Jasmine
07-23-07, 12:55 AM
((closed. All mention and/or minor bunnings of Zerith is approved by his owner via MSN))
King Eric Matrino and his sister, Lady Jasmine, gazed somberly on the wreckage of what had once been their nation’s first line of defense. What had once been a powerful catapult was now a pile of ashen timbers. Behind them stood another mass of ashes. This had been the small hut used by the soldiers who were on catapult duty. Neither spoke for several long minutes as a wind from across the vast sea toyed with Jasmine’s long hair and tugged at their clothes.
“We need better weapons.”
“Hmm?” asked the king, startled by his sister’s sudden words.
Jasmine glanced at her brother then repeated herself, “I said that we need better weapons. These catapults may have been good 100 years ago, but we need newer weapons with better range and more power.”
Sighing softly to herself, the young woman looked across the wide, flat area, and across the channel to the opposite side of the Cliff Gates. The same disaster that had struck this catapult and hut, had struck there as well. Neither side had been able to defend itself. The enemy had been able to attack from a distance at which these ancient, though well-kept, weapons could not reach. By the time the enemy ships came in range, the catapults were blazing bonfires.
Lady Jasmine turned her gaze inland. Stretching out 150' below them lay a wide bay. Its calm, blue waters reflected the sky above almost perfectly, with scarcely a ripple. If she moved closer to the edge, toward the channel, she would be able to hear the waves crashing against the huge rocks and ledges that formed the edge of the Cliff Gates. The channel itself was unfathomably deep, but it was also treacherously narrow. As such, there were currents cutting around those rocks and ledges that could be deadly to an unwary captain and crew.
From the top of the cliff, she could see the many small fishing villages that dotted the coast. Most prominently though, she could see Hamasha. Even here, she could see the damage to the port city. Most of the wall had been destroyed along with the harbor and most of the navy. There were perhaps half a dozen seaworthy vessels left to the Morian Navy. Before the appearance of the mystery army, there had been an armada.
Many people that had lived in Hamasha were now homeless. Others had lost their livelihoods with the destruction of their businesses. All of them looked to their king and his sister to save them from their troubles. Unfortunately, neither king nor lady knew exactly where to begin or how. Certainly they knew what needed to be done, but they did not know how they were to accomplish the rebuilding of a fleet of ships and a harbor. Never mind the walls, homes and businesses that had been destroyed along with everything else. Jasmine believed that one of their top priorities should be the clifftop defenses and the main wall. Eric was not so certain, but he was willing to listen to advice.
Having watched his sister for a few moments, the king moved to stand beside her. “You are right, we do need better weapons. We need a lot of things right now. The problem is, we can’t necessarily afford it. We would probably need to hire laborers from the mainland to have the manpower to do everything that needs doing. You did well when you rewrote those tax laws before descending from the throne, but the treasury has not quite recovered from all the refunds you granted. Though his tactics were cruel, Montego did increase the Royal Treasury by leaps and bounds.”
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the former traitor. The man had been evil incarnate and she carried a scar to prove it. “I would rather have Moriah be scrabbling for every last dime, than to see it thrive on the blood of the poor. That man was evil, cruel, and heartless. The world is a better place without him.”
Eric fell silent then, not wishing to incur his sister’s wrath. He had not been there for the fight between Jasmine and Lord Montego, but he had heard plenty of stories. Jasmine would speak nothing more of it than that it happened, she got hurt, and she won. She refused to talk about it to anyone. Sometimes, her silence made Eric wonder just what Montego had done or said before he died.
“So, where’s Zerith?”
It was Jasmine’s turn to be startled. Zerith was her warder, her protector. He had also fought alongside her to turn back the enemy armies that had attacked Moriah, despite the fact that his own father had lead the first attacks. “I think he said he was going to look into organizing some kind of food chain or something, so that those without homes could still eat at least instead of scrounging through the garbage. I am glad to have him, he’s made things a lot easier in some respects.”
Below them, a large vessel sailed majestically through the exact center of the Cliff Gates. Its arrival was part of why Jasmine had wanted to come up to the top of the Gates today. Unknown to Eric, she had sent for engineers to help in the rebuilding of Moriah. One had answered her and was supposed to be on the ship that was making its way across the bay.
“Enough about that though. Come, we have a guest to meet. I’ve arranged for an engineer to come to aid us in rebuilding our defenses. He should be on that ship crossing the bay right now.”
Not waiting for an answer, Jasmine turned on her heel and began walking briskly down the dirt path. As she went, she held up the hem of her dress so as not to tear it on the rocks. At the end of the footpath, stood a regal carriage drawn by two pure white horses. Jasmine climbed in and was soon joined by the king. In short order, the carriage was on its way down the narrow road that wound down the side of the cliff and to Hamasha.
Once there, Jasmine directed that they be taken to the docks. On arrival, she looked about for the engineer. She had been told his name was Rajani Aishwara. She’d told him in her letter that he should report to the king and that she would be waiting at the dock. Now, she was hoping that he would see them waiting.
“So who is this engineer anyway, Jas?”
Jasmine glanced at her brother, then resumed her watch for Rajani. “His name is Rajani Aishwara. He has a ship called the Peregrine and founded the Peregrine Group. He is reputed to be a skilled engineer and is just what he is. I think I see his ship now.
