Quest The Truth Revealed (Bolivar, Orion, Sagitta, Ellen)

[Accolade]

Accolade

Winter 1st, 513 AV

What started out as a myth had come to be known as truth, and the legend of the Rogue Knight was born. Some saw him as a vigilante, others as a criminal, but all agreed that he was dangerous and very real. The Knights on the other hand didn't seem to think so, or even care.

That was until they caught him and buried him away in the lowest part of the castle where screams didn't even rise above the ceiling, or could be heard through the walls. The Knights interrogated the man, who refused to say a word. However in the end it didn't matter, the Konti seer's were able to tell them all that they needed to know, and the villain's sentencing came swift and harsh....execution.

It was winter now, and the first of the snow started to fall. Not much would stick for the time being, but the winds were plenty chilly enough to cause the people to seek furs for their backs. Most of the Knights were still at their post and patrolling the city and the area around it. However, there were a select number that had been called into a meeting.

Called for reasons of note, the Knights in attendance were also told to bring their Squires along. In the end the number of members included were enough to seat a small theater. They were called to a meeting in the grand hall were the Knights ate their meals during celebrations and the birthdays of Lorens and Petri.

The Knights and company all sat at the long table on the left, and the Squires were seated at the table to the right. Stanton Alber, Theron Stalinsa, Alexander Valini, and Dinah Lorene were all in attendance. They all knew that the supposed Rogue Knight had been caught, and it was obvious what the end result would be....death.

The hall was abuzz with talk and gossip on both sides of the room, and everyone wanted to know what the surprise meeting was about and the punishment that was to come for the rogue. Atriso Baroth headed down the stairwell leading into the chamber that would take him into the grand hall where everyone waited the big news.

OOCAlright guys, sorry for the long wait. Because of back log this quest has been moved up to the start of winter. For this thread, you all should be dressed in your Officer's uniform

x

[Sagitta]

Sagitta kept shifting in her seat, uncomfortable in the officer uniform. All around her, the squires were talking, trying to figure out what was this whole gathering was about. Why only a few was invited to the meeting? Will the execution be today? The girl with blonde hair however stayed uncharacteristically quiet. She hadn't spot any familiar faces so far, except those she saw in passing in the dorms - though that might her fault, since she kept to herself in training and in the dorms. For the hundredth time, she tugged at the leather gloves that were part of the uniform. At least it was winter and the layered clothing shielded her from most of the cold.

Earlier, Stanton had burst into her suite and tossed her a set of outfit, telling her that she needed to dress for a meeting. He didn't say much about it, but she could guess what it was all about. The Rogue Knight, of course. It had sent the whole Syliras buzzing when the knights captured the infamous character. As intriguing as it was, Sagitta couldn't quite understand why she would be included in such an event. She wasn't the best of the squires nor the worst - though she was probably close to it.

Nevertheless, there were so much rumor regarding the rogue that she couldn't help being curious. And impressed, He had evaded capture from the knights for some time - and she knew for a fact that it was no easy feat. Who was he, really? What did he want?

Feeling somewhat nervous, Sagitta turned her head, trying to catch sight of her patron knight on the other table. It wasn't hard to find him, solemnly listening to his fellow knights - almost like she did. He wore a similar uniform as she did - well, as the rest of the present knights and squires, that is. As if he felt her gaze, he looked up and cocked an eyebrow at his squire.

"What's going on?" she mouthed among the buzz in the room.

Stanton proved to be an excellent lip reader. He shrugged in response, his eyes telling her to be patient. Sagitta sighed and turned back to the squires sitting near her, listening to what they have to say.

