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[SliceAndDice]

Divinity’s Spine was the world’s first, last, and only true barrier against the abominations of the Ebon Sands. The wall itself was forged of stone and metal colored white to act as a beacon and a counter against the boundless black of the desert beyond, the armor of the Iron Watch similarly dyed. Members of the watch patrolled the wall regularly, pacing back and forth across it with eyes on both sides. It had been decades since anything had been seen, but the brass would brook no slack in the patrols. It only took a single lax pair of eyes to allow something to slip across.

 

“We’re going to get caught, I’m telling you…”

 

“Shut up!”

 

And, fortunately for the two dark hooded figures that even now crouched beneath the shadow of the wall on the Exerian side, law eyes were what had crossed over their hiding place.

 

“This had better work, or we’re in such deep shit…”

 

“I told you to shut up!”

 

 It could hardly be called the fault of the Watchmen in question; quite a bit had befallen the Spine in the following week. Disturbing sounds had begun to echo out of the sands in the night, sounds of great beasts baying and howling into the wind. A great influx of pedestrians had begun to try to cross into the desert, both by land and by sea. The naval wing of the Watch had already apprehended no less than three merchant-sized ships attempting to circumnavigate the Spine, all of them full of empty eyed citizens of the Empire. And, most of all, one of the Watch Officers had gone away without leave, and was presumed to have gone rogue.

 

“This isn’t worth the money, no amount of money would make this worth it, we should just-”

 

“How many times must I tell you shut up?! Any more words could well lead to our capture. Now be quiet and keep watch while I start the ritual.”

 

The shorter of the two hunched over in a small, almost imperceptible crevice at the Spine’s base where the stone had been chipped away. Soft light sprung from her hands as she muttered under her breath, setting the runes within the crevice aglow with the same light. Her taller compatriot stood with his back to the crevice, keeping an eye out for any patrolling Watchmen or wandering Oruukus. Every so often he would glance back at his partner warily, as if willing her to go faster.

 

“How much longer?”

 

“I said be quiet. And… there! Finished!”

 

“Good, now can we please-”

 

“OY! YOU THERE! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!”

 

“Shit!”

 

A pair of Watchmen were quickly approaching the figures, their weapons brandished!

 

“I told you we were going to get caught!”

 

“For the last time, shut up and come close to me! Umbris Umburetta!”

 

With a chant and a swift motion of her hands, a puff of purple smoke erupted from the ground beneath the woman. When it cleared, the figures were gone! Baffled and concerned, the Watchmen hurried back to report their findings to the Watch Commander.

 

 

****************************************************************

 

“Hooded figures, you say?”

 

“Yes sir. We tried to apprehend them, but they were gone in an instant.”

 

“Do we know how they were able to slip so close to the wall?”

 

“That, I believe, was our fault sir. We had lax eyes and focused too much on the Sands side. We will accept any punishment you deem necessary.”

 

“Very well. My punishment is… for you both to go home for the day and get some rest. Then come back tomorrow and resume your posts.”

 

“You’re… you’re letting us off the hook so easily?”

 

“I am. You’re both tired and wary with all that’s been going on. Get some rest, then you can get back to work.”

 

“Th-thank you sir! We won’t let you down!”

 

“Oh, one more thing, Mr Briggs? Did these figures say anything as they departed?”

 

“Umm… yes, yes they did. It was something like… Umbar Umbrella, I think?”

 

“Umbris Umburetta?”

 

“That’s it!”

 

“And what color was the smoke?”

 

“Purple.”

 

“I see. Thank you. Dismissed.”

 

Alexander Levoix, the High Commander of the Iron Watch, was a tall and imposing man. Many Watchmen, when they first arrived, found themselves intimidated by his stature, only to be surprised by his friendly nature and smiling demeanor. Far from the hard, stern man that might be expected to lead the Iron Watch, he was, in fact quite amiable toward his subordinates. All the same, when business needed attending to, he wasted little time. As soon as the two Watchmen had left his office, he rose and traced out a series of runes on the wall. When he was finished, the rune lines began to rearrange themselves in a haphazard pattern for several moments. Finally, they stopped moving and then travelled in a much more organized pattern to form the outline and facial features of a woman from the shoulders up- Empress Ilyana herself.

 

“Commander Levoix.”

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

“How strange to hear from you like this. Is something the matter?”

 

“I’m afraid so. The Sands are growing more restless by the day. And I have reason to believe both our rogue Officer and the Umbris are involved with the recent attacks.”

 

“Umbris? Are you certain of this?”

 

“Earlier today we found a man and a woman doing some sort of ritual near the base of the wall. When we attempted to accost them, they used the Umbris escape spell. And it sounded like they went to their den in Berylius, which is where our man was last seen.”

 

“Do you think Officer Thorbeck is in league with them?”

 

“The part of the wall they were seen at was once his area of command, and they fled to where our spies last saw him.”

 

“Hmm. Troubling. Can you bring him in?”

 

“Not easily. He’ll recognize anybody we send. We can hire out some Hunters to chase down those two Umbris, their boss owes me a favor, but I’d rather Thorbeck himself be handled by more… trustworthy hands.”

 

“I see. Well, as it happens, we’ve narrowed down the candidates for the open Royal Guard post to two people. I have a favorite, but I’ve been in need of a chance for her to prove herself properly for the Senate. I think this will do perfectly.”

 

“Very well. I’ll get a hold of Alaric and get that favor cashed in. Take care of yourself, Your Majesty. I fear there are dark times ahead.”

