Potential Allies[Gespard]

[Lord Seeker Lambert]

The Lord Seeker cleared the table of all the documents with one sweep of his arm. You could see from his actions that he was very irritated, for his movements were stiff and he breathed impatiently as he cleaned up the room for the soon-to-come visitors. He was an Orlesian, at least, a man of fine manners and beliefs. Gespard seemed like the perfect ally to the Lord Seeker; he had power, lots of it, in the form of influence and armies he could use for his own gains. In return, Gespard would gain the support of the Templars, both financially and militarily, as well as their support for his claim to the throne of Orlais. At first Lambert had went for a more steady approach; perhaps offering an alliance at first and then later expanding it into a full military alliance. But now he had decided that no such delays were needed; he would present the military alliance straight in the beginning. Perhaps it would even shake the man a little, allowing the Lord Seeker to press further and even negotiate of the terms - he considered it a little miracle if Gespard would straightout accept his proposal.

The Lord Seeker sneered. It would have to suffice; although the room was a little dusty, most of it was cleaned. He could almost call it homely, but not with his heart full in it - it for example lacked paintings. It lacked style, it simply wasn't suited for an educated person. But it would have to suffice for now. It was the only place available, and although it wasn't a well-known house, the news of the Lord Seekers arrival had spread fast. Shame though, that only Gespard knows the reason for his visit - this pleased Lambert. He didn't want his road be paved with drama. That was far too grotesque for his taste.

After checking the room thoroughly the Lord Seeker sat down behind his desk, facing the entrance to the room. He had placed a chair on the opposite side of the desk, which stood waiting for Gespard. Now he only had to wait.

[Gespard de Chalons]

It was late evening and the streets of Val Royeaux were empty due to the martial law the new Emperor had initiated. The civil war had fallen in the favor of Gespard de Chalons, but still there was loose ends take care of. Gespard knew the previous Empress, his cousin Celene still lived in exile, but because of the rumors he had spread everyone else thought she was dead. Within the Empire of Orlais Gespard knew there were yet some who held loyalty for the Empress, whether they knew she was dead or gone, and those men and women had caused a lot of trouble, most of all the White Divine, Justinia V.

After what had happened two years ago when the White Divine had secretly assisted the Mages in the White spire, the Lord Seeker had declared an annulment of the Nevarran accord. An accord that had been formed centuries ago which had brought the Templars as a unity under the branch of the Chantry. With that agreement now gone, Gespard hoped he could gain an alliance with Lambert and maybe use it to get the advantage he needed for his Empire to expand in wealth and territory.

Walking through the silent streets that were paved in white stones, Emperor Gespard went to visit the Lord Seeker, choosing the most discreet road to where he was waiting. Among Gespard there were four guards and one elven servant, all equipped to protect and serve. At this particular evening Gespard wore clothes that were typical to the men of his status, dressed in the color of brown and black, but hid not who he was. Everyone was supposed to sleep and if an agent of the Divine or some other followed, he would know of it as he himself had secret agents to watch his back.

Arriving the house were Gespard was supposed to meet Lambert, he simply walked past the guards which the Lord Seeker had stationed and stepped into the house, leaving his own royal guards to stand close by as his elven servant followed nervously. As the Emperor entered he noticed Lambert was sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the table, and with a fixed look on him Gespard took of his gloves and laid them on the table as he spoke in an Orlesian accent. “An honour to meet you Lord Seeker, I`m happy we could have this moment to speak.” Instead of shaking the hand to the Lord Seeker, the Emperor ignored it and as he looked around he was almost shocked to be in a room of sucj filthy as the one he now was in. Before he turned to sit, he looked at his servant and simply ordered the elf to clean the seat such that it would not mess up his clothes. Once it was done, Gespard smiled cautiously and sat down in all his grace and elegance, continuing to speak “I suppose we should get to business then, oui?”

[Lord Seeker Lambert]

Requsting an Alliance

Putain merde.

