2017-04-20: Peace in Adlehyde
- Log: Peace in Adlehyde
- Cast: King Justin, Gwen Whitlock
- Where: Adlehyde - Castle
- Date: April 20, 2017
- Summary: Gwen brings her findings in the Sult Ruins to King Justin's attention.
<Pose Tracker> King Justin has posed.
King Justin isn't an easy person to see. He doesn't hate Drifters, like some do, but he doesn't give them much time -- and moreso after the kidnapping of his fellow royal. But Nightburn Acklund isn't most Drifters. He is able to open doors for Gwen.
Literally.
The guards open the door to the throne room. Despite the way it might seem, Justin is not a king out of the immediate post-Collapse days. The throne is magnificent, but the King sits on it while wearing a rich blue uniform and a red sash. He has greying hair and a mustache, and he regards Gwen with cool blue eyes. There are helmed guards, carrying halberds, near the door.
They nod at Gwen. Justin does likewise; he doesn't appear to expect any overt show of fealty. "Miss Whitlock," he says. "Welcome to Adlehyde."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Nightburn had made it clear the first time they had met: 'Alright then. We'll meet back at in this alleyway two days from now. Same time of day, just to keep things simple. We'll go over what I've been able to learn, and then pay Castle Aldehyde a visit. Just so things are clear...I can get you through the door, but this is your show afterwards.'
It was all up to Gwen, which makes this meeting even more nerve-wracking. If she failed to make a good impression, it'd fall back on both her *and* her personal idol NIghtburn. She's at least taken off her hat, running a gloved hand through her short pale red hair nervously, as if she could adjust everything by touch alone without aid of a mirror. When the guards escort her in, the Drifter looks and seems to feel out of place, momentarily speechless.
Gwen awkwardly stands there, her brain seeming to search for the proper protocol. Oh, yes. King. Right. "Your majesty," Gwen says, doing her best attempt at a curtsy. "Thank you for taking the time to see me. I can't give my full word that this isn't information your people don't already know, but I think it's pretty crucial." Taking out an envelope, she begins, "Due to some weird, uh, circumstances involving a mundane letter delivery, I found myself in Sult Ruins. You probably already know there's been some sort of military presence there. I didn't intend to do this, but when I and some other Drifters stuck with me tried to find a way out, we came across a military camp deeper within."
The courier's words are slow, her mouth struggling to pronounce each part clearly without falling into the easy chatter of a common Drifter. "I'm concerned that this force is trying to unearth something in the Sult Ruins, and the documents I came across may tell at least who the military presence is. I can't give you any evidence beyond my word that this is what I found, but that's why I felt it was important to have the documents with me." She offers them up, whether to a guard, servant, or the king himself.
<Pose Tracker> King Justin has posed.
"Of course," Justin says, with a nod of his head. "It sounded like it might be. It isn't often that someone like Mister Acklund asks me to give a moment of my time." That, strictly, may not be true -- a king has to rub elbows with no small number of people.
He quiets, though, and he lets her explain. His eyes narrow. He heard rumors... but they were only rumors. Rumors of a military presence in his borders. He tenses, a moment, and then he nods.
"...I see," he says. "You say they set up camp there?" he asks. He doesn't move to take the documents, but a guard collects them. He reviews them for a moment, flipping through, and then he steps closer to the king. Justin takes them and scans them.
"Who do you think it is?" he asks. "And what makes you think so?"
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Yeah, and I'm mighty thankful he decided to listen to me," Gwen admits with a shy half-smile. "With everything that's been goin' on, I don't blame anyone, especially royalty, for bein' careful."
The documents are freely handed over to the guard as Gwen answers the king's question. "Seems like it. No one was there, so it could've been abandoned or just set up for later expedition. Can't say for sure."Gwen then quiets as Justin takes the documents, then patiently waits for the king to examine the papers.
"The only guess I have is just by process of elimination, so I can't give you much more than that. When I had some contacts look at the cyphers, they said it didn't look like Aveh or Kislev. Could be Gebler, but there's been no ciphers to look at there to make a comparison. That leaves one odd man out: the Garlyle Military." She self-consciously itches the side of her head, her gaze looking down at the carpet just in front of the king himself. "Whoever it is, they're probably wanting something in those ruins. That's my concern, there. They're makin' pretty sure that no one just wanders in."
<Pose Tracker> King Justin has posed.
"Mm, yes. What has befallen his majesty, King Ardryn, is truly worrying," Justin muses.
He can't read that fast. He scans them over, but he has been to many a briefing. Justin knows how to read and talk at once. After all, he has had to do meetings not unlike this one for the last three decades of his life. "I doubt they are Gebler," he says. "I do not read their language, but I recognize it. This..."
