video; un: stargazer

[leicesters]

[Once things have calmed down with the doppelgangers and the vorest forest, there's something else left to be addressed. So, Claude addresses the network.]

Hi friends! Claude here. I haven't met most of you yet, so I suppose this would be a good time to say "nice to meet you", too. Hope your mirror images were nice to you and not... you know.

[Claude's sitting indoors by a sunny window in his treehouse apartment, his small white wyvern familiar snoozing beside him.]

As eager as I am to get to know everyone, what I actually wanted to talk about was the situation with Elphame. Since Arthur dumped the decision on what to do on our shoulders, we'd better figure out how to cast our votes.

For my part, based on past relations between Elphame and Camelot, invading Celliwig is out of the question. Humans and fae have waged wars here in the past, and it's taken a lot of effort to earn the peace they have now. Camelot has even been making strides to learn about fae and coexist peacefully with them. Given Celliwig is our best chance for communication, attacking would be completely counterproductive. Even if we did, there's no guarantee we'd succeed, so why risk it?

That said, direct negotiation hasn't worked either, so our two remaining options are to focus on slowly building up trust via trade links, or deal with matters on Celliwig's terms and accept their trials. Honestly, I'm not clear on the details on that, so if someone who knows more could get the rest of us up to speed, by all means...?

[He trails off with a shrug, then gives a sheepish smile.]

Anyway, I've waffled on for a while now! Long story short, I think our peaceful options are really the best shot we have at this, it's just a matter of deciding which is best. I'm really not interested in letting a violent old history repeat itself. Feel free to pitch in with your own thoughts... Maybe we can even come up with something better than what's already being proposed.

[He gives a lazy wave, before ending the feed.]


[ooc: threadjacking is welcome and encouraged! go wild]

Comments

[leicesters]

Arthur wants to retain our cooperation, and not just the cooperation of his own people. He needs us and our growing magic capabilities, but if he were to do something to sour our perception of him, that might jeopardise the whole plan he has going to save the worlds.

...Or at least, that's one man's take on it, anyway.

[apshot]

"Save our worlds."

Explain that nonsense because this is literally the first time I'm hearing any of this bullshit.

[leicesters]

You don't know? Not about the calamity, or anything? It's the whole reason we're here to begin with.

[apshot]

Again, I said that no one even brought it up when we first got here! How was I supposed to know anything without someone first saying something?

[leicesters]

And you never found a single person to ask?

Ah, never mind. I guess I'm that person. Anyway, a calamity threatens to tear apart all our worlds, unless we're able to retrieve Excalibur and stop it. Right now all our worlds are frozen in time by magic, but if we don't act, they'll all be destroyed.

[apshot]

I did. No one knew shit.

[ So just tell him... ]

Okay. Got that. And I'm going to guess Excalibur isn't actually accessible to us...

[leicesters]

No, but if my understanding is correct, the fae can help us to that end. Which brings us to where we are now -- figuring out how to overcome the breakdown in relations between Camelot and Elphame.

[apshot]

Do we know the original cause of why they're so pissed at Camelot? Must've done something since Celliwig doesn't want to do shit either.

[leicesters]

There have been two wars in the past between Camelot and Elphame. Relations have warmed since then, but Celliwig seems to have still been dissatisfied with humans, because they withdrew from contact with Camelot.

Honestly, the sources I've found don't have much more detail than that. You might have better luck asking a local for more specifics, but I think it amounts largely to cultural differences.

[apshot]

Cultural differences... Yeah because shit like that is easy to mend.

[ It really isn't... ]

Do we know who at least started shit? Was it Camelot since Celliwig is still kind of pissed?

[leicesters]

I don't think it matters who started it, at this point. A misunderstanding lead to a punishment from one side, which lead to retribution on the other... It's a classic cycle of revenge where one side wants to teach the other a lesson. Celliwig got tired of it and withdrew relations altogether.

Pointing the finger of blame on who started it would just escalate things further.

[apshot]

Got it.

[ He had just figured that maybe there had been some sort of catalyst. Would make it easier to just erase things and start over, but grudges do run deep. ]

And YOU suggest to do what? War's not an option so-?

[leicesters]

I can't tell if you think highly of my opinions, or if you just really like asking questions.

Anyway, making this post was to help sound out what the better of the two options might be. From what I've discussed with others, I think the second is the best. Even if we fail at the trials again, there's no reason trading needs to cease, so it'd be pointless to vote for for the first option.

[apshot]

It's called I want information and since you're so willing to give it, I might as well bleed you dry.

[leicesters]

Yikes. That's not a mental image I enjoy.

[apshot]

IT'S METAPHORICAL!

You should also take a damn complement when it's given!

[leicesters]

Okay, okay, simmer down! Thank you for the kind and not at all threatening compliment.