RPG O Fortuna

[Balmon]

O Fortuna ? ?O Fortune??

[U]Fas[/U]
Emanil ? Southwestern village of Yumin

A dead silence greeted the knights. It was utterly unnatural. There was an absence of life in the air that they could almost feel, a stillness that was? aware.

The knights dismounted as soon as their horses entered the perimeter of the village from the edge of the forest; there was no room for the horses to move around in the village without crushing a body under hoof. Fas withdrew his blade from its scabbard and proceeded into the village. Galfrid glanced at the other knights, he then slid his axe from its sling and followed close behind. Not a word was exchanged as the group all drew their weapons and stalked into the slaughter ground.

Most of the homes had been torched, some obviously with their occupants still inside. Fas entered a few of the burnt-out shells and found nothing but a few charred corpses. The majority of the villagers had been dealt with outside on the village grounds. As they paused outside one of the homes that Fas entered, Galfrid turned a corpse over with his axe. ?Typical wounds. Swords? though fairly dull ones judging from the uneven cut on this body.? As he moved past the body, Radulph reached out with his blade and turned the body back onto its stomach. Galfrid looked at him inquiringly.

?Until we have time to deal properly with their bodies? let us leave them as they were.? Radulph made a quick sign of the cross and looked back at Galfrid, who nodded. None of the other knights noticed the interaction, or inspected the corpse any further. They moved on when Fas exited the home.

The group eventually made it to the village center, which had a relatively large fountain as its centerpiece. The water was as red as the blood splashed all over the village. Fas walked up to it and thrust his hand into the fountain. When he withdrew his fist, it was clutching a sopping wet piece of garment. ?Someone will remove these bodies from this fountain,? he growled. One of the knights immediately stepped forward and began fishing out the corpses from below the water surface. Obviously straining at the weight of the water-soaked bodies, the knight began laying them down on the dirt right next to the fountain. The shock of these horrors prevented anyone else from saying anything at all.

They eventually found, who they presumed to be, the leader of the village. He had been dispatched in the same manner as everyone else. When he was certain there were no other living beings in the village, Fas instructed the four accompanying knights to gather the men in the forest and regroup outside by the hill. As soon as they were beyond earshot, Fas spoke to his two companions as he continued surveying the chaos. ?Radulph, Galfrid, your thoughts?? Fas inquired.

?No birds, no scavengers of any sort. There should surely be wildlife in the forest surrounding this village,? Radulph said.

?No weapons anywhere. It doesn?t even look like the villagers put up a fight,? Galfrid offered, scratching his head. Fas continued looking around as the two spoke.

Radulph coughed. ?Fas, milord, what do you think?? Fas? eyes finally focused on Radulph. ?Nothing about this seems right at all, sir. This is completely unnatural.?

?You?re right? both of you. Nothing here seems right at all,? Fas said. Radulph then walked over to a clump of bodies, many of them women. ?Galfrid and I knew you probably didn?t want any of the others to notice these things,? he grasped a female arm by the hand and showed the palm to Fas, ?There are no defensive wounds whatsoever. We first noticed it on a body that Galfrid had turned over to inspect. None of the bodies we passed had any defensive wounds, there is no skin under any of their fingernails, nothing. These people truly did not fight back. This is totally unnatural?? Radulph released the hand, letting it fall on the bloody ground.

Fas removed his helmet and looked up at the sun shining over the whole of Emanil. He slid his sword back into its scabbard and wiped his brow. He placed his helmet back on his head. ?Let us go return to Raynald Castle. The Queen is waiting for us.?




[U]Sascha and Siaga[/U]

Gunvyle ? Bourchier Castle ? Throne Room

?? two more reports of small riots in the southwestern, milord,? Grefik said. It was that time of day again where he reported to King Bourchier of the latest upheaval in the kingdom. ?We?ve already dispatched a battalion of knights to quell that, sire.?

?How long must we keep battling our own citizens, Grefik?? Bourchier asked, ?Why had those shipments of grain not reached the Mandorens??

?I?m sorry, sire. There had been a mix-up in the orders and it has been delayed by a couple of days??

?Obviously, days too late, Grefik!? he suddenly shouted. He quickly regained his composure, ?Send that shipment of grain along with a small contingent of knights, and under no circumstances will our knights harm our own people.?

The Royal Administrator bowed, ?Yes, sire. I?m sorry for the mix-up. I will make the necessary arrangements.?

?Is there anything else?? The King was obviously tired of bad news.

?No, sire. That is all.?
Bourchier waved him away. Grefik bowed again and stalked out of the throne room.


?Sire, I would?ve thought you had more patience than that,? spoke a young woman sitting off by the window. She gave a short laugh. You?ve embarrassed poor Grefik, Bourchier.?

?He?ll be fine. He takes me too lightly sometimes? I need to remind him that I am the King.?

?I think he remembers now, sire,? she laughed again.

?Come here, Claudette,? the King beckoned. She glanced once more out through the window at the sky, then turned and walked over to the throne. He looked directly into her eyes as she approached him. ?What is going on here, Claudette? This is the third week of this madness.?

?I wish I had an answer, milord. I have been trying to Foretell what I can, but as I?ve said, things are extremely unclear. I?ve been trying to collaborate with the Alchem-Scholars here, but you know how they all feel about me?. I?m sorry I haven?t been much help? the most I can do now is continue helping the farm lands surrounding the castle, sire. I wish I could do more??

?It?s alright, Claudette. Your gifts are helping to feed the rest of our kingdom.?

?It?s of no consequence though, sire. If I don?t find out what is happening soon, you will soon be overrun by a massive upheaval,? her eyes spoke with absolute knowledge of that fact.

?Do not speak of such things, Claudette? we will find out what is happening here before that happens.? Bourchier did not speak with the same confidence. A servant knocked on the massive throne room doors. He entered and announced, ?The Royal Alchem?? before he had finished announcing the entire title, a female strode past him and entered the throne room?

******
Gunvyle ? Bourchier Castle ? Dungeon (2nd sub-floor)


?Shut up all of you? and get back!? the jailer bellowed at the prisoners as he walked to the cells, throwing stale bread and some?. something liquid in a bowl. His commands could barely be heard over the din of the prisoners.

This daily ritual of dinner was starting to bore Rutlin. He had only been down in the Gunvyle jails for a little less than a week, and the local crowd was starting to bore him as well. Except for that one fellow and his two friends. They seemed like an interesting lot. They were there before Rutlin entered the scene, and were still very much a part of the festivities down in the dungeons? except they refused to clamor for the food like everyone else ? every night, they would sit or stand stoically, watching everyone else fight for their meal. Pulling himself up from the floor, Rutlin walked over to the shortest of the three, a boy with a mole on his face. ?So, not taking part in the fun tonight??


[U]Tobi[/U]
Gunvyle ? City of Corvira

The sun had just set beneath the horizon, and the townspeople immediately began gathering in the droves at the city square. Lancio greeted each person as he squeezed his way to the fountain. Ganteo gave him an extremely hard look. ?Did you find him? Where was he, in the arms of another whore??

?If only, then at least we?d know he made it into town,? said Lancio as he readjusted his scabbard. ?The gatekeepers couldn?t remember one way or another if he had made his way in, and none of our watchkeepers saw him come.?

?That ass. These people are gathering to hear a speech tonight, and if we don?t give them something, they might as well rebel against US.? Ganteo spat in disgust directly into the fountain. He watched it sink under the attack of the water spouting out from above. He looked at the crowd amassing under moonlight, most unable to even purchase the mullein to make torches. This realization only added to his temper. ?You will make the speech. And you will convince these people that our course of action is the ONLY course of action available to them now. If you fail tonight, these people will die soon enough.?

Lancio gulped, ?Yes?. Sir. I will make the speech? but are you sure you wouldn?t rather...?

?I said, you will make the speech. I am going to Gunvyle City to find that ass, and if I find him there, I will flay him alive,? and with that, Ganteo jumped off of the fountain and made his way through the crowd. Lancio swallowed again as he saw his last support leave into the night. The people watched as Ganteo stalked out, and then they all turned back to Lancio. ?Fair evening, all?.?

