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Holmes: Isadora and Okhfels approach the Red Rapiers posh dueling club building.
Isadora barely met Okhfels by their arranged time--she'd been off talking to Merudian's father the baron--and is visibly trying to pull her focus together as they arrive.
Isadora: "I feel very theatrical," she grumbles from inside her hood.
Okhfels: Okhfels gives Isadora look of concern. "Good. You might need to do some acting before this is done."
Okhfels: Okhfels slips Isadora in by one of the side ways. It's early in the morning, or else late in the evening depending on how you measure your time.
Isadora: "I haven't done much with spirits since the lake," she reminds him, probably the real thing she's fretting about.
Okhfels: "I don't trust this to anyone else. I want to make sure of what I felt when I did their initiation ritual."
Isadora: "Well, let's hope I do a better job of charming blood spirits than badgers. If nothing else, we've more in common."
Okhfels: Okhfels chuckles. "I'm sure you'll get along just fine..."
Okhfels: "I just wish I knew for sure where the thing lives." Okhfels peers cautiously into the main chamber of the hall.
Okhfels: Seeing it mostly empty (except for a few RR's sleeping off a night's revelry here and there) Okhfels pulls Isadora into the hall, in front of the great fireplace. He's looking around carefully. "Hm... everything is here, that was there the other night..."
Okhfels: "Do you see anything... spirit-y?"
Holmes: As Okhfels says this, he suddenly feels a rush as though the blood is rushing to his head. He can hear the sounds as a voice asking why he's come.
Isadora, oblivious to what Okhfels feels, shakes her head. "Nothing."
Okhfels: Okhfels puts his hands to his temples. This is not a comfortable feeling. "I wanted to thank you for telling me about the danger my wife was in the other night. You saved her life."
Holmes: The blood surging through Okhfels speaks only dimly. He does become aware of two things, however. First, if he wants to hear better, he'll need to work up a sweat and get his blood pumping harder.
Holmes: Second, The Blood doesn't seem to care much about his thanks one way or another.
Okhfels: Without a word, Okhfels pulls Isadora close and kisses her deeply.
Isadora: "Mmf?"
Okhfels: "I need to get my blood pumping to hear it," he whispers.
Isadora presses herself tightly against Okhfels and grips one hand tightly in his hair, kissing him like they were the only people in the room with nothing else to do all night.
Okhfels: And as the camera turns towards the fire...
Okhfels: Okhfels, lying on the floor before the embers in the fireplace, speaks once again to "The Blood." "I thank you for warning me about my wife. You saved her life."
Holmes: The Blood seems pleased, but Okhfels senses that it's because of what he and Isadora have just done. Again it doesn't seem impressed by his thanks.
Isadora: "Someday, when I want to murder my mother, I'm going to tell her all about my life," Isadora mutters, eyeing the rest of the room while Okhfels communes.
Okhfels: Again, to the Essence, Okhfels says, "I want to remove Merudian as head of the Red Rapiers. I want your blessing."
Holmes: The response Okhfels gets is "Blood begets Blood. Honorable Blood leads."
Okhfels: "I see..."
Okhfels: Okhfels drops out of his reverie, and gathers Isadora up to start bringing her out of the hall. "I got an answer," he says quietly, "But I don't know exactly what it means yet."
Isadora: "That's spirits for you," she says. "As long as it didn't say anything about smiting, we should go ahead as planned."
Holmes: As they get up, a pair of young well dressed men come waltzing into the room, armed with practice rapiers, looking ready for a late practice.
Holmes: As they spy Okhfels and Isadora, one says, "What have we here?"
Okhfels: "We're done using the room," quips Okhfels. "Go on ahead." He gives them a nod and a wink and a salacious, cat-that-ate-the canary smile.
Isadora, pulling her head back into her lady-of-the-evening cloak, starts thinking about killing Merudian.
Okhfels: Okhfels, on the other hand, just wants to get out of the hall without trouble.... for now.
Holmes: "Oh, but why not stay?" one says. "I saw your performance the other day, and I wouldn't mind seeing if you're really that good, or just lucky."
Holmes: Isadora can see in the exchange of glances between these two, that they know something more than they're letting on. They know something that they think can get them in good with somebody high up. Merudian in all likelihood.
Holmes: "So, care to try me on the floor, big man?" says the one youth.
Okhfels: Okhfels glances down at Isadora. "I really ought to bring this lady back where she belongs."
Isadora: "Walking home at night scares me," Isadora says helpfully, looking down at her feet and clasping her hands in front of her.
Okhfels: Okhfels smiles. "See? Can't say no to that, can I?"
