RPs of Hadron, Og, and Urtagoth from Morek Empire

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (4 days, 3 hours ago)
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"So this is the empire dedicated to the Blood stars?"

Urtagoth who traveled from a faraway land to serve in Dwilight asked his soldiers.

"Yes, Sir. We are in Muspelheim, once the proud capital of Morek Empire. I heard Morek has moved its capital back to Nifelhold, the capital of old Morek."

"I see. Who is the lord of Muspelheim? I need to see if he is worthy of my service."

"Sir, there is no lord of Muspelheim. I am not sure who was the last lord but the city has no lord thus no knights serve the lord."

"A city without a lord?! I must talk to the duke then. Can't let the city fall to anarchism and chaos!"

"There is no duke either, Sir. You will have to Grandmistress Eviera herself."

"Would she even talk to a lowly knight such as myself?"

"Well you need to talk to somebody."

"Indeed. To the capital then! Oh and send a letter to Good Hadron. Maybe he is interested in joining me in my journey to the capital"

Roleplay from Og Hagakure   (4 days, 2 hours ago)
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Og a seven foot tool thug more beast than human set foot off the boat at Muspel.

"Og found nice new home for thugs. Og go smash some skulls and get shiny coins for brothels"

He was an enormous wretch of a man with a large dented nose. A large mole with hair growing out of his left cheek stood to attention like a lieutenant in stark contrast to his bulky frame. With him came the worst kind of scum, thieves and pirates from the high seas quick to set out and make a quick gain by "trading" steel for gold.

Og had set his eyes on one of the large estates at Muspel and now his men set about breaking into the locked gates.

"Og, it seems nobody lives here at present!" said his first mate. "Time to set up camp in this fine new estate!"

"Go to the cellar and bring Og all the snacks you can find!" barked Og

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (4 days ago)
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Sitting in his estate in the city of Aegir, Hadron reviewed the few recent letters that had arrived for him. Several had recently arrived, some personal, and some of a more general nature. The letter from Urtagoth was especially interesting. He summoned a scribe and began dictating a reply:
Sir Cragtooth,

I would be honored to join on your journey. Since my path to the capital runs through Muspel, I shall meet you there.

I must apologize, however, if I do not travel as swiftly as yourself. For some reason my family sent me an infantry squad, rather than the cavalry that I requested. Rest assured that I shall be sending a rather hotly worded letter home expressing my displeasure with this decision.

Once I arrive in the capital, I shall send this poor excuse for a village militia home and hire a proper cavalry squad. After that has been taken care of, perhaps we can go looking for some of these dead monsters you mentioned. Surely if they are dead then they cannot present as much of a difficulty as you imply? Nevertheless, we shall soon find out.

Having answered that letter, Hadron set it aside, then reviewed the remainder of the letters in the short stack. One from Ordermarshal Helm, and another from Duchess Katrina. It looks like he had several more letters to send tonight. He summoned a servant, and then sent him off in search of a few more bottles of wine. Dictating all of these letters was going to be thirsty work.

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (4 days ago)
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"Sir, a noble from the Hagakure family has joined the empire today as well. That makes three new nobles for the empire."

"Three new knights on the same day. That can only be one thing! The stars must have blessed three of us! Three knights serving the three stars! Now I must seek three ladies as well!"

"I am confused to why you must seek three ladies but Sir Hadron has sent you a letter. Well at least I think he is mentioning you."
Sir Cragtooth,

I would be honored to join on your journey. Since my path to the capital runs through Muspel, I shall meet you there.

I must apologize, however, if I do not travel as swiftly as yourself. For some reason my family sent me an infantry squad, rather than the cavalry that I requested. Rest assured that I shall be sending a rather hotly worded letter home expressing my displeasure with this decision.

Once I arrive in the capital, I shall send this poor excuse for a village militia home and hire a proper cavalry squad. After that has been taken care of, perhaps we can go looking for some of these dead monsters you mentioned. Surely if they are dead then they cannot present as much of a difficulty as you imply? Nevertheless, we shall soon find out.

"I don't remember seeing Sir Cragtooth among the list of Morekians. But I do like the name. Cragtooth! This crag creature must be a frightening creature!"

"Uh, Sir. Crags are big rats that feed off of dead people. They sometimes invade rural villages here in Dwilight."

"Are they at least frightening?"

"Well they are 2 ft tall so yes. 2 ft tall rats are quite scary, Sir."

"Well good. At least I know good Hadron wants me to be as frightening as those creatures. Anyway, send a letter to our newest knight. What is his name again?"

"Og of the Hagakure family, Sir."

"Tell good Og to join me and Hadron in Muspel! We will ride together to Nifelhold!"

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (3 days, 14 hours ago)
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"So what happened to Good Hadron and Og? I do not see anyone here in Muspel."

"I am not sure, Sir. They might have gone without you. You should have marched faster like I said."

"Well I thought with all of us being on horses would make us go ahead of Hadron and Og. I didn't realize they would march faster on foot! Curse these fat horses!"

"I am not sure why you think our horses are fat, Sir but we better march faster. We have a mountain to climb and if you are correct, our fat horses will not help us catch Sir Hadron and Sir Og."

"To the mountain then. I will beat them to Nifelhold. Just watch!"

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (3 days, 4 hours ago)
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Hadron rode through the gates of Muspel just as the sun was setting over the western plains of Nidhogg's Mark. The town was bustling and thriving, busy even at this late hour. Over the buildings, he could see the mighty walls and tall towers of Muspelheim in the distance.