 

“You as well, Alex.”

 

And with that, the conversation ended. As he began to write out the letter to Alaric Vastille, the man who led the Hunters, Alexander looked out over the darkening skyline. There was a storm brewing, and he only hoped the land would be able to weather it…

 

************************************************************

 

In the city of Tarramuck, the second largest of the region next to Berylius itself, everything was progressing as normal. Farmers hawked their wares to passerbys, merchants ran back and forth to organize their merchandise, and people from all over came out to browse at the Farmer’s Market. Some were there to shop, others to do research, and still others to preach their personal philosophy to the masses. And here and there, strewn about the crowd, there were three individuals on the hunt, their quarries lying somewhere in the crowd…

 

OOC

Spoiler

Everybody should be gathered in Tarramuck at the market for whatever reason. Take your time, interact with each other if you like, make a solid intro post that gives me a picture of your character's day to day life.

 

@Mischief:

Your character is currently seeking this man:

Spoiler

Elias Thorbeck

 

 

He is a Noctius, around 50 years of age, and is good enough to be an Officer of the Iron Watch. You will have been advised to treat him with caution, but bring him in all the same.

 

@Dark & Jod: You have been dispatched on a job as a duo in the hunt for the two Umbris members. While you don't know exactly, you presume them to look like this;

Spoiler

 

 

The three of you are free to search using any method you like within reason, or mingle with the market as you look, but do not find them.

 

Any questions, feel free to ask!

[Officer Judy Hopps]

The Rose

"Easy, Halifax, easy now."

A gentle, soothing voice smoothly whispered from beneath the edge of an obscuring hood in response to the unease of the proud steed that stood beneath her. The lack of heavier armor on him and his owner alike had put the intelligent beast in a state of distemper, yet the gentle patting upon the side of his neck by her hand settled the pride of his storm, bringing him to an easy stride once again. As the ride resumed its normal pace, her own gaze returned to the town that was nearing in the distance with her one eye.

His unease are her uneasy. Beasts and creatures alike always had a greater sense of danger. Halifax was of no exception. More than once he had warned her of an incoming ambush or an assault.

Though as her own nerves settled once she rode into the outskirts of the city, she insured first of the security of the bindings that hid her sword. The Empress had burdened her with great purpose, and the initial state of this reason called for subtlety. Wearing the standard regal garb of a Royal Guard, or the showing of a weapon far greater quality than anything possibly sold at a local marketplace, could very well unravel the plan at hand.

For now, she would remain beneath the darkened edge of her hood. Her carefully fit, royal clothes and armor beneath the usual garb worn by the commonfolk. Save the Queen wrapped carefully in burlap cloth and tossed over her shoulder, rather than her waist where it properly belonged.

Dismounting and tying Halifax to a proper post, the fine leather of her boots annoyingly stuck to the muck mud of a dirt road that lived near the sea or had been rained upon recent. Even so, she strode through the crowds and blended in carefully as she could. She did not stride with the rigid distinction and confidence that she was known for as a Royal Guard candidate. Beneath the hood and obscuring cloak, she rested the wrapped long sword on her shoulder, and made her way nonchalantly through the crowd.

Her eye however, carefully searched for the face she had been handed a picture of. Elias Thorbeck, a foul name, and an even fouler looking person. Disgust bit her tongue, but even so, she did remain quiet. She needed to being him in, and quietly at the Empress' behest. Only could she hope that it wouldn't come at the cost of many civilian lives. She was also here for a second and true purpose: She was here to prove the worthiness of her state as a Royal Guard. A protector of the Empress and the people.

She would have to insure that no innocent lives would be at risk here.

Yet was she walked, a merchant with a strange curio of curiosities caught her eye. She knew who this woman was, it was no great secret to consider who she was and what she was supposedly capable of. A mystic, a fortuneteller, and a seller of sometimes cursed wares according to the guards. Intelligence was an asset that she always considered very valuable, and not once source mentioned this peculiar merchant's presence.

So quietly, she strode up to the little shop. Looking quietly over the various items and dried herbs. Quiet at first, she waited patiently for the other customers to leave until only she and the shop keep remained. Once the bell announcing the departure of the last patron silenced, she spoke as she stood. With the hood still disguising her face.

"Miss Elizabeth Lascelles, I presume." She whispered quietly, subtly reaching forward to lightly take some herbs for closer inspection. As a result, the long sleeve fell away from her hand, revealing the signet of a Royal Guard on the top of her gauntlet covered hand. "I am searching for someone, will you help me or will you stand against me?" There was not even a hint of maliciousness or threat on her melancholic voice. This was business, simply put.

[JumpinJR]

The Fortune Teller
Last week

“Ah Tarramuck” Elizabeth sighed, “Thank heaven eh Vala?”  The Fox resting behind her snorted, not bothering to “wake”.  The Fox never liked the accent Elizabeth used when traveling and working.  She sat atop a wagon being pulled by a distinguished looking horse, ol’Bruti according to the owner, Sam according to Vala.  Elizabeth was happy to be finally reaching a new city.  Small towns were quaint, cozy, and often willing to pay what they had for charms, potions, etc…  the problem is what they had wasn’t much.

“Nowhere can you find a greater abundance of fools with money than Tarramuck" her father would say, “Farmers with roots in their heads trying to act like wealthy merchants.  They’ll buy something for double the price just so they can have it, and the next fellow not.”  Despite this saying, her father was a fair man who never tried to swindle first.  

