Invasion of Old Hallucination

[Jonas]

I know, everything is going so fast.

[Sebastien Alexandre]

OOC: If you want, we can run with both and just explain the time paradox in the game (like you actually ARE from the County one year ago, and 500 years without a count HAVE actually happened ...)

OOC:
I was thinking that to justify it we could do a story or tome later of Oz being either frozen, reborn, or somehow frozen in time (the other frozen being literal) by a god or some such and then released. If we can continue from the recognition scene I'd 'preciate it =]

[Jonas]

I must confess, Andreas. He has good ideas.

[Andreas the Wise]

OOC: If you want, we can run with both and just explain the time paradox in the game (like you actually ARE from the County one year ago, and 500 years without a count HAVE actually happened ...)

OOC:
I was thinking that to justify it we could do a story or tome later of Oz being either frozen, reborn, or somehow frozen in time (the other frozen being literal) by a god or some such and then released. If we can continue from the recognition scene I'd 'preciate it =]

OOC:Same-dif - you're the Oz from a long time ago ... does give us a nice strongwilled character ... anyway, continuing

"Wait a moment, would you?" Andreas asked, curious and slightly afraid. "You say 'it was not so long ago since I stood as count here ..' but there hasn't been a count of these lands for at least 500 years. Who's the current Kaiser?"
Sebastien thought for a moment, then his brain supplied the answer: "Kaiser Ayreon."
"And who was Kaiser before him?" Andreas asked. Sebastien paused, then said ...

I'm sure you know the appropriate way to fill in the blank.

[Sebastien Alexandre]

"Of course I remember, it's..." as soon as the thought came to his mind, it was instantly gone. Like cupping your hands to hold water, and watching as the water falls through with the slightest movement of your fingers. Recovering as quickly as he could, but still fuddled, he replied "It is of no concern who once was and has been of a dynasty which has never shown affection or concern to my people. The present and the future, are all I can hope for any on the Mango Throne to be attentive towards, and it is mine and mine alone to delve into the past to find what I can to lead my people forward. If you are done with your questions of my lineage, I can do nothing but assure you these years behind me have not been passed oblivious, and my accident or design I stand before you now no older than I stood before your forefathers so many years ago." He turned, allowing Andreas both time to think and him time to recover his composure.

Why couldn't he remember clearly? So much in his head, so many memories - they were all a blur. It was if he was there, but not truly there. He had no recollection up until but a month ago of anything having happened with him conscious for it, and yet, he could remember vaguely the details of the events that had taken place in his absence. What power gave him this omniscience? This longevity? This...amnesia? Why was he still alive when all he had known of the true people were dead? And if the true people were dead, why were the Envisioned still as he remembered them? He could not recall ever having known William in his own youth, yet he had memories of William as a child, a young adult, and the young man he once was. So much he remembered, yet so little he could recall or find reason in. What was this curse that also seemed his blessing?

[Andreas the Wise]

Andreas, however, seemed satisfied. He bowed low, to Sebastien's enduring surprise. "My apologies, Count Sebastien," he said. "I had no idea that I truly addressed one who knew and envisioned this County like the back of his hand. I had though that I addressed a mere "hero of the people," but clear I was wrong. My sincerest apologies - you know best the defence of your own County. Go forth and organise it as you will. I would be delighted to help anywhere you think you need me."
Sebastien nodded, and went out to get started. Andreas turned to Lady Willow. "How long?" he asked.
"I'd say 640 years," she replied. "Give or take."
"How long to dryads live, normally?" he asked.
"Up to around 1000," she replied.
"You're looking stunning for 640 then," Andreas said gallantly, winking so extravagently she knew it wasn't meant to be taken as anything other than outrageous overacting. She merely went off to organise her own defences. Leaving Andreas to himself. "The ancient Count returning when the land is in need," he muttered to himself. "It's like something out of a story ... but what kind of story, I wonder. And who is the hero ..."

[Sebastien Alexandre]

OOC:
We need opposing forces. :P

[Jonas]

Busy with the game and preparing my vacation and helping my dad and... etc.

(Be very happy, otherwise your armies were crushed already )

[Andreas the Wise]

I'll play him out soon ...

[Andreas the Wise]

Now, in fact.

