An on going RP centered around a death duel and then the aftermath which contains plenty of politics. This first post will contain the RPs from right before the duel and then the duel itself.
(Edit: The three RPs at the very beginning of this story arc were missed during my initial posting, they have since been added.)
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Jessica felt tears well to the brink of her eyelids as she read the letter to herself. His words cut her deeper than any blade ever had, and she felt sick to her stomach.
She breathed, and pushed the lump in her throat down into her stomach, and she felt red hot anger taking over. Slowly, teeth clenched, she closed her fist over the letter in her hand, crumpling it into oblivion. She threw it against the wall, and stalked off towards her study, leaving it discarded on the floor.
Entering, she slammed the wooden door behind her and stormed to her desk. She flung a book she had been reading across the room, and pulled a piece of parchment over to write on.
You bastard! You think you have any idea what Rania wanted? None of you half-believers have any idea! None of you have felt the blessed touch of the Veiled Goddess as I and Rania did! You run around, preaching your self righteousness, so oblivious to your own stupidity!
And you! Of all people I respected, to turn so ignorant! Locked away, whittling the minutes from the hours from the days! You have fallen so out of touch with Obeah, it disgusts me to think of!
Don't speak like you know me. You don't. You never have. Foolish prattling man, preaching your Templar ways but lacking the courage for real action. If I died in seclusion, YOU died at the end of the last Invasion!
I am sorry I have done things you can only dream of for the faith. I am sorry I have left you behind, a relic of the past.
What the hell do you know anyway.
Her jaw hurt, and she relaxed. With a deep breath, she calmed her shaking hands, folded the letter, and slid it into an envelop. On it, she wrote a name. She left the study, where Bryant was waiting apprehensively. She handed him the letter without looking at him, and closed herself back in the study.
Bryant looked down at the letter in his hand.
Vahanian.
Vahanian sat on a balcony overlooking Grehk, a steaming cup of tea sat next to him as he read through the day's reports and letters. More discussion within the Sacred Realm, he filed those away for later, he didn't have the patience right now to deal with the idiocy of the government.
He thumbed through the rest of the documents before his eye caught a seal he knew. His heart sank. House Gildre. Jessica.
Baldwin, Vahanian's oldest friend and captain, had known Vahanian longer than anyone else alive. The two of them had been friends for over 50 years. In that time, Baldwin had seen Vahanian lose his temper only twice, both times came after the death of someone he loved. To say Baldwin was scared of the look in Vahanian's eye wouldn't capture the level of fear Baldwin felt. Vahanian read the letter, and within the first line his jaw was clenched. Before he was halfway through Vahanian's face was painted in rage. Baldwin had no doubt that if whatever was in the letter had been conveyed in person, than whomever was conveying it would be dead, or wishing they were.
By the time Vahanian finished the letter he stood with a roar of anger and swatted the cup off the table shattering it against the railing, sending steaming tea spraying out into the air over Grehk. Vahanian's hands shook with anger, his breathing was labored and his eyes had the look of a man set on death.
He sat down and wrote out a reply in that meticulous hand of his.
What do you know? You cling to that half-prophetic vision of a failed prophecy as if it were significant to the world, to the faith, to Rania. You can claim all the holiness you like, the truth is you abandoned those you swore to protect, those you swore to defend, those you swore to serve, and rule. You abandoned them like a coward abandons a fight. You think you're the only one whose touched the Light of the Veiled Goddess? You think you're the only one whose felt her presence? You're as arrogant as you are mute, and as foolish as you are literate. You had better sight when you couldn't see!
I lack courage for real action?! I carved the Sacred Realm out of the earth with my own hands, I paved the way for your 'Realm' if it can even be considered that, to exist!
Vahanian took a deep breath, his hands were still shaking, and his vision still red, he needed to hit something.
I DID DIE. I lost everything. Everything that ever mattered to me. Until Rania. Until Stheno. Until Obeah. They brought me back to life, so don't you tell me I don't know the Veiled Goddess. Don't you tell me I don't know Rania. I know them better than you ever could. You claim I prattle on about the Templar Ways. You're right, I do. The Templar demand death to the enemies of the faith. So today. I demand your death. Let us end this charade once and for all. Prove you have the right to even consider yourself a member of the faith. Prove you've earned the right to live.
Fight me. Coward.
Vahanian handed the letter to Baldwin who read it quickly before Vahanian said "Send it." Baldwin protested and Vahanian stood and shot his arm out, wrapping his hand around his oldest friend's throat. "I said. Send. It." Baldwin agreed while gasping for air before Vahanian left the balcony for the depths of the Citadel.
