|
| Thread: War for Wisdom |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
posted November 20, 2009 10:59 PM |
|
|
War for Wisdom
Lothair slowly ambled into the town of Tyre. The citizenry seemed to be occupied in their daily tasks, a blacksmith was forging a sword, a baker was selling his pastries, etc. The sky was overcast. The blond young man paused for a moment.
"Yeah, this doesn't really look like the place..." he thought, "Who'd think that a town like this is ruled by a Royal Philosopher? But it has to be it, I mean, that's what it says on the map and on a lot of the signs." He decided to go to the local tavern to find out more about the place. He located one, called "The Dido", and tried to enter. However, he was stopped by the burly man at the door, who growled, "Yeh mast leave yer sword at the door." Lothair scowled, but complied, unbuckling his scabbard and placing it alongside a crossbow, a large butcher knife, and several other swords. Then he entered the smoky room.
Several people were drinking at the bar, and Lothair sat down by them, and decided to engage them in conversation. "Hey, guys," he said, "My name is Lothair." The men greeted him and told him their names in return. "So," Lothair continued, "I'm kinda new to this town. Is there anything in particular I should know?" One of the men said, "No, not really. Just steer clear of the water - it's not that great, you have to leave it to stand for a little bit afore you can drink it. 'nless yeh want tah be mopin' 'round for a few days, that is." The man paused and continued, "'Course, that's only par for the archery range here. I 'aven't been feelin' too great meself. Nor anyone else in this here Tavern. Why d'you suppose we're here in the middle of the day, then." Lothair thanked the man and ordered a shot of vodka. The bartender served him, and Lothair took a sip.
Immediately, he knew that something was wrong. There was some kind of strange taste to the water, one that tasted of... gloom? He announced, "Ah, so that's what it is. This water here's poisoned. Probably using some blackweed, and this bar doesn't wait for the water to stand - they just serve people as they come. No wonder everyone here's so depressed. Won't work now, though - luckily my powers will protect me." Everyone at the bar just stared at this block of exposition. "This true, John?" the man who had spoke earlier asked, "You don't leave the water to settle first?" The bartender looked sheepish, and said, "I didn't want to, but with demand bein' so high, I couldn't get water fast enough for everyone, so I had to." The men looked at him in disappointment.
Then they turned to Lothair. "What do you mean," the man said, "That your powers will protect you?" Lothair blinked and looked at the men. "Oh yeah," he said, "I should've mentioned this earlier." He unfastened his cloak and showed them a necklace on which hung small a bronze face with closed eyes and rays coming out of his forehead. He continued, "I'm Lothair, the Epicurian Philosopher!" The men got up and looked at him apprehensively. "So," the man said, "Yer a Royal Philosopher." Lothair replied, "Yes, I am." The man continued, "Our duke Marcus, the Stoic Philosopher, has standing orders to bring to him any Royal Philosophers that come through this town. You're coming with us. It's up to you if we have to do this nicely or not." Lothair stared for a second and said, "Okay, I'll come with you. I've been wanting to talk to him." The men escorted him out of the tavern. The small group then began the walk up the hill to the castle, where the Stoic Philosopher waited, not knowing that his orders were about to be fulfilled.
(OOC: I do not expect most posts to be this long. In fact, they'll probably be shorter.)
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 20, 2009 11:50 PM |
|
|
"Sir!" a guard said to Marcus, the Royal philosopher. He turned around. he was dressed in a plain brown cloak and with a sword loosely tied to his waste. The interior of the room betrayed a very spartan lifestyle. "Report." Marcus said flatly. The officer knelt, reporting that an epicurist philosopher has been found. "Bring him to the main chamber of the fortress. Offer him some plain water and bread, should he be hungry. I would've preferred a barrel-philosopher, but fate has dealt me these cards and I shall see how they'll be used." he replied to the officer. A few moments after that, he added as an afterthought: "Do you happen to have caught his name?"
"Lothair, sir."
When the officer left the room, Marcus reprimanded himself for expressing too much emotion.
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 12:34 AM |
|
|
Shortly after the townsmen informed the guards of Lothair's presence, the young Philosopher was ushered into the castle, leaving the men outside. He was led into the main chamber of the fortress, given some plain water and bread, and told to wait.
Lothair sat and thought, "Is this Marcus guy always so welcoming or am I special?" He examined his surroundings - almost everything was made of stone. "Well, I've heard he's rather strange," Lothair's thoughts continued, "Hmm... If what I've heard about his lack of emotions is true, then I might have some trouble getting what I want... Then again, in these troubled times, I doubt that a man like him would refuse my offer." So Lothair decided to wait until the Stoic would decide to speak with him.
