Post by King Redgar Karligar on Jun 8, 2015 18:35:02 GMT -5
Redgar was sitting in the great hall of Karliger rock with his feet up on a short table in front of his grand and dilapidated chair. He was pleased with himself. He and his confederates had acquired ultimate power in Karliger Duchy. He was the Duke, he was beside himself, smirking. His entire look was a cocky 'I-told-you-so' to the world that would deny him what he was born to have.
The great hall had seen better days. It was in the same state that it had been in when Redgar broke through the siege of Karliger rock and fought his uncle in single combat. Half the furniture was destroyed. Weapons and armor was still lying around everywhere. Blood still stained the floor, furniture, tapestries, and walls. It was like he slew Mordrek, then sat down and hadn't moved.
Mina sat at the Duke's table not a few feet away. She had a cup of wine in her hands, and a knife was still a little bloody.
Narth was sitting next to her, looking dark, like he had put a snake in someone's bed and then suddenly felt guilty and regretted it, but only after it had already bitten someone.
Katrina walked in and looked pissed as hell.
"Why the sour face sister! We've won! I've done it! It's all ours!"
"Oh you've done it alright."
"What... you only talk to me like that when something unexpected happens."
"I just got back from a meeting with the village leaders."
"Fuck 'em."
"We did. Every farm was burned to the ground after it was stripped of everything, just about every woman was raped, even some girl-children, the mine was raided and collapsed, our lumber mills are destroyed, the docks in Karthford were destroyed. We fucked them, and now we're fucked."
"So what. We'll rebuild it all. Hey, we'll rebuild it better."
"Sounds like a plan."
Mina chimed in. Narth nodded.
"With what money, Redgar?"
"The... gold in the treasury?"
He sounded like he didn't know if they even had a treasury.
"Empty. Like Narth's head."
"Hey! I take offense to that."
"Empty? That's a thing that happens?"
"When you spend every ritz we've got hiring soldiers to throw at well fortified castle and veteran troops, I guess it does. Father never taught you a thing about good money handling did he?"
"Nope. Taught you that shit. Guess you failed. Now what?"
"We get some money, or we're going to be in dire... dire... straits. Let's say our enemies find out about how we don't have money so we can't raise an army."
"Enemies? After we showed the world how easily we trash our enemies?"
"Back when we had money." Mina growled. She was already tired of this conversation. She stood up, poured the rest of the wine out on Narth's head, and left the hall.
Narth got up, made a rude gesture at her and turned to Redgar. His face was hot with rage, his eyes pleaded for Redgar to do something about what Mina did to him.
Nothing happened. Redgar ignored him.
"Ok. Ok. So the only ones that could possibly be a threat are... like... Maybe Mardok but he's on the other side of the damn country...."
"He's got an army though, from what I hear."
"Huh. And uh, our neighbors. Good old Corday. Stoning Drokagr and putting ink to paper for fuck knows what."
Narth sat back down, thoroughly ignored.
"Yep. They're probably rebuilt by now from those natural disasters they suffered two months back. The natural disasters that you failed to capitalize on when we still had an army. We could have gotten an ally during that. A little help would have gone a long way. But no. You were busy killing and raping."
".... I don't see your point. So what do we do? Can't ask Mardok. Can't ask Corday. Can't ask the piece of shit crown. Can't ask that little bitch in Helkorth that thinks she's 'Princess Superior', can't ask that sniveling brat that talks about... what's the word?"
"Democracy."
"Yea, that. Whatever the fuck that is. Can't ask them. So who do we ask?"
"Someone just as cut throat as we are with no interest in the things we have interest in."
"What? Are you speaking Cruic? I didn't understand half that shit."
"A person that loves gold more than anything. A merchant. I swear. You may have came first but I was the only one blessed with a brain."
"Shut up. Hey, so who do we ask?"
"Is it shut up, or who do we ask?"
Redgar sat there for a moment, weighing his options. Did he really want his already pissed off sister even more pissed at him? Was he afraid of her? No, not in the sense that he would be afraid of a person. He was afraid of how she'd make him suffer. That was like asking to be alone in a room with Mina. That was not something he enjoyed. He could stab any one of them to death, had he a sword that was intact.
"Well.. who do we ask?"
"Kable."
"Kable... yeah sure. He only cares about money. He lends us some. We get shit straightened out, pay him back, and we're done. Back to normal... I mean the new normal."
"When can I expect the money? I need something to work with here."
"Well.... uhm... I guess you want me to get it. Fuck... fine. Where are they?"
"Karthford last I heard. Say... do you mind signing something for me?"
"Sure. Here."
"Great. Listen, get the money. Buy a sword. Show this to Kable, and see what he does."
"Sure... wait. You're not trying to get me killed are you?"
"Me? Scyld. Please. I love you. Besides, I need you, who's going to sit in the chair and rule over things while I tend to the fun stuff like accounting?"
"Yeah. You're right. Being the boss of shit is hard. Now I have to... fuck. We don't have horses. I have to walk to Karthford. This is already getting old. I hate being poor."
"Hop to it then."
"Yeah yeah. When I get back there better be a fresh girl waiting in my chambers for every day I'm away. Got it?"
"Yes, you'll have your girls. Savage."
Redgar got his things together, clothes, good walking boots, the scroll, fresh insults, and left Karliger Rock for Karthford. He trusted that Katrina had a plan to deal with this situation they were in. It was bullshit. He went through all that effort, spent over a month killing his uncles, and for what? To be a poor lord? He wasn't having it.
Narth was still sitting there with wine in his hair, appearing grumpy. Katrina sat down in the Duke's chair and started chuckling to herself.
"The fuck are you laughing about?"
