RTD: Souls and Swords

[roninvoid]

I accept the items the mercenary hands to me and attempt to use my knowledge and training to gain a better understanding of them.

[Sand_Dragon]

Tyr

 

You are worried, and more than a little unnerved. You've heard of things like this, but only in the tales of sailors and fishwives, and in the fever dreams of madmen and lunatics. Monsters and strange growths have no place in the mercenary's world; his is a world of fighting for king, country... and gold. Yet it looks like you are plunged headlong into this mystery now.

 

The bag of pistoles jangling at your waist, you get to your feet. "Friend," you say, addressing the Paladin, "this is not my area of expertise. A holy warrior, however, might be more suited to uncovering the meaning behind these events."

 

You hand him the ring and the letter. "My name is Tyr. You are?"

 

Ryn

 

"Ryn... Sir Ryn Lorril", you say, but you are distracted by the strange and malevolent heat the ring is emitting. There is something, indeed, terribly wrong with this ring.

 

"I have never seen its like before," says Tyr. "Can you shed any light on these matters?"

 

Roll = 3

 

You focus, and summon the training of your order. Managing to recall the teachings of your lord - if barely - you discern a rippling sense of horrible evil emanating from the ring. The ball of divine energy you accidentally created seems to tremble when you bring it near.

 

You take a look at the letter. The word malfestation seems to jump out at you again. This must be the name for these strange growths on the pirate captain.

 

You tell Tyr that this ring is some tool of a powerful devil of some kind, clearly, and the stone that is set in it is not any mortal stone, but a fragment of something hideously powerful, that corrupts who wear it. As you muse over this, a single, hideous, pulsing eye flashes before your vision.

 

This gets stranger and stranger. Perhaps there is someone nearby who can help with this puzzle.

 

Kurojin

 

Puzzled by the events of the past half hour, you do nothing except collecting the fallen pirates' swords and pistol shot, although you do get some gold out of the deal. Your wounds are hardly serious, and the monstrous members of the great dragon race are hardy. Resting for the rest of the journey should easily take care of that.

 

---

 

The great galleon coasts into the Port of Genoa, gaping hole in its side notwithstanding. As the mighty ship docks, surviving sailors begin to bustle about, unloading the cargo of the ship onto the harsh stone of the port.

 

"Welcome to Genoa!" bellows Captain Stavros, clapping Tyr on the back. "You are thanked, without aid from you and Paladin man, my life, and more important, my cargo, would be lost!" He laughs heartily. "I am told, also, that the dragon man helped."

 

Kurojin, the eponymous dragon man, mentions that he had aid. "Oh?" says Stavros. "It must be, other passenger. Her, I did not think of as a fighter."

 

Said other passenger has already disembarked, Kurojin notices, and is making her way into the streets of Genoa with hood up and cloak closed. Soon she disappears from view into the bustling crowds.

 

Stavros claps his hands on Tyr and Ryn's shoulders. "You must be given reward - perhaps a lodging and food. You, lad," he says, addressing Tyr, "you will be looking for a new job soon, yes? And Paladin man, will you accompany him? I have a friend in Genoa, the great Lord Sorel, fine gentleman with beautiful daughter and great mansion - he needs a leader for expedition to nearby mountain."

 

A sailor runs up to the Captain and hands him a bundle of cloth. "Ah, of course!" He hands the cloak to Kurojin. "You must keep this on, at all times - your kind here are reviled as vermin and monsters, and to reveal your nature, he would be fatal, fatal!"

 

[[will you follow Stavros to the home of his friend, Lord Sorel, or will you attempt to make your own way in Genoa?]]

[roninvoid]

I accept Stavros' offer to meet Lord Sorel. It would be best to meet the lord of the land, anyway, before taking any action in the city. No harm in at least listening to the lord's plight.

[Kuroshu]

"I thank you," I said to the Captain. I take the cloak and cover myself with it. After making sure that my noticeable features are hidden. I decided to make my own way Genoa. I left the galleon to first sell excess loot. Sold Pistols(Kept two and sold the rest) and Rusty Shortsword

[Nonsense667]

It can be a comfort, travelling with others (especially those that are competent) rather than venturing alone. And lords can pay well, though can be difficult to deal with sometimes. But nonetheless, I might as well go to hear him out.

