The adventures of Arthago chapter III, A Province united Options

[Agent Griff]

So let's kick this chapter off shall we? A small bit of info at what's to come further in the series: At the end of this chapter, Arthago will move to a whole new province and I think many of you already know which province it is. Anyway, let's enjoy Hammerfell while it lasts shall we?

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After the defeat of Lord Vhosek's rebellion, things went back to normal in all of Hammerfell. Some local kings and rulers however, seeing that Lord Vhosek managed to battle the King and even defeat him, albeit for a short time, started a fight against King Lhotun's rule as well. Since I was one of the highest ranking knights in Sentinel, with the exception of Marshal Daron and a few other senior knights of the order, I was often sent to these small kingdoms to stop the rebellions. The first kingdom to revolt, a few years after Vhosek's uprising, was the small kingdom of Santaki which was close to the Dragontail mountains. I was sent there, together with a few other knights below my rank, to stop the rebellion.

We arrived there after a few days ride. The capital of the small kingdom was the town with the same name, Santaki. The kingdom, albeit small, had its own knightly order, the order of the Hawk. That meant that the Kingdom had some importance in the politics of Hammerfell but it also meant that other smaller kingdoms may gather around Santaki and fight against Sentinel. I never really understood why Redguards or men in general fight eachother if there's no other foe to fight against. Maybe to heighten their skills? No, the answer was quite simple really. For Power. Once a man got ahold of better, he never could really let go of it. The more power you have the more power you crave. King Lhotun obviously had too much power for the regional kingdoms to bear, so they rebelled against him. Quite simple if you look at it from a political point of view.

The capital was a rather big town. It was quite smaller than Sentinel though but bigger than any other town I had seen before. The seal of the order that was etched on my cuirass was concealed by a cloak and so were the seals of the knights under my command. I didn't want someone to see that knights from Sentinel had arrived to settle affairs with Santaki. The palace was not a big or tall building, it was merely three storeys high. I could see an open balcony leading to the throne room at the last floor. There were also knights of the Hawk standing guard near the palace. Even though they came from an issolated kingdom such as Santaki those knights looked fierce.

Once we reached the gate of the palace, a knight stopped us to ask us of our business with their king. I didn't exactly think of an excuse on the way so I had to improvise.
"We come from Sentinel to bring word on King Lhotun's movements." I said in an official tone.

"Sentinel eh? Why do you have to bring the news to the King personally? I thought that sir Greklith was in charge of intelligence." the knight said with a suspicious voice. He was also constantly looking at my knights who were behind me.

"Our duties are to transmit this information to his Majesty personally." I said, trying to keep the lie going. He seemed to believe me.

"Very well then. If the King specificaly required that you meet him I won't interfere. Carry on!" the guard said as he opened the gate. How polite of him! I'm sure that he will be pounding his head after I slay his treacherous king.

A few minutes later we were standing in front of the king of Santaki. He was a man close to old age with a small beard and long, flowing, hair. He looked at me and my men with his brown eyes and asked what my business was in Santaki. He seemed confused and I felt sorry to slay him because he looked like an innocent man.

"What is your business in Santaki, travellers?" the king asked.

"We come from Sentinel with news and counsel." I said, with a soft tone that calmed him down a little.

"Counsel? What counsel? I think I can handle my own kingdom, despite my advancing age." the king said with a hostile voice. Alright so he didn't like advice. It wasn't as if he had much choice when it came to the advice I was about to give him.

"King Lhotun of Sentinel advises you to lay down your outrageous claims and slanders against him. He also advises you that uprisings are very dangerous for men of advanced age such as your fine self." I said in a cold voice.

"Men as myself? King Lhotun now mocks me! I will not lay down my just claims! Hammerfell must be free!" the old king shouted.

"The king of Ephesus had the same opinion regarding the King's counsel. He dissapeared shortly after he made his opinions public and his cousin now peacefuly rules the kingdom. I would not want the same happening to yourself." I said, trying to scare the old king.

