Dreadlords How Many Have to Die?[Fate]

[Erodin]

Anirian Outskirts - Orren Manor

"Rebellions." Crimson freckles speckled Erodin's face as he stood above the Lady Orren, the blade in his hand steadily dripping blood upon the rich carpets of the ostentatious estate he found himself in. "In my experience, at least."

The Dreadlord said as he slowly crouched down, the seeping sword slowly shifting as he reached out and grasped the end of the noblewoman's dress. His fingers wrapping around the silk finery before slowly drawing it over the length of his blade. His eyes never leaving hers as she slowly cleaned the blood of her guests from his weapon. "Need secrecy."

A smile pulled upon his lips as he slowly began to stand, the black steel of his sword flickering slightly in the lamplight of the grand ballroom.

Dozens, upon dozens of corpses lay around them. Each of them a member of the House of Orren or their once close allies. Men and women who had once been of privilege, money, and stature. People who had all the wealth to live their comfortable little lives in whatever world they found themselves in. All of whom had decided they hadn't been quite comfortable enough in the new era of the Republic.

"P-p-please." Lady Orren begged, the deep black color of her hair seeming to almost shine within the light. Her hands desperately pushing at the bloodied tile beneath to drag herself away from the Dreadlord who loomed above her. "I-it was j-ju-just t-talk. N-n-not-nothing m-more."

A scoff echoed from Erodin's lips. "Is that so?"

The Dreadlord mused, head shaking from side to side as he took a single step forward; boot landing on the fringes of Lady Orren's dress. Pinning her in place as she desperately tried to get away. Her hands happening upon the still warm flesh of one of her guests.

"I-I-I-p-pl-please, I d-don't want to di-" Some of the amusement vanished from Erodin's face.

"Come now, don't beg. It's unbecoming a woman of your stature." Slowly, Erodin bent down. His free hand reaching out as he grasped the Ladies chin. Grip tight enough that her skin might have bruised in a few days time. He drew the Lady up to her feet, his boot leveling the edge of her dress as he peered into her eyes. "Where is your husband?"

He asked, the sword turning in his hand. "I-I-" Lady Orren stammered, but the answer found her lips. "T-to the north. He went to Lumiria to gather sup-"

Before she could finish, the words died on her tongue. Eyes opening wide in shock as she felt the life leave her. The crimson which carried her vitae spilling upon the floor. A wrench drawing Erodin's sword free as he turned, Lady Orren's body falling onto the ground in a crumpled heap. Joining the rest of her conspirators as the Dreadlord called to his companion. "Lumiria."

Erodin said simply. "Of course it's fucking Lumiria."

He complained, well acquainted with the mountain city in the Savannah.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria had found a spot against the wall aside a few fallen bodies that lay in pools of dark red. This was not her first bloodbath, but her first one done by not just her own hands. She had watched Erodin work, fascinated in the way he played with the lives of each woman and man in these halls, and listened to all their screams and begging before they choked on their blood. A few of those bodies were by her doing. Some had grabbed at her, pleading with the young girl to save them.

If Vittoria had been brought up to sympathise, she would have hesitated before curling her hands into fists and in doing so, used her decimation magic to make their hearts split inside their rib cages. She had walked over them, had navigated the growing bloody floor as Erodin worked his way to Lady Orren. She had tried to run, but Vittoria did not have to lift a finger in order to shatter the bones in one foot, sending her to fall forward. To watch the Dreadlord work, it made her think of the times when she was younger, that she would one day work alongside her father and watch him kill with his own style before he had succumbed to his injuries in an ambush.

Ever the dutiful and studious Initiate, she lifted her head as he gave voice to their next lead. Her head canted to one side, thinking, thinking... thinking...

"The Lord would travel so far to gather support for this cause?" It was not disbelief in her vacant expression, but the opportunity to mock his poor judgement. "It is an act of desperation. Something fantastical to cling to in order to prove to themselves they were not hopeless." But Vittoria smiled, a true and genuine lifting of her cheeks that made her eyes narrow slightly.

"Imagine his spirits when he learns of this massacre."

Breaking someone's spirits delighted her. She had done it to herself in her primitive years of training before Revolution came, had achieved more than a Proctor could in beating her down into nothing, only to rise into one of the best weapons of her class. Vittoria did not hesitate in accepting this mission, had beaten out a graduate Initiate for this role.

