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Post by Ector Symir on Aug 1, 2008 10:09:59 GMT
Retiring to his quarters, Ector had a servant assist him with removing his plate armour and contemplated the day's events while painstakingly cleaning off its thick coating of dust. Was the explosion the result of a bungled attack which had done little real damage, or had it been a mere diversion while an unknown adversary carried out their true objective? At present, there was nothing to go on but supposition. He hoped to speak with Kevoan in the morning. Perhaps the Elder Magus would be able to shed further light on the situation, and allay the vague suspicions Jynx had conveyed. His chore completed, Ector dismissed the servant and went to bed. Another man could have found sleep hard to come by given the day's excitement and unanswered questions, but one of the advantages of the soldierly life is that one learns to grab the opportunity of sleep whenever it presents itself.
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Post by Altor "Al" Cloudscraper on Aug 1, 2008 11:58:29 GMT
Alba did not sleep well that night. His mind continued to race. Why would the attack, a powerful attack by his reckoning, centre on foodstores and a library and leave the Royal Family and the Queen's government alone? What was happening in the north? How was the siege of Torgar going? How was his brother faring? It was one thing to cheer his brother and the rest of the Knights of the Shield while they were on the advance, but this attack showed that the darklords still had tricks up their sleeves.
Yet one thought more than anything else was keeping him awake that night, one that he could not shake from his head and that he would have to talk to Jynx and Lord Keovan in the morning. Could something in a library be so important that the Darklords would expend that amount of resource to destroy it? Something whose destruction was even more important than the elimination of the Talystrian Royal Family? He did not know much about books, but he figured Jynx and Keovan did.
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Zohar
Hardened Gamer
Is Mr. Handy
Posts: 453
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Post by Zohar on Aug 2, 2008 2:29:55 GMT
"War has been declared?" asks Zohar when Sir Ector and Alba fill him in. "Against whom? Has the Queen already deduced who the perpetrators of the attack are?" He shares his own insights into the explosion as well. "Why did they not cause the explosion in a part of the Citadel where it could inflict more damage? Really, anywhere else in the Citadel would have done. It is almost as though they wished to inflict a minimum of harm. Perhaps the attack is a smokescreen - a literal one, given the dust cloud - meant to mask some other activity. I do wish Lord Kevoan were here to share his wisdom. Perhaps he has turned in early and is in his quarters, though I cannot imagine he could possibly have slept through this. Still, he may be there or he may have left a note explaining his absence and where he has gone. I would like to check before retiring for the night myself."
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Ageal
Gamer
Vakeros Trainee
Posts: 268
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Post by Ageal on Aug 2, 2008 3:51:48 GMT
Ageal woke up looking up into a white mist in the middle of a summer’s day. He stood up and started calling for Kalos and his other friends. No answer came but the mist ended as if he hit a wall and he entered a whole new world. In front of him his house loomed the mountains of Dessi. Walking to his house Ageal's wife, daughter and son ran to him with open arms and hugged him. Ageal sighed with relief as he looked over the landscape he once remembered.
With a lurch Ageals world melted down around him. His family had there backs turned and couldn’t hear him no matter how loud he shouted. He found himself being dragged away to the dungeon of Elzian, Dessi's capital city. Ageal saw the Dessi elders poking and prodding through his thoughts, with no will of his own he broke down. Ageals mind raced with the pain that was coursing through him. Looking up Ageal no longer saw the faces of Dessi Mages but they were replaced by Dark faces with red eyes circling him. In one fell swoop there mouths open and engulfed him.
With a start Ageal woke up in the attic he settled for the night. “My mind is getting away from me”, Ageal whipped the beads of sweat off his forehead. Looking out the window Ageal rested until first light touched the land.
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Post by Maerin on Aug 2, 2008 5:19:38 GMT
Zohar stops by the door to the guest room that had been given over to Lord Kevoan. He politely knocked and, when no response was heard, hesitated for a time and then knocked much harder. He heard the muffled echo of the knocks in the room beyond, but there was no response.
