[IC] Waeldeshore: The Wars Beyond [DISCONTINUED]

[Jon Y]

Do you remember Siegfried?"
"Big guy with the birthmark on his forehead and the strange scar on his shoulder."
Ionathan was still reeling from the brutal banter that Regina made saying that Ionathan was Still a whelp compared to most of the others on our group back then, he knew it was just banter so he let it slide. While Ionathan had no time to respond Regina would be able to see Ionathan's memories of the towering man.

At this time Genevieve came through the door and stunned Ionathan entirely, It appeared that she had not aged at all and acted with the grace and form of a lady of the court, her clothes were also of a lady with a majestic dress that made her quite the eye catcher. She welcomed the group in a respectable manner and told the group of the events that happened in Waeldeshore that he remembered well. The screaming Townsfolk the lifeless body of the marshal, the guard making a desperate stand against the chaos and the heroes fighting the demons in the streets.Genevieve went on to tell how the relic had been stolen and needed to be returned to her for her order to remove the blighted evils of this world, a noble action for sure but she had not said any reward or payment, Ionathan wanted no payment himself but he was wondering if the others would accept this on moral grounds alone.

Just when she finished, Ajax making a snide little chuckle that turned most of the heads in the room. In a impertinent and blunt fashion, Ajax asked questions that were surprisingly reasonable which made Ionathan guess that he was some kind of mercenary as he gave the feel of a man that had done these types of jobs many times before.

The knight who had been averting Genevieve gaze as she looked round the room also spoke up giving another reasonable question. However Ionathan felt that another question was in needed of an answer.

Bowing his head slightly in respect Ionathan said "My lady, forgive my impertinence, but is this a simple retrieval from some thief thinking to make a penny off a shiny relic, or was it stolen by some faction that rivals your own which seeks to use its powers for some other purpose?".

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Aware of the eyeing the faun presented her, the seasoned creature left her sizable digits atop the smooth, untarnished surface of the master's table. Each one's velvety pad, having worn rough with trial, marked it subconsciously in doing so and recording the texture; she formed memories of this place, not out of fondness for it, but entire distrust. Everything here had made the former ranger suspicious, well beyond that which she should have been from the start. Nothing set comfortably upon her spirit here, and even less so did any of its lavishness.

Not to say she disapproved of the wealthy or powerful, but what had been placed in priority begged her mind not to take any ease here, at least not for now.

The halfling, of who called herself Regina, drew the narrowed gaze of the hardened lioness who had remote familiarity to the power of the mind - some aspects of which she used herself in similar albeit vastly different ways. Thinking as she was by the table, mulling over what it was she had witnessed in thought, she carefully assessed the small woman; A psion with telekinetic prowess...

Pausing to withdraw her pawed palm, she let it rest to her side, thinking further on the matter only a few moments more. There would be time enough to meditate on these events later, and several had either willfully or unknowingly played their hand much too soon to anyone they should not trust immediately, which was all company present - particularly the master of the house, who at least was practiced in magic. The Huntress, having been company to many mercenaries from the cutthroat to the professional, knew the dangers of spoiling one's usefulness so early on.

Blinking coolly, her heightened senses alerted her to another joining the meeting; a deep breath before the door and the unlocking of the mechanisms as they were depressed. Resisting the urge for her rounded ears to cup toward the sound, she thought to prepare herself mentally for whatever was to come, which of all things seemed to be the supposed master of the house, or more specifically the lady.

The deadly gaze of the monstrous mage remained beyond the woman for a moment - specifically noting she was alone, or so it appeared - before returning to her and quickly developing a sense of the person who was before them. As quickly as the woman moved into the room, dressed in finery of which she most certainly wore to compliment the ornateness of her home, the remaining eye and soon body turned to face her; refusing a seat and remaining standing, not far from where the woman soon stood behind the lush chair that headed the table.

Her dialogue seemed as though destined for others present, but those were not the greatest of notes she took away. However, before she could dismantle every word spoken and begin retaining them as a personal recitation, the manly behemoth that was Diagorides intervened.

"So... you were part of this... order that fought against evil. Why are they not handling this, then? It sounds like just the task for them. And you've yet to say what's in it for us. The thrill of adventure is all well and good but no one should do things for nothing. It's degrading to their skills."

It indeed sounded as a mere call to arms, the sort of thing to stir the fighting spirit of men who considered themselves of honor, nobility and valor; qualities that led to many a man's demise, this Sakaala knew better than likely any other member present here within the meeting. She was no enemy of mortals, whom she was presently keeping company with short of the faun, but she had ample reason to distrust them and their believed concepts of distinct good and evil. It was the sort of thought that continued as Lady Genevieve then looked into the faces of each, seeming to acknowledge them in her effort.

Looking into the scarred face of the lion-woman was akin to gazing into the heart of conflict laid bare upon mortal flesh; it had taken its toll upon her, and not for a moment did the massive feline form show any drastic shift of demeanor in the dying light of this day as it struck through from the windows beyond.

Evil is a powerful word.

Her jowls wished her to mouth the thought and make it real, but she held her tongue, for now. The others had many remarks readied, or so it seemed, and there was no question pressing enough that she needed to intervene at this moment; things first needed to play out, and more than anything the veteran warrior turned magic user needed to better know who this Lady Genevieve was at heart and interest.

Both knightly men having finished, the calm yet commanding voice spoke, hands remaining idle in so doing.

