Day 13
Characters: Kassie, Allie, Daen
His cousin's words draw a surprising laugh from Leo. He glares at Daen, shaking his head. "All that matters is that you are here and around to torment.." Mind, he says this after he's safely slid several feet away Daen and Kassara, now behind Marcus. "You were lucky your friends came so quickly. Next time, we should both just bring the entire cohort and see how that turns out. Or next time I'll make sure no one's watching.."
Allie's offer is met with an elegantly arched eyebrow and a small scoff. Septima forces herself to her feet, obviously in pain, but shakes her head. "I can walk. I am not so easily beaten! I don't need the sympathy of our enemies." She falters, knowing the excuse is lame, and shrugs, looking angry at herself and Allie. She gestures quickly for Allie to get up, shaking her head.
"This isn't over yet. It's barely started." She stumbles down the stairs after her companions, limping heavily.
At the bottom of the stairs, Padraic looks up at Kassara and lifts a hand in a friendly wave, shrugging. He mouths "Sorry!" before following after his friends.
While the two groups of cohorts are picking themselves up, Leo and Daen sniping back and forth, a loud sigh is heard at the top of the stairs. One of the head servants stands there, looking at the scuff marks all over the stairs, the trampled tapestries, a now broken tapestry holder and he shakes his head. He calls over one shoulder for a maid, who scurries forward. "Have Amelia come and clean up this mess."
He glares down the steps. "..And which cohort would you two be?" Leo shrugs and moves quickly away, not responding.
Daen inwardly groaned at the reprehensible behavior of Leo. Did he really think he could get away without incident? Of course he could. He's a Surtova, he had "the right". Watching the injustice happen was just too much for the half elf, and despite his better judgement he decided to speak up first.
Pointing out his cousin, he addressed the head servant as well as the rest of the onlookers. "That guilty looking one sneaking away like a thief is the one responsible for this mess. His name is Leo Surtova, and he's from Cohort two. He and his friends started this fight when they thought I was alone. You can tell it's true and who they are because they are the only ones with practice weapons. Don't you think the ones who started this fight should help clean up and take responsibility instead of skulking off into the shadows without a word?"
The servant scowls and shakes a finger at the rapidly retreating Leo. "I'll be speaking to Luca!" He calls out. Then he looks around, arching an eyebrow at the fact at least one of cohort one's scrubs had training weapons. "I should have all of you clean this up but.."
He turns, letting out a sigh.
"I doubt it was a one-sided affair. There's quite a few of you... Where is that girl.."
The maid he'd sent off stands awkwardly nearby. "Amelia hasn't shown up to work for the last day or two.." He turns and the two start arguing. "I don't care if the trainees caused this mess, that punishment is for the Trainers to deal out. Your job is to clean up messes even if whoever is assigned this section is missing!"
Adir taps Daen on the shoulder. "...He knows their cohort. Perhaps we should scramble too? I don't want to lose more points from Fisk. He's an a@@@&#!."
Perhaps discretion at this point was the better part of valor. He nodded to Adir and walked away confidently that at least Leo was going to pay some kind of price beyond the bruised ribs he'd received. The half elf also motioned to the others to head out and he walked away confidently and in a straight line thanks to Allie's ministrations. I'll have to thank her later as well.
Ardis hangs around, gaping as Cilys dashes after Adir and Daen with a small laugh. Elyssa tugs on his arm, when he doesn't respond, she shrugs and walks off with Daen as well. Ardis hisses after them. "B-but...shouldn't we explain more?"
"No, come on you idiot.." Elyssa rolls her eyes and motions for him.
When the cohort returns to the dormitory, a boy of seven or eight in the Bonewatch's servant garb is waiting by the entrance. He hands a slim scroll to Eilidh. "This arrived earlier today by raven. It took awhile to find you."
Eilidh
Your kind heart makes me miss you and your sister dearly. Of course I will do what I can to help, if you feel this individual deserves a second chance. I have sent a request that he be taken from the Guard and given a choice.
If you receive this early enough, you may even be able to bring him the news yourself.
I have heard you are working with Fisk. Be careful with that one. He and I were in the same cohort and he still holds much ill-will.
Be safe my child.
Daen came up behind Ellie to specifically thank her for the healing when the boy gave her the letter. At first he didn't know whether or not this was the right time, but he eventually decided to do it so he would not have it hanging over his head. Mother had always impressed on him that he should be polite, as it was not only a good thing to do, but it was also a way of making people hate you less. Of course, certain family members were an exception to that.
"Thanks for your help with my headache. While not entirely necessary, it did make it much less painful. Your care and concern for your cohort is notable. We'd do much better if we all acted in support of each other as you do." He didn't really know how to retreat after that, so he hazarded a short nod at the end for emphasis.
Busy reading the letter, it takes Eilidh a moment or two to realize she's being talked to. "Of...of course. While I d-don't intend to support everyone all the t-time, the c-corridor was t-too narrow for me to g-get into the fighting. B-besides, I never asked t-to get into m-melees every w-weekend." She returns Daen's nod before crawling into her bed. I'll visit that criminal tomorrow if I can. Tonight's no good, gotta get some sleep.
