Kidnapped! (Playground), RP Playground Options

[Darkness Eternal]

= Cardius =

"Not an issue," Cardius said to Buffy with the raise of the hand after she explained her reasons not to join the Vigilantes of Stendarr. He could discern something beneath the knight errant's tone and subtle apology. A reason not to join. "I respect your decision. We as individuals are to walk untethered and unbound by the laws of men, no? We all have our own free will. Nevertheless, my offer yet stands should you change your mind."

The Imperial regarded her with a nod of agreement. "They are passionate about their work, yes. The safety of innocents come first before the needs of monsters and these creatures of evil are on the rise. Indeed we all hope the lad will emerge safely from this unfortunate predicament."

The petite Bosmer turned the questions to him, asking on the nature of Mythic Dawn choice of weaponry and outfitting. "When they are skulking about in their secret meetings, making secret plans, I'd wager they are clad in their red trappings. However they are deceptive. Sleeper agents walk among us clad in farmer's clothes and commoner's attire. Hiding behind smiles and polite gestures. We can never truly discern their nature until they strike or make one misstep. Fortunately we've been rooting them out and . . . goading them to reveal the locations of the other." Cardius put a strong emphasis on the word goading.

"Yes, they still do summon weapons and armor from Oblivion," Cardius said. "Normal steel and iron isn't good for them. They have the need to use infernal tools to defeat their enemies. You should be cautious. I pray the gods will be on our side when facing this terrible enemy."

[Acadian]

* Buffy *

“That’s disappointing to hear,” replied Buffy to the insights Cardius provided about the Mythic Dawn’s ongoing activities. “I had so hoped that Emperor Martin’s sacrifice had not only banished Mehrunes Dagon, but broken the will of his followers as well.”

Changing the subject somewhat, she then said, “From what I’ve seen of the Vigilants, their passion for eradicating all things Daedric rather exceeds their compassion.” Buffy smiled to soften her words and quickly added, “That’s why I’m pleased and encouraged by your concern for the victim. I can imagine that a Vigilant’s priority here is to destroy this nest of Mythic Dawn, whereas mine is to rescue the hostage.”

She paused a moment and levelly met the intense gaze of those pale eyes. “If luck is with us, hopefully both objectives can be satisfied. I do have some experience with hostage rescue operations and, certainly, my preferred tactic is to silently kill all kidnappers during ingress to ensure the victim’s safety during egress.” The elf was speaking a little more quickly now, her small breasts rising and falling slightly as her rate of breathing similarly picked up. “I’m used to working alone but, hopefully, our numbers will allow for the posting of a small contingent outside the cave’s entrance to preclude the escape of any cultists who attempt it.” Buffy suddenly became acutely aware that she was smiling while describing her grim tactics. She lowered her eyes a bit demurely as a mildly warm flush of embarrassment rose through her face to the tips of her long ears.

The elf’s mouth didn’t stay closed for long however. “Forgive me. I know I can be not only a chatterbox, but also guilty of wearing too much emotion on my sleeves.” She lifted her gaze to meet his again and tilted her head. “But I do enjoy my work.” The smile that returned to her face was a bit crooked and uncertain. “Does my thinking make sense when applied to a group? I’m afraid I have little skill as a leader, or at coordinating the efforts of others. When part of a team, I generally do best either stealthily scouting out in front, or in the rear supporting with bow and spells.”

[Uleni Athram]

Sleepy Magnus in the West was slowly giving way to the Twins from the East, and the skies were a tender indigo that had twinkling shadows here and there. Acilius was now seated on a log, in front of a campfire that had a bubbling pot of Colovian Gumbo. There were other fares to be had too, like goat's cheese, cans of liver spread, boiled eggs, and a healthy helping of fried rice. It was not a palette for kings, to be sure, but the Stars be damned if they weren't filling. The young half blood had already finished his fourth helping and was about to pig himself on a fifth one when he dimly spied an Imperial dressed in black attire. Acilius would've passed him for any other fool... were it not for the fact that he had an Akaviri katana strapped to his horse.

Immediately Acilius' hackles were raised as he jumped to the conclusion that the Order had sent another Blade to 'supervise' him. It rankled him to know that after all the blood, sweat and tears he shed, they still considered him a reckless Apprentice. A young blood inflamed by the passion of his early age.

