Roleplay from Terrence (23 days, 10 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Candiels (29 recipients)
Terrence walked slowly through the back streets of Candiels. He had been mildly impressed as he walked through the gates. While not as impressive as Paisly or Chesney, the Imperial city had a certain charm of its own. Its huge fortress walls looked thick enough to hold off an army or two, and its marketplace bustled with traders from all over Dwilight, bringing their wares to sell to the rich people of the Aurvandil capital.
That charm had quickly disappeared when Terrence ventured into the alleys and back paths of the city. Everything he had been told about Candiels had been right. Dirty, naked, half-starved children ran along muddy streets paved with refuse, while their older siblings begged on the streets for a silver piece and their mothers boiled dirty water in front of their makeshift homes. Rounding a corner, Terrence watched as two masked thugs robbed a man in broad daylight, sinking their daggers deep into his chest as they tore his gold pouch from his belt. Opening the pouch and finding naught but dust, they spat on their victim in disgust before leaving his bleeding body in the street. The man cried out for help, but was ignored by the passersby as he died.
Making his way back to the main streets, the adventurer saw the stark contrast between those with means and those without. Rich merchants dressed in silks paraded down the main street with their bodyguards and baggage carriers following close behind. Terrence saw two nobles in heavy armour riding horses, their soldiers marching close behind. The houses facing the main streets were gaudy and ostentatious, gold and silver covering everything. He had agreed to this task only on the condition that what his contact had said about Aurvandil was true, and Terrence had see enough to know it was.
Making his way back to the seedier side of Candiels, Terrence wandered the streets until he found what he was looking for. The Imperial Sigil was a rough tavern, despite its grandiose name, and apparently a favourite haunt for soldiers. Terrence watched them stumble in and out for several minutes until he spied a soldier belonging to the unit of the Knight Hausos at Arms, Allomere de' Striguile. The soldier stumbled over to a table with several other soldiers of his unit, feeling up a barmaid as he went. Terrence sat at a nearby table and ordered a drink, barely touching it as he watched the soldier out of the corner of his eye. Eventually, feeling the effects of the copious amounts of ale he had consumed, the soldier stumbled toward the back door. Terrence quietly got to his feet and followed him.
Unbuckling his pants and leaning drunkenly against a wall, the soldier sighed happily as he relieved himself. That sigh was abruptly cut off as Terrence slid his arm around the soldier's thick neck from behind and sunk his dagger into the man's eye. He thrashed once and then went limp. Quickly pulling off the man's clothes and armour, Terrence dressed himself in the stolen apparel, clothed the body in his own former clothes and then dumped it in the alley.
The sun had set by the time Terrence emerged once more onto the main streets, now dressed as a soldier of the Aurvandil general. Despite the fading light, his destination was easy to find; the Palais Haut-Souverains covered nearly a quarter of the entire city. Marching up to the palace gates, Terrence prepared the statement in his mind that he had been told would gain him entrance. He stopped before the dozen palace guards and snapped off a crisp salute to the captain.
"Sir Allomere de' Striguile, Knight Hausos at Arms of Aurvandil, First Among Chevaliers, L'Amiral et le Seigneur de la Mer, Capitaine de l'Epée Du Roi, First Viscount Zerujil and His Imperial August, The High Sovereign Mendicant Anhanger, Benevolent Majesty and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of Aurvandil, Duke of The Imperial City, Margrave of Candiels, King of Madina, Conquérant des Pirates, Foremost Chevalier and Roi de l’Orvandeaux have summoned me to the palace on a matter of grave urgency. I request entrance immediately."
The captain nodded and waved him through, quite reasonably believing that only an Aurvandil native could possibly remember the ridiculously long list of titles these nobles gave themselves. Striding over the moat, Terrence entered the palace proper. He allows himself a moment to admire the exquisite craftsmanship of the halls before setting himself to the task at hand. Rounding a corner, he spies two nobles with the crests of Earl Reign Beaux and Marquess Frederick. He bows deeply as they pass, but they mince by without even noticing him, engrossed in their own conversation.
Roleplay from Terrence (23 days, 10 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Candiels (29 recipients)
Following the directions given him by his contact, Terrence eventually finds the public records office. Inside the richly appointed office, two soldiers wearing the crest of the Royal Purser Hyperion Harte flank a huge desk, behind which sits the Imperial Records Officer. Terrence snaps off another salute before launching into his spiel.
"I am summoned to the royal residence at the behest of Knight Hausos at Arms Sir Allomere de' Striguile. While on my way here I was waylaid by ruffians and robbed of my Imperial Emblem. I will need another to enter the royal residence."
The Officer narrows his eyes in suspicion. "Ruffians? Robbed a soldier of our Knight Hausos at Arms? I find that hard to believe."
Terrence sighs. He knew it couldn't be easy the whole way. Harte's soldiers stepped closer, hands on their sword hilts. Before the first one could draw his blade, Terrence's sword flashed out of its scabbard, nearly decapitating the closest soldier. The second one drew his weapon and slashed at Terrence's back. Twisting to one side, the adventurer allowed the attack to strike only air, before stepping into his opponent, slamming his blade to the hilt in the soldier's gut. The man's eyes widened as Terrence's sword went through his spine and burst out his back. Terrence pulled his sword out and the man slid clumsily to the floor. Stalking back to the desk, Terrence levels the tip of the blade at the terrified Records Officer. The stink of urine filled the room as the man voided his bladder. Terrence pressed the tip of his sword further into the man's neck, causing a trickle of blood to run down it.
"The Emblem, if you will."
The Officer's eyes flicked down toward the corner of his desk, where an ornate icon lay.
"Thank you." Terrence leant forward on his blade, nearly decapitating the man. Hiding the three corpses in a storage room, Terrence pockets the Emblem and leaves the records office. Knowing it's only a matter of time before the bodies are found, Terrence moves quickly. Following his directions, Terrence quickly finds the Royal Residence of High Sovereign Mendicant.
Flashing the Imperial Emblem, the High Sovereign's guards wave him through. Finding Mendicant's bedroom proves more of a problem, but Terrence finds it after a few minutes of searching the gold and platinum encrusted rooms. Two more guards flank the bedroom door.
"I am here to see High Sovereign Mendicant on Imperial business. Let me through."
The guards look at each other in confusion. "The High Sovereign is not here. He's currently in the city on - urk!" The guard's explanation is cut off by Terrence's sword slicing through his chest.
"I know, thank you," Terrence says as he withdraws his blade. The other soldier stumbles backward in shock, trying to draw his sword. Terrence cuts him down before he can. Taking a key from the guard's pocket, he unlocks the door to Mendicant's bedroom and drags the two guards inside. Dumping them on a couch, Terrence looks quickly around the bedroom suite. Paintings by famous Dwilight artists, and some from further away, hang on the walls, while vases and sculptures from Astrum and the Lurias sit on stands covered in gold. Knowing he doesn't have long, Terrence quickly searches the rooms, pocketing a few small items - some valuable, others of obviously sentimental value, before getting down to his appointed task.
Terrence jumps up onto High Sovereign Mendicant Anhangar's bed. He briefly admires the silks sheets and pillows before unbuckling his breeches. Squatting over the bed, he loudly declares:
"What I do now, I do for D'Hara and the Véinsørmoot!"
Once finished with his business, Terrence wipes himself on a silk pillow before pulling up his breeches. Pulling out a D'Haran flag from a coat pocket, he plants it in the still steaming mess on Mendicant's bed.
Alarm bells crash throughout the Palais Haut-Souverains. Terrence casts one more quick look about the room before striding over to the window. Pulling himself over the sill, he begins the long climb down.