Everyone can start actions for Sunday, day 14.
In the morning, Daen respectfully greeted all the people who came to visit him in his time of distress. It didn't hurt to be polite to the people who were willing to stick out their neck for you. To Kassie, he particularly paid attention, apologizing for calling out people with practice weapons as the guilty ones when she had brought one with her.
As it was early enough when he went around and his dueling class wasn't quite ready to start, Daen did something he probably should have done days ago. He went up to the Tribune and took his oath. He didn't want to make a big deal of it, but if he was caught out of the Bonewatch by Leo, he really wanted to have his sword on him. He didn't trust that rat farther than he could throw him.
After this, Daen headed out to the class with boldness. Sure Leo would most likely be there. It also meant that he could easily ambush him with his same group of thugs, but it was more likely that he'd be sleeping in. It didn't mean that Daen wasn't going to be cautious. He found a spot near the gardens that was hidden from view. If it were Leo who arrived first, then at least he could wait here until someone else came by. Well, it was either Vorin or Baird. Either would be quite fine to talk to, and definitely good eyes to have on him if Leo should be up to his tricks again.
Eilidh starts out the day with a long bath, wanting to be clean for her job. She changes into clean clothing before strapping her armor and scimitar on. Daen's cousin will be unhappy with all of us, no doubt. Anything to dissuade him from beating me like that would be welcome. Armed and armored, she heads to the cathedral for another day of herding children.
Day 14 -- Sunday
Characters: Daen
The cohort members who came to help Daen have varying reactions. Elyssa and Ardis seem pleased, although Adir just laughs and shrugs, pointing to Kassie. "I hardly know any of you..she made an effort to be friendly and you're her friend, so figured I should volunteer to come help. 'sides, unfair fights aren't very noble."
The magus gets to the garden early, being the first to arrive. After him trickle in several people he vaguely recognizes from the other day--mostly members of cohort Three. Vorin shows up shortly thereafter, sitting down on the ground in the middle of the garden and reading from a book for Comell's class.
When he spies Daen, he'll wave and beckon him over. "Decided to join us for the rest of the training? It'll be good to have another member of cohort one. It seems no one else found out about this class, or has no interest."
After spending another day chasing down children and cleaning up after them, Eilidh decides to visit the prisoner they took last week. She walks quickly through the streets, heading for the guardpost they delivered Grimold to. On arriving, she finds a guard. "S-sir, l-last week We b-brought a thief in, and I w-was w-wondering if it w-would be okay t-to visit him. I wouldn't s-stay for l-long, I promise."
Unused to anyone taking such efforts to communicate, other than Maria and the occasional visitor, Estella seems incredibly pleased. She's actually a bright girl. She was not born deaf, but rather had a great vision of Sarenrae about two years ago. She was fortunate enough to hear the goddess speak in her vision, asking Estella to come to Vigil and learn of the clergy then bring her redemption among those who need it with fire and blade if need be. After the vision, she found herself deaf from the power of the goddess's voice.
She shares stories of the visitors to the Chapel, most of whom are pretty boring members of Vigil's medical soldiers.
The half elf nodded to Adir's comment about unfair fights. "We need more nobly minded people instead of people who consider themselves noble beyond their actions."
________
At the class, Daen sat down next to Vorin. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is no real interest. We aren't even using swords in our challenges yet, but I don't want to get rusty. If we think it's rough here, wait until we're out there fighting orcs or demons. I'd rather take every advantage I can while I can so I'll be prepared as much as possible."
Suddenly he realized he'd been talking about himself too much. Perhaps it was time to switch it around. "What do you hope to get out of this class?"
Day 14
Characters Daen
The other boy nods at Daen's statements, but glances over skeptically at the question. "the Aldori Swordlords are famous for their dueling techniques. They can handle a sword in ways most men can scarcely dream of. Also, have you ever been to a dueling competition? The girls just flock to you!"
He snaps off a quick smile, stretching out his legs. "Plus, a lot of the nobles participate. It's a good way to make connections to other scrubs.." He looks to where Leo is standing, ignoring Daen despite the large black eye he's sporting.
"You all did a good job on them. Sorry I didn't come help. It's not always a good idea to piss off those who might make it into the Knights."
"Ah, so it's the reputation. It's nice to come from a place that garners so much respect. I haven't seen any particular competitions, but living in the Surtova house, I've seen a few duels to the death. Most were terribly one sided, but some were spectacular." The half elf didn't really know what to say about girls flocking, so he just ignored it for the time being.
Daen sighed slightly when Vorin indicated his cousin. "I had no choice about making Leo angry. He's been taught to hate me since we were infants. I'm just trying to do the best I can concerning the circumstances. A Surtovan scorned will do thrice in return. The best thing is for one or neither of us to make the knights. There will be no making an understanding with that one."
