Seeking Answers - Jygust 30th, Late MT (Ulder and Trajan)

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Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Seeking Answers - Jygust 30th, Late MT (Ulder and Trajan)

Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

The morning of the 30th of Jygust dawned bright and warm, and Trajan had already had a busy morning by the time the sun was fully up. The shop he shared with Shylah had a busy morning when two achadheil urchins arrived on their doorstep, one of them having been poisoned by food offered him by a mysterious benefactor who had turned out to be not quite so beneficent. Shylah had done what she could, as had he in tracking the fellow down nothing had been resolved yet. Still, as the day lengthened Trajan felt another responsibility he had taken upon himself pressing. Pax Balthasar had, of late, felt like a powder keg with a lit fuse, and the former legionnaire feared that the burns where dwindling on the fuse’s length. He needed answers, and the only man he knew of who could give him those answers was Ulder Synkaaros, Trajan knew he had to find him.

So it was that after making certain that Shylah had things in hand, Trajan armed himself and headed toward the last place he had known of where Ulder’s Swordmark, if not the man himself could be found. The refugee camp which had sprung up on the outskirts of the city after the latest round of expulsion of Pagans from Worlds Mouth was not a pleasant place. The necessities of life were scarce all across the city, but it was harder for the refugees who had to eek out a living in tents and other such makeshift shelters. Ulder had, as of Trajans last hearing placed his Swordmark, which had grown in the past months, in and around the camp to provide some measure of security to the folks there. So that was where Trajan went to find him. He knew some of the refugees in the camp from previous experiences with them at Healing Hands and he spoke to them as he wandered through the camp seeking the man who he assumed could answer his questions.
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Post by Ulder »

After his meeting at Tuirdhiel's earlier, Ulder made his way back out to the refugee camp to check with Zimphander about their preparations for the festival. Zimphander was perhaps one of the most critical pieces to Ulder's plan for this momentous day.

Ulder had charged his former Lieutenant with the safety and well being of his wife and family. Once Michel ordered the troops to stand down, and they marched away, from Pax, leaving it free and otherwise ungoverned, the great unknown was what would happen next. If there was fighting, and it turned ugly, Zim was going to take Elaine, his mother and his sister back to the family owned orchard near King's Court. Barring that, Ulder and and Zim had worked out a plan for the family to return to their home in the Citadel, but that was if things only turned truly, truly chaotic. Zimphander was a capable, smart soldier, and the former Captain trusted him with not only his own life, but the lives of his loved ones as well.

Ulder wore his armor today, a necessity with all that was coming, and he took a few burns to saddle up Boot and be ready for the arrival of Sebastian and the beginning of the festival. He was walking the horse through the refuge camp, taking stock of the Swordmark and checking on their progress, when he spotted a familiar face. He walked Boot over to Trajan, holding the reigns gently and casually, letting his four legged friend crop at the grass.

"Greetings and good morningtide. How have you been?"
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Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

Trajan had been walking through refugee camp for less than a mark when seemingly from nowhere Ulder walked up to him with his horse, allowing the animal to graze even as he offered a greeting. Trajan eyed the man who those months ago had saved his life, noting that Ulder, like himself, was armed and armored, even though surrounded by harmless unarmed refugees, most of whom he would even classify as helpless.

“Good morningtide to you as well Ulder.” He said, extending his free hand to the man. “It seems that some rumors are to be believed after all.” Trajan held his hand out for half a burn, but if Ulder didn’t take it, he simply returned it to his side.

“It seems fortune favors me today,” the youth continued, “that I found you so quickly amongst all these,” He indicated the camp with an expansive wave “poor souls. I hear you have taken it upon yourself to protect them. Be there any truth in that rumor?” Trajan looked Ulder in the eye as he asked his last questions, and waited.
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Post by Ulder »

Without hesitation, Ulder shook Trajan's offered hand with a wan smile.

"We're certainly trying to give them some measure of security. These are people from the Mouth. They're used to having a certain amount of protection around them. The Condotierre and the Standing Nine are a common sight. I can imagine living out under the stars might scare the daylights out of some of these people."

Ulder was interested in Trajan's somewhat aloof demeanor. They had not spoken much in the last weeks, but the former Captain didn't know if he had somehow offended the legionnaire in some way. He decided it was best to simply stay positive and friendly until Trajan's motives surfaced.

"I would hardly believe anyone could call it a rumor as much as we are out here." Ulder smiled and chuckled softly as he spoke, a clear indication he was merely joking.

"So I suppose its no rumor and is the truth."

He ran a hand down Boot's muscular neck and gave him a pat as the horse ate.

