Age of Mortals - Knights of Solamnia (1st Summer)

Age of Mortals - Knights of Solamnia

Summer, 420, Here and Now:

It has been 68 years since the death of Sturm Brightblade at the hand of the Blue Dragon Highlord. 63 years ago the same Highlord was defeated, and her body dragged off by the Dread Lord Soth. 26 years ago the name of Iyesta was first heard in Solamnia. One of her vassals, the Blue Dragon Khellendros held rule over Solamnia until his death which followed Iyestas. That was barely more than a year ago.

Now that Khellendros has been defeated, the Knights have been pressing hard against the evil which has come into their country. They face many tasks, some far more difficult than fighting the Dragons. They must fight against merchants, traders, street rabble, corrupt officials, and anti-knight sentiment which has been created by their own shortcomings in defending their lands. Still, there are more direct forces at work. The country's boarders are not governed, and trade is not properly regulated. The coffers have been stretched thin by the lack of income. Trade is on the rise, but tax collection is at an all time low. There are orphans and families that have come to southern Solamnia in search of food and shelter that have been turned away by desperation, and sometimes by force. Famine worries those who can foresee what will come in the winter months, as the spring did not see enough farmies readying for harvest.

What the country is left with, is pressure from outside and within, and there are certainly no armies of men fighting to stop the problem. With numbers at an all time low, the Solamnic Knights turn to anyone that they can trust and obtain to help fight against the massing problems in the country.



It is now the first summer court, this summer's court taking place under unusual circumstances. The small city of Uthar, located between Starport and Gwyntarr is the home of this Summer's court. Located far from the standing capital or the regular garrisons. Because of this, many knights have been left at their guards that would have normally been required to attend. This is for a duelistic reason: The need to maintain a strong body is necessary now more than it should be in winter, hopefully, and also because of recent affairs in the capital there have been rumors that there are traitors within the knighthood. Because of this, holding court away from home and near Uthar is intended to lessen the chance of a great many secrets being spilled to their enemies. Notice of this move was not sent until the very day many of the knights were to leave their homes and outposts. Some notices arrived too late, leaving some knights behind by two and three days traveling in one direction and then another.

The ruling councils of all three orders have been brought into the nearby fortress belong to a commander named Artin Visvalen, a Knight of the Sword who is petitioning to be promoted to the order of the Rose. His standing compatriots, six knights of the crown and four squires, are also seeking different favors. Most people with any sense can figure that moving court could have been part of his own doing. Normally the highest families would hold court in the capital, and would do their share without any motivation for manipulation. But these times are a bit different.

Court will take place over two full weeks, with most activity occuring during the seven days closest to the "middle" of the week. On this first day, many knights will be shown to their quarters along with any traveling aid or family they brought with themselves. Tonight will be the first "formal" occation as well, requiring full ornamental attire from every patron knight.

This is the arrangements for rooms that you have:

Shale Blacksaber: The Inn of the Auroch, a small private inn located near the castle. You have a room located on the 3rd floor, in a corner spot overlooking a small rolling hill that is covered quite thickly with clovers and seems to be the grazing ground of cattle during all hours of the day and night. Even on the third floor, there is the smell of a pasture in the air.

Thom uth Verran: Your room is inside the castle, in one of the guard captains barracks. He was pushed down to sleeping alongside the other guardsmen, and his room was split in two with a curtain. Your "roomate" is a half-elf man named Aerion Turin Aelshien. You arrived later than Aerion, and he hasn't shown himself into the room since you have arrived.

Aerion Turin Aelshien: Your room is inside the castle, in one of the guard captains barracks. He was pushed down to sleeping with his men, and his room has been split into two seperate areas with a curtain. The man who was assigned the other half is a Thom uth Verran, who you havn't encountered yet.

Aleahea Nightsong: Your room is in an inn very far from the castle, but there are carts that have been affixed with seating devices to carry you to and from the castle at your leisure. Your also welcome to ride there, and stable your horse, but if too many knights do this it could get quite uncomfortable for their steeds. Your room is one of four rooms in the small inn called the Hampton, which also seems to be the favored tavern for the local ruffians and thugs that work in this town.

Aurnia Shatterstone: You were given a courtier's staying room in the castle (there are 39 others, and that would place you in one of the 40 "best" rooms of the fort). Your view, however, is right against the barracks. Your room has little natural illumination, even when the sun is pointed towards your window, because the barracks shadow your room most of those hours. Someone that arrived before you actually "turned down" this room in favor of something more scenic, according to the sentry that told you your assigned place. Either way, it's close to the important business, and should be able to keep your mounts in the regular stables. You also have a servant by the name of Lesalar, who is intended to keep your room tidy and serve you with any needs. However, your first encounter with him seemed awkward, and he seemed to be more than disappointed with you for some reason.