?Why have you asked us out here?? shouted an audience member. As with most crowds, many people immediately grumbled their similar questions.

Lancio could not remember the last time he had made a public speech, but felt compelled to not let the Reclamation down. ?When I last saw you today, Yuvemin, you didn?t look all that occupied with much besides drinking? I think the least you can do is listen while I give you a reason to live.? The first man that interrupted instantly shut up. Lancio amazed himself with his tenacity. ?All of you, Yuvemin is not the only one here that has lost most of what he had to this problem. This aberrant weather, the destruction of our crops and homes to these forces of nature, and the subsequent lack of aid from our King, has caused most of us to give up. When I look at all of you tonight, none of you are Living, you are all Dying. Where has the fire gone from your eyes that once burned bright enough to light this square? I can answer that ? it has diminished with each passing day that we receive no word from the King.

"It has been months now since any of you have even bothered to raise a hand against this suffering! What has happened to the people of Corvira? ?To the end, till the last breath? is what we live by? but you have all forgotten that!? The people around the square shifted nervously, looking extremely uncomfortable, a sudden contrast to their moods a moment before. A man shouted out, ?Bourchier has never let us down before ? he has helped us in our time of need before, he will do so again! How can one man attempt to battle these powers beyond our control? We can do no more than he, that I know, and we can do no more but wait for Bourchier to help us again!? Many people cheered to this little rallying cry for the King. Lancio spat openly into the pool of water, as Ganteo had done.

?How long will you wait, Palmin? Till your children have fallen to the sickness? till your wife has withered away to nothing? How long will you risk waiting for our King? He doesn?t understand our plight! He sits on his throne, oblivious to our suffering. He may be sending our food and supplies to some regions, but these are token gifts ? meant to pacify!? the people began muttering their assent. ?Think not of our King, as ?kind? as he may have been, but think of our Kingdom. and the people that surround you, what THEY have done for you, and then think of this man who controls the wealth of these lands, and refuses to distribute it to those who need it,? The mutterings of the crowd had grown to a full-blown growl.

?If he is to know the true suffering of the people, he must see it for himself? we have rallied support from hundreds of other villages, towns, and cities, and soon, not yet, we WILL march to Bourchier?s Castle. We will show him our suffering, and if he still refuses to aid us, we will show him what suffering is like?? His voice was drowned out as waves of people cheered and cheered. ?Give us a couple of days while we finalize our plans, and when it is time, you will know by the torches that will light the night!? More cheering, more cries of approval from the crowd. ?If only Cap had made the trip down here from Gunvyle City, he would?ve been so proud of me?? thought Lancio. Though no torches were lit tonight, the square was alight with the flames of a thousand eyes.

Gunvyle ? City of Gunvyle ? The Boar?s Head Inn & Tavern

The sounds of chairs being stacked on tables could be heard from the rooms above the tavern. Quaril, the merchant, however, could hear only more noises from the room adjacent to his. The incessant giggling in a female voice, followed by manly laughter, had been plaguing his sleep for the past hour. Nevermind that the tavern had closed LONG after night had set in, these two refused to shut up. He had attempted banging on the wall through which the sound leaked, but the happy couple would only return his hammering by beating THEIR fists against the wall in a similar fashion. If he was going to make it in a timely manner to the Castle tomorrow to sell his wares, he would HAVE to get sleep tonight.

After trying to sleep for another half an hour, he finally put on his spectacles, grabbed his oil lamp, and stomped out of his room. He knocked on their door once, then again, and finally a third series of knocks, when the laughing inside stopped. Satisfied, he turned to go back to his room, when a blade came piercing out into the hallway through the door, passing directly in front of his eyes. A large chunk of wood was hanging off of the end of the sword? this was the last fact Quaril remembered before passing out. Inside, more giggling, and a male voice that spilled out into the hallway saying?


[U]Sir Mothias and the Czarina[/U]

Tyberay ? Land of Baron Leviath

The Baron was presumably found dead in his study by his servant, who was subsequently beheaded by the same assailants. The Baron himself had been strangled with a piece of wire, possibly like that found on farms, but also like wires found anywhere in Tyberay, and also had been run through for good measure. From there, it seemed the culprits, in no particular order, slaughtered the Baron?s children as they slept above Leviath?s study. His wife, it seemed, had just stepped into the bath when an attacker came in through the second floor window. She had been dispatched in a matter of seconds. Her bloated body had been found last in the house. Not a single soul had been left alive on his lands.

The Inquisitors had been sent as soon as word of the massacre reached Walgrave Castle. They reached his lands by nightfall to find the corpses. They found the house completely ransacked, though all jewelry, and Baroness Leviath had enough to take a bath in, and priceless artifacts were left alone. Their reports stated that fact, along with two observations: the first, that these people were clearly under orders to remove the entire family, and secondly, that they were instructed to find something. They mentioned again, though, that they couldn?t find identify any items that may have been removed from the Baron?s home.

Tyberay ? Road to the Land of Baron Leviath ? The Private Carriage of Duchess Guinivere

?Everyone KNEW that the Baron was the leader of a movement. It was not a secret, and if anyone considered it so, they would think it an absolutely poorly kept secret,? the Duchess adjusted her tiara as the carriage hit a bump on the highway. ?These people were obviously after plans, writings, anything that could identify other parties to the movement, those sympathetic to the cause of the Lower Royals. I will not know certain what his death means to the cause, but I do know for certain that this is only the beginning of the bloodshed."

"I can?t say who would have ordered this, though I obviously have ideas. I will remain relatively unsure until we have seen the death scene for ourselves? why are you so quiet, my knight??

Tyberay ? Castle Walgrave ? Throne Room

The Queen sat stoically as she considered the news she had just received. This messenger had not brought any good news, though no news could be worse than the death of the Baron. Though they obviously had differing ideas and opinions, there had never been any violence whatsoever during their disagreements. They had reached an absolutely deadlock in their talks, and though it seemed impossible to resolve the issues, she was still open to discussing it with him. And now this? The message was right. Nothing about the death made much sense at all. The message was extremely clear, but left only more doubts regarding the entire situation.

The messenger waited patiently while the Queen deliberated mentally. He wasn?t even aware of the import of his message: ?Have you wondered at all how the news reached your castle in such a timely manner?? The messenger, Haiovi, had been promised 50 silvers for delivering the message, from another woman who had been paid to find a messenger. He had done enough of these deliveries to know to never ask any questions. The queen, possibly only now remembering that he was still there, dismissed him from her throne room with her thanks.

The message made many implications. As the Inquisitors had mentioned in their report, all residents of the home had been murdered during the dawning of the day. Who then could have reported the attack? No one had come forward yet, and it was probable that no one ever would. Perhaps it was just a servant that the attackers had missed? but she would have been informed of such a survivor? and no person could have made it so quickly to the Castle to have reported the attack.

The command for the Inquisitors could have come from any number of people in the castle, and they could have been commanded by anybody else. There had never been a need for diligent tracking of such events. But now this blurred line of responsibility has only blurred the only tracks to an answer.

Tyberay ? Castle Walgrave ? Side Gate Entrance

The messenger was finally led out of the castle by a guard, through the maze-like hallways of the Castle, a short walk through the inner and outer courtyards, and finally out the gate. The gates were shut behind him before Haiovi could even mutter a ?thanks?. He was now free to spend his silvers? and what a night this would be!

He was singing to himself as he walked through the City of Tyberay, the sounds of rowdy taverns and off-tune choruses spilling out into the night. As he walked past an alleyway, a hand shot out and grabbed his tunic. He was jerked into the dark alley, and he was suddenly fearful for his life. He had barely a chance to grab his dagger when another hand held his arm in place. Terrified, he turned his head to look at the face of the attacker? and it was the woman who had hired him. He remembered seeing the sword staff by her side when he had hired her, and grimaced at the thought of that monstrosity running through his heart? but it never came. He felt her take his knife and toss it further down the alleyway, and heard her say?


