[ CLOSED ] into an ocean

[godshattering]

Who: Claude and various
When: January
Where: Cadens, Aquila, TBA
What: Catch all
Warnings: Threads for the Tier 1 and Tier 2 quests related to the island have been marked accordingly


( closed starters below. find me at indech, by PM, or on discord to plot something! )

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[godshattering]

[ Geralt's words ring a bell, a distant one where Claude feels like he remembers this being mentioned before about not being beholden to any one place, any one ruler. With what he remembers of their talks of the Witcher's sphere on top of that, Claude merely sees that as an advantage when it comes to having witnessed the steady turnover of kingdoms throughout what almost certainly had to be a series of intricate machinations - or war.

The question which follows is one he's not entirely expecting but should have given the topic. After a second he arches an eyebrow in consideration of an answer. ]

I know a handful of them rather well, but I can't say I know everyone there. Just that I do know they share a certain sentiment when it comes to living under rather intense scrutiny. Many keep a careful eye on what the monarchy might be doing on top of that.

[ It's Kyle he's thinking of mostly in terms of working in closer to those he's observing, what with that meeting with the king that'd allowed him some more freedoms in moving about the kingdom. Or Istredd who's watched the precarious balance and kept notes, and Thancred who Claude suspects shares more in common with him than either are willing to completely reveal just yet. Others too, which leads to his next consideration after taking a sip of ale. ]

The Summoned in Thorne would be who I'd think would be most likely to be planning something to make a move, if I had to guess. Their situation seems more immediately treacherous than, say, Solvunn's.

[ Or theirs in the Free Cities - though Claude certainly believes theirs is equally dubious beneath that transparent veneer of being honored and important in the government's attempt to gloss over it. ]

[gynvael]

[ A certain sentiment is right. He hums. Thorne has changed since he left its cold stone walls. Where they were once filled with those dedicated to staying—for the Crown, for their own goals and ambitions—the steady disappearance of the initial Summoned means that of the ones who choose to stay, only Yennefer remains. And her motivations are not what concern him. (Not anymore.)

But a Thorne populated by unhappy Summoned feels no more stable to him. Just the flip side of the same coin.

Claude is right. He knows precisely who is making those plans. For Thancred's sake, he doesn't name names. Instead, he nods—confirming. ]

The Continent had a greater number of kingdoms. Several imposing in their own right. Here... [ He shifts his weight. ] It seems the balance of the world hangs in these three nations alone. If Thorne should collapse, chaos will sweep us all.

[ Which is not to say he's opposed for that reason. These days, he understands that sometimes, a card must fall. But this, it remains a new world to him, and a new way of considering. He doesn't know where they go from here. Perhaps Thorne's days are numbered, but then, where would that leave the Free Cities once it's allowed to grow unchecked? Solvunn?

Setting the continent also ablaze is a consequence he'd like to avoid. ]

[godshattering]

It's not unlike Fodlan, right down to there being three nations plus a few outside of it with their own influences. A familiarity I would've rather left behind.

[ The temptation to sigh deeply is there, but he manages to restrain it. Barely. It's something he's told Geralt before in their talks and Claude doesn't necessarily mean to segue into that again. Fodlan's problems, as much as they'd occupied him once upon a time, are meaningless here in the face of greater ones they can't hope to entirely prevent between the Free Cities, Thorne, and whoever else steps into the fray.

It's the whoever else which he has in mind now, rather than Thorne specifically. He'd nodded to show agreement with that assessment of the peril they'd absolutely be in if that came to pass. But it occurs to Claude there's more to be mentioned - something that he'd been turning over and over in his mind for some months now. ]

When we were in the Feywilds a while back, did you speak with any of the leaders there? Or perhaps dance with someone mildly chatty about the state of things that happened long before we arrived, or what a future might be with us in it?

[ The best place to start is by asking, most likely, and whatever Geralt answers: his own responses to those questions tailored off his experience will follow. ]

[gynvael]

[ The Feywilds. Geralt shakes his head. Not his purview, not his interest. He'd heard afterwards that some had chance encounters with one of the Fey at the ball—but if any came his way, they said nothing important.

Though Alucard had revealed details afterwards. Some talk of a new day. ]

What did you hear?

[ Truthfully, he's not granted as much thought to the Feywilds as much as he perhaps should. To him, they seemed reclusive at best, suspicious and more interested in protecting their interests. Has that changed? ]

[godshattering]

They were quick to point out that the Abraxans in charge were the reason they lost their homes a long time ago, but that it was also the reason they united. I got the feeling they don't approve of the Free Cities' rejection of magic.

[ Not that he'd been exactly complementary of that himself; some of it had been a true enough assessment. Claude shrugs a shoulder as he moves to prop an elbow on the table in thought, the ale now forgotten. ]

It stood out to me because the way the talk went, even though it only lasted as long as a dance... it wasn't unlike how I used to put someone through a conversation when I wanted to know something. They wanted to know if I'd rather be where magic was of greater value, and that our presence symbolized new possibilities. I asked what they wished we'd know about them after leaving and the answer was as little as possible, specifically in those terms.