After speaking with Daen, and brushing off his apologies for commenting about bringing practice weapons, she asks where he's off to on Sunday. When he mentions the duelling classes she lights up, promising to join him in the morning. When the sun rises, however, she can't bring herself to wake up, dropping back into a deep sleep after briefly wakening as he leaves. Some time after Daen and the other trainees have arrived, Kassie bursts in through the archway which leads into the garden carrying her rapier, her shirt untucked and her hair in disarray. "I'm not too late am I?" she gasps out before glancing around. Seeing Daen and Vorin standing talking, she gathers herself and walks over, tucking her linen shirt into her tight trousers. "Good morning," she greets them with a smile, "does it always start this early? Sometimes a girl likes to sleep in!"
Day 14
Characters: Daen, Kassara
The other trainee nods and stands, offering a hand to Daen as Kassara comes rushing in. "Some people are like that. However, he will learn. Knights of Ozem are brothers in arms. If you both survive, things may change."
He pauses, then shrugs. "Or possibly not." Turning to the blonde, Vorin winks. "Yes, it does. You're actually right on time. Ser Baird will likely be here in a moment."
It doesn't take long for the instructor to arrive. Soon enough, each of you is split up and paired with another member of the scrubs. Unfortunately for Kassara, she's paired with Leo while Vorin and Daen get paired. Baird has you run through various exercises with one another, practicing different stances and parries before beginning sparring. Leo stays silent the whole time, eyes tight with restrained anger. Peculiarly enough, he doesn't take advantage of the sparring to lash out at Kassie in any way other than typical dueling attacks.
Day 14
Characters: Allie and any who choose to participate
The wall surrounding Vigil is actually a series of defensive stone walls with numerous additions and modifications throughout the city's history. It is well-known in the Inner Sea as one of the most complex fortification systems.
The Madraivian Wall, facing Ustalav and Gallowspire, is the greatest of Vigil's walls although the other sections are equally renowned. The Madraivian Wall is a double wall, consisting of a main inner wall and a lower outer wall. Between the outer wall and the inner is a narrow moat with a low breastwork. The inner wall is nearly forty feet tall and half as thick stretching from the Gate of Porthmos to the Scholae Tower. Vigil's defenders maintain a constant defense along the top, patrols passing through frequently.
It is along this wall that Eilidh heads, planning to go to the wall post she had left Grimold and the others at. As she approaches the small building alongside the wall, she sees that double guard duty has been imposed. Two men in knee-length hauberks of chain and pole axes stand beside two crossbowmen with leather jerkins and conical steel caps. One, a man with a Taldan-style beard, steps forward with a frown.
"Can I help you?" He doesn't seem to recognize Eilidh, although one of the crossbowmen seems to.
For the sake of a bit of fun..
The nearest gate to the current guard house is the Shining Gate. This gate is the main ceremonial gate--victorious Lastwall armies parade through this gate upon their return to the city as well as triumphal returns of the Tribunes when they go on the march. The gate is actually only opened during these events--remaining closed at all other times.
The Shining Gate is built of large blocks of polished white marble fitted together without any cement but instead sealed with arcane magic. The gate is flanked by two large square towers which are richly decorated in numerous statues including a statue of Iomedae on a chariot.
The half elf was genuinely surprised to see the Tilernos. She certainly did like to oversleep, but they had already talked that morning. Did she take an after breakfast nap? However disheveled she was, she still was stunning. "Kassie, I'm glad you came. We were beginning to wonder if anyone besides us was interested in the extra practice."
The class was actually a pretty productive one. Not being paired up with Kassara had helped, due to the distraction factor of her tight pants. Even Leo had trouble not enjoying himself. Vorin had some interesting moves that he hadn't seen before. They weren't terribly good, but just being exposed to them helped him look at things from a different angle. He knew the extra swordplay would help out quite a bit in this kind of environment. Their enemies weren't likely to be using Aldori Dueling sword when they were out on the battlefield.
When he had opportunity, he complimented his sparring partner on a well-turned blade or a riposte. He even showed him a thing or two based on his Brevoyan training which he figured would be pleasing. Men of action were sometimes more easily able to converse through swordplay than they were with words, and Daen was feeling eloquent today.
Eilidh stops her leisurely walk along the wall, marveling at its size and construction. The castle was impressive, but this must've taken years of work. Centuries, maybe. I wonder what the weather's like back at the castle, and if mother is... Her thoughts are interrupted as the guard speaks up, snapping her out of her daydream.
"Oh, um...y-yes. We b-brought some p-people here last week, s-said they'd been theiving, and I w-wanted to visit one of them. A b-boy, about my age, who we asked t-to be kept s-separated from the other t-two. I have n-news for him that m--might make his life b-better. Oh! Right... I'm a t-trainee at the B-Bonewatch, if that helps. Eilidh T-Tilernos. C-could I see him?" She waits for a response.
Day 14
Characters: Kassie, Daen
Daen's conversation with Vorin actually seems to have accomplished something and the other scrub enjoys the practice, occasionally laughing when Daen scores a particularly good point. Through the smile though, there is a hint of danger in his eyes and in the curve of his grin. Vorin's intensity in the dueling shows Daen that he plans to win next challenge day.
Day 14
Characters: Eilidh, Daen(?), And any others who decide to show up
The stratiotes steps back at Allie's words and frowns. "The thieves.." He looks nervously over his shoulder at the other three, who don't seem to have any easy answers.
