The Lost Sea: Lovecraftian Naval RP - Thread 2 - Games

Ephraim turned around as to properly greet the Captain, beginning his greeting, before seeing who was standing near him. "Hello Captain-" he began before briefly looking into Kyndreth's eyes, spooked by the presence of what looked to be not human. He straightened himself as if he were greeting Váradi, and looked directly at Krantz, as he'd rather make direct eye contact with him. "I-I see you're joined by someone new, C-Captain," he said with a faux smile, as Gawain came around to see what was going on.

Krantz nodded, glancing to Kyndreth. "Yes, this is my new bodyguard. Lady Kyndreth. Treat her as you would me." he said, before motioning to her. "Please, introduce yourselves."

Therasmus was working through the supply of books rather rapidly, though he still kept up that calm demeanor as he absorbed each and every line of text. He did note the ascent and subsequent descent of the Blixtvåg breaching the murky depths of the Lost Sea, but he felt no need to comment on it further. Oddly enough he chose to comment on the explanation of the librarian, albeit quite belatedly. "Tactical advantages, yes. Truth be told I am quite unfamiliar with the larger scales of warfare and the tactics that take place in it. My... enlightened state, it sees each battle as fated, with little room for swaying things from predestined outcomes. More often than not there is a clear advantage that holds for the majority of battles - and to that end I see little reason to study the intricacies of it." he explains somewhat halfheartedly. "And what of you, good librarian? I am interested in how a man such as yourself ends up organizing and watching over such a collection of text. Do you do it out of necessity or passion? Hm... A rather mundane task when compared to others of your ilk, to be certain. Yet you no doubt have the respect of a fellow scholar in the likes of me."

Ephraim nodded a few times slowly as he processed the information he had been given, and complied. "Well, ehm, I'm Ephraim Brose, though you can shorten my name if you'd like. Hired to work on board this vessel with my own boat, the Magpisk," he said, as he tipped his cap at the bodyguard, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am." Gawain proceeded to introduce himself via the notebook and pencil, revealing his name and any other relevant details.

Upon entering the bridge, Fallensteller immediately sent along the rest of the officers who hadn't gone along with the initial group. "Commander," she said to Schuster, "get me in touch with the brig." "Yes, Captain," he replied, dully, before walking to the console he was previously assigned and buzzing for the radio room. "Hello? Hello. This is Schuster. Page the warden's office, Captain's ring. Yes, she's here. Immediately, yes. Thank you." He placed the earpiece down and waited. After a few moments, the machine buzzed, and this time, Fallensteller approached and took the earpiece immediately rather than forcing anyone to wait. "Hello? Yes- Lieutenant, listen. The others are coming down your way now. Make sure they're greeted at the block door and you control the ins and outs, understood? Yes, exactly. Good. Also... has anyone...? Ah! Excellent, thank you. So how many put up a fight? Ooh, that's very good. Well done, Pawlitzky. Tschüss." She hung up the call and turned to Mesahri and Schuster. "So far, nobody's bled out." Schuster cocked his head. "Bled out?" "I had to come up with a way to force their hand, Commander," Fallensteller said with a shrug, "in case they're on the list but they're not loyal. I cut them deep and let them decide whether they'd rather serve or if they'd rather bleed out." "Scheiße..." he grumbled. He then caught sight of Mesahri's arm. "Her too?" he asked, seeming somewhat outraged. "It's nothing..." Mesahri said, in denial. Fallensteller looked skeptically at Schuster. "Anyone who knows about our little ritual is a threat until they've undergone the ritual. And then maybe still..." "I was about to say," commented Schuster, "when the deep bleeders recover, who's to say they won't go to the Admiral anyway?" "I'm about to put out a standing order to help guard against that," Fallensteller replied. "We'll figure out a permanent solution later today." She picked up the earpiece and pressed the button for the radio room again. "This is the Captain," she announced, although it wasn't necessary since anyone would recognize her voice on the other side. "Has von Strauss of the Eisenstrasse asked for permission to visit? She has. Reply in the affirmative. Okay. Another thing. From here on, you have a new standing order. There will be no messages, telegraph or radio, sent from this vessel without my express consent. Understood? Good. If anyone tries to force a message through in violation of that order, contact me immediately. Yes, thank you. Tschüss."

