[ That is a truth and if he had to guess based on what he'd learned, Edelgard would agree. The Church's hold on all of Fodlan was so absolute in ways he hadn't entirely grasped until the end of the war when so much else became clear and he understood her choices a bit more. To a degree; some of them are still ones he can't agree with even with the benefit of hindsight. Much like when he'd spoken to Thancred about Edelgard being here all those months ago, Claude tries to remind himself there's a time where Edelgard accomplished what she set out to do - even with the costs of that he learned of much later afterwards.
The crystal hums and he studies it for a minute, but there's no secrets revealed he can tell beyond the sound. Curiosity has him changing healing spells to let a stronger one go still with as much care as he can, and the hum's louder this time. Interesting. ]
The Alliance was really just that - an alliance sworn between leaders of territories who didn't want to answer to one ruler as Adrestia and Faerghus do- did. I spent as much time as I could studying the lords I dealt with most frequently after my grandfather passed. My hope was to unite the Alliance and then work on the rest of Fodlan. Not necessarily under the name of one kingdom as it is now after the war, but I always believed there were more ways to do that than staying so isolated and afraid of what was beyond the borders.
[ That doesn't answer Istredd's question really, does it? Claude leans forward to tap a fingertip against the crystal though the action doesn't seem to reveal anything, but as he turns his hand over there's no evidence of the color stain this time either. It only buys a couple of seconds at most, but it's enough before he glances up to the mage again. ]
There's more than one way to make those things happen. Talk alone isn't powerful enough, much as I wish it was. I also spent five long years keeping the Alliance from fracturing beneath the weight of the war before we truly began to fight in it. I might've been the leader, but there would've been nothing I could have done if half of the great lords decided to defect to the Empire as the three of us remaining would have had to surrender. Instead I played a very deliberate game of telling the lords on my side what they needed to hear, and then did the same for the lords who wanted to leave. None of them ever had the complete picture so they couldn't act upon it until the time came for what I wanted to be done. Such a thing here would be best applied by us to those in power, if you ask me.
[ It would take a lot of careful maneuvering on their parts, certainly, to prevent Thorne, the Free Cities, even Solvunn from being suspicious. But does Claude believe such a thing is possible here? It would be with the right moves made. That part just might take some time to do first. ]
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The crystal hums and he studies it for a minute, but there's no secrets revealed he can tell beyond the sound. Curiosity has him changing healing spells to let a stronger one go still with as much care as he can, and the hum's louder this time. Interesting. ]
The Alliance was really just that - an alliance sworn between leaders of territories who didn't want to answer to one ruler as Adrestia and Faerghus do- did. I spent as much time as I could studying the lords I dealt with most frequently after my grandfather passed. My hope was to unite the Alliance and then work on the rest of Fodlan. Not necessarily under the name of one kingdom as it is now after the war, but I always believed there were more ways to do that than staying so isolated and afraid of what was beyond the borders.
[ That doesn't answer Istredd's question really, does it? Claude leans forward to tap a fingertip against the crystal though the action doesn't seem to reveal anything, but as he turns his hand over there's no evidence of the color stain this time either. It only buys a couple of seconds at most, but it's enough before he glances up to the mage again. ]
There's more than one way to make those things happen. Talk alone isn't powerful enough, much as I wish it was. I also spent five long years keeping the Alliance from fracturing beneath the weight of the war before we truly began to fight in it. I might've been the leader, but there would've been nothing I could have done if half of the great lords decided to defect to the Empire as the three of us remaining would have had to surrender. Instead I played a very deliberate game of telling the lords on my side what they needed to hear, and then did the same for the lords who wanted to leave. None of them ever had the complete picture so they couldn't act upon it until the time came for what I wanted to be done. Such a thing here would be best applied by us to those in power, if you ask me.
[ It would take a lot of careful maneuvering on their parts, certainly, to prevent Thorne, the Free Cities, even Solvunn from being suspicious. But does Claude believe such a thing is possible here? It would be with the right moves made. That part just might take some time to do first. ]