Should've hired a servant or two to clean this place up, at least. He had watched calmly as the Emperor's servant - an elf - had cleaned his seat. He knew that this was only just and right in the Orlesian Court, but the long years spent with his army had made him forget a lot of the courtly etiquette. Lambert knew many men more worthy to speak to him than the Emperor of Orlais, Gespard Chalons, but worthiness was not the question now. Gespard was smart, cunning and powerful. That was all what was of any importance whatsoever, he reminded himself. The Emperor sat down, smiling cautiously to Lambert. He didn't answer the smile, but instead nodded towards the mess about them. "I apologize for the horrible state of this room. Unfortunately I had to arrive here...quicker than I expected." He now turned his gaze straight at the Emperor, looking him in the eyes. "I prefer getting straight to business. I believe that this we have in common, Emperor. Anyhow, there is a mighty fine proposal I have for you." He paused, letting the words sink in the men. After a few seconds, he continued. "The White Divine is a person of equal grievance to us. She must be eliminated, and with the both of us allied we could squash her like an ant she is. Worthless, you might call her. Overly sympathetic, too proud to realize her own mistakes, a deadly snake who will bite you as soon as you turn your gaze away. She is all that, and more." Then, as if only voicing out a passing fancy, he added: "And we have many more goals in common, too, Emperor, am I not right? I've heard that a certain Empress is still alive. And you have perhaps heard of my goals, too. But we can discuss of the details at a later time, if you wish to accept." He stretched out his arm to shake hands with Gespard.

[Gespard de Chalons]

Hearing that the Lord Seeker knew that Empress Celene still lived shocked Gespard, he had made sure not all knew about it, but for some reason Lambert knew. It was maybe not that surprising that the leader of the Seekers and Templars knew such things, although it was dangerous information that he did not wish to be leaked to the public. Without admitting it, Gespard remained calm as he watched Lambert with a fixed look, folding his hands as he leaned back into the chair. In a firm and decisive Orlesian tone, he replied as he ignored shaking Lambert`s hand. "I am happy to hear we share common interests Lord Seeker."

After a short pause of speaking, Gespard continued; “An alliance between us would surely strengthen our cause and I could not agree more, the White Divine must be eliminated.” He said and smiled cleverly, knowing that Lambert was dependent on the Lyrium that the Chantry had and what support they had from the people, ever since the annulment had happened many of the Templars had lost their support and it had torn the Andrastian believers in two. If the White Divine was removed from her position, both Lambert and Gespard would gain more power. “However, removing the White Divine is no easy task…as you said; she is like a snake who might bite you in the ass.”

“But first and foremost I would like us to discuss the terms of our alliance, if there is going to be one, oui? I need to be sure you won`t betray me afterwards, and I need to know what assets you can offer me? Obviously our unity is needed for the both of us, but would you lend me the support of the Templars in the future should I need it?”Gespard asked curiously, wondering how much he could squeeze out of Lambert before they agreed on removing the White Divine together. Certainly the Emperor could remove her himself, but what would be the fun in that. Also he wanted to know if Lambert had no alliance to Celene, if he had then he could easily backstab Gespard later. Maybe that was how Lambert had got the information about Celene being alive, yet there may been other reasons.

[Lord Seeker Lambert]

Lambert van Reeves stiffened in his chair as he listened to the politician speak. He recognized manipulation when he saw it, but the stiffening was only partly the result of recognition. Jerking his hand back stiffly, he finally cast his sharp eyes at the Emperor of Orlais. He was to become allies with this man, and he would meet him with steely firmness. But still he hesitated before answering. "The Templars serve the Light and Maker. That is a principle I will not let go of. But I did not invite you here to discuss about principles; they are not relevant. If you will ever have need of templars, you will have to contact me personally and submit your cause under my consideration. These are my terms, Emperor." His voice took on a dangerously sharp tone, but he kept the steely clang. His eyes gazed, almost glared, at the Emperor, brown eyes emotionless and as hard as steel.

The Lord Seeker never even considered the possibility that his words might offend the Emperor; he was far too proud for that. Despite being proud, he knew the line which he should not cross. According to his calculations, he hadn't yet crossed that line, but he would be hard pressed to reason a fair trade with this man. He would not give the straight-out support of templars to him; that would basically enable him to do anything. He reminded himself that there was still the possibility of something going wrong, and in that case he would not want too deep ties to Gespard de Chalons. His scouts had reported unrest in Val Royeuaux and the other major towns in Orlais, but nobody seemed to consider rebellion. Lambert was not sure what he would do if one would arise in Orlais - he personally did not like Gespard, but he was intelligent. But Celene had been better. He almost regretted her death; she had been one of the greatest Empresses in the history of Orlais. But no point in dwelling in the past. "Perhaps I can hear your terms now. Remember, we should not bicker too much - I'm sure that the help we can give each other will still be very significant." He flashed a reassuring smile at Gespard.

