Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Thorlis]

Lirea was a small city. In other empires, it might not have even been considered a city; the cities of Rozette were full of towering buildings and spires, and the cities of Sharzek were sprawling and wide, and full of magical constructions. But here, deep in the forest, cities were small, and packed.

Of course, there was enough happening in Lirea that even the cityfolk of Rozette or Sharzek might be overwhelmed.

And as it turned out, Galen was preparing to add a bit of excitement of his own to Lirea.

The job was simple, on the surface. Galen had been hired to take out a local man of power; a Dresall named Liria Markade. Markade was a man who liked to stay behind the scenes, but some of his dirty work had finally come to light.

Galen was currently waiting at a local inn, called the Horn and Cup, located near where Markade was sure to be. He had hired a couple of local adventurers to help him storm Markade's hideout. All in all, it appeared to be a simple job.

Of course, things were rarely that simple. The truth was a bit different. Galen had been hired by his superiors in the Grey Knights to take out Markade for one simple reason; Markade was also a Grey Knight. And he was abusing the powers and station he had earned. Markade was a blight on the Grey Knight name, and he needed to be taken out.

Galen had hired two adventurers, a sireel named Selven and a dvergr named Argus, but neither of them knew of Markade's status as a Grey Knight, and neither of them would know that Galen was one. Galen had traded his grey cloak for a simple brown one. For today, he would act as a simple mercenary.

So now he waited, sitting quietly at a table, nursing an ale, for his new comrades to show themselves. He wondered just how this was going to go.

*OOC* Okay, Selv, Shea, here we go. A couple of things to remember; first off, your characters do not know that Galen is a Grey Knight. He isn't wearing his normal cloak, and he is hiding the fact that the Grey Knights are the ones behind this whole adventure. Your characters won't figure it out unless Galen tells them, basically. Also, your characters are unaware that Markade, our target, is a Grey Knight. As far as your characters know, Galen is just some guy who wants Markade dead, and Markade is just some mob boss kind of guy. If you have any issues with this, let me know, alright?

[Selvadirl]

Landing smoothly at the cobblestone steps of the Horn and Cup Tavern in the small town or Lirea, looking for his new comrade Galen.  slinging his spear diagonally across his back, Selven the Sireel entered the Tavern and sat down, folding his dark wings. 

Selven had been hired by a mercenary named Galen to take out a powerful man named Lira Markade, a very evil man.  Selven scanned his eyes across the tavern, looking for the Sireel who hired him.  Spying an mysterious figure in a subtle brown cloak, Selven rushed over and took a seat beside him.

"Hello." he greeted, "I am Selven.  You hired me?"

[Souls of Shea]

Argus trotted across the rare plains of Zemok, the wind blowing against his ragged face and robe. His halberd is once again clean, but there were some memories left on that axe which he could never forget. His unfitting sandals still intact. It has been a long time since he had strived for battle, it seems he has grown old, his unshaved mustache growing slightly grey. He was at the top of the hilly environment, as he squinted, scanning the lush forest for any signs of civilization, specifically the city of Lirea.

And there it was, although spotting it was hard. Argus placed his hands onto his halberd now, ready for anything to happen. He was offered a job, to assasinate a Dresell called Lirea, simple as that. He would've turned the deal down right away, but he was getting paid, alot. Killing was his profession, if he wanted or not, so he shrugged at his destiny and walked carefully and held his pole arm tight in his grip, down to the village.

When he has entered the village, he took a breath of relief. "At least this isn't a trap." He said, sheathing his axe. Just as he put his halberd away, and took another glance into the town, through the midst of the huge crowd, he saw a inn called Horn and Cup. He took a deep breath with a sigh of relief. Inn equals beer, the buff giant's smile visible through his cloud of a beard. He took out a silver coin and walked inside the inn.

[Thorlis]

Galen usually went about jobs like this in a much different way, but sometimes, one had to go through different paths to achieve their ends. The fact that Galen had to hide his status as a Grey Knight meant that many of his usual methods were unusable. So, he decided to go about it the same way many others went about it.

The Grey Knights had many contacts, as was to be expected of any great organization. Right now, Galen used these contacts to set up an anonymous bounty. All around the neighboring countryside, a simple bounty had been posted, whispered, and rumored, so that those who were interested could come and hire on.

