Koda Hayashi's First Suitor Party

6 AM, Two Hours Before The Party...

The staff was in place for the event. Old Lady Hanako and her waitrons were working the event in Arán Park, with the shop closed down for the day. Itachi’s Noodle Bar was the VIP area, with Itachi and his kami employees handling anyone who might be a danger or allergen risk for other suitors. Oak-Paw’s studio was open for both tailoring duties and as a changing room.

In the park, everything was set up. Security personnel – members of the Grim Fleet, the Hyozan Reckoners, the Okiba Reckoners, and the Dokuchi Reckoners (some of whom were disguised as staff for the event) – were in place. The food tables, including four of cheese alone, were set up near the entrance of the park, while the performing stage was set up in the relatively flat area. A relaxation area was set up near the waterfalls and hidden by a curtain for anyone who needed to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Freddie had arrived only slightly before the suitors did, having fought with unfamiliar clothes for far longer than they expected to. It was worth it, however, as they were dressed in a deep purple, sleeveless top with a fairly normal, elegantly draped front, but a deep, plunging back which showed off the dragon-like spikes on their back.

In addition, they wore their purple squire's gloves, which had been cleaned since the last time they were worn, and the purple leather and cloth shined in the morning light.

The bottom of the outfit was a silvery color, reminiscent of armor, but not quite, and consisted of tightly fitting pants that revealed very strong and shapely legs underneath that were mildly inhuman. They wore no shoes, as the paws their legs ended in precluded such things.

Tail lashing back and forth thoughtfully, they grabbed an "I'm just here for the cheese" pin in blue, which they delicately pinned to the front of their top, and then proceeded to get as far out of the suitors way to get to Koda as they could, which mostly resulted in them finding the cheese table.

The Great Outdoors

Arturo made sure that he had everything he would need for the journey. Maps, clothes, various knives, an axe for woodcutting, something to help start fires, bedroll and hammock to sleep in. Cosmium and his moonsilver pendant. Everything was ready. Lazaro was taking care of grabbing various bits and bobs from the apothecary for first aid. Things for burns, scratches, bites, and potentially poisons.

Arturo had received a generous stipend and had put a chunk of it towards ensuring the horses they were going to use were sturdy and well-worked. They would be given to the bastion closer to the omenpath in time, but for now, they were his.

He also made sure to swing by the blacksmith, bringing with him a small leather sac which he stuffed into his saddlebags.

"If all goes well, we'll be taking a beautiful scenic detour," Arturo announced as everyone else was packing their things away. "We should get to the omenpath within a week."

@obscura-omenseeker | @azzie-beastbinder | @normal-innistradi | @revelrysnameisrevel | @warrior-of-tol-angata

[Continued from here]

"This keep has been abandoned since my grandfather was just earning his captaincy with the Legion," Arturo answered. "That is to say, at least two centuries. The keep was deemed unnecessary holdings when other bastions became more established. And it is in a bit of an awkward location. Good defensively, but we had other, better places of strategic use. The invasion changed this somewhat, and it saw some use again since the invaders were able to break over those foothills." He pointed in the near-distance, where the greenery had become stained with black.

"That was the only portion to even break the Deoro. For the most part, they stayed on the other side of the mountains and the river. Even then, that little force did nothing more than spook us for a few moments." He dismounted from his horse, giving it a pat on the side.

"When I was small, I used to come here with my family. Father would take us on hunting trips, and sometimes we'd use these old keeps as good spots to camp for the evening. There was one time where Cas -- my older brother -- nearly fell from the top of that wall right there." Arturo pointed out a piece of now-crumbled stonework. Remnants of a rose carved into it still remained, alongside a very weathered inscription.

"Oh, Valeria was mad." He laughed. "She was in charge of watching us while father was teaching Dimas and Lucia how to set up some of the traps. Cas nearly fell because there used to be a flagpole that hung from the wall. But, as you can see," he gestured to where a rusted flagpole was now at the bottom of the wall, "I do mean used to. Cas was lucky he was a very nimble climber." His face turned a bit grim for a few moments, before he shook his head.

"There's plenty of room to set up inside. You can either use the front entryway -- the door rotted away ages ago -- or you can go in through some of the caved-in walls."

Freddie looked around, quite impressed. The keep, despite being abandoned, and grown over, was still intact enough that they could imagine defending it. They had been quiet so far, just taking in the sights. But now they chuckled at Arturo's story.

"Your family seems like they quite enjoy dangerous activities. I can't say I blame them. Dangerous activities are the spice of life."