 

[Erodin]

Erodin glanced briefly towards Vittoria, a small smile on his lips as he shook his head. He shifted, crouching down to rip away some of Lady Orren’s dress, the sound of tearing silk echoing out in the now quiet manor house. ”Doubtless he found none close by.”

The Vigilite had done good work after their turn to the Republic, even Erodin had to admit that. In a show of zeal they had hunted down and tracked dozens of traitors within and outside of Vel Anir. Monitoring communications, tracking nobles, and even capturing a few conspirators themselves. Centuries of control by the Houses could not be undone so quickly, of course, but a dent had been made. Lord and Lady Orren were not the first, nor the last, who would feel the corrective hand of the Republic.

Poetic in a way. All those who complained that the new Order was ‘too soft’, quickly found the truth of the matter. Public perception and facts did not always align.

Though Erodin new better than most that such statements went both ways. The Vigilite had done well to keep conspiracies such as this tamped down, but had all but failed to infiltrate Gilram and his ranks. A fact which he and Amelie had exploited to find their new positions.

”Lumiria will give him what he asks.” The Dreadlord explained as he began to wipe the blood off his blade. ”If only to spite Vel Anir. They know that with the Radiant Church pressing, and more than a few Archons on the loose the Republic can only focus on so many things.”

The city of Lumiria was not strong enough to challenge Vel Anir, not on its own, but the Republic was distracted. Given the chance, and a few inroads made by a once loyal noble, they would strike from the north and gain ground before The Guard could fully mobilize. ”I think it best we deliver news of this massacre ourselves.”

Erodin said with a grin.

”It'll be better that way.” It would not be the first time he'd taken the initiative on a mission, and the Republic would thank them for stopping a problem before it ever started.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Sidestepping a corpse that was sprawled across the path she was taking, daintily keeping her polished boots clean, Vittoria came to pause beside the still warm body of Lady Orren. Lowering herself, crouched down to stare at the gaudy necklace that clung to the woman's throat. Vittoria grabbed it, using her magic to undo the fastening at the back.

"Orren Crest." She held it up, the polished silver positively shining in the light. The crest was littered with jewels, but on the rear of the pendant were the words 'for my beloved.' "We ought to return it to the Lord Orren when we tell him of the news."

Proof of what they had done.

Despite her pretty features, her pleasant youthful appearance, it was Vittoria's ability to not bat an eye to cruelty that shocked many. One day, the people of Vel Anir would believe that a sweet looking girl could render such a magnitude of blood being spilled, just as the people in this room began trying to escape the ballroom once they realised what Erodin's uninvited presence was here for.

"Just how long of a journey is it to Lumiria?"

 

[Erodin]

Erodin let out a small chuckle. The girl certainly had a flare for the dramatic, something Amelie would have liked.

Perhaps he would have to introduce them. "I'm sure he will be most appreciative."

The Dreadlord mused, shifting his own stance and tossing the now bloody rag onto Lady Orren's corpse. Paying no second mind as he turned away from the bloody scene of the massacre and began to head out towards the front door.

Though Marr might have preferred they clean up their mess, Erodin knew word would spread faster if the corpses were left behind. There would be rumors of course, whispers of who had done it, and a few might even guess correctly. But the message was what mattered. Orren's leanings were well known, and once he and his temporary ward slaughtered him...there would be little doubt to those who would attempt the same trick.

"Ten days ride." Erodin mused. "But we'll be leaving the horses here."

He stated plainly as he threw open the doors of the manor. "I'll not have him warned of whats coming."

Erodin, the air before them seeming to shift. A near translucent figure beginning to slowly emerge from ethereal nothing. Slowly drawing itself into place, first wings, then scales, then tail and claws. A massive dragon ripping itself slowly into reality as the two Dreadlords stepped towards it.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Her father did not have much else to say of Erodin or Amelie during their time working for the Viraks, not before he became injured and suffered chronically from pains. His own magic betrayed him at times, feeding on his weariness as it demanded to be satiated. It was when she was three years old he began to wear nullifiers, and taught his daughter how best to wield her first magic that manifested in her. At least, that was the story he had her tell. Decimation, the ability to undo, was not her first magic. Her concealment magic kept any hint of magic away from the Proctors that came to test her, buying her a few years of her father preparing her for the Academy and ensuring she would survive.

