"Don't toy with me, assassin." Riven glared. "I know that whatever you three found in that forsaken place was enough to convict Farnsley and Relivash. Relivash himself told me that the Matron was pulling the strings in Kalamanda, that they were orchestrating and manipulating all those events for their own goals and that Dark Things were going on." She spat. "He couldn't tell anything more than that because his mind was gone. Either that, or something was preventing him from telling more."
"Now, you did NOT come here to tell me things I already knew, and you wouldn't have showed yourself or tried to talk to me if I couldn't be of use to your own little tirade against the Rose and the corruption in Noxus." Her eyes were fierce and stern. "So start talking. What is going on, Talon? Why the hell are you here?"
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 4, 2013 3:28:06 GMT -5
"You're right, girl," Talon shot back, "I didn't come here to tell you things you already knew. I didn't come here to tell you anything. I came here to ask you things and answer your questions if I felt like it. You do not make demands of me. The next time you do is like to be your last. rest easy knowing that it will be painless, wench."
Despite the outburst, he didn't move to leave, waiting for a few moments before speaking again. "The Prince of Demacia. What do you know about him, Exile? Have you ever spoken to the man?"
Riven had to fight back the urge to simply cleave the assassin in half for his tone. She already hated him and what he did. He'd waltzed into HER camp to ask her questions for HIS own purposes, whatever the hell those were, and he dared to take that tone with her for demanding answers from HIM? It was truly infuriating. However, cleaving the young man in half would not get her any answers, or win her any favors. Her fists clenched and she spoke as calmly as she could, doing her best to check her growing ire.
"Only on the fields, and only as necessary. I know he is an incredibly powerful and ferocious warrior, and nearly a match for the 'esteemed' Grand general." Her distaste for Talon was fairly strong, but her hatred of Swain was even stronger. "I also know he was not himself in Kalamanda when the fighting broke out." Her eyes glared at Talon. "Relivash told me that much." She had to suppress a snarl. "Planning a visit to Demacia, are we?"
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 5, 2013 23:16:20 GMT -5
"My plans are my own." Talon shot back at her. "It's true that the Prince has been... Erratic of late. I suspect foul play, but that should seem obvious. It is unlike the noble Prince Jarvan IV to suddenly act so oddly. "
A silent pause as he looked away, back to the fire, before speaking once more. "Tell me, what do you know about Boram Darkwill? Spare no details, but feel free to shove your attitude some place safe before you find a blade there. I didn't come here to play Tell All with you, I came here to see if you were going to boldly throw your life into Swain's fingers. consider this a favor. They're rare."
He was gruff, viewing the Exile as a naive idealist who didn't know the ways of the world, yet he was always gruff, regardless of how foolish he thought someone was. Maybe she could redeem herself, she always seemed to whinge on about that. Talon doubted it, however.
Riven scoffed. "I know that he lead Noxus for a very long time. Some suggested necromancy of some sort. His son was considered by many to be a shoe-in for Grand General before DuCouteau vanished, and Darius merged his force with Swain's." She shook her head. "I never met him, or even saw him. Even when I was presented with my blade at High Command, it was only DuCouteau and the other generals and advisors there to witness it."
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 6, 2013 13:48:09 GMT -5
"So I'm sure, as up to date on current events as you are, you know how dearest Darkwill died." Talon asked, taking a seat before the embers of the fire, a haunting shadow cast on his face from the flickering, twisting light as much by the hood he near constantly kept over his face. "Did Revilash manage to mumble out some crazed half-truth about him before he went completely mad?"
"All he said pointed toward the Black Rose and LeBlanc." Riven crossed her arms and frowned. "He said Dark Things were going on, that the Prince was not himself in Kalamanda, that the coded messages in the Journal of Justice were crafted by the Black Rose. Everything points to them controlling the whole affair." Riven scoffed in irritation, for once not at Talon, but at the situation in which she was placed.
"All of which is mostly useless to bring against Swain or LeBlanc without proof. No one would believe Relivash was a reliable source of information to begin with, and the Matron is known for being deceptive and covering her tracks."
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 6, 2013 18:12:45 GMT -5
"Everyone seems to believe Revilash was responsible for the attack on Darkwill, as though he was the one who orchestrated it all. The Demacian forces never touched a hair on Darkwill's decrepit head. Even a simple assassin can kill a soldier and steal their boots to frame another nation for an attack and it's since come to light that there was no Demacian attack on Darkwill, unless Jarvan has managed to play absolutely everyone on the planet." Talon explained, taking his time to hold his gloved hands out to the fire for no reason other than to allow the Exile time to think.
