November 2003 - Mail Archives

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Jayne
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Night of the Hunted Goose I ((The Vlorress Affair))
Author: Tom Long
Date: 12 November 2003

The edited log of last night's clash between Council, Chancellory, and
Royal Guard

Cast of Characters:
Lorla Daranek: Founder of the Regency Council, now retired to Lady Overseer, recently returned to the city.

Maximilien Reizeau: The only remaining Councilor in the city, a severe liberal and a thorn in the Chancellory's side.

Lytia Seward: Seniormost Magistrate of the Chancellory, quite vehemently anti-Council.

Ketara Lyon: Magistrate, not quite as vehement as Lytia.

Tarn Harscon: Former Border Watchman, now Arms-Commander of the Royal Guard, in charge of the Wharf Garrison.

Lucius Von Stahl: Captain of the Royal Guard for the past few years, highly respected.

Zesstra Riknueth, Karyn Redfeather, Delusion: Royal Guards
-------------------------------------
Part I: MEETINGS IN THE NIGHT
The Blkdragon Inn
Frostfall (Nov) the 11, 473
One Bell before Midnight
------------------------------------
* Lorla had made her way down the stairs of the inn. This was her last night here before she moved into her new house, and she figgured a little mingling and some drinks would take the edge off her worry for marcion and this whole situation. she stops by the bar and asks dulcina for some wine and chose a table, seating herself.

* Reizeau enters quietly, a trifle unsure in his steps, but obviously not one used to being meek either. His unassuming and entirely average appearance, with his slight build and coppery hair pulled into a small tail, was completed by a nondescript grey coat and dark blue coat. Though no weapons were obvious, a scroll tube hung from a baldric at his side, much as a sword might.

Inkstained hands adjust spectacles about his birdlike face before his eyes light upon Lorla. He begins to move through the crowd. His eyes cast warily about the multitude of strange patrons at this, the King's Inn, but he is confident in his near-anonymity. In the days without tv, a politician without markings was harder to spot than you'd think.

* Lorla was dressed in a loose white shirt and brown breeches, high boots and a rapier on her hip. She glances up at dulcina and thanks her. her brown curley hair is ties back loosely and her brown eyes catch sigh of Reizeau. she sets her glass down and waves her hand towards herself, telling him to come and have a seat.

Maximilien makes his way over to Lorla's table, bowing his head. "Your L...Mistress Daranek, I must admit I do not believe I shall become accustomed to your recent features for another few years. Nonetheless, it is good to see you again." He takes the seat as he is bidden. Though his expression is, as usual, stoney, there is some warmth in his voice. He always had respected Lorla, even when they disagreed.

<Lytia> It was with some regret that Lytia found herself drawn out of her meditation. She often relaxed that way around midnight; the sorceress found it helped to focus herself and to stay alert mentally, which was no small feat for someone involved in a heady political crisis.

It would figure, she thought, that no wharfers that she could trust were in reach at the moment. She would have liked some armed backup in case something went wrong with her idea. Probably the case, but she was tired of waiting. If what she'd been told was true, that an army was possibly being raised against her and her fellow magistrates, she'd decided she had to act fast and let Segovax whine about his lynch mob idea later. She'd sent word around to those of her comrades that the men she hired to watch Reizeau's home had sent a runner saying he was leaving, and that she was going to track him down and confront him. Hopefully one of her allies would show up, just in case.

Steadying herself outside the door, she adjusts the chain of office around her pale, slender neck and grips her spear-haft so tightly that her pale knuckles grow even whiter. Taking a deep breath, she pushes open the door and enters into the inn.


* Lorla smiles. "Maximilien. I was very glad to hear from you. And .. rather surprised at the kindness you're showing. I don't mean that in a bad way, but we have had our differences, and when we last met, you were scandalised at what i'd done. As for my features...they're different, but my mind is the same. How are you?"

<Reizeau> "I find that my work both at the University and at the Podar has proven very rewarding. I do find that toiling in silence and keeping everything running smoothly tends to lack a certain gratitude from overbearing Lord Chancellors, but it is enough for me.

"And my...shock at your features notwithstanding, I find that my work ever reminds me how much we have helped Drache, and that makes me proud of both myself and all my former colleagues." His face is still stony, though there is some warmth in his voice. One could never really tell what Max was feeling, or how honest he was being.

<Lorla> "That's why the Council was created: to help Drache in times of crisis. It should be the Chancellory's first thought as well. What has gone wrong Maximilien? I spoke with Marcion before he left, and he filled me in .. why would a body of respected people like the Chancellory simply decide they can run Drache better than those lawfully chosen to do so?"

<Lytia> In truth, the red-haired magistrate woman hated herself for doing this, but what choice did she have? Segovax's suggestion was so absurd and time-consuming, and she was not about to sit around waiting for an army to come and undo everything her allies were working for. She'd done worse things than this in her life, certainly, but something about this had her stomach on edge. She'd have felt more comfortable if she'd had an armed guard with her, but she takes comfort in the fact that Reizeau and the lady overseer also were unguarded. The haft of her spear taps on the wooden floor as she steadily crosses the room towards them, her face a blank, stone mask.

<Reizeau> "They are blinded by their own self-righteousness, Lorla." Maximilien's face shifts, becoming colder a sign of his anger at the Magistrates. "I suppose that up until now we had never given them cause to disagree with us. When that weight was put upon the tenuous string of their loyalty, it snapped. Bourne was ever willful, but I myself am surprised at the lengths to which they will go to see Vlorress undecorated. I..." He pauses, eyes moving up. Something was...someone was approaching.

<Ketara> The sound of an upstairs door opening gave way to a short-lived and inhuman shriek before the slam of a door ended it. A few moments later, a violet haired Elvish woman dressed in a black jumpsuit and jacket with violet trim. Her expressive face looked decidedly cross, confirmed by the rigid march she took down the stairs. An ear twitched as she heard a distinct tapping sound and she walked directly towards Lytia Seward.

* Lorla nods as she listens to him then looks away as he stops, trying to focus on what he might have seen. "If Marcion's work goes well with the king .. this may all be over soon. With the king's edict, they'd be insane to continue to disobey."

<Lytia> At first she might have looked like a something rather than a someone. Dressed as she were in her black silk robe and her drape of black feathers, she'd been (rather unflattering) compared to a vulture by some of the wits about town. The spear she carries is made of some sort of twisted, non-human craftsmanship, a relic she took from the corpse of one of the undead captains in the Mist War. "Regent Councilor Maximilien Reizeau," she says, her intonation flat, rising just slightly at the end to indicate a question.

<Reizeau> "IF the King will interfere..." A crowd of patrons had passed in front of the table just as Reizeau looked up. Even as he spoke he struggled to look past the obstruction and find who he'd seen out of the corner of an eye. Then, as if a storm cloud suddenly bursting from behind mountains, Seward was there.

<Reizeau> "Magistrate Seward...what is the meaning of this?!" The Councilor cries in outrage. They were following him now?! Of course, he had the Chancellory under some watch as well...that was how he'd found out about the letter, but hypocrisy aside, *he* hadn't approached them in the inn. Were there more?!

* Lorla raises a brow and looks at Reizeau. "Maximilien?" She asks in question, her voice quiet. lorla had not been idle this year past, she'd taken a small amount of knowledge in swordplay taught to her by her third husband and become quiet proficient. Her hand doesn't stray there though.

* Ketara shuffled her way impatiently through the crowd, finally catching up to the rather hard to miss Lytia just as the Councillor made his outburst. Biting her lip worriedly she fingered the tiny poisoned darts in the lining of her jacket sleeve. Glancing nervously from the seated couple to her colleague, she cleared her throat. "Something wrong, Tespin Seward?" She, of course, had no familiarity with the individual council members.

<Lytia> She ignores Reizeau's outrage. "In the name of the King's Law," she was nothing if not a wit, though her tone is still flat and professional. "I am here to place you under arrest. Allegations have been made by prominent citizens that the Regency Council has been using the guard to extort money from local merchants. You are to be held while the Chancellery makes its investigation."

