Kore | Kingdom of Harmony | IC

[doghead]

| Castle Oe | South Garden Room | Dusk |
| Lord Oe | Chief Retainer Oshii |

"I think I will send the two Middle Kingdomers to Karatsu."

"Lord Oe!" Oshii blurts out, momentarily startled out of his usual self restraint, "You can't be serious. They have no honour!"

Lord Oe says nothing but his quiet look of reproach stills Oshii.

"I mean," Oshii continues after a small bow, "I don't understand. House Oe has never used mercenaries."

"House Oe does not use mercenaries as many of the other houses do. But we have, and I will where and when it is in our interests.
Despite the appearence of normality in the Kingdom at the moment, I feel that we in fact live in unusual times.

"Lord Ari will be a capable steward. He is bright but knows how to listen. He has learnt your lessons well. As you said, he will manage the town and the farmers well. But we can't send enough men to cover the whole territory and Lord Ari must know what is happening in the Foothills and Mountains. For that he will need men capable of thinking for themselves and experienced in living by their wits. In that, the masterless swords are often more capable than the retained sword."

"Priest Ito has a restless soul on his hands. An honourable man. I will send him along with the others."

Noticing the look of doubt lingering in Oshii's eyes, Lord Oe adds quietly, "If that is not sufficient and they bring dishonour to the name of the House, then I will give you, personnaly, permission to hunt them down and execute them."



| Church of War and Strength | 7th meditation room | late morning |
| Priest of War and Strength | Chief Retainer Oshii | Tharl |

The Priest and Chief retainer are waiting when Tharl arrives. Once the formalities are concluded, the Priest begins.

"I have heard your request. It would seem that the Fates have too. House Oe wishes to send some assistance to Lord Ari in Karatsu. They wish to send the two Middle Kingdomers there, and they wish you to go also. I assumed that you would accept."

Tharl's small nod of approval prompts the Priest to continue.

"Take this scroll to the Middle Kingdomers. They are staying in an inn in the Merchant Quarter near the Old Bridge. They won't be hard to find. It outlines the agreement House Oe is offering. It is, I believe, a fairly standard agreement. Lord Oshii doesn't anticipate any problems. If they agree, you are to leave for Karatsu at first light tomorrow. Present yourself to Lord Ari when you arrive. She should be expecting you.

"If you have no questions? ... No? Then you may leave us now. There is no need to stand on formality at this point. You will need what time is left in the day to find the others and prepare.

As you bow and prepare to depart, Lord Oshii speaks for the first time.

"It is said that you believe that principle exists in all men, and even the masterless are capable of acting with honour if shown respect. I hope that you are right.



| The Agreement |

Lord Oe, Master of the House of Oe, Steward of the 15 territories of Chikuzen and the district of Karatsu offers Tharl of the Church of War and Strength, Chen Xiaoshu of The Middle Kingdom and Kaijia of the Middle Kingdom, in return for your services and obedience and loyalty to the House Oe, the sum of one Iron piece per day plus provision of foodstuffs and miscelanuos items as seen fit by the House in the form of one in a legitimate position of authority.

 

[doghead]

Castle Karatsu, while not a large one, dominates the town. Set atop a small hill at the end of a small rocky peninsular that forms one one side of the river mouth, it commands views of the whole of Karatsu plain.

The gates to the Retainer's Quarter, that sits at the foot of the hill, are open. The two guards make no move to stop you from entering, but you know your presence has been noted. Even here, you notice, the shabbyness that afflicts the rest of the town is evident. At the base of the hill, the gates to the Castle proper, the guards step forward to block you way.

 

[Sam]

| The Agreement |

Lord Oe, Master of the House of Oe, Steward of the 15 territories of Chikuzen and the district of Karatsu offers Tharl of the Church of War and Strength, Chen Xiaoshu of The Middle Kingdom and Kaijia of the Middle Kingdom, in return for your services and obedience and loyalty to the House Oe, the sum of one Iron piece per day plus provision of foodstuffs and miscelanuos items as seen fit by the House in the form of one in a legitimate position of authority.

Tharl reads the Agreement once again. I would take this task on for the honor alone. I will prove to Priest Ito (and to that unbeliver Oshii) that the masterless can find the way of honor, though they may need some assistance in locating the path.

Tharl heads towards the Merchant Quarter to locate the mercanaries and present them with the agreement. As he walks past the Old Bridge, Tharl realizes that this is a test from Ito. He is determined even more not to fail Ito or the Church.

After some inquiry, Tharl locates the inn where Chen Xiaoshu and Kaijia are residing. He enters the inn looking for two are dressed in the manner of the Middle Kingdom.

