It was as good a place as any, he supposed. Weeks of walking in the first direction he'd picked had finally brought him to a coastline with a small connected island. Mixed trails and scents led him to believe it was, at the very least, a new kingdom. Easier to start within an established one and work his way up, than to found a new one all on his own.

Upon crossing the sandbar he was treated to a view of more sand and coast, and a broken cliff rising ahead. A natural gateway. Interesting. A well-defended land was always preferable to a vulnerable one. However, on this side of the pathway, there were yet more overlapping scents - and not one singular prominent territorial scent. Instead, it seemed there were multiple. Curious.

He moved with a regal confidence, alert and watching for any signs of others. As much as he would like to find a place to rest, this was hardly the time to let his guard down for any reason.

TASKS: +5xp - Invite someone to the pride who takes up your offer.

Finding a strapping man in the Passage was like hitting gold in Basira's mind. Goodness - imagine Sahir's face if she brought back a recruit like @Ezio. Everyone had their own use, in their own way, but she could not help but let her imagination run wild when she laid eyes on the slate-pelted rogue. Was he a warrior? An ambassador like herself? A scout? He was a little bulky for the latter, surely, but who was she to judge? Whoever he was, Basira intended to find out. "Welcome to Amaryllis," she purred as she slowed to a halt several feet ahead of the man's path, pleased to be the first one to find him - it was always nice to get the opportunity to speak freely with a stranger before getting cut off by the vultures. "You seem to be in search of something. I am Basira Najma, Sovereign of Caladan Cove - perhaps I could help?"

ART COPYRIGHT ANALESE

Soon, he was met by a strange female who seemed quite comfortable in the area. A quiet inhale brought him the pride scent on her fur, and he understood. It was an area where newcomers were met, possibly for guidance, and possibly for recruitment - more than likely it was both. Her welcome was accepted with a slight hum and a flick of an ear in her direction as his gaze continued to sweep the area.

It seemed, for the moment, they were alone.

Back home, under his late father's rule, this was where he'd be expected to add the girl to the kingdom by whatever means necessary. And the urge remained - a flash of thought; he could still turn back, abduct the woman as a prize from his travels and present her to the kingdom as a trophy of sorts. He could give up the quest for a new life and accept the fate he'd been told was awaiting him all his life. Assume his father's throne, continue the legacy of cruelty left in the man's wake. Rule with an iron paw.

Ezio blinked, and finally settled his attention on the stranger, squashing down the little voice in the back of his mind urging him to take her and run and salvage what remained of the life he'd abandoned. "Perhaps." He had yet to lose the lingering accent of his primary tongue, but was confident enough in his grasp of the common one. "Explain to me this place, your Cove." She'd introduced herself as 'Sovereign' which implied her total control over the place, but Ezio would not immediately assume that was correct. Different lands had their own cultures and language, and maybe that word was used differently here. Women were capable enough, but full authority and power belonged to men.

Or was that only his father's voice in his head again?

@Basira

granted, he does not visit the passage as often as he should. in the wake of war he is keen to rectify that, to build up the strength of his home so that they will be better protected for the next big fight. assuming one comes.

@Basira catches his eye first. she is an ally, and he will not fight her for a member, but he also will not stop from extending an invite. the male is older and therefore already appealing to the wheat king.

"basira," a friendly enough greeting, dipping his head and hoping they excuse his battered appearance. he is healing from the last challenge but it is still obvious that he has fought in recent days.

his attention turns quickly from the caladen sovereign to the newcomer. "alaric starke," he introduces, "king of ecrosia mire. what is it you seek, here?" a home? a new beginning? a good fight? all things that the king was more than capable of offering...

@Ezio

THE THUNDER OF THE DRUMS

table by sentinel / art

[[-moves this along-]]

Their shared solitude was soon interrupted by the arrival of a male. A critical eye swept over the stranger, lingering just a fraction of a second on the full growth of mane shielding his throat. Back home, he would have been culled early. Perhaps this land was more different than he was prepared for.

A slight nod was offered in greeting; the man had not yet forgotten his manners in the presence of other royalty. 'Except he's not really 'other royalty', is he, you gave yours up.' He shoved the thought aside, focusing, instead, on the question posed. "Something...new, I suppose." He'd learned quite a lot could be accomplished simply by acting as if one knew what was going on. So, he did his best to fill in the gaps in his knowledge with context clues.