<Lorla> "That's ridiculous! And until the King says something, you have absolutely no right to arrest a Council-member." She stands and moves to step in front of Reizeau.

<Lytia> "I beg your pardon, Lady Overseer, but the laws of the land are explicitly clear. The Regent Councillors are, and I quote edict 4, section 13, 'in all ways subject to the laws of the Kingdom, and sitting Council members are in no way immune from prosecution for abuses of authority or violation of the law.' Please stand aside."

<Reizeau> "This is insane! I will not be treated this way!" Max bursts out, his stony visage finally showing some of that old Vansippa-inspired emotion. Lorla's more sensible reply, however, manages to calm him down. The red in his face matches his coppery hair as he glares daggers at Lytia. "I will submit to no Magistrate in this matter. Let the Guard conduct the investigation. You are clearly in a conflict of interest!" Damn the Chancellery. How very convenient that these allegations came forward when Reizeau was the sole remaining Councillor in the city! This would not stand! Damn Seward and damn Bourne!

Paetines peers about the Common Room, old eyes narrowing a bit as he looks at the patrons.

<Lorla> "Exactly. Magistrates try criminals. They do NOT arrest them. If you have a guard here, then by all means." she says evenly.

* Ketara looked from Lytia back to the seated couple, wide-eyed. This was the first she'd heard of any such charges. "Councillor, as there are no guardsmen present, is it not the duty of the magistrates to make an arrest in their place?" She glanced at Lytia questioningly, not at all convinced of the validiity of these charges herself. "Of course, if you'd prefer to have a guard present, I'm sure I can run and fetch one while Tespin Seward stays with you both..for safety, of course."

<Lytia> "The office of the Lord Chancellor is empowered to issue warrants of arrest. The former Lord Chancellor, Thomas Bourne, abdicated his responsibility to the collective body of magistrates. In the name of the office, I have issued a lawful warrant for the arrest of Councilor Maximilien Reizeau. If he does not submit, he will be marked as a fugitive," Lytia says coolly. "Please, Lady Overseer, stand aside. If you wish to arrange legal counsel or bail for the accused, you may do so after he is properly in custody."

<Lytia> "Please, Ketara, satisfy the lady overseer's wish for formality," she says, nodding her head to her companion.

<Lorla> "I think that I will wait here until a -lawfully- assigned guard makes the arrest. I will not allow you to take him." She says firmly.

<Reizeau> "Your Ladyship, please..." Maximlien, finally beginning to calm down a bit more puts his hand on Lorla's shoulder. If he was arrested, it would fall to her to stand for the Goose in the city, by leave of her title. "You must not be arrested as well." He turns to Lytia. "As to you, I challenge first your right to issue a warrant, and second your right to make the arreset. The office of the Chancellor may not be passed, but only appointed on the words of the King or Regents thereof."

* Ketara nods and turns towards the door, wondering just what she'd gotten into now. Grabbing her cloak off of the rack she marched out into the chill air and headed for the guardhouse.

* Lorla glances at Reizeau, but doesn't move. she would stand by what she said. she would give him up only to a guard. and then she would follow to make sure he made it safely to the guardhouse.

<Lytia> "That will be an issue for a legal proceeding to decide, and may certainly be raised in your defense," Lytia says in a concessionary tone.

<Reizeau> This was bad. He should not have come without an armed escort. Lorla was determined to safeguard him, and Lytia was not one to be trifled with, he knew all too well. Not from personal experience, but even in a city of such heroes and villains, certain men and women tended to make names for themselves. "You can be assured, Magistrate, it will. When I am admitted to a holding cell by a dragon's stamp, and not your own." He referred, of course, to the Royal Guard's dragon-between-two-hands insignia.

* Karyn^ slips inside, the only noise heard being the tapping of the beads in her mass of arse length crimson braids..The curvaceous, toned 5'11 half elf peers about with emerald eyes, the only part of her body visible..From hairline to toe a seamless skin hugging blacksuit clings to her body, the surface shimmering with an oily sheen..On her right breast her badge..Arms Corporal.

* Karyn^ transfers the six foot slim ebon pole she's holding to the opposite hand holding it and tucks behind her ear a few errant braids that were hanging over her mask..Coldly she looks around the room, her suit rippling as she steps further into the hubub

<Tarn`Harscon> "Seward," Came the gruff of a voice from the wharf commander, who'd gotten word and rushed himself over. Harscon was armed, but only with a slightly elongated hunting knife strapped to his boot. As it was, it's more then likely he'd have brought a special detail in tow, which was likewise likely to be taking positions outside the Dragon. He only addressed the woman once, the pitch of his tone questioning enough to let her know he was waiting the word.

<`Serenity`> She had seen all the others crowded in the room, large blue orbs setting on Lorla a moment. She started towards the woman though paused. The little girls form coming to stand beside Tarn instead. One hand reaching up to tugg gently at the mans pants as sapphire eyes were turned upwards to look upon him.

<Lytia> Lytia shrugs, wishing Ketara would hurry up so as to satisfy the obstinate noble's requirement. Really, given what Segovax had proposed, she inwardly thinks Reizeau should be thanking her for doing this. "Ah, the Wharf-Commander. I believe his stamp is a dragon," Lytia says, gesturing. "Take the Councilor to your holding cells, if you would be so kind, Commander."

------------------
At this point in our tale, we move to the Guardhouse, Main HQ of the Royal Guard, located several blocks away, where an out-of-breath Magistrate Ketara Lyon has entered to find a Guardsman, and bumped into no less than Captain Lucius Von Stahl himself.
------------------

<Lucius`> "Magistrate Lyon." The young Captain says as he comes to an abrupt halt to avoid crashing into her. The chainmail beneath his uniform tunic rattles at the abrupt motion, and he nearly loses a few darts from his handbow's quiver. "What is the matter?" She seemed upset about something, so he didn't immediately assume that it was connected to the political situation, which had been at a stalemate for the past month.

<Zesstra_Riknueth> Behind Lucius stood another figure. Nearing seven feet in height, and borderline gaunt in her thin frame, the female Arms Corporal stood, arms crossed over her chest. Her skin held a slightly blue-ish black tint, thought it was much lighter than the normal shade for a drow. Stormy grey eyes glinted dangerously as she said not a word. The frantic summons had fallen on her slightly pointed ears as well, and she had fallen in behind her Captain dutifully.

* Ketara straightened and gestured toward the door. "Magistrate Seward needs the assistance of the guard at the Black Dragon. Councillor Reizeau is being arrested on suspicion of the Coucil's involvement in extortion of local merchants." Perhaps the guardsman knew more of the accusation than she.

<Lucius`> "What?!?" That provoked immediate outrage from the Guard Captain, since it meant using the Guard as pawns in a transparent political ploy. "That is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard. We'd better get back there before we have a civil war on our hands." Looking around him, he motions to every Guard in the room, including Zesstra. "All of you, come with me now."

* Lucius` buckles his weapons belt back around his waist, adjusting the various items back into their proper places, before heading out the door to head back to the inn.

<Zesstra_Riknueth> "On your heels, Captain." Her voice was gruff, almost masculine in its tones. She shouldered her ever-present crossbow over the thick grey cloak she wore and turned to follow him. Her blackened, silenced chainmail made no noise as she moved, rendering her a silent shadow to the Captain.

* Ketara pursed her lips and followed the young Captain, walking quickly to keep up with him. Somehow, she doubted this was what Lytia had in mind. "Captain, I remind you that the Councillor is only to be held on suspicion. It might be wise to hear Magistrate Seward's evidence before jumping to conclusions." Oh..great...
Jayne
Viscount
Posts: 359
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:42 pm
Preferred Title: Nymphadora
Characters: [Main Characters]
Lucinda Darke
Nixlya Silkire
Apple/Faedre
Inessa Deathsong
Kaitlyn
Location: Australia

Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Night of the Hunted Goose II (The Vlorress Affair)
Author: Tom Long
Date: 12 November 2003

-------------------------
Part II: THE BEER HALL PUNCH
The Blkdragon Inn
Frostfall (Nov) the 11, 473
One Bell before Midnight
-------------------------
Back to the King's Inn, where doin's are a transpirin'!
--------------------------

* Karyn^ stops behind Lytia with an arched brow, the woman's words drawing her to a halt..Gripping her staff tighter she turns slowly to see and learn what's going on

<Lorla> "I would ask that he be taken to the guardhouse, and not the Wharf holding cells." She says evenly, even politely.

