[Siona] - Return from Inefficacy (Raliric; Private)

[Kurth Tathasir]

40th Brightening
Month of Kalendryas
Season of Winter
Era II in the Regency of Milo L'Evienne
Era II of the Celestine Mandate
Era III of the Pax Imperialis
Era XIV Post Fractum

The sun was just waxing over one of the several thick ridges of pine trees that surrounded the small town of Siona when Kurth Tathasir was first able to make out the outline of the tall gate guarding the town. Readjusting the moderately-sized pack on his shoulders containing all his necessary living items so it didn't dig so much into his neck, he nudged the brown bay beneath him into a trot. After days of traveling, he was finally back in Centripax. As the horse drew ever closer to the gate, Kurth could now make out the shadows of the sentries guarding it. The rhythmic tapping of the swords at his side and on his back brought his thoughts back to the memories of the day he left Raliric Ered`Gard at the gates of Primus Gaudeo.

"I have reason to believe that my father may still be alive," he had said to Raliric. The exhilaration that had filled him when he learned that news from a friend in Taralon was starting to ebb when he finally decided to leave the city in search of the man that ruined his life. His friend had told him that the house he used to live in with his parents, which was left abandoned after what his mother had done to it before she killed herself, was found with the door off its hinges and the place was ransacked. The first assumption was that it was the work of local hooligans, messing things up for the sake of being rebellious. But upon further investigation of the inventory of the house for theft purposes, several personal belongings of his father were missing - pictures, papers, and even the music box that his mother had idolized after his father left. Kurth's friend had friends in the guard that were looking into the crime - and he had no problem being able to pass copies of the information to Kurth with a letter that told him to get there as soon as he could. He was only happy to oblige. With a quick but courteous explanation to Raliric, he had no problem letting him pursue his father, giving him a brown mare to use for transportation just before he left.

Upon entering Taralon again for the first time since he left, Kurth stopped by the inn and tavern to meet with his friend that had sent him the letter - Burak Rockgate, the dwarven apprentice to a local engineer. After being caught up to speed on the case, they visited the house so Kurth could check out what was missing and see if he could find any clues that might lead him to his father. Other than the items that he already knew were missing and the general disorder of the place, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the kitchen, den, and parent's bedrooms. But that was when he got to his old bedroom, the one where he had spent hours on end crying, listening to his mother's wailing and hiding from her violent temperament. When he entered the room, the feel of the door swinging open almost a foreign feeling to him, he noticed something out of place. There was a note pinned to his bed. With a knife.

I am coming for you.

Instantly within Kurth swelled a maelstrom of emotion. He was angry that his father was still alive. He was glad that he was still alive so he could have the pleasure of killing him. And he was afraid. A knife attaching a note never appeared to be a good sign. What did the note mean? Was he coming for Kurth because he cared for him or because he wanted to kill him? Why was this note not in the original evidence of the guards that investigated the crime? Did that mean his father had returned to the house when he found out Kurth was in town? Confused, he sat down on the bed and cradled his head in his hands. His life had turned from a simple mission to find and exact revenge upon his father into something much more. Was he supposed to wait for his father to find him? Was this a warning to give him a chance to do something about it or was it a promise to be exacted that very night? What if the message wasn't even intended for him? What if it was for somebody else? No, that was naive, the note was pinned to his bed and he was the one who found it. It was meant for him. Maybe he was just over analyzing things. Maybe his father was really coming back to take care of him after all the years of neglect. But then his eyes wandered back to the knife jutting out of the note. What did this mean? He grabbed the knife and pulled it out, folding and pocketing the note. The blade was flecked with what looked like dry blood. Kurth's stomach became queasy and sprang to his feet, walking circles around the room. What had his father done? Was something far more nefarious at work here than the scarred relationship between a deadbeat father and a prodigal son?

