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Roland tagged quietly along behind Sitandria, not really paying much attention to his surroundings. He was lost in thought, remembering the various Governors and Thanes and other officials he had met over the years. Some of the more recent encounters were of course do to his position with Aerienne Sarista, but Roland had never let rank or file get between him and where he wanted to go.
Sometimes he had just run into people while walking down a street, as had happened when he first met the Governor of Arium. Other times, he had been forced to deal with a large amount of protocol and rescheduled appointments, as when attempting to meet the Lady Thane of Paxia. A few times he had gone by invitation, and once or twice he had been forced to adopt a fake name and disguise when trying to confront a particularly corrupt Thane, such as just before his successful liberation of Abestat. And on no less than three separate occassions, Roland was the sole survivor of a Thanal bombing or explosion. He'd been Thane and Thane pro tempore himself, and had appointed several others. Not so long ago, a vast majority of elected and appointed officials across Alleria were allied or in allegiance with Roland's faction. But the tides of war and politics are fickle, and yesterday's lord and master is today's has-been. Roland was getting old, and beginning to feel like time was passing him by. It was time to retire or semi-retire to the life of an elder-statesmen, and leave things to the next generation to sort out and muddle through. Such was the cycle of life, and being of honorable alignment, Roland accepted the inevitability of fate if not with gusto, then with a certain amused acceptance.
Roland asked the female half-elf for a glass of red wine. Paxian Red, if possible.
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