And she had.

She watched as something moved towards them, and she knew this to be Erodin's doing. His display of power, of expertise, it resignated something in her, and reassured her that her goal to become an Archon level Dreadlord was something she could achieve in her life. What else exuded power than the depiction of a dragon appearing before her eyes? Vittoria was delighted, gracing the draconic figure a genuine smile.

"I read a folktalke once about a dragon." She shared. "There were illustrations of it, and always showed it baring their teeth to remind others that those teeth were a warning to their bite." And it inspired her, even until now, to show her teeth when she wanted to remind her classmates or superiors of the threat she was. But she wanted to learn from Erodin, trust him being allied with her lording House.

 

[Erodin]

"Cute." Erodin remarked, amusement playing over his features.

The had absolutely no idea if stories like that were true, he'd never much cared for folktales. His Focus at the Academy had always been on the practical. Devouring every scrap of knowledge he could get to become better and stronger. Unlike many of his peers, Erodin had embraced the life they were given, seeing their lives as Dreadlord's as a way to attain what was supposed to already be his.

"This one was named Thyraxis." The Dreadlord explained, his eyes flickering with an odd blue glow as the Dragon before them bent low. It's tattered wraithly wing dipping to the ground as it formed a sort of ramp. "I took his soul in the Spine."

Erodin mused as he stepped onto the ghosts wing and lead Vittoria to it's spine. "Come to think of it."

The Dreadlord said, a slight chuckle rolling from his throat as the Dragon lifted it's wings.

"He did bare his teeth." He laughed as they launched into the sky.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria followed where his feet went along the wing, careful in her ascent behind Erodin. A grin spread across her face, hearing Erodin comment on the teeth baring dragon. Unused to such movements and flying, Vittoria crouched and steadied herself as the winds whipped around them. Instinct and training kept her stable until she chanced herself to stand like Erodin. Getting a feel for the air, she allowed herself to adjust her stance and relished in the feel of the dragon's flight.

"How does that work, Dreadlord Erodin? Your magic." It had been quite some time since she was under the tutelage of a capable superior, especially one as powerful as what she strived to be.

 

[Erodin]

Erodin grinned. "That would be telling my secrets."

Before the Revolution, nearly five years ago now, things had been very different at the Academy. Ones magic had been a closely guarded secret. It had been something of a game, even for those who had grown up with one another.

During his days at the Academy the power you wielded the most important thing you had, and how it functioned was a precious thing. Anyone who knew too much could, in theory, create a counter. Better themselves and ultimately make you worse. The game had been to reveal as little as possible, while still staying on top.

It was a mindset that Erodin kept now, and one could hardly blame him.

He and his beloved were hardly favored in Vel Anir.

"I will teach you a trick or two on this trip." Erodin assured her as he shifted his stance ever so slightly as the Dragon banked. "But the insights of my magic will not be among them."

The Dreadlord said, though clearly wasn't offended by her question. "Thyraxis."

He said, gesturing to the Dragon. "Is a life I took through one of those tricks."

Erodin began, turning to look down at the Initiate.

"I'm sure you're well aware of the Costs of magic?" Even this new Academy had to teach that. Arethi's magic, no matter the source, always had a price. With humans it most often came from ones own stamina or will, it was certainly true for Erodin. Though he could not say for sure what it was for Vittoria.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Tricks. Just as the same as she used her decimation magic to work on smaller pieces, such as puzzle boxes and locks. It made her mentally sharp, focused enough to slowly take apart problems or jumbled instructions. At least, those were tricks to her. Her concealment magic was a trick too, housing blades beneath her skin, undetected.

"Yes. My father taught me when I was young." Her first true taste of pain came from headaches that plagued her each time she exercised her magic. Although with her two strains of magic, each produced a different headache. Her primary magic, which earned her the title of the Unmaker, gave her a blinding, splitting headache, but her concealment magic gave her a headache more of a strain that gave her grief atop her head.

None of this she shared with him. That was not what he asked of her.

"It differs between different magic wielders, but we all pay the same."

