Medieval Roleplay- The Grand Duke and the Elf Knight

[Celestial]

Figure somebody should open the floodgates for all the Medieval side-RPs that will hopefully come to invade his place and who better to do it than me and Shinko? :3 (The answer is anyone but we're doing it anyway!)

This takes place about seventeen years before the events of the main Medieval roleplay, during the Second Langean War on what was then the western, Bernian border of Kyth. More specifically, in the border fortress city of Konik, which is north-west of Destrier. It details Belial and Alain's meeting, which was mentioned briefly in the main roleplay. Now, for the first time, you can see how it went down. Aren't you excited? =D (It isn't that exciting.)

Without further ado then...let us begin.

---

Konik had not seen this much activity in a long time, although considering the circumstances perhaps this was not a good thing. However, with Lange being as militaristic as it was and with the incomplete defeat they had suffered last time, it had been only a matter of time before they would try to invade again. And they had done so with a vengeance. In a small matter of time, Lange had reclaimed the land that had been taken from them during the last war and had begun marching towards Destrier itself.

However, for all their military might, Kyth was not going to go down without a fight. As soon as they had even gotten word of an army massing around their borders, the knights and soldiers of Bern and Kine, with reinforcements coming in from Rindfell and Veresia, began to prepare their counter-attack. Even Corvus had contributed some fighting troops. All these people had come here, to the border city of Konik, which with its thick walls and castle mounted on the sheer cliff face that jutted out of the landscape, had made it the perfect stronghold to stand against the Langean offensive.

The first few battles had taken place not far from it and while they had not reclaimed much land, the Kythian army had made decent progress. As strong as the Langean troops were, they were poorly organised, with many of them being merecenaries that had been conscripted into the service of the king. Their ferocity made them a force to be reckoned with but they could eventually be worn down with good strategy.

For now, however, there was a lull in the fighting. The Langeans were regrouping and the Kythians were plotting. Despite that, both sides still had plenty of free time to kill. Which was why Grand Duke Alain Stallion had decided to make his way down to the barracks that had been erected in and around Konik. In particular, he wanted to visit the barracks of the contingent of the knights of Nid'agile from Corvus.

It all boiled down to simple curiousity. He had heard of elves, certainly, but there were none in Bern and due to their isolation and the fact that they lived on Jade territory, he had never had a chance to meet any of their kind, at least not in detail. This was a perfect opportunity and he was not going to let it slip by, especially since, these elves being knights, they would hopefully have a common tongue and a common subject to talk about.

At least, he hoped so. For all he knew, they might not want to speak with him at all. Alain could always pull rank on them but if you wanted a decent conversation, it was generally ill-advised to remind your conversation partner that you were above them in station. So he would just have to wait and see.

He approached the barrack with the banner of the Nid'aigle knights flying above it and approached the sentry on duty. Even if he did not speak Kythian, hopefully Alain would look important enough for him to be directed at somebody who did. His armour and the circlet on his head would be enough of an indicator he was not some ordinary knight.

"Excuse me," he said with a smile. "I am Alain Stallion, Grand Duke of Bern and one of the commanders of the Kythian army. I was wondering if I could speak to the knights of Nid'aigle."

SPOILER: Click to show

A long infodump about the background and progress of the second Langean war. Basically, Lange is angry and wants revenge but they phail at strategy. Kyth is ready to meet them with knights from all the regions. However, in a lull in the fighting, Alain decides to go visit the knights of Nid'aigle, because elves are fascinating. He approaches a sentry and begins talking to them.

[Shinko]

((Speech that's written in blue is in Elvish. Everything else is Kythian.))

The sentry on duty was a brunette elf, and when he looked up at the visitor his eyes about popped out of his head. He saluted quickly. No prizes for guessing this was some sort of noble, and when he said his name the sentry gulped. The elves didn't see nobles aside from the Jades very often.

"Ah, Ha-lo," he said, his accent thick and his speech halting. "Wait, your Grace-sir? I get someone."

The sentry glanced around, and to his obvious relief spotted just the person he needed coming out of a meeting in the officer's tent. "Sir Braham!" the sentry called, getting the knight's attention. "Might I borrow you a moment? My Kythian leaves a great deal to be desired and a Very Important Personage has come to walk among the common throngs and grace us with his company."

The other knight walked over, saluting to Alain as he drew close. Like all of his kind his skin was pale, and to a human he might have seemed to never go out in the sun. He was middling height for an elf, which was for a human relatively tall. Short cropped blonde hair framed his face, though some longer flyaways occasionally fell into his face despite his efforts to push them behind his slanted ears. In the light his pale brown eyes seemed to shimmer like chips of amber. He wasn't in armor at that moment, just a well made leather tunic and breeches, but the badge on his vest confirmed his knighthood and the armbands around each shoulder identified him as a squad leader. Though for the most part the knight's clothing was utilitarian and for practicality's sake unornamented, there was one concession he allowed himself; a small white-gold wedding band on his right ring finger.

"Your grace, this Sir Belial Braham," the sentry said, saluting Alain again. "Sir Braham, this Grand Duke Alain Stallion."

Belial's eyebrows lifted in surprise. So this man was the noble in charge of the progressive region of Bern. Belial had noticed the vast differences in culture and technology between Bern and Corvus on the ride north, and it had intrigued him. The elven man had always been fascinated by human culture, often to the point of being seen as eccentric by his fellow elves. In fact, Belial had a human wife and two half-human children back home in Nid'aigle. The knight's amber eyes glittered with obvious respect and interest.