"I shall pitch my tent outside! Sleeping indoors is a fun novelty, but I wish to feel the ground underneath my back!" Shregresha declared.

"I agree with Shregresha, and I also want to set up a campfire, and don't want to do that indoors," Turrak said, dismounting from his horse.

As the group begins to set up, Zarii appears to materialize out if the gloam, panting slightly.

"The mounts you have on this plane are disappointingly feeble beasts," she says. "I couldn't find a good one to use."

She shrugs off her pack and begins to set up camp as though her appearance were the most normal thing in the world.

Satoru went still for a split second at the idea of a campfire, but Koda tugged his sleeve so that the two could go investigate the keep and identify particularly dangerous points of it.

And, naturally, these two Reckoners did not use the front door like normal people, with Koda getting a running start and scaling the wall to climb up that way. Even with the crumbling stone, his footwork was certain, and he perched at the top almost like a cat for Satoru to come up after him. Satoru's climb involved a little more grumbling but was just as efficient.

Vasro goes for the climb too, but he, naturally, does it in an entirely unsettling way. He goes boneless and inches up like an octopus climbing back into its tank. Slow and steady with little effort.

“This is fun! Haven’t gotten a chance to climb like this in a while.”

Zarii snickers and calls up at him.

"Hey Vaz, when you climb like that you look like an animate booger!"

After a moment, she joins the climb, ascending quickly for a human but slower than the others.

Freddie walked in through the front door, like a normal person, thank you very much. They looked around the main courtyard, waiting for everyone else to finish climbing the wall.

The Great Outdoors

Arturo made sure that he had everything he would need for the journey. Maps, clothes, various knives, an axe for woodcutting, something to help start fires, bedroll and hammock to sleep in. Cosmium and his moonsilver pendant. Everything was ready. Lazaro was taking care of grabbing various bits and bobs from the apothecary for first aid. Things for burns, scratches, bites, and potentially poisons.

Arturo had received a generous stipend and had put a chunk of it towards ensuring the horses they were going to use were sturdy and well-worked. They would be given to the bastion closer to the omenpath in time, but for now, they were his.

He also made sure to swing by the blacksmith, bringing with him a small leather sac which he stuffed into his saddlebags.

"If all goes well, we'll be taking a beautiful scenic detour," Arturo announced as everyone else was packing their things away. "We should get to the omenpath within a week."

@obscura-omenseeker | @azzie-beastbinder | @normal-innistradi | @revelrysnameisrevel | @warrior-of-tol-angata

[Continued from here]

"This keep has been abandoned since my grandfather was just earning his captaincy with the Legion," Arturo answered. "That is to say, at least two centuries. The keep was deemed unnecessary holdings when other bastions became more established. And it is in a bit of an awkward location. Good defensively, but we had other, better places of strategic use. The invasion changed this somewhat, and it saw some use again since the invaders were able to break over those foothills." He pointed in the near-distance, where the greenery had become stained with black.

"That was the only portion to even break the Deoro. For the most part, they stayed on the other side of the mountains and the river. Even then, that little force did nothing more than spook us for a few moments." He dismounted from his horse, giving it a pat on the side.

"When I was small, I used to come here with my family. Father would take us on hunting trips, and sometimes we'd use these old keeps as good spots to camp for the evening. There was one time where Cas -- my older brother -- nearly fell from the top of that wall right there." Arturo pointed out a piece of now-crumbled stonework. Remnants of a rose carved into it still remained, alongside a very weathered inscription.

"Oh, Valeria was mad." He laughed. "She was in charge of watching us while father was teaching Dimas and Lucia how to set up some of the traps. Cas nearly fell because there used to be a flagpole that hung from the wall. But, as you can see," he gestured to where a rusted flagpole was now at the bottom of the wall, "I do mean used to. Cas was lucky he was a very nimble climber." His face turned a bit grim for a few moments, before he shook his head.

"There's plenty of room to set up inside. You can either use the front entryway -- the door rotted away ages ago -- or you can go in through some of the caved-in walls."

Freddie looked around, quite impressed. The keep, despite being abandoned, and grown over, was still intact enough that they could imagine defending it. They had been quiet so far, just taking in the sights. But now they chuckled at Arturo's story.

"Your family seems like they quite enjoy dangerous activities. I can't say I blame them. Dangerous activities are the spice of life."

