Private Tales A Less Than Friendly Welcome

[Ōjo Akane]

Akane wondered why the west was so unbelievably hostile. Sure her homeland was locked in a conflict that has lasted for almost four millennia, but they respected the sanctity of diplomacy. She and her six samurai guards were traveling through the continents in search of allies and trade partners. And yet, she had been kidnapped twice already, and waylaid by brigands almost once a week. And she was getting sick of it.

Hopefully this next lord of lady would prove reasonable and friendly. If they didn't, well she'd loose her mind. So she and her guards walked along the road and came to a checkpoint, where a few guards were stationed to collect road taxes. She spoke briefly with one of the guards, which is to say she only got out a "hello" before she was surrounded by spears. She sighed, and her samurai reacted angrily, however, under threat of her life did not attempt a rescue, but instead promised to come for her later. So she was dragged to a castle in chains, oh joy.

She was forced into a kneel in front of the local lord, her hands secured behind her with iron manacles. She looked up at him with a look of annoyance. This was really getting old.

( Val Pirian )​

 

[Val Pirian]

Vel Anir was certainly not friendly territory to anyone not appearing typically human. Persecution of races viewed as lesser was encouraged, even rewarded by the majority of the Great Houses. To anyone familiar with the territory, Akane's capture hardly would've been a surprising notion; indeed, it would be far more surprising to most that she wasn't executed on sight.

So it was that Tobias Pirian, Lord of one of seven of the Great Houses of Vel Anir, came to know about the princess' capture. Much as he wanted to take care the issue himself, the duties of a Great Lord were many, and Tobias could not be pulled from said duties to assist. His son, Percival Pirian, however, had nothing but time.

"Do understand, son, this is no small matter." Val's father had told him. "A foreign dignitary under Anirian house arrest is quite serious. Vel Anir's forces are stretched thin as it is. The last thing I want is the ignition of yet another war on yet another front."

While he didn't bear any desire to assume his father's mantle as head of his Great House, Val was more than happy to take on various missions for his father. Boredom was his greatest enemy in recent days, and this particular task had caught his fancy. He had something of a knack for smoothing things over.

A few days travel and Val had arrived in Vel Mondturm, a border town towards the eastern reaches of Vel Anir's territory. He had had a quick meeting with Klaus von Eisen, Lord of the minor House Eisen and local governor, and heavily leveraged his position as heir apparent and representative of House Pirian. The man was quite obstinate, proud of his 'catch' and as of yet unwilling to simply let Akane out of his custody. Thankfully, Eisen had been so kind as to allow Val to at least visit the captive princess. He was certain a bit of finagling was to come as the Lord's guards led him down to where she was being kept.

 

[Ōjo Akane]

A cell, not too uncomfortable she supposed. At least she wasn’t bound hand and foot while thrown over someone’s shoulder while being spanked for resisting. That had been a very humiliating and infuriating experience. There was a pile of straw in the corner, supposedly for sleeping on, and she found herself a pastime.

When Val Pirian arrived in the dungeons beneath the castle, he’d find her on her knees weaving what looked to be a straw mat, presumably for sleeping on. She looked up as he came in, then with her annoyed expression returning to her mat resumed working, “Quite the foreign policy I must say. Truly inspired.”

 

[Val Pirian]

A delicate looking woman knelt in a cell, face drawn beneath snowy hair and clad in interesting looking, foreign robes. That was the sight that awaited Val beneath Eisen's fortress home. She hardly seemed a threat...more than that she'd pass for human if not for the cat-like ears protruding from the top of her head. While he understood the general hatred and xenophobia that was intrinsic to his people, sometimes he failed to understand why they took it out on some of the most gentle and admittedly beautiful creatures.

"You'll have to excuse Lord Eisen's manners," Val replied, doing his best to hide his irritation with the minor lord. "Outskirt nobles, desperate for attention, oft have a bad habit of doing most anything they can to vie for prestige."

