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Calm Before the Storm
Author: Riordan's Cat
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Legacy Information Guild, Azmar Village. Evening.

An uncomfortable silence lingers in the room, not a single person speaks as if all waiting with bated breath. The muffled sounds of the secretary informing someone that the guild master is inside, makes everyone straighten up as the mysterious visitors are separated by a door.

The door opens.

Kramoris strides into the room confidently, taking in all the faces present. Khio and Rhetta enter next, seeing the astounded looks of intrigue and confusion from those in the room. Laila lets out a small cackle in her amusement, Behellagh grows nervous at the sight and dreads being called a traitor by association. Hammy lets out a snort and sits at Khio’s feet.

The mixed reception only proved that everyone held an uncertain position towards the empires so called traitors. Florian lagged behind the group, mostly stuck in her own thoughts while trying to figure out what kind of pitch she would use to sell her mission. How would she rally the mas
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  • Warrior Oddity    Prologue

    The Vaurus empire, once a small nation that claimed independence and broke away from its motherland. Led by Alamgir Vaurus, only known by his first name at the time and the son of a slave. He hailed from a small village and spearheaded the fight for their independence. Under his rule the country saw great development, newfound knowledge and prosperity. Under his reign- slavery was abolished, those enslaved were set free and aided in finding a new life. Soon after the budding empire found itself targeted by neighboring countries. These countries possessed jealousy and animosity over the new empire's developments and natural resources. The ever abundant mineral deposits, fertile lands and lush forests made Vaurus an ideal target. These countries wanted nothing more than to plunder and claim it for themselves. In the end, no matter the attempts...they ultimately met with failure. Vaurus only saw more growth. Conquest and unity under the first emperor whose surname had been given after

  • Warrior Oddity    Questionable Meeting

    The temple bells toll through the annex, the tired grumbles and snores in protest arise from the sleeping disciples. A smaller bell chimes through the hall, getting louder in passing. It synchronizes with the footsteps of the women outside who ring them incessantly to gather the attention of the disciples. The tired eyes gaze to the windows greeting a dark sky and the sound of happily singing birds to indicate the early morning hours. It's the usual time to wake up all the disciples to jump start their days and responsibilities. A young woman grumbled, pulling the thin blanket over her head in an attempt to drown out the ceaseless sound of bells. The annex that accommodated the disciples appeared simplistic. A long rectangular room lined with small single beds and flat mattresses with a single, hard pillow and thin cotton blanket on each bed. The entire annex possessed a dull impression lacking in most colors and warmth. To the foot of the bed stood a small wooden chest; inside held

  • Warrior Oddity    Florian's Mission

    "Is it temple work?" Florian inquiresBasil's face turns serious "You know I don't trust the temple. I need you to do something for me personally."She nods her head, understanding how the relationship with the temple means he's not always free to move in the way he wants. "I feel it's a mission very suited to your talents." Basil explains"Is it dangerous?""Very. It will almost certainly result in death if you fail."Florian shudders at the thought of taking on something so dangerous. "Well if you do nothing you'll probably still die anyway.""Thanks for the reassurance" She replies sarcastically to his prodding.She lowers her head to think and organize her thoughts. Basil's all knowing and always cryptic in his instruction. The things he says still baffle her on occasion, and for as long as she could remember he had always been this way. Even if he knew the full answer, for whatever reason he would never say it. Florian couldn't exactly refuse since this is the premise of her rela

  • Warrior Oddity    Basil's Notes

    The first sketch Florian pulls from the papers holds the name 'Rennier'. She pages through the disorganized notes in the notebook to look for the information corresponding to the person named Rennier. Rennier, a shadow guard to the first prince with no known stories of his origin. Due to his questionable origin most deemed him to be a commoner or of lower class, he was unofficially promoted to the title of baron under the name 'Ian Kellis' thanks to his faithful service to the first prince. He began working for the first prince as a child and was chosen through strict selection amongst the shadow guards. 'Looks like the shadow guards aren't under the knights but rather working under direct descendants of the imperial family.' It is estimated that Rennier is a few years younger than the first prince but no one knows his true age. He served Nicodemus faithfully while he was still the crown prince and continued to work for him after the coronation of the second prince. He acts as eyes

