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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6802787" data-attributes="member: 9546">Out Of The Frying Pan18 Desnus, 4716 - 22 Desnus, 4716"We head for the gatehouse," Tardaesha said."What??" Dorian gaped. "Did you not see the guards on the battlements in that direction?""I saw two of them," his sister replied calmly. "There are six of us.""With exactly two daggers among us!" Dorian snapped. "They are wearing armor, and have weapons!""We have faith on our side," Tardaesha smiled. "At least some of us do.""Well, whatever we're gonna do," Lemmy growled, "we'd best get to doin' it! With all those horns blowin', it ain't gonna be long 'till the whole garrison's between us and the front door!"Following Tardaesha's lead, they went back through the guard tower and out the door on the opposite side. When they emerged on the far battlements, however, the pair of prison guards they'd seen earlier was just emerging from another tower on the far end."There they are!" one of the guards shouted."Ladies," Tardaesha turned to Dakota and Katarina, "it's time to show these boys what bitches the Dannister women can be!"The three sisters began running along the battlements, closing the distance with the guards rapidly. The others looked at one another, then shrugged and started to follow. "Hello lovers," Tardaeshi smiled humorlessly at the guards as she drew up in front of them. "Looking for us?""You won't be smiling once the sergeant gets hold of you!" the man sneered He raised a leather club and struck her solidly in the belly, causing her to double over as the air whooshed out of her. "Not so smart now, are you?" he laughed. His smile faltered a moment later when Katarina cartwheeled nimbly past and behind him. As he turned to follow her, the dagger in her hand thrust into his back. His eyes went wide in pain in surprise."Don't forget about me, lover," Tardaesha wheezed as she straightened and rammed her own dagger into his gut.Dakota giggled, holding one hand to her mouth. "Bet you always dreamed of having two girls at the same time!" she mocked.Her smile dropped instantly when she spotted the second guard moving in on her, his club now replaced with a sword."Drop!" she commanded, the single word pronounced with emphatic power.The guardsman looked momentarily perplexed, and then he simply fell to the ground, still clutching his sword and shield, and staring up in confusion. After a moment, he seemed to regain his composure and scrambled to his feet, but as he did so, Kat and Tardaesha were on him like a pair of hellcats, jabbing and sticking with their knives. "Get off!" the guard roared, swinging his sword wildly, and managing to graze Katarina with it as she danced away. The first guard, bleeding heavily from his wounds, still managed to bring up his shield and raise his sword as he charged towards the women, bowling into Tardaesha and slamming her up against the crenellations of the battlements. She gritted her teeth and tried to shove him away, but he was too heavy in his armor. Just as she thought she was about to get tossed over the side to be dashed on the rocks below, the man suddenly fell away and slumped to the ground. When Tardaesha looked down, she saw that his throat had been neatly slit. Katarina stood over him, her dagger dripping."That's one I owe you, little sister," she smiled through bloody teeth. "Going to have to make it up to you later."Stumbling, she crossed the distance to Dakota and tossed her twin her dagger."Your turn," she grunted as she sank down onto her knees, bleeding freely from several sites.As Dakota nodded grimly and started towards the remaining guard, Dorian came to Tardaesha's side and knelt beside her. "Let the power of the Dark Prince revive you," he said as he laid his hands upon her.Tardaesha felt a wave of heat and pain rush through her body, followed by the sensation of her cuts being gradually knit back together. She reveled in the feeling, moaning in satisfaction. She rolled her head to one side, just in time to see the guard cuff Dakota across the face with the pommel of his sword, only to be impaled through the neck by Katarina when he turned his back on her.____________________________________________________________________Dorian did what little he still could to tend his sisters' wounds as they hastily stripped the guards of their armor. Dakota and Tardaesha donned the bulky chain shirts, the latter also hefting one of the heavy steel shields. Dorian took the other, though it was far too heavy and bulky for his rather slight frame. Still, it was better than nothing. Tardaesha then armed herself with a sword, while Dakota strapped on the other, but carried her weapon of choice in her hand...a longbow. Lemmy and Dorian each took a leather club, and with that, they were as prepared as they were going to be. Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, they entered the second tower from which the two guardsmen had emerged. Finding it blessedly empty, they hurried down the stairs and cautiously opened the door at the bottom which led back into the courtyard, finding themselves only a few dozen yards from the gatehouse. No guards where in sight as they crept across the lawn. The main doors to the gatehouse were massive affairs, closed and likely barred from the inside. They found a smaller, side door, however, that was unlocked, and slipped inside. The large room beyond looked as if it had seen little use in recent months. In the center of the chamber a ladder led up to a trapdoor, while on one side there were three arrow slits that apparently looked into the inner gatehouse. Voices could be heard coming from beyond the slits."We'll hold position here," said a gruff, commanding individual. "They'll have to come through here eventually if they're trying to escape, and we'll be ready for'em!""I think I recognize that one," Dakota whispered, cocking her head to one side as she crept towards the nearest arrow slit. When she peered through, she found herself looking into the wide entryway of the guardhouse, with two, stout, barred double doors at each end. Standing in the middle of the room was Tomas Blackerly, as well as three prison guards. "Oh, you fat, fat bastard," Dakota said, her voice low as she raised her bow. "You're mine now.""Dakota!" Tardaesha hissed from where she stood by the ladder. "We don't have time for this! We have to go!""Go ahead," Dakota called back softly to her twin. "I'll catch up after I've ventilated this prick.""You hear that?" Blackerly's voice asked."Heard sumpin'," one of the guards replied as he started towards the arrow slits. "<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />!" Tardaesha cursed as she began climbing the ladder. She was only older than Dakota by two minutes, but sometimes it seemed as if her twin had the maturity of toddler. When she reached the trapdoor, Tardaesha carefully lifted it and raised her eyes above the lip. A vast open room that seemed to span the entirety of the gatehouse had two more ladders leading up, as well as two more trapdoors in the floor. Twenty arrow slits granted vision over the bridge, courtyard and walls of the prison. In the center of the room was a single chair, with an individual seated there. "You don't look like a guard," the figure said in a low, growling voice."Neither do you," Tardaesha replied, her eyes narrowed.On closer inspection, she could see that it was a male, and his arms were shackled behind his back. He looked human, but not entirely. His skin had a slight greenish cast, and his ears had a bit of a taper. His lower incisors protruded past his lip just a fraction. Half-orc?"Where are the other guards?" she whispered. "Don't know," the half-orc shrugged. "They stopped beating me and ran off when the horns started blowing. Are you a prisoner?""Not any more," Tardaesha smiled."You didn't happen to run into a crazy-eyed dwarf, did you?" asked the shackled man."As a matter of fact," Tardaesha looked down the ladder below her, "we happen to have one of those. He's down there.""No kidding," the half-orc said, a half smile on his face. "Get me loose, would you?"At that moment a loud explosion sounded from below.Katarina quickly picked up some loose debris around the room and jammed it beneath the door frame, hoping to momentarily stall any reinforcements that might arrive. An explosion came from behind her, and she whipped around in a panic, afraid that they'd knocked down a wall to get at the prisoners. Instead, she saw Lemmy crouched in front of one of the arrow slits, one hand extended into it. From his open palm, a spray of dirt, rocks and other detritus blasted into the room on the other side. From her vantage at another slit, Dakota saw the barrage  strike the approaching guardsman square in the face, crushing his skull into a bloody pulp as it threw him to the floor."What...the...Hells?" Dakota breathed as she stared wide-eyed at the dwarf.Lemmy shrugged. "It's what I do.""Well, keep doing it!" she squealed in glee. "He's not the only one with a fancy trick or two," Dorian said from her other side, where he too stood at one of the arrow slits. "Watch this!"The priest shook back his sleeves, made the symbol of Asmodeus in the air before him, then pointed his finger through the slit. A bolt of fire sprang from it and flashed through the air towards another of the guards. When it struck him, he yelped and sprang backwards, slapping at his burning tabard. "Dammit all!" Tomas Blackerly snapped at