Act Complete! Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 1

[Tryhard]

This Jeeves fellow appeared to share no worry for Jean's well-being compared to the Lady and her brother. Somehow this irked Jean. Maybe he's senile, that must be it.

Jean tagged along with Lady Adele, and saw a lot of new faces. Some looked rather unscrupulous. He set that aside for a moment, and waited until Lady Adele had got the majority of her introduction over before addressing Owen himself.

"I must confess, I didn't expect to see a Prince today," Jean said, half smirking, "but it is certainly the highest pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He half-heartedly did the bow appropriate to address royalty - more so out of a feeling of obligation than any particular want. "Ah, but where are my manners? I go by Jean the Red, and I am accompanying Lady Adele after the ordeal she went through. I hope we will get along splendidly."

[Toogee]

"Name's Doug," the rider said to Salty Simon. "And this outfit was for the peg. It's the only way I can trick Oldtimer into letting me ride. ...It's a long story."

Doug noticed that the battlefield was silent; the battle was over. With no other pirates around, he had to assume his team were the victors. Normally, the rider would make his way back to Niko to deliver a report, but Doug really wanted to continue his networking venture.

"So, what brings you out to this lonely island, Simon?"

[Nanami Touko]

"You made the right decision! Things weren't incredibly easy on our side, but I imagine that, if you lot hadn't been here, we would've been facing more than a bit of trouble." Cass nodded, keeping her posture and arms folded. They definitely would be storming the place, if this was the kind of respect they were to receive from Dettard.She shook her head, quite surprised and disgusted that someone of noble standing, even if it was lower than her own, would stoop to stuff like this. "Honestly..." She felt she was saying that a lot, recently.

But there were other faces there, than her friends and brother. "A pleasure, Jean the Red. Where do you hail from?" she gave him a proper curtsy, to his half-hearted bow, letting her arms down. There was another face along the bridge as well, Cass standing on her toes to spot him. "Hello! You, over there! Adele, is he with you?" she asked, turning to the girl fairly quickly. "Help from the estate, for yourself and Graham?" He seemed... Fairly oddly dressed, for a soldier, but Cass couldn't properly see him over there. Perhaps... Mercenaries? I normally wouldn't approve, but anyone Adele hires must be of a higher caliber than the standard lot.

[scorri]

Niko had only been half paying attention until he heard one of the girls calling out and then talking to Adele about help. Turning around, he walked back to the group and bowed slightly. "My name is Niko, Commander of the Reliants. My fellow member, Doug, and I were hired by Lady Adele here to help her out in this fight and any future fights that might be occurring. I'm sorry, I must have missed your name. You are?"

[Nanami Touko]

Cass offered this Niko a curtsy just as perfect as the one she'd given Jean. "Niko, then. So, you are mercenaries? You and this... Doug?" She made no change in her expression, though her tone may have betrayed a slight level of suspicion. "I am Princess Cassandra, second heir to Wykian throne. Behind my brother, Owen," she said, making a passing glance back at him. She realized she hadn't introduced herself to Jean, at that point, but he'd probably heard that, so it was good enough! "I must thank you for helping Adele with her trouble. While I know she's a natural with an axe, she can get a bit headstrong, and it would've done none of us any good to find cold bodies at the other end of this bridge." The thought was terrifying, much like Owen's near death experiences had been, so she didn't entertain it any longer than it took her to say it.

[scorri]

Niko blinked, and gave a deeper bow.. "I see. I apologize for not realizing sooner. And yes, we are mercenaries. We stumbled upon the battle between the Lady Adele and the bandits and were able to help her defeat them. From there, we agreed to hire on and come and see if your brother was in danger. As he was, we helped out with the fight. We will continue to assist until she chooses to release us from our contract. As such, it is my job to make sure she gets out of this alive. And now that we've met up with you, I suspect you and your brother will be added to the list of people we will be helping protect, since rescuing your brother was the reason we were hired in the first place.

[Terrador]

[Well then. Those pirates had the good sense to rout, but that doesn't help us any. Was the boss the only person who knew anything relevant? Probably. Would I, personally, mind storming up on Dettard, especially with these new allies? Hell no. Would doing so be a difficult, costly notion that's best avoided? Yes, no matter how badly he deserved an axe to the neck. Do I have anything better to be doing with my time right now? Not really, especially since any of these punks still living wouldn't remain so for long.]

