Paths of Legend: The Journey

[crazy_monkey1956]

The master bedroom door was open, the trail of blood becoming a huge pool of it on the floor. The man of the house was strung upside from the ceiling like a slaughtered cow...

Estelle awoke to the sun peeking through the shutters of the guest room window.

 

[ethandrew]

A huge yawn escaped Estelle's mouth as she stretched and reached like a cat. The sun filtering through shutters blinded her momentarily and she yawned again, exhausted from a night of thorough sleep. Her dream seemed so real, her nerves getting the best of her as she half-feared getting out of bed to find out it was true. But she knew it must've been a dream. It had to.

She rolled out of the bed and took care not to look at the door. She dressed and gathered her belongings, reenacting her dream, but much slower this time. She hooked her daggers in her boots, so as to be accessible but not stabbing her as she rode. The rapiers and scabbards she wore across her waist, and her backpack completed the ensemble.

Estelle stopped and considered, for a curious moment she remembered the fear from the rapiers, not from herself, so real, like a second mind speaking to her. She reached down cautiously with both hands and grasped the handles at the same time.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

She feels that sense of fear again, only muted, as if a remembered fear.

Estelle hears the man and his son bustling about their morning chores outside her window.

 

[ethandrew]

She sighs in relief at the activity outside and releases the curious rapiers back fully into their scabbards. Estelle had hoped to be riding this early in the morning but it was apparent her body had other plans, as the night of sleeping on a proper bed had proved bad for her dreams but fruitful for her weary body. Making her decision she headed down the blood-smear-free hallway and down the stairs where she intended to give her final thanks to the man and continue on to Azgund.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

The man's farewell is tinged with melancholy and loneliness. The dog barks at Estelle until she is well out of sight of the house.

The next few days of the trip are uneventful and on the evening of the sixth day, the eastern gate of the capital comes into view as Estelle rounds a bend along the forested road.

The western gate is the more active of the two gates into the city, but the eastern gate still sees a modest amount of traffic, moreso with the tournaments starting soon.

When it comes to her turn to enter the city, the guards ask the usual questions, "Citizen or visitor? Business or pleasure?" Followed by, "If you plan to compete in the tournaments, best hurry. Sign-ups end tonight."

 

[ethandrew]

The last few days had blurred past her, a haze of routine, and so as she stood there, being questioned by the guard, with the reins of the horse in one hand, she answered bluntly, "Visitor. Business." She waits to go through, planning her activities. She needs to deliver the letter and the horse, preferably tonight. Then she needed to find the dagger and get it, no matter what it took. Finally, after that was accomplished, she needed to reconnect with her former group. It seemed easy enough when she thought of it, but she knew finding that dagger would be tricky, she just hoped the other two parts wouldn't be as difficult.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Estelle is permitted into the city as night begins to fall.

OOC: Where is she going? She is currently just inside the east gate which is situated at the base of the hill that holds the Lords' Manor and the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Staying on the the city's main road will take her through the embassy district, then the market square, with a left there taking her to the Candle District and a right going into residences. After the market square is the visitor's nest, an area of taverns, inns, drink houses, dance halls, hostels, etc. Beyond that is the western gate.

 

[ethandrew]

She'll want to head to the Lord's manor and deliver the message and the horse. From there she'll want to rest the night and begin her dagger search in the morning.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

OOC: Timeline wise, Estelle will be at the Lord's Manor at about the same time as Renaldo after he left the Adventurer's Guild (the scuffle with the enchanted Dominic). I'm going to allow him a brief glimpse of the real Estelle (like the back of her head and a glimpse of pale skin) as she's leaving Lord Ezra's quarters to throw some confusion into him.

Estelle leads the horse up to the Lords' Manor where a seperate gate awaits. The guards, dressed in very formal armor and uniforms with plumed hats, are much more stern and formal, "None shall pass but those invited or escorted, those specifically permitted by one of the residing Lords or Ladies, or official messengers. Present your authorization to enter or turn back."

 

[ethandrew]

Estelle smiles as sweetly and formally as she can, "And I would be the last one on that list," she states as she brandishes the letter. "This letter is for Lord Ezra's eyes only. I rode from Captain Pirren in Vedlund these past seven days to deliver it. The horse I need to hand off to Captain Jannus. Please do what you must but be quick about it, I have my orders too."


He seems an observant player, so this might be fun. Or he might think he's being followed.

Giving the overlapping of the Estelle's in Azgund, I imagine this Estelle will take her time finding the dagger, as one girl looking for it would raise significantly less suspicion than an adventuring party. Oh, and she's not intending on signing up for the tournament, for what it's worth.