But there was something off about this.. Imperial. Grim get-up notwithstanding, he carries himself like a lord or a prince, his gait suggesting power, but power of a different kind. His eyes were also... Intensely pale. From this distance he almost looked like he didn't had any pupil, colorless as they were.

Then, after a moment of careful observation, Acilius immediately settled into a calm trance and let the environment blend him.

There was no doubt about it.

This one was an Agent of the Empire, yes that much was obvious, but of a different department than Acilius.

He was... Cardius, if the young Blade remembered correctly from the files in Cloud Ruler, but Acilius doubted if that was his REAL name. He was no Blade; but an Inquisitor.

If Acilius' Order were the Empire's knives in the shadows, then the Inquisitors were the terrors lurking in darkness. They stamped out the Empire's enemies just as the Blades do, but some of their methods are... morally questionable at best.

And here was their poster boy, strutting about in Kvatch with purpose behind his steps. Acilius could guess what that purpose was, and if he was correct, then he dreaded it. He had no love for the Inquisitors, like some of his contemporaries, but if they were sent here to squash the Remnant of the Dawn... then there's nothing to do about it but accept it.

It left a bad taste in his mouth, but Acilius understands the concept of using monsters against other monsters.

He scanned Cardius and saw him enter the Mages Guild. Acilius sighed; since he now had a new target to inspect, he must stalk him.

Acilius had just left the Guild after eavesdropping on the boring conversation between the Captain and the elf called Buffy, and he was loathe to enter a place twice. It garnered unwanted attention.

Setting down his plate he followed the Imperial inside the Guild, all the while being careful not to broadcast his presence.

When they were inside, Acilius iniated a conversation about transliminal bridges with a cute little Imperial that had high cheeks, all the while keeping his other focus on the Inquisitor.

Acilius then laughed; partly because he wanted to see what would happen if he slapped the cheeks of the Imperial in front of him, and partly because Buffy seemed to be a magnet for clean shaven men with exotic swords.

When there was a lull in this arcane talk of bridges and aetherial rules, Acilius bid his Imperial au revoir and headed straight towards where Cardius and Buffy were seated. It was hard to listen in to their conversation, no thanks to the motor mouth with the high cheeks, but Acilius heard enough .

He sat on there table and gave them his most charming smile.

"Sawree tu inderapt," he said, the Hammerfellian accent rolling easily on his tongue. "But Ei herd dat'choo ver seining ahp fur dis Britalrak bizneez. Ar'choo mertenariz, az vill?"

He gave them a vague salute.

"Eim Poryphel dah Gaelent! Silsard fur air!"

[Darkness Eternal]

= Cardius =

Cardius heard Buffy on the subject of the Vigilantes of Stendarr. It was widespread knowledge just how strongly the followers of that organization felt about their supernatural enemies whom they regarded as abominations. Their unquenchable desire to destroy Daedra, witches, vampires and beast-men and all that trafficked with them outweighs their sympathy. From this alone Cardius could see that Buffy had a soft heard and would rather finish a task with the intentions of saving someone rather than destroying an enemy.

Cardius couldn't say he was the same. The end to each quest was to bring finality to conflict by ending every threat out there. But he knew where Buffy was coming from. "The Vigilantes do take certain of their methods to the extreme. It is imperative that the enemy do not have the advantage. Compassion, at certain times, is a weakness your enemy will not share." He set his other hand on the table and interlocked his fingers with his other hand. His other hand sported a black ring with an engraved V on it.

He listened intently on what Buffy had to say. She became quite emotional and revealing about her preferred tactics. Looking closely at her size It was painfully obvious she would use her stature to compensate for any other lacking area in combat. She could fit in small places, hide and eliminate foes. Cardius saw a flush of red spread through her face. Embarrassment? Maybe.

She apologized for her show of emotion, and lacking any on the outside, Cardius waved his hand. "No, no. Do not apologize. Emotion is a good thing to be used and harnessed when in battle to your advantage. But it can also blind you to a fault. Any emotion, used to an excess, can be fatal." He left it at that as she asked his opinion. Cardius too valued stealth and more so infiltration. He'd use deception and illusion to fool his enemies, and when they least expected it, he would strike at their heels.

