's response to an attack against me. I wanted to test out this new non-lethal round I had scientists develop for riot control." He pulled out some sort of odd contraption.

"And, most importantly, I wanted to test my son, to see how he'd handle the situation. There was never a prisoner -- do you really think that I'd keep dungeons under my private flat? You're kidding yourselves.

"Everyone there was Praesillei Dei. the SS officer was actually Praesillei Dei -- SS are not allowed on the flat. THe prisoner, as I said, was Praesillei Dei. He's dead, unfortunately. No problem, though -- he was only a clone -- a being with no soul whatsoever." He scanned the room, scanning the faces of each person.

"I'm happy to say, though, you all passed." He smirked and nodded.

"I suppose, though, that you all wish to leave after that incident. I'm not stopping you. As my son said, I have the sickest sense of humour on the face of the planet." He nodded.

"If you leave, I wish you a safe journey home. If not, I'd like to take you on a tour of the grounds, if you don't mind."

Anna glances briefly at the Czar, then finishes her nails and banishes the file.

"I've no intentions of returning home just yet...but really...that had no punchline whatsoever."

Anna glances briefly at the Czar, then finishes her nails and banishes the file.

"I've no intentions of returning home just yet...but really...that had no punchline whatsoever."

The Czar shrugged. "I didn't intend there to be one."

Specter chirps, a sound haunting, but at the same time musical.

"Siyo?"

A few more chirps, and Anna turns to the others.

"Excuse me a moment...it claims it's urgent."

She is gone a few moments, then returns.

"Sorry about that...one of our mages tried to send me home. Do any of you know an...Alexi, I think it was?"

Kally smiled, "Ask any of the guards, I handled the situation well," she says with a wink. "I grew up on a Raysian Defense Force base... I can tell the difference between a drill and the real thing like most people can tell a Kitten from a Tiger. The only thing that would have influenced ME to leave would be if you guys actually started randomly shooting prisoners... although, those guards pointing guns at me was akward as well."

OOC: Anna: A witch, to her, is anyone who uses powers other than the ones endowed upon them by God.... so, yeah... Plus, I mean Harry potter is about witches and wizards, and most of them practice good too :P

OOC: I class most of the HP witches/wizards differently.
And Anna was born with the abilities she has, and merely worked to control them. Wouldn't that be "endowed by God?"

OOC: I class most of the HP witches/wizards differently.
And Anna was born with the abilities she has, and merely worked to control them. Wouldn't that be "endowed by God?"ooc: demons are born with powers too lol I meant the powers OF God, as in, not the powers not of God lol

Joe heard the drill and began to laugh, "Driver, cancel my last..." he said over his commlink. He then went to the Czar, slapped him on the back, laughed a good hard bit, and said, "After that performance, I'd love to see what else you have up your sleeves."

ooc: demons are born with powers too lol I meant the powers OF God, as in, not the powers not of God lol

OOC: But are demons born? Or are they merely fallen angels...Lucifer's minons, and fellow mutineers?


Fine, I changed it. But typically a response to a statement OOC is OOC.

But are demons born? Or are they merely fallen angels...Lucifer's minons, and fellow mutineers?
OOC: Stay ooc lol Anyway, it's all relative :)

IC: Kally tries to contain a laugh while expressing a look at Joe that bluntly states "yeah right!"

Why did I not see this coming? I do hope that you weren't the first test subject....and besides, what if it had pierced your heart or lungs?

Aside from that, sometimes bullets will ricochet and bounce off the skeletal structure, doing more damage than anticipated. And trust me, something bouncing around at that speed will do damage.

It's like a faster, higher risk game of pinball, only, you don't get any points if you hit cool features, like the heart or lungs, in fact, it's game over if you do.

"Our military currently shoots what are basically paintballs during training exercises, specially encapsulated to fire like normal bullets, but impacts with obviously much less force than a bullet.... though more than paintballs."

"Ah, simunition. We've been using it too for about 25 years. We also use PEP rounds when its too cold for paint."

The Czar nodded at the Shogun. "Yes, it was tested beforehand. the only way I could have possibly have any serious damage occur to me is if the gun was literally on my chest. And Kally," he said, turning to her. "No being with a soul died in the process, and I killed no prisoners. Again, why would I have a dungeon under my private flat?" He sipped a Root Beer, but he dropped the glass on the floor when he heard Anna speak.

"Alexei? As in Prince Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov?" The Czar was cleary shocked an slightly uncomfortable with that name. "Yes, he was my brother -- much younger, oddly. He was born after my wife gave birth to my son. He died a long time ago in an accident. Why?" Actually, the Czar ordered Alexei killed, but that did not need to be gotten in to.

Anna shrugs, mentioning nothing about the Czar's seeming discomfort.

"Maybe. All Renor said was to "get out of there, now" and that this guy was maelthra dalhar -- related to dragons -- and something about him had Renor spooked. I've known Renor all my life, and Renor never gets unsettled in the least."

The Czar's face went pale at the mention of being related to dragons. Jesus, Alexei lives.

"Alexei lives, then. This is not good, not good at all." Not good?!? The Czar thought to himself. All of fucking mankind is threatened by him!! He looked up at Anna.

"Tell Renor not to let Alexei leave wherever the hell he is, but whatever you do, DO NOT LET ALEXEI GET SUSPICIOUS. This is serious stuff, right here." He showed no expression to the grave understatement he just made.

"Clear?"

...That's not going to be that easy. Vhid -- Renor's AEagle -- is very hard to reach. She just...turns up when she's needed. But I doubt Renor has any intention of letting this...Alexei...leave until I'm home, at the earliest.

OOC: Dude, check your TGs.

OOC: If you sent it in the past five minutes, I didn't get it yet. If it was a few days ago, I deleted it, and I forgot what was there.

The Czar nodded. "You are not safer at home than you are here. The safest place to be would be in my presence, but not here. If anything, we need to be where what he wants is. Renor, I'm sure can breif you. If not, I will tell you and everyone else in this room."

OOC: It was Friday night, after you'd gone.

OOC: It was Friday night, after you'd gone.

OOC: Then you'll have to resend it.

Renor didn't tell me...his class of mage is very secretive...it was a brief conversation, and consisted entirely of "get home now" I got very little else out of her.

