Tag Archives: Alexis

Sally. Too Soon?

Posted on by
4

The day after Alexis talked with/to Ethelred about Lady Alba, Alexis approaches Gustav after his morning “ritual”.

“Gus. I’ve been thinking that we haven’t really talked about the first Sally. You conducted a great ceremony on the mountain, and I’m sure she was touched.”

“And it seems like you might still be grieving her loss. For such a strong love for Sally, you have always strongly rejected any suggestions to get a new mule to love.”

“And you still seem very unhappy with Sally” Alexis nods towards Sally in a near tree, “who has proven loyal and seems to just want you to love and accept her.”

“Do you need some time for grieving before we go? I need you unburdened while we seek out Bandesing’s operations.”

Alexis awaits Gustav’s response.

Alba Left Behind

Posted on by
6

Early in their stay along the Llanos river Alexis sits down next to Ethelred on the same log. Alexis starts talking when Ethelred looks up from his reading materials at him.

“Poor girl. I hope she doesn’t get herself killed before we get back. A lot of potential in our little miss of house Veronia.

“She’d sure like a message.” Alexis says, clearly intent on not going out of his way to make this happen.

What Do We Know About Bandesingh and the Dark Hand?

Posted on by
10

On a lovely sunny day, late in the early afternoon, after a fine day of exercises Rask addresses Alexis and the group as a whole.

Rask’s exercises of late have including live blade sparring with Ca’armine and Gus, the two of them taking turns wearing Red’s armor. Rask working to burn non-lethal longsword-strikes into his muscle and bone through repetition. Along the way he offers many suggestions to his Brothers-In-Raiden in the art of fighting defensively, his expertise in combat as evident as the Power of Aegir is represented and channeled by the tattoos on his chest and back. Rask wears little but the shield ring and boots, but he is maddeningly difficult to land a strike on. When he does get hit or cut he shrugs and fights on, accepting first aid at the end of the skirmish, and only after he opponent has been looked to.

Sitting in the midst of camp, clean, content, and sun-soaked, Rask speaks clearly and catches Alexis attention, and looks at Ca’armine as well.

“My Liege, our target, what do we really know about about them and their Band-Leader?

“Did they really steal away the Empress from her wedding?”

“Their slithering and spinning pets, and their truffle-hounds, we have met, and we seek their farrier now?”

Rask is clearly still paranoid not naming their enemies. In addition, the group may have noticed that he has been trying hard not use any of their names since they left the sewers.

Gus and Ca’armine he calls “Brother” or Brother Arrow an Brother Blade when he needs to specify, he calls Alexis “My Liege,” or “Boss.” Ethelred is too busy studying for Rask to talk to often, Rask usually address him as “Friend,” but Rask has been testing out a few nicknames, “Book” and “Ak’lyte,” “Hedgey,” but nothing has stuck yet.

A Week In The Grasslands

Posted on by
9

After the group has been dropped off by Hap, spent a day investigating the items they have, and enjoying being in the grasslands each of them starts delving into their own studies.

Over the next week, the weather seems to stay cold where the group is, even as spring seems to be taking hold around them. Frost greets the group on their gear and around the camp.

As well, during this week, backpacks and other buckles seem to be open when they were left closed. Perhaps this coincides with the occasional dreams of twisted creatures begging to be released when nothing seems to shackle them, struggling to open doors that finally open to rooms full of seemingly worthless treasure, or attempting to read books that contain text that seems to form never-ending and circular writings.

Missive to the Collegium Regarding Murder Confession From the Spider

Posted on by
Reply

The Esteemed Nardor Threpp,

Along with Marela, I wanted to send along a detailed description of the confession of The Spider when we encountered her earlier today. She explained to us that Thelindra committed the actual murder, even though The Spider was the intermediary in the situation. Bandesingh sent The Spider and The Snake to Sutheron to prevent the Collegium from learning too much about the crown and hammer, as well as stealing it for their own purposes.

In some unsettling news, it appears that some force brought back The Snake from the other side of The Gate. He as a horrifying sight, spewing creeping shadows from his gaping mouth.

His being was held together with umbramancy, necromancy, and chronomancy.

Yours
Alexis Laelius; Adept of the Collegium

Missive in Response to Lady Alba

Posted on by
Reply

To the noble Lady Sophia Alba of House Veronia

I must admit, the passion in your letter brought a warmth to my heart. There is boldness in your request that I can respect—and that I will answer. But first, a word of caution: treasure hunting requires wisdom, a keen mind, and above all, patience.