A quick search of the city turned up no sign of Urtagoth or Og. A quick inquiry at the local government offices was fruitless. It seems that news of his arrival in Morek had not yet circulated very far, and the officials refused to speak to him, fearing he might be a "Lurian spy" or some other such nonsense. Bah! He, Hadron, a spy? He restrained himself from chopping off the man's head, and went back to the inn he had reserved for the night.

He sent his men out to search for any signs of Urtagoth or Og. By the descriptions he had heard, this Og was a giant of a man, and throughly disreputable in appearance. Surely his men would quickly turn up word of any noble of that description.

However, his men returned after several hours with disappointing news.

"Sir Hadron, we have learned that a noble matching the description of this Sir Og was seen departing Muspel this morning. He took the road toward the mountains."

"Well, that is a bit disappointing. But no matter, we weren't really expecting to meet him anyway. What of Sir Cragtooth?"

"Sir, we have not been able to find anyone who goes by the name Cragtooth. There is no word at all. The locals here say they've never heard of him."

"Bah! They must be mistaken. Sir Cragtooth's letter said he would meet me here in Muspel. Surely he wouldn't have agreed to meet me here, and then left without waiting for me. Unless..."

Hadron tapped his chin for a minute, then suddenly stood up.

"That's it! The two of them took off for the mountains in search of these undead monsters that Sir Cragtooth has been rambling about. They want to get there first, and steal all the glory for themselve! Quickly man, roust the men and prepare to march!"

"But, Sir Hadron, we just got here, and the men..."

"Yes, we did just get here, and now we're just leaving! Tell the men to drop all of their useless junk, and get moving! We march hard for the mountains. I want to be there by first light."

"First light?! But, it's 40 leagues to the mountains!"

"Then we better stop talking, and get marching, right? We're not getting any closing to Nifelheim by standing here yammering."

"Nifelheim, Sir Hadron? I thought we were heading to the capital"

"Right. Nifelheim."

"Sir Hadron, the capital is in Nifelhold."

"What? It's not pronounced that way. It's pronounced Nifel-HEIM."

"Sir Hadron, Nifel-HEIM is a city to the northwest of here. Nifel-HOLD is a stronghold to the northeast. The capital is in Nifel-HOLD."

"..."

"Shall we start for Nifel-HOLD then, Sir?"

" ... whatever. Just get the men marching. We have to reach the mountains before Sir Cragtooth kills all of the undead monsters."

After the poor guard left, Hadron picked up the wine glass and drained it.

He shook his head. "Foot soldiers!" he muttered under his breath.

Then he picked up the bottle, and drained that, too.

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (3 days, 3 hours ago)
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As the sun began to set, Urtagoth the 'Cragtooth' and his men arrived at Mt. Black Nastrond.

"Sir, we will have to camp before we enter the mountain. It is a suicide to climb a mountain of that size at night."

"No need to be afraid. The blood stars are watching over us! And I'v heard crusaders of old once took this path to fight infidels that used to reside in the northern lands."

"Yes, Sir. One of your family members traveled through this very mountain to join the crusade."

"I wonder what it was like. Marching with faithfuls to burn fools. It must have been glorious. Unlike now, the true faith once covered the northern half of the continent. Now it is nothing more than a shadow of its former self. Just look. We've marched for a full day yet we haven't encountered a single noble. I doubt I will get a chance to ever join crusades of old but maybe I may find myself being on my own crusade in time. Enough chitchat. Order the men to march. The sky is clear and the stars are watching us. Can't let Sir Og and Sir Hadron beat me to Nifelhold!"

With a heavy sigh, Urtagoth's oldest soldier ordered his fellow soldiers to march through the narrow path of the mountain

Roleplay from Og Hagakure   (3 days, 2 hours ago)
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"Og no understand map of moutain! Why Og lost!?" moaned the brute that was Og.
The captain had asked twice already to see the map of Dwilight and been refused on the grounds of possibly being bludgeoned to death, but as it was already starting to get dark and the howling of wolves could be heard in the distance he felt it was in his interest to once again try for the map.

"Sir Og! If you might lend me the map I can see if there are any mistakes," he pleaded changing his tone substantially from the last time he had asked.

"Og is not pleased but Og agrees to lend you his map"

The captain thankfully ushered over one of the other thugs who look exhausted, "Here bring me that torch so I can see!" he snapped. The Torch was brought flickering in the dark and he held the map up to the light.

"Oligarch..." he muttered, "what on earth..."

The men looked to their leaders impatiently becoming all too frustrated that no stabbing or acquisition of coins or whores had been achieved today. At length the captain turned to Gog a little worried.

"Gog, this map... where did you get this? It's over a century old and I don't think this is even the correct land"

"Og head to moutain. This is mountain why you complain? Og said capitol city is past mountain so we go to mountain!!"

The captain stepped away worriedly, "Calm down! It's okay we will figure something out!"

A scout interjected coming back from what they had thought was the road ahead of them, "Sir I heard some voices down in the crags below. I think it's one of those nobles on horseback that we were supposed to meet back in Muspel.

"Og is very happy to hear this. Maybe Og can eat hossies and we walk to City together!"