Curiosity finally overwhelmed politeness, and Zohar tried the door. It was unlocked, and the door swung open. The room was dark, no candles or lamps had been lit.
“Lord Kevoan?” Zohar whispered into the darkness, and then listened. Nothing.
The Vassagonian took a large candle from a wall sconce, and then extended it into the room. In the dim, flickering light, Zohar saw no one in the room. He frowned in thought. Really, the Elder Magus could be just about anywhere, and that made it quite impossible to even guess where he might look this evening. Like the Vakeros Ageal, Lord Kevoan might not even be in the Citadel at all this evening. Indeed, it would make reasonable sense for the two of them to be together, wherever either were.
Realizing, in any case, that lingering in the Elder Magus’ empty room was probably not going to solve the questions that plagued Zohar’s mind, he returned the candle to the wall and walked back to his own room to retire for the evening. He hoped that morning would bring answers, instead of add to the growing number of questions.
***
Ageal awoke in the morning. He guessed it was probably later than he had wanted to rise, but based on the dirty light shining through the attic window, there was probably still a lot of dust in the air. He listened for a short while, but heard no sounds in the house.
Walking downstairs, Ageal saw that there was still no one home. Time, he thought, to find out what was going on. With that, he walked out the front door, and into the dusty streets of Garthen.
***
Each companion that spent the night in the Citadel work early in the morning, though sun shone through windows. There seemed to be a lot of moving about already, outside their doors. The sounds of servants were mixed with the clank of armoured guards, suggesting that there was a high degree of caution in the Citadel this morning.
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Post by Ector Symir on Aug 2, 2008 9:37:19 GMT
At a loss for leads, Ector decided the best course of action was to report to the Queen in person for further orders. As the Citadel was on a war footing, he elected to do so in full battle gear. After a hurried breakfast in his quarters, he donned his armour with aid from the servant who brought his meal and headed towards the throne room.
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Post by Altor "Al" Cloudscraper on Aug 2, 2008 10:08:08 GMT
After a fitful nights sleep, Alba gets up and joins some of the servants for his breakfast. While he thinks it is normal to associate with them, he does not realize that they believe it is strange for a personal guest of the Queen to join them for their morning meal. After listening to what the servants have to say about yesterday's attack, he returns to his chamber to get his gear. Given the situation, he decides it is best to fully arm himself, so he dons his cloak and armour, slings his bow and arrows, and quarterstaff in hand, decides to make his way to find his countryman, Sir Ector, to share his concerns and thoughts from the night before.
the following is an IC chat between Ector and myself by PM
Alba heads towards Ector's chambers, and as he approaches, he sees the Knight leave, fully equipped for any eventuality. Alba is glad he made the same choice. Running up to him, he calls out
"Sir Ector! Glad to see I am not the only one who decided to be safe rather than sorry today. I was hoping to talk to you about some thoughts I was having about what is going on"
Ector replies: "Good day, Alba. You still look the worse for wear after yesterday's mishap. Perhaps you should see a healer. But what troubles you?"
Alba: "I believe we have both suffered worse Sir Ector! But thank you for your concern" It is obvious that even though Ector and Alba count each other as friends, Alba is still very concious of the difference in social station between the two. "My concern is that attack yesterday, if that is what it was... I do not know much about fortifications and such, but it seemed to me to be almost a pointless attack? Did you not get the same impression? I mean, the Ogian is dead, praise Mother Forest, and the attack did not harm Talystria's abilities to defend herself. Am I missing something?"
Ector's smile fades. "I fear this attack was in no way pointless, but was directed towards some objective we do not yet understand. It may have been a diversion while the true mission was carried out elsewhere. I am also troubled by Lord Kevoan's disappearance."
Alba nods in agreement. "Yes, that is my point exactly! What troubles me is that the attack seemed to focus on the library. I was lucky enough that my father had a small collection of books that he was proud of, and taught me and my siblings to read, so I know that books can contain great knowledge. Do you think that may have been what the attack was about? To deprive our allies of some hidden bit of knowledge? Truth be told, I am more concerned about that than Lord Kevoan. He strikes me as someone who can take care of himself and come and go as he pleases!"