Once the Eisenstrasse recieved word from the Zuflucht that they were ready, Von Strauss picked out a guard to go with her. If she went alone, that'd raise questions. Especially from Krantz, who already didn't trust her. Apparently enough to summon a demonic bodyguard to defend himself. Once she had made her selection, it was just a matter of heading back to the boat launch to the rear of the cargo elevator. She boarded a rowboat with her guard, and soon enough they were being lowered down into the water. Crossing the calm harbor was rather...boring, honestly. She wished that there was maybe a fire nearby, or some bad weather incoming, but everything was relatively calm. Nothing to spice up her life. At least, not till she boarded the Zuflucht anyway. As the rowboat neared the large repair ship, the guard signaled to the crew aboard before moving the boat around to the side where they could properly board.

Tobey had just finished making some notes in his personal journal before he took his coat on and headed outside to the bridge balcony. With Bennett and Barns in tow, he looked over the top deck as Norrys stood on a deck and was giving a briefing to the mercenaries and the crew about the upcoming battle. The group made it's way down into the bowels of the ship, and made steady pace towards the room that he had visited last night. Barns came to the door first and opened it. Tobey strolled ominously into the room with a deep frown. He was flanked on both sides by his two top lieutenants. "Miss Neustadt." He began dryly, "I've been informed that an incident occurred in my absence." --- As The skiff was lowered into the bay, two pair of eyes trailed it vigilantly. When it got closer to, Fontaine would be close enough to notice it too. "Recon, ya that Capn Reginald Fahntaine." One of them spoke up. He was extraordinarily tall, and quite slender. He had a well trimmed beard, short hair and a pair of circular spectacles on a sharp nose. Further more, Fontaine could recognize his accent immediately. No where else in Columbia was a regional dialect so thick as it was in the harbors of Bastion in the Masschet bay. "Capn Tobey says yah bringin us some wicked bundlah powdah." He said with a smile as he crossed his arms as the man with him began throwing mooring lines to secure the skiff to the ships side as another pair of crewmen began working a simple crane.

The Bastion accent caught him off guard. Never did he expect to hear that accent all the way from Columbia outside of his ship. He wondered if there would be more minor surprises like this. Will the ship cook turn out to be from Main street and make exaggerated hand motions? "That I am and that we are." Fontaine answered the man with that salesman's tone. His men grabbed the lines and began to tie them on the skiff's side. One of them tugged and gave a thumbs up to signal that everything was fine. "I think you boys will appreciate having an ace up your sleeve. To give you an idea. Imagine what we did to the Aperini. But now in shell form."

The man let out a laugh and signaled the crane crew to hoist the crate up. The man next to him began letting down a rope ladder so that Fontaine and his men could climb onto the ship. "Expected nothin less from a Black Rivah man, Mistah Fahntaine." he said as he leaned over the side. "Shame them shells came up too late. Woulda been wicked to bang em ontah the south shoa. Fuckin Corsies." As Fontaine came over the side, the man stretched his hand out for a shake. "Names Ben Sullivan. Quatahmastah. An this 'eres my brotha Johnny, otherwise known as the Snake." Next to Ben stood a equally tall, but more robust, man. He might have been described as having a dashingly handsome face, had it not been terribly dashed by a number of thin scars, most likely from small bladed weapons. Johnny simply nodded to Fontaine and his entourage.

Fontaine shook Ben's hand. "Good to meet you both." The two men climbed aboard after him. "These two are the consultants I promised. Samuel and Kirk Nuchi. Cousins if I remember correctly." He glanced back at them awaiting confirmation. Samuel looked like a rat that had just bought a human suit while Kirk looked like he was a chimpanzee that found a razor. "Y-yes, boss. We are." Samuel stammered out. Surprised that the captain even knew that. He cleared his throat "We're also here to make sure you guys know how to work these like pros. Whatever questions you have, we're here to answer." Kirk just followed Johny's example and remained quiet.

Ben nodded and walked over to the crate and opened the lid to peak inside. Noting it's contents, he made a few scribbles in a small leather handbook before putting it away. "Johnny." he said as he snapped his fingers. "Show these two ta the storage and have them teach McMiller and his boys how to work the shells." Johnny looked narrowly at the two cousins, before slowly walking away towards a flight of stairs whilst signaling to the crane operators to move the crate below deck. Ben then motioned for Reginald to follow, "Right this way Mistah Fahntaine. Capn Tobey's got some personal business ta take care of but I think he'll be ready anytime soon." The walked along the top deck, bast the large gathering of people who listened as Norrys continued to detail the battle plan from on top of a crate.