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (2 days, 13 hours ago)
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With the rising sun, Urtagoth and his men finally arrived in Nifelhold, the capital of old and new Morek. Despite being besieged few times, the stronghold still stood tall. Although it was the heart of the empire's administration, it functioned more like a military structure rather than an administrative one. People residing in the capital were mostly family members of soldiers, bureaucrats, and minor nobles.

As Urtagoth entered the capital through its massive gate, a child blocked Urtagoth's path. Before his mighty steed trempled the child, Urtagoth stopped his horse and looked down on the child. Before Urtagoth opened his mouth to speak, the child began to scream for his mother. Before long, the child's mother appeared before Urtagoth with a shocked and pale face.

"Sorry, Sir. I was too busy with my work, I forgot to keep my eyes on him"

"I almost ran that child over."

"Yes mom. Sir fat stopped just before crushing me."

A certain word raised Urtagoth's right eye brow.

"Thank you, Sir. I will never let this happen again."

"You better not. I doubt I am good enough to pull the same thing twice. Now clear the path."

"Thank you again, Sir."

"Thank you, Sir fat."

Before Urtagoth could react, his oldest soldier stopped him.

"Sir, he is only a child. He is just being hones- I mean..."

"Did you just say he was being-"

"Sir, look! The white spire of Nifelhold! We must be close to the palace!"

"Wait a minute. Why are you mentioning the spire now? We were looking at the thing all the way from-"

"Time to move out! To the spire!"

With the march order, the soldier slapped Urtagoth's steed, Crag's side, making the horse run toward the spire.

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (2 days, 10 hours ago)
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Somewhere on the trails in Mt. Black Nastrond:

"Are we there yet?"

*sigh* "No."

"Why not?"

"Because this is a mountain, and the trail is long and steep."

"Did you tell the men to drop all of their useless junk? They could march faster without all that junk they're carrying."

"Yes, Sir Hadron, I did. And they did."

*pause*

"You know, if this were a proper cavalry unit, we'd be there already."

"Doubtless we would, Sir."

"Have you seen any of those undead monsters that Sir Cragtooth  is obsessed with? If there are any around here, I want to get to them before he does!"

"No, Sir Hadron, we haven't seen any yet. If we do, we will surely let you know."

"You do that. I don't want to miss it."

*pause*

"So ... are we there yet?"

*sigh*

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (2 days, 6 hours ago)
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"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (2 days, 4 hours ago)
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"Are we there yet?"

"YES! WE'RE HERE! WE'RE HERE! We are finally here!"

*surprised stare* "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"..."

"Well, anyway, i don't see Sir Cragtooth here. Looks like we made it before them. Now, send out the scouts. I want to find these undead monsters."

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (1 day, 2 hours ago)
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Urtagoth arrived at the white spire palace but the guards did not recognize him as a knight of the empire.

"Who are you again?"

"I am Urtagoth the 'Cragtooth' of Muspelheim! I want to see her holiness Eviera and discuss the matter of Muspelheim. I also need her to knight me as I have not sworn oath to anyone as the seats of the city and the duchy are both empty."

"Hahaha. You are a funny man, 'SIR' Cragtooth. You are a knight? But you look like you can hardly swing a sword? Do they let anyone become a knight these days? I mean we don't see as many knights as we used to around here but someone of your physique would never have been even considered a knight in our golden days."

"What do you not like about my physique? Are you daring to insult me like a child I met in this city?"

"Well I am not sure what the child said, but if he said what I am thinking right now, I think we saw the same thing. You are living up to your name, Sir Cragtooth. Whoever gave you name did a fine job. I would have just called you a crag to be honest."

As Urtagoth's face began to grow red, his oldest soldier, stepped forward.

"Guardsman. You dare to mock a noble? He may not look like a knight but he is still a noble. You do know the punishment for mocking a noble as a commoner?"

"My apologies. Sir Urtagoth of Muspelheim. I will send a word to the palace.

As the guard entered through a small gate to send a word, Urtagoth, who was trying to calm down, looked at his soldier.

"Once our business is done here, I want to see this crag creature as soon as possible."

"You will have to travel quite a bit, Sir. I heard monsters don't appear as often as they used to anymore since the invasion."

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (1 day, 2 hours ago)
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Hadron was bored.

Bored. Bored. Bored.

He had been waiting all day for the scouts to return. In the meantime, he had done nothing at all, other than wait. Well, he ate, too, but that hardly counted. Everyone had to eat sometime. And out here in the wilds of the mountains, it wasn't really an even, or anything. It was just food, and something to do. As he walked around the camp for what must be the thousandth time, something *finally* happened.

"Sir Hadron, the scouts have finally returned! Here is the report for Mt. Black Nasrond."

** Scout Report (Mt. Black Nastrond): Scribe Note **

Hadron perused the report. "Hmm... still no sign of Sir Cragtooth or Sir Og, eh? I wonder if something happened to them. Perhaps they got waylaid by the undead monsters?"

"I don't beleive so, Sir. Here, look at this report as well."

** Scout Report (Nifelhold): Scribe Note **

"Nifelhold? What's the big deal with Nifelhold?"

"Right here, Sir, this name".

"Sir Og? He's in Nifelhold? What's he doing there? We were supposed to meet in Muspel, but he never showed up. Do you mean to tell me that he went to Nifelhold without us? That scoundrel! Have the scouts located Sir Cargtooth yet?"

"No, Sir, there is now word of any noble named Cragtooth."

