Quest Dead Men Tell No Tales

[Mirage]

59th of Fall, 513 AV Late Evening What can be said about the dead? They are rotting things that want to be fed. Bulging eyes and lopsided heads, They fill the heart with utter dread. They stumble and crawl, their legs long rotten, Yet should you fall you'll still be gotten. Beware their hands, they'll hold you fast, For however long your soul might last. Should you see your dead mum wave, Do not be fooled, there's nothing to save. She's long since gone, more maggot than mum, Flee inside, bar the doors and open the rum. Some say light is how to slay, the evils that we keep at bay. What fools are they, idiots of faith. Watch them taken by a wraith. Stand strong my friends, for surely now, With wills of iron and swords is how, The dead will be driven from our doors, If we do not cower upon the floor. Wait, whats that I hear? Shush now and do not fear. It's just the wind and nothing more, Though it sounds like scraping on the floor.. A sound could be heard long before anything would be seen in the darkness this night. The nay of a horse, high and in pain, ghastly and unnatural was the sound that it sent chills up the spines of those men set to watch the gates of Syliras this night. The chill of winter was just beginning to creep into the air as Fall began to give way just as the leaves fell to the ground. That shiver that shook their armor, however, was certainly not due to the cold. In the distance a cloud of dust signaled the approach of a carriage, and soon over a distant hill its shape could be seen. A large carriage driven by six horses, fast approaching. The knights, disciplined as they were, readied their weapons, preparing for a routine check. The strange neighing sounded again, and a sense of foreboding filled the air. The knights looked to one another, uncertain, yet with an order from their superior they hardened their hearts and shook off the unease. It was silly, irrational... The carriage moved oddly as it approached, swaying dangerously back and forth as the horses pulled in an erratic fashion. It was as if they were maddened, charging full gallop as they rounded a bend. Close and close they drew, still they did not slow, aiming right for the gates. The knights prepared their weapons, those with spears stepped forward, lowering them and fixing the butt of their weapons tot he ground to brace for impact. Now the horses were close enough that the men could see their burning read eyes, and foaming mouths. They ran like something possessed, but still despite the growing feeling of dread the knights showed their discipline and did not break formation, even as it looked as if the horses and carriage would plow right over them. At the last moment the horses veered to the left, the carriage swinging around in wide arch as they all pounded to a stop. The carriage slid in the dirt, coming up on one wheel as it leaned almost to the point of toppling on top of the knights, but then it settled back to the ground with a THUNK and the dust settled. The carriage was large, big enough to fit a noble family with ease. The wood that formed it was dark, rotting and torn in places. Large gaps in the wood and cracks covered its surface, the wheels themselves looked as if they should not be able to support the weight. The horses that pulled it were equally strange. Larger than the average horse, they were covered in black scales with long spines that served as their manes. Eyes burned like smoldering coals, and as one knight reached up to pat the lead horses notes it snapped at him, revealing rows of sharp pointed teeth. The beasts huffed and snorted, large chests moving to fill massive longs and fuel powerful muscles. A black steam also came off of their hide, as if they were burning from the inside. The carriage door opened, and a tall figure in a dark hooded robe stepped out. The knights readied themselves, lowering their weapons to point at this man. Raising one hand the man spoke, "There now mortals, there is no reason to be alarmed. I come as an Ambassador of Sahova. I bring a message that must be heard by your highest authority. Please allow my comrades and I safe passage. We bear you no ill will." The knights slowly lowered their weapons, blinking stupidly as they suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of calm pass over them. The man smiled beneath his hood, the gold ring on his finger sparkling in the torch light, bearing the symbol of a half closed eye plain to see. OOCHello all! Thank you Accolade for this chance to open up the big Fall quest with the Sahova Ambassadors! Those of you who have signed up, I look forward to RPing with all of you. Lets have fun! Accolade is up next, and I am sure he will have instructions for you on how he wants this quest to go down

[Accolade]

Accolade

The knights would have their hands full, but not only from the arriving visitors but from the people of the city as well. In a castle fortress it wasn't easy for a horse driven carriage or any sizable vessel to enter the city without at least a dozen people taking note. The bizarre entrance was noted by more than just the Knights, and the people of the city wanted answers. Unfortunately the knights were not at liberty to discuss anything and set all who asked on their way quickly. Still the people were out and whispers and rumors did spread to what might be happening and if the visitor's were as strange and scary as the tales were spinning.