"Haven't seen you around much. Is there something amiss?"
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Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

Trajan listened as Ulder spoke to the plight of the Worlds Mouth refugees, and verified that his Swordmark was working to provide them some measure of comfort in an alien situation. Trajan felt reassured, but the events of earlier this very morningtide still plagued him. Trajan also noted the other mans handshake was immediate and firm, but not overbearing. Ulder remained the good man he had been when he had saved Trajans life months ago at the Emerald Falls. It wasn’t that the former legionnaire had expected such a radical change, but one never knew, and Trajan himself had undergone some pretty radical changes since that fateful day.

“Haven’t seen you around much.” Ulder finished as he petted his horses’ neck. “Is there something amiss?” Trajan was caught off guard by the other mans ready and apt assessment of things for a moment, and for once it showed openly on his face for nearly a full flicker before he could get it back under control.

”Amiss?” Trajan asked, as if considering. “I do not know that I could yet say that, but I imagine you, as I, have felt the shadow which has been growing over our fair city of late. You seem to be a man with his finger on the pulse of things Ulder, so I ask you, do you know of anything which directly threatens the safety of this city and her citizens?” Trajans hand strayed to the hilt of the ghost legionnaire’s longsword, as it often did when he was nervous, and when the familiar sense of calm ran down his arm, Trajan almost smiled. The sword had become more than a weapon, though it was an exceptional one, it had become a dear friend. For a brief flicker, Trajans eyes unfocused as he remembered the night he had been given it.
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Post by Ulder »

For a brief flicker, Ulder looked over Trajan's shoulder at the town, suppressing a knowing smile.

Seems you kept this mission a secret to a lot of people...

It seemed that even to this day, Trajan had little idea of what he and the Swordmark were doing here.

That or he's damn good and playing the fool...

Under normal circumstances, Ulder would have downplayed his knowledge, or feigned ignorance himself, but the Captain's eyes followed to where the legionnaire's hand strayed to the hilt of his sword. He immediately went into a combat mindset.

He's nervous. Does he know? Is he here to try and stop me?

Ulder's mind turned in tactical circles.

He can probably out draw me, but his hands are shaking. If he's here to kill me, he's got doubts that he can do the job.

Ulder allowed his own left hand to stray to the hilt of his own weapon as he replied. The time had come to play for keeps. To say it like it was, and tell the man the whole manner of his truth.

"The Church." he started simply.

"The Church's iron fist is what threatens the direct safety and security of these people. They were ripped from their homes and imprisoned here. They've been cast out and cast aside."

He shifted his feet under him, gaining balance and readying himself for a confrontation with naked steel if it came to that.

"But the Swordmark is here to free these people from their persecution. We have brought food, aid and shelter to them, from all over the Border Estates. Now we are going to bring them liberty. If something is threatening the town, it will be the Church trying to keep their manacles and fetters on them. Is the town in danger? No, not from us. It is zealots from the Church who brought these people here that are in danger."

He was ready now, ready for this spark to ignite the fire.

"So let me ask you legionnaire. Are you here to prevent that?"
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Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

“So let me ask you legionnaire. Are you hear to prevent that?” Trajan was stunned beyond comprehension by Ulders words. Shock registered openly on his face and he did nothing to hide the emotion. “Prevent it?” he thought in a distant, abstracted way, “Prevent it?” , Trajans mind racing in a hundred different directions from Ulders words, and the hand which had been grasping the hilt of his sword returned numbly to his side.

“No!” He exclaimed vehemently and raised a hand towards Ulder a flicker before a coughing fit took him and robbed him of his speech. To date, he had managed to hide this infirmity from those around him but now here in the midst of the refugee camp before Ulder, the lamppost and everyone, the former legionnaire bent nearly double as he was seized by a violent fit of coughing. This was the permanent cross he bore now, a sign of the smoke he had inhaled during the fight with the dwarves at the Emerald Falls, a fight he had entered believing himself a paladin initiate of the One God, only to find himself betrayed by that entity and saved from certain destruction not by a divine entity, but by Ulder Synkaaros. And now, that man, who Trajan had held in such high regard, thought that Trajan was here to attempt to foil his plans. The idea was ludicrous, but he couldn’t tell Ulder that... suddenly a great gobbet of phlegm burst from his throat and landed at Ulders feet, and suddenly the fit was past, and he could speak.

“Stop you?” he gasped out, his voice rasping from his throat like an asp across wood, “Stop you?” He repeated after a few ragged breathes, still hunched over by the pain in his chest and abdomen “No Ulder, I wouldn’t stop you even if I could, and you can plainly see that I am in no condition to do any such thing.” Finally forcing himself to a semblance of uprightness, Trajan looked once more into Ulders face and continued, “I applaud your ambition Ulder, and wish for these peoples sakes,” he indicated the refugees with a flap of his hand, since a true wave would have required more energy than he could currently muster, “that you succeed. All I really want to know is whether or not Shylah and the others who serve at Healing Hands are in any danger from your coup. I am sworn to their and her defense, as much good as I am.”
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Post by Ulder »

A coughing fit broke over the legionnaire like a wave over a rock on the seaside, and Ulder felt his paranoia and ire receding like the wave's remnants tumbling back over the sand into the ocean.

