Open Chronicles A Knife in Darkness

[Douglas Haley]

____________________________

Elbion, City of Ten Thousand Mages; home of the greatest library of arcane knowledge next to only Alliria and Vel Anir.

Nigh Midnight, middle of the week...

Over the previous year, tensions have begun to flair as the elite merchant and mages of the city have slowly begun to fall out of touch with the peasantry. With brawls forming, and the previous year’s bad harvest; there has been a continued string of bad luck that has driven the farmhands and poor of the city into a frenzy; resulting in numerous brawls and public arguments. As of yet, however, no significant form of violence has occured; and while tension is certainly high within the city, blood has yet to be split in the name of any ideology.

Even still, word has spread to the Merchant’s Council of a group calling themselves ‘The Black Hand’, littered with members of anti-magic peasants and barons from outside the city itself. The dangers of the group are massive, and as the city of Elbion sits on the brink of outright riots, the single saving grace could very well be learning what it is The Black Hand has planned, and stopping it before it begins. And so, Eimur Emisol of The Merchant’s Council has tasked Agron Salim with devising a small force to combat the intrusion, backed by the entire upper echelons of Elbion’s society.

Here now sits the group, each paid a lofty sum to infiltrate a hideout within Elbion’s port district; the hope being to find some evidence of their plots against the stability of the City-State. Leading the group, Agron’s personal assistant Douglas Haley. The group waits now, at a small outside tavern, ale in hand as the group waits for the rest to appear.

---

Douglas sat idly with a book sprawled across the table. The others were soon to show, he knew, but any chance he had to look a bit deeper into the arcane folds were as good an opportunity as any. A drink of water was all that interrupted his attention to the words scribed down as he tightened the hood around his neck. His companion was a young member of Elbion’s security force, named John Teeter.

John nudged Douglas with a wide grin, speaking low to not be overheard by the few others around them;

“You checked the dossier on the few who are coming?”, he asked innocently enough.

Though his tone took a far more sultry tone as he spoke up again, “Heard there was a she-elf among them who was quite the looker…”

With a sigh, Douglas simply shook his head. John was fun to be around, an certainly a good character, but his flirtatious, almost lustful, behavior often dragged on; even if it had its own faint humor and draw.


“Of course that’s what you’d get out of this…”, he said with quiet disapproval, though minor it was.​

 

[Vesryn Arrath Synalon]

It had taken Vesryn the better part of a week to weave her way back into Elbion, having been tapped on the shoulder by a familiar Innkeep blithering on about a lucrative job to be had. It tumbled around in her head as she traveled, the prospect and when she finally got there and found the point of contact for the job, well. Let's say the pay wasn't bad at all for having to trudge through dirt and mud, shield and blade heavy on her person. She'd broken down and purchased a ride with a trading caravan, cutting her cost by acting as a line of defense for them. She grinned. Her travel, short in terms of modes of transportation, was easy enough. Her reputation wide enough that a member or two had warned the rest, and used it to their advantage. There was something to be said having your trade watched over by the "Mad one".

Vesryn was no slacker either. She spent the hushed mornings before the sun rose to scout ahead and behind their route, borrowing the same gelding throughout the course of the travel. The merchants, the farmers, although scared were grateful enough. Though they weren't sure how to act in front of the scarred female who talked with short simple sentences. One merchant insisted on donating money to her cause, though what he surmised her cause to be was beyond her. She simply accepted the payment and disappeared into the city not long after sunset when they arrived safe and sound. Vesryn hid the glare and clang of orcish metal with strips of cloth, covered herself in the skin of a wolf, his teeth left in the skull, pelt attached by a cleverly hidden clasp in its maw, as if to appear the maw itself kept the fur around her shoulders. The wolf had been big, and thus the only thing that showed beneath the fur were her articulated plate armor legs, that jostled with each heavy footstep.

Her meeting with her point of contact was swift. This man knew not to dally with Vesryn, knew enough that she would grow bored and walk away in search of something else. The sum of the pay was enough to drive her interest, and the potential to rout a viable threat was the nail in the proverbial coffin. Vesryn smiled, the edges of her lips curling upwards. Bloodshed. That was good enough for her. Good for the money. Good for the kill. So it was without much hesitation that she arrived at the tavern, some minutes late due to an unforeseen challenger earlier in the day. Someone wishing to cut their teeth on the warrior elf. She'd bested them, left them with something to remember her by, and abandoned them in the street where they had brawled.

