Of Godesses and Dark Elves (Complete)

[Smooth Detective]

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Nine1122

She rose a brow, not that he would see at the time. “It wouldn’t be my visage to burn your eyes,” she retorted. In truth, her personality wasn’t too different from other matriarchs of dark elf society; such a personality was encouraged, as long as they had the skill or talent to match. When it came to dark elves, women especially, modesty was rare if present at all. Her demeanor was hardly modest, but she had the capacity to back her words, unlike others of similar personality. He truly was defiant, but she would regretfully have to bear with it. When her clothes were appropriately slid on and her hair was dried, she answered him. “I interpret her will, and I have envisioned three names, that of Old Britannia’s three reigning sovereigns. It’s hardly who I would select, but it’s not my place to question it. Kill them and you will be rewarded appropriately in wealth, power, and prestige, for it seems I’ve been tasked with providing you with the names you need.” Her last sentence was passive aggressive, as if she had to swallow her pride simply to entrust him with the task. Frankly, she did not think much of him, and was convinced there were greater individuals to wield the dagger, herself included, though she still preferred her staff. Tridve the Viper, Ishih of Szithdlyn, maybe even Jalqo the Quick, all of whom she thought were filth but preferred over the likes of him. Either way, she was merely one stroke in a grand design. After composing herself from the humiliation of relying on him of all people for the task, she spoke once more, almost in a challenging tone, “Are you up for the task, or shall I find someone more able?” At the very least, he could find some delight in proving her wrong, because she clearly didn’t believe in his capabilities. Her hope was to hear him impaled, beheaded, or left to rot in some castle dungeon, or better yet, not to hear of him at all, and that he was nothing more than someone sent off to die and feed the High Priestess’ vanity.

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

What a world we live in where it is more pleasurable to speak with the goddess of chaos herself than it is to speak with her disciples. Vale kept that thought to himself. He knew now what was desired on him. It would be no simple task but also no great trouble. The High Priestess would speak again and before the end of her sentence, Vale would have disappeared. He cared not for what she had to say. Her vanity tainted the words she spoke and while she was a High Priestess he knew little of what she had done to earn that power. So she was as worthless to him as he was to her. He had the names and knew how to complete the task. It would be easy at first, the first of three was always the easiest. He would kill Orric, King of Brastan, first. The man's militaristic and tyrannical rule would serve as the perfect cover for his murder. None would suspect an assassin with a grand scheme after he died. They would simply see it as a person fed up with the cruelty. After that he would move to New Britannia and strike down Balder. That would likely trigger suspicion resulting in Cirilla's guard increasing. Cirilla would die last and given the softness of her rule, increased guard would not be enough to stop him. Yet first he had to reach Edmarth.

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: A dagger

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Santiago Campos

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden


The Wraith would descend upon Orric's kingdom like the darkness that sought to end the day. It was time for Brastan's ruler to meet his end. He walked into Edmarth with a simple cloak over his leather armor and weapons. A hood covered his head and hid him from the locals and guards constantly patrolling. The task was given, kill Orric. Yet he needed to plan. He needed resources. Fortunately you did not do what he had done for so many years and not know exactly what was needed. This was the first ruler he would strike down and so he need not worry about increased guard. However this was Edmarth and it was Orric. Orric was always a cruel man and it had made him a king. He would be hard to reach. His castle would be nearly impossible to enter without alerting the guards and even if he made it in, he would have to make it back out with Orric's head. Well not his actual head, but his crown. Proof for the woman who irritated him so. Even with the power he had that would be difficult. So he did not intent to strike at Orric while the man rested in his heavily defended castle. He would strike when Orric left the sanctuary. Unfortunately he did not know when that would be which is why it was so easy to figure out what he needed first. Vale needed an itinerary. The king's. Once he had that he could plan the actual assassination.

The streets of Edmarth were dirty. The smells in the air could only be described as putrid. at every corner a master instructed slaves in chains. If they were mining, it was to mine harder. If they were building, it was to build faster. The masters would never be pleased. The work would never be good enough. Yet the cruelty was not their fault entirely. It trickled down from the top. Orric demanded much, and continued to increase his demand so the masters were forced to increase their own lest they become slaves. These were a few thoughts that passed through Vale's head as he moved through the city. From any point in the city you could see the massive arena at the center, and the castle just twenty miles beyond it. The castle stood highest but the arena was the most elegantly designed. Elegant is a word which here means, not completely trashy. You could always hear the echos of the crowd cheering at the gladiator matches but there were no such matches occurring as Vale traversed the city to find the inn he had been referred to. The Rusty Pint. A simple inn with a few rooms and a lot of drink. When Vale finally reached the angular building he walked in and paid for a room and a pint which he took to a corner booth. The innkeeper cast him a dirty look but nothing else. The sun was falling in the sky and Vale would begin his work when it rose again. Yet little did he know, an old acquaintance was sitting in the booth next to his.

