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 Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:54 am
A couple close calls, and a lot of running and sidetracking later, Raithe and Ashen had finally made it up to Skyway. They tried to keep to the shadows as much as they could. This area wasn't like the lower wards, and they weren't able to simply blend right in with the crowd. Everyone here was wealthy, and dressed to show it. They wore bright colours, unpractical outfits, and elaborate decorations, while Raithe and Ashen wore dark, well-worn clothing, and had shabby travelling packs.
Some of the people gave them sidelong glances, probably wondering what business a pair of obvious commoners had in their rich district. Raithe returned their looks with deadly glares, while Ashen seemed not to notice at all. They had to constantly keep moving, for stopping meant that the Watch could locate them easier, however Raithe paused every now and then to get directions to where the murder had happened.
From what she had gathered, it was a fair distance from where they were, and the area was very well guarded. Together, they carefully made their way over to the scene of the crime. There were two guards examining the body of the man, two more standing between them and the crowd, then another three patrolling the crowd, making sure everything stayed calm. The crowd was a fairly big size, almost all of them wealthy, but people were slowly starting the break away as they realized nothing more was going to happen.
Raithe bit her bottom lip as she thought things through. "We need to get to that body. He might have that artifact on him, or at least be able to give us an idea on where it is..." Her voice trailed off as she watched the guards shove a couple of people back when they got to close. They definitely wouldn't be able to walk up and check, or even sneak up without a very big distraction. Taking out all the guards was out of the question, since they would never be able to get away with it. Even cloaked in an invisibility spell, there would be no way to remove the body right out from under their noses.
"I have an idea." Ashen spoke from just behind her shoulder. He moved in closer, and whispered it in her ear, a slight smirk on his lips as he spoke. After hearing the plan, Raithe grinned broadly, turning to face her partner. Not surprised that she would agree to it, Ashen nodded, handing her a wand he had just prepared before signalling for her to go, and then walked off in the other direction, back to where they had come up.
***
He didn't have to go far before he found a young boy, obviously from one of the Lower Wards. Reaching in to one of the pouches at his side, Ashen removed one Gold Piece, and showed it to the scruffy boy who had been selling news at a street corner. The sight of the gold immediately caught his attention, as the limitless possibilities from a boy's imagination ran through his mind in an instant before he looked up into Ashen's eyes, suspicion clear and plain.
Smiling slightly, Ashen bent down and handed the boy the coin. "All you have to do," He instructed softy, "Is go down to the Lower Ward and spread some news. Make sure as many people as possible can here it. Specifically in the Caravan District."
Taking the Gold Piece eagerly, and pausing for just a moment to admire it, the boy began to take off, before pausing yet again. "Wot news d'ye want me te tell?" He asked quickly, wiping his dirty hair out of his face with a ragged and torn sleeve that was much to big for him.
At this, Ashen's grin broadened as he stood up. "Spread the word that there's a huge fight going on up on Skyway, between Upper Class and Lower Class. Everyone's coming to join as quick as they can." At this, the boy gave him a puzzled look, then glanced around Ashen to look at the area the crowd had gathered in.
"Beg yer pard'n sir, bu', I don' see much of a fight..." The boy said, but didn't have the chance to argue anymore. As if on cue, the crowd began to grow louder, and instead of people slowly drifting off, they were quickly running into it. Giving Ashen one more suspicious look while pocketing the coin, the boy then took off down for the other wards, ready to spread the news. Within a couple of minutes, the floating streets of Skyway would soon be flooded with people of different social backgrounds warring on each other.
***
As Ashen turned to take care of his part of the plan, Raithe moved towards the crowd of well dressed and well off citizens. While she was able to move easily into the crowd, her worn clothing did not allow her to blend in very well. But, that wouldn't matter for much longer. Making her way to the center of the mass of gathered people, Raithe had to steer clear of the wandering guards, so it took her a bit longer then she would have liked.
Once she was in place, she took out the wand Ashen had given her, then grinned impishly as she prepared to start. She was going to enjoy this. Taking another step forward, Raithe slammed into the man beside her, while simultaneously smacking the taller man in front of her. As she did this, she also released the spell from the wand. As the spell took hold of the people in the crowd, fights started breaking out, beginning with the two Raithe had hit.
Everyone around the area found themselves suddenly angry and irritable, dropping the polite poise they often wore and revealing a side that they associated with the lower class as they hit their neighbours. It wasn't long before people stopped leaving the gathered crowd and started joining as they were swept into the rage of the brawl. The guards that had been patrolling through the crowd were to busy protecting themselves to try to stop the chaos, and soon, the other four guards had no choice but to enter it as well.
Raithe would have loved to stay and punch in a couple of pompous, painted faces, but she had work to do. The body was now unguarded, and no one would notice if it was taken. Making her way through the battlefield and towards the body, Raithe allowed herself the pleasure of taking out a couple of people along the way. When she reached the edge of the crowd and broke through, she turned and took a moment to examine what they had done.
It truly was mass chaos. Woman ran screaming in every direction, men beat each other for no reason except to cause pain, and the wounded that had managed to escape the sea of fighting limped off. Those from the Lower Wards were starting to arrive now, along with others, and the crowd was beginning to swell outwards. Screams, cries and yells filled the air, attracting more people, and more guards.
Ashen had now rejoined her at the place where the body lay, pausing as well to look out at the riot. "That's going to be quite a mess for the Government and it's Guards to clean up." He noted with no emotion in his voice, and only a faint of a smile on his lips. Then he turned to Raithe and gestured to the body. "Shall we?"
Nodding and giving him a satisfied smirk, Raithe knelt down next to the corpse. "I'll take care of this one." She told him, and began to cast a spell. In an instant, the bloodied body of the Archsage disappeared, leaving no sign except for the stained ground beneath were it had been. However, the body was still there, merely invisible.
Ignoring the blood she knew was there, Raithe picked up the corpse and strung it over her shoulder. With it in place, they took off for the Lower Wards once more, which were now much more empty and quieter then they were before. The only sign that they carried such contraband was the slight strain and effort that was barely visible as Raithe moved.
Once they were far down enough in the city where they didn't have to fear any Guards stumbling into them, they stopped in a deserted alley and removed the spell from the body, ready to search it for any clue or hint as to the whereabouts of this dragon-controlling artifact. Even with both of them searching every single inch of the man's clothing, it was still a slow moving process. Also, they had to get past the partially dried blood that had oozed out from the many stab wounds.
It took a long time before their meticulous search finally got any results. After going over most of the body, and still not finding anything, they were beginning to lose hope. But then, Ashen softly revealed that he had found something. It was a small piece of parchment, folded into an even smaller size. One corner of it was soaked in blood, but besides that, it was untouched.
Leaving the body forgotten on the street, Raithe and Ashen stood and moved closer together so they could both examine the paper. Being careful not to rip it, Ashen gently opened the parchment, revealing only a few lines of writing scrawled on its surface.
