Knights of Tezoth

— I'm very glad you're here, — Stefania concluded.

Before deciding whether to go to the next colleague, the girl said she needed to find out how the other Knights were doing.

— Are there any thoughts you'd like to share with me? Or maybe you'd like to come with me to see how the others are doing?

- Thoughts... Stefania, what do you think — is the ambition and craving that lives in the human heart good or bad for individuals and society, or not really? In a sense, it's precisely because of this that we ended up here, but on the other hand, it seems this is exactly what lies at the foundation of everything we have now.

— Well... if you look at it from the perspective of those who could be harmed by others' ambitions, I suppose someone might say it's bad. For each individual, everything that forcibly drags them out of their comfort zone, deprives them of something, or makes them do what they categorically don't want to do is bad. If you look at the question more globally, essentially all progress stands on someone's ambitions and craving for something. Take, for example, Eidos the Iron. Without his ambitions and desire to unite Tezoth for its protection, everything would have turned out quite differently. Who knows, maybe without that, a fragmented Tezoth would have long since been devoured by the monsters of regret. Do we need that? Nope.

- Without ambition, we'd still be living in caves, and someone would have had to step out of their comfort zone to get out of those too! Though I'm not sure whether people ever lived in caves or settled straight into cities? I don't remember what the historians of Cortina and the theologians of Osha say about that.

- But be that as it may, progress is great, no, even wonderful! But craving and ambition need to be pure, not selfish. Can you imagine, not long ago I had a dream in which some influential man, because of his love for a woman, exposed thousands of people to great danger — that's exactly the kind of thing one must never do! We need to think bigger! For Gildaria! For Lord Adalard! Long live His Radiance!
The unexpected guest who unceremoniously barged into the conversation of the two girls was the Knight of Unwavering Courage, Dalias Galiot. As his title suggests, he was known for his bravery, but not his wits.
- Hmm! I hope I'm not interrupting you two? Because after the young lord, all sorts of thoughts creep into one's head at the sight of such a scene.

— I'd say the deeds of your dream's hero are truly terrible and inexcusable. I hope his head exploded like an overripe watermelon before he woke up. I also believe that behind any large-scale actions there should be a motivation to make people's lives better. And in this context, I'm talking about the people of Tezoth, not some small separate group of selfish individuals.

Noticing the arrival of the Knight of Unwavering Courage, Stefania gave the young man a hug and answered his question:

— Oh, not at all, you're not interrupting! On the contrary, you'll be the third! — her intentions were honest, and she meant their philosophical conversation with Silvatika.

- I've never tried watermelons, but I'd like to believe that such people can't be found anywhere in all of Tezoth, otherwise that would be truly sad! Though there's already the Blooddrinker, and that's no better. - Having received permission, the newly arrived Knight settles in more comfortably. - Thank you for the invitation! So, my lady, to make people's lives better, we need to make sure that His Strategicity's campaign ends in success, so we'll quickly capture Izkazan, return to Tezoth, and everything will come full circle. How does that plan sound to you?

— The plan sounds good in words, but there are a few nuances. First, we have no idea how strong the inhabitants of Izkazan are. What if there are such powerful annihilators living here that can kill with a single glance? Not to mention the number of enemy troops. Second, we have no idea which part of Izkazan we're in and how advantageous our position is. Third, even if we ourselves turn out to be annihilators by local standards and can easily take the reins of rule through brute force or soft diplomacy, what guarantee is there that we'll find a way out at all?

Worries about the latter weighed on the Knight of Wind, against the backdrop of her fear that she might never see her family members again.

— I am very glad that you are here, — Stefania summed up.

Before deciding whether to go to the next colleague, the girl said that she needed to find out how the other knights were feeling.

— Are there any thoughts you would like to share with me? Or maybe you are interested in finding out how the others are doing together with me?

- Thoughts... Stefania, what do you think, is the ambition and thirst that lives in the human heart good or bad for individuals and society, or not so much? In a sense, this is exactly why we ended up here, but on the other hand, it seems that this is precisely what lies at the foundation of everything we have now.

— Well... if you look at it from the point of view of those who could be harmed by others' ambitions, probably someone would say it's bad. For each individual, everything that forcibly pulls them out of their comfort zone, deprives them of something, or forces them to do something they categorically do not want to do is bad. If we look at the question more globally, essentially all progress is built on someone's ambitions and thirst for something. Take, for example, Aidos the Iron. Without his ambitions and desire to unite Tezoth for its protection, everything would have turned out completely differently. Who knows, maybe without this, a fragmented Tezoth would have long been consumed by the monsters of regret. Do we need that? Nope.