[U]Lady Cathryn and Skythar[/U]

Elys ? Castle Peryson ? Study of the Royal Alchemists

Daylight had long faded through the towering windows of the study, but candelight kept the two men and the one woman working furiously. ?Have we tried mixing the Reetsbarn root with the two previous??? asked the one male, Frodmir
?We?ve tried that already, plus every other variation with those two plants. Let?s start over with something else,? said the other man, Ingmar. The two began disposing of all the tests and grinding new herbs. Their objective was clear, though nothing could have been more difficult. They were to find a cure for an illness that no one could explain; an illness that, at any moment, could take their King.

It was not uncommon in history for the Alchemists to be at their greatest need when Royalty was on the verge of passing, but generally, most Alchemists didn?t have the same urgency as these ones did. An heir, a ruler to take the Crown & Staff when the King died, seemed as unlikely as a cure for the King. For one reason or another, King Peryson had remained utterly quiet about any such heir, if he had even the mind anymore to make such a decision. That could not be determined to any particular degree, and so, the task fell upon the Alchemists to stall the death the moved implacably to claim Peryson?s life. Perhaps, with more time, he would name an heir, and settle the matter for certain. At this current stage, it seemed as though every man in the Kingdom was prepared to snatch the Crown & Staff the moment the King?s heart stopped beating.

Ingmar stopped grinding as he considered the Alchemist that had not said a word the entire evening, but had done every task so far with a fury to match the Devil?s. She was young, that was for certain, but if rumours were true, was far more capable than both Frodmir and himself put together. Though, her almost fanatical work ethic had Ingmar a tad worried. He put down the mortar & pestle and walked over to her. Her table had numerous volumes of herbal remedies and cures piled together in a most haphazard fashion, and a plethora of roots, plant leaves, powders and animal parts littered the same space. He began to tell her to take a break when she suddenly interrupted him?

Elys ? Castle Peryson ? Dungeons (3rd sub-floor)

The 3rd floor dungeons held men far too dangerous to even themselves. These were the madmen, the utterly ruthless, the damned. Rarely were they let out of their cells, and if they are, no fewer than five Royal Guards are set on them.

?One-Split, you there?? inquired a deep voice from one of the cells.

?What do you want, Rutledge?? replied another voice.

?He said he was coming tonight, right??

?Keep track of your own fucking dates,? growled back One-Split. One-Split referred to the hideous weapon he had used on the outside, a blade so sharp it could split a man from head to toe in a single slice.

?Hey, whoreson,? that was an actual fact, ?he has an interesting offer for us. Before you fire off your fucking trap again, this time, listen to what he has to say. He?s obviously patient, and so far, each time you?ve opened your bloody mouth, he?s left?? he trailed off as he saw a guard making the rounds.

A small group of footmen guarded the entranceway to the prison, and so far tonight, little had passed between them besides money. Another evening of a friendly game of dice? though from the look of things so far, the friendly game could quickly turn not so friendly. ?I win again! I can?t believe my luck!? shouted Warrean. It was actually his 5th take tonight, out of 7 rounds of rolling. The 6 other guards watched in disbelief as three guards lost their bets to Warrean again. ?This is unbelievable! I?ve never won anything like this in my life!? No one really liked Warrean all that much. Frankly, if they had to sacrifice a guard to the monsters in the cells, Warrean would be their first pick. Losing to him was worse than losing to their own sisters. They were about to start another round when they heard footsteps coming down. They all quickly placed their hands on the hilts of their swords and lined the walls of the entranceway?

[U]Lucas[/U]

Emanil ? City of Emanil ? Outisde the Blacksmith?s Shop

The four men were obviously looking for trouble. They had spent the afternoon drinking themselves silly, and were wreaking havoc on the residences of Emanil. They tossed loose bricks through windows, overturned statues, and were a general disturbance to the otherwise peaceful cityfolk. A small detachment of footmen had been sent to apprehend them, but they seemed fairly well-versed in the art of dodging and eluding their grasp, and have been playing tag for the past two hours. The energy of these young men seemed inexhaustible, while this particular group of footmen verged on collective middle age. They were also not beyond fighting with those who tried to stop them, citizens trying to uphold the peace. A trail of bloodied noses and dagger wounds followed the misfits.

The four, after splitting up, happened to meet up again in another part of town. Martkets and shops crowded the streets? the perfect place for more fun. They began tearing canvases down, overturning tables, and ruining the wares of many a merchant. That?s when they happened to run by the Blacksmith?s shop. A young girl suddenly stepped in front of them and yelled, ?STOP!? the men were so shocked by the sight of this little girl, they simultaneously broke out in laughter and stopped running. The girl continued, ?Stop right where you are! I am invoking the right of Citizen?s Peace and placing all of you under arrest! You are ruining all of these people?s things, and you should be punished!?
The leader of the men stepped forward and bent down to put him face to face with the girl, ?Listen little girl, get out of our way, and we won?t have to hurt you,? and he placed a hand on her head, and shoved her to the ground. As she started crying, the leader turned around to laugh with his friends. That?s when he felt the smithy?s hammer shatter his right shoulder?

[U]Elayne, Jerrico and Ammon[/U]

Elys ?The Roost Tavern

The crowd cheered as the woman continued her dance. She had begun only a short while ago, but the tavern quickly filled up as word passed around Elys City. There was only one word to describe it, Seductive. There was only the slightest film of fabric that separated the hungry gazes of the men and the dancer. The band played a gypsy-tune to accompany her dance, which had spontaneous broken out. One moment, she had been drinking with a male companion, and suddenly, she was up on the tables. She had absolutely every male patron mesmerized. Except for her companion. He had been sitting at the same table, studying everyone else besides her.

After waiting a little longer, when he was certain everyone was focused on her, Aleyn began walking amongst the men in the crowd. One by one, he slit their money pouches and deposited the coins quietly in his many compartments. The odd patron had some jewelry worth his interest, and he borrowed those as well. When he had finally finished his route, he performed his last action: he shoved the nearest man he could find into the largest man in the crowd. He narrowly dodged a swipe from someone?s dagger as he slipped out, and smiled as he heard the fight break out.

Outside, when his female companion finally joined him, he said, ?I cut, probably, eighty purses in there. I think we have enough for our vacation now,? he smirked. The female finished donning the rest of her clothes and replied?

Tyberay ? Land of Duchess Guinivere

?There HAS to be something going on between Sir Mothias and the Duchess! Just look at the way he talks to her, it?s as though they were equals? while she is surely his superior,? exclaimed one servant.

?But it?s simply because they?ve known each other for so long? Sir Mothias is well aware of his position!? countered the other servant.

?Exactly? as her suitor. The way he speaks to her, it?s like a husband chiding his wife!? the two shared a laugh.

?If anyone chides in this relationship, Bismarc, it?s my job,? she said endearingly to her husband. The husband and wife had been in the service of the Duchess? family for as long as they could remember. As much as they gossiped, they both respected the family, as well as Sir Mothias, and could imagine no better patron.

?Where DID they run off to so quickly? All I remember is Sir Mothias receiving that messenger from Walgrave castle, the one from the Queen herself, and they were boarding their carriage in the next instant. The Duchess, too! That MUST be something serious,? she said with wide eyes.

?Wife, don?t worry, I?m sure it was just a small matter, nothing we have to be concerned about by any means,? and just as he said that, they heard a knock on the door. ?Now who would be coming to these lands at this time of night??

The two shuffled down to the main doors of the mansion and opened them to find a man so laughable, they could hardly contained themselves? though, as seasoned veterans of hospitality and etiquette, they did. The man was dressed in a rainbow of an outfit, with green armor, a blue tunic, and a bright red cape. This was clearly a man from another kingdom. He was also clearly drunk. They listened as he began to speak?