 

... While keeping an eye on the third edition to the party.

 

 

[Sand_Dragon]

Tyr

 

"A noble, eh?" you say. "Lords pay well, even though they can be difficult to deal with sometimes. I may as well go to hear him out."

 

"Excellent!" cries Stavros. "He is eccentric, true, but he has not much in the way of company; in the halls of his big mansion, only him and beautiful daughter, and some servants. He will gladly give you lodging and a job, when I tell him of what you have done for me, Stavros!"

 

Captain Stavros reaches into his bag of coin and counts out twenty more pistoles - the remaining pay you are owed for the protection you have afforded him. You regard the Paladin Ryn; rarely have you seen someone cut down two men as quickly as he has. A holy man, perhaps, but one who knows how to get his hands dirty.

 

Ryn

 

"Lodging sounds good after such a long journey," you say. And indeed, you are glad to get off the capricious sea: the place of a Paladin is on land, where the vast majority of the base and debauched of the world reside. On land, you can right many wrongs. "After all, it would be best to meet the lord of the land, before seeing what I may do in this city."

 

"Lord of the land?" says Stavros, bellowing in laughter. "Friend Knight, in great Italy the nobles are different. There is no one lord, but there are many powerful families, patricians of the state, each powerful as the Cardinal, wealthy as the king in their own right. Only Holy Roman Empress can equal their whim."

 

"Nonetheless, I will meet this Lord Sorel," you say. After all, you and the mercenary fought quite well together.

 

Captain Stavros beams. "Follow, then! I will take you to home of geart Lord Sorel."

 

Kurojin

 

You sweep on the cloak that Stavros has given you, growling thanks, and attempt to ensure that it covers your rather more obviously monstrous traits. The wings are the hardest part to take care of.

 

Without further ado, you gather your belongings in a bundle and step off the ship, deciding to make your own fortune in the teeming city.

 

---

 

Welcome to Genoa, brawling city of thousands of souls! This is one of the cultural capitals of the modern world, combining the beauty of a coast with the hideous stench and feel of an urban environment; in the streets rich dandies mingle with the poorest of the poor, and in dark back alleys young bravos duel to the death over insults perceived and real.

 

Tyr and Ryn

 

Stavros walks on before you, full of swagger and cheer, but his bulky body is nonetheless taut with a mix of excitement and fear [roll = 4,1]. He may have good reason - while Ryn takes in the urban mess that is Genoa, Tyr's sharp eyes catch something - a figure in a dark cloak, trailing them, or at least walking the same path. Every now and then he catches a glimpse of blue eyes and flaxen hair as an inopportune flash of sun catches the stranger off guard. Tyr supposes that this is the "she" of which Stavros spoke on the ship earlier. But why would she be following them?

 

Regardless, she may not be as much of a danger as the mustachioed bravos sitting in doorways and in front of dusty drinking halls with swords unsheathed. Their very manner seems to provoke a fight.

 

Stavros leads Ryn and Tyr into the richer quarter of the city, and suddenly the quality and appearance of the people on the street improves vastly. [roll = 1] Tyr has lost sight of the stranger tailing them, but this is no matter. Surely one of these people would pay ludicrous sums just for the privilege of having a guard for their person.

 

Ryn is accustomed to this kind of splendor; one does not serve a holy order without seeing ludicrous amounts of wealth. As for himself, he feels uneasy - there is a constant, simmering feel of evil under the veneer of richness. Perhaps it is the nobles, or perhaps it is the ring Tyr gave him to examine - Lord knows that crusty little device gives him the chills.

 

Stavros halts in front of an opulent, gated mansion with an enormous garden and paths out front. "Here," he says, "is the Sorel House. I have sent the messenger ahead; he has conveyed my desire to meet with the Lord. Come!"

 

He marches Ryn and Tyr through the gated pass, leading them up to an enormous front door which an oddly dressed servant opens, into a hall on either side of which are marble columns. The owner of this manse is very rich indeed. [roll = 1] Ryn's sense of pervading evil fades. This place must be a haven of good in some way.

 

Stavros leads them into a side room, and leaves them there, grinning under his bushy black mustache. There are three chairs, a fire, and books lining the walls, as well as a door opposite the one they had just entered. It must be some kind of study.