<Karyn^> Coldly and quietly she asks as she steps up beside Lytia, her suit rippling again <vvq>"Might I inquire as to what it going on?"

<Tarn`Harscon> He simply gave the little girl a stoic enough look that even the stupidest child should've been able to understand. A senior Border Watch ranger, Harscon was the type more comfortable with straight hand to hand subduing opposed to drawing a blade--as were the two dozen special purpose light infantry they've been the sword tip of the Wharf lately. "Councillor, you've got one chance to come peacefully. I'd rather not have to drag you, -sir-." He played the part of the good soldier well, just obeying orders. Illustrating a circle with an index finger, he gestured for Reizeau to turn.

<Lytia> "The wharf garrison was not implicated in the extortion scheme that the councillor stands accused of, Lady Overseer. I cannot trust that, were he given to the guardhouse, he would not be accidentally left unguarded with his cell door open," Lytia says. To Karyn, she says, "The Regency Council stands accused of employing certain guards in a scheme to extort from the merchants. Councillor Reizeau is to be placed under arrest while the Chancellery investigates. The office of the Lord Chancellor has issued a warrant for his, and the other Councillors' arrests."

<Reizeau> Curse them. Curse them all. Ever the politician, however, Max cannot face the situation without wondering whether this would have been better if the public had seen him in his full finery being arrested, or like this in mundane and obscurity. "Arms-Commander. I hereby inform you that any Chancellery-issued warrant is invalid as it is lacking authority. There will be no need for dragging or cheek, Commander." Such impropriety! Such disrespect to a Councilor!

<`Serenity`> Well wasnt Tarn just a nice man, if the child could speak there is no doubt it wouldn't be very nice. Releasing her grip on his pants she wonders on off away from him and towards Lorla. Quietly she stood near the womans side looking up at her now, rather than Tarn.

<Karyn^> "If you are concerned of his cell being unguarded..I will stand watch after I leave this inn tonight..I will see to it he is not..released prior to any proceedings.." She turns her cold stare on Reizeau, the surface of her mask darkening for a moment

<Lorla> "So you accuse the guards themselves now?" She asks incredulously. "They work for you! They have stood by you! And you accuse them like this?!" She was angry now.

<Lytia> "I make no accusations against any specific guardsmen until my investigation has been conducted, but," she looks at Karyn, "I also cannot in good conscience," again, she was a wit, "allow those I do not trust implicitly to guard such a high-profile suspect. The wharf-commander I do trust."

<Tarn`Harscon> "Heh," Harscon only gave one throaty, half chuckle at the man's response. With a sick kind of honed fluidness, the ranger's right wrist balled into a fist and swung with the devastating momentum of a man that'd served the better part of his life in the elite of Arangoth's military. It was a square punch, aimed directly for the fluffy man's nose.

<Reizeau> "Tespin Lorla Daranek, as my last act, I hereby appoint you an Acting Councillor as per your station. Please make arrangements for my legal defence." He moves towards Torn, head high and face ice, only to be met by a punch not only entirely unexpected, but entirely overwhelming for the slight Professor. Reieau goes down bloodily.

* Karyn^ turns her gaze to Lytia, one shoulder lifting slightly in a shrug "You have no reason not to trust me if you would read over the files that are kept on me.." She turns sharply on Tarn, her grip tightening on her weapon "That was not necessary as the man was not being any threat..."

<Lorla> She should have seen this. if she'd know who the blasted woman was, she would have hustled Reizeau out of here before she approached. warrant be damned! A part of her wanted to fight this but thankfully it was a small part; her considerable intellect took control. They wanted to play this game? Then by all means. It was time to up the ante. "And I cannot trust a chancelor who takes and makes law without the leave of the King or Councillors who I KNOW to be innocent." She turns and looks at Reizeau. "Maximilien, i will take care of this. keep yourself safe." She grips his shoulder. "I will have you out as soon as possible. Take very great care .."

<Lucius`> Lytia had sent Ketara for the Guard. Unfortunately, not being a party to Lytia and Segovax's machinations, she went to the wrong guardhouse and got the wrong Guard. Followed by a contingent of whoever he could round up, the young Captain of the Guard approaches the inn at a near run, trying to head off a disaster in the making. Not even thirty years of age yet, he'd nonetheless been in charge of Drache's contingent of the Guard for nearly two years now.

<Tarn`Harscon> And Harscon was down on the man with the same practised skill, a pair of shackles procured from his load baring harness and clamped firmly around the man's wrists. With a grunt and strain, the ranger would move to heave Reizeau up by the cuffs, into a psuedo-standing posture so that the Councilor could be more easily heafted up over his shoulder.

* Xaq happens to be strolling towards the inn, and stops to watch the city's faithful defenders charge in.

* Xaq a young man standing about 5'9 with hazel eyes and brown hair wearing a black tunic and grey trousers. He has a long bow slung over his shoulder with a quiver of blue-fletched and some red-fletched arrows over his other shoulder. A red handled longsword hangs in a scabbard on his belt.

<Reizeau> Very nearly out cold, the bloody-nosed Councillor makes no effort to resist, swimming near to unconsciousness as he is. In fact, he's quite limp and easy to handle. The shackles are locked tight, their iron 'clink' perhaps marking Drachean history.

* Karyn^ steps closer to Tarn, eyes narrowed. "The man did nothing to warrant that fist..Under arrest or not he was of no harm or threat to you.." Technically to her..wouldn't that be an assault? Guards, Councillors, whoever...they were people just the same and people all were capable of crimes.

<Lucius`> Slightly below six feet in height, with brown hair and eyes, he didn't present an extremely intimidating physical presence normally, but the man was on fire with anger after what Magistrate Lyon had told him. He stalks toward the altercation centred around Lytia and Reizeau, and is all the more angry to see his wharf commander shackling Reizeau. "*What* is going on here?" He demands in a voice that's well accustomed to cutting through noisy inns and battles to be heard.

<Zesstra_Riknueth> Behind Lucius strode another, much taller figure. The nearly seven foot tall Arms Corporal kept up with him easily, long legs carrying her in the Captain's wake. The half-drow possessed skin of a bluish-black tint, and stark white hair flowed from a metal clasp high atop her head, the ends whipping down to her waist. Blackened, silenced chainmail covers her from head to ankles, the finest in elven craft, and her boots make little to no noise as she enters behind him, her thick grey cloak swirling about her legs. Over her back rests a deadly double bolted crossbow, loaded, and at each hip, a wickedly sharp dagger.

<Lytia> Upon hearing and seeing Lucius, Lytia says a very filthy word in her native Corsinican tongue. She disguises it as some kind of odd sneeze. "The Regent Councillor is under arrest," she says brusquely.

* Ketara chased after the young Captain, still trying to reason with him while wondering herself just how merited these charges were. She stopped shortly behind him and looked from the mess surrounding her colleague to the woman herself. Crossing her arms she pursed her lips and looked pointedly at the limp councillor to Lytia Seward. "And under durress, it seems. Did the old man really put up that much of a fight, Lytia?"

<Lorla> "What are you doing?!" She yells at the man that hit Reizeau. seeing lucius she moves quickly. "You You must take control of this before -I- do, and another Councillor winds up abused." She Stops by lucius. "The Chancellery has issued a an arrest for chancellor Reizeau."

<`Serenity`> She was nearly hiding behind Lorla's legs now, unnoticed seemingly by all the arguing adults. Her gaze drifted towards Zesstra and Lucius seeing as they were both two new people approaching this on going event. However as soon as Lorla moved she to moved, the child now standing behind Lorla's legs as well as Lucius' legs

<Tarn`Harscon> "Step aside. You're out of line, Armsman, and it'd be in the best interest of your career--and health--never to block my path again," He snarled at the woman, with a chilling kind of disregard for her liberal standpoint. "Can you handle Lorla, Seward?" A more professional tone now, as it did actually concern him. Lorla still running around could be a little hampering.

