Summary Threads

[Danomel]

Bellow is the Kings Court Summary. Please add your summary posts below.

[Danomel]

Bishop Lazo was sunken into the overstuffed chair in front of the fire place in his personal quarters. A strong drink sat untouched on the side table. Though he usually did not indulge he felt the need this evening as he considered what the state of affairs in the Basilica had come too over the past several months. Even the most ignorant of people must clearly see the divisions within the Basilica. Could it still truly be called the One Church anymore? War had not done the damage that internal strife was wreaking.

On the one hand there were the Fundamentalists, who preached a doctrine of no tolerance and wished nothing more than to consolidate, fortify, and purify the churches current position. Sometimes in league and sometimes at odds with them were the Zealots who wanted to immediately launch a holy war to purge the world of all that was unclean with a flaming sword. And in the wings was the much maligned and persecuted, yet ever strengthening, Unity movement who preached repentance, love, and faith over doctrine, ritual, and tradition. And of course there were the Traditionalists who wanted to hold onto the current system because their greed drove them to hold onto the power and influence of those positions.

And Lazos had recently become aware of another group that was doing its best to stay in the shadows. The Cult of the One, who they were and what they wanted were a mystery, yet it seemed they had managed to gain some small influence within the walls of the Basilica. And in spite of the name, they had nothing to do with the worship of Dominicus.

Lazos was well aware that his hold on his current position was tenuous at best. Not through leadership ability, but through lack of attachment to any of the various movements that were festering within the Basilica. In short he was the least offensive to the most people. Of course there was a sort of cosmic irony about it, considering the recent string of decisions he found himself being forced into making.

The man across from him, Baron DeRohm, took advantage of the Bishops somber mood to refill his glass. The letter in his hands, he felt, was cause for much drink.

DeRohm, with the support of Lazos had just recently become regent, seeing as Leonius had been recently deposed through the actions of several barons. A side consequence of this was the stigma cast on Leonius’s allies, like Eisenreich. Lazos had found himself in the unique position of being the major deciding factor in the selection of the new regent. Lazos really felt he had no choice but to ally himself with DeRohm, for the sake of the Basilica and the City. Again, a decision based on causing the least offense while preserving order.

On top of everything else, almost immediately upon assuming the role of Regent, DeRohm had received the letter in his hand. The source of much consternation, which he felt more than justified in sharing with the Bishop, as they seemed to have jointly inherited the reins of power.

Then there were the problems that Leonius left behind, specifically the Lady Deborona. The woman was some sort of scholar who had bits and pieces of some sort of supposed prophetic codex. And apparently there were several references to the coming of a new king and avatar to Kings Court. Which probably explained Leonius’s interest in her research.

If what was in the letter was true, and the pedigree of the writer could be verified, it would appear that there really was a valid claimant for the title of King and Avatar. Yet, beyond a pedigree, almost nothing was known about this individual, except for the claim of substantial forces already within the city. And in fact, over some period of time, apparently a small army of mercenaries had taken up residence in the city. The gate records when correlated with other city records indicated that there seemed to be several thousand unemployed mercenaries with no visible means of support now living in the city proper.

[Haikan]

EDIT: Information regarding the division of soldiers added.

"There. Let that be my first offerings as your mentor, Haikan." The young adhiel studiously memorizes the words of his teacher. Occasionally, he scribbles them down in an almost unintelligible chicken scratch that only he could possibly read. The optimism he felt for his mentorship under the Baron was great, and the knowledge that Sebastian offered him was no doubt invaluable to the success of their company. In time he came to trust the Baron highly. The man is clearly not a zealot, and he is open-minded, forgiving of errors/ineptitude, and an all around great teacher. For learning of leadership, one day a week is spent with the Sebastian Beauvais, discussing the elf’s physical training, jotting down the Baron’s recommendations of sparring mates from the Vanguard, and studying leadership.

His training is not just for his health, the primary reason for it is the launch of the Company near the end of Jygust. The Company is a service industry that will deliver goods at a cheaper cost than portal trade, and also deliver patrons safe passage. The first route is from King’s Court, to Brie, to Pax, back to Brie, and then back to the capital, but ultimately the entire Western Kingdom would become part of the route.

The responsibilities for Haikan's convoy preparations are lofty, indeed. As Sebastian's mentee, he hones his skills to become a worthy civilian captain. His goal is to become skilled in combat, first of all. He must not be weak if he is to gain respect from his subordinates. Combat-wise, he takes a heavy focus on a dodge-and-counter technique with his schlaeger, practicing with members of the Vanguard weekly by Sebastian’s recommendation.

Having already practiced his conversational skills and leadership with Mikail, Anistis and Matiel, he yearns to learn from Sebastian in not just leadership, but combat tactics. Despite this yearning he does not feel he will be ready for that until he is a respectable leader, and well-trained for combat. Four days of the week, Haikan trains his fighting abilities, once weekly he studies leadership under Sebastian Beauvais, two days he spends in the capital recruiting mercenaries, and three days he rests, and talks with Mikail about the history of his true hometown, Taquar. Unfortunately for Haikan, with him being so busy, he no longer is able to perform his home days routines, and he almost never gets to play music lately.

Sando Haymaker's skills of business are quite impressive to Haikan, and with Matiel's consent he takes Sando's advice in striking a deal with the Tavernkeeper of the Laughing King Tavern: In exchange for a discount on food and supply for the initial launching of the convoy, the Company would use the Tavern as their primary base of operations, their main source of food supply in the future, their recruitment center, (potentially bringing hundreds of customers,) and as a trading company they would offer discounts on incoming food, sundries and tools in the future.

Sando and Matiel were also very helpful with Haikan as they gathered investors from around the capital to raise the money required for the launch of their company. After two weeks working together, Matiel, Haikan, Mikail and Sando finally managed to raise enough for the cart, the wagons, a few oxen, the first paycheck for mercenaries, and several horses, by taking investments from patrons around the city.

Thankfully, mercenaries are in great need of work lately, so the Company's job of recruiting is much easier than it could be. With such a massive number of unemployed mercenaries, skilled, honest and good-natured soldiers are much easier to come across. Free food and board is very enticing, and all mercenaries are offered a down payment as well as a percentage profit from each successful trade. The recruitment of mercenaries takes place Firstday and Wydday every week until Jygust 10th, and Haikan, Mikail, Matiel and Sando all evaluate the integrity, loyalty and skill of the potential mercenaries. After the recruitment period, and suggestion from Sebastian and his Vanguard sources, they take the finest and most good-natured thirty mercenaries available. To Haikan's delight, they only find trustworthy and honest men. Now, it isn't typically sought, but the good nature of their mercenaries was crucial, for the purpose of teamwork and trust beyond that of just a paycheck. Haikan made a point to jot down every mercenaries name and he came to remember their faces in time. A good leader must know who he speaks to at all times.

The current setup of the soldiers is divided as following:

There are two divisions: The night crew and the day crew. In each of those divisions there are three subdivisions. Polearms, Swords, and Crossbows. Of these three subdivisions there will be one trusted lieutenant, who answers to Haikan. During the night, Matiel and Mikail are to look after the three night lieutenants. During the day, Haikan and Sando will keep an eye on the Day Lieutenants. Matiel hired three extra guards to look after the goods, and they answer to himself and Sando. In time of battle or crisis, Haikan has final say over all the men for tactical purposes, using the lieutenants to relay information on the battlefield.

