Leaden waits

[Rhodes]

No worries!

The Dread Lord listens in silence to the poetic words. He wasn't about to admit he hadn't expected something so deep to come from the ogre, and Rhodes internally chastised himself for assuming too little of Blaire. The Flowering nods at her tale. It was interesting if true, and that won points in his book.

Eventually he replies to the question. "Fair is fair. It took a long time for me to realise I was imprisoned - though I had changed," he waves a hand at his branches and flowers, "I thought myself in a paradise. When saw the truth and I broke out of the hedge, all I knew was Fear. Knowing everything around me was a lie. Never being able to trust." He sips his scotch.

"I didn't want anyone to fall to the Gentry like I did. More than that, I wanted revenge. I did not want to drown my feelings in revelry, nor mope in lamentation. I lacked the martial bent of the Iron Spear. But in the Leaden Mirror? I could turn my mind, and the powers they has shown me, against them. Misdirection, cunning... these were second nature to me now. And lastly, I could learn to embrace my Fears and show others how to use theirs. That I enjoy it? That's just a perk." A slow, sinister smile grows across his face.

Rhodes drains the last if his drink, enjoying the warmth. "Well. If you're going to stay in the city, I suppose I should answer your questions about the Freehold. What would you like to know?"

[Rhodes]

Rhodes pauses, considering the questions carefully. "I suppose that depends on what you consider dangerous. Though I do not doubt you could overpower me physically, I am dangerous in my own way." He looks at the empty glass, considering a more useful answer. "I think you should judge them on your own merits. But, since you ask: Sir Norton of the Emerald Court is a charming enough man that sees himself as an Arthurian hero in the modern age. I say heroes are often the first to die following their own idiom." He taps the shell on the table. "Being so small a place, intrigue has little merit. Most are reasonable upfront. To pick one.... possibly Sonnie? An Emerald Beast. Too much effort to hide her Desires, I think. Or maybe Circe. If you like these," he taps a single finger next to the shell and the bullet, "I suspect you and her may have common ground. I am any judge if character all three will introduce themselves in fairly quick order should you meet them. Also worth noting is Penance. As far as I know, the only other Ogre remaining, and my Paladin of Shadows."

[Rhodes]

“Caution. Good. Too few in this Freehold remember it, and too many seem to shrug off reminders. Would you like my replies, or do you simply wish to second-guess some more?” Rhodes replies, and a smile tugs at his lips. Too few did, and it was refreshing. If she stayed, Blaire could be the verbal joust he had been missing of late. “She’s nearby,” he says offhandedly.

  6 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-09-06 09:47:33		Rhodes rolls 9 to White Lies: Manip+Subter+Sepc (10 Again)		1, 9, 2, 2, 10, 5, 9, 3, 10, 9, 9		6 successes

“My enemies are few, and I know my leash-holder’s style – they never change. You aren’t it - your first barrage of messages showed me that. If you are a random strike to sew the seeds of Chaos? I do not lead a court of dozens. I hold a Court of four, if you stay, and the Leaden Mirror are one of the more numerous in this city. Assassinating the Dread Lord would be a good way to make the others scatter. And lastly, I have faith in my own abilities.”

Fairest pride? Certainly – it seeped into everything they did. But there was at least some reasoning.

He eyes the Ogre carefully. “As long as you stay here, know this. Our size means we cannot work in a vacuum. Spreading terror among our kind is not useful, though a healthy dose of pragmatism that jolts the more relaxed from succumbing to the naiveté of security, I heartily encourage. How you harvest, I don’t care; just don’t get caught, or draw undue attention to us.” An icy breeze ripples through the room. “If you need a place to stay, or work, they can be arranged, but somehow I think you have that settled. You strike me as the practical type. The Freehold has some direction over a small amusement park – Funderland. Set up before my time,” he adds with a hint of apology. There’s a pause as he watches her reaction. “The coronation is on the Equinox, and it will be there. Just look for the other sprites. Emerging after them is very in-keeping with the season, wouldn’t you say?”

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord nods. "Each of the Courts holds sway over a small bit of the park - ours is rather on the nose for my taste, but there we are. The Haunted House," he explains. "However, no simple attraction, it was a functioning guest house and murder site, and I have tried to keep the amenities running. You can use them there, and the staff parking." He roots around for one of the spare badges in his pocket. "Also if I call any meeting, it's usually there. Jut a convenient base of operations, frankly. And no, I don't live there. That would be an abduction waiting to happen." He chuckles darkly.

"Unless there's anything else? I look forward to seeing you, Blaire." He plucked the bullet and the shell in one hand, and slips them inside the jacket. "Oh, I'll be in touch. I have something very special in mind... but not ready yet."

Ready to close? I think we've covered everything for an intro!