"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
hold me in this wild, wild world 'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
When he returns from Nerine, he has a plan. It’s solidified in his mind, the best way to protect his family – his whole family. The Brothers, Galilee and their children, Scorch and Blue. The bay stallion reaches out again, gently touching, calling, adding his voice to the air of the Island in case his gentle mental voice doesn’t reach someone. Then, he waits patiently for them to join him. When they do, he speaks in a low, firm voice to all of those he’s gathered.
“Family. Brothers.” Bright eyes sweep the group, acknowledging that not all of them will fit either category. He doesn’t really care. “In this time of crisis, it has become increasingly clear to me that there is no reason for Nerine and Ischia, two Kingdoms so very similar, to divide forces and homelands. It simply weakens all of us, and for no reason.” There is something in his gaze, something older and sadder than usual. Something that might actually hint at the things he has seen and expects to see again. “Ischia has served us well, and I am proud to have called you my Brothers. My last act as King of the Brotherhood is to announce that we will be merging with Nerine. I am stepping down as King, and ceding the throne to Breckin as we merge.”
He pauses to let them absorb this, but does not pause long enough to invite anyone to speak, yet. “I will not force anyone to go. You may choose to stay here, or venture out on your own. But I hope you will join me in the North. The safe place in the North is Icicle Isle, but some of the Leviathans have stayed in Nerine, afraid of the cold climate for their littles, so I myself may head there to assist in them.” Now he stops, gives them a crooked little smile. “All for one and one for all, whether we are here or someplace else.”
hold me in this wild, wild world and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
BRENNEN
ooc;
sorry this is so soon after the other one - I will reply one more time there but consider this the most recent update.
-Brennen is stepping down, but requests all Brothers and his family move to Nerine with him
-so yes, Ischia is now a leaderless tropical paradise, have fun kids
His intentions for coming here was to assist those in need. Tephra being a safe-haven only fortified that plan more. He held no grudges to what had happened here so long ago. When his mother was stripped of her title and the crown placed high on the head of another. They had gotten past that, at least he had hoped.
A dark stallion arrives soon after Krom and he knows this is a member of the brotherhood. Family. He nods respectfully to the other and looks back to Brennen for a plan. It comes and unexpectedly at that. He had never thought the bay would abandon the land, diseased or not. Though he understood why -the safety of his family. It was noble and Krom simply listened until Brennen was finished. His emerald eyes looked around to find any others that would show before returning the King of Ischia. "These are troubled times and it is wise to stick together," he wished he could say this was true of Tephra but he understood they feared what was happening to their world. They wished for more purpose and direction, to fend off whatever was to come. Magnus knew more about war than him and others were quick to follow in tow. He wasn't going to stop change.
The tropical flora that surrounded them made him think of his childhood and the memories that were rooted into the marshy soils. It is after these thougths that he straightens and decides what he must do. If Tephra and Ischia were to align the west could become stronger. He would try his hardest to rid the land of the plague that festers, if the oppurtunity presents. "If anyone wishes to stay, I will protect them to the best of my ability Brennen," he finds strength in his words and a new purpose.
Putting in a claim for Ischia to be a subkingdom or herdland of the West faction. But really all he wants is to protect Ischia and any who wish to stay here while it's unsafe
The kelpie stirs, rattled by the continuous and novel activity on the tropical island. His face is twisted into a scowl and yet it still remains impossibly handsome. He peers out from the water to where Brennen has summoned the Krakens. The most recent call was more discerning than the first; he is no Brother and so his only indication that they were gathering is the shuffle of hooves on once quiet shores.
That had been enough to rouse him, and the sapphire and gold creature rises from the water near those assembled.
Joining them is beyond his capability (Ivar has never been especially fond of groups of men) but he is clearly present, standing off to the side like some bejeweled outsider. Less an outsider than the green-haired stallion though, the metallic beast who steps up to offer his protection to the Brothers who stay.
Ivar’s lip curls, revealing a surprising number of glittering white teeth. With the Krakens fleeing to the north, the kelpie had seen an opportunity to make good on his boast to Yidhra. The tiny western island had only been large enough for the five of them, and Ivar’s appetite is unending. Expansion was inevitable, and the plague does not frighten him.