I look forward to our next expedition, perhaps the crypt of Drayak, perhaps another crypt or lost temple – yet before we speak of that, I would speak to you of my specific approach to treasure hunting. Imagine you stand before a vast ruin, doors thrown wide and the smell of the ancients washing out. Within, there is untold knowledge—or so the legends say. Most eager explorers would dive deep, pressing onward, lured by the call of gold and glory at the dungeon’s heart. This is what I call “deep-delving exploration,” and it is one of the most certain ways to get oneself hopelessly lost—or worse.

Instead, my method of patience and prudence: “wide-path exploration”. Move carefully from chamber to chamber, mapping each as you go, understanding the layout of the place before delving deeper. Each room, each hall, must be understood before venturing further. In this way, you’ll always have an exit path—a path that can be your salvation if something unexpected and unfortunate happens. Wide-path exploration provides knowledge of the surroundings and provides clues of what lies ahead, so as to not be caught unaware.

We both know of promising treasure hunters who have vanished because they did not have this piece of my experience. I have survived many close calls because I held it dear. Long forgotten mysteries and danger await us, but a true treasure hunter knows the value of every footstep and the wisdom of moving wide before moving deep.

If you wish to learn from me on your passionate path to becoming a treasure hunter, consider this your first lesson.

I look forward to more time together, more exploration, and more lessons. To my great sadness, I am besieged with other obligations in our fair city at present. The murder of poor Master Alaric Trevelian is but the tip of the buried colossus.

Yours with great fondness

Alexis Laelius of the Crimson Calling

Adept of the Collegium
Reclaimer of Humanities’ Lost Treasures

Strange Findings Below: A Report on the Halfling in the Depths

Posted on by
Reply

Honored Undersecretariat, Custodian of Hood’s Wisdom,

While pursuing the elusive “Snake” through the underbelly of the city, we crossed paths with a figure from ancient tales—one of the small-folk, or a “hin” as some old tomes call them. This one, who called himself Brin, struck us as peculiar for two reasons. First, though dressed in nothing but rags, he clutched a human-sized skull, marked or decorated. <Alexis includes a physical description of the skull, including the markings. He also includes, in an academic script, the insights he was given from Avv’s insights of the skull>

Secondly, my companion, a devotee of Raiden detected something… unsettling. The halfling, he claimed, was neither alive nor dead, yet bore none of the marks of undeath. He was, somehow, something else—an aberration in defiance of natural order.

As you requested regular reports and of unusual matters, I thought this might be of interest. We could not extract the hin from the sewers, but I confiscated a small sack he carried, filled with odd, seed-like objects that may be worth your inspection.

May our shared vigilance hold strong against the shadows cast by the Dark Hand. With the highest respect,
Alexis Laelius and the Crimson Calling

The Ironjaw Surprise

Posted on by
4

The group slips away from Vordegern’s warehouse under the bright mid-morning sun, its rays casting long shadows as they weave through the alleyways. Alexis casts a quick glance over his shoulder, then leans in to Rask.

“You looked… surprised when you saw that Cedric Ironjaw character.” His voice carries a hint of curiosity, as though he’s fishing for a story.

Shared Security Agreement?

Posted on by
9

Rask asks Alexis, “Alexis, if you are going to continue to nurture our connection with Lady Alba, I would like your permission to establish a security sharing agreement with Ser Olvar. I was thinking I would start by offering a short threat assessment based on our recent investigations.”

Rask has another messy draft document in is hands and the he shows to Alexis.

SER OLVAR:

GIVEN THAT ALEXIS MY LEIGE AND YOUR LIEGE HAVE BEGUN NEGOTIATIONS ON CONTINUED ALLIANCE, I AM GRANTED LEAVE TO MAKE THE FIRST OFXXX SHARE THE FoLLOwING INTELLIGENCE SHARED AS IT RELATES TO THE SECURITY OF OUR POTENTIAL SHARED OPERATIONS.

WE HOPE THAT LADY ALBA WILL ALSO GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO SHARE INTELLIGENCE THAT THAT SHE DEEMS APPROPRIATE WITH US AS WELL.

  • INTEL:

THALINDRA OF THE COLLEGIUM KILLED ALERIC TREVAYLEN AND TRIED TO FRAME LADY ALBA. THIS WAS DIRECTED BY “THE SPIDER” AN AGENT OF THE DARK HAND.

HOUSE LASCARIS HAS BEEN COMPROMISED BY THE DARK HAND.

THALINDRA IS NOT No EVIDENcE oF CONNECT TO HOUSE LASCARIS.

?WARDER AND ALTHORIN ARE LIKELY CORRUPTED BY THE DARK HAND OR OTHER FORCES MOVING AGAINST US ?

