[IC] Swords Beneath the Starlight

"Strong points... Very well! I'm with you all. Your boldness gives me confidence. We will do this, and we will win! If righteousness is on our side, then we have nothing to fear!"

Roland frowns.


"I've my reservations. If we fail and find our heads on the chopping block, the hope of the resistance dies with us. That said, I've been clearly outvoted, and I'm hardly a sore loser."


"Let us simply make sure we act with dignity and honor before our would-be benefactor. The hope of our people lies on our shoulders."



"Democracy in action - you love to see it."

Roland pauses, considers speaking-- then shakes his head and sighs.


"..."



As you make choices, form bonds, and bring members of the three factions along in your fights, the three lords' satisfaction with their place in the group will shift up and down. Depending on where these ratings are at a certain point in the future, your path in the story will change drastically.

---

Elsewhere...





"General Ariel, I presume? It's nice to finally meet you in the flesh."



"Lord Haidar... I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'd rather not begin our working relationship with a lie."



"Oho! Speaking to a noble in a foreign land with such a loose tongue? You're quite the courageous one."



"Tsk. Let's stop wasting our time. You've got the letter?"



"I do - right here. And while I can't personally destroy it, if a Revotrian spy were to intercept it, why, I would be free of blame."



"Understood. Hand it over, then."

The hulking laguz snatches the letter back.



"Ah ah, not so fast! Were I to merely hand this missive to you, there would be no guarantee that you would hold up your end of the bargain."



"You challenge my honesty when you're the one betraying an oath, Subhuman? Fine. We'll finish collecting your 'taxes' on the morrow. Then, you'll hand over the missive and you'll get what you want twice-over."

The laguz simply grins.



"I'm glad you see it my way."

---

Madoc bids you well as your party departs from his palace. You travel for two weeks, skirting the edges of Beast Kingdom society. Between the fertile fields, the well-maintained roads, and the imposing fortresses on the horizon, one thing is clear: compared to Ilya, this is truly a land of wealth and prosperity.

One day, however, you catch something rather out of the ordinary: a half-desolated village. Burned mills, ruined buildings, and piles of ash line the streets on one side of the village, though the other half remains more or less untouched.


"Bandits...? Those poor people..."



"Hardly. This sort of job? I'm thinking it's a professional army. When bandits are defied, they make an example out of the place. If a lord did the same, they'd have no one to exploit in the future. When a lord finds the village comes up short, they just bleed 'em enough to leave a memory."



"It matters not who did the looting, we must help them! They may not be from our lands, but it's our duty to do what we can to help the innocent.



"Oh, really? Now you want to provoke the Laguz? Why's that? This hit a bit too close to home?"



"..."

Roland's fist is clenched. His jaw is tight. You all get the sense that if you don't intervene now, this might explode into something worse.