He stepped up to the bars and offered her a warm smile. She was at least willing to talk, and knew the language. That alone would make mending the half-burned bridge a bit easier.
"Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Percival Pirian, of the Anirian Great House Pirian. I apologize for the accommodations you've been offered thus far. Have Eisen and his men at least treated you with a modicum of...shall we say, restraint, thus far?"

 

[Ōjo Akane]

"You'll have to excuse Lord Eisen's manners," Val replied, doing his best to hide his irritation with the minor lord. "Outskirt nobles, desperate for attention, oft have a bad habit of doing most anything they can to vie for prestige."

"Not where I come from." She said not looking away from her mat project, her seven tails flicking their tips with annoyance. "Though I've long since ceased being surprised by the West, there have been very few cases in which I have not been, at the very least, threatened. While excusing it outright is out of the question, now it is little more than a common inconvenience, no longer a problem."

"Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Percival Pirian, of the Anirian Great House Pirian. I apologize for the accommodations you've been offered thus far. Have Eisen and his men at least treated you with a modicum of...shall we say, restraint, thus far?"

"Akane. That depends on what you mean by restraint." She said calmly, "if you mean having me completely immobilised, then yes. There is nothing for me to forgive you for Sir Pirian, you have not done me wrong."

 

[Ōjo Akane]

“I hope that the lord of this hold can be reasoned with.”

 

[Val Pirian]

"Vel Anir is certainly a...unique land. My family doesn't agree with many of its standard practices, but change is an agonizingly slow process here." Val mused. 28 long years he'd spent living in the city-state, and he'd have time enough to observe how things worked and draw his own conclusions. Conclusions that he shared with his mother and father...that Vel Anir was a broken system that desperately needed fixing.

"A pleasure, Lady Akane. Would that we could have met under different circumstances." The Pirian noble crouched down next to the bars and offered the woman a soft, sympathetic smile. "Me personally, perhaps not, but my countrymen have, and for that I must still ask your forgiveness."

The man's smile shifted into something of a frustrated frown. He was already displeased by the situation at hand, but he knew from the get go that Eisen was not a reasonable man, and that making much of anything happen would be like pulling teeth from a dragon's maw. Even arranging this meeting was an immense struggle.
"There is a limit on what I can and cannot do in this situation. I can reason and negotiate with Lord Eisen. I cannot command him to release you."

 

[Ōjo Akane]

"Vel Anir is certainly a...unique land. My family doesn't agree with many of its standard practices, but change is an agonizingly slow process here." Val mused. 28 long years he'd spent living in the city-state, and he'd have time enough to observe how things worked and draw his own conclusions. Conclusions that he shared with his mother and father...that Vel Anir was a broken system that desperately needed fixing.

“Sadly, it is a similar case back home in certain places. While we try to avoid unnecessary arrests change and correction is indeed a very different thing to accomplish.” She said with a sigh.

"A pleasure, Lady Akane. Would that we could have met under different circumstances." The Pirian noble crouched down next to the bars and offered the woman a soft, sympathetic smile. "Me personally, perhaps not, but my countrymen have, and for that I must still ask your forgiveness."

“Likewise. Though perhaps this particular situation is less souring of this meeting than a two first glance. Your apologies are most appreciated, and accepted.” She said giving him a grateful glance.

"There is a limit on what I can and cannot do in this situation. I can reason and negotiate with Lord Eisen. I cannot command him to release you."

“It’s no bother, my samurai guards escaped capture, they should be coming along within a couple of weeks.” She said, her mat nearing completion. “Should that time come and I am still in here then release will prove unnecessary. I do understand that authority has limits, and there is no issue with that. Now that the unpleasantness has been dealt with, tell me about your people, I doubt I will see it myself so I I’ll need to hear about it secondhand.”

 

[Val Pirian]

“It’s no bother, my samurai guards escaped capture, they should be coming along within a couple of weeks.”

That...sounded foreboding. If her guards came back and tried to raid Lord Eisen's fortress, it's unlikely that Vel Anir wouldn't see it as a declaration of war.
"I hope that when they return we can avoid any kind of violent conflict. Spilling blood is something I hope to avoid in most circumstances."

