A Profitable Excursion

[murf2011]

Eltar sat at a table in one of the dark corners of the tavern, glancing around the room occasionally and then going back to his mug of ale. His two companions sat there silently, staring into the depths of their mugs. The cheers and groans from the men gambling at the nearest table drowned out what little conversation there was. Every so often the door opened, drawing Eltar's attention to it, but it was never his other companions, the two they were waiting on. I hope they arrive before too long, otherwise we will have missed an opportunity, he thought, and his mind drifted back to the first time he met Ellery.

 

It had been a bar fight in a nameless tavern in Foregate, with her actually managing to knock out one of Eltar's companions and pinch coins from the small purse at his waist, without anyone but Eltar seeing it. He had been impressed, and offered her a position in his small circle of thieves. She had accepted, and gained their trust by proving her worth on a daring robbery of a merchant house, where the guard had been distracted enough by her for Eltar's companions to take him out from behind.

 

The first time Eltar had met Aldwyn, he had been picking everything but the lint out of pockets of drunks thrown into the stable to sober up. Eltar then proceeded to test him, getting slightly drunk and being thrown out with the other drunks. A few minutes later, Eltar opened his eyes to find Aldwyn gone, and the silver penny he had secreted in the pocket on the inside of his cloak gone, without him even feeling anything. Eltar then waited for the young man to appear again, and introduced him to the group, which he fit in with perfectly.

 

 

The door opening again drew him out of his memories, and he looked over to see a figure standing there.

 

Eltar Cordwyn

 

 

OOC: The two companions will be NPCs for this RP. Will be named next post.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Arlow

[Amadine]

Aldwyn grunted as the horse he was stabling kicked out and caught his left knee. Aldwyn reached up and threw a rough punch into the flank of the stallion which caused the horse to blow out sharply. He continued to remove the saddle and bridle, then went to stow them in the tack room. When he came back he set out some oats for each of the five horses in the stable this night.

 

As he finished with the oats the door opened to reveal the younger lad of the stablemaster. A boy of twelve he had a way with horses and often came to the stables to escape his father's fists. "Hey there Aldwyn" he said in his high pitched child's voice. It would not be long before the boy would be a man and could escape his father.

 

"Hello Mylin," Aldwyn greeted him, "your Da in the drink again tonight then?" the youth nodded, Aldwyn continued, "I've got to go out for a bit to see some fellows, if you mind the horses i'll slip you some coppers when i get back."

 

The dark-haired boy nodded again with a grin and moved to set himself up in the corner of an unused stall, "I'll see you later then Aldwyn." The lad sat down and pulled a battered copy of The Travels of Jain Farstrider from his pocket.

 

Aldwyn nodded and moved out into the stableyard, closing the doors behind him, it would be a few hours yet before Gragin, the innkeeper, began throwing drunks into the stable to sleep off their stupor. Making his way through the darkened streets Aldwyn at last came to the dingy back alley tavern that was his destination. Nodding to a pair of street toughs that served as bouncers for the rough establishment, Aldwyn pushed open the door. He blinked at the bright light from the lamps which lit the inside of the grimey room, glancing around he saw Eltar and a pair of his fellows seated at table near the back corner of the tavern room.

 

Eltar sat with his back to the corner, his eyes wary as he watched the tavern patrons. Aldwyn wound his way around the tables and nodded to Eltar and the two men, Aldwyn had not met these two before. "We wait for Ellery" Eltar said as he motioned for the serving lass to bring a mug of ale for Aldwyn.

 

Again Aldwyn nodded, then he pulled out a chair and sat. The serving lass came to stand beside Aldwyn, that low cut dress she wore was almost indecent, but Aldwyn enjoyed the view. She set down the mug of ale before Aldwyn and winked at him before she turned to go, Aldwyn gave her bottom a pinch as she walked away and the girl laughed. He was certainly not a good looking man, but he had not fallen out of the ugly tree either.

 

He lifted his mug to his mouth and watched the door quietly, as did the others, waiting for Ellery.

 

Aldwyn Frewin

 

[keyholder21]

The market was teeming with people this time of day, which made it prime for pickpocketing. Ladies milled to and fro, waving their dainty fans and discussing precious wares with the merchants – all the while their coinpurses exposed....well, exposed to those that knew where to look for them. Ellery shook her head and pursed her lips. It was too easy, really. Do these ladies want their money stolen? Honestly! She darted forward, disappearing into the crowd easily. Her tiny frame allowed Ellery to get closer than the average person. Before the merchant had finished three words, the girl had taken both purses and an expensive looking comb to boot. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she ducked into an alley to distribute the wares about her body and then made her way into the crowd once more.

 

Her thin dress snagged on another building, making that the third in a row. Rolling her eyes, Ellery snatched the fabric away from the walls. Trousers were so much easier for maneuvering, but nothing drew attention like a girl in trousers instead of a dress. She noticed a small boy across the street staring as she freed her skirt and Ellery stuck her tongue out at him. She didn't understand children, having had a short childhood herself.