"That's odd. Something must have happened to the poor man. Should I write a letter of condolence to his family? I wonder who they are. I don't recall his family name. Avalanche, maybe? Cragtooth Avalanche? Huh.. that name does have a good ring to it. Very rugged, and mountainous. It just sounds... manly. I wonder if I could change my name. What do you think: 'Look! Here comes Sir Cragtooth of House Avalanche! He's so manly! Here, Sir Cragtooth, take my sister! No wait, take both of them!' "

The old soldier looked dumbfounded at Hadron. "Sir, I ... No. I don't think that would work, Sir."

"Hmmm ... perhaps not. I'll have to think about that. Maybe I can make it work somehow. In the meantime, let's get moving. We should head to Nifelhold and catch up with Sir Og. Maybe he knows what happened to Sir Cragtooth."

"Sir Hadron, that's the other thing I wanted to tell you about. The local bureaucrats have decided that you really are a noble of Morek, and have begun to talk to us. While the scout was in Nifelhold, he talked to the local officials, and asked them about Sir Cragtooth. They say that there is not now, nor has there ever been, a noble of Morek named Sir Cragtooth."

"What? That's impossible. This official was obviously incompetent. I got a letter from him just after we landed. We were supposed to meet him in Muspel."

"Yes, Sir Hadron, you did. But maybe that's why the officials were so hesitant to talk to us. Maybe they knew that there was a spy impersonating a Morekian noble. Maybe Sir Cragtooth is ... a Lurian."

Hadron gasped. "A Lurian spy? By the gods, man, you're right! A Lurian spy tried to waylay us in Muspel! He must be afraid of us, and tried to lure us into a trap. He probably wanted to assassinate us."

The old soldier nodded. "Probably, Sir Hadron. And now here we are, sitting around in the wilderness, all alone, in these godsforsaken mountains. Why, the assassin could be anywhere. We'd best get moving. We'll be safe in Nifelhold."

"Yes, yes, you're right again. Get the men up and moving! We'll march through the night. I want to be in Nifelhold by morning. We have to warn Ordermarshal Helm of the Lurian spy in Muspel!"

As Hadron ran off to find his horse, the old soldier chuckled and shook his head. He could barely believe that Hadron had fallen for the whole story. Lurian spies... Well, at least they'd make it to Nifelhold, and proper beds and hot meals, by sunrise.

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (17 hours, 41 minutes ago)
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After sending a request for audience to Grandmistress Eviera, Urtagoth sat down on a chair close to the courtyard to dry his sweat.

His oldest soldier Bon, who has managed to stop Urtagoth from displaying his obnoxiousness several times, told Urtagoth he would wait in the barracks near the palace. Commoners were not allowed within the halls of the White Spire which gave Urtagoth no choice but to venture into this unknown territory made of white marble. As he waited patiently for hours, several people passed him by. Some looked curious to know who he was while some looked at him with disgust.

Few of those passers were kind enough to stop by to talk to Urtagoth. Out of those few, two nobles left Urtagoth with impressions of what Morekian nobles were like within the walls of the capital.

A lady in red dress emerged from Urtagoth's memory first.

"So you are the fat man who dare to call himself a knight serving the empire? Does the empire let just anyone be a knight these days?"

"I do not know you are lady but if I were you I would watch my mouth.  You never know what will happen to young knights! I may one day become someone of high status!"

"Well at least you have a sense of humour, Sir KNIGHT. If I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up. You look like you can hardly swing a sword. Is there even a horse that can withstand your weight? You should ride an ox maybe?"

"What family are you from? I must challenge your house for mocking me in this fashion!"

"I have no family name to tell someone as lowly as you. Begone from the courtyard before her holiness calls her guards to drive a crag like you away."

With that the lady departed the courtyard.

"I swear to the stars I will exterminate all crags from the surface of this continent!"

An hour later, a well built knight passed by the courtyard, stopping at the sight of Urtagoth.

"I recognize that emblem. I haven't seen it since Astrum's last war against western realms. Are you from Astrum, Sir?"

"I am surprised to see someone who recognizes my family emblem. Who might you be, Sir?"

"I am Sir Garanolg. My family is only a minor family but I've had my fair share of battles. I've even served under Strategos Lapallanch. I believe that's where I saw your emblem from."

"Ah, you've probably seen Sir Kihalin. He has gone missing ever since his sudden resignation. With the western regions overwhelmed by monsters, I doubt he is still alive but you never know. The man was known for his swordsmanship and he may yet be living somewhere even monsters can't reach. I may journey west soon to find out what happened to the western continent. Would you be interested in joining me?"

"No, Sir. I am too old now. I am just content with guarding the palace. However, I might be able to convince my son to join your cause. I have many sons and at least three of them are adventurous. You may find one to assist you in your journey. And I am sure you will find some of your fellow knights to be interested as well. I've heard there are few new faces around."

"Indeed. I am just waiting for Sir Og and Sir Hadron to arrive in the capital. We were going to meet in Muspel but both of them tried to outrun me to Nifelhold. Too bad none of them made here yet. I've been waiting for them for almost a day now."

"Interesting. I think I've heard Sir Og and Sir Hadron somewhere. You might find them somewhere in the capital. It is time for me to go now. Can't relieve myself from my duty for too long. I hope to see you again, Sir Lapallanch."

"They call me Urtagoth the 'Cragtooth'. You may call me Urtagoth."