Renor didn't tell me...his class of mage is very secretive...it was a brief conversation, and consisted entirely of "get home now" I got very little else out of her.

The Czar nodded. "Okay. Then I'll do it."

"Renor was correct when he said Alexei was related to dragons, but he wasn't correct in the degree of relationship. Alexei is the Dragon King. Thrown into the Nexus when the One Realm split apart into who knows how many sections, he was the ex-ruler of that realm -- well, actually, Prince. God, of course, oversaw him. Well, he got out of hand, and when the Dragon King was pursuaded by Satan to turn on the Lord, He knew that having One Realm was too dangerous. So, the Lord split apart the One Realm, turned Hell into an inhospitible realm, and locked it up -- the divine Alcatraz, so to speak, and tossed Satan and his followers in it. Well, the Dragon King escaped into the Nexus that was created. The Nexus exists outside of Reality. It is the joining point of all the realms, if you can access it. With his sword, the Dragon King not only could access it, but couild freely travel to each realm.

"His sword was taken and locked up in the lowest planes of Hell, where not even Satan could wander. In this area, only those pure of heart and appointed to be in His Eternal Kingdom could enter. Well, once could not enter Hell unless one was unpure, so it was truely impossible to get to. Also, the sword was taken apart, as it was made from the things that kept the realms together."

"It was said, though, that if the Dragon Sword left its chamber and entered Earth, and if one could find the temple to the Dragon King, you could unleash him from his prison. Unfortunately, this happened."

"Ivan the Great, the founder of Derscon, was an extremely powerful sorcerer. He knew how to access the portals connecting the realms without going through the Nexus, and he did so. He was pure of heart, but because he went through Hell via portal instead of death, he could wander Hell regardless of his pureness of heart."

"Down in Hell, he found the chamber. He also converted to Christianity. When he did so, he entered the chamber of the Dragon Sword, and took it, not knowing what it did. When everyone came after him, he used the sword to destroy the portal to Hell, effectively eliminating any possible passage to the forbidden realm again. Unfortunately, part one of the legend was complete."

"Thousands of years later, a monk approached my father, who was using the Dragon Sword and its power. This monk led him to an ancient temple in Derscon. When my father laid the sword down on the altar, the prophesy was fullfilled. The giant object in front of them opened, and a being came out.

"The Dragon King had returned, but he was week and feeble. My dad easily killed him. Unfortunately, his sould did not die -- it entered the Sword.

"Many years later, My brother was born, but after my son. When he grew to be of age, he was allowed to hold the Sword. Unfortunately, the Dragon King's sould possessed him. I had multiple excorsises preformed on him, and while the King's spirit fled him, he died, or so we thought. We had him buried in a local graveyard to my ancestor's hometown.

"My guess is, when Alexei's spirit ascended to Heaven, the Dragon King repossessed him, and stayed hidden. Now that he has shown himself, I know what he is after. He is after his Sword. If he can find this, he can find the other enhancers to remerge the relams back to the One Realm. If he can do this, virtually all life on this planet will die. Why? Because Earth is the Keystone to the One Realm. The Earth was at the center of the One Realm, but upon the division, the newly created Nexus was. But, there's a catch -- the Earth is the only way into the Nexus until it is unlocked from the inside. Guess what unlocks it? That's right, the Dragon Sword. Once this occurs, you can access it from anywhere, but you can only travel back and forth from Earth. He'll have to find the accessories in each of the realms in order to travel back and forth between all of the realms.

"If he succeeds in this, while he will not be as powerful as God, God's power will not be able to stop him completely -- only hold him back. The war between good and evil -- this eternal war -- will go en masse into physical Reality. When this happens, all living things in all of the realms will die."

The best we could do to stop that from happening would be to summon them...our most elite mages. But they are only complete when a mage of the line of Maril...and equal to her in ability...joins them...and we are not trained fully anymore, for reasons I cannot repeat.

"Understandable. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure how to stop him, either. There's always an emergency stop button for everything, though. Hell, if God has one for Armageddon, I'm sure there's one for this. But where would it be......?"

Well, if killing him doesn't work, there has to be something different. And from what I understood of your religious literature...Armageddon was going to happen...an inevitability, in your mythos.

"Correct, Armageddon is going to happen, but God keeps the emergency stop button to push it back a few years just in case. The problem is, though, if this thing takes hold, You can toss Revelations out the window. There will be no Armageddon, as it will be an eternal battle, and not a Final one."

*to herself, thinking*

Oh what a tangled web we weave...

OOC: This quote is even better for Anna b/c Kaymiril's national animal is the spider.

Is there a possibility that where ever this thing lies, that the Scales could reach it?

Joe looked suspicously, "Armageddon? Would this have to do with the Pope getting killed? Because if it does, I know a guy named Don, pure of heart, who can help you stop it."

OOC: Derscon, I'm referring to my Armageddon thread. We could use it and like it in here.

Joe looked suspicously, "Armageddon? Would this have to do with the Pope getting killed? Because if it does, I know a guy named Don, pure of heart, who can help you stop it."

OOC: Derscon, I'm referring to my Armageddon thread. We could use it and like it in here.

OOC: :) Very nice idea.
============================
The Czar nodded. "Armageddon has a LOT to do with the pope. The current pope, of course, would have to die, in which case another pope would be elected -- my guess is it would be a unanamous vote. This pope would be the Antichrist, guarenteed. Problem is, though, if Alexei takes power, the first one to die would most likely be the pope, as he has an enormous amount of power, politically. Trust me, you'd rather have Armageddon come than have the Dragon King retake his throne and merge the realms once again. I'd rather have the war have an ending, and good triumph, than have an eternal war in which everyone dies, possibly even spiritually."

OOC: What was the link to that? I think I lost it. It's been awhile -- I couldn't really do anything, unless you wanted me to RP the Conclave, in which case oops. ;)

Two spell lights suddenly encased Anna...a white light trying to drag her away, and a red, trying to resist. Thrown up hastily, the red light wavered quickly, then was shoved entirely down, and Anna was jerked away from Derscon to who knows where.

Specter, her current glider, warbled agitatedly, but the Princess was gone.

OOC: It'd be nice to see some reactions.

