Last Stand of the Dorinthians (Chapter 3 - The Imperials)

[Deuce Traveler]

Silas casts his detect magic spell, moving his cone of detection around as he sweeps the area for Nefius' location. The twisted man is definitely out of the range of the abjurer's spell and it seems clear that he has fled, although Silas cannot be sure unless he attempts to follow a dissipating trail of magic and leave the safety of the group. On the other hand, the black staff that Nefius dropped glows brightly with moderate transmutation magic. A crossbow by the side of the dead robed wizard also shows an aura of magic.

It takes both Chalik and Danica to help support the gravely wounded Alexander and move the barely breathing half-orc out of the way of the approaching conflict. Kel picks up the nearly dead kobold in his arms and carries him gently away. After Silas casts his magic, he marches the two remaining soldiers away and towards the dwarven lines.

Dartis takes the moment to get off his horse and retrieve the magic shield and his sword that he had to drop in order to fire off his last two arrows. After doing so, he remounts as three Imperial horsemen break ranks and approach him. It is Commander Sassarius, and two of his trusted men. He looks furious, and he stares hard at Dartis as he asks, "Is this the way Dorinthians negotiate, lordling? By slaying those who approach in a manner of peace? Nefius may have been an object of loathing, but he was still an Imperial and your murdering him must be answered for."

 

[Fenris]

Dartis takes the moment to get off his horse and retrieve the magic shield and his sword that he had to drop in order to fire off his last two arrows. After doing so, he remounts as three Imperial horsemen break ranks and approach him. It is Commander Sassarius, and two of his trusted men. He looks furious, and he stares hard at Dartis as he asks, "Is this the way Dorinthians negotiate, lordling? By slaying those who approach in a manner of peace? Nefius may have been an object of loathing, but he was still an Imperial and your murdering him must be answered for."

"Greetings Commander Fralius Sassarius" replies Dartis calmly and formally. "I should ask you the self same question regarding negotiations since it was Imperials who drew weapons first! On one point though I think we can agree, that Counsellor Nefius is indeed an object of loathing. Unfortunately, he is still an object of loathing. After he ordered his men to kill us, he used some of his dark magic to dissappear. I knew well that it was only his fear of you that forced him to even agree to this intial arrangement. But apparently once out of your sight, Nefius does as he pleases and ignores your orders. Should he ever approach your camp again Commander, I would watch my back. He fears you and sought to betray you. I respect you as an officer and an honorable man too much to have you fall to the schemes of such a scoundrel."

"So I have no murder to answer for. I wish I had a body to present and evidence of self-defense. He order his men to attack, and struck me with his foul magic. Alas that i could not kill him to indeed answer for a murder or a death. I know that within the Great Empire of Tallione to defend oneself is considered a right, is it not? That a man is permitted to strike at those who strike at him? It was Nefius who ordered this. I sought you out, as I did not trust Nefius. That threat drove him over the edge. As I said he fears you. Perhaps he feared that if he learned your forces had been delayed here on a fool's errand, you would be cross with him."

"Commander, Nefius' errand was fruitless. All it managed was to delay your stay in these parts. Dorinthia is no more. You task is complete. If you feel the need to salt the earth and destroy every drop of Dorinthian blood in these parts, you may find that a larger task than you hoped" adds Dartis with a subtle and diplomatic reminder of the Commander's heritage.

"These poor people are not seeking to forment rebellion. They merely wish to live in peace. It has been the machinations of Rufus Nefius that has led us all here. Two armies on the brink of war. Let us end this in peace. Greater glory awaits you in the Empire I am sure Commander. None lies here. You task is complete. Seek a new task elsewhere, I ask. The man who poisoned your counsels is gone, take your own,free of his webs."

 

[GlassEye]

Silas stands and listens as Dartis speaks with an eloquence born of his nobility and he hopes that Commander Sassarius proves himself as noble. With a start he realizes two things: his distraction has nearly caused his arcane vision to lapse and, their commander, Lord Dartis Kalnian, was currently facing the Imperial Commander and his escorts without an escort of his own.