* Xaq strolls inside, and skirts around the situation, but his keen hearing takes it all in. He goes to the bar.

<Zesstra_Riknueth> "An arrest for a Councillor? For what reason?" She had remained mostly out of the loop, by choice, though she had heard enough of the building quarrel to glean some understanding.

* Karyn^ reaches to the small of her back and releases her issued shackles from the hold of her suit..She glances at Lucius then Tarn, taking another step towards the bigger man.. "The one under arrest was not putting up a struggle and was layed flat by the Wharf Commander..Which by all legal accounts is assault..Correct Captain?" She turns her eyes to Tarn, nothing but cold intent behind them.."It is corporal Redfeather..not armsman"

<Lytia> "I'll be fine, Commander, get the suspect out of here," she says to Tarn, her eyes glancing to the kitchen door that would be less likely to be blocked. "Be sure he gets safely into custody."

<Lucius`> "No, he's not." He counters to Lytia, almost before she's done speaking. "Commander Harscorn, unhand that man and remove his shackles right this instant." He replies when he hears Harscorn threaten Karyn. "Seward, this is the most preposterous, transparent ploy I have ever seen in my life, and I can barely believe that you had the audacity to attempt something like this."

<Lorla> "And you had best not get in my way again Commander." She says, levelling him a look. "While i'm not a barbarian that attack unarmed men, I have my strengths. you would do well to remember that."

<Lytia> "Lucius, please... I respect your position here, but do not do this," Lytia says, staring into the Captain's eyes with an intensity that blocks out vision of much else in the room. "If you are intending to fight this battle, then I submit that this is not the place. Go, Tarn, get him out of here."

<Lucius`> "I will allow you to use the Guard as your pawns in this power struggle of yours. I will not have him held on such baseless allegations, and you would do well to remember that you do not issue orders to MY guards!"

<Tarn`Harscon> That is to say, apparently she issued orders to one guard, and that's all it really took.

<Tarn`Harscon> "Understood," A methodical man, Harscon appraised the opposition between himself and the back kitchen door, which he made his way for. The threat from Lorla was chuckled off as he flashed Karyn a contempt filled, smug half grin and started his way purposefully for the door.

<Lorla> "Captain, I suggest we make sure that Councillor Reizeau is all right." She stresses, not sure if Tarn is hauling Reizeau with him, sorry, kinda trying to catch up.

<Delusion> <As history is being made, the door once more swings open, to let in yet another guard. Face, race, gender and most of his small figure concealed under his grey cloak, only the insignia of the guard remains clear to be seen, on the clasp of the cloak. Not a word out of, with a quick pace he takes the position of a by-stander in the little scene, this little bit of history that is in the making.>

* Karyn^ glares daggers at Tarn's back..He would do well to learn he and his threats do not intimidate her and badge or not..She'd arrest his ass for wrongdoings as well..If he fought back it'd be much better to do so..This is one she'll be watching and not caring to hide the fact..She steps closer to Lucius, her grip still tightly on her staff

<Reizeau> Still insensate, the former leader of the 'Populars' is carried quite easily along with the Arms-Commander. His legs still supported him, for the most part, even if they did it on instinct alone.

<Lucius`> "Harscorn, stand down or I will relieve you of your command! I will not tolerate my officer corps being lackies in such a perverse scheme." And pointing to Lytia again, he says, "You had better return to the Chancellery and re-think your position, Magistrate. This is Malfeasance, and the Guard's neutrality will not last if you continue to violate the laws you are supposed to be enforcing in the courts of law."

<Lytia> At Lucius' words, she gestures to the retreating form of Tarn. "Yes, your orders are certainly seeming to be the ones that the Wharf-Commander feels like obeying. I know what you are feeling right now, but please, let reason and rationality work, not emotion. If you feel like this battle is worthy of being fought, fight it tomorrow." Compared with the hot emotions of everyone else, Lytia was icy cool.

<Delusion`> <Also trying to ctach up is this particular guards person, as he silently chases after the group accompanying the ex-councilor into custody.>

<Tarn`Harscon> He drug the Councillor out, using his pampered body as a human shield as he elbowed his way through the kitchen, unhindered. He'd take a side street and slip into the cover fo the night outside, with the meat sack in tow. After all, disappearing was one of the Border Watch's specializations.

* Lorla starts moving to intercept tarn. Damned if she was going to let the brute drag Reizeau off after being told to stand down by his captain.

* Karyn^ looks at Lucius then back at Tarn, still holding her shackles in her other hand...At a moment of indecision she's unsure whether to follow him or not...Ah hell...

<Lucius`> "Follow him, Corporal, and arrest him if need be. He is relieved of his command."

<Zesstra_Riknueth> She stood stone still, a tall, nearly gaunt statue in the midst of all of this. Her face remained expressionless as she spoke once more, her voice harsh and heavily accented, as though it were used to a much more extreme language than common. "I ask again. What are the grounds for this arrest? Surely there must be some if you expect your charges to hold."

<`Serenity`> Once Lorla moves the girl was left standing behind Lucius not that it really mattered any, she seemed to be trampled by the all walking off and around one another, none even noticing her standing there

<Lytia> Lytia explains the charges to Zesstra, having not heard the woman's question in all the excitement.

<Karyn^> <vvq>"With pleasure.." She grins evilly under her mask as it forms over her eyes..He can run but..he would have a hell of a time hiding...There are some things better suited at hunting than rangers and border watch...Off she goes quickly and silently out the backdoor, pausing to catch the trail and moving off in chase of Tarn

<Tarn`Harscon> There was a six man ranger element Harscon brought along with him, and one of the points of order was a drop point for the Councillor's body for another man to pick up, and take back to the Wharf. Harscon, assuming he'd be tailed, would make his presence known a little ways down the street. That is, while another ranger drug Reizeau to "safety."

<Zesstra_Riknueth> "And what evidence is there to support this? Is an investigation being done? If so, this is the first I have heard of it." She too, remained unwavering calm, and boldly spared a glance towards the Captain, as well as a comment. "I'd like to fully understand this, Captain, seeing as how we were all dragged here from much needed rest and duties."

<Karyn^> "She heads off in Tarn's direction, twisting her staff into two separate but equal length-ed pieces..He could do this the easy way..or the hard way..Either way she'd do what she must

<Lytia> "An investigation is being prepared as we speak. Given the temper of the times, I thought it best to take him into custody while the investigation is being conducted, to avoid him pulling any political tricks to save himself."

<`Serenity`> Her form moves away from Lucius and the rest of the group, simply wandering off to be lost once again since it was apparent that she was being ignored by all

<Zesstra_Riknueth> "And the evidence? What lead to these charges?" She shifted her weight to one foot, idly crossing her arms over her chest.

<Lucius`> "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard come from the mouth of a magistrate. This is an attempt to seize power--you're treading dangerously near to treason, Magistrate."

<Lytia> "There are citizens who will testify to back me up. I will not wake them from their beds to convince you, but they are associates of Resque Maessen. I suspect that when they hear the news of this, they will express their support for my office's actions."

* Ketara eyed Tarn with a look of disgust. There were a number of reasons she stayed away from the wharf. What had happened to sitting down with the King? With the Council? Rubbing her temples she watched the retreating Commander and listened to the charges again, expecting them to make more sense. "She has a right to know, Lytia. The charge does involve the Guard." And I'd like to hear it myself. "And I assure you, Captain, that Tespin Seward would not be supported much further if this is a power play as you suggest, as she well knows. Surely argument over this matter can wait until reasonable hours. You do, as you said, require rest."

<Lucius`> Resque Maessen was a snake. He'd testify against his own mother if it was profitable to do so. "I'm sure that you'd be able to prove that King Arlok is a white rabbit if you conducted the investigation and the trial yourself. If you wish to proceeed with this farce, you will agree to leave the investigation of the crime in the hands of my office, where it rightfully belongs, and any possible trial to be handled by a judge from Sivriana or Millabratel."

