The Ancient Paths - Path I

[hippocrachus]

~ The Adventurers ~

Something about the blood-red velvet wrapping is oddly familiar to Nae'talis.
As Hildor removes the velvet, he reveals a thin stiletto dagger. He turns it over in his hands with care, but for all his caution, still manages to prick his finger slightly. His blood smears on the strangely sharp blade and a flowing script glows red down one side of the metal. The elegant hand spells out only one word: "Lesson."
Braggi rises from his chair, takes Hildor's cut hand in his giant grip, and whispers a prayer to Tyr.
"To protect from poison. Does this mean anything to you, Hildor?"

 

[Legildur]

Braggi rises from his chair, takes Hildor's cut hand in his giant grip, and whispers a prayer to Tyr.
"To protect from poison. Does this mean anything to you, Hildor?"

"Yeah, don't play with sharp knives," Dowkan sn!ggers quietly in the background before regaining his composure under scrutiny.

 

[ae1vart0n]

Dowkan's reply was oddly comforting. The thought that this dagger was meant to teach children not to play with sharp objects was a thought that hadn't occured to Hildor. It was innocent. This dagger was not.

Hildor reached into his pocket and pulled out the symbol he had used to bid farewell to his mother's grave. He held it up in the air and turned it around so that Braggi could clearly see both symbols, one a god of poison and treachery, the other of household and peace. "I assume you understand why these two might not get along well," he was repeating something Ayron had told him, Hildor feared his own words would cause trouble. "They both work through others hands, but in the end they are responsible." Tyr was now the third he was being forced to cope with. The lecture had continued about needing to choose between them. Hildor had blindly chosen Ayron's diety, scratching out his mother's. But he was just now beginning to realize he hadn't really taken sides. "I don't know who it's from," he re-pockets the symbol and looks at Nae'talis "but maybe he'll recognize the spell?"

The message could only be from Mars. Hopefully Nae'talis would know something about the man who wanted him followed.

 

[Majin]

Nae'talis looks from Hildor to Braggi and then back again, expelling air in a straight shot through his lips. He slowly approaches the elf, his eyes on the dagger as he moves. He throws up his hands gently, to loose back the sleeves of his robe and takes the dagger from him, using the scarlet cloth as a medium. He examines the markings on the dagger, attempting to discern what he can from it.

 

[hippocrachus]

~ The Adventurers ~

The word "Lesson" is inscribed into the blade in a flowing handwriting much like Nae'talis'. The red velvet alone could have been a coincidence, but the added handwriting made the blade very suspicious. The question is: should he confront Hildor or wait for the elf to confront him?

 

[Majin]

Nae'talis considered the dagger in his hands and looked up at Hildor from under his eyelashes. Knowing he had almost assuredly given too much away already, the young wizard was not about to insult the half-giant's intelligence, who was watching intently not but a few paces away.

"You shall tell me immediately who you have angered enough to result in such a "gift"; who are you working for?" The mage decided to allow the elf the chance to implicate himself further by lying, rather than lay out his own suspiscions in words. He knew, whether Hildor lied or not, the elf would not come off well now either way. A smile, more like a grimace, that does not reach Nae'talis' eyes appears on the usually emotionless wizard's face.

 

[ae1vart0n]

He was smiling. He knew who it was. It was Mars. Unfortunately Hildor did not know who Mars was. Hildor was afraid of Mars, but the last thing he needed was the Tyrrans after him too.

Looking at Braggi, "I have mentioned him once already. The only one who I am working for, outside of the Tyrrans, is a man who calls himself Mars. I know no other name for him. He has some plan to attack a 'great gathering' of Tyrrans. He may know I told you."

He wanted to remind them he was still working for them. Thinking for a second he realized Hrolf would probably remember the incident with the key. He'd let Hrolf try to remember that though.

"As far as I'm concerned he has broken our contract by attacking me." Had he though? It was true, Hildor's contract hadn't included physical abuse, but it hadn't included informing the Tyrrans of the attack either.

Mars had had no reason to tell Hildor about that attack though. It was somewhat suspicjous that he had. In any case, he stood by the argument that the information had been given freely and did not fall under his objective. Therefore the contract did not require his discretion.

 

[Legildur]

Dowkan sits quietly and calmly twisting his beard in one hand. With a raised eyebrow, he listens as first Nae'talis and then Hildor reveal some awkward truths. 'Maybe the 100 gold pieces he bought me for was a bit cheap' the dwarf silently muses as he continues to listen to the exchange.

 

[hippocrachus]

~ The Adventurers ~

Braggi looks from Nae'talis' threatening stance to Hildor to the sullen Hrolf. Hrolf was being surprisingly quiet during this entire conversation; probably his version of a tantrum due to Braggi telling him he didn't want him running off on some foolish adventure...
"Sit down, Nae'talis," the half-giant says calmly to the wizard before things get out of hand. Hildor's glance towards the younger cleric doesn't escape him, and Braggi can only guess at what the elf was hoping for from Hrolf. Hrolf had told Braggi everything that occured in the caves, including all of his suspicions about Hildor. It was time to have it out for all to see. Nae'talis obviously knew something more about this "Mars," but Braggi doubted the young mage would tell him anything unless it benefited the Thayan directly. If Hildor wants trust, he's going to have to stop keeping secrets.
Braggi waits for Nae'talis to be seated before staring at Hildor sternly. "It's time you gave us the whole story, Hildor."

[sblock]You still with us, Dhes? I hope you didn't catch the Dutch Chocolate Flu. I hear that makes people especially lazy... [/sblock]

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Radcliff ~

"Greetings, Radcliff," a disembodied voice drones from somewhere within the Zhentarim agent's darkened bedroom. At an hour like this, it could only be Ali'Shaun. The man had no concern for Radcliff's business hours.
If he wasn't halfway across the world, I'd teach him a valuable lesson about...
"You have failed me, Radcliff." Radcliff sits up and looks around apprehensively, something in the back of his mind telling him to find an escape route. A reflex he's learned from many years in the Zhentarim's service. "For the last time."
The master thief jumps from his bed, narrowly missing a bolt of acid shot from the depths of his extravagant room. How the Red Wizard did that without actually being in the room leaves Radcliff dumbfounded.
The clock! he thinks. Ali'Shaun had used it several times as a means of gating into Radcliff's chambers uninvited. Time I be rid of you for good!
Radcliff lifts his leg and finds his foot stuck to the ground beneath him. Sticky strands of spider web cling to his feet, leaving the cunning rogue a sitting duck.
"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" The wizard's laugh echoes around the richly furnished bedroom, filling Radcliff's hearing completely. His forehead beads with sweat as he realizes just how much danger he was in. "I have a wonderful new spell I've been meaning to test. You haven't served me well in life, but perhaps you can serve me better in death..."
Radcliff's shrieks replace the mage's laughs as the soul of the Zhentarim is forced from his body and carried through the Astral to a land halfway across the world.

~ Ali'Shaun ~

"Welcome, Radcliff," Ali'Shaun says through a toothy grin at the metallic construct towering in the Red Wizard's tent on the edge of Thay.
The glowing red eyes of the golem flash back at him lifelessly.