SONOFABITCH!! What the F*** just happened! *Flips open cell phone* "Dr. Huratinaga! There has been an energy anomely in Sector 6, Quadrent K, Section 42. Search for an identical energy pattern elsewhere, and report directly to me when you have an answer." *flips it shut* If anyone can find her, it's the Doc. All magic is a form of energy, and therefore gives off light in the form of a recognizable and unique spectrum. All he has to do is find a match. And when we do, the "Scales" will go on red alert. Czar, they can handle this..this thing, can't they?

OOC: Thanks, PP. That was entertaining.

The Czar put his head in his hands.

"What the hell is going on? First I find out Alexei is alive, now Anna disappears?"

SONOFABITCH!! What the F*** just happened! *Flips open cell phone* "Dr. Huratinaga! There has been an energy anomely in Sector 6, Quadrent K, Section 42. Search for an identical energy pattern elsewhere, and report directly to me when you have an answer." *flips it shut* If anyone can find her, it's the Doc. All magic is a form of energy, and therefore gives off light in the form of a recognizable and unique spectrum. All he has to do is find a match. And when we do, the "Scales" will go on red alert. Czar, they can handle this..this thing, can't they?

He shook his head. "With Alexei at full power -- hell, even at HALF his power, the most the main weapon will do is tickle him a little. If you commence with operation METEOR, it might do something, but from what I understand, He was at full power once, and a hoard of mages completely obliterated the planet he was on, and all it did was knock him into space a bit, and he teleported to another locale, killed the mages, and went back to life as usual.

"If you want to take him out, you'll have to kill a lot of stuff, and even then I'm not guarenteeing anything. Only one thing can kill him, and that is his own weapon, which I possess, and you've seen. The Dragon Sword."

Damn, then that means GENISIS is also out of the picture. (LIBRA on steroids)I guess that al we can do is wait, for now.

OOC: You're welcome. You said you wanted reactions.

A raven raps at the window. At first, it looks like an ordinary raven, but it seems to be insistant on getting inside, and the glamour charm that had been put on it was wearing off fast, showing the silver underneath.

Although, if we catch him off guard with GENISIS.... *eye twitches each time the raven scratches*

The glamour charm shatters, and the raven pecks all the harder at the window.

OOC: PP, if you can't recognise Glider by now, that's sad.

He nodded at the Honour Guard when he noticed the make of the "raven."

"Let it in."

Glider flutters in, pretty much ignoring the unfamiliar Kally and Joe, but chittering angrily at Specter, and then going in agitation from Shogun Himura, and being confused as to which was the Czar, between John and Ivan. Eventually, he settles in the center of the room and folds out into screen form. The face could be Anna's, but the eyes are far too cold, and the tone is far too hard.

"I am Princess Dora'nes d' Maril. What happened to my sister?"

Glider flutters in, pretty much ignoring the unfamiliar Kally and Joe, but chittering angrily at Specter, and then going in agitation from Shogun Himura, and being confused as to which was the Czar, between John and Ivan. Eventually, he settles in the center of the room and folds out into screen form. The face could be Anna's, but the eyes are far too cold, and the tone is far too hard.

"I am Princess Dora'nes d' Maril. What happened to my sister?"

The Czar looked solemnly at her.

"If I knew, I'd tell you. She's a strong woman, no doubt, but with recent events unfolding, I fear for her safety.
=================
OOC: And if everything goes according to OOC planning, Anna and them should be popping in through a portal back in the lounge anytime now.

A portal opens and sends nine people through...six of them badly battered. Renor, Mith, and Anna had escaped most of the damage.

A -- Dora, kus mith m'elzaren, nin. (Dora, send grey mages, now)

D -- What in the nine hells happened, Anna? I know that they aren't so easily overcome.

A -- Hell did happen, Dora. Where are those mages?!?

Mith and Renor have already begun working on the injuries of the others. Renor's a bit slower at it, but Mith is quick. The mage in blue robes is too far gone, however.

M -- Never mind, Dora. Contact Uuthli's Chosen...and bestow upon her the name Uuthli.

Renor levitates the Blue Class Master. "He was my friend...I almost told him my name, once...his murderer will not go unpunished, I vow it. I take my leave of this gathering, Princess...I will send my pupils to bring the rest of them safely home...and to allow Uuthli's disciples to interr him in whichever way their class chooses." He and the body disappear.

Anna sits on one of the couches and puts her head in her hands. "Xsa."

The Praetorian Guards, by order of the Czar, fetched medical help, and they arrived faster than you could say "What the hell?"

John puts his arm around Anna, trying to comfort her. The Czar, on the other hand, was....well, it was a mix between fear, anger, and general edginess.

"Damonagaashi did this, didn't he."

Anna holds out her hand, palm outward.

"Jous mina." The words are barely audible, but the spell gets out.

A mini-scale illusion of the battle played across the coffee table. She watches the battle closely, noting a flicker as the change between the hologram and the real thing took place.

"He...teleported...damn him...that would have worked..."

Anna holds out her hand, palm outward.

"Jous mina." The words are barely audible, but the spell gets out.

A mini-scale illusion of the battle played across the coffee table. She watches the battle closely, noting a flicker as the change between the hologram and the real thing took place.

"He...teleported...damn him...that would have worked..."

The Czar was watching intently.

"Freeze on the closeup of Damonagaashi." She did so, and he nodded to a guard. He took a picture with his camera, and the Czar studied it. He walked over to the bookshelves and smiled.

"Here we are." The book was titled Forbidden History: What the Vatican Didn't Want you to Know. When he pulled it out, the bookshelf slid aside, exposing a stone stairwell downward.

"Follow me. You may learn more about this creature. You see, I built this castle not only as a retreat, but to cover something up."

by this time, Renor's pupils have already removed the injured mages, and Mith went with the last of them.

Mith makes a halfbow to the Czar. "Your people's assistance was appreciated."

Specter left on Mith's shoulder, and Glider takes his usual place on Anna's, pecking suspiciously at John. Anna flicks his beak and stands.

"I will go."

There is a coldness to her voice...a hollowness. The mithral armor disappeared in a burst of silver, leaving her in the clothes she had been wearing before any of this had happened.

"There is much I wish to know."

*during the talk about armageddon*

Kally keeps her comments to herslef about the Czar's idea of the end of the world, paying attention, but not really taking it seriously.