"I know why you're here. Lhotun sent his assassins after me. He is a coward not to face me in just battle!" the old king shouted.

"Neither I nor his Majesty see a brave, young King fighting against an old man as a just battle. I think you will agree with our opinions." I said with a sarcastic tone. This man was really pushing my indulgence to the very limit.

"Your king is a filthy coward! And so are his men!" the old man shouted.

Before the old king could say another word he fell down on the floor. His throat was pierced by a small dart. Blood started flowing shortly until it reached our feet. Our job was done! Slaying old men with darts really wasn't my style but at least it payed well, well enough to manage the estate that Lord Vhosek left me. Before the guards could react we were already outside the palace and into the crowded streets of the city.

Once we reached the gatehouse, one of the knights under my command entered as the others, myself included, exited the city. Shortly after, the guard inside the gathehouse fell out of a small window. The knight inside had done his job well. He was more lightly armoured than the rest of us and he was adept in sneaking around and stabbing people when they weren't looking. He then fired a flaming arrow into the sky. The army waiting for us outside soon stormed the town with the gates open. The town guards and even the knights of the Hawk surrendered once they saw what was pouring through their open gates. The King would be pleased to hear of my actions, conquering a town without any loses and slaying a king without anyone noticing. Being an assassin though, didn't quite fit me. I lusted for the thrill of battle again. I had not fought anyone since Vhosek's rebellion. I had to return to Sentinel to report my deeds and receive my rewards anyway. I wonder what Marshal Daron has to say? I had not spoken with him since the days of the rebellion and I was anxious to speak with him again.


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That's it for the start of the chapter! I've followed advice and have used spaces between dialogue lines, tell me if you like it how it is now or if you liked it more the way it was before.

[Agent Griff]

I seem to have another reader. Great. As to what you said Jack, Arthago will be paying a visit to the Concubine markets yet not in the way you have envisioned. I leave my update to enlighten you all, however.

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The task laid out to me by Severus Scaevola was indeed nothing but trouble. If I were to succeed, I would earn the enmity of a few brothels and at least one noble. If I were to fail, then I had no idea what I could do to infiltrate the court save kidnapping the king's bastardd and ransoming his life against a position in the king's court.

Severus had given me a list of several brothels where I could find a certain weak-willed noble, as he described it. This noble was apparently easy to manipulate and, through him, I could gain entrance to the personal court of the king and become a lesser courtier at the least. I took solace in knowing that the famed Breton at the court of king Sorian, Sir Conrad Hornwood, had begun his rise as a lowly courtier as well. Of course, he rose quickly through the ranks by defeating several established Redguard nobles who were his superiors. I would face no such opposition from the other nobles, at least not in the violent fashion Sir Hornwood received it. The nobles would surely loathe me, consider me an upstart hedge knight and all that, yet for all their scorn at least I would be considered a Redguard knight born and bred, not a foreigner like Sir Hornwood.

Of course, my status as a sure-blooded Redguard would do nothing to lessen the insults I could receive from other Redguard nobles who were just as sure-blooded as I was. If I was lucky, I wouldn't have to fight more than two duels to keep my honour unstained. If I wasn't, then I could very well face the same welcome Sir Hornwood received.

All such thoughts faded from my mind, however, when I entered the district that housed the Rihad concubine market. It was also home to numerous brothels of various repute, since the words 'concubine' and 'prostitute' were often close in meaning and not only in Rihad. Severus had assured me that he knew all the madams from the brothels I was about to visit, and that almost all of them owned him favours. After visiting two of the brothels though, I found neither the noble I was looking nor the favours promised by Severus. A disappointing start to a hopefully not-so disappointing day. After the third brothel, however, my luck finally struck. It was an odd brothel by all accounts yet a classy one nonetheless. The madam was an old Redguard woman sharp of tongue and wit. All around her, I could see old men of various weariness with thin wooden canes in their hands. After asking about the noble several times, the old hag finally revealed that he was truly an active patron of the brothel.