"Ah..you said you were a Tilernos? It's a bit..unorthodox to allow a trainee in when they wish but..you are a noble..still, I'm not sure that's a good idea in this case."
"It'll be someone's head if she's not supposed to. Or if she freaks out." chimes in one of the crossbowmen.
The grizzled veteran nods his head to the crossbowman, then pauses. "Yeah, but it'd likely be on Inspector Silverius. And you never know how he'll act...the Bonewatch always gets special privileges and they did take that one prisoner off earlier.."
He turns back to Eilidh. "Right then. Come on..maybe you can sort all this out."
The thick fir door, banded with studded iron, is swung open into a small chamber with limestone floors and simple brick walls. Two more guard sit inside, looking nervous on ancient wooden chairs. At the entrance they both stand and salute. Eilidh realizes she missed the rank on the man's chest before marking him as a pentarchos. He waves both to sit again. "Don't. This isn't likely to get any better for either of you, take a moment to relax."
A staircase curves upward, most likely to the wall while two doors rest against the far wall. It was here that Eilidh and the others had handed over the thieves to be held pending a decision on them. It seems that decision was still pending, at least for all but Grimold.
"I should probably warn you...those individuals are not with us any longer. But its possible you may know something of use to the Inspector." With those dire words, he leads Allie to one of the doors and pushes it open. A squinty eyed man with glasses, a messy van-d*#~ and a stiff buttoned coat is stroking his chin and staring at the jail cell. An odd, animal-like odour pervades the room and the man, presumably the Inspector, turns with a scowl.
"What did you need, pentarchos? I have no time for--Who are these people?"
The soldier smiles, nodding his head slightly. "The Bonewatch trainees who brought in the prisoners."
Allie and the others have a moment to take in the scene. The cell the Inspector stands before is empty of life. Two corpses lay within, ravaged with blood splattering the walls and floor. There is no furniture in the room except for two straw pallets, soaked in blood, within the cell. A bucket lays nearby on its side with the remnants of the days lunch within--eaten. The cell still seems to be locked. A small handful of ash sits in one corner of the room.
Peering into the cell, Eilidh turns pale and feels bile starting to come up. She looks around for something to vomit into, finding an empty bucket in the nick of time.
After a few moments, she wipes her mouth with the hem of her cloak and walks shakily over to the inspector. "S-sorry, I'll be f-fine. How...how long have th-they b-been...like this? D-do you have any c-clues as t-to what h-happened?" She looks into the cell again, trying not to avert her eyes from the worst of it and trying not to be sick again. "We n-never expected th-this when we b-brought them here."
Taking in the scene, she looks at the pile of ash. W-what's that? D-did the p-prisoners have a f-fire?"
Lastwall is ruled by the Wather-Lord Ulthun II above all while the five Precentors Martial govern the military and five tribunes govern civil matters. The Precentors Martial elect the Watcher-Lord, making the government very reliant upon the military. Lastwall's position between Belkzen and Ustalav as well as the nearby Fangwood and Worldwound lead to a strong organization within the military.
Daen already encountered part of this in the strict paperwork prevalent within the Bonewatch.
Lastwall has a strong Byzantine Empire flavor and calls upon their history for military ranks. Each Preceptor Martial is a military commander of between two thousand to four thousand men divided into thema. Most often, these thema are split into numerous smaller units called tagma which is the basic combat unit consisting of only three hundred to four hundred stratiotes (common soldiers).
Each tagma is headed by a tagmatarches except in the case of garrisoned soldiers where tagmas are headed by a viglator.
Tagmas tend to be made up of smaller centuries of a hundred led by a kentarchos. Centuries are further divided uip into groups of ten led by a dekarchos with two pentarchos as assistant leaders.
Lastwall also fields numerous special troops. The Knights of Ozem are often refered to as hetaeros or companion soldiers with their own ranking system. The nation also has bodyguard units of the Preceptor Martial called Scholae. Scholae also guard the Watcher-Lord. Additionally, elite units from other nations exist, routinely referred to as foederati. This includes an elite group of Ulfen called the Feruvian Guard. These soldiers typically guard the Watcher-Lord.
Day 14
Characters: Grimold
”You've made the right choice, you know.”
The streets of Vigil have never seemed so quiet before. Even the light patter of rain seems silent, the merchants calls little more than the sound of flies to Grimold's attention. The short woman beside him did not look like any knight, at least any knight he had seen in Vigil's armies—then again, he had nearly no experience with the Knights of Ozem. The woman is wearing peculiar red jacket split to show a white shirt underneath and tied with various red and black sashes. What Grimold had thought was a weird skirt is revealed to be a pair of wide-legged trousers secured at the waist with another wide sash.Her long black hair is tied back into a ponytail with a flowing red ribbon. When the light shines just so, Grimold can swear the ribbon glitters as if it contains hidden steel itself.
Her long, pointed ears poke out from under wispy strands and large, almond-shaped eyes are set high on her face; revealing her elvish nature. The most interesting fact about her is the long, slender blade at her side hidden in a red-wooden scabbard. The hilt seems simple, with woven blue and gold thread covering it. The guard a circle of engraved steel bearing Iomedae's symbol.