Her verdant gaze scanned the location, and spotted a small smattering of people, people built well enough to hint at the reason for a meeting. She tilted her head sharply, and with several cracks of the vertebrae, approached the band. Assuming the one with his nose in a book was some manner of planner for this arrangement. A silvered scar shone dully in the low-light from the tavern, even as she sent a wandering wench a glare. The woman skittered off, returning with two mugs of ale, and Vesryn paid her for them before collapsing in a chair at the table. She hadn't said a word, and proceeded to drink the entirety of one mug before setting it down and sighing. She took another drink of the second and settled in.

"Ye've a job?" Her voice although feminite held a ring of finality, as if she'd stated the question, instead of actually asked. Her common was not as practiced, but most of the orc slurr was absent to allow for a clear exchange of words. She was working on it, and getting better everyday.

 

[Sekido Sei]

Sei was by no means a 'good looking she-elf': he was a good looking member of a race persecuted out of outdated superstitious beliefs, but that was a case for another day. His profession demanded that he traveled the continent for pay, paltry as it were. Employers were always stingy with money, even more so when they catch the glimpse of a perfectly grey eye during the meeting; he lived on half pay, half less than what a normal handyman such as he would earn per job. Thankfully his talents alleviated some of the costs of living- if only for a while.

Chewing on wildgrass placated hunger for an hour or two, but sooner or later he needed to eat. Normally on the trail, this meant hunting for his own game. Here however, in a city where luxury bled from every orifice, he had others to hunt, skin, cook and plate his meals for him.

Elbion, to folks high up in the mountains, was heaven- ironic, for farmers living closer to the skies than the merchantfolk.

The ranger did not travel here to sight-see: the call of dangerous work, especially backed with hazard pay, had lured the normally reclusive man to the city. So detached was the Sei from the norm of civilization that he was taken aback by the large number of stage coaches, their drivers barking at the countryman to get off the cobbled roads.

He jumped aside and wrapped his shawl around him, keeping the tassels clean from the muck of yesternight's rain. He muttered a few nondescript words to himself and took a left at the corner.

Sei spotted a small group outside of the tavern at the end of the street- a street that unlike its many brethren, was relatively empty. Empty being relative: there were still the odd shoppers milling about, and a drunken wastrel of a fool asleep on the stairs of a store. There was still activity but the wide open spaces was what drew the most attention. He paused and flipped opened a note in his hands: the short, clipped writing told him to expect the two plus another.

He crumpled the piece of paper up and whispered a short phrase: as he continued his walk, flecks of ash and ember fell from his finger tips.

"Yeva." he greeted to party, noticing the general air of unease between them. Realizing that greeting with the language of the hills was a bad idea, he coughed into his hand and spoke again. "Hey." He placed a hand on a chair, claiming it though he remained standing. "I don't believe we're friends drinking over old memories- leaves us with little to expect other than a paying gig." his eyes flickered at Vesryn. He gave the female elf a wide berth: she reminded him too much of a feral beast.

"Eimur sent me: Sei."

 

[Douglas Haley]

____________________________

“Ye’ve a job?”, Vesryn said with a commanding grumble.

John’s expression moved from playful and teasing to something far more serious, almost disappointed. He had expected someone a bit more lithe, less covered in plate and more tight fitting robes; and Douglas knew this, jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow as if to emphasize his disappointment. Hiding his grin, he spoke up, closing his book and resting it in a satchel;

“You should have been briefed on it. Not exactly common knowledge what we’re doing here.”, he offered, “Unless you’ve come to tell us we’ve been ousted, in which case we might want to rethink our approach…”

Though before she could respond, Sekido had approached with a foreign greeting, ushering in an odd expression from both Douglas and John. However, as he corrected himself, both fell on the fact he was a fellow Kavoshian; only the third one known in Elbion, it would seem. Douglas studied him for a second before John rudely spoke up;

“You aren’t gonna accidently kill us or nothin’, right Pale-Eye?”, only for Douglas to offer him a quickly disappointed gaze. John smiled innocently, quickly moving to defend himself;

“I’m just kidding!”, he quickly asserted, “Besides, I trust you… I just don’t know him…”, he said as his eyes settled on Sei once more.

