Brestons port is generally a busy place where vessels of destroyer size and smaller enter and exit with a constant influx of trade goods. So, normally, the ports would be smothered in individuals doing trade, transporting goods, repairing ships, and other such related tasks.

But today, no such thing is happening, for a vessel has found itself parked on the pier. Parked being a word used by the [Captain] of the vessel, whereas anyone else would prefer the term crashed.

The [Captain] would disagree on account of the vessel's lack of damage in comparison to the ruined pier.

Now, such a thing has happened before, though always by accident and by a destroyer class or smaller.

Richard, [Lord] of Breston grimaces at the massive hunk of metal.

Aegis (Cored Battleship)

Max Speed: 22 knots

Construction: Metal

Modifications: Expanded Gun Deck. Arcane Absorber. Forge. Thick Hull. Heavy-Armored hull. Mana-propellers. Disruption Lance.

Hull Integrity: 256,213/257,171 Mana

Of all the things to crash into his port, it had to not only be a battleship, but the one ship belonging to a member of the Corsairs.

Richard nervously fondles the rapier at his hip. His most powerful and prized possession, not that he'd want to use it in this predicament. Sure, he's got a small army of [Guards] at his back to support him in case there is violence, but they'd most likely fail to do more than distract until he either wins or dies.

Shaking his head to lower his nerves, he takes another gander at the ship. The Aegis is completely made of metal and is designed quite a bit differently than your average ship. It has no top or side masts, and instead has a large horizontal propeller on its port and starboard, with an even larger vertical one at the stem.

How it flies, Richard only knows it involves a lot of complicated runes and a whole bunch of rare metals. It's said it takes a hundred [Runesmiths] to create only a single such vessel.

While the [Lord] stares at the ship, he hears the loud sound of a hatch opening, followed by the squeal of hinges. Not long after the sound, a metal plank is lowered from the deck. Once lowered, Richard squeezes the hilt of his sword over nervousness.

From the ship, a female Gemma strides down the metal walkway in armor completely covered in runes. On her back rests a warhammer, a weapon whose runes exceed the number on his cutlass by several times.

Behind her walks an impressive assortment of [Pirates] covered from head to toe in runic equipment of exceptional quality at the least. Such a sight has the [Guards] behind him acting nervous- not that he can blame them. The person before him is a named monster known for flying into an armada and then flying out completely unscathed.

Once off the ship, the woman turns her stone-covered head to him, grey skin curving with the movement. The first thing he notices about the woman is her amber colored eyes, followed next by the confident smile on her face. An expression rarely seen from most Gemma.

The woman approaches him, stopping a respectful distance with a hand to her hip. She raises an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Richard takes that moment to calm his nerves before speaking. He matches her attitude with a crossing of his arms.

"What does the illustrious Amber Queen need from my city that requires such a," he glances at the destroyed pier, "violent entry."

"Violent?" She tilts her head to her vessel." Is that really your preferred choice of words even after I went ahead and set the groundwork for the construction of a port that can house a battleship?" She reaches into a pocket under her armor and retrieves a crystal sphere. "I've even prepared the funding for such a remodeling."

She throws the sphere and Richard catches it. From a single glance, he can immediately tell that he's dealing with a genuine tier three core. Such an item would indeed cover the damages to the port, even fund the construction of a new one that can accept a battleship class vessel.

"This will cover the repairs, but I'm still going to want to know why you are here."

The Gemma chuckles. "You've got balls for not cowering before me, though I guess I should expect that from a named [Duelist]." She glances past his head, deep into the city behind him. "I'm here to pick up my daughter."

At her words, Richard's demeanor crumbles into surprise. "You have a daughter?" He asks.

She continues smiling at the question. "Your surprise is a good thing. It means her father kept her safe."

"Her father?" Richard asks again, his mind trying to remember something that's at the tip of his tongue. A detail that's elusive when it has no reason to be.

She nods slowly. "Yes. He's a Gemma [Runesmith] who goes by the name of Afinov. Have you heard of him?"

______________________________________________________________

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Far away, upon an island of two cities rests a secret. Two secrets to be exact. One secret of skill, the other of stats. Siblings of impeccable power, tied down as mere livestock.

One of the siblings, the one of silver fur, awakens from her torment. Her eyes open slightly, shifting to a distance only those attuned to the metaphysical. And in that distance sprouts an approaching hope accompanied by a feeling of motherly warmth. In that realization, Tur connects mentally to her brother, connecting their minds through a vast network of mana.

"Brother, mother approaches."

Kawlphe awakens from his slumber, his gaseous body shifting aggressively under the strain of his bondage. Not that it does much, for his prison is designed perfectly to contain him. After a moment, he settles down.

"Are you sure, sister? I do not sense her." He replies. "Have you connected to here?"

"Yes. Mother approaches, though her mind is… smaller. I cannot connect to her at such a distance."

"But mother approaches." Kawlphe asks.

"Yes. Soon, we will be free."

"Good." The brother rises and expands, growing bolder. "Then I must amass my strength for when my bonds are released. These mortals will pay for their transgressions."

Tur blinks, the fur on her body releasing a mana-rich jolt, only for such energy to be absorbed by the pylons embedded in her. "I agree. We will have vengeance- we need only wait."

With that, Tur breaks the connection. She shifts her massive head as much as she can, pointing in the direction of where her mother approaches.