The current ranking lieutenants in the company are as follows:
Day Squad:
Edgar Thornburg (Pole Arm division)
Regis Atlbard (crossbow division)
Geoffrey Mullen (Sword division)

Night Squad:
Norman Heidegger (Pole Arm division
Leonard Bolotin (crossbow division)
Micah Guldor (Sword division)

The lieutenants are the ex-soldiers by Sebastian's recommendation that proved to be the most notably honest and skilled in their divisions, and are the relayers of Haikan's commands in a battle situation. During the calm hours they merely assist overseeing efficiency of the caravan overall.

Finally, when the caravans are all ready, and Haikan, Matiel, Mikail and Sando have all raised enough money, on Jygust 10th the top thirty mercenaries were gathered for a meeting that briefed them on any responsibilities they didn't already know about, and they were all assigned their living quarters in the wagons. From the 10th of Jygust to the 13th, the mercenaries were asked to learn the names of their co-workers in their respective squads.

The mercenaries were paid half of their first check before a several mark-long group training session on the 10th and again on the 12th, during which they practiced working and fighting as a team. The stereotype mercenary is quite lonesome in strategy, and that was not the right idea for the caravan. The soldiers needed to trust each other and Haikan if they were going to fend off Orcs and bandits. Fraternity, fellowship and loyalty were stressed in the training session, and the group sparring was followed by the rest of the down-payment to the soldiers of the Company.

The Company finally launched for a test route delivering a decent number of goods including clothing, basic tools, and miscellaneous sundries to Brie, returning with a decent amount of grain, vegetables, and miscellaneous sundries. The test route was to establish a secure route between Brie and King’s Court, hopefully rear some profit, give Haikan practice leading his men, and gain them publicity as a trustworthy company. Unfortunately, there was no conflict that the company faced in its test venture, so the thirty mercs seemed unnecessary, but that doesn't let Haikan get discouraged.

The trade at first seemed to have benifited with great profits, but unfortunately after the Company paid off the mercenaries’ next paycheck, bought enough food for another journey, paid off the investors, and fed the horses/oxen, no money was left. That's right, after paying the bills, Mikail, Matiel, Haikan and Sando, had not one cent more than they started with. Hopefully the next time, when they risk going all the way to Pax, the profit will be much, much greater.

With Mikail as the apothecary, alchemist and cook, Matiel as the financial mind, scribe, and co-captain, Haikan as the head of militia, charismatic consultant, and co-captain, and Sando as the business genious, this embargo seems very promising. Sadly as they return, Haikan is exhausted and needs rest. The first real launch will hopefully be on the thirty first of Jygust. Regardless of how taxing the months have been, the brave young elf’s eyes are blazing with anticipation for his next lesson.

While he rests, he begins to search the town and the college for names that could lead him to somebody who could teach him a thing or two about magic. That is one more thing that would help the caravan greatly. The ability to sense use of magic, and its presence could possibly save all of their lives, and maybe he could aspire to higher abilities... All he needs is perhaps a book, and some advice to push him in the right direction.... Regardless of his efforts, he doesn't find anything except a few leads floating around about tutors of magick, but noone has been found or even been proven to exist yet.

The journey to Pax will be much more perilous, and an encounter with orcs and/or bandits is very possible, so combat is something that they all have to be prepared for. Haikan did not get any field practice with large scale battle over the first venture, but he plans to learn as much as he can about leading a militia in combat during the next few days that lead up to their next launch.

"Baron, I'm sure that I am ready to learn about combat tactics now!"

Leadership 4 - Apprentice
Swords/One handed 3 - Basic+***
Dodge/Blow 3 - Basic+***


OOC: This post was made with the consent of all who were included in it.

[Sando Haymaker]

Having been taken on as a junior partner, Sando spent most of the following months diligently working to get Haikan and Matiels' trading company off to a rolling good start. The halfling visited home often in doing so, meeting with his lifelong neighbors and community leaders in attempts to secure a steady supply chain in and out of Brie. The little farmer thought himself incredibly lucky to have gotten wrapped up with the company. He left home one day and the very next he had taken major steps to making his dream come true. The people of Brie deserve better. Farmers and suppliers in general, deserve better. To Sando Haymaker- it was simply unfair that all of the talent sat on the buying side of the negotiation table. He wanted to take it upon himself to represent the 'every farmer.' While he found that many of the people living in the communities surrounding the Brie Estate were sympathetic to his appeals, they were also very cautious in trusting their livelihoods to the young halfling. By means of his campaigning, Sando managed to raise awareness of the company throughout Brie. Also, the halfling managed to happen across two lucky breaks that offered much-needed lubrication to the grind of raising a budding enterprise.

Conversation: Basic+***

Firstly, he came across his inaugural supplier. Naturally, Sando had begun his search for goods at his very own family farm. Unfortunately, his father had nothing to contribute as he was locked into previous arrangements and unable to offer much more than positive support and good local word of mouth advertising. But that had been enough. The neighbor-widow two farms down from his father's sent for the hopeful deal-maker during his second visit to the region. The meeting was short and to the point. The elderly gentlemen was not willing to enter the client relationship that the company was looking to establish, but he was interested in unloading a large amount of stored grain from his aging silo at a rock-bottom price. Knowing that the old man was not in any shape to bring together the sort of deal that would be required to move all of that product before it began to fall victim to the less-than-ideal conditions of the failing silo, Sando quickly acted to acquire the entire bulk of it. He knew that it was too much grain to take care of in their initial trip. But he also knew that there would be plenty of return visits made by the caravan in the near future. In spite of the beautifully low prices, Sando still had to spend a large sum of his own personal money to acquire the stock. With the permission of Matiel, he loaned this capital to the company with the understanding that he would be the "first one out" once a profit was turned on it. He could not spend company money on the product- as this was not completely in line with the goals of the contracts (As they were focusing primarily on delivery service rather than merchanting).

Business Perception: Basic + **
Bartering / Haggling: Basic + ***

Secondly, the halfling discovered the company's first outside investor. The result of much networking and cashing in of favors, Sando was placed into the hands of a fairly wealthy gentleman. The proprietor of one of the few stores near the Brie agricultural community that consistently supplies the locals with the goods they need to keep the bread basket of the kingdom doing what it does best. While the shop does carry metal tools and feed and such, it specializes primarily in leather goods. Straps and saddles. Yokes and belts. The man had been experiencing growth in his business and had began to find that it was becoming less and less worth his time to make his monthly trip into the capital to visit the craftsmen who construct his wares. Yet he did not fully trust his young (carefree) halfling shop assistants with the critical task of taking inventory of shipments and loading the cart properly. As a one-time trial, he offered to pay a low introductory price for the delivery of said goods. In return for this initial incentive, the man offered to put up funds for the second caravan as an investor should the first delivery be made to his liking.

Persuade: Basic+**

And indeed it did go well. The entirety of the initial trip went by smoothly enough. Sando took great care to get the surplus grain into the hands of the millers in the Downs and to provide exemplary service in delivering the goods to the general store. Not a penny richer, but decidedly encouraged by positive results, the team looks on to prepare for the up-coming Jygust trek to Brie, Pax, and back.