Now that the unpleasantness has been dealt with, tell me about your people,

Val pondered the request a moment. He supposed an eastern dignitary had to be travelling for a reason, and getting a sense of the world around you was as good a reason as any.
"What would you wish to know? About Vel Anir as a whole, or about my House specifically?" He asked in turn, dropping to his butt and crossing his legs across each other. "I ask only because they are very different beasts, despite my family being part of the nation."

 

[Ōjo Akane]

That...sounded foreboding. If her guards came back and tried to raid Lord Eisen's fortress, it's unlikely that Vel Anir wouldn't see it as a declaration of war.
"I hope that when they return we can avoid any kind of violent conflict. Spilling blood is something I hope to avoid in most circumstances."

“They’ll be sneaky about it.” She assured him. “Little if any lives will be lost if they remain undiscovered. If they do try diplomacy, it will be with several decapitated men and a katan to the lord’s throat. I know because this isn’t the first time this has hap, and I doubt it will be the last.”

Val pondered the request a moment. He supposed an eastern dignitary had to be travelling for a reason, and getting a sense of the world around you was as good a reason as any.
"What would you wish to know? About Vel Anir as a whole, or about my House specifically?" He asked in turn, dropping to his butt and crossing his legs across each other. "I ask only because they are very different beasts, despite my family being part of the nation."

“Hmmm. How about a brief overview of it all, then go into the specifics of your house. I understand that that is what you call Clans here.”

 

[Val Pirian]

“They’ll be sneaky about it.” She assured him. “Little if any lives will be lost if they remain undiscovered. If they do try diplomacy, it will be with several decapitated men and a katan to the lord’s throat. I know because this isn’t the first time this has hap, and I doubt it will be the last.”

That was a relief at least, kind of, but the fact that something like that had to happen at all was...less than ideal. If possible Val wanted to avoid confrontation at all costs.
"Kidnapping is a regular occurrence for you, eh? Hmm." Val replied, choosing to verbally ignore the idle promise of violence that was included in her response. She was a curious girl, this one, seemingly unfazed by most of what was happening.

"Well, where to begin? Vel Anir is a monarchy, under the service of our king. We're industrious, militant, and aggressively expansionistic. Pretty much everything in Vel Anir and her satellite cities revolves around the military, to be honest, for our great and glorious king wills it to be so." This was a half-truth that he uttered. The king of Vel Anir had long since been a puppet of a few of the Great Houses, a figurehead with no real power. Policy was the same, nonetheless, as the will of the Houses was the will of the king.

"There are many Houses in our nation, but only seven of them have the power and prestige to be known as Great Houses. They are Virak, Weiroon, Banick, Sirl, Urahil, Luana, and my own House, Pirian." Val recited in something of a practiced manner, recalling what he'd learned in his youth. "Virak is the prime military House, Weiroon does mercantile things, Banick does banking, Sirl and Urahil are more generalized, Luana keeps the peace, and my House accounts for roughly 90% of Vel Anir's agriculture."

His gaze narrowed and his tone became more serious. Val was...unhappy, to say the least, with how things were generally run in his home city.
"And a poorly-kept secret: Pirian is the only House that actually cares about justice and equality for Vel Anir's people, as well as suing for peace with our neighbors. My father's pushes for progression in our society have cost us quite a lot of political standing among the other Houses."

 

[Ōjo Akane]

That was a relief at least, kind of, but the fact that something like that had to happen at all was...less than ideal. If possible Val wanted to avoid confrontation at all costs.
"Kidnapping is a regular occurrence for you, eh? Hmm." Val replied, choosing to verbally ignore the idle promise of violence that was included in her response. She was a curious girl, this one, seemingly unfazed by most of what was happening.

“More or less.” She answered, setting the now-finished mat down on the floor. She sat on her knees in the middle of it, legs together and hand she folded comfortably in her lap. “They don’t usually involve anyone who isn’t either overly lustful or intent on framing someone’s else for it. This is actually the most civil so far.”