Two men had accepted, and the names that came back were... ominous, for Galen. Argus Tsardich and Selven Selvadirl. Galen had never had the... pleasure, of meeting these two individuals, but they were somewhat notorious in the Grey Knights.

Argus had been slaying Knights left and right for decades, and Selven had annihilated a branch of the Knights that had wronged him. The Grey Knights wouldn't like Galen bringing these two into their affairs, but Galen wanted skilled fighters, and these two men surely were skilled. As long as he didn't reveal his true profession, he'd be alright.

So here he was, waiting in the Horn and Cup, when a tall Sireel came into the bar. The Sireel quickly sought Galen and sat at his table. He introduced himself as Selven.

Galen nodded in affirmative. "Yes," he said softly. He looked towards the door. "We are currently waiting for another member; once he has come, I will brief you on the requirements of the job. I hope to start as soon as possible; this man needs to be taken out of the equation."

Just then, Galen saw an old, grizzled Dvergr walk into the inn. His description matched that of his second hireling. Galen called to him, in an attempt to garner his attention. Hopefully, Argus would notice and come over, and then the briefing could start.

[Selvadirl]

Listening to Galn's briefing and swishing his tail blades around at the same time, Selven saw Argus walk through the door of the tavern, a coin in his hand.

“Hey! Argus?!” he called over the noise of the other customers, “Come here!” 

He sat back in his chair as the waitress came over to Selven and Galen’s table.

“How can I help you, sir?” she asked politely.

“Can I have one tea, please.” asked Selven, handing a coin to the waitress, “Can I please have it with extra milk and honey?”

“Sure thing!” replied the cheerful waitress as she walked back behind the bar to prepare Selven’s tea.

[Souls of Shea]

Argus' smile was as wide as it ever has been, holding the silver coin in his right palm. When he set foot in the inn, there was a compact crowd of customers, a few gave way for the huge Dvergr slowly walking. All the adventurers in the inn gave the atmosphere a slight musky smell, and Argus felt like this was his world for a second.

The Dvergr moved clumsily through the sea of people, accidentally pushing a few, angering some. Argus took out his silver coin, and walked towards the bartender. He flicked the currency towards her as she caught it cleanly, one single bead of sweat dripped off of her forehead, working for so many adventurers. She quickly prepared the drink, and slid it across the table to Argus, who was sitting on a tiny stool that clearly did not fit his size.

Without a single pause, Argus started to swig down the heavy alcohol. Drops of it fell through the sides of the glass and tainted parts of his beard slightly yellow. When he put down the mug, there was a loud thud of the glass colliding against the wooden table. It was followed by a loud and repulsive belch which bellowed through the inn.

Some of the adventurers took a brief look at the man, while others were disgusted. But after a few while, the inn went back to yelling and laughing and the sounds of clinking mugs. Argus didn't care about how others judged him, as he asked for a refill. "When you're old, nothing seems to bother you when a glass of beer is in your clutch." He said, a slight grin he once had grew into a laugh.

When the bartender passed him another mug, he gallantly accepted. When he was to dunk in, a sound caught his ears. "Did someone call my name?" He thought, looking around the inn. With curiosity, Argus walked towards the call, and in front was a Sireel, smiling.

The Dvergr was stunned for a second. "How did he know my name?" He thought quickly, and then Argus remembered why he came to Lirea in the first place.

"You have a job for me?" Argus said as he nocked an eyebrow.

[Thorlis]

Galen nodded to the Dvergr man in answer to his question.

"Now that we are all here," Galen said softly. "We can begin."

Galen slipped his hand into his cloak, and pulled out a faded piece of paper. On it was a long message in Shaden. "This is the reason we are here," he said, indicating the piece of paper. "Specifically, I am looking for its brother. This letter is part of a series of letters that indicate that Lirea Markade has been interfering with matters that are not his, and playing with powers he should not be."

He slipped the paper back into his cloak, and drew out two bags that clinked; they were full of links, the currency of the Sharzak empire. "I want this man dead, and I want the other letters," Galen said. "In return, you will be paid handsomely. If you accept, you will get half now, and half when the job is done."