 

[Erodin]

She was sharp.

Not in the fact that she knew what he asked, but the way that she presented it. He considered for a brief moment, and made a mark within his own mind. They would have to be careful in how they plucked Vittoria's strings. She would have to be lead carefully.

"Indeed." Erodin said as he shifted his stance, the dragon beneath him locking it's wings into it's ethereal joints as it began to glide. "But."

He remarked with a smile. "The trick is about when you have to pay that price."

Though doing so was exceptionally dangerous. The Laws of Magic were fact. There was no one, and nothing that could argue with them. Many had tried, including Dreadlords, and all of them had failed in the end. This was no different. Magic had a price, and that price had to be paid.

Thing about laws was though, they were meant to be bent. Doing so was not without its problems, and there would always be a reason not to do so in the first place. Sometimes it couldn't be helped. "There is a way, and I will teach it to you, to delay the Price of Magic."

He said with a simple smile, and one did not have to be a genius to figure out why that was useful.

Being able to harness more power, being able to take more than you ordinarily could or not having to worry about the price? One could wipe out whole armies, cities.

There was a reason they called Erodin the One Man Army.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

There was an eagerness to her expression for the briefest moment before it faded into her steeled composure. "You would teach that to me?" And there, a seed of doubt. For the Academy and Proctors had kept Vittoria at a distance, kept her cuffed with nullifiers in fear for the weapon they had created. Despite her being born and bred to be the perfect soldier, they had wandered if this deadly girl would ever turn on them. 'Safety Precautions' they had called it, but only in the presence of another Dreadlord was she allowed to be free of her restraints.

She had thought perhaps Erodin would continue that practice, but she knew that to be foolish thinking. She had heard that himself and his wife had taken that Quinnick girl under their wing, and the display of power presented at the recent graduation had turned Vittoria's thinking that she had severely underestimated the girl.

"I could take down a small town if I really wanted to. Perhaps even an army, like you have done." Larrainth bit the inside of her cheek, sparking an attempt at a smile, one that did not look so odd on her face. "If I truly wish to achieve the goal of becoming an Archon, I would very much like to learn this ability to delay..."

 

[Erodin]

Ah.

There it was. The goal. The thing that the girl wanted; Archon.

It was a dream that felt so very familiar. One that Erodin could understand, for he had once had the very same. A small smile touched his lips, his shoulders slowly rolling as he began to relax. Stretching and sitting in one slow and lithe motion, legs crossing as she perched himself upon the ethereal dragon.

"I will teach you." He declared, as though it were the most simple thing in the world.

"But it's not a simple thing." Erodin continued, casting his lure. "It will take time, perhaps more than we have..."

His head shook, as though he made some sort of calculation before waving his hand finishing his thought. "No matter, step by step."

Amelie was better at this sort of thing, but that was to be expected. His wife could peek into the minds of those she spoke with, could see their desires, their wants and needs. He had to guess, point and lead them to where he thought they might want to go. Still, his little rats had given him plenty of practice.

"One does not become an Archon in one day, eh?" Erodin asked, laying the first brick within a bond.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She knew what he meant.

This simple errand they were embarking on did not leave them enough time for Erodin to mentor the young Initiate, only opportunity for her to watch and learn from the way he conducted things.

"No, they do not." She agreed, pleased. "I hope that once I graduate from the Academy, it would be one of the most impressive displays of magic remembered."

Vittoria shrugged, casting her gaze forward to try and peer at the earth below them. Revolution meant life was to be protected at the Academy, and she did not agree to these new protections for the weak. Even less, her patience to help strengthen them often went wasted. "I do miss the days the Great Houses would watch our progress. I would choose my kin, the Viraks." And yet her mother was a Pirian, but she never knew her mother or her family. Tamhas Larrainth ensured that his daughter would remain loyal to the Viraks, even now when Revolution took away the power given to the houses. If she could not serve as a Virak Dreadlord, then she would serve as a Virak family member.

 

[Erodin]

Erodin tilted his head in a nod, pleased that she had caught the meaning of his words. Killing was all well and good, but the simplest of brutes could kill. One needed a mind cut out for more. Those that didn't have it were often left behind in Vel Anir.

Or rose only to the meager heights they were capable of. "The Viraks were always good to us."