"Well, where to begin? Vel Anir is a monarchy, under the service of our king. We're industrious, militant, and aggressively expansionistic. Pretty much everything in Vel Anir and her satellite cities revolves around the military, to be honest, for our great and glorious king wills it to be so." This was a half-truth that he uttered. The king of Vel Anir had long since been a puppet of a few of the Great Houses, a figurehead with no real power. Policy was the same, nonetheless, as the will of the Houses was the will of the king.

"There are many Houses in our nation, but only seven of them have the power and prestige to be known as Great Houses. They are Virak, Weiroon, Banick, Sirl, Urahil, Luana, and my own House, Pirian." Val recited in something of a practiced manner, recalling what he'd learned in his youth. "Virak is the prime military House, Weiroon does mercantile things, Banick does banking, Sirl and Urahil are more generalized, Luana keeps the peace, and my House accounts for roughly 90% of Vel Anir's agriculture."

His gaze narrowed and his tone became more serious. Val was...unhappy, to say the least, with how things were generally run in his home city.
"And a poorly-kept secret: Pirian is the only House that actually cares about justice and equality for Vel Anir's people, as well as suing for peace with our neighbors. My father's pushes for progression in our society have cost us quite a lot of political standing among the other Houses."

“Interesting. Very different from my home country. Have you not considered using the agricultural income as leverage to force the other houses into more honest positions? Those who control the food control the people and those who control the people control the country. Even if they attack you, play your cards right and the people will be none-too happy about your house being attacked, which in turn makes you the one with the most control.”

 

[Val Pirian]

“They don’t usually involve anyone who isn’t either overly lustful or intent on framing someone’s else for it. This is actually the most civil so far.”

That...made sense, given the woman's position and looks. Of course, the implications of this were less than savory.
"I sincerely hope that no harm has come to you in your travels, my Lady, especially in the...'lustful' sense, as you say." Val offered sympathetically. Just the thought that someone would harm another person in such a way disgusted him, even angered him. For all his posturing and lazing about, Val still fancied himself a gentleman.

“Interesting. Very different from my home country. Have you not considered using the agricultural income as leverage to force the other houses into more honest positions? Those who control the food control the people and those who control the people control the country. Even if they attack you, play your cards right and the people will be none-too happy about your house being attacked, which in turn makes you the one with the most control.”

He shifted in his place to get more comfortable and let out a long sigh.
"Were it so easy, my Lady. Vel Anir is a twisted web of politics, propaganda, and lies. If we were to do such a thing it's likely we'd be declared traitors. Luana would enact a disinformation campaign upon us to paint us as villains, and Virak would seize our goods, fields, and workers by force. My House has neither the strength nor the will to fight a civil war against the other Houses." Val explained, working things to their logical conclusion. "And then there would be no House Pirian at all, and Vel Anir would be all the worse for it."

The man smiled after he was done responding, however, as vested interest took hold. He had given the princess a glimpse of life in Vel Anir, but still knew nearly nothing of her.
"And what of your homeland, Lady Akane? Tell me of the kingdoms of the east."

 

[Ōjo Akane]

That...made sense, given the woman's position and looks. Of course, the implications of this were less than savory.
"I sincerely hope that no harm has come to you in your travels, my Lady, especially in the...'lustful' sense, as you say." Val offered sympathetically. Just the thought that someone would harm another person in such a way disgusted him, even angered him. For all his posturing and lazing about, Val still fancied himself a gentleman.

“I appreciate your sympathy.” She said calmly.

He shifted in his place to get more comfortable and let out a long sigh.
"Were it so easy, my Lady. Vel Anir is a twisted web of politics, propaganda, and lies. If we were to do such a thing it's likely we'd be declared traitors. Luana would enact a disinformation campaign upon us to paint us as villains, and Virak would seize our goods, fields, and workers by force. My House has neither the strength nor the will to fight a civil war against the other Houses." Val explained, working things to their logical conclusion. "And then there would be no House Pirian at all, and Vel Anir would be all the worse for it."

“Declared traitors for seeing the people sufficiently fed?“ She asked. “And I wasn’t saying to do it in a malicious way, I was going for the more provocative approach. Do something to empower the people in plain view of everyone and you will be much harder to discredit, and you will get public support. Just a thought.”