 

Before the pair can process anything else, the door facing them opens, and a tall man in elaborate clothing comes through.

 

 

"I'm told," he says with a slight French accent, "that I have the two of you to thank for protecting my shipment. I am Lord Sorel, and I cannot thank you enough."

 

His eyes flicker to Ryn. [roll = 3] There is a slight hint of distaste there. "Perhaps a Holy man might not be as welcome here, but I cannot deny you have done me an invaluable service. But for now, I'm certain you are tired. I have had rooms prepared; my Butler, Auguste, will take you to them. We will discuss business in the morning."

 

Lord Sorel leaves the study, despite the fact that Tyr and Ryn are both strangers to him, and his servant has yet to appear. He does not seem to mind the possibilities that would appear two dusty men off a ship in a rich man's house. Perhaps he is more trusting than others.

 

Kurojin

 

Genoa can be a bleak and unforgiving place, as Kurojin is rapidly finding out. The people who are willing to buy his pistols off him are too poor to afford them, and the people who can afford them easily have entire armories all of their own. After a few hours of wandering aimlessly around, he gives up attempting to sell them.

 

He finds himself on a long street, with a tavern and several dining establishments, as well as a poorhouse and some kind of... library? Strange things; cities in Japan did not have such a hodgepodge of disorganized messes.

 

[]

[Kuroshu]

"I should have asked for a guide..." I mumbled to my self as I decide to enter the poorhouse. There might some information I can find about that ship and it's crew.

[Nonsense667]

While not really suspecting anything, it couldn't hurt to search the room for anything unusual, traps, spy-holes, and the like.

"He didn't seem to much care for you Ryn, I wonder what that was about. We should be slightly on our gaurd, as any one should in a mansion like this. And of course, we are told nothing about his request for us. He feels the need to wine and dine us for a night first. Bah, nobles."

[roninvoid]

"I think I'll pass on anything he offers us... Especially with that look he gave me. I'm rather curious of what has caused his distrust of members of the Order."

 

I calm my breathing, listening and absorbing the details of the room with my mind rather than my eyes, attempting to sense any persons or potential threats that may be lurking. While this place may seem tranquil enough, Lord Sorel has aroused my suspicions.

[Sand_Dragon]

Tyr

 

Roll = 3

 

With your mysterious benefactor out of the room, you begin checking for spy-holes and traps, and of course the inevitable secret compartment. There is nothing but the secret correspondence of a French gentleman and an array of books in Arabic and other mystic texts. "He didn't seem to much care for you Ryn, I wonder what that was about," you say, relatively certain that you are not being observed or spied upon.

 

"We should be slightly on our guard, as any one should in a mansion like... this", you say, indicating the rather gloomy study with a sweep of your arm. You have no tolerance for the mysterious air noble lords and ladies love to put on. You remark as much to Ryn. Of course, he says nothing about his request for us. He feels the need to wine and dine us for a night first."

 

It occurs to you that this Lord Sorel is a remarkably careless man, to leave two unknown men in his private study. Careless, or supremely confident. It would probably be remiss of you to rifle through his desk for anything more, but the wear in your shield begins to trouble you. You may have to get it replaced soon. Thankfully you have both the Captain's pay and the money you managed to take off the dead pirate captain.

 

Ryn

 

I calm my breathing, listening and absorbing the details of the room with my mind rather than my eyes, attempting to sense any persons or potential threats that may be lurking.

 

"I think I'll pass on anything he offers us," you murmur to Tyr. "Especially with that look he gave me."

 

Looking around, you begin to summon the powers given you over years of training. "I'm rather curious of what has caused his distrust of members of the Order."

 

The holy order has taught you ways of perceiving danger where an untrained man might not. As Tyr rummages through the study, [roll = 6] A burst of light fills your eyes as you accidentally overextend yourself again - briefly illuminating the study with a yellow-white glow. This time something halfway helpful happens. You ignore Tyr's glare again as you view the bookshelves.

 

A few of the books, high up on the shelves have a kind of glow about them, a reddish, bloody glow. Not quite your average reading material then.