 

Unable to resist, Ellery snatched a fancy looking bracelet off the wrist of girl about her age. The girl was yelling at her driver to retrieve the bags as she looked up in disgust at the inn in which she would presumably be staying. The girl gave no notice and so Ellery tucked the bracelet into her sleeve and nimbly made her way across the street into the tavern. People were waiting on her, else she would find something else to occupy her time.

 

Eltar and Aldwyn were waiting for her when she walked in, just as she knew they would be. The two sat in a dark corner, each with a mug of ale. Aldwyn sat back in his chair with a smile as a serving girl moved away from the table, her face lit in a smile as well. Ellery circumvented most of the crowd and slipped into a chair just to the right of Eltar. “Hiya boys,” she said, undoing her long dark locks from their ribbon and flashing a grin. Deftly, she retied her hair into the ribbon, leaving her line of sight unmarred, "Ready when you are."

 

 

 

Ellery Ghent

Edited January 28, 2011 by keyholder21

[murf2011]

Eltar nodded to Ellery as she took the last chair at the table, and pushed his mug aside. "We have no time to waste. The day after tomorrow a lady is moving from her country manor to the city, and taking everything. not many guards, but we will still have to play it safe. I recruited Saezar and Akairril here to provide some assistance for us, even though the stablehand said there were not going to be any guards," Eltar announced, and took a swig of ale before looking at Aldwyn. "You need to get a bow, so you can help us from a distance. Do you have access to a wagon and hay?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer, turned to Ellery. "I want you to dress up as a lady yourself, and when we position ourselves, you are to lay on the side of the road. Hopefully they'll stop to see what's wrong, and that's when we hit them. I'll have these two," he nodded at the two men, "And ride in as they are distracted by you, and start transferring items to the wagon. Any questions?" Eltar then sat back, sweeping his hair back out of his face so he could study his four accomplices.

[Amadine]

Aldwyn drank deeply from his mug and set it back on the table in front of him. He looked around the dank tavern room slowly, taking in all the details. Here a wall scorched, presumably by lamp that had been knocked over as some point in the past, there the door leading out to the kitchens and then into the stable yard. The panelled ceiling of the room was stained with smoke and splash marked. In the front corner alongside the bar a lass of about Aldwyn’s own age stood atop a table in the corner, she sang a bawdy song,

 

With a wink of her eye, and a smile on her lip,

she snagged a boy or three, or three.

With an ankle slim, and skin so pale,

she caught the owner of a ship, a ship.

 

Aldwyn laughed softly to himself as he watched several grey haired drunks leering at the girl, she never missed a beat as she deftly swatted their hands away from her legs.

 

A movement at the corner of his vision caught his eye and the front door of the tavern opened and Ellery entered. A tiny slip of a girl, she was the most talented thief Aldwyn had ever met, though that was few and only those he had met through Eltar. She had been with Eltar’s band for many years, though she was of an age with Aldwyn.

 

The dark haired girl wound her way around the table and to where the men sat. Sliding lithely into the remaining empty chair she grinned around at the four of them, “Hiya boys! Ready when you are."

 

Eltar pushed his mug aside, "We have no time to waste. The day after tomorrow a lady is moving from her country manor to the city, and taking everything. Not many guards, but we will still have to play it safe. I recruited Saezar and Akairril here to provide some assistance for us, even though the stable hand said there were not going to be any guards," Eltar nodded to each man in turn as he spoke their names.

 

The older thief took a swig from his mug then looked to Aldwyn, "You need to get a bow, so you can help us from a distance. Do you have access to a wagon and hay?" he didn’t wait for Aldwyn to replied before he continued looking at Ellery, "I want you to dress up as a lady yourself, and when we position ourselves, you are to lay on the side of the road. Hopefully they'll stop to see what's wrong, and that's when we hit them. I'll have these two," he nodded at the other two men seated at the table, "And ride in as they are distracted by you, and start transferring items to the wagon. Any questions?"

 

A bow? Aldwyn cringed slightly, “Aye I can get a bow, though I am not much of a shot with it. And I can take the wagon from the inn easy enough; the inn needs hay anyway so I’ll tell Gragin I’m off to buy hay. That’ll give us a couple of day’s leeway.”

 

Aldwyn Frewin

 

 

[keyholder21]

Ellery glanced at Saezar and Akairril as Eltar said their names. The men sat next to each other, both stock still with only their eyes moving. Neither of them looked particularly pleasant, and Saezar…or was it Akairril?...seemed to be leering at her despite his dispassionate gaze. She cocked an eyebrow and resisted the urge to wiggle her fingers in front of their eyes. One of them grabbed his mug of ale and rose it to his lips all whilst not moving his eyes from the door. Shrugging, Ellery turned back to the two men she’d come here to meet. They would surely be more interesting than these two bumps on a log. Based on their looks alone, she wouldn’t have trusted the new guys, but she trusted Eltar and Aldwyn and that was enough. Besides, a lady moving from her country manor to the city estate would make for an excellent share of the take.