No steel plate. No helmet. No overbearing scars or gruff demanor. In fact, she's cheerful. Not at all like a Knight.
After not receiving an answer, the woman elbows the former thief. ”I hope you don't think this will be easy..you'll be facing nobles, the sons and daughters of current Knights and the elite of Lastwall's upper hierarchies. I'm sure there's plenty of foreigners as well. Do you know anything about fighting?”
She continues to walk as she chatters, eventually leading you to the imposing outer facade of the Bonewatch. The headquarters, practically a fortress in its own right with a set of walls around it, is a declaration of worship to Iomedae. Its entrance is flanked by two large statues showing Iomedae in a long cloak with a steel shield and the eagle-headed priestess Saint Lymirin. The battlements are manned by Knights on patrol although the thick, black-metal gates bearing an engraving of Iomedae's symbol lay open. Within, the citadel looms into the sky and dozens of individuals move around the courtyard—pages, secretaries, Knights, archers, squires, trainees—scrubs and other workers.
”Welcome to the Bonewatch...welcome to your new home.”
The right choice... There had been no choice, not really. The promises he'd made bound him as much as any prison manacles, dragging him down the road ahead of him like a lamb to the slaughter. It had been that way since Papa died. He must have been born cursed; surely it was the only explanation for his current predicament.
He didn't talk to the woman as she led him through the streets. He didn't feel like talking, and his jaw hurt; he had been grinding his teeth for days, chewing on his lower lip and the inside of his cheeks until they bled. His whole body was sore from flexing his muscles in a constant tantrum, everything within him trying to rebel against the words he'd had to say, the words that set him on this new path. But instead of fleeing now, he just kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, glaring at the street as he walked. He couldn't bring himself to look up at the grey sky, to face Desna's mocking tears.
When she asked him if he knew anything about fighting, he only clenched his fists and spat on the ground, biting back a retort. He knew how to throw a punch, but if he was expected to go around cutting people down in the street, Lastwall's elite nobles surely had him outclassed. Felipe had been the best fighter he knew, but it had done him no good once he'd drawn his steel.
Grimold continued to wallow in silent anger and self-pity until the Bonewatch rose up before him. As they made their approach, he craned his neck up and around, taking it in. He had never seen the Bonewatch up close before. It had always been a sinister feature of the skyline, the symbol of oppression that could be seen from anywhere in the city. He and his friends had been free to hate and deride it from distant safety in the docks, but now the sight of it chilled his blood. From the docks, the cruel towers could claw at the sky, but they were always under the dominion of the stars. Now those towers loomed so tall they blocked the sky from his view. The statue of the Lady of Valor looked severe; Grimold imagined that somehow even the sharpness of the stone couldn't do justice to the real thing. As he walked through the gates, Grimold could have sworn he heard Desna laughing as he entered a fresh new chapter of his own personal hell.
Day 14
Characters: Eilidh, Daen(?), And any others who decide to show up
Meeting Allie at the city wall, Kassie grins. "So, we're off to see if this thief can be set right then are we? Gods Al, you always were one to look after the strays. What's that?.. Yes I know the Dawnflower teaches forgiveness but,.. sometimes you take things too far. Well, I guess i'd better come to make sure nothing bad happens to you..."
When they are brought into the blood-splattered room she, like her sister, pales, her usual cheery demeanour subdued by the gory spectacle. What,... what happened here? When,.. when where they found. How did this happen?"
As the class went on, Daen enjoyed himself a little. Though in the back of his mind he was pessimistic as ever. It seemed Vorin, while not overtly hostile, thought he found weakness somewhere in Daen that he could take advantage of him. That hungry look was very familiar to him, quite literally. The Surtovans that took interest in him sometimes acted like Leo did, but most of them acted like Vorin was. Friendly on the outside, but wouldn't hesitate to do whatever was necessary to secure their own position.
Vorin was in that way, nothing special. He might have designs and ambitions, but if he wanted to remain indifferent to Daen's plight based on whether or not it would be advantageous to him, he wasn't really a friend worth having. He might be a useful contact, but that was really a question for another day.
After class, Daen waves Kassie over when they are all done. He was a little disappointed at the lack of instruction and attention from the instructior, but figures that with all the new people in class there would be little he would do in individual pointers. For that, Daen was a bit spoiled. He had a lot of one on one instruction during his sword training, but he was determined to make the best of things.
On Sunday Eckart went down to the blacksmith to see if he could join is the goings on their with any other apprentices. "Hi, I'm here to learn if you'll teach me." He will spend part of the day there and another part practicing for fight day.
Day 14
Characters: Kassie, Allie
No one flinches when Allie moves to the bucket and vomits, although the Inspector's frown deepens slightly. ”That may have been evidence.” He says drily.
”These two men were found deceased approximately two hours ago..the cell door was locked and no one has, supposedly, entered or left this room since early this morning when Ser Sato of Bonewatch came by to retrieve one of the prisoners.”
