Very good Louis says to the guards, and with a smile and a nod heads towards the east door. He gives a glance to Latovius and rolls his eyes.
This room is very comfortable and pleasant. A thick, colorful rug and several comfortable chairs are set near a roaring fire. Two small tables, each with a golden candlestick holding a lit candle, flank an overstuffed divan. On a low table in front of the divan is a silver tray with delicious appetizers, as well as a silver carafe of wine with eight silver goblets.
A man wearing upper class clothing and a fine long sword at his waist is filling a plate with sweet pastries. He looks up and smiles, "Well met newcomer, I am Erik! News of you unseating that mountain of a man you room with last night is all the talk of the tournament. I look forward to the chance to test my mettle against a worthy foe." He bashfully puts several of the treats back on the empty plate.
That was close. Thank you for the strength Petra. Thought Markas as he turned around for another run.
Markas's horse is again off the start line much faster then his foe's and he closes the distance quickly. To quick for his foe who can't bring his lance into line with the charging cleric. Markas does not share the problem of his opponent and manages to hit the shield and knock the man from his horse.
The man gets up a bit slowly and retrieves his wayward helm, Brion is Markas's opponent for this round. The impoverished man gathers up his horse and takes a long time getting back into the saddle for the last round.
"Way to go Markath!
It saddened the cleric to see his opponent was Brion. I shall visit the family and offer aid when this mission is completed thought Markas.
Louis exchanges pleasantries with the warrior Erik. Please friend indulge yourself of zee pastries... my Squier and I have already had breakfast,in fact I was just inquiring whether or not we could get to zee stables to check out zee horses for zee upcoming events. By chance would you happen to know how to get there? Louis also checks with Latoviousto see if he has any suggestions on how to get out and explore.
Markas urges his horse forward for the final round of the joust hopeful to win. As both jousters pass each other on the field neither manage to land a blow. Markas has won this round of the joust!
"My horse is stabled on the far side of the jousting field, I imagine yours is there as well. I've not noticed that he has been mistreated, I can't imagine yours has been. No need to concern yourself with it, instead you should concern yourself with winning." Erik responds to Louis's questions, as he takes a small plate full of food with him as he leaves the room.
"Killing the guards or taking Revit hostage would be the first ideas that come to mind about getting out of here." Latovius answers as he fills a cup full of wine and finds something to satisfy his sweet tooth.
"Timonius let's go investigate. Do you think we should go together or separate to see more?"
"Okay Markath."
The door Timonius tries to open is locked.
Ah ha ha ha! Oh Latovius you are zo correct my friend, but be patient there's plenty of time for that. But first a bit of zee exploration, tactfully no? If there were but some servants around here... we'd be able to follow them to the kitchen and find a way outside from there Louis takes a moment to think... He gestures to Latovius to follow him, Louis heads out the door and back to the guards. Where iz messieurs Rivet? Would one of you go get him for me? If the guards do not cooperate Louis will go on to say I don't understand Rivet said if we needed anything all we had to do was ask.
"Not my job to fetch or guide." The previously talkative orc gruffly responds to Louis's questions. Louis is violently shoved back by one of the dark skinned orcs just as the door to the keep opens. Revit hurries in with his head down obviously on some important errand related to the tournament or the upkeep of the castle. The weasel stops in his tracks, taking in the situation for a moment. "Go back to your jobs! You two, go back to your rooms or wait for your next round somewhere else. Excuse me, I have two more contestants to fetch." Revit leaves through north doors and the orcs go back to guarding the entry doors, a bit more surly then before.
Timonius rattles the key in the lock for a long while... and is unable to unlock the door.
"Thcrew thith Markath. Let'th go back to the other doorth by our room."
Louis follows right on the heels of Revit, barraging the butler with a combination of French, Common verbiage as to why he can not go outside to prepare for his next round?
This bedroom resembles your own room, except that there are two beds in here. The décor is sparse, much like yours. Looking up at the unexpected intruder is Brion, the knight who jousted Markas earlier in the morning. The man is shirtless and has his shield arm wrapped in an attempt to limit the swelling that was soon to come judging by the massive bruising that was visible. "I believe you have the wrong room friend." Says the warrior to the old man gawking at him from the doorway. As you were standing in the doorway Revit walks past you to the room opposite yours at the end of the hall and a moment later he returns with an armored female warrior following him, the pair leave the hallway and your view, presumably the next person to partake in a joust. You notice at this time that Markas has not followed you and that you are facing this one alone and it has been some moments since he asked you a question.