The cousins left after Johnny and were soon were out of sight and out of mind for now. As for himself, Fontaine followed Ben along the deck. "I can wait with no issue then." The crowd they passed caught his attention "You boys are preparing for the upcoming fight I see."

"Aye" Ben replied, "Ol' eagleface up thea's been tellin our boys whats about to go down once we get to this Nadesh place. An now that we got them shells o' yours we're right shaap." They climbed the stairs towards the bridge balcony as Ben continued to elaborate. "We'll bang em with those wicked stones and smoke em like a three caadh sweep in crazy eights. Make landfall after that smoke's whiffed the fuck off and sweep em right of the streets." As they emerged onto the balcony, Ben turned around and flashed Reginald a broad columbian smile, "Razzle dazzle, Mistah Fahntaine. It'll be just like the battle o' Oppahtunity in the war of 1811."

"We showed the world that Columbian interest is not to be underestimated in that one." Fontaine was remembering his studies in the navy. His tutor apparently having issues with the admiral in charge of that battle. "If admiral Sherman had access to these back then, who knows how far he would take it."

Neustadt stirred as she heard someone jostling the doorknob, and reluctantly pulled the covers off of herself before sitting up in the bed. In walked Captain Tobey, looking stern and generally unpleasant. Miss Neustadt. I've been informed that an incident occurred in my absence. She tried to put on a brave face, partially because she was afraid of being attacked by the three men who had entered and partially because she worried she wouldn't be able to refrain from attacking them. She nodded, stiffly, before climbing out of the bed and getting the note from the top of the desk. She forced herself not to take up the pen as well, and turned back to the Captain instead, handing it over from slightly outside of her own reach. --- The rowboat drifted up to the skiff launch where a few men were stationed. A technician set about tying the boat up while a rifleman exchanged greetings with von Strauss's guard. "The Captain has asked me to accompany you to the staff meeting room," the man said. The pair were led into the ship, which was as gloomy as usual inside, and they mounted two stair cases on their way to the nicely-furnished room where Fallensteller had hosted von Strauss once before. Nothing appeared to be out of order. "The Captain will be with you shortly," the rifleman said. The two were alone only for a few minutes before Fallensteller arrived with an assistant and Mesahri, who at this point was beginning to wonder if she was becoming the captain's pet. Somewhere along the line, however, Russpfote crossed paths with them in the hall, and the Captain's actual pet slinked into the room, purring quietly before leaping into one of the unoccupied chairs. "Miss von Strauss, a pleasure to see you again," Fallensteller greeted. "...Especially after this morning. You did me a great honor by defending my name." The assistant set down the tea set, bowed slightly, and exited.

"I tried my best." replied Von Strauss, giving Fallensteller a smile. She then glanced to her guard. "If you would like to wait outside or somewhere else, you can. I don't think you'd want to sit here and listen to us girls ramble on about today's events and feminine things." she said. Her words were laced, obviously, in order to get the man out of the room. He hesitated for a brief moment, then stood. "I'll be out on the deck." he stated, before standing and stepping out of the room. Von Strauss grinned as the man left, before returning her attention to Fallensteller. "Now that he's gone, I can talk freely." she said, still wearing her grin. She then reached up and slipped off her shades, revealing her matte yellow eyes to Fallensteller and Mesahri. "I figured that I'd oblige you with my own secret considering you had to give at least one of yours away at the meeting earlier."

Tobey slowly reached for the note in Silke's with such a terrifingly calm yet forceful grip, almost crumpling the note in his hand. He eyed her with a icy stare as he brought the note up to his face so that he could read whilst letting Neustadt out of his sight for long. There was a gnawing silence as he thoroughly read the note, and then looked back to her. "Would you say you feel it's perhaps not you who are unable to control your emotions, and rather like there is someone else controlling them?" he asked coldly. ---- Ben laughed as he opened the door to the bridge, "I recon he'd be half-way around fusang by now and shellin every chink village thata had the misfahtune of sittin at the cost, Mistah Fahntaine." As they entered the bridge, Mister Nelson turned his head slightly to look at the pair. "This hiahs Mistah Nelson. Don' allow his skin colah fool you. If every nigger was as disciplined and civilized as this fine gentleman, Tengola would be a nation ta be reckoned with." Ben explained. The mountain of muscle that was the intimidating Mister Nelson simply nodded towards Fontaine. He cast a sideways glance at Sullivan. "Anyhows. Ya at libedy to say why you're Capn Tobey's guest today?" he inquired before taking a small swig from a ornate flask and offering it to Fontaine.

