Dreadlords To the Ends of the Earth

[Edric]

Isles of Sheketh - Near Tyre
The Sunrise Maiden

Two Months.

It had been two months spent on this ship, with only a handful of stops to restock food, water, and other supplies. Edric had thought he would go insane, had thought that one of the others would end up murdering someone. Yet somehow they had made it through all the way to the other side of the world. He couldn't quite believe it.

From Vel Luin they had gone down around the spear, crawled up the coast of the Falwood, passed Alliria and beyond the continent of Liadain itself. For weeks on end they had traveled, taking in the sights of the sea and the coast when it presented itself. They had passed the Spine, avoided the perilous Ixchel Wylds, and now they had finally made it.

The Isles of Sheketh lay in front of them, a stark and volcanic landscape that seemed strangely dotted with bursts of wondrous green forests which were bisected with flows of bright red magma.

Edric stood on the prow of the ship, staring at the massive island which could have claimed to be a continent all it's own. They still had nearly a day to go, according to the sailors, and then they would finally reach their destination; Tyre. It was a city buried within the flows of volcanic rock, a urban sprawl that had survived through fire giant's and volcanic explosions.

A harsh society, that embraced slavery and did whatever was necessary to survive.

The Initiate didn't know much about the place, no Anirian really did. Tyre was so far away from home that most people didn't even know it existed. The only reason they were here at all was because a request had been made, one that could not be ignored. The King had called upon the Republic, not demanding or challenging, but asking.

A man had stolen something during the Revolution. A servant who had coveted what his King had kept. The King had implored the Republic to retrieve it, to send Dreadlords, Anirian Knights, anyone.

Their answer had been Initiates of the Academy.

A final mission before their graduation. A quest that might mark them out from among their peers. A hunt that might earn then the gratitude of a King. A weakened King, but a King nonetheless. None of the Initiates knew what it was, only the man who took it. Yet that seemed it would have to be enough. There was no doubt in the danger they faced, the world they walked into. Each of them had been given the same gifts. More gold than they had ever seen in their lifetimes, a weapon of their choice, and clothes that marked them not as Anirians but foreigners.

Here they were not Dreadlord Initiates. They were hunters, looking for a thief.

Edric's fingers curled on the railing as he stared out at the fast approaching island, the small cove seeming to draw closer and closer. Here he was. A world away from home.

 

[Elias]

"When did you become so introspective?" Elias chirped, appearing suddenly next to Edric and remarking upon the solemn air around the big lad. The noble leaned against the railing with his back to the sea, "You shouldn't worry so much. It's unbecoming."

He'd offered unwanted advice while his brows remained furrowed and his jaw tightly set. Elias folded his arms across his chest, one finger rhythmically tapping against his bicep.

"We haven't a clue what's there, so we can only deal with things as they come, eh?"

It'd become entirely uncertain who exactly Elias was talking to.

"'Least the sun's up."

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Two Months...

Why they couldn't just take a Portal Stone and stolen a vessel or three to cut down the trip was beyond Drast. Was he even graduating? Nope. He still had another year left, but.. Proctor Vernon had signed him up in the hopes of the young Initiate dying in some faraway land.

To say he didn't enjoy the cruising, the boozing, or some of the more delicate sights at each port was an understatement. It was also two months of not exactly using his powers from Rupert. It was a nice respite. A much needed respite since his mission with Edric and Ryan and his adventure to Vel Numera.

His arm was fully recovered, his injuries healed, his flask stocked with the best booze from the ports and he was ready to hunt a thief. He yawned and stretched before exiting his bunk and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

They were close and though he'd never been here.. it felt right heading East. As far as he knew, this was where his family was from. He made his way over to Elias and Edric, leaning against the railing as he took a sip from his flask. "Sun's out, guns out." He said with a grin as he shot Elias with a finger gun.

Drast was a noble from a lesser, northern, house. That basically made him a barbarian in the eyes of Central Anirian Nobles. And he absolutely was one. "Hopefully we can find this thief quickly. Well, not too quickly.. or else we would sail for four months for two days of tasks." He said with a laugh.