Timonius mumbles something hard to understand in disgust and storms off into the hallway connected to your room. You are puzzled that the old man could not see the door directly across the room from you, perhaps his eyesight was going? While thinking about that Revit enters the room from the south and goes into the hallway containing your room. A few minutes later he returns with an armored female warrior behind him, the pair leave the room to the south and presumably to the jousting field.
As you begin to follow after Revit the orc that shoved you calls at your turned back, "Afar vadokanuk, ashdautas vrasubatlat!" and you hear spit hit the floor near to you. Latovius responds to the possible insult in what might be it's own tongue, "Undur kurv!". You turn to see the large orc advance on the rogue and before you can act it swings its sword at the rogue's smiling face. Latovius ducks forward beneath the swing well before it would have hit and launches a kick to the knee of the orc's set foot. You hear a gruesome crunch of breaking bone and the orc drops its sword as it crumbles to the floor howling like a stuck pig. The rogue stands over the writhing orc with a drawn dagger, "Zanbaur!" the man speaks at the fallen foe and spits upon it's face. The orc's friends erupt into laughter at the display from their spots guarding the front door."Come, give ale funny man. Never liked that Zanbaur anyways!" And with that two of the orcs leave their posts and lead Latovius back into the sitting room for ales and stories.
Now where is Timonius going now? I better stay with him in case there is trouble thought Markas.
After moving Markas into the room with Timonius the Cleric of Petra was excited to see Brion! "How are you fairing in the tournament Brion? I was saddened to see you as an opponent. It is fortunate to see you though as in addition to the joust we seek to have word with an Ogre who is supposedly in this keep. Have you seen an Ogre and if not would you please be on the lookout for one? Petra willing we will find him. Be wary though as I suspect this place to be very dangerous."
Markas weighed just how much to tell Brion for everyone's safety, but hoped that the group had gained a valuable ally if for nothing else another set of eyes and ears.
"Timonius let us continue our search!"
"Hello Thir. I am Markath'th thquire. I have been thent by Markath to determine how you are faring? Markath wath quite contherned about your arm?
"Oh! Hello Mathter Markath. I didn't thee you there. I wath jutht thpeaking with young Mathter Brion."
"Okay Mathter Markath. Let'th continue our thearch."
Brion manages a weak smile when Markas arrives and stands behind Timonius in the hallway. "I fear I am not fairing well Markas. My first joust of the tournament was against you this morning, and when I fell I badly sprained my elbow." Brion lifts his shield arm up, it is tightly bandaged and bruised. Disappointment and pain can be easily read from Brion's face. "It would appear that the bad luck of my family has followed me to this tournament. I worry that I will not earn enough to cover the cost of coming here and my family's suffering will continue. Did you see Erik here as well? We are sharing this room and he's also already participated in the jousts and lost too. It would appear his families misfortunes have also followed him here. By the end of this we might be begging you to hire two new squires!" Brion made a weak attempt at a joke and forced a smile.
Brion makes no mention of an ogre, knowing him as well as you do you take that to mean he has no idea what you are talking about. Erik is another young man who's family has been long time parishioners of the Church of Petra. Their family business is unrelated to Brion's family but they too have fallen on hard times recently. Erik is very much like Brion, in that he's always been a solid and upstanding representative of his family. Why would someone who has orcs and bandits working for him bring Brion and Erik all the way from Melinir?
"Brion let me attend to your wounds."
Feeling as if he could trust the young lad.
"Might we have a word in private?" Markas says this as he motions to enter what appears to be Brion's room. "Both you and Erik are trustworthy men of Petra so I know I can tell you of our mission. Sargeant LeGant has sent us here under the guise of the tournament to spy on the Black Knight. I am sure that LeGant could help ease your families' troubles if you would aid us in our mission. Even if he doesn't I will. Evil is afoot be on your guard."
"Timonius did you see that female jouster? Was it the strange woman we met in our journey here? Brion do you know of her? Also Brion what have you seen during your time here in this keep?"
"They didn't look the thame to me Markath. I will clothe thith door thlightly."
A major change in plans, thinking it would be best to stay with his squire than to be separated from him, Louis joins Lativius and his two new fiends. Passing the fallin guard the man from Hawks Hill just shakes his head. Then bursting through the door to the brunch room he calls Ho Ho Ho... LATOVIUS! Who knew you had it in you... Ha ha ha! while pouring himself a drink he listens in on the conversation that the thief is having with the guards.