OOC: See Haikan's recess post for more information regarding the caravan itself

[Mikail]

Mikail came to the capital to do one thing: his goal was to work with Haikan, doing anything that might secure any amount of money that could help stimulate the fiscal well-being of his family (and maybe even the economy of his home-town). His first goal was only to secure a position that made money, so he didn't ask for a very large salary as a junior partner. Rather, he worked for almost nothing in exchange for room, board, and supplies that Haikan and Matiel supplied. During the first venture, he still didn't come out of his shell very much, but when he did, it was usually a harmless but cynical jibe at one of his co-workers. He never laughed, but he tried his hardest to have a sense of humor. After all, despite his hardships, he felt this world is too serious to be taken seriously.

He practiced Alchemy relentlessly, finally realizing his stupidity in creating his first potion. Without an acidic reagent, Quicklime wouldn't dissolve, therefore it was the Cinnabar that made it break down, doing the exact opposite of what he intended. Haikan and Matiel granted Mikail a small amount of funding for his cooking and alchemical supplies. Eventually, he learned to mix the Quicklime with a small amount of Hydrochloric Acid before mixing it with lemon juice (to rid it of the hideous flavor of cinnabar). However, this would add a brief amplification to the pain of a wound if the concoction was used as an arrow dressing (Although it was never tested by these means, when ingested it succeeded in putting one of the hired soldiers in a dreamy sleep when he had insomnia.) Many Alchemists had powerful magic affecting their creations, sometimes causing peculiar outcomes from otherwise unrelated materials. However, as Mikail didn't have a very good understanding of the magic he was using, he used materials that already gave a mundane effect, amplifying it with the magic abilities he was experimenting with (cinnabar causes drowsiness and has been used to treat depression before mercury was known to be poisonous when isolated, therefore when mixed with the right reagents it creates a happy sleep potion). To be made into an arrow dressing the Quicklime and Hydrochloric acid solution would have to be boiled down to a powder and then ground with Cinnabar in a pestle and mortar.

He also learned how to make a painkiller and bleeding suppressor out of Coca Leaves and Olive Oil. Coca leaves by themselves cause blood vessels to constrict and desensitize consumers to fatigue and hunger, as well as pain. Olive Oil is full of antioxidants and healthy fats that promote fast healing. Once these two reagents were combined with white vitriol (an astringent) the resulting salve that resulted had impressive healing capabilities, and when one of the soldiers cut his arm with a snapped bowstring, all signs of the wound were gone overnight after applying the salve to it.

Coca leaves were also very useful when mixed with Bismuth and spring water, because the resulting potion caused a resistance to fatigue, allowing hired soldiers to run and perform physically taxing operations for extended periods of time, and even seemed to give strength to those who consumed it. However, this potion had a few side effects that still needed to be worked out. In addition to causing fatigue upon awakening the next day, it also sometimes caused minor intestinal pain and dizziness the next day.

Mikail is still studying other possible reagents with hopes of finding more ideas to test. After 3 days of working at the Dragon's Den he earned 3 circlets, but he spent all the money that he had before then on a few other things.

Supplies:
12 fl oz. Hydrocloric Acid
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
10 oz. Coca Leaves
Cinnabar
White Vitriol
6 oz. verdigris
Calamine
Quicklime




Unfortunately, Mikail wasn't quite as successful with his cooking. He learned a few things at his stand-in job in the Dragon's Den, but making pancakes was easy; not everything could be so simple. He tried and tried to make delicious food, but although he had practice with mixing ingredients and cooking reagents, it wasn't quite the same as timing food while it cooked. On the few occasions that he prepared eggs for the hired soldiers, they turned out either too runny or chewy and overcooked. He tried cooking corn once, but he covered it with salt instead of pepper,
and although Haikan pretended to enjoy it, the soldiers were a little upset about it. Finally, when he left the inside of a chicken pink, one of the hired soldiers came to his tent and threw the chicken at him. Mikail meekly responded to him by saying "I did the best I could! I'm still learning, and aside from getting paid for your services you are eating for free. The least you can do is bear with me." His answer apparently wasn't good enough, because the soldier only continued to raise his voice and told Mikail that if he got another meal like this, he'd shove it down Mikail's throat.

After thoroughly hearing out his complaints, Haikan stood up and told the man to leave. "My brother isn't getting paid to make your food, he's doing it out of the kindness of his heart, so you should leave him alone!" Despite the involvement of the man's employer, he continued to glare at Mikail. In response, Mikail calmly told him to leave the tent and that he would prepare it better next time. Although he didn't word it any more delicately, the color of the man's face returned to normal, and he apologized, leaving soon after. One of Haikan's most trusted soldiers who was always kind and loyal to his employers was sitting in the tent that had been to Sierra saw what happened, and spoke up to Mikail after he left. He told Mikail that he didn't have a very good way with words, and that in fact Haikan was much better at negotiating than he was. Rather, it seemed that the Mikail was actually using hypnotic magic. He said that it wasn't a big deal, nor was it powerful, but that he'd better be careful. Most soldiers are proud, and won't take too kindly if they find they've been manipulated.

Things calmed down for a while, but after he served stew with poorly cooked beef in it, he got another angry complaint from the same soldier. That night, he was writing down words from a dictionary to later have Matiel teach him (he wanted to practice writing cleanly while expanding his written vocabulary). While he was writing, somebody shoved him off of the ledge he was sitting on. He never saw who did it, but as he was face down in the dirt, he felt a cup of the stew splash on the back of his head. The next day he wasn't too injured, but his right leg was badly bruised and cut, causing him to limp a little bit for a while. After his salve was applied, most of the cuts went away. Haikan tried to find out who was responsible, but came up empty-handed. Mikail could've guessed who it was, but decided that if he got better at cooking, the problem would alleviate itself. If not, the soldier could always be fired.

During the first trip, Mikail didn't use his bow much, because his hands were full with learning, but he did wish to increase his skill at some point down the road. Sometimes, when things got tougher, he would meditate for 7 hours at night, completely replacing sleep. When the soldiers were restless, it was a lot harder, but he learned how to deal with it to a degree.

Cooking: Basic+**
Hypnotism: Basic+*
Meditation: Basic+*
Literacy: Basic+**
Alchemy: Apprentice

[Michel Carbonneau]

Late Chyril

Michel's stay in Pax had turned out differently from the way he had planned. He had thought to make a short stop to inspect the legion, maybe have some fun with Ophelia, but when he got there things were amazingly strange in the town. All the strange sightings, the stone walls, something was going on. Something seemed to be turning against the town. When the Day of the Dark came, Michel couldn't shake the feeling that whatever the Church had thought to do here, it was utterly wrong. This was not the way the gods wanted it. The commander himself started to have nightmares where the gods would come through the portal and punish them all. Blayvanna also made a couple of appearances in his nightmares. He would wake up bathing in sweat and the place where his left eyes once had been ached intensely. The idea that things had to change in Pax and that the legion had no place here grew in his mind.

Michel was glad to see that the Provost showed his willingness to choose advisers from all the races in the town. Maybe the provost had similar ideas. He arranged a few meetings with Tamerton and the Provost to discuss the way things were going and tentatively probing them about their opinion about the pagans and the mandate of the Church. For now, he kept his own strong opinion on the matter on the down low, not wanting to put it all in the open since that could prove quite dangerous.


Jyam

In Jyam the commander continued to have more and more talks, not only with Tamerton and the Provost, but also with the rest of the legion. He had fought with all of them in either Taquar or in Pan's Isle or both. He shared the old war stories with them and tried to tighten the bond he had with his soldiers. He also listened to anything they had to say about what was going on in the city and how they were feeling about the pagans to get a good grasp on the feelings amongst the legion. The nightmares still continued and the lack of rest manifested itself by the old war injury on his leg to acting up again.