To the despair of decent folk everywhere, his daughter did not inherit this trait. 

She had taken gotten here precisely one day late by her count.  She had no set schedule, she had no reason to rush.  However she needed to be here now, but yesterday would have been better.  Just a feeling she gets, and she has lived well by trusting these feelings.

It took her thirty minutes to get to what she considered a good spot to set up shop.  This good spot was determined as follows:  On a main road.  Open space.  Near a large, clean source of water.  Well lit during the day.  Within eye sight of a minimum of three inns (this one was within view of five).  Near enough a church that the congregates will pass by at some point, far enough that she wouldn’t have to deal with angry priests.  

Pulling her wagon to a stop a genuine smile touched her face.  She did enjoy her work.  “Time to get to work Vala, ready?”  She turned to look at the fox, but it had faded away.  “Tch…”

She hiked up her skirts to jump off the wagon and took a good look around at the various people going about their day.  She noticed the large numbers of youths and women.  That would server her well.  Slowly, deliberately slow, she began to fix things around the wagon.  None of what she did was actually significant, just a show.  

It was about ten minutes till a young man, boy really, garnered the courage to walk up to her and inquire about her actions.  There are some smiles that show warmth love and affection, the smile she gave the boy was something similar to a sinister older sister looking at her naive sibling.  

It took all of eight seconds for her to convince the lad to help her set up, and five more to get him to rally up some friends.  She’d have to pay of course, but more hands would make this faster and Elizabeth was ready to rest.  

Within two hours the horse had been put to a stable at the nearest inn, a good sized tent one would expect from a military commander was set up (Deep blue in color with drapes of many colors around it), a small fire started underneath a vent in the tent, and her absurdly heavy wooden table set.

This was all she could expect young ones to help with, having them touch anything medicinal, alchemical, or magical was a small risk, but one she didn’t feel like taking.  She thanked them individually and as a group, and gave them a few coins for helping her.  

After sending them off, she went about making her shop look like one would expect a mystic’s shop to look.  Shelves were filled with bottles of herbs and liquids.  Walls covered in little trinkets that didn’t actually do anything.  A case was put behind the table that held actually magic items.  Finally a crystal ball was placed on the table.  Didn’t actually do much, but it was expensive and the crystal caught the light from her magic and made interesting effects.  

Satisfied with her shop, she ate a quick meal.  After finding Vala she went closed up the tent and to sleep.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today.

Business had been much what she suspected.  People are always wary the first day or so she’s in town.  Only the people with burgeoning curiosity or desperate need come the first few days.  Neither group brings much money.  After that there was a boom.  Everyone came to see the mystic.  Slowly it would trickle down till a few came in each day.  It was during this time the ones who would truly need things and be able to afford both service and secrecy would arrive.  

Today she had some minor sales.  One man was having problems with indigestion, a small potion to help things flow made him very happy.  A woman having troubles sleeping took a pound of tea.  A merchant’s pregnant wife walked away with, fairly expensive, candles to ease the delivery.  One young girl was plagued by nightmares.  

Dealing with dreams is tricky business.  More often than not, it is just a result of something with the body.  Occasionally though it is the result of magic.  Elizabeth gave the girl a tea to help her with the body and told her to return if they did not go away.  If it was the result of magic, it would be much more difficult to deal with.  And expensive.  

Then an oddity walked in.  A young woman wearing a hood and cloak.  Not usual, but the hood was up and the day wasn’t cool.  There was something in the walk that tipped Elizabeth that this could be something interesting.  She went over to the fire she had going, using it to cook some potions, and adjust the pots hanging above it so her teapot was now being heated as well.  

She went back to her spot by the table, helped a customer with this and that all while keeping an eye on the oddity.  As the last customer was getting ready to leave, Elizabeth gathered two clean teacups and filled them.  

The stranger started “"Miss Elizabeth Lascelles, I presume.”  

Elizabeth set the teacups down in time to see the signet of the royal guard.  Elizabeth ignored this blatant show of rank.  Trying to inspire patriotism in her had never been an effective method

"I am searching for someone, will you help me or will you stand against me?"

The way she said that, so dry, was typical of the Royal Guard in Corvus.  She walked to the opening to the tent and closed it, sealing it with a knot of golden rope.  As she did so, the deep blue inside of the tent shimmered briefly and those with magical sense would feel a change in the material.

Elizabeth spoke “This enchantment will keep those outside from hearing within.  No need to whisper dearie.”

 

She gestured for the stranger to sit at the table and drink tea.  She herself walked over with a calmness to her steps. 

“Searching for someone is always difficult, particularly if you are not from the city in which you search,  I am indeed someone who could help with that.  However whether I stand with or against you depends very much on the ‘who’ and the ‘why’.”  

She sat down facing the door.  Having a Royal Guard comfortable with her services would be useful in future.  She actually wanted to help.  If the price was right anyway.  

“So miss, I didn’t catch your name.  Seems rude that you know who I am, and I only know you claim to be a Royal Guardswoman.”  She took a sip of her tea to prevent from smiling.  

Oh the fun she was to have.

[Darkoda]

“Ah Tarramuck, it’s been awhile.”

 

The large cart rode into town at a steady pace, even covered, glints of produce and the rich smell of cooked meats emanating outwards. How the cart was avoiding being besieged by various flies had to be an act of magic itself, as well as how the riders could ignore the smells of the goods, as tempting as it was.

 

“Now we can get you set up and I can leave before I start drooling again. Time has only made your skills sharper Melanie.”

