They Who Slaughter Kings

slade

No
Prologue: A Death in the 'Family'
Chapter One: Lysander's Banquet

“Master, you must stay here and rest. The ritual saps too much of your strength.”
“There is no time. I must gather the ingredients again and get the next teardrop. Plus I have to scout for information.”
“Please reconsider I beg you. You have been pushing yourself too much. I will go get what you need while I listen to the rumors of the world.”
“No. You must return. You have been gone for too long and they will start to get suspicious.”
“They know I’m on Assignment.”
“And they know that you’re skilled enough to not take very long. You must return and assume your old role.”
“I hate reliving the past.”
“We all do. Now it up to the two of us to bring about a change to the future. Which is why I must get back on the road quickly.”
“Then be careful. Rumors are starting to pop up about sightings of you. Surely Lysander will hear of it and take it seriously. The pressure put on us will be even worse then. You’ve been too bold recently.”
“I’m not worried about that decrepit old man! Even if he knew exactly where I was he could do nothing. For soon his hands are going to be tied.”
“Then it’s true that-
“Yes. How Ironic that Boris will be indirectly helping us. His involvement has only sped up the process. Once Lysander figures everything out, he’ll be scrambling like a beheaded chicken.”
“And what of the others? Will they interfere?”
“The only ones capable of being a real problem are Sarda and Franco. Franco doesn’t know enough to understand whats going on. And Sarda, despite his power, is chained like a dog by those three desperate little schemers. Paranoid that their pet will break something."
“What about Jacque?”
“What about Jacque.”
“Good point.”
“Go now. Back to your masters.”
“You are my only Master. And unlike him, I have always followed you voluntarily.”
“You once abandoned me.”
“Yes. Because I thought we could awaken from this awful dream through other, subtler means. Now I know better. I know that you were always right. I was foolish to believe the dream could end any other way.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Remember, it's important to leave a good impression when we arrive ar the Banquet.” Benedict replied to the group that followed him up the maze of stairs throughout the complex city of Voima. With the city split into seven layers it was easy for one to get completely lost. Still, at least it was a bright, sunny day out; a good omen in Benedict’s mind, for heading out to the Eastern Wild Lands was always a dangerous prospect. More so now that Vulgo caravans were disappearing on a regular basis. He had assembled a good team, he knew the King would think so too but just as important, he hoped the rest of the nobility would approve. He already knew Klemetti would complain, but Klemetti was always difficult with expectations that were more often than not impossible to meet. Benedict didn’t assume that he would be getting his support. Still there were always others who would prove to be less ornery. Udo was a good example. Though, like the rest of the Captains, he still held a immense dislike towards Jackal, he otherwise proved to be a rather pleasant fellow.

“Keep in mind that you will be inspected and watched closely by everyone. Most of you aren’t noble so they will be checking you over carefully.” Benedict had to smile. Only a few City-States in the Eastern Vulgo could be more pretentious and lavish than Gyrus’s infamous nobility, whose arrogance had only inflated under Lysander’s success.

They were also late, the banquet had started without them quite a while ago. Still, knowing the habits of the nobility, Benedict figured that they would probably start off with endless chatting before delving into the feast. Benedict with his entourage walked up the stairway to the 6th level, which unlike all the others were guarded by a squad of soldiers. This was the living quarters of the nobles after all, and they couldn't have some riffraff just barging on through. All the guards recognized Benedict and would normally let him pass but his group of followers prompted two of the soldiers to form an X with their spears, blocking the path until the captain spoke with the Knight. Benedict was a high ranking member of the nobility and while others would be fuming at the prospect of being blocked off by common soldiers, Benedict simply smiled and explained that his small, armed entourage of adventurers were here to see the King personally. The poor captain, his eyes went wide and he barked at his guards to let them all pass, declaring a thousand apologies to Benedict for obstructing him, which Benedict merely laughed off and motioned for the others to continued up the stairs.