After turning the knife over to the guards in charge of the investigation he looked again at what was missing from the inventory gathered at the house. There were no clues as to where to find his father, none of these items meant anything to Kurth. He visited his father's last employer, who in turn for a few gold crowns, told him of a few friends his father had in town. Only one still lived in Taralon, after visiting the Aedile, and he set off for an evening call. The man had no information other than the last place he heard of his father being in was Paxia. And so he left for Paxia on horseback, investigating there further for several cycles. Finally hitting a clue at a tavern that his father was indeed there in the past era, he continued around the province, trying to find out where his father might be hiding, or where he had visited recently. With a few clues that his father was in Paxia and a few hinting that he had moved on to Vortex. Kurth was confused by these almost completely unrelated sequence of cities. Was his father up to something? Or was he simply trying to throw his son off his track? Kurth also found it very peculiar that he could not get an accurate description of his father from any of the people who had known him or dealt with him. A cloaked figure; a man with a black beard and hair wearing ragged clothes; a clean shaven man in a suit. This only served to confuse him more. He had no idea what was going on or how to deal with it. He didn't know whether he should continue his search, put out a search warrant for his arrest, or simply call the whole thing off and return to Centripax. He spent several more months finishing up in Paxia and moving on to Vortex. Vortex was were the clues stopped. People kept their mouths shut, and he couldn't extract anything of importance.

That was when he decided to return to Raliric and the Knights in Centripax. After traveling back towards Primus Gaudeo, he remembered the Arcis Firmitas Pietas and that the Knights were stationed there. He changed direction slightly so that he would end up at the citadel. That was the most likely place to find Raliric Ered`Gard. The entire trip his thoughts were occupied by his father and his failure to find anything conclusive of his whereabouts. At least he knew he was still alive, and.... Kurth paused, his hand reached inside his cloak and unfolded the piece of paper with the cryptic message inscribed upon it in a thick black ink... coming for him. Had he really been gone for an entire era in search of his father? His thoughts snapped back to the present. He was almost at the gate already.

Kurth gasped and it took him a few moments to fully take in the sight before him. The entire town was surrounded by a wall, not entirely out of place with current state of affairs, but what caught Kurth's attention was the sheer size of them. They were easily taller than any wall he had ever seen before for a town of this size. Raliric sure knew what he was doing. His eyes followed the wall to the solitary gate leading into the town, and up to a building that rose up even above the walls of the town. That must be the Knight's Compound that Raliric had told him about. He looked even higher, he eyes flickering over the surface of the mountain behind the town. He didn't notice anything at first out of the ordinary, but then saw the flat stone wall jutting out from the mountain. So the citadel was part of the mountain? Ingenious. Raliric definitely knew what he was doing. Defensively, it was probably the most sound thing he could have done. To topple the citadel meant to destroy the entire mountain, which would be highly difficult in itself.

His eyes moved back down to the ground and he scanned across the people in line and the guards stationed outside, landing on a pair he recognized next to the gate - a dwarf and an elf. They were Knights of the Argent Sword like him. Kurth dismounted when his mount reached the end of the line, and he lead the horse by its reins as the line moved slowly along. He reached inside his cloak for his Visa and handed it to the elf as soon as it was his turn in line, after a brief bow.

"Serale, fellow Knight. I am Kurth Tathasir, Squire to Raliric Ered`Gard of The Argent Sword. I am here to meet him."

The elf took a passing glance at the Visa, looked at Kurth's face, returned the Visa without a word, then smiled. The dwarf next to him grunted and shot a quick salute, pounding his chest lightly with his fist and barking out, "Glad to see you back, lad." Kurth smiled softly and placed his Visa back inside his cloak. The elf was the next to speak. "Yes, Kurth, I remember you. Sir Ered`Gard will be glad to hear of your return and will want to speak with you at once. Follow me." The dwarf remained outside guarding the gate, nodding at Kurth as the elf and human passed him. With Kurth's mare trailing behind by the reins, the elf led him through a maze-like corridor from the gate into the town, whereupon they reached a second gate, which was open. Two gates? Kurth smiled at Raliric's insight. He had no idea how anybody could succeed in taking this town. It was so well fortified it was almost hard to believe. The elf head to the middle building, the Knight's Compound. Of course that was where Raliric was, always at the head of things. At the entrance to the main building, the elf beckoned to a boy in the street. "Please take this man's horse to a stable, we will take care of it later." Kurth handed the mare's reins to the boy, who he assumed was a page to the Knights, who walked off in the opposite direction. The elf lead him inside and down a series of hallways. They finally reached a door when the elf stopped and nodded at Kurth. He thanked the elf, who walked back outside - most likely to take care of the horse - and rapped loudly enough on the door for the occupant inside it to hear him.