Fontaine returned the nod to Mister Nelson. He was big. And intimidating. He wondered if he should charter a trip to Tengola after this to recruit more enforcers. Then again he was already there a few times at the coastal towns and men like that were never a sight to be seen. Maybe Tobey had dragged this mutant from somewhere or maybe he raised his own human tree trunk. His thoughts were interrupted by Ben's question and the kind offer. Not wanting to offend the man, he took a swig of his own before passing it back. "Talking work mostly. Have a few more details to iron out. Then we'll probably trade stories till one of us gets tired. Have an abundance of encounters with savages, rituals and temples that he would likely want to hear about."

Ben raised an eyebrow, "We were in Tengola round abouts 8 months ago." He said as he took the flask and put it back in his vest, "If your company has anythin to go by you aint afraid o' smokin some savages inta the mud?"

"Tengola's nothing." Fontaine replied "Have you ever gone to the Sultanate? About three years ago I had business there with one of the princes. Friend of the company and all that. He invites me to a safari so I agree. Sounds fun, big game hunting and all that. Following morning, I ask him what we're hunting. Fat bastard looks at me and says 'Most dangerous game, my friend!'" Fontaine does the imitation with the most stereotypical accent he could muster "Tigers? I ask. ''No, human!'" "He was rich, powerful, but abducted his political opponents and set them up to be hunted like animals. Worst kind of savage is the one who thinks he's civilized."

As Fallensteller looked into von Strauss's eyes, she smiled slightly. "I could sense something supernatural about your words when you spoke earlier today, but I only know two things- it didn't affect me, and it's not abyssal... So what exactly have you gotten yourself into, if you don't mind me asking? It almost seems like you were toying with the fleet..." Fallensteller took a sip of her tea, and, grimacing slightly, added an extra sugar cube. --- Neustadt held up a finger, cautiously moving to the desk to write a reply. Again, she forced herself to place the pen down before returning. "More like an alter ego. Different from me, but still myself," the note said.

"I could sense something supernatural about your words when you spoke earlier today, but I only know two things- it didn't affect me, and it's not abyssal... So what exactly have you gotten yourself into, if you don't mind me asking? It almost seems like you were toying with the fleet..." So it doesn't affect Fallensteller either. That's two that I know for a fact that it doesn't affect. Von Strauss dropped two sugar cubes into her tea, and began to stir it with a spoon. "In a way, I was. I was instilling a little doubt in Kalheen and Ackermann's testimonies. Its an ability I've acquired recently from my own god." she responded, looking down into the tea before glancing up to Fallensteller. "As for what I've gotten myself into...well, let me ask you a question." She stopped stiring, setting the spoon aside and sipping from her cup. "...What is the natural state of the world? Of life?" she asked, with a smile.

Von Strauss's questions was an interesting one. What does she mean by "natural?" Fallensteller asked herself. Did she mean to refer to ubiquity, or was she speaking of an original order- that which existed before all else? Was there even such a thing? No, Fallensteller concluded. The world is constantly changing, adapting... rising and falling. Fallensteller took another sip of her drink. This tastes watered down, she thought, disappointed. Even with all that sugar... "Progress," she finally answered, propping on leg up on her knee as she sat back in her chair. "One thing always leads to another, and nothing remains the same." As she spoke, she wondered about the implication. What is she trying to tell me? What sort of change would she cause by defending my name? Then it began to dawn on her. "It's upheaval you were looking for, wasn't it? Not the ends, but the means... discord and disorder."

"It's upheaval you were looking for, wasn't it? Not the ends, but the means... discord and disorder." Von Strauss's smile stretched into a grin. "Chaos." she simply said. She sipped from her tea cup again, before continuing. "I've aligned myself with the god of chaos. So as you would expect...I create and revel in chaos." She tilted her head a bit, glancing to Mesahri before returning her gaze back to Fallensteller. "Its a welcome change. My life before chaos was boring. Dreadful. I'm having the time of my life now. Imagine how I felt last night when the dock exploded into flames?" she said, before giggling a bit.