 

You also sense the presence of Auguste, the Butler, coming to buttle both you and Tyr, and- [roll = 4]

 

FRRZZZZT

 

You barely manage to keep your balance as you sense three powerful presences. Two are within the house, and they give off the same reddish flavor as the books. The third is outside, and appears to be lurking in the garden - peering through the study window. It is a blinding, electric yellow.

 

There is blood trickling from your nostril. Tyr looks at you quizzically.

 

---

 

The study door opens again and the imposing figure of Auguste, the Butler, makes its way through. he is oddly dressed, wearing what appear to be charms made out of wolfskin, leather pants, also made out of wolfskin, and a coat, made out of a particularly fine wolfskin. Tyr sizes him up. This is no ordinary servant; his bulk is that of a pit fighter. [roll = 2] A quick glance at his eyes reveals a vaguely disquieting blankness. He looks to be safe to converse around; at any rate one cannot keep secrets from the master of a house.

 

"The master has sent me to take you to your rooms," rumbles the butler, and he gestures to the great hall.

 

Ryn and Tyr follow him north - perhaps now it would be wiser not to resist - the reddish presence Ryn sensed is not Auguste; the man's aura is so weak that it barely registers as a presence. "You sensed something earlier," murmurs Tyr to Ryn. "Something that strongly affected you. Was it this man?"

 

Ryn shakes his head. As they make their way through the hall to the stairwell leading to the second floor, the reddish presence catches his attention again [roll = 5]. Quickly he glances around and sees, standing at the top of the stairs with a hand on the railing, a girl - or a young woman - with red hair, in a dress so dark as to obscure her from vision.

 

 

She stares at them as they make their way up the stairs, then disappears in a swirl of dark fabric, her footsteps trailing off into the dimly lighted upper hall. Perhaps she is the daughter of which Stavros spoke. Regardless, she is also the other source of that reddish tint Ryn sensed. "It's her," he whispers to Tyr. "She and the Lord Sorel are the presences I sensed."

 

The fighter nods and mutters two words under his breath. "Bah. Nobles."

 

Auguste leads Ryn and Tyr to their respective rooms - large, but sparsely furnished affairs. Clearly this manse was not meant for more than one or two people at most when the trappings were purchased. Perhaps turning in for the night would be best, though Ryn mentions to Tyr there's at least one other presence on the grounds - an electrifying, almost holy presence.

 

_________

 

Kurojin

 

Lamenting your lack of preparation, you set off into the poorhouse, nearly tearing the door off its hinges as you enter. Poorhouses are essentially shelters for those incapable of working, such as the many unfortunate militia soldiers who come back from the wars of the Patrician-Lords missing eyes, limbs, or other vital parts. These poor devils are not housed out of any civic-mindedness on any given authority's part, but rather as part of an effort to keep them from sleeping in the streets, which is disorderly.

 

Your cloak trailing behind you, wings twitching, you sniff the air. It smells like human waste and sweat in here, as might well be expected. [roll = 2] Your keen eyes take a while to adjust to the dark, and see nothing out of the ordinary.

 

---

 

[roll = 3] Kurojin gradually becomes aware of a pair of eyes practically burning holes into the back of his hood. He turns, and sees an imposing giant of a man standing before him. His skin is dark and his eyes seem to stare into Kurojin's reptilian soul.

 

 

He does not look amused.

 

"Your destiny," he says, in a booming voice, "is not here, among the squalid filth of humanity."

 

He reaches out with a blade in one hand and what appears to be glowing, crystalline clockwork in the other and touches Kurojin in the forehead, and the city disappears in a flash of light, a gut twisting sensation...

 

And is replaced by trees and rocks. Kurojin looks up and about. He has somehow managed to find himself on a rough cliff face with no clear idea of how he got there except for the tall, dark skinned man. From this distance up he can see the coast, and even the city of Genoa, but so miniscule that the individual quarters cannot be made out clearly.

 

Interesting.

[Kuroshu]

"Who are you?" I asked the man and prepared to draw my swords if he was to attack. "and what of this destiny do you speak of?"

[roninvoid]

(Obvious Soul Calibur reference is obvious. Only caught on when I saw the girl... Should have caught on with Souls and Swords.)

 

I peek out the window in an attempt to locate the source of the yellow presence from before, as well as any potential escape routes (if necessary). It is best to be prepared, after all; especially when one considers the curious feeling I am picking up off of the members of the household.