"Eh... Cragtooth? I am not sure who called you by that name but-"

"You don't have to say. I've already been compared to this crag creature for too long. One of my reasons to travel west is to exterminate these creatures."

"I doubt you will ever be rid yourself of crags. If you let even a few get away, they will return to you by hundreds before a season passes."

"...."

"Anyway, I wish you luck, Sir Urtagoth."

"See you around, Sir Garanolg."

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (just sent)
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After waiting until night at the courtyard, guards showed up to show Urtagoth way out. Although they did not say it to his face, Urtagoth felt Grandmistress showed no interest in meeting a noble who has not yet been knighted. With a bit of disappointment, Urtagoth left the White Spire.

As the palace gate closed behind him, his men, led by Bon, gathered around Urtagoth asking about his day in the palace.

"I was insulted few times but that was expected. After all, I am not even a knight yet. Ordermarshal Helm told me to become his knight but even Grandmistress did not bother to meet me. I doubt someone who is so far down south will bother knighting me."

"What will you do now then Sir? "

"We meet up with Sir Og and Sir Hadron to see what they are up to. If they are interested, we can maybe form a expedition to fight crags in the western lands."

"Didn't Ordermarshal Helm mention something about a crusade?"

"Bah! Do you really believe a crusade can be called with only a handful of people joining the cause? A crusade can only be successful as long as all faithfuls want it. Not even half of the empire is interested in taking a part in it. Let's call what it is. A raiding part of Luria. Well at least that is what those fancy nobles in the palace were saying. Mockery of the golden days of our holy faith if you ask me."

"Well you will have to join an army, do you not Sir?"

"There are only two active armies. I will just join the imperial guards. I've met a member of the group. I believe he called himself Sir Garanolg. Maybe I will see him again. But for now, let's find Sir Og and Sir Hadron. Send them letters to find out what they look like."

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Katrina Dragul   (12 hours ago)
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Katrina was leaving the temple in Nifelhold when she noticed three nobles headed for a tavern near where she was.  She did not recognize them, and she was sure she knew all the nobles in the realm.  She certainly knew all of those from Morek in the church.

She motioned to her aide, Thorrson, to join her as she followed them to the tavern.  She was curious about their business here in the capital.

As she entered, she spotted them in a corner ordering drinks.

Katrina and her aide moved to a table close to the men and she overheard some of their conversation; it sounded like old friends reunited after some time.

Katrina motioned to Thorrson to remain at the table and she walked over to the three men.   "I am Katrina Dragul, Duchess of Aegir.  I see that you are new to Morek.  May I inqure your names and your business in the capital?"

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (3 hours, 36 minutes ago)
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Hadron sat at the table with Urtagoth:

"So if your Cragtooth, then why didn't you wait for me in Muspel, like you said you would? I searched for you for two days on that mountain. I thought that those undead monsters must have gotten you and Sir Og. Where is he anyway? And if your name is really Urtagoth, why did you call yourself Cragtooth? I'd that a pseudonym to keep your real identity a secret? Did you send those assassins after me? Why did you want to kill me? Are you really a Lurian spy?"

As he finished the last question, somewhat louder than he should have, he heard a voice behind him he turned to see Duchess Katrina standing there. Belatedly, he realized how bad what he had just said must sound.

"Oh! H.. h.. hello Duchess. I didn't know you were there. Ummm... Nice weather today isn't it?"

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch
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"So if your Cragtooth, then why didn't you wait for me in Muspel, like you said you would? I searched for you for two days on that mountain. I thought that those undead monsters must have gotten you and Sir Og. Where is he anyway? And if your name is really Urtagoth, why did you call yourself Cragtooth? I'd that a pseudonym to keep your real identity a secret? Did you send those assassins after me? Why did you want to kill me? Are you really a Lurian spy?"

"I thought both of you left without me. Thought you two wanted to make it into a race to reach Nifelhold! I even had to climb a mountain at night to get to Nifelhold before everyone. As for Sir Og, I've tried to find him for the past two days but I haven't seen anyone with his name yet. I even went to the palace. I don't remember calling myself Cragtooth first! You specifically addressed me as Cragtooth and I thought it was your way of showing respect by giving people a title! I only realized it was an insult  when I got here! You compare me to a crag? CRAG? Out of all things?! And what? Assassins? I can't even afford one if I wanted to!"

Urtagoth's face started to resemble a big tomato as he answered Sir Hadron. As he began to raise his voice and shake his fist in front of Sir Hadron, an old lady approached their table.

"I am Katrina Dragul, Duchess of Aegir.  I see that you are new to Morek.  May I inquire your names and your business in the capital?"

"Uh... Duchess Dragul? It... it is a pleasure to meet you, your grace. I am Urtagoth, the one you sent a letter to. I am not sure if you received my reply."

Urtagoth immediately got up from his chair and addressed the duchess. He could not believe he showed his loss of control over such trivial matter in front of Duchess Dragul out of all the people.

[Indirik]

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik
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Running through Urtagoth's response in his head while waiting for Duchess Katrina's response, Hadron took exception to some of Urtagoth's statements. Momentarily forgetting the Duchess' presence, Hadron turned back toward Urtagoth.

"A race to Nifelhold? Why would I want to race to Nifelhold? I wanted to see some of these undead monsters you keep ranting about. And why would I be insulting you when I'd never even met you yet? I thought you were just trying to be more manly, calling yourself 'Cragtooth Avalanche'. What in the world is a crag, anyway? But if you weren't trying to kill me, then who was? Someone tried to get me lost in those mountains so they could stick a knife in my back. Wait a minute..."