[Ellen Ansgot]

"Maybe one of these days I'll collect on that bet, huh Orion?" Ellen said a bit teasingly. It had been a while since the two had talked, and even longer since her least fond memory of since before becoming a squire. That day didn't often come into her thought though, as she tended to avoid anything so dramatic. With a room so silent, it felt as if the sound of nothing was becoming maddening. Ellen was becoming itchy, and something needed to be said. While all of their patrons were on the other side of the table she continually shot glances at Alexander, seeing if he would turn to give her any kind of information as to their wait. Two of the three other squires at the table had spent previous time with Ellen, so she wasn't too uncomfortable waiting with them. The third member of their small sitting party was of an unknown name to Ellen. After just a few ticks of being stationary, Ellen shifted around her chain shirt, never feeling anywhere comfortable in things like this. The rest of the uniform she had no real problems with, but something about wearing chain had always bothered Ellen. Being a dutiful squire required her to wear it, no matter how much she despised the thing. Someone had to break the silence. "What do you make of this whole thing Bolivar. I mean, this knight is so elusive, and somehow we caught him. Why haven't we just executed him already? What do you suppose we're all here for?" They were all legitimate questions, and she partly wanted to show off to her patron that she wasn't completely lost in the world of socialization anymore. She had friends. Right? It seemed odd that these specific squires were chosen, as she knew two of them. Perhaps the others knew this third squire of an unknown name. Waits were something Ellen was generally good at, but this one was killing her. Being called for something like the rogue knight was interesting, and kept her wondering why they hadn't already done something about him. She couldn't bear to keep waiting for the return of their patrons. Even while she waited for Orion's retort, and Bolivar's answer, she couldn't help but to keep turning to see her patron. The only time she got anything close to a comforting response was an odd smile, as if to say "Just wait a bit longer." Though it wasn't very satisfying or comforting, she accepted that there was nothing she could do about it.

[Bolivar]

"Is he a knight? I wonder about that."

It wouldn't be wrong to infer that Bolivar had mixed thoughts on this meeting. Of course tracking down the rogue knight was a nice break for the Syliran knights but there were still too many unknowns surrounding him to end it there. The general consensus of an execution also seemed a bit too hastened on the knight's part. Would that even work? They were dealing with too many unknowns and they seemed bent on rushing the issue. Rushing never really appealed to the squire. Too many problems can arise, too many things can go wrong and Bolivar was now questioning if it was prudent to execute the Rogue Knight at all. Of course he would not say that aloud just yet.

"Aren't we bloodthirsty?"

Casting a distasteful look at Ellen's choice of words Bolivar sat calmly awaiting further instruction. Wearing a variation of the officer's uniform that was way too colorful for his tastes, a mix of blue and silver. To his this was just another day of being a city defender. This wasn't his first meeting and it probably wouldn't be his last. So Bolivar calmly sat down with an air of professionalism and familiarity with odd circumstances. Everything would be explained soon so long as they were patient.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion was exhausted. He and his patron had only returned from a patrol to the Bronze Woods that previous evening, and there they were, called into duty immediately. The Rogue Knight had been caught or some nonsense. Well, it wasn't nonsense, but Orion's mind was elsewhere. He'd barely had time to get cleaned up, dressed, and get to the Grand Hall in time. It wasn't that he overslept, or didn't have enough time accomplish what he'd needed to. No, there was a rather important development while he was out that could have changed everything.

His child was born.

A long evening and morning spent over at Hadyn's had expended what energy Orion had left, but he was there, dutifully there. Not spending time with Emily, not spending time with the newborn, not even helping out Hadyn, whatever they were to one another. It was an absolute mess.

Glazed over eyes stared off blankly past the crowd of knights. Hushed whispers joined together into a loud concoction of barely controlled chaos as everyone tried to figure out just what exactly was going on. They knew the general purpose, they knew the execution was coming, but what purpose had it served to gather them all in such a manner, as though it was something worth celebrating entirely.

Orion jumped in his place when Ellen's voice sang out. Wearily, the elder squire turned to the young woman, a half smile on his lips. He’d met her earlier the previous season, in a rather heated spar no less. He could still hear Weaponmaster Lucius’ voice ringing out as he challenged and mocked Orion while simultaneous heralding the praises of the little blonde squire. A bet made to challenge the weaponmaster’s authority had yet to be collected on. ”If you’re that keen on it,” he began, reaching over to give Ellen a nudge on her shoulder,”we could slip out of here and cash it in now.”

Even when tired, the man was a cad through and through.