- Without ambitions, we would still be living in caves, and someone would have had to step out of their comfort zone to get out of them too! Although I'm not sure if people ever lived in caves or settled straight into cities? I don't remember what the historians of Cortina and the theologians of Osha say about that.

- But be that as it may, progress is great, no, even wonderful! But the thirst and ambitions need to be pure, not selfish. Can you imagine, I recently had a dream in which some influential person, because of his love for a woman, exposed thousands of people to great danger; that's exactly what you shouldn't do! You need to think broader! For Gildaria! For Lord Adalard! Long live His Radiance!
The unexpected guest who unceremoniously interrupted the conversation between the two girls was the Knight of Unwavering Courage, Dalias Galiot. As his title suggests, he was known for his bravery, but not his intelligence.
- Hmm! I hope I'm not disturbing you two? Because after the young master, all sorts of thoughts creep into my head at the sight of such a scene.

— I suppose the actions of the hero in your dream are truly terrible and inexcusable. I hope his head exploded like an overripe watermelon before he woke up. I also believe that behind any large-scale actions, there should be a motivation to make people's lives better. And in this context, I'm talking about the people of Tezoth, not some separate small group of selfish individuals.

Noticing the appearance of the Knight of Unwavering Courage, Stefania hugged the guy and answered his question:

— Oh, not at all, you're not disturbing us at all! On the contrary, you'll be the third! — her intentions were honest, and she meant their philosophical conversation with Silvatika.

- I've never tried watermelons, but I'd like to believe that such people cannot be found anywhere in all of Tezoth, otherwise it would be extremely sad! Although there is already the Bloodsucker, and that is no better. - Having received permission, the newly arrived knight makes himself comfortable. - Thank you for the invitation! So, my lady, to make people's lives better, we need to ensure that His Strategicity's campaign is a success, so we'll quickly capture Izkazan, return to Tezoth, and everything will go back to normal. How do you like that plan?

— The plan sounds good in words, but there are a few nuances. First, we have no idea how strong the inhabitants of Izkazan are. What if there are such powerful annihilators here that can kill with just a glance? Not to mention the number of enemy troops. Second, we have no idea which part of Izkazan we are in and how advantageous our position is. Third, even if we ourselves turn out to be annihilators by local standards and can easily take the reins of power through brute force or gentle diplomacy, what guarantee is there that we will find a way out at all?

Worries about the latter were overwhelming the Knight of the Wind against the backdrop of her fear of never seeing her family members again.

- Don't worry, Stefania, Knight of the Wind, daughter of Roderick! As long as we have Adalard Grimm, the strongest of the lords of Tezoth, any of our endeavors can only be met with success! Moreover, with due effort on both sides, freeing the way back is only a matter of time.

-- I have no need of the first, I do not fear the second, but a pig in a poke always intrigues me, -- Ambrose chooses the "charm".

Inside, Ambrose finds a cheap-looking talisman.

Charm against gossip
Protects the character from the effect of Carnea's rumors; to maintain the effect, it must be worn throughout the entire conflict.

-- I have no need of the first, I do not fear the second, but a cat in a sack always intrigues me, -- Ambrose chooses the "charm".

Inside, Ambrose discovers a cheap-looking talisman.

Charm against gossip
Protects the character from the effect of Carneia's rumors; to maintain the effect, it must be worn throughout the entire conflict.

-- So I came to set wrongs right, and a charm of truth is my reward for that? How amusing! Well, if fate allows, we shall meet again.
As the next point of inspection, Ambrose chose the "Golden Tongue".

When will this Olivus finally end and the lands of our native Swordgard appear on the horizon... the journey here seemed so quick and serene, but from here... infinity is not the limit!

– How long have we been walking... – Rezara sighed. – Tell me, brave warrior, do you have a family? A wife, children?

Primus must be bored too... we could chat about trivial things...

- I have only the Mission, my lady. For you and for Swordgard I will lay down my life, and only after all our goals are achieved will I allow myself to think of something so personal.

And isn't Axel ready to lay down his life for Kanamia and Mariarnelia?

"— Undoubtedly," the Tanarsian woman said with a smile, nodding at her interlocutor's words, "and I have no intention of pulling you away or hindering your procedures. Would there be a window in your schedule for a rather time-consuming project, milady?"

- Time windows are not something we find, but something we create through our own efforts. - The heiress added a friendly smile to her words. - I would like to say that I will certainly be able to, but before that I need to know what exactly this project entails.

And is Axel not ready to lay down his life for Kanamia and Mariarnelia?

Axel serves first and foremost the abstract Deus as such. And as long as Mariarnelia lives up to the title and honors the agreements, he upholds his end. But this guy is just licking up to Rezare specifically. Besides, Axel has a wife and children.