Holmes: The man defers with a nod and a smile, drawing his rapier...not the practice one, Isadora notes.
Okhfels: "Live steel, brother?"
Isadora: "If you want to go ahead to do your thing," Isadora murmurs just behind Okhfels' shoulder, "I'll keep these two busy."
Okhfels: Okhfels feels disinclined to leave. He waits for an answer from the rake.
Holmes: The young nobleman turns to Okhfels and says, "Why not? So much the better in this hall."
Holmes: He gestures about, and Okhfels understands that he's indicating the guardian.
Okhfels: "Alright then," he says, "I accept your challenge." He gives Isadora an apologetic look as he turns and strides out into the open space in the hall.
Isadora rolls her eyes, trusting to the hood to hide it--she wouldn't mind, but she's barred from participating herself.
Holmes: *
Holmes: *
Okhfels: Okhfels leaves his challenger alive, but makes sure that he draws his blood.
Holmes: The stain runs on the red carpet, but is soon absorbed by the guardian of the club.

Holmes: The group, still tired from having climbed the escarpment the previous day can see through a gap in the trees before them the glittering domes and spires of the city of Ardania. "So should we just waltz in?" asks Zorun. "Or is there a better way?"
Lana: Lana turns to Tez, 'You familiar with the city?'
Tez scratches her head, and smiles crookedly. "You could say that."
Tez pulls the hood of her cloak over her head.
Lana: Lana pulls her hood up too, 'Um... why are we doing this again?'
Tez: "Because, there's a darkness ruling the city, and it's reached out to hurt you too."
Teodric: Teodric nods "I would add, because we have a duty to our people"
Holmes: Zorun looks at Lana, "And don't you think you owe my father? It was your arrival, I'm sure, that brought their attention on our household."
Holmes: He looks disgusted.
Tez snorts. "He had that figure before we even got to the house, Zorun."
Lana: Lana blinks, 'I was talking about the hoods. It's not precisely cold out today.'
Teodric: Teodric suddenly notices that everyone else is wearing their hoods up, and pulls his up as well. He mumbles something about not being a field agent for a reason.
Tez: "Well... oh... well. still. the darkness thing."
Holmes: Zorun says to Tez, "Apparently you may not be aware but she was staying in our house for a couple of days before I found you there."
Lana: Lana glares at Zorun, 'Don't blame this on me. Your house was a back up, I was there once.'
Tez blinks at Zorun, "Oh? Oh.. okay. Well. I only just met them." she sighs.
Holmes: "So it's a coincidence that you appear, and suddenly they decide to target my father? You can't be serious?" Zorun challenges.
Tez: "If your father was willing to host Lana, he must have been into...whatever...she's...into... anyway."
Lana: Lana rolls her eyes, 'I don't even know these people. Why would they care about what I do?'
Teodric: Teodric steps between Lana and Zorun "Now really is not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. If you two are really going to do this right now, it would be easier to just go turn ourselves in.""
Holmes: Zorun's anger continues to burn for a few moments, but then he sees that Teodric is right, and stuffs his feelings deep down inside.
Lana: Lana shrugs and turns to Tez again, 'So, what's the best way to get in?'
Tez shrugs. "Through the gate. Unless you mean the best way to not be noticed going in. Then you have to take another route."
Lana: 'Would it be a bad idea to be noticed?'
Holmes: "We might be best off hiding in plain sight," says Zirun. "Unless somebody has given the guard our descriptions."
Holmes: He shrugs.
Tez frowns thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, anymore. It's been a long time since I was here."
Tez: "You might want to go in... separately from me."
Lana: Lana frowns, 'I'm not abandoning you.'
Holmes: Zirun nods. "We're much less likely to be identified individually than as a group, if anyone saw us leaving the village."
Tez: "Yes, yes, that's what I meant, Zirun." she siezes on his explanation.
Holmes: "We can meet up again at some place Tez can tell us about," Zorun offers.
Lana: Lana frowns, then shrugs, 'You're the local expert, Tez...'
Tez: "There's a famous hat shop not far from the entrance of the market square. You can see the feathers from miles away."
Lana: Lana nods, 'Okay. Anything we need to know about getting in? At least until we meet up...'
Tez: "If there's a guard that's real skinny, with a long moustache, well, stay away from him. The big one's nicer. Also, the skinny one has this ratty lookin dog that comes around sometimes, and he thinks it's funny when the thing bites people's ankles, 'less they're noble."
Tez: "and if they're noble, stay away, because they're either on His side, or being watched."
Lana: 'Anything I should know about carrying swords?'