"You almost seem disappointed." The Huntress made visibly no effort to engage in the human customs, not out of notable disdain, but that there was a lack of mutual trust which she now subtly voiced, "... and unsure of us, no less. Yet, you had the capacity to not only send your servant on your behalf, but the authority to summon us."

"Consider me to be in agreement with what the man, Diagorides, had said when he begged the question as to why your order - dedicated to fighting evil and clearly able to muster great magical power - could not perform this task and instead called upon mercenary adventurers, some of whom you are unfamiliar to."

The shifting of her stance while she stood beside the chair that she claimed by proxy was a false sense of ease, followed by a motion of calculated sympathy in her surprisingly elegant words and queenly voice, "I am no friend of evil, but I am no youth to the matters of the sort of bloody work this business might be."

Performing as she was, careful to mind the way in which she began and ended her dialogue, the leonine woman supported the reclining man's argument. Reasonably after all, it was the safest way in which she hoped to learn more about the nature as to why these events had taken place as the noble woman before them, in all of her surprisingly youthful beauty - a quality the warrior-mage knew not at this time, provided little comfort to anything that had transpired here on this coming evening.

@AdamantiumWolf@Belwicket@IcePezz@Zero Hex@vietmyke@Jon Y

[IcePezz]

Genevieve knew she would meet opposition, and be challenged with such queries but this was a bit more than she expected.

"Please, please, one at a time. Unfortunately, I am the last of my order, that I know of. There was a great rift within our ranks, and during those dark times, many had perished. Any survivors went into hiding. I have searched for many years, hoping to find someone, at the very least, a trace of someone. Not all was lost though. Within my search, twenty-five years ago I came upon a group of individuals. So courageous and selfless were they, they risked their lives against forces of evil that most of this world are lucky to have never come upon."

She cleared her throat, at this point finally showing some sort of discomfort. Her face was painted with several different emotions and her voice became filled with such sadness, the room suddenly felt dark and cold. "I have never been able to find any of my brethren, and I can assure you, my abilities are not as vast as they may seem. I am, in no way disappointed. The dangers you all will face, should you choose to help me, may be greater than any of you could imagine. Demons from the darkest pits of the abyss, powerful magi with armies all to themselves. And perhaps - even a deadly assassin, should she show herself. The larger group we may be, the more likely we will be victorious. But I had chosen you lot, mostly because I have no one else to turn to, but also because I know not to underestimate people like you. I almost made that mistake once, and I am glad that I had reconsidered." she glanced at Ionathan with a warm smile. "I have heard stories. Stories of grand adventures, merciless victories... I need great warriors by my side. Yes, there will be a reward, and yes, more than just the honor of a good deed done."

She moved into her seat, a long breath escaped as the weight of her ensemble settled into the large, padded throne. "During my studies, I had learned of three artifacts, or as some texts have named them, keys. Each key has their own attribute or powers, but when one possesses all three keys, they essentially become a god. With their power, they can control the energies of not only this realm, but more importantly, the armies of hell itself. That kind power in the wrong hands can certainly be a danger that none of us can ignore. Some of you had acquired for me one of these keys. Previous to this, I had another one in my possession, and for quite a while before it was stolen. It was passed down and safe guarded by my order. This particular artifact is quite ordinary, and is known in some circles as the 'Key of Discreetness', it's a rock with a dull grey glow, and a few runes on it that don't mix and therefore don't work, except within the presence of the other artifacts. This artifact was stolen by a rogue witchling; a traitor to us all. She had traveled with some of us all those years ago and fought by our side. And after helping us defeat the dangers to Waeldeshore, she fled the isle, with quite a few of my belongings, the artifact among them. I do not know her reasons for doing what she did, but I do believe she is consorting with a dangerous guild of magi, housed on this side of the world. They, I believe, have their own reasons for wanting the key, and I'm sure they are plotting and scheming, looking to acquire the other two keys for their own twisted purpose."