  • Warrior Oddity    Hayle Village

    'I should probably find Tayoshi first. An information guild would be the easiest way to find everyone else.' Florian thinks as the wagon pulls slowly into the village. Compared to the other villages this one looked well maintained. For the majority of the villages outside the immediate vicinity of the capital they were poorly cared for and deteriorated into empty shells and slums. Florian knew of some villages like Hayle that had been fortunate enough to be under a competent lord, who cared for lands within their territory. Even a lord who saw beyond his own benefit is a rare sight. It's a small, humble village. There are flourishing crops in fields, a main street with stalls, signs for an inn and tavern. The villagers themselves looked cheerful and untroubled. A neatly maintained dirt path indicated regular travel through the village, and acted as a sign to say it's safe. Florian felt thankful it betrayed her negative expectations. She spotted some villagers walking along the road

  • Warrior Oddity    Rhetta and Khio

    The execution grounds are bare, on the right stands a series of small dirt cells built with stone walls and heavy metal bars which aim to keep prisoners from escaping. To the left, a minuscule camp-site with a stone pit for the fire. Everything surrounds and highlights the center of attention, a grand wooden platform. Atop the wooden platform resides worn ropes, a crank to drop the flooring beneath the broken barrels and a daunting, rusted guillotine. Followed by a bloodied block of stone... an executioner's block and a large wooden stake residing in the ground. These were unusual grounds, most would have a specific method but Hayle is every executioner's dream, it contained gallows to hang, a guillotine to behead, a block to bludgeon and even a stake to burn... Any and all executions in such a remote place would prove painful and inefficient. The resulting suffering may have very well been deemed fitting for a traitor. Florian recalls a rather horrific tale she heard from one of the

  • Warrior Oddity    Breakout

    Rhetta draws another plan in the sand, struggling against the darkness of the cell with nothing but some of the natural light to help her see the scrawls and drawings. Rhetta mentally follows what she is writing, even if she struggled to visibly see it. Plans that did not have at least a ninety percent chance of succeeding were not worth considering. Considering her incredibly high standard for success it accredited to the fact that Rhetta always saw an overwhelming victory. Swift and devastating in nature and perfect in every way. Plans did not always start with high success rates, she just made it so with every resource at her disposal. This is why Rhetta is considered a genius regarding battles. During her time as an imperial strategist there were never major wars waged, however there were countless fights, civil skirmishes and uprisings. Rhetta gained indispensable experience from all these little conflicts, gaining new knowledge with every victory. The only downside is she also

  • Warrior Oddity    Taste of Freedom

    "Isn't this a little excessive!?" Khio fumed, kicking another knight in the head and downing them. Three lay at her feet unconscious, another two lying by Rhetta. "There are too many knights around here...It's not for us seeing that they felt safe only leaving us with four." Rhetta looked around, thankfully with no other knights in sight. "Looking at the uniform they're not local knights. These belong to the second division. The security of the village should be under the supervision of the lord's knights, not imperial knights." Rhetta notes her observations finding the entire situation to be out of the ordinary. "Did they find out about the escape!?" Khio's panicked voice provides another possible reason. "Rhetta!! Khio!!" They stop dead in their tracks when they hear their names shouted in the distance and from the direction they had been running from. As opposed to the bitter and angered voices of the knights, the voice they heard almost sounded harmless in comparison. They ca

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  • Warrior Oddity    

    Calm Before the Storm

    Legacy Information Guild, Azmar Village. Evening.An uncomfortable silence lingers in the room, not a single person speaks as if all waiting with bated breath. The muffled sounds of the secretary informing someone that the guild master is inside, makes everyone straighten up as the mysterious visitors are separated by a door. The door opens. Kramoris strides into the room confidently, taking in all the faces present. Khio and Rhetta enter next, seeing the astounded looks of intrigue and confusion from those in the room. Laila lets out a small cackle in her amusement, Behellagh grows nervous at the sight and dreads being called a traitor by association. Hammy lets out a snort and sits at Khio’s feet. The mixed reception only proved that everyone held an uncertain position towards the empires so called traitors. Florian lagged behind the group, mostly stuck in her own thoughts while trying to figure out what kind of pitch she would use to sell her mission. How would she rally the mas

  • Warrior Oddity    

    Arrival

    Legacy Information Guild, Azmar Village. Evening.A secretary walks to the front of Tayoshi's office, and she knocks on the door. A woman stands behind her patiently, they hear a voice from inside. “Master, the madam is here again.”Tayoshi looks up from his documents. His eyes immediately glanced over at the raven in the corner of his room, she happily perched atop one of the chairs. He received a notice of her visit alone, but he was already aware that she was here for information on someone or the other. “I should have known it would be soon when you didn't return to your master.”The door opens and Laila steps inside, as usual she walks very lightly and gracefully. Tayoshi always found it unsettling that you watched her walk without any sound of footsteps. “I did not expect to see you back so soon Ms. Belladonna.” he comments with a tired voice.“Well, you know what they say. No rest for the wicked. I have an urgent job and I need information as soon as possible.”“Who do you need