Elys ? The Roost Tavern

The fight had grown to uimaginable proportions. The men who had been so entranced before by the dancing, were now crying for blood. A few weapons larger than daggers had been unsheathed, and for one reason or another, this typical tavern brawl had turned bloodthirsty. The tavern owner quickly ushered the barmaids out through the back, and told them to run home ? the tavern was definitely finished for tonight. A few stayed nonetheless hoping to catch a glimpse of a particularly strong fighter to swoon over. The fight had crashed out onto the streets, and random bystanders were beginning to get involved as well. A misplaced punch, a chair thrown slightly off the mark, and eventually, people who were minding their own business were in the thick of things.

The local night Guards had not been dispatched yet, as no one had bothered to report the disturbance yet, and frankly, the Guards really rather preferred letting these sort of matters resolve themselves. They would pick up and of the unconscious tomorrow and take care of them then.

A group of four men managed to stay out of harm?s way throughout the fight, as they were situated deep within the back of the tavern. Not that they were too scared too fight, but unless provoked? well, they were discussing more important matters. That is, until a table leg found its way to their mugs of beer. As the liquid slopped all over their clothes, the man who had thrown the leg was laughing wildly. The tallest of the men wiped the mead off his face, but signaled for the other men to sit down. This was not a fight worth getting involved? just then he heard a female scream outside, not in mirth, but fear. The three other men simultaneously shot out of their chairs and threw themselves into the fray. The tall man slipped out through the back and found the barmaids who had been surveying the fight suddenly caught in a tug of war between some drunken bastards? he would protect the innocent?

[Vicky]

[SIZE=1]Jerrico tapped one of the drunken idiots lightly on the shoulder. He ignored to the noise around him and numerous objects being thrown through the air. The drunken man turned around, swinging a punch at Jerrico, but Jerrico ducked, and slipped his fist through the mans arms, punching the drunk in the mouth. The drunk swayed to the side dizzly, and fell on the floor like a fat water balloon. Jerrico walked towards the other drunken man who was now trying to drag the barmaid down the streets, and like lightning striking Jerrico drew his sword and threatened the drunk with it. Though the drunken man did not back down, instead and lunged himself at Jerrico, so Jerrico grabbed the man by the shoulders and threw him too the ground with all his strength.

"Jerrico!" A familiar voice shouted. Jerrico looked to the side, seeing a smaller man then himself run past Jerrico and knocked down a drunk who was going to hit Jerrico over the head with a wooden table leg. Jerrico smiled at his friend, and saluted by putting his two fingers on his forehead. He wondered were his friend had come from, but didn't put too much matter into the thought. Jerrico kept a firm grib on his sword, and ran towards the other barmaid being dragged by another batch of drunks. Jerrico's friend (Aranel) joined Jerrico by grabbing a few of the drunken man and pulling them away, literally tossing them too the ground. Once again, Jerrico threatened two drunks with his sword and seeing it had no effect, tried to throw the men too the floor. Aranel knocked one man down with the help of Jerrico, and palm-punched the last drunk in the chin. Jerrico whispered too the two barmaids and pointed down the streets, away from the fight. As the barmaids ran off, Jerrico joined Aranel.

"Where are the rest of us?" Jerrico asked. Aranel chuckled.

"You mean Duncan and Ergo? Somewhere in the crowd, fighting with everyone. Shall I go and fetch them?" Replied Aranel. Jerrico nodded slightly while putting his sword away, and watched Aranel run into the crowd. The brown-haired short man stood at the edge of the fight and whistled loudly. Two other men in the fight stopped, and pushed themselves out of the large fight, almost being ripped apart. Aranel ran back to Jerrico, with Duncan and Ergo behind him. Duncan was the smallest of the group, but one of the strongest and carried a sword like everyone else in the group. Ergo was in the middle, with the same messy hair as Jerrico. The four men began to walk away from most of the fight, but still not out of it.

"So what else have you heard?" Mumbled Jerrico. Ergo sighed heavily, no doubt about to tell them some bad news.

"Apparently, the baron has died." Ergo responed with a sigh. Jerrico looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Died?" He asked.

"What do you mean by 'died'?" Finished Aranel. Ergo shrugged slightly.

"Rumours... just rumours I guess... though the rumour has it that he was murdered, I'm not sure how. I think, though. Rumours, just rumours. The source who gave me this information wasn't re-"

"Who gave you the information?" Snapped Duncan cutting him off. Ergo rolled his eyes.

"I was getting to that part," He snapped back. "I don't know who gave me the information, but the person who gave him the information was a trustworthy person." Explained Ergo, side stepping away from a drunk. "I don't know if it's true, though... just-"

"Rumours." Ended Duncan with a laugh. "You don't even know who you got the information from, so how do we know this is true?" Duncan asked.

"Well I think it is... the death of the Baron, however, seems to be a call for diaster." Jerrico said to them. His face was looking a little worried right now, not from the fight but from the so called 'rumours'. "How can we be sure this won't cause more deaths? Of course, we [I]all[/I] know what the Baron was invovled in, and we all know about what's been going on around and about." Muttered Jerrico.

"Well... his death can't be [I]that[/I] important." Chuckled Duncan. Aranel and Jerrico stopped and stared at him.

"Oh, isn't it?" Jerrico said. "No one knows what this will lead too, but I have a feeling..." He added with a long sigh.

"Whatever the feeling, we're following you!" Ergo said, clenching his fist like he was ready for a battle.

"All the way!" Aranel said, ending Ergo's sentence. Duncan rolled his eyes and laughed lightly, and the three walked on, but Jerrico stayed behind.

"Perhaps... but sometimes the path is only meant for one..." Jerrico muttered so his friends could not hear.[/SIZE]

[Eli]

[FONT=Times New Roman]Elayne watched the men boil the bar up with their fighting, and wanted to smirk. Though that would have looked suspicious, so she instead pretended to be rather shocked with the scene. "Oh me, oh my! Goodness gracious!" she said, coating her voice in a frightened and sweet manner, though she didn't mean any of it. Finally letting a small smirk appear on her face, she jumped off of the table, dodging some punches from the drunkards that were too intoxicated to see straight.

Though one drunk man grabbed her by the waist as she tried to leave, and she bolted her view in his direction. "Where do you think you're going, beautiful?" he asked; his voice wobbled from his drunken manner. Annoyed with his actions, she quickly slapped the man, and tripped him into one of the bigger fights in the bar. She called out to the man while taking her leave. "You could really use some lessons on how to treat a lady!" That was when Elayne caught up to her companion Aleyn, as he was walking with money bags in each hand.

"...I think we have enough for our vacation now," said Aleyn, smirking. Elayne could hear the brawl of the bar fight that they had left behind, and she gave a quiet laugh. "Just as planned, exactly the way I like it." she stated, and put her hands behind her head in a carefree manner as they walked. She was quite pleased, though she never expressed so.

"How many full bags do we have in all?"

Aleyn counted the fairly large money bags that were once empty. "Hmm, it appears that we have five." he replied. "Though all of them are full, so we did a pretty good job." Elayne then gestured to hold one of the bags, and Aleyn lightly threw one over to her. She in turn caught the bag, and began to toss it up and down in her hand. Aleyn then caught sight of her, and she looked back in return.

"What's the matter?" asked Elayne, curiously. Aleyn shrugged and responded to her inquiry. "You seem...funny today. You're just not in your grumpy mood today- though I find that good. Other than that, you're awfully quiet at the moment." Elayne yawned a bit, and squinted. She remained without a reply, feeling a bit annoyed as to why Aleyn was so suspicious of her. Minutes later, Aleyn huffed. "If you must be that way, then fine...It seems as though Miss An-"

"I thought I told you numerous times before, and I'll tell you again," interrupted Elayne. "Do [I]not[/I] speak that name. It's not suited for me by any means- I hate it." She closed her eyes while letting out a small, "Hmph." Aleyn quickly rolled his eyes while she wasn't looking. They both left the matter in a short amount of time and silence, with Elayne smirking as she spoke again. "The only reason I'm not a bit grumpy today, as you might call it, is because this plan went rather smoothly."