“ ‘In The Gateways to Perdition, a thousand forgotten secrets whisper in the night, and a thousand weaving tales unfold before the moons reach their zenith...’" Ashen read, still speaking quietly and thoughtfully. Unable to make much sense of it, he turned to Raithe to see if she could figure any of it out.
Chewing her bottom lip absently, Raithe read over the lines once again. “Perdition…” she repeated out loud, “The Gateway to Perdition is another name for Sharn. So, it might have some kind of connection with that, even if there's more then one Gateway… but that’s all I can really think of…” Shrugging apologetically, Raithe then took the parchment from Ashen and began looking it over once more.
After reading it a few times, she turned it over to show a small picture of a rose, appearing to have been painted in blood. Ashen examined the rose with interest, wondering if that might help them shed a bit more light on the passage. However, he had no idea what the symbol meant, and he was more acquainted with symbols then Raithe was.
“Looks like we’ve reached a dead end. Can we leave the city now?” Ashen couldn’t help the tone of pleading that had leaked into his voice. He was anxious to get out of the cramped, dirty city and return to his regular form. Not to mention the city had become quite the hot spot, and they were in danger of being arrested.
Raithe looked at Ashen apologetically, her green eyes fixed on the half-elf in front of her. She knew how much he hated cities like this, and having to stay in another form so long. “But if we leave the city, we can’t get the information we need. And we can’t just let this artifact pass by us. We have to find-“
Just then, at least a dozen members of Sharn’s elite Red Cloaks leapt from the top of the buildings around them. Before either of them had time to react, two of the soldiers smashed the pommel of their b*****d swords into the back of both their necks as they collapsed rapidly, the force knocking them unconscious.
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Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 7:57 pm
Swimming in the cheers and awe of his freshly gathered crowd, Tyrin waved to them all, playing on how little they knew about magic. He couldn't help but feel some tinge of guilt for his actions. After all, he'd just broken one of the gravest of restrictions the Archsages pushed upon their members: Necromancy. On the other hand, everyone here loved him for it. As far as he was concerned, that just about balanced the situation.
"So, William," he addressed the young man at his side, "You wanted to talk to me? A heartfelt thanks, no doubt. I'm expecting payment too, don't forget." Tyrin spoke with a tone of utter seriousness. Whether Will believed him or not, he'd be happy. But if he could manage to get some gold out of it..."You owe me alot, you know. It's not easy to bring someone back to life and get away with it. Not to mention how troublesome it is..."
A particularly avid fan in the crowd suddenly exploded with cheer, squealing with delight. His grin widening, Tyrin took a bow, answered by even more furious clapping. "These people really need to get out more...I didn't do that much..."
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The Twilight Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:49 pm
William gave one last heartfelt bow to the crowd, before taking Tyrin by the collar and wheeling him to the safety of the indoor streets that weaved around the towers of Sharn. He noticed his own blue robe sprawled on the ground, only a muffin had fallen out of his cloak, and it demonstrated the full affect of the impact. He quickly picked the garment off the ground, before putting it over himself. The streets were something different, tunnel-like in theory, but more like vast streets with roofs. It was one of the best ways to get from one level to another without resorting to magical means. William spoke angrily and bewildered by his friend's act, and his speech quickly gained pace as each word escaped his tongue. "You didn't have to do that much did you? Tyrin, you broke the law, you can't go around bringing back people to life without the proper clearance from the very least H.R. If someone finds out what you did, you'll be sent to burn for a thousand years, and I'll be obliterated from existence in a heartbeat! Not to mention the look on Eragia's face if he knew. His star pupil! The man's got enough on his plate without you adding desert! Worst of all you actually waved at the tourists! YOU WAVED MAN!"
His yells were almost deafening now, most people looking were stopping their daily activities to look at them both, some recognizing them as distinguished authorities, and they quickly kept their heads down. Other's were curious and seemed too curious to let this tidbit of gossip go. William was slightly annoyed with what he was hearing, but he didn't want to Tyrin to come out of this without some idea of what he'd done. He had broken two laws against the Archsage law, and regulation. Necromancy being the worst, and the fact that Tyrin accepted the clapping for himself, and not for those who had given him this ability. "Where's the dignity! You acknowledged that you somehow deserved the thanks! We were giving gifts, and they aren't to be used for personal gain! Anyone there who has any connection to the Archsages is going to report this straight away; I haven't even lived past 30! I knew it; you'd wreck everything for us! First day I met you I said 'He's going to wreck everything.' I think I even said that aloud!"
The words seemed to flow like a river; one wondered how oxygen ever got into his lungs when unexpectedly he yelled something seemingly un-related. It was far from subtle, and the words themselves made no grammatical sense. "STOP THINKING SO LOUD!" William realized too late, that he himself had said what he was thinking. The crowds of people were all so focused on the two of them that almost anyone that had seen them still continued to think of them. This posed a problem, because of one of Will's many gifts. The thoughts were charging into his brain like an angered rhino. It was becoming hard for Will to hear anything. The noises seemed to mesh together, no one sound or word distinguishable from the next, William felt sick. Falling to his knees, his hands held him up for balance, he vomited. William felt extremely dazed and turned over on his back; the noise was taking a warhammer to his skull. Hopefully Tyrin wouldn't do something stupid again...
William awoke sometime later, head resting comfortably on the table of a pub.
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:06 pm
Resting one foot on the stone bench before him, Captain Khandan Dol gazed over the ledge, peering into the shadowed streets of Sharn. somewhere down there, he knew he would find exactly who he was looking for. And when he did, that traitor would know exactly how his type were looked upon in the Redcloak Battalion.
"Sir." Lieutenant Gavir stepped into a salute behind him. Speaking quickly, but clearly, he reported, "We've just been notified that a street brawl has been started up on Skyway. Obviously unusual activity, sir, since all residents in that district should be upper class. The Sharn Watch is up there making effort to keep the situation under control, but their capability is highly questionable...should we send a soldier or two up to further assist, sir?"
Khandan hesitated for little more than a split second. "No." It was all he needed to say, really, but continued with his reasoning. "However unusual, a fight on Skyway is a job for the Watch, not us. And I'm certain our fugitive won't be strutting with the best of them on Skyway. Understand?" Khandan heard Gavir response with a quick "sir" before dismissing the lieutenant. Most of his Redcloaks hated typical jobs like keeping the peace anyway, so it was best to keep them away from that for now.
Taking a few more steps forward, past the bench, Khandan directed his gaze straight down. Down, into the dark heart of the city, despite the late midday sun shining bright over the towers. And being a dwarf, it wasn't made any easier to see overtop the barrier between him and the empty air beyond, but still he managed.
The streets and corridors below were not unlike every other he had seen that day. A handful of people here and there, walking at their own pace. Certainly nothing that looked suspicious. But Khandan hadn't been trained to go by looks alone. Among the thin mass of commoners, he could discern the crimson hooded cloak of one of his own unit members -- patrolling, as ordered.