He shifted uncomfortably in the officer’s uniform, the chain rubbing awkwardly as he tried to readjust it. He’d set it improperly in his haste and fatigue, needing to take a moment to fix it proper. Not that there was really any reason for him to need to. They were amongst knights and squires. The Rogue Knight was theirs.

Dinah stood some distance away, deep in conversation with other higher ranking knights. While she’d rarely spoken to him on it, he knew that this specter which seemed to haunt the halls of Syliras had been weighing on her. He’d eluded them for so long and acted on his own accord and the knights simply could not have some vigilante force acting out, even if the acts were seemingly those of ‘justice’.

Orion did not pay much attention to anything else that was going on around him, at least not until Atriso Baroth made his appearance down the grand staircase leading into the hall. His glossed eyes shifted from nothing to his general direction as he waited on whatever announcement he had to make.

[Accolade]

Accolade

Atriso Baroth entered the bustling room, but at that moment all the chatter slowly ceased until not a whisper could be heard. He had the floor now and with his guards stationed to his sides, the Knight looked even more impressive. Baroth moved further into the room, stepping closer to the table where the Knights were seated. He nodded to the group and gave a glance at the squire's table, before he moved into the center and stood between both tables.

Many knights knew of the Caption, the rumors that he was a soldier half dead and half alive wasn't uncommon even amongst the squires. Atriso was a well respected Knight and honorable man. He looked regal in his attire. Black wool, sweater and pants with the pins of his office upon his collar, and a longsword at his hip. He didn't smile as he looked around, his voice leaving his throat in a low monotone that just barely reached the level to be heard by all in attendance.

"We have captured the man known as the Rogue Knight and we have him imprisoned here in an isolated cell. His name is Zavik, a Drykas who worked in the butcher shop. Now we all know of the troubles that the Drykas have brought us in the past. This one decided to take things further. We have learned that he wasn't in league with the others that kidnapped the people of the city, but had his own motives. He has been judged and his sentence is execution."

Baroth had more to add, there was more to the story. Things had been revealed during their investigation and there was more to it than a simple grass man gone wild. However it wasn't as easy as slapping the manacles and carting another away. This next step would have to be done just as secretly as the first. The lesser people knew about it, the less chance the assailant had to get away. However, for the time, they had the execution to think about.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you are here and I'll get to that now. During our investigation we learned that this man wasn't acting alone. There was another, or others involved and they've been acting right under our noses..in this order. Your names have all been cleared but the others are still out there and that's where this group comes in. The truth is.." He paused a moment, looking from table to table. "Zavik, the so called Rogue Knight has already been executed. It was done in secret last night. But we have allowed the word to leak, saying that he is still alive and given several locations where he might be found.

Our hope is that the person or persons involved will come to rescue him or silence him before he talks and that's where we will have them. The majority of you will be stationed here, around the Dyres District. Even with our leaked intel this fort is still the most likely to house the criminal. I will also need volunteers to stake out the Warehouse and the Nettle District. There is a warehouse building with a secret underground bunker that is barely used, and a shop near the Bazaar that is really a hidden cell block. I need teams to man both these post in case someone tries to break in."

The once silent room was swept by whispers, and the Knights and Squires looked around to see who would volunteer. The Caption was right, where they were was the place that would most likely see the action and no one wanted to miss out, still someone had to stand up. It took a few moments but the first of two would stand. Stanton and Theron volunteered to watch the Warehouse and Alexander and Dinah volunteered to watch the shop. Baroth was pleased enough and with the business done he adjourned the meeting so that they could all get to work.

x

[Sagitta]

Three particular squires that sat near her seemed to know each other, yet even they did not share many words in this tensed room. One of them she had met near the Silkwater Lake - Bolivar. Everyone was preoccupied by the current news of the Rogue Knight and their meeting here simply added to the mystery.

Unable to simply dwell in the silence, Sagitta spoke up, "I'm Sagitta and-" Her words were caught off as she caught a movement at the corner of her eyes. A man who must be Atriso Baroth strode into the room with an air of authority and she followed everyone's lead to quiet down. He certainly looked quite intimidating.

