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CCC
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 4:28 am |
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The journey to the Pandion chapterhouse is largely uneventful. Sir Ulath takes you out by a different gate, and some distance around the outside of the city walls.
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This time, the three knights who ride out to greet you are different. But the entrance ceremony is the same.
"Who seeks entry into the house of the Pandions?" asks the lead knight.
"I, Sir Ulath of the Genidian Knights, seek entry for myself, my companions, and their carriages."
"And how may we know you, Sir Ulath of the Genidian Knights?"
"By these three may you know me - by my face, and by my voice, and by this pendant."
The Pandions make a show of carefully inspecting Sir Ulath's pendant.
"And how may we know your companions, Sir Ulath of the Genidian Knights?"
"By their faces you may know them; by their voices you may know them."
The three Pandions ceremonially inspect each of the guests, before continuing.
"Then enter our chapterhouse and be welcome, Sir Ulath of the Genidians, Felix of the Terrans, Nathan of the Terrans, Arkady of the Terrans, and Piper of the Styrics."
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Once inside the courtyard, Preceptor Vanire comes out to greet you again. "Greetings, gentlemen. I hope your quest met with some success?" He slightly adjusts the sword he wears at his belt - twelve swords, raised in salute, in a circle - and Arkady recognises the sword.
It's one of the twelve from the throne room.
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balthazar
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:11 am |
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"Well, it wasn't easy, but we got the important bits done."
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Kajin
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 3:25 pm |
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Felix nods.
"We were able to get an agreement stating that the Fangorn forest and neighboring swamp was ours," Felix says. "I must inform my fellow Terrans of the good news."
With that, Felix heads back to the truck to get the radio. From there, he'll inform Captain Argent of the agreement and inquire into the status of the colony in their time away.
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weremensh
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:24 pm |
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Arkady shrugs. "Actually, they belong to Sir Ulath; the regent was kind enough to give it to him because he is allowed to own land. He is kind enough to allow us to use it until one of us is allowed to own land. In exchange for all this kindness, the Terrans will be kind enough to tithe to the Elene Church. Me, I'm unkind enough to suspect that if he isn't watched carefully, the Primate will be getting most of the benefit of our donations."
"After all these kind words, we stopped briefly in the throne room and met the Earl you mentioned. We also saw the crystal. Tell me if you will; did you have anything to do with casting that spell, Preceptor?"
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CCC
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:38 am |
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"No need to hurry," says Vanire, amused at the haste with which Felix dives into the truck. "You're still five day's ride from the forest!"
Still grinning, he nods at Arkady's question. "You may be right about the Primate," he says, "Raven's been drawing heavily out of the Elene treasury, and he may well be looking for additional sources of income. I recommend sending the tithes to Chyrellos directly, going over his head. And yes, I was present when the spell was cast. Why, is there something you'd like to ask about it?"
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In the truck, Felix fires up the radio and puts on his headphones -
"- some strange stuff in their pockets, guv. Good eyes, though. I mean, one of them spotted me. Me!
- but before he can report in, he starts picking up transmissions from the various radios the Terrans had given out.
"Primate, report from the East gate. They left the city fifteen minutes ago."
Felix may be regretting the fact that both radios are transmitting on the same frequency.
"Good. Hopefully that'll help keep that ego of yours in check. Decorative, you say?"
"Well, at least they're out of our hair for the moment. Where's Harparin?"
The background interference is enough to make voices hard to recognise, and it can be difficult to hear when people in the two locations start talking over each other, but apart from that the ruse appears to have worked.
"It's time for us to start moving more directly against the Pandions."
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Kajin
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 2:13 am |
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"Huh, the gambit worked," Felix mutters under his breath. Turning to the group, he beckons Nathan, Arkady and Preceptor Vanire over. While they walk over he switches on a recording device to make sure he gets everything. "You might want to hear this, the radio trick might be paying off sooner than expected."
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balthazar
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 2:37 am |
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"Now we're talking. What's the scuttlebut, skipper?"
Nate sidles over and slides on a pair of headphones, before smoothly adjusting a dial to suppress a bit of squelch.