Elayne then remembered their last plan, in which somewhat failed. They had managed to get away, though they had been caught in the process of stealing the money. And along with the fact that Elayne absolutely hated anything going wrong, she remained in a bad mood for the past couple of days.

Changing the subject, Elayne continued to speak. "Strange as it may sound, I'm actually going to miss this place. It was very fun swiping from here and all, and the people were very generous." She snickered and looked over to Aleyn. He shifted his view to many things, though didn't return her glance. "I want something more," he muttered while hiding the other money bags in his pockets; this way, they would have a better chance of not being found out. Elayne did the same, and put the bag she was holding in her own pocket. "What do you mean 'something more?' " she asked, and Aleyn just shook his head.

"Never mind."

A small flock of birds flew across the sky as Elayne hummed for a little bit. Thus they set off towards Gunvyle. Though they would take their time; there was no need to rush.[/FONT]

[Ryoko T.D.C.]

[COLOR=Blue]"No, I can't take a break. I must not fail my lord the King." The young woman said as she turned and handed him a new mortar and pestle with a yellow greenish powder in it.

"But you have been working for far to long without any sleep. You must take a rest, you have bags under eyes." He said as he grabbed the powder.

"I know, " she replied rubing her eyes, "but I must....save the....[SIZE=1]King....[/SIZE]" and with that, her tiredness cought up with her, and dopped her head on the desk. She had fallen asleep.

"Come, lets put Lady Cathryn on her bed. " Ingmar said putting the powder down and lifting Lady Cathryn up.

Ingmar gently set her on her bed and walked out of the room as Frodmir followed.

"My....lord....Peryson....save...." She mumbled in her sleep.

Cathryn slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Light was poring out of the stained glass window. Green, red, yellow, and blue danced upon her face.

"Oh no! I fell asleep! My lord the king might be....*gasp*" Cathryn jumped out of bed at the thought of her lord dead.

She ran down he halls as she thought of her stupidness.

"I fell aslepp! I am not supposed to fall asleep!" Cathryn said as she turned a corner and triped on her on feet.

Ingmar was a little ways down and heard her fall. He ran up to her and helped her up.

"Are you alright my lady?" He asked as he brushed some dirt off her shoulder.

"I'm fine, how is the King!? Is he alright!? Is he still--" She franticly said, but Ingmar cut her off.

"He is still alive and well." He smiled at as she sighed in relief.

Cathryn turned and leaned againest the stone wall. She breathed in deep through her mouth and exhaild through her nose. She looked out towards the grounds. The roses were in bloom. She smiled as she walked out to the grounds. She stopped and picked a rose.

"Oh my lady, be careful they--" Ingmar stopped as Cathryn turned and looked at him.

"I thought that if I fell asleep, he would pass on." She smiled and cocked her head to one side.

Ingmar smiled as he walked to her and patted her head screewing up her hair.

"Your so young, yet so talented." He said looking out at the garden.[/COLOR]

[Doukeshi]

Lucas exited the tavern upon hearing the rucus developing outside. He had intended upon ignoring the drunkards, prefering to stay within the confines of his shop, content at sta.tying out of the way. This had changed however when he had heard the voice of his young sister, Elanna from amongst the group. Grasping the ahmmer placed upon his workbench he leant against the doorframe of the smithy door and peered out into the street. Damn her and her sense of justice, he knew that one day she would become a law enforcer or something, she was her mothers daughter, as much as her brothers who had left to defend their country. Shaking his head he stepped out into the street, clutching the handle of the hammer with a white knuckled fist.

Circling the group he appraoched from behind, his gaze set firmly upon his sibling. Grey eyes were hard as he looked upon with a worried expression. Suddenly he heard Elanna cry out as she was shoved backwards, sending her sprawling upon the dirt by the large brute. Bared teeth and a snarl replaced the expression of worry as Lucas surged forward, anger blazing within his eyes. Lashing out with the hammer he slammed into the mans shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground with an anguished roar of pain. Spinning on his heel he faced the others in the group, baring his teeth in a feral expression of fury.

"You! You would harm a young girl outside her own home? You drunken fools!"

Overcoming their initial shock at seeing one of their own floored by the raging smithy the men advanced upon Lucas, laughing darkly at the man who stood so defiantly before them.

"Lookit here," one of the slurred, stumbling forward in an intoxicated stupor, "this guy finks e's a hero." The others laughed at this and advanced further. Adjusting his grip upon his weapon, Lucas lunged foward crushing a skull with a brutal blow. Muscleds and sinews rippled as he fought delivering mighty blows to the inexperienced and uncorodinated men. A bled from several shallow wounds inflicted by a few lucky knives but in the end it was Lucas who previaled as the drunkards left scurrying away, leaving their wounded behind.

Breathing heavily Lucas laid a final kick at one of the groaning figures before turning back to tend to his sister. She sat,upon the step outside the smithy door, her hands clasped tightly about her knees. Crouching before Elanna he held out his grimy hand, touching her face in a tender caress. Taking her into his embrace he shushed her lightly as she sobbed into his arms.

"I'm..sorry..Lucas," Her sniffs and hiccups marred her voice as she spoke softly, "I was only..trying to help."

Gathering her upon into his arms he took her inside, holding her against his strong chest as he closed the door to the world outside.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

How could he have forgotten.....Tobi sat alone at the tavern bar drinking heavily. He'd spent the entire day with the Tavern owner and his daughter helping them bring in a shipment of ale and barley.. It had taken the shipment longer to come in then he had expected. "I suppose I should just get some sleep tonight" tobi thought to himself....but how could he sleep knowing full well that he had let his people down possibly killing all hopes of help from the townspeople of Corvira...."Well I suppose we can still do this without them"

Tobi quickly finished his last mug of ale and began heading for bed. As he ascended the staircase Tobi heard the sound of laughter..."Lets make this quick Jerimiha" It was a females voice, Tobi thought he had recognized it from earlier this evening as a female thief who came in with a large burley looking man. "The quicker we get his things and get out the better" The female said again. Peeking around the corner Tobi noticed the two were stripping an unconscious man of all his clothes and valuables. "Filth", Tobi thought to himself. He slowly drew his weapons and waited for the two.

The first to come around the corner was the male, Tobi had set a trip wire up in the archway right in front of the stairs, he had hoped the barbarian was to stupid to notice it...and as usual his instincts were right...The barbairan ran right into the wire and rolled right down the stairs. The female though was no novice to conventional methods such as that. She quickly noticed her male accomplises plummet down the staircase stopped and drew her weapons. Stealthly she made her way around the corner knowing Tobi's exact location...As she drew out a throwin dagger a thing evil smile crossed her lips....quickly she dove into a roll around the corner letting loose the dagger in midflight in the exact location she knew Tobi was in...not knowing that Tobi had played her the fool.

Tobi, being no simple novice himself, knew the way thieves liked to fight. Once he heard her land into her roll, Tobi bursted out from behind the bar on the bottom level, simultaneously drawing his bow and fitting an arrow. TWANG the bow rang into the silent bar.....before the thief could react, the arrow flew true directly landing between her ribs, piercing the womans heart making a sickening sucking noise as it beat for the last time.....

Since the only residents at the inn this particular night had been the old man who was lying unconscious currently, and the barbarian and his cohort Tobi did not worry about waking anybody...."Maliki, Kauren" He cried for the inn owner and his daughter. Quickly answering Maliki and Kauren decended the stairs seeing the leftovers from the short but viscious battle. "Call the guards and tell them what happened, I'm going to go make myself scarce, but these two thieves tried to relieve that kindly merchant of his wares. I apologize for the damage and as always I'll be glad to fix anything once I've returned....Kauren if you need anything you know where to find me.