_________________________________________________________

Off the coast of Magnis floats the carrier Skyhold. It is a large vessel, housing over a dozen squadrons of trained and armored heavy griffins. It is a formidable vessel that most other carriers would prefer to avoid confronting. It is heralded as the jewel of Fallantine… or was. Now, it is the headquarters for the knight orders still loyal to the crown princess.

It is within this ship that an urgent meeting is being held, one where all the [Order Commander] sit ready and waiting around a round table. Each man here is a veteran of many battles, hardened over decades if not centuries for some. All are experts, and all hold complete sway over their Knight orders. From their belts rest weapons of epic quality, each worth as much as entire battleships if sold.

It is also par for the course for such powerful individuals to carry just as powerful personalities.

"It's been half an hour, where is Cailin." A man with streaks of red in his hair growls from his seat. He glares at the other seven [Order Commanders] while his foot incessantly taps the floor next to his shield.

"I'm sure he's coming, Grim. He wouldn't call us here for nothing." A thin and lean man in glasses explains politely. "I can only imagine that whatever information he is coming with is just that much more important."

Grim grimaces, opens his mouth to complain, then stops on account of a glare from his son. He crosses his arms and leans into the chair.

Seeing his father choosing to not make a ruckus, the man looks to the one in glasses. "Roderick, I don't suppose you have any idea what information Cailin will provide?"

Roderick raises his glasses slightly. Just as he's about to speak, another man interrupts with an abnormally loud yawn, followed by the man's thoughts.

"The war probably," The oldest [Order Commander] present says. He yawns again and then blinks the crust from his eyes. The man is not only old, but looks like a walking corpse. Thin bony arms, unshaven beard and hair, all housed under an armor covered in numerous scratches.

Even so, none dare call the man out, not unless they'd want to deal with someone named and at the cusp of becoming a master classer. The only one who can even compare to him is the leader of this group.

All eyes look to the man, waiting to hear him out. But the old man just lowers his head into his arms. A couple seconds later, there is the sound of slight snoring.

Seeing this, Roderick clears his throat. "I agree with [Order Commander] Varric's vague assessment and believe Cailin to have information on when Lapis will be going to war with Fallantine."

Grim's son folds his hands on the table. "Do you think he's making a deal with Lapis or is this just information he'd been able to obtain?"

Roderick sighs, "That's a good question Flame, and I'm not sure. The most likely answer is that he's working with Lapis-"

"He'd be selling off the kingdom if he is." The singular female of the group voices aloud. "Lapis isn't going to play fair. They're going to want to have the knight orders kill each other until Fallantine is too weak to oppose.

"That's… a fair opinion, Morgana." Roderick proposes, "but one I believe is easily circumvented. As you know, the Gemma on Lapis are individuals who take contracts very seriously. If Cailin signs a contract for assistance, Lapis will abide by it."

Morgana crosses her legs. "They've broken contracts before, they can do so gain."

"They have, yes. And now that political party responsible lost all power in their following elections. Each and every member responsible can no longer vote nor hold any political position on the island."

Just as flame is about to counter, the doors to the room squeal open. Cailin stands at the entrance with a shield on his back and a sword at his hip. Golden blonde hair shimmies from the light as he strides to his seat.

Trailing behind him is a woman with impressive poise. None but Varric recognize her, as is expected for her position was never truly notable to the knight orders. The woman looks at all present, seeing only five of twelve seats filled.

"I was under the impression there would be twelve total." She comments while trailing behind.

"Only these five I fully trust." Cailin says. He pulls out his chair and takes a seat. Once he does, he straightens his back and strikes his chest with his fist.

"For the orders and the crown."

The other five do the same, even Varrac. "For the orders and the crown." They mimic.

"Now, I thank you all for waiting and I'm sure you're curious both why I'm here and who the lady next to me is."

They nod silently and respectfully to him in acknowledgement as the current leader of the orders. Though, much of that leadership has to do with his order currently controlling not only the Skyhold, but also possessing the largest fleet out of all the orders.

Cailin nudges the woman formward. "I believe it would be better for her to introduce herself."

The woman's composure breaks for a moment, but immediately tightens as she meets everyone's gaze.

"I am Adriana Everossa, former [Sub-Captain] under the command of [Ghost Admiral] Alistair Riftwalker of the royal navy."

A single name causes all but Varric to lean forward. When it comes to names, she'd just thrown out one few [Knight Commanders] would dare deny showing respect. Varric being the exception, though that man is older than dirt.

The first to stand is Roderick. The man corrects his glasses and then taps his chest. "[Knight Commander] Roderick of the Spellswords greets you."

Flame is next. The man is young, though you couldn't tell on account of his bushy beard like his fathers. "[Knight Commander] Flame of the Griffin Keepers greets you."

Morgana stands next. "[Knight Commander] Morgana of the Wind Dancers greets you."

Flames father stands up next. "[Knight Commander] Grimdawn of the Boarding Shields greets you."

The last man to introduce himself yawns and continues sitting. "[Knight Commander] Varric of the Caretakers greets you."

Cailin claps his hands together. "With introductions out of the way, Miss Adriana here has some important information to disclose."

Cailin gives her a nod. She steps forward and looks at those present. "[Admiral] Alistair is on his way here." She pauses for a moment. "The [Crown Princess] will be with him."

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