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Kajin
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 3:30 am |
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"We got chatter coming in from that little thief and the Primate as well," Felix replies. "Unfortunately I forgot to change the channels so they're all broadcasting on the same frequency, not to mention all of this feedback... Still need to sort that out later."
Felix relays what was mentioned thus far while he fiddles with the recording device.
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weremensh
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:34 pm |
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Arkady comments to Vanire: "There are colors of light you can't be seeing with your eyes which lie past both ends of the rainbow. One of them, somewhere past red, is very good at shining long distances and around obstacles. We call that color 'radio'."
Pointing at the long range radio, he continues: "This gadget can glow, and see, that color. That's how Felix intends to tell our people back at the ship what happened. By some chance we were also leaving the Primate and a local thief a pretty little present which can glow, but not see, that color; so we can be hearing what they are saying near the presents but they can not hear us. We did forget to say that they can glow, so they don't know we can hear them. We were careless, I fear."
"Which reminds me. If a chapter house of knights needs somewhere to expand, to get away from things and perhaps discuss the Elene church with people who have never heard of it, I think the Terrans would be happy to help support them once we have a surplus. At least I will strongly suggest it, and for now I am one of their ambassadors."
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CCC
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 1:25 am |
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Arkady's explanation of how a radio works causes Vanire to simply look even more lost, but he holds his questions in order to more clearly hear what's been said over the radio. How it works, after all, is a good deal less important than the fact that it works. (After all, the idea of mysterious invisible colours carrying sound is just ludicrous...)
"You know the castle of Count Radu(garbled)"
"(garbled)at do they look like?
"On the road between Darra and Sarrinium?"
"That's the place. I want you to meet with Krager, and have him pass a message on to Martel. He's to gather up all the men he needs, dress them in black armour have them *krrrssssshhhhh* banners of the Pandion Knights. They're to travel to Count Radun's castle. He's pious enough that he'll let them in without question. Once he's in, he and his men are to kill the menfolk His wife and unmarried daughters are to (garbled)"
"(garbled) almost as pale as a Styric(garbled)"
"(garbled) killed once they're done. Everyone is to be killed except the churchmen; make sure they witness it all, then let them go."
"And what's this?"
"Dunno. It was in thei(garbled)"
"(garbled) word of the atrocity to King Dregos?"
"It looks a bit like a crossbow stock. Without the crossbow."
"Yes, but I'll also want a fast messenger to let me know when it's happened. We can use this incident to have the Pandions (garbled)"
"(garbled) sort of weapon?"
"Dunno. Could be."
"(garbled) carry the message? He wouldn't expect to live afterward."
"Tell him to have the messenger drop Count Radun's signet ring in the coll(garbled)"
"(garbled)solutely no knowledge abou(garbled)"
"I'll know what it means as soon as I see it."
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Kajin
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 1:53 am |
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"Well, Preceptor Vanire," Felix says, his face pale with fear. "It sounds like you and your men about to be framed for murder most foul, among other unsavory things. Do you know of these locations they're speaking of? It might be a good idea for us to move out and intercept this atrocity before it ever occurs."
He idly checks his pockets to see if that scamp somehow made off with his gun.
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balthazar
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 2:05 am |
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Nate checks his sidearms to make sure they're still there, before turning to the preceptor.
"I can have the Primate dead before sunrise. Just give the word."
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CCC
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 2:46 am |
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Felix and Nathan both still have their sidearms.
"I know where Count Radun lives," says Vanire, staring into the distance. "Krager's a drunkard and a coward with no signs of a conscience. And Martel... Martel's a former Pandion, expelled from the Order. He does know what our banners look like."
He considers the matter for a few moments, then asks "This, that we heard, it is being said right now? In the city? There's no appreciable delay involved?"
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Kajin
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 2:52 am |
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"This conversation is happening as we speak," Felix replies. "The radio waves these devices emit travel at incredibly fast speeds. At most we might be getting a mere moment of delay, depending on distance. I can use this device to send a message to my people back in the Fangorn forest and get a reply back from them as fast as they can speak it."
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CCC
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 3:47 am |
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"Can you use this device to send a message to Count Radun?" asks Vanire.
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