The 7th level was flattened out and paved meticulously and unlike the other levels which had a large number of buildings, the 7th only had one. The Palace proper, which housed the King and his relatives and was also was the prime seat of power within Gyrus. Its two doors were over twenty feet tall and built with steel that was a foot thick. However these doors were also beautiful and had carvings of Gyrus’s previous kings dating back to the founding of the Kingdom thousands of years ago. However, the face that was bigger than even those legendary kings was a young Lysander, who was given long, flowing hair and a braided beard. The details that were given to his face were so intricate that it outclassed any of the other kings that were present on the piece. The fact that it was carved into steel was telling of the immense work and craftsman ship that went into making these doors. It would always be the first thing one would see before entering the court room. Reminding everyone of Lysander’s greatness.

Benedict could hear the excessive noise inside and smiled. He was right, they hadn’t even touched their food yet so their tardiness would hardly be noted. Unlike the previous guards, the ones at the door let Benedict and his band in without question. These soldiers were the elites and they knew Benedict was coming and more importantly, who the knight was bringing with him.

It was easy for the grand lobby to turn into a banquet hall. It was already a huge room, housing over a dozen wooden tables that were a hundred feet long where not only the Nobility dwelt, but their knights and squires as well as their own servants. That wasn’t including the guards that were stationed throughout the room, of which there were at least a two hundred. In the back of the court room were doors that led to the kitchens where the food was still being prepared with dozens of raging fires and large cauldrons. Doors to the side were where a mass of servants of the King went in and out, providing services such as wine and even playing instruments if they had the skill, prompting merry laughter from the nobility. Which was surprising due to their reputation of indignant snobbery.

When Benedict and his group entered, the noise only went down slightly with others noting their presence but were otherwise too busy in their own affairs to care at the moment. Still others spoke in hushed whispers and pointed towards their group with speculative fingers. Noting that Benedict's entourage was completely female induced more than a few snickers and accusatory glances towards the otherwise respectable knight. Benedict didn’t really care about all of that though, what mattered was to talk to the King as soon as possible, though he frowned when he finally caught sight of him

King Lysander sat on the throne before his feast, which was raised up by a large stone platform with two giant fires raging on either side to keep the King warm in his old age he was prone to colds even in amiable weather. His elderly appearance was drastically different from the image of his younger years that had been carved on the door. His hair was still long though it was completely white and gray, with the texture of rough wires. It was also unkempt, as strands of it fell over his face. It gave the impression of a grumpy old man who was simply too old to be bothered with most problems he came across. His body had withered from age and his strength had left him years ago, his elegant robes and cloaks now seem to barely hang on him they were so big. Everything about him seemed anything but kingly. Keen and cunning perhaps but not kingly. All except his eyes, those dark gray eyes which spoke of an immense power, and a raging, eternal fury to those who dared not to respect his power and authority. One thing that had always been peculiar with Lysander was that no woman throughout his entire reign, had been taken as his wife. It was by now an open secret that the thought of sharing his royal bed with anyone disgusted him immensely. During his consolidation of power after the wars of Kaldra, no one within the court would have dared tried to pressure him into a marriage. He would die without child and much to the anticipation and frustration of everyone he had never once named an heir.

Benedict had frowned because Lysander was surrounded by nobles, and they were all important. He could tell by their stern expressions and curbed tones that the topic was anything but pleasant. Among that group he spotted the notorious Conrad Klemetti, who looked even more unpleasant than he normally did. Benedict sighed, Klemetti could actually be a handsome man if he just stopped all the scowling. Still, Benedict knew he would have to wait for a moment before speaking with the king. Though he narrowed his eyes when he noticed an important person missing from the group that spoke with the King.

Where was Jackal?