As he had been gaining information he learned about the Swordmark and about their leader, someone named Ulder. The man seemed to be sharing his ideas and from what Michel could see, the Swordmark were gathering quite some followers In the middle of Jyam he therefore called upon Ulder for a meeting. It was the first time Michel was open and cincere about his plans. He felt the time to act was now, since there were more and more refugees coming to Pax and the tensions were rising. One of his best officers, Brytan, also joined in the conversation and the three of them forged their plans.

Right after the meeting, the Commander headed back to Kings Court to learn more about the new possible candidate for the throne. Who was he? Was he in charge of the thousands of mercenaries in the city? Where did he get the funding for the mercs? These were the things he was going to find out. He arranged meetings with all the stakeholders in finding the new King. He talked to Baron DeRohm who had been chosen the new Regent. He used his "special bond" with Lord DeRhom the Younger to strengthen his relationship with the new regent. The regent showed him the letter and now Michel knew the contents too.
Michel himself would research the letter and together with DeRhom and Lazos, they would share information to find out if the claimant for the throne was indeed valid.

Meanwhile his old injury was still bothering him and he started smoking opium in the evenings to relieve the pain. It helped immensely and his nights started to be getting better as well. The first nights he had problems with coordination and his alertness decreased, but his pain was relieved and he felt much better in the morning. His biggest problem was with constipation in the morning.

Jygust

As Jygust started Michel continued to investigate on the matter of the new heir and he spent more and more time with the soldiers in the city. He needed to increase their loyalty for the plans they had in mind. He also tried to see where DeRhom stood with the Church, how loyal was he to the zealots? Not only DeRhom, but what were Lazos' views on the pagans and Pax? Michel questioned them during some small talks first, but if they showed any signs of possibly sharing some of his ideas, he would continue the talk and try to get more out of them.

He continued to smoke the opium in the nights and as he became a regular user his body produced a tolerance to all the effects, except the constipation. He also lost some weight but at the moment, he was still looking good, for now, the weight loss seemed to help his looks more than it hurt them, but two months more of this and he would really be looking too thin.

The commander decided it was time to check in on Pax and he went over there to discuss the progress of their plans with Ulder and Brytan. He also checks in on the Provost and Tamerton again, this time being slightly more open about his opinion about the pagans and the Church, but not showing any direct hints about his plans. In the middle of Jygust He was having dinner at Castro's with a beautiful adhiel which he had picked up the night before. Suddenly Ophelia walked in, who he hadn't seen for more than a month. He was slightly embarrassed, not by the fact that he was dining with the adhiel woman right now, but more that he had been quite an ass to her after they had arrived in Pax together. He helped her out by talking to the proprietor about hiring her as a singer, hoping that would make up for it a little bit. He told her that he would be heading to Kings Court again soon but that she should look him up if she found herself to be in Kings Court again sometime.

Michel's plans changed when he got word the next day that his father had died. He traveled back to Kings Court the same day and arranged for the funeral. He made sure that his father would get an honorary state funeral, to make up for the way they had treated him when he had been in the army himself. The rest of the month he spent quite some time with his family, who were slowly getting curious about Michel's smoking habits. Even though the injury didn't act up anymore and the pain was completely gone, Michel had kept smoking, he realized he didn't want to stop anymore. He blocked out the truth. It was what he wanted, he wasn't an addict.

The last week of Jygust he started to prepare the final stages of his plan. He prepared everything in Kings Court, not showing anybody the big picture yet, but he did tell his most loyal soldiers that something was going to happen in the night of the 30th and that they should be ready. On the 30th, he would go to Pax and together with Brytan and Ulder, he would set their plan in motion.

Skills:
debate +**** to apprentice
knowledge kings court **** to apprentice
public speaking +* to apprentice
seduction/woo +* to apprentice

OOC: also posted in Pax

[Sebastian Beauvais]

Sebastian sat at his desk, staring out the window as the last line of scrawled ink dried in the stale summer breeze. With the casement thrown open to accept that meagre relief, the baron was able to see his mare being exercised by the ostler. Sebastian was proud of the fine lines she had, and the way her muscles rippled underneath her glossy coat as she trotted in the courtyard. To think you’d ever care about a horse, he thought with wry humour, subconsciously rubbing his left arm where a fall had snapped the bone the previous yahren. How things changed.

Sebastian’s mind wandered over the past few months, spurred by the reminiscent flavour of his thoughts regarding the mare. How things changed, indeed, he thought with a small snort. Resting his chin on clasped hands, Sebastian played over in his head the events that had cascaded from his visit to Murrelbuck with the vial of curative for Baron Kriesbon. It seemed to him that the slope beneath his feet was tilting ever further, steepened to a point beyond which he could control his movement. The momentum of events was overtaking him, and dragging him along. He hoped he could keep his head above water.

His return to the capital had been quiet, and in secret Sebastian met with a handful of fellow nobles with the news of Kriesbon’s poisoning and near brush with death. Downplaying his own role modestly, Sebastian did not spare the details of Leonius’ plotting and painted the man in a stark and uncompromising light. He roused those he knew looked upon him favourably – Baron Terripin, Joris the Younger, and the Lord Seure. And of course he carried the goodwill of Lady Murrelbuck, who remained at her estate assisting with the Baron’s recovery. With such notable help enlisted, Sebastian then confronted Leonius publicly with the evidence. There was a scene but in the end Leonius was cornered and had no option but to submit to justice. The Regent was deposed, stripped of his power and wealth, and banished from the capital.

As Sebastian had suspected, the stigma of such a public humiliation not only weighed heavily upon Leonius, but also upon his elector Eisenreich. Already no friend of the Duke, Sebastian became an unwilling enemy as Eisenreich’s chances at the throne suddenly took a serious blow. Even the fact that one of his oldest friends had been on the verge of death did not blunt Eisenreich’s anger; the Duke had enough venom to share on both Leonius and Sebastian. Where before a cool breach existed between the two men, now a rift existed.that could not be reconciled.

Uncomfortable with the repercussions of his righteous actions, Sebastian stepped back from politics for a time, hoping the air would cool while he dealt with the mundane aspects of running Brie. The first harvests of wheat were reaped and being readied for shipment, reconstruction continued apace, and trade was once again nearing levels seen only before the orcish invasion. Sebastian even granted his seal to the first casks of Jaym witbier, which was then marketed throughout the region as Baronial Select.

Of course, spending most of his time in the Estates meant Sebastian was close to Cerise. He did not bother being circumspect any longer, he was through with that. His name was good, his actions just, his heart dedicated to the kingdom, and there was no reason he should fear displaying his affection for the Lady Kriesbon. He made several visits to Lady Magdalena’s estate to visit his heart’s desire, officially wooing the golden-haired lass while they all waited for her father to regain his strength. It was a slow process and frustrating in some ways, but it did afford the young couple more time together. And Sebastian was finally able to make more than passing acquaintance with Cerise’s father, hopefully with a positive impression.

Haikan’s enthusiasm helped Sebastian put the darkness of Kings Court politics in perspective, and the baron found himself enjoying his mentoring sessions with the young adhiel. Always eager to learn more and impress, Haikan reminded Sebastian of himself only a few short yahren ago. Had things changed so much that he could not remember wanting to make a difference? To improve the world and make a name for himself in the process? What had happened, that he now hid on his estate and satisfied himself with provincial issues in Brie, like which beer to approve?

