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Just when it seems the gods have prevented Ezkal from landing a blow, the inquisitor feels phantom hands on the hilt of his sword: aiding him with untold strength. The sword bites deeply into the man's shoulder and Ezkal's roar shakes him to his core.
At the same time, the Master of Whispers shows the deadly effectiveness of a rapier in practiced hands.
This dual onslaught sends Basher crashing to the ground, bleeding from many wounds.
As if signaling the big man's fall, whistles suddenly sound from the darkness at either end of the road.
It's the watch!
"Help me take him! He was a worthy foe, and Gorum smiles on great battles. This one can be of use to Gorum. Shadow master! Can you stall the watch and lose them? Brother, help me take him. Master wizard, where can we hide out at?" Ezkal said urgently as he stowed his weapons and stooped to pick up the wounded warrior.
Thaegrin’s exasperated voice is heard in the empty space a few feet from Ezkal and Anga. “Do you think now is the best time for lip service to your god! Bah! Quickly! Hide in the alley I came from, and bring that damned body with you. Tholan, follow your brother, and hide. Halfblood! Run down the alley from whence you came, and make enough noise to sound like two or three of you. We will try to make it to the villa.”
As he says this, he retrieves a scroll from a case. Once the brothers are inside the alley, he begins to weave an image of a wall to close off the space between the buildings. Just before entering the illusory wall, the wizard dismissively gestures at the blood, scouring it from between the cobbles. He joins the brothers in the alley, and does his best to hide.
Crouching beside the brothers, the aging arcanist is certain the Halfblood is up to the challenge. He is the hero our lot deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So they’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not a hero –he’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector …the Black Moon.
Tholan grabs the man's legs, lifting him with Ezkal and quickly carrying him through the illusory wall. "We may want to continue down through the other side of the alley, and see if we can get this man back to the villa without drawing any further attention."
A dour look on his face the man of secrets nonetheless nods at Variels suggestion. As the group moves into the hidden alley Facion raises his sword and slashes at the stonework of the wall before him. Leaving an etching of a darkened crescent moon he takes he deep breath and bellows down the street towards the approaching watch.
"Wow Black Moon, you sure made quick work of that mook!"
Changing his voice inflection he continues.
"Yeah I especially liked the bit where you stabbed that guy! Now lets abscond with his body before anyone discovers our foul deed!"
Sheathing his sword he takes off at a sprint down a different street than the others, making as much noise as he can and leaving a trail a blind invalid could follow.
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The Thelkonese brothers quickly heft the Erenese thug and drag him to the alley.
The Man of Many Voices begins a merry chase as a dozen guards barrel after the agile Half-Farenweni.
Thaegrin quickly reads from a scroll and a solid stone wall shimmers into existence to cover the alley.
Still invisible, he pulls a second scroll and begins to siphon away the blood on the street.
Just then, a lone guard with a large mustache and a larger axe steps around a corner from another direction. He begins to examine the ground and blinks as he sees a drop of red, viscous fluid disappear.
A dark scowl crawls up from his mustache to crease his brow. His eyes peer all around for signs of mischief.
Ezkal suddenly inhales sharply: it was too loud...
The man slowly walks up to the wall.
His eyes go wide as the wall fades from his vision and he sees 2 Thelkonlanders standing over the bloody body of an Erenese man.
Seeing the guard walk past the false wall, Thaegrin tries to recall this guard’s rank, and how his superior officer might dress.
The wizard does not hesitate, and he walks around the bend in the passage. Behind the corner, Thaegrin’s visage changes into the garb of the man’s superior officer, but with a plain, indistinct Erenese face, with an expression of irritation. He returns to view, and locks eyes with the guard. “This isn’t even my district, and all I wanted was a quiet drink after a long day of work. I saw the whole thing; the dead one challenged another to a public duel, and he lost badly. His killer is pursued by your fellow guards, and I want you to help escort these two to the barracks. I’ve convinced these outlanders to come quietly, despite the minor magical mischief they caused to hide.”
Tholan quickly picks up Thaegrin's ruse, and nods. "Aye, it was his challenge. We merely sought to avoid too much trouble."
The captain of the guard easily waves his hand at the mincing of words. “Slip of the tongue, I meant to say prison. It’s been a long day.”
He nods at the hand on the hilt. “Come, I want to process them quickly. I like your caution, even when they claim to be peaceful,” he turns to the Thelkonlanders, “You two: up. Let’s go.”
The disguised Feraweni watches expectantly as the brothers rise to follow, and pivots and sets a crisp pace down the alleyway.