Bringing his line of sight closer to being level, Captain Dol scanned the mid-level regions. Still, nothing to be worried about. Ironically, that fact itself was something to worry about, and it troubled the dwarf commander to no end. "Blast it! By Moradin's beard, I swear I will find you, Cain. It's all you can do to hope I'm in a better mood when I do." He spat on the stone at his side, looking for some way to vent his rage.
It was then -- whether by sheer coincidence or divine order of the gods -- that Khandan found that outlet. Two half-elves, by the looks of it. Walking side by side in the tunnel of one of the adjacent towers. Captain Khandan Dol wasn't one to be overtaken by sudden racist outbursts, despite his hatred for Thranes, however this very instant he could not be more sure that these two were hiding something.
One of them -- female, Khandon guessed -- was walking with a slight strain and oddly measured steps that the dwarf so dearly hoped was caused by the burden of carrying a heavy load. A heavy illegal load.
"Gavir!" Khandan shouted, sounding a bit more forceful than he had intended. Seconds later, the lieutenant arrived, looking slightly flustered.
"Sir?"
"I want half of whatever men you have that aren't on patrol or otherwise conducting an important duty with me. There's something I feel needs investigating. Is that clear?" He pulled up the hood of his cloak, readying himself physically and mentally for the task ahead. Any task, even should that task be a small one, deserved the commander of the Redcloak's full attention. And that was exactly what he intended to do here.
"Uh...sir..?" Gavir's voice didn't even sound half as confused as his face looked.
"No questions asked, lieutenant." He stressed the word trying to both intimidate the bigger man, and to show who had the real authority here. "Is that clear? Not from you, not from any of your men. All of you will know what you need to know, when you need to know it."
Reluctantly, Gavir saluted before walking away, firing orders at his troops. Khandan watched it all unfold, as a quiet and disconcerting thought crept into the back of his mind. That walkway where he had seen the two half-elves...hadn't he sent a patrol there, too? He was sure of it; every location to be patrolled had been, to his displeasure, thoroughly checked in advance by the Captain himself. But then, when he had looked over earlier, that familiar crimson cloak was disturbingly absent...
As one, nearly two dozen Redcloaks grouped themselves before their Captain, forming ranks. They knew their orders already; to split up and take several different paths to avoid suspicion, all the while tracking their targets. Then, when they found the opportune moment, it would be time to move in. Quickly, silently, efficiently. Right now was only for any specifics and last-minute additions.
"All of you know your place, and know your job. And I know all of you can do it well. That means I don't want a single slip-up out there. We follow at a distance. If, by luck, they notice any of us coming, lay low for awhile. Do not get impatient. Got that?" All of this was replied to with a single, confident "Sir!" before Khandan took off, striding past all of them. It was a bloody good thing he knew his way around Sharn, or they'd all have a hell of a time with this.
* * *
It had taken awhile, and it had taken some effort to remain inconspicuous, but at last things were starting to look up for Captain Dol.
All twenty men of his makeshift unit lay in wait, occupying the dark corners and niches scattered about the small street where Khandan’s half-elves had stopped. And how right he had been. Not only were they carrying something illegal, but it was nothing less than a dead body. At least, Khandan assumed it was dead. And was probably right about that, too: countless stab wounds marred the man‘s body, leaking blood and entrails onto his once-prestigious clothing. Obviously, whoever had done the killing wasn‘t very skilled at it….that, or they enjoyed it too much. Khandan reminded himself.
He shuddered at the horrid thought of a soul so twisted that they could take pleasure in killing others for no more a reason than to simple kill. War was one thing. It was inevitable, so anyone may as well train themselves to be good at it. And because of war, people would be killed. He‘d gotten used to that decades ago. The mind of a psychopath was an entirely different matter.
Shaking himself from the tangent, Khandan brought his mind to what was at hand. After dropping it on the ground, the invisibility spell had been removed from the body. Now, they had moved on to searching the body, rifling through pockets and folds of clothing. Searching…but what were they searching for? If it was only gold they wanted, Khandan doubted they would‘ve gone to such lengths. So it must be something specific….
One of the half-elves managed to locate a small piece of parchment on the corpse. …Like a Letter of Proxy? It all worked out. The man looked rich, that was for sure. Definitely someone who could‘ve been handed a letter of proxy to attend some political meeting in stead of another royal. But why would they want that? No, it was probably something else…
Forcing that train of thought out of his mind, Khandan once more found himself bringing his mind to focus. This was the opportune moment. And he almost passed it up. Signalling to everyone gathered, they dispelled their invisibility enchantments, casting instead feather fall, to ease their descent.
As quietly as rain, one by one the Redcloaks leapt off the buildings, landing deftly on the ground. A strike to the back of the neck to each half-elf with the pommel of their blade, and both went down easily.
Khandan looked over his handiwork, feeling a little better already. “Take them back to the rest of the unit. Make sure they don‘t wake up until we want them to, got it?” Stiff nods from everyone there made him aware of how tired and upset some of them were that they had to go to all that trouble just for a couple of lowly thugs. That was something he would have to fix. The rest of the Redcloaks may not know it, but Khandan trusted his feeling that there was something…bigger about these two. There was more to them, and he intended to find out exactly what that was.* * * Meanwhile...Stumbling a bit after Will had finally let him go, Tyrin rubbed at his neck as the other mage went on and on about the same nonsense he would've expected any other student to spew at him. The words "star pupil" wrenched a painful wince out of him, but other than that, Tyrin knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Allowing Will the pleasure of rambling to his heart's content, Tyrin finally piped in after he had seemed to run out of words. "You know Will, I really did deserve the thanks. But that's not why I waved. I didn't use my "gift" to bring you back to life. I used someone else's, and they did deserve the thanks of every single one of those people. You should know that as well as I do."
Unbelievably, Tyrin found himself responding to Will in more of a defensive manner than he would have expected from himself. "So," he added light-heartedly, to make up for his previous dull and professional tone, "What's next? Gonna commandeer an Airship? Nah, it's gotta be bigger. Something to top diving off a building to try and prove you're worth the money the Archsages put towards your education....Ah! How about this." A devilish grin swept across his face, letting Will know fully well what was coming. "We impersonate the King and--"
"STOP THINKING SO LOUD!" Will screamed. Flinching from the sudden outburst, Tyrin took a few steps away from Will.
"Well that's interesting. Any other sage advice?" His colleague keeled over and vomited, completely ignoring Tyrin's remark. Then Will collapsed, looking as lifeless as before.
"Again?" Tyrin complained, looking around for someone else to help out this time. "You do this on purpose, I swear it. Just wait, one day I'll be the damsel in distress and make you do all the work. You're such a bother sometimes, you know?" Bending down, he check Will's pulse. It was still there. Good news: less work for him.
Picking up the limp Archsage, Tyrin looked around for some form of refuge. Not far off, he could see a spice shop, an apothecary, and a pub...plus a handful of other shops he couldn't make out. "Just because I know you so well, I'm gonna go with what I'm certain you would have done. Isn't that nice of me?" He didn't bother cutting himself off, even after he realized he was talking to an incapacitated, brought-back-from-the-dead man.