Edric Elias

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair came from below deck to see the other three initiates. In his hand, he was holding a leather-bound tome. Since they had been forced to spend so much time at sea, he had decided to write a book about their travels.

Very few had ever traveled so far without the assistance of portal stones, and even fewer knew of the city of Tyre. Hopefully, he would get a good look at the mysterious city. His book would become one of the leading scholarly sources on the city and the general area.

"Are we finally nearing our destination? I'm beginning to feel a little claustrophobic." That was ironic since he was on the wide-open seas, but being stuck to this ship was being proven to be irritating.

He moved closer to them but did not go to the edge of the ship with them, since he did not want the ocean spray to affect his book too much. He opened it up and took out a magical quill to add some notes about the surrounding geographic landmarks that he could see.

"Maybe I'll write a story about our heroic deeds that saved a king's life...No, I'll stick to nonfiction."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar Edric Elias

 

[Samantha Black]

There wasn't much one could do when stuck on a ship for two months. Read. Write. Practice form. Work out. Eat and sleep. Spar. While she couldn't work on any forge projects due to the severe lack of forging equipment, Ralene had decided to bring along a different project. From her time spent scouring the archives of the Grand Library of Vel Anir, she'd managed to find a few obscure journals to pull, study, and translate. With her latest runic ink having only been completed by Alistair just before they'd departed for the mission, it had given her several notions of how to add on to the complex equations of alchemical magic.

Ralene lounged somewhere in the vicinity of the forward deck among a stack of crates, boots kicked up and journals in her lap. One for reading, the other for deciphering and notes. It had been nice and quiet up here with Edric off brooding, as he was want to do. But the peace rarely lasted long within this group.

 

[Edric]

"I'm not worried." Edric said in that same stoic tone. "I am interested."

The Initiate said as he nodded his head towards the island. "We're far from home, Elias. Out here even the title of Archon means as much as a peasant back home."

In the distance a massive black spire began to fold into view, stretching out and above massive cliffs which encircled a cove. From the top of those cliffs came rivers of lava, slowly drawing down the natural defenses.

They could not yet see the city of Tyre, yet it was obvious they were coming near. Farmlands surrounded the massive natural earthen walls, each one partitioned by rivers of red heat. Edric couldn't help but wonder how the plants even survived in such conditions, but he did not voice it to any of his fellows. "Two days is better than two weeks."

He remarked quietly to Drastus, knowing that the more time they spent in this foreign city the more dangerous it would be.

Tyre was a city of slavery, of those above standing on those below.

Edric had absolutely no intent on being stood on.

"I'm sure the truth will be exciting enough, Alistair." Edric said quietly as the ship continued to crawl forward. As they drew closer and closer to Tyre itself, the ships around them began to fold into view.

Many of them were strange in design, some boxy and dwarven, other sleek and almost elven. There were even a few longships from the north. Designs and sails that none of the Initiates had ever likely seen before. Dozens of vessels made their way to and from the city, and drew into the cove it became obvious as to why.

A city of black stone presented itself to them. A sprawling city built into the walls of a volcano, not feared, but harvesting the massive powers of the earth. Flows of red magma drew down the cliffsides, funneled into massive canals which seemed to feed beneath the streets and to distant foundries.

Huge spiraling citadels reached up from between common buildings, all made of the same onyx marble. The entrance of the cove stood with two massive pillars, the beginnings of an emerald chain hanging from each of them. Likely sitting far below the water.

It all held a strange, and yet terrifying beauty.

 

[Elias]

"What the fuck are guns?" The young nobleman's lithic mask of a face broke apart in annoyance.

It was a fortunate thing that they neared their destination. Two months of Drastus' trademark yapping had nearly driven Elias to the brink of his patience.

He tsked, snapping his gaze away from the lesser nobleman to look upon the earth's red-hot ichor flowing from fissures across the land.

What was hotter, he wondered, the magma or the starfire that shaped itself according to his will?

Feeling a bit restless, Elias turned on his heels and took his leave from the ship's bow.

"Gonna swing my sword a bit. See you when we make landfall."