Giving a sort of half-bow to accompany his earlier salute, Belial addressed the visitor. "Your Grace, you do us an honor. I apologize, my compatriot is not very fluent in Kythian, but if there is something you require I'd be happy to help you."

SPOILER: Click to show

The sentry Alain approaches panics momentarily because he doesn't speak much Kythian, but then he conveniently notices that one really weird Belial guy with the human wife. Belial speaks Kythian, let's drag him over here so he can handle this!

Belial is intrigued by Bern's culture and instantly respects Alain as the titular leader of such a well maintained, forward thinking region. He offers to help Alain with whatever he came down to the elves to do.

[Celestial]

Alain smiled and stood back, nodding to the sentry as he rushed off to get somebody he could talk to. Judging by the thick accent, it was unlikely that he would get anywhere far with the elf. Better he waited for somebody else who he could have a proper conversation.

Thankfully, he did not have to wait long. The sentry appeared to have found exactly who he was looking for, judging by the relief spreading across his face. With some curiousity, Alain listened as they spoke amongst themselves in what he assumed was elvish. It was certainly a beautiful language, though completely alien to his ears. However, he could gather enough from context and the looks he was given. The other elf was clearly of a higher rank, or at least more capable of dealing with Alain than the sentry.

As the knight walked closer, Alain gave him a cursory glance, just to try to determine the character of the one he was about to talk to. There was definitely no mistaking him for a human, with the paleness of his skin and the eye colour as well as the slanted ears, but otherwise he did not appear much different. There was an affability in him which was not present in the sentry, which was definitely a good sign. While Alain had no qualms about being disliked, it was better for a conversation if both parties got along. One other thing caught his eye: the wedding ring. Perhaps that would make for an interesting topic of conversation later, though for now, it was important to get introductions out of the way.

He returned his salute but not the bow. While Alain was hardly as inflexible about his rank as the other nobles, it would nevertheless have been odd for him to bow to anybody, save the king. So instead, he substituted it with a nod of acknowledgement, first to the sentry and then the knight.

"That is quite alright, Sir Belial, I expected it. I have heard a lot about elves being isolated from humans and it was certainly curious to hear your native tongue," Alain said and smiled at Belial. "I was merely curious about you and your kind. Elves are almost unheard of in Bern and it is in my interest to know as much as I possibly can. Perhaps you could tell me about your people? Or your home in Nid'aigle?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain waits while the sentry gets somebody else, taking in his first impressions of elves and elf language as he does. He scans the knight approaching him and gets past formalities before getting to the important stuff: questions to satisfy his curiousity about elves and Nid'aigle.

[Shinko]

Belial was surprised by the nobleman's request, but it was a pleasant sort of surprise.

"Certainly I can answer whatever questions you may have," he replied genially. "It is only right, seeing as how I've been asking no few questions of your people. Bern is very different from Corvus, and I have always found the various human civilizations to be fascinating."

The man laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Though to be honest, I do not ask nearly as much as I should like. It is not my wish to be a distraction or an annoyance. Speaking of which-"

Belial glanced at the sentry. "You shall inform anyone who comes seeking his Grace where he has gone?"

"Aye sir," the other elf replied. "And pass the knowledge along to next shift, should the nobleman's need force him to linger."

"Good, thank you." The knight turned his attention back to Alain. "I sense this is a conversation that would be better had in comfort, where we will not distract this good man from his appointed task. The officers have just completed a meeting, I do not think they will begrudge us the use of their tent."

As he turned to walk away, the sentry shot an amused glance at Belial, who paused and raised an eyebrow in reply. He was used to these looks- his fellow elves made it no secret their bafflement in his closeness with humankind. The lower ranked elf said nothing, returning to the task he'd been at before Alain's arrival. But the glance said all that needed to be said. Belial shook his head with a sigh, and led Alain to the officer's tent.

"Sit anywhere you would like, your Grace," Belial offered, politely refraining from doing so himself until the Grand Duke had. "Is there anything in particular you should like to ask about? Or should I speak in broad strokes, to give you a general idea of what the elvenborn are like?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Belial is surprised at Alain's open curiosity, but not at all unhappy about it. He cheerfully offers to tell the Grand Duke whatever he wants to know, mentioning that he has questions of his own about Bern. The sentry all but rolls his eyes at Belial being a human-loving weirdo, but Belial's been dealing with those opinions for a long time and just shrugs it off. He takes Alain into the officer's tent and asks what specifically, if anything, Alain would like to know.

(If there's nothing specific I can alter this post so Belial jumps right into textwalling and we don't have to waste a turn, but I figured Alain might have some specific curiosities he wants to explore so I thought I'd put the opening here.)

[Celestial]

Alain had to admit, it had been more of a surprise than it should have that Belial was so curious about Bern. However, the more he thought about the idea, the more it made sense. No doubt they had seen the vast differences between the two regions and certainly some things commonplace in Bern could not be found in Corvus. If he was right and the elf was as enthusiastic about humans as he seemed, of course the differences would intrigue him. Not that Alain minded of course. On the contrary, it was a source of pride for him to talk about the achievements and improvements in the region, especially ones that his House has encouraged and overseen.