Tobi and Kauren exchanged quick goodbyes as Tobi headed for the door....Just as he was about to leave...the air grew calm. "GET DOWN" Tobi shouted as he dove to the floor. Just as he made it to the ground a huge spear crashed threw the door missing Tobi by less than an inch. Tobi drew out his trusty sabre and dirk. He had seen the spear before it belonged to his second in command Ganteo. Obviously Ganteo was upset about Tobi missing his speech. "TOBI" The giant of a man cried, Ganteo was a huge brawny man standing at an easy 6'7 and weighing near 290lbs.
Ganteo crashed through the splintered door axe already drawn.

"Ganteo, I see you must be a little upset over the Corvira thing...but we'll have our chance....the rebellion is almost at hand, and they will come around when they see our force. But fighting amongst ourselves will only lessen the chance they will join us" Tobi tried to reason, in reality he was glad it had come to this, for as long as the rebellion had been started Ganteo had been jealous that Tobi had been in command and not himself, so better it happen now then later.

Ganteo lunged at Tobi with an agility that surprised everyone in the room, but Tobi had tusseled with Ganteo before and knew exactally what to expect. With perfect timing Tobi dogged the attack just as the axe crashed threw a table behind him, lashing out with his dirk Tobi made slight contact with Ganteos forearm causing a deap gash that would have made most men quit right there...but Ganeto was no novice to battle. Plus his rage was causing him to go beserk, Tobi knew tha tnothing short of a fatal wound would stop the raging giant. Dodging another close blow, Tobi got another small wound across Ganteos chest...thinking the knowledge that Tobi could have killed him, would put some reason that it would be better to be alive and fighting alongside Tobi than to be dead. But much to Tobi's surprise Ganteo's reaction was the exact oppisite Ganteo lashed out with an arm so fast Tobi didn't have a chance to react. The giants fist made contact with Tobi's jaw launching him 7feet in midair.

Dazed and unarmed Tobi arrose just intime to meet ganteo's fist yet again, this time crashing into Tobi's abdomen sending him soaring even farther. With the windknocked out of him, tobi layed on the ground totally disoriented....Tobi saw the man take up his axe preparing to deliever the final blow...Tobi reached his hand out for anything to use as a weapon...struggling he found the dead thieves body...."maybe one last chance" Tobi thought to himself, not being very proficient in throwing daggers and doubting he could slay ganteo with only one as it was he did the next best thing. Tobi kicked straight into Ganteo's knee, catching him so relaxed it buckled right under him, still flowing with the same move Tobi stuck Ganteo's chest with the dagger, puncturing one of his lungs. The giant dropped downonto both knees, gasping for air.

Tobi rose to his feet finally starting to gain some of his strength Ganteo had took from him with those huge blows. Picking up Ganteo's axe Tobi looked at the man, "If I cannot trust you I cannot allow you run and tell Bourchier anything." Ganteo still gasping for air lowered his head.....Tobi raised the axe to deliver the finishing blow...but something had caught his eye. Kauren....how could he do something like this in front of her. CLANK the axe rang as it hit the floor...."Ganteo I'm going to allow you to live, but you're going to be staying here under the watch of Maliki and Kauren until the rebellions over"

Suddenly arrows pierced the again silent Tavern, all of them hitting their marks killing Ganteo almost instantly....four men looking to be bandits like the ones from Tobi's past crept into the room. "We bring a message from someone who has taken notice of you Tobi....if the rebellion is succesfull, my master will pay you a great deal for protection...we will see you again Cap."

"Cap?" Tobi thought to himself how did he know that name. It would continue to bother him all threw the night, as he, Kauren, and Maliki decided to get some sleep tonight and deal with the fallen souls in the morning.

[oshi]

OOC: May I suggest something for all of the writers to do? As there are obviously many of us, and thus many, many characters, how about if we all added their names and locations into our signatures? Just a little note in our sigs whenever our main characters change their positions, so that none of us have to search through all of the posts to figure out where everyone else is. I think it would make things a little easier for everyone to keep straight. How about it?

IC:
--------------------------------------------

Sascha Marchosias blinked as he realized someone had spoken to him. He turned his head to stare blankly at this person, another held in the dungeon same as he. Perhaps, however, with better and more clearly-explained reasons. Sascha gave him a weak smile, though was not particularly interested in summoning the energy to respond further.

Catching the transaction, Pavel Halpas crossed his arms and ordered in his hoarse voice, "Leave him be. He's not feeling well, thanks to this pit."

The man who had approached made a slightly irritated expression, but decided not to press the matter further. Pavel scowled at him as he returned to his former position, even as the Jauza's feathery brown hair floated about his head disarmingly.

Vassili Andromalius sighed from where he sat on the dirty floor. His eyes, thin like a reptile's, scanned the cell and narrowed. "There's another anamoly headed this way. These things are unnatural," he murmured, referring to the recent events of weather that had afflicted the kingdom of late.

Sliding his back down the wall to sit beside him, Sascha put his head in his hands. "Do you think they ate all of that bread already?" he inquired, the question muffled by his palms.

"Even if they hadn't, it would only make you feel worse," Vassili told him. "Tonight's was growing a multicolored mold."

With a groan, Sascha rubbed one eye. "Maybe it was medicinal."

Vassili cracked a rare smile. "Perhaps. But you'd have to gut one of these fellows for it now."

"Don't you have a sword hidden in your belly, or something, that you could do that with?" Pavel asked, yawning, and sat with them.

Sascha scoffed. "I don't swallow them, though right now I wish I did. And they took my powder, so I can't even start up a fire to get us out of here."

Pavel grinned lopsidedly. "If we could get ourselves one of those torches, I could have this whole place burning like a king for his concubines," he whispered in the gleeful tone that comes from being confined indefinitely.

Under normal circumstances, Pavel's companions would have disregarded the idea. However, their growing claustrophobia was beginning to pull some strings, and both pondered the thought seriously.

"No . . . ." Sascha shook his head finally. "There are too many people here who could get hurt if we do that. We'll have to think of something else."

Pavel pulled a face and laid himself down on the floor, disappointed.

Nodding in agreement, Vassili leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "A fire would spread too quickly here, anyway. We would cause enough trouble to deserve being here."

"It might as well be worth it," Pavel retorted.

Sascha let out a deep breath. "Well, we have to get out soon. I can't take this much longer."

[Zen]

[color=green][size=1]
[B]OOC:[/B] Real sorry for taking so long. Just gets mixed up.
[B]IC:[/B]


The well-endowed carraige of Duchess Guinivere came to a small dip in the dirt path, causing her tiara to once again become disheveled. She quickly adjusted it as Mothias began speaking in repliance to her question. "Its merely that the Baron's demise has slightly troubled me, my lady." Mothias replied in a deep, almost thuggish tone, as if attempting to sound sarcastic.

"You, troubled over a bit of contreversial blood shed? Sir Mothias, the most well known and fearsome knight of all of Tyberay, destraut over death? Why is this, my knight?" The Duchess spoke in a tone as if addressing a small and fearful child. The Knight sniggered slightly at her speaking.

"My madam, this is because I beleive that the Baron's death, is just one in a long list. A list that may infact have your named signed, somewhere along the line." Mothias replied as if trying to spook the reaching arrogant Duchess. She raised an eyebrow a hummed to herself aggrivatedly. As if she were trying to come to a reply that she could not muster. The Knight stopped his head, placing his elbows on his knees and hanging his head. He then looked up to her with a smile. "No worries, m'lady. Sir Mothias is by your side. Hahaha!" Mothias said with a smiling, and then laughing a bit arrogantly as he sat himself up to catch a breath afterwards. The Duchess smiled aswell, and shook her head. She still felt distressed by the knights statement however....

A bit of lenght down the road, the carriage began to shake a bit, as if the horses were troubled. Mothias and the Duchess thought not much of it. But it caught Mothias' attention when the carriage stopped completely. "Driver.... Driver?!" Mothias called out a bit. He looked towards the wall of the carriage to find a reply to no avail. "Somethings not right..." Mothias said, "Duchess, sit tight while I investigate this... perdicament..." he finished, then he opened the door slowly, peaking out of the door, he looked side to side, to find nothing out of ordinary. Mothias stepped out of the door and onto the brown dirt road. He peaked over to see a dead driver, his head hanging over the laquered wood of the carriage, dripping blood to the ground where a puddle accumilated. Mothias' face was shocked, he quickly stepped forward quickly and look on top the carriage, and sure as he thought, stood a fairly strong figure, standing in a deep black cloak, of which its hood shadowed its unknown face.