his remaining men. "Fall back! Follow me!"He sprang for the ladder, sheathed his sword and began climbing. One of the guards, the one not on fire, moved to follow, but before he did, he snapped off a shot from his bow towards the arrow slits. Against all odds, and likely by blind luck rather than skill, it sailed through and struck Lemmy in the shoulder. "Gods be damned!" he snarled, ducking back out of sight."Tardaesha!" Dakota called up to her sister. "You're about to get some company from a fat bastard! Gut him for me!""With this?" Tardaesha muttered to herself, looking doubtfully at the small knife in her hand. "Now would be good," the half-orc said, shaking his manacled hands meaningfully."Do I look like I'm carrying a set of keys on me?" she snapped back. "Kat!" she shouted over her shoulder down the trapdoor. "Get up here!"Suddenly, the trapdoor next to the half-orc's chair smashed open, and Blackerly climbed up through the hole, drawing his sword as he came. "Now, now, big boy," Tardaesha said placatingly as she held out her hands, "unlike my sister, I don't wish you a gruesome demise. I just want out of this gods-forsaken place.""Your lyin' through your frakkin' teeth, bitch!" Blackerly spat. "How about I knock a few of 'em out for ya?"Below, Lemmy peeked his head around the arrow slit again just long enough to hurl another blast of earth through it. Not nearly so devastating as his first, it still managed to catch the guard who had shot him a glancing blow, knocking him off balance. Dakota took that opportunity to fire off a shot of her own, putting an arrow in the man's backside, while Dorian sent another fire bolt at the still smoldering guardsman he'd previously scorched, sending him into convulsions of panic as he struggled to extinguish himself.Blackerly rushed towards Tardaesha, swinging widely with his sword. Tardaesha ducked and side-stepped simultaneously, then punched at his exposed flank with her dagger. His chainmail deflected most of the blow, but she still managed to draw first blood. He spun back towards her, his blade raised defensively, more wary of her. "To Hells with this!" a deep voice bellowed from behind him.The sergeant whirled, just as the half-orc stood up, pulling the back of the chair off as he did so. Blackerly swung, and the tip of his sword slashed deeply across the bigger man's belly. It didn't slow him. The half-orc rushed in and wrapped the chain of his manacles around Blackerly's throat."Perfect!" Katarina whooped from where she'd just come up the ladder. "Hold him still!"She stepped forward and drove her dagger deep into the sergeant's belly."No!" he shouted, dropping his sword. "Please don't kill me!""That all depends on what you do in the next five seconds," Tardaesha hissed in his ear, pressing her blade against his neck. "Tell your boys down there to stand down.""Stand down!" he shouted through the trapdoor. "Do it now, you motherless sons!"In the room below, the guards looked at one another, then hastily dropped their weapons.___________________________________________________________________"Lemmy Killmister, as I live and breathe!" the big half-orc grinned broadly."Roger Renfield!" the dwarf bellowed as he grabbed the larger man in a bear-hug. "I thought you were dead, boy! What in the Hell's happened?""After we got separated in Ghastenhall, I tried to make it to one of our safe houses," Roger shook his head, "but they were waiting for me when I got there. You?""That distraction ya bought me almost paid off," Lemmy said, "but when I got to where the contact was supposed to meet me, the cowardly bastard had already lit out! "As touching as this little reunion is," Katarina interrupted, "if you gentlemen don't want to spend the last three days of your lives as guests of the monarchy, you need to move your asses!""I like that one," Lemmy winked at Roger.Everyone except for Dakota had already climbed down the ladder into the entry hall. The young inquisitor stood over a sobbing Tomas Blackerly."Let that be a reminder of whose mercy you owe your miserable life to," she sneered down at him, admiring her handiwork. Blackerly looked miserably up at her, blood dripping into his eyes from the symbol of Asmodeus that had been carved into his forehead. As she turned towards the ladder, Kat stepped behind the sergeant and grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling his head back."Now let this illustrate just how fickle that mercy is," she said as she drew her dagger across his throat.Once the prisoners had all gathered below, Tardaesha commanded the two guards to strip. They complied uneasily, and then she told them to stand facing the wall. Roger walked calmly up behind them, then clubbed each one with the pommel of Blackerly's sword, knocking them both senseless. By that time, everyone except Kelvyn had donned armor and guards' tabards with hooded cloaks."Let's get moving," Tardaesha said as she lifted the bar from the door leading to the bridge from the mainland.Katarina was the last one to go. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the unconscious guards. Kneeling, she quickly and efficiently ended both of their lives."No witnesses," she murmured to herself before following her new friends, and family.Beyond the gates a wide stone bridge with a short guard rail stretched away into the mist. The prisoners strode quickly across it until they saw a small guardhouse loom out of the darkness. A lowered portcullis blocked the far end of the bridge, and a lone guardsman stood there with an upraised lantern. A snarling hound crouched at his feet. "'Oy!" he called. "Who goes there?""Blackerly sent us to reinforce the bridge in case the prisoners make it this far," Tardaesha called back, pitching her voice lower, like a man's. "There's been a break out. Sergeant wants you to bring the dog back to the courtyard to help track down the prisoners.""You sure?" the guard called back. "Seems unusual.""Just following orders," Tardaesha replied. "You can take it up with the sarge if you've got a problem with it.""Ah, Hells," the man sighed, and began walking towards them, the dog straining against its chain.As he passed them, he paused, cocking his head quizzically. " 'Ere now," he said, "is that a dwarf?""New recruit," Tardaesha  said. "Warden hired him to work on reinforcing the walls. Good with stone and all that."The guard looked dubious, but he just shrugged and kept walking, muttering under his breath something about little bastards drinking up all the ale. The prisoners didn't bother to watch him go. They quickened their pace until they reached the portcullis, where Kat made fast work of the locking mechanism, and Roger cranked it up. They ducked beneath it, and vanished into the shadows of the moors._________________________________________________________________The prisoners found the moors to be little more hospitable than Branderscar itself, especially at night. The dark, brackish salt marches teemed with mosquitos and other buzzing pests. The only good news was that the ever-present shallow brine pools and streams would make tracking them difficult. Unfortunately, it was those same trackless wastes that made the moors a great place to become hopelessly lost. As luck would have it, however, Dorian had actually spent some time in the nearby town of Varyston, and had traveled through those self-same moors on more than one occasion So it was that he was able to fairly reliably lead the way through the wilderness in the general direction in which he thought the Old Moor Road lay.As they slogged through the pre-dawn hours, wet, cold, and thoroughly  miserable, it was Dakota who first noticed something amiss. The constant buzzing and biting torment of insects had abruptly ceased. She glanced uneasily around at the gloom and mist, and that was when her sharp eyes picked out something odd in the light of the full moon. What she thought was a knotty log, half submerged in a nearby pool, suddenly blinked."Tardaesha, watch out!" she called to her sister, who was in the lead beside Dorian.It was too late. The pool exploded as a massive, hideously scarred toad, easily the size of a warhorse, surged out of it. It's thick tongue struck out and wrapped around Tardaesha's mid-section, drawing her bodily towards the monster. Her arms were pinned to her sides, and she couldn't raise her sword to defend herself. Behind her, Katarina pulled an arrow from a quiver she had taken from one of the guards, knocked it to her equally stolen bow, and loosed. Her shot was true and struck the toad in its flank, but it did not loose its hold on its prey. Roger charged in, hacking with a sword, and Lemmy hurled a gout of rock and debris at the beast, and still it held on. It tipped its head back, and with a mighty gulp, swallowed Tardaesha whole."Nooo!!" Dakota wailed in panic. Katarina fired again, and finally, the creature collapsed. Roger leaped atop it and sliced it open from throat to groin. Tardaesha spilled out of its gullet, limp and pale. Dakota ran to her twin, gathering her up in her arms. She leaned over her and pressed her mouth against Tardaesha's own, exhaling deeply. Over and over she breathed until, at last, Tardaesha gasped and arched her back, vomiting a copious amount of water and bile. She blinked rapidly, her eyes watering furiously as she stared up at Dakota."Did...I...just get...eaten??" she stammered.Dakota nodded, a thin smile on her own tearful face."One more thing to scratch off your bucket list."