Quietly he attracts Danica's attention. "Danica, Lord Kalnian faces the Imperials without attendants..." Slowly, he begins to approach the mounted delegation, hardly noticing if Danica follows as he continues to scan for traces of Nefius' magic as he walks. Passing the area of their skirmish with the Imperials Silas will reach down and snatch up Nefius' staff. To Danica he will whisper, "The crossbow lying over there has the air of magic about it. Best stow it away from Imperial eyes."

He will then continue forward until he is only just behind and to the left of Dartis as befitting a guard or counselor. Silas continually scans the limit of his vision for further trace of Nefius or his magic and will do so until his magic fades (3 minutes).

 

[Kobold Stew]

At Silas' words, Danica nods primly, and walks forward to stand a few meters behind Dartis, to his left. As she approaches, she hangs her own crossbow on her hip. She crouches down and picks up the indicated crossbow as if it were hers, loads it, and holds it in her hands as she stands ready to guard Lord Dartis.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

As Silas and Danica take their places to the sides of Dartis, the companions near Commander Sassarius stiffen and ready their weapons as if anticipating an attack. The three heroes do the same, and for a moment the sun glints brilliantly over the ancient shield that Dartis holds in his hand.

A gasp is heard from the soldier to Sassarius' left. "Gods... Commander, gaze upon the face on that shield and tell me my eyes don't deceive me. Is that the one that Nefius wished retrieved?"

"It must be, Commander. It is your image on the Shield of Kings. Do you know what this means?" The second companion asks, his eyes glazed in imagined glories.

But no such lust for glory reaches the eyes of the Imperial leader. Instead his face remains a visage of stone, though his hands grip the reins of his horse until the knuckles become white. Finally, he says, "It means that Nefius would have sowed chaos among myself, my family, and my friends. Bringing this to the emperor, even if I brought it to him sealed in that chest without seeing it first, could have been perceived as an intent to usurp the throne. I would have been killed, my family banished, and my allies removed from power. In one easy move, Nefius would have erased my opposition to him at the court."

"But though his plot might have been ruined, Nefius still lives, or so these Dorinthians say. What if he makes it to the emperor before we do? He'll be able to set whatever plot he had in motion anyway."

Commander Sassarius turns his head sharply to his companion in alarm, then looks back to the heroes and says, "We must ride away, and fast. It is a long way back to the Imperial capital and it would seem we have business there. Hand us over those two prisoners you have taken that stood by Nefius' side so that we may have them testify in front of the emperor and we will leave you in peace," he offers.

You agree to this. The chance of watching this army leave and have Nefius hang is too good to pass up. As Sassarius turns to leave and muster his army out he says one last surprising statement. "My mother was Dorinthian, but was a minor noble on the borderlands. Her uncle usurped her father's position, had him imprisoned, and sold her to the Imperials across the border. As you might imagine, she never had good words to say about her fellow Dorinthians. Still, she was the greatest woman I've ever known, and I must say that there might be Dorinthians with character like hers after all." After this partial compliment, he leaves with the two prisoners, and shortly afterwards the army does, too.

---

The celebrations start almost immediately after the last Imperial disappears over a hill. The portals to the dwarven kingdom are opened wide, and everyone begins to gather on either side of the opening. The human refugees start crying and hugging with the happiness of being alive, while the dwarves start rolling kegs of ale with the intention that they will soon be enjoyed.

