Pathwalker - RP

[DeusExMachina]

The annoucing guard, knowing monty from around town, and disliking him as such, Shouted loudly from a Mere 2 feet away...

"MONTCLAIR!......MONTYCLAIR!"

Monty unimpressed, gave the guard a small shove to the shoulder....

"Dont be an ***"


"Youre in Room six"


"Yeah.....I sure am....." monty snatched the keys and proceeded outside to check on his horse.

[Moosetroop11]

"Shell Darren. Room 61."

Shell made sure the frog was safely in his pocket and then walked towards the guard. Everything about this room calling exercise reeked of prisoner concentration, and Shell hated it. But if it was his destiny to be in the king's castle at that moment, then how could he complain?

"Liara. Room 44"

Liara stood and winked at Alziel before walking confidently to her room. For the first time all eyes in the hall were upon her, and she relished the attention, unfurling her beautiful wings, pale pink, matching her hair, which she brushed out of her eyes with a delicate finger before disappearing through hall door. Her assigned guard looked newly recruited and fairly embarassed by the sprite, mumbling "This way please" and moving off whilst peering at his feet.
'Well I've enjoyed myself' Liara though to herself. 'If I don't get picked, I'm not going to be upset.'
The corridor was not carpeted, for the king has many guards around at all times and their boots would ruin any floor covering within weeks. Instead, as much as possible, marble was laid out underfoot like a long mirror, reflecting the white magical lights set into the ceiling. For a moment Liara was reminded that sprite slaves may have been used originally to produce this phenomenon, but she didn't let it pray on her mind. The guard unlocked her room and sheepishly gave her the key, and she entered and collapsed on her simple small bed- it was no hotel room, but the king had many people to house. She wanted to think about the quest ahead, but her mind was more focused on a certain competetor.

[Dragonium]

Alziel stayed where he stood as the names of the contestants were called out and they were led away to their rooms. Eventually the room began to empty, and only a few more contestants remained.

The guard with the clipboard breezed in again. He stood for a few minutes peering at his room plans, before his face screwed up and he shook his head.

"I am sorry, it seems that someone has made an error. There are not enough rooms to house all of you, some of you will have to share a room", he muttered. Then he stood still peering at his notes for a few minutes as the contestants grew restless.

A dwarf standing near to Alziel sighed and rolled his eyes. He coughed noisily as if he wished to speak, but he was ignored.

"Alziel Her'shal", the guard said finally, "You are in Room 45".

Alziel moved to follow the guard, and then stopped. The room next to Liara's.

"Are you sure?", he asked the guard. "Are there no other rooms?"

"No", the guard replied irritably. It had been a long day. There had been many contestants wishing to choose their rooms. They were lucky they got a room at all. The plan to fit five people into each room had been abandoned, and the tiny guest rooms were filled instead.

Alziel followed. The guard was already whisking away down a long corridor of white marble where magical light danced. He attempted to keep up, and eventually found his room. The key was thrust into his hand and he opened the door, surveying the room as he did so.

It was a small room, nowhere near is big as the rooms the castle staff would be staying in. There was a bed, a cupboard, and nothing else. The bed was of a state which even Alziel was disappointed with, despite his familiarity with sleeping rough and rarely having a bed at all.

He took to the bed and sat down at the end of it. He hoped he was ready, if he was selected. He had his bow, his favourite weapon, and a decent supply of arrows. He had abandoned his close ranged weapons, the sword and shield being too heavy and annoying to be carried on his belt on such a journey. He had Leyland's hunting knife if he had to defend himself up close.

There was a chance he would be returning home disappointed to his usual life tomorrow. He tried not to think about it.

He lay down for the night, leaving his bow and arrows by the side of the bed, and tried to focus his thoughts on something else. Even though he tried to avoid it, he found his thoughts drifting to the sprite in the next room.

[Kinslayer]

Anyan couldn't sleep. He was thinking about all that he had to leave behind just to seek revenge against the King and his lies.