 

The girl nodded as Eltar gave his instructions to Aldwyn. Distance covering would be good – especially if they were going to attack her on the road. Depending on how close to the City it could be extremely necessary. Without waiting for an answer, the younger thief turned his attention from Aldwyn to her. “I want you to dress up as a lady yourself, and when we position ourselves, you are to lay on the side of the road. Hopefully they’ll stop to see what’s wrong, and that’s when we hit them.” Ellery grimaced, but nodded at the mention of her playing a lady and setting up the distraction. Though it was necessary, she didn’t have to like it. Being the part of a lady meant wearing some of the precious jewels she had stored away, meant wearing extra fabric that would only get in her way, meant she wouldn’t be in on the fun part of the robbery.

 

Before she could respond, Aldwyn rumbled next to her. “Aye, I can get a bow, though I am not much of a shot with it. And I can take the wagon from the inn easy enough; the inn needs hay anyway so I’ll tell Gragin I’m off to buy hay. That’ll give us a couple of day’s leeway.” Her lips quirked, threatening a smile at the ease of getting a wagon. That was often the most difficult part of a plan. She remembered at least five separate occasions where they’d had to reconfigure the plan in the heat of it because something went wrong with the blasted carriage or wagon. A real lady would most certainly have a carriage or a better looking wagon, but she’d make it work.

 

“When is this going down Eltar? I need at least a day to have a dress made.” She grimaced as she said it, already wistful at the money she’d have to spend to have the blasted dress made. Ah well, at least she could use it for further schemes. And maybe even she could barter with her favorite shift seamstress for something other than money. “I’d lift something, but it needs to fit right in order to be convincing, and there isn’t much that’ll fit me without being made specifically for me. Also, did you want me to be a Cairheinin noble lady or did you want the cut from elsewhere? I’ve have Hanne whip me up something realistic.” Ellery thought of the bracelet up her sleeve and replaced her grimace with a grin. That would certainly come in handy, as well as the necklace she’d pilfered from a merchant earlier that morning.

 

 

Ellery Ghent

Edited January 28, 2011 by keyholder21

[murf2011]

"That is perfect, Aldwyn. Ellery, it will happen in the afternoon, two days from now. So rush your seamstress, and just make it Cairhienin, no need to get too complicated. Have your horse roped up to the wagon, just in case something goes wrong," he told them. "We're done here. Meet me here in two days time, at midday, and we will begin." Eltar stood up, and his two silent companions followed suit. He nodded to the two still sitting at the table, and walked out, ignoring the bouncers as they glanced at him suspiciously. Soon, we will have riches, he thought with a smile as he stepped out onto the small street.

Eltar Cordwyn

Edited January 29, 2011 by Arlow

[Little Miss]

The sun was rather warm for this time of year, and Eleanor was not best pleased that she, well, not herself personally, had lost her favorite sun hat. With nothing to shade her pale skin and her blue eyes with when she decided to ride her mare, this trip was turning into a hassle and an unpleasant trip. Glancing out her carriage window and back once more at the heavily loaded wagons, she contemplated making the staff dig out her other sun hat. So far not a single flea bitten town had had one for her to buy, or even barter with for that manner! To think that every single hat had been sold, or was ruined was unbelievable.

 

Sniffing in disdain at the very thought and dropping the current closed once, Eleanor turned to her personal hand maid, Alina and said, "Girl, when we get to the next town, I want you to order the servants to dig out my next nicest sun hat before they take any dinner. This heat is unbearable and I cannot take it any more."

 

After saying this she was the small girl try to cover a small wince at the order. That order meant that everything would have to be completely taken off the wagons, in the dark, to get to the bottom chests with all her clothing and personal belongings. Aside from the one chest she had specifically out for traveling, that including divided skirts, all her jewelry, and her monies she had grabbed, everything else was buried under the furniture right now.

 

Settling back down in her cushions, there was suddenly a lurch to the carriage as it slowed quickly. Letting out a gasp at being thrown forward she immediately pushed herself up and opened the door to her cabin area. Before any words were out of her mouth, her driver was running up to her and pointing in a hurried and frantic way of explaining why they stopped. Glancing over furiously, she immediately lost all anger at the site of a small girl lying on the side of the road.

 

"Servants! Some one! Help her!" Eleanor cried.

 

Eleanor Morewin

Minor Noble

[Kathleen]

Alina sat in the most comfortable carriage along with the Lady Eleanor. Being a personal servant did come with its perks. But sometimes it seemed the perks weren't worth the down sides to the position. Sure she didn't have to sit a carriage stuffed with the rest of the house staff and baggage that couldn't fit in with the rest of the packing, but that meant she missed the joking and being able to cuss over every bump and sharp shift on the way. Yes she got to spread her legs out and didn't have to worry about sacks full of junk falling on her head as they traveled, but she did have to monitor everything she did say and do while under the constant watch of the Lady Eleanor, and she had to be ready to jump at every wave of the woman's hand, no matter how ridiculous or difficult the whim was.

 

Part of being a personal servant meant that while she couldn't sit and complain she had to listen to the complaints of the lady. Some times they were justified and when they were Alina did feel for the woman, she did have a lot on her plate and you can't please everyone, but then there were times like today. The woman's house was packed into carriages and they were being bounced down a road for days taking them away from home, but the woman wasn't complaining of an aching back, cabin fever, or the worry of moving so far. Here she sat for the last few days complaining about a hat! Getting another one did seem to be proving difficult, and Alina knew this was probably more about the traveling conditions and the heat than the hat, but either way it was getting hard to listen to with the heat pounding down on Alina and the carriage bouncing her around. Alina knew the request was coming before Eleanor told her to have the staff go through the carts to find another hat, but she still could quite hide the emotion from her face when the order was voiced. This was not going to make her any more popular among the staff, even if she helped with the unpacking.