“Regardless…”, Douglas began, “In case you all forgot, we’re committing a raid. Local terrorist group has been tracked to a few of the fights breaking out recently, and it’ll be our job to figure out who they are, what they’re doing. They’ve a hideout a few blocks away, little safehouse we’ve monitored for a few weeks.”, briefing them on the situation, he pulled out a small map from his pocket and rested it on the table, pointing to a few various points on it as he spoke.

“We’ll be coming from this alley, as it stands. The lookout to the place will need to be distracted or-”, he paused for a moment, as if to swallow though it was discreet, “-kill them. Whatever happens, we need to get inside. Preferably, we need to take a few prisoners, someone to question, figure out the purpose for their actions.”

He paused once more to glance at Vesryn drinking, furrowing his brow, “We should stay on our toes. Don’t act to forward, and certainly resist the urge to be killing too much.”

“Any questions?”, he said with a cock of his brow.

Sekido Sei │ Vesryn Arrath Synalon​

 

[Arkarnianna]

Arkarnianna was not wearing her usual holy garb this day, instead wearing a brown cloak over a dull dress, not at all clothes that showed the majesty of a tool belonging to The College. She even wore a makeup that caused her skin to look a more pinkish brown hue. She hated the look, even a tool for such a wonderful organization showed show off it splendour if only to show the splendour of the one it served, but knew that the mission required her to not stand out and a mission for the benefit of The College was so much more important.

Arkarnianna approached the table in time to hear the last few words. 'Why shouldn't those who would cause trouble for The College die?' she wondered, but soon found the answer, 'Oh of course, death is too light a punishment for those who would bring strife to the holy city of The College.' She had been sent here directly from The College as they had a direct interesest in those who hated magic inside their city.

In response to the last question she made herself known and asked her questions "How could anyone ever desire to cause harm to the wonderful, glorious being that The Holy College?" She just could not fathom such a thing, truly these people had to be the worst kind of people who actively consorted with demons and necromancers, and did all sort of horrendous things such as eating babies, and ritual sacrifices. No, to actually want to harm 'The College' they had to be even worse than that.

"More importantly, what can I do to make sure no harm comes to the great and glorious College?" It was her duty to do whatever it took, no matter how many lives had to be given, her life already belonged to them and all live should, and as such all lives should be willing to be laid down for The Colleges betterment. She would make sure no harm would befall her everything, no matter what.

 

[Vesryn Arrath Synalon]

Vesryn chuffed, thus she had found the correct gathering of people. She watched the nervous fellow mention their new compatriot and tilted her head at the man with a pale eye. Sei. He didn't seem to be starving, perhaps still hungry though. She imagined a Dwarven feast could have been set out before them and this man would likely empty the table and ask for seconds. At least, that was the thought that ran through her mind. He kept well away from her, so there was fear. Or unsurety as to her intentions. It mattered not. They were here to deliver a very quick handed message. Terrorism would not be tolerated here in Elbion.

She nodded, taking another drink, before setting the mug down. Happily sated for the moment, before leaning over to commit the map to memory as best she could. A captive eh? Her brow quirked, she might be able to manage that.

"The doorman may not have much information. He would not be suitable for capture. It wouldn't do well to have the one person standing watch to know the entirety of your scheming. If I've the choice, he will die. So he cannot run off to announce our presence elsewhere."

That was probably the most she'd said in a month or so, but situations as these called for it. She swiped the dreads back again. She was fair enough, for an elf. But her crude rough nature usually put people off, and she was used to it. She wasn't the blade dancers her heritage claimed. She was a door buster. That's what she knew. What she grew up training to be. With time perhaps she could be more agile, precise. For now, this is what she was. A Powerhouse.

She wasn't worried about the drinks though. Her metabolism burned through it like water. She took in a deep breath and shuffled some in her armor, the leather creaking between the plates of steel.

