07.09e The Pre-game Show

The goings on of courts
misfit
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07.09e The Pre-game Show

Post by misfit »

Harrune will wander with Fillane and Alaror, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the festival. Eventually they drift to where the participants are preparing for the jousting. Harrune will greet the contestants that he knows and admire the many mounts. He is mildly surprised to find an unexpected face in crowd.

"Greetings Lord...Odin I believe it is?" Harrune bows. "We have yet to be introduced. I am Harrune Tharassa Tyrnath Reran. This is my wife Fillane Lorera Tyrnath Powyn and her brother Alaror Lorera Tyrnath Powyn. I would like to welcome you to Amber, even if comes a bit late. It is good to see that you are making yourself at home here. I hope that you are enjoying your visit?"
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Joshua
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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Takign a break from preparing his horse, Odin will shake your hand. Creepily, he is mirroring your cani body language*. "Harrune, head of Tir-na Nog'th. I am honored by your personal greeting. Yes, I am finding the visit surprisingly enjoyable. This is not what I expected when I followed Dworkin here. To be honest, this is absolutely the last thing I expected."

"And, I suppose Lord is okay for me. I am not sure what my holdings currently look like, and similar to here, where I am from, true nobility stems from the possession of a power. Perhaps... uh..." He will hesitate. "I'm sorry, you clearly have a word for it, but I can't seem to bring it to mind. I am an unofficial-representative-hoping-to-prevent-bloodshed-with-minor-power-back-home.**"
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*: For a visiting dignitary meeting a king.
**: There is a cani word for just such a situation. Go figure.
misfit
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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"Hmmm...yes, indeed. Nobility without power to support it is just an empty title. How much power my title as Ruler will have is yet to be seen. It will depend on how much power I can gather and infuse into the title. This is one case where raw power alone won't do. Then again, ruling with the proverbial 'iron fist' has never been my people's style."

"Speaking of my people, I find it curious that you know our language. Not many other races care to make distinctions that fine in social interaction. Have you met many of my people in your travels?"
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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Krajk is discretely lurking* in the background but as of yet not actually participating in any conversations**. He is also somehow managing to idly nibble on a strangely spiced leg-of-meat without ever interrupting his watching of the crowds and of Odin or get his fingers*** too greasy to grip a weapon.

(*Given enough motivation he could manage discrete in a surprisingly elegant setting; in Ht'gon there's a bit more physical presence involved.)
(**I don't know (yet, yay ambiguous time sequencing) whether Krajk had time to catch Odin in private before "now", but even if he hadn't he would have at least managed a very quiet and cryptic-to-others sound bite of "The world's best chessmaster...", referencing this general sort of quote which I figure has to have analogues in pretty much every culture *and* references this for added bonus and for similar reasons. Overall gist is "Dworkin's disturbingly good at planning things out and getting things to work out how he wants them but he can't predict everything.")
(***He'd be eating with his off-hand, but Krajk doesn't really *have* an off-hand so yeah...)
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Joshua
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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Odin will blink. "Oh, no. You're the first one I've met. I just pick up customs really fast*. Still, your method of rule seems helpful. Unfortunately, where I am from, it would be considered naive. Camaraderie is one of the most difficult of the eighty-four**, but it is an honorable one. I do prefer the seventeen honorable paths myself. I think I'd choose Justice if I were to found one."

He will catch Krajk's eye briefly, but still speak to Harrune. "I can't seem to figure out what method Dworkin is using. Divine Right normally involves more of a church. Perhaps he is attempting a stratified method? Divinely Choosing you, then letting you find your own way?"
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*: Or a variation of Shapeshift Persona / Aura. (Seems like if you have both, you can subtlety change your body language and aura to a persona you know. I'm not sure how many people ICly know Odin has Advanced Shapeshifting. OOC I think it's obvious.)
**: According to The Chaos of Princeship by Suhuy (or some predecessor of him). Shadows of this book include The Prince, The Book of Five Rings, and The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier. (84 does seem to be a low estimate, but my guess is the number is closer to 8400 if you count the known variants. And seriously, please don't make me think of all of them.)
misfit
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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Harrune cocks his head slightly at Odin's first comment, but is quickly too distracted to follow up on that point.

"At the moment he seems content to let us find our own way. When asked for advice on how to handle things the answer is usually some variation of 'that is for you to decide' or 'find the answer for yourself'. On the other hand, he doesn't seem afraid to give us a subtle nudge to move us in a direction he wishes us to move. He has very gently tasked me to learn certain things on my own. No doubt he will claim otherwise, but that is the result. Granted, I do see value in pursuing that information so I chose to follow that path. If he is being a puppeteer, then at least he is being a benevolent one."

"As for my own methods, I am attempting to rule people whose power equals, if not in some respects exceeds, my own. I cannot rule them by force or fear...even if it were my inclination to do so. That would breed resentment and they would try to pull me down. Even if I could survive that, we would spend too much time and effort fighting each other to accomplish anything of worth. It is better to treat them with respect and hope to win their respect in return. If I can manage that I can combine our talents so that together we can achieve great things."
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

Post by Krajk »

Krajk is showing a remarkable degree of self-control today, it seems. Harrune's description of Dworkin as a 'benevolent puppeteer' results only in an incredibly faint creaking sound, as Krajk manages to keep from actually shattering the bone of his drumstick by clenching his fist too tightly.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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Odin ponders. "I thought you were talking about the commoners or merchants. Yes, the nobles do require a different tact. Sorry, but how did you become ruler without securing that first?"

He pauses and shakes his head; the answer is obvious and you already answered that question.
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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"Exactly. He claims that he wasn't the one would made the choice. That was one of the tasks he was nudging me towards: finding out how that choice was made. I have some ideas on the subject, but in the end I think it's supposed to be more about the searching than the finding. Or of course I could just ignore the whole issue and just accept things as they are. Somehow that doesn't seem likely though. It's not the most pressing issue on my list, but I will get around to exploring that at some point. He's not forcing me to do it, but he knows me well enough to guide me towards and make me feel that it's, at least mostly, my own choice."

Harrune sighs softly. "I know some people find him difficult to deal with. He can be rather...obscure at times. But he has never treated me poorly. Some people find their relationships with him almost adversarial, but not me. Perhaps it comes from dealing with the god of my own people directly. Maybe that gives me a slightly different outlook than most. I wouldn't say that we are friends, but I like to think that I come closer to that mark than most. Then again, that may just be my own ego." Harrune chuckles.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.09e The Pre-game Show

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"Dealing with Gods is always difficult. Dworkin had a reputation for believing himself their equal." Odin will look over Harrune. "Strange, with how that ended, that he would seek a similar mindset." Odin will shrug, and go back to finishing his horse's preparation.

"It is difficult to match the calmness of this place with the damage he left in his wake. The death of billions in a senseless war. Do you even have numbers that large here?"
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