Madness and the Inquisitor [Medieval Fantasy RP; IC; Open]

[Imperial Valaran]

"Fortune favours who?"

The Curious

---

And the mage lad, it seemed, was looking for employment.
Excellent.
Eugene burst out of the bar, his beloved apple cider still in his hand, and looked for the brown-haired young mage. He apparently didn’t make it far, and Eugene saw him next to the bank. He hurriedly paced to the man, tried his best to hide his excited voice, and tapped the mage lad on his right shoulder. The mage turned around, and looked quite puzzled by the sudden appearance of Eugene.
“So, I heard you were looking for a good job to roll with?”

Keldan turned. He had been lost in his own thoughts, and the surprise gave him a jolt of fear. But this wasn't Heskr's man, or indeed anyone he'd ever met before. He pushed back the fringe of his hair with a hand, idly hoping for understanding.

Then the man spoke. How did you know that? The youth nearly blurted it out, rather more willing than most to look a gift horse in the mouth. The curiosity had set in, even if fear nagged at the corners of his mind. Who was this animated fellow, materialising at an opportune moment? Curiosity took over.

"What kind of job were you offering?"


Conspicuous Vigilance

---

Elana vanished from the premises of the Woodpecker inn nearly as fast as she had entered them. She left an extra coin on the counter, a conceit. This was an interesting development - the forger peering in on Heskr's little chat with Keldan, and then to follow him? It merited her interest, and exposure. She followed the forger swiftly, taking long strides. He was going fast as well though, and she nearly lost him - until he stopped quite suddenly, having found his quarry. She halted her forward march and found a convenient piece of wall to lean on, her cider still in her hand. She took a swig, savouring the amber buzz it gave her, and observed the developments below.

Invisibility was an option. She was used to being that, a lone shadow that slipped away. And subconsciously, she kept her options open. The throng of people behind her, the shop to her left, with its back entrance, the fork in the street to her right. And she wouldn't have needed any of them, if she simply stayed a shadow.

But she wanted to see this conversation, to make herself conspicuous to this man. She didn't much care if the sorcerer noticed her either, he doubtless would assume her to be in Heskr's employ, when she was playing much more dangerous games. One of which required a forger. And so she leant against a wall, keeping her posture nonchalant, the cider imbibed at regular intervals, and her gaze fixed on Keldan and his potential employer.

[Vapora]

"Fortune favours who?"

Who was this animated fellow, materialising at an opportune moment? Curiosity took over.

"What kind of job were you offering?"

“How did you know that?”
The hazel-eyed mage replied with a shaky, clearly surprised voice. Tinge of fear, overruled by curiosity. His mind started to analyse the lanky guy in front of him. Naïve, probably down to no experience on actual fighting. Previous employment offers were forced, he noted, high possibility that he might have debts or is financially in trouble. Wants escape, optimistic, and has potential on loyalty. Factor most in favor: He is a mage. factor least in favor: too naïve. Clearly bad at mind games. Conclusion: a fine mercenary, he looks good for the job. Alton will do the negotiating part.
“Nothing much, just heard ya talkin’ with some gangs when me and your employer were having a game of chess. If ya ask me, call me Eugene.” The game was clearly in his favor now: he had deduced enough to make the mage listen to him.
“It’s not a real hard one, I assure you, and you’ll get good pay out of this one.” Eugene said, trying to emphasize the payment part. “What you’ll need to do is relatively simple: you need to protect a merchant with me. He makes good deals with nobles by selling gemstones, and he’s willing to pay 40 guilders a day for a guy like you.
“The merchant’s a fellow named Alton: he makes trade deals by selling jewels, porcelain, celadon, wine and that kind of luxuries. He’s making thousands of those guilders, but most of that goes to maintaining his caravel. Alton’s a good businessman, I assure you, he’s notorious for the sheer efficiency of his caravan. With a single boat, most of ‘em merchants can only manage 700 guilders when they’re lucky. You can ask more about the job when you get to your employer.
“About the gangsters part, you can ask Alton about ‘the legend of Eugene the knight-slayer’.” He said in a joking manner, but suddenly lowered his voice into a growlish whisper.
“There was a woman, a lethal one for her kind, and she seemed to be watching you and me at the inn. We must be careful about such things: secrecy is key when it comes to trading. Come! Alton’s waiting for us at the bank to your right, and we must waste no more time if we have even a slight probability of being stalked. He’s next to counter number three with Ms. Foxglove at the bank. You and I have a long road of adventure ahead; I highly recommend that you take all your guilders and belongings with you.”
Eugene finally pulled away from the mage’s face, and opened the door to the bank.
“It is a common saying that three is company:” he announced, “I hereby invite you to our newfound adventure.”

