🐙 Planet Aberat, Kingdom of Selya-Mira 🐙 Auto-translated

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Meanwhile, the air began to smell of oil.    

Radiant Watermelons in oil 😳

The text describes a tabletop (or rather, table-floor-stool-wagon-compartment) card game invented spontaneously, which stands out due to its simplicity and minimal required inventory:
Take a deck of cards of any size, choose the Queen of Hearts and place it on the table – this is Ceraria. Shuffle the rest and deal 5 cards to each player. Hearts are priestesses, spades are guards, diamonds are the floral house, and clubs are the brown banner. Hearts beat diamonds, diamonds beat spades, spades beat clubs, and clubs beat hearts.
A player is chosen randomly to go first. They play a card, and the other player must either beat it or take the card and skip their turn. If they don't have enough strong cards to beat it, they can add a card from an allied suit – hearts to spades, clubs to diamonds, and vice versa. The attacking player can also initially play a card of the same strength from an allied suit. After the battle, the player must draw cards until they have five in their hand, if they have fewer.
The player who, after the deck is exhausted down to the Queen of Hearts, is left without any cards, gains the right to an audience with Ceraria and to kneel before her, and thus wins.
If, after the deck is exhausted, the players cannot beat each other's cards for three turns, and the situation results in a draw, then the player with the highest-ranking card among hearts, spades, or diamonds wins. Clubs are not counted here, because their place is in the toilet.

Brown Banner caused trouble not only for looters and guards. When Keraak emerged victorious from the writers' challenge, someone's muscular hands squeezed his throat with a force incompatible with continuing the breathing process. After that, a powerful kick sent the fox face-first into the ground. Then the assassin left, and Keraak... just lay there for a bit and got back on his feet, because he didn't need to breathe anymore.

- ...
-...
-...
Tilting his head to the side in an uncharacteristic manner before straightening it, Dervos squints at the floral creature:
- We are all dead inside to some extent, - he didn't quite grasp the detail mentioned earlier. - But you really do look rather unwell. Did you eat something bad, or were you playing with a box?
With a single movement, he pulled a piece of paper and a pencil from under his armor:
- If you were attacked, I suggest you write a statement, not missing a single detail. As it turns out, you have some ill-wishers here, - he turned his head, trying to spot them behind the fox-like silhouette. - Or is your life still in immediate danger?

Around this time, one of Dervos's old acquaintances came to check out his tabletop game.

- It looks interesting. Shall we play?

- Ah, Kayla. Why not. I haven't really tested it for any flaws, but the main thing is that it allows you to pass the time.

Added 1 hour 18 minutes ago
I think it will be easier and less tedious to roll a die...

Wandering around the festival and carefully observing suspicious individuals, Albrecht finds Dеревоса and the fox.

Can I help them against the brown standard-bearers, right?

– An Undead? – Kayla narrowed her eyes. – I think you’ll have to file an application to be included in the list of undead residents of the capital. Slightly annoyed by the encounter with the police necromancer, Keraak first writes a note for her, describing the shameful story of his death at the claws of puppies, and then for Derevos, in which, among other things, he suspects the Brown Banner of being involved in the assassination attempt, because only these knights have good reasons to kill the envoy of the House of Pink Flowers. – You’re so lucky, envoy, – Kayla rolls up the statement and puts it in her pocket, – If you hadn’t died in that cave and met that necromancer, you would have died completely and irrevocably now. I must admit, I didn’t expect such an experienced brother in the arts to be present near the capital. At this point, Albrecht joins our trio. Keraak immediately recognizes him. – Oh, it’s you. Greetings, – the fox smiled radiantly. Due to the important conversation, the game is postponed for now. **Meanwhile, with Harold and Yuventius:** Harold, in a T-pose, moves towards the musicians; there’s no time to waste. Yuventius goes to try his luck at dancing. **Meanwhile, with Radianta:** – Well, my dear, this is the end for you, – one of the knights said sadly and headed towards the apparently paralyzed and terrified thief. However, the crusade against Radianta was immediately interrupted by another knight. – I think… or are there too few of us? The supporters of the Brown Banner began to look around anxiously. And indeed: their numbers had mysteriously decreased! – Yaschur went to the cellar for supplies… but the others should be here… – Hey?! Where are you?! In response, only silence. – I don’t like this… Unexpectedly, a bloodied helmet rolled out of the broken gates of the thieves’ haven. – That’s who… – swore, probably, the main knight. As if in mockery, his curse was echoed by a mocking giggle, and a sheiran ran out after the helmet. – Damn it… However, the fluffy terror ran past, paying no attention to the knights and Radianta. But a few moments later, a long wail was heard from somewhere. – That’s Yaschur! – It seems he is no longer with us… – Form up! Get into defensive positions! – ordered the commander of the Brown Banner. However, whoever was killing the knights, he was clearly going to attack only in the form of a rat. Therefore, after standing in place for a while, the arsonists still decided to enter the thieves’ haven. – Hey, you! Stay close to me! – they ordered Radianta, and she hardly dared to disobey. But soon Radianta is forgotten, because in the ballroom they were met with a terrible sight: in the carved basin, which was usually simply filled with water so that the thieves could wash their hands after the road, lay a knight without gauntlets. Blood flowed from his cut veins, giving the basin a charming crimson hue. – This is too much! – exclaimed the commander and turned back towards the gates, but immediately ran his chest onto a rapier. In the silence of the ballroom, a melodic female voice said the following words: – I was planning to kill them one by one, elegantly, imperceptibly… why did I have to abandon this plan and save someone? – Melen Volden asked, addressing Radianta.