It was a surprise when she heard the implications that there might be traitors among them. As far as she could tell, the Syliran Knights are well-known for their ethics and though there was no way for their system to be flawless, the thought of a mole hiding deep in their Order was a disturbing thought. Then again, she should know better than most people that you can never tell well one's loyalty lie. She had betrayed a lot of people before, at her last life and didn't even think twice about it to save her own skin.

That's why she's here now. To show the world that she could change, that that life was literally behind her and she had every intention to be a better person.

When Stanton had stood up as one of the first to volunteer, Sagitta had pressed her lips tightly together. She guessed that would mean she would be dragged along as well. It was not that she resented the idea, but she worried that she might be a dead-weight for the Order when burdened with such an important task.

Atriso Baroth soon dismissed the whole lot of them, telling them to go to their posts and wait to see what happens. The Ethaefal had expected an execution and she was thrown into something much, much harder. What if someone actually came to the warehouse? What if they couldn't capture whoever it was? And maybe get killed? Sagitta shook the thought away. That was not the best thoughts to have right now. They could handle it.

"Good luck to you all," the Ethaefal said to the squires with a grim smile. Eager to get moving, if no one had anything else to say, Sagitta would rushed to her patron's side and started to question him about the details.

[Ellen Ansgot]

Priskil save me from this man. Of course Ellen would get stuck with Orion, it seemed fitting after all they'd been through so far, which in truth wasn't actually much. A dynamic trip was sure to be in the future, though the young lady squire would be sure to watch herself around Alexander. The man had praised her to Dinah before, and in their first meeting, Ellen had disappointed Dinah. Determined to recover her slip, Ellen would be on her absolute best behavior tonight. Vigilant, persistent, obeying every order, the squire would be an exemplary model of a knight in training. Not another snide remark would be made to Orion, not like before, not like she had almost become used to, and not the way she had done only chimes earlier. Orion would be nothing but another squire, better yet to act as if she didn't know him. Not completely, she would remember his name, but she would also be cold, seeming to have no recollection of their fight and meetings before tonight. There would be far too many more important things to be worried about. The news that the rogue knight had already been executed was somewhat of a shock to Ellen. She was expecting to interrogate him, guard his cell, recapture him, but not to find out that he was already a lifeless corpse. Part of her would have liked to meet the man behind the mask, but it seems that this longing would now be forever unsatisfied. The decision was not any of her business anyways. More powerful knights than she were definitely involved in the idea, and Ellen had a complete trust that these other knights knew what they were doing when the order was given. His fate was determined far before this though, and part of her knew this. The Knights had a very simple policy when it came to things like this. An individual never went to plead his guilt or innocence, only to argue the ends to which the crime was punished. This man, Zavik, had obviously done far more damage than was repayable by work in the mines. Knights stood, volunteering for positions, deciding where in the city they would be taking watch. Alexander stood, along with Dinah, and it seemed the two would be heading into the Nettle District. After patrons had claimed locations, squires rose after them to follow. Everyone seemed rather calm, no one too nervous about being sent out to watch for the imminent intrusions. Inside, Ellen was incredibly nervous. There wasn't too much of a reason to be, being with two knights, and another squire, but part of her was a bit scared to be heading out to watch for the men who would come for the Rogue Knight. It felt as if they were almost asking for some trouble. The thought was brushed aside, nothing bad could happen around her patron, she was sure they would be fine. Standing to fall in behind Alexander and Dinah, Ellen gave a half hearted smile to acknowledge the wishing of luck by the other squire she still didn't know the name of. As the four grouped up to head into the Nettle District, Ellen turned to Orion saying "It seems the intrepid duo has reunited again huh?" A small laugh followed after, accompanied by the slightest of grins. One joke couldn't hurt too much right? Maybe her patron would actually be proud of her for trying to talk with others. Perhaps Alexander would be mad at her joking in such a serious time. Neither would be much of a surprise, but it seemed that no reaction was received at all, as if the talking was expected of her, not something to be rewarded or scrutinized. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and trying to keep her mind completely straight in the moment, she took on an incredibly serious attitude from this tick on. Awaiting further instruction from the patrons, Ellen was beginning to be ready for anything that was about to come. OOCSuper sorry about the wait guys, got really caught up in holiday stuff!