She glanced at Sakaala for a moment before continuing. "I have authority over my own house staff, none other, especially you. And by you, I mean all of you. You had each received an invitation here, perhaps not with clear intent, but with enough information to engage your curiosity. So to say that I have the authority to summon you all is false. It was your own desires, your own choice that led you here. I am simply asking for help on a mission that I cannot complete by myself. So ... will you help me?"

~~~~*~~~~

The rogue paced back and forth for a bit. Her frustration was clouding her judgement by this point, but she couldn't wait around any longer. There were innocents in the mix now that she just could not ignore. She slipped into the shadows and creeped back into town, making her way towards the sage's house once more.

[Zero Hex]

Ajax had, indeed, ran into a number of perils during his short stay on this land, it was how he had become well known after all. He'd thought nothing of it, however, being so used to situations like those wherever he went that he considered them the normal state of affairs. He'd yet to arrive in any land where he could not "ply his trade", so to speak, and still thought very little of this woman, her order and her talk of peril to the world at large. He was most certainly unmoved by her apparent sadness at being unable to find others of her kind, and he visibly smirked when she mentioned her abilities "not being as vast as they seemed".

"Yes, yes, I've heard it all before" he waved Genevieve off. "But I've not yet heard what we are to do. Storm these mages? Tear their guild asunder until we find what we are looking for? And what of this witchling and the assassin?". Ajax lifted his feet off the table and instead leaned forwards, laying his weight on his massive crossed arms as he peered at his would be employer. His face was all business now. "It is poor form not to lay out the details early. And we've yet to hear what the reward will be, should we conquer these, uh, great dangers".

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Clever, it is though she had said the same thing over again, yet this time in more words uttered. The aged warrior mused within her mind as the woman before spoke, having had Lady Genevieve glance briefly to her towering form; it was this sort of demeanor and the obscurity of her words that only proved to further the Huntress' distrust for what was said. They were too vague, in particular for any detail mercenary adventurers would need and that she was so reluctant to detail anything - names, more specifically - was what set the beastly traveler on edge.

When the woman began again, looking upon Sakaala in doing so, she seemed to attempt to twist the expressed intent of what was said. There was no way a woman with this much magical power and prestige could not understand the obvious suspicion of someone not wishing to be found, to have themselves found and nonetheless approached.

The scarred martial adept looked back to the woman before her as she settled in her seat more, then to the man across the table who at last removed his heels from atop the fine wooden table, waving off the words that clouded the air. Leaning in, arms upon his broad and muscular chest, he directed his commentary at the house's master of whom might just become his employer.

"It is poor form not to lay out the details early. And we've yet to hear what the reward will be, should we conquer these, uh, great dangers."

There was one thing to be said for working in the business of bloody trade and that would be the directness was a saving grace. Diagorides however, neglected one factor which the former ranger was not about to ignore; who were these people? This fractured order? This "witch"? The notion alone of providing such a supposedly powerful stone was not a comforting one, but if her intentions were truly noble this seemed as though it would have been noted before.

Before much else was said, the dark jowls curved, revealing deadly fangs as they moved to form words beneath the tawny muzzle, "These orders... who and what are they, or should I say were, until this point?"

She turned not her body, instead only her left, golden, stalwart eye glared from its corner to Lady Genevieve, to which she continued after in speech; searching for a response both verbally and behaviorally. "And what matter is this 'traitorous assassin' to us, or 'witchling' as you so called it?"

If she, this "witch" or "witchling", were such a problem, looking to remove either the band of adventurers or their employer and perhaps them both, what was so bad as to let her come? If she had the artifact so desired, what was the danger? Supposedly it did nothing by itself, and for that matter, even if she lacked it, what harm was there in eliminating her were she so dangerous to the objective? Again, the lack of explanation was not selling the half-beast upon the notion anything associated with the Lady Genevieve was worth its obscure trouble.

Looking back to Diagorides she blinked thoughtfully, hoping the man would catch upon the innuendo of her point. Not that she thought he would care, but that the quest presented seemed... unusually shady, even for mercenaries based upon the circumstances at hand. If he was wishing to make his pay, as he seemed so adamant about, she hoped he would begin debating the same matters as well. It was from there however, she looked to the two knightly men - attempting to avoid eye contact with the faun or halfling as now was not the time to settle the subtle issues of earlier.

She sized up the boy made noble soldier first, knowing his involvement in this matter was as fresh as hers was, looking over him with the same careful glare of an animal assessing its prey. After confirming this, based upon the demeanor the lady of the house had, she looked to the other one, carrying on with her words.

"Unless of course you can provide more detail than what is being said already, Hepburnberg." Sakaala directed, having keenly been aware of the behavior that was ushered toward him just a few moments past. She did not truly expect him to know, she simply wished to judge the way their host would react to the misdirection of conversation.

@AdamantiumWolf@Belwicket@IcePezz@Zero Hex@vietmyke@Jon Y

[Belwicket]

Regina listened intently to the questions asked and answers given. When it was revealed that the traitor "witchling" was one that had traveled with them in Waeldeshore, she began thinking. "Genevieve." she said loudly, floating towards her. "Let me see her." She gave a light push to the woman's mind, though not deep enough to actually see anything. "Let me see the traitor."

If their host accepted, Regina would look to see the traitor. Seeing who the traitor was, she would become very angry, many of the smaller objects around her lifting a couple inches before dropping with her.

If Genevieve declined, she would land with a frown and a glare, knowing that the traitor, whoever they were, was going to be revealed soon enough.

