Q'Barra: Facing Truth

[Pebele]

Iliana, Headmaster Goludov’s assistant, approaches you in the halls of Ven ir’Kesslan Academy. She hands you a sealed letter, and informs you that it should be read immediately. Before you can ask questions, she is gone.

Once you are alone, you open the sealed letter and read its contents:

"Dear Student,

You have been selected to take part in a special mission for the Academy. Your skills will be necessary for the success of this mission, and as such you will be required to maintain the highest standards of conduct for the duration of this mission.

Details of the mission and its objective will be given once you have accepted this assignment and meet with Headmaster Goludov. This meeting is scheduled for today at 1pm, at the conclusion of the midday break.

Failure to appear before Headmaster Goludov will be considered a refusal of this mission, which is an option. Please do consider, however, that refusal of a mission for the Academy can be considered grounds for dismissal.

This mission is not public knowledge, so do not share the contents of this letter nor the contents of the meeting with any other students.

Thank you for your loyal service."

You refold the letter, and have a few hours to decide what you will do.

 

[Pebele]

Headmaster Goludov is a balding, middle-aged man. He is well-known throughout the Academy, he is very involved with the everyday activities of its students and staff. He knows that the students either love him or hate him, and he makes no effort to sway public opinion of him one way or the other.

When you enter his office he is seated behind his desk, with various papers and maps spread out in front of him. He seems distracted and motions to a chair without even looking up from his work.

“Please, have a seat. I will begin the meeting once everyone has arrived.”


Anyone may act. Feel free to backtrack and include any actions between receiving the letter and coming to the office.

 

[EvolutionKB]

Kaelan begrudgingly accepts the letter from Iliana. Wow, Kaelan thinks as he begins to open the letter, the Headmaster must be terribly busy if he can't even come tell me in person that he wants me to scrub the floors or something equally terrible. As Kaelan begins to read the note, a smile creeps over his face. Still reading, not even looking up, "Does this mean my suspension is over Iliana?" When no answer comes, Kaelan looks up to find Iliana gone. Kaelan snorts and thinks, looks like she had taken some classes on stealth as well. After a silent lunch with Charles, Kaelan goes toward the Headmasters office.

“Please, have a seat. I will begin the meeting once everyone has arrived.”

"Thanks Headmaster, but I prefer to stand." Kaelan leans against the wall, opposite the window, to be ready for any threats that may show themselves from the outside or from the office entrance.

 

[BRP2]

Charles's day is uneventful for the most part. He had just finish cleaning his private quarters, well it's not so private when it has to be shared with others. He was not in the greatest mood because he had cut his finger on a piece of paper. He sucked on his pointer finger while he walked through the crowded hall. It was then he was approached and given the letter. Charles was at first a little stunned when given the letter, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"So what's this all about?".

She tells him to read it then walks away quickly.

"Er, right" he says under his breath. Charles walks away from everyone else and finds a secluded part of the school. Before he opens it he thinks to himself, This could be really bad. How was Brick doing the last time I seen him? I think he had a cough. I'm over thinking this, that is what I'm doing. I bet it's a secret task given to a team of the best the school has to offer with me being one them. Okay, now I'm under thinking it.

He opens the letter and reads.

Well, damn.

He kind of wanted to tell Kaelen the contents of the letter, but didn't out of fear of being dismissed. So he sat quiet during their lunch together and a handful of others from their wilderness training class. He thinks he has insulted Kaelen, because he suddenly said he had to go and did so. It was this that reminded Charles about the meeting. He had almost completely forgotten.

He finishes his lunch, nods his head at a few table mates and leaves. When he got there, he slowly opened the door to the headmaster's office, peeking his head in. When he saw Kaelen he gasp, "Oh hell, you should of told me that you got that letter!" He suddenly winces when he realizes he shouted in front of the headmaster. "Excuse me..." he says then takes a seat quietly, while still displaying confusion towards Kaelen with the use of his shoulders and hands.

 

[Rolzup]

Kicking Steadfast into a gallop, Darrick aims carefully for the battered shield of the quintain. His lance tip wavered, despite his efforts, and once again he finds that the harder he fights to control it ,the more pronounced the wobbling becomes.

With a muttered curse, he resigns himself to his fate. The sound of the quintain's arm striking the back of his helmet a heartbeat later is even louder than he remembered.....

Still nursing a faint headache as he strides through the hall half-an-hour later, he still manages to greet Iliana with a smile and (an admittedly shaky) bow. Raising an eyebrow at her retreating back, he slits the envelope open, removes the contents, and rapidly reads the letter.