*now*

Kally is standing near the back of the room, paying more and more attention to what was going on with Anna, but not following very well. In the last few minutes, she has called in the two guards that were in the flat, now standing at her side.. everyone else is back at the Jet.

She watches the projection on the coffee table, recording it into her PDA just in case. She didn't much care for the affairs of witches, or elves, or whatever, and decided it was best to stay out of things unless necessary. Not knowing quite what to do, and now only idly watching the Projection, she bows her head and says a quick silent prayer to ask whether or not she should get involved or not.

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

Alexei awoke from his meditation, and finally realized Renor wasn't going to do anything. Well, looks like the novice idea isn't going to work after all.

When Renor was contacting Anna from who-knows-where, he got an idea.

Suddenly, blinding white light enveloped Alexei. He said nothing, but only concentrated the light into an orb in front of him. Well, here goes nothin'.

He shot the orb at the communication device he was using (OOC: Yes, I know what it is, but this is third person limited, remember), the light leaving a trail from his hand. The strange light went into the object, and appeared a few seconds later outside of it. An "Arg!" was heard as Princess Anna was thrown onto the floor, and the light evaporated. The glow, now a menacing one, and not a soothing one, returned to Alexei. He shot out a green bolt from his hand, calmly, showing no effort, and it pinned Anna to a wall, and encased her in some sort of bubble, preventing the use of magic inside the bubble, and preventing anything from getting into the bubble that was magic related. Alexei glared at Renor.

"I have no time for your games. If you do not wish to teach, than say so, and I shall leave." He closed his hand and Anna's detaining ceased, but Alexei saw the anger in Anna's eyes, and was prepared for a counterattack.

R -- Damn...I told her to get the hell out of there.
*speaking* Should I teach when there is no desire to learn?

The mage, cloaked in black, started summoning someone, and a portal began to open, out of which stepped a gray clad figure.

Princess Annastrianna d' Maril was now all but at the mercy of this creature. And that wasn't a good thing at all.

A golden light surrounded the Princess. It whirled around her, and suddenly she was clad in mithral armor. She reached out her hand, and an adamantine jakujou (long, stafflike, has a crescent blade attatched to the staff by a long chain, and a pendulum blade at the other end) came to her hand. Different runes and spells glittered across the armor, and across the length of the weapon. The princess' eyes glowed white.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, light flashing angrily in her eyes as the energy levels around her rose to screaming levels.

Alexei shook his head. "There is a desire, but not a need. you misinterpreted me."

When Anna drew her weapon and dawned her armour, he could sense the energy level jump to enormous highs. She's a bit angry. Not that I blame her.

"Ah! You must be Princess Annastrianna d' Maril, pleasure to meet you. I apologize if you were in the middle of something, but I had to get your friend's attentions somehow." He smiled, completely calm.

"Oh, how rude of me, I did not introduce myself. I am Prince Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, the Dragon King. You may have heard of me in history books in magic colleges, as well as the place I use to rule."

Although he remained calm his mind was racing. Hmm, this girl looks like she may attack me. I don't really want to fight, but I better make sure she knows that I'm not someone to mess with.

Finding the energy levels of Anna, he smiled. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as his body flashed a blinding white light, and he started to grow, but it was entirely in the form of the white light. Giant wings grew out of his back, and he grew to be twenty-five feet tall. A tail became visible, fifteen feet in length, and horns grew out of his head.

When he came back to a physical form, he was in his true form. He was no longer the Prince.

He was Damonagaashi, the Dragon King. His transformation unleashed an energy wave that knocked most people off their feet, but he maintained a constant level of energy felt from him, matching Anna's. He started to speak. It was a low, growl of a dragon.

"You require Mythirill to enhance yourself, while I only need to transform, and I'm still holding back. I suggest you sheath your weapon. I do not wish to fight you, but if you attack me, I will be forced to defend myself." With a closed fist about the size of a standard adult human male, and spikes on his tail about three quarters of that size, you could tell that wasn't too hard to do.

I know you. And if you're holding back, you aren't holding back nearly enough.

*The energy around her increased, and kept increasing, as though it would never stop*

Renor, Mith...summon them.

*Renor looked at Mith, questioningly.*

R -- Is this the Anna we knew?

M -- She is a Maril...

*The two mages set up a summoning...out of the portal flies a Gold clad figure, then a Silver, White, Blue, Red, and Brown. These are the eight elite mages of Kaymiril...known collectively as them and only called upon as such in times of dire emergency. Sensing such emergency, the mages prepared themselves for battle...energy levels in the room spiked*

A -- I am Crown Princess Annastrianna d' Maril...a half god not even at half power is easy prey for the elite force of Kaymiril.

*She turns her head to the Gold mage*

A -- Plak'la.

P -- Siyo, Qu'essan.

*The energy levels around the mage swirled as he cast a spell of Time Immobility around the draconic figure. All time around the figure slowed to a standstill, making movement difficult, if at all possible. The spell confined itself to an area ringing the monster, but not impeding the mages*

Damonagaashi laughed at their futile attempts to stop him. When her energy level increased, he made sure his increased double her rate.

When they casted the Time immobility spell, he unleashed an energy wave equivilant to that of the wave that occurs when a nuclear bomb is detonated, and it prevented the spell from enveloping him, considering the makeup of the energy.

"Measurements are relative. At half power, I could start to merge some of the realms, and that is something you could not even dream of doing in fifteen of your lifetimes. I have lived since the beginning of time, do you really think you stand a chance?!?" He picked up the gold mage and crushed him, hopefully killing him, and tossed his body like a rag doll out of the gaping hole in the tower, falling to the depths below. Outside, a storm was forming.

The time spell having failed, the other mages drew their most powerful spell. Mith hung in the background, healing the barely alive Plak'la.

The five Elemental Mages, plus Renor, cast their spells instantly, sending them zooming in. God or not, half or not, full power or none...there was no way he wasn't feeling that. Meanwhile, Anna cast her spell.

"Kai Rokkai Shi Shi Hai Kokku Wa Gan Shi Sho Rai."

This was a forbidden form of magic...half holy, half unholy...the real purpose of the other spells was to let this one through. There was no entity alive that would not feel an effect of this spell...and as it was a mixture of holy and unholy, no raw energy attack would dull it.

However, the spell did not appear to do enough, and the mages, much the worse for wear, were thrown back across space to the grounds of the Czar's Derscon flat.