 

The carriage jolted to a stop and Alina jumped to her feet. As the driver came running down in a panic Alina tried to give the Lady her space, but she tried to rush to see what was going on as well. As servants came running Alina ran off to join them. She didn't know how she could help, but she had to know the girl was alright. What was she doing out here in the first place? And how long had she been there? What had happened? So many questions running through her head Alina just had to get to the girl to find out. She hoped the girl wasn't too far gone.

 

~Alina Sylan

[Amadine]

As Aldwyn drove the wagon out of the stableyard he heard Gragin calling "You get the lowest price for that hay lad or i'll box your ears!"

 

Aldwyn rolled his eyes, the fat inkeep would not stand a chance - he'd have to catch Aldwyn first. Aldwyn drove the heavy wagon through the streets of the Foregate heading away from the city. As the wagon rumbled clear of the last row of buildings Ellery swung herself up on the seat of the wagon alongside him, "Morning Aldwyn!" Aldwyn laughed, she had a habit of appearing from nowhere.

 

Once the city had been left behind Eltar, Saezar and Akairril appeared each riding a horse. Eltar's appeared to be outlander stock, but the other two rode mangy looking stallions.

 

Some time later the area that Eltar had scouted for the ambush came into view. Saezar rode off down the road, he would bring word of when the target of their "affections" was coming. Ellery climbed down and Aldwyn drove the wagon off the road and into the large copse of trees and brushwood. Aldwyn walked back out to the road to ensure that no part of the wagon or horses were visible from the road. Satisfied he made his way back to the wagon, retrieved his bow and set himself to wait.

 

An hour or so later Saezar rode back into view and spoke quietly with Eltar, Aldwyn could not hear the words spoken but the meaning was clear when the men moved back into the trees and Ellery positioned herself on the ground.

 

Aldwyn Frewin

[keyholder21]

The sun beat down on her dark hair as the girl made her way down the street. It would have been a pleasant feeling, if sweat wasn't already starting to bead on her brow. While the heat wouldn't have a direct impact on the “situation” today, it would make everyone slightly more irritable. Tucking a stray curl behind her ear, Ellery ducked into an alleyway off the main stretch of road. Hanne was the third in command of a small seamstress shop, but she preferred to make extra money on the side. Crafting costumes for Ellery was one of the things Hanne did without the Mistress of the shop's knowledge. A brick was propping open a door and Ellery slipped in effortlessly.

 

“Ells?” a high pitched voice called from the next room. Apparently everyone else was out for the moment, because Hanne was rarely so free with her name. The thief slipped around the corner to find the honey haired girl cautiously snipping the last bit of extra fabric off a thin forest green gown. Slashes covered the bottom, angling up to end at what would be mid-calf on Ellery. Perfect. she thought, nodding and smiling approval to Hanne. The seamstress smiled back and motioned for payment. They were friendly, sure, but business was business. Grimacing slightly, the young of the two presented the other with an exquisitely ornate music box. She'd lifted it from an inn just that morning, and seeing the glint of want in Hanne's eye, it was lucky she had done so.

 

Less than an hour later, Ellery exited the shop out the front and walked briskly to the gates of the city. She was cautious to act her role, as the stripes on the bottom of her dress afforded more looks from the crowd than her normal attire. She nodded to random people here and there, carrying her nose a bit higher than normal and fanning herself with a small hand fan that Hanne had insisted was necessary for the part. The thief had to admit that it was definitely useful; it remained to be seen if it was indeed necessary.

 

She arrived at the gates just before Aldwyn appeared with the wagon. Safely out of prying eyes, Ellery rolled the tension of her shoulders and swung up onto the wagon just as it was clearing the last row of buildings. “Morning Aldwyn!” she said, glad to have ditched the role of the noble even if just for a few moments, and also giddy at the idea of the take. She fairly bounced in her seat as they made their way to the ambush spot.

 

As they approached the spot of ambush, Eltar and his two goons sloughed off from the group and headed toward the trees. Ellery climbed down, careful not to rip her new gown and laid down in the road as Aldwyn hid himself and the wagon within a copse of trees and brushwood slightly north of her. It wasn't long after she positioned herself on the ground before a carriage came ambling down the road.

 

Ellery fluttered her eyelashes and groaned as servants leapt from the carriage to help her. She made an effort to sit up but cried out as if in pain before she could manage it. As far as she could tell from that though, the Lady was still in the carriage. All her servants, and a youngish girl that Ellery guessed was her maid, were surrounding the “poor girl in the street” though.. Grimacing, she made her cries louder, hoping to draw the Lady out. She might be a thief, but she was an honorable thief. Ellery wanted the riches; she wasn't looking for anyone to be hurt. She trusted Eltar and Aldwyn felt the same, but her gut was undecided over the new guys. Eltar vouched for them, but how well did he know them?