  • RECONNAISANCE OF SUTHERONI SEWERS HAVE REVEALED THE FOLLOWING:

           DARK HAND AGENTS USE THE SEWERS

           GOBLINS & GIANT LIZARDS INHABIT THE SEWERS – THREAT ASMT: HIGH

           DWARVES WE ENCOUNTERED MAY BE CONNECTED TO MOUNT SUTHERON

           HALFLING  ?

  • THREAT ASSESSMENT – THE DARK HAND – EXTREME THREAT MAXIMUM CAUTION

MOTIVE: SEEKS ANCIENT ITEMS OF POWER

USES POISON, MURDER, EVIL MAGIC, NON-HUMAN ALLIES

KNOWN OPERATIVES: THE SPIDER, THE SNAKE, THRAAN LASCARIS, SHYEENI, VARISIMUS, BANDESING, BRIN

KNOWN ALLIES: VORTIGERN SHADOWBLADE, THALINDRA

  • THREAT ASSESSMENT – HOUSE LASCARIS – HIGH THREAT

MOTIVE – SEEKS ANCIENT ITEMS. GLORY. ALLIED DARK HAND.

KNOWN MEMBERS: LORIANNA LASCARI, THRAAN LASCARI

  • THREAT ASSESSMENT – THALINDRA – MODERATE THREAT

MOTIVE UNKNOWN. COLLEGIUM MEMBER. WILLING TO USE POISON

END REPORT.

IF YOUR LIEGE ALOW WE WELCOME ANY INFO YOU HAVE ON THESE TOPICS OR oTHERS THAT YOU DEEM oF IMPORT TO MUTUAL INTEREST. MAPs? BoOOKs W INFO?

RF – THE CRIMESON CAULING

Rask muses as he looks at his work, “Why do you think they chose to frame Lady Alba? And who chose? Was it Thalindra or The Spider?”

The Tangled Web – Crafting the SitRep

Posted on by
5

Rask approaches Alexis with a piece of parchment in hand, the parchment has several things written on it, many of them crossed out. Rask’s hand-writing is rough, bur the all caps simple style is readable, where not blotted or marked out.

“I want to send a message to Captain Blackwood, my old CO. Cedric Ironjaw is still alive, Maris Bloodbane is too, if Mavon’s intel is correct… Ironjaw said the Captain still believed in me…

“I’d like to see if I can get him to back off, maybe sow some dissention, and warn him about the corrupting influence of the Dark Hand… I’ve been trying to remember the ciphers, but I don’t have a Code-Book…”

“Anyhow, here’s what I was thinking.” Rask hand the parchment to Alexis.

STAT-REP – CIPHER 3-BLACK – TS/NTN

FROM: SGT. FELMAR TO: CPT BLACKWOOD

GLAD YOU ARE ALIVE. CHAOS-FIRE-CURSE BATTLE RESULTS UNKNOWN.

I HOPE LT. E.N. SGT K.S. & CPL. L.S. ALSO STILL LIVE.

NTN/TS: I AM ON A MISSION FROM RAIDEN THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY

THE DARK HAND HAS CORRUPTED COMPROMISED THE KINGS DOGS.

CPL CI FOUND ME OBSERVING OPS OF WORKING TO INFILRATE SUTHERON SHADOWBLADES LOCAL MOCKERY OF OUR UNIT *sHADowBLADE THAT HAs pROPERTY

VORTIGERN IS CONECTED TO THE DARK HAND IN SUTHERON. sEEkS

NORTHBROOK IS CENTER OF KI-DARK HAND’SG GS DOGS IN SUTHERON

^ DO NOT TRUST ^ WALDER – LIKELY COMPROMISED INFEKTED

DO NOT TRUST ALTHORIN – LIKELY COMPROMISED

I WILL FIND YOU WHEN THIS MISSION ENDS. PRAISE RAIDEN. FOR AEGIR.

“I want to try to let him know that the Dark Hand has corrupted the Raidensblud and to not trust Warder or Allthorin. If we do it right, maybe we can see if he tells them something or not? Maybe get them to focus on Vortigern?”

There are several notes, and a rough cipher, but sections seem to missing.

“Can you help me with the cipher?”

Rask is also clearly asking for permission and help crafting the message as well.

“Wait, what if… ” Rask crosses a bit out and adds a rough edits, “I share that Vortigern has an item the Dark Hand wants? And we ask the Bloodfangs to keep an eye on Vorty’s warehouse? See who rolls up on it? Maybe even we could get Marcellus to raid it with not-us…”

Rask looks at the red uniforms Mavon procured, signature outfits of the of Crimson Calling.

“and signal that we are going to be there to Cap, and if they or the Red Cloaks show up, I’ll know where I stand with my old unit.”

Alexis can tell that Rask means he will know how many of his old friends he might have to kill.