[Am I asking myself all these questions primarily because I've had enough of these damn thugs today? Yeah. No question.]

Angus heads back over the bridge, surveying the battlefield. Not even counting the bridge, there are almost a dozen bodies on the ground. Not a one of them routed like the pirates did; how much are they being paid, and what could they know? Worth finding out, that's for sure. Not as if the bodies could be scavenged for war funds, sadly. Anyone hiring this many people sure wouldn't pay more than scraps in advance.

The bloodied squire rides from corpse to corpse, dismounting and shaking them slightly with increasingly irritated urgings to respond.

"Come now, if you're still living, let me know about it, eh?"

"If you'd like any medicine, now's the time to open your eyes, rogue."

"Dammit, move your arse! Don't tell me you're... completely cooked on that side. Should've smelled that."

Angus does his best impression of his mount, letting out a colossal breath through flared nostrils. [Alright. I've had a fair few dirty jobs, but talking to corpses is not worth it, even for me.]

"OEI, YOU SODS IN THE DIRT!" Angus hollers, hoping to catch the attention of any of them still living. "IF YOU'RE ALIVE, MAKE IT EASY FOR ME TO NOTICE YOU. NOBODY'S STUPID ENOUGH TO PUT MEDICINE ON A CORPSE, MIND!"

Angus is more than willing to bury a body, certainly, but trying to tell which ruffians aren't mangled so badly as to have no chance of survival is a bit more macabre than he's used to--even after today.

[Jedi]

Lionel was glad to see Lady Adele, Sir Graham and some other fellows, mercenaries by the looks of it.

He personally wasn't acquainted with them, but knew of them. Mostly from Cass and Owen, not to mention his dear mother. Baroness Kylander who spoke very highly of them.

He politely bowed to them before briefly speaking to Owen, "I'm going to check the lay of the land around us, if there are any armies marching in any direction or signs of possible ambushes on the road ahead. We should know of it." He grimaced "Try not to worry too much of Dettard at this very moment, enjoy this reunion, leave the worrying to me for now eh?"

Lionel patted his shoulder and headed off for the outskirts of the battlefields various sides, to check for various things, including signs of possible Kylander troops as well as Dettards.

"If Dettard is out for Prince Owens blood... I can only hope my family and people are safe..." He thought as he checked corpses and the ground for signs of tracks and the like.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Jedi

[Xinnidy]

"I'm glad we got exactly the name we distrusted of, though that does make diplomacy rough, yes. I don't know if we have the numbers to break through, but it'll have to do." Owen crossed his arms as well, the gesture somewhat automatic. "If Dettard sent so much after us, it's safe to say he's already plotting something here in Wyke. All the more reason to meet him now."

As Jean and the mercenary commander made their introductions, Owen slowly straightened his posture. "Right. Well met, Sir Jean the Red. If you accompany Adele, then I have the same trust she holds for you. You are... from Toulouse, perhaps?" At the subject of where the man hailed, Owen spared a guess on the assumption of attire and accent. "Well, know that you are welcome here. Same for you, Niko."

At Lionel's suggestion, done as quickly as he walked to the group, Owen dismissed the advisor with a nod. "That is sound, go ahead, Lionel." Owen turned back to the few nobles (and not so nobles) gathered with him, "That man is Sir Lionel Kylander, my adviser. He is efficient, though not the most eloquent. Anyways..." A clear of the throat, "I am confident that if we face Baron Dettard, he'll have even more of these assassins at the ready. I would be very grateful to have your help, with or without your father's reinforcements, Adele."

Edited September 26, 2015 by Xinnidy

[Ether]

"That's correct. Niko and his other man, Doug... whom I don't see at the moment... well, he is a pegasus rider, I saw him pursuing a fleeing pirate, so I assume he'll be back shortly. Either way, they intervened at the family manse, and it seemed better to bring what men we could. As for Sir Jean, he is indeed of Toulouse, a marksman, to be specific. I believe both of you were present for the infamous firearms demonstration, no? Well, he is a practitioner of them." Adele replied, listing off a few things in her head as she spoke, giving a nod to the advisor as he approached and stated his intent.

"Of course, we'll offer what help we can. What was the point of coming this way, were we to not?"

Edited September 26, 2015 by Ether

[Shin]

Sidney, friend to all

Arnet nodded, hurrying from his seat. "I'll go ask them for a bit of money for you. If we all pitch a little in, we'll be able to get you home." The fight seemed rather unusual. It was clear that the smaller man was far superior, but he never seemed to take any openings - almost as if it were chereographed.