[Badafar]

House Sirpense - The Silver Hall
Lord Richard Sirpense

It was midday, the bright sun shafts shone through the windows of the hall in a brilliant fashion, illuminating the long and crimson carpet that stretched from the doors to the throne. The wooden walls, supported by thick pillars surrounded the expanse and decorated with paintings depicting the previous rulers of the house set in golden frames, the moment of silence was cut short by the creaking of the front doors, the large archway splitting open as two men stepped inside escorted by two Halberd wielding guards dressed in the house colours of silver and red, their Cuirass's glinting underneath the sun shafts. The sudden intrusion was right on time, the five other guards in the room twisted to face the duo that had entered. The pair stepped further into the hall, their faces light up and become recognizable as the Lord of house and his servant. Richard strides across the carpet, an important affair sits and floats in his mind, it was closing in and he had to attend the matter as soon as possible. Within a brief moment of walking down the hall, Richard would find himself at a set of doors, taking the one on his left to bring him into the meeting room.

The meeting room was tall and spacious, one of the more grander rooms in the house aside from the royal bedroom and the silver hall. A long table stretches from one side to the other made of polished wood, documents and ink wells lay scattered across it's surface, attended to by the nobles and scribes of the house along with the house treasurer, armourer and his senseschal. The room was lit up by intricate chandeliers of thick candles, their small bulbs of orange light flickering gently. Richard took one brief look at the faces of his house, their busy and loyal eyes returning their gaze before seating himself at the end of the table, letting out a cough to signal to the men at the table. "Greetings my men, I hope you bring good tidings to my table today." Richard says with a cheery expression, hoping they respond so in return. His morning had been rough, he was awoken too early by a clumsy house maid and his butler had sprained his ankle. "Well, my lord, we had hoped to but a problem has arisen." muttered the chaplain in grim emphasis. Richard let out a long, drawn out sigh, expressing his distaste for bad news. "Go on then, what is it this time?" "The grounds chapel was sacked last night, one of the guards was beaten up and left bloody in the irrigation ditch. The altar and pews were cast aside and the panels cracked." the chaplain replied, shaking his head with gross disgust. "Who could do such a thing?" he says in addition, Richard couldn't believe it, how had miscreants gotten so close to the chapel? "May god damn those fools to hell! boy! catch my steed, I must have a view for myself of the damage." the lord said, his face twisted with anger. The young boy at his side nodded and quickly scurried away outside to the stables.

Soon after, Richard came outside, followed by two house guards and the chaplain himself, his ivory robes flowing to his feet and adorned with the house patterns of red and silver. Richard would then follow the cobble path down towards the stables at the bottom of the hill, passing by various grounds keepers and foot soldiers on the way. Turning the corner, the lord was greeting with the sight of the stable boy and the servant from earlier unhitching the horses for the group of get onto. "Thanks boy." he'd say, briefly ruffling the kids golden hair up with his right hand upon passing him to his horse, swiftly boarding it. Shortly afterwards, the others had gotten onto their horses, the chaplain doing so clumsily and with a great "Harumph". The ride to the chapel was short and immediately, the damage was to be seen. The front doors were open and laden with cracks, multiple guards in cuirasses stood by waiting, their spears rested against the walls. The soon remained at it's peak as they dismounted their horses, casting shadows against the chapel's steps. Upon the arrival of Lord Richard and the others, the guards swiftly stood to attention. "At ease, men." the lord said, their postures quickly softening up at the words. Stepping inside, the damage as the chaplain described was clear, indeed the pews were both chipped away and unorganized, the altar was completely disfigured and the wooden panels depicting the maker had been broken and crushed by a blunt weapon.