"I do beleive I have business with the Duchess, sire." the cloak spoke out in a manly voice from its shadowy mouth. It drew twin daggers with blades swurved like a slithering snake, the carriage driver's blood still freshly coating its fine-metal face. Mothias drew his sabers quickly and held them out towards the assassin, prepared for combat.

"Well... I do beleive I can speak for her momentarily..." Mothias said with a smile in the same thuggish tone, whipping his blades in a circle held in his hands.

"Momentarily it shall be..." the cloak spoke in a deathly tone, jumping down from the carriage with dagers drawn....[/color][/size]

[Hevn]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][SIZE=1][B][COLOR=Purple][SIZE=1][B]WARNING: Too dramatic... tissues' all around![/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Czarina released Haiovi as soon as he relaxed.

"And the Queen said...?" She asked in a superior manner as the man in front of her arrayed himself up.

"Nothing... all she did was think to herself and send me away..."

She saw truth in his eyes but she was displeased of the news. Finding no more use of the man she threw him a bag of 50 silvers and sent him away. Haiovi happily took it, walked away, and resumed his singing in an even happier tone.

[COLOR=Purple][SIZE=1][B]Tyberay - Mansion of Lady Montague[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

"You do not need to take this all upon yourself my lady."

"Oh Callus, I would've understood if it was only the Baron for many times have I warned him that he was being too careless of his actions...but hear me he did not. And his wife, his children, his entire household! They were all mercilessly slaughtered and that is unforgivable!" Czarina shook with every single word of hate that spilled out of her mouth. Callus slowly walked over to where the lady nervously sat and placed a gentle hand upon hers. The feeling soothed Czarina as if she is comforted by a supportive father.

"There is no use, nor time, for revenge. The movement is revolting even more carelessly now with all that happened. With no one to guide no more... who knows what they'll mindlessly do?" The old man replied as-a-matter-of-factly but the words only seemed to make the lady crumble more. Czarina stood up and walked by the window.

"But I'm afraid I'm lacking in spirit. I couldn't risk more lives and when this movement is pursued that would be impossible...when the movement pushes through more innocent people will die and you know, of all people Callus, that that would weaken me more than anything..." she ranted.

"The people believe in you my lady. Death is a risk they are will to pay. They knew that from the very beginning but they know they won't die for nothing. Prove them so. Tyberay is in need of you now more than ever that if you lack in spirit they'll give theirs to you, for you...and for the future of our land..." Callus sentimentally explained maintaining his manner and composure while giving his lady courage.

Czarina stood quietly for she knew what is coming ahead of her. She has no choice.[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

The next day....the guilt set in..

Tobi came to, as he arose he realized he was no longer in the Tavern room..but straight in the center of a huge battle. "The rebellion?" Tobi thought to himself, he recognized several of his trusted friends in battle, Lanceo, Cervio, and himself???? The battle raged on around him, nobody noticed him, not even Bentiage, one of the kings soldiers who had encountered Tobi on a few occations.

As the battle began to slow it seemed that victory was imminent for the rebellion, just as Tobi, Lanceo, and Cervio sheathed their weapons a new foe rode up to them. Not able to see his face Tobi saw himself and the other two draw their weapons, but they were not quick enough. The new foe slay them all in one fell swoop of a great axe. "No it can't be!?" Tobi thought to himself...As the foe turned towards Tobi his fears were brought to life..."Ganteo" the cowering whisper barley escaping his lips. The ghost from the past locked eyes straight on Tobi, drew back and let loose his axe. Tobi struggled to dodge but he was too sticken with fear. Just as the axe came in contact with Tobi's torso...everything went black....

Tobi awoke again, this time in the confines of his small room in the tavern. "Just a dream" Tobi said with a sigh of relief. He arose and began suiting up, he would have a challenging day ahead of himself, trying to keep together, what he could have lost the night prior, especially with the news of Ganteo's death. "Just great" Tobi said sulkingly. As he finished getting ready Kauren burst through the door "TOBI" she cried featingly you must come see this....

Tobi followed Kauren out to the main room in the Tavern....the sight there made Tobi, though a seasoned warrior who had seen quite a few battles go weak in the knees. The body of Ganteo was gone....in its place were nothing but his axe and armor....and by the door was the body of Maliki...Struck down, and by the looks of it without a struggle. Evidentally Kauren failed to notice the body of her father on her first arrival to the large tavern area, because her scream startled Tobi from his fearfull trance. He managed to catch the girl before she landed on the ground...but as he gazed the scene and began thinking about everything Maliki had done for him...everything around Tobi grew black....and then there was nothing.....

[Doukeshi]

Lucas carried Elanna into the small living quarters of the smithy, smoothing her hair and whispering reassurances in her ear. Setting her down at the worn kitchen table he wrapped her in a blanket and proceeded to heat up a pan of water. Still sniffing Elanna looked up at Lucas emploringly.

"Are you mad at me?" her eyes began to fill with unshed tears once more as she watched her brother move around the kitchen. Looking back at her with a warm gaze, Lucas moved to kneel before her, taking her smaller hand in his. Brushing her hair away from her face he rubbed away the tears that now stained her cheek.

"Now now...I ain't mad, I was just scared for ye. Ye gave me quite a shock young lady Asheron, an' I'm sure if Pa were still around he would have tanned yer hide." He chuckled softly at the panicked look she gave him at this news.
"Don't worry though, I ain't Pa an' rather than give ye a goot smack, I'll just torture ye with tea...speaking of which," Lucas turned towards the stove at the sound of bubbling water and stood to see to the pan. Taking two well worn mugs from the cabinet he gathered together the strainer and several handfulls of tea leaves, pouring the boiling water through the leaves and into the mug. Stirring in the strength he added a few drops of honey for sweetness and placed the steaming mug before his young sister.
"There ye go, now drink up." Sipping at his own tea, Lucas took a seat at the table an rested his head upon his palm. He watched the girl before him with a stark sense of relief, terrified of the prospect that she might have gotten hurt, the only family he had left.

[Ben]

[QUOTE=Balmon][U]Lady Cathryn and Skythar[/U]

Elys ? Castle Peryson ? Dungeons (3rd sub-floor)

The 3rd floor dungeons held men far too dangerous to even themselves. These were the madmen, the utterly ruthless, the damned. Rarely were they let out of their cells, and if they are, no fewer than five Royal Guards are set on them.

?One-Split, you there?? inquired a deep voice from one of the cells.

?What do you want, Rutledge?? replied another voice.

?He said he was coming tonight, right??

?Keep track of your own fucking dates,? growled back One-Split. One-Split referred to the hideous weapon he had used on the outside, a blade so sharp it could split a man from head to toe in a single slice.

?Hey, whoreson,? that was an actual fact, ?he has an interesting offer for us. Before you fire off your fucking trap again, this time, listen to what he has to say. He?s obviously patient, and so far, each time you?ve opened your bloody mouth, he?s left?? he trailed off as he saw a guard making the rounds.

A small group of footmen guarded the entranceway to the prison, and so far tonight, little had passed between them besides money. Another evening of a friendly game of dice? though from the look of things so far, the friendly game could quickly turn not so friendly. ?I win again! I can?t believe my luck!? shouted Warrean. It was actually his 5th take tonight, out of 7 rounds of rolling. The 6 other guards watched in disbelief as three guards lost their bets to Warrean again. ?This is unbelievable! I?ve never won anything like this in my life!? No one really liked Warrean all that much. Frankly, if they had to sacrifice a guard to the monsters in the cells, Warrean would be their first pick. Losing to him was worse than losing to their own sisters. They were about to start another round when they heard footsteps coming down. They all quickly placed their hands on the hilts of their swords and lined the walls of the entranceway?[/QUOTE]

The door burst suddenly open, and a dark figure stood sketchily outlined by torchlight. The guards squinted through the darkness, swords still held menacingly forward. "Show yourself!" one of them demanded.