"Names are dangerous in my line of work though," the woman kept saying somewhat cautiously, "And you would surely do best if you looked for another noble to pester. This one isn't likely to appreciate it."

"I trust you keep a ledger with the names of all your 'customers'." I said, not paying much attention to the woman's words. At first she pretended not to hear me as well, yet after I stuffed a pouch of Lhotun's gold in her pocket her mouth started unwinding. Besides, I knew from the very beginning that all respectable brothels in Rihad had annotated ledgers where all customers were listed. Prostitution was, after all, an honest, legal practice in Rihad and justly taxed by the state. Any brothel which didn't supply a ledger when the king's men came calling was either outlawed or shut down entirely. At least Severus had told me so.

"Well, now that you put it that way, young master, we do have a freshly written ledger as of today. It contains an up-to-date list of all patrons, including the one you seek. Would you like it in duplicate form? We have a very skilled scribe in our employ and we always aim to please our paying customers." The woman said eagerly as she weighed the pouch of gold and rubbed her hands. I frowned.

"I'm not a paying customer. Just give me the ledger and take me to the person I'm looking for and I'll leave you to your own...affairs." I said with some restraint as the woman went off to one of the old men with canes. I had little respect for either those who worked in brothels or the ones who paid for their services. I tried to show courtesy to the madam, however, since I never liked being rude.

"He will take you to the man you're looking for. Try not to be too forceful with either him or my girl. It wouldn't do to have bloodshed between my walls. There's enough liquid between these walls as it is and I wouldn't appreciate adding blood to the mix." The woman said with care for her choice of words. This place was vulgar enough as it was without the madam adding to the uncouth things already going on.

It turned out soon enough that the man leading me to the room where the noble was enjoying the services on offer was blind. All of the old men in the brothel were apparently. Hence the canes. It seemed to be a way in which the customers could keep their pride and honour to themselves, without anyone else witnessing the act. The ledger was enough dishonour in my opinion, however.

As I reached the door, I thanked the man and sent him off on his way. As I stood in front of the door, I thought about what my course of action was. I could barge into the room with my blade in my hand, but that would probably lead to 'forceful action' as the madam had called it. It was better to have a somewhat more subtle approach in these situations. Besides, a man was most vulnerable when caught with his pants down...literally. That, and very liable to do brash things like, for example, lashing out violently at the one who had just caught them in the act. As I prepared to open the door, Severus' words echoed in my mind. He had told me that the noble was married, and that it would be a stain on his honour if word were to spread that he had been caught bedding a prostitute. With those words in mind, I opened the door.

The noble, named Salahar, almost jumped out of the bed entirely when he saw me enter the room with my hand firmly on the hilt of my scimitar. His hands were also firmly grasping at something, yet it was far from a weapon. The prostitute, still in the bed, clumsily attempted to cover herself with the bed sheets. Salahar slowly got up from the other side of the bed, tugging at his pants as he looked at me, wide-eyed. After the prostitute fled the room wrapped in the bed-sheets, I finally felt ready to speak.

"How silly a married man can look in a whorehouse, wouldn't you agree?" I said, trying to sound calm and collected. Salahar looked anything but calm and collected.

"It is not comely for a stranger to barge inside a private room in such a manner. Neither is it comely to...interrupt a fellow man from his needs." Salahar said, fear and slight desperation in his voice. He tried appealing to my sense of honour. Little use it would do him.

"That sounds very shallow, coming from a man such as you. I have a poor view of men who cheat on their wives, Salahar. Especially nobles, who should be an example for the masses." I said, calmly moving over to the other side of the room. It was finely decorated in Imperial style, with lacquered oak furniture and carpets.

"How do you know my name? Do you...even know who I am? You have...you have no right to be here!" Salahar said with desperation as he seemed to scramble for a weapon. There were none at hand however.