"Kurth Tathasir, Knight of the Argent Sword, requesting permission to enter and speak with Sir Raliric Ered`Gard."

If allowed entrance, Kurth will open the door and enter the room, greeting his old friend warmly, answering any questions needing answers, explaining specifically why he left, what he found on his journey, and what has taken him so long to return.

[Raliric Ered`Gard]

With the current state of the empire Raliric had called a meeting of the High Council to determine how the Argent Sword would respond to the threats against the Imperial Government and the citizens of Alleria. This meeting had begun at the rise of the suns and had only finished a few candlemarks ago. The decisions made had all been to Raliric's liking, most of them were about ideas and tactics that the Knight Champion himself wished to employ; others that Gedriwyn, Barthanes, Synithyn and Alkdalion had brought up. However, even though the meeting had concluded the dracon would find no rest that brightening, he had a great deal of planning to do to the organization of the Knighthood as well as touching up some finer aspects. Not to mention thinking of the various speeches he would have to make in the near future.

When the knock sounded upon the oak door the Knight Champion had been stretching back on his chair and rubbing his tired eyes. He did not answer immediately, waiting to complete his stretch and then sit back down before standing and re-organizing some papers on his desk, making sure that his plans were out of sight but that there was still work on the desk to signify that he had not just been sitting here twiddling his thumbs. ”Enter.”

Raliric's height was usually manageable, 6'6” and was average for that of a human, however the fact of the matter was that he had decreased his size during his transformation and he now stood at the almost giant-like height of 7'3", and was no longer human. Long black hair loosely falling about his well built, black scaled shoulders; its length, although curly, reached just below his shoulder blades. Icy, dark and cavernous orbs scanned the forest from the sockets of a black scaled, dragon like, rectangular face. Hard, rough, angular jaw set in a semi-permanent expression of emotionless, whilst also holding a frighteningly powerful visage; an aura of confidence and power exuded from this spawn of a fusion with cryaxian and dragon blood. It was obvious by his build that he was a warrior, it was muscular but well proportioned.

The uniform he wore was that of the Knights; trousers and coat were woven from the finest wool and dyed completely black; extra padding had been added to both to ensure comfort under armour as well as warmth in the colder seasons. The coat itself was sleeveless and contained upon the right breast the crest of the Knights. Under the coat a loose, sleeveless white shirt was worn, tucked into the top of his trousers, which flowed downward and over the tops of his boots, only exposing the feet rather than the usually shin also. He wasn’t wearing the usual leather gloves this evening, preferring his old pair of black leather braces, which had been given a new coat of black polish. Two pieces of braided leather were also tied to his upper arms to accentuate the contrasted colour of dark leather and bronzed flesh with toned muscles that could only be attributed to those whose profession entailed a great deal of physical work. His hair he combed and then tied back with a braided leather cord, enough so that it would stay behind his shoulders but still fall freely down his back to stop just under his shoulder blades. Lastly was the thick black wool cloak clasped around his neck and to one side of the black coat, it was large enough to fully engulf his six foot six inch form, yet he wore it back behind his shoulders and without the hood up. On the back of the cloak, coat and shirt, as well as on the breast of coat and shirt, the symbol of the Knights of the Argent Sword was colourfully sewn; the border of the crest was golden in colour; the pommel, cross guard and blade of the sword sewn in a rich silver with the grip of the sword in black with silver lines through it to make it appear like a grip with silver laid in a spiral pattern toward the hilt, the whole sword outlined in silver thread; the hammer had a brown haft with a silver head; the scepter was sewn with the colours of gold and silver; and lastly the lion in the background was made from oranges, yellows and light browns, making it appear as realistic as possible.