It wasn't easy stepping through the crowd with Will on his shoulders. They were mostly headed in the opposite direction....Up towards Skyway? What's happening up there..? On the bright side, that meant he'd be in luck. Less people meant less stares and less questions. Not because he had a near-dead man hanging from his shoulder, but because he was sure he'd been to this pub once before, and things didn't turn out so well...* * * Finally back in the Highhold district, Khandan felt right at home. He never did like Sharn much, but here in it’s Dwarf neighbourhood, it was as if nothing could go wrong. It was a comfortable feeling - but a dangerous one. He couldn’t let himself feel too secure. They did, after all, still need to locate and capture their primary target.
Now Khandan couldn’t help but sigh. Such a fuss, over a single man? It seemed a bit much, but then again, it was treachery among the Redcloaks. And that was certainly something to make a deal about. The only thing he could imagine as worse would be treason against King Boranel, but that he would personally ensure never happened.
“So,” he began, turning to face his two detainees, both under the effects of a Zone of Truth, “Who was that dead man I found you with? What was your connection with him? And your motives? Did somebody pay you? And this letter,” He motioned to the bit of paper in his hand, the rapid-fire questions stopping for a brief moment. “Does it mean anything to you at all?”
As much as he hated to admit it, the writing seemed like complete nonsense. Nobody in his unit had the slightest idea what it could possibly mean, other than “Gateway to Perdition” being synonymous for “Sharn.”
Just then, three more Redcloaks walked into the darkened room - a small shop Khandan had borrowed for interrogation purposes. They were led by lieutenant Gavir, wearing a stern look. Khandan swore under his breath. If he heard any more bad news, he might have to resort to--
“Captain: the fugitive Cain has been reportedly seen somewhere here in Sharn. Exact location and point of entry are unknown, but we are one-hundred percent sure he is here, sir.” Gavir spoke in his typical tone, making sure every syllable could be heard, but relaying the message in a timely manner.
Khandan felt himself break into a broad smile. “Thank you, lieutenant. Best news I’ve heard all week!” He paused. There was still an interrogation to conduct…. “Lieutenant, in my absence, you are to see to the questioning of these two. Make sure no detail is kept secret. I want to know everything about what happened, and what they were doing. Am I clear?”
“Like crystal, sir. As always, sir.” Gavir saluted as Khandan and the two other Redcloaks marched out of the shop.
In the newfound quiet of the dusty old building, Gavir quietly sorted out questions he wanted the answers to. Filing them into categories, hypothesizing possible answers, and new strings of questions arising from every other one, he assured himself that this would be carried out perfectly, leaving nothing for Captain Dol to breathe down his neck about.
“Well then you two, just how did you end up with that body in the first place?”
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The Twilight Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:53 pm
***
Raithe let out a faint groan as she rose to consciousness, her head pounding. The awkward angle her head was at didn't help matters at all. From what she could tell, she was sitting in a chair, bound across the waist, ankles, and wrists, her head slumped forward. She didn't want to open her eyes, knowing that it would only hurt more, but also knew she had to.
So, bracing herself for the pain that would follow, Raithe slowly opened her eyes. The little light in the room caused her head to feel as if it had just split down the middle, and she winced slightly. Sitting up slowly, Raithe examined the room, trying to put together what had happened. As she did this, she also absently tested her bonds, noting that they were made of magic.
The last thing she clearly remembered was finding that note on the Archsage's corpse. They had been looking for an artifact that could cause some potential problems for them. Then what happened...? Raithe thought, trying to piece everything together through the pain throbbing through her head.
Why does my head hurt so much? She thought desperately. Then it clicked, followed by another shot of pain through her head and down her neck. That's right... those dirty bastards snuck up on us and dropped us... How could neither of us have noticed them?
Cursing under her breath, Raithe turned to her side and saw Ashen, bound as well, but fully recovered and looking around. Though for a human, it would have been very difficult to see much, for her half-elf eyes, it was much like seeing in broad daylight. The room was small and poorly tended, with nothing in it except the chairs the two of them sat on, a table, and two more couches pushed off to the side. Couches meant that they were probably not in an official Guard interrogation room. Which raised the question of just who were their captors.
Inside the room there was also another person, who Ashen stared at fixedly. He was a dwarf, dressed in a red cloak and obviously a well-trained fighter who had seen many battles. For some reason, Raithe thought this should mean something to her. However, she had only been awake a couple of minutes, and already the dwarf was bombarding them with questions.
“... dead man I found ... What ... your connec ... with him? And your motives? Did somebody pay you? And this letter, does it mean anything to you at all?” Raithe squinted her eyes a little to try and focus on what he was saying as he sped through his questions.
Though she had no intentions of actually answering him, the slight tingle she felt covering her body told her that when she did speak, she would have to be careful with what she said. Raithe had felt the effects of the Zone of Truth before, when she was much younger. Her mother had cast it to get the truth out of her, but she had easily found how to get around it. She had to speak the truth, but she didn't have to answer the question.
Before the dwarf could carry on, three more men in red cloaks entered the room, and they exchanged words that Raithe didn't pay any attention to. Instead, she worked on trying to get out of the magical bonds that held her, at least trying to test them more thoroughly then before. Ashen, on the other hand, payed careful attention to what their captors were saying, as he had already measured their restraints, but was unable to speak with Raithe without the other men hearing. He noted that they used words such as "captain", "lieutenant", and "fugitive", certain that it would prove to be useful later.
It wasn't long before the three men left, leaving someone else besides the dwarf, behind to interrogate them. This man seemed much less intimidating and important, and failed to impress either of them. At his question, Raithe grinned impishly, and Ashen kept a neutral face as if he hadn't even heard the question.
"We found it on the street." Raithe said simply, her wolfish grin still there. She had no intention of making this easy for them, and couldn't wait for the opportunity to pay them back for knocking her out.
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:28 pm
William took only a few seconds to realize that he was in fact, in a Pub. A pub no doubt that served alcoholic beverages, William rose to his feet with such haste that his wooden chair fell-over. Slightly worn, and mostly wood, this Pub seemed to have no flair, or special qualities that made it different from any other place in all of Sharn. William was surprised to see a content Tyrin spinning happily in his bar stool. Tyrin probably realized his companion was up-and-about now, because he stopped to wave at him. William walked briskly towards him, weaving in and out of the empty tables that littered his path. He whispered calmly, "Did you or I drink any-" before he was rudely interrupted by the entry of a flustered woman. A woman Will almost didn't recognize in her hot pink robe. "Aurora?" William was so confused now, was he dreaming, or dead?
She was lacking her natural beauty, and seemed extremely relieved and angry at the same time. Will hoped to the gods it was directed at Tyrin, because the abyss knows no wrath like a woman scorn. Aurora was of course, the other childhood friend of Tyrin and William. She had always been the responsible, beautiful one. Right now though, she was borderline demonic.
"Where have you two been!" spoke the raging Aurora.