 

The bright, cheerful voice drifted out again, with an underlying maturity that somehow didn’t seem off on what appeared to all eyes to be a young girl, the curves on her body and overall demeanour the only things that would make others realise that she was into her teens. Even so, it was only the people who actually knew who she was that could honestly tell that she was far older than she appeared to be. Sylph knew this and made no efforts to change it; she did appreciate the bit of anonymity it gave her and even amongst her own people she’d be considered barely an adult anyway.

 

“Please don’t talk about time, I’m still getting used to the kid who played with me when I was a toddler still being the same when I’m all old.” Mercele added in, the young one more focused on reaching her stall.

 

“Oh come now, you’re only thirty. You’re still in the prime of your life!”

 

Sylph could claim that she was riding with one of the people she’d met in her travels – or in this case the child of one of them – because it was less suspicious to enter town with a resident but it would be quite the lie. She was here because she wanted to catch up with old friends and make new ones and her mission happened to be possibly in the same place - besdies, why would she need to sneak in anywhere? Anyone who would recognise her would also know that her popping up anywhere was quite natural for her and in fact, a sizable number of her collars were due to people getting spooked just because she was there and doing stupid attention grabbing things when she might well have never noticed them otherwise. And given just how much havoc a member of those Umbris could cause, Sylph would happily deal with them if they met each other. Even if she knew full well that there was more to the story that she wasn’t being told – honestly, why did people bother trying to lie to her anymore? Lux would quite readily warn her if they were trying to muddle anything – ah but then she didn’t advertise just how she tended to know when someone was feeding her a line either. Ah well, the price paid to keep ones secrets close.

 

She helped Mercele set up her stall – without her magic touch, the girl wasn’t going to have a warmage with her all the time, it was best she didn’t get accustomed to the easy way and lose motivation to either do it the manual way or learn how to take shortcuts. Once she was set up though, the woman proved that she was her parents’ daughter with the sheer ease that she took orders, tallying up money, delivering food, taking further orders, keeping the place clean – now it was things like that, those were what impressed Sylph. All the more reason why she couldn’t stop travelling and meeting the hidden gems like this, and even more reason why she couldn’t let the kind of people who’d want to ruin these people’s lives go around free.

 

It wasn’t all that hard either; while she was acting as an assistant for Melanie, she was getting time to chat with the visitors, quite a few of them recognizing her from previous meetings as well. It was nice to catch up and meet new people, and it wasn’t hard to slip in some casual questions. Contrary to what spy novels would tell you, it was impossible to hide from everyone. She just needed to find the person who met anyone fitting their description, even if they didn’t realise it at the time. A few runes hidden on the stalls to encourage recollection of details, and a few notes about any new people, ones with blonde hair, a girl with short dark hair, people with weapons, those who gave off odd feelings (again contrary to popular belief, people could instinctively recognise dangerous people just by being near them, most of them just didn’t know how to recognise their body’s warnings. Again, her runes would help out with that.) or most oddly, if anything was different from the norm (people laying low who were usually seem caused just as much of a change as new people showing up who weren't there before)

 

She was already getting bits of info about people that she might want to pay a visit later, but she’d need to keep at this for awhile; she didn’t want just any criminals but two specific ones after all. That and this place was fun.

[Officer Judy Hopps]

The Rose

Warily, Anna watched on as the Witch went about her work. Needless to say, she was rather surprised that she seemed at least somewhat cooperative. Leaning forward against the counter, a beautiful but amused smile alighted rosy lips, which, at the moment was the only feature of her face that could be seen. She inquired of her name, and in the soundproofed sanctuary of her tent, Anna felt it safe enough to unveil herself for just a moment.

Slowly, her fingertips lofted upward to gently pull back the hood. With it, her chestnut colored hair came down over her shoulders, and her face came truly to display. Anyone who remotely had any inkling upon the stories that echoed through the land would instantly recognize the one-eyed Noble that stood before her. The Rose of May stood within Tarrabuck. With the high collar of her armor glistening in the dimmed sunlight, Anna looked squarely to Elizabeth.

"Fair is fair, Miss Lascelles. My name is Duchess Anna Eriksson, otherwise known as The Rose of May. A widow, daughter to a murdered family, and the last of two family lines. Does this suffice, or do you require further qualification?" Reaching into her cloak, Anna extracted a small etching, a photograph of a face. "The one I am looking for is a friend of yours, possibly." Then, upon the tabletop rested a picture of Elias Thorbeck. "I intend to bring him in quietly. No mess, no fight. As a deserter it is far more customary for execution, but the Empress is feeling benevolent."

"Naturally, any help you offer will be met with generous compensation. Of course that is if our respective means to an end are met. If not by the hand of the Empress, then by my own measure." Settling her one free palm upon the counter top, her grip tightened on the long, narrow package that rested upon her shoulder. For once she wished that money talked far more than anything else. Elizabeth was still a merchant after all.

Do we have an agreement?

Edited by The Hawk's Eye, 09 March 2015 - 08:50 PM.

[JumpinJR]

Your Friendly Neighborhood Mystic

Elizabeth’s guest revealed her identity in a way all too common amongst the noble families.  Elizabeth just wanted a name, not a bunch of titles and history.  The part about her family dying was a bit sad though.  And a widow at her age.  In a different situation Elizabeth would have hugged the girl and offered her more tea.  

It was not however a different situation and Elizabeth could smell money and excitement in the air.

