Edwin slinks over to the body, completely deaf to what the three in the corner are talking about. He shuffles through Iam's clothes, finding several vials and pocketing them. He sifts through Iam's things carelessly The clinking does not go unnoticed, however, Estaphon turns in the direction of the corpse, halting the discussion at hand.

"What is it?" The Steward asks. They turn to see the blanket lifted by an invisible hand, silhouetting parts of Edwin's body. The ring has fatigued him, and the only way to start resting would be to take it off. The Captain of the Guard draws two swords and walks toward the body.

"I think we caught a solution to these problems," he said menacingly.

The royal party was sitting at the head table, Athenos and Rozen standing behind them. The crowd was wandering off, Lady Westvyld still panicking about her lost comrades. "I'm sorry, M'Lady, but we don't know where your companions are," a guard said, trying to calm her, although he seemed more worried about the prospect than she was. She wasn't making any sense, frantically looking around and mumbling things to herself. Athenos watched the crowd ready for anything. His imposing figure seemed to ward off a great deal of guests. Once he felt there were no immediate threats, he turned to Sir Marcus and the princess. "Where is the Captain of the Guard?" The princess shrugged, as if she didn't understand the question.

"He is upstairs," Sir Marcus said, "There was an incident apparently, some of your party were injured. He, my steward and Estaphon are up there now, discussing what needs to be done."

"So," Rozen whispered so just the princess could hear, "you see that guy over in the corner? In the blue?" She looked where he was motioning and barely. "He's cheating on his wife." She smiled a little.

"Oh that's nothing," she murmured back, "the two girls over there? Daughter of one of the high ranking guardsmen, they're from two different fathers, in reality," the banter went back and forth - the princess using her knowledge and Rozen reading minds carelessly, until they were both having trouble suppressing laughs. "I hope you are not seeking extra favor by being kind to me," she said presently, "I'm sure my mother and uncle will pay you well regardless."

"Ah no, I seek only to make you smile," Rozen responds. The princess blushes, and he gets the impression that she is finally at ease.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on May 3 2012, 3:40 am by Fire_Kame.

Throw the blanket away from those approaching me, as if it was pulled by my hand as I fled, and quickly and quietly drop to the floor. Silently crawl toward the nearest wall that's out of the way, and keep any satchels pressed against my body that might otherwise make noise if their contents shifted. Once beside the wall, lie down motionlessly to not worsen my fatigue until the room is clear.

The blanket flies off down and out of the hallway. The captain of the guard sheathes his weapons and starts to run. "Leave them be," Estaphon said suddenly. "We have larger things to worry about."

"But what if -"

"If it is true that they are using an enchanted artifact, I know of only one that could disguise them as this, and that enchanted piece is in the hands of one of our own. Let it be, and cover that poor man back up. It is only proper." Edwin slinks back to the wall.

"It would be proper to bury the fool," The steward said, leaning over Iam.

"Not bury, we must burn it, like the others. Captain, call your men back up to dispose of the body, we shall continue this discussion elsewhere. Perhaps now we can let the royal family rest."

"Yes sir," The Captain ran down the stairs once again, the steward and Estaphon continuing to whisper silently. Finally fatigued, Edwin falls asleep.

After the guy tapped my head did he infect me ?

Edit : referring to older posts when i was knocked out.

"Interesting..." Athenos mused to himself. He made his way to the staircase, lost in thought, when he was stopped by a guard.

"Guards only sir," the man said, but there was a slight quiver in his voice.

Athenos looked at him menacingly. The guard took a step aside muttering something about exceptions. His words were lost as Athenos returned to his brooding and traveled up the staircase. Just as he took the first step, the captain rushed hurriedly passed. Athenos considered stopping him, but figured he could always find the captain later, and checking the incident above was more prudent.

"So, what has happened here?" Athenos asked as he entered the room, scanning for details.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on May 3 2012, 4:05 am by Sacrieur.

Athenos scans the room for indications of what had happened. The blanket was haphazardly covering Iam again, but it revealed enough skin to show bruising where the incision around his heart was. The empty vial was right ahead of him. He picked it up and took a look at it. Although he could not make out what was inside the vial, he need only guess, after realizing what else Iam had on him. "Suicide, murder? What could a sane man want with poisoned heart?" Athenos said, measuring Estaphon and the Steward. Neither of them looked like they had the heart in their possession. "Well, this is interesting," he said to himself, feeling Iam's skin.

"It is not prudent to touch the dead," The Steward protested.