Tez: "Plus they might splash mud on you."
Teodric: "Sounds like a pleasant place."
Tez begins to recite the laws regarding weapons down to the letter, which essentially boils down to: all weapons must be peacebound, except for those of guards and other city officials, and are subject to search and siezure if you act suspicious.
Lana: Lana sighs and rewraps her swords so that they don't look like swords at all.
Lana: 'Okay, so we split up and meet at the hat shop?'
Tez nods.
Lana: 'Let's go.'
Tez murmurs a prayer for luck, blessing each of them. "Good luck, friends."
Teodric: Teodric offers a hand to Nula "Perhaps if we pretend we're out for a pleasant stroll, this won't be too bad."
Holmes: Nula looks at Teodric, "We're not known around here, I don't think...can we go in together?"
Holmes: She nods as they seem to come out with the same idea at the same time.
Holmes: She smiles at Teodric.
Tez waits for a farmer to come along with a load of goods, and attaches herself to the wagon

Holmes: As Tez approaches the hat shop, confident that she'll have beaten the rest of them there easily, given how careful she was, and how she quickly took back ways to get here instead of running, notes that Lana is arriving at precisely the same time.
Holmes: For Lana's part, a simple matter of changing her appearance a little, and walking straight through boldly looking like any other urbanite, managed to get her to the shop directly.
Tez is mildly put out by that, but recovers quickly. She smiles and waves a little.
Lana: Lana waves back, 'No trouble getting in?'
Holmes: Tez's description of the place was accurate - the hats here are just not to be believed. Where they'd gotten the plumage for such creations was hard to say. More unbelievable was that anyone could wear such an ostentatious cover.
Tez: "Nope, it went smooth as silk." she smiles, pleased with herself. "Did they stop you at all?"
Lana: Lana shakes her head, 'You were right about that guard though.'
Tez: "Was the rat-dog there?
Lana: 'Yeah. I have him a kick.'
Tez laughs! "Oh, I've been wanting to do that for years, but Twiggy was always too close to get away with it.... Hey, where's Teo and Nula?"
Tez tries on a particularly tall hat
Lana: Lana grins at the hat, but then frowns as she realizes that Teodric should have arrived already.
Holmes: Just a few moments later, Lana sees first Nula, and the Teodric.
Lana: Lana turns, 'Any problems?'
Teodric: "Sorry we're late. The guards very nearly didn't buy our story. I had to pull some tricks out of my hat to keep them from suspecting the truth. They eventually let us in, I think they just wanted to hassle me."
Tez: "Twiggy." she nods.
Teodric: "That dog you mentioned was very angry. Like someone had given it a swift kick and it wanted revenge."
Tez looks at Lana, and giggles
Holmes: As they discuss things, suddenly the sound of some huge bell ringing comes pealing from the highest of the high buildings in the center of the city. Tez knows that this means that there will be an announcement soon from the Lord of the city. The sound is so loud that large nearby flocks of pigeons take sudden flight, obscuring the sky momentarily.
Lana: Lana turns to Tez, a ridiculous feathered construct perched on her head, 'What was that?'
Tez: "An announcement." she gestures towards the center. "Hopefully not about the dog."
Holmes: As the birds settle, Teodric and Lana can tell that something is wrong with the people of the city on the streets. They've become wary. Tez knows that this is because often the dictums of the Lord are dire for certain individuals. Something that the populace puts up with in return for the rather fabulous lifestyle the city's wealth affords them.
Holmes: Indeed, Teodric notes that this very new city sports the best sort of architecture and style of a city like Sel-kai.
Holmes: (If not quite Eidlon standards).
Teodric: Teodric frowns "Announcements don't seem to be joyous things."
Tez: "Depends on if you're the one they're announcing the imminent death or worse of"

Holmes: Agnes wanders about Green Lake, a strange feeling in her head. Something has been calling to her all day long. She sees a small group of people standing about a tall figure in a cloak, and an aging Rhiani man leading some sort of discussion near him. The figure in the cloak looks odd, even from here.
Agnes: Trying to figure out what is off normal -- in her head, in town, wherever she appraoches the strange gathering to determine what she might overhear.
Holmes: The man looks up from his discussion with what Agnes has to assume are students. From this range, Agnes can see that the person in the cloak is not a person at all, but a man made of wood.
Agnes approaches solicitously to listen to the lecture and stands at a place where she can get a closer look at the tall figure. As her suspicions are confirmed she smiles at the automaton.
Holmes: The older man looks up at Agnes, "You look familiar, but like somebody I knew long, long ago."