"Oh... Hey Narth. Didn't see you there. Why is your hair wet? Is that wine? Shouldn't waste it. Expensive."
"Fuck off."
Narth got up and left, leaving Katrina alone in the great hall of Karliger Rock. She started laughing again.
The great hall had seen better days. It was in the same state that it had been in when Redgar broke through the siege of Karliger rock and fought his uncle in single combat. Half the furniture was destroyed. Weapons and armor was still lying around everywhere. Blood still stained the floor, furniture, tapestries, and walls. It was like he slew Mordrek, then sat down and hadn't moved.
Mina sat at the Duke's table not a few feet away. She had a cup of wine in her hands, and a knife was still a little bloody.
Narth was sitting next to her, looking dark, like he had put a snake in someone's bed and then suddenly felt guilty and regretted it, but only after it had already bitten someone.
Katrina walked in and looked pissed as hell.
"Why the sour face sister! We've won! I've done it! It's all ours!"
"Oh you've done it alright."
"What... you only talk to me like that when something unexpected happens."
"I just got back from a meeting with the village leaders."
"Fuck 'em."
"We did. Every farm was burned to the ground after it was stripped of everything, just about every woman was raped, even some girl-children, the mine was raided and collapsed, our lumber mills are destroyed, the docks in Karthford were destroyed. We fucked them, and now we're fucked."
"So what. We'll rebuild it all. Hey, we'll rebuild it better."
"Sounds like a plan."
Mina chimed in. Narth nodded.
"With what money, Redgar?"
"The... gold in the treasury?"
He sounded like he didn't know if they even had a treasury.
"Empty. Like Narth's head."
"Hey! I take offense to that."
"Empty? That's a thing that happens?"
"When you spend every ritz we've got hiring soldiers to throw at well fortified castle and veteran troops, I guess it does. Father never taught you a thing about good money handling did he?"
"Nope. Taught you that shit. Guess you failed. Now what?"
"We get some money, or we're going to be in dire... dire... straits. Let's say our enemies find out about how we don't have money so we can't raise an army."
"Enemies? After we showed the world how easily we trash our enemies?"
"Back when we had money." Mina growled. She was already tired of this conversation. She stood up, poured the rest of the wine out on Narth's head, and left the hall.
Narth got up, made a rude gesture at her and turned to Redgar. His face was hot with rage, his eyes pleaded for Redgar to do something about what Mina did to him.
Nothing happened. Redgar ignored him.
"Ok. Ok. So the only ones that could possibly be a threat are... like... Maybe Mardok but he's on the other side of the damn country...."
"He's got an army though, from what I hear."
"Huh. And uh, our neighbors. Good old Corday. Stoning Drokagr and putting ink to paper for fuck knows what."
Narth sat back down, thoroughly ignored.
"Yep. They're probably rebuilt by now from those natural disasters they suffered two months back. The natural disasters that you failed to capitalize on when we still had an army. We could have gotten an ally during that. A little help would have gone a long way. But no. You were busy killing and raping."
".... I don't see your point. So what do we do? Can't ask Mardok. Can't ask Corday. Can't ask the piece of shit crown. Can't ask that little bitch in Helkorth that thinks she's 'Princess Superior', can't ask that sniveling brat that talks about... what's the word?"
"Democracy."
"Yea, that. Whatever the fuck that is. Can't ask them. So who do we ask?"
"Someone just as cut throat as we are with no interest in the things we have interest in."
"What? Are you speaking Cruic? I didn't understand half that shit."
"A person that loves gold more than anything. A merchant. I swear. You may have came first but I was the only one blessed with a brain."
"Shut up. Hey, so who do we ask?"
"Is it shut up, or who do we ask?"
Redgar sat there for a moment, weighing his options. Did he really want his already pissed off sister even more pissed at him? Was he afraid of her? No, not in the sense that he would be afraid of a person. He was afraid of how she'd make him suffer. That was like asking to be alone in a room with Mina. That was not something he enjoyed. He could stab any one of them to death, had he a sword that was intact.
"Well.. who do we ask?"
"Kable."
"Kable... yeah sure. He only cares about money. He lends us some. We get shit straightened out, pay him back, and we're done. Back to normal... I mean the new normal."
"When can I expect the money? I need something to work with here."
"Well.... uhm... I guess you want me to get it. Fuck... fine. Where are they?"
"Karthford last I heard. Say... do you mind signing something for me?"
"Sure. Here."
"Great. Listen, get the money. Buy a sword. Show this to Kable, and see what he does."
"Sure... wait. You're not trying to get me killed are you?"
"Me? Scyld. Please. I love you. Besides, I need you, who's going to sit in the chair and rule over things while I tend to the fun stuff like accounting?"
"Yeah. You're right. Being the boss of shit is hard. Now I have to... fuck. We don't have horses. I have to walk to Karthford. This is already getting old. I hate being poor."
"Hop to it then."
"Yeah yeah. When I get back there better be a fresh girl waiting in my chambers for every day I'm away. Got it?"
"Yes, you'll have your girls. Savage."
Redgar got his things together, clothes, good walking boots, the scroll, fresh insults, and left Karliger Rock for Karthford. He trusted that Katrina had a plan to deal with this situation they were in. It was bullshit. He went through all that effort, spent over a month killing his uncles, and for what? To be a poor lord? He wasn't having it.
Narth was still sitting there with wine in his hair, appearing grumpy. Katrina sat down in the Duke's chair and started chuckling to herself.
"The fuck are you laughing about?"
"Oh... Hey Narth. Didn't see you there. Why is your hair wet? Is that wine? Shouldn't waste it. Expensive."
"Fuck off."
Narth got up and left, leaving Katrina alone in the great hall of Karliger Rock. She started laughing again.