>>5740797This settled, you go on to tell her—and everyone—the truth, the whole truth, and nothing BUT the truth.
“I came here on behalf of my… People… To infiltrate and disrupt the city, and mosst essspecially to COMPROMISSSE you, Queen Ekaterine,” you admit, tilting your head. “I… Insstead fell in love, with you and with your people. I ssseek a better future for usss all now, asss I have told you. Thisss isss all true. Alasss, not all my colleaguess agreed, and thiss provoked ssome HASSSTY actionsss. Asss ssoon asss I disscovered the plot, my firssst act wasss to put an end to it, and then to alert the PALADINSSS to the danger immediately after that.”
“So you have no ill-intent for the people for Hawksong?” Ekaterine asks, loud enough for everyone to hear.
You hesitate. She looks to you with a bright, reassuring smile, and an encouraging nod.
“You will sswear, on your, ah, your chivalric oath… That you are here as a FRIEND and ALLY of Hawksong, and shall be evermore?”
You stare. That… Isnt’ EXACTLY true, after all, is it? You still wish to subvert the city, conquer it, and render it less than it currently is. This city is built on the bones of an ancient draconic empire, on stolen soil, and its glory is your Master Race’s shame and embarrassment. You don’t wish to enslave or destroy the Race of Man, but YOUR race must have primacy, surely? How are you to answer this diplomatically, under the bounds of a Knight Ascendant’s honourable oath?
Murmuring begins as you fail to answer. Ekaterine recognizes your delay in responding, but mistakes the cause, hastily appending:
“Oh! A-ah, yes, sorry, of course. You mean to be a FRIEND of Hawksong and to never do the city or its people harm, so long as they agree to leave YOU and the people of BLOODRISE in peace… Is that right?”
All eyes are on you again… Even those of Sir Marzineo who, far from outraged or angry, actually looks intrigued. That makes you more anxious than ever, in all honesty, and yet you must say SOEMTHING. What will it be?
>Agree: you are a friend and ally to Hawksong, harmless if they do not harm you or yours>Disagree: you bring not peace but CONQUEST, and the sword, to those who stand even passively and innocently in your way>Modify the terms[Write-in, requires Diplomacy not to cause Ekaterine or the others present to become suspicious or upset] 