Fei Lak's Audience Hall - Shanggu

[Shale]

The guards proceed with the regular protocols of a quick search and safekeep of any apparent weapons. The guards quickly announce the duo to Fei Lak who is garbed in his ceremonial clothing, reviewing reports over a cup of tea.

"Master Kei, please be welcome. I am also honored to meet you Master Qu."

He laid down the papers and rose, approaching the two.

"Please join me, I was about to have something to eat, I am told I do not do that enough."

He shot a backward glance at one of the attendants. He invited his guests to sit at a side table

"Master Kei, I am glad you have decided to at least meet with me. My political situation is becoming very complex and I fear to soon be overwhelmed. I need a man of your talents to help guide my hand as well as my armies."

Some tea and wine arrived with some buns and honey. Lak waited for his guests before taking some food himself.

The pair took seats at the table, Kei Gao reached for the tea, pouring himself some, sniffing it cautiously. “Your own tea? I assume you would have no reason to kill me other than a way of keeping me from joining other Lords.” Sipping the tea and nodding to Qu. Qu proceeding to take two buns and helping himself to the wine.

“Tell me, how is your political situation becoming overwhelming? I do understand that a man of my... skills is a valuable ‘asset’ to any kingdom, and indeed I have received many invitations. I would like to know what stance you are taking in this period, I would like to know what kind of man you are and what kind of officer you are looking for... there have been attempts from other lords to buy me with gold, or hire me as some cheap mercenary. My family throughout the ages have helped Lords govern lands through their offspring, tell me why the Kei family should associate themselves with you?” Said Kei Gao.

By this time Qu had finished the sweet buns. “I would also like to know what sort of position you can offer master Kei, he is a good man at heart, if not sometimes a bit jagged and blunt in his words.” Said Qu, glugging down a cup of wine.

[Phailak]

Lak also took one of the buns and ate while Kei Gao asked his questions. He nodded to both of their requests as he finished chewing.

"In Yan, we have had to struggle mightily of every strip of land. There is not a village, town of city we did not have to fight for. My feeble foresight did not allow me to see that more than warlords were needed to acquire what we believe are the resources to put in place our dreams. In my travels as well as in my youth, I have managed to befriend some very important and powerful allies and when the call to unite Yan came to me, we came to the conclusion that perhaps we could look beyond our own borders to establish somewhat of a northern authority."

Lak took a sip of wine, seeing his guests were not yet bored, he continued.

"As you may have heard, our quest continues this month with an incursion in Changshan to broaden our influence. This was a difficult position because I had no contacts from a diplomacy point of view nor did I have any intelligence on the military happenings. So while I expected to maybe meet King Wu's forces also going for the same target, I instead came face to face with an independant force that while it was impressive was no match for our armies, we were lucky this time."

The Prefect nodded as if agreeing with his own statement.

"I believe I have managed to hire a very competent diplomat that can help me perhaps avoid some wars or at the very least be more convincing when an opportunity for surrender is presented. You can understand though that I am still in dire need for someone to organize our intelligence and guide us on our next steps."

He turned to Qu Long

"As a start, master Kei would be named District Justiciar, a small rank until we can organize our forces. He will be head of all intelligence, advise on diplomatic missions and targets to acquire. You yourself can also join us and report directly to him."

He turned back to Master Kei.

"There are none better at war than us men from Yan, but if we intend to grow our influence further, I do know that more than battles and bloodshed is needed. You would be the foundation we would build that on, in your responsabilities you will also have to build a network of men to work for us. What say you?"

[Shale]

Kei Gao nods at Lord Fei Laks’ response, and in turn speaks back.
“I would like to make clear I am no cold blooded murderer... Yes bloodshed is sometimes necessary, however, I believe what we do in life echoes throughout eternity. I do not wish to be remembered as one who cared more for himself than others.”