"Of course Bern would be different from Corvus," he laughed, "Corvus belongs to House Jade, and I don't know if you are aware of this but Stallion and Jade have a deep-seated rivalry over how we do things. Jade prefers to run Corvus on magic and tradition, whereas here in Bern, technology reigns. But if you are curious, Sir Belial, I would be happy to answer as many of your questions as I can. It is, after all, only fair that I tell you some things about Bern after asking about Nid'aigle."

He stood back and let Belial talk to the sentry, once again letting the curious elf language play on his ears, before he gave the knight a nod and followed him. Alain noted the sentry's odd look as they walked away. No doubt this was a rather...unusual meeting. He wondered if there had been another reason, aside from the fact that he was fluent in Kythian, that Belial had been assigned the task of speaking to him.

Once they had gotten to the officer's tent, Alain sat down at one of the tables and waited for Belial to sit before he looked up at him, directing all his attention towards the elf knight.

"A bit of both, actually. I do not know much about elves so I would be glad of anything you tell me," he replied, folding his hands in front of himself, "That said, I am curious to know some specific things. I know very little about your kind because you are so isolated from the rest of the kingdom. How are you governed? Do you have any interaction with the rulers of Corvus, or Kyth?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain is surprised that Belial is so curious about Bern but he likes talking about how awesome his region is so it's okay. He explains that of course Corvus would be different because Stallion/Jade rivalry before following Belial towards the officer's tent and asking the knight to tell him about elves in general and also asks the question of who rules the elves.

[Shinko]

Belial shrugged at the question about their interaction with nobles. "We have a treaty with the Jades, so we do send emissaries to them from time to time. And we are technically citizens of Kyth and subject to the laws of the ruling kings here, or we would not be permitted to stay in Kythian lands. We deploy our knights to help in any major conflict that threatens the security if Kyth, as now, and we also help to maintain the safety of the humans in Corvus when they require help that Solis can't address in time. But for the most part the human nobles respect our desire for seclusion and leave us to our own devices."

The elf tapped a finger on the table once, as if to draw attention to the point he was about to make. "You may not be aware of this, it isn't well documented outside of our records, but two thousand years ago there were elves across most of what is now Corvus and Elacs. They've dwindled for various reasons, and Nid'aigle is the last major elven settlement in Kyth."

Belial opted not to mention the fact that most of that dwindling was due to being pushed out by human expansion and human wars. It wasn't his desire to lay any guilt trips over things that had happened several centuries before Alain was born, nor did he want to sour the conversation by implying negative things of humankind. There had only been two elven cities left when Belial was born anyway, so it wasn't like he harbored any direct resentment for it. On the contrary, the time he spent with humans gave him a very personal respect for them and an understanding for why the world had chosen them over the elvenborn to steer the course of the future.

"Elves aren't very confrontational or territorial by nature, so in those old days we didn't have much of a centralized government nor any sort of fighting force. We didn't particularly need one. Each city had a council of elders who would vote on any major decisions or settle disputes, and for most everything else we just kind of decided amongst ourselves." He smiled ruefully. "That much hasn't changed really. The elvenborn are in their own way as inflexible and traditionalist as Jade house. Nid'aigle is still ruled by a council of the oldest and nominally wisest elves in the community."

"Of course, our lack of an army did change with time. Once Courdon decided the elvenborn would make lovely, long-lived slaves, we realized we couldn't rely on diplomacy and passive resistance any longer. The military is more or less a separate entity from the rest of Nid'aigle, and answers only to it's own leaders or whatever human generals we're working alongside at a given time. The Old Ones chosen to sit on the council don't really have the experience with war necessary to make decision on our behalf. Occasionally the Commander and the council will butt heads, but in general it is a workable enough arrangement."

He chuckled suddenly. "I suppose from a human standpoint it probably seems horribly disorganized and a disaster waiting to happen. Certainly my human friends seem to think so. But I'm afraid getting any sort of major change implemented requires a very, very long time discussing all the pros and cons, or an immediate dire threat. People who live for several centuries seldom see a need to rush into a decision."

With an apologetic grin he added, "Though most of them would probably scowl to hear me speak so. I have always been rather partial to the human perspective of things, considering that clearly whatever they are doing is working a good deal better then what we're doing. It has earned me something of a reputation for strangeness among my people."

The elf spun the wedding ring on his finger absently as he said this. Then his eyes brightened, and he said, "For example, as I passed a river I noticed a very large wooden wheel on the side of a building that was being turned constantly by falling water. It was an interesting device, and when I asked I was told it apparently grinds grain inside the building? That is a fantastic idea."

SPOILER: Click to show

Belial is accustomed to humans being judgy about elven society, so he gives Alain two-thousand years of backstory to help supplement his explanation of Elven relations with the rulers of Kyth and how the elves govern themselves.

Then he nerds out over a water mill. Because Belial.

[Celestial]

Alain listened carefully to Belial as he explained to him about the details and structure of Nid'aigle and the elven society. It was fascinating hearing about a society which, despite living in Kyth, was so completely different from their own, which was exactly why he had asked. And he was not disappointed.

He had expected the elves to have some kind of arrangement with the king and the Jades, it was unlikely that either would have permitted them to be left to their own devices. By Belial's account, it was a fairly symbiotic relationship, one that could be sustained with careful management. Certainly potential allies should never be turned away, at least he thought so.