Advance to Port Halluci had not been as easy as Dutch Jonas had hoped. Throughout the forest his men had been harassed by Dryads, not to mention all other manner of woodland life. About half his force had made it through to within a days march of Port Halluc - and finally, out of the forest. They'd had to abandon using the river when it became shark infested. Dutch Jonas expected it would take a little longer for the rest of his force to get through, but he still wanted to do something. Cheerfully for him, fate handed it to him on a silver platter.

David had been an apparently unremarkable boy from Blackrock Nua. He'd caught the Dutch's eye as the public challenger to his "Chief Wizard" in the Colosseum on the Hyperborean Fair day. He'd lost, of course, but he'd given it a good shot, and the Dutch was impressed, suggesting he join the army. He didn't want to, and his mother was firmly against it ... until, the next morning, she woke him up, told him she'd dreamed he'd find his destiny in the army, and he was sent off with nothing more than a basic fire and lightning spell he'd learnt yesterday, a packed lunch, and his grandfather's sword. The march to Bray had been easy. The march through the forest had been hard. David had been attacked by dryads and separated from his group. He ran into a band of Hallucination Freedom Fighters, and could have been in a lot of trouble ... if they hadn't told him that he perfectly fitted a recent prophecy, right down to the birthmark on his left cheek, and even seemed to have the sword of the old Halluci count. Hailed as the heir to the Halluci realm, they told him about the 'pretender heir' that the Baron was supporting. Well, with an attitude like that, there was nothing for it but for the whole band to make their way through the rest of the forest to the Dutch's camp and tell him the story. Andreas had been challenging him that he had the heir to the Halluci people, and was stirring the County up in protest. Now, Dutch Jonas could fight back.

It was mere minutes before the Dutch had sworn to help the Halluci people be free from the tyrannical Baron, the Hallucination Freedom Fighters (who a day ago were against the Dutch and all his kind) had sworn in to serve his army ... and David found himself at the head of a small task force. Their mission - to infiltrate Baron Andreas' camp, cause a little chaos, and take down Andreas and his pretender heir.

Little did they know that the 'pretender heir' had the power of envisioning on his side ... and viewed Andreas as the less important person, shoving him off in a small tent to the side while Sebastien went forth to organise the defences of his county. Eventually, after several fights, David made his way to what he thought was the camp of the leader. But he was about to find in it more than he'd bargained for.
OOC: I'll play my side later today. That scenes fairly specific, but after that, Seb, Dutch Jonas will send the rest of his forces ... but this time, alerted by the secret attack, we'll be ready ... so feel free to organise some defences or a counter attack while waiting for the me-David dialogue.

[Sebastien Alexandre]

"Men to the ready", he whispered, raising his hand to his ear in the sign before lowering it again. Around him Elven bows were pulled taut, the eyes of the men that pulled them focused in on the party now approaching his woodland camp. To his left and to his right, two ents grew still, the only parts of them moving being the leaves which so disguised them as nothing more than trees.

Ahead of him, one of the horses of the enemy perked its ears. Stopping, it snorted and began to buck its rider, who, after getting the horse firmly under control, likewise became suspicious, his piercing eyes glancing around. Pulling his own bow and aiming as true as he could, the soft twang of the bow and the slight whistle of the arrow was followed by a low grunt and a thud as the rider of the horse fell to the ground - killed instantly.

He put down his arrow, and instead grabbed a staff, from which at one end a small and illuminated blue gem was faintly glowing. He began to hobble his way into the clearing, for which in the eyes of his men looked very strange indeed, for their Count-returned was young and full of strength - he could out run many of his men, even. Yet to the enemy it made perfect sense, for before them came a withered and gray old man in a cloak that once was a fine shade of green, but which had been blackened and patched from years of grime and hard use. "Good day, m'lords. It is a fine thing to see company, for in truth I see not near enough of it in my old age." he said cackling to the men, their heads whipping around as their ears registered the first sounds of his approach. "It is easy, I must say, for a man to go near mad, out here in the woods alone! No company, I say. No, no company but the sun in the day and the moon in the night!" he muttered, cackling again and showing what seemed a toothless grin on his unshaved face.