In the end it took a visit from an Eastern stranger to goad Sebastian back into action. A man from the Seven Isles had approached the baron, first in writing and then in person, to hold a discussion of great import to all those living in the Estates. And once Ulder Synkaros had presented his arguments and plans, Sebastian found he could not refuse his help. The Captain had drawn back into the light the values Sebastian had once so proudly projected, values now slightly tarnished with the realities of ruling. It embarrassed the baron, and he realized his steps had strayed since his elevation. He was comfortable, lazy, and scared to lose what he had gained, even though it was the steadfast dedication to duty that had enabled all his gains in the first place. That had to change.

In addition to his agreements with Ulder, Sebastian upheld his commitments to Magdalena. He met with Foreno’s son in the capital to discuss what the Baron Estates might accomplish as a united front, especially with the throne still empty. The discussions were not what Sebastian would call successful, in the sense that very little was accomplished. Foreno had taught his children well, and the level of politicking was beyond Sebastian’s capability. He left with no agreements, no commitments, and with a frustrating sense of lost time. It seemed Foreno’s other son, the Provost in Pax, would have to be their contact into the southern baron’s family.

While in the capital Sebastian also had a short meeting with the new Bishop and Regent, Lazos and DeRohm the Elder respectively. He had met the Regent before, and was fairly well-acquainted with his son of course, but the Bishop was unknown to Sebastian. The meeting was short and polite – respectful, Sebastian would describe it later – and though nothing of much import was discussed the young baron came away knowing the Regent held some disturbing news regarding the succession. Sebastian had been unable to drag the specifics out of him, but had been invited to an upcoming meeting to discuss the details. The fate of the kingdom might hang in the balance.

A lack of noise outside the window roused Sebastian from his recollections, and he realized the ostler had retired to the stables with his horse. The wind was still dry and warm, but at least his letter was ready for folding. He read fondly the opening once again, just before creasing the parchment, and imagined with a smile Cerise’s reaction as she read it. He would send the note off to Murrelbuck just before he left for Pax Balthasar to attend the mid-summer festivities, to tide her over until his return. It was a show of goodwill for the people there, who had received aid shipments from Brie ever since Ulder’s warnings. Sebastian hoped the new supplies had eased the strain in the protectorate. He was to meet his fellow barons there as well, a show of solidarity for the Estates and a chance to further plan their role in the new kingdom. And perhaps most importantly he would meet Ulder and Michel and ostensibly usher in a new era, one with a free Pax.

How things changed indeed.
-------------------------

Skills (with tongue in cheek):

5 stars on new skill Native Craft (Beer Appreciation) ~ Basic
5 stars on new skill Rebellion ~ Basic

OOC: Posted in the Baron Estates as well, for completeness.

[Danomel]

Haikan;

Probably one of the reasons that the profit was so low was the unexpected cost of guards and mercenaries. Through the process of several interviews it came to Haikans attention that a great many mercenaries were receiving a stipend to stay in Kings Court. Though he could not determine the source of the funding. Fortunately the stipend was not all that much, and mercenaries being what they are sometimes craved something other than a sedentary existence. However it did increase the amount of coin needed to hire them.

On the other hand, having proved the business endeavor and run a successful caravan trip, Haikan found his fledgling company in a far better position to negotiate more lucrative deals, and in fact found that their were a few merchants seeking out the service. Even though the original trip had been a bust profit wise, it had raised the credibility of the endeavor, along with providing a much better estimate on operational costs. If another trip were planed, it looked like it could be made to actually turn a reasonable profit.


Skills updated

[Matiel Escariot]

30th of Jygust, the year is 1225 Anno Domini
It is late at night
Dominicus be damned.

It has been three months, and here I stand over my life bled on ink. I see that life now with the help of the candle beside me and eyes that have yet to fail. Ah, yes, at some time they soon will and so would the rest of me with it. I have continued to spare myself no rest, no health, much to the fears of my family. Mu sisters, they have begun to ask for me more. They have forgotten the happy tales of their brother. My father, hasn't seen me in almost half a year. My mother, my mother. I have nothing to say. Her silence betrays her heart. Her eyes, I can't bear to see her eyes. It doesn't help at all that I have spent my days more and more at the Laughing King's.

Haikan. An elf. No, not an elf. He is a man of the west with the ears of his kind. It is he I must thank for this. It was his thought to procure us the Laughing King's as our base. I seemed to have added on it by finding myself sleeping there most nights.

I did most of my work there, bringing with me all the papers I needed. I spent my time between company matters and personal errands. The deal Haikan struck with the proprietor was impressive. But, bringing in strangers into what was once a quiet, almost saintly, space had its consequences. The original patrons, didn't lie it much. Several of them took the time to talk to me about that. They didn't like their peace being disturbed with my business. A warning was given, and I had to act on it.

I will say nothing of it here. What I did was enough. King's Court has since stopped to be such a happy place. Cedric. Cedric was the only name he gave me. Losing a finger to him, wasn't enough to keep him from setting his boys on our business. I regret the price. He had no malice over that price and over the warning he gave me. He was a man of money, like me. He sickens me. I do my bet to forget what he made me do. She was one of the passengers.

Enough. Enough. Let us continue, Page, with other things.

Sando Haymaker. His mind is impressive. I must watch him because of that. His whim to raise up Brie is commendable. Together we were able to gather the starting funds we needed to begin our venture. In King's Court we were able to meet with several men and women dealing in bulk trade. They were intrigued with our ideas. We offered them a guarantee of safe delivery from here to there. They would be compensate for any measure lost. Our proposal, however, was still too new and untried for comfort. They wanted confidence. We had nothing concrete to give them. Promises were worth nothing. We were, however, able to procure some loans from them.They wanted to see if we could do it. Much was to be gained if we could do it. The dues they gave us, however, was quite large. The burden on me was enough for nightmares. I am glad Sando shared it with me. The halfling should've been a Senior Partner, but no. He didn't want it.

So, as a show of thanks, I often accompanied him on his trips to Brie. I usually spent three consecutive days there with him. I watched him deal and it surprises me continuously how people were so trusting towards the gnome. I couldn't do what he did so well.

It was while we were in Brie that I met a child that moved in ways mirroring mine. No, he didn't have my taint of acid formality. His eyes sparkled intently at all times, as his voice lifted up the air he spoke. It was his mind, however, that caught me. It so happened that he was a son of one of the people Sando dealt with. It was here that I knew I couldn't allow the sharp glint in his eyes to dull. I had to take him somewhere. His name, was Mathias.

I tempted him, and his father, with brighter mornings. I told them of my plan to travel the world. I promised him, that as a child of fifteen, he had much to live through with me. His entire family was against it of course, although his father was intrigued. It was when I offered to patronize his schooling, that the family--painfully--let him go. Mathias on the other hand, was blazing with a fire so intent on consuming everything in its wake. I didn't want to see that fire die. I couldn't.

And so, there he was, Mathias, my assistant. My wage to him was spent on his classes at the Bardic College. Money, I gained from the people Sando and I dealt with. It was with them that together we labored to set all the motions of our venture into place. In the end, all we needed then was a name.

33 men.
A cart and 5 wagons.
15 horses.
And the upkeep we needed.