Holmes: "What's your name?
Agnes: "Agnes Hargreve" she says with a smile, reaching out to take the elder's hand. "And you? I was born near here. If you've been around for a while, you may have known my parents."
Holmes: The man's face pales, "Your father's name wouldn't, by any chance, be Egani, would it?"
Agnes: "Just so. And you are?" Agnes is still shaking his hand.
Holmes: "I am called Dhazari," He says, his handshake clammy. "Have you heard of this one named Aaron, then?"
Holmes: Dhazari indicates the wooden man who pulls the cloak from his head, and bows slightly to Agnes.
Agnes: "I have indeed. Coming to confer with Aaron is on my 'to-do' list. But not only that, I know of you, Dhazari. The great hunter, correct?"
Holmes: "Ah, alas, perhaps once that was I. But you'll find that both Aaron and I have been damaged in the past 20 years," he says lifting his own robe to show a badly mangled leg. "I still hunt from my horse, occasionally."
Holmes: "But I seem to have found a different calling late in life," he indicates Aaron.
Agnes: "My father showed me how to throw a chegain and spoke of you, alas I was awkward with it. What is your new relation to Aaron?"
Holmes: "I am a senior member of the brotherhood," says Dhazari. "He taught you the chegain, did he?"
Agnes: "He tried."
Holmes: Dhazari apparenly doesn't know quite what to make of Agnes.
Holmes: Dhazari ponders this for a moment, and then asks, "Is he alive? Where did he raise you?"
Agnes draws her tethium knife -- curved in the Murlogi style, this is really the only weapon that I am skilled at using -- not so great for hunting. He and my mother are alive and well. They settled in the mountains." She gestures vaguely in the direction of the goblin threat.
Holmes: The students standing about listen raptly. This is how her father described the Rhiani to her - open and strangely honest is Dhazari in relating all this before a crowd.
Holmes: "How did you deal with the goblins?" Dhazari is too curious not to ask.
Agnes: "We dominated the commoners and worked with the princes."
Agnes: "They are easy to work with, actually. It's interesting that they occupy such a place of awe in the local mentality."
Holmes: "They?" asks Dhazari.
Agnes: "The Murlogi...goblins."
Holmes: "You lived amongst them?" he asks.
Agnes: "More or less, yes."
Agnes: "And sometimes killed them."
Agnes: "There is a natural ebb and flow to life among the grags and caverns."
Holmes: Dhazari raises his eyebrows in appreciation, "Well, I suppose there is everywhere."
Holmes: "So why are you here now?" he asks.
Agnes: "In truth, I was feeling stifled living under my parents and determined to go out and see some of the world. My parents gave me some things to do here and elsewhere so this is where I came. Things are somewhat different from the descriptions that my parents gave."
Agnes: Turning to address Aaron more directly, but keeping Dhazari in the discussion, "one of the things my father suggested is that I join the Brotherhood of Knowledge. He told me that it served him well and that he was sure it would do so for me as well."
Holmes: Aaron says, "That would be a great goodness."
Agnes: "What damage have you suffered, Aaron?" Agnes can't help but stare at his workings more than strict etiquette would permit."
Holmes: Aaron pulls back his cloak to reveal his metal ribcage, bent badly. "He was hit by falling masonry about five years ago, when building really took off. We had no idea how to repair him, however. He's not been quite the same since," explains Dhazari.
Agnes: "No one here works brass? I've seen my father work, but I really haven't picked up the art...seems a shame to leave it like that though."
Holmes: "Oh, working brass is one thing. But there's magic here that might be damaged were somebody untrained to tinker with it," Dhazari says.
Agnes: "He could be taken back to my father for repairs. I'm sure Egani would enjoy seeing him again..."
Holmes: Dhazari looks apprehensive for a moment. "I suppose he would like to see Aaron again...then again, he did leave Aaron behind. And I'd hate to lose Aaron, of course."
Agnes: "Would it be so bad for a short time? I understood that he would make such a decision on his own...has that changed?"
Holmes: "No, it has not," says Dhazari who looks at Aaron.
Holmes: Aaron says, "I would be myself again, Dhazari. The damage is most woeful."
Agnes: Looking to Dhazari, "You could come too. A trip through Murlogi land might be interesting to you." Her eys twinkle as she smiles.
Holmes: "Yes, it would," he says. "And it wouldn't hurt for you and Aaron to have another protector...even if it is an old man."
Holmes: As Dhazari rises, Agnes can tell that, leg aside, Dhazari isn't nearly as debilitated as one might think.
Agnes nods -- if he needs to think of it that way, that's fine.

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