 

 

Ellery Ghent

Thief and Actress Extraordinaire

[Blackhoof]

Victor von Umbra, Captain of the Guard, lounged in his massively oversized felt chair.

 

His feet rested comfotably on his desk, on top of a pile of paperwork that he had just finished, and his chair- more of a throne, really- was tilted back at a 45 degree angle, making him very comfotable indeed. Unfortunately, he was bored, as well as comfortable.

 

Crime in the city had been unusually quiet, of late, and he did not know why. He did not like ignorance, especially his own. Despite the obvious nearness of the Last Battle, the local Darkfriend circle had been ridiculously inactive. When they should have been murdering nobles or gathering funds, they were barely even spying on the city's higher citizens.

 

How did he know this? Well, because he was the head of the local Darkfriend circle, of course.

 

Despite his position, he had been ordered directly by one of the Chosen to do absolutely nothing until the Last Battle. A foolish decision, he knew, but he would never disobey a direct order.

 

Suddenly a guard burst thorugh the door, panting furiously. "Sir!" the guard cried, "I have urgent news!"

 

Victor nearly fell off his chair in surprise, but quickly righted himself. Scowling arrogantly, he replied, "What is it, guardsman? You know better than to enter my office without knocking."

 

The guard looked ashamed for a second but continued, shutting the door behind him. "Is the vault secure?" he asked in secret Darkfriend code, actually checking to see if the room was secure from prying ears. "The vault is locked and the doors are trapped. now, what is your urgent news?"

"One of the Friend spies have heard that a robbery is in progress. A band of thieves is planning to ambush the caravan of a noble lady within a mile of the city."

 

Victor was instantly bristling in rage. How dare those upstarts try to steal when they are practically in sight of HIS city! suppresing his rage, he replied, "Are you positive that they aren't ours?" The guard nodded. "Well," the captain growled, "Send some men to stop them! Take them alive, as well. I want to have some... fun with these indlent curas.

 

The guardsman saluted and left Victor smiling in satisfaction. Maybe today wouldn't be so boring after all.

[murf2011]

OOC: Sorry for the long wait guys, been a bit busy RL and kinda forgot about this, be able to reply a bit quicker now

 

Saezar and Akairril were already at the prearranged meeting point when Eltar arrived, leading his Andoran stallion. He nodded to them, and as he mounted, Akairril rode out past the row of buildings that marked the end of Foregate, looking for the wagon. Eltar and Saezar joined him when he waved, and they fell in beside the wagon, where the "lady" sat next to Aldwyn. "Ride on ahead and wait for the noble to come," Eltar said to Saezar, who nudged his horse into a gallop. Akairril pulled his bow out of its saddlecase and strung it, testing the string for tightness. Eltar checked his knives in their hidden sheathes, and, satisfied he was ready, tugged on the reins so the horse followed the wagon into the trees, although he stopped the horse earlier so he was closer to the road. He tied the reins to a tree, and moved over to Akairril, whom had followed him. Saezar rode back into view, and Eltar whistled to let him know where they were.

 

"We only use weapons if they attack first, got it? No mistakes this time," he said firmly, and Akairril grunted. The last time they had been on a job together, Akairril had been impatient and stabbed a man, attracting attention from the Guards in the middle of the city. It took a whole night for the search to die down, which involved the two of them hiding in a dank alley near the walls, filled with refuse. Saezar merely nodded, he was cool-headed enough not to provoke a fight, but checked his sword all the same.

 

Eltar motioned for Ellery to lie on the road, and mounted again, trotting quickly to a different part of the small copse of trees, with the two men following him. The carriage came first, and then the wagons, but all four stopped when the carriage came to a halt, and servants climbed down, with a young girl coming out fo the carriage, presumably the lady's maid. As they rushed to Ellery, Eltar booted his horse, causing it to leap out of the trees and circle around to the back of the wagons, with Saezar and Akairril moving to check the other wagons. The remaining servants didn't notice the three riders checking the wagons, they were too busy perring over at the crowd around Ellery, allowing Eltar and the other two to knock them out and lay them on the wagon seats. "Hurry up!" Eltar said, trying to talk softly but make his voice carry to the other two thieves.

 

Eltar Cordwyn ~ Thief

[Amadine]

Aldwyn watched as Ellery proceeded to lay down on the roadside. Eltar and his pair of thugs disappeared into a thicket not far from where Ellery lay. Aldwyn nocked an arrow and raised his bow. His aim was not fantastic, but he could generally hit what he was aiming at.

 

As he watched the carriage and wagons approaching cries of worry could be heard. The servants had seen Ellery and were notifying their Mistress. There didn't appear to be many guards, just a couple who wore swords and a handful of servants. Drawing the bow Aldwyn waited, ready to fire upon any member of the Noble's party who came close to injuring one of his own.

 

Now it became a waiting game. Aldwyn waited, bow drawn, listening for the whistle from Eltar to signal him to bring out the wagon to be loaded.