<Zesstra_Riknueth> "Captain, surely this matter at least needs to be looked into. Unfortunately, as the Chancelor has already been taken into custody, it's a little late. However..." She turns to Lytia then, eyeing the Magistrate briefly. "I request to assist with the investigation. If the charges turn to be false, then at worst we would owe an apology." She, however, would not be the one to give an apology.

* Xaq watches the situation from the bar sipping his tea quietly. Is the the Captain of the Guard? Damn a fortune could be made with a few well placed words. He shall have to keep his eyes peeled in the futur.

<Lytia> "That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard come from the mouth of the Captain of the Guard," Lytia replies, "It would be impossible to trust your judgement of your own men's conduct. I will, however, agree to the concession that Ketara will be the magistrate who makes a judgement in this affair once both you and I have collected evidence, if that pleases you," she says. "I think that would only be fair, as I am sure you can trust Ketara, no? After all, were she involved in some farcical 'power play'," she says, disparaging of the term, "she would not have roused your attention."

<Lytia> Lytia also agrees to Zesstra's request, pending Lucius' approval.

<Lucius`> "And it's equally impossible to trust your judgement due to your ongoing conflict with the Council, and the dubious legality of the Chancellery continuing to function while the office of Lord Chancellor is vacant." He nods to Zesstra. "Granted. And very well, Magistrate Lyon can make the final judgement. Should Councillor Reizeau be exonerated, I'll request that she investigate you for Malfeasance next."

* Ketara opened her mouth to protest, bit her lip and closed it again, looking questioningly at the young Captain. She nearly protested again when he agreed but settled for giving Lytia an annoyed glare. "As you wish, Captain. That's only fair and I will be more than happy to comply should this fiasco prove nothing but a waste of time. May we all please get some rest now?" Scowling and beyond irritated she looked from her colleague to the Guard Captain and back.

<Lytia> "That is your right," Lytia says with a shrug, unperturbed, as confident as any mutineer that righteousness was on her side. "Now, if you will excuse me, Captain von Stahl," Lytia says with a warm smile. Hers was a perverse kind of jest, fobbing off the responsibility for judgement on Ketara; though it would likely be a moot point. "I would like to get some rest and something to eat as well."

<Zesstra_Riknueth> "I think that I will join you for a meal, Magistrate." She did not ask. She simply stated it matter-of-factly. She stood there though, waiting for further words or actions.

<Lytia> Lytia shrugs. "If you wish. Are you hungry, Ketara?" she asks, glancing at her colleague.

* Ketara nodded and finally slipped her cloak off. "I was, Tespin Seward, but now I think exhaustion has won out. I will speak with you tomorrow, if that's acceptable?" She arched an eyebrow questioningly, eyes still narrowed in annoyance.

<Lytia> "I would like nothing greater, Tespin Lyon," she says, whimsically adopting the formality. "Captain von Stahl?" she asks, by implication extending her offer to him as well. She doubted he would accept, but it was only polite.
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Night of the Hunted Goose III (The Vlorress Affair)
Author: Tom Long
Date: 12 November 2003

Part III: THE POLITICAL FOOTBALL
The Streets of Drache
Frostfall (Nov) the 11, 473
Midnight
------------------------------------
We move now from the Blkdragon Inn to the streets of the Blkdragon District, where Arms-Corporal Karyn Redfeather and Councilor Lorla Daranek pursue Arms-Commander Tarn Hornscon with the political football, unconscious Councilor Maximilien Reizeau. The Guardswoman and Councilor are pursued as well by Wharf-loyal Guardsman, the mysterious Delusion.
------------------------------------

<Karyn^> Swiftly up the street, deathly quiet she stalks after Tarn, her years of instinct, conditioning and training guiding her..This man will be arrested for the assault...

<Delusion`> It pauses, as if to sniff the air. He had lost them. Or maybe not. Difficult to tell with the silent guard, as he makes a turn into a dark alley. The chase was over for it. Or was it?

* Lorla sadly had only a year of training, and none in moving quietly.

<Tarn`Harscon> Harscon dictated the entire operation to his second in command--Sergeant Calo--and even if the ranger himself didn't survive, things would continue turning into motion. Confidence may have been the man's downfall, but years as one of Arangoth's elite tended to back such up. It was a one way alley, buildings on either side, and his flank was clear. They'd only come at him one way, and he was ready. The hunting blade was drawn from his harness.

<Karyn^> Rather than travel from shadow to shadow as she normally would, stalking her prey silently she chose to walk openly down the middle of the street, her suit snaking and writhing out black tendrils to wrap her hair tightly..She heard the footsteps behind her and the one sniffing around but her eyes, hidden under the blackness of her mask were on Tarn's form..With a twirl of her wrists she spins her batons once grinning at the drawn steel..

<Lorla> She would be careful though, because if she could not get Reizeau back, then marcion was in very grave danger should he return. her allies were swiftly diminishing, but considering that the guard had just been split in two .. she managed to follow the man, to an alley, and she pulled her rapier out, slightly out of breath.

<Karyn^> ...she stops a good dozen feet away and points her sticks at the ground, a slim blade sliding from the end of each, the steel glistening with a moisture..<vvq>"You are under arrest for assault.."

<Delusion`> When speed was of the essence, when there is distance to cover and little time to do it, every amount of training in stealth, formal or informal, it all goes down the drain. Useless. His steps, quite loud could be heard, from one alley, to the other, then gone away, for a second, until again they resound further down street. It might strike as odd, that his figure is sometimes not there, to accompany the sound of his own steps. But if it were invisibility he was using, why revert to his visible self so often. And he was almost too late. "No, it is who should be placed into custody. For treason." His voice, when first it sounds... it is harsh, somewhat raspy. And in a way, weird. The kind of weird you don't know how to describe. The kind that just makes one dislike it.

<Lorla> "Where is he?" She demands, looking around as if she might find Reizeau hiding behind the man.

* Karyn^ tilts her head slightly at the sound of the new voice..Ah..the one sniffing around..Her? Treason? Hardly! She only followed orders and did her job by the book...She couldn't care less bout any political bullshit, power mongers or nothing..She just did what was expected of her.. <vq>"On what grounds?" She keeps herself ready should it become
necessary..to defend herself

<Tarn`Harscon> "Stupid noble bitch," He spat at Lorla, but not without a distinctly cold tone of amusement. He'd looked forward to capturing the woman when she slept later in the week, if things didn't take ajump. "Take your stab, if it so makes you feel important. Put down your blade, Lorla, and your life'll be spared. If you insist, this alley'll be a much harsher reality then a warm bed years from now. "He offered. The presence of Karyn--and now Delusion--weren't neglected either.

<Delusion`> "On the grounds, that you work against the best interests of king and country, that you conspire with traitors and that you dare assail those loyal to the state!" It barks out, almost hissing. Anger, rage? It could be that. It could be anything. But it was funny. The little figure, huddled under its cloak did not seem threatening. It seemed very incapable of inflicting much physical harm.

<Rebels> As for Reizeau, he was being exited from the premises by two of Tarn's Wharf loyals. They were nearly at the mouth of the alley. The other four men in the six man element stood between the pair escorting (kidnapping) Reizeau and Tarn. They held heavy crossbows to their shoulders, carried short swords on their hips; a pair to guard those exiting Reizeau and a pair to cover Tarn's flanks.

<Karyn^> "I could not care about anything more than following the orders I have received and I work alone..I conspire with nobody..Now I am going to arrest that man for assault...If you wish to do nothing then stay put..If you wish to hinder me I would welcome your chance.." She moves again a bit closer to Tarn, noting now the rebels..Something to remember...

<Lorla> "As if you'd spare my life, treasonous bastard." She backs up, moving away from the mouth of the alley and towards Karyn. He wasn't here, and she did NOT feel confident she could take this commander.