Damonagaashi, sensing the extreme power of the spell, cast himself into a rift in space/time in order to avoid the spells, while having a holographic image of himself displayed there as if to give the impression the spells went right through the physical manifestation of him.

Overlooking the situation through the rift, his eyes went wide. Oh my God, that could have probably killed me had I not gotten out of the way. When the spells were done, he exited the rift and took his place back where the hologram was, giving the impression he was there the entire time.

You are a fool." He whipped his tail around, tripping the Kaymirilian people, slicing some of them with the spikes, and although he couldn't see it, possibly impaling one of them before throwing it against the wall. He used his telekinetics to pick up Anna. As she floated, he took her sword and vaporized it, containing the energy it released in a bubble, of sorts, and cast it into the heavens.

"I have no time for this. Be gone with you." With that, he formed a portal, and cast Anna and the other mages into it, sending them all back to the Czar's flat.

When they were gone, he transformed back to his human form.

"Obviously, I have nothing to do here. Good day." With that, he turned back to his spiritual form, and vaporized, teleporting himself to who knows where.

OOC: This is what happened.

"Kally, if you were a true ally, not just of Derscon, but of the world, you would stand and fight."

*Turns to the Czar*

"I believe there is something else at the window. You and my father, Kira Yamato, never got this opportunity to fight together." *At the window was another bird, and in its talon...was a beautiful blade.* "I'm sure you will remember this sword. I had it removed from the top of his tomb when this began."

The Czar nodded. He chuckled to himself as Glider pecked at John, and he led them down the stairway.

Eventually, they came to the end, with a door on it, and it had a gold symbol of the Dragon King on it.

He opened it, and led everyone in to the room. it was truely awe-inspiring. Everyone suddenly fell ill and dizzy, and they all saw a flash of green light -- some passed out, but when they were through, they were fine again.

"This is the original temple to the Dragon King. This is also where he ruled the One Realm from, as you can tell by the throne over there." He pointed to an area across the temple where a throne sat. Something above the seat itself was there, but it seemed like something was missing, too.

All around the room, the symbols for each of the realms was engraved into different shrines in the circular room, with the symbol of the One Realm above the throne at the other end of the circular room. Two full-size statues of the Dragon King were erected in front of the throne, and they were surrounded by symbols of the One Realm. Virtical, circular objects stood around the room, and an altar was in front of each of them.

in the very center of the room, a circular altar stood, jutting out of the mostly empty room. In the center of the Altar, there was a giant hole. The Czar turned to everyone, and started acting like a tour guide.

"Okay, in the center here is where you place the Dragon Sword. When this occurs, the giant symbol of the One Realm behind you," he says as he points to the giant symbol above the doors, which, oddly enough, didn't exist. Instead, it was just like the circular objects around the room, with the altar and everything. It, like all the other ones, was just a ring -- you could jump through it like they had lions jump through hoops in circuses.

"When this happens, you know you did something right, but you're not done yet. After this occurs, the altar in the middle of the room splits apart, and you find the circular object that would fit in the location that you see above the throne. When you place it, it also lights up. If you turn the dials on it correctly, a beam will shoot out the center and hit the giant symbol of the One Realm back there, which will reflect the beam to that altar;" he pointed to the altar in front of the ring where the doors should be.

"Unfortunately, you're not done. You must gather all of the accessories for the Sword and place them on the altar cooresponding with the realm they are from. When this happens, the beam will reflect off of each accessory, eventually connecting all of them with energy, and all of them focusing their energy on the giant orb on the hilt of the Sword. When this happens, each ring you see lights up. These rings are portals -- closed, obviously -- to all of the original realms. Anyways, they all open. You're still not done, though.

"After this is accomplished, you set the combination on the dial above the throne again, and the same process is repeated, only this time the beam at the end shoots back at the point of origin, and then it reflects to the orb in the holt of the Dragon Sword." He paused and glanced over his guests.

"What you get is the recombining of the realms. Welcome, folks, to the Nexus. You are now officially outside of Reality. The Nexus, of course, is inaccessable without the keys to it -- the Dragon Sword accessories. I happen to not only possess the Sword, but the Earth's key." He pulled out some sort of cover. It had a globe of the Earth on it and a dragon's head coming out of it.

"This is the Earth's key. It cover's the orb in battle. It also opens up the Earth's portal to the Nexus." He placed it on the altar and the portal back to Earth opened. The light within the ring was green, explaining the green flash.

When they all walked through it again and back up to the living room, everyone was sitting down.

"Now, I'm sure you are wondering how to defeat him. Well, right now he is vulnerable. Not weak, but vulnerable. Once he reaches half his power, though, only the Dragon Sword will kill him. If he manages to reach full power, though, there is only one way to defeat him, and it is near impossible.

"You must gather all of the items that open the portals and equip them onto the Sword. That is the only way to defeat him. To do so, though, you would have to travel to each of the original realms. This serves to be a problem, though, as the larger ones have split apart even more, so you actually are searching up to ten realms for one object. Either way, though, all of the objects must be found and destroyed. Unfortunately, the only way to destroy them is with the Dragon Sword. So, after we destroy them, we are left with the problem of destroying the sword. How we do this I am still unsure of."

"Regardless, Anna," he said, turning to her. "Use your mages and order them to find the twelve other items. I have one, that's a start, but I cannot travel to find the rest. Unfortunately, there are currently thirty-some realms, so it will be a long task, but all life in Reality is at stake."

There are thirty five realms...twenty-nine of them carefully mapped. Tell me what they're looking for. I will send them, and they will not fail. If they have to search the Deeperdark (ooc: thier term for the deepest level of Hell) or the Shining (ooc: highest level of heaven), there is no place, within or out of Reality that they will not search...and they will bring the items back.

"Kally, if you were a true ally, not just of Derscon, but of the world, you would stand and fight."

*Turns to the Czar*

"I believe there is something else at the window. You and my father, Kira Yamato, never got this opportunity to fight together." *At the window was another bird, and in its talon...was a beautiful blade.* "I'm sure you will remember this sword. I had it removed from the top of his tomb when this began."

The Czar smiled when the Shogun presented him with the Water Sword after his explanation of the situation.