Skythar stepped forward, condescension clearing showing on his face. He was quite close to sneering at the lowly footmen. Drawing back his dark overcoat, he pulled out his own rapier with a steely hiss. "Get out of my way or I'll pin you to the wall."

"My...my Lord Skythar! We had no idea you were coming! We were just...uh...we were just...." the guard looked at the dice uncomfortably.

"Leave me with the prisoners." snapped Skythar shortly. "I would have words with them, and I don't feel like sharing those words with all of you."

"Ye-yes my lord!" the guard stammered. The rest of the guards put away their swords and picked up the dice. They all slowly shuffled out, and one of them turned back at the door. "Oh! We missed a pair of dice. My lord, if you don't mind...?"

Skythar picked up the dice and casually bounced them on his palm. "They're loaded." he said. "Whoever was using them was cheating."

All eyes were on Warrean when Skythar closed the door, and he heard a scuffled breaking out as he approached the cell that housed the two most vicious criminals of the whole lot. He had come to them several times before, stufying them, mostly. They knew that he was up to something; something that required them in some way.

"Good evening, gentlemen." Skythar said to them.

One-Split sauntered easily over to the bars of the cell. "What do you want, pansy?"

"Respect, for starters. If I can't get respect from you two animals, then I certainly can't begin to trust you."

"What do you need us for, [I]sir?[/I]" asked the other, called Rutledge.

Skythar smiled faintly at the small gesture of humility. "I've got a job for you two. Obviously it can't be done while you're in here, so the first thing I'll do, should you accept, would be to get you out of here."

"You've got [I]my[/I] attention." said Rutledge.

"Mine, too." nodded One-Cut grimly.

Skythar leaned in closer to the cell. "I want you to kill the king for me."

[Balmon]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=4][FONT=Garamond][U]Chapter 2[/U][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Summary: [B]Lucas [/B] is pulled into the rapidly expanding mystery in Emanil. [B]Mothias [/B] encounters a man, whose identity is not yet revealed, and manages to fend off the attacker ? though not before the cloaked fellow delivers a chilling message for the Duchess. [B]Tobi [/B] meets with other leaders of the Reclamation to finalize the details for the riot on Gunvyle Castle.
Note: Sorry for the extended disappearance everyone ? things have been hectic outside the world of O Fortuna. I?m back ? and I promise to stay on top of things. If you have any questions at all for the above ? please do not hesitate to PM. I will respond ASAP.

[U]Fas[/U]
Emanil - Castle Raynald ? Throne Room

?Fas, what did you find in Yumin?? the Queen asked concernedly. Fas had arrived at Castle Raynald a day after departing from the village of Yumin ? hard riding for the knights, but this matter demanded the Kingdom?s immediate attention. When he left the village, the other knights barely noticed a cloth-bound object he had with him ? he had it with him today. He gave the Queen a knowing glance. She promptly dismissed the courtiers in the massive throne room. When the doors finally shut, Fas strode over to a large table at the foot of the throne dais. The Queen rose from her throne and walked down the steps to join Fas at the table. ?My Knight, are the reports true? Was Yumin attacked? How many survivors are there? Have you sent our Healers to aid them?? Another look from Fas stopped her from continuing. Despite her usual steady composure, one fitting for the ruler of the Kingdom, this was the first major atrocity the Kingdom had faced since her reign began years ago ? she was clearly shaken. Fas began with the stillness in the village, the awareness.

She cried heavily. Fas could do nothing but allow her to react. When she regained her composure, he could see a sudden fire in her eyes. ?What do you intend on doing next, my Knight?? He stood and untied the rectangular package that was tied to his back. Holding it up and grasping it by one end of the cloth, he allowed it to unravel quickly. The Queen gave a start and pushed herself away from the table. A large, black, metallic tablet had clattered noisily on the table ? though a tablet in itself wouldn?t have startled the Queen so ? but the slab of metal had been fashioned out of a metal so black it seemed almost to absorb the light around it.

The tablet, rectangular in shape, had letters etched into it. ?Letum est mei,? Fas read. ?Death is mine.? Though the words didn?t need to be translated for the Queen. ?I found it in a home in the village, lying on a corpse.? Queen Raynald steadied herself and reached out to touch the tablet. Fas quickly covered it with the same cloth and expertly wrapped it and tied it before she could argue. ?I don?t know what it is made of,? as he said this the tablet seemed almost to pulse, ?But I intend on starting with this. I have avoided looking at it for too long, and I have not touched it yet, save with the cloth. I?ve described it as best as I could to the smiths in our castle already, but none of them could begin to fathom such a metal. They?ve all mentioned a smith in the city, a man by the name of Lucas? I will go speak to him today. Until then, we can do no more but give the bodies at Yumin a proper burial. I have set to that task a few of the knights that were with me at the village.?

?I want them avenged, Fas? she said with fierce determination.

?Yes, my Queen.? He bowed, placed his helmet in the crook of his arm and walked out of the room.

[Doukeshi]

After putting his sister to bed, crooning several soft lullabys at her request, Lucas returned to the kitchen. Cleaning away the utensils and dirty plates, mugs and so forth he sighed deeply. The kitchen sorely reminded him of his mother, just as the workshop reminded him of his recently deceased father. His mother had died giving birth to her youngest child, Elanna, and Lucas regretted that the young girl upstairs could not have gotten to know her. Lucas remembered a kind, glowing woman always ready with a kind word and a mug of tea if any of her children were upset or hurt. She was beautiful and their father never really recovered from her death, causing him to rely heavily upon is children for support. When all but two left their home to persue other dreams it broke the already aging man's weakened heart. He died not soon after thier departure.

Running a final cloth over the kitchen counter surface, Lucas exited the room and made his way down to the workshop. This was the place where the family had plied their trade for generations, though now it was only he for whom the furnace burned. He set about tidying away the tools he had used throughout the day as he had done in the kitchen, dowsing the furnace flames and hanging all finished works. Grasping the hilt of a recently crafted blade he had only just finished. Holding it up to the light of the torch he admired the flawless sheen of the keen blade. Running his thumb lightly across the edge he retracted it quickly as the sword sliced cleanly into his skin, a small bead of blood welling up against the cut. Lucas smiled proudly and se the sword upon a wall bracket amonst other finely crafted weapons.

Moving to the door, Lucas cast a thoughful glance back over his workshop and smiled wanely, extinguishing the torch and heading to his room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas was woken by the sound of something hammering upon his door, rapid and impatient. Pulling on a pair of loose leather workpants and a linen shirt, Lucas ran a hand through his matted hair and headed downstairs, muttering lowly to himself.

"Hold on, hold on...waking folk up at ungoldly hours of the morning..stupid...bloody.."

Unlocking the heavey door and swinging it open, Lucas was greeted with the imposing sight of three Royal Guards, the middle one clearly of a higher rank than the other two. Raising and eyebrow Lucas frowned.

"Lucas Asheron?" The leader asked, his voice authoritative and direct. Lucas nodded apprehensively.

"Aye..."

"I am Fas, under her Majesty's service. We are in need of your assistance."

[Balmon]

Memo from the Desk of Philip Chiu

Due to my own criminal negligence with regards to the handling of the O Fortuna RPG, I am hereby declaring the closure of the RPG.

As I said, the fault lies mainly in myself - for reasons that to do not require further elaboration - I allowed the RPG to deteriorate slowly without my intervention. Circumstances did not allow time for me to perform necessary upkeep.

I hope that this incident doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouths - I am in the works for another RPG - and I hope to correct and improve on the things that arose in the short time that O Fortuna existed.

So - thanks to all those who participated - and thanks to all of you who have been following. Again, I sincerely hope you all give me a second chance and watch for the next one.

Sincerely,
Philip Chiu