However, the fact that elves had once been more widespread but were now confined to a single settlement surprised Alain. Considering their long lifespans, this change seemed quite sudden, unless they had either been dwindling in number since before Kyth was even settled or this decline had come about very suddenly. Perhaps...the settling of Kyth and the dwindling of the elves was connected somehow. And sure enough, as he listened further, there it was. While Belial had not mentioned it explicitly, he had said enough about the character of the elves for Alain to make the connection. He knew all too well how confrontational and territorial some people could be, they were in the middle of a war after all, and without a fighting force or central government, well, no wonder they got forced out. Stagnation was also likely, judging from Belial's words. That, he believed, was a death sentence for any society, human or elven.

"It is curious, however, that there are so few of you when you were once so widespread," Alain remarked, wondering if he could pry into the issue further. "Such a decline, for those who live so long, is startling. It's a shame."

He smirked a little as he kept listening more, though it was a humourless smirk. Courdon...of course they would do such a thing. Those slavers really did corrupt everything they touched. Still, he could not be too angry at them. Without them, he would not have an elven contingent defending Bern from the Langeans, would not be having this conversation.

"If I may say so, it does sound like it to me. Me an my House have greatly valued progress, moving ahead despite the risks because it gets things done. It has worked out rather well so far, although it comes with its own set of problems but we deal with them as they arise. Discussing back and forth takes too much time, even if you do have it. The world around you does not stand still," Alain bowed his head and sat back. "Of course, Sir Belial, I hope you will not think ill of me for saying this, though by the sound of it, you agree with me, even a little. As for strangeness, well...those with ideas that differ from the norm are seen as strange. My House is a bit of an outlier amongst some of the noble Houses of Kyth in how we do some things. It has not stopped us from being powerful nevertheless and for all our unorthodox methods, nobody can deny that."

When Belial brought up the water wheel though, Alain smiled. It seemed like he had been right, Belial was going to be curious about Bern.

"The water mill, yes. Bern has so many small, fast rivers due to our mountainous terrain that it makes sense to harness the energy of that water into something productive. The technology had been available for a while, it is just a matter of implimenting it, which is being done as you can see. It is a simple device and it saves on the manpower to drive the grinding stones. Simple but efficient, or at least as efficient as can be at the current moment," he said, calmly explaining it. "Unlike Corvus, Bern and its people have very little magic in our blood so we have had to resort to technology to get things done. As you can see, it works. And it forces us to constantly keep innovating. The water mill is an obvious one but it is just one of many innovations."

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain listens carefully to Belial, providing his own internal commentary on what the knight is saying. He makes some assumptions as to why elves are so rare and shrinking in population before telling Belial his own take on it, which being the leader of a House that values progress is totally impartial. Because progress is awesome and works for him. And of course, he explains about the water mill before hinting it is just one of the many non-magical wonders found in Bern.

[Shinko]

"It is curious, however, that there are so few of you when you were once so widespread. Such a decline, for those who live so long, is startling. It's a shame."

Belial sighed, tracing the wood grain of the table with one finger. He came to a knot in the wood, where a branch had created rings in the wood, one ring for every year the branch lived before it was cut down. Tracing the circles, he spoke again.

"It is simply the nature of things. Time is patient and inexorable. We elves have more of it, but in the end it erodes even us. Perhaps it is that selfsame lifespan which has us given to complacency, and so the ever-onward march of the centuries has caught up to us before we realized. Given enough time, it is likely that someday the dwarves, dragons, and even humans will go the way of the elvenborn."

The Grand Duke then addressed the elven ways of governance, and his opinions were as blunt as ever Belial had heard.

"If I may say so, it does sound like it to me. Me an my House have greatly valued progress, moving ahead despite the risks because it gets things done. It has worked out rather well so far, although it comes with its own set of problems but we deal with them as they arise. Discussing back and forth takes too much time, even if you do have it. The world around you does not stand still. Of course, Sir Belial, I hope you will not think ill of me for saying this, though by the sound of it, you agree with me, even a little.

The elf frowned sadly. Though he did agree, he felt somewhat obligated to say something in the defense of his kind. "I suppose the best way to explain it is that my people are obsessed with perfection. They live for a very long time, and with that time they see no reason not to try and sand at a thing until all of it's flaws have been worn away. If they sand too much and accidentally damage it, they toss the damaged piece aside and start anew. As I said, they are complacent; they feel no urgency."

Then, the knight smiled, fiddling with his ring again. "But if there is one thing I have learned in my own rather long life, it is that perfection really doesn't exist. You waste decades and centuries striving for it, when you could instead spend that time appreciating what you already have."

He chuckled then, catching himself. "Ah, I apologize, your Grace. Philosophical debates such as this are commonplace between myself and my children, since I try to instill in them the perspective I have gained from human culture. I tend to carry on if I am not stopped."

The knight's face lit with enthusiasm at the topic of Bern's technological advances. "That makes a very great deal of sense. The Corvids are fantastic mages, but rather over-dependent on magic as a whole. It can become problematic for them at times when something comes along that is nigh-invulnerable to spellcasting, or warded against the same. And of course the magic is subject to... I think the human term is 'tugging?' Forgive me, I'm not completely certain. At any rate, a river would never grow weary, and as you said if it is generating the energy anyway there is no reason not to harness it."

There was a sad note in Belial's voice as he went on. "Were it not that Lange bore down on us from the west. This is hardly a pleasure jaunt, and when the war has been settled we will be called back to Nid'aigle. I wish I could see more of the wonders of your lands. Though perhaps you might be able to tell me some of the highlights?"

SPOILER: Click to show

There is some philosophizing, and then Belial nerds out some more. He asks Alain what other cool things there are in Bern and laments that he really doesn't have time to go see the stuff in person because... you know, war.

