Gold Dragon 5

Gold Dragon 5 is an encounter in Civil War.
==Enemies==
* Dido Celwer Bloodwyn (300 Gold, 300 XP, 300 Energy, 1/1/1 HP)
==Transcript==
===Introduction===
Shrenton was nestled in a rustic vista, far from the nearest roads or canals. Hills bordered it on one side, cascading down to the valley below. A forest of dense evergreens shrouded it from the other. Yet remote as it was, Zandon must have spoken true. It was once a target of savage raiders -- and still bore the walls which had shielded it in that long-ago age.
"We don't have siege weapons, captain," Carmath said.
"I don't think we'll need them," Zandon said.
"You Tigers are going to climb the walls, aren't you?"
"I don't think it'll come to that. Look."
The captain followed his pointing finger. People were appearing atop the wall, between the crenellations. A woman in plate armor drew Ranlatta's eye. Long red hair flowed down her pauldron like a horse's tail, alongside a cape in the same hue. From this distance it was impossible to make out her features. Yet her poise and bearing radiated stoic calm.
"Bring me a flag of parlay," he continued. "I'll negotiate with her."
"There are archers up there," Symric said. "You'll be in range."
"As I said, she's an honorable woman. And she knows the village wouldn't survive a siege for long. If I offer her a better way, she'll take it."
Carmath and Symric looked to Ranlatta. She shrugged and called for a white flag. A soldier handed it to Zandon, who stepped forward, clutching its pole. One of the other Purple Tigers moved into his path.
"Sir... I don't think..."
"I know what I'm doing."
"Of... Of course, si... sir. But... Quent said..."
Ranlatta was sure Zandon's lips formed a smile beneath the purple fabric. He walked past the flustered assassin and approached the wall -- waving the flag above his head.
"I acknowledge your flag," Dido said. Her voice was an aristocrat's, elegant but powerful. Authority radiated from each word. "I assume you know I have prisoners within these walls."
"I've come to negotiate their release."
"Since at present they're all that keep your soldiers from attacking, I see no advantage in doing so."
"How long would Shrenton survive a siege? And how much would its people suffer?"
"If you lay siege, you'll force my hand. I'll execute the countess first, then-"
"Killing helpless prisoners? A descendant of Vanessa Celwer Bloodwyn?"
"I'm familiar with my own ancestry, sir. I don't need it recounted. The people within these walls are under my protection. I won't allow them to be harmed. And if I have to resort to such measures to ensure their survival, I will."
"I have a better way."
"Oh?"
"I've heard that you're a skilled duelist."
"I might be the finest in the kingdom."
"Then duel me. If you win, the men and women behind me will leave and never return. But if I win, your fighters will surrender the hostages and swear on your honor never to raise weapons against the crown. They won't be harmed, nor will the people of Shrenton."
"A Purple Tiger can't make such promises."
Zandon braced the banner's pole on the ground, and reached one hand to his mask. He unwound the purple material and tossed it aside. It fluttered to the ground in a broad, snaking ribbon.
"No," he said, "but Crenus Selutha can."
There were cries atop the wall. An archer raised his bow and let fly. The Purple Tigers surged forward. But King Crenus waved the banner, knocking the missile aside and sending it rolling on the grass. He thrust his other palm towards his men. They stopped in their tracks. Dido Celwer Bloodwyn rounded on the bowman, seized him, and thrust him aside.
"No one fires, damn you! Is this what you think of my honor? He's under a flag of truce!" She turned away from her warriors, who cowered as though before a vengeful goddess, and gazed back down at the king. "I accept. Make your preparations, and keep your people in sight but far from our walls."
"Of course." Crenus bowed and walked away.
"Crenus!"
He paused and turned.
"I'll enjoy killing you," she said, "and ending this war."
Dido Celwer Bloodwyn disappeared from the wall. Crenus returned to his comrades, where gawping faces awaited -- Captain Ranlatta's among them.
"You're... You're..." She just didn't have the words.
"Yes," he said.