"The one I am looking for is a friend of yours, possibly.”  The Rose put down a picture of a man.  Elizabeth picked it up and studied it.  She did not care for the tone of this girl.  She held her tongue however.

"I intend to bring him in quietly. No mess, no fight. As a deserter it is far more customary for execution, but the Empress is feeling benevolent.”  

"Naturally, any help you offer will be met with generous compensation. Of course that is if our respective means to an end are met. If not by the hand of the Empress, then by my own measure.”

“Do we have an agreement? ”

The Mystic thought her options over.  After a moment she replied.  

“I doubt our lovely Queenie is ever truly benevolent.  I’ll bet you any sum of money she needs him alive for a reason or three.  And I’m not sure what you mean by a ‘friend of mine’ girlie?”

She had half a mind to refuse the request and send the Guardswoman on her way.  However a few things prevented this.  It never hurt to have a friend amongst the Nobles, and among the Royal Guard was a double boon.  Who knew what type of business this one job could bring.  

Second, she was to meet with the Hornet some time soon.  They had scheduled this meeting a little over a month ago.  Despite this, she was desperately bored.  Normally she had more fun in cities of this size.  This time not so much.   There was a feeling in the air, she could sense it.  It made everything else seem less to her.  Hunting a deserter would be interesting, It could lead to understanding the feelings in the air.  If not, she was sure there would be a fight between two trained soldiers at least. 

The thought made her smile.

“That said, I shutter the idea of a deserter running around while I’m running my business.  I'd be at a loss if he were to break in here, I have no idea what I would do.”  She lied “And as a loyal subject of her majesty, I will gladly aid you if I can Rosie.”

“Now tell me what you know of this man, we can discuss my fees later.”  Her smile didn’t falter as she looked into the eyes of her new client.
 

[Officer Judy Hopps]

The Rose

This Merchant was just as clever as believed, it seemed. Her supposed inability to know what to do when confronted by a Deserter was a thinly veiled lie, and Anna knew it. Rumors about Elizabeth and her cunning use of magic had just been proven by the sealing of the tent, confirming again to The Rose that sometimes, rumor and fiction often had a base in fact. However, she did nod in agreement with the merchant.

"You're quite right. Something lurks beneath the surface, and it is this Deserter that might hold the key. That is why I am employed here. I must bring him in alive. Normally, this might be a trivial matter, yet the mass number of innocent people makes this entire ordeal disconcerting." Smoothly, her fingertips rose and lofted the hood back over her face once again. Tucking her hair back into the depths of the the plain brown cloak, Anna continued. "Thank you for being reasonable enough to strike a deal however. With your help, and my eyes in the sky, it should be much easier to handle. If you would not mind, handle the east, and I shall handle the west."

"Lastly, here." Reaching inside her cloak once more, she extracted a coin. From an initial appearance, it looked just like any coin that one might normally see. However, a peculiar warmth seemed to radiate it, obviously it had been infused with magic. Anna's magic of course. "If you find our quarry, throw this coin into the air. It will enable me to find you quickly, and it will cause at least some of the crowd to disperse. When you do throw it, close your eyes; the effect is rather blinding. Good hunting."

Turning away from the merchant, The Rose elegantly strode towards the exit, only to return to the lazily nonchalant stride of a commoner not a few moments later as she opened the edge of the tent. Shifting towards the western parts of the marketplace, her precise gaze searched the faces of the crowd impatiently. For it was only a matter of time until she found him, and hopefully bring him in peacefully.

Edited by The Hawk's Eye, 09 March 2015 - 08:52 PM.

[JumpinJR]

A Peculiar Potions Pedler

After the deal was struck, The Rose of May left a coin with Elizabeth and went on her merry to the west half of town.

Elizabeth was rather impressed by this client.  Most would insist upon her taking lead or leaving someone to observe there new employee.  She trusted that Elizabeth would do what she promised for money.

The Rose was right, Elizabeth may not be the most moral person alive, but she did what she said.  

She collected some vials and trinkets in a elaborate bag, the put on one of her special lipstick (this one was blue).  Coin in pocket, she closed her shop under a ward and left for the east half of town.  Vala Moon walked near her side, her ethereal light faded so she was nearly invisible.  The fox broke the silence.  

“Helping the Guard are we Rachel?  Please whisper so you don’t have to use that ridiculous accent.”

Elizabeth smirked, she wasn’t worried about drawing attention to herself, she already did that.  Trying to hide would be more difficult.  She responded to her Aeon in a low voice, without using the fake accent that seemed to garner her more customers.

“We are working for a guardswoman.  Nothing wrong with that Fox.”  She sounded like your average woman from Corvus.  Vala Moon smirked, if she could smirk she would anyway, even the Corvus accent was fake.  When Elizabeth got upset or excited, she slipped into a Mercede port accent.  The Fox said nothing and faded from sight all together.

Elizabeth wasn’t sure about this Elias Thorbeck fellow.  The way the Rose had said deserter implied Iron Watch.  It took a certain type of person to abandon the Iron Watch, and there were not many places one could flee.  She could search all of them.  However there was an easier way.  She smiled to herself, it was the type of smile that the wise would recognize and flee from.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Me?  I’m Elias, Elias Thorbeck.  The GREAT Elias Thorbeck of the Iron Watch.  You have my name, now give me a jar of wine you old fool.”  Shouted a clearly inebriated man.  Three minutes ago the man had staggered in drunk demanding wine and food.  Since then he had shouted, cursed, broken a chair, and been an all around bastard.  