Either way, she would stomp over to the window and stare out it, thinking about the traitor's motivations.

@AdamantiumWolf@The Harbinger of Ferocity@IcePezz@Zero Hex@vietmyke@Jon Y

[Jon Y]

Ionathan could not help but smile back at Genevieve as she smiled at him, he could not remember a time when she had ever smiled before, she had always seemed to have a cold personality but at that instance she had nothing of the sort.

At the mention of the traitor, Ionathan narrowed is eyes and his free hand clenched into a fist. He despised traitors, those who would betray their friends and companions, those who would break every oath that they swore in order to gain some petty desire. But this traitor had not only betrayed her comrades, but also betrayed the forces of good in this world.

"Unless of course you can provide more detail than what is being said already, Hepburnberg."

Placing his Sallet on the table along with his leather gloves he straightened his back, his hands clasped behind his back. He shook his head "I'm afraid I know little about this incident, I was with the guard launching dawn raids on demonic cults that had spawned up over Waeldeshore. I only know that Genevieve had a little...confrontation with the women in question only because a local reported it as a civil disturbance. Although, I might know who she was."

He was going to ask why Genevieve had not gone to the guard for help in pursuing her stolen property but cast the thought aside, if the women is question was the one he thought she was, then asking the guard for help would have been a waste of time.

Ionathan was about to take a guess to who the witch was when Regina floated to Genevieve and asked to let her see the traitor. Using one hand to rub his forehead Ionathan turned to Regina. "You know, you could just ask who she was rather than invading her mind."

@Belwicket @vietmyke @AdamantiumWolf @Zero Hex @The Harbinger of Ferocity @IcePezz

[vietmyke]

The sage continued at length about her order and how she was most likely the last of her people. She explained more about the artifact in question, and the gravity of the situations that it could cause if put in the wrong hands. She then spoke of a traitor, to which Emil immediately looked up at her with attention, concern. Could one of the Heroes of Waeldeshore have been a traitor? The idea of any of the heroes from Waeldeshore being untrustworthy or unnoble spat in the face of almost all of the stories he had heard about them in his childhood. He shot a glance of doubt at Sir Hepburnberg for a moment, before quickly shaking his head and dashing all the unease from his mind. Impossible, Sir Hepburnberg was a model soldier, a man that countless young men from both Waeldeshore and Edessa looked up to. Just because one of the heroes had become corrupted didn't mean that the rest of them would be.

Some of the others discussed the identity of the traitor. Emil noticed the beast-kin staring him down, and almost shrank in his seat. The stare was unnerving, inhuman, and rested on him for several moments before the beast-kin Sakaala asked Sir Hepburnberg questions regarding the rogue hero.

Unlike the others, the man Ajax comparatively seemed unconcerned by the notion of the traitor. In fact, he seemed rather unimpressed by the entire situation, requesting further information about their possible monetary gain and their exact duties regarding their foes. If it weren't for the fact that he bore no weapons and wore no armor, Emil might have written him off as every other sellsword in the land. And while the man Ajax certainly had his points, he had all the subtlety of a charging lancer crashing through a library.

Emil continued listening to the others, deciding not to put his own input in this time- he had no desire to appear ignorant or misguided about the current goings on, and didn't know enough about the situation to just spout out his own opinions.

[IcePezz]

Genevieve grumbled softly as she looked in Regina's direction. As the hin attempted to enter her mind, the woman would've snapped back, with a loud roar of a voice that only Regina could hear. "You did this once before, never do it again!"

"You know,you could just ask who she was rather than invading her mind." The knight spoke up.

Genevieve sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to regain her composure. "Her name is Isabeau Falkenrath. Her mother was descendant of a high witch, the leader of one of the deadliest clans of this realm. I call her a 'witchling' as she is only half, her father was human. The clan had her father killed, and her mother died not too long after giving birth to the wench. When her abilities had not manifested the way the high witch had hoped, she was traded off and raised by a guild of assassins. She was part of the group that had helped Waeldeshore 25 years ago, and from then, the rest is history."

She paused a moment in thought. "For years, she has ... eluded me, but I managed to track her here. My sources say that she is working with the Maji. Of course it would be best if the guild was taken out, but my sources also tell me that there is so much corruption within their ranks, they're doing very well with thinning out their own numbers without anyone else's help. Once I'm able to acquire the keys, they will be no threat."

"I do not know much about them, however, I can tell you this. The order is well known in the western world for being one of the single most reliable and powerful institutions of magic. The fortress itself is thousands of years old, said to have been made by an archmage of the ancient days. The structure itself is made from a combination of pure runes and hardened obsidian, and is the approximate size of a small city.”

“The order was originally created 800 years ago by the archmage Sevria Tarvanox, considered to be one of the greatest human users of magic in history, if not the greatest. Her success came from a discipline, she said, taught to her by an old mage in her early childhood. She dismantled the old line of Runic Magi. Runic mages had long been considered the world's most powerful mages; but Sevria proved that the "Weave", a more pure form of magic, was not only more powerful than runes, it was easier to use and safer. Naturally, the Runic mages didn't like their works being taken apart; but every time they attempted to take her out she became stronger and undermined Runic authority. Eventually, she lead an army of "free" mages to destroy the Vlantian Estate, which was the headquarters of the mages. The defeat caused the Runic magi to scatter and lose all unity; few were ever seen again. Those who were ended up dead after evidence arose that Runic magic had demonic roots.”

“She assumed control of the castle the magi are based in today and steadily recruited followers, over the years laying roots. Someone else holds the mantle, but for over a century now, the Magi have developed a reputation of having professional mages, being completely neutral, and having little inclination to interfere in world affairs. Over the past 20 years, the magi have become much more secretive and have begun to withdraw followers from various parts of the world to vanish into the castle they are based in.”