Ah! Benedict spotted him among the tables, quietly drinking to himself. No one bothered to talk to Jackal as most of the nobility hated him and would have nothing to do with the man. Benedict seemed to be one of the few exceptions. Though he certainly acknowledge that the man was suspicious at times, he agreed with the King that Jackal was a phenomenal adviser and incredibly resourceful. He felt the ire that was directed at Jackal was undeserved, though it wasn’t as if Jackal had ever done anything to ease relations between himself and the upper class. He never once invited them as guests to his home, never sent them gifts nor made any attempts to acknowledge them. It seemed he despised them as much as they hated him. He was just more subtle about it. He also wasn’t an impressive man by any means; he was generally unassuming with a few brisk whiskers and short brown hair. He simply didn’t look like someone who would be Lysander’s most trusted adviser, he just looked like a commoner, even a peasant at times. Benedict guessed that he wasn’t with the King to prevent the nobles from causing a stir, and would give his thoughts with Lysander later. He would have to say a few words to Jackal later on, assuming someone from his group didn't decide to join the man for a drink.

Benedict looked around, spotting no other people of noteworthiness until his eyes zoned in on Shay, the merchant who fled from Xabsiga and was given temporary refuge by Lysander out of pity and curiosity for his wares. Though Benedict had personally advised against it. Shay sat with other members of the minor nobility and seemed comfortable enough, though he had an odd habit of shifting his eyes throughout the courtroom, as if constantly afraid that something would strike at him. His smile was toothy and nervous and the bags under his eyes showed stress and a severe lack of sleep. Plus his fingers were constantly tapping on the table, he was anxious and afraid of something. Though what that was was the real question. It was true he was accused of Demon worship back in Xabsiga, but the Draco Cauda held no influence here in Gyrus. Benedict figured there was something else going on. Though since this man openly collected and sold Demonic items Benedict was certain he didn’t want to know what sort of trouble the merchant was really in. Though his entourage might want to learn more and talk to him.

Finally, Benedict genuinely smiled as he spotted two familiar faces, Udo and Aapa. Two fast friends who could not be more different. Udo was stoic and serious, rarely smiling and having almost no sense of humor. Though generally a decent enough man past his taciturn moods. He was especially fond of his troops stationed back at Fort Seima. Aapa was also a commander of a fort, though it was Fort Sorto up to the north. A bit of a backwater region since it was erected to defend against another possible Orc attack, but since that had never happened (nor would it ever happen) Sorto wasn’t maintained as well and its soldiers were of a lower quality, often new recruits. Aapa, was jovial and laughed often. Often prodding and teasing Udo. Like Udo, he too was a massive man. Famously known for wielding a warhammer with ease. Benedict would have to chat with them at some point during the feast. Assuming that the two commanders didn’t take a liking to his recruits.

A servant meekly walks up to Benedict and whispers in his ear. His once smiling face becomes a little more serious as he nods and sends the servant away, he turns and looks and his recruits. Each one of them he had handpicked for their unique skills. After traveling with them to the capital and speaking to each of them, getting to know and understand them just a bit more, they had his utmost confidence.

“I’m afraid I must go see the King privately, please have a seat anywhere you like and have some wine. Though careful not to drink too much. I still have to present you to everyone.”

And with that, he was off, walking with a hurry towards the King. It seems whatever the servant whispered worried Benedict greatly, and he joined the group of nobles surrounding Lysander with stern faces, furrowed brows and hushed whispers.
 
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A Gluttonous Greeting
@slade as Shay and @Becca as Skylar
Skylar wished she could have said that she had seen all of these kinds of things before. The excess of the courts and the intrigue that ran more rampant than the rats. Instead she only knew the ins and outs of stables and armories. She did her best to keep with the man who was escorting them, but she wasn't entirely sure that it was the best idea. Of course as she was trying to decide this he brought them into the party and essentially released them to the nobles coating the room.

She had come dressed as a lady rather than as a soldier, but was quickly beginning to regret it. Skylar didn't really have the figure for gowns. Her shoulders were a bit too broad and her face too angular to have pleasant curves. Furthermore her sky blue dress, meant to help those she met remember her name, wasn't exactly the most complimentary color for her. She was already pale and her light gold hair only led to her looking completely washed out and forgettable.

Rather than embarrass herself around people who would know how poorly she had dressed herself Skylar moved to join the company of perhaps the one person in this whole hall who seemed more nervous than she was. His too-toothy grin attracted her to his side. She would offer those already in his company a curtsy then settle on the bench beside him.