"Silence fool, this man did not die by some plague. Tell me, how could a man dead for only a couple hours already be as cold as ice?" He asked.

"We do not know," Estaphon said presently, "but it is not the first time someone died such a death." Estaphon said. Athenos stared at him, waiting. "The incidents with the beast, the men that died up here, they all had their hearts ripped out. But none of them ingested poison first."

Athenos had heard of such a thing before he had fallen from grace, but even then, eons ago, it was all but rumors...ways so ancient no mortal of this time could possibly know about them. "Something dark is at work here," Athenos said. He dared to wonder - was he starting to feel fear? Finally a challenge that even the Gods could not stop before by their own ways, perhaps a way to gain acceptance back into the realm he belongs...

"Do you have some knowledge that we don't already know?" The Steward asked with a snort, turning his attention to Estaphon and completely ignoring Athenos. "I told you that the scrying was incorrect. This is little more than a rag tag group of ...of savages."

"Scrying? I feel you haven't been completely honest with me, councilor."

Athenos turned to Estaphon after suspiciously glancing over the steward, "I would appreciate an explanation."

The steward started his rebuttal, but Estaphon held up his hand to stop him. The steward threw his hands up in disgust and excused himself, leaving Estaphon and Athenos alone. "There are many who feel the art of scrying is dead or that it never existed, they felt it was all based on luck or a certain amount of empathy toward your target. But I have found the the results are much more reasonable and much more intelligible when you have a patron."

Oh no. "A patron?" Athenos asked, pointedly.

"Yes, I have received sight from Psamathe, and she guides me on my quest for knowledge. She was the one who pushed me to assemble this group, though whether or not Iam's death was part of her intention...I do not know. I do not pretend to understand the ways of the gods," he looks pointedly at Athenos, before continuing, "however, she did seem quite interested in you. I do not know why, perhaps you will become her chosen champion? Or perhaps you have a bond with her already, that I cannot understand...?" he trailed off in thought. A particularly glazed look comes over his eyes.

More guards appear, startled at first by Athenos, but go about their business gathering up Iam's remains.

"Just one moment." Athenos turned his attention to the corpse once more, lifting the blanket for a closer inspection. He observed the incision at the heart very carefully. While he didn't know much about physiology, he did know about blade wounds. The cut was clean; very clean. Whoever made it certainly had taken care of their weapons.

"Tell me, councilor. How 'savages' would manage to infiltrate a castle on full alert, and perhaps more importantly, why?" He covered the body once more and motioned for the guards to continue.

He couldn't piece it together. Why steal the heart of a man killed by poison. Wouldn't any heart do, why bother at all? No, there must certainly be some significance to this person. He would have to meet this described oracle.

And the princess, there was still the matter of the princess. What to do with her? It would probably be best to step up security measures. He would need to discuss them with the captain of the guard.

"I presume you have a catalog of those who have died in this manner, I would like to see the record later. But first I must speak with the captain." He turned and left.

Athenos returns down to the great hall. It is nearly empty by now; the only people remaining in the hall are the royal family, Rozen and a few guards. The Captain was nowhere to be seen. Athenos looked across the room, and seeing activity in the ground floor barracks, barged in. The Captain was sitting at a small desk in the corner, looking over some scrolls.

Did i wake up yet ?

Athenos thought for a moment, narrowing his vision to a suspicious gaze. He observed the men bustling around. They couldn't be trusted.

The plan was too elaborate, too well thought out. How many of these men could be held at ransom? Their wives and children held hostage; perhaps that is what occurred with these attacks? Was it an infiltration tactic?

He dismissed the idea to the back of his mind. It was speculation, nothing more. And the forces at work were dark indeed; too sinister for such a materialistic goal. But still, the hearts of mortals are swayed by such things, and it was not the first time malicious forces have persuaded men to join them with promises of power and wealth. It was, of course, a trap. These promises are broken as easily as they were made, and the men who chased these false dreams were killed, or worse.

The princess. But how did the princess fit into all of this? Her heart? Dark magic... Necromancy? Those were forgotten to mortals, or so he had thought. Perhaps not. A heart of noble blood? But then why steal the King. Was he to be a vessel?

More speculation.

He overheard two guards discussing the merchant who had sojourned the castle with him, and had, in his naivety, fallen victim to the rigors to magic. The guards were a bit loose-lipped, he chuckled to himself; perhaps it could be used to his advantage later. Returning to his quarters, he removed his armor, storing it with the bracelet's power.