This was a highly traveled area. Two different pride leaders had approached him. Perhaps this was a recruitment ground, of sorts?

"Tell me of your mire," he invited Alaric to share what information he would. A 'mire' didn't sound like a particularly pleasant place to live, but landscape was not the most important factor.

@Alaric @Basira

something new.

alaric could relate -- he had come here, once, looking for the same. rather than stopping in the passage he had struck out to find a desert pride at first, sticking with something similar to what he had come from, but now... well, the mire was about as different as it could get.

"it's landscape is hardly what you'd consider appealing -- it is a swamp, for all intents and purposes. but it is well protected, and i do not mind the mud." a faint tug at his lips, almost a grin, but alaric presses on. "it is not a home for the faint of heart," so if he was deterred by mud, alaric would move on, "but for those who do not need easy living. we are fighters at heart, and i encourage my members to challenge for what they want. the only ranks that are not achievable through a fight is sovereign and heir."

there he paused, a glance at basira to invite her to make her own pitch.

@Ezio @Basira

THE THUNDER OF THE DRUMS

table by sentinel / art

The giant man - @Ezio - had a subtle accent that intrigued Basira. It implied a rich history, a journey that had taken him far from his roots. Perhaps his situation was similar to her own. Perhaps they would be in good company together. Basira tilted her head with a subtle smile. "I lead alongside my husband, Sahir Najma. He is a fairly new King, but has proven himself in battle tenfold and has already managed to amass quite a loyal following." She goes to continue, but pauses as @Alaric approaches. "Alaric," she purred in greeting, expression lightening as her ally advanced upon their position. He made his own pitch, which was unsurprising, and it is only once he finishes that she would continue. "Like the Mire, we encourage you to fight for what you want. If you seek a rank, shed some blood for it. You can earn promotions in other ways, of course, but you don't seem the sort to shy away from a brawl." The maroon woman tilted her head as she regarded the rogue.

"What is your name?"

ART BY MAX, CODE BY LARS

A swamp and a cove, each with similar cultures on the surface. He was certain they differed at some point, beyond the length of time their kings had ruled. It made the choice more difficult than necessary.

The woman asked his name and his posture straightened, "Ezio Acerbi," it was his first time trying out the new surname with others, and he found he liked the way it flowed. Back home, he'd never needed to add his title, and here he no longer had one.

Glancing between the two options presented to him, a small and thoughtful frown found its way onto his face. "Two similar cultures, I assume two differing landscapes, though that is of little consequence, I suppose the next question is - King Alaric, how long have you ruled?" That could be the tiebreaker. He'd prefer a stable, established, kingdom to one that was only beginning.

@Alaric @Basira

they were, on the surface, similar. two kingdoms that valued strength in battle, and geographically close in location. different atmosphere, though @Ezio seemed to care little about that.

in fact his only question was a simple one to answer -- "since july of last year," -- and beyond that alaric had little more to add. it had been three quarters of a year, hardly the most established, but enough that they were strong and secure in their home.

"i have fought to maintain my crown once since then, and i am sure there will be more challengers to come." the mire king seemed unbothered by the fact, and rather like he would welcome the opportunity to prove his mettle time and again.

@Basira

THE THUNDER OF THE DRUMS

table by sentinel / art

[[it's been a while, so in the interest of wrapping this up/getting him settled >.>]]

He considered their words, weighing the options carefully. By rights, he could leave whenever he liked, and he knew that, but he'd prefer not to waste time hopping from pride to pride. They made similar cases, and Ezio wasn't certain whether that was coincidence of if one was mimicking the other on purpose to improve chances.

Glancing between the two of them, he would finally nod to himself, and side-step to put himself more in front of @Alaric. He'd at least seemed eager to welcome challenge and battle, while the woman had only mentioned her husband had fought before (and it may have been a bit of his father's latent sexism still guiding his choices). "I will give your mire a chance." He reminded himself to give the girl a cordial nod before his attention focused on Alaric again. "Lead the way, if you would?" He'd follow alongside and a step or two behind whenever the man moved to leave.

-exit?-

@Basira