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 01:04 AM |
|
|
Marcus had briefly contemplated what the purpose of the visitor may be, but he decided he'd be up to meeting him unprepared. Epicurists were a pretty laid-back people anyway who never really got involved much with politics. He entered the room, putting himself at the same side of the table as Lothair was sitting. "Greetings, Lothair, my name is Marcus. I hope the service up till now has been adequate for you. I heard epicurists enjoy the fine taste of wine and spices above that of bread and water, especially at receptions, but I'm afraid I have none of that in stock. I hope I did not cause offense." he said flatly, with a faint hint of an aristocratic smile about him.
He tried to take up as much of the light-haired philosopher as he could for later use. Be he friend or be he foe?
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
|
blizzardboy
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Nerf Herder
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 01:24 AM |
|
|
"As you see Mao, our long journey has not been in vain. You see? Civilization," Ming stated to his dragnet companion, waving his hand over the conglomeration of homes nestled below the hill.
"Complete with a castle of course, no doubt a lord that is overcompensating while his people suffer," Mao replied to his superior.
"I did not travel west to expect it to be much different in that regard. We are an unpopular breed, so be cautious with your words lest the guard takes my head and has you for supper," Ming chastised, "And I'm serious. Your mere presence is a beacon of attention by itself, let alone when you go on a tangent."
"Consider my tongue tied," Mao replied with resignation.
"Then let the intelligence gathering begin." Ming tidied together his maroon robes, dirty from the long journey, and prodded his camel down the hill towards the community, allowing his hand to rest closer to his sickle than usual.
|
|
Keksimaton
Promising
Supreme Hero
Talk to the hand
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 01:31 AM |
|
|
The tomfolk trade caravan from the autonomous Village of Tom was moving on it's usual route through the lands. They moved along their path on schedule and ate and slept in the privacy of their tents just as any decent tomsman would. The tomfolk mostly like to keep to themselves, quite a bit of prejudice against them outside of Tom you see.
Now let me tell you about the tomfolk. The tomfolk are the result of a social experiment initiated a by the now royal philosopher Gerald Doufàn. There had been rising a problem of gypsies and other folk immigrating from outside the kingdom. These gypsies were unable to make jobs in the kingdom mostly due to prejudice against their culture. In due time they gained themselves a reputation as thieves and beggars clogging up the streets of the capital.
The philosophers debated a long time what to do about this arising problem. The views were split in quite many ways, with Doufàn being disgusted by the prejudice that people had against these gypsies and half jokingly said that maybe they should simply shroud the people's eyes so they can't judge by looks. Doufàn began playing around with the thought of "shrouding the people's view" untill he came up with the idea of masking everybody with a white mask and dark robes, maybe a cool hat to seal the deal. Why stop there? There are still many other things that keep people from being treated equally, wealth for example as the Marxists say.
Doufàn approached the board with the proposition of creating an autonomous village for the purpose of both social study and opening a place where the gypsies could go for a better living than on the street. Doufàn was given free hands to stage this experiment.
The Village of Tom was to be a village where everyone is anynomous to eachother, wearing a white mask with a herb filled beak to filter the air, dark robes concealing the body and an awesome hat with big brims, just to make them look fab. The mask was to be removed only in the privacy of one's modest living quarter and when eating (behind a curtain). Each of the denizens were to be renamed Tom. The Tom society was to be enforced by anynomous judges and guards among the tomfolk who were to emerge from their hiding in plain sight to apprehend and judge any rogue Tom. The tomfolk would have no private ownership, everything would be divided equally. Of course they would still need to trade with people outside of Tom.
Tom was soon filled with more or less willing individuals and Doufàn himself among with some of the following he had managed to gather, now renamed Tom to record, observe and guard the Village of Tom. Most of the people conformed nicely into the Tom society with the bad apples getting picked out swiftly. The Tomfolk began to hold high such values as: Modesty, tolerance and politeness.
As the generational change came closer, Doufàn, now promoted to royal philosopher, was pleased with the developments. However this was a relatively small and controlled enviroment and there was no guarantees this would work on a larger scale. Also, this experiment only increased tolerance in the tomfolk who were in turn alienated from the rest of the kingdom, for not many outside Tom would trust a masked man of persumable gypsy origins. It was either all or nothing.