 

(The yellow is holy?)

[Nonsense667]

Once again, it would not hurt to make sure the room is secure. I also ask for Ryn to expound upon what he had sensed earlier.

[Sand_Dragon]

(Obvious Soul Calibur reference is obvious. Only caught on when I saw the girl... Should have caught on with Souls and Swords.)

 

[[FINALLY. I thought someone was going to catch it with the whole CAPTAIN CERVANTES thing. ]]

 

Tyr

 

Roll = 4

 

Ever cautious' date=' you begin checking your room for spyholes, pipes that might be used to listen in, and trap doors of some kind. In your career as a mercenary you've found that it never hurts to be as wary as possible. You recall the one time you slept in an inn room, in the cupboard of which was hiding a fugitive highwayman. The man was asleep, but one can never be to sure.

 

Certain that the room is secure (at least, more secure than the rest of the house) you venture outside your room and head into Ryn's. He's peering out his window covertly.

 

"Ryn, what are these presences you're sensing?" you ask.

 

[b']Ryn[/b]

 

Tyr enters your room, asking about the strange senses you've gotten. [roll = 3] You're busy, however, looking for the source of the yellow presence, and you find it.

 

It's not that hard: the person behind it isn't trying to hide. In the garden is a woman in a cloak looking up at your window and trying to catch your attention. You point her out to Tyr.

 

"I recognize her," he says. "She was following us earlier when Stavros took us to this mansion."

 

It looks like this is the woman from the ship, the one who fought below deck with the dragon man.

 

Turning your attention from the woman, you start looking for potential escape routes. [roll = 5] It looks like the window opens, and there's a lattice which could be used to reach the ground without too much harm. Aside from that, the only other way you can see from here is down the stairs and out the front door; with the house as empty as it is it probably won't take too long to get out, and you won't catch anyone's attention.

 

Kurojin

 

You draw your swords, but the tall dark skinned man is suddenly no longer there.

 

All there is is the trees, the sound of a sparrow-hawk, high above the earth, and the will of nature.

 

It looks like you will have to find Destiny on your own.

 

Tyr and Ryn

 

The woman in the garden appears to be signaling something. Tyr and Ryn observe her curiously. The house is deathly quiet, not to mention dark.

 

They know next to nothing about their host, save that he has some suspicious books in his study and he exudes an extremely powerful aura of red, something usually taken as a bad sign. Meanwhile the woman in the garden has a certain electric yellow about her. Tyr recalls that just as the fight on Stavros' galleon ended, a lightning bolt - seemingly out of clear skies - plunged through the upper deck to strike something below. Perhaps that was her doing.

 

Magic has always been something to be wary around, and the divine even more so - the world is filled with gods and ancient things, some of which are in constant conflict. Who knows what master the woman in the garden serves?

 

Kurojin

 

The forest on the side of the mountain quiets slowly with the coming of the night, and the sparrow-hawk (what's a sparrow hawk even doing in Italy, anyway) wheels away to search for other prey. Kurojin's reptilian eyes slowly adjust to the darkening world. It occurs to him that he might potentially be alone up there.

 

On the plus side, he is heavily armed.

[Kuroshu]

"Well Damn it all..." I mumbled to myself, "If I had know it would be like this I would have followed those humans..." I shook my head to clear my mind of complains. It was already to late to second guess one's self after looking to see there was no one was around I spread my wings and flew above the forest as high as I safely can then looked to see if there's any light coming from the distance away from the port city

[roninvoid]

"Since she appears to be signalling us, I'm going to go see what she's on about," I open the window and use my escape route to exit the mansion without alerting the others. Not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to myself or Tyr, let alone potentially getting an untrusted, unwanted tag-along by exiting via the main entrance, I slip out of my room.

[Nonsense667]

Though it appears that Ryn will be taking the window, I would much prefer to leave via a door, and meet back up with Ryn once I exit. Climbing down that lattice seems to be just asking for something to go wrong.

[Sand_Dragon]

Tyr

 

As Ryn moves to open the window and lower himself to the ground via the lattice, you instead move to the door of his room and open it. No sense taking pointless risks; a fall from that high up might mean a broken bone or two. You figure that taking the stairs down instead is the more risk-free proposition. You make your way to the stairs.