Tyrin skillfully responded, "Enjoying the sights"
"Well I'm glad you have, because now you're both going to enjoy getting your asses kicked!" Aurora bellowed. Will hadn't seem Aurora this mad in a long while.
Tyrin mumbled a quiet reply of "Well that doesn't sound like much fun at all..."
Aurora growled her frustration before taking a seat on a nearby barstool. William naturally did the same.
"When I heard that two buffoons had been showing off some magic tricks in the streets of Menthis, I didn't expect it to be you two!" Aurora seemed to slowly gain her composure again, but not before letting out a few more curse words. "I also heard that some idiot jumped off of Skyway, ran off with his cohort in entertainment, before puking all over the road? You two make it seem like we're a bunch of power-abusers, who occasionally have a bit too much to drink!" Her words were met with a response of uncomfortable silence, and coughing. William thought he even heard Tyrin mumble almost inaudibly, "Yea, sounds about right.."
"I'll spare you both the rest of my lecture, because unlike you two, I have a job to do. Speaking of which, William you're needed in the Highhold District for an interrogation. I think the boys down there are in tears over these two prisoners who just aren't cooperating. And Tyrin, Eragia expected you at the library 3 hours ago. The Man is over eighty for crying out loud! I expect to hear that both of you have had a productive day when my shift is over! And Tyrin don't give me that look. And Will for the love of Wee Jas, I'm fine, there isn't anything you need to be checking for." William was taking aback from her response; it was a bad habit to check people's identities through memories and the like. He also wanted to see if there was anything else bothering her, but she didn't need to know that. Though Will had forgotten over the years she'd train herself to know when he was searching through.
After a small pause for Aurora to properly take in oxygen she uttered her closing words, "Good Day," before leaving the pub and slamming the door behind her. The bartender who had been listened mumbled something that sounded remarkably like "Women" before heading back to his duties.
"That wasn't too bad now was it?" Said a cheery Tyrin, "Now about impersonating the King..."
William laughed; there was truly only One Tyrin. "Sorry friend, I thank you for the help, but we've both got err... jobs to do." William rose slowly to his feet; his headache hadn't quite gone away yet. Before he left, Will waved a five-finger salute to Tyrin. William really didn't feel like walking all the way to Highhold so he decided on teleportation. He briskly slipped into a deserted alleyway before chanting his own branch of magic. "Streets slippery when wet." While saying those words allowed he instead spoke the proper incantations in his mind, this usually made his co-workers mad, because he could cast such a vast amount of spells, with such silly phrases. His teleportation wasn't his best, and had almost ended in a bit of a catastrophe. His nose was mere centimeters away from a wall inside of the building where the prisoners were being held. A guard gave a loud yelp when she noticed a human appearing from nowhere. He gave her a coy smile before trying to figure out where he was.
"Hello fair maiden, I was wondering if you direct me to the first floor of this fine establishment? I'm the interrogator-" William spoke with an air of educated flair, but with no arrogance. Before he was interrupted by the overly relieved soldier.
"Thank God, Gavir hasn't been able to do anything, and he's near tears it's horrible!" The woman spoke almost too fast to comprehend. But Will got the idea. Will spoke in a soft-tone to try and calm the poor woman,
"Don't worry, I'll handle this." She lead Will through a metal door that stood slightly ajar down a hallway, taking a right, then another right, then a left, middle of three paths. Whoever made these buildings, definitely wasn't too skilled at them, either that, or it was all made to resemble a dwarven stronghold, with so many dead-ends and paths that even if you did escape, it'd take a truly skilled navigator to get anywhere. It didn't help that William was bad with directions. Before he was lead to a young man resting his head on his own hands. He looked tired, and beaten.
The woman coughed with courtesy to voice their presence. The man quickly stood at attention in the presence of an Archsage. William hated having authority. The woman also stood at attention, which made Will feel extremely uncomfortable. He felt queer giving orders, but that was the only thing they responded to. "Uh, don't do that, sir... and ma'am" William wasn't quite sure how it was supposed to be conveyed properly but he got his point across.
Gavir seemed winded, but he gave his speech short and to the point "Sir, the prisoners have otherwise been un-cooperative, and very little information has been attained from them." Gavir also seemed defeated; calling in an Archsage for a questioning wasn't something people normally had to do. The Zone of Truth was usually enough. Perhaps Gavir had let some information of his own slip, it wasn't un-heard of. He'd heard some pretty bad horror stories.
"Alright well, I'll get to work then..." William took his dashing robe along with all of his components for spells he needed with him. William also pulled out an old, worn out staff from his pocket. Oddly enough, most sticks the height of the wielder didn't fit in a robe's pocket. William opened the door that held the prisoners, and it clicked calmly behind him as he entered.
There sat two chained and bound prisoners. They both seemed related, half-elves, and neither looked liked they wanted to be there. The male of the two, stared at him with fierceness that actually kind of scared Will. Those weren't normal eyes. "Good day, Lady and Gentleman." Enjoying the silent treatment William continued. "My name is William Desarmo, Hand of the Archsages Division. I will be your second interrogator, and hopefully the last. I am otherwise bound by the law to inform you I will be using magic to aid my in the quest for truth, all very passive spells I assure you, and if you feel that you were physically or mentally harmed in this investigation, you can take it up with our courts, who will kindly throw them away." William felt bitter towards his own justice system. Hopefully it reflected well in his words. "If you both are unable to communicate in common, I will proceed to recite this information in every known language used today, starting from most used in Sharn, until finally, using a few secret ones I know. To avoid the long process of hearing me repeat myself, simply respond to the next question in 5 seconds. May I kindly have your birth given names?"
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Sir Scott le Charles Crew
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 2:48 pm
Having read over the contract several times, Cailidin now sat in a chair, thoughts racing through his mind. The contract was for a client named Dar'ryn, but whether client meant the one who was hiring or the one to die he didn't know. It also said something called mortu was to be used, no matter what, and that the payment would be ten thousand gold, no small amount. This wasn't something small, and he should probably tell the authorities, yet at the same time...
-Click-
One sound, and Cailidins mind stopped. What to do about the letter, the implications, stilled like a rabbit who has spotted a wolf. Yet Cailidin was no simple rabbit and within moments of the sound he was on his feet silently and swiftly. His surroundings took a whole new meaning, the spice racks, table, chairs, door, this entire room ran through his mind. A spell soon on his lips he thrust his hand towards the door and commanded it to grow. And grow it did, pushing subtly into the frame, tightly shutting it. That would buy him a bit more time, but as he saw the doorknob shake and heard cursing from behind the door he knew it wouldn't be much.
But what too do. This wasn't what he was used to. No trees, no plants, no wildlife. Just wood and stone. But what to do with it? A smile coming onto his face a plan formed. His form morphing, he became a small snake again. The door shuddering under an impact he began to hiss out a spell, and with it's completion the door began shuddering. A few bangs from the other side loosening it up more and it blasted outwards in a spray of splinters and large pieces of wood. Cries of pain coming from the man on the other side Cailidin ignored them, slithering out of the blasted doorway and into the main shop, not pausing as he slithered past a mans leg on his way to the door.