Having subtly passed on his desire to be left alone, the Lordling wandered off.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

"Oh my bad, Elly, I thought you were up on all the latest. Rumor is, at Elbions College of Well-Adjusted Youths they have this tube thing that you can fire magick through. Guess it sends it farther and more accurately." Drast was equally annoyed with Elias. The kid was a pompous Noble from a dying House yet acted like his excrement smelt any better.

There was one person on the boat that Drast could watch the light drift from their eyes as he choked em, and he was looking at him. But.. at least Eli wasn't Bull. He was actually quite useful, he supposed.

Thankfully, Elly had departed and Drast would turn his attention back to Alistair and Edric. "Well, whatever you write Ali, I'll read it. I'm sure it will be better than whatever they write here." He would offer Eddy a shrug now. "I would much rather get home sooner rather than later too.. just want to get my legs right beneath me before we're trapped again."

Lowering down to sit against the railing, he pulled a locket from beneath his tunic and popped it open, smiling as he gazed at the small portrait within. He couldn't wait to get home and Rupert couldn't wait to feast on whatever enemies were here.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair nodded in agreement and was happy to so many of his companions agree with his idea for a book. He sat down criss-cross on the ship's deck and quickly drew out a simple-looking rune circle where he placed his book and a magical ink pen in the center of the circle.

A few words later, both of the objects were floating along beside him, while the pen expertly wrote down whatever it was that Alistair wanted it to. It would certainly come in handy when they started to arrive, and the amount of information started to come at them fast and heavy.

With the appearance of the ships docked in Tyre, the book and pen were already quickly jotting down information about the unique diversity and intermixing of ship designs in this city. Then, came the city and the citadel. Alistair's mind did his best to do it justice for the book, but it was a strange yet beautiful marvel.

"Let's just hope everything goes smoothly."

Edric Drastus Tal'deneshaar Elias Ralene

 

[Elias]

Elias rolled his eyes as Drastus' voice receded behind him. A tube! That you launch magic through! A device for the inept.

In search of an open, quiet area, he came across Ralene, stretched out and nose-deep in some self-study. What was it he'd split off from the others to do again? He approached her, skipped the pleasantries, and restacked some crates next to his sister-in-arms. Elias sat, sneakily took one of the journals, and ruffled through the pages, stopping randomly to read Ralene's scrawlings.

Runes weren't a focus area for Elias. The foundation of knowledge on the subject was there, but only what the Proctors had taught over the years. The advanced arrays, formulas, and other notes kept by Ralene were admittedly beyond him. He flipped back through the journal, skimming over its contents page by page.

"Must be nice," he said to nobody in particular as he came to the front page, then gingerly closed the journal, "Being able to draw knowledge from so many sources to improve your abilities."

 

[Samantha Black]

"It's called research, Eli," Ral intoned with a twinge of bemusement, "it's not limited to a special few."

Anyone could read more on the historical documentations of magic across Arethil. But not just anyone could glean from their readings useful knowledge or information. That took a honed mind and a practiced skill. Ralene did not consider Elias to be an idiot but ... he wasn't exactly someone she would define as being book-smart either.

"Let me guess," she continued at length, "Ed is being dramatic, Al is being poetic, and Drast is being ...Drast." There were a few choice words she could have picked for the last one, but Drast really just summed them all up nicely.

"And you're grumpy." Closing the book in her lap, Ralene sighed, tipped her head to peer at her fellow Initiate and held out her hand to gesture for her stolen journal, "Situation normal, though you're a bit early. The sun's still up."

 

[Edric]

Their ship passed into the cove unmolested, the walls of Tyre rising all around them as they inched closer to the city.

All around them the sailors were rushing around now. Some raising sails, some calling for the anchors to be ready and for lines to be drawn. Edric turned away from the prow of the ship, leaning against one of the railings and watching the mill of men.

It was not long before the first docks came into view.

Upon them were dozens upon dozens of people. All of them milling around. Some carried crates, others stacks of wood, and still others lead around bands of what were clearly slaves.

The inside of the cove was decorated with hundreds of stalls and platforms. Everything from weapons to people were being sold, and even from the deck of the ship Edric could hear people attempting to hack their wares. Edric's teeth ground together as he heard the din of the city, somehow louder than even Vel Anir.