Kel and Chalik go to help Rix and Alexander reach the clinic and be helped, while Dartis and Silas take Danica to meet with a Dorinthian who led one of the columns of armed refugees with skill. The man's name is Barok Hume, and he has a rapier dangling from his side (OOC: Introducing Nephtys' character here). Before they can begin their mutual congratulations, however, Chalik comes back with a manacled Imperial. The man's clothes look raggard and he looks like he hasn't slept in a long while. "I'm sorry to bother you," Chalik says. "We captured this Imperial weeks ago as he was wandering nearby on his own. Initially, we thought he was a spy and planned to execute him. The problem is that we are now almost certain that he was a defector. The other problem is that there are still plenty of dwarves that still want to see him dead. I was hoping that he might get a fairer trial with your people since you are mostly humans, after all. His name is Tessan Ventus." (OOC: Introducing hafrogman's character)

 

[Deuce Traveler]

OOC: Silas never does find a trace of Nefius before his spell fizzles out.

 

[hafrogman]

The prisoner seems to be on his last legs, worn and tired, with weeks of stubble covering his face. But as he is delivered from one jailer to another, he takes a deep, ragged breath and draws himself upright. For a moment he stands straight and spends a moment considering the four standing before them. He meets the gaze of each unflichingly, and deep convictions burn within his eyes.

He stands silent, awaiting the decision.

 

[Fenris]

Dartis watches the Imperial column leave, barely breathing. As they pass out of sight he lets out a sigh and sags a bit in in saddle. Relieved that more of his people would not have to fight. And that the dwarves who sheltered them would be spared the brutality of war. the cheers that erupt cause him to sit up and wheel his horse around though, a grin on his face that hadn't been there in a while.

"Well Silas, I think I am glad we could not kill Nefius after all. The Imperials are their own worst enemies" he says. As they walk back to the celebration he turns to Danica and Silas "Thank you both for coming out to serve as my escort, that took no small amount of courage"

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Dartis is seeking out the Dwarven king when Chalik comes forward with the prisoner. After hearing the request of Chalik, Dartis dismounts from Swift and takes a long appraising gaze on their prisoner, who stands almost defiantly before them.

"Well Tallione, how come you to be here?" asks Dartis

 

[Nephtys]

Kel and Chalik go to help Rix and Alexander reach the clinic and be helped, while Dartis and Silas take Danica to meet with a Dorinthian who led one of the columns of armed refugees with skill. The man's name is Barok Hume, and he has a rapier dangling from his side (OOC: Introducing Nephtys' character here). Before they can begin their mutual congratulations, however, Chalik comes back with a manacled Imperial. The man's clothes look raggard and he looks like he hasn't slept in a long while. "I'm sorry to bother you," Chalik says. "We captured this Imperial weeks ago as he was wandering nearby on his own. Initially, we thought he was a spy and planned to execute him. The problem is that we are now almost certain that he was a defector. The other problem is that there are still plenty of dwarves that still want to see him dead. I was hoping that he might get a fairer trial with your people since you are mostly humans, after all. His name is Tessan Ventus." (OOC: Introducing hafrogman's character)

"If we treat every defector as a spy we will get no surrenders and will have to fight twise as hard in the future, but if we treat every spy as a defector we will have no secrets left. Question is, what secrets do we have left anyway? Seems to me our enemy knows our every move already. And if we already have spies in our midst what harm can yet another spy do?" He snorts, a wry smile almost touching his lips as he turns to the new arrivals. "But the choice is yours, do with him what you want, you've certainly earned it."

 

[hafrogman]

Ventus turns his eyes on Dartis as soon as he is spoken to. His voice is rough from lack of recent use, but he speaks forcefully enough.

"It is as it has been said. I am . . . I was Legionaire Tessan Ventus. I served my empire. I fought and killed my enemies on the field of battle. . ."

He pauses, considering the recent events in his life. Speaking of it for the first time, there are many conflicting emotions and memories. When he continues, his voice is quieter, and although he still holds his head aloft, he no longer meets anyone's eyes. He stares into empty space ahead of his.

"When the killing moved from the battlefields and encompassed those who were not soldiers. . . I was forced to reconsider much that I knew to be true. I left the legions to find my own way in the world. My paths crossed that of your allies, and now I am your prisoner."

He returns his eyes to those standing judgement, firmly meeting the gaze of Barok.

"I am no spy."