"Anna, I lied. You only need to search for eleven of them." He bowed low to the Shogun and took the sword.

"I'm afraid I lied to your father about the origin of this sword, but it was best not to let him know of this threat. The Water Sword is the item that we need from a realm I don't remember the name of, but regardless, it's one of them." He gives it to his son.

"Place this on its Altar." He points to the symbol of the realm it was from.

"Match this." He nods.

"Yes, father, but wouldn't opening the Nexus portals be dangerous?" The Czar nodded.

"Yes, but it will help us in our search. You see, when an item is found, it also unlocks another portal, as well as the one it is from. We are stuck, though, if it is the one that's supposed to unlock Earth's."

There are thirty five realms...twenty-nine of them carefully mapped. Tell me what they're looking for. I will send them, and they will not fail. If they have to search the Deeperdark (ooc: thier term for the deepest level of Hell) or the Shining (ooc: highest level of heaven), there is no place, within or out of Reality that they will not search...and they will bring the items back.

The Czar shook his head. "Both of the extreme planes of Heaven and Hell exist outside of Reality -- you need not, and nevertheless cannot search there. You have free access to this building as long as you are alive. You will be travelling through the Nexus often. If you wish, send a mage or ten with John to go through the portal that is opened. I, unfortunately, cannot guarentee their safety."

The Czar shook his head. "Both of the extreme planes of Heaven and Hell exist outside of Reality -- you need not, and nevertheless cannot search there. You have free access to this building as long as you are alive. You will be travelling through the Nexus often. If you wish, send a mage or ten with John to go through the portal that is opened. I, unfortunately, cannot guarentee their safety."

Anna nods. Glider was already contacting the necessary mages.

Three dozen mages garbed in black appeared in the room.

"These are all a step and a half down from being of Renor's power. They have probably already been to most of the realms, and if they haven't, our Master Black Class mage hasn't been living up to his job. And she has never failed before. Enti, N'gama, Vress, Shiir, and Agus, go with the Prince. See to his safety, and seek out the items matching any of these energy signatures."
((OOC: Black Class Mage doesn't mean black magick in the traditional sense of the word.))

The mages filed out and searched the Temple for the energy signatures of the items.

"Princess d' Maril...this item...and this item...we found long ago...in the days of Kaymiril II."

A -- I will bring those items here, then. Meanwhile, go, all of you, in groups of no less than three. Search the planes for the items...and return here when you find them.

The mages disappear, and the five she had singled out stood next to the Dersconi Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, Anna cast a spell, and two items seemed to pull themselves out of a non-reality into her reality.

"We put items such as these in "pocket realities"...tiny dimensions that only the sealer...or their direct descendants...can unseal."

She hands them to the Czar.

Joe just sits there through all of these happenings, eyesglazed over and drool starting to pool.

OOC: I'll do a search for the thread and post it in a sec, Derscon

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=373645

Armageddon thread

OOC: Wow... umm... this thread sure is getting weird... I thought this was just going to be some ally meeting... maybe some trouble... not this interdimensional heavy magic crap... what's going on? This is really hard to follow, and I do not RP fantasy...

Kally doesn't stop the recording of her auto-dict program on her PDA, while unenthusiastically following the Czar around, listening to him babel about his holy grail of swords or something like that... if it became important in the future, she could review her notes. Her guards stay loosely by her side, too much weird stuff was going on to feel safe.

She is noticibly uninterested right now, not taking her eyes off her PDA as she links up with a Raysian Sattelite to download the latest mission reports from the REF.

She hides an eyeroll as she stands in the back of the room, waiting for the uplink to establish and download, and tries to pay attention to the Clar. Uh huh... Dragon king... yup... sword with accessories? What the crap is this, Final Fantasy Armageddon? This along with that witch in the other room... just too weird for me. ...alright Kally, just fulfill your diplomatic responsibility and get out... yeah, that's it, that's what I'll do.

She pockets her PDA and lets it download while continuing to record notes from the Czar's ramblings. Heh... the pope... multiple dimensions, witchcraft, magical swords... what next, do we get to go hunt sasquatch in the Czar's backyard?

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kallyrace.jpg

OOC: italics is internal monologue, in case you didn't know lol best not reply to those thoughts if you aren't psychic or something lol

OOC: Hunting sasquatch in the Czar's back yard...sounds fun...maybe later.

IC:
Anna holds out her hand, palm up. A soft glow fills her hand and begins to take a birdlike shape.

"Oh, by the way, John, take this. You might very well need it. Don't fall off in flight, and you should be fine...if needed, you can tell it to "sheild" "evade" or "attack"...I'm afriad I don't have time to teach you the workings of it properly, but any of the others can give explanations."

The thing finished materialising in her hand. It was silver, the same as Glider and Specter, but the shape it took was that of an Eagle.

"You can also tell it to contact Glider, and you'll have instant contact to this world...inter-planar reception's still a little fuzzy, though."

Czar, let me run diversion when we face him. You get the finishing blow, but I'm best at distractions.

OOC: Derscon, you need to hold the thingie where they elect a new Pope. We were waiting for you to post it and the thread kinda went into stasis.

OOC: Uhh, seriously though, this isn't going to turn into some catholic religious quest thing or magic fight, is it?

OOC: Fighting dragons is not for the faint of heart...

OOC:This is a standard statment of mine: WE'RE HAVING FUN SO STOP RAINING ON US!!! In other words, if you aren't interested in seeing where this is going than, don't stay. I don't like this style either, but it is still interesting.

OOC: We're just starting to get into familiar ground for me, lol. I've always rp'd magick...this tech stuff is new. I can even tell you that the difference between "magic" and "magick" is that the former is used for parlour tricks (legardemain) and the latter is the real deal.

OOC: Funny you say that, Crazed Marines. I did, but the forums ate my post. I'll get to it.
==============================
The Czar scanned the objects for symbols of any sort. He didn't find any directly, but John was a scholar at this stuff -- forbidden knowledge always tickled the Prince's fancy.

"John, take these too. See if they fit." He scanned them.

"Will do." When John disappeared again, he turned back to Anna. "By the way, some of the objects are not exactly accessories, as you saw with the sword. They could be counterparts, or just plain strange, so look closely." When John came back, he smiled.

