A Pheonix Rises

[Jadles 85]

Ashkae Jago stands in the Gazebo and addresses a small crowd of farmers and townsfolk, the fire lighting his chiseled face, as the light winds blow his tussled hair and cloak about him. The people listen warily but intently as he starts to speak...

"Brothers and Sisters, people of Salvus and of Asulon, hear these words, for their is much work to be done and wounds to be healed if we are to restore our nation to its former state. We lived under a credo of peace and tranquility, thrived in honour and loyalty, and through the sweat of our labours, grew this nation to something truly great.

Like all peoples of this world, some of those we looked at to guide us were corrupted by power and greed, bloodlust and cowardise, but those have now fallen, and like their dishonour, have been swept away. Though, through their misdeeds, the blood of our brethren has spilled on our fair soil, do not let their demise go to waste. Like the pheonix, we must rise from the ashes of these flames of conquest, and help restore Salvus. For where else can we go in this world, where we can live in peace and hold the values that remain dear to us all? Salvus was the beacon of all that was right with humanity before the dark times of late, and we can restore that light to shine over Asulon.

So pick up your tools my fellow Salvians, harvest your crops and make the sweetest bread our lips have tasted, harvest your lumber to help us rebuild our homes, and cherish one another, so that we may restore the love and honour that we once held so dear.

And if the wolves from nations afar still seek to destroy our peaceful existence, then we know it is they who are truly corrupt, their hearts filled with greed and injustice, it is they who take pleasure in spilling the blood of the innocent, and with the might of the just and the pure, we will rally against them if we must, and together we will make them pay for their crimes if they persist.

Our queen is dead, the ordinators scattered and slain, punished for their crimes. Now is the time to swear our oath to the Salvan crown, and make this land great once again.

Stand with us brothers and sisters, and we can make this nation great once again.

For peace and for Salvus!"

He smiles sensing a trickle of hope flow into those who listened to his words, hoping that together peace and tranquility can be restored.

[HappyShackles 886]

A cloaked figure in the crowd sighs and raises his voice.

"The Coalition desires to end Salvus for Salvus' sake. You may claim a million times that the Ordinators remaining hold no candle to evil, but I assure you many still do. They ignore their people, threaten and permit murder in the streets."

The figure limps out in front of the crowd and turns to face them.

"If you desire a peaceful existence, there is none to be found in Salvus. Flee to another nation. Salvus us dead, it has been for years. Godlessness and black-hearted slaughter falls upon their very Queen from her most trusted of men.

Riots still pervade the streets. The population nearly all hates the Ordinators, and with good reason. They are still corrupt, murderous, and ignorant. Flee, Asulonians. Find a new home for yourself. Here is unsafe.

If you surrender the city, the coalition will oversee the restructuring of Salvus government. They will not stop until then. We can not trust Salvus to govern itself any longer."

The cloaked figure taps his walking stick on the ground a few times thoughtfully.

[Jadles 85]

Ashkae smirks to himself.

"You hear this man's words? How fickle he perceives you all to be, to abandon your homes, your livelihoods, your hard work and sacrifices to bend before his blind judgement. We who live here know the streets have been quiet for weeks now, not a riot or unrest in sight. The Ordinator's have all but vanished, if he wishes to pursue them he can do so, but they do not harm or inflict corruption or murder on our streets.

This man is only here to spread lies it seems, a repeated folly of ignorance and lies, sent to, no doubt, further the cause of those likely paying him, in their quest for Godlessness and black-hearted slaughter. Those who have seen your innocent friends die know this man speaks lies and hatred. Those who took up arms to defend the lands you love because you love them, know him to be false.

This man is no doubt another prophet of the lies and deceit that rots the very heart of Asulon. Here is as safe as anywhere, and the changes that have already happened have made it safer. Let your hearts and mind decide, but i know you will trust the words of one known to speak truths, a brother of your own, over this traveller, one who hides his face for fear to reveal his true self, who does not even live in our fair nation! If he did, he would be a brother, we would look each other in the eye, we would share stories of old... One who hides himself away from us, yet dares to spread sedition, is no brother, nor welcome here.

Ask yourselves this my brethren... How often have we heard foreigners tell us what we should do, how down-trodden and blighted they think we are, when none of them even live or work here? And their solution? To tear down our homes, destroy our lives? They are not our community surely? They think we are blind to their fingers desperately clutching at the hope that they may strip some power from Salvus to call their own? Are we to believe we as Salvian's cannot govern ourselves? Enough of this folly, we know we have endured a lot and will endure more than this man's petty attempts to break our unconquerable spirit!"

Ashkae turns and glares at the hooded man.

"Show us your face if you are of Salvus... but as we know, you are just an agent of those trying to destroy what we have. Perhaps it is time you left?"

[HappyShackles 886]

"Right... The murder of your Queen must have made the lot of you a lot safer..."

He sighs, pulling the cloak tighter.

"Whether it is my will or not, Salvus is on the edge of cliff. It will not take much to push it over the edge. The most loyal of Salvans, Botar and V'rol Goretag, have joined the Rubicon Legion. Now even they desire that Solace burns. Find sense in yourself enough to escape burning with it. Find compassion in your hearts for yourselves and flee.

Salvus is not safe. Solace is not safe."

The cloaked figure turns to the other speaker.

"The same to you, my friend. God light your path, Horen guide your voice."

[Jadles 85]

Ashkae watches the man pull his cloak tighter rather than show his face.