____________________________________________________________________Katarina was able to track the toad's tracks back to its lair, a small cave accessible only through a stagnant brackish pool. They decided to pass the night there to allow Tardaesha to recover from her wounds. They quickly discovered they were not alone, finding the skeletal remains of some unfortunate deposited in a pile near the back of the cave, a golden medallion still around its neck, and a full coin purse laying nearby. The following morning, the sound of hunting horns and the baying of hounds could be heard in the distance. The prisoners set out again, moving as quickly as the boggy terrain would allow.Hours later, after having escaped the prison, survived the monstrous toad, and crossed the moors with guard patrols at their heels, finding the house on the Old Moor Road paled beside their other accomplishments. As promised, a lonely lantern burned in the upper story. The place otherwise showed little sign of habitation. Old but well-appointed, the house was large, imposing and isolated on its hill. Painted a dark green and surrounded by barbed wrought iron fencing, nothing about the place seemed inviting or a sanctuary. Still, it was their destination. Where would they go if not there? They had an appointment to keep, and it was best not to keep their nameless benefactor waiting..._________________________________________________________________ACT TWO: INTO THE KNOTAt the door of the manor house, the escapees were met by none-other-than Tiadora. She no longer looked like she was destined for a funeral, instead clad in a diaphanous white gown that made her look almost angelic. When she spoke, however, any illusions about her angelic character were quickly dispelled. "Dearest, you took long enough," she said pitilessly, addressing Dorian. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever make it. Oh, and you brought friends. The master commands all of you to appear before him, but before that, you must be made presentable. Slaves!"She clapped her hands and a dozen young attractive men and women all wearing very traditional servants' livery appeared quickly, their heads bowed. "These people are our guests," Tiadora commanded imperiously. "See them to their rooms. I want them cleaned, dressed and refreshed. Quickly."There was something in that last word that sounded like a threat. Certainly the slaves took it that way, hustling to perform their duties. Tiadora did not wait around for questions or inquiries. Instead, she left the group in the care of the slaves. They were led up to individual rooms, though Dakota and Tardaesha chose to cohabitate, where they found fresh clothes perfectly sized to each of them, as well as facilities for washing up. When their attendants noticed that several of their guests bore injuries, they brought in decanters of velvety red wine mixed with various herbs. When it was imbibed, the drinkers discovered that it immediately healed the worst of their wounds, and the platter of hot delicious food and fresh water that was brought after went a long way to healing their spirits. After a time, the slaves notified the fugitives that Tiadora requested their presence. Once they'd all gathered downstairs, Tiadora led them to a beautifully appointed office richly decorated with dark wood and sumptuous brocade tapestries. Sitting in a leather high-backed chair was a devilishly handsome fellow who smiled as they entered. "I believe you to be the first to ever escape from Branderscar Prison," he said by way of greeting. "Well done! Of course, you had help from the outside," he added with a wicked smile. "But enough with the pleasantries. You must be curious why I've helped you. Rest assured this is no random act of altruism. I have brought you here for a reason. My name is Cardinal Adrastus Thorn. I am the last high priest of Asmodeus left on the island of Talingarde. Once the Prince of Nessus was rightly revered alongside the other great powers. Now, the king of Talingarde has become a puppet to Iomedaen fanatics who wish to destroy an religion that does now bow to their insipid patron. For their blasphemy, I will see the same people who imprisoned and condemned you suffer. I understand what you went through, for I have faced it myself."With that, he pulled up the sleeve of his robe and revealed his own runic "F" brand."I am going to burn Talingarde to the ground, and from the ashes I will build a new nation that knows its rightful master. I cannot do this alone. I seek servants worthy of our Infernal Father's majesty. Have I found them in you?"He rose and his eyes flashed with hellfire and divine purpose."Join me!" he cried. "Serve me well in this holy endeavor and I will raise you up in the eyes of gods and men. I will make you