Six Nights to Yearsend (Ptolus Group B)

[Deuce Traveler]

The 25th of Yearsend Month, 4:36 AM

"Open in the name of House Nagel and the authority rested upon it by the City Council, and the Lords of the Twelve, and the One Church of Lothian, and by the..."

"Oh, shut up already!" You hear Rufius shout back out, silencing the racket that has disturbed the night. Each of you is glad that Rufius worked late and stayed in the spare room for the nights have been unusually cold of late, even for the winter months, and bare feet and cold wooden floors are never the best of friends.

Still, you gather a robe and put it on while looking for some slippers while hearing the rest of your teammates do the same. It's not everyday that some man claiming to be a representative of some noble house demands to see you in the middle of the freezing night and acts like a hysterical loon.

Whatever shock Rufius had affected on the man seems to have worn out, for the pounding continues suddenly causing you to groan as you get up and start moving down the stairs and towards the front door. "I will not be dismissed! I have been sent to find Verosh and his companions and bring him immediately to House Nagel and so I will, by Lothian!"

As you and your companions reach the bottom of the stairs you can see an angry, robed Rufius fling open the door, showing a very young freckled man wearing the house garb of
House Nagel and two armored men shivering at attention and each holding up a banner with the symbol of their house: a red crest with a gold eagle and topped by a golden lion's
head. Rufius is shocked by the display, but not shocked enough to remove the sarcastic anger from his voice. "Alright, son. What's the emergency? Who has been
murdered?"

The boy licks his lips nervously as he suddenly becomes self-conscious of the many eyes staring at him from behind Rufius. "That's just it, sir! There's been a murder and Yarek Nagel demands that Verosh and his companions become his private investigators in this matter. He was quite angry, sir, and demanded we bring them immediately."

"Murder? I was kidding before, boy, but now speak up! Who has been murdered?"

"Knights of the Golden Cross, sir."

Rufius' eyes grow wide, and his voice stumbles over the question, "Which ones? Which knights?" The Knights of the Golden Cross may just be the most popular and altruistic group of adventurers among the people of Ptolus.

Tears begin to form in the boy's eyes, then stream along his cheeks as both his composure and voice breaks. "All of them, sir!

 

[ethandrew]

Bobbaros perched himself on the stair railing, his feet gripping tightly, keeping him perfectly balanced as the riddle of the disturbance slowly fits into place. He pulls out a tobacco tube and lights it with the wall sconce. He sits still, taking slow drags, breathing out the smoke as the scene unfolds before him.

"...All of them, Sir..."

Bobbaros drops his hand, the tube between his fingers as he rests it on the rail, and with an exhale of smoke escaping with each spoken word, mutters out flatly, "Bloody 'ell."

 

[Lorthanoth]

Verosh steps up to the pair, and with an aspect combining shock with fearful anger he pushes his not inconsiderable form past Rufius and demands of the messenger, "All of them?! Impossible! What of Kaira Swansing? Does she yet live? Tell me!"
One of his great fists clasps the boy on the shoulder as the Litorian's eyes start with desperation, and his teeth are bared in an expression those not familiar with Verosh would take to be aggression, but his friends know to be one of fear (albeit rarely seen).

EDIT: Verosh has changed to Dark Red as Rufius has Dark Orange.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

"Dead, sir. Kaira, her father, Jallek Pedastan... all dead," the boy stammers as his guards move nervously at the sight of the angered litoran.

OOC: Take any color you want. Rufius had blue, but I found that color wasn't the best pick. Besides, Rufius is now moving back to the side as an NPC as his part is done here.

 

[Lorthanoth]

Verosh takes his hand away slowly and sadly, as a low growl builds within his chest and and rises to a roar as he slams the doorframe in grief and rage.

After a few heaving breaths, he says quietly, "They were the best of us. The ones we looked up to. Cut down - like that."

He turns to the assembled group, "We leave now!" he says as if to defy the horrible truth with his haste.

 

[bedford]

Skrymer still a bit groggy from all the mead he drank during the night says nothing. he just starts straping on his armor and waits for the others to get ready.

 

[Lorthanoth]

With a face like a raging storm, Verosh grimly goes to his room and throws his gown on the floor. He throws on his everyday clothes and dons his armour, his eyes steely, his jaw set. There are no tears, the son of Kala shall not weep. I shall find these butchers, and send them to the Hell that spawned them.

 

[ethandrew]

As the rest scatter about the house to gather their belongings, Bobbaros hops off the railing and walks to the door, grabbing the edge of it and looking straight at the young man and his standard bearers, "Are you daft? Get inside, it costs a fortune to 'eat this place, and we've no idea 'ow long it'll take for the rest to get ready." He looks at each of them sternly before taking a long drag of his tobacco tube. He lowers his head, shaking it slightly before muttering under his breath, "Bloody 'ell."

 

[Deuce Traveler]

The 25th of Yearsend Month, 5:41 AM

The young man thanks Bobbaros, and he and the two guards come inside and out of the cold. Time speeds by as the house becomes a flurry of activity, with spell slingers preparing their components, trap springers checking their tools, and the muscle of the party putting on their armor and scabbards. In under twenty minutes the party is ready to go and follows the banner-carrying guards and the young herald through the frigid streets of Ptolus. They move west towards the Nobles District, while the lad blows a trumpet on occasion to announce the group's passing. It would have been quite embarrassing if not for the solemness of the moment and the fact that the teenager takes it all so seriously.

Eventually you reach the Nagel Estate, one of the simpler of the Noble Houses. Although small by the standards of its neighbors, it is still much larger than your own home in Ptolus. It has a modest yard surrounded by a low stone fence. It is a two-story home of brick, although it is quite spacious horizontally. A lone guard somehow manages to give your strange group both a displeased stare and a respectful salute as the two banner holders pass his position. You are led into the home, to the first left of a spacious corridor, and a second left into a comfortable but cramped library that your party pours into. The young man closes the door behind you and stares at a wizened figure of a man seated in a recliner and half-gumming, half-puffing at a pipe of tobacco as he examines you. In his right hand he holds a cane, which he thumps on the ground solidly twice and exclaims boisterously, "Ho lads! We got visitors, how nice! Would one of you like a mint?"

The young man clears his throat in embarrassment. "Mr. Yarek, sir, these are the people you said to bring. You know, your friend Verosh and his companions. You asked to bring them here so you could speak with them. About the murder, sir."

Yarek Nagel stares into space for a moment while puffing furiously at his pipe. Finally, he seems to realize where he is and says, "Yes, the murder. Such a shame. A damn shame. Such a beautiful woman like that. But enough chatter about the past, I think. I'd like to hire you and your friends, Verosh, to look into this tragedy. I can offer the lot of you five thousand thrones (gold pieces), and the legal assistance of House Nagel. All I want you lads to do is go to the scenes of the crime and pick up any clues that you may be able to find. I want to know who did this, and by who I don't mean the murdering mercenaries that began this slaughter. They're small fish, although killing the bunch would be a bonus. I want to know who hired them and why. What do you lads say? Up for a little sleuthing?"

 

[Lorthanoth]

"It is a sad day indeed." Verosh says solemnly, "And we shall be only too happy to bring the miscreants to justice. You speak as if you know who committed this crime... Have they been apprehended?" he asks with an edge of excitement to his voice.