[ All very curious the longer he'd thought about it with a clear mind rather than in the moment of a bit too much wine, food, and having a good time. Even more so when it kept coming back to his mind over the months with any further communication still yet to come, if it ever will. But - there is one more important part to that. ]

As to who it was behind the mask, I haven't the slightest. It might've been a member of their court or simply someone attending, but I feel pretty certain it wasn't another Summoned.

[gynvael]

[ Curious. Geralt had no such conversation, but frankly, he wasn't interested in conversation as a rule. He'd danced the requisite number of dances to not completely offend the Fey, then vanished into the maze where he'd spent the rest of the time with Yennefer before returning briefly to, mm.

Eat. A good amount. (It was decent food, oddities notwithstanding.)

In any case, his experience at the masquerade contained decidedly less political angling than Claude's and significantly more liquor. ]

They didn't make it a secret we were invited to be assessed. [ Between jumping through hoops for currency and the various trials to impress their hosts...the most uncharitable interpretation is that the Fey were fucking around, though he doesn't believe that's entirely accurate. It was more calculating than that. ] You think they were seeking to determine if we could be allies?

[ Against the kingdoms who invaded their lands? Who, to this day, remain a potential threat? It's a possibility. Nocwich has made similar manoeuvres. ]

[godshattering]

No, they didn't, which is part of what made me take a closer look at everything from the start. If we were going to be watched, I wanted to watch back.

[ In between the food and liquor, that is, considering he can't claim to have not done plenty of partaking in both himself. In retrospect, it was good luck that the dance happened before the rest of the night became a bit of a blur between everything they'd encountered and that indulging.

But the conversation hadn't left his mind, fortunately; the one other Summoned he'd spoken to about this didn't seem to have this particular kind of encounter either and so Claude was left to consider it alone. So it'd felt, anyway, until now. ]

And truthfully, I don't know. They made a point of mentioning I was strategic, [ with a bit of a wry smile, both because it's true and Claude certainly made no attempt to hide as much during the brief talk, ] in a way which sounded appreciative. It's not an inaccurate description considering I was trying to get as much information out of them as they were willing to give while they tried to do the same. When it's all added together it feels considerably like something else, though. More blatant than what we've been presented with so far, especially if it was someone in power truly looking for allies.

[gynvael]

[ Mm. That's certainly interesting information. Geralt takes a moment to unravel the information. The Netherfolk, he thinks, were a little more straightforward, and in a way, so are the vampires and werewolves. He can grasp what they're after. Their desires are much more grounded: money, influence, protection.

But the Fey leave him wary. Still, he can admit they've not asked anything of the Summoned beyond their participation for the evening. It's a point in their favour compared to the territories who can't seem to stop making...requests. ]

Something else. [ He shifts his weight. ] In what way?

[ He can't help seeing the similarities between the Fey and the elves of the Continent. Thorne nearly decimated their kind, sent them underground, and only recently have they come to occupy a portion of land that was once theirs. The question is, do they want more? Are they seeking to reclaim what was taken from them? And if so, how much do they pin the blame on Thorne and Thorne alone, and how much do they consider it a fault of the humans altogether? ]

[godshattering]

[ Claude doesn't respond right away while he considers the question. Puts it into perspective from what it would've once meant had he asked the same across a war table, or even the Roundtable while setting a trap for an unwitting lord to stumble into even if he knows well that's not what Geralt is doing here. It's just that there are so many possible ways it could go and not enough to know where it will - the state of things without end, it seems. ]

When I led the Alliance... if I approached someone in the same way, answering questions of them without really giving much away in return, I made sure to phrase it as curiosity. Genuinely wanting to get to know whoever it was. And it was a way of getting to know them since that was the magnanimous sort of lord I was supposed to be as the sovereign duke, though it was never just that. Patience played into a lot of my plans even if the war postponed most of them, and had things gone differently I wanted to know who I might be able to call upon when the time came.

[ Because that much he'd felt certain about by way of where that conversation was headed, and even more so now that there hasn't been any contact since. Nothing to do but wait on their end and to see if it may go somewhere and hope that they hear something before that happens. The shrug of one shoulder he offers Geralt isn't particularly comforting to either one of them, and he knows it. ]

As for what we do with that, I think the answer is also probably wait and see as much as I don't like it. Goes against the whole liking to have plans at the ready thing I've cultivated.

[ Far from his best attempt at humor, but - a little bit of it amidst everything else never hurts. ]

wrap 🎀

[gynvael]

[ That's the conundrum, isn't it? Geralt has discovered that he cannot simply wait and see forever. He has done that, he's spent his life avoiding making the first move. He waits and he watches, and he is patient. It served him well on the Path when he walked alone. (Most of the time.) But it has also led him to places he won't go again, and it's put Ciri in harm's way.

Still. He knows full well the answer is not to turn rash. He just feels like there is more that he should be doing. Something he's missing.

He puts it aside. The Fey have been around for a long time. He can admit that were their borders more open, he'd be interested in what they know of this world. Things that human history has perhaps failed to record. ]

Worth keeping in mind. [ He straightens up and pats the wolf on the head. If nothing else, he can discuss it with Sam. Insight is valuable regardless.

In the meantime, Claude is free to enjoy the rustic and hole-filled charm that Kaer Morhen has to offer. Geralt, for his part, is rare to stay and chat for long. ] Stay as you wish. Don't spoil him.