Elizabeth stood near rear door to the place, drinking some wine and trying not to be annoyed by the ruckus.  This man was not Elias Thorbeck.  It took the mystic about ten minutes to find a man who looked close enough to the picture lying in a gutter.  It took her two minutes and three pieces of silver to get her point of across.  

This made the fourth public place they had gone to.  He would break more furniture, shout the name a while longer, and possibly harass a wench.  After that he would leave before being thrown out, and they would continue on to the next shady place where he would again draw attention to the name Elias Thorbeck

Her plan was simple.  If this fool made enough noise about being Elias Thorbeck, the real one would have to show up to see who was claiming to be him and silence him.  And when that happened, Elizabeth would throw her coin.  After that, she’d play the hand as the cards were dealt.
 

Edited by JumpinJR, 10 March 2015 - 03:09 AM.

[SliceAndDice]

As it turned out, Elias Thorbeck was in one of the bars that Elizabeth and her patsy struck at. He had been sitting at the bar, a hood over his face and drinking a mug of ale. For the moment, he was very irritable; even for a Noctius, his patience was short, and he did not like to be kept waiting. Where were those two? And what was taking them so long? He understood the reasoning behind using a busy, bustling town to conceal a meeting, but he hated it all the same. Half the Empire was after his head after all. Which was precisely why, when a man pretending to be him began to rough up the bar, he responded swiftly by doing absolutely nothing. Shocking though it was to hear a man doing such a thing, it meant little to him. He was already facing charges of desertion and possible treason, being accused of disturbing the peace wouldn't add anything significant. If anything, having the fake get jailed might just buy him some breathing room.

 

Still, he didn't have all day. He'd have to find those two himself, it looked like. After paying for his tab, Elias stood and left the bar, making sure to travel in the opposite direction as his apparent doppleganger. As for the two he was waiting for, who knew where they were?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Fortuitously for Sylph, quite a few townsfolk had some ideas of where her targets were. Or, at the very least, they thought they did, as they answered her questions as best they could. She received a multitude of responses, ranging from drunken gibberish to actual tips to her fair share of undesired flirting. However, it seemed that all of the useful factoids pointed to one thing; it was very likely her targets were in the city. A short time later, when business slowed a bit, she was able to sort out the five most useful pieces of information- the only problem was that only one of them could be correct, and the rest had to be wrong... or lying.

 

Person 1: "I haven't seen them. No around here at least. You might have better luck in Berylius proper."

 

Person 2: "I saw a girl that sounds like that just on the eastern outskirts of town. What a fine thing she was..."

 

Person 3: "I'm pretty sure I saw two people like that heading for the Town Hall..."

 

Person 4: "There was a guy with a pretty big sword lurking about the alleyways near the square. Looked like a bandit to me."

 

Person 5: "[Person 2] is drunk, don't trust a word he says."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

At the same time as the Farmer's Market, far away in Legentis another festival of sorts was being held. The town of Amnia was well known as a popular vacation spot in the Empire for its stunning waterfalls and lakeside views. Politicians, soldiers, and merchants alike all flocked there year after year to drink in the temperate climate and breathtaking sights. Of course, this also had the side effect of making it popular hotspot for young couples in love. But love was not in the air tonight as Dr Love and her arachnid-loving assistant entered the town. A large crowd was gathered outside the Inn, and on the ground in the middle of it was a young Luxius, her clothing torn and her face buried in her hands, sobs echoing from them. Across from her was a Manus, his face red with fury and his gaze locked onto her.

 

"I TRUSTED you!" he bellowed at her, his hand clenching into a fist as he spoke.

 

"Please, it wasn't me! I did nothing, raise not your fist at me!" she cried in return, the terror in her voice almost palpable to the surrounding common folk.

 

It seemed the good Doctor had arrived a little late. But such a problem certainly required her attention! The only question was, whose side would she take?

 

OOC

Spoiler

@MIssy & Jumpin: Decent idea, but you forgot he's already wanted for something way worse than bar crashing. He is, however, now roaming; you may find him and confront him at will.

 

@Dark & Jod: We're going to play a little game. Of those 5 statements, only one is truthful- the rest are lies or wrong. Figure out which one is correct, and then pursue it.

 

@Rogue & Usey: Trouble in paradise! Approach the situation however you will.

[Officer Judy Hopps]

The Rose

Arresting Development

Winding through the bustling crowds of the market, the hooded Royal guard warily walked through the town. The fact that there was a deserter clever enough to hide in the thickness of a populace-heavy area was disconcerting. The majority of cases in such a thought lead to most deserters trying to disappear into the wild, allowing her to use the fullest extent of her ability to capture them.

Here, it would be a monstrous effort to not get civilians in the crossfire if he decided to fight. Judging by this fact, he knew how to abuse such a tactic accordingly. Still, that would not stop her from trying settle things peacefully. Her search began in the outskirts of town's western flank, making her way through winding roads and alleyways, looking in the shadowy parts of the city in the hope that she might spot him.

Time passed with no fruit to bear, she gradually made her way through the town towards the eastern side where she had asked the Merchant to assist her. A shadow darted overhead, and her eyes cast themselves skyward for a moment.

Hildr, her winged companion, had taken to the eastern side of the town as well. Alongside Anna, her search had been in vain. Walking into the east, she lingered on the outer edges until she walked past someone who seemed peculiar. A hooded man, and with her steps drawing to a pause, his did as well.