On the inside of the main castle the mood was very different, there was an eerie silence amongst all and even the softest of whispers were held between baited breaths. The visitors were led into the Knight's grant hall and through the chamber where Warden Knight, Josai Trevant waited to speak with them. Both Lorens and Petri had been told of the visitors and the ambassador with them, but they would have to explain their cause to the Warden Knight first.

As dawn approached and the stores and shops started to open, the people were still talking, but no word had been given. That was however, inside the main square. The docks were a different story all together as Mortimer Krakow seized the moment to draw in business. The old patron claimed to have been out near the city gates when he saw the ghostly carriage arrive with horses pulled straight from the void. Any and all who came to his tavern would hear the tales of what he saw, but of course for them to stay, they had to buy something.

Quentin Forbs wasn't a regular, but he had been assigned to watch the place by Alex Belforth, a well known, politically influential man in the city. Alex suffered non human's but he didn't like the lot of them, and after hearing that Mortimer had set up his tavern to cater to non humans angered him and he looked for any reason to have him shut down. It was Quentin's job to keep watch on the place and to report anything seedy to his employer at once. The man would earn his pay this early morning after hearing that the Krakow had inside information on the visitors.

Alex Belforth would surely want to know who these people were and what they wanted, however, he couldn't go to him with just humors from a crazy old man. But there was light at the end of the tunnel, after listening for chimes as Mortimer spun the story on and on, Quentin did learn something of interest, the strange carriage had been taken to the Windmount stables area just outside the city. What better way to prove anything than by acquiring evidence. But Quentin was only one man, and by far a spy, the question now was..who could he pay to gather the information for him?

OOCThank you to Mirage for working this quest with me. For the three of you, make your way to the Broken Cakset at the docks and we'll go from there.

x

[Noaru]

Dead Men Tell No Tales Quest

The spirit could sense it in the night air, something was happening. Noaru couldn't ignore the sensation that a huge event would be taking place in the land he inhabited. However, despite how he felt, he turns away from the city gates and ventures back into the darkened forest in which he called home. There was nothing he could do for the peaceful and quiet city, Syliras. Noaru had learned from his previous experiences with stepping into business that did not pertain to him.

Noaru, as he traversed through darkness and shadows, hears an odd wail in the distance. He turns and notices through the trees, something barreling down the dirt road. The spirit’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stepped further into the darkness—here he watched as this chaotic vessel hurtled by him and towards the gates. The chariot stops viciously in front of the city gates, alarming the guards who stood firmly in place.

That wail resonated through the forest again. Noaru rushed through the dark and emerges from the forest. The ominous chariot and its dark horses were first to be seen by Noaru. The spirit believed that remaining invisible would benefit him but he wanted to know what was going on and he needed to get into the city to find out. Noaru stepped further from the forest, materializing as he did so. The jet-black soulmist that made up his existence flowed around him like smoke which hugged him and formed into a cloak seemingly made from sheer blackness.

“What manner of creations...”

Noaru could only imagine about what realm the chariot and ''horses'' came from. However, time wasn't in his favor at this moment and he quietly steps pass them and towards a single guard who wasn't entirely focused on him at the moment. When he approached, the guard asked him his name and purpose in the city. Noaru responds back to the guard in a formal and respectable tone of voice.

“Sir knight, my name is Noaru. I’m visiting Syliras in order to establish a home here. ”

The knight looked underneath the hood to check Noaru's face and saw hollow-blue eyes staring back at him. The knight pleased by Noaru's appearance, behavior and tone of voice allowed the spirit to pass while keeping an eye on him as he went through the opened gates. Noaru gave the knight a gentle nod before the gates closed behind him. Noaru walks forward and looks at the new frontier he had just stepped into for the first time. The spirit figured he would be lost in the cities walls but continued into the city anyways—adventure awaited him and despite what he said before, he figured fate had something else in mind for him.