"This is completely foolhardy!" Bryant yelled, "He is your only true friend! Literally the only thing you have in the world!"
Jessica, half drunk, ceased rooting through the cellar for more wine and turned on Bryant, furious.
"Do you think this is really what he wants?"
She shoved him away from her, but he doggedly persisted, "So what now? After all this time, am I to just sit here and watch you drink yourself into a self-piteous wretch hell bent on her own death?"
She had enough. Stepping past him, she swept her leg back again, catching him behind the knees while she struck the heel of her palm into his chest. He hit the ground flat on his back, and she was on him, dagger in hand. She held it poised for a moment, letting the blood lust settle, and then tossed it aside. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt with one hand, and punched him twice in the face.
She tumbled backward, and he scrambled into a sitting position, blood smeared below his nose, "I won't do it. I won't watch you kill yourself."
Jessica waved him away, breathing heavily. He lifted himself to his feet, straightened his jacket and shirt, and looked down at her.
"May the Veiled Goddess watch over you, for I shall not any longer." He turned his back on her, and was gone. She clenched her eyes shut, trying unsuccessfully to stem the flow of tears. After a moment, she wiped her face and stood. She collected what she had come for, and then made her way to the stables. Several horse hands attended her, and she gave them the bottles of wine, and a letter for Vahanian.
It simply said:
Where?
She then left the hands to prepare her horse, and made her way to the armoury.
She arrived at the castle in Grehk and dismounted her horse. From the saddle she retrieved two items:
One bottle of wine, and one sheathed rapier.
With one hand she hurriedly tied her hair into a twist behind her head. She whipped the sheath from her sword, and left it lying in the dirt.
Taking a drink of wine, Jessica stalked into the castle.
Vahanian knelt in the temple within the White Citadel, he muttered to himself in prayer as he heard a subtle knock at the door. He turned his head but didn't move aside from that. Baldwin poked his head in and said "She's here."
Vahanian nodded and said "I know, I can feel it." He finished his prayers and stood, walking into his chambers. A few moments later he returned. Baldwin was off-put, he could see the fury and rage tumbling through his friend's eyes, but his face and the rest of his demeanor was eerily calm. He wore his dueling leathers, and had his silver-gray hair tied back with a black ribbon, on his hips were dual short-swords, his favorite weapons.
He barely acknowledged Baldwin, before walking towards the courtyard where Jessica was waiting.
He emerged from between two pillars and a shadowed hallway and stepped into the open air. Jessica was pacing back and forth, sword in hand and a wine bottle in the other. Vahanian drew his blades, stabbed them into the dirt and crouched down, grabbing a handful of the soil and letting it fall between his fingers before rubbing his hands together and cupping them. Bringing them to his nose he inhaled once and then clapped to remove the excess dirt. He drew his blades from the earth and stood ready to kill his friend.
Antonia rode as fast as she could along the road to Grehk. She had heard of rumours of something she had dreaded for a long time, but hoped it wasn't so. If she could just reach the city on time, she might be able to prevent a tragedy
'Your Grace, Your Grace' a rider approaching from the city called out to her. She rode on past him, but then heard again 'Duchess Antonia!' the man called again. Damn, Antonia thought, I'm still not used to that bloody title, it doesn't suit me. She reigned in her horse, dismounted and walked over to the messenger, constantly looking over her shoulder at the city gates that were so close and yet so far
'What is it?!' She snapped, standing so tall that she could nearly look the man on the horse directly in the eye
'You told me to send word as soon as there was any news' she began
'Yes I did, and this doesn't look like sending word, it looks like dithering, get on with it!' She growled, grabbing the reigns of his horse to prevent the mare bolting
'It's to late, it's over. It happened this afternoon. It was as you feared, they're dead'
Antonia's world seemed to slow down. She relaxed her grip on the reigns and the man looked somewhat relieved. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she turned with despair towards the city gates. Too late? No, it wasn't possible, if only she'd been able to find a harbour! And then the man spoke again
'Is there a message you would like me to take back?'