Spiriti Liberi

Bells sang as the eleventh hour of the night approached. Lazaro dressed by candlelight, eschewing his more traditional clerical garb for ones with a slightly more ostentatious flair. A doublet with thorn-covered vines interwoven into the black fabric was carefully and tastefully layered beneath his thicker outer layers. The nights were beginning to grow cold, so he opted to wear his thicker overcloak. Even his hose was black, though it was unadorned. A high collar came up to his jaw, though there were no bands upon the jerkin it came from. As was tradition, no aspect of the rose was depicted upon his person. Instead, his cloak was held together with simplistic silvered clasps and chains.

Already he had gotten himself properly groomed by a barber earlier in the day, and he had taken careful pains to maintain his appearance ever since. He was thankful that he had not been called for further appointments nor for further trainings. When everything was said and done, he exhaled slowly. He felt his heart move once in his chest, and for once, it brought a smile to his face. Happy nerves, not stress.

Arturo was getting dressed in a different room, as were the rest of their guests. Lazaro had insisted upon Arturo getting at least seen by a barber to get his hair ready, and Arturo had caved after a little prevocation. Now, instead of his hair looking like a half-contained mess of black tendrils, it looked refined and silky as it framed his face. His beard had been properly trimmed, no longer looking slightly haphazard and unkempt.

Koda wore the same outfit he had worn to see the queen, except he had opted to leave the dueling cape behind instead. The dark purple shift-sight suit jacket was actually fully opaque over his sleeveless black dress shirt, hiding his Reckoner tattoos for a more simple look. He had even gone through the trouble of ironing his dark purple pants with a little bit of magic and got his hair under control once more. He kept his cane with him, but he kept the lights dimmed or off since he was not going to be the focus of attention.

Satoru wasn't particularly thrilled about the method to get him from Towashi to Alta Torrezon so quickly, but he didn't bring that up to Lazaro. Instead, he busied himself by rolling up the sleeves of the dark blue dress shirt he was wearing so they didn't interfere with his metal prosthetics but still hid the burn scars on his arms. He had opted for a black vest and matching black suit pants from the New Capennan tailors, though if he were anything like Koda, there were probably hidden knife pockets filled with tools and weapons below the sleek silhouette of his figure. Unlike Koda, he hadn't bothered with detailing or magic in the outfit itself. His Reckoner tattoos, different in style from Koda's and far more numerous, peaked out wherever his skin did, even curling up his neck to just under his ears.

Vasro styled himself similarly to when he met the queen, but with a slightly different pattern for his bioluminescence. His clothes still have their triangle motifs, but he does not represent the Obscura this time. The Family’s seal is not present. He walks as if he wears these clothes all the time, and he kind of does. Fancy dress is very common on Capenna.

Freddie found themself in a stylish violet suit, a half cape draped elegantly over their back. Formal wear was second nature to them, having been to many a wedding, although this suit was a little different than the courtly clothes they were used to.

They looked fashionably windswept and they had shaved their face in such a ways as to get an approximation of a beard.

Golden jewelry adorned their draconic horns, and they wore a few chunky rings, to complete the look.

Welcome to the Family

Arturo walked with his mother back to the courtyard where Florence was explaining to everyone where they could stay. Hugo was weaving himself between everyone, greeting them in the way only a floppy, slobbery dog could.

"Everyone," Arturo said as he approached, "this is Lady Caterina Vazante, my mother."

"Oh, well you have certainly gathered the unique little entourage," Caterina said with a smile. "Hello, there."

@obscura-omenseeker | @warrior-of-tol-angata | @squire-of-eldraine

"Hi! I'm Revel! Nice to mee—that is a huge puppy!" Revel crouches down to Hugo's height, who promptly takes the opportunity to slobbery lick her face. This does nothing to deter Revel's excitement as she pets the massive hound.

“Ignore Revel. She really likes animals, and Hugo is a very fine dog. I already had my time to obsess over him. Anyways, It’s Nice to meet you Lady Vazante. I am Vasro Menacari. Arturo and his partner have been very kind to me. I believe you know me from that whole “exposing Aurelio” debacle? I am terribly sorry you had to learn of it, but I couldn’t let his treachery slide.”

"Ah, that's why your name sounded familiar," Caterina said with a nod. "A pleasure to know the little spy himself. And a pleasure to meet you too, Revel. Aurelio has been properly dealt with, in case you were wondering. We found out that he was embezzling funds that were supposed to be going to the church and towards the famine." She sighed. "It makes me wonder how many of the other families are doing the same."

"Hopefully none," Arturo muttered. "Oh! Vasro, do you think you could set up a lens for my mother? She wants to see the ceremony for when Lazaro and I are wed."