Salty Simon

"Yarr, I was once knowing a lady who did much the same. She be dressing as a man to be engaging in the politics. I can't say I be well versed in the woes of landlubbers." Simon stopped for a second. "I be returning to this island to collect me treasure! I be collecting things from all the years I be travelling! I be sharing a few trinkets with ye, just be letting me open it up!"

Looking at him, Simon was perhaps a little older than the other pirates, probably in his forties or so. Still, his speech and his attire screamed Magonsaete.

The Field

Not a soul seemed to be alive on the battlefield, both Owen and Adele's groups had ensured that everyone involved had indeed perished. Neither Angus nor Lionel could find a survivor. The arena, local shops and houses were still in fine condition, but beyond that the landscape was only littered with corpses.

[riariadne]

"Oh, thank you kindly!" Sidney called after him, smirking before looking back to the combat, only to find herself somewhat disappointed with how fake the movements looked. Hmm, seems staged... not terribly unusual for these sorts of things, but I wonder why they were offering people a chance to enter for themselves? Maybe a mix of real and false fights?

[Toogee]

Salty Simon

"Yarr, I was once knowing a lady who did much the same. She be dressing as a man to be engaging in the politics. I can't say I be well versed in the woes of landlubbers." Simon stopped for a second. "I be returning to this island to collect me treasure! I be collecting things from all the years I be travelling! I be sharing a few trinkets with ye, just be letting me open it up!"

Looking at him, Simon was perhaps a little older than the other pirates, probably in his forties or so. Still, his speech and his attire screamed Magonsaete.

"By all means," Doug said, giving Simon enough room to open his treasure. Still, there were things more valuable than treasure. That would be intel. Pirates were known to be well traveled and knew all kinds of truths and rumors. Such information would prove highly valuable. He could not go back to the others until he had his question answered.

"So...this lady. Is she...single?"

[Tryhard]

Jean went to answer both Prince Owen and Cassandra, whose name he picked up from Adele talking to her, at the same time.

"Indeed, as Lady Adeletru-- Adele says, I am from Toulouse. I hold an esteemed position there and am regarded as one of its finest military leaders. As such, it's rare to have much formal acquaintance with those outside our realms, so these recent times have been a new experience for myself. I hope my expertise can be of use to you."

Truthfully, Jean just hoped that he would be taken care of if he was around this group, at least for now. Perhaps if he befriended this Lord Owen, he could ask for a favour down the line; that was the first step in order to coming clean about his exiled status and overthrowing the corruption of his dear homeland Toulouse.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Tryhard

[Nanami Touko]

Cass clapped her hands together, all giddy now. "My, how professional! I am impressed. I won't lie, Niko, I'm not the first to trust mercenaries and the like, but you're changing my mind~" Any hint of suspicion had left her voice, as she let her opinion out. Adele had definitely chosen the right people to hire, after an explanation like that. "I'm glad to have you along, Niko. You're far better of an addition than a certain other straggler we've managed to attract... But that's not here, nor there. Thank you for your help, and continued help." How nice, this little talk had become. And this Jean seemed to be becoming more and more interesting, as he was explained further. "Firearms, you say? Those... Guns, yes? How exciting! I hope we get to watch you perform in battle, Jean. Definitely a pleasure... Though, I must say, now that introductions are over, shouldn't we begin to move?"

Cass simply posed the question, unsure if there was a reason to hang around. "It's getting later in the day, and I think we should move as far as we can before night is upon us. We'll definitely be sleeping out tonight, I feel, but the closer we get to Dettard's manse, the better. I wish to help him find the sharp end of my axe, and I'd rather do so sooner than later." Cass grit her teeth slightly, still getting upset about all of this. But the thought of lodging her axe into her traitorous back felt rather cathartic.

[Terrador]

Angus grabs one last corpse by the hair, dropping its head unceremoniously once he sees its dead eyes. People die when they are killed, sure, but all of them this quickly is no little inconvenience. The prince's adviser apparently had a similar idea, but he didn't seem to be faring so well either. The squire approaches, wondering what his elder thought of their collective preparedness.

"Sir Lionel! Well met." Angus eyes the field around him before giving Lionel a pointed glance. "Shame, this--I'm guessing you found about as much as I did? But enough beating around the bush. Odds are we're to more than speak to Baron Dettard, and, frankly--do you think we're equipped enough for a battle of that scale?"