<Delusion`> "You bet, you pompous, little, hypocrytical assassin of reassssson." He hisses, and a note to be made - he is behind Karyn, opposite to the direction Tarn is from her. "People like you cost the life of the young Alistan and now, people like you conspire with the leeches and the undercomersss."

<Karyn^> One word..one word he uttered draws her to a stop and she slowly turns to face him..Aside she tosses her batons and draws forth the twin butterfly swords from her back, their hand-guards spiked..Pointing a blade at him she shakes her head slowly before turning and heading off in Tarn's direction with purpose..She'd deal with Delusional later..Little windbag..

<Lorla> This was insane. She heard the man speaking to Karyn. Man? that was tentative at best, this was drache after all. Her rapier held loosely in one hand she moved past the two .. guards? She stopped though. She wasn't willing to leave Karyn here, two against one. But on hearing the whistle she whirls around heading towards the sound.

<Rebels> One of the Wharfers (in Border Watch kit) carting Reizeau to the mouth of the alley gave a loud whistle. There was a distant clatter of hooves; transit was on his way. "Fall back!" someone barked and there was a tell-tale sound of hobnail boots clattering on cobblestones as the first two of the four men between Tarn and the pair carrying Reizeau began to retreat to the mouth of the alley. "Sword!" called a second voice. There was an audible 'clunk' followed by an audible hiss as a bolt flew free of its crossbow, its target Karyn's upper-body. It was a heavy bolt fired from a large crossbow. If it didn't pierce armor, it would knock down the person wearing it.

<Delusion`> <Oh yes, ignore him because he was so small. Ignore him, because his words were so full of madness and bullshit. So they did, before, time and again. So they did with so many others. And now, going against a guard, a guard that, to make a difference, did his duty. The little figure stirs under its cloak, but still remains mostly passive. Only there are three of it.>

<Karyn^> And Karyn doesn't wear armour...But she is quick...The clunk of the crossbow sets her on alert and she twists sharply..but not quick enough...With a meaty thunk the bolt catches her squarely in the bicep, driving through the small width of her arm to pin it again her side...Down she falls to her knees, one sword falling from her lifeless hand..She gives no cry of pain though and no blood seeps from her wound..Dazed and in shock she stays down.

<Tarn`Harscon> But Harscon knew better then to stay and fight--he had nothing to prove. He'd already headed down the right turn of the small cobblestone road, and behind the cover of the other two ranger's arcs of fire. They knew their tasks, and he trusted his men to fullfil them. Harscon would join the two dragging Reizeau, an extra heavy crossbow tossed his way from the man humping the Councillor's weight--he didn't need it, and it meant Harscon could further cover their extraction.

<Lorla> "Run!" Lorla yells. "This is not a fight we .. YOU can win!" She yells to karyn. She trys to move among the shadows towards where she'd seen tarn run. if she could get a shot at him with a thrown dagger, she'd take it.

<Karyn^> Breath comes in ragged gasps, the bolt having punched through her arm, pinning it to her side and poking a good hole deep into her which wasn't a big meaty target..Licking frothy blood from her lips she rises slowly, eyes full of deadly intent on Delusion..But Lorla was right..The crossbows gave her a disadvantage...With a painful quiet effort she wrenches her arm and the bolt from her side and moves off quickly into the cover of darkness...her suit shimmering to blend her in with the surrounding colors, no heat signature given off...She'd have to take care of this her way but at another time...

<Rebels> The wagon was at the mouth of the alley and the pair of Wharfers, now assisted by Tarn, were loading Reizeau up. The four remaining guards, minus the one who'd fired his crossbow (he fell back to reload), to up covering positions and put themselves between Reizeau and the others. As Lorla ran forward, there was a second a 'clunk' as another bolt whizzed free of its crossbow. Like the one fired at Karyn, it was directed at the woman's upper body. They were shooting to kill, not to wound.

<Delusion`> <Still the figure makes little movement and so do its pair of doubles. As the Council loyalists take to flight however, it takes its only offensive action for the entire evening - it spits out a small dart at the lady overseer. At such speed, at such distance, the chances to hit are slim. But it launches this little attack of it none the less.>

<Tarn`Harscon> All they had to was exfil back to the Iron Gate, which was already occupied by another twelve man element of special purpose ranger light infantry. After the Councillor was loaded, the rest of the team booked for the gate under the cover of the other two, and booked for the safety of the Wharf. "Extraction clear!" Came the not so distant shout.

* Lorla slamed back up against the brick wall she'd been near and stared stupidly down at the bolt sticking from her side. What a totally ludicrous way to die, she thought even as she stumbled back. Though she was going to be damned , after the hell she went through, if she was going to die like this! She starts moving away after holding the bolt firmly in her only to take a dart in arm that spins her around since at the time she wasn't moving at all. she slams into the wall again, rapier clattering to the ground and trys to keep moving.

<Karyn^> Instincts drive her forward to safety though she'd rather stay and fight...But mustering up speed she darts swift as an arrow from the darkness past Delusion, making a backhand swipe with her good arm, her butterfly sword gripped tightly...As she swiped she kept moving onto the next alleyway, leaving this fight behind..for now.

<Rebels> The two guard closest Lorla seemed to hesitate, but a voice from behind them told them in no uncertain terms to fall back. So they fell back. In fact, the turned tail and pounded the pavement for the wagon.

* Lorla keeps moving, not stopping. they were moving away. she silently asked Reizeau to forgive her. she .. hadn't expected them to fire .. she was still stunned, operating on fright and adrenaline.

<Delusion`> <Did it hit or did it miss. Most probably, the latter... it doesn't matter. The little figure is hit. The sword sinks into the fold of its cloak and... the cloak falls empty on the blade, dragged along from the momentum of the attack. Karyn might possibly feel something cold in there, before the filling vanishes with a dissatisfied hiss. As if a an air balloon was leaking. And the figure's doubles, the too disappear.>

<Tarn`Harscon> And with that, the ranger element and commander, with Reizeau on the wagon, made it to the safety of the fortified Wharf. The Councilor would be made at home in one of the nicer cells, under a two man watch and shackled to the cot. Nice and cozy.
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

[Royal Guard] Dinner with a Magistrate
Author: Sinner or Saint
Date: 12 November 2003

The half drow pressed the fingertips of both hands in the hollows below her eyes, attempting to rub the sleep-strain from them. Her bluish-black tinted skin seemed darker there, giving away the fatigue she was now feeling in the wee hours of the morning. Her dinner with Magistrate Lytia Seward had proved more frustrating than helpful, and it seemed that the investigation she had volunteered to be involved in was turning into a labyrinth of he-said she-said mixed in with a little evasion tossed in for extra flavor.

She sat in a sparsely furnished office in the guardhouse, pouring over Drache's city merchant records. They listed the names of legitimate merchants in the city, and there were a lot of them. Lytia had given her several names, names of merchants claiming they had been accosted by city guards andhad money stolen from them. This was the "evidence" she had provided in the case against Councillor Reizeau. One or two of the names were on the list, but the vast majority was nowhere to be found. Granted, the list was comprised only of merchants who required licensing for their wares, but she had to start somewhere. The two names she saw, however, showed that their products did not match up with what Lytia had described them to be. It basically summed up to, so and so, an apple merchant, claimed to have been assaulted by the Guard and had his money stolen from him. It was most likely safe to assume that the people on the list shared only the names in common with the names she had been given, and were in fact, not the same people.

"Which leaves me really only one real, tangible lead to follow." She spoke in her native drow tongue, the syllables harsh and cruel as they rolled off her tongue. Her voice echoed,and despite the doubling of the manning in the guardhouse, she was, for the most part, alone. One name on the list stood out amongst all others, a certain Resque Maessen. Lytia had specifically mentioned that the merchants in question were tied with him. This seemed her only option, though with the dawn swiftly approaching, and little more than a few sparse moments that she'd dozed off sitting at this desk contributing to her sleep for the last twenty-four hours, it was best that she take up one of the empty cots in the guardhouse, at least for a few hours before perusing this lead in the case. She slammed the records book closed, and with a small puff of breath, extinguished the lamp on the desk, plunging her into blissful darkness.