He turned over and over again, and decided to take a walk again. He liked to walk without being noticed, by still took Leddwick's Viper with him. He oculd see Alziel going to his room, following a guard. Anyan somehow knew that Alziel was strong, he had a keen sense for this. Anyan, then, sat in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the stars. He then drew his sword out and stared to its edge.
"In time, you will go were you belong..." he thought, silently, as he put it back. He just sat there, staring at the stars.

[plightofthepureblood]

Monty, after feeding his horse outside of the palace, decided it was in his good intrest to stop by his house, for some extra supplies...

There he picked up an array of small bags, and placed them into larger bags.....something fell out of one of them as monty  shifted them about.

Picking up a small gemstone with his fingers, and holding it close to his eye, it gave a sparkle, and with that monty threw it with force at the floor beside him, about ten feet away. At which point a cloud of thick white smoke puffed up from where the stone had hit....

"Theyre still good....heh" monty thought to himself.

Monty empties the stolen cutlery from his pockets,  threw them into a bucket, full of other pieces of apparently stolen or swindled bits of steel.

Monty used these to get melted down into bolt heads, and throwing blades.....

Monty then grabbed some long padding with large pockets designed to strap to his legs and belt.....Into the pockets he stuffed as many bolts as he could fit on his person.

He grabbed an extra hunting knife, a compas, a sexton, a length of rope, that was soon fastened to his belt. A scarf, and pair of snow goggles.

He crammed his pack to about 1/2 capacity, and jotted down a quick not on a piece of parchment....and a nail.


Monty left his small modest, but utilitarian house, and mountd his steed again to the castle. It was now late at night, and soon the curfew would be in effect. Before he approached the palace, he dismounted in front of the manor of one of the Nobles he had been extorting.

Monty had been chewing a wad of tobacco and grape leaves in his mouth, which he spit on the pristine white door. He slapped the Parchment onto the spittle, to adhere the note to the door.....


"BE A PEACH AND WATER MY PLANTS. SHOULD MY HORSE BE TIED IN FRONT OF THE PALACE THIS TIME TOMORROW, BE A PEACH AND BOARD HIM.....I HAVE THE DOCUMENTS WITH A VERY "GOOD FRIEND"
WHO IS VERY "SHY"...DONT LET ME DOWN, GOOD BUDDY"

Monty dismounted, tied his steed infront of the palcace once more, as the horsse grazed and drank water from the moat. Monty Entered the Palace, after flashing his room key, and proceeded towards his room, down the long corridor....About halfway down the corridor, He could hear voices in one of the rooms..

Monty was lucky....His elven lineage was pronounced enough to give him hearing a cat would envy....But his Appearance barely let on to this. He could pass as a slender Man, and for most of his life, Had done just that.

Monty leaned his ear in closer to the door to see what he could hear.....

[Red XIII]

"So, it´s room 12. hope it´s clean at least." Ragnar thought. "It wasn´t hard to remain unnoticed, among all this people, but tomorrow i´m going to have to do something interesting to be allowed on board."
He entered the room and closed the door behind him. Then, he made a small list of equipment. He had everything, from food (Some special rations, which were enough for three months. Of course, Ragnar wasn´t going to touch them unless it was absolutely necesary). He had enough bolts to kill an army of Goblins, as well as the equipment to produce new ones, if needed. his armor looked old and dirty, but he knew it was resistent. Some incomplete maps of the Western Lands (That he had managed to obtain in secret) completed his gear. "Mmmm. Half of everything that appears on this maps will be wrong or inaccurate" Ragnar whispered to himself. "But that only means that the other half will help me to find my way there. Ié seen enough false documents to know what is true or don´t".
He stood up and went to the window. His small room was located in the second floor of a tower of the Castle. "Ok. It´s tme to pay that Klerr fellow a visit" Ragnar said, as he climbed down the tower after getting out through the window.
He knew the exact location of the guards rooms, and it wasn´t long before he found Klerr´s. He entered (Always unnoticed, through a window, of course), and, hoping to give his "friend" a surprise, he took out one of his swords. But when he got close to the bed....