[charlie_]

"You were a fool..." Claire murmured as Hilde fell. If she hadn't put herself between their group and Dettard's manse, her child would still have a mother. The adrenaline rush from the battle was starting to die down, and hearing about Hilde's (now potentially orphaned) child hit close to home for Claire. It wasn't like they could've avoided fighting her, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth when she thought back to losing her own father.

As a result, when the two groups converged in the middle of the bridge, she decided she wasn't really in the mood for a conversation right now. She needed to clear her head. She wandered away from the Owen, Cass and the new arrivals (which she didn't have the slightest idea about who they were, but that could wait until later) to the other side of the bridge, only vaguely aware of someone shouting in the background. As she walked, her she thought back to memories of her father and the stories he would tell her: tales of knights and dragons, heroes and princesses, wizards and-

"O-oh. Sir Lionel, Angus." She hadn't really been paying attention to where she was going at all and had almost walked into them. "Sorry, I was just... lost in thought." she admitted, slightly embarrassed by the fact, and tried to push any lingering thoughts about the battle or her father to back of her mind for now. There were more important things to think about.

"Are we still going to finish the mission?" Her question was directed mostly towards Lionel, although Angus' input couldn't hurt too much, she supposed. "It might be wise to gather more forces now that we know the baron is hostile, but if we don't continue, he could easily slip away." Personally, she'd prefer to go burn down the door and making the duke answer for his attempt on their lives as soon as possible, but she still probably wasn't in the best state of mind to make that decision.

Edited September 28, 2015 by SB.

[Xinnidy]

"A marksman and a military leader, is that so?" Owen observed the Toulese with a certain impressibility at the comment, certainly having surpassed his expectations. "I'd be glad to have your expertise on our side, of course, Sir Jean." With Adele's group so promising, Owen felt far less wary about continuing with the plan to meet Baron Dettard.

"Right. It is as Cassandra said, we're better off moving now that we hold this chance. I will have Lionel gather my vassals, and we'll be ready to leave soon. I don't believe any suffered grave wounds that weren't taken care of yet." Pause, "We can gather at the end of the bridge shortly, then leave." With a dismissing nod, Owen made way to follow his advisor, wherever he'd gone to, to find he'd already gathered two vassals --apparently.

"Good work, Lionel. We are to leave soon, if any of you have to resupply after this combat, you should do so quick." He offered another nod, acknowledging Angus and Claire. "The local vendors should have the basic needs."

Edited September 27, 2015 by Xinnidy

[MRDRHAWK]

Meanwhile, Graham simply lay in wait, alert, waiting just in case there were more potential assailants. While he was appreciative of his current company, he knew that he couldn't relax while they were in potential danger. After all, this was rather clearly a power grab by Lord Dettard, which he hoped to achieve by assassinating Owen and stealing his throne.

At least, that was what Graham assumed was the case. The attackers did confirm Dettard's involvement, at least, so that provided some credence to the theory. Then again, he wasn't here for theories and thinking. His job was simple: thwart the enemy's plans with his iron-clad determination.

The Over Flag would certainly help matters as well.

[Terrador]

Angus nods, addressing Claire before he goes.

"I don't think there's any doubt that we can still get in and get out safely--the matter at hand is whether we're in a position to press on if we're met with a larger force. If we're not, bein' a hair better armed might change things, eh? Might as well see what's available, at least."

The armory is not at all far away, and Angus arrives there in almost immediate order. Hopefully, they're stocking something useful; even if not, no self-respecting shop wouldn't have basic medicines.

"Ho, smith!" Angus hails the shopkeep, leaning over the counter. "We seem to be a tad understocked. What have you to offer? Should you be looking for something yourself, we may have a thing or two of interest as well!" Hopefully that Glimmer tome could prove useful to Owen's team in some way; some spare coin could quickly become all-too-necessary medicine. Even without losing anyone, they were sure getting torn up today.

[Shin]

The first rule

Arnet soon returned, trying to catch his breath as he thrust a sack full of coins into Sidney's hands. "Here, a bunch of us guys put this together for you." he panted, wiping his brow. "Now you won't have to gamble your money to get back home."

Sidney swindles 800G!

The fight had began to become interesting, the swordsman was becoming swifter in his movements. Still, his gaze seemed to drift towards the entrance of the arena, glancing there for a few seconds before looking back to his opponent.