“During my search for my missing artifact, I was able to track it to their hold, however, upon doing my own search I wasn't able to find it. I believe they are either hiding it under a cloaking spell or …” She taps her chin gently in thought, “Isabeau can cloak herself in shadows, if she was able to tap into her ability, she could have accessed the shadow realm. Which is essentially a mirror of this realm. They could be hiding it there. I have maps that will direct you to where the artifact should be. I will give you all the information that I have to further aid you in this quest; details of their stronghold, demons that infest the area in question …”

A cough or two slipped out. Her voice started getting hoarse at this point. She cleared her throat and continued. “All that I am asking for is for you to return what is rightfully mine, how you go about it is your choice. I believe the magi will try their luck at acquiring the second and third key. If they manage to get all three, well, you can count yourself among the dead if that happens. What Isabeau’s plans are, I'm not quite sure how far she is in with the magi or what her plans are other than keeping that key from me. For your efforts and time, I will compensate you with coin. Fifty thousand each. I hope that will suffice. If you do choose, or if you're able to slay any of the magi, I will pay you an extra twenty five thousand for each head you bring me. Does that sound fair? Are there any other questions?”

[Belwicket]

Regina punched the wall before spinning to face the others. "Isabeau is mine." She looked at Genevieve and Ionathan, lifting off the floor again. The look in her eyes was pure, unadulterated anger, all of it aimed at Isabeau. "She will not live." She took a deep breath and sighed before shaking her head roughly. "Where do we go first?" she asked, looking at Genevieve. "If she's not there, I will hunt her down."

[Zero Hex]

Ajax, truth be told, did not care for specific amounts, and yet he cocked an eyebrow at the mention of the pay. He would have accepted a pittance, a symbolic reward of any sort, but decent coin meant a better living while it lasted, and so he was pleased. And sometimes, not always but sometimes, bringing the matter of recompense up was a good way to further gauge a situation. For instance, he figured fifty thousand per head was an impressive amount of coin to be throwing around, not to mention the extras for killing magi. And speaking of, no decent person he knew, granted he didn't really know many, ever offered incentives for the heads of enemies.

He just couldn't pass this up. It was by far the shadiest deal he'd been involved with, because he'd been asked to do some questionable things, but at least those times it was all rather up-front. He was a fighter for hire, he didn't quite care and most of the people who hired people like him didn't either. He just had to see where this would go from here. Nevermind the history lesson about magic, all that was lost on him, and not having known this assassin witch girl person he didn't really care much about that either. It might just all end in nothing, but he just couldn't wait for the seemingly inevitable turn this adventure would take.

He shrugged his shoulders, turning his head slightly to give a Skaala a slight, knowing nod before turning his eyes to the halfling and rolling them around in obvious mockery as she tried to invade the hostess' mind then threw a tantrum. He was no psychic himself, but given his attitude thus far the message was sort of clear. Would the beastess rather let this go and take the risk of leaving something potentially important in the hands of someone like that? And the rest weren't necessarily much better, also having obvious prior ties to the woman or being so obviously taken in by the group's previous adventures. That just wouldn't do.

He turned to Genevieve and smiled a confident, knowing grin. It was the face of someone who knew what was up and was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, certain that he would could take whatever was thrown at him and come out on top. And the face of someone who it would be best not to mess with. "So, go to the fortress, kill the mages, fight an assassin you used to know and get the artifact back. Sounds simple enough".

@The Harbinger of Ferocity@IcePezz

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

The subtle smile that played across the old warrior's scarred face curved her jowls; it was a knowing, thinking expression, the sort that well accompanied the information Lady Genevieve seemed to provide at last. She did not tense throughout the conversation, but quickly set her mind to work on comprehending what all was said, and more so, what it all meant. Many of the terms, the history more than anything, were vaguely familiar - something the massive lioness woman would need reflect upon in meditation and time - but this was progress all the same. It helped some, nonetheless, that the half blooded knight could at least seem to confirm that the two women were former allies turned enemies which bolstered some confidence, however small.

Crossing her thick arms before her mithral breastplate, the right visibly moving with more difficulty, the mercenary found the offer far more than she expected, but it was not far fetched. Someone with such affluence and apparent wealth certainly had those sort of funds available, not lacking the capacity in the slightest, but the entire offer seemed to be a desperate effort of incentive. Fortunately, the man across the table provided the slight, knowing nod the Huntress so desired; at least some of this odd collective understood what her intentions were - not to sign their lives away so quickly. However, as the savageness of her eyes seemed to wash over Diagorides in acknowledgement, it then quickly shift away to the halfling, distracted only for a moment.

The small woman struck a wall, a dull thud resulting as she then spun about, speaking with vivid frustration, "Isabeau is mine."

"She will not live." Regina Hills continued, quivering with anger while the man soon returned to his business and so did Sakaala's attention to the conversation itself. There would be time coming to contend with that.

Taking a deep breath and her keen ears following the words while she moved, she allowed the discussion to carry on without her direct influence; each large pawed foot spreading silently across the floor. Walking about the edge of the fine wood table, arms relaxing from their place across her broad chest, she proved to guide herself near the young knight that was Emil Erran. Her presence was intentional, as though to spur the young man to words one could reason, but certainly not so close as to be a menace. She genuinely wondered if he would so much as react or simply be uncomfortable by the sheer scale and danger posed by a monstrous being so close.