He pauses to sip some tea. “I wish to know what kind of man you are, do you strive to protect the people of the lands, or do you purely seek glory and gold as other Lords do? Other Lords offer me 'employment', perhaps so I may do their dirty work and their hands remain relatively unstained when they cast me aside.”

He looks to Qu who seems a but drunk now, sighs and looks back to Lord Fei Lak. “I do not seek glory, I do not seek gold, I do not seek a home, I do not seek war, I seek peace, I do know that the route to peace can be a bloody one however... I seek to make sure that this bloodshed is kept to a minimum. Can you promise me that you can sustain as many lives as possible?”

“I want a voice which is heard...”

[Phailak]

Lak sighed and took some more wine.

"We are so alike, I believe we are destined to do great things. In my youth, my thoughts mirrored your own. Until as recently as last year, I was travelling the land and witnessed a corruption so foul, it boiled my blood. In my naivety, I thought perhaps a show of arms and a silver tongue might acquire us enough power so that we could exert enough influence to start a wave of change that would cleanse the land. I was confronted to reality in the first month of our plans. I had troops, arms and such capable men that I thought nothing could stop us."

Taking a deep breath, the Prefect continued.

"At first, it was as if war was a distant echo, my generals brought news of victory with smiles on their faces. Ma Dieu promised ease with each new struggle. Jing shielded me from the ravages of the bloodshed. Then, I decided despite their objections to participate in the taking of Shanggu. A brilliant man Zun Yan took advantage of the struggle between myself and my nemesis Li Lang and took Shanggu. I left Li Lang to chase meaningless towns and villages while I sent my forces to the city. Leading them with Ma Dieu as the commander, I witnessed the horror first hand. And that was not even a large scale battle. I almost pleaded with our opponents to surrender against impossible odds, yet they refused."

Lak shook his head at the memory.

"I was determined to avoid such needless violence once more. My forces were growing and we needed more territory to sustain our ambitions. I convinced the Prefect of Ji to hand over the city he had just wrestled politically form the former Prefect. With no intelligence on the city however, we failed to city the population did not agree with such a drastic take over. They almost killed Kung Xian for his efforts at peace and war occured once again the following month."

He pointed a finger at Kei Gao

"You can help me avoid such mistakes in the future. Even as we take yet another city in Changshan, we are growing in both ambition and power. The King Wu Chen is a mystery to me, both his intentions and his strength. Men that I have sent to find more information failed. lady Lu Ying in Jibei is also an unknown for our forces."

He put his hand on his chest

"I am the kind of man that is honest, a quality that sometimes can put me and my men in trouble. I do also want peace, but I cannot succomb to it until I can be assured the corruption that is robbing the common folk of their rights is removed. It is difficult for me to trust another with such a task, therefore I try to spread my influence as much as possible. I have an idea of those I believe should be equals to our ideals, but there is still so much left to accomplish, how may I be sure."

Finally he nodded.

"Your voice shall be heard. Every month we have councils, we debate. The decisions made do not always please everyone, but are sometimes necessary. Our incursion into Changshan in particular was not so popular, but with over 30 officers and the costs to sustain an army as large as ours, we need another city. If you and your companion could join us, it would alleviate so much from my shoulders. I never expect you to change who you are, you do things your way, they have yielded good results from what I have heard."

The Prefect waited expectantly for a response.

[Shale]

Kei Gao was impressed indeed, so much so he uttered words that he did not think he would ever utter, "You indeed seem like a worthy Lord Fei Lak, if everything you have told me is true it would be my honour to join you." He stands, so does his companion, "We would be honoured to serve under your flag Lord Fei Lak!"

Returning to his seat,"Now that is out of the way... much of the fog of war has arised in these times of turmoil... you have the resources to see through this fog... I have not, could you lay out the main issues of this time? I should like to know a broad view of the world at this time, if you would be so kind"

[Phailak]

Lak's smile broadened.

"Yes, indeed let us discuss matters of state. Perhaps in my office where it is more private."