"Your father will be watching too," Caterina said, nudging him. "Don't let him being a crummy little curmudgeon about this ruin your big day." She patted his arm reassuringly.

“Oh, of course I can do that. I can also set up some personal two-way lenses so you can speak with your son no matter where he is.” Vasro says, while scratching behind Hugo’s large, floppy ears.

“I may know where some of those embezzled funds went. He sent assassins for me the night we left to seal the omenpath. Luckily, I don’t sleep in a bed, so Freddie was able to resist their magic and fight them off.”

"I helped restrain the assassins as well! My name is Shregresha, my title is Scalebreaker. It is wonderful to meet you, Caterina! You must be quite proud of your son! He is an incredible warrior and a good man!" Shregresha exclaimed, reaching out her hand to grasp Caterina Vazante's forearm in a traditional Jundian greeting.

( @obscura-omenseeker @dusk-legion-diplomacy @squire-of-eldraine )

Hugo gave Vasro a slobbery lick, stumpy tail wagging.

"I think I would like that. I hardly get to see my darling little boy anymore," Caterina cooed, gently pinching at Arturo's cheeks.

"Mother," Arturo whined. "Not in front of guests."

His mother chuckled, then turned to regard Shregresha. "Well, aren't you a fascinating little specimen," Caterina said, taking her hand in a surprisingly firm grasp. "Shregresha. Another off-planer, I presume? I hope you have been enjoying what you have been able to see of my homeland." She gave a polite smile.

@obscura-omenseeker | @squire-of-eldraine | @revelrysnameisrevel

Freddie bowed deeply when they had first come in, and had remained silent until now. "Shregresha is from the Jund region of Alara. I am from Eldraine. It is a pleasure to meet you milady."

Courtly manners had kicked in, despite the casual nature of the visit.

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker @revelrysnameisrevel

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

[Continued from here]

The heavy footfalls of a very angry paladin echoed from outside.

"Where are the bastards?" Arturo demanded as he entered. "You underhanded, yellow-bellied curs think you can try and assassinate those under my protection and live?"

@obscura-omenseeker | @warrior-of-tol-angata |

Freddie gestured to the two on the floor. "We basically know who sent them and why. Hello by the way. I'm Fferllydraig, but if that's too hard to pronounce you can call me Freddie." @obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

"I am sure the church would love to have some generous donations brought to them," Arturo growled. "Assassins. You are very lucky I am here after the fact, otherwise I would have skinned you like a fish." He looked at the half-dragon with a questioning expression. "Freddie, then. I am Arturo Vazante, Marshal of the Legion of Dusk." He looked to the paladin present. "Get them to the prisons, tell them they are both attempted murderers and assassins. They'll both be used to break Fasts, I'm sure."

The paladin bowed, putting both men in irons.

Freddie smiled. "A pleasure. And don't worry about my safety, I've had worse things happen to me in the last few days alone."

"I appreciate your help in subduing them," Arturo said. "I would have come faster, if not for some... political roadblocking." He watched as the assassins were hauled away. "Lazaro will not be happy about this. Already he was acting like a broody hen, this will only make him worse."

Freddie nodded. "Taking the move of subterfuge when you're still technically in a position of power is abhorrent to me."

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

[Continued from here]

The heavy footfalls of a very angry paladin echoed from outside.

"Where are the bastards?" Arturo demanded as he entered. "You underhanded, yellow-bellied curs think you can try and assassinate those under my protection and live?"

@obscura-omenseeker | @warrior-of-tol-angata |

Freddie gestured to the two on the floor. "We basically know who sent them and why. Hello by the way. I'm Fferllydraig, but if that's too hard to pronounce you can call me Freddie." @obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

"I am sure the church would love to have some generous donations brought to them," Arturo growled. "Assassins. You are very lucky I am here after the fact, otherwise I would have skinned you like a fish." He looked at the half-dragon with a questioning expression. "Freddie, then. I am Arturo Vazante, Marshal of the Legion of Dusk." He looked to the paladin present. "Get them to the prisons, tell them they are both attempted murderers and assassins. They'll both be used to break Fasts, I'm sure."

The paladin bowed, putting both men in irons.

Freddie smiled. "A pleasure. And don't worry about my safety, I've had worse things happen to me in the last few days alone."

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

[Continued from here]

The heavy footfalls of a very angry paladin echoed from outside.

"Where are the bastards?" Arturo demanded as he entered. "You underhanded, yellow-bellied curs think you can try and assassinate those under my protection and live?"