Coming to a quiet halt, her thick neck proved to cock her head slightly at an angle, still in thought to none but herself.

@AdamantiumWolf@Belwicket@IcePezz@Zero Hex@vietmyke@Jon Y

[Jon Y]

So the traitor was Isabeau, it was as he thought, his reaction was one of acceptance of a fact rather than any stage of grief. He had his suspicions it was her but he was in denial. But now that he had been told from a reliable source his only reaction has a long sigh which he kept quiet.

Regina reaction was not so controlled for which Ionathan could not blame her for, he remembered the way Regina had acted around Isabeau.
Regina's rage reminded Ionathan how much he feared mages and the like, sure he had fought magic users in the war and had the scares to prove it but the fear had never gone away. Regina's punch made Ionathan's sallet to fall from the table which Ionathan managed to catch with a burst of speed that he surprised himself with. But when Regina turned to him he froze, bent over with his helmet in his hands.

"She will not live."

Ionathan nodded slowly in recognition of her rage and slowly put his sallet back on the table, trying not to make any noise. He noticed that Skaala was slowly creeping on Erran for which Ionathan felt a need to look out for and he did not want Skaala to interrogate the poor guy. He wanted to intercept but first he needed to respond to the offer.

“I will be the first to accept the offer my lady, except for the bounty, I’m not into blood money”
Walking to Erran he knelt down next to his chair and courteously bowed his head. “Sir Erran is it? It’s an honour to meet you” Extending a hand to shake he gave a smile “What do you think about the offer?”

@Belwicket @vietmyke @AdamantiumWolf @Zero Hex @The Harbinger of Ferocity @IcePezz

[vietmyke]

Emil's jaw nearly dropped when the sage named her price. Fifty Thousand coins each? The amount of money she had just offered the group of them was... significant to say the least- more than enough to make even Edessa's king turn his head, not to mention the extra bounty she placed on each 'head' of a mage. Emil shuddered at that thought. The idea of tearing a head off of a corpse, and then carrying it around for extra money was bloody, to say the least.

Despite the quietness of her walk, Emil's peripherals were very well aware of the large beastkin walking around the table and his direction. Visibly stiffening as the beast approached him, his hands twitched, clenching for a moment on the table, before relaxing. As much as the beastkin Sakaala unnerved him, if she truly wanted him dead at the moment, Emil reasoned, there was little he could do about it- she was standing behind him, just out of arms reach, but close enough, and he was sat at the table with his sword unable to be drawn fast enough to outmaneuver a swipe from the beastkin's massive paws.

When Ionathan came to his rescue, to to speak, Emil relaxed, his shoulders dropping to a slight slump. "The honor is mine," Emil replied genuinely, in a quiet voice. "Truth be told, I think the offer almost too good, but perhaps I am not properly gauging the gravity of this task." He added, confiding in the older knight.

After a moment of hesitation, Emil too spoke up. "As will I, Lady Genevieve." he said, adding his pledge alongside Ionathan's.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

"The honor is mine," The youthful knight replied in calm, hushed tone, adding only, "Truth be told, I think the offer almost too good, but perhaps I am not properly gauging the gravity of this task."

His concerns were legitimate, and as the elder half beast listened along to his words further, she was pleased to know he had ultimately opted for the quest all the same, speaking aloud now rather than keeping to himself and his newfound compatriot. It was now that Sakaala's eyes, both sighted and sightless, looked to the man of mingled descents as he was kneeling still. For what he was, he had surprised her and this seemed to be in no short supply, either.

There needed to be more positive revelations.

Taking the left hand to her cheek, stroking the tawny hide that it was with her thick, powerful digits, she moved her attention onward - beyond Sir Erran and Sir Hepburnberg, past the lavish, ornate chair and table and to Lady Genevieve. It was as though she smiled, but the expression was more a smirk, that there was enough for her to work with - enough that the old ranger was confident that some good could be done - yet along the lines that she was at least amused. Not because the subject matter was humorous, but because one was bound by an emotional tie, two others by honor and station, and her?

Her doings were her own, but there was little doubt allowing anyone control over this relic, be it Lady Genevieve or these mages, was truly for the benefit of anyone. If she had to entrust their acquisition and protection to someone, veterans of Waeldeshore and seasoned mercenaries were not bad candidates.

"A tempting offer you make, Lady Genevieve." The beast woman's hand returned to her side as she stepped beside the two knightly men, "As I see it, you value greatly this relic personally, enough so to make a worthwhile sum the reward beyond just notoriety."

Her growled, stirring voice continued, "All I then ask is, if we were to procure it for you, what would you in fact do with it? Provided you have no ill intent or personal gains to be made, I see no further concern from myself."

Being careful to tread lightly with her words, she knew the only contracts to be made with such discussions was hollow. If Lady Genevieve wished to best these magi for the sole purposes of accomplishing what they as a whole set out to do, but for herself, there was little now the Huntress could do until such truths were made evident. She simply needed the other woman's word for peace of mind - events later were sure to play out as to who might be wrong or right. After all, this would not have been the first time the lioness had been responsible for aiding those whose words and intents were maligned.

@AdamantiumWolf@Belwicket@IcePezz@Zero Hex@vietmyke@Jon Y

[Belwicket]

"That's a good question," Regina said, floating to the Lioness's side. "I don't doubt her motives myself but it would help settle the doubts of anyone else." She floated down with a frown as she looked around again. "I have a way that would settle everyone's doubts easily." she smiled. "All everyone has to do is let me in their minds." She made no attempt to penetrate anyone's mind though kept at the ready in case Genevieve agreed. "And it would prevent lies. I remember last time, a few of the group questioned your motive then and, at least, one of them, if I remember right, called you a liar. Then again, I did end up coming in halfway through the conversation." She smiled softly, trying to force the thoughts of Isabeau's betrayal to the back of her mind.

[IcePezz]