"Greetings, sir."

Shay’s company that he kept was rather lowly: A combination of landless knights, lesser nobles whose titles were barely worth mentioning, and a few of the more wealthy merchants of the city. Despite the fact that Shay seemingly sat at the center of attention he was oddly quiet. He was an older man, around 45 with a increasingly receding hairline. He had a large, crooked nose that looked like it had been broken in the past along with a very pronounced brow. Combined with his small, sunken eyes made him a very unusual looking man.

He looked up at Skylar and gave her that same, nervous, toothy grin. He stood up from his chair, showing that he was a large and chubby man. His clothes not doing a good enough job to hide his weight. He gave a slight bow towards Skylar.

“Oh? I wasn’t expecting a woman of your beauty to grace me with your appearance. But it is nonetheless pleasant.” His voice was light and quite high pitched for a man of his bulk. “I am Shay.” He didn’t offer a last name, perhaps he simply didn’t have one. Such things were quite common, especially in the western half of the Continent.

His manners were impeccable as he politely motioned for her to sit across from him and snapped his fingers as he barked at a servant for a goblet of wine for his new company.

“I noticed, Madam, that you entered with that knight, Sir Benedict, I believe he is called.” The servant entered, barely older than 15 and placed a large goblet of red wine in front of Skylar and replaced Shay’s own Goblet. He paused his inquiry as he took a greedy gulp of wine and plucked a strawberry from a large plate of various foods in the center of the table.

“You wouldn’t happen to be one of Sir Benedict’s associates?” Shay asked curiously.

"You are too kind, Shay," he didn't provide a title so she wouldn't use one, "and I am." Skylar eyed the wine and instead plucked a strawberry from the platter first then a cube of cheese. She had learned long ago that if she sat quietly others would often fill the silence. It was the only way she had learned much of anything at her father's miniscule court.

“Ohhh.” Shay said, wiping his mouth with a nearby cloth of excess wine. “You’re going to cleaning up an awful mess in the Eastern Wild Lands.” This time he grabbed a handful of grapes and shoved them into his mouth. It was clear he had a voracious appetite, and these little finger foods were barely containing his hunger.

“Even the lower road is dangerous now. Thank Dragons I’ll be taking a boat, but that’s only because of your generous king”. He said, motioning towards Lysander, still looking grumpy as ever as nobles surrounded him in quiet conversation.

“Still, he’s got a nasty temper that one. I was with him this morning and the mere mention of those caravans disappearing made him furious.”

He took another large gulp of wine, draining the entire goblet before snapping his fingers for another one. “Still, he’s a lot more reasonable than my former King.” Shay’s eyes suddenly went wide, as if he had made some grievous mistake.

“Oh my goodness! Where are my manners Madam, I never asked you for your good name.” He bowed his head slightly as a sign of apology.

Skylar just felt her stomach churning as she watched Shay. She wanted be anywhere else now. All she could manage to do was push the goblet of wine further away, but of course it would only encourage him to drink from that goblet as well. It was hard to listen to him just because she couldn't really bear to watch him.

"I ah..." she blinked a few times before sighing and managing a smidgen of a smile, "I am Skylar, Shay. I am glad to have met you, but I think I shall go make my introductions among others as well. I should like to spend more time amongst my companions Sir Benedict brought with me." She tried to stand a little too quickly to get away, but managed to keep from banging her knees against the table just barely.

“Oh of course Lady Skylar” Shay said innocently, ignorant of her repugnance of him. “That is very forward thinking. You and the rest of your companions will be the talk of the banquet shortly.” He gave her a quick wink and continued drinking wine. It seemed that no matter how much wine he swallowed he would always stay sober. He wasn’t like the other nobles who had drank too much: woozy, bad coordination with slightly slurred speech. Shay on the other hand was shooting down large goblets of wine faster than they were being brought to him. Yet he was totally in control of his sense, his beady eyes darting all over the banquet hall, constantly watching. It made him look strangely suspicious, but for what crime, Skylar couldn’t think of. It didn’t help matters that when she walked away she could feel his eyes painting her.
 
