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<blockquote data-quote="Bob Aberton" data-source="post: 383105" data-attributes="member: 1518">About an hour later, Nystyra was putting on her Sindell costume and sorting through what Eliad had found out.&nbsp; There had been a good many unfounded rumors and random bits of information about which she didn't care.&nbsp; Using his hat, which he had dubbed &quot;Cnorrec,&quot; roughly the Gnomic equivalent of the name &quot;Bob,&quot; he had disguised himself as a wandering tinker, a barmaid, a warrior of Dwllyn, and a tall, red-haired man.&nbsp; He had learned several interesting things about Lord Meiron.Item 1:&nbsp; Lord Meiron was rumored to have a lover in among the warriors of the Watch, who were all men.Item 2:&nbsp; Two days past, a chambermaid was hung in the town square for &quot;prying among Lord Meiron's personal things.&quot;&nbsp; A man who had known the chambermaid had confided to a tall, red-haired man in the town square that the maid had never committed any crime, and that all she was doing was cleaning Lord Meiron's chamber.&nbsp; Apparently, a different maid had been hung two weeks ago for the same thing.Item 3:&nbsp; Strange folk of late had often come at all hours, asking audience with Lord Meiron.&nbsp; Scruffy-looking mercenaries, bandits who all wore red armbands, short bearded folk with strange eyes, and even a man so tall he &quot;almost had to stoop to get in the town gate&quot; clad in skins and chainmail.As expected, not long after, the Captain of the Guard and Lord Meiron's Bodyguard marched smartly into the Sign of the Leaky Keg, parting the early-morning tavern scum like the prow of a ship parting the sea.&nbsp; This time, there was no open confrontation with the innkeeper, although she and Ellis Millworth did exchange poisonous glares.&quot;So...ah...Lady Sindell,&quot; Lord Meiron lisped in way of greeting.&nbsp; Nystyra was struck by the stuffy, perfumed atmosphere of the chamber and the almost visible miasma of pinkish wig powder floating around the room.&quot;Lord Meiron,&quot; Sindell said distantly.&quot;Or should I call you, hmm...the, ah, Rowan, perhaps, hmm?&nbsp; Here with your friends, the, hmm...the Oaks.&nbsp; I should certainly hope that trees have not ears for secrets, or they shall soon find them lacking, if you...ah...understand me, hmm?&quot; he lisped, with an air of immense cleverness at having deciphered Nystyra's &quot;prophecy.&quot;&quot;You are cleverer than I thought, Lord Meiron,&quot; Sindell replied.&nbsp; &quot;Many men less wise do not understand my prophecies, and are vexed when they come true.&quot;&nbsp; Nystyra s<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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; 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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; 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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; 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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; 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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; 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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />ed to herself, though she did not let it show.&nbsp; This man may be clever, she thought, but I have won the first battle.&nbsp; He had fallen for her &quot;prophecy&quot; hook, line, and sinker.&nbsp;&quot;So, ah...Lady Sindell,&quot; Lord Meiron said, leaning closer enthusiastically, &quot;What do the fates hold in store for me today?&quot;&quot;My Second Sight does not do your bidding, Lord Meiron,&quot; Nystyra/Sindell said sternly.&quot;Hmm...&quot; he said, vacillating between frustration at being so rebuked and respect for the Seeress.&quot;Red is the color of blood, Lord Meiron,&quot; Sindell said suddenly.&quot;But of course,&quot; he said, evidencing some slight irritation at this odd remark.&nbsp; The room returned to its normal perfumed stillness for many a long moment.&nbsp; Suddenly, her eyes, apparently staring at things mere mortals could not see, widened in apparent shock.&quot;Red is YOUR blood, Lord Meiron, and red the hair of your killer!&nbsp; O beware, thy days are numbered!&quot; She cried wildly.Lord Meiron rocked back, visibly shaken.&quot;What is this?&nbsp; Is my death indeed so near?&nbsp; How may I escape it?&quot; he asked wildly.&nbsp; His wig fell askew and his handkerchief dropped from his hand as he stared at &quot;Sindell&quot; intently, fearfully.&quot;Blind!&quot; Nystyra/Sindell wailed loudly, clenching her hands and then covering her eyes.&nbsp; &quot;I am blind!&nbsp; O sweet Sight, but it will not come!&nbsp; Nor more may I say, the Fates are veiled from my eyes!&quot;&quot;Tell me!&nbsp; You must tell me how to escape my fate!&quot;&nbsp; Lord Meiron shouted.&nbsp; He leapt up, upsetting his chair, which fell with a crash.&nbsp; He looked about in a panic.&quot;O you are a dead man, Lord Meiron,&quot; Sindell cried, in a high, shrill voice not at all like her own.&nbsp; &quot;You are dead, and I am blind!&nbsp; The shears!&nbsp; The shears of Fate!&quot;&nbsp; And with that, she collapsed.&quot;Vile Hag!&quot; Lord Meiron cried.&nbsp; Tears streamed down his face, and he seized Sindell about the neck in a rage.&nbsp; &quot;I cannot die!&nbsp; I do not want to die!&nbsp; How may I live?&nbsp; Tell me, tell me!&quot;But Sindell, despite his shaking of her, did not wake, and suddenly he was quiet.&nbsp; The whole roomed seemed quiet.&nbsp; He stood there, breathing heavily, and staring about with bloodshot, fearful eyes.&nbsp; A thin scream escaped his lips.&quot;I am a dead man!