[Wrenmae]

If anything, Wren had plenty of reason to dislike the Broken Casket. As a child, he hadn't heard of the place, but word was the purveyor enjoyed the company of inferior races to his own kind. Of course, it might be that he was just tapping a business element in the city, but associating with their kind alone made him something of a mixed figure according to public opinion.

A symenestra had contacted Wrenmae in regards to a certain parcel he wanted intercepted outside the city. As times grew colder, folks were returning to Syliras to wait out the weather and the danger behind stone walls. Apparently this parcel contained some information on a few schedules the caravans were forced to keep.

Among slavers, pickings were most often limited the closer one got to the walls. The Knights would patrol the Kabrin road, but they couldn't be everywhere at once. Usually less armed and a lot less dangerous than the protectors, Slavers preyed off the weak...being weak themselves.

Their business was one that relied on the chaos of the road and the unexpected attack of a skilled predator. The schedules, procured in Zeltiva, outlined a few caravans and their expected departure date from the city. A man with a map and a good eye for cartography could roughly calculate their location...and then, when they were tired, raid them, take the choicest individuals and ride off into the night. Merchants were all the same...lose a few people and they'd let them go.

And slavers weren't after the ponderous caravans laden with supplies...too hard to move illegally without someone noticing. No, it was about the people, always about the people.

He'd accepted the job because it didn't matter which group of slavers were going to strike, but one had offered him a small reward for single-handedly intercepting the delivery. Uncalculated risk, but then...Wren was a fairly confident killer.

So now he sat in the Broken Casket, and skimmed over the instructions. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't...the money would be good for supplies. The winter would be on them soon enough and he wanted to be on the road to Sunberth before the first snow fell...and long before it stuck.

Ordinarily he wouldn't have remained in a place like this long, just to pick up the small scroll of information and go...but the bartender was telling such a compelling tale.

A carriage from nowhere, Sahovans come to the city of the Knights. Well, at least they weren't playing isolationist any longer.

He folded his fingers together, meeting each pad with another as he considered the words spoken. Sahova was directly after Sunberth...and perhaps he should be more intrigued with the business of Sahova. If they were branching out to the Knights, now, after nearly destroying them the last they came to Sahova...there was a shift of power in the infrastructure of the city.

Or perhaps...there was some mutually beneficial relationship to be had. The way the carriage had been described as appearing, directly through the canal of nowhere...suggested there was quite a powerful mage among them, perhaps a master of the Void.

Dangerous.

But intriguing.

"Windmount stables, eh?" He said to the bartender with a tired smile, "Well, if any of us doubted, we'd only have to go outside to see, now wouldn't we?"

[Sagitta]

Stanton had left her alone in the tavern almost as soon as the whispers started to spread. The talks of Sahovans and ambassadors had apparently caught his interest. Since he was still dressed in his armor, he took the advantage. The people here in Syliras rarely hid anything from a member of the Order. All that questioning had taken him less than a bell. And the next thing he did was apologizing to her and went to do whatever he wanted to do. Her patron was clearly not interested in giving her any details, but she heard most of what Stanton was asking, enough for her to shape some sort of story.

Earlier, Stanton had offered to buy her a meal in the Broken Casket for landing a blow on him with a sword for the first time. Yes, after all that training with the young knight, it had taken her half a season to actually land a hit. In her defense, Sagitta had never claimed that swordsmanship was her area of expertise. Despite her hesitation, Stanton had dragged her to the docks and insisted that it was something worth celebrating ― if his intention was not so good, she would have been insulted. Honestly, Sagitta was not eager to walk around the city as an Ethaefal, when she couldn't blend in. Of course, she had lost the argument.