 

Aldwyn Frewin

[Blackhoof]

Victor Von Umbra galloped along the road, wind rushing through his short, jet-black hair and a dozen city guardsmen at his back. Eyes watering from the wind, Victor paused a moment to contemplate why he had chosen to lead the group that he had sent to stop those indolent thieves. Perhaps it was the thrill of the chase.

 

Or maybe it was the satisfaction torturing prisoners for trivial offences gave him. Perhaps it was his sense of smugness he got when a prisoner was hung. The way their eyes bulged as their blood was trapped. The way they turned red, then purple, then finally blue as they died.

 

But no, it was none of thatm, it was his hidden resevoir of rage bubbling to the surface like it always did when he heard of someone stealing from his city. He took it personally when something was stolen, as if it had been stolen from him, and not some careless merchant boob or a foolish noble dandy.

 

And so, he weas galloping at breakneck speed along a cobblestone road to the aide of some whining, overdressed puffball excuse of a noblewoman. He hated 'saving' people. Especially whining, overdressed puffballs. All he wanted to do was punish the thieves.

 

He was about to have his chance.

 

Suddenly he rounded a bend and, in the distance, he faintly saw a coach grinding to a halt, with what seemed like a small figure lying down near it. Bait?

 

Scowling, he drew his handbow; a miniature crossbow about seven inches long. The handbow fired extremely short ranged, but was able to cause serious hurt. He could reload it easily and in a few seconds, so it was a good weapon for close-ranged encounters, when he was backed-up by guardsmen, or for executions.

 

He also drew his sword, Enforcer, and signalled with it to rally his guards in a tight formation around him. It was time for these thieves to pay.

[Kathleen]

Being the last one to run to the girl Alina was the last one to get to her. She was at the back but she pushed her way through, taking a few elbows from the other scrambling servants. Everyone was calling to the girl, asking over each other whether she was alright, what had happened and asking if she needed help. "Quiet everyone!" Alina commanded, "I know we are all worried for her, but she can't get an answer in through all the questions!" She turned toward the girl and hoped the others would follow her demand, they usually didn't do a thing she said that didn't come from the mouth of the Lady as some were quite bitter that they had not been chosen to hold the position she had, but this time it seemed they did listen to her.

 

"Can you speak?" Alina asked, and when the girl nodded Alina continued, "What happened here, and where are you hurt? How can we help you?" Alina flushed as she realized she was doing just as the others had but in one voice and she hushed to let the girl answer. Some of the others who had run over to check on the girl began to run back to the carts to grab anything they could think of to help, even though they did not yet know what was wrong.

 

~Alina Sylan

[murf2011]

OOC : I'm now back from holidays, lets get going again, shall we?

 

Eltar looked up when Saezar snapped his fingers, indicating he had found the noble's valuables. Akairril trotted over to him and dismounted, and Eltar joined them, glancing toward the crowd of servants around Ellery as he moved. As he turned away, a motion in the corner of his eye drew his attention, and Eltar wheeled the horse around, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. A handful of city guards were forming up not far from Ellery, easily outnumbering the thieves. Eltar whistled, and pointed at the guards. Saezar and Akairril turned, and drew weapons before moving to the front of the train, near the circle of servants, who had not seemed to notice the impending battle. Akairril had managed to remount, drawing a horsebow, while Saezar drew a sword, and Eltar gripped two throwing knives hanging from his belt. I hope Aldwyn isn't too bad of a shot, he thought, and nudged the Andoran stallion forward to stand next to the servants, startling a few of them with a huge shadow of a horse falling on them. Those that had noticed looked around, and fled back to the wagons behind the carriage when they saw the guardsmen. Now or never, Eltar grinned as he advanced, knives at the ready. They should be able to take down make three or four men before it became close quarters. Saezar and Akairril rode by his side, and Akairril loosed an arrow, catching one of the foremost guards in the chestplate, tumbling him from his horse.

 

Eltar Cordwyn ~ Thief

[Blackhoof]

One of the thieves raised his bow and fired, sending a Guardsman toppling to the ground, his horse slowing to a stop without it's rider.

Victor growled as more arrows followed, most missing but several hitting Guardsmen. His Guardsmen! More Guardsmen fell, tumbling to the ground at break-neck speed.

 

Now that he was closer, he could make out details; their was a noble-looking carriage and several heavily-laden wagons in the convoy, and they looked like rich pickings for this pack of ruffians. Their was a multitude of servants that had abandoned the baited thief-girl and fled to safety behind the wagons, no doubt waiting for him to save them! The lady herself was nowhere to be seen. Still inside, or hidden out of sight, perhaps?

 

Regardless, Victor's mouth transformed into a horrible rictus of a grin that was more fearsome than joyful as he closed with the handful of thieves. "CHARGE!" Victor roared; rather redundantly, but he liked theatrics. Raising his handbow, he let loose a six-inch long black bolt at the nearest ruffian as his squad crashed into the thieves.

 

 

OOC: Ok, how is this going to work? of course you have permission to kill my Guardsmen and fight Victor, as long as he stays alive, but what about your thief dudes? I will, of course, take them alive, but how much fighting should be done first?

 

oh, and for the record, i have four Guardsmen left, not including Victor. I set out with seven, you killed or incapacitated three, so i have four.