 

[Avatar_V]

Kaijia comes down from his room to see who this cleric is that everyone says is in the common room of the inn asking for Middle Kingdomers. Kaijia introduces himself and sizes up this man who he learns is to accompany him. He reads the agreement that's handed to him and his eyebrows raise with a touch of surprise. After all the negotiating he had to do to get Lord Oe to allow him a place on this mission, almost pleading really, he was shocked that he was being paid at all. But, he wasn't about to complain; Never look a gift horse in the mouth. He hastily scrawls his name and packs his things. He asks the innkeeper to have his horse brought around from the stables as he prepares his few belongings.

As Kaijia saddles his horse and double checks his pack to be sure that he's brought everything, he looks at his companion. He sees a hard man; Tharl, he has learned is a cleric of war and strength: not a man to trifle with. He seems friendly enough, but Kaijia keeps the hood on his cloak up, so his ears are hidden. He'll maintain this behavior at least until they've left this human town. Perhaps longer. He glances in his pack once more and places a hand on his precious spellbook. How long until Tharl knows about that? He shakes his head; hopefully a long time if he's anything like the rest of the humans Kaijia's met. But this man must be different, right? He will be standing by me in the fight against the Orks. That's something. Then again, men are men. Even if this one seems trustworthy, there's no need to be testing unknown waters. Silently, Kaijia checks the fletch on his arrows that rest in his quiver on his left hip as he takes a seat in the common room of the inn and waits for Tharl.

OOC: Kaijia's prepared the following spells, although he hopes not to use them in the presence of human's- Ghost Sound x2, Mage Hand x2, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Feather Fall

 

[DarkElf109]

Coming down the stairs of the inn, Chen sees a small group of people, probably from the news of newcomers to the province, gathered around a cleric and what appears to be just another normal man. He shows no emotion on his face, and has a very deep voice. "So, you're the cleric of War and Strength I've heard so much about? I just hope the rumors of you're sect's power are true." He puts on a slight grin, but it shortly fades. He turns to the man in the cloak. "And who might you be? Nobody informed me of a third member of our little party. Well, it's no matter. Lord Oe decided to be generous and accept my...request for an individual pay." He slowly walks the rest of the way down the stairs, commoners stepping aside as he walks by. He makes it to the other two and looks down at the document, noticing two signatures. The first one, clearly written by a learned man, is Tharl's, and the second, no more than a quickly-written scribble, looks to be Kaijia's. In a swift motion, he takes the paper and writing utensile from Kaijia, and signs the document. "It's official, then. My belongings are packed and my horse is fed." He makes a quick nod towards Tharl. "We leave on your call."

 

[Avatar_V]

Kaijia studies the man who has just arrived. Clealy stronger then himself, this man should certainly prove useful in a battle. From the talk, this man is also from the Middle Kingdoms. Has he heard of Elves? "My name is Kaijia" He says to the newcomer. "Also of the Middle Kingdoms. Lord Oe was kind enough to honor me with this opportunity." With that Kaijia turns to Tharl and waits to follow his lead.

 

[Sam]

Tharl studies these two and quickly decides that though foreign, they are not untrustworthy. He will give them a fair opportunity to prove their mettle.

"May your battle-arm be strong and may you never tire during a fight" Tharl says, invoking a tradtional blessing upon the two newcomer. "I came right here from my Church. I must gather my things and ready my horse. I will meet you both here at first light, when we will leave for Karatsu to present ourselves to Lord Ari. Until the morn then." With a nod to Chen Xiaoshu and Kaijia, Tharl exits the inn.

 

[Avatar_V]

Kaijia steps out of the inn just before dawn and waits for his companions, whom he expects to be arriving presently. From a brief discussion with the innkeeper, he has gathered that Karatsu is not far. With good roads and a decent pace they'll be inside castle walls well before dinner, perhaps by lunch.

OOC: Can we just assume that Kaijia memorizes the same spells (Ghost Sound x2, Mage Hand x2, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Feather Fall) every night before he sleeps unless I say otherwise?

 

[DarkElf109]

Chen walks out of the inn and towards the stables at the exact break of dawn. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kaijia, checking out his own gear. He looks through his pack to make sure everything is where it should be, saying to Kaijia as he does this, "So, Kaijia, what talents do you bring to our group? Not to offend, but you don't look to be a warrior, and your garments don't match any of the cults I've seen in my time. If Lord Oe hadn't hired you for this journey, I'd have taken you for a normal citizen." Awaiting an answer, Chen looks over his greatsword and takes a few warm-up swings at invisible enemies, simultaneously wondering when Tharl is going to join them.

OOC: I feel so left out without any spells...

 

[Avatar_V]

Kaijia chuckles, "Oh, I may not look a warrior, but that's because I'm the type of warrior who prefers not to be seen." He pats his quiver on one hip and rapier on the other, saying, "My skills are a sharp eye, a deft hand, and a quick mind. Although I'm far from a normal citizen, I'm glad you think I look as such; that was the idea."