He starts to pace, eyes never leaving Eilidh's face. His hooked nose and intense stare remind her of Gwaihir, her mother's hunting eagle. ”No. Prisoners are not allowed anything flamable..notice how the ash is also outside of the cell.”
”You were the ones who brought these two in. What do you know of them? Did they have any enemies?”
'
The ranked soldier moves to the door, leaning against the side of it. ”We don't know how it happened. We usually have a guard on station within this room, but an urchin came by with warning of a person trying to set fire to the Golden Dragon near here. We sent a few to investigate, leaving two men on the front door and a second inside the main room but no one within here..no one could have gotten past three armed men without being seen. I don't know how this is possible.”
The Inspector lets out a sigh and shrugs slightly. ”I..don't really have the time to figure it out. There are a hundred more important investigations underway that require my attention and the mysterious, possibly magickal, deaths of two thieves are not high on the list. I suspect it was some Oathless gang-grudge taken too far.”
A quick visual search reveals pieces of curled paper in the ash—it seemed to have been a paper, parchment or scroll of some kind.
The thieves seem to have died from an animal's claws and bites. A large animal, the size of a person.
The way the bodies are torn apart shows a brutality not often found with animals. There doesn't seem to be anything actually missing from the bodies—at least nothing ate them, it simply tore them to shreds.
Day 14
Characters: Eckart
When Eckart visits Berdred's Armory, he finds much the same reception he had during his first visit. The location is busy, with the seven apprentices running everywhere, a few journeymen directing them and the faint figure of Berdred in the background hammering out something new--likely one of her famed shardblades.
Unfortunately, the apprentice in the store front gives the same answer to Eckart that he received the last time he asked about lessons or work. The Armory only selects the best for apprentices and Eckart, while in the right age to start an apprenticeship there, would be expected to give up his position as a trainee at the Bonewatch.
He does, however, remind Eckart that Berdred teaches a blacksmithing class at the Bonewatch every Moonday.
Unique to each Knight, these magical weapons carry a long history. They were first crafted by a good friend of Iomedae, Florian, whose last name has been lost to history. Known simply as Grand Smith Florian, he began the tradition at Iomedae's request. The Knights, even then, were known as versatile and elite warriors—although they did not have the prestige they have in current times. The shardblades, created through a private process known only to one blacksmith at a time, embrace that versatility.
They are unique weapons in many shapes but all have a distinct characteristic—the ability to change shape. Whether a spoken word, a gesture, or even a thought these weapons can shift between any weapon the bearer imagines—swords, spears, bows, kama, even seven-branched swords.
Rumors are that the magical enhancements on these blades also affects other weapons on the Knight. Simply by bearing the blade, other, more mundane, weapons carried are imbued with their power.
Day 14
Characters: Grimold
Rolando is led through twisting corridors, designed for both defense and practicality. He sees several trainees—scrubs--practicing with one another in gardens and sanded training arenas before he's taken up a stairway. The corridor contains even more scrubs, Grimold and his escort getting many glances. Finally, he is brought to a doorway—no door present.
”Cohort one. It was decided that, since your application was only accepted due to Manon Tilernos petitioning for you, you would be placed here. Her daughter is the reason you were in prison. And also the reason you are not being shipped off to the Salt Mines. Enjoy this opportunity, few are allowed it. Prove yourself worthy and you will find valor, honor and prestige to your name.”
With a pause, Sato tilts her head and looks down her thin nose at you. ”And riches, of course. Likely more than an Oathless like you would ever see otherwise.”
Within the room are rows of beds—twenty in total. Each has a chest at the foot of it and all of them—well most of them—are well-made and neat. One bed is empty, obviously the one Grimold is to take.
Within the room are only three scrubs. A boy with thin black hair and a pencil-thin mustache sits at the edge of a bed writing slowly in a book. A tall boy with brown hair and thick muscles is doing pushups in the corner. And the third scrub..looks familiar. A boy with thick, straight brown hair and a scraggly beard—he was one of the scrubs present when you and the others were taken. You can't recall his name, although he's not the one who stabbed Felipe.
Day 14
Characters: Daen
Despite Baird's lack of attention, the practice seemed to have help Daen's stance somewhat. When he moves to the training yard to pratice, Vorin follows him out. "Do you mind if I train with you? Being so far down the list isn't very prestigious...my father will expect better."
Eilidh struggles to make out the details on the two corpses. After a moment, she looks away. "Th-they look like s-some b-big animal k-killed them. W-was l-last n-night...was last night a full moon? N-no, that wouldn't explain th-the t-two corpses." She looks around the room again, this time focusing on the pile of ash, while trying to block out the sickly-sweet smell of violent death. Spotting a few scraps of charred paper half-hidden in the ashes, she points them out. "I-if you're n-not interested in s-solving this, c-can I t-take...can I take the paper scraps? M-maybe I c-can get to the b-bottom of this m-myself.
"as for enemies...I I d-didn't know them v-very well at all. W-we interrupted a m-mugging, b-but the m-man they were trying t-to steal from d-didn't seem c-concerned. I n-never got his n-name, and he w-wore a big c-cloak. Sorry."