The chaplain let out a disgruntled whimper as he gazed upon the ruin once more, the house of The Maker was sacked and the people responsible were not found yet. "And where are the people responsible?" the proud lord said, his face portraying a strong impression of disgust over the wreckage. "We're sending out men to question the locals for suspicious activity." "Send notices out to Ardwind, get the news over there and put up a bounty too. We can afford it." "Yes, my lord." The guard said, quickly standing at attention before hurrying out of the building. "This is truly a dark day, we can't let this happen again.."

A letter is sent out, following that, notices are put up around Ardwind and the surrounding settlements:

"All strong and able bodied men are welcome to join the hunt for the sackers of the House Sirpense's Chapel, which resulting in the loss and damage of artifacts relating to The Maker. The heathens and heretics that are found will be awarded with a handsome award that is to be decided upon arrival to the House grounds. If the culprits responsible are brought alive, the reward shall be increased as expected."

[Zombie Fascists]

So many turns and narrow alleys... Ilvira tried to keep track, but it was almost impossible, and eventually she gave up and admitted that she was lost. She was now left completely to the mercy of the human woman, and she didn't like that at all. She felt tricked, but knew at the same time that it was just as much her own fault for agreeing to follow, a decision which she now regretted.

"Power or not, I don't intend to earn my living by lying on my back and get literally fucked over and over again by disgusting strangers for the rest of my life if I can help it... she murmured to herself. The surroundings were getting increasingly creepier, and Alu'kayna was entirely correct in her assumption that Ilvira was absolutely terrified. Had she been kidnapped? What plans did this witch have for her?

Now that they stood in front of the bloody black gate, she was more frightened than ever. Not since her uncle...

"I-I have heard those names before..." she stammered in response to Alu's question. "... I know nothing about them... except for horrible rumors..." Ilvira shivered. It was as if the air had gone drastically colder all of a sudden. Gods... how would she get out of this situation?

[Kanatistan]

A Gang of eleven men marched through the streets as the day began to grow old, ten armed with each with pikes and a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and the apparent leader, Adil de Albani, was sporting an elegant suit of red attire over an armor of chainmail and equipped with an iron sword who's hilt happened to be adorned with a head of a lion (the symbol of his house). In his left hand Adil casually held a large sack, as if it were normal for someone to have a bag that was stained scarlet near the bottom. Adil stopped suddenly and looked behind himself to inspect the men he had brought with him. They would seem rather ordinary had they not have been armed in such a manner, he thought, they would seem much more pleasing if they wore armor to go with their badges (which showed a lion). Oh well. They will do., and so he continued on his way, people staring as if asking why they were out at such an hour, but not so much as to why they were armed. It was dangerous in the city and the rich were normally flanked by bodyguards.

They took refuge in a bar, where they decided to wait until dark to do their work, which would get some peoples notice. Adil seemed to think they should be cutting priests heads off, not those who were potential allies.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

“Alright, my lady” the Dwarf said, taking off his hat and bowing with respect. He felt like some sort of understanding had been reached. Her voice was not as closed-off as it had been at first. Her face was less tense, more welcoming. But only relative to her earlier visage. The torment of fourteen years could still be sensed from her face, if one was to look carefully. Even to Collilingus, who was not trained in the art of human body language, could feel it.

“Then, I’ll go back to the Palace. There, we will make sure everything is legally sound. If there are any more problems, if someone comes asking for money… Tell them to speak to me. Either they will be scared off immediately, or I’ll ship them off. No worries for you, dear child. Get acquainted with the house, I say. Attend a few dinners. Friends are a valuable resource in Ardwind, something even the Savorites know. I will see you when the Deep Commands.” He said, before walking out the door again. Standing in the sun, he closed his eyes for a moment. Her golden rays brushed his face for a moment. He sighed, and turned around.

“Is there any more I can do, my lady?”