Though he and Amelie had plotted to part ways from the Great House before the Revolution, they had always intended to remain friendly. It paid to have a patron as powerful as the Viraks, and there was little doubt the House would be around for a long, long time.

Vittoria herself was proof of that. She was not in the direct line, but then Elise had no children. Briefly, he wondered if Amelie could read the girl's thoughts, or if she too would have the curious echo of screams that Elise and her father had. "I know that Elise has named Liliana as heir."

Erodin mused outloud.

"But there is still time to mark yourself above her." He looked at the girl. "She's a young woman yet, after all."

He doubted that Elise was going anywhere anytime soon. The woman was cunning, and she had...something. Amelie thought it was magic, hidden away, but in truth neither of them had any real idea. They simply knew enough not to cause trouble for the woman.

At least for now.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

The idea of Vittoria becoming heir was not one she thought of in some years, but the idea of simply changing her name to Virak to fulfil her father's dying wish to purify the Larrainth name by letting it die out with Vittoria's future marriage into another family had been an idea she thought about lately. Of course, she had been brought up to cherish her cousins, to support her kin, and if Vittoria was anything, she was a good soldier that did what she was told.

"That is a compliment, I am sure, but I do not see reason why I would succeed as heir." She was not speaking of power or might. "Liliana is the elder of us two. She is to be wed to that Urahil boy. A better charmer to a crowded room than I. I was raised different, is all I mean to say." Never would she discount herself in front of others, but Vittoria was a perfectionist. A flaw was something of an obstacle she would soon squash and make heel.

As she had said, she had a long journey to becoming an Archon. Would being an heir distract her?

"If I was to do my duty to my kin, it would to serve as brokering alliances to other Houses or families to further the gain of Virak."

 

[Erodin]

Erodin shook his head, partly at her words, and partly at the attitude behind them. "Liliana has her talents."

He knew of the girl of course, had even met her a few times. She was a ruthless thing, dangerous, deadly, but entirely petulant. There was little doubt in Erodin's mind that with time and tutelage under Elise that Liliana would be honed into something incredibly dangerous. Not that she wasn't already, but that wasn't the point.

"But you have yours." The Former Dreadlord continued, continuing to dangle the dream in front of Vittoria. "The Title of Archon is powerful one."

Gently. He reminded himself, knowing that manipulations like this had to be done carefully. The choice had to be hers, otherwise it would not work. "But, ultimately an empty. one."

This was where he had to dance carefully.

"Archons haunt the mind. They are power. Pillars and legends which bring entire nations to heel. Whose names ring in our histories...and whose strings someone still pulls." There was a touch of sadness to his tone, almost as though he had once had that realization all on his own. "Archon, is a stepping stone Vittoria. A ceiling to be broken through."

For a moment he paused, studying her, almost as if he were trying to see if she were ready. "Gilram cut those strings."

He noted, an odd sort of fondness in his tone despite his loathing for the Rogue Archon. "Amelie and I climbed them."

"Power, Vittoria, does not lay within titles." He gestured down to the Dragon they were sitting on. "It lays with what you take."

Erodin allowed those words to sit within the air for a moment, knowing the impact that they might have. Vittoria was a clever girl, that much he'd already observed, and she was of a Great House. She knew the Great Game and how it had to be played. "If your ambitions are to simply serve your kin, then stand as an Archon besides Liliana."

His eyes caught hers.

"If you want more." He mused. "Then perhaps, it is time to speak with Elise."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

The last time someone saw value in Vittoria had been her father. He had kept her from the Academy to prepare the young girl before being thrown in with the rest of the Initiates. Magic was something to be understood, and what Vittoria could wield would be even greater than the gift Tamhas Larrainth wielded. And yet, such lessons came back to her with the likes of Erodin speaking to her of more. Ambition was something Vittoria possessed, often forgotten under all her duty. She had made promise to end the Larrainths, to allow herself to be the last Larrainth to exist in name and had always thought she would take on the name of a husband one day.

But what if her name were to be Virak instead?

To carve a new path towards her goal of Archon with a powerful name she already had been born into.

Vittoria's mottled blue-green eyes swarmed like a sea in a storm when she looked to Erodin and watched him, hearing his words like a force of wind causing the waters to swell. Power.