It was a tactic he's used since he could remember. But a jagged cut to the throat, a blade in the back or a sword through the heart worked just as fine. Magic, too, wasn't far from his reach either. But if he should decide to confront the Dawn with others at his side, he'd have to hold back from using his arcane abilities.

It was good, since he'd have time to perfect his other skills.

"It does," he said after a moment. "I prefer to work alone myself. Not because I lack leadership qualities or I am challenged in coordination. I find I am most efficient when alone. In your case, well, either way works. You are a very small woman, I confess. Your size can be your advantage. Where enemies may see us they cannot see you. Having you as a scout would save others the trouble."

[Acadian]

* Buffy *

Cardius didn’t seem to mind Buffy’s emotional chattering, even dismissing her concerns with a hand gesture. So she didn’t stop. “I’m relieved that you seem to share the value of solo tactics.” She then chuckled. “Yes, my size sometimes does work in my favor when trying to remain undetected. I’m not surprised that as a Vigilant, you have experience leading groups or small bands. So I imagine you’ll have some invaluable ideas about how to coordinate whatever kind of group we end up a part of. Like your idea to use me as a scout for example. Do you think that this Captain Gratian knows what he’s – “

The elf was interrupted as a lightly armored swordsman plopped onto the table shared by Buffy and Cardius. His flamboyant smile matched everything that Buffy could see about him – long white hair, violet eyes, the height of an Altmer, dark skin of a Redguard and ears that were human in size but subtly pointed at the top instead of rounded. Buffy was of mixed breeding herself but, like the result of almost all such unions, she was purely the race of her mother. Biracial children that displayed physical characteristics from both mother and father were incredibly rare. The texts on racial phylogeny that Buffy had studied at University referred to these beings as Centaurians and suggested that their rarity may in part be explained by the belief that they – at least the women – were likely infertile. Regardless, Buffy had never seen such a being – until now.

The man-mer introduced himself with a difficult-to-understand accent that Buffy could not place. She believed his name was Poryphel the Gallant and that he was a sellsword interested in the Brittlerock Cave mission.

It was a rare occasion indeed when Buffy found herself speechless but, after opening her mouth, she closed it again. She did manage to pull her eyes from the flamboyant man-mer back to Cardius. Did he know this . . . Poryphel?

[Darkness Eternal]

Cardius never listened to the end of Buffy's sentence before she was interrupted by an armored man who called himself Poryphel the Gallant. The name itself was different but what stood out was his striking physical attributes which drew attention. The man was as tall as a high elf with the skin tone of a Redguard. Cardius would've blamed his skin color on the sun but the lack of any markings from Magnus made the Imperial conclude he was of mixed race. Like Cardius' face he had sharp bone structures. His hair was the color of snow and his eyes were an odd violet. He was fit, bearing strong form and musculature. His accent was not Nibenese nor Colovian.

The inquisitor remained focused on the man, and extended his hand to the empty chair. "Please," he said. "Take a seat. We were just discussing of the quest to Brittlerock."

[Callidus Thorn]

Gideon took the poster from the Nord and smiled grimly. "If I kept my head down I'd still be in the Legion. Should my duties permit me, I'll be there." He bowed politely to the Nord before stepping around him and continuing on his way.

Finding who was in charge of the Kvatch Guildhall proved no challenge to Gideon. Courtesy, heavy armour, and a warhammer in hand, even in a non-threatening posture, created a very helpful audience. The mage, looking slightly shaken, pointed out a statuesque blonde Nord woman, by the name of Sigrid Firewalker. thanking the mage for his help, Gideon bowed politely and made is way over to Sigrid, introducing himself and handing over the letter he'd been given before leaving the Imperial City. Sigrid was not impressed by the contents.

"So, Raminus sent you out here? Gods alone know why. Before the Oblivion Crisis, the Kvatch Guildhall was known for the standard of our alchemy. Now I'm stuck rebuilding that, and what does the Council send me? Mages trained to fight, half of whom wouldn't know how to use a pestle and mortar if their life depended on it."

Gideon chuckled at that. "Regrettably, I do indeed fall into that category. Legion service does provide one with a rather focused skillset where magic is concerned. Though I hope that while I'm posted here I'll be able to learn something of the wider applications of magic."