Galen looked at the two men, and his next words were run with steel. "I have been told that I am a patient man," he said, staring the two men in the eyes, one then the other. "But if you agree, and you cross me, then I and the men I work for will find you, across land, sea, and even Oblivion's black wastes. Keep that in mind before you accept anything."

"If you came here today, you know the challenges that will be ahead. So tell me, wanderers; do you accept?"

[Selvadirl]

Listening intently to Galen Selven eyed the bag on links Galen had placed on the table.

"I accept." replied Selven softly, grasping the smooth shaft of his spear, turning it slightly so that the blade reflected the light of the room, sparkling in the middle of the tavern. 

"Do not worry, Galen." Selven added, "We will not plot against you, nor desert you in the times of peril." 

After a pause, the waitress came over to their table with a cup of warm tea.

"Here is your tea, sire." she said and placed the tea on the table in front of Selven.

He nodded in appreciation and began to sip the hot tea, savoring the taste.

[Souls of Shea]

Argus did not like to wait, even less an awkward conversation. He simply laughed at the foolishness of the wingless sireel. “I am a man of my word. The years of unnecesary battles flew by too fast, and now I am only a peace-loving idiot.” He said, showing his slightly ragged teeth with a sincere smile.

He took a glance to the right, noticing the other sireel. “I think I’ve met him before… But where..” Argus thought, his head tilted slightly to the right. But the Dvergr didn’t show much interest for the sireel, and simply turned away to grab hold of his mug.

He dunked the liquid into his mouth, taking huge gulps. When he was newly refreshed, he slammed the bottle on the wooden table, almost shattering the glass.

“Let’s go, before I get impatient and kill you both in annoyance.” He said with a grin, slightly intoxicated by the beer, hands reaching back to grab his axe slinged across his body.

[Thorlis]

He smiled slightly towards Selven, and nodded. He tossed him his bag of links. "Excellent," Galen said. He then turned to Argus, and the smile dropped from his face as he heard Argus's boasting.

Galen picked up Argus' bag, and held it in front of him. "If you wish to work with me on this, Argus Tsardich, then you will need to pay close attention. If you wish to be paid, in full, you will tone down your boasting. I don't need anyone's bravado getting us killed."

He leaned forward slightly. "That means no more death threats, whether in jest or seriousness. Understand?"

He then let go of the bag, letting it clink loudly in front of Argus. Galen then leaned forward.

"The plan is simple. Markade does not know we are coming. We are going to invade his current place of business. He will have guards. Mercenaries, for the most part; the local guard won't work with him, so do not worry about casualties. There are noncombatants in there, however, so keep this in mind; if they aren't fighting back, don't hurt them. That is an absolute must; only fight those who are fighting back."

He then leaned back. "Markade should be located on the third floor of the building. There's no way to get in from the roof, so we'll have to break down the front door. He's got wards and spellwork keeping us from taking a shortcut."

"So, any questions?"

[Selvadirl]

Listening to Galen’s thoughtful words, Selven nodded once in confirmation.  A few people turned their heads from their drink to attempt to eavesdrop, but a glare from Selven told them to mind their own business.

“I don’t think I have any questions.” he said and scratching his head thoughtfully, he asked, “When do we begin?!”

[Souls of Shea]

Argus looked at the sireel, suddenly alerted by the harsh tone given to him. "What manners." Argus muttered under his breath, while smiling a slightly crooked grin. He was about to object to Galen's serious wordings, but stopped midway, glaring at the heavy bag, almost ignoring everything around him. His hands involuntarily reached forward to cushion the bag's fall. A huge "Clink!" came from the collision and Argus nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Now this is a job!" He whistled, while clumsily putting the prize away in his pocket.

His head cocked upwards, suddenly aware of the sireel's movements. He backed off one step, but no more, as he realized the intentions from Galen were innocent.

After listening intentively to the objectives, Argus looked at an empty space, but with a deep thought. "So another search and destroy?" He thought with a deep sigh. Like a stone figure, Argus slowly got off the tiny stool, which was hurting his by now, and slowly reached for his axe with what seemed like a bundle of energy. His halberd only half sheathed, showing no aggression towards the adventurers in the bar, he followed Galen with heavy footsteps.

[Thorlis]

Galen stood, and nodded to his companions. "We start in three hours. Five minutes north of here is our target. Find me there at the appointed time. Gather any things you may require, and take what rest you need while you can. I cannot guarantee that this job will be finished quickly."