Before long their vessel came up alongside the pier, a rope slinging out to tie them free.

Edric pushed off from the railing, placing fingers between lips and letting out a shrill whistle to alert the others it was time to go. None of the sailors turned their heads, but the Captain of the ship approached Edric as he hefted his pack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ya sure this is where you want to get to land, Lad? Tyr is safe but it ain't the...friendliest place."​

"We are sure, Captain. Thank you for the voyage." From his pack he pulled a satchel of coins, placing it in the mans hand. "Thank you."

He said, making his way towards the gangplank that was practically thrown onto the pier.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

The voyage had come to end. Two months none of them would ever get back. Drast had his gear ready to go: Rupert snug in his pack, his sword from Vel Tenebra, and his never-ending flask of booze. Oh, and he couldn't forget his gift from Glove Mommy, those were already pulled on. He didn't want to contract whatever diseases they had here.

Edric dog whistled them, a missed opportunity to have Davi come running, but sure enough all the initiates there fell in line and prepared to disembark.

Tyria was.. disgusting. A city rife in the slave market, it made his skin crawl. Not only that, they were overrun with goblins and ogres. Valdr had told him Goblins could be good and noble folk, personally, the jury was still out on that one.

One-by-one they descended the gangplank, Drast of course would begin to whistle a tune as they walked. Mainly, his eyes scanned their surroundings. He was looking for anyone who seemed overtly interested in their party, whether they looked happy to see them or not.

The whistle paused briefly. "Alright, let's go meet some kings."

 

[Elias]

Elias returned the journal to Ralene's extended hand with a slap. He held it tight, only letting go after Ralene tugged for it.

There was a great difference between them, he thought. He was special, unlike most of the others. There were no tomes, no manuscripts, that he could read for his growth. He could not study the cults and liches in the corners of their world for the knowledge or secrets of necromancy, nor could he scour the ruins of long-lost civilizations to unearth the creations of ancient rune carvers. Instead, his futile endeavors lay naked for the Gods to sneer down upon.

No matter the veneer of superiority he wore in front of his peers, the simple truth was that he had stagnated while others continued to improve.

"They just—they piss me off, Ral. Especially that fucking Drast. Fucking guns! What the fuck even is that?" Elias scoffed and threw his hands up before slapping them down on his thighs, shaking his head. "Even fucking Kristen Pirian had the nerve to mouth of to me before. A year ago, nobody would have done that. Not—not fucking you. Not Noel. Not even Ed. Nobody!"

Elias had never been one to throw the weight of his family's name around before the revolution. But, after they suffered considerable losses during the fighting, others began to see him as weak for it.

"So, yeah, I'm a bit early."

As the ship entered the cove and neared the docks, Elias didn't turn to look at their new surroundings. Even after months at sea, he didn't care. He sat there, leg furiously bouncing, and took a deep, calming breath.

When they docked, Eli would follow Ralene to rejoin the others.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair had taken up a spot on the edge of the ship as he stared off into the distance with a far away look in his eyes. However, his book and quill furiously scribbled down whatever was going through Alistair's mind. It was only cut short when the whistle from Edric alerted him that it was their chance to leave.

He grinned in apprehension as he met up with the others. The mysterious city stretched out before them, but Alistair's eyes immediately caught the slaves and the weapons being sold. He was impressed with the quality of the weapons, but he grimaced at the slaves.

Slavery had been outlawed in Vel Anir, but some servants for the Houses might as well have been slaves the way they were treated. Alistair had never experienced that for House Krixus since they never had the funds to hire such loyal servants, so Alistair had a negative opinion of such practices.

He looked to the Captain as they were moving off the ship.

"Don't worry Captain. We brought the friendliest dreadlords to counterbalance the city." Alistair explained as he motioned to Edric, Elias, and Ralene.

Ralene Elias Edric Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Samantha Black]

With a narrowed gaze of annoyance, Ral yanked her journal back. It had been a very long sea journey and though she was typically able to get along with just about anyone, the extended period of getting-alongness in cramped quarters had certainly rubbed the nerves raw of just about every Dreadlord Initiate in attendance. Edric might be hard-pressed to show it, but Ral knew he had enough personality under his glower to feel it, too.