"I remember the Queen was the reason for this war, then the ordinators... with them both gone, Salvus shall burn for what noble and honourable cause Ser?..

But no matter, you are resolute in your opinion, and us in ours. May compassion find you and brighten your heart, may the light lead you from the path you stumble down, for we all know the road is strewn with forks and misleading signs... don't get lost on your way traveller..."

[Braxis 813]

* A Robbed Holyman walks to the two talking and speaks with a calm tone*

"The man is right hooded one... Dawn was the target and she was killed by the corrupt. Then ye blamed the corrupted ordinators. Then the lower rank Pure Ordinators came in and rebeled against thier cruel, corrupt commanders, Constables, and such. And exiled them and put bounties on thier heads. And most of the corrupt are dead. And the one who leads the twilight later stated he would not stop till the city is his and salvus surrnedered it...So tell me why is Salvus a target now? And how is the Twlight leader still pure?"

*The Holyman awaits the Robbed ones reply*

[HappyShackles 886]

"Purity is unattainable." He sighs gently.

"Salvus does not have a reliable government. If we let it restructure itself, we risk yet another problem as horrid as the Ordinators and Dawn. If they had no desire for selfish power, they would surrender the city.

Instead they drag on a war."

He smiles gently under the hood.

"God will see the wicked offered redemption and the good guided forth. But God's mercy only goes so far."

[Braxis 813]

*Chuckles softly*

"Mabye they do not wish due to the riots they have had done by the other sides? There was a mob of black clothed people yelling "For the Twilight!" "Salvus Shall Burn!" "Kill them all!" And they did that while a couple of Ordinators were PROTECTING some of their people from bandits. And after that rioting mob came in that riot and they claimed themselves of the twilight slaughtered the Ordinators AND the Innocents who were trying to flee to their houses."

[HappyShackles 886]

"Anyone doing this is performing blatant impersonation. The Twilight's leader has said time and time again; he desires no bloodshed.

Twilight does not have an army unfiorm of black either. Nor do we have any such battle cry."

((Sons of Iblees finally doing something interesting!))

[Jadles 85]

Ashkae having heard the exchange between cloaked traveler and Cleric, motions to the crowd.

"The leader of the Twilight Army desires no bloodshed... An irony then, that he leads an army, the very tool created for the purpose of killing! Strange, I find it, that this "army of peace" attacks innocents and burns homes. We all heard what they did down at Riven... But still they send their prophets through our lands peddling their twisted tales of impersonation and masquerades. This is why we stand united. These Twilight's have no direction or purpose, they seek only to destroy life where they find it, destroy lives and leave peace dying in the gutters.

My brothers and sisters of Salvus, we are an army of peace. Offer these lost souls your bread if you would, but they will find no succour in it I fear. Their only nourishment is blood, these vampires of Asulon, who in the dusk, faces hidden, attempt to suck the last remnants of what is good from our lands. But we stand in the light!

Let the wind carry this message to those of pure heart who would hear it, to stand against the tyranny that runs rife through this world, guided by the hands of Twilight. For through the flames and the desolation they create, a pheonix rises, with talons sharp and a mind resolute on seeing them fall. They may take our lands and our homes, for they have marred this world with the blood of the innocent, and are tainted with lost lives, their blood stained on Twilight hands. Fetid and rotting, what souls they have crumble within them... For even if Salvus falls, the corruption and taint they created will still persist. We shall not rest until it is gone from this world, and the spirit and all that Salvus stood for shall always exist, no matter where in this world it may lie."

[HappyShackles 886]

Ashkae having heard the exchange between cloaked traveler and Cleric, motions to the crowd.

"The leader of the Twilight Army desires no bloodshed... An irony then, that he leads an army, the very tool created for the purpose of killing! Strange, I find it, that this "army of peace" attacks innocents and burns homes. We all heard what they did down at Riven... But still they send their prophets through our lands peddling their twisted tales of impersonation and masquerades. This is why we stand united. These Twilight's have no direction or purpose, they seek only to destroy life where they find it, destroy lives and leave peace dying in the gutters.

My brothers and sisters of Salvus, we are an army of peace. Offer these lost souls your bread if you would, but they will find no succour in it I fear. Their only nourishment is blood, these vampires of Asulon, who in the dusk, faces hidden, attempt to suck the last remnants of what is good from our lands. But we stand in the light!

Let the wind carry this message to those of pure heart who would hear it, to stand against the tyranny that runs rife through this world, guided by the hands of Twilight. For through the flames and the desolation they create, a pheonix rises, with talons sharp and a mind resolute on seeing them fall. They may take our lands and our homes, for they have marred this world with the blood of the innocent, and are tainted with lost lives, their blood stained on Twilight hands. Fetid and rotting, what souls they have crumble within them... For even if Salvus falls, the corruption and taint they created will still persist. We shall not rest until it is gone from this world, and the spirit and all that Salvus stood for shall always exist, no matter where in this world it may lie."

The cloaked man sighs, shrugs, and walks off.

[Botar 39]

* looks at the hooded man walks away, and looks onto jago and braxis talk to the crowd, not even noticed from the man gate *

" where should I stand... oh where oh where should I stand..? "

* feels a great sense of sadness from this whole thing, only desiring it to come to a close *

[KidKrinkles 2044]

Stares with cold icy daggers in his eyes, enough to cut a normal man to ribbons,

"Like the Phoenix we must rise from the ashes... someone tore a page from my bloody book- that's a Phoenix Revolution motto."