Owain Theron: Your room is in an inn called the Hampton, almost two miles away from the castle. Your room is right above the tavern, and is a bit smallish. It seems to be outfitted with basic comforts and clean sheats at least. There also seems to be food going in and out of the tavern below the inn at all times, and the stables are kept clean.

Merritt Stone: Your "room" is inside the Inn of the Auroch, on the second floor. It is a smallish inn near the castle. Your room has no window, and gets very warm during the night, but otherwise is accomodating. Every room in the building seems to be occupied by a knight of some form or another, and some by knight and squire.

Tristram uth Rhys: The room you were given is in the second floor of The Auroch. You have a solid view of the roads that pass too and from the castle, and can see the regular traffic of the day. Often this means noise, especially when you hear a cart loaded with fully armored knights clamping along on a wheeled cart.

The following "general locations" are known to everyone. The only scheduled event for the night is the initial court meeting in which all knights are expected to appear, ornately adorned as appropriate. This will occur in eight hours.

Castle (courtyards, stables, barracks, ballroom)
Inn of the Auroch (1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor, sitting room, stables)
The Hamption (stables, 1st floor, 2nd floor, tavern)
Baker
Weaponsmith (Artholas the Mighty, Joe Smith the Smith)
Armorsmith (Grandles uth Hammerfor)
Leatherworking (Jacob Rattletrap)
Clothing (Unknown)
Guildhall (Carpenters, Masons, Farmers)
Church (Cleric Cid Higgins)

Aleahea put away her things in her modest room, after making sure that Mia was settled into the stables. Well, I have most of the day before I have to be at the meeting.... perhaps I will go downstairs and get a light lunch. She makes sure to strap on Winter's Kiss, thinking that it would be best if she were armed. I didn't like the look of everyone going in and out of the tavern, but..., she smiled, I am sure that I am just being sensitive. And I am already wearing my armor, anyway.

Aleahea will go downstairs and order a glass of wine and a small lunch... fruit, if they have it.

OOC: what phase is Solinari in, and when does it rise and set?

Thom rises, blinking sleep from his eyes as he checks to make sure that he had properly cleaned his armor and weapons the night before. Rubbing away a few patches of mud he had missed from his cuisses, he then pulls out one of the two tabards he'd managed to keep clean, and dresses, drawing the Star over the tabard into prominence on his breastbone. I should see about breaking my fast; I've got more than enough time til the council. Donning a belt with a simple eating knife, Thom carefully drew aside the curtain and walked to the door, trying not to wake his roommate (if he'd arrived).

Merritt Stone

After awakening Merritt dresses casually*, and makes his way over to the church for morning prayers.

Afterwards he lets the Church Father know he is at the church's disposal, barring any Knightly Duties.

Merritt will then wander about the 'town' a bit, getting something to eat, and getting a feel for the place and the locals.

OOC: * whatever 'casual' for a Knight here would entail. I imagine decent clothes, a tabard, no armor, no sword, but the truncheon will be tucked in his belt under his tabard.

Owain leans on the sill of his rooms window, his chin cupped in one hand. He watches the activity below with mild interest. In truth, despite the inconvenience of the Hamption's removal from the castle, Owain is more comfortable with some distance between himself and the formality of the court.

I'm still not quite sure what they mean by "full ornamental attire"... He worries. Should I be wearing armour or not? Or just suitable clothes? Are my clothes suitable for the court? I should have paid more attention to this kind of thing... He frowns, drumming his fingers on the wooden window frame.

Ah well, we'll find out this evening. Maybe I'll find someone to ask. His stomach punctuates this thought by rumbling quietly, reminding Owain of the hours that have passed since breakfast.

"Fetch, stay." He instructs the hound lying beside his bed. The wardog's tail thumps twice on the wood floor to acknowledge the command, but Fetch doesn't raise his head.

"Lazy mutt." Owain chides Fetch affectionately, lifting his sword from the chest at the bottom of this bed. Buckling the weapon's belt around himself, and straightening his tunic, he makes his way out of his room and down to the inn's common room.

That food smells fantastic... He smiles as he makes his way over to the bar, looking for the innkeeper.

Having been awake and out of his room since before the rays of the sun swept across the land, Aerion sits upon a short stone wall just outside of the bustle of the city, leaning upon his greatsword for support, in one hand is a sweet bread of sorts garnered from the baker fresh from the oven, the fingers on his other hand running across the grain of his greatswords' scabbard. Another summer upon us, this time I am here, at court, away from Solanthus, away from the bustle of my duties there. It is nice here, for now.