The room glowed with a faint bluish tint to her elven sight, and she rose, feeling her shoulders throb with tension. It was time to sleep, if she could, though her mind raced with questions that had no answers. She only hoped that she had not found herself inclined to the wrong side.
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Discouragement ((The Vloress affair))
Author: Sinner or Saint
Date: 12 November 2003

The sound of shattering glass, and a loud thud upon the floor could be heard throughout the Inn. It came from one of the many rooms for rent upstairs, a very specific room, in fact. Aridia Vloress frowned, and glanced up, startled by the sound coming from none other than her own room. She gathered her skirts so as not to trip, and raced up the stairs to her room.

Upon the floor, covered in shattered glass, lay a lumpy object. A stone, large enough to be a cobblestone from the streets of Drache, had been tossed through her window from below. The vandal was gone, having high-tailed it away from the Inn without seeing the results of their actions. Tied to the stone, was a rolled up piece of tattered parchment. Scrawled upon it in neat, blocky letters read the following: "Get out of Drache. Get out of Arangoth. There is no room for leeches here. Revoke your request for citizenship, or the next letter will be written in your own blood." From the faint, copper smell of the dull red ink, someone had obviously gone to great lengths to write this little jewel.
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

A Glimpse
Author: S C
Date: 13 November 2003

Morrow had spent most of the night wandering... Finding her way in a seemingly random path through the darkness of the dead woods around her. But the way her pure black eyes watched the way ahead, perhaps there was a destination after all.

Ever since that morning she'd awoke, thoughts and dreams having filled her mind all night, she'd had to know for sure.. She'd felt the touch of someone's existence in her mind, and it made her expression go cold at the mere knowing of it. Shallara.

She had long since thought upon the silly girl, pleasantly so, yet now she was forced to realise that she likely still lived in this wretched world, and would certainly come to know of Aeren's return.

She would seek him out, she knew that for sure, for the call of the Sire would be more than her weak soul could withstand. And she knew also, that Aeren would seek out his young Childe for aid, should he need it.

And it wasn't a question of jealousy, as such a thing simply didn't exist between Morrow and her husband, but it was more a feeling of dislike. She had always held a kind of hatred for the young woman, as she'd watched the fledgling fawn and become doe-eyed over her Sire day after day. It was terribly pathetic a thing to watch, and Morrow simply disliked such weakness and innocence.

Had she put thought to the woman these past years, she likely would have sought her out and done away with her. She'd perhaps not admit it to Aeren, but it would have been an extremely pleasurable encounter, tearing that young vampire to pieces.

It made her grin in the most sadistic little way as she passed through the trees and past houses, like a stalking wraith.. so silent and dark in the night.

Yet she did not have the same link to Shallara that Aeren did, and at this moment she simply could not pinpoint exactly where the woman resided. Though she knew for certain she was in Drache.. and close.. very close.. She just could not know exactly where.

And so she let her mind become free and open, knowing that her thoughts could at least find a path into Shallara's mind. And she would send her a sweet little message...

~* Shallara... I know you can hear these words.. And you know my voice.. *~ The tone she used was perfectly frightening.. So quiet and slow, tainted with hatred and the want for the young vampire's blood. Her words were a slow hiss, and the exotic accent in her voice only made it that much more chilling.

~* You wait for the call of you Sire.. Don't you Shallara... You ache to see that sweet face once more.. You burn for the comfort that only he can give.. *~

A long pause would drift between their minds...

~* I know you will come to him my dear, weak little vampire... And when you do, I should hope you're smart enough to be on your best behaviour.. *~ A slow and crazy little laugh would escape her.

~* For if you get under my skin.. sweet Shallara.. as you have in the past.. I won't look the other wat this time. Should you displease me somehow, Childe, then you will know it. And it will be the last thing you shall ever know... *~

And with those whispered words of promise, Shallara would -feel- that promise in her bones. Feelings of pure lunacy and blood-lust would trickle along with each syllable, making her point clear.

Even as her mind was pulling back into itself, Morrow would find herself shaking with the need to rip something apart. And though it could not be the blood she wanted on her hands, she'd find something to at least sate this overpowering desire for meaningless bloodshed.

Black eyes would seep to a glowing crimson hue, as the Dark Angel would shift through the city streets... Seeking out any poor citizen who'd chosen to be up at this hour, and not sleeping safe in their beds.. She would kill and destroy any she would find this eve, and she would revel in the sweet rising of that old and dear feeling.. The need to kill.
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Notice to the Public of Drache and Royal Guard
Author: S C
Date: 13 November 2003

This is a note posted about the city, and copies have possibly reached the Royal Guard as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING TO THE PEOPLE OF DRACHE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a notice to the public of the City of Drache, alerting them to the possibility of a crazed killer on the loose! This morning, a group of travellers came upon the gruesome discovery of nine dead citizens of Drache in an undisclosed area of the Forest Reserve. Their bodies had been hung from trees by rope, and all nine bodies had been horribly ripped apart, to the point where identifying them was almost impossible. It is not known who, or what has committed this horrendous crime, but it is advised that all citizens of Drache and surrounding areas be on the alert. As the bodies were found very early this morning, with wounds still relatively fresh, it is assumed that all were killed during the wee hours of the morning, or very late last night. It is advised that the public take precautions to avoid this happening again! Please keep doors and windows closed and locked when possible, and be sure not to roam the city streets in the late hours of the night! It simply is not safe at this time, and one would be ill advised not to heed this warning!

If anyone has had a friend or family member go missing since last evening, it is advised that this be brought to the attention of the Royal Guard immediately, as they could possibly be one of the victims.

None of the victims were of high standing in the community, therefor there seems to be no rhyme or reason to this crime. All victims were lower class citizens, and perhaps easy targets as such. Please take notice of this statement, and take the precautions advised within! We cannot let some senseless killer continue this assault upon our people!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The note holds no signature of any kind, nor does it explain whether or not the Royal Guard has been officially notified of this crime. Random peasants have been posting copies of the notice all over Drache, none of which seem to know anything more about the crime, than what has been explained in the letter.
Jayne
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Emotions Unchained
Author: Aeren Price
Date: 13 November 2003

Aeren stepped from the front door to the Black Dragon Inn seething with rage, though it hardly showed on his pale face. Those pale green eyes narrowed in the darkness, and he stalked down the street with fists clenched beneath his crimson cloak. Marriska’s visage was still in his thoughts, her words still stabbing his mind. She had overstepped her bounds, she had violated his trust, she had dared to speak her mind… and she was right about most of it. Perhaps that was what made the dark vampire so angry.

Indeed, it had been a long time since anyone had dared to challenge his way of thinking. He’d almost gotten used to the world working congruent to his thoughts. However, Marriska had not conformed to his view of the world. She had challenged his motives and his standpoint, and she had given a very good argument.

“… Three women whose lives you’ve destroyed…” she had said, and her voice still echoed in his raging thoughts. Obviously, she was speaking of herself, Shallara, and Morrow… the women who had been there to nail him to that tree so long ago. They had done so out of obligation… to fulfill the prophecy… yet, not by choice. He growled under his breath. He’d known that, but it had never occurred to him the effect it would have upon them… until now.

He’d been so focused on overcoming his own Hell, his own pain, his own inner struggle that he’d overlooked the consequences of it all. Perhaps Marriska was right; perhaps they had all gone through some version of Hell. He shoved the thought violently from his mind. They were never strangers to pain. They knew pain as well as he did, and they would deal with it as he did. He could not regret the past.

Yet, still, the voice in his head nagged at him, asking the constant question of whether it was because of him that the world was so dark. Was the darkness just an extension of his own mind? Was pain a side effect of his actions? He cursed himself, shutting the doubt from his mind.

No, he would not think of Shallara’s or Marriska’s pain. They were residents of the cruel world that they shared. Only Morrow mattered. Only Morrow had rights to his emotions, to his fears, to his own pain. Yet, that was what cut so deeply. Had he truly destroyed Morrow that day? Had he caused her more pain than was destined for her? The doubt reared its head again, roaring within him, and he breathed heavily as he passed the last buildings of the city on his way into the forest.