Ector's frown deepens. "I am merely a soldier, friend Alba, and magical lore and ancient secrets are beyond my understanding. Agreed, we need to know if anything of import may have been in that library. It strikes me that a theft would be harder to detect now the whole library is in ruins. "Hopefully Lord Kevoan will be able to shed more light on that - if we can find him."
"Yes," replies Alba, "but Lord Kevaan is not here. I was thinking of asking Lady Jynx her opinion, but... well..." Alba's eyes look downward "she makes me uncomfortable. Not the kind of woman that would be found in my forest hamlet... but as a Sage she may have some insight on this"
"Hah! My friend, I think you have little to fear from the courtesan. She'll be more interested in some lordling," laughs Ector. "But it can do no harm to ask her opinion," he agrees, "though she is unlikely to have any more insight than she has already shared with us. First though, I feel we should report to Her Majesty. We are once again at war, and we are soldiers at her service."
Sighing, Alba nods his head in agreement. "I was hoping this war would be over. I know you Knights train and live for this sort of thing, but I am a simple woodsman, and truth be told, I fear for my brother's safety now. Last I heard he was heading towards Torgar and taking part in the fighting there, I pray he is safe. But yes, you are right, our first concern is the Queen and the safety of Talestria. If Talestria is weakened, it puts our homes in a very bad position."
"I worry for my kin as well. I am home so rarely," says Ector. "But as you said, we knights live to defend our homeland. Your brother will do his duty. Would that I could be with him at Torgar, but for now I am needed here. "Lastly, Alba, from what I have seen so far you are more than a 'simple woodsman', you are a brave man I am proud to fight alongside."
"Thank you" replies Alba, casting his eyes downwards, trying to hid his pleasure at Ector's words. In silence, the Palmyrions head to declare their intentions to serve their nation's closest ally, the Queen of Talyestria.
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Post by Karstan on Aug 3, 2008 21:15:08 GMT
Karstan found it hard to sleep with the excitement off the last few hours so to calm his mind he got out his book on the tales of Captain Black and thumbed the book open to one of passages about a cursed voyage around the cape of Azanam, he read the each page as they talked about the problems aboard that ship the foul weather, loss of food stores and mysterious injuries until he could read no more and with that put out the candle near the bed and lay his head down to sleep.
In the morning he was awoken by the sounds of movement outside his door, there was still much to be discussed about the previously days events and Karstan was sure that no one would find it easy to sleep with the noise so he got up and wondered down to where breakfast have been served during their stay at the palace and hoped he might gain some more information on what had happened.
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Zohar
Hardened Gamer
Is Mr. Handy
Posts: 453
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Post by Zohar on Aug 4, 2008 0:56:50 GMT
Zohar awakens refreshed in the morning and fully recovered from his minor injuries from the explosion the evening before. He gets dressed and fully equips himself before going down to rejoin his companions for breakfast, also hoping for any news that might have been learned overnight. "Is there any word on Lord Kevoan," he asks, "or is he still unaccounted for? He wasn't actually in the library at the time of the blast, was he?"
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Post by Jynx on Aug 4, 2008 4:22:57 GMT
Jynx awoke early the next morning (before breakfast was being prepared) and dressed quickly into one of her more simple courtier's dresses, her mind buzzing with thoughts from the day before. With much yawning, she wandered down the halls with the intent to gather some information. Saying good morning as she passed servants and nobles, (remembering to give extra warm smiles to the noble gentleman) Jynx tried to inquire if anyone saw Lord Kavaon last night or this morning. Saying in her defense (if anyone cares to ask why I'm looking for him), "Oh, it seemed to me as though he was tired the previous evening. With everything that happened yesterday, I was just worried about his health and wondered if there was anything I could do to help." When the morning advanced and knowing that breakfast was being served, Jynx started to make her way back to have bite to eat. Passing Sir Ector and Alba on her way towards the morning's food, she gave them both one of her warm smiles and said "Good morning Sir Ector and Alba Forrestwynd, it seems a good chance that I'm going to be free this afternoon. I hope you wont be bothered if I join you later after the morning's meal? I promise that I wont be in the way." Giving them both a polite curtsy, Jynx left to go eat.