Running down streets and side streets, occasionally smacking around crates and boxes making as much noise as possible, Anga keeps his eyes open for a good place to hide.
As the captain proceeds, he makes small talk with the guard.
Waiting for the patrol to pass and then double-checking to make sure the way is clear, Anga sticks to the shadows and backtracks to the crossroads by the pub. Searching for any sign of his companions he is careful to watch for anyone following him as he attempts to follow them.
The guard captain takes a less direct route to the prison, a route that would chance them by a particular villa. He continues his conversation with Lucan as they approach the turn that would bring them to the road where the villa waits. “I apologize for the earlier deception, but now I am glad to have you aboard, Lucan. If you will follow us this way, we will convey you to our villa.”
After a warning look to the Thelkonlanders, the wizard adds, “And Lucan, as far as your duties are concerned, you will receive most orders from the captain of our guard, unless I direct you to act otherwise. Am I making myself clear? In name you will appear to be one of the guards, but in matters of delicate importance, you must do what I ask. This is why you are paid more than they.”
Maintaining his disguise, Thaegrin rounds the corner with Ezkal, Tholan, Lucan, and a dead Basher. At this time of night, the Feraweni is careful to avoid any last-minute purveyors of danger and thuggery as the villa comes into view.
Eventually giving up the trail as cold, Anga makes his way back to the villa by a circuitous route. Ever vigilant against unwanted attention.
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"I see." Lucan says contemplatively. "How will I..."
The Erenese guard's mouth falls open as you turn the corner to the Villa. Anga comes around a different corner at nearly the same time. The sight is ghastly.
The heads of all those redeemed bandits line the walls of the courtyard. Helena and Jathis are nailed naked to the doors of the great house. Their eyes have been removed and Helena's tongue has been cut out to match her master.
I appears that those responsible decided to paint the place with the blood of the victims. In some places, intestines hang like grotesque party streamers.
In the center of the carnage kneels a lone figure not dressed in Rudianos livery. He has a knife in his gut: the wound looks to be self-inflicted. A note hangs from his lifeless neck.
Please allow me to introduce myself. On second though, maybe another time.
I realize my messenger isn't the liveliest of story teller, and I so wish I could be there to introduce myself, but I have pressing business you see. It will have to wait.
For now, it is sufficient that you know I will make it my life's pursuit to thwart your every move simply because you have made it.
The house of Rudianos is long due the reaping that is coming. I do not seek to warn you or even to frighten you. I expect only that you know your ends are irreversible.
Incidently, good luck consolidating the rule of Lehren with no heir: with no Rudianos at all.
I do hope you don't fail and die so soon. I have much grander tortures for you later. Any end will do though.
Happy Dying,
R.R.
“Well…” the wizard says slowly, his mind racing. His illusion as a captain fades. He clasps Lucan on the shoulder, and adds dryly, “Congratulations on the promotion, captain. The first thing I need you to do is to make sure no one passes on the street until we are cleaned up. Everyone else, don’t touch anything until I’ve had a chance to look at it.”
As he studies for clues, his mental exercise Spreading Root helps divide his concentration to many tasks. He racks his mind for any association with the initials “R.R.” that might oppose the house, even in the slightest way.
But the long day leaves the scholar harried by many troubles, and even Thaegrin feels the limits of his remembrance. “F##!.”
Tholan freezes as they round the corner, only moving to draw his weapon and quickly look around to see if anyone is still remaining in the area. Then, having read the note, he too tries to think if he can come up with an explanation for 'R.R.' He stays out of Thaegrin's way, but stays a short distance behind him, offering guidance everywhere he can manage it.
"This... this is a horror. Even we Thelkonlanders aren't quite so cruel most days."
"What the blazes.... This was no battle, this was a slaughter." Ezkal knelt down to check tracks.
Anga pauses as he rounds the corner. As the paper is brought forth he scans the text before making his way further into the villa. Seeking out the hidden room where he had secured the thug from the other evening, he checks to see if the man is dead.
Wracking his brain he thinks on what he has learned and whether any of it can apply to their change in situation.
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What is most immediately clear is that every living thing within the walls was killed without mercy:cockroaches to kings.
It doesn't seem like magic was involved. The only hint of magic is the whiff left behind be magical weapons. There were at least three assassins, though only two seem to have left. They used garrotes and blades suitable for piercing and slashing.
Try as you might, no one can come up with any leads on the mysterious R.R. Moreover, the tracks of two people end at the villa door wear Jathus and Helena were nailed up. It seems Jathus nailed Helena up, and...himself as well...