At the whistle and the commotion of the ship making port, she paid Eli one ear of attention while she packed away her notes and secured her bag over her shoulder. Ralene gave him a pointed stare, one many had mistaken for moody but Eli likely knew for pensive, "I don't think that's what you're really mad about," was the conclusion she came to.

It had been a year now since the revolution. They'd all had to adjust to this new way of living with one another that didn't involve kill-or-be-killed. Eli had a temper, but she'd rarely seen him this worked up over something so ... trivial. They were all about to graduate and Ralene knew for certain that there were far bigger fish to fry than getting a bit of 'tude from another Initiate.

Cool blues gave him a once over and then nodded her head for him to follow the beckon of their defacto leader, "We can talk about it later." Too many things to be mindful of now - the mission taking primary importance. Walking just off Alistair's shoulder as Edric lead them down into the port district, her gaze drifted from face to face, noting patrols and guards among those of merchants, sailors, slaves, and dockhands. The city seemed a melting pot of various races - something Ral rather liked. Vel Anir had become quite plain and vanilla after her many travels and it was nice to be somewhere with some spice.

 

[Edric]

Edric sniggered at Alistair's joke, head shaking as the group of Initiates stepped off the docks and moved into the market square.

Surrounding them was a cacophony of capitalism. Anyone, everything was for sale. As they moved people shouted, hauking their wears and doing their best to grab the Dreadlord's attentions. Edric however paid no mind to them. No, his attentions were drawn to the hulking brutes in armor.

They walked, slowly and calmly through the chaos. Standing four or five heads taller than Edric and clad in overlapping plates of lacquered black armor. It was not hard to pick them out of the crowd, and wherever they walked radiated not fear...but a sense of calm. "The local guard."

He remarked quietly to his fellows, remembering the briefing they had gotten just before leaving.

A frown touched his face. Can see why they want this done quietly."

Edric through to himself before pressing onward.

It was not long before they breached through the market square, moving into Tyr proper. The streets were no less winding however, flow of magma stretching over onyx bridges, heat radiating outward. A few turns later Edric and the others found themselves in front of an Inn, three crowns painted on a sign hanging outside.

"There's your Kings, Drast." He remarked. "We'll find us room, Al pick someone out and go collect some rumors?"

They had a needle to find in this haystack.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

The only way to look out of place in an environment like this, was not to look at the wares. To walk past every stall would likely draw some sort of attention, so Drast fell to the back of the group and inspected each area of wares.

A pair of guards had weaved between their group and definitely stepped around them and by the gods were they tall. They, were eventually going to be a problem.

His gaze flitted back to the wares, though he was always mindful of where the others were, keeping his feet moving as he looked. One such stall had remarkable swords with curved blades, with a metal that gleamed in such a way he had never seen. The owner of the stall, a gray goblin (that was new), stood atop the table to be equal height with potential buyers, while a menagerie of other Goblins worked tirelessly behind him. The Goblin gave a price, Drast set down some coins and the sword was his.

He might have overpaid, but his attention was pulled by an area where a group of children were being sold. It was odd, many of the slaves looked confident, even happy they were being bought, while others looked terrified. It would be the feel of the sword that pulled him back as the Goblin shoved the purchased blade into his hands.

"Come back again!" He hawked out shrilly. "Ug-nak loves repeat customers!" Yeah, Drast guessed Ug-nak wasn't so bad.

"Sure thing." Drast replied before stepping away and slinging the new sword over his shoulder. The others had gotten a little farther than he liked, but he would eventually catch up with them before they reached the inn.

"Hopefully they have some good drinks here." He responded to Edric. "Alistair, what do you think of their steel?" He would ask before holding out his newly acquired blade to the other Initiate.

Elias | Alistair Krixus | Ralene | Edric

 

[Elias]

Elias lagged behind the others as they blindly walked the city's winding paths. He committed passing points of interest to memory, utterly quiet as he focused on their surroundings. When they stopped outside the inn, his attention was drawn to the distant, looming spire. Its brutal design and sheer size created a presence unlike anything he'd ever seen.