@obscura-omenseeker | @warrior-of-tol-angata |

Freddie gestured to the two on the floor. "We basically know who sent them and why. Hello by the way. I'm Fferllydraig, but if that's too hard to pronounce you can call me Freddie." @obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

Vasro burst in, and pacified the would-be assassin. “Get safe or get a strike in! I can hold them for a bit!”

Freddie swiftly kicked the would be assassin in the stomach, hard, folding them in two. "I think this guy was meant for you!" They had a wild expression on their face and blood in their mouth from where they had bitten their assailant. They retreated to block the open window.

“Looks like it.” Vasro says, as he prepares… something. “Close your eyes for a sec. This is gonna hurt otherwise”

After seeing Freddie close their eyes, Vasro Pulsates his Bioluminescent patterns at a rolling speed. Creating the shifting patterns causes him a headache, but not as bad as the one it would cause onlookers. This is at full power this time.

Shregresha bursts into the room just after Varso's pulse stuns the attacker. Noticing that the figure is incapacitated, she tackles them to the floor.

( @squire-of-eldraine @obscura-omenseeker )

“Ow… that always hurts. Sure is useful though.”

After clearing his head, he spreads a few lenses out over the room. “Doing a Quick check for any others. If he sent one there may be more”

Freddie spoke "Shregresha, keep him pinned." He turned to check the window as another assassin climbed in and Stabbed them in the Chest! Freddie pulled them closer and elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose.

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

"Freddie!" Shregresha yelled, taking a hand off the assassin she had grabbed and using it to draw one of her swords as she turned to face the new assassin.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

Freddie collapsed to the ground. The second assassin pulled a second knife and threw it across the room at the warrior.

@obscura-omenseeker

Shregresha swatted the knife out of the air with her sword and bellowed, "Healer! We need a healer!"

She advanced on the assassin, swinging her blade towards their chest. The assassin staggered to the side, so the tip only grazed them along the shoulder, a thin line of blood sprouting as the hooded figure dodged.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

The assassin on the ground was pretty much out of the fight. But shakily attempted to bring a vial to his mouth, clearly full of poison.

The other assassin attempted to leap out the window. Freddie, gasping for breath, rose from where they collapsed and stabbed with the assassins own blade, catching his shoulder.

"A healer might be nice. I think I got mildly caught with the blade."

To the confused looks, he opened his doublet, showing off a chainmail hauberk, with a small gash in the links. "I've gotten into too many strange situations to take this off when I sleep.

@obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

Shregresha laughed as she stomped down onto the hand of the assassin with the vial, breaking both hand and vial upon the floor.

"Glad you're not more injured Freddie!"

"Varso, how about doing some mind magic on this one and finding out why he attacked Freddie?"

"I think the assassin was for Vasro. He said something about an Aurelio and a Menacari?"

@obscura-omenseeker

“Aurelio is Arturo’s traitorous uncle. And Menacari is my last name.” He said. “I exposed Aurelio to Arturo’s dad. Apparently my name came up. Annoying.”

The assassin spoke up now. "How did you manage to move? I cast a similar spell on the entire room, that this... creature put on me."

"One, don't call him a creature. Two, I'm part Eldrainian dragon. I'm resistant to magic."

A bleary-eyed Turrak stepped into the room, a jar of ointment in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other.

"Freddie, mind me taking a look at where you got stabbed? It doesn't look too bad, considering you're still on you're feet, but better safe than dead from a gut wound."

They obliged, taking off first the doublet, then the hauberk and then the undershirt, revealing a tanned, medium build, more of the scales, a lot of red hair, and a smallish bleeding wound where the knife had gotten through all the layers. Luckily it hadn't hit anything important, nor was it deep.

@obscura-omenseeker

“I got some extra syringes for ya. This’ll get you fixed up quick. I’ll get you a smaller one”

"I'll take any healing I can get at the moment."

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

*Vasro injects the syringe into the proper place, knowing which Arteries to select due to the knowledge he got from Koda. The healing is quick and effective, the wound stitching itself up in real time

“There. You should be good to go.”

Turrak sighed, then said, "Guess I'm not needed here, guess I'm going back to sleep, unless anyone needs something from me"

@obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine

"Sorry Turrak. I assume it looked more serious than it actually was. May you have good rest."

The second Assassin attempted to also drink poison, which Freddie noticed and ripped it from his hand. "Here. A quick acting ingestable poison, just in case you need something like that." The vial was handed over.

A Dusk Legion paladin finished climbing the stairs and looked at the scene set out before her. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to need an explanation for all of this."