"They all fit. Four of the portals are open now. And the phrase you're looking for is Kamidogu. That is what they are called." (OOC: And the secret to my RP idea is unlocked! :))

The Shogun sat in the corner, a wet stone running down his reverse-blade sword over, and over, and over, and over again.

Anna nods.

"The mages have memorized the energy signature they search for...item's appearences should not affect the expediency with which they are found. I, however, will not be accompanying any of the teams...I have to stay here and coordinate."

Scarcely has she finished speaking when she puts her hand to her head, her face and posture showing a measure of the intense pain she was feeling. It almost sent her to her knees, but she fought it off and remained standing, waiting for it to pass.

When it does pass, after a few minutes, she takes a moment to breathe.

"I was afraid that might happen."

"What's wrong? Is he doing something again?"

No...this is a consequence of the spell I cast. The blending of holy and unholy magick is highly forbidden...and to cast a forbidden spell bears consequences. Mith's subordinates are trying to find a way around it as we speak...so that it does not flare up at inopportune moments...but this will happen all my life.

~~out!! sorry guys, just not my thing

OOC: No problem.
======================
The czar looked over at one of the guards.

"Open up the Il Passetto." He nodded.

"Yessir." The Shogun looked at him in confusion.

"It's a track that connects this flat with Kremlin Palace. We need to go to the Kremlin for safety reasons, but we still need easy access to the Nexus here, so I'm keeping it open. We should leave now."

"Track"?

It was a term the Princess had heard only once before, but she had never found out the function of it.

Location: ????

The Dragon King, now back in his human form, wandered the temple grounds. The temple, of course, was for the Dragon King, and it increased his power. He walked over to the altar and bowed before the statue -- of himself. He muttered something, and the statue fell down onto the altar, splitting the altar in half. In it, was the realm's Kamidogu. He picked it up and smiled.

"I'm glad they made this easy for me. All of them should be in my temples -- the monks assured me of that." Just then, three ninjas, two sages in red cloaks, and one other person in black, came in. They didn't look friendly.

"What brings you here?!?" the person in the black said. When he saw the Kamidogu, be bowed.

"Lord Damonagaashi." The others recoiled in shock, and also bowed. Alexei smiled.

"Arise." They rose and he looked at all of them.

"Listen to me -- reconstruct this temple. There are people looking for me. Make it seem like everything is in order. Trap them, do you understand?" He nodded.

"My Lord, this entire realm supports you." Alexei nodded. This must be my homeworld.

"I'm glad to hear that." He walked outside, watching the dragons roam around, with people riding them.

"I'm glad to see my people are accepted, now." The one in Black nodded.

"They do. Here, Dragon worship is the religion, as it should be." Alexei then sensed something. He turned to the black mage, and realized who he was. A look of some sort of emotion came across his face.

"You....my....my....." He knew this instantly. The energy levels of him were actually above his at the moment. The man in the black robes was at full power and has been since the Dragon King was cast into the Nexus. Full power for they guy in black was about three-quarters that of the Dragon King's full power. Alexei embraced this person, while the ones in red, the Dragon Masters (trained to be about half as powerful as the guy in black), stood idely by.

"Father," the man in black said to the Dragon King, deep in emotion. "It is time you reclaim your Throne."

"Track"?

It was a term the Princess had heard only once before, but she had never found out the function of it.

"Subway track. Bullet train, but underground. Thankfully, the chamber has been heavily layered with soundproof material, so it doesn't show up on any known detection systems."

I see...

ooc: do forgive, but I can smell the word 'magic'. Yes, smell - word... Okay, stop staring. My race is a bit untrusting, so forgive me for sending a Dragon-Prince as opposed to my actual Emperor. Are you still looking for item X mentioned in my college?

IC:
Sarathai lit from the white ship and stepped into the company of his gaurds. They all mounted their steeds after him, and they began the ride to the Villa. Their intricate armor drew many stares, and the inquisitive glances from the other Mon-Kiegh were irritating the gaurds. When the reached the gates of the Villa, he dismounted and removed his helm, handing it to a gaurd to take back to the ship. He waved his envoy off and proceeded inside. (OOC:the gaurds will return to the ship, no fears)
Upon entering he paused momentarily to examine the Shogun's sword, and then began listening in to the conversation between Annastrianna and Andropov, showing no intent to either state his arrival, or introduce anyone.

Location: ????

Alexei looked over the assembled masses. They were all trained in geurillia (sp butchered, I know) warfare, thankfully. They were equipped with katanas, a silenced submachine gun, and a (OOC: PP, I forget the "sidearm" of the Samuri, you'll have to refresh my memory). They all had various other things, such as a black outfit, a silenced pistol, etc.

They were the ninjas of the Dragon King's army. The deadliest assassins ever to walk the One Realm in their time. From this forbidden knowledge left behind is how the Samuri developed their weapons and tools, and how the Chineese ninjas developed their tactics. Obviously, they were trained in basic magic and intense special operations tactics under the Dragon King's son. They numbered in the low hundreds.

The Dragon Masters, people dressed in Red who were trained to be powerful sages. they are the ones that controlled the dragons that roamed freely in this realm. They numbered at six hundred and sixty six.

The Generals of the Dragon King's army were dressed as the Dragon King's son was dressed -- same outfit as the Dragon Masters, but black. They were half human, half dragon. Their numbers were few, and their energy levels topped off at half of the King's full power.

Then there was the four-armed Shotokan warriors. They numbered also few, as their race was nearly extinct. They had heavy armour on them, and they carried massive bladed staff weapons in their lower hands, and rocket launchers in their upper hands. They did not have any magickal abilities, though, as they relied completely on brute force.

The Dragon King's son was up with Alexei. He was dressed like the Generals, only without the mask, and had gold on the uniform.

Alexei looked over them again and turned to his son.

"This is excellent, but we must never assemble like this. The energy levels in one area are too high not to be noticed. They must disband immediately." His son nodded and ordered them to disperse, and the Brigades went their seperate ways. Alexei examined his hands.

"I am now at half of my strength." His son looked at him.

"I cannot sense it." Alexei smiled.

"I am masking it."

"Excellent. Now, shall we place the Kamidogu on its altar in the Nexus?" Alexei nodded.

"Indeed -- we should. Send a Dragon Master with two ninjas and a Shotokan warrior." He nodded.

"Okay. And shall I contact our Tarkatan allies?" Alexei shook his head.