King Eric Matrino and his sister, Lady Jasmine, gazed somberly on the wreckage of what had once been their nation’s first line of defense. What had once been a powerful catapult was now a pile of ashen timbers. Behind them stood another mass of ashes. This had been the small hut used by the soldiers who were on catapult duty. Neither spoke for several long minutes as a wind from across the vast sea toyed with Jasmine’s long hair and tugged at their clothes.
“We need better weapons.”
“Hmm?” asked the king, startled by his sister’s sudden words.
Jasmine glanced at her brother then repeated herself, “I said that we need better weapons. These catapults may have been good 100 years ago, but we need newer weapons with better range and more power.”
Sighing softly to herself, the young woman looked across the wide, flat area, and across the channel to the opposite side of the Cliff Gates. The same disaster that had struck this catapult and hut, had struck there as well. Neither side had been able to defend itself. The enemy had been able to attack from a distance at which these ancient, though well-kept, weapons could not reach. By the time the enemy ships came in range, the catapults were blazing bonfires.
Lady Jasmine turned her gaze inland. Stretching out 150' below them lay a wide bay. Its calm, blue waters reflected the sky above almost perfectly, with scarcely a ripple. If she moved closer to the edge, toward the channel, she would be able to hear the waves crashing against the huge rocks and ledges that formed the edge of the Cliff Gates. The channel itself was unfathomably deep, but it was also treacherously narrow. As such, there were currents cutting around those rocks and ledges that could be deadly to an unwary captain and crew.
From the top of the cliff, she could see the many small fishing villages that dotted the coast. Most prominently though, she could see Hamasha. Even here, she could see the damage to the port city. Most of the wall had been destroyed along with the harbor and most of the navy. There were perhaps half a dozen seaworthy vessels left to the Morian Navy. Before the appearance of the mystery army, there had been an armada.
Many people that had lived in Hamasha were now homeless. Others had lost their livelihoods with the destruction of their businesses. All of them looked to their king and his sister to save them from their troubles. Unfortunately, neither king nor lady knew exactly where to begin or how. Certainly they knew what needed to be done, but they did not know how they were to accomplish the rebuilding of a fleet of ships and a harbor. Never mind the walls, homes and businesses that had been destroyed along with everything else. Jasmine believed that one of their top priorities should be the clifftop defenses and the main wall. Eric was not so certain, but he was willing to listen to advice.
Having watched his sister for a few moments, the king moved to stand beside her. “You are right, we do need better weapons. We need a lot of things right now. The problem is, we can’t necessarily afford it. We would probably need to hire laborers from the mainland to have the manpower to do everything that needs doing. You did well when you rewrote those tax laws before descending from the throne, but the treasury has not quite recovered from all the refunds you granted. Though his tactics were cruel, Montego did increase the Royal Treasury by leaps and bounds.”
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the former traitor. The man had been evil incarnate and she carried a scar to prove it. “I would rather have Moriah be scrabbling for every last dime, than to see it thrive on the blood of the poor. That man was evil, cruel, and heartless. The world is a better place without him.”
Eric fell silent then, not wishing to incur his sister’s wrath. He had not been there for the fight between Jasmine and Lord Montego, but he had heard plenty of stories. Jasmine would speak nothing more of it than that it happened, she got hurt, and she won. She refused to talk about it to anyone. Sometimes, her silence made Eric wonder just what Montego had done or said before he died.
“So, where’s Zerith?”
It was Jasmine’s turn to be startled. Zerith was her warder, her protector. He had also fought alongside her to turn back the enemy armies that had attacked Moriah, despite the fact that his own father had lead the first attacks. “I think he said he was going to look into organizing some kind of food chain or something, so that those without homes could still eat at least instead of scrounging through the garbage. I am glad to have him, he’s made things a lot easier in some respects.”
Below them, a large vessel sailed majestically through the exact center of the Cliff Gates. Its arrival was part of why Jasmine had wanted to come up to the top of the Gates today. Unknown to Eric, she had sent for engineers to help in the rebuilding of Moriah. One had answered her and was supposed to be on the ship that was making its way across the bay.
“Enough about that though. Come, we have a guest to meet. I’ve arranged for an engineer to come to aid us in rebuilding our defenses. He should be on that ship crossing the bay right now.”
Not waiting for an answer, Jasmine turned on her heel and began walking briskly down the dirt path. As she went, she held up the hem of her dress so as not to tear it on the rocks. At the end of the footpath, stood a regal carriage drawn by two pure white horses. Jasmine climbed in and was soon joined by the king. In short order, the carriage was on its way down the narrow road that wound down the side of the cliff and to Hamasha.
Once there, Jasmine directed that they be taken to the docks. On arrival, she looked about for the engineer. She had been told his name was Rajani Aishwara. She’d told him in her letter that he should report to the king and that she would be waiting at the dock. Now, she was hoping that he would see them waiting.
“So who is this engineer anyway, Jas?”
Jasmine glanced at her brother, then resumed her watch for Rajani. “His name is Rajani Aishwara. He has a ship called the Peregrine and founded the Peregrine Group. He is reputed to be a skilled engineer and is just what he is. I think I see his ship now.