This caused Antonia to turn slowly back towards the him, anguish giving way to a cold rage. She grabbed the man and lifted him bodily from the saddle, letting out a roar as she threw him into an open sewer at the side of the road. He was fortunate enough to have his fall cushioned by its contents
Antonia then fell to her knees and let out another roar that seemed to shake the very heavens. Many of the local peasantry took the opportunity to quietly, yet quickly leave. After ten or so minutes, Antonia got back off the floor and began to walk with purpose towards the city
'Antonia' your horse!' Rosie called after her
'I don't need a horse, there's no rush now'
'What are you going to do?' Rosie called desperately
'Well there's no canals in Grehk, but I'm sure I can improvise'
Long Did She Reign:
Vahanian stood opposite Jessica, she took her last swig from the wine, before her eyes seemed to focus on him. Rage leapt up to her grasp as she hurled the bottle at him. He didn't move, the bottle soared over his shoulder and smashed against the wall. She wordlessly screamed at him. He looked at her blankly and rolled his neck and shoulders before saying.
"Come. Let us finish this." Jessica launched herself forward in a flurry of motion. Vahanian responded in kind, closing the distance between them to make use of his shorter blades. The first clash of steel echoed through the courtyard, and seemed to carry over the city. There was no lull, no pause between the first strike and the following strikes. Jessica was here to rid herself of Vahanian and she would let nothing stop her. Their blades clanged off each other again and again. Jessica using her speed to her advantage. Ducking and weaving, pressing her attack. Vahanian could smell the wine on her breath, it made her strikes much stronger than he'd expected. She wasn't holding back, wasn't looking for a way out. She wanted a way through. In that moment Vahanian knew his friend was truly lost. The steel rang out against one another. Each fighter pressing their attacks, fighting with equal ferocity, Jessica's attacks were stronger, and more wild because of the wine coursing through her body, but it also made her sloppy.
She swung wildly with her blade, Vahanian dodged back and evaded, and then slammed forward ramming his shoulder into her chest. Driving the air from her lungs she coughed and gasped for air as he slashed at her. First at her thigh, the cut was shallow, but sure to sting, Jessica seemed not to notice. He didn't wait, he slashed twice more, next at stomach as she recovered from being doubled over by his shoulder strike, she jumped back to evade being disemboweled, he slashed down with his right arm. His blade nearly took her eye out, instead it cut her from hairline the middle of her jaw, just missing her eye. Blood immediately poured forth and started coursing into her eye. She did her best to wipe it away on her sleeve, but more blood was there to replace what had been wiped away.Vahanian stepped back, almost called out her name, but before he could fully process his thought or his reaction. Jessica was launching herself forward again. Vahanian almost didn't bring his blade up to block her strike. Her wild swing reverberated down his sword into his arm and as she wrenched her arm back, she almost took his sword with her. He growled and bulled forward. He was going to end this. Drunk, and half-blinded by blood, Jessica wasn't prepared for the onslaught of attacks that Vahanian was about to deliver. She did her best to parry, block, and evade the twin blades that were singing death as they whizzed around her.
But eventually, Vahanian's skill and sobriety won out. As she went to parry a strike, he trapped her sword between the guards of both his blades and yanked it away from her. He pulled with such ferocity, he thought he heard a pop from her shoulder dislocating. He threw her blade to the side as he kicked her in the sternum, driving her backwards and lunged after her. His blade punched through her chest, piercing her heart and instinct took over, he twisted and pushed further into the strike, cementing her death. She gasped for air as blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. Vahanian dropped the sword in his left hand and cradled the back of her head as he lay her on the ground. The gravity of the duel slammed into him like a tidal wave. She coughed and blood sprayed over his face. He blinked and looked down at his hand, grip still firm on the hilt of the sword lodged in her chest. "NOOOOOOO!" He screamed. "BALDWIN!" he screamed, as Baldwin sprinted forward cloth in hand. Vahanian grabbed them with one hand as he pulled the sword out with the other. Pressing the cloths onto her chest with both his hands. Tears started to streak down his face as Jessica looked up at him, and he saw the light start to drain from her eyes. Her right arm twitched, trying to raise it up but her dislocated shoulder refused to cooperate with her waning strength.
Her left arm instead came up and caressed his cheek, he started to reach up to hold her hand against his face as she used the last bit of strength to smile and press her hand against his cheek, before her arm fell to the ground and her head lolled just a bit to the side and the last breath of air from her lungs escaped. Baldwin put his hand on Vahanian's shoulder and tried to pull him away. Vahanian shrugged him off and pushed him away. He reached down and scooped her up into his arms. She felt so tiny, so frail as he picked her up. He struggled to his feet, grief beating the adrenaline into submission and making him weary. He started to walk away carrying her body when Baldwin asked "Where are you going, my lord?" Vahanian's voice was gravely and quivering with pain as he said "To bury her."