Ragnar watched silently. Klerr´s skin had a blue color, sure sign of death of drowning. "But he couldn´t have drowned, since there is no water here. the only thing that produces such color is poison" Ragnar thought. as he closed to the corpse, he saw that the skin was returnig quickly to its normal color. In a matter of minutes, Klerr would look like someone who had a "natural" death. "Well, at least the one who did it saved me the job. But I wanted to be the one who killed him. For once, someone was faster (And smarter, I must say) than me."
Ragnar heard steps. It wasn´t convenient for him to be found at that hour of the night, next to a just dead guard. So Ragnar had to be fast. He quickly took a piece of clay he had with him, and used it to make a mold of a certain key, that Klerr had in a chain around his neck. After doing that, he simply went out the window and climbed down to the courtyard.
there he saw one of the contestants, a knight, who seemed really sad that night. For some reason, Ragnar felt like he had to talk to him "Yes. It´s time to drop the "invissible" thing" Ragnar said to himself, as he walked towards the knightley man "If i don´t show up, they probably will throw me otu of this castle tomorrow. and I can´t have that happen"

[Kinslayer]

(Note: My bro gave me permission of using his char in this conversation. It's true, ask him :p.)


Anyan stared at the short man approaching him. His long cloack and old face reminded him of old times.
"Ragnar? Heh, you haven't changed a bit..." said Anyan.
Ragnar stared at him and said: "Ah! Why it isn't you, brat! You are the one who's changed Anyan!"
Anyan smiled to his old friend Ragnar, who he had met while traveling around the world, at a short period while leaving Inas Kingdom.

"It's been a while Ragnar... what are you doing here?" said Anyan, whispering so thast the guards wouldn't hear.

"I'd ask the same you fool! What's with you?  I know what you did. The Viper's Bite is recognizable for one who has fought at your side. If the King gets an expertise in weapons, they'll know it was you who killed that good-for-nothing Klerr!" said Ragnar, a bit nervous, but still talking low.

Anyan said, quietly: "You are just mad because I got him first. He is guilty of Delliah's desease..."

"And Beowulf's dissappear!" said Ragnar, as he continued: "Because of Klerr pretending to be sick, my son Beowulf had to go to the West instead of him! I was expecting him to pay. Still you made him suffer quite much".

"Indeed" said Anyan: "...what's that on your neck? That couldn't be Klerr's..."

"Key to secret files?" said Ragnar, laughing: "Why, it seems you have forgotten about my skills! Although I wanted to get him, you saved me the job of fighting in the middle of the night. Quite smart of you to just scratch him with the Viper".

Anyan looked at the floor, then to his friend and said: "You still haven't answered me why are you really here... you know why I'm here..."

Ragnar laughed and said: "That, my friend, is my business only..."

[plightofthepureblood]

The voices coming from room 71 in wich monty was eavesdropping, were having a hushed conversation...



"Klerr is already dead...poisoned, it would seem"

"Already? Who knows?"

"Well, I would assume, only the two of us, as of now. Unless someone has broken into his room and found his worthless, atrophied corpse"

"Who did it?....I mean, we knew it was going to happen, but who actually did it?"

"Id bet it was that brooding red haired knight.....the one with the scar......Alzoil, was it?"

"No....not even close.....Anyan"

"I figured it would either me him, or that rangar...."

"Why did they want klerr dead, anyhow?"

"Who even cares? Klerr was a bastard anyhow."


A silence


"So the list is made then...we have our operatives."

"Yeah. All the preparations have been made....Our men have the Maps, and have been given pocketwatches...so as to know when to finish the job....."

"I dont understand.....If there are so many undesirables, why wouldnt we just put them on a single boat, and cannon ball it once its over the horizon?"