"Absolutely not. We cannot risk it yet. Hell would probably be the first place they search for us." His son looked in confusion.

"What do you mean by search?"

"Pytor, Pytor, Pytor," he said. "You are not thinking, my son! Do you really think they'll just ignore me after what I did?" His son sighed.

"I guess not. I shall send them to the Nexus immediately."

"Thank you, Pytor."

"Yes, Father."
====================
OOC Note: "Pytor" is pronounced. "Pier-ter." (As in the doc, and then the ending of "Peter)

OOC: I wasn't looking for anything in the college except to hone the Dragon King's powers.
============================
Ivan noticed the Dragon-Prince come in. The Praetorian Guards did too, and trained their weapons on him -- discreetly, of course. The Honour Guards were not very trusting of him.

"Sarathai, nice of you to come." The Czar turned to look at him.

"I know my ambassador to your nation has been pushing for an alliance with you, and now that we have withdrawn from the Elf-hating alliance of Metus, we can. Full access to the bar, if you wish. I have a feeling, though, you came to discuss business."

Anna's eyes flash briefly. "They are gathered. Their base is on what we call the "Twelfth" Plane...one of the ones we have not been able to map."

She looks briefly at the list of mages she had sent out, and which were where.

"Oh no...Glider, contact Rhez."

A few moments later...

"Team six, get out of there, now."

Three black-masked mages appeared in the room.

"Princess, we could feel the i --"

Anna cut off the leader.

"You also knew about their numbers. No heroics today...we've already lost Uuthli, and I don't want to lose anyone else quite yet."

(OOC: I believe you are talking about the short sword, or wakizashi. However, the ninja commonly used only one long sword, actually of a make that was different than the katana, which was slightly curved. Ninjas used a straight blade, to make the drawing of it silent. And samurai has an A in it.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Shogun stood up, silently and threatiningly thumbing the tsuba of his sword. "What's going on?" he asked, his eyes narrowing and his stance changing.

OOC: Thanks for the clearing up. And Kaymirill, you should have made it the thirteenth realm :).
==============================
Dragon Realm

A Dragon Master came up to Pytor. "Sir, we have located an energy lapse in sector four." He nodded.

"Send some people over to check it out."

"Yessir."
===========================
Dragon Realm

The Dragon Temple

The Kamidogu team reached the temple where the portal to the Nexus is kept. When they placed it on the altar, the portal opened, and they walked in.
=============================
The Nexus

When the team entered the Nexus, they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Holy crap, four of the portals are open!" Instead of placing the Kamidogu on the altar in the Nexus, they returned to the realm, placing it on the altar in the realm itself, making all traffic through that portal controlled from the realm instead of the Nexus.
=============================
Dragon Temple

"Sir!" the team leader reported to Pytor. "The Nexus is in use! Four of the portals all already open, including Earth's portal!" Pytor went wide-eyed.

"Lock down that portal and close all interrealm traffic to and from the Dragon Realm. Divert all incoming traffic to the portal and place an entire brigade there. You," he said, pointing to a lead Sorcerer, in all gold. "Seal off all energy being released from this realm. Mask it immediately!"

"Yes, my Master."

Trouble...don't worry...it's about six planes "lower"...still...*she looks over at the Czar* His power is rising.

He perked up when John came running in.

"What is it?"

"Ivan, I saw...something, right before I jumped into the portal. I don't know what it was, but they had a Kamidogu, and the one guy had four arms, and he was HUGE!" He was gasping for air.

"I ran and jumped in the portal as fast as I could. I don't think they saw me."

Aside from the four arms, can you describe it? There are horror stories from the twelfth plane...I may be able to show you what you saw.

OOC: I didn't make it the 13th b/c the thirteenth is actually fairly harmless.

The Shogun was having a hard time constraining himself, and had now completely, and somehow silently, drawn his sword, the reverse-blade catching a glint of light, making it look deadly.

Anna takes a seat right before another wave of pain tears through her. She closes her eyes and waits it out...only this time, instead of just being a severe headache, it moved down her neck, and started down her spine, before passing. When it had passed, she reopened her eyes.

noticing Anna's still in pain, Kenshin slams the sword into the ground. He waits for a few seconds, gathering power. Then, he slaps his hands together, and pounds the ground in front of Anna with them. Instantly, a glow comes from the ground, and a cement wall bursts forth, separating her from the portal.
"If they come in firing, and youy have another attack, you're history. Stay here, and you have the advantage of surprise."

He sat down.

"Maybe some ten feet tall, probably maybe quarter ton, sevenhundred pounds, I dunno. It was about as armoured as a tank, though. It could probably pick up an Abrams like it was a matchbox car." he took a sip of water.

"He was accompanied by soem guys in Red robes, it looked, and about six ninjas, I guess. They had a dragon inscribed on their shoulders, so I think they were Damonagaashi's warriors."

Shogun Himura...I thank you for your concern...but it is unnecessary...and besides, a huge cement wall looks really suspicious. Mith cast an enchantment so that in times of "life threatening danger," should this happen, it will be shunted off until the situation is over. This is a consequence...we were expecting.

The Czar shook his head.

"No point, the portal is far below us."
==========================
OOC: By the way, the Dragon Realm is actually a beautiful paradise, but everyone is afraid of going there, so they think it is bad. And the dragons, while not exactly nice-looking, are friendly as your pet cat or dog. Unless you make them angry. :)

Well, I lied. The western parts are a volcanic wasteland, the north is icecapped, and everything else is all beautiful and stuff.

He sat down.

"Maybe some ten feet tall, probably maybe quarter ton, sevenhundred pounds, I dunno. It was about as armoured as a tank, though. It could probably pick up an Abrams like it was a matchbox car." he took a sip of water.

"He was accompanied by soem guys in Red robes, it looked, and about six ninjas, I guess. They had a dragon inscribed on their shoulders, so I think they were Damonagaashi's warriors."

Yes...I know what you speak of. *She holds her hand up and casts an illusion of the monster.* They are called Shotokan....not plesant...a challenge for most mages...but we have five black-class mages here with us...and they should be no problem for a properly trained black-class mage. Not to mention Renor's on her way. He wouldn't have any problem with them at all.

"Just trying to help," he said, turning and picking up his sword again.