The Hearts of Man|Naurorod

[adris]

Ilis looked upon his clan and shook his head. The children at peace, the men working on some odd job or another, women laughing as they chatted about some mess or another in their pathetic lives. He looked at this and grimaced, the sound of peace made him want to vomit more than any scream of a soon to be dead enemy.

"You can see it in the eyes of the people, the weakness of the system. Are we not supposed to be feared by all? Isn't it supposed to be when the fires spoke the forces listened? Now its council and peace talks. Even with the ice too! This world is tumbling into darkness fast and without a firm grip we will not remain on top."

He shook his head and turned about towards the volcano. While the world behind him made him feel pitiful, the volcano always had a way of infusing his heart with pride. There was a symbol in the center of a desert, exactally as the dominant people should be.

[aivea]

Timur is standing near the foot of the volcano, a slight snarl touching his lips. He starts to speak, venting his own fustrations, not knowing he is near enough to Ilis that the other man could easily hear him.

"I've just about had it with Charanth! He's gone soft and has forgotten why us Fire types where the only ones that could draw out the fear within the Ice types and bring Lacuna to it's knees. If I hear one more word about how we should make peace, I'm either going to vomit or remind him what strength is the hard way."

[adris]

Ilis actually betrayed a smile when he had heard the words of the other man, not that he cared, such thoughts were one's to make him happy.

"And who is this I see? The only man left in Clan Char with any sort of sense maybe? Damien's little pet is annoying me as well. If I could speak my views in public before that little rat had me silenced I know I could set our people on the rightous road again. But as long as he controls the elites and is Damien's little bed buddy there is nothing we can do without a following."

He runs it through his head. There are power struggles all the time that would be nothing new, the problem is that the short sighted mongrels of Clan Char like this 'peace' that Charanth has used to veil the corruption of their people as a whole. What happened to the old days where the blood of all fires would boil and Narudod would scream for war?

[aivea]

"The name's Timur. Good to see I'm not the last of the sane people in the clan... Bet if we look there'll be more who still have some sense of dignity. And just what in the bloody Hell is wrong with Damien that he hasn't kicked that useless fool out of his bed yet?" Timur replies. "I'll throw my lot in with yours if you're really going to do something about it."

He might be young, but he's already made a name for himself as one of the stronger warriors in the clan. The man feels no need to hide his strength and misses the chance to flaunt it in battle.

[adris]

Ilis nodded his head, he liked the sound of this Timur. And simply looking at him reminded him of his earlier days. He could almost swear that back to back they looked like a before and after picture of the same person. Ilis is not what he used to be, but is still not somebody one would want to cross. He also makes up for his fading strength with an increased knowledge.

"Damien won't do anything about him because Charanth crooks at the knee like a good little slave. The problem starts when that action gets passed to the people that serve him. He is weakening us with every day. I must agree though that there probably are many who would join our cause, the problem is that if we aren't careful and are found out doing anything, we will be silenced. Ever since the battle of Lacuna ended I have been trying to think of a way to circumvent this."

He definately couldn't just go and scream through the streets that he wants to usurp the current leader. But maybe there is a way to use the system to his advantage... maybe there is a way to encourage peace while also discovering just who might have the guts to follow him.

[aivea]

"Then Damien's not much better than he is if all it takes is a bent knee to make the man forget he is a man not a mouse." Timur frowns in thought and says, "Come up with anything? There has to be someone out there who will join us without us having to scream in the streets and get our heads served as a meal for that rat. The only thing I can think of is that there must be the descendants of those who fought Charanth's father somewhere out here, but there's no telling where."

[adris]

Ilim looks to the man and back at the part of the clan he could see. He thinks deep, maybe something like a volunteer army, a way he could keep the peace within the clan. But then he hears the last suggestion, which makes him perk up.

"The lost ones? They might as well be a legend they are so hard to find these days. I have thought of such before but have no idea what it would take to unite them. You would be hard pressed to actually find one this day and age, as they take special precautions to keep out of the sight of the 'true' clans, emphasis on sarcasm."

There has to be a way, a link, some string he could play to incite the hearts of his people, to tell them which ones were which. The only thoughts to come to mind are to threaten another war, draw out those willing to fight from those who cower like the pathetic fools they are turning into.

[aivea]

"Is there something else you have in mind?" Timur asks, sincerely curious. "Should we stir up a crisis?"

[adris]

Ilim smiles a toothy smile at the suggestion, although it was already in his thoughts hearing it from someone else made it seem like a revolutionary idea.

"Has anyone ever told you that you could read minds? A little crisis might make those that agree with us throw up their arms and announce that they won't take it anymore."

He knew then they could move, in chaos it is the stable mind that will come out on top. It is almost an oxymoron to cause 'planned chaos' but that is what is proposed, now all that it will take is to get someone to cause an 'accident'.

[aivea]

"Great minds think alike," responds Timur with a slightly smug grin. "The rest of those fools won't know what hit them."

He taps his signs together with his grin growing broader before adding, "And no one would notice who did it if dear Charanth just happened to be fatally burned."

The word "dear" had been said in an incredibly sarcastic manner.

[adris]

A smile broke out wide across the face of Ilis, in his mind a plan was forming... the overthrow, his power move as long as this new ally will assist him in this it could work.

"First, we need someone to do something... stupid. Then when the guard is looking into that you and I pay a visit to our good friend. If we do a little work together, perhaps the two of us combined could be as a single man with four signs eh? I have a good feeling about you."

He looked towards the town. The plan sounded simple enough, but he knew the execution would require time, something he didn't know of the amount he had.

[aivea]

With a quick nod Timur replies, "Is there someone you have in mind to do something stupid and noticeable? It would be best for it to be someone known to have the ability to last more than a few seconds so the guards'll actually have to work for once in their lives."His grin unchanged he adds, "I rather like that idea and having someone with a functioning brain around..."

When Timur looks back toward the town his grin mutates into a smirk. All he saw for an instant was bringing an end to the hated Charanth.

[adris]

Ilis shook his head, he realized now that he didn't take much time to get to know the clan. With the gathering of morons it is a forgivable sin, but one that is costly at this moment.

"Nope, unless you have someone in mind. The good news is that if you don't, you can't throw a brick without crushing a fool's skull around here. We should be able to find someone, maybe within the military."

He thinks deep, now if he could just do an all call for idiots, an attack within the ranks of the military would be perfect. Charanth would be a pushover. It would be like playing a game, problem is your opponent is a child.

[aivea]

"If you want a military fool, there's always that vain slob Zyah. All you'd have to do is say that the guard made fun of his looks and Zyah'll pick a fight with them," Timur says with a hint of contempt for Zyah in his voice. "But Zyah just loves licking Charanth's boots, so he'll be useless when we pay a visit to our friend. Might be fun to watch him try to explain killing the guard, in any case."

[adris]

Ilis thinks on this for a while, the problem with this plan was whether or not the man in question could stand his own against the might of the enemy, at least long enough to sneak into the head position and show Charanth why he is tired of him hiding behind his armies.

"If you feel that is the best course of action, make it so. Sow some dissent, maybe around a while after nightfall so the movements of you and I in the chaos better go undetected. We will be sipping the wine of kings in the morning. Let Damien come for by the time he arrives the elite of his forces will be arrayed against him and at our back. We meet here before this all happens agreed?"

He prepares to stalk off, he needs to make sure he is in top condition for this fight. There are power struggles all the time, he predicts the armies will do exactally what they normally do after power has been rested from the hands of the current leader, crook their knee to the new one.