[Bolivar]

Just a Drykas?

Bolivar raised his eye at that.

Really? The Rogue Knight seemed to embrace a dynamic figure that was larger then life being able to avoid the knight order for so long. Of course that might have been the squire's creativity getting the better of him. If Bolivar was being honest with himself he found himself respecting the amount of skill and dedication this man represented. But a Drykas? It was hard to believe the Rogue Knight was a mere mortal after all.

Already executed?

That was questionable but Bolivar knew what measures the knights entitled themselves to. No matter what anyone else might say this was the knight's city and their words were law. The mixed blood reluctantly accepted this show of power and moved on.

Why were they telling us this?

The reason came after. A trap. Simple enough, tactical yet with a lack of tact. Let it be known that the knights are not above deception of their own to ensure the safety of the city. Though if he had to make a choice. The Nettle district would have been the pick. Of couse Theron had other plans as he signed the both of them to guard the warehouse. A wry smile broke out form the squire's face. Of course given his family's tradition his patron would opt to take the more job orientated area.

"Looks like I'll be watching over the warehouse with Theron."

Watching the looks of the other squires around him Bolivar tried to pick out which lucky squire was on duty over there besides him. Watching Sagitta's face tighten as the knight besides Theron volunteered Bolivar assumed the worst. Which wasn't all too bad. The nervous mood from the squire group though. That was teetering on unbearable as Bolivar simply let a breathe out to answer the meek responses.

"Well the sooner this is over with the sooner we can get on with our lives."

Stepping forward a few paces Bolivar waved over to the remaining squires that had lingered.

"Come along. Best not leave our patrons waiting."

[Orion Michaels]

Orion focused on the knight’s words, listening as he explained the situation. The entire thing was preposterous as it were, this rogue knight and all. It didn’t seem possible that someone could run so rampant underneath the knights’ noses. There were so many knights and only one of him. It seemed that the armored warriors patrolled every inch of the citadel’s stone corridors, so for one man to cause so much trouble was quite surprising. In the end, they had caught him, however, so there was little more to be said on the matter.

After all, the harsh judgment of the knights was swift.

Executed so quickly?

He assumed that they got what they needed out of the man and called it good, though it was surprising that it had been done so hastily. Orion frowned as he listened to the knight continue to speak, explaining the purpose between their gathering of so many.

It makes sense. No one could operate so well alone. Maybe someone had been helping hide this man after his crimes?

Crossing his arms, Orion did the only thing he could do. That was wait. He was simply a squire, and the decision was with the full knights and patrons for just where they would act. Some worry seeped into the blue eyed man’s thoughts with the plan that was set before them. Would so many knights moving so suddenly cause concern to whoever it was that was working with or for this Rogue Knight? It seemed a tactical misstep, but Orion was by no means a master of such things. Add the exhaustion on top of the mix and he wasn’t sure if he should believe in his worries.

I’ve got to trust in my leaders.

It was the most simple of conclusions.

After Baroth finished, Orion waited until the knights had discussed where they would be staking out. It shouldn’t have surprised him who he would be paired up with. He and Dinah. Ellen and Valini. It was an absolute joke. Alexander hated Orion, and he’d made it quite clear when they’d met. He viewed Orion as a worthless squire, a waste of time. And he’d lost a spar to Ellen that he performed in front of Weaponmaster Lucius Antinous, who was another who didn’t care much for Orion and the way he’d been.

He nodded to Ellen, replying to her with nothing more than a smile before turning his focus to Dinah and waiting instructions. She would be the lead in their little group of four, Orion assumed. She was by far the senior knight, and she’d shown the ability to take control of a group before, or she wouldn’t have ascended to such a post. Orion had the utmost faith in his patron, having seen her in the midst of life or death combat. The companions of that rogue knight would be nothing.