"Huh, that's pretty much guaranteed. Right now we're using magic for everything we can. Partly because it's convenient, and partly because it keeps the locals happy. Or less afraid at least. Regardless, you shouldn't have trouble learning anything here, but frankly, I've got no duties I can give you right now. I can't even offer you a room, so you'll have to bunk with someone else, and you'll be sleeping on the floor."

Gideon shrugged. "That's what bedrolls are for. I take it, since you've no duties for me, that I can consider myself free to pursue mercenary work around Kvatch? One of the guards spoke to me on my way here. And to be blunt, I could use the coin."

"Feel free. The guild doesn't take issue with it, as long as you're not breaking the law. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a dozen matters to attend to, all of them annoying." And with a brisk nod Sigrid hurried off, leaving Gideon to consider the guardsman's offer. It seemed a good cause, and the legality could hardly be questioned, and he really did need the coin. Decision made, Gideon headed for the door.


------------------------------
OOC: Urgh, again.


This post has been edited by Callidus Thorn: Dec 2 2014, 12:30 AM

[Uleni Athram]

Acilius got off of the table and sat down on the offered chair.

"Faenkyu," he said to Cardius, flashing him a toothy and sarcastic smile. "Mukhao natanoi pran ketpe! Gut manirs lidh tu gut prensheepz, serra!"

He plopped down and made himself comfortable, at ease now that the conversation had started, even though they didn't answer his questions and introduce themselves. It probably had something to do with his accent. A lot of people were put off by it, but Acilius had no choice.

"Loik Eih sid, I herd dat'choo ver seineng ahp fyr dis Britulrak bizneez. So Eih weel ripit da kwestun agin, dis taim plis anser! "

He coughed dramatically while adjusting the buttons on his shirt.

"Ahr. Choo. Mertenariz? Bikos eef saw, mebe vi kud hilp itch udder? Eihm seineng ahp fyr dis Britulrak bizneez end Eih wud laik tu no hoo Eih'll bi width wen da sheets gu dawn."

He looked to the windows and gauged the time. He returned his gaze to the two in front of him.

"Wee steal hab tuu ahrs bepur da ebning, das the bripping, begenz."

[Acadian]

* Buffy *

Cardius had no trouble finding his voice and quickly invited the strange looking man sitting on their table to take a chair and join them. Poryphel did so and repeated his question about the Brittlerock Cave mission.

“My name’s Buffy,” she replied, having recovered her composure. Gesturing at the Imperial across the table, she added, “This is Cardius. I do not speak for him but I, at least, intend to learn more of Captain Gratian’s task at the meeting this evening before I commit my services as a mystic archer and scout.”

[Darkness Eternal]

= Cardius =

Cardius had dealt with a number of people in his years, ranging from clicking Argonians to hissing Khajiits and Cyrodiils who had been raised by Orcs. He'd seen and understood different accents. This man was an odd one, to be sure, but it appeared that his intentions were good and noble.

Cardius nodded as the man referred to him as sera and leaned forward. Buffy already introduced herself and him to the man, who was greatly curious about the mission to Brittlerock as to ask more than once. An enthusiastic man, he was. But he was polite enough, Cardius gave him that.

"I am the inquisitor, Cardius," he said to him, though Buffy had already explained his identity to him. Partially. "I am awaiting the word to set those involved off to the caverns." He placed a thumb to his lips. "Perhaps we could assist one another. The greater our numbers, the better."

Cardius had the opportunity to catch glimpse of the man's katana. A good choice of sword. The Imperial guessed he was trained to use the weapon. That or he stole it from a Blade, or found it or was given it by someone. Perhaps he bought it. Cardius would have to see the man in the field to come to a concrete conclusion.

If this man was willing to join them it would surely spare him from battle. Cardius preferred people did the fighting for him if they were so eager to jump into the fray. Buffy's arrows and maybe Acillius' skills with the blade could come in handy. Not including other potential allies. It wasn't that he was lazy.

It was he'd rather not fight around allies. Lack of the freedom of expression, he'd say.

"What brings you here, Poryphel?" He said. "Coin or other interests?"

This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Dec 10 2014, 07:44 PM