Since entering the Bonewatch, the reality of the situation was starting to sink in. The place was huge, the halls were a maze, and the people... even a girl his own age had the power to rewrite his destiny for him in this place. He was suddenly glad he'd held his tongue on the way over.
Looking around the room, he saw his bed, neatly made up and unused. He saw the chests, each probably holding enough wealth to feed his family for a month. Remembering food, his stomach growled; he hadn't eaten since the night before. He didn't know when lunch would be served. Come to think of it, he didn't really know anything about how things were supposed to work. The woman had been explaining things on the way over, but he hadn't really been listening, something he was beginning to regret.
Suddenly he saw the boy with the beard, and things were brought back into focus. These people could change his life as simple as breathing, but they could just as easily take it, with no consequences. And if he was here, the others probably would be too. He was supposed to live alongside the same people who had killed Felipe? And be grateful for the opportunity? He turned back to the Sato woman, but the words caught in his throat. Instead he turned to his bed and went to open the chest.
After saying good bye to Kassie who was going to spend the afternoon with her sister, Daen was a bit surprised that Vorin would ask to spend more time with him. Maybe he had misjudged him. Well, maybe not. Time would tell. In any case it would be nice to have someone to train with. The disparaging comment about his father seemed a little funny to him, though. "I suppose most fathers would be like that." He thought about complaining about him never having a father, but he kind of did. One that was probably as disproving as Vorin's if not more. But what came of competing in that realm? Nothing really. So the comment was left out as he came to a decision.
"Yeah, training together is going to be better than training by myself. Come with me. I mean to drop by the dorms for a quick moment. I like to write down things I might have learned though every process so I can review and remember them." Normally he'd have brought things to take notes with him to the class itself, but he knew his cousin would be there and he didn't want to show him anything that could be conceived of as fragile. If he knew of Daen's notes, they'd be for sure destroyed or stolen.
Dropping by the dorms turned out to be a bit more eventful than expected as their new bunkmate was standing in the middle of the dorms with a confused look on his face. The interesting part was that this was the very same rogue whom gave them the information they wanted. And now he was here. He couldn't decide if this was a bit of a sick joke or if it was part of his training.
"So, you're here. He stated it flatly, despite his surprise. It must have come from years of practice. "Won't Allie be surprised." The half elf shrugged and shook his head as he walked over to the number one bunk. He pulled out his notes and scribbled out a few dots and dashes in his own particular cypher. No one else should be reading it, at least without considerable effort.
Another one of the boys who had been there that night appeared, confirming Grimold's suspicions. He flinched as the boy walked past him, expecting some sort of confrontation, but it seemed he would be required to play along with this new game awhile longer. "Allie?" He frowned, trying to remember. He thought he'd heard the name when the Sato woman showed up that morning to take him. Yes... she was the girl who got him this deal. "Wh-" he started to say, but caught himself, reconsidering. He sighed, exasperated with himself. If they were going to kill you, you wouldn't be here right now.
Still wary, he glanced around the room, making sure he had a clear path to the door in case he was wrong and this was just a more elaborate execution. He turned to talk to the boy, now rifling through his papers. "I'm Grimold," he said lamely. "I...can you...help me?" Idiot! You should have been paying more attention earlier. "I'm new, I don't understand what is expected of me."
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Daen held up a finger to stall the rogue. Two sentences should suffice for all the instruction he had. Still, the muscle memory was good practice, he'd just expected more. He left that out of his notes.
When he was done he looked up. "Nothing is expected of you today. It's a free day. Do with it what you'd like. You're bunk number ten. Dinner's at five bells. Starting tomorrow we have class for four days:" He counted them on his fingers. "Physical Torture, Lastwall Victory Tour, Sucking up to Deities, and Bottles Not Worth Drinking." Daen didn't do jokes often and it showed, the delivery was pretty poor and most likely rushed. Clearly it was a bad idea.
When no one laughed, he moved on. "Do well in the classes and it helps our ranking. Do poorly and it hurts our ranking. Currently we're second because cohort 4 spends a lot of time studying. On Fireday, we spar to see who is number one. Best I can figure, there are eighty of us and thirty make it. Top ten in your cohort is a must, worst cohort for classes probably gets completely dropped."
He reached in his locker and pulled out his books. "You can start here." He patted the sizable stack. "These are the books you need, but they are mine. You'll have to pick up your own. Being resourceful is also a test. Everything's a test. Don't screw it up for people and they may not hate you. No guarantees though. There. That's more than I got when I got here. But you have a two week late start." He put his notes back into his foot locker and stood up to leave. He never did do goodbyes well.
Grimold raises an eyebrow as the boy lists the courses. They teach classes on torture here? And about how to know good wine from bad by looking at the bottle? Maybe this won't be so bad after all. The explanation left him with more questions than answers, but it was enough to jog his memory and fill in some of the pieces he'd missed. "Thank you for your help," he said to the boy, bowing his head slightly. Seeing that that was all, he sat down on his bed, crossed his legs, and began to form a plan.