Ready to give up on his project, Doufàn decided to tell the tomfolk that he would open the village for them to be free to leave. Some did leave, but others stayed calling Tom their home. Doufàn too had worked and lived among the tomfolk and did not wish to leave. It was decided that Tom was to remain autonomous and open up for new people to be welcomed to the tomfolk. The tomfolk also ventured outside Tom in order to "convert" others to join the Tom as well.
The tomfolk caravan came to Tyre where they would proceed with their business as any tomsman would. The passers by stared quite a bit at the masked tomfolk while the traders and craftsmen welcomed them and soon began exchange of wares.
A few Tom parted from the caravan, determined to enter the Duke's residence. "Halt! What business have you?" Demanded a guard at the door. The Tom answered with their muffled voice: "We are on an errand for royal philosopher Doufàn." "Oh, is that so? We have orders from the Duke to bring any royal philosophers passing by to him," answered the guard. "An errand for royal philosopher Doufàn you say? I guess we'll escort you inside then," the guard continued. "Thank you," said the Tom, bowing politely before getting dragged inside by some guard.
____________
Noone shall pass, but no one besides him shall pass.
|
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 01:57 AM |
|
|
(OOC: Just a note - "Royal Philosopher" is supposed to be capitalised.)
Lothair regarded the older man. "Hmm... looks pretty powerful. Bet he's good with the sword. If his Philosophy is as good, then looks like I've made the right choice," Lothair thought. "I thank his Lordship for his hospitality," Lothair said, "Before I can reliably say anything else, however, I need to ascertain that his Lordship is indeed the Stoic Philosopher as I have heard." Marcus looked at the young man, reached into the folds of his cloak, and pulled out a necklace like Lothair's, and wordlessly extended it towards the youth. Then he put his necklace back into his cloak, drew his sword, and made a small incision into his own arm. As a bit of red blood began to flow out, Marcus started at it. Immediately, the bleeding stopped and the small wound sealed itself.
"I thank his Lordship for this demonstration. I would not be exaggerating if I said that his skill far surpasses that of my lowly self," Lothair said, while thinking, "It's a pain to speak this humbly, and refer to him in the third person. But this guy's really powerful." Marcus said, "So, for what purpose have you come to Tyre?" Lothair replied, "I had hoped to speak with his Lordship. While my power is certainly not as great as his, I hope that I may offer him my skills as a Royal Philosopher. In these troubled times, one cannot have too many allies. Unfortunately, I can only do this on a temporary basis, but I can serve you for a considerable amount of time."
"What is it that you can do?" Marcus inquired. "As the Epicurian Philosopher, I can affect people's emotions to a certain degree. I can also use the sword - incidentally, when the townsmen brought me here, they left mine at the tavern - and I have slight elemental powers, that is, I can conjure small fireballs, a bit of water, and the like."
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 11:50 AM |
|
|
Marcus looked at the Epicurean for a moment. He thought about what he said. He needed allies, definitely, but at what cost? The ability to control emotions was one that definitely would cost him, if it was turned against him. It was probably for the better to have him as an ally than an enemy, but could he trust someone that only cares about his own joy? He decided to hear him out a bit.
"I have not partaken much in the civil war as of yet, life is an inherent right, after all. Taking it away would violate my own regulation, but I would gladly take you on, if only to protect the lives of those that serve under me. I would warn you, though that if I should ever have an emotional fit when I'm near you, I shall try to take your life as swiftly as possible, if only to protect my own life." Marcus said. "Perhaps with another Royal Philosopher by my side, things may be subject to change." he added as an afterthought, again.
An officer entered the room, knelt down and said: "Sir, another Royal Philosopher has been brought in. He's a terrifying sight to behold though."
Marcus looked down on him and nodded. "No need to fear. Fear is only caused by a lack of understanding, sergeant. Have him sent in when Royal Philosopher, Lothair left. Dismissed." He ordered. The sergeant nodded and exited the room quickly.
"Now, Lothair, I need to know only thing. What would you have in compensation for your services? If there's nothing you desire, could you explain me what your purpose is, your motivation?" He then inquired.