He trails off, and then nods his head once. "...Garlyle. How troublesome, even if my heart goes out to them, after they lost their kingdom. What sorts of activities were they engaged in, down there? Could you see?"
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
The courier's lips frowns dourfully at the thought of that kidnapping. Her mouth quirks with the temptation to speak, but she decides against it.
Gwen gives a single nod to Justin's statement, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "Oh good. Was kinda concerned. But it is possibly Garlyle? I admit, I don't know much about them aside from what happened a while ago." As King Justin asks for more details, Gwen's eyes squint as she looks at the carpet. "Let's see..."
"The camp we came across was a base camp. now that I think about it. So it may have been in use while we were there. We just got there at the right time to not be captured. It was far in, past quite a few obstacles, so maybe it was for soldiers to not have to go back and forth. The soldiers stationed out front were friendly enough, but their clothing was pretty plain. Maybe they were thinking the locals'd just assume they were meant to be there? The documents themselves were in a satchel at the base camp. I can't rule out them being planted there for us to find, but it's something that needs to be shown to someone nonetheless."
<Pose Tracker> King Justin has posed.
"Their kingdom was destroyed," Justin says, "but much of their army survived. Garlyle's armed forces allied with Aveh, and now work for them as a sort of special operations group. Except... it would be foolish to think that they do not have their own interests, even still."
He quiets again, though, and listens. He flips through the documents, before he shakes his head. "I think these are unusual," he says. "THere is a lot to analyze, still. Rarely will a document simply tell you what you want. But I see a few things -- patrol orders, supply orders, quartermaster returns, scouting reports. This suggests a commitment."
He scowls. "And under Adlehyde's nose, too..."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"I see. Y'know, I didn't... even consider that. That they'd possibly do that, even. But that makes as much sense as them doing it with Aveh's best interests at heart." Gwen's expression grows more troubled by the notion, if only by the mystery it presents. It's a world beyond her. "I'll admit, the documents seemed like they'd be something your people'd already know about. But the more I looked at them, the more disturbed I felt." She doesn't speak of the other Drifters, for now. They have their reasons, and good ones, at that.
All of this, right under Adlehyde's nose.
"Yeah. That's why I came to you." The courier finally looks up at King Justin, her face creased with worry. "I'm a Drifter, through and through. However, if the tension growing to the west of Adelhyde gets worse, that'll cut the continent in half. And that's only if Garlyle Military sticks with funneling whatever resources they find with Aveh. And what if there's something in those ruins on the level of what's being exhibited right now in the fairgrounds? Those artifacts are scary enough to consider being in active use." She goes back to looking to the side, her weight shifting to one leg. "That's all I can really tell you. You probably have better ideas of what to do from here. All I ask is that I remain anonymous here. For my sake and the sake of any Drifters that may get implicated if word gets out."
<Pose Tracker> King Justin has posed.
"We had our suspicions. Now we have proof," Jusin says. The king looks up, then, and peers at Gwen. It isn't the request he expected. He expected asking for gella, for money, for something else. It makes the old man smile. "Thank you, Miss Whitlock. I'll respect your anonymity. We will have to decide to how to approach it. As you said... the events to the west are dangerous."
But that is something to consider. He nods, and then looks at her again. "We'll take action. We may have to be covert about it, but we'll take the necessary actions. I don't want Garlyle bringing war or disaster to Adlehyde."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Thank you, your majesty." It was tempting, at first, to think of a possible reward. But the more Gwen thought over it, especially when she revisited those thoughts in light of Nightburn's own words to her, the more any possible reward would seem like a chain or, just as bad, a bullseye. Even if, from what Gwen had experienced, Adlehyde was a pleasant, well-meaning country, getting involved in such manners was deadly.
Especially for someone like Gwen.
Even still, the king's words seem to bring some level of relief to Gwen. "... Thank you. Things being as they are, this country's been a haven for a lot of us Drifters that have been cut off from our homes. I hope this information makes sure that peace I've seen here stays." She curtsies again. "I can answer any more questions you may have, but if there isn't any, I won't take up anymore of your time. Thank you again, your majesty. For everything."
<Pose Tracker> King Justin has posed.
"I'm pleased to hear that. I want Adlehyde to be a sea of peace, in our world that has become an ocean of tragedy. It takes some care, to keep this kingdom safe." He nods, before he holds up the report. "I think this will help enough. If these documents don't tell me enough... then I can reach out to you. Thank you, again, Miss Whitlock. And be safe in your travels."