Making his way back to the spot he had originally took the form of a snake he breathed deeply of the fresh air, and tasted the scents in it. Quite different from what he was used to, but he supposed in it's own way it had it's charm. Nothing like nature in all it's glory, the majestic trees or massive valleys, but still impressive. Changing in back where he wouldn't be seen by any in the shop Cailidin stretched as he came back into his human body. The sunlight was refreshing after that short time in the incense filled shop. But now he had to decide what to do with the information.
He could go to the authorities, tell them of this. Yet sometimes groups like this were needed. Granted what they did was evil, yet in another sense... Could it not be looked at as a parallel to a wolf pack? They hunted, they killed, and they did it to survive. This whole city was a new world, and it's people could be seen as parallels to nature. He didn't know much of it, but much like nature it would be cold and merciless at times, and perhaps this was simply its way. Yes, much like interfering with nature was bad without knowledge of nature, it may be the same here. Much as animals didn't mess with the wolf packs he wouldn't with this human wolf pack. At least not unless he was provoked into action.
But where to go now? Cailidin had no further clues, and he had no desire to head back to the spice shop. Looking up he caught a slight glimpse of the sky, it was to crowded here, he'd head back up, maybe there he'd be able to come up with a better idea. As he once more took the form of a hawk he took to the air, people pointing and gasping as he did. Beating his wings powerfully he rose up swiftly, soon finding an updraft. Letting the updraft carry him up he watched all the people below, the people in this artificial forest of stone towers. It was definitely a new experience.
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:24 pm
***
If it weren't for her being incredibly uncomfortable, Raithe would actually really be enjoying herself. The man that had been interrogating them so far wasn't very good at his job, getting frustrated easily and eventually giving up on trying to make her answer properly, or even getting Ashen to talk. It was very amusing to watch him get more and more angry and flustered as the interrogation continued.
Though he didn't look it, Ashen was also more or less enjoying himself. It wasn't often that interrogations were this easy to get through, and by the questions they had been asked, he had determined that they hadn't even been caught for any of the real crimes the had committed, besides smuggling the body. All he had to do was sit back, and enjoy the show as Raithe did all the answering. He had to hand it to her; she had a knack for avoiding questions and still managing to piss the questioner off.
When the lieutenant finally left, defeated and angry, they both turned to face each other. "The chains are magic, and I don't have anything that can break them." Raithe stated simply.
Ashen nodded, then replied quietly, "I may be able to find a spell, but it'll take some time. Although, we might just be able to walk away from this anyways. They're accusing us of all the wrong things."
"Ya, sure, they are now. But what happens when they find out that we're wanted criminals? I say it's better to escape while it's this easy. Besides, it's not like it'll matter along with all our other crimes." Raithe argued rationally, also hoping for a bit more action then just walking out of here. Ashen shrugged, then nodded in agreement, turning back to face the door as another man entered.
Ashen studied him with hard ember eyes, noting carefully the staff and his clothes. He was obviously one who was much better off, who had privilege, and wasn't often found fighting with fist or blade. Magic user... Ashen thought to himself as the man began to speak. That could cause a problem... I can't exactly cast a spell without him noticing... He hoped that Raithe would notice the same thing.
While the man who had introduced himself as William droned on, Raithe sighed and rolled her eyes. How many more of these idiots are they going to send? She wondered, suppressing the need to punch something. More out of habit then anything else, Raithe recognized his clothes and staff as identifying him as a high wizard, but she didn't carry the thought further then that.
It wasn't until his last sentence, when he finally asked a question, that Raithe finally actually payed attention to his words. Smirking, Raithe waited eight seconds before responding in a playful, yet cold voice, with a mischievous spark in her green eyes. "I don't feel like giving my name." Ashen simply glared at him in reply.
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Sir Scott le Charles Crew
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:32 pm
Casting a quick look at the strange looking man who interrupted him, Tharivol watched smugly as he was silenced by Godhand. He hadn't gotten this far to let some extra-planar adventurer, if that was what he was of course, come over and speak before him. Of course he had to explain himself, before the other adventurer interrupted again, and a thought later he told him personally to wait his turn. The words pierced into the blue man's mind, simple words, just telling him to wait. And so he turned his mind back to Godhand, reopening the link between their minds.
"So then, back to where we were before we were interrupted. My name is Tharivol. I want to journey with you partially for lack of any good traveling companions, none of my previous ones have been up to the task. Dedication to this quest? I have plenty of finances if the need be that, and am personally willing to go until death, at which point I'll come back thanks to one of my powers and continue on. I am willing to dedicate myself to this for its duration."
Though to some that definitely wouldn't have been a light promise for some to make, to be dedicated to death, it was one that was easy for him. He had contigencies up in the case of his death, an astral seed as well as a few other powers. And besides, for the chance to have a companion who was actually skilled, it would be worth it. For quite some time now anyone Tharivol had teamed up with had proven to be unskilled, some falling in battle after little fight, others fleeing at the sight of a hobgoblin. No, if he wanted to actually adventure with anyone, this would be the one to do it with.
Cold gray eyes locked for a moment with Tharivol's own, Godhand said nothing for short while. Then, cooly and secretive as the legend's clothing, he replied, "Wait here. Off to the side." Before redirecting his attention almost casually to the next in line.
Patience was something he had learned young and so he nodded, moving to the side. He had seen and heard of others after they had spoken to him, him sending them away. This implied hope for him, though he couldn't get his hopes too high. There was definitely a possibility of him not being selected. But if he had any chance he would, this adventure would be a good one.
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:31 pm
The levitation lift back up to Skyway was no highlight of anyone's day, especially not Tyrin's. Not normally, anyway. Typically, Tyrin would come to find the lifts overcrowded with tourists and the like, all of them in a hurry to go nowhere at all and none of them keeping quiet about it. Not to mention the smell on some of the worst days...though today, luck seemed to have been smiling on Tyrin.
The lift was empty, perfectly silent, and an optimal place to take a nap. An idea which, however entrancing, he decided against. Best not to fall asleep in a place where Eragia would probably find him...that, and some genius might get the bright idea to throw him over the edge. Not something Tyrin usually looked forward to.
Once at the top, Tyrin reached to the sky, stretching his arms and back. Heaving a deep sigh, he set foot on the floating sky district, pointing his path in the direction of Morgrave University's library. One of them, anyway. The University had one library on-location, within it's campus, and another on Skyway. Both were among the biggest in all Khorvaire, and probably the most expensive. "Stuck up, too. I swear it must be run by Warforged..."
Tyrin didn't have much of a problem with the whole Warforged possibility, harboring no feelings of hatred for the mechanical race, though he did find it hard to trust them. For good reason, too. His pale green eyes rose to meet the clouds, watching them drift freely, carelessly. "Yeah, you guys have it great.." His thoughts stayed among the clouds, taking in their nonchalant nature.