[Celestial]

"Time overtakes everyone and everything, the most important thing you can do is move as fast as you can so that you can keep up with it. Perhaps one day us humans will too go extinct but I, for one, would rather that did not happen anytime soon. The technology you so marvel at in Bern is one such way to stay abreast of time. The key is adapting, and I like to think that it works nicely. But above all else, I cannot agree with being complacent. It goes against everything I have ever been taught," Alain said calmly, even as he watched Belial tracing the wood grain.

Inwardly, he hoped that he was not losing his opportunity to speak to the elf knight by being too blunt in his opinions but at the same time, Sir Belial was not unreasonable, he seemed to understand where Alain was coming from. And neither could Alain agree with the elf way of doing things, especially since it was working out so poorly for them while Bern was flourishing thanks to House Stallion's belief in progress. Even if he had reason to be tactful, only a fool would be denying that and neither he nor Belial were fools.

He kept listening as the knight spoke some more, describing the elven persepctive. Alain found it rather curious, though again, sticking so close to tradition, closer than House Jade ever did, was a concept that to him seemed rather short-sighted.

"Hmm, I see. It is not something easily understood by humans, having a lifespan so long that you can afford to take as much time as you need. I do not speak for all humans but in my experience, we cannot even afford to throw something away, instead we must fix the flaws that have come up. You are very right, perfection does not exist, so we have to strive for the best thing we can find. Appreciate what you have, as you said, but not lose sight of what could be. Besides," he smirked, "I believe perfection would be quite boring. If everything was perfect, where would you go next? My poor House would lose all its drive if we finally achieved perfection!"

Alain shook his head and responded to the knight's concern with a dismissive wave of the hand. "It is quite alright, it is rather interesting for me too, since my own ideals and the ideals of my House are so different from those of the elves. But if you wish to move on from this subject towards more pleasant points of discussion," his glance flickered towards the ring on Belial's finger. However, before he could ask about his children, Belial turned his attention back to the topic of Bern's technological innovations and the differences between them and that of Corvus. Alain's face broke into a smile.

"Magic is all well and good, yes, but it is limited, in my opinion. While technology cannot yet achieve the same heights that magic can, it can be used by anybody, without fear of the 'pull' as it is called. Of course, House Jade would disagree, and they are entitled to that, since their magic works for them, but for Bern, technology is best. Especially since this region is much rougher than Corvus so we have to make the best of what we have," Alain sighed and sat back, being reminded of Lange by Belial. He looked over his shoulder to the entrance of the tent. Right now, as they spoke, the Langeans were surely preparing an attack, he was sure of it. That was their pattern last time and he was certain that this time, they would repeat it. He had a feeling.

"The Langean war will not last forever, one way or another, it will end. If they win, there will be no wonders for you to see, Sir Belial, and if they lose, well, perhaps there will be another reason, not for war, that you could come up here. Who knows what the future holds?" Alain said and smiled widely, trying to think of what might interest the elf knight. "Certainly. Right now, we are working on a way to divert water from the River Ursine and the smaller tributaries in order to better irrigate the valley and the southern regions, where water is scarcer. For that, however, we require pumps and screws in the channels to move water uphill but for the most part, that is in place. After the water is driven through one large channel, it is dispersed amidst the flatter plain. I hope that the final stages will be completed after the war," he tapped his fingers against the table as he thought some more, running across the map of the region in his mind to see what else he could describe. "And this innovation was closer to my father's time but it is still a source of pride: Bern's mountains are rich in iron deposits so of course we have an interest in exploiting that. For what purpose, we have a furnace which pumps air through it, heating the flame inside to melt the iron ore and produce pure, molten iron. They are enormous things and take a lot of fuel to power but it means Kyth gets more iron which is much purer than what has been before," he grinned. "And it means we rely less on Langean iron, handy in a situation like this."

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain responds, saying that in order for time not to catch up to you, you have to keep on moving, which is what his House does. He hopes he is not offending Belial too much but this is what happens when House Stallion goes up against traditionalists. He admits that humans can't understand the elven way of seeing things fully but does not agree with the search for perfection, agreeing with Belial about appreciating what you have but also advocating moving forward. While he doesn't mind the philosophical nature of the debates, Alain does suggest they move onto more pleasant topics, intrigued by mention of Belial's children. However, not before he can invite Belial to come up sometime after the war to see the rest of Bern, giving him a small description of some of the wonders found in it, including irrigation techniques (which I hope work because Celes has no idea about irrigation) and the blast furnace.

[Shinko]

While Belial agreed with most of what Alain was saying, there was a level of smugness about him that made the elf sad. The nobleman kept turning the discussion back on his own house, comparing the elves unfavorably to it. While he was right on a certain level, Belial couldn't help but wonder at this superiority complex he seemed to have. It was not unlike the condescending attitude elves had towards humans, and if unchecked it would come back to bite him in the same way it had done for Belial's kind.

The elf didn't comment on it though- it was hardly his place to pass judgement on this man, and of course given Alain's biases he'd have strong opinions on the matter. And the Grand Duke changed the subject before he had time to address any of his other points, which was probably for the best. He had no wish to offend this powerful man by disagreeing with him, particularly when he seemed to be implying that anyone who was content with their life was somehow failing in their civic duty towards progress.