"Erm.....Id assume that its becausedespite being enemies of the state, they are all quite skilled trackers and mappers....If we use their abilities, and test their loyalties, it would better determine if and when they should be disposed of......we cant very well kill somebody off in haste. They could be of great use....with persuasion, they could be manipulated into siding with the kingdom"


"I think wed be better to just sink the ship...

Wake that sleeping  elf on the cot up, we need him to get ready.
Hes slept for a couple of hours. Thats all he needs...

Weve got to get him debriefed...."


After a slight sound of shifting, and a scattered dinn:

:"Why must you wake me now? I was dreaming...Surely the boats havent left yet.....Its midninght....." A third voice...

(If this voice was indeed an elven, montys breathing would be heard surely)

"Quit comlaining. Weve got to get you breifed..The list has been updated. Klerr, the guard, was killed"

"You mean, Klerr, the doppleganger......"

"Whatever, elf dont be a-"
"-Im not an elf, Im a half orc."

"Either way, heres the list.... weve etched a copy of the map to the inside of your plate mail....."

"Klerr.....who did it? Who took the bait?"

"It was the red haired one....Alziel. We saw that Rangar slink into the room....assumably to also kill Klerr but
at this point, He is of no relavence to your list...."




Another long silence....

Monty could hear that the voices were now whispering....He was liekly detected. Half orcs hearing was decent....not as much as Montys, but close enough.

Monty slunk down the hall towards his own quarters

[Moosetroop11]

"Hey, you!"
The voice, quiet as it was, startled Liara, who went to the door and listened. "Who is it?"
"You're Liara, right?"
"That's me. Who are you?"
The voice stopped for a moment, then said "I'm friendly. You don't know me. Can I come in?"
Liara was quite aware of the dangers of letting the softly spoken individual into her room, but decided to do so anyway. Alziel was next door and she was sure that he could be counted on to help if she was in trouble. And Liara wasn't so helpless herself.
The creature scuttled through the door- it was male, and looked like some sort of imp or the like. Whatever it was, it wore the emblem of the king, so it worked in the castle.
"Greetings. I have some information for you."
"Really?" replied Liara, with amusement in her voice. "You aren't going to tell me your name then?"
"My name isn't important. I came to tell you that your name is not on the list."
"Mm?" Liara had a feeling she knew what he meant, but looked confused anyway.
"The list of competetors for this voyage, it is finished, and you are not a part of it. I must be honest with you, my motives are entirely selfish. I am in a position to change the names on the list, so that you are included."
Liara thought for a moment. So the lots were staged, as others had suspected. But she still very much wanted to be on the boat in the morning.
"Why me? Why are you offering this to me?"
"You are a Sprite" the imp said pointedly. "I need your help."
The imp rolled up his royal worker's shirt, revealing a black scar. The wound ran across the entirity of his back and Liara recognised it at once- a scratch by a poisonous plant, a Moniona.
the scratches it left, grew and slowly disabled the victim. The imp should have been treated months ago.
"I was promised treatment by ther king's men" the imp explained. "However I have grown to realise that they do not truly care. They continually push back the day of my treatment so that their human soldiers may be healed. I know that your kind can heal these wounds with their abilities. If you help me, I will add your name to the list of competetors."

Liara would have helped the imp anyway; A death from that sort of wound is something she wouldn't have wished on anyone. She carefully placed her delicate hands on the imp's back and drew upon her energy, finding the poison and removing it. The process took at least an hour, but at last she was confident that the wound would heal of it's own accord.

"It'll be fine now, or at least it certainly won't get any worse. You just need rest" Liara assured. The imp was clearly pleased.
"I take you at your word. Even now it does not feel as sickly as it did. And now I shall fulfill my part of the deal."
With that the creature disappeared out of the door, leaving Liara tired and feeling slightly nausious. To perform any magic leaves one drained, and the spell she had just performed was particularly taxing. Nevertheless, as she sank into her bed she was quietly content that she had done what was required, and deserved to take part in the competition far more than the individual her name would replace.