Where there fewer witnesses, the kelpie might have taken his chance. Surely iron will sink in the ocean; he imagines for a moment the ways it might corrode in the salt water. But there are too many eyes and the kelpie is brave but not immortal. There are times when caution tempers his instinct. The piebald creature remains silent, though it is clear from his sneer what Ivar thinks of this attempt to take Ischia away from him.
ooc tldr; ivar has (mentally) declared himself king of ischia ?
Folded wings into flattening veins and fluttering eyes
The blue Roan mare made her way through home. Carwyn had recently learned that these lands had been taken over by the plague. She stopped a few feet away from Brennen as he said that he was stepping down as king. She felt like she wants to go with him but at the same time offer to take the land over. She was willing to work with the other leader in some kind of agreement on the herd arrangement. When each of the others finished saying what they needed to she sighed softly. Carwyn said "I feel the need to offer a claim on the land I have called home. I am willing to work with you Kromium on some kind of arrangement with the land." With that being said she'd wait to see what happens next.
It had been a long and eventful evening since arriving on her birthplaces shores. The air was filled with the scents of hibiscus and sea water. Something she had longed to taste again. Even in the dead of winter, the humid air warmed her to her core. She had missed Ischia. She had missed her home.
In her searching for her twin, she had contemplated her life. Finding its repeated history of always running mundane. She found a passion and a purpose within her as she strolled the blue lit beaches. She wanted her home back. A crown that was her birth right and had been taken from her. Pride welled inside her and her mind was made up.
A deep voice calls out and finally she has a direction. Quickly her lithe form slips through the thick tropical flora and across marshy flats to find a gathering. It doesn't surprise her who is front and center, though she had assumed the king and his followers had already departed the island. After all it was not safe.
She approaches from behind and observes who all congregate. The sun reflects off a metallic sheen and she is happy to have finally found her twin brother. Another present offers the same shimmer of sunlight on a bright palette of hues. This face is a more recent familiar one. The scabbing wounds at her withers a very fresh reminder. The winged pinto is unfamiliar to her but as she approaches she can hear discussion of claims. A snort rattles through her chest as her motion has not stopped. Until she is face to face with the bay king. "Thanks for keeping the throne warm Brennen, but I will take my crown back if you are through with it," her tone is not harsh but slightly jaded. After all, it had been him who stripped her of her birthright in the first place. Her silver-lavender eyes focus on the winged stallion, waiting for his final statement before she would address the others gathered...
@[Brennen] giving you an in for your final reply if it is to come still
And this is Karats claim of Ischia. Let the drama unfold XD
so give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light 'cause oh that gave me such a fright
They come in small groups, what is left of the Brotherhood, which only solidifies the idea in his mind that this is what is right – they have, in the past, been a formidable order of warriors, but right now they are something else. No less strong or talented, but amongst them are more peacekeepers and children, lovers and dreamers. It will be easier to protect them if they consolidate with Nerine, where the few warriors left can also help protect their Nerinian sisters and Brothers – which will be all of them, going forward. His gaze rests for a moment on Jesper, and he feels a momentary pang of sorrow for making this decision without warning him first; Jesper is his heir here, after all, while he will have to start again from the bottom in Nerine.
Kromium’s words interrupt his thoughts and he turns to the metal boy, the beginnings of a frown forming on his refined face. “And how do you plan to do that, from Tephra?” he asks, voice mild but not particularly warm. Kromium had literally just assured him his family’s safety in Tephra, but now seems to be planning to ...reside here. Slowly, Brennen pulls himself into a ready stance. He’d been relaxed, quiet, calm; but the undercurrent of what is happening here puts him on edge. He is aware of Ivar on the edge of the group – he’s always aware of the kelpie, remembers well how dangerous the other stallion was in a fight, but for the most part they have coexisted peacefully in Ischia.
Still, he imagines they will both be more comfortable further away from each other.
At his side, his granddaughter speaks. A dark-tipped ear flicks her direction and he favors her with a small smile – he had been perfectly pleased to have Carwyn living alongside him in Ischia, and her assistance had been invaluable in keeping track of their large family; but, he is just as pleased to have her express an interest in something greater now. Each of his children mature at their own rate, and as useless as her mother was, Carwyn might as well have been his direct daughter; if this is her time to shine, he will support her. He is going to respond, to offer his support of Carwyn, but another familiar form interrupts, marching up to stand in front of him, confrontation in every line of her body.