He retired, body weary from the long day.

>Princess route engaged?

Exchange names (or just tell her Rozen's name if the princess already knows).

Also, shit, I've lost tracked of what's going on.

Two guards approach the royal table now, bowing to the family. "May we retire?" Sir Marcus asked wearily.

"Yes, the upper floors are clear," a guard says, turning to Rozen, "you are part of the Guards of the Court, correct? You may come with us, to the barracks. We have set up some quarters for you."

"My name is Rozen," Rozen said quickly, bowing to the princess.

"I'm Aleiya," she says. Rozen kisses her hand, smiling.

"Let's go, I'll show you to your new quarters," the guard said to Rozen. They had sectioned off a few beds with a giant divider for the traveling party. Athenos was lying awake, restlessly looking up at the wall. Everyone was there except Dan, Edwin and Iam.

"You have been doing a fine job under so much stress," Rozen says to the guard, shaking his hand vigorously, "but I was hoping you would know where our friends Edwin or Dan or Iam are?"

"We can't talk about that," the guard said shortly, but his mind told Rozen that Iam was dead, and Dan and Edwin were on the other level of barracks, on bed rest for an unknown reason. The guard departs shortly, leaving Rozen and Athenos awake.

"You seem tense," Rozen said. Athenos didn't respond. Rather than push it, Rozen fell asleep.

Dan awoke suddenly, groaning as his entire body felt sore. Next to him was another solider who looked to have been in far worse shape than him, staring listlessly at the ceiling and mumbling. He looked around, everyone else was asleep. Having no idea of what time it was, Dan tried to piece everything together, bu tit was still a blur. He was swore from the fighting and a pounding headache from...whatever happened to him following. However, he did learn quite a bit during the fight and will fair better in the future as a result.



The following morning the party awoke to go to breakfast with the royal family. Edwin had joined them, sheepishly and closed lipped about why he had suddenly disappeared or ended up in need of medical attention. Dan was resting upstairs still, but little was known as to why. The royal family joined them, along with the Steward and Court Wizard. They ate in near silence. "Your companion Dan is upstairs resting," Sir Marcus said once they had ended their meal, "but Iam is dead." He described what little they knew about the attack, mostly that it would appear that Iam ingested poison, died shortly after, and had his heart removed. "But we don't know why. In the panic of the night before, it could have been anyone to have caused it."

Dan hobbles down the stairs, still sore. Although he learned a lot from the fight, it will still be a couple of days before he'll be able to fight again.

-mmk thanks Kame since I'm addicted to minecraft I'll just let my character auto pilot for a bit.

Then why was it so important you woke up?!?!?!

When i say a bit i really should of been more specific... I can go on; read and post once a day. And it was important to know because i really didn't want to afk the whole time.

They ate their breakfast in peace, the only words being mumbled were from Edwin, telling the party he had been fines 50 gold for "nefarious purposes" upon being found, asleep and with the ring of camouflage rolling just out of reach of his hand. "Unless we have further business to discuss," Sir Marcus said, "then I believe it is time to get on with your journey. Have you a sound course of action?"

"First, I would like to consolidate any and all information we have of the situation. We need to know about the royal family and the incidents, including who was injured or killed in the royal quarters and in what manner. And about last night, too - if anyone saw anything out of the ordinary. We should also investigate the nature of the fire, as it had not dealt any structural damage.
"As for myself, based on my brief interrogations of a few servants, the fire was started by something rather than someone, that thing being anything from a stray spark, to a firework, to gunpowder. Ultimately, that sounds highly unlikely considering the mysterious fire's properties.
"I think we need to investigate these issues further. As of now, we have no good leads with which to work. If we started out now, we would be blindly groping in the darkness, and extremely vulnerable too - if the forces at work here are capable of conjuring skin-burning yet not wood-burning fires, we would be even worse off than sitting ducks by immediately setting off. If we have any information, we should try to do some research.
"Questioning the one scout out of eighty that survived the attack of an unknown origin would also be good."

"Very well," Sir Marcus said, "though I will warn you a great deal of what I'm about to say you already know. However, it is always good to summarize information before moving on...