It was something of a surprise when Tyrin found himself at the steps of Morgrave's Skyway Library. The marble steps and giant arched doorway really had a knack for makign almost anyone feel humbled in their presence. It was a captivating site; like a hand reaching for the clouds, longing to be like them, among them...
And inside it Tyrin would have to deal with the complete opposite. Spellcasting practice, historical research, listening to lectures and maybe even teaching some possible new recruits. On the other hand.....whatever Eragia would make him do couldn't possibly be as bad as Will's job. Just thinking about it brought a smirk to Tyrin's face. "Well, he never was the lucky one. Not since he got stuck with Soveliss'..."
No later than the named escaped his mouth did Tyrin regret saying it. Any news of Soveliss was bad news. Being in the same city as him was even worse. And right now, Tyrin was sure he couldn't be wrong in thinking that Soveliss was right here, right now. "He didn't pick today pf all days to bless us with his presence, did he...?" Tyrin complained to himself in the silence.
Navigating through the library's book-cluttered walls would be no easy task for any newcomer to Sharn, but then again, Tyrin was far from a newcomer. Most of his life had been spent in Sharn. And most of that life in Sharn should have been spent inside the library, if Tyrin paid any attention to what the Archsages wanted. His own choices had, so far, proven much more enjoyable. Not to mention less stressful..
He hadn't gone far into the library before he stumbled across the room he was looking for. A fairly secluded "study hall" of sorts. The same place Eragia always wanted Tyrin to meet him, and the same place Tyrin always tried avoiding. "Yeah, thanks, Aurora. Getting me to come back here...can't wait for the huge speech I'm gonna have to sit through." Tyrin complained to himself.
Pausing at the doorway of the room, he casually snuck a glance inside before letting himself fall into Eragia's trap. There were other students about, some studying, some looking for books, others pretending to do both. And there was Eragia, reading a tome twice as large in thickness as Tyrin's forearm. To his side was a towering stack of similarly impossibly-large books, each one probably more boring than the last. To Tyrin's comfort, however, there was no sign of Soveliss...
He could hardly contain his laughter. "Sorry old man, but looks like you won't be seeing me for another little while." turning on his heel, Tyrin made for the exit - this place would snuff the life out of him if he stayed too long. Then a thought struck him.
Seizing the first piece of parchment and quill he could find, Tyrin began to write,
"Eragia,
Just so you know, I'm being a good boy and am out doing jobs for the needy and greedy people of Sharn. Aurora told me to do it, saying 'Think of it as training.' Therefore, any problems should be promptly and mercilessly brought to her.
Feel free to blame Will too,
~Tyrin."
"That should do it." Tyrin announced proudly, magically adhering the note to the wall just inside Eragia's study hall. Business concluded, Tyrin made haste to leave - he wasn't about to push his luck any further.
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The Twilight Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:57 pm
William smiled "Good, Raithe was it?" his first in a series of mind games. Talking more to himself than anyone else "I haven't had someone so cooperative in a long time, but you should have seen the last guy crack without food or water for three days as I droned on. Wise decision. I suppose you'll be the spoke's person of the evening, fair enough. So, Miss Raithe, I was wondering why you were in the possession of a friend of mine's body? It doesn't look good for someone who's innocent to plunder a body of a recently departed victim, when there are no suspects." He had all the information he needed to clear them, but this was he was getting paid to do, might as well make it seem like he was worse at it.
The truth was, the reason why William was so good at his job, was because of an accident in his youth. To say the least it was tampering with extremely strong magic, and it had gone quite astray. The magic twisted his brain, it had crumpled him so quickly, that no one knew what had happened. William was given a cursed gift. One that he had been learning to control for years. At first it was just hearing internal monologues of people he made eye contact with, until eventually it escaladed into being able to hear all surface thoughts on people's mind that pertained to him within a mile radius. Though with time, and extremely long nights, he had learned that his powers could be focused, to search deep into the thoughts the dwell in the mind. Though this lead to certain side-effects. Any point in time he was a large center of attention, it felt like people were yelling, and screaming at him. So of the analysts he had met with, had possibly attributed this to not only the magic, but a personal demon that Will was still at terms with. William hated analysts.
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:49 pm
Tilting her head to the side, Raithe examined the interrogator through half-closed eyes, the grin on her face fading. “Son of a…” she muttered under her breath as a thought struck her. There was no way they would know her by that name unless they already knew who she was. Which meant they knew her and Ashen were wanted. But, if that were the case, they wouldn’t be doing this interrogation… unless they thought they had done something else with the body, but needed more on it. Or they were trying to mess with them until they admitted to doing something they really didn’t.
Shifting violently in her seat, Raithe tried finding a weak spot in her chains. “You better hope you make everything final right here, cause if not, I swear, I’ll rip you’re-“ the threat was never finished as Ashen interrupted by softly speaking her name. Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Raithe reluctantly stopped struggling, though was still visibly tense.
When she opened her eyes again, they were a deep green, and the way the faint light hit them made it seem like they had a burning fire in them. Her soft mouth was set in a thin line, and the silver bangs that fell over her face made her look slightly older and more dangerous. Though it was still apparent that she wanted to rip this man apart, Raithe held her piece, as she knew Ashen had wanted.
Now, Ashen turned to William, levelling him with his own ember stare. He examined the man over with his brilliant eyes, taking in every detail. Finally, he said quietly, and calmly, "We haven’t done anything besides search the body. You know we're not guilty of what they have accused us of. So let us go." Though his voice was still quiet, it had a demanding and serious edge to it. It was obvious he was one who was used to having his words listened to. Though he sat bound and chained, he still held himself with a sort of proud arrogance; a type that was acquired when one was comfortable and confident in their own power. And even being in a situation where this mage had an advantage couldn't take that away.
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:06 pm
Allowing for a brief pause he firmly repeated his stated in different wording, "You're not common thieves," he paused again, wanting to build suspense, keep them wondering what he knew, and what he didn't. "Your track record speaks for itself..." He spoke quietly to himself he took a few steps towards them. "So why were you searching my friend's dead corpse." He stressed his last words, they seemed cold, hoping it might hit home better that he felt it was a personal insult to commit such an act. William also noticed something strange about the male suspects, his thoughts were more wild, and brutish than any half-elf would allow. He had to watch out for him. Waiting for a response he wanted to find the reason they came to Sharn. Why come back to a place where they're wanted? He seemingly stared down the woman named Raithe with still eyes; she'd take it as a stand-off. He was actually searching through her... Rats, Guards, Walls, L-Letters? Strange, William had received a letter. This changed everything...
