The Vigilent Gates - Jygust 30th - Tradetide - ENTRANCE

[Ashari]

King's Court had most certainly seen war and it had taken its toll on the defences of the town. The South and West walls had suffered severe damage. However, new stones were now beginning to replace the makeshift wooden barriers that had been hastily erected to offer some protection to the city. The gates themselves, those Vigilant Gates of heavy oak proudly displaying the shield of arms of the king, were gone, replaced by rough cut wood from the fields surrounding Kings Court. Visitors had to pass through these main gates before they might enter the splendid city of Kings Court and experience everything the city has to offer. Several city guards were busy registering anyone who entered the capital, and offering information about the city and what might be found inside.

"Next," a gruff voice called forward whomever was up in line. His was a scrutinizing, if even unimpressed, gaze that brimmed with sarcasm without him having to say anything at all, though it lingered in his tone, even in the one word he'd spoken so far. "Name, trade, reason for entering the city and origin before here," he intoned without a very questioning style as it demanded response. He was a tenured member of the guard, and had done his duty on the line in several battles. Now, he was older but not of the mind for leadership and so he'd been inclined to taking up a position as lead guard under de Rohm's leadership. His was a rather boring life, and it showed in his unattentive eyes and listless hand which wrapped around his quill with little tenacity.

[Jacob Rimon]

Jacob Rimon approached the city from the well trodden path to the Downs. It seemed particularly well trodden this morning, with a number of footprints heading out of town towards the settlement, stamped in the mud from this morningtide's light rain. Jacob recalled something about a caravan service being offered to the people, but hadn't really thought much of it. King's Court was a port, and it struck him that the best way to travel from a port was by ship. Still, the image of caravans traveling away from the city into the world beyond stirred up a sense of wanderlust in him that he'd not had since... oh, probably the last time he was in the city, watching the ships set out across the Mer de la Luna.

Today was Waneday, the final day of the week, and as he did every Waneday Jacob made the short trip to the city, to be followed by the considerably longer one through the bustling streets down to the harbor. He'd been tracing these steps for a handful of jahren, enough so that the journey had become familiar, almost routine, and many of the faces that he passed were the same. Still, with the turmoil following the death of the King people tended to be more suspicious, Jacob thought. Joining the line, behind a short balding man he exchanged a brief smile with, the young man waited patiently, his thoughts turning towards hazy recollections of the previous night.

He hadn't seen Keller, his uncle's senior apprentice, since the wedding. Married to his half-sister Alita made the older man family, but they didn't get on as well as Jacob would have liked. For one, Keller was something of a bully. Not overly malicious, but he had a certain rashness about him, and tendency to talk down to those who those who didn't follow the same ideals as he. In particular he was a hardworking man who ridiculed Jacob's dreams. But it was a long night, and drinks were involved, a few too many home truths were voiced, and somewhere along the line insults and punches were exchanged. For his trouble Jacob had ended up with a small nick just above his right eye, something he was eagerly hoping wasn't going to draw attention.

The line shuffled forward slowly, towards the gate, where the guard was querying people about their business in King's Court. Jacob didn't look out of place, in neutral colours that most of the inhabitants of the Downs wore. He stood out perhaps by the way he held his cloak close, as if he half expected the wind to pull it from him, emphasising his slim build, but that in itself didn't mark him out as anything out of the ordinary. As he got closer to the front Jacob was sure he recognised the guard, but reflected that his face would be just one in many that file through the gates every week. Sure, some of the guards knew 'Cob' by sight from his weekly trip into the city, enough to shout a quick greeting, but he didn't see any of them out today. He kept his eyes down, hoping his hair covered the cut and bruise that marked his forehead, and waited as the bald man in front stepped forward to answer the guard's questions.

A brief flutter of movement drew Jacob's eyes as a blackbird flew from the grass nearby, a worm seized from the still wet grass in it's beak. It landed on one of the new sections of wall, hopping a few steps then flew off towards some trees. Jacob watched it disappear, momentarily forgetting where he was.

[Abbott]

Indeed it was not the good Sergeant Grimes or any of his usual compatriots who were standing duty that tradetide. The men had moved off to the Laughing King's Tavern for an early lunch and had left gate duty in the hands of one of the other senior enlisted men of the guard.

The small bird made a notably graceful landing in what appeared to be a tall oak. The distance was just so that Jacob could make out a form that was most-likely a nest. That particular bird was returning home, not leaving.