Reactions varied vastly among her crowd that it was nearly impossible to keep up. Genevieve jumped slightly as Regina through a force of rage at her wall, causing a fracture in the wall. Spider line cracks formed beneath her fist and drywall dust flaked to the floor. Genevieve found it hard to conceal her grin. At the very least it told her that the little wench of a witch wouldn’t live through this venture.

For the most part, everyone seemed to be of a similar mind. They agreed with her terms and were up for the challenge. The mercenary of course seemed pleased with the sum. Fifty Thousand was indeed a lot, she was sure she would at least capture his attention with that amount. The others were of a different breeding though. The Knight indeed had accepted the terms, but voiced that he would not accept the coin, the youngest member of their group chiming in to accept alongside Ionathan. Such a notion would be unbecoming of a Knight, and she expected nothing else from him.

Her interest piqued as the beast spoke up. Sakaala had spoken up before, her concerns all worthwhile. But her tone was different this time; careful and specific, sincere even, as if simply looking for reassurance. “A tempting offer you make, Lady Genevieve. As I see it, you value greatly this relic personally, enough so to make a worthwhile sum the reward beyond just notoriety.”

Genevieve nodded along as she continued. “All I then ask is, if we were to procure it for you, what would you in fact do with it? Provided you have no ill intent or personal gains to be made, I see no further concern from myself”
It was certainly a fair question, she couldn’t blame Sakaala for asking. She paused a moment, looking to apply the same care to her words that the woman had chosen. Unfortunately, any answer to be given was abruptly cut off by Regina.

“That is a good question,” Regina said, floating to the Lioness’s side. “I have a way that would settle everyone’s doubts easily. All everyone has to do is let me in their minds.”

Genevieve was growing impatient with the hin, her demeanor suddenly changed. The inward shout she had given her previously had become outward. “For the last time, NO!” she looked at Regina with a scowl, her features become darkened by anger. “I will not open my mind to you, you meddling creature. The last time you so rudely entered, I was nearly overwhelmed and over run by not only my own thoughts but yours as well.”

The sage sighed slowly, attempting to calm herself as the breath flowed through her, finally returning her attention to Sakaala. “Your question is fair, and therefore I –willingly- answer”, she glanced at Regina as her voice peaked. “In the battles long ago, the demon Zargon had appeared in our realm. Whether this was the doing of Jeltheor, an evil mage whose deeds plagued Waeldeshore, or if this was by the actions of Zargon himself, we do not know. However the peril he and his minions inflicted in many regions of our world is unspeakable. When our group had defeated him previously, he had not died, but merely went into hiding. There have been signs, odd happenings throughout this side of the world that indicate his return, or at least the coming of it. Once I am in the possession of all three keys, I will be able to defeat them once and for all; A feat that my order had striven to achieve, but had unfortunately failed at. I seek its power not for my own, but to rid the world of this evil. It will take much more than what was delivered upon him in Waeldeshore to take him down for good. And I do not intend to let him live this time. Zargon is not the only one that we have to worry about either. There are others that flock to his banner. That is why it is imperative that I acquire all three keys.” She turned, glancing over the others before her gaze finally falling on Regina. “Considering what you had gone through in your previous battle by my side, I do hope this satisfies your questions.”

“It is getting late, and I would have my champions well rested and prepared. Should you all be in agreement with my terms, I have prepared rooms for each of you, I do hope they are to your liking. Your beds have already been turned down, and there are hot baths waiting for you in your personal quarters. If there is nothing else, my aid will escort you upstairs.” She nodded slowly, waiting for their acceptance of her offer before moving from her chair.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

The Lady Genevieve's outburst spurred the old huntress' numb fingers to move; they responded out of reflex with a subtle twitch at their wide, padded tips, the sort that had she not had the control she did over them again through sheer practice and force of will, that they would have wished to draw blades. It was muscle memory and truly instinctual, evoking days old, but the half beast showed no other outward response and that which she just had were so subtle, she doubted if anyone but Diagorides could even notice. The man was a veteran fighter, a brawler too by the looks of it - someone who could read body language and use it like any other weapon against an enemy as leverage.

"My questioning of her motivation," Sakaala began, looking unto the small woman who freely floated from the fine floors without any apparent magical means, "Is more a question of our own morality. Were we not to ask, even if she were to lie to us now, makes us little better than the same people you seem to hate, as there is obviously some reason to doubt their nobility."

The Huntress adjusted herself, rolling her sizable shoulders slightly, and looking over the woman across the table who settled herself now, attempting to clearly regain her composure after the outburst. There was no doubt the warrior-mage was skeptical of the entire thing still, but now she had a few tools to mitigate her concerns. Not to dispel them, no, but at least provide enough peace of mind that the ordeal might be as righteous as it was presented.

Humans were just as likely to be deceitful as they were not to be; this of course made working with them difficult. Other races? It varied by their individual lot, but at least one could always have a sense of their typical motives, and all this only served to remind the beastly woman more of what had become of her people. Lady Genevieve was not those humans, at least not credibly so, as their people had been mostly eradicated in recourse for their deeds and those of their forefathers; to hold a grudge or prejudice would be foolish.

Her ears cocked forth again though as the arcanist spoke and stood from her chair with a slow nod.

“It is getting late, and I would have my champions well rested and prepared. Should you all be in agreement with my terms, I have prepared rooms for each of you, I do hope they are to your liking. Your beds have already been turned down, and there are hot baths waiting for you in your personal quarters. If there is nothing else, my aid will escort you upstairs.”