Elias sniffed and scratched the back of his neck. Then, he turned to Edric, "If it's rumors, there's no better place than a brothel."

Those who barely knew Elias wouldn't take his words for more than a blatant excuse to wet his nob. But switching his gaze between Ed and Ral, he believed they would trust him in the endeavor. Besides, it would only hinder their mission should his bad mood persist.

Eli looked to Alistair, "You finish that appraisal and come find me. I'll be down the way."

Sparing nods to his comrades, he left down the street without another word. When Alistair would catch up, he'd find Elias leaning against a barrel with a hand cupped over his right eye.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair had been watching closely when Drast had bought the sword, to begin with. It was one of the first things he noticed about the city as they moved through the market. Their metalworking was exquisite and that was especially true for their weapons.

The book that floated behind him was writing quickly but furiously went into overdrive as Alistair was handed the weapon. It was incredible quality. He would have to put it over the quality of even Vel Anir. Then again, Vel Anir, seemed to be a bit less...refined in many of their crafting techniques.

"It is amazing. Ral we should really see if we can speak with a blacksmith if we have the time."

He looked up with a sigh when he heard Edric's order. Oh, then he would just take Ralene or Drastus, someone he could get along easily with. Sadly, it was not to be as Elias made his decision for him. To make it worse, it seemed Elias was set on going to a brothel...not what he had in mind.

He looked to Edric and then Ralene like he was about to protest, but he knew neither of them would care. Alistair sighed as he handed the blade to Ral so that she could get a look at it.

"Look at it arcanely. Far as I can tell, the craftsmanship would make it perfect for some runes."

That was his last suggestion to them as he hurried off to catch up with Elias. It took him a moment to find him but eventually found him in a surprising spot.

"What happened? Did someone punch you in the eye?"

Edric Ralene Elias Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Samantha Black]

Were this a vacation and not a mission, Ralene would have taken far more interest in pursuing various outlets of note here. The fact of the matter remained that they had been tasked with a very dangerous objective in a very dangerous and unfamiliar place. Drast may have been trying to fit in, but Ralene was making an effort to mentally note the main thru-fares, side passes, guards, and landmarks. Her gaze fell upon the same hulking brute as Edric.

Can see why they want this done quietly...

Ralene hummed in response.

Soon enough Ed had found the Inn and Al had put a blade in her hands. Annoyed as she was by how easily he'd become distracted, she gave the weapon a quick once-over with her eyes before testing its weight and balance and then its give and edge. It felt lighter weight than a typical blade of its size, but did not seem to lack for durability or strength. Impossible for her to look at it arcanely out in the open, as Alistair suggested, and she hadn't the patience to take her attention away from more important matters.

She flipped the blade once in the air and handed it back to Drastus handle-first, "This is very good steel," and a very good weapon. Ral had no idea what he'd paid for it, but that hardly mattered. With a glance after Alistair's form as it disappeared into the crowd, she followed Ed inside and over to the Inn's front desk.

"We need two rooms, the cheapest option you have," Ral said to the hostess.

"I have two rooms with two beds each, five coppers a night per," the woman replied, "unless you want to spend a bit more."
"How much more?"
"Five silver a night."

Ralene narrowed her eyes and glanced at Ed. This wasn't a luxury field trip and they needed to be cautious of how much they were spending. No telling how long it would take for them to find their target. Not to mention the likelihood that they'd all be present and accounted for to sleep at the same time. If they were? Well, someone could share or someone would just have to pick straw for a spot on the floor. They'd all dealt with far worse circumstances. She shook her head and rifled through her coin purse, paying out the ten coppers for the first night.

"Right. Second floor, last rooms at the end of the hall to the right. One key per room - don't lose them, ey?"

Ral took both keys and handed one to Drastus, "Let's offload our things and get a look around."

 

[Edric]

Edric watched as both Ralene and Alistair inspected the blade, his head shaking.

He'd never been much for quality steel. For him anything laying around was good enough to kill with. A boon offered to him by his magic. Didn't much matter if the other guy had a better sword when it didn't little more than leave a cleaner cut to heal. Still, he appreciated a nice knife when he saw it.

These folk clearly had a way around the smithy.