She turned around, looking to her comrades for aid. Sergeant Carmath was holding up a gold coin and squinting from it to 'Zandon'.
"It's him!" she said. "It's really him!"
"Sergeant!" Ranlatta glared.
"Sire," said one of the Purple Tigers, "this is madness! Quent will have our heads!"
"No. I left him clear instructions. If my own folly and stupidity cause my death, you won't be held responsible."
"But... why?" Ranlatta said. "I... I mean, why, Your Majesty?"
"The countess' father is an old friend. I promised her safe return. And... Well, let that do for now."
"The gates!" Sergeant Carmath said.
Far behind the king, Shrenton's wooden doors creaked open. Its portcullis rose with an immense rattle. Dido Celwer Bloodwyn, descendant of Vanessa Celwer Bloodwyn, a heroine of the Second Drake War, emerged from the village.
King Crenus Selutha, descendant of Arcadius Selutha, hero of that same famed conflict, drew his sword and went to meet her.
===Conclusion===
Ranlatta held her breath. And she wasn't alone. Her soldiers and the Purple Tigers stared at the duelists, overwhelmed by the magnitude and insanity of what they were witnessing.
The two figures drew near, the king in his purple garb, the strong but supple armor of an elite assassin, and Dido clad in her exquisite panoply. Both their heads were bare. The captain didn't know if that was arrogance, protocol, or folly.
Their blades clashed. A quick exchange, each probing the other's defenses. Dido came in with a swift cut. Crenus parried and riposted. Ranlatta thought she saw a slight shift in the swordswoman's stance after that, and believed she understood. The warrior of the Celwer Bloodwyn family had believed she'd find him easy pickings. A man filled with courage or deluded by pride, lacking the skill to make good on either. Now she knew better.
Again steel flashed. She feinted high and struck low. Once more King Crenus blocked her blade. She pressed forward, into his parry, locking their swords. The captain knew this trick. Dido was testing if was a fighter or a mere fencer. And if he was a fencer, he was about to die. For she hooked his leg with her own. Crenus' body lurched, pushed off-balance.
Ranlatta groaned. One of the Purple Tigers stepped forward, but another seized his arm. And the captain's groan became a gasp.
King Crenus twisted, breaking out of the deception, pivoted, and yanked his leg against hers. The suddenness of the maneuver took her by surprise. Her limb shot out from under her. She scrambled, trying to recover. His pommel thudded on the side of her skull first. Dido fell to one knee, blood leaking from her head. Crenus kicked her sword away.
***
Dido Celwer Bloodwyn gazed up at him.
"A sword," she said, "not a noose. Please. Finish me."
Crenus Selutha nodded, and thrust. The cut was clean. Death swift.
His forces were already advancing, mages readying spells to ward off treachery. But the men and women on the wall weren't aiming bows or hurling spears. They merely looked upon their vanquished leader's body and wept.
***
"Why?" Ranlatta asked.
The question had remained on her tongue ever since they set out from Shrenton. When the page ushered her into General Tharcandun's tent, where King Crenus sat alone this time, she blurted it out before he had a chance to speak. She reddened an instant later. He smiled.
"You've heard of Roderick, and %name% Kasan?" he asked.
"Of course, but-"
"So has everyone else in the kingdom. Heroes who risk or sacrifice their lives on the battlefield are easy to love and cheer for. But why would anyone laud a king who hides in his castle while braver men and women die in his stead? West Kruna needs a ruler who'll fight for her. Who can inspire those loyal to his crown."
"But why here? Why my unit?"
"After the massacre at the armory, you wrote a report accepting full responsibility."
"The general told me I was a fool. He threw it away."
"Marlus Quent has excellent sources. He read it, and so did I. The woman who wrote those words, the woman I've watched over the past days, is one I want to lead soldiers in my name."
"I don't understand. I'm already a gold dragon."
Crenus gestured at the doorway that led into the tent's antechamber.
"There's a general's uniform in there," he said. "It's yours."
Category:Civil War