"Well, I will be damned," he says aloud, his smile becoming very nearly a grin. "A mission? This is an honor."

Straightening up, his headache now forgotten, Darrick walks confidently to the Headmaster's office. I wonder, he muses, What this is all about?

It is, perhaps, to Darrick's credit that he maintains his smile upon seeing Kaelen. Well, this mission just became a little more dangerous, he thinks with a sigh.

"Headmaster," he says aloud, bowing to Goludov, and "Gentlemen," he adds, bowing to Charles and Kaelen in turn before taking a seat.

 

[Yeoman]

After finishing her morning classes, Catherine returns to her room to continue her medical studies. While poring over the text, she is surprised to hear a knock on her door, and even more so when she finds Iliana waiting with a letter. Is this...? "Wow, um..thank you Iliana!" When Catherine looks up, Iliana is already gone, without a sound.

After reading the letter, Catherine finishes her studies before heading down to the headmaster's office. Upon entering, she says, "Catherine Valeska, reporting as ordered! and sighs queitly as she sits down after the slightly dismissive wave. I wonder, was that too much or is he always like this?

 

[Shayuri]

Iliana catches up to Trebuchet standing idly near the Casting Line of the much-blackened wasteland of the Academy's Evocation Field. It was essentially like an archery range, only for aspiring battlemages to practice their spells for combat. Trebuchet had 2 courses a day on that field and since he required neither sleep nor breakfast, he tended to show up early for the first one, and then just...wait. Motionless. It seemed wrong for something that was considered alive to be so still for so long.

The dim coals in his eyes awoke to their usual brighter burn as her approach roused him from whatever thoughts he was thinking in that vaguely skull-like head. He turned slightly to face her, and essayed a slightly stiff bow.

"Good morning, Iliana," the warforged burbled in his usual, enthusiastic tones. It was a little as if every word he said was a separate wonderful surprise to him. "Is there anything you wish to be immolated?"

Trebuchet meant it as a polite question, along the lines of, "What can I do for you?" He just had a narrow view of his own abilities, and that was reflected in his phrasing.

Iliana handed him the note, knowing better than to give the gregarious warforged a conversational opening. "Just read this," she advised him, and quickly left. She had many errands left to do today.

Trebuchet fumbled at the delicate paper for a moment with his three-fingered hands, then managed a small rip that he pulled the envelope apart from. He clacked his jaw thoughtfully, the equivalent of raising an eyebrow. "Interesting."

--

His arrival to the headmaster's office is at 1pm sharp, and predicted by the heavy 'whr-clomp' of his footsteps. He enters, and pauses for a moment on seeing who's already there.

"Am I late?" he asks conscientiously. "If so, I apologize."

With that, Trebuchet takes a seat near the front and awaits further instruction.

 

[EvolutionKB]

Kaelan

"Oh hell, you should of told me that you got that letter!" He suddenly winces when he realizes he shouted in front of the headmaster. "Excuse me..." he says then takes a seat quietly, while still displaying confusion towards Kaelen with the use of his shoulders and hands.

Kaelan tenses up a moment as the door to the office opens, but it is only Charles. "I was hoping you'd be here as well. Sorry I was being so quiet at lunch, I was thinking about what this could be about. I take it your silence was because of your apprehension as well?"

It is, perhaps, to Darrick's credit that he maintains his smile upon seeing Kaelen. Well, this mission just became a little more dangerous, he thinks with a sigh.

Great, Kaelan thought, looks like we won't be doing much sneaking in this mission. Kaelan sensed some unease from the Knight, but he won't let it get in the way of the mission, whatever it is. Although their fighting styles were very different, Kaelan respected Darricks skill on his mount, it was worthy of some of the lesser Valenar warriors Kaelan had seen in his villiage in Valenar.

"Catherine Valeska, reporting as ordered!

The pretty young female entered next. So stiff and orderly, I hope her rigidness, won't interfere in this.

His arrival to the headmaster's office is at 1pm sharp, and predicted by the heavy 'whr-clomp' of his footsteps. He enters, and pauses for a moment on seeing who's already there.

Kaelan heard the unmistakeable footsteps of a warforged coming towards the office. When the skull faced warforged entered, couldn't help but smile. He had seen this particular warforged on the Evocation field, just standing motionless. Somtimes he found himself there, watching from a distance at the destruction that they could muster. One of the most amazing instances of teamwork he saw was when an instructor was showing the casters one way of breaking a calvary charge. An illusion of calvary was shown charging at the group of mages, then a line of flaming spheres appeared from nowwhere, breaking the charging group and burning several of them.