  • Warrior Oddity    

    An Infectious Lie

    'Such a small procession for a noble? Most nobles would metaphorically rather die than be disgraced to see such a humbling procession after their death.' Trusting his intuition and the irksome feeling, the knight steps before the first carriage. He knocks on the door and awaits a response. “Pardon me, I am Sir Tybost and I would like to conduct an inspection.” Khio and Rhetta found being stuck at the checkpoint for so long highly unusual, when they thought of all the previous times when it was a matter of stopping and going. Rhetta cautiously lifted the curtain enough to see what was happening outside without alerting to her own presence. Through the sliver of visibility she saw a knight at the door of the first carriage. Rhetta gulped with the sharp inhale that stifled her gasp. The sudden inspection caught them off guard and brought the reality back to the forefront. It had been easy until now, too easy and they were paying the price. The two moved carefully so as to not rock th

  • Warrior Oddity    

    A Quiet Funeral Procession

    The colour drained from Ayesha's face upon hearing something so morbid. She looked at Rhetta and Khio who were completely unfazed as if being fitted for a coffin were so natural. It was a natural thing after death, but not for the living who appeared so healthy. 'Is this normal? Is it because they're criminals and are preparing for the worst?' Ayesha questioned in her thoughts. She shook the thoughts from her mind and took the measurements without any further delay. The two former knights looked awfully eager for their coffins. Kramoris snickers softly in the background at how transparent Ayesha's thoughts are. She handed him the measurements and Kramoris concluded by writin

  • Warrior Oddity    

    Behellagh's Demand

    Legacy Information Guild, Azmar Village. Evening. “I asked what is taking so long.” Behellagh reiterated his words. Tayoshi holds back a sigh “To which job are you referring to? We are currently handling four of your requests simultaneously.” “F-Four?” Behellagh's surprise was evident, he clears his throat and goes back to his usual expression.

    Warrior Oddity    

    A Strained Relationship

    Legacy Information Guild, Azmar Village. Early Morning. Rennier still relied on the knowledge he held of Tayoshi from years ago, things were different now. How could they not be? More than once in the spar Tayoshi had been surprised at Rennier's change and growth, but clicked his tongue at the same old habits he displayed. Tayoshi dug the blade into the dirt and kicked in lieu of his spear, Rennier fell to the ground from the hard impact. He scrambles in retreat and rolls, finding his balance and standing on his feet. He feels unsteady and tries to rec

  • Warrior Oddity    

    Cagrown City

    “A magic scroll!? How do you have this?” Rhetta exclaims, bewildered and giving Kramoris the exact reaction he wanted. Her face was a sight for sore eyes, indeed, this was the anticipated reaction he had awaited. He almost wanted to laugh at his prediction. Khio had been stunned into silence. It was no surprise that being around the imperial family they were bound to hear of magic scrolls and this was the first time they actually got to see one. It had them all the more impressed that Kramoris just casually pulled it out. The emperor himself could not readily h

  • Warrior Oddity    

    Something Up His Sleeve

    A monstrous creature treads into the forest, heavy weighted steps made the ground groan with every leaden trod. They were slow, unsteady steps. The creature appeared exhausted and dazed, it neared where the group were hiding. The overwhelming stench of blood and rot filled their senses.Hammy whimpered softly and backed away from the tree. Khio had her hands full trying to soothe Hammy and keep her eye on the creature. She undoubtedly had a good sense of a creature and their innate temperament, this information would help her decide on the method she needed to tame them. For some reason, this creature had no such feeling. It felt hollow, deathly and glum. The form of its body ha

  • Warrior Oddity    

    Face Value

    'Thankfully they couldn't see what I was holding just then...Defending myself with a measly letter opener would have been difficult. Besides, I don't have a penchant for violence.' Kramoris indulges his thoughts before getting back to the matter. “As expected from the empire's greatest merchant, I see you're a man of many talents.” Rhetta speaks, it felt more like a fact than an attempt of flattery. “Second best merchant in the empire.” Kramoris is quick to cor