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- Alkazar
Fields of marigold and tulips swayed in the sea breeze, their golden petals shimmering in the pale moonlight. Torch lights flickered in the distance like fireflies on a summer night as twilight fell upon the region. Through the spyglass, Olivia watched as they slowly blinked out of existence and the only light was that of the moon and stars. Her fringed coat rippled around her as the winds picked up, and her chestnut hair was sprayed with sea salt. Putting aside the spyglass with a sigh she simply stated, "It eez time."
The order left her mouth and set things in motion on the small ship. The "Lady of the East", as the crew had come to call her, rose from a cushioned stool and made her way to her cabin, all around her men springing into action as they prepared to make landfall on the small keep of Oakclyff. The captain of the ship had graciously given her his own room to stay in as they traveled from Regalia to the Yang-Tzu Isles and back to Montana. Even as they prepared to make their final landfall, Olivia appreciated the amenities offered by the cabin; such as the gorgeous map sprawled across the desk. It was a map of the seas and from it, Olivia could trace their movements.
They had traveled through the archipelago, recruiting seaworthy men from various ports, before making way to the open sea that separated the Far East from the rest of the world. Olivia had been wary to return to her home, but knew it needed to be done. Her grasp on what small power she held with the Ch'ien was faltering and she had to reassert herself as more than just a pretty face from the West. Her arrival to the east was nondescript, the small vessel she had traveled on barely making the trip.
She quickly reorganized the mess that was left behind in the quake of her parent's and inlaw's death, firing the overseers of the plantation in favor of handpicked women who Olivia felt could keep her pockets filled and, more importantly, name untarnished. All of it was said and done in a matter of a few days, and the Ithanian and her crew departed for the the archipelago with more ships and restocked supplies.
Olivia took in a final look of her cabin before rolling the map up and placing it among her luggage. The spyglass she had been peeping through swinging from her hip. Could her father see her now he would be proud. Out on deck, the sails were slowly being replaced from the neutral white to the colors of her house: deep navy blue fabric flapped in the sea breeze and the silver oak tree seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.
The coup d'état was as over as quickly as it had started. What little guards that patrolled the keep were either asleep or drifting in and out of the sandman's embrace, the potent Somnium she had produced while on the isles being more than effective in disabling any would be troublemakers. Once the perimeter had been secured, Olivia and her entourage entered the keep. Here, resistance was met. As her men fought with poison covered blades, Olivia hurled pots of Lyss-Eish from the backline, sending those without protection in a frost stricken paralysis, daring not to move lest they face more pain or die at the hands of her men.
"Bonsoir, oncle." Olivia greeted as her men threw the ancient oaken doors open and surrounded the man, blades dripping with poison. "I think it eez time mon papa's wishez are honored, non?" And with a snap of her fingers the man was executed, guilty of treason to his own family.
To those whom it concerns,
The stain on my family's name has been cleansed with salt water and blood. We are once more, as we have always been, strong as oak. And like any mighty oak, we need a caretaker. A protector. A gardener. Of which I have taken it upon myself to be. The sickened branch of the family tree has been pruned by mine own hand and I shall do so as necessary to bring the glory it deserves. Through any means necessary.
Fret not, as soon we shall grow and flourish now that the isolation of the family trade has been undone and soon all will have access to the exotic teas of the far east. In fact, I would like to extend an invitation to an upcoming event to taste these foreign drinks. I wish to see the most pleasant of families present and hope we can foster trade relations.
As many have learned in the past, and perhaps some of you may be learning to this day, do not underestimate those you believe to be in your shadow.
The stain on my family's name has been cleansed with salt water and blood. We are once more, as we have always been, strong as oak. And like any mighty oak, we need a caretaker. A protector. A gardener. Of which I have taken it upon myself to be. The sickened branch of the family tree has been pruned by mine own hand and I shall do so as necessary to bring the glory it deserves. Through any means necessary.
Fret not, as soon we shall grow and flourish now that the isolation of the family trade has been undone and soon all will have access to the exotic teas of the far east. In fact, I would like to extend an invitation to an upcoming event to taste these foreign drinks. I wish to see the most pleasant of families present and hope we can foster trade relations.
As many have learned in the past, and perhaps some of you may be learning to this day, do not underestimate those you believe to be in your shadow.
Many blessings upon you all,
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