He walked to the door, and turning to Argus and Sevadirl, nodded once. "See you soon."

Then he left.


**********************


Galen waited underneath the eaves of a small building, across the street of his target. He sat on a chair, relaxing, and quietly gazing on his target, as he waited for the men he had hired to arrive.

Markade's base of operations was a humble little building. It had several floors, but no windows on the upper floors; apparently Markade was a paranoid man. There were no entrances from the roof, either. Unfortunately, that meant a straight attack, through the front door.

From what Galen had managed to learn of Markade's payroll, he had a number of guards as well as typical employees in the building. He might have as few as eight, but Galen suspected the number was considerably higher. Fortunately, Galen had seen no signs that there would be any mages in there.

The hard part would be killing Markade. He was a formidable swordsman, from everything that Galen had heard. One of the best in the Grey Knight's payroll. He was fast, clever, and skilled.

Galen would just have to be better.

He continued to watch, and wait, his mind working steadily on the plan.

[Selvadirl]

Selven nodded in confirmation and left, exiting through the front door of the tavern, drawing many stares from the customers.  When he was outside, he outstretched his wings and took flight, heading towards the place Galen would meet him and Argus.  The bag of links jingled slightly in his pocket and Selven smiled in satisfaction, it would provide food for him.  At least for a while.  Hand loosely gripping the smooth wooden shaft of his elegant spear, Selven landed in a dark alleyway for a little break.  He dug his spear into the ground as he flashed his wrist and tail blades, cutting down imaginary opponents and monsters. 

Selven rarely used his built in defenses, as it was not usually necessary because he had always slain his opponents with his spear before they could get that close to him.  But this time, Selven thought it was necessary to practice, as they might come in handy in getting him out of a skirmish under a confined space, for example a small hut with a low ceiling that restricts the use of his spear.  Whoosh!  His tail blades whipped through the air like a whip and slashed a piece of paper that was aimlessly drifting the air into many pieces, scattering them all over.

When he finally stopped, exhausted and resting his hands on his knees, Selven sat down on the ground and ate a piece of bread.  When he was finished with his snack, he grabbed his spear and extended his wings, shooting up into the sky like an arrow released from a bow.  Remembering Galen's directions, "Five minutes north from here is our target." he headed in that direction, wind jostling his dark hair.  When he landed in an alley, he saw Galen and strode towards him briskly.

"I am on time." he said cheerfully and sat down beside Galen, across from a plain little building, "Is this where our target resides?"

[Souls of Shea]

Argus was not one with good directions. He nodded off the instructions with carelessness, and looked out of the inn, spotting many shops and stalls, some of which interested him in the slightest.

Wiping the last of the alcohol away from his musky smelling and unkept beard, and onto his sleeves, Argus took a few big steps, exiting the inn with as much dynamic motions as possible. His eyes shifted from left to right, the back to left, glaring at the crowds of people and the shops that are popular. The old burly Dvergr shifted uncomfortably and awkwardly while deciding where to go.

Hours pass quickly when he was interested in something. And his memories of his dire mission was slowly fading away from his head.

Argus grabbed a hold of a huge sword in one hand with ease, the hilt shining in the light. many people awed over his jaw-dropping strength, gathering and forming a crowd around him. "Hmm.. well, this sword is very accurate and powerful, but this one is lighter and faster..." He said, scratching his chin in his ponderings. but something stopped him-as his eyes diverted away from the crowd and the store's swords, he noticed a sireel moving in an urgent speed, one who seemed quite familiar.

"Oh ****" The unaware diverge yelled out, ignoring his foul language. He quickly pushed through the crowd, and ran like the wind. He followed the creature, his halberd held loosely on his back.

" Gods dammit, he's too fast!" Argus yelled through his panting and weezing. And quickly, the sireel was nowhere in sight. Argus stopped momentarily and took a huge gulp of air , calming himself down. He desperately tried to grasp the faint memory, and slowly muttered it out. "South... Five minutes?" "Wait... No that's not right.." "I think... is it north?", now the dvergr is confused.  He slowly wandered around, hoping his absence would be forgiven, when he spotted the wingless sireel, named Galen.

The old Dvergr ran for his life, towards the him, hoping.