"Too much killing? Do you wish to leave scraps of the safe-house for them to rebuild? People to pass information onto the next? You want quiet, but to achieve that, aside from those we capture for information, everyone else would have to perish. The house burned to the ground. Stage it as a freak accident, so that suspicion is kept low. But that is your call. I am just here to hold a sword and shield." She shrugged, a job was a job.
"I am ready to go. When everyone else is."

 

[Sekido Sei]

Sekido sneered at John for his cutting remarked, flashing his bright teeth. He reared himself to send a scathing remark about the man's lineage but was interrupted with the arrival of a newcomer. He bit his lip and furrowed his brows, listening to the girl speak. Unlike the rough female elf, this one had the air- and the voice- of a fish out of water. The archer could tell that she hated her own clothing, which seemed to suggest she was more pampered than her nasally voice seemed to show. "You don't seem to get out much, do you?" he asked, touching lightly on her isolated view.

He gave Douglas a questioning look, as if asking if this was all that he could muster. The problem wasn't the quality of the warriors he recruited- it was their mental stability. But he relaxed his face and looked away- sometimes you had no choice but to sleep with whores to not be lonely. The highlander turned around during the briefing and crossed his arms, eyeing the rest of the team.

"I think our-" he emphasized the word, staring down the College-nut. "-employer will have reservations towards mass murder. Particularly as an excess of violence will work against the College in the long run- assuming they are our primary benefactors." Sei un-slung his a war bow -a giant piece of woodwork taller than its owner- from his shoulder and unwrapped its covers. Patting the stocked quiver at his hip, Sei said, "I'll watch from the rooftops for any escaping rogues- leave the lookouts to me. Won't do much good in a room."

 

[Douglas Haley]

____________________________

Douglas’s expression went from somewhat commanding to completely taken back in a moment’s notice as Arkarnianna sat down and began to speak. Her mannerisms, her expressions, everything about what she had committed herself to was completely contradictory to the supposed ideal of the mission. Even Vesryn’s comment following about how it was far more effective to simply kill than anything else spoke eons to the depth of their understanding of the delicate political situation Agron had explained to Douglas, to what he lived and witnessed everyday.

With mouth agape, he looked between the two with a shocked expression before Sei spoke up;

“What Sekido said.”, he said, regaining what little composure he lost. A hand moved to idly rub his temple as he spoke once more;

“We’re trying to stop a group of rebels before they get too much traction. Just…”, he paused with a shake of his head.

“Just don’t do anything stupid.”

With that, he rolled up the map he had laid out, putting it back into the satchel on his back as John and him rose. Both of them picked up the coats they had been using as cushions to sit on, and laid them over, taking care to lift small scarfs that obscured most of their features; all but Douglas’s own pair of pale grey eyes. He spoke again, this time muffled by the fabric;

“Sei, you get in position. Once your arrows are shot, I’ll take it as a signal for the rest of us to get inside before anyone comes along. All I ask is you take care to warn us incase anyone comes.”

With that, he motioned the others to join him, walking into a nearby alley as John piped up;

“Don’t see why we can’t just kill ‘em, you know… I agree with the other two. We cut them down here and now, they won’t be able to come back.”

Douglas simply shook his head and kneeled down as they came to where they were meant to be, watching the guard at the entrance lean against the wall, a pipe in hand, smoking rolling from his lips every few breaths. His gaze fell back on the group behind him, asking quietly;

“Ready?”

Sekido Sei │ Vesryn Arrath Synalon │ Arkarnianna​

 

[Arkarnianna]

"You don't seem to get out much, do you?"

Was this man implying that she wasn't going out and serving The College with all her heart! "I will have you know that I was sent here directly after returning from Vel Anir, after reports of a necromancer razing farm animals surfaced. I am so trusted that that they chose me to take part and report on this missions personally." Arkarnianna looked a little dejected at the comment. Maybe she hadn't been a good tool for The College, they never let her come in the entrance to the school, instead meeting her in secret in their houses on occasion, but usually in their magic workshops. Were they ashamed of her? No, she was a tool of The College and as such thoughts would only insult The Colleges will.