The man smiled after he was done responding, however, as vested interest took hold. He had given the princess a glimpse of life in Vel Anir, but still knew nearly nothing of her.
"And what of your homeland, Lady Akane? Tell me of the kingdoms of the east."

She grimaced. “Well, firstly my homeland as been divided amongst several hundred provinces ruled by regional warlords called Daimyō, and we have been locked in two millennia of ceaseless war with the other clans. No backstabbing politics just open war with everyone around you. But we aren’t the only culture around us. There are a number of places in the east that are very different from us.”

“Our Daimyō Lord over families, what you call Houses we call Clans. And all of the children of a clan are taught specific things depending on gender. Both are taught to fights, though boys are far more thoroughly trained. Girls are taught subterfuge and covert signaling. So on and so forth.”

“Each Daimyō has delegates that he observes for corruption closely, who handle the specifics of their delegation, agriculture, finance, logging, mining, etc.”

 

[Val Pirian]

“Declared traitors for seeing the people sufficiently fed?“ She asked. “And I wasn’t saying to do it in a malicious way, I was going for the more provocative approach. Do something to empower the people in plain view of everyone and you will be much harder to discredit, and you will get public support. Just a thought.”

"It matters not how well handled such a play is. The power of the Houses is such that any one cannot stand alone against the other six. That understanding is the reason why my people have been locked in stagnation for so long." He answered politely.

He listened intently as she explained the general workings of her homeland. The situation her people faced didn't seem too dissimilar to the problems that enveloped Vel Anir.
"Must be nice to know openly who your enemies are, at least, though war is never a preferable option in my opinion."

“Our Daimyō Lord over families, what you call Houses we call Clans. And all of the children of a clan are taught specific things depending on gender. Both are taught to fights, though boys are far more thoroughly trained. Girls are taught subterfuge and covert signaling. So on and so forth.”

"We draw an odd parallel between our cultures, it seems. Children of the noble Houses are taught much the same way, and every man and woman in the land is encouraged to serve our military in some form."

“Each Daimyō has delegates that he observes for corruption closely, who handle the specifics of their delegation, agriculture, finance, logging, mining, etc.”

"If only such a thing were possible in Vel Anir. Here corruption is simply expected, part and parcel of our government." Val chuckled, though he was aware of how sad the situation really was. He grew pensive for a moment, and decided to draw the conversation away from political issues for a time.

"I would very much like to travel the east at some point in my lifetime. To walk the forests of the Falwood, feel the heat of the deserts of Amol Kalit, sail the seas and see the coastlines of Cortos...it all sounds wonderful, really. Is that why you travel?"

 

[Ōjo Akane]

"It matters not how well handled such a play is. The power of the Houses is such that any one cannot stand alone against the other six. That understanding is the reason why my people have been locked in stagnation for so long." He answered politely.

“Understandable.” Was her only response.

He listened intently as she explained the general workings of her homeland. The situation her people faced didn't seem too dissimilar to the problems that enveloped Vel Anir.
"Must be nice to know openly who your enemies are, at least, though war is never a preferable option in my opinion."

“That is not always the case. Especially with the Shinobi no Mono running around, assassinating, sabotaging and spying on everyone left and right. It’s also not always a standard battle, oftentimes it involves disorganized skirmishes and guerilla warfare.”

"I would very much like to travel the east at some point in my lifetime. To walk the forests of the Falwood, feel the heat of the deserts of Amol Kalit, sail the seas and see the coastlines of Cortos...it all sounds wonderful, really. Is that why you travel?"

She laughed quietly. “You underestimate exactly how Far East I come from. It took four months of endless sailing to cross the ocean to get here. Where I come from the forests are of flowered peach trees and bamboo. Hot springs are found in many places and still lakes decorated with lotus flowers and cranes. If ever you do travel so Far East, you will be in for quite the treat.”

“But no, that is not why I travel. I’m here on behalf of my father to establish trade with western nations.”