[Dragonium]

Originally posted by plightofthepureblood
"Id bet it was that brooding red haired knight.....the one with the scar......Alzoil, was it?"

"Yeah....close.....Alziel"

OOC: No, that's Anyan. Please edit your post, as it helps to clean things up. You can check my first post for Alziel's description.

BIC:

Alziel sat upright.

He had not had much time to get to sleep, and it was hard enough without the voices from outside. He debated with himself whether or not to go and check.

He had stealth on his side. Without being complacent, he doubted that anyone could match his skills.

Except for Ragnar; from the way he looked, he had skills as well.

Finally he decided to investigate. He strode from the bed to the doorway, opened the door a crack, and peered out. The corridor was empty, but one of the doors was open. The voices seemed to be coming from there.

He walked as softly as he could down the corridor to the open door and waited by the door frame. There was silence and hushed speech. Alziel strained to catch some detail of the conversation; he had elven blood, a small amount of it, and it should have helped his case. But it did not. His hearing was human, his ears were human shape, and he was not able to pick up many words.

There was a shuffling from inside the room, and Alziel stopped and contemplated running back to his room. He had forgotten his bow. He would be heard if he tried to flee quickly. Either way was awkward.

He turned to examine his chances, and saw Monty peering out from behind a marble pillar. He had apparently been listening too, but had been caught short and taken to a hiding place. He hissed something about a contestant cheating, that the contest was unfair, but the noise of footsteps in the room came nearer. Alziel stopped still as a shadow appeared behind it. Whoever was inside would surely see him.

As the man in the room came closer, another voice from within, the second man, called out a few words, and the man behind the door turned to face him, closing the door as he did so.

Silence. Alziel sighed and walked into the middle of the corridor.

"What was that about?", he asked.

Monty said something about a contestant cheating, that he already had the maps inside his armour. He looked genuinely annoyed, and worried.

Alziel smiled ruefully. He did not have to be told in more detail; he already knew that these maps were incorrect. There were no existing maps. That was the point of the contest. Soon that contestant, if he was drawn, would be sent to the Western Lands, and would hand in a false map a few months later.

Still, Alziel would have to keep an eye open. He walked back to Room 45, passing Liara's room on the way. Her door was open a crack, and after peering in to make sure everything was as it should be, he closed it. Then he returned to his own room.

[plightofthepureblood]

OOC: Sorry dude......post edited

BIC:

As alziel strolled back to his room, monty reflected on Alziels expression upon hearing of the engraved map....."He seemed to think it was a facre, the existance of an accurate map." Monty thought to himself.....

'An Accrute map, is a frace though.' Monty thought in addition, reflecting on the fragmented scematics of his blackmail loot.
No directions. No landscape reference. just a set of directions, in case the tracker had happened to stumble upon this 'city' of the west.

'I will have to share my documentation with another, if Im ever going to make anysense.'

Often the thought of the maps discredit crossed montys mind. But if it had no merit, then surely the society of nobels would not have gone to such lengths to protect the secrecy of the document.

'Maybee its not even a map, so much as another piece of information disguised as such...much of the script of it it illegible to me....unfamilliar gylphs....not even resembling the cultures of the known races....Alziel I trust before others....and the sprite....allthough she seems to be busy fending off the man-folk. Had she not that repulsive set of insect wings, I surely would show them how to treat a lady......but sprites.....ugh........"

Monty then debated on wether or not he should disturb Alzeil to discuss the documents. Monty did, after all, have a facsimile with him, tucked away discreetly'


There will be time tomorrow.....Or on the boat...it will be safer to discuss this then.