Hadron started looking furtively around the inn.

"If it wasn't you, then that means ... the Lurian spy is still out there somewhere. We need to inform Ordermarshal Helm quickly, before the spy has a chance to betray the expedition!"

Over in the corner, at a table occupied by a few soldierly types, one of the men looked up sharply, then rose quickly from the table. He tried to intervene in Hadron's fast-paced tirade. "Sir Hadron, wait! There's no need to..."

Hadron cut the man off. "Not now Gilbrecht! This is vital information!"

Suddenly Hadron remembered the Duchess standing there next to them.

"Duchess Katrina! Thank the gods you're here. You'll know what to do. We have to inform Ordermarshal Helm about the Lurian spy now, or the expedition is doomed!"

Gilbrecht slowly sank down into his chair once more. His little jibe about a Lurian spy, with which he'd hoped only to prod the young Hadron into hurrying quickly to Nifelhold rather than tarry in the mountain, had suddenly gone horribly wrong. He buried his face in his hands and prayed this wouldn't end up with all of them getting tossed in the dungeons.

[Indirik]

Roleplay from Katrina Dragul   (15 hours, 58 minutes ago)
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Katrina smiled, "A Lurian spy you say?  Hmmm first  I have heard of it, but I will have my man Thorrson take care of it right away."

As she motioned to her aide, she turned to Sir Hadron, her newest knight.  "Sir Hadron, I have some duchy business that I would like to discuss with you.  Do you have a moment to speak with me?"




Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (just sent)
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Hadron was greatly flattered that the Duchess had come here to find him. Even so, he did not want to neglect his duty to the realm.

"Of course, Duchess Katrina. I am, as ever, at your service. But truly, I think that this spy issue is quite important. We should..."

Thinking furiously, Gilbrecht saw a way out of this. Maybe he'd stay out of the dungeon after all. He quickly rose and called out.

"Sir Hadron, please, if I may. The Duchess must have quite important things to discuss with you. Perhaps I can be of service, and let Thorrson know everything about this ...uh... spy. There is surely no need to trouble the Duchess with it."

Hadron was taken aback by Gilbrecht's intervention. He wasn't usually willing to take such a direct role when dealing with other nobility, especially thos of such high rank.

"Well, I suppose that would be good, Gilbrecht. If that's acceptable to you, that is, Duchess."

The Duchess nodded. "That would do, Sir Hadron."

A man stepped forward from the Duchess' retinue. With a relieved look, Gilbrecht stepped toward him, and the two of them turned to go. Gilbrecht started talking softly to Thorrson, quickly fading as they walked away. "You see, there we were in the mountains and.."

His responsibility having been discharged, Hadron quickly put the matter aside. "Duchess, how may I be of service?"

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (10 hours, 17 minutes ago)
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Hadron returned to the table at the inn where Urtagoth waited. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed, and seemed preoccupied.

"Sir Urtagoth, I am afraid that I must leave Nifelhold, and return to Aegir's Deep. Duchess Katrina brought some of the regional officials with her, and they have been going over some of the rough details of the region status. It is ... not ideal. It will require much work to restore the region to a suitable condition. You and Sir Og, if you can ever find him, are welcome to join me. I have purchased horses for my men. We leave by nightfall, and will be riding hard the whole way."

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (1 hour, 15 minutes ago)
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"Wait what is this talk about Duchess Katrina appointing you as a lord?! I haven't even yet been knighted yet you are already a lord? Stars! Why do you test your poor servant!"

Urtagoth, who overheard the appointment of Sir Hadron, collapsed on his seat. His weight almost broken his chair but the sturdy thing once again managed to withstand Urtagoth.
"Sir Urtagoth, I am afraid that I must leave Nifelhold, and return to Aegir's Deep. Duchess Katrina brought some of the regional officials with her, and they have been going over some of the rough details of the region status. It is ... not ideal. It will require much work to restore the region to a suitable condition. You and Sir Og, if you can ever find him, are welcome to join me. I have purchased horses for my men. We leave by nightfall, and will be riding hard the whole way."

Sir Hadron, looking quite excited by the appointment, spoke to Urtagoth.

"I will leave with you as well. Hell with Sir Og. The man is impossible to find! I need to return to Muspel at once and talk to the new duke of Muspelheim. His grace will definitely knight me! I am fed up with this place! Bon! BONNNNNNN!"

"Sir, I am right behind you. I am not old enough to not be able to hear someone yelling in front of me."

"Get ready to leave! I want to talk to his grace, Duke Kenshin, and see wants to knight me. Obviously Grandmistress is not interested in knighting me. Time to leave!"

[Indirik]

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik
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As Hadron approached Aegir's Deep, he realized that the situation was just as bad, if not worse, than the local officials had described. The rising sun revealed that the walls were in very poor shape. It looked like any good hit with a battering ram would knock a hole clear through. The militia was disheveled and dispirited. Almost hostile, in a way.

Word of the arrival of the new Margrave quickly spread. The commoners lined the streets to get a look at their new lord. There wasn't much cheering. Most of the commoners appeared skinny and malnourished. No doubt due to the half rations on which the peasants had been living. Well, that was done, anyway. His first order to the local officials had been to restore rations to normal. It had only been a day or two since then, so there hadn't been much time to for it to have an effect. The officials were telling him that it had at least stabilized morale in the region.