princes of the new Talingarde. Today, swear fealty to me and to Asmodeus. Put aside forgiveness, and I will give you vengeance. Put aside mercy, and be made powerful. Put aside peace, and become my harbingers of war. What say you? Will you swear your allegiance or will you burn with the rest of the blind fools?"By this point, the eyes of the Dannisters shown with religious fervor, and all of them were nodding enthusiastically. Lemmy, for his part, simply shrugged his shoulders and muttered, "Why not?"The only one to hesitate was Roger. Unconsciously, his right hand reached up and touched the symbol that hung around his neck. "A crisis of faith, is it?" Thorn asked with a smile when he noticed the gesture. "Let me assure you, my half-breed friend, your patron, Zon-Kuthon, is nothing before the power of Asmodeus. Yet the Dark Prince will remember his friends and allies once the new order rises. I'm certain the god of suffering will have no reason for regret once the reign of Asmodeus begins."Roger hesitated a moment longer, then nodded once, briefly."Excellent," Thorn smiled. "Let us make it official. Signing in blood is traditional."He brought out a quill, a silver ritual knife and two copies of a contract written on some unidentifiable leather, penned in dark red ink...the Pact of Thorns. It read as follows:Behold on this day, 19 Desnus, 4716, in the eighth age of this world, a perpetual Compact is made between Cardinal Adrastus Thorn (hereafter the Master) and those who would be bound to him as his acolytes (hereafter the Bound). Both the Master and the Bound shall hold fast and true to this Compact through all trial and tribulation. By blood and soul the Bound commit to the Compact and swear that it shall never be undone. The Bound shall know and understand the Four Loyalties. The First Loyalty is to their patron and god...mighty Asmodeus, first among the fallen, prince of the nine hells, our father below. They shall do all that can be done to further his worship and his glory. The Second Loyalty is to their master...He who is called the Cardinal Adrastus Thorn, High Priest of Asmodeus in Talingarde. They shall do the Master no harm and obey his every commandment as long as those commandments do not clash with their First Loyalty. The Third Loyalty is to their companions...the other Bound who serve alongside them. The Bound shall deal with each other fairly and honorably as long as doing so does not clash with their First or Second Loyalties. All treasure, wealth and reward garnered in their exploits will be equally shared with all of the Bound who aided in its acquisitions. The Fourth Loyalty is to themselves...for Asmodeus is the Lord of Ambition and all who serve him should strive to become great and powerful in his service as long as doing so does not clash with their First, Second or Third Loyalties. By their weakness, ye shall know the unworthy. The Bound swear that they cleave to and uphold the Four Loyalties even in the face of death and damnation. The Master swears that as long as the Four Loyalties are upheld, he shall reward the Bound as they deserve for their deeds. Thus it is written, and thus it shall be. We being of sound mind and free will do so swear and let they who violates this Compact know all the wrath of Hell unending.One by one, the Bound stepped forward and signed their names.___________________________________________________________________After the signing ceremony, the newly Bound were led by Tiadora from the meeting room."You are free to move about the manor as you will," she said. "Food, drink, clothing are all at your disposal. You may also select a slave as a companion if you like.""What if what I like is you," Tardaesha asked in a seductive tone.Tiadora's gaze pinned her like an insect. Tardaesha swallowed impulsively. After a moment, the other woman cracked a small, icy smile and laughed before turning away.Over the next three days they lived like kings. The new clothing they received was more befitting nobility than prisoners on the lam. The servants also approached each of them and asked what equipment they required. When requests were made, the slaves returned later with anything from arms and armor, to spell books and religious materialS. Each of them also received a silver medallion engraved with the symbol of Asmodeus, and a simple iron circlet, which Tiadora instructed them to wear at all times. "It can magically alter your appearance," she explained. "Something I'm sure you will find useful in the coming days."They also discovered that they were not alone in the house. In another wing, there were four more individuals, three men and a woman. They called themselves...The White Ravens...</blockquote>

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