Finishing off the sweet bread with a happy smile and an almost child-like licking of his fingers (for it was sweet indeed), Aerion hops down from the wall and swings his scabbard onto his back in one smooth motion. Perhaps, I should at least introduce myself to this Thom uth Verran that shares my room. Taking up a casual pace, Aerion heads back into the city, towards the castle and the bustle of the preparations for tonights ball. Perhaps, I should see to making sure I have something for tonight as well.

Shale is awakened by the rising of the sun and the mooing of the cattle. She had been wearing just a silk bed shirt, reveling in its feel against her skin. The newly raised knight began dressing for the day, still not entirely comfortable in her position as a Lady and head of the Silvershield family, she wore not the silks and gems of her station, but the well fitting, and flattering, silver leggings and a tunic bearing the Silvershield family crest that she had worn as a squire. A pair of supple boots and her pouch of spell components was added, and finally she belted on her blade and tucked a few daggers about her person. The young woman who left her room resembled a squire more then a Knight, and Shale was quite fine with that.

Shale slips into the Auroch's stable to make sure her black stallion, Chaos, was being treated as he should. True to his, name, the horse was a whirling dervish of chaos and anger if something set him off, as eager to bite and kick as he was to nuzzle, you could never know what he would do, at least most wouldn't, Shale did, but that was simply because she was the one who broke him to the saddle. He had kicked her in the chest, and holding a dagger up to his nose she had threatened him with turning him into a gelding if he gave any more trouble, whether or not he could understand, he never gave her any more trouble. Chaos's mate, Glory, was his opposite, a gentle white mare, she was always placcid, never giving anyone a lick of trouble. Both of the horses were being well cared for, so the woman slipped from the stables and out along the lane, humming a soft tune popular in Palanthas, or at least it had been when last she was home.

The young knight stops in the bakery and treats herself to a sticky bun, she smiled as the warmth suffused her stomach. Shale sat herself beneath a tree, her back against the trunk, looking up at the passing traffic along the lane, heading both towards and away from the castle.

Aurnia Shatterstone: Human/Female (Gestalt: Knight of Solamnia/Divine Bard)

Aurnia awoke early, as was her normal habit, but sleeping had been hard for the young knight as her excitement over summer court had kept her awake for much of the first night.

As Aurnia turns the page in the large tome that sits precariously upon her small lap she absently wondered how the knights that had drawn worse quarters had faired, in her mind it was one thing to sleep in the trenches for battle and quite another to try and sleep in them before court.

A soft rap on the door father distracted Aurnia from her reading, though she showed no anger at the disruption as there was no doubt it was Lesalar, her servant while she was here, whom she had instructed was to make sure she awake by waking hour, or to bring her new of Tristram arrival.

Tristram was one of her dearest friends, though their relationship had always been more sibling in nature, whom her father, Cadman Shatterstone, had adopted as he realized the knightly potential in Tristram. Aurnia had realized it too, and instead of a rivalry forming for her father attention only friendship blossomed.

Glancing over the tops of her glasses Aurnia peered out the window trying to judge the time of day by the amount of light, or in this case the lack of it, before she acknowledge the knocking at her chamber door. Her only answer was the small frown that formed on her pale face; it was simply too hard to tell the time from this room.

Speaking softly, as to not disturb others in nearby rooms, Aurnia finally acknowledges the door, “Lesalar, please come in.”

As she waited for him to enter she delicately closed the large tome and scooted from her lap onto the bed next to her.

A small smile of greeting forms behind her glassed framed face as Lesalar enters the room, “Do you bring news of Tristram uth Rhys, or has the waking hour finally arrived?”

Aleahea put away her things in her modest room, after making sure that Mia was settled into the stables. Well, I have most of the day before I have to be at the meeting.... perhaps I will go downstairs and get a light lunch. She makes sure to strap on Winter's Kiss, thinking that it would be best if she were armed. I didn't like the look of everyone going in and out of the tavern, but..., she smiled, I am sure that I am just being sensitive. And I am already wearing my armor, anyway.

Aleahea will go downstairs and order a glass of wine and a small lunch... fruit, if they have it.

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Owain leans on the sill of his rooms window, his chin cupped in one hand. He watches the activity below with mild interest. In truth, despite the inconvenience of the Hamption's removal from the castle, Owain is more comfortable with some distance between himself and the formality of the court.

I'm still not quite sure what they mean by "full ornamental attire"... He worries. Should I be wearing armour or not? Or just suitable clothes? Are my clothes suitable for the court? I should have paid more attention to this kind of thing... He frowns, drumming his fingers on the wooden window frame.