"Captain Elias Thornbeck, we finally meet." She began resolutely, only to have Hildr sweep in a few feet in front of him. The gust of wind that whipped forward from her wings cast aside his hood to reveal her quarry, and she turned to meet him eye to eye. "It is a pleasure I'm sure." Reaching up and unfastened the ragged brown cloak as people began to draw back and away from the intimidating Valkyrie, she thanked the stars that Hildr had bought her a wider berth while her regal armor and garb came to bear. Once she and her one-eyed gaze could truly be seen, a silence fell upon the city.

Truly before all while the emblem upon her armor and cloak came to bear, the people now realized that a Royal Guard stood in the small town.

Brushing a leather strap aside, the wrappings about her famed blade fell to the wayside and Save the Queen shone brilliantly in the midday sun. Smoothly, the point of her beautiful sword came to point towards the deserter now in plain view. Hildr herself flickered briefly, only to disappear. Molding about Anna's crown at first was a light that seemed like liquid gold, and her head became encased in a beautiful angelic helmet seemingly made of pure ivory. Once complete, a pulse of light rippled through her pale armor for only a moment before fading.

Through the silence however, and past even the helm she wore, Anna calmly spoke. "You are under arrest by direct order of the Empress. If you come quietly, I will argue for leniency in your sentence. Exile is better than execution is it not? If no, you will arrive to her Majesty very much alive, but not in a condition that you would like. What say you? "

Edited by The Hawk's Eye, 13 March 2015 - 02:57 AM.

[Darkoda]

Sylph

The Five Clues

 

Being an assistant food stall lady did pay off, both in free food and information gathering. This didn’t change the fact that the woman was now left with the puzzle of what was useful info and what was to be discarded. It was the inherent issue with things like this; wading through the garbage. Fortunately she had a lot of practice with stuff like this and a properly honed perception from it. Right off, she was discarding two of them on the grounds that she knew damn well that they were lying to her face. Again, experience with reading fine details was quite handy especially when your life might ride on it.

 

She was left with three real options; well actually, she only had two, one of those simply had a rider on it that might disqualify it. She couldn’t recall any signs of drunkenness from that pervert but then the area was filled with the scent of foods and some people were quite good at hiding the signs of being a drunkard.

 

In the end she had to make a choice, and as she happily skipped along the alleyways headed towards the square, twirling what appeared to be a small baton around like, well a baton like she was some kind of band member and humming the tune of a catchy song she’d heard recently, her choice was driven by something quite simple. While her two remaining options sounded reasonable enough, one of them posed an immediate danger to people around. Whether her target was around or not, the potential for trouble was high enough if he was for her to check here first. Nothing was stopping her from going to the other spot if this turned out to be a dead end after all.

 

‘That’s nice Sylph but could you stop using me as a toy?’ Lux was pretending to not love being spun around, like this wasn’t fun.

 

‘Nonsense, I can’t go around carry a big spear, making you look less threatening’s good for public morale!” That this was hilarious to her was left unsaid. Or unthought in this case. Given that these were the people who snuck up to the Wall, she was taking no chances and keeping Lux ready both for the extra perception and for a proper defending tool given the whole giant sword part.

[Jod]

Marugan

 

There were days that Marugan hated being a Hunter. Days like this were quite easily counted amongst them. Dammit I  barely have any strong clues to go of on, pondered Marugan as looked on at the sunrise. Watching the sunrise was an old ritual of his, it helped him collect his thoughts and get ready for the day.  Though he couldn't really enjoy the sunrise as much as he'd like, the job was a constant piin prick in his psyche.

He hadn't even been in a position to refuse the job when it had come up, it had been to high profile and Marugan had the misfortune of being available at that very moment. Jobs like this weren't even his forte. He didnt have the forte. 

Marugan prefered to think of him self as a rock, throw him in the right direction and the work was as good as done. The sort of deliate snooping required to sift through information and track down individuals was beyond him. He sincerely hoped that his partner would be better at this sort of thing than he.

He was so busy grumbling over the misfortune fate had brought  over, he didnt notice that the sun had already risen and was blazing quite happily over his tan face. When realization struck he cursed under hi breath "Jarlbach!" and jumped off the rafters to the street below.

His first task was to find his colleague. She was supposed to enter the village undercover. Course the Master had given him the lady's description. Luckily he was able to find her in time. He took this opportunity to return to the rooftops, he would hate to break her cover. Though he did make sure that she knew he had arrived via a small spell. 

Marugan deemed that she was quite a good chance to figure out the where abouts of the two figures, so he simply sat down on the rafters and waited. He'd only get in the way after all. When Sylph began to move, he followed her. It looked like she was heading towards the townhall..

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

The Voyager

 

A small figure appeared over the horizon as the sun started its daily ascent. At the far edge, the bustling town of Tarramuck glistened among the vast patches of farmlands that lined the boundaries of the town. There, a lone Orukuus walked, a sack held over her shoulder that had a caked red color at the lower seams as few forms snaked around inside due to her gait.

 

Murky green hair tied in a long braid and a high knot above her head and bandages, that were rough with wear sticking loosely from her shoulders and thighs dangled easily as they danced in the slight wind that was blowing in the steppes. Her face held a look of disdain as amber eyes shone with restrained feral look to them that most will find unsettling and the fact that she wasn't a Manus and thus far more muscular and sturdy looking gave her intimidating countenance.