As the others enter, Kaelan takes a glance at the maps and papers that the Headmaster is intent on examining, perhaps they will grant some clue to what this is about.

Spot check of 11

 

[Pebele]

From his vantage point Kaelan is able to make out a map of a Q'Barran settlement to the east of the Academy. He also catches a glimpse of what appears to be a bulletin about increased Lizardfolk activity in the region.

Suddenly, Headmaster Goludov looks up from his work and eyes each student in turn. "Good, we're almost ready to get started. There will be one more joining you. Please, make yourselves comfortable, I'll be asking a favor of all of you." The headmaster smiles and returns to his papers, shuffling things about in to some semblance of order.

 

[Rookseye]

The sun is odd today. Sepoto thought this as he stared into the blisteringly cobalt blue sky above the Academy from his perch atop the banyan tree. The wind, as well. It was subtle, like the sense of someone watching, or taking interest from within that great golden orb. There was a murmur in the air that made his fur stand on end. A mischievous susurrus he had not felt in some time. I'Katra was calling him. It was at long last time to wander again. The Traveler in the Trees was whispering to him.

He scented Iliana's approach before he even saw her at the base of the tree.

Mmmmm... the faintest scent of vanilla always seemed to precede her, a smell Sepoto liked very much. It did not seem to match her nature, though. Iliana was...well, Othos would say that she was 'curt'. She did not seem to have much patience for Sepoto, but that was fine. Sepoto did like the smell of vanilla...like hibiscus...or mango...sometimes the nice smells made up for a human's impatience with him.

The shifter was jolted out of his reverie by the loud 'thwack' as the puny figure thirty feet below abruptly tacked a small envelope to the base of the tree with a single perfunctory swing of a small hammer. He turned away from the sky and glanced down, smiling a genuine and toothy grin to Iliana, who glanced up and rolled her eyes ever so slightly.

"Sepoto, important message from the headmaster", curtly.

The chakit shifter cocked his slightly simian head to one side, and nodded, the ridiculous rictus of his smile never leaving his face.

As Iliana shrugged and began to plod away, Sepoto reached into the haversack he carried, pulling forth a luscious, perfectly ripe orange.

"Iliana, orange!", he tossed it from the tree and watched as Iliana deftly spun on one heel, raised her hand, and caught it. Ha-hoo, not all humans were clumsy it seemed.

The headmaster's messenger, clutching her prize, merely caught sight of Sepoto's smile, and returned it almost reflexively. When she realized what she was doing, she donned a mask of seriousness, and pointed at the message nailed to the tree.

"You should read it...and soon...I've spent most of the afternoon looking for you, and you most certainly do not want to be late!"

As Iliana and the pleasant aroma of vanilla faded from his twitching nostrils, the shifter bounded down the vines and branches beneath him. As he dropped lithely from the lowest branch he swiped the message off the trunk with one hand. In a moment it was open, the thin rice paper beneath saturated with mango juice from the shifter's hands.

"I see then. The first step." Sepoto looked back to the sun in the sky, and feeling the wind tugging on his nettle-filled fur, his eyes narrowed slightly in thought. He thought to ask a question of the spirit of I'katra in the sky, the faint voice only he seemed to hear, but then thought better of it. It was often better to be surprised.

It was late, he had better hurry.

Interior of Headmaster Goludov's Office:

Bounding into the office, Sepoto realized almost immediately that he was tardy. The glares he received from some of the occupants, most notably Headmaster Goludov himself only confirmed this. It seemed everyone was already here. As he looked around, from one to the next, he smiled in spite of himself. His morning had been a busy one.

The scurrying of a chameleon led him to where Kaelan had loitered in the shade of the Commons, eating his breakfast. Then, the faintest scent of blood had found the shifter watching an earnest Charles through his dormitory window. From there, Sepoto had followed the martial clang of lance striking armor, and found Darrick intently grooming his horse. The barest wiff of oleander had brought him to Catherine, meticulously packaging bandages at the infirmary. She smelled nice as well, he thought, much better than the smoldering scent of burnt cycads that led him to the warforged, Trebuchet. Sepoto had watched the impossibly still metal man as long as he could and then given up, returning to the banyan tree where Iliana found him. In a way, he now understood why I'katra had led him about like a fool-monkey all day. The journey would begin soon.

"Sorry, is Sepoto, for being late."

[sblock] Sorry for the delay, consider this a double post to make up for my own tardiness. [/sblock]