[Gespard de Chalons]

The demands of Lord Seeker Lambert left a bitter taste in Emperor Gespard`s mouth, he was pushing it and he knew it, however instead of complaining about the situation the Emperor rather showed a slight smirk on the face as he answered with a calm tone. “Very well Lord Seeker, if I need your men I will ask you when the time comes, but know this, if you need my men in the future, you will come to me and I`ll submit your cause under my consideration. However as long we stand together, the more we can accomplish. Agreed?” He said and stood up, handing out the hand to seal the deal and in return gave a glare back that made the tension rise in the room.

Nervously the servant elf behind Gespard stood afraid of would happen should Lambert offend the Emperor, but without a word he waited, hoping it would end soon so they could all return home. The alliance was important for both of them, for Gespard it meant more power and a stronger unity between him and the people, and for Lambert it most likely meant the same if not something else. Had the speak of alliance not been relevant, then none of them would have been there and with a deal promised as it was it would certainly be beneficial.

[Lord Seeker Lambert]

It was almost suspicious how easily the Emperor came to agree on his terms, but he did not need to think about the deal to know which person would end up on the better side of it. Gespard truly did not realize what kind of a deal he had just made. Taking the Emperor's hand and shaking it, he looked the Emperor straight in the eye as if regretting he couldn't have negotiated better terms. That should make him think.

"Yes, it is agreed. Unfortunately I don't have anything to celebrate this alliance with, but I'm sure we will have opportunities for that later."

Of course, the world was stirring. After that fool champion of Kirkwall had began the disunion, it had spread like wildfire in a dry forest. It affected everything in the world, even templars. Reports of templar killings and other misfortunes had increased heavily - they came from the Free Marches, Ferelden, Nevarra... from all around the world, really. He could remember the worst ones - thirty templars killed during one day in Kirkwall, dozens missing in Ferelden - only three had been found - and countless other reports like this. No doubt that the rebellious elements would be quenched soon enough, though - it had always been so, and he had a grander plan in motion right now to bother himself with them. If there were apostates loose, let them. They would fall back to their dark holes when they heard of the victory at Andoral's Reach.

That was another benefit of their alliance. He could now muster his forces at Val Royeaux itself, even receive military aid - although he doubted it would be more than a few hundred - to kill the apostates hiding in that ruined fortress. In fact, he would send out the orders as soon as he as much as arrives in his quarters. There were a hundred templars in the town already, and accompanying Lambert himself were a dozen Seekers, acting as the honor guard of the Lord Seeker. Each man a battle-worn veteran, now acting as his bodyguards, stood waiting in the shadows outside. None were in plain sight, but all were watching. Yet now he would have to concentrate on Gespard; he still needed that permission. He hated using that word, too, but kept his placid look fixed on the Emperor's face. His eyes could've been pure steel.

"No doubt that you already know, but I have prepared for my templars to gather in here, in Val Roeyaux, for the upcoming siege at Andoral's Reach. I do not need your forces, though - if you insist, you can send a few hundred, but our forces alone will be more than enough to crush the apostates."

There. It was out, although clumsily, but still there. There wasn't much the Emperor could do to stop him, either. Now that he thought about it, Orlais wasn't as strong and united than he had thought. The whole country was stirring, stirring like a cookpot, of the Empress Celene's death. He almost regretted it; she had been a fine ruler. Gespard was ambitious, and rash, but the only thing they had right now. And now, accompanied by the Emperor, it still was a dangerous subject to even think about. He decided to postpone the moment of thinking a little further; when he was back at his own quarters.

[Gespard de Chalons]

Shaking Lambert`s hand sealed the deal and with a smile on the face Gespard looked cunningly back at the Lord Seeker, he thought he had done a smart agreement, but that still remained to be seen. What the future held for their alliance none of them currently knew, although hopefully it would give them both some advantages and not only frustration.

“Merci Lord Seeker, but a celebration is not needed, as you say, it can be done later. However what you ask for is…acceptable, I will allow your men to muster in Val Royeaux, and…I suppose I can give you a few men if the need be, but I am sure you already have enough men to deal with the simple apostates, oui? No matter, I`ll send you a few…and in return I hope you can bring security and prosperity to my people.” Emperor Gespard replied in an elegant Orlesian manner, before he gave a slight nod and turned to face the door.

As he walked out without any further word, the elven servant followed quickly behind. There was a lot of work to do, and much needed Gespard`s attention. With the deal now sealed with the Seekers and Templars, he could finally relax and concentrate on his closest enemies. While he traveled to Antiva and to Cumberland, his personal force would remove the loyalist of Celene and replace them with his own, only such that he could return stronger and more powerful than ever before.