"Halt!" cried the man who seemed the leader of the group.
"Come, come" tsked the old man, who was Sebastien. "Is that a way to treat an elder? I mean no harm, as long as you mean none to me." "You would be wise to mind your tongue, old man" growled the Captain. It was clear his nobility had made him arrogant, and Sebastien made a mental note to knock the nobility of his realm down a step or two when the time necessary for such a task was ever found. "Leave him be, he is nothing but an old peasant of a fool" claimed another man behind the Captain. "He could be a spy," said the Captain, turning towards the other man. "At the very least, we cannot have this old man leaking our whereabouts to the Halluci. It is also clear that this is the man who took out our comrade. He must be punished, and brutally, for his attack."

"Hmmm... I wonder, Captain..." began Sebastien. "Who is the real enemy here? The true Halluci, or the lapdogs of the Duke?". "I am no lapdog" growled the Captain " I am none but the rightful heir to the Halluci. Now kneel, old man, so that your death may be quick as possible, and consider yourself lucky I grant you even this small kindness."

"Old?" Sebastien asked with a hint of indignation in his voice. "Who are you to be calling me old?" His form began to waver, and the gray began to turn brown and his teeth came into being and were straight, his hazy eyes turning blue and his dirtied cape becoming a brilliant green once more. . "Tell me, oh wisest of the wise. What do you believe the punishment should be for a pretender to a throne?" he asked, a smile in his voice and a grin on his face at the astounded faces of his men.


OOC:
School is beginning to strangle me.
I fear I may soon cry from the Algebra 3 and Physics load.
On that, I would think you woul dhav euntil next Sunday for a reply. Sorry if this isn't that great of an RP post. =\

[Andreas the Wise]

Cue humorous recognition scene ...

David rushed into the tent ... to find a man dressed in odd robes, and not looking at all like a threat.
"Sebastien, defeated them already then?" Andreas asked him.
"I'm not Sebastien," David said, marginally confused.
"This is no time for games, there's a war to be fought," Andreas said. "Unless this is one of your envisioned servants ..."
"I'm here to fight the war," David said, "but I'm not Sebastien." To his immense surprise, Andreas walked up to him.
"Hand," he said, and before David knew what he was doing, he held it out for Andreas to examine. "Say aah," Andreas said.
David pulled his hand away. "Stop wasting time. What are you doing?"
"It's not an illusion or envisioning," Andreas said, "and yet you're the spitting image of Sebastien if you're not him. A mind spell, maybe?" He placed both his hands on the side of David's head, and David felt a strange feeling of openess before pushing away.
"I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but if you support Sebastien, the false claimant to the Halluci throne, I must defeat you," David said, holding out his sword against Andreas. "Draw, if you're a man."
"I rather think this will do," Andreas said, pulling up a plain wooden staff. "If we must fight ..."
"Of course we have to fight!" David said, and swiped at Andreas. Andreas countered with the staff, which, to David's surprise, did not snap immediately. Then Andreas lept back and sent a small fireball at David. The battle continued like this for a few minutes, until Andreas said "Enough," in a loud voice. David's sword fell to the crown. "Don't try," Andreas said, as he reached to pick it up. "You're not Sebastien, yet you're his spitting image, and you insist on fighting against me. Who are you?"
"I'm David, heir of the Halluci," David said.
"Ah, I expect that's where we have the problem then," said Sebastien, stepping into the tent. "I'm the heir of the Halluci."

The two stared at eachother.
"Wait," both said. "How can this be?" They both walked around in circles trying to look at eachothers backs. "But you look just like ..."
"Mage," the both called, "what have you done!"
"I've done nothing," Andreas replied honestly. "But I suspect we're not going to solve this by trying to kill eachother, so can we talk about it for a moment?"
The moment stretched into almost an hour, but by the end, both were convinced of the identity of the other. David was also convinced he was wrong to have been instantly following the Duke and opposed to Sebastien. Sebastien was still convinced he was the rightful Count of Hallucination, but was willing to admit David looked like he "might be able to master the gift ... with training."
"I wish I was trained in magic," David said glumly.
"I might be able to help there ..." Andreas began. "But first, we have a battle to avert."
(I'll do the Duke's response later)

[Andreas the Wise]

Scrap that ...

David calls off the surprise attack. They're now expecting the duke's full attack and Sebastien's forces fight him off admirably. He's soundly trounced and returns to Blackrock ... but first organises a temporary ceasefire. David opts to stay in Hallucination a while and study at the ANOVA.