Wow, what kind of people.

She had appeared before. In the scene where Radianta submitted the work about the Master's generosity. Although she was introduced there as the head of the Walden clan, without a name.

The main thing is that she doesn't start causing suicides here, while also ruining the players' characters.

Derevos nods approvingly at the actions initiated by Kayla. Mutilation, curse, rape, brainwashing, death – there are many misfortunes in life, but this is not a reason to compromise on order. Document everything now so that you don't have any questions later. The state is always ready to show understanding and support for honest people who have nothing to hide; that's what it exists for. After glancing at the statement made by the disgruntled Kearak, he looks up at him: "I sympathize with your loss, sir," he says, then shakes the paper. "As for the attacker, I assume you didn't get a good look at him? This makes things a little difficult. By the way, are you familiar with a person with these characteristics?" he describes the Nemesis, then nods to the approaching Nebos before turning a curious gaze to the fox.

– Hmm... – Keraak thinks hard. – I haven't met him personally, but the description is very similar to Captain Remar Vuln from the Brown Banner. He is one of the strongest commanders of the renegades. We have received quite a few reports about him in the last few months.

It seems that the Brown Banner is strongly focused on the House of Pink Flowers. It would be wise to discuss this with the matriarch.

– Remar Vuln? Wasn't he the one who crushed the elite squad of the Great Cathedral, sent to suppress the rebellion? – Kayla clarified. – It seems that some of those priestesses are still grieving.

It is here that Albrecht joins our trio. Keraak immediately recognizes him.

– Oh, it's you. Greetings, – the fox smiled radiantly.

- I sympathize with your loss, sir, - he then shook the paper. - As for the attacker, I assume you didn't get a good look at him? This makes things a little difficult. By the way, are you familiar with a person with the following characteristics? - he describes the Villain, then nods to the approaching Nebos before turning a curious gaze to the fox.

Albrecht nodded in response to the greetings of the fox and the guard. Judging by the conversation, his premonition was correct; while everyone is having fun at the festival, the brown banner is wreaking havoc.

- He might, who knows. I'll just say that our agreement reeks of disrespect and disregard for the law and order, which means we can expect any negative scenario. Keraak, aren't you aware of whether he has anything to do with your magical device? Yes, company secrets and all that, but if you have any information about it, providing it could also affect your well-being, as well as that of your House.

– The Will of Istiris was originally created as a countermeasure to the Genetic Decay, – replied Kearak, – Istiris herself, the nine-tailed fox, the progenitor of the Ketsurai, one of the leaders of the Dungeon Legion, and an associate of the Unknown One, predicted the appearance of the Decay on Aber. That's why we started spreading the Will in the capital. Later, our efforts were taken up first by the cult of Sorn-Tarn, and then by the Great Cathedral. Our mistress did not say who is behind the Decay, but now everything points to either the Brown Banner itself, or their unknown patron.

Having overwhelmed Treesong and Albrecht with deep lore, the fox was very pleased with himself.

- Hmm... I see. In that case, I only see one option here – attract attention and provoke a new attack on you, after the enemy realizes that their previous attempt failed, and then take them down. There is reason to believe that you personally have caused this particular group a lot of trouble. Because simply finding these outlaws in a crowd will be impossible for us. It would be good to get some reinforcements for this operation; I will check with the captain to see if he can allocate some people.
- Sir? - he asks Albrecht concisely, inquiring about any objections or additions.