A Merry Meeting
@slade as Udo and Aapo, @~Nemo~ as Olivia


Olivia was content with grabbing a drink and watching the others mingle for a time. Many years had passed since she last found herself in a gathering such as this, she already missed the forest. She let her eyes wander over the crowd, making note of how beautiful Skylar looked in her dress. The green seemed to suit the blonde very well comparing to her “dress” she had donned for the event. It was a simple deep cerulean gown that hugged her form in weird ways it was hard to move around in. It had some of Olivia’s signature touch, patches of fur sewn into the shimmering fabric.

Pulling her admiring eyes away from Skylar and towards an unusual pair of people, she studied them for a moment, confused by the obvious differences of the two. Yet, they seemed comfortable in each other’s company. Giving the only people she really ever interacted with were merchants and dodgy people. After a moment more of observing, she finally let her curiosity take over and approached the two with a clumsy bow.

“Olivia Rowe. Pleased to meet you two.” she said hesitantly, straightening from her bow to glance at the other two. “I do apologize if I interrupted anything.”

The two commanders, though large in size, towering over everyone else at their table couldn’t have looked more different. Aapo had lush brown wavy hair and a jaw and chin so large it often made it difficult for him to chew his food and as a child he often had problems with drooling. Despite his strange appearance he wasn’t necessarily an ugly man but a compulsive one. Olivia noticed that this table was by far the loudest one and with a banquet this large that was quite the accomplishment. It was the sounds of Aapo’s booming, unrestrained voice and the laughter that erupted from his bawdy jokes. Despite his bombastic behavior, the rest of the nobility didn’t seem to mind his crass vulgarity, whether it was because they were intimidated by his massive bulk of six feet and five inches, or because as a Commander of Fort Sorto his respectable position made it easier to ignore his more commoner-like conduct. He also drank heavily, swallowing pints of mead in a few gulps while everyone else still drank wine from their goblets. The servants knew better than to hand Aapo wine and kept up with his constant demand for more mead.

Udo was the polar opposite in almost every many. His jaw and chin were almost square in their appearance with a clean shaven face in contrast to Aapo’s trimmed beard. His hair was a black and short, a traditional military cut. The most striking thing about Udo were his dark green eyes. They were spaced just a little too far apart from each other and gave him an almost chameleon look and contributed heavily to his already unattractive face. In contrast to Aapo, who seemed to be the constant life of any party, Udo was quiet and almost shy. Preferring to sit stoical and absorb the lively atmosphere rather than actively be a part of it. The fact that the two Fort Commanders sat closely next to each other only highlighted how different they were despite being close friends.

“...And this fella looks at me” Aapo said to his company, comprised mostly of knights and their retinues. “And says, ‘don’t judge me now ya hear! a sheep can be mighty warm’” Olivia had approached them at the tail end of one of Aapo’s crass stories. “We all thought he was some bloody Kern Worshipper, and it was only right before he cut his damn head off did he say he just preferred the company of lambs over ladies!”

“Did you kill him?” A voice asked.

“Nah, after it was all said and done I just felt bad for the poor sod… So I gave him a sheep on his way out.”

Howls. Olivia could hear the rest of the men literally howling and gasping for air as they slammed their fists and choked on their drinks amid the laughter. Only Udo was still composed, and even he couldn’t help but slightly chuckle at the tale before noticing Olivia. He rose from his chair and respectfully bowed to her.

“Oh, not at all Lady Rowe.” Udo said, looking up and smiling. “I do hope you don’t mind this company. My companion here has a natural tendency to attract these ‘rough but harmless types’.
“Ya hear that boys!” Aapo said in between chugging another pint of mead “A respectable gal has approached us. You best be acting right before her husband shows up and scolds us!”

“She is with Benedict’s entourage.” Udo corrected, “She’s hardly a defenseless married noble.”