As the subject turned to the war and Bern's precarious place in it, Belial shook off his darker thoughts and chuckled. "Our winning the war is no promise that I'll survive it, your Grace. But perhaps, circumstances permitting, I'll look into that. In a few years, once my children are grown and I need not leave my wife behind to look after them. I think she'd enjoy a trip here too, when she was younger she was quite an adventurous soul."

Belial listened with rapt attention as Alain described his region's technological innovations. When the Grand Duke was done, the elf smiled broadly. "Changing the very course of a river; one might say that sort of thing would be the exclusive territory of the Gods. It must take an age to set all that up across the south of an entire region. I am certainly curious to find out if this plan will come to fruition. One can only hope you do not accidentally flood your lands and turn them into swamps- we have plenty of those in Corvus, and I can tell you that your peasants will not thank you!"

The glimmer of humor in his eyes made it obvious this last was intended as a joke. When Alain spoke of the blast furnace, a look of comprehension dawned on the elf's face. "Ahhhh, I recall a few decades back that the price of our armaments dropped considerably. If the iron for the forge was no longer needing to be imported from Lange, that would explain it. I suppose we owe you a personal thanks for that. Well crafted swords are expensive enough without the extra expenditure on foreign ore."

SPOILER: Click to show

Belial can't help but be a little saddened by what he perceives as a rather condescending attitude from Alain. Thankfully Alain changes the subject, and Belial talks of a possible future visit to Bern that we all know he won't make because of a certain dragon once his kids are grown. Then he nerds some more about Bern's tech, and shows his age inadvertently by being like "oh yeah, I may look like I'm in my mid-twenties but I was totally already an adult and had been one long enough to notice the difference it made when that thing your dad did happened."

[Celestial]

The silence that had settled over Belial after Alain finished laying out his opinions concerning the elves gave the Grand Duke pause. Perhaps he had been a little too harsh, too blunt in what he had said. He stood by what he had told Belial of course, that it was important to progress and keep moving forward, but at the same time, hearing the way your own kind handled their affairs criticised could not have been pleasant. While he belived his way to be correct, it had worked in the past and showed no sign of stopping working, at least not any that Alain knew of yet, he was aware that there were other ways people could live their lives. It was up to them which ways they followed and to accept the consequences of that decision.

When Belial did not respond to the subject, however, Alain was content to let it slide. He had not wanted his first and likely only meeting with an elf to go sour because of a difference of opinions. Instead, they moved on to something which was less fraught with chances for disagreement.

"No, of course not," Alain smiled a little at the knight's perpective. It was true, however, even if they won the war, it was likely that many men would die, Belial included. He also realised that he himself could fall but it was not a thought he entertained. While he had heirs, most of them were far too young for the title, not to mention Alain still had many things he wanted to oversee. However, he dismissed the thought with a simple flick of his wrist. No use pondering what could happen. Instead, he looked up at Belial, intrigued now that he had brought up his family in coversation.

"It is a long road from Corvus to Bern, done best without young children in tow. But if you wish to make the journey with your family, please. Bern is a beautiful region, even if I do say to myself, just be prepared for our winters. No cold snap in Corvus could prepare you for them, as I'm sure you're aware," Alain said with a small laugh, though he could not hide the unease in his voice. When winter came, it would make campaigning harsh. The Langean army had a resistance to cold, however it could not be said about some of the Kythian knights. It meant they had to try finishing this as quickly as possible. But there was still time.

He grinned at Belial's comment about the river, unable to contain his amusement. "That's very flattering of you, Sir Belial, but we don't have the power of any Gods," he said, leaning back and giving the knight a cheerful look. "This has been in progress for almost a decade now. It has been carefully planned out, the engineers have assured me that there will be no new swamps created. Much of Bern is far too hilly for swampland like there is in Corvus anyway."

However, when the knight spoke of remembering the price of arms dropping, a brief look of surprise flickered across Alain's face. While he knew that elves lived a long time, Belial looked younger than he was. The fact that he was around and in active service to remember an event that happened with Alain had been a child. "It should not surprise me that you remember that, Sir Belial. But you should not thank me, that was my father, Grand Duke Lachlan, who began that. I was still a child when project came into fruition," he smirked. "What benefitted you also benefitted Bern. My region is much richer thanks to the iron and I do not have to explain to you the benefits of not relying on a hostile foreign power for a precious resource. Though it is not without its problems. The furnances do require a lot of fuel. Bern's forests have shrunk from what they used to be."

The forests. A thought suddenly occured to him and Alain glanced away from Belial, pondering it.

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain wonders if perhaps he really was too harsh, since he doesn't want to sour the conversation with Belial, but he still stands by what he said. So they move on to talking about the war, and while Alain can appreciate Belial's acknowledgement of his own mortality, he can't do the same because Grand Duke dying= problems. But he tells Belial to bring the kids for a family outing to Bern, as long as he avoids the winters. They talk some more about the irrigation system, assuring Belial it's all under control befre going to talk more about the furnances. Alain is surprised to hear about Belial's age but dismisses his thanks, revealing casually there are drawbacks before having the beginnings of a lightbulb moment. Oh boy, is Belial right in that 'Charge Towards Tomorrow' is going to come back and bite you and yours, Alain? =D

[Shinko]

Belial smiled grimly at the mention of Bernian winters. "I get the distinct impression that I will learn the truth of what you say firsthand. Several of our older warriors who have dozens of campaigns under their belts have said that the current conflict has all the hallmarks of what promises to be a rather drawn out affair. I don't pretend to have the experience to notice what they can see, but I trust their judgement."