"If I am to do any of that, I would need better Proctors to teach me. That are not afraid of what I am capable of." It was the first time her usually void of any expression facade turned to something of a mild annoyance. Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing slightly. "Some Proctors fear me now, afraid of me for putting me in a cage after growing my Decimation magic to what it is now. They tell me to wear nullifying cuffs to dull my magic, saying there is nothing more to learn for it." Vittoria scoffed.

And just like that, Erodin had won her trust. She would only speak so casually with her dear friend King, but to make her grievances and unhappiness at the Academy known to someone else was a subtle show of her confidence in them.

"I miss the old ways of teaching. I broke myself apart to get where I am to please the Proctors at shaping me like this, and now they tell me to behave."

 

[Erodin]

Erodin's expression remained neutral, but inwardly he smiled. The moment Vittoria's tongue freed itself he knew that he had opened the door. Something clicked into place, the girl began to express her frustrations with the system her that now stifled her. "The weak always fear the strong."

He said simply.

"Proctors teach because they couldn't do." Why in the name of Kress anyone would ever want to become a Proctor was entirely beyond Erodin. The position was about the most obnoxious one a Dreadlord could be assigned to. It was why, to his mind at least, all Proctors were talent-less hacks.

"The Republic has only made it worse." Erodin mused, letting some 'frustration' flicker in his voice. As though he shared, or cared, about the very same grievances that Vittoria had. "Follow their advice, and they will make you weak."

That, at least, wasn't a lie. He saw what the Republic was doing to it's Dreadlords, watched as the foundation of their Empire was being slowly eroded away. Five years under this system had made them far softer than his own class, nevermind those who came before. He hated to think how things would stand in ten, or even twenty.

There would be nothing left to conquer.

"I will see you have proper instruction." The Dreadlord declared simply, knowing that she would not deny him now. "With those who can not only teach, but also do."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

A true, genuine smile stretched on her expression, teeth baring slightly as her eyes gave away a hopefulness to his words. The thought of someone new and trusted by Erodin to educate her to expand her magic and power was enough to straighten her spine.

Of course, she could not entrust Erodin would take over her education so easily. There was a path she was to follow if she wished to be Archon in the near future, and the more put before her to teach her, the more vast her knowledge and reach of magic could benefit her.

"But today, with this mission, would you teach me a lesson?" Something she could strive for, work towards. The dragon they rode was already an impressive feat of his magic, but there was more to it than that. Vittoria wanted more than her peers and Proctors to fear her magic. She wanted them to fear her mind too.

 

[Erodin]

He had hooked the fish, and now he supposed he would have to feed it if he were to keep it. Amelie would be pleased at least, and the rest of the journey was stilla head of them. He took a slow breath, shaking his head, perhaps half in disbelief with himself. "Yes, yes."

Erodin offered with a wave of his hand.

"Pay close attention." Though there were many lessons he could teach, he thought it might be best to start with something simply. "There is a rune..."

For nearly the next two days Erodin instructed Vittoria on the beginnings of what he dubbed an 'ebb rune'. The very thing which he claimed would allow one to beg off the cost of their own magic. It was an incredibly intricate, dangerous, and exacting thing. With even a single line out of place rending ones soul into thousands of pieces.

He had been entirely serious when he'd said that two days would not be enough to teach her, and as dawn came on the third day of their travel their destination neared. "Do not carve the rune into your flesh until you're sure."

Erodin cautioned.

"Six months, perhaps a year. Until drawing the rune is part of your waking mind." He told her simply. "Then, we'll start with the next step. Understand? You will require both for it to work"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Six months was never a daunting task to Vittoria.

It never took her days to execute something to perfection, and this would not be the first advanced rune for her to learn over a period of time. A new rune, dangerous in the series of precise stroke order, was a challenge for the Initiate.

"I will learn with patience and determination."

Words she had repeated to herself like a mantra, to keep her on course. The past two days saw her dissecting the rune in it's completion, singling out the stroke orders and mapping it inside her head. Her studying would bring Erodin moments of rest on their journey, but it was not until their arrival into Lumiria that Vittoria put her mind at ease and gave herself a momentary break of her rune study.