Ah well, we'll find out this evening. Maybe I'll find someone to ask. His stomach punctuates this thought by rumbling quietly, reminding Owain of the hours that have passed since breakfast.

"Fetch, stay." He instructs the hound lying beside his bed. The wardog's tail thumps twice on the wood floor to acknowledge the command, but Fetch doesn't raise his head.

"Lazy mutt." Owain chides Fetch affectionately, lifting his sword from the chest at the bottom of this bed. Buckling the weapon's belt around himself, and straightening his tunic, he makes his way out of his room and down to the inn's common room.

That food smells fantastic... He smiles as he makes his way over to the bar, looking for the innkeeper.

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Aleahea & Owain: The Hampton is a small inn, and although it's the home to some of the local toughs, it serves a number of purposes that the township has always been thankful for. First, late at night it acts as a good place for the working class to cool off after a rough day. Second, it serves breakfasts, lunches, and dinners all hours of the day for the many men employed in this town that don't have a local family or any way to cook for themselves. This keeps business going all hours of the day.

The inn sports a very deep and cold sub-basement that stores blocks of ice shipped into the port-cities that interact with this small town. This unusual activity also causes the floor-boards of the Hampton to be very cold, and keeps the temperatures reasonable during the summer. They serve "ice cold" water, and a specialty they have cups of shaved ice available.

For food, they have anything that would be commonly expected in an inn. There is certainly enough to go around, and the inn keeps the prices reasonable, even for visitors sent here by the local lord. The regulars however, seem to trade smiles back and forth when prices are charged to anyone staying in the place.

The current individuals inside the dining room of the Hampton currently are: Bartre (timber expert), Sain (young knight), Dorcas (timber forman), Hector (young knight/lord), and Lowen (young knight).

Bartre wears a blue commoner's outfit and a bandana to keep the sweat off his brow. Dorcas wears a slightly heavier outfit, kin with what a traveler or explorer might be carrying. Sain wears a suit of bronze trimmed steel armor and is armed. He is a very open and seems to be conversing as equals with Bartre and Dorcas.

Hector and Lowen (black and blond hair respectively), are each adorned with full plate armor even now. They look like knights who have seen a good deal of wear on their armor, and the two are currently discussing something quitely in a small shady corner of the tavern.

The current attendant for the Inn is a young pig-tailed girl named Sara who seems to be wiping down the bar and handling all manner of service and recordkeeping jobs at the same time. She seems to be keeping her own sort of steady and careful pace.

(Also you see each other, most likely, with Aleahea arriving first, but that's your territory for description and not mine.)

*Yes, I did get lazy on the names, in case anyone can catch me about it .

Date: The hour of Third Watch, on the second day of Palast, in the month of Holmswelth.

Having been awake and out of his room since before the rays of the sun swept across the land, Aerion sits upon a short stone wall just outside of the bustle of the city, leaning upon his greatsword for support, in one hand is a sweet bread of sorts garnered from the baker fresh from the oven, the fingers on his other hand running across the grain of his greatswords' scabbard. Another summer upon us, this time I am here, at court, away from Solanthus, away from the bustle of my duties there. It is nice here, for now.

Finishing off the sweet bread with a happy smile and an almost child-like licking of his fingers (for it was sweet indeed), Aerion hops down from the wall and swings his scabbard onto his back in one smooth motion. Perhaps, I should at least introduce myself to this Thom uth Verran that shares my room. Taking up a casual pace, Aerion heads back into the city, towards the castle and the bustle of the preparations for tonights ball. Perhaps, I should see to making sure I have something for tonight as well.

OOC: Creamsteak, did Matelda Bretal come to the summer court? She runs the circle of knights in Solanthus.

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OOC: what phase is Solinari in, and when does it rise and set?

Thom rises, blinking sleep from his eyes as he checks to make sure that he had properly cleaned his armor and weapons the night before. Rubbing away a few patches of mud he had missed from his cuisses, he then pulls out one of the two tabards he'd managed to keep clean, and dresses, drawing the Star over the tabard into prominence on his breastbone. I should see about breaking my fast; I've got more than enough time til the council. Donning a belt with a simple eating knife, Thom carefully drew aside the curtain and walked to the door, trying not to wake his roommate (if he'd arrived).

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Thom & Aerion: After Aerion finished his breakfast and was heading back to his room to find Aerion, Aerion was leaving to go find breakfast...

(I leave it up to you two, whether you want to meet yet or not. I'll ride this one out unless you need more thorough details of the barracks.)