He shrugged, "My experience with northern winters is admittedly limited, though I have been through parts of Rindfell in snow conditions. Still, I am under no delusions that a mountain blizzard would be to any degree pleasant." Then he laughed, "Though to be fair, we have certainly heard our share of complaints from northerners about Corvid summers, so the current runs both ways. Though my wife has actually always wanted to see snow; it is something of a 'bucketlist' item for her, as she puts it."

When Alain explained that Bern was to hilly for swamps, he couldn't help but quip, "See, but that only conjures in my mind the image of southern Bern turning into a vast lake, dotted with a dozen tiny islands that were once the tops of your hills." More seriously he added, "It's good to hear that you've given so much thought and planning to it. I hope that your endeavor is successful. Certainly being able to redirect water could be useful elsewhere, if you can get it to work."

Alain's look of surprise was not missed on Belial, and he grinned broadly. "You didn't realize I was older then you, did you? Most people don't, their reactions when I say something that implies it are always entertaining. Since you are a diplomat as well as a war leader, and it is likely you will have to converse with others of my people who are more inclined to sit on their dignity than I, let me give you this advice. Take care not to make judgements about an elf based on their visible age. I may not look it to human eyes, but I'll be three-hundred and forty-two next spring."

He chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, some of those with us are every bit as young as they look. Even elves are greenlings at some point. Most, however, are not. It varies from individual to individual when we stop visibly aging. Some seem never to age past the look of an older teenager, others make it into what a human would class as 'middle aged' before they freeze in time."

He let Alain explain about the benefits and drawbacks of the blast furnace, and nodded. "That makes a very great deal of sense. I imagine the creatures that live in the forest do not so much appreciate your march towards progress. I would not be surprised if local shepherds suddenly had a surplus of angry wolves after their flocks. But there are pros and cons in every situation; as you said there is never a perfect solution. Only consequences you are and aren't willing to accept."

Alain suddenly became very quiet. Belial waited uneasily, but the Grand Duke seemed to have become lost in thought. After a moment, the elf politely coughed to recapture the man's attention.

SPOILER: Click to show

Belial says that the war will probably last long enough that he'll see Bernian winters if he wants to or not, but jokingly points out that Corvid summers are equally horrible to people from up north. Then he makes a really dumb joke about the irrigation system, and reveals to Alain that he's well over three hundred years old. Finally, he inadvertently makes a direct analogy to the Cebeline thing by talking about wolves coming out of the demolished forests (because I felt like it) and echoes the previously touched upon sentiment that no approach to life is perfect- not even Alain's. Finally, he gets a bit unnerved when Alain's attention wanders and coughs to get it back.

[Celestial]

At Belial's cough, Alain looked up and turned back to him as though nothing had happened. His thoughts still swirled around in his head, forming links between scraps of information into something more coherent. The time fit and now, the idea for why made itself prominent in his mind. It was still just a theory of course, but if Cebeline lived in a forest that had been cut down...it was plausible. However, this was not the time or the place to think about her or Ambrose. It would have to wait until after the war.

"My apologises, Sir Belial, I simply had a...thought. Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he shook his head and returned easily to the conversation at hand. At the mention of the winters, Alain gave a slow, sombre nod to the knight's predictions. "I am afraid so. This will not be resolved in a hurry, I'm afraid. I can only hope that our army is strong enough to weather the conditions up here, especially those such as yourself. Snow is a sight to behold for those who have never seen it, I'm sure, but if your wife lived up here, she would soon get sick of it," he smirked. "I certainly would prefer Corvid summers to Bernian winters for a campaign. But we do what we can with what we have. No use wishing when we could instead prepare."

Alain have Belial a grin, not missing the joke concerning southern Bern. "Perhaps, but then northern Kine would be flooded too. I would rather not deal with Lord Miller's anger, among other things," he bowed his head. "And that is why I have given it all the thought I can. But thank you, Sir Belial, I hope so too. If a drought comes, this will be invaluable indeed."

Belial had noticed his surprise, which Alain had to admit was impressive. Then again, if the elf really was as old as he said, he should have been quite used to that reaction. But he did not say anything until Belial had finished, accepting the lesson graciously. When Belial had finished, Alain looked up and nodded. "Pardon me for misjudging your age, you are the first elf I have ever met. Humans are unfortunately rather visual creatures, we judge by what we see, and I am thankful that you are so understanding. But I shall keep what you said in mind, it is useful advice, especially if I have to have dealings with your commanders in the near future. I certainly do not wish to insult anybody by making assumptions, and I will keep that in mind when making judgements."

At the mention of the creatures of the wood, Alain gave a sad smile, giving his previous thoughts a brief moment of attention. Perhaps the knight was more right than he thought. "You are right, there have been reports but it is nothing that the local hunters and the shepherds themselves could not deal with. The beasts must move on, I cannot prioritise them over my own people, especially when they still have the northlands. However, it's impossible to take back what has already happened. As thoroughly as you plan, the world is far too complex to predict everything. We can only brace ourselves for the consequences and try to remedy the ones we never saw coming. The interesting thing about progress is that it is an ongoing process."

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain snaps out of his thoughts about Cebeline, even though he is beginning to make the connections, becuase this is not the time or place for it. He returns to the conversation, talking about Bernian winters and their effect, saying that Morgaine would hate the snow if she lived up here. He doesn't miss Belial's joke but thanks him for his well-wishes, since the irrigation would be useful in case of a drought (and prevent famine, I'm sure). He accepts the lesson about elf age quite happily before going on to talk about consequences of decisions, both intended and unintended, and progress, which is an infinite loop.