 

She walked into town, not bothering around the bustling central square where merchants and farmer alike hawked their wares. Instead, she made her way straight to Wrenhaven Inn, the biggest in town. Walking up to the doors she pushed them open without as much as a second thought as patrons within exchanged glances looking at the wild looking Orukuus, some loosing their hard earned inebriation with just a glance at her. Without wasting time, she walked towards the stairs. Walking up to the second floor of the building where the one who had commissioned her services was staying.

 

A curt knock announced her presence as the soul behind the room staggered to open up the door. A petite beauty stood before her, the difference in their races and way of growing up evident. The regal looking Luxius almost two feet smaller than Nazr'ah with a baby like charm about her. 

 

"Ah! Nazr'ah-ni you came back safely." she said with a sigh as she ushered the orukuus inside before closing the door behind her. Nazr'ah just simply dug into her side bag as she fished out a sapphire encrusted pendant out of it.

 

"Sorry, I couldn't find your cat companion, Nadia." came a deep low rumble from the Orukuus. While the Luxius had an almost song like beauty in her voice, the Orukuus sounded more like purring by big cat. Nazr'ah placed the pendant in the open arm of the Luxius before easing into a slight smile displaying an array of yellow canines. Unlike the majority of the Orukuus her lower canines weren't long enough to keep her jaw open like most of her kind, so in some way she was closer to looks to a Manus than his brethren.

 

"But, I assure you that no one of your kind would suffer a similar fate while traversing the Khendark forest anymore." with this she turned around to get going. The sack on her shoulder shuffling about as some of the caked dirt fell from it. On a closer look one might find it to be dried blood than dirt but she didn't feel keen to show the contents of the bag to the demure Luxius. She had took on this commission more out of goodwill than for the sake of money. She was easily able to live off the land without the need for money to complicate things and usually, she always seemed to have enough rare materials on her to get some money to spend a few days in town. Before embarking on another adventure someplace somewhere.

 

"Nazr'ah-ni!!" the Luxius called out to her as she stood on the edge of the door. "How can I ever pay you back?" she asked, more to herself than Nazr'ah.

 

"You don't need to."

 

She walked out of the door of the Inn towards the town center. She needed to stock on some supplies and herbs before she would set out again. Maybe, find a commission that needed her special talents.

 

---

 

The hawkers didn't have anything that caught her fantasy. The usual grains and meats didn't interest her much. Plus, most of the stuff she had on her would not be useful to the usual merchant. So she decided to see if there were a few specialty shops around where she could offload her stuff and restock some of the supplies she knew weren't easy to get.

 

As she was walking through the district, a particular tent caught her attention, the deep purple hues and the sign near it meant that it wasn't one of the regulars of Terramuck but at the moment it was closed. There were a few inns around the place. She just hoped the owner returned soon enough for her to look through her wares.

 

She began walking towards one of the inns towards the edges of the city since she didn't have much money on her when she came across a scene. A winged helmed soldier was holding a rather experienced Luxius to a swords' edge. The others seemed to have been cowering in the mere presence that the two were emanating, the overbearing atmosphere making them freeze in their places.

 

Having seen nothing that interested her, she walked from the edge of the circle that had formed by itself towards the other point in the crowd which blocked the mouth of the street that housed the Inn she was hoping to stay in. Giving just a passing glance at the two soldiers before approaching the flock of people that were gathered. It seemed like a fight was about to go down, one that didn't concern her nor was she approached to see it through. It's always better to mind your business. 

[Wandering Rogue]

Lizbeth

 

"Stop in the name of love!"  Lizbeth shouted with all the authority that her many doctorates should afford her as she broke the encircling crowd.  She had no idea exactly what was going on but somehow she just knew it was romantic.  "Before you break my heart,"  she said only moments later but the tone had completely changed.  Upon seeing the two causes of the gathering her voice went down several octaves and became deadly serious.  Her eyes narrowed like some kind of hawkish pigeon looking on their prey and she casually turn and spit.  There was work to do here and nobody was leaving until it got done and she didn't care how many peoples feelings she had to hurt to do it

 

"Think it over.  Tell me just what's going on here and don't leave out anything.  No, I'm not telling you to give me a rundown or even a retelling..  Listen to me.  Everything.  I mean that quite literally."

Edited by Wandering Rogue, 16 March 2015 - 08:06 PM.

[JumpinJR]

A Conniving Conjurer

 

After a few bars Elizabeth gave up on her plan.  She decided instead to follow back on her trail.  Awhile later she decided to break for a bite to eat.  

It was pure luck, though she is going to lie and make it some form of mysticism later, that the cafe she chose to eat at, happened to be within eyeshot with the growing spectacle that is The Rose of May facing off with a deserter.  

Elizabeth was aware that she should stand up and join her current employer in confronting Elias, but she was also aware that these cakes were very good.  

“Decisions.  Vala.” she said in a sugary tone of voice

“Go help her.”

“But cakes…”

Vala growled in response, then one her tails snapped and removed the cake from the plate in front of Elizabeth.

“Stupid Fox…”

The fox was right, Elizabeth knew this, but she really didn’t feel like getting in a fight with a royal guard and deserter.  Her plan was to find the man, and then stay out of the fight.  Since the girl found him first, it wasn’t likely Elizabeth could justify not joining in.  

The mystic stood up and started to walk towards the scene.  Her hands were ruffling through her bag.  She brought out three vials and tossed them lightly to Vala Moon who caught them with her tails.  

“Get behind him and be ready.”  The Fox faded from sight, as it started on the long way round.

Elizabeth brought out two more vials as she got near Anna,

“Hello lovely duckie.  I see you found him, good job.  Is he going to come quietly?”