She had seemed overjoyed when they were reunited; her words of eternal love and passion seemed to ring true. But the doubt whispered to him a completely different story. Before it had all happened, he would have laughed whole-heartedly at the fear that only now rose within him. He would have tossed it aside like a dirty piece of clothing. But now, after enduring his Hell, after his emotions had been torn apart and sewn back together, he could not help but cringe slightly at the thoughts that swept through him.

“What have you done?” he heard his own voice within his mind. Fear flooded him like a torrential downpour. He’d destroyed Morrow… he’d lied to her and himself… he’d put them all through inner destruction… he’d brought the darkness into this world…

Aeren screamed at the top of his lungs, shattering every thought in his head. Flocks of birds launched from the trees around him in a massive symphony of beating wings and cawing cries. He screamed until his voice went soft, then he sank to his knees. What was happening to him? Was he just fooling himself into thinking that everything would be normal now that he was back? Was he living a total lie? Anger exploded within him… he wanted to lash out, to destroy everything in his sight, and that’s when he heard the single voice off to his left.

“Aeren?”

He stood instantly, whipping around to see who had spoken his name. There, timidly watching him from behind a tree was the girl he had dubbed Sephora. Immediately, his small hand sickle was drawn from beneath his cloak and he was bearing down upon Sephora with the anger of a thousand years. She shrieked in surprise and Aeren brought the sickle down…

He stopped suddenly, the point of the blade mere centimetres from her face. She trembled, falling to the ground, and Aeren’s eyes widened. His reaction to the pain was to create more pain… he would have destroyed the girl without a second thought. How foolish… she was needed, an integral part of his plan… how foolish to let his emotions control him so. He slowly re-sheathed the sickle, letting the mask of calmness slip over him again. She shook horribly, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“What is it, Sephora?” he said casually. She swallowed before replying.

“I’ve come to ask you to feed from me again…” said Sephora timidly. Aeren blinked, momentarily surprised that she knew of the feeding. Obviously she had met another like her, he thought. How pathetically easy it was to control them… they lived for the rush, the high, of his vampire bite. It was like a child asking for a piece of candy. Still, it pleased him to know he had so much control, and he nodded slightly, watching as Sephora stepped closer, eagerly raising her wrist…

For a moment, he would forget the fear and doubt, losing himself in the almost perverse feeling of giving a mere mortal what she longed for. It was so simple for him, yet so incredible for her. She still writhed in pleasure on the forest floor as Aeren stood from his feeding. He looked down on her with an expression of disdain, then disappeared into the trees. Sephora was left there, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her body tingling and shivering with satisfaction. She would feel normal again… better than normal… for one more night.
Jayne
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

Unto all remaining Magistrates bar Lytia
Author: The Valheru
Date: 14 November 2003

The letters are delivered to all the magistrates bar Lytia Seward by the hand of Takani’s granddaughter herself, Arms-Sergeant Makaiki. Each is bound in string and sealed with wax, so any tampering would be clearly obvious at a glance.



“My Colleagues,

This standoff has gone far enough. I will assume that none of you have followed the potentially traitorous path that Tespin Seward has chosen for herself. Brethren, it is time for us to be done with this, before the people of Drache suffer more than they already have.

I have, today, spoken with Lady Lorla of the Council. I did so at the urging of the Captain of the Guard, who fears his city turning into more of a war-zone than it already is.

As it stands, Tespin Seward has overstepped her bounds, and has in fact kidnapped once of the Council, by the way I see it. Lady Lorla and I have agreed to do our utmost to end the hostilities in our fair city – And first and foremost of that is ending the rivalry over Aridia Vlorress.

I humbly request that we who remain, as a body, unite and meet with the Council on neutral grounds. Captain Von Stahl has agreed to lend us the use of the conference room in the Guardhouse for such a meeting.

While this business reigns, the innocent suffer, and we neglect our duties to crown and country, and the people themselves.



By this seal do I mark this true by my hand.

(A strange seal involving a sword surrounded by off-worldly runes.)

The Honourable Takani Goran.”
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Re: November 2003 - Mail Archives

Post by Jayne »

The Feast
Author: Raymond Christopher Whaley
Date: 14 November 2003

<<warning, cruelty to animals>>

It flexed its muscles and flailed about desperately in a puddle that broke up the dirty, unpaved streets of the alley. It cawed helplessly, the sound reverberating off the sides of the looming, dirt encrusted, bloated structures of the alley. Moss and small flora clung to the stones and the parts of the ground, clinging on precariously to their existence in this most inhospitable place. Not much was really alive. As the small, injured bird continued to attempt to rescue itself from its current position. The air even seemed oppressive, stank, sulphurous. There was no pattern to the trash and other refuse strewn along the watery, mud slogged pathways. Chicken wire, unusable pieces of vegetable, the disgusting, acidy smell of emptied cook pots and bead pans, and even the severed limbs of a butchered hog.

Foot prints intermittently depressed the muddy pathway, in no real pattern. In the middle of this alley, the bird continued to struggle for its life. Placard board and wooden bolts sealed most of the hovels and the dying buildings were bolted shut tightly. That night, the moon was blanketed by a thick haze and didn?t deign to shine much light upon this particular area. In the dark the buildings took on the guise of looming structures that seemed to lean against one another and over the street-way, forcing a dark, pallid, unwanted shade even in nighttime and even in the daytime.

Refuse, mud and other watery foulness slowly crept down the alley. It was at a slight incline, not really a hill, almost seemingly tilted. Dandelions and putrid smelling weedy flowers grew under several of the wooden, chicken-wire hovels that lined road and seemed borne from the larger structure that loomed above them almost as if they borne out of the broken, old buildings they resided next to.

A gloved hand reached into the bird?s muddy prison, grasping the bird and lifting it out. He brought the bird up to his mouth, bared his fangs and sunk them in them in to its willowy form. It only took a moment for the creature?s bones to be sucked try. He tossed the corpse against the wall and it smashed against the stone like an empty sack of bones. Changing his mind, he slowly walked over to the corpse and removed his knife. Making a small cut along the stomach, he gently parted it chest with his thumbs. Removing its small, sinewy heart, he popped it into his mouth, chewing on it as he walked away.

He removed one of his gloves, reaching up and scratching at one of his incisors, showing his true face and the twisting and cracking of bone the accompanied it always made him itch. His skin was polished and bleached bone, almost translucent but showing now veins or arteries working beneath. He seemed heavily powdered, as if someone had given him a death mask before he died, but his skin was smooth, sinewy, and almost papery, looking delicate like a small jab of a finger would impale him. Booted feet sloshed through the muddy, boggy streets back out of the alley into more open, misty darkness. Pale lips twisted into a frown as noticed gray in the sky and sniffed the moisture of the coming dawn. Spiders slowly prepared to remove themselves from the nightly dens and rates prepared for the morning in their burrows, scratching, whining.

He had left his sire, left his childer and in the coming dawn he felt very small and very old. There was some kind of mess with the undead and Drache and it didn?t involve vampires but it still made him anxious. Lots of things made him anxious. He stepped back into his small flat just ahead of the sun. He sat down at his large, stately looking desk and picked up a paper.

To MY CHILDE,

As your current home is currently in chaos, we assume that good hunting is available in the city. Do you have everything you require to attend to your current plan? I taught you well and if you did there would be a lashing involved. The Feast of St. Kenglith is fast approaching and Drache must be bled white for it to be a success. Again, I trust everything is in order. Make more than enough minions, the childer of Simbra must make a success of this. We will rule over the humans as farmers do over cattle. Five virgins for the ritual, I tell you the rest in time.

Do not fail me, with love,

Your Master


He stood and went to scullery. Opening a cellar door, he gazed out at the four girls he had sedated there. Their breath was coming slowly but they were in distress or crying, merely sleeping in a magical coma. Closing the door, he locked it lest the magical sedation wear off and went to his coffin, closing himself in for the day.
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