“Ay, that so?” Aapo wiped the excess mead with a napkin. “That means you can put up quite a fight right? Bonny Benedict was never one for bad taste. Pretty lass to boot” Udo nudged Aapo’s shoulder
“That’s incredibly rude.” Udo protested before slightly shaking his head. “ My apologies for Aapo, milady. I would say he isn’t normally like this but…

"But you'd be dead wrong!" Aapo shouted as the men around him gave out hearty laughs.

The lively air around this group seemed to be contagious as she couldn’t stop a few chuckles from escaping her. Waving her hand dismissively, she looked towards Udo. “Oh, no worries. This is actually my kind of crowd.” She said, ignoring the last comment Aapo added to his comments towards her Helping herself to a seat, she leaned back with her drink in hand. She wasn’t lying when she said that either, the most people she had been able to keep in contact with beyond business where the same type of people who sat at the table, even if the only difference was status. Watching the group of men once more, she could help but lean forward and glancing over towards Aapo and Udo. “If we’re sharing stories though, I could tell you about the time I caught a lad and his horse. A young stable boy who took his responsibilities a bit too seriously.”she chuckled to herself, gauging the reaction of the group around her. The purpose of even joining the men slipped her mind as she begun to tell the tale.

“..and the last night of my stay, I went to go check on good ol’ Misty when I hear the strangest sounds. I peek in and the stable boy was so focused, he didn’t even noticed me for a moment.” she smiled fondly at the memory. “When he did though, I never seen someone move so fast before he was all but begging me not to tell anyone. Ah, sorry. I got carried away there for a moment.” she finished, turning towards Aapo and Udo with an apologetic gaze.

“Ah! A horse! A fucking horse” one of the nameless knights roared.

“Better standards than a sheep.” Another said in between laughs

“Wait. Hold on.” Aapo said, “did you ask him why the long face?”

The rest of the party gagged on their drinks as they laughed mid swallow. Some choking and spitting out chunks of food as they slammed their fists on the table and gulped down more wine. It was only Udo who mildly frowned as he turned towards Olivia.

“You really shouldn’t encourage him, he’s bad enough as it is. It’s only because he’s often so isolated up north in the Fort that the nobles tolerate him. Unlike many of us, he was born a peasant.”
It wasn’t surprising, Aapo did not hold himself as a well bred man. His speech patterns were rural and he slurred his words slightly on account of his oversized jaw. He drank and ate without much regard for manners, nor did he bother to censor his language in front of the company of the aristocracy. Somehow his demeanour came off more as a lovable country bumpkin rather than an unwashed tenant farmer. Combined with his ferocious reputation as a warrior and his uncouth character was suffered by even the most stuck up of Gyrus’s higher echelons.

“You know I feel quite bad for you.” Udo said, his voice lowering amid the laughter and his face turned dark. “There are far worse things in those forests than just Goblins or Bandits.” From the way he said it, it was as if Udo had seen or heard the depths of the horrors the Eastern Wild Lands had to offer.

Olivia gave a slight shrug to Udo’s comment on encouraging Aapo, opting to finish off her wine glass. “So I’ve heard. I wish I could say I was a little frightened by your words.” The redhead reached to pat his shoulder lightly. “Let’s enjoy the positive atmosphere for the moment. It’s rare to find a group like this at an event such as this one.” she gave a small sigh to her dampening mood, courtesy of Udo, as she thought of the rumours of what laid in the depths of the Eastern Wild Lands. It churned her stomach in a way she couldn’t blame on the wine, the fear nagging at the back of her head. While not someone who was easily frightened, the unknown was one of her biggest fears. Not knowing what tomorrow brung, how one would die. It was something that didn’t sit too well with her. She kept her facade well as she gave Udo another awkward, toothy smile.

“It doesn’t matter the fate of one like me so if I meet my end at one of the unseen horrors in those forests, so be it. I lived a fulfilling life...as much as a bastard could do anyway.” she gave a light-hearted chuckle before turning her attention away from Udo and the train of thoughts he was leading her down. It wasn’t something that was needed, something that she could easily avoid… “I need some more wine.” she muttered beneath her breath.
 
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