"The only thing out of the ordinary from last night was that certain people were missing from the meal: Estaphon, my steward, and a fourth emissary from Tryvali. We did have guards scouting out the castle the entire time, but a great deal of our force were focused on the immediate safety of the guests and the royal family. After the initial fire broke out, it is hard to say what was out of the ordinary, other than no one seems to agree on what caused the fire or where it started. As for the spark, or fire cracker...yes, that would make sense. We also interrogated the servants and guards thought to be at the place the fire started, but they all gave us different answers as to where it started. And since there's no damage or trace left...that is a separate issue all in itself." Sir Marcus paused for a second, and Estaphon walked across the great hall to join them. "Good timing, Estaphon. Perhaps you have some new knowledge that will clear this situation up for all of us?"

"Knowledge, yes. Clear up...not quite," Estaphon says, sitting down with the royal family. "The steward is still talking to the remaining witnesses of the event...but their stories all match, and as such provide no new information. While he has been doing so, I was sitting in my study scrying for an answer." Sir Marcus groaned irritably, but Estaphon ignored him, "It was an illusion." He said with finality, as if it that should explain everything. There was a silence in the group.

"I can see that you will be of no help," Sir Marcus said, rubbing his temple.

"Illusion?" Athenos said darkly, "how is that possible?"

"We do not know," Estaphon said, "and Psamathe doesn't seem too intent on telling me -"

"Who's Psamathe?" Rozen asked. He felt a surge of irritation from Sir Marcus as if he was settling in for a very long story. The children of the royal family, their breakfast finished, were starting to grow restless. Queen Margarite took them and left, Princess Aleiya trying to follow. Rozen held out a hand to stop her, and she sat back down. She didn't seem too happy about the prospect, but as long as she wasn't asked any questions...

"Psamathe is not a who, or a what," Estaphon said, his eyes glazing over as if he was no longer in the room.

"She is a goddess," Sir Marcus said curtly. Athenos raised his eyebrow.

"No, not that either," Estaphon said, "she is both...she is a bridge between this world and that world. She was human at one time...but ascended. She will further ascend, one day, but first she must accomplish something here, and she must find someone to do it for her. It is perhaps in this group that it is-"

"To the point, if you will," Sir Marcus said.

"Alright, illusion. Illusion magic is an art that had been lost centuries ago, intentionally. It had become a softer version of the darker forms of magic, as it was used only to deceive someone. In fact, there are still some ties to it in our enchantments, that although it might be intended for good it has been corrupted, and has enabled...petty thieves," Estaphon glared at Edwin before continuing, "but illusion is quite different. Where enchantments enable the possibility of such corruptions, illusion magic is a corruption."

"There are several steps between Illusion and Necromancy," Athenos said abruptly. That would explain it - the reason most magic had suddenly disappeared from the world. He began to see how any of the magic of old could be considered 'corruptable...' from element control to conjuration... "besides, last I checked, channeling was on that list of illegal arts, is it not Estaphon? Scrying is a form of that, isn't it?" Athenos was learning to distrust Estaphon...as for Psamathe, he still did not know.

Estaphon struggled to respond. "The bigger picture-"

"Enough of this squabble," Sir Marcus said, fuming, "I will not have these idle attacks made on my court wizard. Back to the topic at hand. The illusion." A hush fell over the group.

"Ah yes. The illusion. Well there isn't much more to say about it. The illusion was created in a way so that the source is unknown. And since illusion was a dead magic, we don't know how that could have happened, we can't even speculate. Even the courts' copies were destroyed when the time came. Unless something was hidden..." Estaphon chuckled. Rozen felt a sudden perk of interest from Aleiya. He turned to her, and she instantly became flustered. If she was going to say something, she wouldn't now.

"What about the mysterious death of the 79 guards sent out to investigate? What about the one still alive?"

"The mysterious death of the 79 guards...we are not sure."Sir Marcus said, "Many of their bodies were not recovered, and the only knowledge we have for sure that they died is based on the soul survivor's babbling. He is on the brink of insanity, and we fear to push him. He is resting on the second level barracks. In fact," Sir Marcus said turning to Dan, "we thought that you would become the same fate. It is extraordinary that you are making such a speedy recovery. You are the only one to have seen the shrouded character and lived to tell it in an understandable manner."

All attention turned to Dan. He recounted what little he knew of the case - the attack from Lester and Edward, the hideous (though nondescript) figure that emerged from the room. But he had not seen its original form, only heard its voice.

"So, we have it on pretty good authority that the Tryvali are behind it, but we don't know how they accomplished it or why," Sir Marcus said with finality. "There is that map that Athenos has. And the babbling guard upstairs. But if you talk to him you must be careful not to upset him too greatly. We are still interested in his safe recovery."

"The better question is, how does this fit into the king's disappearance?" Rozen asked.

"We do not know."