A smile was clearly seen upon the dragonic features as he looked upon the newest entrant to his office; his old friend, and his squire, Kurth Tathasir. ”It is good to see you again, my friend. It has been entirely too long, but even so this should not be rushed. Are you hungry? Thirsty?” He didn't wait for an answer, but simply moved over to a side table that contained a platter of fruits and a half eaten fowl, the Knight had yet to take a break to eat anything more than a bite or two. He poured two goblets from the jug of water, iced, and motioned for the human to sit on one of the available lounges. He set the goblets down, one in front of Kurth and one across from him where the Knight would be sitting. Then he picked up the try and placed it between them before sitting on the lounge opposite. ”Eat, drink, and tell me your story. Start from when you left and finish with your hopes for the future.” And then the Knight was silent, reaching over to rip a leg from the fowl and beginning to eat whilst he listened.

[Kurth Tathasir]

Kurth heard the voice from inside utter the word 'enter,' but the voice did not sound like the Raliric he knew. He spun the handle and opened the door inward, crossing the threshold to the room and stepping inside, closing the door behind him. He instantly froze, his eyes captivated on the dracon before him. Raliric... if it really was Raliric, had changed immensely since the last time he saw him. The Raliric he knew was human and much shorter than this dracon. He stiffened and broke the stare he had at the dracon's face and frantically searched his person for identifying marks, making sure this was really Raliric Ered`Gard in front of him. His eyes passed over the uniform and came to rest on the mighty crest emblazoned on the cloak. Surely the elf would not have been so stupid as to lead him to the wrong room.

His gaze at the crest was broken when Raliric said something and moved towards a tray of food. Kurth relaxed his frame and looked confused as realization dawned. It wasn't something all that uncommon, there were dracons in all parts of the Argent Sword, and he didn't have anything against dracons. He realized he had known Raliric for quite a few eras and he had never seen him out of his human form. He didn't even know he was a dracon, but Raliric must have had his own reasons for keeping it secret. Kurth straightened up when he realized he was addressed and did not even greet the man that had been his friend for so long. He gave a low bow and sputtered an embarrassed greeting.

"My apologies, sir. I was simply caught off guard. Please excuse my behaviour." Knowing Raliric would have told him to relax eventually anyway, he spred his legs shoulder-length apart and placed his hands, clasped, in front of his waist. "It is good to see you as well, my friend. My journey has been a long and arduous one." He was offered food, drink, and a seat, and he was glad to oblige. Kurth grabbed a piece of fruit and the glass of iced water and carefully took a seat opposite Raliric on the lounge. Raliric's request was met with a nod from the human and Kurth paused to take a bite out of his fruit and a long gulp from the water, before continuing.

He reclined to rest his back and started the long story about his father. He started off with the news he had heard from his friend Burak the engineer's apprentice in Taralon. Kurth withdrew the guard's paperwork and placed them in a disheveled pile before Raliric. He knew he was looking for his father as well, albiet for different reasons, so he might be more specifically interested in this particular tale being spun. Kurth continued with the story, meeting with his friend, and going to the house to investigate further. He told Raliric how, when he arrived, he found something that was not on any of the reports, the note attached to his bed with a knife. At this point he pulled out the folded note and placed it on the desk as well, the black ink letters standing out in contrast to the off-white paper.

Kurth took another bite of food and sip of water, and told how he got names of friends from his previous employer, checked the names through the Aedile, and found one that was still in town. He was pointed to Paxia, and after thoroughly searching the rest of Taralon, he moved on there. He detailed all the clues he had found there and how evidence pointed to Vortex. He also outlined how he traveled to Vortex, but that is where the trail went cold. This fact, he felt, didn't even need to be said. People in Vortex were cold and kept to themselves. Asking too many questions oft left you in a gutter with your throat slit. With more investigating and no more clues, Kurth decided to call it quits and head back here. Kurth took a long deep breath and let it out slowly, finishing off the water and the fruit, setting both on the tray in front of him.