Without a word Edric followed after Ralene, hoisting his things and walking past the desk as his companion rented their rooms. A key was foisted onto Drastus, and Edric didn't object. Simply heading deeper into the Inn. Their rooms were right besides one another, and that was probably the best they could have hoped for.

He stepped into the room after Ralene, throwing his pack onto the bed. "Eli and Alistair at the closest brothel."

Edric said, mapping things out in his head.

"I'll check out those Palaces." Technically speaking, there was no one 'in-charge' of this mission. None of them had been selected to lead, but it tended that the strongest voice won out, and that voice did not always come from the strongest among them. "Sit around for a while, see what I see."

Edric figured it made sense. Who could afford to buy something stolen from a King? Another King.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast had looked forward to heading out with Alistair, at least that was his hope for the little foray. Instead, Eli needed to go wet his whistle on the closest Tyrian discounter snapper. All in the guise of info. When Ali headed off to catch up with Eli, Drast gave him a look as if to say 'be careful'.

Turning to Ral, he would take the blade back from her. "Can you tell any weaknesses? This shit gets loud, we're going to have a lot of these and big lumbering guards to deal with. We need every advantage we can get." It was literally just the four of them.. and Elias.

The trio would then head inside and Ralene handed Drast a key. It wasnt much of a shock that Edric and Ralene were sharing a room, he was pretty sure they were doing the horizontal cha-cha. And maybe she was also doing that with Elias, too. He couldn't remember, he had lost track of who had been shagging who."Fine, but you guys get Eli and whatever strumpet he returns with."

They went into their room, he went into his and Alistairs. He could hear them next door and he picked a bed and tossed his gear onto the floor beside it. Gods, he hoped this would be a quick assignment.

Boots were kicked off and he was on his bed, the new blade in his lap as he gazed at his locket. He needed to get home, more than anything else.

Alistair Krixus | Ralene | Elias | Edric

 

[Elias]

"Sssssshhuuut the fuck up for a minute, Alistair," Eli said with a toothy smile. Then, after several seconds of uncomfortable silence and Alistair awkwardly shifting his weight between his feet, awaiting what came next, Elias pushed off from the barrel. He pulled his palm away from his eye, which possessed an aureate glow, but quickly the light dimmed to nothingness.

He turned his blind eye, silver and cloudy, away from Alistair.

"C'mon, man."

Elias led the way back towards the cove, turning the corners of Tyr's narrow, winding alleys more confidently than the group had while trying to find an inn. A few hundred feet later and they emerge into the bustling marketplace. Countless stalls and tents spread before them, but that wasn't what he brought them there for. Instead, Elias turned to the left and pointed down the way towards a building on the corner.

Outside of the building, women in simple dresses mingled with passersby to rope them into the establishment, and from its many open windows, even more hung out to call into the streets.

"And there we are, mate!" Elias said excitedly. He clapped a large hand over Alistair's back and smiled at him before taking off towards the brothel with renewed energy.

"Look, here's the plan. You just enjoy yourself. I got everything covered, yeah? I mean, really, just have a proper fuck, and leave all the information gathering to me. When all's said and done, and we get back, we just tell 'em that you found everything out." Elias fished around in the coinpurse bound to his belt and produced a small handful of coppers for Alistair as they stopped just outside the building. "My treat. And, eh, be careful. They like to get first-timers to pay for extra."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

To put it simply, Alistair was in complete confusion the entire time he was with Elias. What the hell happened to his eye? Could he do vision magic like Alistair? What was he looking for?

For a moment, Alistair actually believed like Elias had some intricate and well-thought-out plan, but all that shattered their arrival at the brothel.

"Um...no."

Alistair pressed the money back into Elias's hand while Alistair was looking at all the...loose women. "We can switch roles...I will not be some sexual distraction for whatever plans you have. I plan to gather information as I was requested to."

Even if Elias could convince him that he could gather intel alone, Alistair was not like other Dreadlords. He did not spend a large portion of his time at brothels...or any time. Ok, he had never been to a brothel before.

Why would he need to? Whenever he had free time to spend that just gave him another chance to do some reading or work on one of his projects.

Elias