Ple-Sen
Alaria observed the precautions taken by her liege with appraising curiosity and a certain measure of satisfaction. Where possible, they had secured themselves against dangerous neighbors. In other situations, they had clipped the wings of dangerous giants. Lord Cartridge might not have been the kind of figure who immediately caught the eye or was on everyone's lips, but that did not diminish his connections and his skill at managing available resources. In fact, Kaleido did not even try to attract unnecessary attention to himself. He was an exemplar of quiet strength — the kind that, if it reveals itself to opponents at all, does so at the very last moment.
It was not out of the question that in intrigue he could have rivaled Carnea, who struck fear into many hearts. Only he lacked her scandalous nature and inordinate ambitions, and his characteristic manner of carrying himself was merely thrown into sharper relief by the loud and scandalous reputation of the Bloodsucker. The Tanarsian woman fully allowed that if something were to happen to the latter, her lord might even attempt to seize control over the decapitated network of agents. Or, at the very least, over a part of it. But only if that served his interests. Still, something told Catharsis that if such a thing were to come to pass, then if anyone's workload would certainly increase, it would be hers.
Although the first impression of Lord Cartridge conjured in her mind the image of Delirium Belring, over the course of a long acquaintance the differences became apparent as well. Beyond those, there was also a resemblance to another important figure of that time — Larian Twice. Both were distinguished by a businesslike, pragmatic, and cold-blooded approach to matters. Some might call such methods cruel, but no one would dare deny their effectiveness. It was not hard to imagine that both of these noble men would have found common ground, had fate been free to cross their paths.
That said, the current events were not possible solely through the talents of her liege. However remarkable and gifted a person might be, no one can resolve a problem single-handedly. Kaleido also had competent executors. And he had her. Alaria not only could not deny her own contribution to the current state of affairs — she did not even plan to. Her knowledge and experience, her understanding of the subtleties of such conflicts, were an important and integral element.
But this same fact made her think about something else. About her role in the unfolding game. If there was one thing hard to forget, it was the miraculous circumstances of her resurrection. And the far less miraculous millennia of torment — even more so. The Dawn Raven was playing his own game, dropping useful tools to the most varied, often opposing, sides of the conflict. Likely, he had returned her to the world of the living for that very purpose. But was she merely a chaotic element released for amusement? Someone who would introduce additional uncertainty into a conflict that this dark deity had clearly foreseen? Or had he, all this time, been studying the hidden corners of her soul? Planning from the very start that she would enter the service of Lord Cartridge and become one of the key players in the fate of Cortina?
One could speculate about this for a long time, just as about the motives of her otherworldly "patron." It would not change her course of action regardless. And whether the feathered god did all of this purely to dispel his centuries-old boredom, or to add curious specimens to his collection of souls, was of no critical importance. Her will is her will. If it so happened that her intentions played into the hands of the Raven of Dawn, then so be it. But Catharsis had no intention of forgetting the threads that bound her to that entity either.