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
|
posted November 21, 2009 09:58 PM |
|
|
"First, I must say that I humbly thank his Lordship for his kind acceptance of my offer. Of course, I wouldn't even think of trifling with his emotions. As for my reasons as to why I wish to put myself into his Lordship's service..." Lothair paused. Then he continued, "As his Lordship knows and remembers, after graduating from the Royal School, it was customary for Royal Philosophers to serve the Philosopher-King for a few years - undertake a few missions for him, and the like - to gain more 'real-world experience'. It was much akin to the transition from an apprentice to a journeyman. However, almost as soon as I graduated from the School, Philosopher-King Thales disappeared, and with him gone, there was no such opportunity. For this reason I have decided to temporarily enlist my services with a Royal Philosopher of the nobility - to have a similar experience. I seek nothing more than the knowledge that comes from real-life application of Philosophy."
Lothair looked at Marcus, having concluded his explanation. Lothair thought, "Well, what I said isn't false, exactly. It's just not the whole truth. I'm curious as to this man's own Philosophical techniques. If I can get him to show them to me in practical use - like combat - then I may be able to steal his technique. Then I'd move on to the next Philosopher, and repeat. Soon enough, I'd be the mightiest Philosopher in the land!"
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 22, 2009 06:21 PM |
|
|
Marcus nodded. He then said: "I see. Well, I suggest you go pick up your sword back at the tavern and meet me at the grounds right in front of this keep. Perhaps, I shall require your services, after I have spoken to the other Royal Philosopher."
As the Royal Philosopher left, Marcus started to wonder about this strange person. Journeymanship? Strange...
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
|
Keksimaton
Promising
Supreme Hero
Talk to the hand
|
|
posted November 22, 2009 08:12 PM |
|
|
(OOC: At one point of writing, I actually went back to de-capitalise the Royal Philosophers...)
A young man gets escorted out, four masked men are escorted in to be greeted by an imposing figure of a man. "Greetings to you, Marcus, the stoic. We are the Royal Philosopher Gerald Doufàn. We've come as representatives of the tomfolk to seek your protection in these unstable times," spoke the Tom in their muffled voices. This was no ordinary housecall for a friendly chat.
____________
Noone shall pass, but no one besides him shall pass.
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 22, 2009 10:55 PM |
|
|
Marcus quirked his brow for only the slightest of moments. Emotion...
Bad, Marcus, get a grip. Respect all philosophers and try to understand them first. No emotion involved.
"Now, before I consider your request, I need to know what you would have to offer me in return. Also, it is customary for leaders visiting other leaders to take their head gear off. Is there a reason for you not following proper etiquette? Do not fear to be judged by your appearance, it is all part of man's destiny. I just would like to know why you hide your faces and why the four of you claim to be one person."
He said. He tried to remain diplomatic.
"Now, I'm not a man estranged from the world and I heard about Doufan's social projects, which I applauded at the council. I just...
Had no idea that an autonomous village was to be created this way."
He looked at them intently. He judged that four men would be not enough to take him out, just yet, but it was bordering the amount of risk he was prepared to take on alone. His hand moved unconciously to his sword, a decent sword, almost three feet, sturdy, good for defense measures and mediocre at offensive measures. No emotions, just calculating risk...
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
|
posted November 23, 2009 12:44 AM |
|
|
As Lothair walked back to the tavern, he pondered the conversation. "So, the guy's really a Stoic. That must mean he tries to suppress his emotions, but if that's so, he must rely on his reason much more on his reason to live effectively. But if that's so, then it wasn't very smart of him to just wave his weakness like a flag in front of me. 'If I should ever have an emotional fit...' On the other hand, maybe he's much smarter than I give him credit for. Maybe he's actually impervious to emotional manipulation, and is just merely daring me to try - to see if what I said about my intent was true. Taking my age into account, it would not be a leap to expect me to be rash. Well, if that's what he's expecting, then he's not going to get it. I don't want to fight him in the first place, and I'm not that rash anyway. Now, what's this other Philosopher that came to him? Could he have goals similar to mine? I would say that's unlikely - he'd have to be one of my classmates or just a little older, and I don't think that any of them would pursue a goal like mine. But, here's the tavern."
He picked up his sword, surprised to find out that no one had stolen it, when the same man from the tavern approached him from the street. "It's none of my business what your meeting with Lord Marcus was about," he said, "My name is Hans, by the way. You said there's blackweed in our water supply?" Lothair thought for a bit, and said, "It seems quite likely. It's hard to think of anything else it could be. The symptoms, the treatment... It's almost certainly that." Hans regarded that for a moment, then growled, "Or it could be sorcery! Some foul wizard conjurin' up some stuff to make us all gloomy!" Lothair looked at the villager and said, "I have travelled far and wide, despite my youth. And I have studied extensively at the School. There is no such thing as magic. It's no more than a superstition, one that the wisdom of Philosophy will purge." Hans replied, "But yer Philosophy - is it not its own kind of wizardry?" Lothair responded, "No. Our Philosophy is a science - the science of truth. Nothing could be further from magic. Well, I have to get going. I have to meet with Lord Marcus again. I'll mention the blackweed problem to him. It seems rather interesting."