Now, Sagitta was listening to another story of the Sahovans from the bartender, intrigued by the events. The Ethaefal had only been in the city for a while, but even she could tell that this was no sort thing that happened in Syliras often. The knights' refusal to explain anything just made everything even more mysyerious. And frankly, she could do with some excitement besides getting beaten up by her patron.

She was not the only one to spare some time to hear the tales of the ambassadors that came with their creepy carriage. Everyone said that they could sense something amiss with this whole ordeal. Assuming that the stories were true, she couldn't blame them. The whole building was loud with the news, most seemingly unhappy with it. Someone had even mentioned barging into the Windmount Stables ― where the carriage had arrived.

Sagitta had been tempted to leave and simply head there, but she guessed it would not be the smartest thing. The girl was not exactly the stealthiest creature around and for a fact she knew the knights have excellent senses. In her ethereal form, she knew that she pulled maybe too much attention to herself ― especially now that people noticed that she had came into the Casket with a knight.

Still, she stayed, hoping to glean more information that Stanton withheld from her.

[Mirage]

OOCI would first like to apologize to everyone present for my very late reply to this thread. November caught me off guard and gave me a lot to do, but now I am in this full swing so lets get right down to it!

From the carriage there came two more cloaked and hooded figures, these two taking up positions on either side of of the so called Ambassador from Sahova. The carriage was left with its tender, and the three made to follow the knights into the city. As they passed through the mighty fortress the one who spoke first looked about the city, taking an obvious interest in his surroundings. His two companions, however, did not so much as look to the side during their entire journey.

As they were let into the Grand Hall the Ambassador would spread his arms wide, sweeping his form into a courtly bow as he spoke in silken tones, "Ah my good knight, keeper of the peace, a good evening to you and I pray I did not disturb your slumber." Straightening once more the man raised his bony hands, lowering his hood to reveal a face that looked withered and worn by time. Shallow cheeks were stretched tight over bone, lips pulled tot he point that he held an almost permanent smile. His hair was long, black and oily with a minor balding patch on top. Eyes a dull and lifeless green looked at the Warden Knight, but not really seeing him. His smile broadened to a grin, revealing yellowing teeth and black tongue as he spoke, "Oh but my manners, do forgive me. I am Bartolus Flannagin, Master of Sahova, and Ambassador who speaks with the voice of Archwizard Zarik Mashaen. The pleasure is entirely mine."

The nuit extended one bony hand forward, as if in greeting. The golden ring upon it glinting in the light as his eyes sought the Warden Knights, "And to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

His two companions took up positions on either side of the Ambassador, two steps behind with arms folded into the folds of their robes. Their hoods remained up, and they were as still as the grave, not uttering a word, not even a breath escaping them. The knights that filled the room, armed guards no doubt, were an impressive sight, though not as impressive as Josai himself, armored and adorned with the badge of his office.

Flannagin's smile did not falter as he politely waited a response, eyes unblinking, taking not a breath no matter the length of time that might pass.

[Accolade]

Accolade

The Knights remained in silence as they all watched, they too, didn't move an inch but with the word given they were prepared to advance. The silence in the room caused the so called Ambassador's voice to echo and sound even more eerie. Josai Trevant stood at the head, Long dark hair pulled back into a tail at the back of his neck. The Warden Knight was dressed in full plate armor, with the five swords badge upon the right collar of the tunic he wore underneath.

The Ambassador seemed to be the charismatic type, the kind that Josai wasn't all that fond of. It was because these types sometimes used such fluff to hide their true nature. Even so Josai remained pleasant in the greeting. He did notice the features of the man and there was something very dead and cold about him. "Greetings Bartolus Flannagin, Master of Sahova. You are speaking with Warden Knight Josai Trevant."

Looking down at the bony hand extended, Josai gave the Nuit another glance before reaching out and giving it a firm shake. "Now, you have us at a disadvantage Bartolus Flannagin. We weren't expecting visitors, especially so late into the night. What has brought you so far?"