Somehow he was supposed to find a set of books quickly. He might be able to steal them, but the only good thing about being here is that it was supposed to give him a better way in life than stealing. The others didn't seem friendly, but they weren't hostile like he had expected. As he understood the situation, there were two things that were important: be a better fighter than half of the others, and don't be in the group that gets dropped. He needed books for classes, and classes decided which group got dropped. He remembered something about a test that happened every month and a final test at the end of the fifth month. If he did poorly in classes, everybody would hate him, but they would probably hate him anyway and probably already did, so it was more important that he make sure he could beat up ten people who hated him than to make friends by passing classes that sounded like a typical day at the docks. If he was going to survive, the best thing to do now would be to get his bearings and make sure he showed up for dinner on time. To find yourself, you must first become lost.
After muttering a quick prayer to Desna, Grimold stood up, hopped off his bed, and left the room to explore his very large, very confusing new home.
Day 14
Characters: Kassie, Allie
The inspector pauses in his pacing and glances back to Eilidh, raising an eyebrow. ”And why would a scrub of the Bonewatch care about a pair of Oathless criminals?”
Characters: Grimold, Daen
It seems Grimold's family was informed before he was. Efficiency is something the Knights are well-known for. His belongings are carefully folded and stored within the chest as well as a package wrapped in ribbon on the top. Within, he finds a black leather jerkin (leather armor for training/practice), a simple rondel dagger (dagger), a pouch of twenty gold and a folded piece of parchment. He doesn't have time to open the envelope before Daen enters with Vorin.
Ardis notices Daen, not having recognized Grimold and waves, approaching him. ”Hey, do you know where Eilidh went off to today? I was hoping to get her advice on something..” he trails off as he listens to the conversation and realizes who the Varisian is. ”Oh...well...this is..u-uhm..”
Vorin, for his part, folds his arms and leans against one of the dormitory's walls beneath a glow orb. ”Quite the informative one, our Daen. He's also top of our class—so if you stay on his good side he might not beat you up.”
There seems to be nothing stopping Rolando from leaving the Bonewatch, although the guards keep a close eye on him as he leaves. Apparently, they feel they can find him again easily if he chooses to flee. That, or they can't imagine anyone leaving the opportunity they're offering—arrogant Knights.
He winds his way through Vigil's streets, through the packed markets and down toward where the Oathless live, near the dock areas. His younger sister is sweeping the front stoop, presumably his Mama is within. When she spies him, she lets out a happy cry and rushes him, pouncing onto him. ”Brother! You're back! I told Mama you wouldn't stay at that place. It's stuffy and filled with stuffy people, I told her. I did, just like Felipe used to say. But you're no longer in jail and that's good! And were you really going to go to the salt mines? That sounds bad. Oh! We have to tell Mama! She's been crying.”
Setting: In the dorm
Grimold jumps with a start when Vorin addresses him, having already set his mind on his plan. "Ah! Oh, yes. His name is Daen?" His mind flashes back to the boy, Daen, holding him at sword-point in the alley. "It looks like he hasn't beat you up, so you might know a thing or two about staying on his good side. Anything I should know?" He said beat up, not kill. They have classes on torture, wine, and making self-serving oaths to the gods. Really, they're not so different, yeah? You need to relax if you're going to figure out who you need to beat to stay. If you don't relax, you're going to make yourself a target.
Setting: At home
Rolando breaks into a huge grin as his sister tackles him. "Milena!" He ruffles her black curls and picks her up. The burning sensation begin to build at the back of his eyes again and his throat tightens a little. He laughs with her, part in joy at being home again, and part to keep his sister calm and happy. "Yes, yes, I'm home! Let's go see Mama. She's been crying? We'll have to go tell her to stop that, won't we? Tears don't look good on our pretty Mama!" He feels a sinking sensation in his stomach, but tries to push it away. He would have to put on a strong face for his family, convince them that this was really a good thing, that everything would be alright... somehow. He never had a talent for lying.
Still carrying his sister, he opens the door and ducks through. "Mama," he calls, "I'm home!" He starts to head for the kitchen, but thinks better of it. Better to have this talk somewhere where there aren't sharp objects close at hand...
Eilidh looks at her boots, realizing she's crossed some sort of line. "I j-just thought, well....I w-wrote a l-letter to my m-mother, and I think that g-got the other p-prisoner released into the Kn-knights. He'd p-probably like to know, b-but...n-never mind. I c-couldn't decipher w-whatever's on those s-scraps anyways, p-probably." Feeling blood start to rush into her face, she turns and flees, heading back to the Bonewatch.
As she walks through the streets, she feels tears start to flow down her face. Someone needs to mourn those men's deaths, but it's not likely to be anyone at the Bonewatch. All these people, most of them aren't marked. Am I expected to not care what happens to any of them? I'll need to have a talk with Andabar-er, Commander Cerban about that. She stops for a few minutes in a quiet section of street and struggles to compose herself, before continuing on to the dormitory.
By the time she returns to the Bonewatch, her tears have dried, though they've left a trail on her face where the street's dust has been washed away. She steps into the dormitory, pulling off her cloak and blade, and starts unfastening her leather armor. As her fingers work the buckles and the straps loosen, she lets out a drawn-out sigh of relief and looks around the room. Spotting Ardis, she wanders over shyly to chat with him.