"I feel that my father is, in fact, alive, and..." he reached for the note and held it up, calling attention to the hole in it due to it being punctured with a knife, " I do not believe this to be a good omen." He set the note down again and sighed, "I don't know what is going on, but whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about it."

[Raliric Ered`Gard]

”I understand entirely, Kurth. Many react the same when presented with my original form for the first time. It is a natural reaction. No doubt you are thinking that I may have betrayed you; that my assuming a human persona was a deception. I can assure you it was neither. It is an ability that I have and thus it, like all of my others, is there to be used. It was easier to do what I wished whilst in Human form and I made no secret of what I truly was. It will take time, but you will get used to this visage. A grin and a chuckle. Then he listened to all that the Squire had to say regarding where he had been.

”That is quite a story. So you never found where your father was? The clues simply dried up? Strange for them to have gone to such trouble and then quit so suddenly.” A scaled and talonned hand rose to scratch his dragonic chin whilst he thought for a few moments on what the human had said. ”I share your view, knives stuck in parchment with words such as that are not a good omen indeed. It is good that you returned to your friends. You are safe amongst us and you can continue to gain experience and perhaps, when whoever is trying to frighten you decides it is time to end your brightenings, you'll be ready to turn the tables.”

Another pause and then he moved on, relaying the later part of his question. ”So what are your hopes for the future? You are of course most welcome in Siona and amongst the Knighthood, however the Knighthood also guarantees the freedom of its members to do what they will so long as the knighthood is aware of it. Not exactly for reputation purposes, but so that we know where to look for you if you don't come back within an alloted amount of time. We do not wish to loose anymore Knights.”

[Kurth Tathasir]

Kurth watched Raliric as he spoke, nodding and agreeing with him at the appropriate times. It was at the last question that the human's brow furrowed. What were his hopes for the future? He didn't really know. He had short term goals sure. Find his father, bring him to justice, learn how to fight and help keep peace in the Empire. But those goals weren't very long term, and he wasn't too sure what he wanted to do after that. He could only train as a squire for so long... he needed something to do after that, be it a career, goal, or a simple outlook on life.

Sure, he was a follower of Jalat, but more for support in his life than anything else. He wasn't there to dedicate his entire life to him. At first he thought he wanted to, but the foolishness of the notion soon passed. And it was also true that he was a necromancer. But he saw that as more of a means to use the enemy's power against them. To manipulate the shadows and arcana to bring about the downfall of the true evil necromancers prowling the Empire. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that was his long term goal. Kurth took in a deep breath and spoke.

"I believe that my hopes for the future are to harness my gifts in combat expertise and use them to become a sort of elite troop. I want to become a warrior that need not rely on brute strength to overpower the enemy, but speed, agility and cunning. I want to be able to end the fight before it has even begun. Call it assassination, call it stealth, call it cloak and dagger - I believe that is where my skills are drawn." The human looked at his frame, as if willing Raliric to do the same.

"My body is small and fragile, I would do not as much good on the field of combat than I would in the shadows, silently taking out targets before they had much of a chance to fight back." His eyes wandered around as his face filled with what looked like guilt. "That isn't to say I want to become a simple thug, killing people for money, I don't believe people should die unless they have well deserved what is coming to them..." He had trailed off, picking up quickly once again, "But that isn't to say that those skills could not be invaluable in the Argent Sword. I am sure there could be use for talents and skill such as that. Correct?"

Kurth was unsure how Raliric would actually respond to this. The dracon was one of honor, and this style of combat that Kurth thought would suit him best was completely lacking in that. It was a profession that most people frowned upon for being what it was - secret, hidden, and deception. But he might as well try, there wasn't much to lose at this point.

[Raliric Ered`Gard]

Raliric did not immediately give away any emotion or expression to show displeasure or unacceptability, he simply sat there and considered what was being said. Thoughts running through his mind regarding the Knights, their new make up, where he would fit, how his training should proceed, everything seemed to go through that commander's mind before finally he spoke. ”I understand completely and there are indeed uses for those talents and skills. There are several members of the Knighthood who employ those skills quite often. However they employ them with a degree of sensitivity that makes it acceptable. We all have, after all, killed someone at some point or another, whether in self-defense or when in a battle. The difference between a soldier and an assassin is how they kill. We do not condone assassins who take pleasure in killing. But we do have assassins and spies who employ their talents and skills for necessity.” Having said that he tapped his quill upon the desk, pondering where he could use Kurth the most.