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

Turrak took the vial. "No clue, but I'll find something for it."

"These two attempted to kill the half-dragon and cephalid, but were no match for the three of us! They were sent to attack Varso by someone called Aurelio, and I'm sure he can explain why!" Shregresha said, aggressively gesturing towards the various participants.

@obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine

“It’s Vazante family drama. I exposed Aurelio’s treachery to Arturo’s father, and apparently Aurelio found out. Sent assassins. Good thing is we have them here. Neither dead. Let’s wait for Arturo to get here before we do anything big.”

The paladin looked confused but nodded. "The Marshal should be involved in this investigation."

@dusk-legion-diplomacy @obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

Vasro burst in, and pacified the would-be assassin. “Get safe or get a strike in! I can hold them for a bit!”

Freddie swiftly kicked the would be assassin in the stomach, hard, folding them in two. "I think this guy was meant for you!" They had a wild expression on their face and blood in their mouth from where they had bitten their assailant. They retreated to block the open window.

“Looks like it.” Vasro says, as he prepares… something. “Close your eyes for a sec. This is gonna hurt otherwise”

After seeing Freddie close their eyes, Vasro Pulsates his Bioluminescent patterns at a rolling speed. Creating the shifting patterns causes him a headache, but not as bad as the one it would cause onlookers. This is at full power this time.

Shregresha bursts into the room just after Varso's pulse stuns the attacker. Noticing that the figure is incapacitated, she tackles them to the floor.

( @squire-of-eldraine @obscura-omenseeker )

“Ow… that always hurts. Sure is useful though.”

After clearing his head, he spreads a few lenses out over the room. “Doing a Quick check for any others. If he sent one there may be more”

Freddie spoke "Shregresha, keep him pinned." He turned to check the window as another assassin climbed in and Stabbed them in the Chest! Freddie pulled them closer and elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose.

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

"Freddie!" Shregresha yelled, taking a hand off the assassin she had grabbed and using it to draw one of her swords as she turned to face the new assassin.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

Freddie collapsed to the ground. The second assassin pulled a second knife and threw it across the room at the warrior.

@obscura-omenseeker

Shregresha swatted the knife out of the air with her sword and bellowed, "Healer! We need a healer!"

She advanced on the assassin, swinging her blade towards their chest. The assassin staggered to the side, so the tip only grazed them along the shoulder, a thin line of blood sprouting as the hooded figure dodged.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

The assassin on the ground was pretty much out of the fight. But shakily attempted to bring a vial to his mouth, clearly full of poison.

The other assassin attempted to leap out the window. Freddie, gasping for breath, rose from where they collapsed and stabbed with the assassins own blade, catching his shoulder.

"A healer might be nice. I think I got mildly caught with the blade."

To the confused looks, he opened his doublet, showing off a chainmail hauberk, with a small gash in the links. "I've gotten into too many strange situations to take this off when I sleep.

@obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

Shregresha laughed as she stomped down onto the hand of the assassin with the vial, breaking both hand and vial upon the floor.

"Glad you're not more injured Freddie!"

"Varso, how about doing some mind magic on this one and finding out why he attacked Freddie?"

"I think the assassin was for Vasro. He said something about an Aurelio and a Menacari?"

@obscura-omenseeker

“Aurelio is Arturo’s traitorous uncle. And Menacari is my last name.” He said. “I exposed Aurelio to Arturo’s dad. Apparently my name came up. Annoying.”

The assassin spoke up now. "How did you manage to move? I cast a similar spell on the entire room, that this... creature put on me."

"One, don't call him a creature. Two, I'm part Eldrainian dragon. I'm resistant to magic."

A bleary-eyed Turrak stepped into the room, a jar of ointment in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other.

"Freddie, mind me taking a look at where you got stabbed? It doesn't look too bad, considering you're still on you're feet, but better safe than dead from a gut wound."

They obliged, taking off first the doublet, then the hauberk and then the undershirt, revealing a tanned, medium build, more of the scales, a lot of red hair, and a smallish bleeding wound where the knife had gotten through all the layers. Luckily it hadn't hit anything important, nor was it deep.

@obscura-omenseeker

“I got some extra syringes for ya. This’ll get you fixed up quick. I’ll get you a smaller one”

"I'll take any healing I can get at the moment."

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

*Vasro injects the syringe into the proper place, knowing which Arteries to select due to the knowledge he got from Koda. The healing is quick and effective, the wound stitching itself up in real time

“There. You should be good to go.”