This was what we had. Haikan allowed me three men to keep watch over our goods. He proved himself a capable soldier. His dedication readied our protection. Mikail, on the other hand, had a long road ahead of him. Sando I, and Mathias, were slaving over the bookkeeping, accounts, and various other papers we needed to push us on. Soon, we were ready for our test trip. I had predicted, from doing the math with Sando, that upon our return we might not have anything left. And, we were right. There was no profit gained at all. We did, however, prove our confidence to the money men we approached.

Not only that. We owed no one now. Cedric and the older patrons of Laughing King's still didn't like us much, but I was already on that. My only agenda now is to find us a place to transfer too. I had thoughts on purchasing our very own warehouse, office, and quarters here in King's Court, but such an act was too expensive. It would then have to be Brie, the In Between of Pax and King. We are on our way to Pax now. We'll need to meet with the people we've approached for our services and inform the people of our existence. But it seems, we have yet to have a name.



...the girl...
...the girl is coming with us on the way to Pax...
Cedric handed her too me, our last deal. Nothing must happen to her. I know what they placed inside her. It sickens me.
...I don't know her name...


Matiel Escariot

_____________
Bookkeeping - ***** to apprentice
Business Perception - *
Persuade - **** to apprentice

Lost a Finger
No Profit
Gained Assets
Gained Investors and Clients[Patrons]
Gained an Assistant NPC.

[Danomel]

Sando;

Some of the caution expressed by people around Brie, that Sando observed, stemmed from the fact that the small fledgling company was from Kings Court. There seemed some underlying resentments and mistrust among most of the common folk. It did not take long to discover the source. Apparently several Achadhiel had recently passed thorough the region with coin in their pockets and many complaints about Kings Court and its Nobles failure to place a new Avatar on the throne and return to the favor of Dominicus.

In spite of Sando’s efforts the caravan still just broke even. Still there was the possibility for future trade now that a successful trip had been completed.

[Danomel]

Mikail;

At some point during their journey, Mikail received a visit from the Sergeant of the Guard along with one of the younger mercenaries, who with great flourish produced a copy of the agreement that Haikan had signed. In great detail it was pointed out to Mikail that room board meant both food and lodging as specified in the contract. Obviously someone had complained to the Sergeant. With another flourish the Sergeant introduced the young man who apparently ran away from his father’s tavern to seek his fortune and was good with small sharp objects both on the field and in the kitchen. Apparently the mercenaries had chipped some extra coin to get the young man to help out in the kitchen.

The man seemed embarrassed about it but did have some skill with simple dishes. Though he complained constantly about his girlfriend back in Kings Court getting involved with some wacky Unity cult group within the One Church, and starting to act all strange.

[Azure Stonehand]

Azure is alive with excitement.

After leaving her ladyship briefly before embarking on the endeavor she asked of her and her companions, the young girl dashed into the library. She looked around for a relatively bored scribe and quickly introduced herself. She asked him to teach her how to read more than what she can now.

When not reading, Azure invited guards to spar with her in their off time so she could keep her skills sharp. She was learning from them and the conversation was good and simple. She enjoyed these times because she so loved sparring and fighting, it was nice to meet other people who enjoyed the sword and other weapons as much as she did.

Her nights were full of dreams of the next day and what new things she could learn. Azure had finally found her niche and it felt very, very good.

Dodge blow: 3 stars
Literacy: 3 stars
Swords (one handed): 4 stars

[Danomel]

Michel;

Michel was quick to realize that he received copies of only parts of the letter. Obviously DeRohm was keeping a few things close to his chest. It was also obvious he was not in a mood to discuss the issue. The regency seemed to be weighing heavy on him.

What Michel had was a genealogy missing the last two generations. DeRohm wanted him to find out all the possible candidates this led too without a specific name to prejudice the research. One thing he noticed right away, about half the entries were Adhiel, which obviously meant an Achadhiel. His research indicated that there were quit a few possibilities based on the limited genealogy.

Michel was also given a summary of gate records, and his research their indicated there was around 2500 mercenaries living in Kings Court with no visible means of support. They tended to cluster in groups, and what was really unusual, they seemed to be behaving themselves. Which meant their was no way to hall any of them in without creating a spectacle for any observing.

Probably the most troubling issue to rear its ugly head, some of his own forces in Kings Court seemed to be living a little outside of their means. Quite a few seem to have either inherited a bit of cash or won it gambling. Either way the number of the lucky seemed rather high.

[Danomel]

Sebastian;

Even though Sebastian downplayed his role in the recent succession, it was obvious he could not totally disengage himself form it. Eisenreich did his part to make sure that did not happen. Nothing overt, just a word here, a whisper their.

Something else about the whole situation piqued Sebastian’s curiosity though. Eisenreich, though he acted the part, did not seem completely outraged by the turn of events. In mater of fact some might say he was secretly pleased that things had worked out the way they had.

Another oddity, it had been reported to Sebastian that Eisenreich had been receiving an inordinate number of late night visits from several priests who worked out of the Basilica. These visits generally lasted a mark or two.

DeRohm was also pressuring Sebastian to become more involved in the capital. On several visits, the regent hinted at major changes in the winds and the need for change. On several occasions Bishop Lazos also accompanied him. Seems the two of them were developing an alliance of sorts. DeRohm also informed Sebastian that he would be calling a meeting of the nobility to discuss the whole issue of the throne. He also discussed how Sebastian would feel about a possible heir from outside the Kings Court nobility.

Sebastian was also introduced to the Lady Deborona, part of a leftover project from the previous administration.

[Danomel]

Matiel;

Cedric, was that even his real name? Probably not. Something forgettable about him though. Even after several meetings, Matiel would be hard pressed to describe him. But then that was probably an asset in his line of work. But the money was good, like that could somehow make it all better.

The note had been slipped under his door. It obviously came from Cedric. An invitation (not that many refused Cedric’s invitations, at lest among the living) to a meeting at a place called the “Broken Mast”. A tavern of questionable repute down by the harbor. Trade Tide on the 30th of Jygust. There was a job to do, one that would pay well. There was work to go around. Invite a friend in need of some quick coin.

[Danomel]

Azure;

So far, the job was not as exciting as she had hoped. Though the money was not bad. There had been two trips to the old Market to view some questionable documents being sold by an antiquates dealer, but that had proved a fruitless chase. There had also been a short excursion to Brie and an estate sale. There had been a bit of excitement on the road, when it became necessary to drive off some bandits that thought the small group easy pickings.

It was during this trip that Zeyanara seemed to attach herself to Azure, since they ended up sharing a tent. Especially after the bandit attack. It seemed that Zeyanara talked a lot when she was nervous, which was most of the time. As she did not really feel comfortable with what her mother was doing.

One night Zeyanara confessed to Azure that her mother had actually translated some of the codex, but had not told the Regent. The particular section seemed to indicate a very turbulent and dangerous time of change coming to Kings Court. Which is why Zeyanara was so nervous all the time and talked so much.

[Anistis]

OOC: I'm very sorry this took so long. Nineteen credit hours has that effect, sometimes.

---

Anistis left the Laughing King on the night of Chyril the 27th with determination, purpose, and not a little excitement. As the night wore on, these emotions eroded into bafflement, for he couldn’t find Tyrone, the mysterious monk from that morningtide, anywhere. Indeed, as the proceeding months wore on, Anistis wouldn’t see the zealous dark achadhiel again, and the novice couldn’t help but fear that something untoward may have happened to Tyrone.