”Alright, you are still going to be my Squire Kurth, however all squires move from Knight to knight to learn different things. For now I will be assigning you as a Squire within the First Squad of the First Company of the Knights. Your commander will be Nydilaba, and your second in command will be Corporal Honotia, you will assist a person within that squad named Roald, you wouldn't have met him before. But there are also some within that squad whom you are familiar with. This squad will basically be with me most of the time, or will be sent in to do the hardest work; First Squad and Second Squad. It will be hard, your talents will be tested, but you will be learning from the best.” He stood and took something from a draw which was held in his fist. ”You must be dedicated, I am taking a chance with you that I would not do for many others.” He then passed a pin over to the squire, it would signify his status and that he was a squire to the Knight Champion.

[Kurth Tathasir]

Kurth nodded his head in agreement with Raliric, he was listening intently.

"I concur. I do not enjoy killing - but at the same time I do see the need for it, and even if the need is filled, I see that being where my specific skill set is leading me."

Kurth frowned slightly as Raliric spoke about putting him with a company of knights. Alright, sure, he would still be his squire, but he had imagined a more personal role. He quickly shook this thought off - he wasn't a lap dog. Raliric meant the best by doing this, putting him with others where he could train quickly and become more skilled as time passed as opposed to being with just Raliric. The dracon was a busy knight, and he didn't have much time for personal training all the time. Nydilaba and the others knights in that squad had more potential to train him than any of the other knights, though, so the human was grateful for his Liege's generosity.

"Yes sir, I am dedicated. I will do the best I can."

Kurth looked almost surprised as the dracon handed him a small pin. He wondered at first what is was for, but then he saw what was on it, the emblem of the Argent Sword, and realized it was probably to signify he was Raliric's squire. Although, since everyone wore something with the emblem on it, he didn't know specifically how that worked. He took a minute or so to fasten the pin to his black knight's cloak, just to the left of the clasp and beneath where the the hood ended when folded down. He looked uneasy as he clicked it into place and looked back and Raliric, his hands folding back into his lap.

"What now, sir?"

[Raliric Ered`Gard]

”A very good question Kurth. You've got everything you need at the moment, all that is left is your allocate residence. Now you can stay within the Knight's Compound, or you can stay in the Citadel, or you can be given an apartment within the town itself. We don't mind. Other than that, you are free to do as you please, at least for the rest of this season anyhow. Think of it as a welcome break before hard work. You can train, or socialize or... well whatever you like. The best person to ask about your housing arrangements would be the Aedile.” He gave directions to the Aedile before extending his hand for a shake.

”I usually have a little spar with my fellows in the Knight's Compound training field if you are up for a bit of a bout. If so, meet me there mid brightening two brightenings from now. Your sword against my hammer.”

[Kurth Tathasir]

Kurth nodded as Raliric told him the directions for the rest of the season and the way to the Aedile. He stood up from his seat and shook the dracon's hand with a tight grip. He was about to turn to leave when the knight added something about a sparring match the two brightenings from then at about mid brightening. Kurth allowed a small grin to escape his lips as he nodded and replied.

"I look forward to it."

Kurth bowed, as was traditional for him when meeting or leaving people he respected, and turned to leave the office. Drawing his cloak tighter about him, and touching the pin on his shoulder just to make sure it was real, the human opened the heavy wooden door. He glanced back at Raliric, grinned wryly again, exited, and closed the door gently behind him. Descending the stairs slowly, enjoying this time to himself before he started training, he reached the bottom door, exited through it, closed it behind him, and head out into the courtyard. Considering he needed a place to stay tonight, he supposed he could rest after he got an apartment from the Aedile.

And with that, Kurth disappeared into the crowd of knights and soldiers milling about the courtyard as usual.

OOC: End of thread.