"I think our-" he emphasized the word, staring down the College-nut. "-employer will have reservations towards mass murder. Particularly as an excess of violence will work against the College in the long run- assuming they are our primary benefactors."

For the first time Arkarnianna really looked at Sekido Sei, then down at his arrows. Any ill will she had faded almost instantly, she gave him a warm knowing smile, "If our glorious benefactor wishes for the whole operation to go without a single death then I will find a way to do so, and the knowledge that I have eased the burden off the holy entity will fuel me. I appreciate your care towards helping our benefactor, perhaps I misjudged you, after all they are our saviour." She held her arms to her chest and stared off with a look that could only be described as adoration.

When asked if she was ready, still basking in The College's glory she dreamily replied "Ready"

 

[Vesryn Arrath Synalon]

Vesryn relented. It appeared killing the hive now was not going to be in the cards. She grunted, watching and listening. Pulling her braids back. Her grasp on the situation was indeed from an outsider. She followed the money, that was what kept meat in her belly. What else would you expect from a bunch of mercenaries? Vesryn sighed, stealth then. Fair enough. She closed her mouth and kept it closed. There would be no need for her opinions any longer. She rose as the rest did, and moved out with them.

She applied a few straps to her armor, muffling the sound of the bits rattling. She followed the two males, her blade sheathed. She waited, idly as they paused to stare at the doorman. Sooner or later the archer would fire, and they would be rushing in. She flexed her hand in her shield basket, feeling the comforting weight. The pulse in her throat rising as the adrenaline pumped in through her heart. She was ready if she was ever going to be.


Sekido Sei | Vesryn Arrath Synalon | Arkarnianna | Douglas Haley

 

[Sekido Sei]

Sei shook his head. He had many strong reservations about the College-lover but kept his words to himself. "Be seeing you."

As the group prepared itself for the bloody work ahead of them, the young man pulled out a red scarf from his satchel and coiled it around himself like a turban. The last vestiges of his visage left visible were his grey eyes, fixated at the roof tops from where he could do his work. Men like him were best suited to clandestine jobs.

He signaled for the group to wait while he took off across the street, trying to stay away from sources of light and using the sparse bodies of civilians to break his silhouette. By the time he entered the alleyway, he was confident he had long disappeared from the eyes of the public- for now. A quick study of the street proved fruitful: a clumsy stack of crates, piled high enough that the bowman wagered could get him to the rooftops without too much trouble. Slinging the bow over his chest, he uttered a soft and guttural phrase- with a rush of cold, unnatural sensation around his fingertips, he doffed a glove and gingerly touched the wall. His fingers stuck with enough tensile grip that he couldn't wrench his hand away. He eased his thoughts for a brief moment and away his hands came from the wall.

Satisfied with his arcane work, the archer climbed up the building with the impression of someone on their knees, were the walls the floor of a tavern. Nonetheless with numbed fingers he managed to pull himself up onto the slanted roof of the three story building.

Finding stable footing on a roof designed to wash away rainwater was trickier than he imagined, but after taking a moment to set up he felt that he could take a few steps at a time without slipping.

The doorman's fancy, playful tricks with a dagger kept his spirits high while he puffed a pipe that glowed even from the rooftops. At such an advantageous height, with no foliage to affect his shot, Sei had little difficulty in drawing his bow and- with a quick pull of bowstrings, released a black-feathered arrow that slammed the guard's body against the wall without so much as a muffled choke. No arrow could punch through brick and mortar- no normal arrow- Sei corrected himself, before darting across the rooftops silently. Even as he leaped across a small alley, his arrow had begun to envelop the corpse in a critical mass of shadows until it fizzled out.

The evening wind blew the small pile of ash and embers away.

 

[Douglas Haley]

____________________________

With a tense demeanor, Douglas watched and waited for the signal. He had read Sei’s profile, knew that he was a dangerous archer amplified by his Kavoshian genetics, but he didn’t know to what degree. That was until he watched as the black arrow stuck the guard, and his corpse turned to little more than ash before being swept away in the night’s breeze; forcing the youthful scholar to swallow hard. The first death had already come.