Turrak sighed, then said, "Guess I'm not needed here, guess I'm going back to sleep, unless anyone needs something from me"

@obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine

"Sorry Turrak. I assume it looked more serious than it actually was. May you have good rest."

The second Assassin attempted to also drink poison, which Freddie noticed and ripped it from his hand. "Here. A quick acting ingestable poison, just in case you need something like that." The vial was handed over.

A Dusk Legion paladin finished climbing the stairs and looked at the scene set out before her. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to need an explanation for all of this."

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

Vasro burst in, and pacified the would-be assassin. “Get safe or get a strike in! I can hold them for a bit!”

Freddie swiftly kicked the would be assassin in the stomach, hard, folding them in two. "I think this guy was meant for you!" They had a wild expression on their face and blood in their mouth from where they had bitten their assailant. They retreated to block the open window.

“Looks like it.” Vasro says, as he prepares… something. “Close your eyes for a sec. This is gonna hurt otherwise”

After seeing Freddie close their eyes, Vasro Pulsates his Bioluminescent patterns at a rolling speed. Creating the shifting patterns causes him a headache, but not as bad as the one it would cause onlookers. This is at full power this time.

Shregresha bursts into the room just after Varso's pulse stuns the attacker. Noticing that the figure is incapacitated, she tackles them to the floor.

( @squire-of-eldraine @obscura-omenseeker )

“Ow… that always hurts. Sure is useful though.”

After clearing his head, he spreads a few lenses out over the room. “Doing a Quick check for any others. If he sent one there may be more”

Freddie spoke "Shregresha, keep him pinned." He turned to check the window as another assassin climbed in and Stabbed them in the Chest! Freddie pulled them closer and elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose.

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

"Freddie!" Shregresha yelled, taking a hand off the assassin she had grabbed and using it to draw one of her swords as she turned to face the new assassin.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

Freddie collapsed to the ground. The second assassin pulled a second knife and threw it across the room at the warrior.

@obscura-omenseeker

Shregresha swatted the knife out of the air with her sword and bellowed, "Healer! We need a healer!"

She advanced on the assassin, swinging her blade towards their chest. The assassin staggered to the side, so the tip only grazed them along the shoulder, a thin line of blood sprouting as the hooded figure dodged.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

The assassin on the ground was pretty much out of the fight. But shakily attempted to bring a vial to his mouth, clearly full of poison.

The other assassin attempted to leap out the window. Freddie, gasping for breath, rose from where they collapsed and stabbed with the assassins own blade, catching his shoulder.

"A healer might be nice. I think I got mildly caught with the blade."

To the confused looks, he opened his doublet, showing off a chainmail hauberk, with a small gash in the links. "I've gotten into too many strange situations to take this off when I sleep.

@obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

Shregresha laughed as she stomped down onto the hand of the assassin with the vial, breaking both hand and vial upon the floor.

"Glad you're not more injured Freddie!"

"Varso, how about doing some mind magic on this one and finding out why he attacked Freddie?"

"I think the assassin was for Vasro. He said something about an Aurelio and a Menacari?"

@obscura-omenseeker

“Aurelio is Arturo’s traitorous uncle. And Menacari is my last name.” He said. “I exposed Aurelio to Arturo’s dad. Apparently my name came up. Annoying.”

The assassin spoke up now. "How did you manage to move? I cast a similar spell on the entire room, that this... creature put on me."

"One, don't call him a creature. Two, I'm part Eldrainian dragon. I'm resistant to magic."

A bleary-eyed Turrak stepped into the room, a jar of ointment in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other.

"Freddie, mind me taking a look at where you got stabbed? It doesn't look too bad, considering you're still on you're feet, but better safe than dead from a gut wound."

They obliged, taking off first the doublet, then the hauberk and then the undershirt, revealing a tanned, medium build, more of the scales, a lot of red hair, and a smallish bleeding wound where the knife had gotten through all the layers. Luckily it hadn't hit anything important, nor was it deep.

@obscura-omenseeker

“I got some extra syringes for ya. This’ll get you fixed up quick. I’ll get you a smaller one”

"I'll take any healing I can get at the moment."

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

Freddie was exceedingly bored. The ceiling of the inn room was wooden, and occasionally the sounds of steps came from the floor above. They had traced out the patterns so many times over the last few hours.

Quiet as death, someone had scaled the outer wall, currently hanging below the fourth story window. The moon was, luckily for them, new and on the other side of the building.

They pulled themself up further and ever so carefully opened the window from the outside, inch by inch. Freddie heard nothing.