Descending from the great dragon, she was careful not to slip her footing and slowly made her way down with some assistance of the ethereal drake getting as close to the ground as they could.

The smile on her face held a hint of wickedness, her thoughts returning to the hunt they were on to silence the rebellion brewing in Vel Anir.

 

[Erodin]

Lumiria was a city built into cliffs, or perhaps better to say carved. The ancient Savannah Metropolis could almost remind one of a Dwarf Hold, or perhaps a rabbit-warren. Which explained why Vel Anir had not yet conquered it.

Not only was the city itself guarded by the mountains which acted as natural walls, but the paths to actually get in were thin, winding, and incredibly easy to defend. Dreadlords had been used to break the city before, but the General of the North had ultimately decided to simply sign a treaty of peace rather than hold a lengthy siege to fully put down it's inhabitants.

A mistake Erodin and Vittoria would soon correct.

The Dragon which had carried them for the last three days slowly ebbed away from reality. It's ghostly form disappearing as though the wind carried it. Erodin paying no mind to the passing ghost as he wandered to the cliffs edge, peering down at the city carved into the cliffs. "Lord Orren will doubtless have found comfort with the Sept Chief."

They could tear through the city, a full frontal assault was not impossible, but also entirely wasteful. Using his magic to that extent would weaken him for months. He had done it before, and it was not exactly pleasant. Vittoria would make it easier of course, but she was an Initiate. Not yet at her full potential.

No, it was better to do this another way.

Quickly Erodin squatted down, carving a small messenger rune into the earth.

"Continuing our lessons." The Dreadlord said as he began to scrawl on the ground, entering the message as the soft glow of magic took the writing from the ground. The rune folding itself, and turning into a bird as it began to fly off. "Being a Dreadlord, well, a good one. Is not simply about the mastery of your magics; College or innate."

He said, glancing over to Vittoria. "It is about the network you build. The influence you can wield because of it."

Vittoria had a head start on this, of course, given her house. This lesson was one she had likely already been taught by her father, but now it was time to give her more.

"Create something for yourself." He told her. "Not what your father has, or Elise might aid you with. Informants, sycophants, lovers, and believers."

Erodin instructed as the rune flew down towards the city. "Gather them to you, and know when to use them."

Because everyone was to be used.

Everyone save for Amelie.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria watched Erodin with a keen eye, listening to the words he wished to impart with her. The Academy made her into a good soldier, her father taught her to be loyal, and her cousins did not shy away from the talents she could wield. When had Vittoria done anything for herself? A slight frown was made apparent by the crease above her brow, but she did not tell Erodin to stop the lesson. She knew there was truth to his words, but the idea of it being in her grasp was the part Vittoria was slowly picturing in her mind.

She had grown to think herself superior, to not be held back from her greatest potential lest she became weakened for having a bleeding heart like many of her peers after the Revolution. They grew up coddled, but the almost three years of enduring the worst from the Proctors before change had come had been the most formative and life deciding for the young Larrainth.

"So I... should not be cruel to my peers?" Or to anyone for that matter. How could anyone choose to be loyal to someone that threatened and did not shy from exercising her magic upon them? To someone that loved to prove they could not best her. "Or perhaps... I could bestow upon them an extension of... kindness." Because she was capable of it. She had observed the many over the years, had learned to imitate such an effect.

A projection of a version of Vittoria, that she could at least give them. To build herself a network, of course.

Many remembered her father, the formidable Tamhas Larrainth, and that memory alone was enough for Vittoria to gain the attention of Dreadlords. They would be looking to her come her graduation year.

"I suppose this all makes sense... I would need the right ears and support if I wish to be Archon one day."

 

[Erodin]

Erodin tipped his head in a nod. "It does not matter how you treat them, only that you treat them in a way that will make them loyal."

For that some required love, some fear, and others something completely else. Every person was different, motivated by something deep within their core; Erodin had learned long ago that everything could be exploited.

"What matters most, is your perspective." He explained simply. "Never lose focus. Never forget what other people are for."

There were exceptions of course, but few and far in-between. "Every puppet that you can pull the strings on is another help up the steps."

He would have to send Vittoria to spend time with Cenric to truly learn that lesson. The boy was perhaps one of the only reasons that Erodin's own network had expanded to the size it was currently at. She would learn well from him.