Brennen is still raw, mind oddly open from speaking to his people in a widespread mental net. He can feel the arrogance and entitlement in the little girl’s very fibre of being and it sets him on edge, stoking the fire that has long laid dormant, the contempt he has held for this particular girl’s actions since the first time they interacted. The press of it on his unprotected nerves is simply too much, and his careful filters fail him. The words that come from his mouth are not carefully screened and polished like he has always strived for but ice-hot fury, sharp-edged in a way few have truly experienced. Brennen: unfiltered. This high-stress time was the wrong moment to piss him off. The water all around them – running in and around the island, hanging heavy in the air – reacts to his temper, so much so in some places that the very island trembles under their hooves, and the air seems to nearly solidify around them, hard to breath and oppressive. Anyone in the water itself would find the currents change course, the waves crash higher and higher at the edges of the island.
“You,” he says with disdain dripping from each syllable, “Are still the same entitled, self-centered brat who thought she could be given a Kingdom for nothing as a child. You don’t deserve a throne of any sort, much less Ischia. You have done nothing for this Kingdom – have not even bothered to return to her until there was something in it for you. You were not exiled – you chose to leave, and while that might have been excusable for a short time since you were barely past suckling off of your mother, you have had many long years to return and devote yourself to Ischia if you truly cared for her. Perhaps, had you proven worthy, you might have been named heir again, on merit instead of a laughable single generation ‘birthright’ implied by finding a pretty shell in the surf.”
Krone, in Brennen’s opinion, had barely held the Caretaker position through merit. He had given her his loyalty only conditionally – that she was the best choice for Ischia. When Krone had failed Ischia, he had no longer owed her loyalty. Ischia under the Brotherhood had flourished. He didn’t hold to bloodline exclusivity, preferring to choose leaders based on both blood and merit, and Krone’s weanling daughter had had no merit, and neither has she managed to acquire any in the time since. There was a single line of Kings to which Brennen had pledged anything more than a cursory loyalty, and Diresong and his sons are long vanished from this land. “You have no claim on Ischia, Karat. Neither do you,” he glances at Kromium and while he finds the metal-and-green twin infinitely preferable to the purple one, it is obvious from the searing heat in his fleeting glance and snort of disapproval exactly what he thinks of Kromium offering the support of Tephra on one hand and then backing this ridiculous claim of his sister’s on the other. “You are still fickle, unproven, immature, and unreliable.”
The bay takes a deep breath, trying to bank the fire in his chest, and forces himself to lock down on the escaping magic. The air lightens marginally, though still twice as humid as it should be, and the ground mostly stills underfoot. “It is not entirely my place to give away the throne of Ischia. Not when I am voluntarily leaving her. However, I would back the claim of one of my parrot friends before I ever considered leaving the throne to you. The residents of Ischia – those that have stayed, not those of you newly returned like sharks circling around a carcass – have the right to decide how you go forward from here. However, if I were to choose an heir it would be someone like Carwyn; mature and reliable. Perhaps alongside Ivar, who has lived here many years and is waiting patiently for you to slither back to wherever you came from so he can claim a land he has called home as long or longer than you.” There’s some degree of amusement in his bright eyes at that, as he flicks a look towards the kelpie to see if he’s edged closer. He hadn’t missed the bite mark on the girl, and he takes a perverse pleasure in knowing Ivar has presumably already put the arrogant creature in her place once and will be willing to do so again.
“But know this – Nerine will not recognize your claim on this land.” He knows he shouldn’t speak for Breckin, not without discussing it with her, but they are old friends. He is confident that she will have no more respect for this foolishness than he, and she is likely to listen to his advice on the matter. “Nor would we ever consider backing Ischia under your leadership as the Kingdom in this sector. We will find our allies amongst those who stay at Tephra, or whomever comes to power in Island Resort.” As the fury has cooled, so has his voice – his clipped, burning hot tones have slowed, ice still dripping off of every word but the cadence back to his customary drawl, the eminently reasonable stallion they all expect to deal with – but perhaps now that they have had a mere taste of his temper, they will understand why he keeps it carefully sheathed. It is not a weapon to be used carelessly.