 

Roll = 2

 

As you carefully tread your way down the stairs, you hit a loose board and a loud creak fills the empty hallway. Damnation, someone had to have heard that - so much for the less risky way.

 

There's no time to lose. You make your way across the great hall as quickly, and as silently as possible, your chain mail jangling to a minimum. [roll = 5] You make your way to the front door without incident, edge it open quietly, and slip out into the cool night air. Thankfully the Sorel estate has no guards, though that in itself is slightly worrisome. Time to rejoin with Ryn.

 

Ryn

 

You crack the window open a peek as Tyr leaves the room without speaking a word. It appears you both plan to meet with this mysterious stranger. He's taking the longer, and in your opinion far less stealthy way.

 

Pushing the window open all the way, you lower yourself onto the lattice and begin to climb down. [roll = 3] You make your way down carefully, towards the garden where the stranger awaits, uprooting a few of the vines winding around the lattice in the process but otherwise making a minimal disturbance.

 

Your boots touch the ground. The rendezvous awaits.

 

---

 

Tyr rounds the corner as Ryn dusts off his previously immaculate surcoat, now stained with green leaf-juice. The woman looks at them and moves closer, her brown cloak trailing on the grass. As she nears it becomes apparent that the electric yellow presence Ryn senses does not stem from her, directly, but rather from around her. She is surrounded by a kind of divine favor.

 

Before either of them can speak, she draws her sword. "The two of you are in grave danger," she says, eyes flashing in the dark.

 

_________

 

 

Kurojin

 

Roll = 6

 

You check your surroundings to see if anyone is there - no one, save for a small animal high up in a tree, is here to observe you. You cast off your cloak and wrap it around your arm before spreading your wings and taking to the air, hurtling into the skies. It feels good to be flying once again.

 

The only light you can see is the moon and the twinkling of one of Genoa's lighthouses.

 

---

 

Kurojin looks around. He seems to be completely alone - but there is a ruined structure of some sort a little higher up near the top of the cliff face. It looks as though it has been torn apart by a great violence.

 

[Kuroshu]

Though it would have been wiser to camp for the night my curiosity got a hold of me as I make my way towards the ruins to investigate. I Kept my guard up for anything that might be hostile.

[roninvoid]

I draw my own sword in response to her (two-handed). "And what would be the source of said danger? You, or the family owning this mansion?", I ask, preparing myself to meet her sword should she strike at me.

[Nonsense667]

I raise my shield to defend from a possible strike from her, but scan around, and have my sword prepped to fend off any attacks originating elsewhere.

I'll let Ryn do the talking for now, I just hope he doesn't faff it up.

[Sand_Dragon]

Tyr

 

Roll = 4

 

You unsling your shield and draw your sword. You are more than ready for combat - it looks as though this could turn ugly. While you do so, you take a careful look around the garden.

 

The stranger has not come alone.

 

Behind a tree to your left you see the glint of another sword and cloak, and coming up the path are three more cloaked figures, each similarly armed.

 

You step up beside Ryn. "There might be too many to fight. You handle the talking."

 

Grimly, you tighten the strap of your shield. "Do not faff this up."

 

Ryn

 

Tyr stands beside you. "I see six or seven in the garden. Probably more," he says. "How did you not sense them?"

 

It appears as though the aura surrounding the cloaked stranger was so strong as to conceal all others. That's one sort of camouflage.

 

Put on guard by the woman's seeming aggression, you draw your own sword and level it at her. "And what," you say, peering at her keenly, "would be the source of this danger?"

 

You lock your grip tightly around your sword. "The family that owns this mansion," you say, angling your sword to meet hers in case of attack, "or... you?"

 

You become aware that the pirate leader's ring under your surcoat is beginning to glow warm and red. That sort of thing is hardly ever a good sign.

 

---

 

Tyr and Ryn are alerted to the sound of footsteps. The woman's companions reveal themselves one by one, swords drawn and shining round shields out.

 

"I don't want to fight you," says the woman. "But we will if we must. This is a fight that you can't win."

 

Tyr, ever suspicious, narrows his eyes. "Who are you?"

 

The woman pauses for a second, and casts off her cloak.