Sea Dogs

Simon laughed, patting Doug heartily on the back. "Haha, ye be a funny one. I not be knowing to be telling yah! It's been many a moon since I laid eyes on her. Here be a trinket from me, I hope ye be finding it useful!"

Doug acquires a Bizarre Gem!

Shopping Spree

Angus could hear an audible creak from the counter below him, the store wasn't in terrible good shape. A brutish fellow, perhaps in his mid forties looked back at Angus, not terribly impressed by his enthusiasm. "Got stuff for stabbing, poking and chopping. Don't got much else, though I do have a sword I picked up from the continent. If yer after fancy stuff, I can't really help. Might want to try next door, they have a few herbs and spices."

Iron Sword 500G

Iron Lance 480G

Iron Axe 450G

Iron Bow 460G

Devil's Edge 900G

Dat Jeeves

Approaching his young master, the butler peered down at Graham, somewhat bemused by his rest place. "Your thoughts, Master Graham? It's not often one sees their young master lying in a field." Jeeves put his hand on his own chest, wary about his pain during the battle. It wasn't often he showed signs of weakness, especially not in front of his master's children. However, his age was not on his side, something he would have to face one day.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Shin

[Jedi]

Angus grabs one last corpse by the hair, dropping its head unceremoniously once he sees its dead eyes. People die when they are killed, sure, but all of them this quickly is no little inconvenience. The prince's adviser apparently had a similar idea, but he didn't seem to be faring so well either. The squire approaches, wondering what his elder thought of their collective preparedness.

"Sir Lionel! Well met." Angus eyes the field around him before giving Lionel a pointed glance. "Shame, this--I'm guessing you found about as much as I did? But enough beating around the bush. Odds are we're to more than speak to Baron Dettard, and, frankly--do you think we're equipped enough for a battle of that scale?"

(Apologies for the late reply I hate school sometimes).

Lionel had been searching the field and it had been completely fruitless, when Angus addressed him all he could really say was. "Yeah, I found nothing of value." Lady Claire also coming by, "No need to apologize, we all have thoughts going in our heads right now"

He looked at Angus meeting him eye to eye, in regards to his question and Claire's as well "I'm not entirely sure, our company has grown sure, but Dettard is going to not only have his own miltary, but also these curs he's forced or hired to his cause, we may need some reinforcements" He paused for a brief moment. "I had sent word to Kylander territory, however I've been unable to see any signs of even a banner nearby."

Prince Owen had come over and, he was quick to bow and head off to the armory after his words. "I will not tarry long." and he was off, meeting up with Angus.

[MRDRHAWK]

Graham's eyes tilted slightly to catch sight of Jeeves, who seemed rather winded. Honestly, he didn't understand why Jeeves pushed himself so hard; Graham and Adele were both capable of taking care of themselves, and yet Jeeves always felt he had to take care of them. Perhaps it was merely him doing his job as best as he could, but it still hurt Graham a little to see Jeeves run himself so ragged.

"If I'm being honest, Jeeves? None of what transpired here surprises me after the interrogation we carried out at the manor. Still, I'm trying to discern exactly why Dettard's making such a bold move. Something seems... not quite as cut and dry as we've been led to believe."

Shrugging his shoulders to loosen them a bit, Graham placed a hand atop his shoulder, still holding Over Flag in the other. "I suppose, however, that Adele and the others will be needing me here. After all, I am their shield."

[Terrador]

Angus gestures at the Devil's Edge, prefacing his interest.

"See, you say there's nothing fancy here, but that sword sure is a strange one. I actually saw one no little time ago; perhaps you could tell me a hair about it? And, further--a sword and a lance, if you would be so kind." Angus lays out the requisite coin, setting his tome on the counter beside it.

[Toogee]

Sea Dogs

Simon laughed, patting Doug heartily on the back. "Haha, ye be a funny one. I not be knowing to be telling yah! It's been many a moon since I laid eyes on her. Here be a trinket from me, I hope ye be finding it useful!"

Doug acquires a Bizarre Gem!

Doug took a good long look at the odd jewel. He had been paid in gemstones before, but nothing like this. He'd have to check it next time he was in a shop. With the battle over, it was time for the rider to catch up with everyone else. He called his pegasus over and mounted.

"Hey thanks," Doug said to Simon. "Do you need a ride back to land?"