Thaegrin pulls a scroll from his pack and after a brief incantation, a glimmer of blue and two empty footprints appear beside the wizard. A moment’s pause later, the heads of the redeemed bandits are removed from the walls and piled in the courtyard inside the gate, along with the gory decorum and the bodies of the common. Jathus and Helena’s bodies are dragged inside. The unseen servant proceeds to clean the gates and walls of blood. “Come inside, Lucan, and close the gates.”
“This is exactly why I neglected the necromantic teachings, ugh,” the Feraweni mutters in disgust as he observes the pile of ripped and mangled corpses. His attention turns to Basher’s remains.
“Search him, and the messenger left by the other assassins. If we can turn up little on this massacre, perhaps they will have something of value. I lack ability to communicate with the dead, but do you possess such a gift, Tholan?”
He glances from Tholan to Ezkal, unsure of the older brother’s abilities.
Tholan shakes his head. "Speaking with the dead is beyond me. I could force them to confess the truth, but making them speak in the first place... this I cannot do." He sighs, looking around the compound. We really need better security, this is just getting ridiculous.
Ezkal leans over to Thaegrin and whispers "Are we going to have issues with that guard? You've been whispering to each other while we've been carrying the overly zealous fighter so I'm not sure what's up. Also - There's no way the Lord Jathus would have done this to Helena or himself. He MUST have been controlled, but I can't detect how."
Ditching his disguise Facion moves back to the main courtyard and kneels to inspect the dead man with the message. Hands moving quickly he searches the body, careful to keep an eye out for booby-traps and the like.
Thaegrin blinks at Ezkal and answers in a patient tone, “Clearly, he was controlled in some way. And you needn’t worry about Lucan, he is now on Rudianos coin and will accompany us back to Lehrehn.”
Thaegrin grimly regards the body of the Rudianos man, laid away from the others. Having served the house for over a century, he ought so say something, even if it is lost on foreigners and a halfblood officially unknown to most of the house. He clears his throat for the attention of the others. “Jathus ‘Stormrend’ Rudianos did not die as he would’ve wished. Bold to a fault, none could call him a coward. Though I had many reservations against him, such dishonorable butchery is ill-fitting to a son of Rudianos. He ought to have died with a sword in his hand, atop his warhorse. The times ahead will surely run with blood, and he will know none of it.” the Feraweni hesitates, then adds, “May he be welcomed by whichever god finds him worthy, and may they grant him battle and bliss.”
The aged adviser drapes a cloth over the young noble’s mutilated face. He steps away, his nonchalant air returned as he looks over the brothers, the guard, and the man of shadows.
Anga stands up from the body in disgust. Perhaps the gruesome sight affected him more than he had thought? Without a word he walks back to the wizard, unrolling a ratty cloth he produces two spring-loaded wrist sheaths, similar to the ones on his own arms, and puts them in the old mans hands.
In silence he raises an eyebrow as if to say "What now?".
Thaegrin tries to discreetly place the wrapped wrist-sheathes into his bag.
He frowns when he notices the chest of the drug lord rise and fall. “Tie up Basher Howland. We may yet find a use for his mind, and perhaps his assets, but I am not interested in revisiting combat with him.”
“Our orders from the Emperor do not change; any favor we have with him will be lost if we return to him with this news. Doubtless he will hear of it, but I would like to show our resourcefulness when the odds are against us. There is nothing we can do about this ‘R.R.’ but be extra wary, until we have more information about this mysterious vendetta. We will depart in the morning for Lehrehn, if you two are still interested in remaining with the halfblood, Lucan, and I. The house of Rudianos still has much to gain to aid the Emperor’s conquest, perhaps I can think of a means to persuade the father and sons of this before we arrive at the city gates.
“These new developments have brought to light matters I neglected to notice; there is much I must consider. After sundown, I ask that you do not disturb me.”
“In the meantime, what shall we do with these?” the arcanist gestures to the bodies within the walls of the courtyard, “If it can be helped, discreet disposal would be our best option.”
Thaegrin steps closer to the body of the drug lord, intending to help whoever might provide rope and manacles.
The smallest of smiles seats itself on Angas face as he realizes the Erenese is still alive. Pulling a length of rope from his pack he sets about restraining the lord of drugs.
Tholan leans in to help Anga tie up the man, then stands and surveys the area. "Short of burning the bodies, I don't know what to suggest. We could dig a mass grave for them." He shrugs and looks around again. "I think it would be of benefit for me to remain present here. Since I was not technically released as a hostage, it would cause problems for trade if I left." He sighs and grumbles into his beard for a bit, then kicks the nearest dead body. Harumph.