Hadron had attempted to find out why the rationing was still in place. The answer didn't really make much sense. Something about the warehouse managers reducing the food supply during a past drought, and no one having the authority to rescind the order. But why couldn't the person who decided to send out half rations also decide to return to full rations? It sounded foolish, but that's why the commoners needed the proper guidance of a true noble.

Hadron spent the first half day in the region holding some courts, getting the feel for the status of the region. He did his best to dispense justice. Most of the disputes were about pasturage, food stores, and other such mundane things. Food was obviously the major issue in the region. Well, that would change. The people received their decisions stoically. They weren't especially happy about it, but they did seem to have a bit more confidence in the way things were going to be run from now on.

After that, he sent his mounted soldiers to patrol the city. Reports were that they arrested a few miscreant, but nothing major. That was a good sign. As the sun set, he knew that there would be many more days like this in the coming weeks. But at least he'd made a start.

[Zakilevo]

"Sir, Have you heard the news?"

"What news do you speak of, Bon?"

"Apparently, Lord Morton became a doomsayer."

"Uh, I do not understand. What is he saying? You have to tell me what he said."

"He is speaking of another monster invasion. Monsters are gathering near Astrum's northern border it seems."

"Monsters? I am assuming they are crags?"

"I believe so. No monster can gather themselves that quickly except for crags."

"After we meet Duke Kenshin, we will head north to fight crags! Send a messenger to Sir Hadron and Sir Og! Tell them to meet me in Nifelheim in few days!"

"Yes, Sir."

[Indirik]

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik
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Hadron was exhausted from another long day of holding courts. He had held both a morning session and an evening session. It was tedious listening to all these disputes, but the results were obvious. The long backlog of petitioners had thinned out quite a bit. The locals were getting used to him, and some had even begun providing some very useful information. In the evening session he had been feeling merciful, and ruled in favor of local merchant over a tax irregularity. The merchant, grateful for the favorable ruling, had revealed information about some criminals that had been bothering him recently. The constabulary had been able to act quickly on the information and arrest several people, breaking up the crime ring. A good day indeed.

As he reviewed some of the correspondence that had accumulated during the day, he found a letter from Sir Urtagoth.

"Hmm... Crags in the north..."

Hadron quickly summoned Galbrecht. He gave Galbrecht a quick summary of Urtagoth's letter. "What do you think of this, captain?"

"m'Lord, all the locals are talking about this massed horde of monsters. Some claim they are ravaging their way across the countryside in the north, others say that they are confined to the west, and will not come across the straights of Hvergelmir."

"Well, Galbrecht, I think we may be headed north soon. How long would it take us to get to Nifelhold?"

"Do you mean Nifel-HOLD or Nifel-HEIM"

Hadron gave Galbrecht a nasty look. "Don't trifle with me Galbrecht..."

"Just making sure, m'Lord. Nifel-HEIM is about two days from here. Perhaps two and a half depending on the weather."

"Two and a half days? Come now, Galbrecht. I bought all of you horses when we were in the capital. Surely we can go faster than that now."

"Perhaps, m'Lord. But many of the men still aren't comfortable in the saddle. And most of them have never held a lance before. just yesterday one of the troopers was knocked clean off his horse when the lance tip dropped too far and stuck in the ground during a practice charge."

Hadron shook his head. "Do what you can Galbrecht. I don't expect a miracle, but I do expect the men to at least be able to ride, and not kill themselves with their own equipment. I want to be on the road by tomorrow afternoon. I want to see one of these crags for myself."

"As you wish, m'Lord." Galbrecht bowed and turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Galbrecht stopped and turned back. "Yes, m'Lord?"

"What about those spies? Did you give the Duchess's a man all the information we have about that Lurian?"

"Uhh... yes, m'Lord. I told him everything. He said that they will, how did he say it, 'give it all the attention that a matter of this nature deserves'."

Hadron considered this for a few seconds. "Hmm, well, I suppose that's good enough, then. It sounds like they have things well under control."

"Indeed, m'Lord. I am sure they do. It would probably be best to let them take it from here, while we focus on other matters."

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Galbrecht. Thank you. Please arrange for our departure tomorrow."

"As you wish, m'Lord." Galbrecht bowed once more, and left.

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch   (3 hours, 17 minutes ago)
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As the sun retreated from the sky, Urtagoth arrived in Muspel, home of Duke Kenshin and the current capital of the duchy of Muspelheim.

As soon as he entered Muspel, he sent a messenger to the ducal palace in the center of Muspel hoping Duke Kenshin would write him back.

"Sir, what will you do if Duke Kenshin doesn't reply to your letter again?"

"Well... then I will visit Duchess Katrina. Isn't her grace Duke Kenshin's neighbour?"

"Indeed, Sir. But that might infuriate Duke Kenshin. Then again, you need to be knighted somewhere."

"Yes. I've been treated less than dirt for too long. Just look at Sir Hadron-"

"Margrave Hadron?"

"Damn it Bon! I did't want to remind myself Sir Hadron-"

"Margrave, Sir."

"M.A.R.G.R.A.V.E Hadron advanced faster than me! Are you happy now, Bon?"

"What are you implying Sir? I just wanted to correct you in case we meet Lord Hadron. You don't want to address him like that by accident right?"

"I am done talking to you."