Mesahri had only shown minor concern for von Strauss's revelation, but when she mentioned the dock fire, Mesahri's ears flicked back. "You didn't..." "She didn't," Fallensteller immediately corrected. "That fire was started by a cultist; there were witnesses. I don't think that's what our guest was implying. Rather, I think she merely enjoyed the show." Unlike Krantz, Captain Fallensteller didn't seem the least bit concerned with the idea of von Strauss consorting with an unknown divine. While in the long run, all would need to bow to her Master, in the short term it was plainly beneficial for some of the fleet to fall into a another faction so long as they didn't ally themselves with Calcifer and Farryn. "Oh," Mesahri simply said, nodding at the explanation. What is it with these humans? Why is serving gods such an appealing prospect to them? What has a god ever done for me? "A better question is, 'What can the gods do for you?'" Fallensteller said aloud suddenly, and Mesahri was so frightened she fell out of her chair. "Haw! How demonstrative," the Captain remarked as von Strauss looked on in amusement, "you see, Ms. von Strauss, I have some special talents of my own." "Did- Did you just read my thoughts!?" Mesahri blurted. Fallensteller shook her head. "Sometimes I'm compelled to speak words I don't know the true meaning of, my dear. You can safely assume that they've been ordained by our Lord, and in case you're too shaken to understand it, I do believe the meaning is clear: serve, and you will see." Mesahri's mouth hung open. "I remember now... how you explained it before-" "Shh," Fallensteller interrupted, placing a finger out over Mesahri's mouth. Von Strauss wasn't a foe, but it would be wise to prevent Captain Jäger's name from surfacing, at least for the moment. "Forgive me, Luna. Can I call you that? I'm not yet ready to share all of my secrets. Speaking of which, I am curious what purpose this meeting now serves. I know a shade of you, and you know a shade of me, and it's clear that, to some degree, we have cooperation in mind. So," she said, looking devilishly intrigued, "is there something I can offer you that the fleet can't?"

"...is there something I can offer you that the fleet can't?" "Oh yes indeed, Sabine! There's plenty." said Von Strauss, with a grin. "Allying myself with you allows me to perform my duties to the fullest, and enjoy myself rather thoroughly. Though chaos itself is a neutral force, never truly binding itself to one side or another, it does swing different ways at certain points. And right now, with the fleet the way it is, its swinging in your favor." She sipped her tea again, before continuing. "Mannfred, as you likely know, wasn't swayed by my ability at the meeting. And he outed me to my captain afterwards. Krantz wasn't happy, but still allowed me to come here. The reason being that we're still supposed to be keeping an eye on you. They don't know my intentions, they just know that I've aligned myself." "My intentions at the moment...is to find three artifacts. Pieces of a mask that my lord used to wear. Raum, your lord and savior, spared my lord and simply broke his mask into three pieces which he scattered to the wind. I intend to reassemble the mask, so that Lord Veritas can return to his former self. At the moment, he's trapped as an adorable little wooden doll." She shifted a bit in her seat, smiling after she spoke of the doll form of Veritas. She then spoke again. "...you wish for more allies in the fleet, correct? I can give you one that will turn the entire Eisenstrasse in your favor. I'll give him to you if you help me fufill my goals."