 

 

"I am Sophitia Alexandra, champion of Hephaestus, and you run the risk of interfering with our holy duty," she declares.

 

Another, younger woman steps up beside her. The family resemblance is apparent.

 

 

"Wait," she says. "I don't think they're working for that man. Not yet, at least."

 

The older one, Sophitia, gives her a doubtful look. "That man, Lord Sorel - he steals men's souls, and makes them his slaves. Gods know why he summoned these two to his lair... but the oracles have spoken. These two will play a part in the coming war, the war of souls and swords. And..." she pauses. It appears she is not as cold blooded as she initially seemed. "if they're not on our side..."

 

"At least tell them why we're here," the younger woman urges. "Look at the one in white - he's a holy warrior. He has to sense the wrongness in that house. And I don't think his friend is the type to bend easily to a master's will."

 

Ryn nods, and Tyr gives her a look of acknowledgement, but their swords remain raised in preparation for combat.

 

Sophitia glances away and releases a tense breath. "Very well."

 

She sheathes her sword. As though obeying her signal, the other, hidden warriors relax their guard. Her sister - what appears to be her sister, at least - slings her shield across her back.

 

"There are two swords," she says, reaching up to the pendant that hangs around her neck. "A holy sword, and an evil sword. The Soulcalibur and the Soul Edge."

 

"Swords can't be holy or evil," says Tyr skeptically. "A sword is a tool. Evil and good are in the hands that wield them."

 

Sophitia smiles. "The evil sword wields itself. The holy sword has a bearer."

 

Ryn frowns. "How can a sword wield itself?"

 

"Something so evil has a will of its own. A deadly force drives it," she says, then looks up, as if she has noticed something. "Your host, the Lord Sorel, has been touched by this sword. He... nearly destroyed it once, but now a part of it rules him, twists him and all he touches. He cannot easily be killed, so we have come here to stop him."

 

The younger woman now speaks up. "Many warriors have tried to destroy - or win - the Soul Edge. Some, like my sister, have come close to succeeding. But all that's happened is that the pieces of the sword have been scattered throughout the world, spreading their awful influence. Those who've been touched by the sword, like the Lord Sorel, want to spread that influence further. He's been gathering shards of that evil sword. There may be several in this country."

 

[roll = 5]

 

"Perhaps that's the job he wanted us for," says Tyr to Ryn. "But why not get it himself?"

 

"We don't know," says Sophitia. "All we know is that he has to be stopped."

 

"So," she says, "You've heard our story. Where do you stand?"

_________

 

Kurojin

 

Swords drawn, you soar on a draft and make your way to the ruins. The night air is cool, but your kind have naturally fiery blood. Nonetheless you feel a kind of chill as you approach the blasted hovel.

 

Roll = 2

 

As you land in the ruin, you look around, but fail to notice much of import. You take a deep breath. This destruction is recent. You can smell blood and death on the air. Perhaps searching this rubble and debris might bear some fruit.

 

_________

 

[roninvoid]

"I'm rather curious more than much else at this point," I reply. "How can we truly know which side to trust with so little information backing either side up? How does one recognize these sword shards? What effect do they have on man?"

 

I try to subtly use my powers to search for any power sources akin to the ring nearby while not revealing my attempt to do so. The ring is clearly reacting to something, after all.

[Kuroshu]

Seeing as the destruction was recent I decided that I will cautious when searching the ruins for any information on it's recent destruction

[Nonsense667]

A small smile arises to my lips, "With you or against you? Heh, the black and white world of dogmatic slaves. Where do I stand? Exactly where I did before you spoke. You have submitted forth an interesting premise, but one that hardly affects me. I have done nothing to you, nor this Lord Sorel. Likewise, neither of you have done anything to me. So I stand in neutral ground. And there I stay in regards to you and however many warriors you pull out of the bushes. The only person here I hold in any honor is that of my companion Ryn. I have fought beside him, and he has shown himself to be a person of worth. So, should he hold you in a higher place than I, I perhaps will attempt to be more understanding. Likewise, should he disagree with you, or you make any threat against him, be warned; my blade shall stand with his should it come to that. *I switch the positioning of my equipment, with my sword toward the two women, and my shield more to my side.

(ooc: ^ Was all I could think of for an action. Sorry. )