Brennen turns his head, trails his nose down his granddaughter’s shoulder in a final silent show of support for her claim, and then he is simply gone.
but I will hold as long as you like just promise me we'll be alright
The kelpie turns at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. It's a bird winged mare, her coat soft blue and white. Ivar traces the feminine curves of her figure with bold interest, but it is not until she mentions making an arrangement with @[Kromium] does he consider her as anything more than decoration - and perhaps a meal. Carwyn stakes a claim on his island, and the kelpie scowls, though it deepens at the idea of a stranger so willing to share with the metallic Tephran.
He has no time to interject - not that he would have, because he is too practiced in the art of waiting for more opportune moments - before the silvered lavender mare arrives. She stops too close to her green haired brother, and a rumbling growl emanates from the piebald kelpie. Though their conversation had ended with a fair amount of uncertainty, he had no intentions of releasing his claim on Karat. He can still see the mark he'd left on her shoulder, and wonders if perhaps he should not give her another as a deeper reminder to whom she belongs.
Brennen addresses Karat then, and Ivar's attention flicks to the others gathered, resting once again on the pegasus who had so readily claimed the island. She does smell of the sea and not Tephra, so he takes a step closer without really meaning too, drawn toward prey the same way it is drawn to him.
It is not until he feels the shift of the water that he looks back to Brennen. The bay stallion is disturbing Ivar's ocean and the kelpie is ready with a threat until he meets the magician's gaze. The kelpie has avoided the other man since his defeat in the Alliance (he is prideful, after all, and does not enjoy being reminded of his failures) and while he is still perturbed by the way Brennen toys with his his ocean, he is willing to wait to see what the other horse might have to say.
The political talk is uninteresting, but Ivar is placated for a few seconds by the memories of Nerinian queens. He has not yet had the pleasure of taking their current spotted queen, and he wonders if perhaps having a larger island might make his efforts at courting more palatable.
There's no harm in trying, anyway.
"If you're leaving," he says, having stepped through the surf until he is just near enough to the gathering to be heard, "Then Ischia is mine." Ivar has no reasoning for this, no stolen crown or rightful inheritance. He simply wants it, and so plans to take it. He does also want to run his muzzle down the so-close curve of @[Karat]'s barrel as a reminder of their chat, but he is not in the mood for a scuffle with her brother this morning - not when @[Brennen] is so near and unpredictable.
@[Carwyn] is equally tempting, but he is beginning to suspect kinship between the roan mare and the bay stallion. Ivar is a bold creature, but he is not foolish enough to attempt to seduce a woman in front of her family. Especially not when the woman also seems to want a crown and Brennen is not opposed to giving it to her.
"We might come to an agreement," He offers to the overo pegasus, though his idea of an agreement centers more around the idea of her growing round with his child and less with the politics that Brennen is so concerned with. Ivar's golden eyes flick to Karat, with whom he has already come to a rough sort of balance, and he makes no effort to hide the amusement that flickers across his pale face.
The winged girl gave her grandfather a proud smile. She whispered a thank you to her grandfather as he left. took in everything he had said and then looked at each of the others. She looked at the kelpie stallion and gave him a small smile. The blue roan mare said "Well what kind of arrangement are you willing to make Ivar?" She would hope that whatever Ivar decided on was something that she could agree on.
Much happens in the small amount of time they have gathered. Brennens even tempered facade fades when the bay looks to him with a frown. His iron face lines with confusion at how the bay had not heard him say he would assist those to Tephra who wished for safety. Obviously he could not stop the plague here. Not yet. But when it was safe to return to Ischia then they would do so. He doesn't get a chance to respond before another speaks up.
A winged pegasus, that he is soon to find out is related to the bay stallion. She address him with a proposition of ruling together and he doesn't dismiss the potential. He wasn't sure he was considering ruling the kingdom but more so protecting it and the people within its borders until it was safe again. He simply nods to her but everyone's attention is stolen by yet another arriving...
*Ivar is lurking somewhere along the edge of the gathering which Krom does not notice...*
"Karat?!" He whispers in a state of confusion. He had not know she had followed him here and is quite shocked with her brash entrance. Emerald eyes watch as she seats herself front and center, addressing the large bay with outright disrespect. That is when the earth begins to tremble.