"Why, I would say I have more right to be here than you do. I, for one, have paid more to be in this room." I said calmly, referring to the bribe I had given to the madam. "But enough about me. Does the king know you are cheating on your wife with such people of ill-repute?" His face seemed to go white with fear at the very mention of the king.

"The...the king has bastards of his own. What...what right does he have to judge me?" Salahar asked, his eyes filled with fear. He probably envisioned the executioner raising the blade as he spoke.

"His right as king." I said, letting the word 'king' float in the air a while, so the fear would properly ingrain itself in Salahar. "And since Rihad brothels are ever so orderly, I also have a ledger which proves that you have visited this very brothel. Many times in fact. Does your dear wife know you've been cheating on her with over eight different women these past months?"

"If you knew my wife...you would-"

"-would condemn you even more than I already do. Yes, I know." I said, interrupting the frightened Salahar.

"Please, have reason. I can pay you with your weight in gold, if only you kept silent. I promise it shall...never happen again. That I swear." The man seemed so desperate, he was already swearing oaths so I could keep my silence. Severus had been right when he named the noble weak-willed.

"Save your gold. What would your whores do without it? Then again, that really isn't my concern. There are some ways however in which you can regain your honour in my eyes...and in which no one else shall know about your adulterous pursuits." I said, looking into the eyes of the frightened man. If it was up to me, I would have gladly slain the man myself, yet he was the only way in which I could have gained entry into the king's court.

"Yes?" He asked as the light in his eyes seemed to return. I could also see a glint of joy.

"Present me to the king as a travelling knight who would defend his name by any means available to him. Vouch for me and praise me for my skill, both martial and diplomatic. If you succeed, I will keep my silence regarding this matter. If you fail, then you will fall together with me, once the king finds out about your pass-time." I said with a cold voice. It was really the only choice I had available, though it left room for error.

"Of course. Anything you ask, just keep silent on this matter. If my wife's brother finds out he would surely...oh, bugger, I've already said too much. Meet me tomorrow in the reception hall of my king's palace. We will make a sworn knight of you yet." He said as he seemed to regain his calm and composure. I forced myself not to smile however because of my small success.

"Where's the 'we' in this, my lord? If you fail, you will be the one to face the executioner...or worse. Farewell, and expect me tomorrow at the palace." I said brusquely as I turned and left the room.

I grinned as I left the whorehouse, a large grin of success and a smirk of pride. I had never really cultivated my skill with threatening people and appearing menacing in general, yet I was overjoyed at seeing how I could terrorize the noble with the mere mention of his wife, the king and the ledger with his name on it. It had probably never occurred to the noble that, sooner or later, someone would use such a ledger against him. Ultimately however, men learn from their mistakes. Next time, the noble would probably be harder to blackmail.

Severus had told me shortly before I left the tavern that we were to meet in discreet places and that I should try to avoid his home, since people could notice. Rihad was apparently a place where most of the walls had eyes and the nobles all strived to be one step ahead of each other when it came to information. Severus had also warned me that, if I succeeded in entering the court, I should treat him with cold indifference so as not to arouse any suspicions whatsoever.

For the time being however, my sole concern was finding a place to sleep. An inn would do finely and soon enough I found one fitting my tastes. It looked to be a well-tended building from the outside, cosy and welcoming to travellers weary from the roads. After renting a room for twenty drakes, I bought a drink and stood at the bar a little to enjoy my ale. A refreshment was welcome after such a hard day in which I had met a bounty hunter, killed a man and blackmailed a noble. Of course, it was nothing Salahar could praise me for so only the eradication of the goblin clan would have to do. That, and what other things Salahar might invent over night, in bed with his wife. I would have no one to warm my bed as Salahar had, yet I was thankful that I at least had a warm, cosy bed and that nobody would bother me. Nobody except for the damn bounty hunter, but he was currently the least of my problems.
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I hoped you liked this update in which we start delving into the morass which is...Rihad!

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Mar 16 2008, 06:53 AM