OOC: Will send PM tomorrow morning with an overview, we can also continue RP in Fei Lak's Offices if you'd rather that
Post OI here: http://www.simwarlords.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1869
Post NPC hiring here (just say you are offering your NPC to the kingdom with his name): http://www.simwarlords.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1901
PH access granted!

[Marzy]

He stepped out into the morning light with a great yawn. A tiger pelt he'd just wrapped around his waist helped keep him warm over the night. He awoke to find his companion already up and about, putting away their things so they could get going soon.

"It's about time you got up," he said gruffly.

Kong wouldn't utter a word in response. The morning sun was too inviting, and the letter in his pouch too intriguing.

He took it out again to look over it once more. It was a letter from Prefect Fei Lac of Shanggu. He decided to head to him first as it was the first letter he had received since... that unfortunate incident.

He tried not to think about it, but the man had a taste for drink. Before, he lived a bit of a modest life. He knew things, no doubt, but most of it was from studying under his old friend here. However, one day, he was involved in a bit of a bar brawl. And by a bit, he... really did a lot more than he meant to. One thing led to another and soon, he was on the road.

Kong wasn't sure how he got the attention of a man who lived all the way out here in Yan province. But he wasn't about to complain. A new life would not come cheaply.

"Hey, help me put up the tent," his friend said, bringing Kong's attention away from the letter in his hands.

Kong smirked. "Gan Lu, don't you ever get tired of this song and dance?"

"Yes, that's why I wish you'd stop sassing for once and actually help."

"Yeah yeah..."

When they were finished, they took to the road again. They had encamped close to the walls of Shanggu. It was not long before they rode up to the open gates and could peer into the life inside.

Rather than step through, Kong turned from atop his horse and shouted to one of the guards.

"Hey you! I got a letter from Prefect Fei Lak here! Would you do me and my friend here a favor and take us to him?!"

[Phailak]

One of the guards approached the two men out of the gate. The duo was guided within the city to the administration building. There, they met more guards who nodded at the request which the first guard relayed.

"Lord Fei is within, we can take you to him if you will consent to our standard protocols. Simply hand over your weapons for safekeeping and allow us to make a quick search."

The guards wait for their consent.

[Marzy]

Both Shing Kong and Gan Lu dismounted as the gate guards guided them down the streets. They made a beeline for the administrative complex, taking little time for sight seeing. However, Shing Kong did make note of any and all taverns he saw along the way.

As they got up to the administrative complex, the guards there exchanged words before turning to the two travelers.

"Lord Fei is within, we can take you to him if you will consent to our standard protocols. Simply hand over your weapons for safekeeping and allow us to make a quick search," said one. The other guards on duty stood by waiting for consent before making their moves.

"Just take care of good ol' Blackie here," Kong replied as he handed over the reins to his brown haired horse. Gan Lu just sighed and rolled his eyes as he took his sheathed jian from his side and handed it to one of the guards.

Shing Kong took out the throwing daggers he also had on him and handed them to the guard he handed the reins to. His spear was tied to the horse, so he didn't bother with that. The two submitted themselves to whatever else the guards deemed necessary before they could be allowed to see Prefect Fei.

[Phailak]

The guards took the offered items and nodded at the request to take care of the horse. They led both men through a series of halls and ended their small walk at double doors. They entered and saw a man in his early thirties, listening to reports on what the two new arrivals would have to guess was about Changshan. He waved the man that had just finished the report away and gave his attention to his guests, wihch the guards announced.

"Masters Shing and Gan to see Lord Fei."

Lak nodded and smiled.

"You bestow too much honor upon me to make such haste to visit us in Yan, I know the trip was not an easy or short one, please join me for some wine and perhaps some honey buns?"

The Prefect seemed very casual as he invited his two guests to a side table. Someone came in at the time but Lak waved them away.

"You'll have to excuse my men, I receive constant reports from Changshan, you'd swear we were being besieged on all fronts. So, please be welcomed."

He poured them some wine and waited for them to get comfortable