[Shinko]

Belial raised an eyebrow, amused and a little exasperated that somehow the serious conversation about the threat of the coming winter to this campaign had turned into yet another comparison in which Bern was superior to Corvus. "I now imagine you and Lord Everett having conversations about which region has the more detrimental horrible weather. Is this what really goes on in those diplomatic meetings between nobles? I've always wondered."

The elf shrugged and grinned. "Well at least in winter we won't have the discomfort of a thousand thrice-cursed midges getting into every crack and crevice of our armor, and beating ourselves black and blue trying to get at them. And honestly I don't think my wife wants to live somewhere with snow, just see it at least once. For the experience." Then his grin broadened. "My daughter, on the other hand, is firmly of the opinion that cold of any sort is evil sent straight up from the 'Pit, and would probably opt out of that particular adventure."

When Alain apologized for misjudging Belial's age, he flapped a hand dismissively. "It's never been something that bothered me. In fact it's rather amusing sometimes, when grannies in the human village near Nid'aigle tell their grandchildren that they knew me when they were kids, and the little ones don't at first believe them. Then the realization hits when they're almost teenagers and I've not aged a day that maybe Grandma was telling the truth after all."

"As for what you say about progress... yes, you can't possibly plan for everything. And you must prioritize your own people and their interests. But that doesn't mean your interests and those of the wild things in the forests don't intersect. Eventually if you keep mowing down forests to fuel your machines, you will run out of trees altogether, unless you start planting more to replace the ones that are destroyed. It is not so much an infinite loop as a very delicate system of checks and balances. We are limited by the resources available to us, and if we use them up we not only lose the ability to progress, we might actually regress, because the things we needed those resources for are now unusable."

He smiled, a sad sort of smile. "And there I go talking your ear off again. Sorry, I tried to warn you about my philosophy string."

SPOILER: Click to show

Belial gently ribs Alain for taking the Jade VS Stallion thing so far that he's now trying to establish his horrible weather as superior to that in Corvus. He then jokes about not looking his age, and waxes philosophical about Alain's idea of progress and his viewpoint on it.

(Note that, while it hasn't been stated anywhere in canon directly, I've tried to show that elves are more attuned to and in love with nature then most humans. Little things like the elves not killing the wyverns in Cypress Springs because they were just doing what came naturally, Belial not killing or even really hurting the mother bear that attacked Sieg, Nid'aigle being a very forested and naturalistic looking place, so on. So they have a somewhat progressive notion of how the natural balance of things works when compared to the average human plebeian of the time period. Not to say that Alain wouldn't have considered the points Belial brings up, he's very forward-thinking after all, but in general it took a long time for environmental ideals to become any sort of real concern historically speaking.)

[Celestial]

Alain couldn't help but laugh at Belial's comment regarding him and Everett. While he had hardly meant the comment about the different weather of Corvus and Bern in that way, it was certainly an excellent point. He gave Belial a grin. "You figured us out, Sir Belial. While I greatly respect Everett and his ideals, I can hardly let him have the last word. It comes with the rivalry, though we try to not let it be detrimental to the overall relations between our Houses, not like it was in the past."

However, soon, his face returned to a more serious expression. "My comparison is not without reason, however. When you are in the grip of a Bernian winter, any summer, even a Corvid one, seems like the better alternative. Life becomes difficult, especially for the peasants and even more so young children," he looked away for a moment, thinking about something, before waving his hand dismissively. "It's all a matter of your perspective. Eevry region has its problems and its...quirks of the weather, shall we say? I'm sure if I lived in Corvus I would be longing for the cold of Bern. Certainly the midges you mention would not survive it, no doubt to your great relief. They sound like they are quite a nuisance, to say the least. There are positives to the winter, such the snow, as your wife is correct in assuming. As long as you can brave the cold."

He smiled, glad that Belial was not offended by his mistake before listening to his story. "I do wonder if it is strange for you, watching us humans age while you stand still in time, if that is not too much of a personal question. It's something that I am curious about, that is all. You do not have to reply to me if you do not wish to."

"We have thought about that, don't be mistaken. The forests will not be completely cut down, I do not advocate that. If they were, the hunters would have nowhere to go and there would be no timber for the fires. But at the same time, the forests of Bern are vast and we need space for pasture and field too," Alain said, clasping his hands together. "There is a fine line between progress and regression, you are correct. Resources must be managed and that is being done. Don't worry, Sir Belial. Bern will not be completely rid of its nature but we must use that nature and its resources for our needs, wisely of course."

He gave a slight pause at that answer. It was right, he was convinced he was right, but at the same time, he had a feeling that there was something he was overlooking. Given his earlier thoughts, it was foreboding.

"It is quite alright, Sir Belial. Believe me, I am enjoying this discussion," Alain smiled, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind again. "It has been a while since I had such an interesting conversation."

SPOILER: Click to show

Alain takes the ribbing well and comments on the rivalry between him and Everett. However, he explains why he thinks Bernian winters are worse, which is just a matter of perspective and that all weathers are problematic. He asks Belial what it is like watching people age, understanding that it might be quite personal so Belial doesn't have to answer it. But he defends his strategy for progress, saying the resources are managed so the forests won't be completely destroyed, just shrunk down. Which is still a bad idea.