The leader of the Swordmark felt bad for the other man. He had known that Trajan had been hurt by the encounter with Star and Moon, but until this moment, he didn't know quite how bad the lingering effects were.

His hand left the hilt of his weapon and gently patted the legionnaire on the back, trying to help him breathe a little easier. When Trajan recovered, he resumed as if nothing had interrupted them.

"No sir. Why would they be?"

Ulder let the question hang for a heartbeat before he elaborated.

"Shylah and the Healing Hands is exactly what this town needs, people who are trying to help. People who can make a difference. They don't stand a chance unless they can work their magic free and unhindered. If Shylah is in danger, it will be from the Church trying to reclaim the hold they have here. There is no need to fear from us, we share Shylah's hope for a better Pax. I support her and you fully."

"I know Shylah must be an excellent healer, but if you would like, I can take you back to meet my wife Elaine. She too is a healer of some repute, and perhaps the knowledge and experience she gained in the Empire could help you. If you want, we can go to her now..."
Last edited by Ulder on Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

Trajan nodded along as Ulder spoke, feeling immensely relieved by what he had heard. He knew now what was going to happen, and that he had no need to fear for Shylah from Ulder and his Swordmark, but the Church was still a threat, he had too assume, for as best as he knew, Shylah was the only Dominican amongst the group. As for Ulder offer to take Trajan to his wife, the former legionnaire had to admit some curiosity. Maybe there was something she could do for him that Shylah didn’t know about, and what’s more, maybe he could convince her to come by the shop for a visit.

“Thank you Ulder.” He said honestly as he put a hand on the other mans shoulder. “I think I shall take you up on that generous offer. But I would say one more thing and ask another question before we go.” He waited a moment before continuing, “First, I am no longer with the Pax Honestus, I left their ranks not long after Shylah brought me back to the city from the falls. And secondly, it seems as if you have this grand plan all worked out to liberate these people and this town, may I ask when you plan to enact it?”
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Post by Ulder »

Ulder was glad that Trajan seemed amenable to his offer. Elaine's healing power was vast, and he hoped that she could help this man get back to where he'd been before.

The news of him quitting the legion was a little surprising. It was difficult to ascertain a man's heart and faith, but something must have happened to him to walk away from something he once fiercely loved. Ulder had no idea what that might be, but he could empathize with Trajan in a way that the former legionnaire might not ever fully understand. Ulder himself had walked away from a disbanded Purple Guard with a heart full of rage, hurt and disappointment.

"I have to say you not being a legionnaire any longer is more than a little surprising. You seemed to be a steadfast believer in the cause. I have to say I'm glad to hear it. I too once believed in a cause. And it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do was to let it go. Most of the men that came with me believed in it too. But we had to move on because others took the oaths we swore, and threw them away."

He swallowed at the pain that he still felt from the disbanding of the Purple Guard.

"So I do not judge. It takes courage and will to move on the way you have. I hope you can see that I understand it a great deal since I have done it myself."

"As for your other question. All I can say is soon. Unless you are sworn to this cause and this purpose like these brave men and women, specifics can't be discussed. I won't compromise their safety. Just be prepared. Be ready."

He pulled Boot's reins taught in his hand and prepared to lead Trajan back to where Elaine was.
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Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

Ulders warning about preparedness was little needed, but well heeded all the same. Trajan was always ready to defend Healing Hands and Shylah Boyd. He also understood the man’s need for caution, he had told Tamerton and the Provost that Thrandil was the most subversive of the group he had gone on the Hunt with, but apparently he had misjudged Ulder. Even so, he would not now betray that man, for he already owed him much, and if Elaine were able to help him even incrementally, then he would owe the pair even more.

When Ulder spoke of his own experience being driven from a cause, Trajan felt the gratitude he felt toward the man grow further, to a point where he might even say he considered Ulder a friend, though he doubted the man had any such sentiments himself.

“I left the Legion because I no longer believed in what they believed. They take their mandates from the tenants of a faith I no longer ascribe to, and as such, I couldn’t in good conscience, continue my service with them. Dominicus is a false god.” He finished heatedly. Suddenly realizing how much he had said Trajan averted his eyes from Ulders and coughed as if to clear his throat. “But let us speak of something else. Lead me to your wife if you please.”
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Post by Guido Cercatoro »

(OOC: is this finished now?)
Trajan Constantine Aeneas
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Post by Trajan Constantine Aeneas »

OOC: Yeah. Call this done.
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Post by Guido Cercatoro »

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