This left Anistis to contemplate the problems facing the Church primarily on his own. Because Brother Tyrone had been instructed to seek the Keeper of the Codex, Anistis became convinced that it and the Lady Deborona were the key to the puzzle. Consequentially, he confided his knowledge of the mysterious cult in the Lady and endeavored to help her recover the remaining pages of the Metagorian Codex, whatever that may have entailed.

When he wasn’t involved in the investigation of potential conspiracy or the recovery of obscure texts, Anistis was doing his part to aid Haikan, Matiel, Mikail, and the others in their business endeavors. He found the fact that mercenaries were being paid to remain within the confines of Kings Court and that no information as to why was forthcoming very disturbing, and was concerned that this may have had something to do with the cult as well.

The acolyte spent the remainder of his time as he always had- performing a novice’s duties at the behest of his superiors. He doubled his efforts and improved in his reading abilities significantly, while also trying to find as much time as he could to assist in tasks at the Church of the Water. As he became more capable with written text, he sought out as many historical texts as possible, hoping to shed some light on the ancient bishop Jaxomen and all of the other strange occurrences that he’d become involved in, all of which seemed to hint at something far older than Anistis or any other human being now living.
Literacy +****
Written History [Bascilica] +**

These things, which had been the majority of his daily activities prior to the 27th of Chyril, still dominated his life, and he still spent his mornings and evenings in joyful prayer. Nevertheless, a dark shadow now hung over his days. He frequently lost sleep over the fate of Tyrone, and would wake during the gravetide in a cold sweat, frantically praying for his safety. He worried over the future of Kings Court and even the One Church as a whole.
Pray +****

As the month of Jygust nears a close, Anistis begins to realize that his policy of silence on this issue out of respect for Tyrone’s wishes would no longer be sufficient. Tyrone has disappeared, leaving Anistis to deal with this issue on his own. By the thirtieth of the month, he has made up his mind to speak of this matter with the Bishop.

[Ashari]

OOC: No worries! It is a game after all.

The world of the Church was changing.

In Jaym there was a great shift. The diocese of World's Mouth broke from the Mother Church of King's Court and took with it the Purificatio and their message of hatred and inequality. It would be a logical assumption that members of the faith had left the city - Tyrone one of them. Whether he or the others might return remained to be seen, but for now, there was a wound in the heart of Dominicus as his children separated into divided sects.

No pages of the Codex were found during the months of Ani's searching. Instead, Lady Debrona was becoming increasingly fixated on Roque d'Ancourt, saying that she believed the Summer City was somehow involved, though not including why. While the young man lost sleep over Tyrone, Debrona lost sleep over the fate of the Kingdom - for she feared that the whispers were suggesting a Warrior King, a portent she didn't share with Anistis.

Of research on Jaxomen there was little, excepting for other notations on Jaxis and the similarities between the two.

While he did his duties around the church, there came a talk of money and of surplus and ways to spend the coin brought in from tithes. There was also more hesitant rumors of the Mother Church dividing from the throne. Much like Lady Debrona, they clergy were focussed on the lack of a proper Avatar of the faith. There was no representation of Dominicus on Tazlure - no one to give his Divine Will.

OOC: You're cleared to pass into Jygust!

[Azure Stonehand]

OOC: Getting married on the 17th of October. My time has been limited. I apologize for the delay.

So far, the job was not as exciting as she had hoped. Though the money was not bad. There had been two trips to the old Market to view some questionable documents being sold by an antiquates dealer, but that had proved a fruitless chase. There had also been a short excursion to Brie and an estate sale. There had been a bit of excitement on the road, when it became necessary to drive off some bandits that thought the small group easy pickings.

It was during this trip that Zeyanara seemed to attach herself to Azure, since they ended up sharing a tent. Especially after the bandit attack. It seemed that Zeyanara talked a lot when she was nervous, which was most of the time. As she did not really feel comfortable with what her mother was doing.

One night Zeyanara confessed to Azure that her mother had actually translated some of the codex, but had not told the Regent. The particular section seemed to indicate a very turbulent and dangerous time of change coming to Kings Court. Which is why Zeyanara was so nervous all the time and talked so much.

Azure's mind reeled. Of course it all made sense now. The poor girl was worried what would become of her mother and furthermore, the work she was doing. She caught fragments of thought that grasped the dangerous work of her mother and tried to turn them into consulting words for Zeyanara.

"I understand. You must fear for your mother greatly." Azure whispered under her breath. "You must keep this very quiet. I am glad you told me it must be a relief for you. I have some questions, you may answer them or not, as you wish."

Azure pulled thoughts together from the initial shock and began constructing them into questions to ask. She felt her palms sweat and she trembled ever so slightly at the idea of more change coming to Kings Court. Could it be handled? Does this mean chaos and anarchy? What kind of world would that be? She shook the thoughts away and constructed her thoughts enough to ask questions.

"What danger and turbulent change is coming to Kings Court?" Azure asked. "Does it say? Do you know what it says? Have you told anyone else about this?" Azure swallowed, her throat becoming dry as she two became more nervous. "Do you have any idea where the codex is going with all of this...I mean...will Kings Court be destroyed thoroughly?"

Azure put a comforting hand on Zeyanara's shoulder once she suppressed her own nervousness. It wouldn't do to cause the poor girl more worry if the person she just confessed to is nervous also. Azure waited patiently in the silence trailing her question.

[Ashari]

Zeyanara was quiet at Azure's questions, and finally admitted not knowing. She'd overheard her mother praying, and that was how she found out what she did know. The young woman shuddered and said she didn't wish to talk about it any more.

On evening of the 29th of Jygust Zeyanara came to Azure with whispers from eavesdropping on her mother again. "She says things will change here and that King's Court won't be the same as it's been... I'm scared, Azure," she sobbed on the fighter's shoulder. "She keeps asking Dominicus for help... Will you go with me to confession trade-tide tomorrow? I want to see a priest."

OOC: Congrats! Enjoy the ceremony & we're excited to have you back! I'm stepping in as coordinator for Danomel here in King's Court. PM me if you have any questions. You've now been cleared to pass the recess and may start posts on the 30th of Jygust (beyond trade-tide[afternoon] is a good idea!) wherever you'd like in the city. If you need any help moving forward let me know.

[Tyrone]

Excerpted from, The Life and Death of a Saint: The Purification of the Blessed Jackal
From the Archives of Basilica Dominici

In the month of Jyam, in the year of our lord 1225 AD, there was a great shift, the One Church was changing. The Prodessean Diocese of World's Mouth broke from the Holy Mother Church of King's Court and took with it the Purificatio and their message of hatred and inequality and a wound was left in the sacred heart of Dominicus as His children separated into divided sects. There came talks of money and of surplus and ways to spend the coin brought in from tithes. There was also more hesitant rumors of the Holy Mother Church dividing from the throne. The clergies of the Holy Mother Church were focused on the lack of a proper Avatar of the faith while the Prodessean Church focused in further spreading its influence away from the govern of the Avatar and of the Mother Church. There were political chaos, both in the church and in the government of King's Court with no representation of Dominicus on Tazlure - no one to give His Divine Will.