[Kinslayer]

Anyan and Ragnar kept talking for a while, and then, them both decided to take separate roads for now, to leave suspicion out of their backs. Anyan went to his room, slowly. He sunk into his bed, and fell asleep while watching the ceiling. He had to rest, tomorrow would be a harsh day...

[Emerates]

(hopfully, I'm not ruining this, Drag, by joining in....  )

Name: Saine
Race: Human/Incubus
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Wanderer

*Updates later*

---------------------------------

Saine sat back slowly.  He watched the fire burn slowly behind the grate, and his eyes slowly drifted to the sword propped against the wall.  He felt no remorse for his actions.  He had deserved to go to the West, and the fool who had replaced him in the roster had not.  Thus, Saine had removed him.

Of course, the woman lying next to him knew nothing of this.  She breathed peacefully, unaware of the murderous nature of the man sitting on the bed next to her.  She was so easy to seduce, Saine thought.  A drink of rum and a low-grade hex had done the trick this time.  She was attractive, yes, but even she did not fulfill Saine's appetite.

He rose from the sheets, a sudden wave of annoyance splashing through his mind.  Saine dressed himself again, left a few coins on  the bedside table, and collected his provisions.  He hated the room already, and the woman no longer appealed to him.  He opened the door with a frown and left her behind.

Saine walked out of the inn without a word, and turned toward the bay.  Guards walked by occasionally, patrolling the streets.  Some looked at Saine, most simply ignored him.  One came close to Saine, and heard the man thinking 'Damn warriors, think they're so mighty....'  Saine sighed.  These people would never understand.

He looked up and down the street.  No one watching....  Saine slinked into a side alley and looked down its length.  He saw several barrels stacked along the wall and loped towards them surreptitiously.  He climbed on top of them, feeling the hard edges indent his skin.  Pain flushed through him slowly... much better....

Saine drifted to sleep, unconcerned with the beggar stirring at his presence.

[Dragonium]

OOC: No problem.

The RP is now full. No more people. Thank you all for your co-operation.

BIC:

Alziel fell back into the pillows and sighed. The events of the day had made him weary, sapped his strength.

He had not slept for five minutes when he was awake again. Something worried him. He could not tell what it was. There he lay for a good half hour before he understood.

Liara's door had been closed when he left the room. She had not left. But when he returned, it was open.

He sat upright and slid off the bed, reaching into his tunic for his hunting knife. It would serve now as good as ever. Three steps from the door, he reached out and opened it silently.

The corridor was dark now, the magical lights having been extinguished. Alziel padded the short distance to the next door quietly, his decent night-sight serving him well, and as he reached Liara's door he opened it quietly and slid in.

The room was dark, and there was no light from the window. He took a step towards the bed, then two. There was someone in here besides Alziel and Liara, and he would do his best to find them...

There were footsteps behind the door and Alziel turned. He held his breath for a few moments until he was sure the footsteps had gone.

He could try to explain his situation, but being caught in a lady's room after dark would be tricky to explain...

"Liara", he whispered. "Liara".

She stirred. Tired, apparently. Waking her might be a bad idea.

After surveying the room, Alziel turned and went back to his own quarters.

[Moosetroop11]

Liara opened one eye. She was half certain that someone had spoken to her; but perhaps it was nothing. Troubled sleep. The chances were that it was merely a sound she had heard hours ago, like a deep dream that remains vivid until the moment you wake.

There was no clock of any sort in the room, but the window pane was beginning to sucumb to the first glimpse of the rising sun, the minimal wooden features of the room softening slightly, the shadows growing shorter. It could still have been fairly early, the sun at that time of year was no real indication of daybreak- But Liara knew she would not be able to fall asleep again.

She rose and realised that the majority of the energy lost during her healing spell had been replaced, testament to the fact that she had had some rest at least- Then she knocked lightly on the wall of her room that was shared by Alziel's. It was not enough to wake him, but she had a feeling that the serious man would already be ready and preparing himself for the day ahead. And she wanted to know whether it was his voice that she had heard during the night.