A quick spell, muttered by the assassin, should have kept the rooms occupants in place. They carefully climbed in the now open window, and drew a knife from within their clothes.

He approached the bed, whispering, "Auerlio sends his regards. Say goodbye Menacari," raising the blade to stab at the occupant of the bed.

Freddie sat bolt upright at the noise. A hand shot out and deflected the knife.

"Intruder!" They yelled, rolling out of bed and crashing to the floor. The assassin attempted to flee towards the window, but Freddie leaped forward and tackled them to the ground, the knife flying out of their hand.

The assassin rolled themself and Freddie over and pulled out another knife, now on top. The squire bit on the arm holding them down, hard enough to draw blood.

This drew the first sound from them. A yelp. They let go of Freddie and scrambled away both of them trying to get onto their feet. Footsteps were now pounding outside the room, getting closer to the door.

Vasro burst in, and pacified the would-be assassin. “Get safe or get a strike in! I can hold them for a bit!”

Freddie swiftly kicked the would be assassin in the stomach, hard, folding them in two. "I think this guy was meant for you!" They had a wild expression on their face and blood in their mouth from where they had bitten their assailant. They retreated to block the open window.

“Looks like it.” Vasro says, as he prepares… something. “Close your eyes for a sec. This is gonna hurt otherwise”

After seeing Freddie close their eyes, Vasro Pulsates his Bioluminescent patterns at a rolling speed. Creating the shifting patterns causes him a headache, but not as bad as the one it would cause onlookers. This is at full power this time.

Shregresha bursts into the room just after Varso's pulse stuns the attacker. Noticing that the figure is incapacitated, she tackles them to the floor.

( @squire-of-eldraine @obscura-omenseeker )

“Ow… that always hurts. Sure is useful though.”

After clearing his head, he spreads a few lenses out over the room. “Doing a Quick check for any others. If he sent one there may be more”

Freddie spoke "Shregresha, keep him pinned." He turned to check the window as another assassin climbed in and Stabbed them in the Chest! Freddie pulled them closer and elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose.

@warrior-of-tol-angata @obscura-omenseeker

"Freddie!" Shregresha yelled, taking a hand off the assassin she had grabbed and using it to draw one of her swords as she turned to face the new assassin.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

Freddie collapsed to the ground. The second assassin pulled a second knife and threw it across the room at the warrior.

@obscura-omenseeker

Shregresha swatted the knife out of the air with her sword and bellowed, "Healer! We need a healer!"

She advanced on the assassin, swinging her blade towards their chest. The assassin staggered to the side, so the tip only grazed them along the shoulder, a thin line of blood sprouting as the hooded figure dodged.

( @obscura-omenseeker @squire-of-eldraine )

The assassin on the ground was pretty much out of the fight. But shakily attempted to bring a vial to his mouth, clearly full of poison.

The other assassin attempted to leap out the window. Freddie, gasping for breath, rose from where they collapsed and stabbed with the assassins own blade, catching his shoulder.

"A healer might be nice. I think I got mildly caught with the blade."

To the confused looks, he opened his doublet, showing off a chainmail hauberk, with a small gash in the links. "I've gotten into too many strange situations to take this off when I sleep.

@obscura-omenseeker @warrior-of-tol-angata

Shregresha laughed as she stomped down onto the hand of the assassin with the vial, breaking both hand and vial upon the floor.

"Glad you're not more injured Freddie!"

"Varso, how about doing some mind magic on this one and finding out why he attacked Freddie?"

"I think the assassin was for Vasro. He said something about an Aurelio and a Menacari?"

@obscura-omenseeker

“Aurelio is Arturo’s traitorous uncle. And Menacari is my last name.” He said. “I exposed Aurelio to Arturo’s dad. Apparently my name came up. Annoying.”

The assassin spoke up now. "How did you manage to move? I cast a similar spell on the entire room, that this... creature put on me."

"One, don't call him a creature. Two, I'm part Eldrainian dragon. I'm resistant to magic."

A bleary-eyed Turrak stepped into the room, a jar of ointment in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other.

"Freddie, mind me taking a look at where you got stabbed? It doesn't look too bad, considering you're still on you're feet, but better safe than dead from a gut wound."

They obliged, taking off first the doublet, then the hauberk and then the undershirt, revealing a tanned, medium build, more of the scales, a lot of red hair, and a smallish bleeding wound where the knife had gotten through all the layers. Luckily it hadn't hit anything important, nor was it deep.

@obscura-omenseeker