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Ageal
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Vakeros Trainee
Posts: 268
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Post by Ageal on Aug 4, 2008 6:22:12 GMT
Slipping into the streets Ageal heads over to the stables to check and see if Kalos got back with out many scratches. From the stables Ageal progressed to the Citadel knowing he would have to run the gauntlet of the guards. Approaching the Citadel asks if he may proceeded into the Lord Kavaon, and answered any questions that guards ask him about the night before. Ageal tries to make his conversation with the guards quick and brief. He knew there was much planning to be done today and believed that Lord Kavaon will recruit his help before the days end. Going through the jungle of guards Ageal tried to make his way towards breakfast and hoped to enter into conversation with his companions. Ageal struck up conversations about the previous night and explained where he took up residence in the confusion.
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Post by Maerin on Aug 5, 2008 0:22:01 GMT
Sir Ector and Alba found that the Queen and her counselors were presently in a closed session in the Hall of State, likely discussing recent events. The entire south portion of the Citadel was heavily guarded, with no admittance being permitted. A quick look through nearby windows told at least some of the tale. Much of the south wall of the citadel, including one tower, and completely collapsed and filled the south courtyard with rubble and debris. The outer wall of the castle to the south seemed uncrumbled and mostly intact, but rubble crumbled against it appeared caused it to crack in several places. Lord Kevoan still had not appeared that morning.
Consequently, the companions (including Ageal, who was allowed into the Citadel without question) all eventually found themselves in a small banquet hall, in which servants had laid a breakfast. They shared the room with about a score of guards, most who seemed fairly tired. Some were eating their breakfast standing up, obviously hurried. Others were slumped in their seats, staring at nothing while mechanically eating what was put before them. Faint snores could be heard from one guard, who seemed to have fallen asleep propped between two of his fellows.
There was plenty of room available, and plenty of food. The companions joined one another to compare notes and thoughts about events of the past day.
OOC: Sorry for the short post, but I am kinda short of time this afternoon. Besides, each of you knows bits and pieces, and so it would be worth a day's post to list and perhaps discuss (as much as play-by-post permits anyway) what has been learned thus far...and what has not.
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Post by Ector Symir on Aug 5, 2008 0:43:26 GMT
Ector took the nearest vacant seat and, largely for the benefit of Ageal who had been absent previously, briefly recounted his observations from the previous day - that the explosion, if it were indeed an attack, was either misjudged or some manner of diversionary tactic. In that case, the true objective remained a mystery, but one which could possibly involve the unknown contents of the destroyed library. Having already breakfasted in his quarters, he ignored the food and patiently waited to hear the thoughts of his companions.
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Post by Jynx on Aug 5, 2008 4:10:12 GMT
Jynx, seated near by, listened to the conversation between Sir Ector and Ageal. "Well...", she said when Ector filled in what happened and what his thoughts were, "... has anyone questioned the servants who might have been working in the area of the library before the exposition whether they saw anything odd?"
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Zohar
Hardened Gamer
Is Mr. Handy
Posts: 453
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Post by Zohar on Aug 5, 2008 4:37:43 GMT
"An excellent suggestion," says Zohar. "Servants see many things, so if any of them were near the blast site they may know something. If they were that close, it's highly likely they were wounded, so the servants and guards being treated for their injuries would be the best to ask."
He fills in the others on his own observations and concerns. "I agree with Sir Ector. The continued absence of Lord Kevoan is very disturbing and perhaps connected. I worry that he may have been in the library at the time of the explosion - perhaps he was even the target. He was not in his quarters last night, and he was not with Ageal either. Considering everything that has happened in the past twelve hours, he would have done everything in his power to be in the Hall of State right now. Something is clearly very wrong."
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