[Amadine]

Aldwyn stood in the grove of trees watching the City Guard attacking. How had they found out about this? Loosing an arrow, Aldwyn was surprised to see it take one of the guardsmen in the throat, as he watched the guardsman tumbled, he'd been aiming for the man's belly - below the chest plate, not above it.

 

Moving silently from tree to tree to remain unseen Aldwyn made his way closer to where Eltar, Ellery and the other thieves were. Raising the bow again, Aldwyn loosed, this time though his target evaded him, instead the arrow bit deep into the shoulder of one of the horses. The animal screamed and reared up, throwing it's rider from the saddle, the guardsman rolled and came up smoothly drawing his sword.

 

Slinking further towards the targeted wagons Aldwyn wondered if he could retrieve some loot unseen. Eltar would be angry if they had put in all the planning and fought the city guard and still came out with nothing.

 

Aldwyn Frewin

[keyholder21]

It all seemed to be going perfectly…until it wasn’t. Everyone had kept to their roles, she in the dirt, Eltar and his new friends behind the carriage, Aldwyn in the trees, and the ploy had worked. Ellery’s acting had ensured that the Lady’s staff was occupied with her, away from the carriage – which was growing lighter by the moment. Even the Lady had finally stepped out to see what was happening, her shrill voice calling out for her maid as she stepped down onto the dirt.

 

Some of the staff had started to run back to the carriage, but Ellery had cried out again, causing them to double back to check on her. Fanning herself with one hand, the lithe girl had spun a tale about being tossed from her carriage by a band of thieves – and then left unconscious by the side of the road. By the time she was ending her story; the Lady had reached the group and forcefully requested that she tell it again – in her carriage. The servants were helping Ellery onto her feet, and one was running to help the Lady back into her carriage, when everything changed. A cadre of city guards had galloped down the road, stopping short of the group gathered about her. The guards’ attentions weren’t on the Lady and her people, however. Feeling a relatively unusual gnawing sense of worry in her gut, the girl slipped out from the circle of people to run back toward the wagon.

 

The helpful servants came rushing in behind her as a battle of sorts began on the wide paved road. Ellery heard the whiz of an arrow as Aldwyn provided support from the trees. She heard the frantic whinnying of one of the horses and knew that he’d hit a target. Not necessarily the one he’d been aiming for, but something that could work in their favor either way. Glancing worriedly at the other servants, she slipped around to the back of the wagon to find their wagon abandoned and Eltar, Saezar and Akairril fighting desperately against the men on horseback.

 

Ellery screamed as a bolt from one of the guardsmen’s crossbow thudded into her left shoulder. The force of the blow threw her back against the carriage, knocking her head on one of the supports. Woozily, she lifted a hand to the bolt in her shoulder. The shaft felt cold; the blood warm. Wrapping her hand tightly around the bolt, she steadied herself to pull it out when she heard someone call out.

 

“DO NOT PULL THAT OUT!” the voice yelled, full of anger. She whipped her head up, attempting to find the source of the voice, but that sent her vision spinning and she slid down the side of the carriage to sit on the road. Ellery heard the fighting, but it sounded tinny and far away in her ears. She blinked her eyes slowly, trying to focus on something – anything.

[Blackhoof]

Victor smiled coldly as his bolt hit one of the thieves -a teenage girl- in the shoulder. She went flying into the carriage with a thud, barely conscious.

 

With the handbow in one hand- he has added a small axe-like blade to the end for these very times- and his sword in the other, he slashed at a thuggish-looking thief, but his stroke was blocked by the thief's sword. Quick as a flash, he feinted to the left with his sword, and when the bandit moved to parry he brought the sharpened edge of the handbow down on his unprotected head.

 

the blow wasn't fatal by any means, but it hurt, as evidenced by the ruffian's agonised cry. Victor pressed the attack on the wounded thief, who was staggering backwards, but all his strikes were blocked. Glancing around, he saw a Guardsman fall, a knife through his eye, joinging another Guard already on the ground. Useless buffoons1 How hard were these thieves to kill! Would he have to do everything himself?

 

Looking back at the gasping, sword-wielding thief, he launched another flurry of strikes. One that the fool could not hope to withstand.

 

-Victor

[murf2011]

OOC: I'm thinking that one of my NPCs (Saezar or Akairril) can be killed, and the other live to flee... I'm willing to have my char. injured and/or captured, provided it be under circumstances he can be freed from ( I don't want him to rot in prison the rest of his life ) Lets make any fight scenes interesting, shall we?

 

Arlow was in between the Guardsmen now, dodging swordblades and trying to injure instead of kill them. One of his blades took a Guardsman in the eye, and he winced, feeling sad that he had taken a life. But he didn't have long for emotions, because another Guard jumped toward him, blade drawn. He quickly glanced around, and saw Ellery slumped on the ground, a stain spreading across her dress from her shoulder. Eltar looked back at the Guardsman, and nearly lost his head to the man's sword. He ducked under it, and thrust at the man's thigh, hoping there wasn't anything to block his knife. The man roared in pain, and hacked at him. Eltar tried to dodge, but got caught in the shoulder with the sword. He cried out in pain, and the man grinned as he raised his sword again. Eltar grimaced and switched the blade to his right hand before stabbing at the man again. His blade found the man's throat, and he fell to his knees, dropping his sword. Ear grasped his shirt and bunched it around the wound, before glancing around once more.