"HEY! I'm talking to you," the guard informed the carpenter in a not-so-polite manner, startling him from his thoughts. "I'm only asking one more time before I'm sending to the back of the line, son. There will be plenty of time for bird-watching once you get into the capital."

Apparently the watchman had already attempted to ask Jacob the standard questions. Unfortunately for the lad, his absent-minded manner called attention upon himself. Sometimes a few flickers of broken concentration can change a situation dramatically.

"Who are ya? What are you doing here? Where are you from?" The guard sighed as he spoke and looked towards the nearby scribe who was charged with recording such information. The scribe shot back an amused half-smile at which the guard grunted and turned back to face the young man before him with an expectant look about his face. He was clearly not interested in dragging out the business of getting people through the gates as the line was building up once more.

[Jacob Rimon]

"Sorry sir!" Jacob said, standing up straight, "Jacob Rimon, sir!" He smoothed down his cloak, made sure it didn't appear he might be hiding anything within its folds and continued. "I'm a carpenter, from the Downs. I'm on my way to the harbor, to see if there's been any word from my father, who has long been at sea."

Jacob then began to relate some of what he knew about the trading ships that set sail across the Mer de la Luna, ready to drop the name of one of the ships he'd frequently seen docked in the port, should the exchange of words stretch out into a full blown conversation. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, and the guard would tire of this chatter, but Jacob considered he could probably spin out a long enough tale if he needed to.

Noting the scritching of the scribes quill to one side, he wondered just how much detail would get committed to paper.

[Abbott]

"I'm a carpenter, from the Downs. I'm on my way to the harbor, to see if there's been any word from my father, who has long been at sea."

The guard did his best to cut the young man off right there. He found himself being drawn into a conversation that did not interest him professionally and he therefore did not feel the need to indulge his latest hopeful at the gate.

"Aheem- Sir?" The scribe looked up from his ledger towards the guard's back and spoke, "Jacob... Rimon, he said? Yes yes. All is in order, the boy is indeed a local."

"Well then. Get on out of... hold it just a flicker." The Sergeant put his hand up as if to command the man to halt preemptively. The wind had picked up a little and tussled with Jacob's bangs, violently pushing them to one side with a brief blast of cool air. "That knock on yer head there. It looks fresh. Yer not coming into town here to cause trouble, are you?"

An impatient cough could be heard from the person in line directly behind Jacob. Some people obviously thought that they had better things to do than wait in queue at the gates all day.

[Jacob Rimon]

"Trouble sir? No sir!" Jacob instinctively glanced downwards, looking sorry for himself. In truth his hangover wasn't doing him any favours, and he needed to think quickly on his feet, to convince the guard to let him through. A thought sprung into his head, and he glanced back up at the face glowering at him, touching the mark on his head as if embarassed.

"I'm a carpenter, sir. I'm just not a very good one. I hadn't fastened down a plank of wood securely, put too much weight on one end, and almost knocked my teeth out." Turning to the scribe he added "I can go into the details if it's important..."

[Abbott]

As the young man spoke, an armor-clad gentleman approached from the opposite side of the gates. The portly and recognizable figure of Cedric Grimes, head watchmen charged with overseeing entrance security, halted just as he reached the three . Noticing the line he spoke with some disdain, "We need to move these people. Especially for the tradetide crowd, every mark in line is a banner lost." A muttered approval could be heard coming from somewhere behind Jacob. The unseen and impatient owner of the voice had obviously missed the guard's mocking tone.

Grimes immediately spotted Jacob and recognized him as a regular visitor to the city.

"Move on, son. We have bigger things to attend to," he spoke to the quick-tongued carpenter while eying a bulging wagon which would need to be inspected before it was allowed entry.

The original guard, now relieved from his position, moved to allow Jacob to pass. His skeptical countenance betrayed the fact that he was still unsure of what to think about the young man's excuse for the bruise. As he shuffled over he muttered in low tones, "Just keep out of trouble, understand? These gate guards are only concerned with getting people in and out. I work the streets and avenues an' I can smell a trouble-maker from a mile away."

OOC: Congratulations, you may now pass into the city and join a thread or open a new one by copying down the location description of your choice. You may also respond to the guard's warning if you wish, I will leave this unlocked and allow you to chose.

[Jacob Rimon]

Jacob nodded and replied "I understand", hoping he looked and sounded as serious as he intended. Then, pulling his cloak around himself once more he walked briskly into the city, and started on his usual route down to the main harbor.

[Abbott]

Locked for the archive!