[Charlia]

“Alright, my lady” the Dwarf said, taking off his hat and bowing with respect. He felt like some sort of understanding had been reached. Her voice was not as closed-off as it had been at first. Her face was less tense, more welcoming. But only relative to her earlier visage. The torment of fourteen years could still be sensed from her face, if one was to look carefully. Even to Collilingus, who was not trained in the art of human body language, could feel it.

“Then, I’ll go back to the Palace. There, we will make sure everything is legally sound. If there are any more problems, if someone comes asking for money… Tell them to speak to me. Either they will be scared off immediately, or I’ll ship them off. No worries for you, dear child. Get acquainted with the house, I say. Attend a few dinners. Friends are a valuable resource in Ardwind, something even the Savorites know. I will see you when the Deep Commands.” He said, before walking out the door again. Standing in the sun, he closed his eyes for a moment. Her golden rays brushed his face for a moment. He sighed, and turned around.

“Is there any more I can do, my lady?”

She smiled slightly, mentally filing away his advice for future use.

"I'm afraid not, but thank you..."

The most pressing concern now... is what only I can take care of.

If, indeed, anyone can.

[Badafar]

House Sirpense
Lord Richard Sirpense

And now that was out of the way, Richard began to go about his business as usual, the sounds of his approach echoed through the town square, the hooves on his horse clicking along the cobbles into the centre of the large settlement. The town of Keystone was relatively large in comparison to the other smaller villages dotted around the landscape, noted for it's main industry of silver mining which could be seen easily to the hills east of there, where many mining shafts stick out from the ground amidst rock and rubble, busily populated by both man and dwarf labourers. The town was most busy in the afternoon, at it's peak for seeing the locals walk around and commit to business, many of the small stores had opened by now, their signs swinging with the creaking wind and their windows filled with shelves of food and trade goods, the most common form of store seen around would be the many bakeries and butcheries due to the abundance of bread and meat.

The sound of approaching horses caused the locals to turn their necks, greeting their passing Lord, his company of horses pushing through the crowds and into the streets, and their shining steel armour contrasted with the ebony black plates with gold trim of Richard's personally made armour, often giving him the nickname of the "Black knight", after his famous evening assault on Fort Highstead's army of cultists. Richard turned a sharp corner to find himself in the main courtyard of the Royal Embassy, riding his steed up closer towards the stables, passing by the centre piece of the courtyard: a tall and proud fountain piece adorned with statues of slain men, representing the only time in history when the town was successfully sieged and sacked. Lord Richard soon hopped off his horse and left the stable boy to hitch it up, the two guards of his escort following him into the building. The entrance was arched and grand, however the interior was not so much. The hall was small and empty aside from several scribes and couriers signing papers on desks, the various noble house colours and flags lined the walls and illuminated by two stained glass windows of brilliant greens and blues. Spending a short moment examining the tapestries and windows, Richard walked up to the main desk. "Greetings, I'd like to have a letter written to her majesty, Juliana of House Ruret." the young man sitting at the desk was shocked, confused if anything. Usually lords would send a courier to him, not have themselves come to him personally. "O-oh, yes my lord. I'll get a scribe for you." he said, jumping out of his chair with a nervous bow, running off into the back room.

Richard stifled a laugh and waited patiently for a few seconds before the boy ran out of the back, tugging a man with him by the hand dressed in a dark brown doublet and hose, he too seemed confused, but quickly withdrew some parchment and an inkwell, removing a quill from a small pot. "And what would you like me to write, my lord?"

Addressed to House Ruret, the royal family and her majesty, Lady Juliana Ruret.

My lady, as you may or may not know of my house, House Sirpense has been loyal to the crown for over a century by now and has always been eager to provide assistance to the leaders of our great realm in times of need, and I suspect that may be so at current. So, I'd like to extend my hand to you and the hands of my men if you'd like to accept, I understand handling such a responsibility can be difficult, my own leadership of the house was thrust onto me at an early age and I must confess, I didn't know what I was doing for many years afterwards. If you and your family are feeling up for a talk and meeting between our two houses, I am willing to arrange one at Ardwind, to which we'll be arriving at soon. If you wish to answer this call, simply send a courier down the main road in a days time, as we'll be marching to the city in the morning.

Sincerely,
Lord Richard of House Sirpense