Veranhal, Blitzwave Yarah-kei was silent for a moment, her mouth hanging open as she quickly tried to adjust her wording. She had to tell the truth, but she could at least choose the way to say it. It wasn't impossible to pad her words, either, and fluff them up if needed. "You shouldn't be so angry, I was just playing with her. It wasn't anything bad. I just made her more... ah, empathetic, is all. I just touched her hand. The poor girl is in such a dreadful state around that walking corpse, so I just helped her emotions along. You don't want her to be dull, do you? She's a promising young girl. Even if she is a bat person, but thats no reason to think otherwise, you know." "And besides, what do you think you're doing? I already told you that woman is bad. I wouldn't care about your relation with her if I wasn't dragged into it as well. She's a Raum worshiper. That's not something decent folk deal with. They are all a bunch of wild crazy people. We called them death cultists, because they would kill themselves. And some would resurrect. Its best to keep away." The succubus' expression then changed a little bit to a sly one, with some smugness. "Of course, Calcifer knows all this. Why side against him? He'll eat your pretty little heart and share it with the rest of our kind. He'll eat your heart like a biscuit and use your blood as oil," she grinned, showing off her demonic tongue. "He's practically a demon king in all but name. Its better to just kneel to him now, and while you're at it, release me to him. I'm sure I'll be treated quite nicely as long as that bitch cat isn't around." Cattapoli, Revenant "The Cathedral will likely have some, I suspect. There will probably be many magicians scattered about the city. My men are more skilled in dealing with these kind of opponents, so it would be wiser for you to accompany the others and assist them. The Cathedral is one of my targets, and then the inquisitorial headquarters. I suggest you assist either with killing the cardinal at the palace, or join the assault on the fortress. If I were the Nadeshi, I would keep sorcerers around the cardinal to protect him. Perhaps that is where you will be most useful to the cause," Mannfred explained. The cathedral would also likely be a place of refuge for civilians, and he didn't think the shaman would appreciate the extent of carnage that human warfare could yield. He knew many others couldn't stomach it either, and he himself wasn't much of a fan for some of the slaughter. Still, there were no promises to what would happen to those in the cathedral. Places of worship were locations of power. If there was going to be some strange and powerful sorcery, it was one of the better spots for it to be performed. Breaking down the doors and incinerating the place and everyone within with flamethrowers wasn't the most morally appealing strategy, but indirect fire should suffice. Cattapoli, Eissenstrasse Kyndreth remained attentive during the tour, but her curiosity was difficult to contain. She had spent the last several centuries in the Abyss, remaining within the small fortress-monastery she and her sisters called home. Every day they trained their bodies and mind, while discussing the merits of different ways of living. The great demon philosophers all introduced interesting lifestyles and ways of thought. They even studied some from mortal philosophers. Kyndreth always found the latter to be the most fascinating as mortals typically didn't live so long compared to demons. While there were some instances of overlap, a lot of times there were some radically different ways of thinking simply as a result of longevity and their environment. She found herself somewhat lost in thought while Krantz gave her the tour. If she wasn't on a lesser mission, she was at the monastery, and if she wasn't training or studying... she was day dreaming. A fault which earned her many chastisements and whippings. She still bore some of the scars from that dreaded nine-tails. Some of the locations weren't so foreign to her. The barracks wasn't too unlike the one at her monastery, and while the armory, medical bay, and kitchen all had different technology and mechanisms, they were the same in spirit. The gun nests were a little more difficult to comprehend, as the floating ship had a wide array of large siege weapons casually scattered about. The best thing she could liken them to were ballista, but they were quite different from such weapons. The demon had many questions but she didn't even know where to start, and if any were important enough to ask her master about. When they came across Ephraim, Gawain, and the kobold Kass, she eyed them all closely as she did anyone near her. Her stare was somewhat intimidating because of it, and she certainly wasn't small or lithe. She stood a little over six feet tall and had a clearly athletic form. Once the three had introduced themselves, she followed suit. "I am Kyndreth Na'Vessta of the Martyred Order. I am a maiden and recently wed to your captain," she explained seriously. She glanced over Gawain some more. "Are there necromancers aboard? The undead have always been an usual sight among mortals. Have things changed now? And as for you, lizard, I do not know your kind either," she added as she looked over at Kass. Veranhal, Zuflucht Just like the food on board the Blitzwave, the tea here tasted just as... lifeless. It was bland and without flavor, almost like water. Yet even water had a familiar feel to it, but everything seemed reduced to just a basic texture. The tea was just a warm liquid. After shoveling a few more sugar cubes in, she could taste just a hint of sugar, but barely more than that. The more she drank now, the drier her mouth began to feel. Her stomach also felt full. She didn't feel much at the meal onboard the submarine, but now as she sat down and relaxed with Von Strauss, her stomach felt more like a leaded weight. There was no nausea or sickness attached to this sensation, but it didn't feel very good either. It could be rationalized that perhaps it was unwise to eat or drink in her state. If her body was dead, then what function did it even serve for her to eat anymore? The more the thought nagged at the back of her mind, the more she realized her throat felt a little scratchier, like there was something stuck in it.