&quot; he wailed, and, suddenly frightened by the stillness of the room, opened the door and ran out down the hallway.&nbsp; ****************************************************And Nystyra unveils her devious side.&nbsp; I tried for just a bit of Poe-ishness at the end there...did I get the atmosphere right?Sorry I took so long between updates, but school has reared its ugly head.&nbsp; I will try to update once a week, but this may not be possible, so I trust my faithful readers will keep my Storyhour well and thoroughly *BUMPED*<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink&nbsp; &nbsp; ;)"&nbsp; data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin&nbsp; &nbsp; :D"&nbsp; data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Bob Aberton, post: 383105, member: 1518"] About an hour later, Nystyra was putting on her Sindell costume and sorting through what Eliad had found out. There had been a good many unfounded rumors and random bits of information about which she didn't care. Using his hat, which he had dubbed "Cnorrec," roughly the Gnomic equivalent of the name "Bob," he had disguised himself as a wandering tinker, a barmaid, a warrior of Dwllyn, and a tall, red-haired man. He had learned several interesting things about Lord Meiron. Item 1: Lord Meiron was rumored to have a lover in among the warriors of the Watch, who were all men. Item 2: Two days past, a chambermaid was hung in the town square for "prying among Lord Meiron's personal things." A man who had known the chambermaid had confided to a tall, red-haired man in the town square that the maid had never committed any crime, and that all she was doing was cleaning Lord Meiron's chamber. Apparently, a different maid had been hung two weeks ago for the same thing. Item 3: Strange folk of late had often come at all hours, asking audience with Lord Meiron. Scruffy-looking mercenaries, bandits who all wore red armbands, short bearded folk with strange eyes, and even a man so tall he "almost had to stoop to get in the town gate" clad in skins and chainmail. As expected, not long after, the Captain of the Guard and Lord Meiron's Bodyguard marched smartly into the Sign of the Leaky Keg, parting the early-morning tavern scum like the prow of a ship parting the sea. This time, there was no open confrontation with the innkeeper, although she and Ellis Millworth did exchange poisonous glares. "So...ah...Lady Sindell," Lord Meiron lisped in way of greeting. Nystyra was struck by the stuffy, perfumed atmosphere of the chamber and the almost visible miasma of pinkish wig powder floating around the room. "Lord Meiron," Sindell said distantly. "Or should I call you, hmm...the, ah, Rowan, perhaps, hmm? Here with your friends, the, hmm...the Oaks. I should certainly hope that trees have not ears for secrets, or they shall soon find them lacking, if you...ah...understand me, hmm?" he lisped, with an air of immense cleverness at having deciphered Nystyra's "prophecy." "You are cleverer than I thought, Lord Meiron," Sindell replied. "Many men less wise do not understand my prophecies, and are vexed when they come true." Nystyra s:):):):):):)ed to herself, though she did not let it show. This man may be clever, she thought, but I have won the first battle. He had fallen for her "prophecy" hook, line, and sinker. "So, ah...Lady Sindell," Lord Meiron said, leaning closer enthusiastically, "What do the fates hold in store for me today?" "My Second Sight does not do your bidding, Lord Meiron," Nystyra/Sindell said sternly. "Hmm..." he said, vacillating between frustration at being so rebuked and respect for the Seeress. "Red is the color of blood, Lord Meiron," Sindell said suddenly. "But of course," he said, evidencing some slight irritation at this odd remark. The room returned to its normal perfumed stillness for many a long moment. Suddenly, her eyes, apparently staring at things mere mortals could not see, widened in apparent shock. "Red is YOUR blood, Lord Meiron, and red the hair of your killer! O beware, thy days are numbered!" She cried wildly. Lord Meiron rocked back, visibly shaken. "What is this? Is my death indeed so near? How may I escape it?" he asked wildly. His wig fell askew and his handkerchief dropped from his hand as he stared at "Sindell" intently, fearfully. "Blind!" Nystyra/Sindell wailed loudly, clenching her hands and then covering her eyes. "I am blind! O sweet Sight, but it will not come! Nor more may I say, the Fates are veiled from my eyes!" "Tell me! You must tell me how to escape my fate!" Lord Meiron shouted. He leapt up, upsetting his chair, which fell with a crash. He looked about in a panic. "O you are a dead man, Lord Meiron," Sindell cried, in a high, shrill voice not at all like her own. "You are dead, and I am blind! The shears! The shears of Fate!" And with that, she collapsed. "Vile Hag!" Lord Meiron cried. Tears streamed down his face, and he seized Sindell about the neck in a rage. "I cannot die! I do not want to die! How may I live? Tell me, tell me!" But Sindell, despite his shaking of her, did not wake, and suddenly he was quiet. The whole roomed seemed quiet. He stood there, breathing heavily, and staring about with bloodshot, fearful eyes. A thin scream escaped his lips. "I am a dead man!" he wailed, and, suddenly frightened by the stillness of the room, opened the door and ran out down the hallway. **************************************************** And Nystyra unveils her devious side. I tried for just a bit of Poe-ishness at the end there...did I get the atmosphere right? Sorry I took so long between updates, but school has reared its ugly head. I will try to update once a week, but this may not be possible, so I trust my faithful readers will keep my Storyhour well and thoroughly *BUMPED*;) :D [/QUOTE]

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