 

His gaze found Aldwyn, who was slowly making his way to the wagons. Good man, he thought, before retrieving his blade and hurrying to the carriage Ellery was slumped against. There seemed to be a still period in the fighting, with only Saezar and a Guardsman, presumbly their captain, fighting Saezar seemed to be holding his own against the captain, but Eltar wasn't sure how long he would last. He was never more than an average fighter, running out of stamina quickly. The other Guards drew back to a spot behind their captain to check each other for wounds. Ellery's eyes were slightly open, so Eltar whispered, " You'll have to leave it in, otherwise you'll lose too much blood." He wasn't sure if she could hear him, so he ripped a part of his shirt off and bunched it around the bolt.

 

Eltar Cordwyn ~ Thief

Edited February 26, 2011 by Arlow

[Amadine]

Aldwyn was making his third trip back to the wagons looking for more valuables, already he had found a decent sized jewellery chest and several heavy coin pouches in another chest. Glancing around Aldwyn saw Eltar duck down beside the carriage.

 

Changing direction slightly to check what was going on Aldwyn's breath caught in his throat. Ellery was slumped against the wheel of the carriage with a small bolt protuding from her shoulder, her dress stained with blood. Aldwyn came around the back of the carriage to where Eltar was squatting beside Ellery, he had torn off a piece of his shirt and bunched it around her wound.

 

"She needs a Healer" Aldwyn whispered, "She's losing too much blood." Eltar nodded and so Aldwyn scooped the tiny girl up in his arms and moved to the back of the carriage. From there Aldwyn made his way back into the trees, Ellery was mumbling, delirious. And she was burning up. Aldwyn wondered if the bolt had been coated in some kind of poison. Reaching the wagon Aldwyn climbed up onto the back still holding Ellery in his arms. He kicked the loose hay from the bed of the wagon into a semblance of a pile just behind the wagon seat and gently laid Ellery down. She moaned and her eyes rolled in her head.

 

Aldwyn climbed over onto the seat and took up the reins. He would have to weave through the trees for a bit before he could go back out onto the road. Once he made it back to the road Aldwyn flicked the reins taking the horses up to a gallop as he headed for the city.

 

Aldwyn Frewin

[Blackhoof]

Victor parried a blow from the sword-thief, and made a jab at his side. The thief barely dodged and swung a blow of his own back, to no effect. It was time to end this, Victor thought to himself, turning away another of the ruffian's blows. After a few quick feints, he slashed at the thiefs hand twice in quick succession, the first was turned aside early, but the second sliced along the swordsman's fingers, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his weapon. The bandit fell to his knees and cried out again, but Victor kicked him to the ground and moved on, leaving him for the Guards to arrest.

 

He heard a whinney and a horse galloped past the melee, heading for the town. Growling, he turned; ready to order a pursuit, but he saw only two wounded Guards remaining. He would have to let them escape, for now, as much as it grated on him. Livid with rage, he roared "Bind your wounds and then arrest this thing, we are heading back to the city." The 'thing' was of course the fallen thief, now groaning in pain and clutching his slashed hand.

 

"But sir," one of the Guards ventured, clutching an arm wound, "what about-" He was cut off by the thrown knife that took him in the shoulder. The Guard cried out and stagger backwards, wrenching out the knife, and Victor soun around to face the assailant. Armed with one knife now, the thief looked grim as he charged at Victor, dodging a bolt from his handbow.

 

-Victor

[ThorkinBarrimore]

"That woman!" Josiah thought to himself as he got ready for yet

another mundane day of chasing pranksters out of the horse stables

and keeping badgers from being unleashed out on the Lower Caralain

Grass in the Aringill area by the river Erinin.

 

"Why don't you make something of yourself as your father did? Why don't

you show me you care once and awhile?" Josiah spat at the ground while

traveling atop his horse. "How dare she bring that up again!" he said

to himself. He slowly traveled down the mud splashed road looking at

the filthy ancient stones lining the narrow streets. It had rained

recently and he could smell the fresh clean air. Today might be different. He had always wanted to somehow make a difference but not in the shadow of his father, the Queen's Guard. He wanted to carve out his own legacy in a city that was slowly becoming more and more desparate and corrupt.

 

The food was spoiling and people were just looking for an excuse to

stir something up. But not on his watch and certainly NOT today!

Suddenly he heard a commotion. Shouts rang out and he heard the

pleading of what sounded like a thief and several Guards swearing

under the breathes.

 

"What is going on here!" he yelled now arriving on the scene. What he

saw made his already poor mood even worse. Knifes were flying around

and some of them found a home in a limb of a Town Guard. After dodging

the latest one, Josiah squared up upon the situation and flung the

would-be assailant to the ground with a well placed shoulder. He

heard him groan as he hit the far wall and slid down looking at him.

"What was that about, Victor?"

 

-Josiah Penzer

Edited March 3, 2011 by ThorkinBarrimore