Fallensteller drummed her fingers on the table, thinking over the proposal. Who could she be talking about? she thought as she tried to imagine who, other than Krantz, could possibly hold enough sway over the Eisenstrasse to bring the ship under Raum's control. After just listening to von Strauss explain how she enjoyed creating chaos, she realized it was entirely possible that the whole thing was a ruse. At the same time, she was requesting help in undoing some of Raum's work in regards to crippling a petty god... Fallensteller wasn't exactly fond of the idea, but it occurred to her that if von Strauss really was lying, then Fallensteller wouldn't be bound to uphold her end of the bargain. In fact, she wouldn't be forced to uphold it even if von Strauss was being fully honest. She would be a fool not to accept. Setting her tea cup down, she smiled weakly at von Strauss. The truth was that a major portion of her conscience was beginning to weigh the seriousness of her inability to taste the tea in her cup. It was probably a side-effect of being undead, which she would have to search for a method of reversing. Fallensteller wasn't fond of the thought of immortality wherein she cannot eat or drink. There was also an irritation in her throat, and an odd, pasty texture which clung to her teeth after she had stopped. She licked her teeth behind her lips, hoping that whatever was sticking to them wouldn't show when she spoke again. "I'll take that deal, of course," Fallensteller said. "Do you have any idea where the mask pieces might be?" Meanwhile, Mesahri sat in silence, quietly feeling a panic rising within her as she reflected on the bloodletting ritual she had taken part in. Fallensteller had told others that 'mortal creatures' all end up servants to one thing or another, and while that might have been true in human society, Mesahri certainly didn't feel like a servant to anyone or anything back in her village. Now that she had pledged herself, some dark force was able to read her thoughts and feel her doubts, and compelled Fallensteller to address them. She wondered whether that sort of compulsion, or possession, would eventually get to her as well. "Captain," she said quietly, would you mind if I went to my quarters? I don't want to be rude, but a lot of things have happened today and I need some time to think." Fallensteller frowned. "I need you for one more thing after von Strauss departs, and then you can rest all you want."

"I'll take that deal, of course," Fallensteller said. "Do you have any idea where the mask pieces might be?" "I know of one currently, and it iss on the island we will be attacking in a few days time. Do you remember how I voluteered myself to assist in attacking the inquisitor's citadel? It is there, in a 'box within a box within a box' as Lord Veritas put it. The problem is, that's where Mannfred is going. And its likely he'll want to destroy most of the items inside. The only other person I know of to speak to about it is Tobey, as he will be going with Mannfred to the location." explained Von Strauss. She took one last sip of the tea, before setting the cup and saucer down for a moment. "For my end of the bargan, the man you'll want to influence aboard the Eisenstrasse is the officer directly under myself in rank. Sándor Váradi. He seems like your typical soldier, yes? Third in command, functions as the commander of the troops aboard the airship. But he's so much greater than that." she said, with a smile. "...Sándor Váradi is not his true name. It's a false name given to him so that he may operate without issue given his true nature and status. His REAL name...is Dominik von Pracht. He is the first cousin of Emperor Gabriel von Pracht, and the direct heir to the throne of the Pracht Empire should Gabriel die."

Jäger strolled over to the chair next to Yarah, pulled it out and sat down. At first he looked angry as he leaned towares her, leaving mere inches apart. Then his face broke into a smile. "There it is. A true advice from my right hand." He placed a hand on her cheek and stroked it gently down towards the chin. "If you believe that allying myself with Mannfred is the best course of action then so be it." He moved a strand of hair out of.her face and sighed. "Doublecrossing Fallensteller so soon however? Few rewards can be reaped. Not to mention the danger of playing for both teams..." Jäger crossed his arms together and frowned. "We would need to be extremely careful." He glanced at Yarah. "What are the odds of Calcifer smiting me down?" --- Kahleen didn't even twitch as several bullets flew past her and buried themselves into multiple targets behind her. The Cavalier's rushed forth while firing short bursts and scanning for targets around each and every corner. The soldiers stopped and formed a circle around Kahleen. "Clear," yelled their officer- Sergeant Oxhorn. Oxhorn loweree his weapon and turned around to face Kahleen. "Thoughts?" Kahleen nodded. "Excellent work. I believe that Captain Jäger will be pleased."