"Yes," Lothair continued in his thoughts as he went back towards the castle, "Interesting that there would be an emotion-altering substance in the water supply of a town ruled by a Stoic. This presents several possibilities..."
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
|
Keksimaton
Promising
Supreme Hero
Talk to the hand
|
|
posted November 23, 2009 05:41 PM |
|
|
"Perhaps for this occasion I should drop the charade," the tom say when the stoic sneaks his hand towards his sword. Three tom disappear and the one remaining removes his hat and mask to reveal a crusty man with a two weeks old shave and carelessly cut brown, greasy hair. A man not obligated to look neat and tidy. The man's unexpressive face stares blankly at the stoic as if in a response to surpressed emotions. "I hope that we are now a bit more level with eachother," the man, persumably Doufàn, says.
"The civil war ravages through the lands like an epidemic and it won't take long untill both Tyre and the people of Tom are afflicted by it's vile symptoms. The tomfolk gathered together and concluded that our small village would be knocked over even by a cough in it's direction. It was decided that we would seek refuge from the nobles that we still had contact with," Doufàn explained his case. "Simply riding on your coat tails would be out of the question. The tomfolk are hard working people and have come up with a cart full of goodies as tribute and we would be prepared to be put under your taxes as well. All we need is a place here to live," The unmasked Tom pleaded sincerely, almost ready to kneel. Though pleading would seem redundant here.
____________
Noone shall pass, but no one besides him shall pass.
|
|
Lord_Woock
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Daddy Cool with a $90 smile
|
|
posted November 23, 2009 09:29 PM |
|
|
The dirty old hound Xenostenes, dressed in filthy rags of undiscernable colour and supporting himself with a long, rotting length of wood posing as a staff, ambled along a main street in the town of Tyre. Examining his new surroundings with a scowl on his face, he yelped with delight as he finally spotted a well. He quickly stomped over to the washerwomen around the well, started elbowing his way past them yelling "Room for the Royal Philosopher! Make room!" until he gained uncontested access to the well, partly because of his smell. He tossed a bucket down and upon splash, pulled it up. He took a mouthful, then spat it all on the ground.
"Is this what people bathe in around here? I rather think I'll pass!" he roared and, as he dried his mouth, look up to the two guards towering above him.
"Royal Philosopher?" one of the guards asked.
"Depends who's asking," smirked Xenostenes.
"Duke Marcus. You're coming with us," the other guard concluded.
"How convenient! I thought I'd have to climb the bloody castle!" remarked Xenostenes.
____________
Yolk and God bless.
---
My buddy's doing a webcomic and would certainly appreciate it if you checked it out!
|
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
|
posted November 23, 2009 11:47 PM |
|
|
As Lothair walked back to the castle, he noticed two guards escorting a rather unkempt old man in the same direction. He decided to approach the guards. "Greetings," he said, "I am Lothair, a Royal Philosopher. As you know, I have already met his Lordship, so there is no need to escort me to the castle. Moreover, he is considering taking me into his service. Now, I hope you will let me speak to this gentleman that you are escorting. I am correct in assuming that he's a Royal Philosopher?" One of the guards replied, "He claims to be one," the guard replied. "Have you checked if he has the necklace?" Lothair asked, then continued, "Actually, never mind. It is not the necklace which makes the Philosopher," while thinking to himself, "I really doubt this guy is a Philosopher. I bet he's just insane - someone got tired of their slow brother, and locked him out of the house one day. If, perchance, he is a Philosopher, a man with his hygiene and care could have lost the necklace anyway. So, either way, it doesn't matter."
He started walking closer to the man. "Sir," he addressed him politely, "What brings you here?"
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 24, 2009 12:05 AM |
|
|
Marcus looked at the strange man. He expected a form of deformity, but instead he looked at a man looking perfectly average, with the exception of his poor personal hygiene. He almost frowned, he noted. The toms were definitely worth looking into. A job, he almost smiled at the thought, but he didn't, he was above such things, fitting for his new apprentice.