"Which rules out the most obvious answer. The next would be an assassin doing exactly what I suggested be done, but there's only one assassin skilled enough to slay Darkwill's entire guard and him while planting misdirecting evidence but he was busy elsewhere." A smirk from the assassin, praising his own skill. "So, who does that leave to kill the departed, if not the Demacia so claimed?"
"Relivash told me himself that he needed Darkwill gone." Riven said, glancing to the fiery embers of her camp's centerpiece. "However, his words lead me to believe that he had not been the one to kill him. He mentioned their faces bashed in with maces and their bodies cut by bladed weapons, and Darkwill's face was twisted in torment, as if killed by terrors born from his own mind, or a ghost."
Riven's amber gaze turned to Talon once again. "The matron is a master of deception and making things seem unreal. I suppose the look of horror on Darkwill's face could have been from the Eternal Nightmare, controlled by Relivash, however, it is also possible that LeBlanc's trickery deceived the men into killing themselves..."
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 10, 2013 4:59:09 GMT -5
An almost surprised look fell upon the Exile, perhaps he hadn't given her enough credit. Still, it didn't quite matter, he still had to choose his words carefully, especially with the shade mentioned. Rather than mention it, he let sleeping dogs lie.
"There's one thing I still ask myself. What reason could the old bird have had for seeking the position of Grand General? Personal gain aside, I can't shake the feeling that there's more to it than that. He had every reason to dislike Darkwill's tired regime, certainly, but he's a man of purpose, ailing though he might be. He was asked to step down during the invasion, you personally know how that worked out. It's been too many years in the making for simple revenge, but what more could it be?" Talon abruptly stopped speaking, sharpening his focus back onto Riven's face, his look part way between worry and a glare.
"Swain has been systematically manipulating the situation for years. Kalamanda was simply the best excuse he had to gain power. Then, the attack on Noxus by the Arrow of Retribution gave him yet another opportunity to act to further his goals. He speaks of peace but prepares for war. We know he deals in back-alley politics and meetings." Riven frowned and furrowed her brow.
"He's a master of manipulation, with LeBlanc, he is a master of deception. Even he himself is not as he seems. His transformation is enough evidence of that. He brings the Butcher under his command, he captures and holds the Burning Vengeance." She shook her head. "The signs are clear. Jericho Swain is preparing for war, building his forces, while the rest of the world watches, waits, and is distracted by the Void's advance. Noxus is blinded by his rallying cries of strength, honor, and Noxus rising from the ashes of weakness that he attributes to the League and to Darkwill."
Riven crossed her arms and looked again to the fire. "I fear the peace the League has tried so hard to bring to us will soon be shattered by the greed and selfishness of one man, and he won't stop until Noxus is the single strongest entity in all of Runeterra." She glanced to Talon. "Which means that before he can act fully on his plans, he must end the League..."
Last Edit: Apr 10, 2013 16:55:58 GMT -5 by The Exile
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 12, 2013 3:26:02 GMT -5
Talon closed his eyes and inclined his head, neither confirming nor denying either way, though it seemed like a fairly simple way to say yes without so much as thinking the words. He paused for a span of time that seemed to drag, even to him, collecting his thoughts. "I don't believe his aim is world domination. There are far simpler methods, and he is ailing. His ambitions seem greater than that. Why he chooses to pull otherworldly beings and elemental spirits into his thrall, I can't say. But it seems clear that he means to either become reclusive in extremes or lash out disastrously."
"But I still wonder what it is you plan to do with your tiny little rebellion. The bird has already stomped out the embers I put in place by now and doused yours the moment he arrived to greet you. You don't truly think that you can actually stand against him. Sivir may be skilled and she may know Noxus but she is most certainly not powerful enough to do battle beside you against the likes of Brand and Renekton in addition to the military." Talon's voice was harsh, always harsh, for it was all he knew, but had softened slightly, as if mollified by her idiotic bravado.