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch
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Urtagoth, who failed to get a reply from yet another person with the authority to knight him, decided to depart Muspel in disappointment. Bon visited him in his room to report.

"No answer from Duke Kenshin?"

"No, Sir. He doesn't seem to be interested in your request."

"Send a letter to Duchess Katrina. I am starting to wonder if anyone in Morek is interested in knighting me."

"Sir, maybe you should take few months to lose some weight."

"You dare mock me? Are you going to call me crag as well, Bon?!"

"No, Sir. I mean maybe if you were muscular, you may look more convincing."

"What does that have anything to do with me being a knight?"

"Sir, wearing an over-sized armour won't convince anyone."

"...Just keep your mouth shut and tell everyone to get ready to depart in the morning."

"Sir, are you upse-"

Before Bon could finish his sentence, Urtagoth angrily left the room.

[Indirik]

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik   (42 minutes ago)
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Somewhere on a bleak mountain path across Mt. Black Nastrond...

"Are we there yet?"

"No!"

[Zakilevo]

Roleplay from Urtagoth Lapallanch
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On his way to Donghaiwei, a messenger reached Urtagoth...

"Sir, I have two letters for you."

"Two?"

"Yes, Sir. One is from Lord Reylich Corvian of Donghai and the other is from Duke Kenshin of Muspelheim."

"Wait. Who? Duke Kenshin? The same man who ignored my letters twice?"

"Uh... I don't know about him ignoring your letter, Sir but yes. There is only one Duke Kenshin and this letter is from him."

"Give me the letter!"

After snatching the letter from the messenger, Urtagoth quickly tried to read through the letter. But even before he began to read the first sentence, Bon took the letter and began to read it himself.

"Bon! How dare you!"

"Give me a minute, Sir. You can't even read quickly. It will take you all day. Let me go through it quickly."

"Arghhhhhh!"

"Congratulations, Sir. Duke Kenshin is willing to knight you and even consider making you a lord of one of his regions."

"Wait, What?! I can become a lord? Like Sir Hadro-"

"M.A.R.G-"

"MARGRAVE HADRON! That is not important!"

"Well, if you can talk Duke Kenshin into granting you his former fief, then yes."

"We are heading back to Muspelheim! Everyone, TURN AROUND NOW! Muwhahaha! Send Duke Kenshin a letter quickly Bon!"

[Indirik]

Roleplay from Hadron Indirik
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Hadron's small cavalry troop rode down the western slopes of Mt. Black Nastrond into the townsland of Nifel. It had been a hard trip over the mountains. One of the horses had thrown a shoe when it slipped on some gravel. Add that to the broken pack straps, a bridle that got caught on a branch and torn away from the bit, a bowstring that snapped while hunting, and the countless other mishaps that inevitably occur on the trail, and the small force was looking a little ragged. The respite in Nifel before traveling on to the city would be welcome indeed.

After passing through the gates, Hadron directed Galbrecht to take the men to the barracks, and arrange for repairs with the local smithies. Hadron himself headed to one of the more prosperous inns to find a good bottle of wine.

Hadron's indulgence wouldn't last long, however. Within a few minutes, Galbrecht was back.

"Lord Hadron, I have some bad news."

"What is it, Galbrecht, I'm busy here."

"m'Lord, there is no smithy in Nifel."

Hadron gave Galbrecht a blank stare. "What?"

"m'Lord, there is no smithy here in Nifel."

"Yes, yes, I heard you, Galbrecht. I'm not deaf. It's just that what you're saying doesn't may any sense. This is the townsland of Nifel, is it not? A rich and prosperous townsland, surrounding the rich and prosperous city of Nifelhold. This is not some backwater farming village. There must be a dozen smithies here."

"m'Lord, please grant that I have at least two wits to rub together. I know where we are, and what that should mean. Indeed, you would think that a place such as this would be completely capable of supplying the needs of the soldiers defending the northern reaches of Morek and Astrum. Yet, inexplicably, it does not. There is not a single smithy in all of Nifel that can repair our armor and weapons. In fact, there are no other workshops or paraphernalia of any kind to be had at all."

"Wait... none at all?"

"No, Lord Hadron. Not a single one."

"So we can't repair our equipment?"

"No m'Lord. we will have to wait until we arrive in in Nifelheim for that."

"What about banners? Can we get those new banners we wanted? You know, the red and green ones with the pointy stars..."

"No, m'Lord. Again, not until we reach Nifelheim."

"And we can't hire healers? Or purchase carts?"

"No and no, m'Lord."

"Is there at least a marketplace where I can post orders to purchase food for my region?"

"No, m'Lord. There is not."

"Then what in all the darkest hells is there in this sorry excuse for a town?!"

"Well, there is one thing. They do have scouts for hire, m'Lord."

"Scouts? Did you say they have scouts? Those skulkers I can hire by the dozen in any farming village in the realm?"

"Yes, m'Lord, those scouts."

"Oh, joy of joys! I can hire scouts here! Too bad I already hired all the scouts I needed before I came here. Let's get out of here, Galbrecht. And remind to never again waste my time in Nifel. Sir Urtagoth will be expecting us to arrive in Nifelheim any time now. In fact, I'd wager he's already there."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, m'Lord. The men are waiting near the gates."

Hadron stomped out of the inn, with Galbrecht following behind. Despite his irritation, he at least had the presence of mind to take the nearly full bottle with him.