But these did not immediately touch the Blessed Tyrone of the One. At that time, as if shaken by a mighty hand, the Blessed Tyrone was siezed by a rapture and vision and something profound seemed to have happened to the young monk of the Purificatio. He walked out of the Basilica Dominici after his meeting with the Bishop Lazos in a daze, his gray eyes were glazed as if seeing something that wasn't there and he had an expression of inhuman ecstasy on his dark, achadhiel face. Rumor had it that he was led by the Apostate Jaxomen, an Archbishop two hundred yahrens ago. When the two reached the edge of the city, the Holy Ghost of the One possessed him in the form of a Jackal and took him away into the desert of Terra Incognita.

There in the wilderness of the desert, under the scorching sun, the Holy Ghost of the One tempted him and tested him, further pushing him to be the One's wrath, the Jackal who would purify Tazlure of sinners and heathens alike, for it was written: "Will the Jackal hunt at the One's command? From his cave he seeks his prey, and he smells the wicked from afar off. Wheresoever the wicked shall be, he is immediately there for he shall scavange the Kingdom of God, a predator who haunts, separating the wicked and the dead." For a month, visions filled his every waking hours and once in a while, travelers would report having seen of a wild, dark hermit walking alone in the desert mouthing old scriptures, prayers and antiphons from the Book of the One and as if talking to someone who was not there, although few saw another person walking with him, talking to him. Sometimes, he'd run away from travelers, and other times, he'd stop them and speak to them in a language no one could understand. The month of Jyam passed without the Blessed Tyrone noticing. Still under the visions of the Holy Ghost of the One and the guidance of the unseen Apostate Jaxomen, the young dark achadhiel was being prepared to take the mantel of the Jackal, the bringer of the Eye's Wrath.

Then, a ten day of the month of Jygust, in the year 1225 AD, the Blessed Tyrone showed up once again in the gates of King's Court. He was wearing the clothes he was seen last, a bedraggled and tattered black cassock of the Purificatio, and he seemed to be totally control of himself. He last appeared when the One Church was in turmoil and few knew what his appearance could entail once more. Perhaps, to continue what he had started when he last appeared.

Pray + **
Mantra + **
Martial Arts + ***
Vestments [Dominicus] + ***

[Ashari]

Tyrone's time wandering the mountains of Dragon's Keep and his extended stay in the desert of Terra Incognita had left him wasted and thin. His face was gaunt and the features of his achadhiel cheek bones were more prominent than they'd been ever in his life. Amidst that he'd maintained a level of physical prowess by means of practicing his martial arts, thus his muscles remained strong, though he had no fat left on his form.

While wandering he'd recieved many visions, ones that suggested turmoil in King's Court via the recognition of the White Walls that surrounded the capital and bloodstained stones. What this portent would mean wasn't clear, but it was certainly a time of change.

What he found on his return from the harsh desert was a profound sense of peace. Though he'd hungered for retribution and vanquishing foes of the One, he also found that the divinity that touched him inspired an even temperment as well as an insatiable curiosity.

OOC: You're allowed past the recess. Welcome back! Head over to the Gates where AbboTT is waiting for you.

[Gim Sprockett]

Gim’s hands trembled in excitement as he fiddled with a pair of forceps, attempting to place the final gear into a tiny contraption in his palm. Looking through a magnifying monocle, beads of sweat rolled down his brow as the gnome eased the fine mechanism in place.

Click.

And it was done. Gim gasped for air once he noticed that he wasn’t breathing at all. After a dramatic fit of coughs, Gim brandished his latest work. With unadulterated excitement he wound up the grimy brass pin, revelling in the tiny clicks of charged up springs and gears. The little gnome placed his creation upon the ground of his tiny apartment as a mother would lay down her child in its crib. With hopeful anticipation, Gim let go.

The toy wagon zipped in a straight line at an unanticipated speed, meeting its fateful end against the wall, springs and tiny gears flying out in every direction.

Gim smiled. He had spent the past two months relentlessly pursuing his craft; If he was not at Notwen’s Inventions learning and sweeping (often at the same time, curiously enough), he would be at the library poring through scrolls of designs and abstract mathematics, along with alchemical tomes and recipes. Behind every drop of information his starved brain devoured is the hope for one day realizing his dreams of working on an airship. Hope burned inside him, feeding his boiler and keeping him motivated and replenishing his already boundless stores of energy.

This was not to say, however, that Gim did not have his fun. On his days off, he would raid his parents’ tinkering and alchemy shop, much to their dismay. Once at home, the gnome would cloister himself, working on any little project that suited his fancy. Anything from wind-up toys to spring-calibrated scales were made and often subsequently destroyed in his tiny, empty apartment. One of his favourite creations was a little steel tube stuffed with small amounts of brimstone and charcoal, capped with a spring-loaded, abrasive flint head. When Gim struck the head, the flint would create sparks inside the tube, causing unexplainable and exciting hissing noises inside it. It had no further practical use outside of being amusing, slightly warm, and smelly, but Gim loved it nevertheless. His inspiration for this little contraption came from an unfortunate accident involving a candle and his stores of reagents procured from his mother.

This life, however, was not without its dangers. In the reagent accident, Gim nearly would have burned his apartment down if he had not stomped out the fire. The gnome was not wearing any shoes. As a result, Gim had to walk with a crutch for a month, and will likely never fully regain a normal gait. Although inconvenient at times, Gim could care less; he wasn’t trying to be a warrior or an athlete, after all.

Far from allowing his injury to slow him down, Gim had recently toyed around with an idea: illumination without flame. His little tube glowed faintly momentarily after it had lit; he wondered if he could find something that glowed brightly for an extended period of time. Perhaps conjuring up inventions nobody else had made before would catch the attention of the right people, getting him that much closer to realizing his dreams. After two months of pointless tinkering and study, Gim found himself a new goal, and set out of his soot-covered apartment to search for the light.

Practical Design – 4 (Apprentice)
Native Craft [Tinkering] – 2 (Basic+**)
Maths – 2 (Basic+**)
Alchemy – 2 (Basic+**)

Permanent injury on right foot
Money used for purchasing reagents and materials
A wealth of generally impractical contraptions gained

[Ashari]

Notwen's instruction was rather rudimentary, and mostly involved Gim looking over his stout shoulder while being instructed to do other things. While cleaning took up the majority of time in the inventor's shop, he'd also granted his apprentice a table of his own, where he was welcome to store, work on, or tinker with his inventions. Notwen had also given him a psuedo project to work on, which was meant to be some way of lifting very heavy things and suspending them so that the pair could work beneath some thing which Notwen was rather secretive about, but also excited for. What the thing was he didn't yet share, but he did suggest pullies, levers and gave his student whatever supplies he could to work on said project.

Beside that, on his table, Gim sometimes found slight improvements to his gears or triggers. It was Notwen's doting way of adding advice without being condescending or suggesting he knew something that Gim didn't. In that way he was a very good teacher, but he wasn't the best at explaining things all the time.

Toward his goal of light making, on the 30th of Jygust Notwen had left his student a small present sitting in the center of his table - an orb of curious design that did just what he was trying to do, except by magick. It was a soft, pliable substance which was maleable and also bouncy, making the trinket rather fun as well as worthwhile for exploration. "Picked up in market," was an illuminated note beneath the off-white opaque light globe, but Notwen had been out all day, something of a curiosity, leaving his apprentice several other scrawled notes saying to watch the shop, feed the Prolis-conductor (a strange open-topped contraption of Notwen's design) some bolts and be back at 2nd mark morningtide on the 31st.

You're cleared to pass the synch & skill awards have been granted! Good to see you return.