"I'm not daft. I was a Captain when I fought for Noxus. I know strategy and tactics, and I know a losing fight when I see one." Riven sounded insulted. And, in fact, she was. Did Talon truly think her so juvenile and inexperienced that she would charge headlong into combat against an entire army with just a handful of supporters? "To defeat a superior enemy you must learn his weaknesses, and use them to further your cause. Force him to engage you on unfavorable ground. That means anything that can sully Swain's reputation, that comes with proof, is incredibly valuable. A straight up conflict will not work." She frowned.
"Information and preparedness is the key to success in situations like these." Riven scoffed and glanced to Talon. "My visit to Noxus won me my own small victories. It wasn't about taking the fight to Swain, it was about rattling the cage, and seeing what I stirred up. I learned the public is still unsure of Swain's direction, but wants to believe he can do well for Noxus. Many of his supporters also showed their faces, giving me more information as to his strength." She sighed.
"In Noxus, strength and support mean everything. I have the strength. I need the support." She glanced to the fire a moment, lost in thought. "There is a group of Noxians who fled the city long ago during the last upheaval in the government. The Gray Order. Perhaps you've heard of them?" Her eyes shifted back to Talon. "The daughter of their two leaders is currently one of the post powerful fire mages in all Runeterra. If they still despise what Noxus has become, I may find very powerful allies in them." Her amber eyes glinted in the light from the fire as they studied Talon for a moment more...
"And yet, I may not have to look that far... The Sinister Blade and her sister have lost someone dear to them, as have you, Talon. I do not like you, and I do not like them, however, for the moment...we have a common enemy." She paused a moment. "If I may ask a favor, the next time you find yourself in Noxus, or with a spare moment to write a letter...I would like to speak to one of them. It matters not which one. Please tell them I will meet them at the Institute." Riven sighed again.
"I know you take orders from no one but Du Couteau himself, but under the circumstances, perhaps you could do this favor for someone who wants to see Swain and The Rose removed from power as much as you do."
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Apr 12, 2013 5:38:28 GMT -5
Talon continued to stare impassively into the fire as Riven prattled on and on, telling him things he knew better than he felt she could. Noxian ideals. Strength, one's own, was the only true ideal. Destruction was indeed a side effect in many cases, but it wasn't right. Death when challenged was a circumstance that was very much an expected norm now. He had been nurtured. Weakness was cast from him by the firm guiding hand of the head of the DuCouteau household. That was how it should be, rather than simply destroying and discarding what ended up becoming one of Noxus' most successful assassins.
The irony of his profession was not lost on him in the slightest, of course. Scope and intent were what differentiated it from simply being an unseeing path of destruction, for there was nothing about life that was not a victim of circumstance.
"You speak of Annie? The Dark Child, no more than a stepping stone into the Order itself. However. for as powerful a set of allies as they may be, you will find little love in mother Noxus herself. When the veil around Noxus is complete, I would not ever again expect to be able to see her without a gruesome war or subtlety your hulking blade could not possibly manage." Talon whispered, standing from the dirt and flicking his cape idly, a tiny cloud of dust puffing from him.
"As for the sisters DuCouteau, I will consider it when next I have a chance. I have much to do in the coming weeks, so I hope you do not turn blue before I manage to inform one of them." Talon's voice turned mocking as he backed from the fire slightly, "I wouldn't want to see your perfectly tended skin lost to the world. A travesty, that would be." A derisive snort and he once more fell silent.
Riven knew the Gray Order would be a somewhat unpopular choice in allies. But they were powerful allies nonetheless. Swain had his magicians, it stood to reason she should at least see if they still had the hearts of Noxians beating beneath their practiced magics. They hated what had become of Noxus as she did, but they saw the corruption far sooner than anyone else. If only others had been more open to such thoughts and visions. "I will pierce the veil and show Noxus the truth of things. It will not be instant, and it may not be as peaceful as I would hope it to be, but it will be done, or I will die trying." She looked to Talon as he toyed with his cloak.
"I can watch my own back. I've been doing so since I was a child." She crossed her arms and yawned. It was getting late. "You simply deliver the message. I can take care of myself until then."
Welcome to Maelstrom, Original Characters, Summoners and Champions alike. We are a divergent setting roleplay forum for the ever-popular MOBA by Riot, League of Legends. This means we are based in Riot canon, but your characters' actions can have a real, lasting impact on the world. Together, the Maelstrom community endeavors to bring the League of Legends setting and characters to life through collaborative storytelling and meaningful development. We welcome you along for the ride.
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