The Blind Archer(Aranor)

Subject: The Blind Archer(Aranor) Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:55 am

As per Aelos' requests, thread and post moved here.

Lucius laughed; a small laugh, a slight twist of his mouth to a smile; it was all he could manage when wrapped up in that emptiness. Still, he managed to put some warmth in his voice.

"Thank you. The name of the inn is certainly promising."

The politeness was still there, but in the background; the new-found warmth took its spot instead, but suddenly Lucius frowned. He had tried to move, but the bruises he received fought back, hurting at every step he took. He forced the frown to disappear; he could not feel the pain, there was no pain. Soon he could move a little easier, even if the pain did not go away; at least he could walk by himself now. For sure he wouldn't make a show of his weakness in front of the man now. Better not waste that little advantage he's got now. Distant cheering could be heard in the background; the next joust must've begun already.

The inn lay ahead, the sign hanging down above the doorway. Lucius guessed that most would've found it funny; the emptiness did not let him feel it, though. Gods, blast the bloody emptiness! He crashed back, great torrents of emotion filling him, and suddenly he became aware of his surroundings again. There was no calm anymore, and the sounds around him filled his ears, forcing him to divert his concentration. If not for the sudden smell of spiced wine and ale being served to the customers, he wouldn't have noticed them entering the Blind Archer.

He chose the table at the far end, away from the other customers; they drew many gazes to themselves, appearing in gleaming armour just so. Most recognized the Grandmaster as soon as they saw him; he heard some shouting "Praise the Light!" and "Astraea bless you!" from many directions, but when he looked around, he saw the most unsettling of things. Three men stared, no, glared at Aranor as if he were their arch-enemy. Of course. The disunion of the Dawn. Fanatics versus Aranor's rule. It was needless to say which he preferred, but also needless to say which he feared more. He would tell Aranor to be on his guard during his visit. It might've not meant anything, but the times were not the best and his trust not very high. Yes, he would tell Aranor.

Grandmaster Posts : 1918 Join date : 2011-08-20 Age : 29

Aranor leaned against the tavern counter and smiled at the bartender. The bartender was a stocky short man, bald with a white mustache. He had a scar on his left eye, covered by an eyepatch. He used to be an archer in the Valonbray city guard.

"Alton you old sea dog. Haven't seen you in ages!"

the bartender let out a hoarse laugh.

"Well if it isn't the 'champion of light'"

He reached out his hand and gave Aranor a big handshake. The two knew each other in the old days, when Alton was in the city guard in Valonbray.

"Its good to see you old friend. Did you ever fulfill your dream?"

"She's not blonde like I hoped, but yes, I did. 3 children, all strong like their father." Alton beamed with pride.

"That's good." Aranor took out a bag of gold and turned to the crowd in the inn.

"Good people! Let's celebrate my victory with a round on me!"

The crowd cheered as all the barmaids passed out the drinks.

Aranor turned back to Alton.

"I'm just going to stay here for a bit to have a drink with this good knight here. I'm glad to have seen you again Alton. I'll be sure to return after the tournament is over."

Aranor and Lucius went to a table near the counter.

"I'm only going to have one or two drinks Lucius. I need to maintain my composure for the rest of this tournament. Do you want anything in particular? I highly recommend Alton's porridge, I do believe he may have a cask or two of ethosian wine around if you want any. "

Subject: Re: The Blind Archer(Aranor) Thu Aug 02, 2012 11:22 am

As Aranor entered in friendly banter with the innkeeper, who seemed to be an old friend of his, Lucius kept his face placid. Perhaps he would speak to the man concerning rumors of late, but Aranor could be a better source. In fact, he could hold many facts about the current chaos. He would keep his ears open for even hints.

Letting himself smile again, he walked over to Aranor, speaking lightly; it couldn't have been further away from his state of mind, but he insisted on keeping a careless face until they were away from listening ears.

"I will drink the same as you will, then."

The bartender filled their mugs with ale, and Lucius took his own, not bothering to hide his thirst. Taking a long sip, he finally settled on the table. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"I don't know if it matters, but there were men about who did not seem to like you very much. I would say that they hated you, judging from the looks they gave you..." He ended with a shudder, glancing at the three men again. They were apparently deep in conversation.

"Do you know if - if there are any... other Dawn in this place?" Red Dawn. Even the possibility made him wary, on the brink of sudden movement. He eyed the Grandmaster curiously; whether the man was too proud was to be seen. Pride was never a good thing - one could spot the large army ahead but miss a snake right beneath you that could bite and kill.

Grandmaster Posts : 1918 Join date : 2011-08-20 Age : 29

"They are not Red Dawn. Of that, you can be certain of."

Sir Aranor's face grew hard, his eyes became cold. He drummed his fingers on the table.

"The Red Dawn are engaging my forces in the west. The main bulk of their forces are holed up in their cities. I came here quickly so I could petition some support for my campaign. The nobles of the court have armies and wealth. But, some of those nobles do not like the Dawn's new policies. Old school nobles think that peasants are scum, and scoff at the Dawn's attempts to help and protect them. They would rather have us be the old Dawn, the dawn that supports the nobility's absolute rights. Now that they see that I am in their lair, they get ideas in their heads."

Subject: Re: The Blind Archer(Aranor) Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:07 pm

"Well, that is all right. Howev--"

Suddenly the common room erupted as the three men pulled out their daggers and headed straight for Sir Aranor. They were very quick; Lucius barely had time to draw his own knife to turn the first blow away before the other two reached him, forcing Lucius to pull back, step by step.

Grandmaster Posts : 1918 Join date : 2011-08-20 Age : 29

Sir Aranor took out a dagger he concealed in his gauntlet and proceded to slash one of the would-be assassin's throats. He crumpled to the ground as a rag-doll.

He used his heavily armored forearms to block the other blows.

Suddenly a gruff voice from behind erupted.

"NO! NOT IN MY TAVERN YOU DON'T!"

The Barkeep was holding a siege crossbow, loaded and ready to fire. The other tavern patrons were backing up and staring in silence.

One of the assassins, slashing furiously at Aranor, was the target. The Crossbow was the last thing he never saw....

» IC Scene: Aranor's cell
» IC Scene: Aranor's Trial