This meant only one thing could be done in light of the recent development. And thankfully Raithe and her friend were not answering his question. He seemed to relax, and a smile swept across his face as if he knew something they didn't. "I'm a fair man, and you've caught me on a fair day. You two have committed more crimes than I could probably count, but sadly my investigation only pertains to this one crime." his smile molded into a sly one. "I'm going to give you two options, and I want a response fast. You can leave here, and hope you're never caught again. Because mind you, you're both wanted. Lucky for you both, there's a more wanted man outside. You will be escorted out of Sharn, and I will personally be the executioner if you come back. Or I give you a much better deal. You can walk out of here free from any charges you've had previously. On the one condition you allow me to read the piece of parchment you most recently acquired, and accompany me on a trip to the docks. SO which will it be?" William words echoed slightly in the small room, but he knew it was sounds proof. He had made sure of that when he entered, only because of the intense concentrated he allocated to that spell.
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:32 pm
Before Ashen could do more then think about reluctantly agreeing, there was a loud crash from beside him. The dust and dirt that had built up in the room exploded into the air, making it slightly harder to see. Using the crash as his opportunity, Ashen began casting the spell he had decided on, using the dust in the air as his component. After a quick moment, and unable to be seen by their interrogator, a thin ray of green shot from Ashen's finger, hitting the magic chains that held his wrists. In a matter of seconds, the chain disintegrated from around his arms, and he began work on the rest of the bonds.
The crash that had sent dust and dirt flying had actually been caused by Raithe. Not particularly liking either of the options, Raithe chose a different course of action. Without giving it any kind of thought, she pushed the chair up so that she was more or less standing, then jumped back. The wooden chair landed at an awkward angle on it's two back legs, and it collapsed in on itself. The legs broke from the base, and the back of the chair splintered apart. Raithe landed on the splinter-covered floor with a hard smack that was barely audible over the sound of the wood cracking.
No sooner had she touched the ground before she was moving again. She barely had time to register the sharp pain that ran up and across her shoulders, and the loss of feeling in her right arm as she slid her wrists out of the now loose chains. As the room was already relatively small, Raithe had landed near enough to Will that she didn’t have to cover any distance to reach him.
As the chains around her ankles slipped off without the chair to hold them in place, Raithe used her forearms to balance herself, then raised her right leg and swung out at the staff in the mage’s hand. Hitting it hard with her foot, she managed to knock it out of Will’s slacked grip, sending it across the room, where it landed on the floor with a clank. Following through with the strike just enough to make sure it had work, Raithe then lifted the other leg and whipped them down, using the force and momentum to bring her up on her feet.
Giving a quick shrug, the chains that had been tied around her waist fell to the ground. As soon as her arms were free, Raithe moved with the same impossible speed as she had been before. With her right arm hanging limp at her side, she used her left to pull a dagger from her belt as she moved in close to William. Raising the dagger to his throat, Raithe pressed its sharp point to the skin under his jaw line. Her eyes glinted dangerously, but she didn’t make a move to attack, as behind her, Ashen stood from where his chair was, the chains broken. He moved over to where the staff was, examined it for a quick second, then picked it up.
"I'll take option number three." Raithe said in a cold, flat voice, filled with killing intent.
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Sir Scott le Charles Crew
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:20 pm
Caildin rose high, diving out of the updraft and under the Skyway, coming up on the other side and quickly rising in another updraft he soared out, seeing out of the city. The sight didn't last long, as he turned over the Skyway, and saw something he knew was strange. This scene, one he had only seen after a battle. People on the ground, not moving, all over the place. Guards, commoners, nobles, people of different races and ethnicities, different ages and genders. A place that may have once been beautiful defiled. The pool in the middle was stained with blood and bits of cloudstuff floated around. This couldn't be good, it looked almost like a scene from a mad man's dream.
Swooping low over the park he circled around and landed in a small tuft of cloudstuff, causing it to drift away from him as he quickly changed back. Running over to the closest body, more cloudstuff drifting by to reveal blood, he knelt down, feeling for a pulse. A few seconds of waiting and nothing, this person, judging by the brightly coloured clothes, was a noble, armed with a makeshift bludgeon in the form of a stick. And this noble was dead. Moving to another person, an elf by the looks of it, and a poor one at that Cailidin repeated what he had done, checking for a pulse in this one as more cloudstuff drifted away from him. Finding one he wasted no times, words to a healing spell coming out of his mouth, and a blue light spreading from his hands over the body of the elf. A few bruises healed and the spell finished its work.
Waiting anxiously Cailidin balanced on the balls of his feet, waiting to see if the elf would come to. But it was useless, the elf simply lay there. Everyone just lay there, among pools of blood, broken weapons, other bodies. It was a scene of nightmares now that he stood among it, something he had seen only once, after a group of orcs had attacked a large caravan. But even that couldn't have prepared him for something of this size. He stood here among those that needed help, and he couldn't help. He felt like a young deer watching it's family being attacked by wolves.
Walking slowly he moved through the carnage, a sad look on his face. He tried healing a few more people, one a noble, the other a street urchin. It didn't seem to help either, and so he stopped trying, he might need his spells. Moving he made his way out of the open, leaning against a building. From there he surveyed the carnage from the ground. If possible it looked worse here than from the air, from where he could see it all. But being here... He had seen death many times, it was a natural thing. But this? This was not natural, not even for a city. He knew that. No, this was madness, straight from the dreams of a mad man, he knew it from the air, but it showed even more from here. Letting his eyes drift up away from the bodies he noticed something across the courtyard. Writing, on a building. Relatively big to be seen from here, but not big enough to read from this far.
Though sadness for what happened was still on his face, curiosity was there as well now. Walking through the sea of bodies, careful not to step on them, cloudstuff drifting away to reveal blood on the ground, he made his way to the other side of the courtyard. The letters were big, though the lines they were made up of were small. Stopping close enough to read it all he spoke the words aloud.
"May the Flesh Once Still
Be Given Freedom Again
Beneath the Darkest Rose
Lie the Roots of Prophecy"
Words of prophecy among a scene of chaos straight from someones nightmare... Almost like the letter, though they only shared cryptic words, this message almost fit the scene. A scene of madness... Cailidins thoughts froze with that last one, as he remembered tales of the Gatekeepers. Of how they banished the Dael'Kyr, 'Weavers of Flesh'. The Flesh, it fit, the madness and the words. But if they were to be released again... The Gatekeepers were rumoured to still be around, but finding them would be no easy task. With luck though, if the Dael'Kyr returned so would they.
But for now, he had two things to worry about. This writing, writing that spoke of the Dael'Kyr and prophecy, and the letter that offered power. And he couldn't help but feel that they were linked, in some way, two pieces of one puzzle. He would have to write to the Elder Druids, send a letter with Ambar... Spinning he turned to face the courtyard. Ambar. Where was the bird? He had split up maybe an hour ago, but where would the bird be.
Almost on cue he heard a screech from above, a familiar sound that brought half a smile to his face. Looking up and using an arm to shield his face from the sun he watched the hawk circle and dive, landing on his arm. The bird was obviously upset, though it would have been more cause to worry if he wasn't, and so in a soft tone Cailidin spoke and started to move, away from the carnage.
"Don't worry Ambar, we'll get somewhere where this madness hasn't taken place, and then you'll get to deliver a message to the Elder Druids for me."
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