The offer of a warm bath was a notable perk, as she was accustomed to either the cold water, or whatever she could convince her typical - almost always soldiering sort - companions to allow her. Usually at best a pot of boiled water initially meant for something else; men typically did not argue with a woman several heads taller than them and with the body of a leonine monster, let alone one who could wield sword or will magic. Sadly, she acknowledged she could not be at ease here, let alone muse on the matter, at least not until she could meditate on the truth.

"To destroy this... 'demon', this 'Zargon' of Waeldeshore fame, is no small feat - even for you." She spoke to the woman of the house with appropriately placed words, "So I can suppose it is reasonable as to why we, as we are, are needed. Not to mention the noteworthy reward in coin's sum and honor alike."

"I will agree to this intent." The veteran said, just as carefully deciding how to pledge her expertise.

It was a muddied business, the realm's system of pledges, honor and duty, so she intentionally agreed to the idea of destroying those who would aid this demonic presence with these relics, rather than to Lady Genevieve herself. After all, the power to discern truth and lies was a tool of those who practiced godly arts and worship, so her oath and intent needed to align. This practice, taught to her long ago when she first began down this path of warfare for hire, had kept her and her earliest companions out of trouble; those who first ignored her monstrous mien. Though unlike them, the elder felid actually had noble intentions beyond avoiding meeting her end under an executioner's axe.

She looked to the two knights not far from her, of whom both had already sworn along with the halfing woman their willingness to carry out the lady of the house's request; her expression was mostly stoic, only her jowls curved subtly in a knowing smile.

@AdamantiumWolf@Belwicket@IcePezz@Zero Hex@vietmyke@Jon Y

[Belwicket]

Regina shied back with a look of sorrow at Genevieve. She looked down as she slowly dropped to the floor, joining her hands behind her back. She glanced at Sakaala's feet as the lioness spoke and nodded as a response, not really wanting to speak after getting yelled at like a child.

Genevieve then said “It is getting late, and I would have my champions well rested and prepared. Should you all be in agreement with my terms, I have prepared rooms for each of you, I do hope they are to your liking. Your beds have already been turned down, and there are hot baths waiting for you in your personal quarters. If there is nothing else, my aid will escort you upstairs.” Regina looked up and glanced at the others before approaching Genevieve. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you privately for a few minutes." She looked up at her employer with puppy-dog eyes, hoping the woman would give her a chance to speak. "Please? It won't take long."

If Genevieve accepted, Regina would smile softly. "Should we wait here until everyone else has left or do you have another room?" As she asked, she began thinking of multiple ways to apologize for her rash and disrespectful actions in the past.

If Genevieve declined, she would walk away in sorrow, going to the room that had been readied for her. Once there, she would lay in bed and attempt to sleep, having decided she'd rather bathe in the morning. After a long time mentally berating herself for her past actions a quarter of a century ago, she would eventually sleep fitfully and restlessly.

[Jon Y]

"Truth be told, I think the offer almost too good, but perhaps I am not properly gauging the gravity of this task."

Sir Erran had accepted his introduction and replied in a way that was befitting of a knight.

Ionathan gave Erran a warm smile. "You show more wisdom then me when I was your age but a word of warning, do not fight her alone, your armour, weapons and skill are formidable but not infallible, I'm sure she has some tricks that we could blunder right into" Pausing for a moment he realised how he sounded like a nagging old master of arms.

"I'm probably underestimating your training, but if anyone has to die out of the two of us, I want it to be me".

He let Genevieve end the matter of reading minds, her explosion of rage did not surprise him, she had done this before the last time Regina tried to delve her mind back in Waeldeshore as she soon mentioned.

"My questioning of her motivation,"

"Is more a question of our own morality. Were we not to ask, even if she were to lie to us now, makes us little better than the same people you seem to hate, as there is obviously some reason to doubt their nobility."

Ionathan stood to give his cramping muscles some rest when Sakaala spoke words that hit Ionathan hard. In the war the point of the nobility of the opponent came across several times, it was never spoken but it was felt throughout war. Ionathan believed in what he was fighting for and he believed that he was in the right. But what of the families of the enemy? Do they feel the same believing their own truth? They must love their families as fiercely as we do.

Even in the mist of battle these thoughts could strike home. When you strike down a foe it would rarely be an instant kill due to their armour. In their dying moments, some would lash out with whatever strength they had left with hatred still in their eyes, others would beg for mercy and start crying out for help from anyone even praying to the gods.
The worst of all would be after battles, you could walk across some battlefields treading on nothing but corpses, you would feel victorious, proud, you had just vanquished your enemies just a few moments ago, slaughtering all who got in your way and yet at the same time you could hear the moaning from the dying and the stench of battle. In the past he had just stuck fingers in his ears and opted to ignore the fact that even though he claimed to have been good through his actions, he had caused much pain and suffering.

These were the thoughts that struck Ionathan at that moment, he stood as still as a statue, eyes glazed over as if he was staring at an object one thousand yards away.

It is getting late, and I would have my champions well rested and prepared. Should you all be in agreement with my terms, I have prepared rooms for each of you, I do hope they are to your liking. Your beds have already been turned down, and there are hot baths waiting for you in your personal quarters. If there is nothing else, my aid will escort you upstairs.”

The words that had been in the background now snapped him back. The offer of a nice warm bath felt like a divine blessing, it would be a good chance to relax and shave off the annoying stubble that had grown in the days it took him to get here.

Sakaala agreed to the "intent" of the quest, the wording she used puzzled him but if she was powerful as The Redd, then he would be pleased to have her fight alongside him any day.

Regina had just asked to talk to Genevieve privately which did not worry him, he had fought with both of them and felt a bond with them only made in battle.

"Have you any last questions for the lady?" Ionathan said, turning to Erran.

@Belwicket @vietmyke @AdamantiumWolf @Zero Hex @The Harbinger of Ferocity @IcePezz