His emerald eyes turn to find something of a memory coming back to him. Immediately, iron begins to prick along his spine as the kelpie states a claim to the island. It is not the possession of land that causes him to react in such a way, but the remnants of a time not so long ago when he had met the stranger much too close to his twin sister. Fortunately he had ended that ordeal swiftly and hadn't seen hide nor hair of the piebald stallion since. But now he notices the stallions golden eyes turning towards his sister in curious interest. It is enough to send the earth quaking again, this time warping the iron ore of their world into metallic spears if he so chose to craft them and be done with this threat.
He resists because he is half listening to Brennen degrade his family and offer his support to one of his own bloodline, the winged roan. A snort rattles in his chest at the bays lack of respect for his family, but before anything comes to a head, the Ischian king is gone and they are left to sift through the ashes of this wildfire.
The armored stallion turns to those gathered, "I am here to aide any who wish to remain on the island or travel to Tephra to reside there until this island is safe again." He looks to Carwyn who has already shifted sides and is willing to strike a deal with the kelpie. He is perfectly fine with this and turns to Karat while the others are semi distracted, "Karat! What are you doing?!" He is perplexed at his twins sudden ambition and something catches his eye as he steps closer to her side. A fresh wound along her spine that resembles an animal attack. Again his fury returns, "What happened to your back? What hurt you?" His eyes are steel as he awaits her explanation, only half paying attention to whatever deal the others were conjuring up...
Sooo this is all over the place cuz the post order got wonky BUT I hope I got the main points from Kroms point of view. Sry it suxs
The reaction she pulls from the bay is expected. They had never been on good terms, even though he was the cause of everything wrong in her life. They could have grown up here on the island, had a home, safety. Their parents could still be alive... They should have had everything, but he had stood against her mothers rule and now that his own grasp had faded from Ischia, he was willing to make claims about her. All the while offering support for a child of his own that had yet to carve her name in the history of their world besides being a spawn of himself. This winged mare was no more suited for a crown than he thought she was.
Earth rattles and water roils as he speaks down at her, but she was sick of running because someone told her she wasn't enough. That they had to yet again leave because she was told to. She was done running. Maybe if her family had chose to stay, all he speaks of would have happened, but she doubts it. She is not of his blood and he favors his own over the others, like any proud parent would. So he could not blame her for downfalls he too is faulted of doing.
She listens while he rants, and when he has finished, words do not have time to surface before the winged bay evaporates into the humid air. Lavender whips slash against her silver hide in obvious agitation. Krom is near her but she does not notice the irritation he too holds for the situation. His deep voice whispers for her attention and she gives it briefly. Her focus is leaning towards the crown and those bickering over it as Krom pries for information. Snapping her head towards him she releases the fury that has built up inside, "I am taking back what was ours by any means possible." She had hoped that would quiet him but again he is beckoning for her to answer him, "It's nothing Krom. I am fine. Just leave it alone!"
Her lavender body then steps from her twins side and towards the others. She regards the roan pegasus, a possible contender for her throne. She examines the mare from a distance, finding that the overo didn't look too big of a threat. But then the roan turns to Ivar with curiosity to an arrangement and she is quick to interject, "Ivar and I have already come to an agreement." Her eyes harden and flicker to him before returning to the mare, "But we would love to offer you a position here, that is if you'd like to represent Ischia as a diplomat of sorts. Right Ivar?"A play thing of sorts she thinks but does not say. If anything the pegasus could be a valuable asset. "Ivar has agreed to be Ischias Champion, I -Her Keeper... and well you Carwyn, you could be -Her Heart." She smiles at the mare before looking to her brother, "Even Krom could be Her Protector... If he wished to be part of Ischia again." She would not deny her brother a position here. It had been taken from him too, but she knows in the back of her mind that her admittance here -of an alliance behind his back- may bring bile to rise in his throat. "What do you say to that Carwyn?"
The boiling temper inside her had simmered upon the dismissal of the winged bay. There was history between them that would remain sour. But, it would not taint the remainder of their meeting any further...
@[Ivar] @[Carwyn] If i need to edit anything just PM/DM me
For clarity purposes the ranks she is proposing are as follows;
Her Champion- Champion of Ischia and protector of Her Keeper(or owner lol, minor details)
Her Keeper- Current leader of Ischia
Her Heart- Represents Ischias' core values
Her Protector- Protects the land and her people