Quentin had been sitting quietly for some time listening to the tale being spun. Mortimer was putting on a show, and all in the name of earning more coin. It wasn't a bad idea, and as much as his story sounded exciting, Quentin couldn't see many people being brave enough to follow up on what he said. Even Mortimer himself hadn't went to investigate. But there were a few starting to chime in, asking questions and making suggestions.

Maybe these people were interested enough to go and look, but would it be so easy. This wasn't a big event that he could see, but surely a serious one. The Knights would have it guarded he guessed, and that would make it hard enough for just anyone to get close to it. "Good tales old man, good tales. But I noticed that even you didn't go and see for yourself what we're all wondering. And that is..well, that's easy right?. I'm interested in seeing this for myself...anyone brave enough to come with me?"

x

[Noaru]

Dead Men Tell No Tales Quest

Three whole bells had passed since Noaru left the gated entrance of Syliras. He had no knowledge of the interior portions of this city, causing him to wander until he meets an interesting sign.

“ The Broken Casket, how quaint.”

Noaru spoke out loud as he read the sign and looked at the old tavern’s wooden door. He could hear the waves brushing quietly against the wooden planks near him. Noaru grinned in the complete silence surrounding him, something interesting was actually going on around the city of peace and serenity. The spirit felt honored to be near the city and its bestilling presence. Noaru was quiet watching his environment carefully, fate had him stop here for a reason and what did its twisted humor have in store for him this time.

“ A broken casket is left alone, over turned and occupied by truants. A revenant will occupy the silent grave—where nothing remains, as it haunts. ”

Noaru observed the darkened sky above. The black and wakeful clouds moved quietly across the horizon. A night worth a bunch of horrors: a perfect night to die for some. Noaru lowered his head under the dimness of the torch light; he made sure that his features could not be discerned in the darkness and allowed himself to remain anonymized for just a little longer. The spirit waited patiently, his mind never swaying to unease or dismay—time had taught him patience.

[Wrenmae]

Listening, biding his time, the hypnotist followed the passage of the words through the crowded bar. Intrigue built like rats gathering in the shadows around a banquet table, but no one seemed to step forward and offer their hand in this particular venture. When it came to matters of Sahova, Wren couldn't say he blamed them.

The nuit were undead, the very paradox of life. Their presence evoked fear and unrest...as much as any mobile, talking corpse might. The presence of those eldritch phantoms were an indication...no, more a harbinger of darker things to come. As someone who had spent time among the dead in old Sahova, Wren knew their ways...or at least the ways they played at. Moves and countermoves, politics and gambits. Whatever the nuits were here to do, it was something of grave importance.

And although he could not be called a foolish man, it was the hint and promise of new knowledge, especially concerning a place he had to soon return to, that finally gave life to his limbs. He stood and glanced back at the bar, offering a smile and closing his right hand into a fist, bouncing it off his chest gently before letting it drop.

"You have my interest sir," he said, "Let's see if there's any truth to the story."

[Sagitta]

A man suddenly spoke up. He seemed to have been listening to all the stories as well. "Good tales old man, good tales. But I noticed that even you didn't go and see for yourself what we're all wondering. And that is..well, that's easy right?. I'm interested in seeing this for myself...anyone brave enough to come with me?"

The Ethaefal shifted nervously in her seat, brushing back her hair. The whole building had gotten quiet at the challenge, except for a few mumbled whispers. Then another man stood up, breaking the tension, "You have my interest sir. Let's see if there's any truth to the story."

Unsurprisingly, silence took over. No one else seemed all to eager to get near these so called undead. Sagitta could no blame them, really. Creepy visitors knocking in the middle of the night? You don't exactly just open the door and welcome them in. Still, there must be something pretty important happening if so much cover-up was involved. Enough to make herself volunteer? Probably.

Stanton probably wouldn't be very happy if he found out that she's been nosing around the Order's business, but he wasn't here to tell her that. A part of her knew that it was probably a foolish task, spying on important business. But it wasn't enough to stop her from standing up rather uncertainly and saying, "I'll come." She hoped the man wouldn't brush her away just because she was a girl.