Tightening his coat as a sourceless chill ran through him, he motioned the others to follow, wandering towards the entrance of the stronghold before reaching for the doorknob. With a magical sense not easily matched, he felt the vibrations of heartbeats on the other side of the door, and looked back to the others;

“There are three inside. Not sure where. Everyone pick a target, and take them down the moment I open the door.”

Without waiting for anyone’s response, he slowly turned the knob before John helped to tear the door open. With a flash, Douglas let a small ball of lighting explode before any could enter; stunning the few within, leaving nothing but their confusion in its wake;

“What the f-”, one began before both Douglas and John slammed him to the ground, John ending his momentary resistance with a swift heel kick to the head.

The room was relatively small, an entryway that was likely the stopping point for most the couriers. Anything past likely increased in security, but for the moment the smell of mold and dampness left the invaders with little in terms of comfort; not that they expected it. There were two doors leading deeper into the warehouse, the first with a soft candle light beneath it, and in the wake of the breach there was obvious movement seen cutting a swath through the light pollution that flooded beneath it.

Someone already knew they were there.

Sekido Sei │ Vesryn Arrath Synalon │ Arkarnianna​

 

[Arkarnianna]

Arkarnianna followed quickly just behind Douglas. When he and John had opened and flashed, as well as entered and charged, all almost in one motion, Arkarnianna was hot on their heels. She immediately became a tiny object, out of habit, and cleared the distance between her and her target in next to no time. The man only had enough time to throw one punch. Arkarnianna dodge it with ease, because when her life depends on avoiding a magic missile, lest be punished with such horrendous pain and at such a degree it would cripple her, she learns quickly to dodge things a lot faster than a simple punch.

With the mans arm out stretched now, like most evil mages when casting, she did what she'd normally do. She grabbed the outstretched arm and gave it a yank, pulling the man off balance and herself towards the face which she grabbed. The man began to shake violently as his eyes rolled back, and foam began to from in his mouth. He crumpled to the floor still shaking, his breaths extremely shallow and quick. Arkarnianna gave the man a small kick knocking him onto his side. "He'll live."

 

[Vesryn Arrath Synalon]

Vesryn followed quickly behind, charging into the room and to the only thug left to her. She pressed him inexorably into the wall, unceasing, with each breath the man's chest pressed smaller and smaller still forced so by Vesryn's shield and the press of her body into his. Finally, Vesryn head-butted him and he crumpled to the floor. She looked down at the disgraceful heap of a man before back up at the others.

"Alive" She mouthed, before jerking her thumb at the two doors. She could see the movement behind one door, through the light. She angled herself in front of it with her shield well in place, and gestured for the others to follow behind. Surely an armor plated meat bag was better than just a meat bag. She smiled and put her hand onto the door-knob. If they were ready, so was she. She was ready, the thrill of the fight already pumping adrenaline into her veins. She was grinning like a damned fool too. Perfect teeth stark against the dim lighting.

Sekido Sei | Arkarnianna | Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

__________________

Douglas and John quickly moved to stand, motioning the others to follow as the mage grabbed the metal handle of the door to the next room. Closing his eyes, a small rune on the back of his neck lit up before sending a quick shock to everyone in the next room; the sound of their thuds against the hardwood providing enough understanding of what happened to move forward.

Opening the door, the group saw the tail end of the cape of some unknown individual disappear out the window, leaving them to deal with 3 unconscious bodies, and a small forgotten seal holding the marks of Cintria; specifically a spymaster’s seal. Douglas moved to grab it, idling his gaze as John moved to the window, cursing as the mysterious figure ran off.

“Looks like we missed our chance.”, he said with a sharp rasp of his fist against the bannister.

“No, we didn’t… This has to get back to the College.”, he said as he quietly rolled up the paper and moved it to his pocket.

“I’m not sure we’ll get the chance…”, John said as he watched out the window.

Suddenly, the soft cries of a forming crowd had appeared outside the home; that which the slowly forming mob must have assumed was one of their neighbors home and not the safehouse for foreign spies. Douglas was the first to speak;

“Quick, someone go out there and try and explain the situation. We can’t have a riot on our hands.”

Sekido Sei │ Vesryn Arrath Synalon │ Arkarnianna​