He cleared his throat. "I see... Well, then, mister Doufan, I shall accept your request and put you under my protection on the condition that taxes shall be paid and tribute shall be delivered. I sugegst you somehow move the village close to an outpost of mine or take refuge in the village of Tyre itself for the time being. Though... Should my people take offense at the tomfolk, we may consider moving your people to a position both isolated and protected by my troops. After all, I have to aid my fellow man, do I not? The stipulations of our contract shall be made later on."
Marcus paused. He felt like dismissing the strange man, but he suddenly realised that perhaps he could gain another use for him. "One more condition... You shall serve me as a warrior when I have need of it. With this promise I can guarantee our mutual safety and prosperity." Marcus extended his hand. "Will you take me up on my offer?"
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
|
Lord_Woock
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Daddy Cool with a $90 smile
|
|
posted November 24, 2009 01:00 AM |
|
|
"Well now," Xenostenes coughed and spat on the ground. "I'd say my feet do. But you're actually interested in why I came here, and that's to satisfy the few needs I have. Why do you feel compelled to ask, boy?"
"Because," Lothair replied, still thinking of the man as probably unstable, "If you have business with Lord Marcus, it may be my business as well. You see, he may accept me as his freelance apprentice. And if you're a Royal Philosopher, you must have a necklace."
"Indeed I must. And, well, duke's freelance apprentice?" Xenostenes cracked a wicked grin. "How cute. And obsolete. Even more so than the royal title itself!"
"Obsolete? Though the Philosopher-King is gone, the nobility is as potent as ever," Lothair replied, "And balanced by the Royal Philosophers, I'm sure we'll head into an enlightened new age - after this carnage ends, of course. As for my apprenticeship, you might have skipped a few days at school. Because then you'd know that even if you have the School-taught skills, you're still no match for a philosopher with experience."
"Hah! A philosopher with experience! The boy speaks of experience! Why don't you forget your academic truisms and tell me what you really think? Boy, in time you will notice that regardless of the moment, royal titles are but fancy names and ultimately mean nothing. A toy of the mind that wants too much."
"Just like I thought - this guy's absolutely insane. No way he's a Royal Philosopher," Lothair thought, and said, "You may speak of academic truisms, but you must already have gathered this experience that I speak of. Obviously, it has given you the grounds on which you can say something like that. It is possible in time I may come to adopt your viewpoint, but I'll never get there without experience - which is what I seek. As for your comment about nobility, who else is going to rule? Not all of us are the educated sons and daughters of the School. Those with less philosophical grounding may turn to violence, and who is to keep people safe from each other except for the nobles?"
Xenostenes glanced at the guards still accompanying them. "You are not treating me seriously and you did not engange me in conversation to discuss politics. Get to the point, boy."
"There, you speak the truth," Lothair replied, wondering how much to reveal, then decided, "This is a relatively quiet part of the former kingdom. And yet it's seeing a lot of activity lately. For example, the water supply has blackweed in it, and three Royal Philosophers, counting ourselves, are visiting a fourth. Rather unusual, don't you think?"
Xenostenes scowled. "Is that's why the well's so vile? I'll need to have a talk with He Who Gets Things Done, O Noble Ruler the Duke! As for the philosophers, I need not care for them, unless any of them have any water that's at all usable. Well, do you?", he gave Lothair an interrogating stare.
"I do, in fact," Lothair replied, and handed the unkempt man a small canteen, which he gulped from. "I'll need to wash that later," Lothair thought, then said, "But look! We're nearly there. Unfortunately, at this point we must part ways, as I am to meet Lord Marcus elsewhere. So, goodbye for now, and enjoy your life!"
Xenostenes waved at the young man distractedly, contemplating the thought of narrowly missed drinking water.
____________
Yolk and God bless.
---
My buddy's doing a webcomic and would certainly appreciate it if you checked it out!
|
|
Keksimaton
Promising
Supreme Hero
Talk to the hand
|
|
posted November 24, 2009 05:54 PM |
|
|
A warrior? It is reasonable enough that the tom would help with keeping their new residence safe, while a personal commitment from Doufan begins to sound a bit off. "Very well then," Doufan responded not very keen to haggle and took the stoic's hand. "If you need me, simply ask the Tom for Doufan and the word will reach me."
Before putting on his mask and hat, Doufan asked: "Would there be anything you'd have of me now, or am I dismissed?"
____________
Noone shall pass, but no one besides him shall pass.
|
|
DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
|
|
posted November 24, 2009 06:56 PM |
|
|
"You are free to go and take care of your people." said Marcus, while making a mental note to put Lothair on them, in order to gain info on them.
____________
If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
|
| |
|
|