Brion flexes his mended arm after removing the bandaging, all swelling and bruising was gone from the limb after Markas's restorative magic. "I suppose our families would be a sight more pleased if we had regular paying jobs in the city guard rather than us hoping to luck into the money needed to support our families. Thank you for the healing and for the offer to put in a word for us with the city watch. Let me speak with Erik first but I believe that I can speak for the both of us in that should you have need of our aid you shall have it." The man shakes Markas's hand while looking him in the eye, Markas has no doubts that he has found allies here in the Black Knight's keep. "I can tell you that I have seen orcs and lizardmen as well as humans here. All seem to be in the employ of the Black Knight, the few humans seem to keep the humanoids in line. I don't believe that many of either group makes their homes here in the castle so they must be holed up somewhere nearby. That is as much as I have been able to piece together during my stay here, I have only been here a day longer then you have. As for the woman, she and her companion keep to themselves when not jousting or in the training room. I haven't caught either of their names yet, sorry."
In just over an hour of drinking the black knight's ale, joking with the orcs, and a bit of gambling Louis is able to gather some of the information that he was seeking. During that time 2 different armored women entered the room separately. They gathered some food, drinks, watched the dice games and then left without saying much.
"Markath. What wath that thound? It thounded like a hound. I'm going to open the door thlowly. Doeth that thound reathonable?"
"Be careful Timonius! I agree though open the door."
Markas senses nothing off about his current surroundings.
Timonius can see nothing through the small slit in the door that he is peeking through. He also does not hear anything initially but after a short wait he can hear a dog clawing at a distant door.
"Thank you Brion. Let'th head back to our room Mathter Markath."
When Timonus opens the door and steps into the hallway he does not immediately see the signs of the noise heard moments ago. Turning to look about the hallway for the source his eyes briefly take in a wolf sniffing and pawing at the base of the door at the end of the hallway across from your room. Before you can react it is upon you with it's teeth tearing a nasty wound in your unarmored side! You crumble to the ground under the onslaught of the beast unable to do anything to fend off the attack, just attempting to keep your insides where they belong.
Timonius takes but a few steps out into the hallway before he is bowled over by a wolf and brought to the ground in a spray of blood. You are the first to react with Brion making ready right behind you.
"What the?! Markath! It wath a warg!! Thothe fangth are tharp!! Oooouuuuccchhhh!"
The Cleric of Petra had no time to think he just reacted launching his body at the wolf in an attempt to knock it off Timonius.
Markas's awkward attempted tackle of the wolf accomplishes nothing, he fails to even touch the beast as he rushes forward. Brion's sword opens a wound in the creatures back causing a yip and a reprisal attack that almost drops Brion with it's savagery. The two managed to keep the wolf from snacking more on the heavily bleeding Timonius.
Brion swings his sword in desperation landing another blow on his canine assailant sending blood spraying on all those in the hallway. From the hallway behind them Markas hears a door open.
"Murmurmurmur...damned wolf....murmurmur.....
With no time to think about who or what opened the door behind him Markas again launched himself at the wolf in front of him
Markas recovers from his awkward lunge at the wolf and lands a solid kick to the canine's rib cage. He feels several ribs break under the strength of his blow and the wolf falls to the floor dead. The cleric risks a look behind him to note two armored women bearing swords had entered the hallway. Likely to determine what the disturbance was. "I am glad that we weren't faster to find out what was scratching at our door. Your friend is hurt badly, the black knight has a cleric that may be able to save him if he still clings to life." The shorter of the two dark haired women says as she puts her sword away with no threat evident. Neither make a move to assist with the wounded. Perhaps they are unable to offer help or maybe they simply don't care? Either way they return to their room and close the door behind them.
With little time to think Markas reacted as quickly as he could choosing to heal Brion who looked closest to death. Petra give me the strength to heal these good men thought Markas While attempting to heal Brion the cleric of Petra yelled for his companions Louis and Latovius.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. Markath. I thee a light."
Markas despite the pressure calmed himself enough to bind up Brion's wounds. The cleric hoped he had been quick enough to save the young man's life. Markas moved to Timonius and started to bind his wounds.
Timonius still seemed to be slipping away despite the cleric's attempts. Markas continued working on the Mage only taking the briefest of pauses to steal a look down the hall almost willing for help to arrive. All the while Markas continued to yell for his companions
"Damned Latoviuth. I knew I couldn't trutht him to help."
Markas manages to aid Brion with his stopping the blood flow of his wound and then he manages to make Timonius's dire situation even worse. Timonius continues to bleed uncontrollably and won't be long for this world should he experience another setback.
[ooc] Timonius is at -6 hp now and still bleeding. Ouch! What's next? [ooc]
"Gurgle. Remember me ath I wath. Wild and free. Gurgle."
Coming to the realization that no mortal help would be coming Markas paused for a second, took a deep breath, and said, "Petra I am your humble servant. Grant me the skills to save this man." With that he silently went back to healing his friend.
"Why did thith happen Forretht?"