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger

 

[Deadly_Tiger]

Azril Nalaam
"Moonhunter"

Azril had been sitting in The Rusty Pint for some hours, mostly just people watching. It was amazing what one could learn just by watching someone for a few minutes. It was amazing what one could learn just by listening for a few hours. It was amazing how most only saw what was presented to them. Infiltrating the castle had been easy enough. No one looked twice at a girl in servants clothes, especially in a castle where there were a hundred others like her scuttling about and especially in a land were servants were treated worse than animals in most cases. Of course an assassin of Azril's caliber didn't just change her clothes. She changed her face, her hair, her name and perhaps most importantly her personality. Still that wasn't to say she could just dress up as a servant and walk into her targets room. Only trusted servants handled the General's food and were permitted to enter his apartment within the castle. Smart man. Too bad it wouldn't save him.

The King had become paranoid. His top military man, General Deveral, had gained too much power and had become far too popular among the nobles. Orric feared a coup. However he couldn't simply proclaim treason against Deveral. Not anymore. So that was where Azril came in. The King needed him dead, but it couldn't be traced back to him and there were no second chances. Desperate, he shelled out the price and a contract was made. A lesser assassin might have expected aid from the king in getting access to their target. The King only knew she was in town, all communication between them done through an acolyte, not that much communication was needed at this point. She didn’t expect to hear from him until after the deed was done.

This evening, Azril appeared as herself, in her black leathers and lounging casually in the booth. The General would have a seemingly innocuous mishap in the morning and a week later he would die. Her work was more or less complete, though she remained to make sure of it and of course collect payment. It seemed the evening wouldn’t be as dull as she had originally anticipated though, as familiar dark elf and old family friend entered the inn. “What brings The Wraith to The Rusty Pint?” She asked when he walked by her booth with his pint.

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nine1122

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

Now that was a voice he had not heard in a long time. Nalaam. He identified the voice in his head and turned it to look at her. He debated for a moment whether or not to engage in a conversation. The Nalaam's were good at what they did. He had worked with plenty and considered many as friends but he had not often worked with the woman before him. Still he had heard of her deeds. He knew she was worth of some honesty. "Business." He said simply as he turned his body to face her. "And what brings you?" He had a feeling it was the same answer but of a different brand. Few assassins were contracted to kill kings and queens. Even less were told to kill three of them.

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger

 

[Deadly_Tiger]

Azril Nalaam
"Moonhunter"

“Business.” Azril answered in a slightly amused tone, mildly curious as to whom his target was. Of course any assassin worthy of the name didn’t announce their targets, at least not beforehand. Whoever it was, was just as dead as the general. She nodded her head slightly towards the seat on the other side of the table she was sitting at. “Care to share a drink?” She wouldn’t take offense if he said no, but judging by the pint in his hand he wasn’t in a hurry to be anywhere. Perhaps they could play a game of dice.

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nine1122

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

Vale did not verbally respond but he did sit down at her booth. He saw no reason not to. He wouldn't need to begin until the morning and even then he wasn't particularly in a hurry. The itinerary would not leave the place he expected it to be and would be best if stolen the same day as he killed the king. That way there was little time to alter the king's schedule. "If we are both here on business the population is about to shift dramatically." He finally said before taking a swig of his pint. Despite the words, he didn't seem particularly amused but then again he never did. He knew what it meant. Business. It meant that soon someone would be dead and that the one who spoke the word would be moving far from the city. He couldn't have imagined that their goals conflicted with each other's but given the humming of the dagger that the goddess had given him, a humming only he could hear, he should have known that it would not be a day of orderly work. "So, are we going to play the game?"

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger

 

[Deadly_Tiger]

Azril Nalaam
"Moonhunter"

“One can only hope.” While in this case her target was more about keeping the status quo than about some great political upheaval, sometimes these things had a way of falling out that the person who hired her had never anticipated. Death didn’t have a side and the Nalaam’s were neutral in all things, but witnessing the fallout of their actions sometimes proved to be entertaining. Perhaps this General truly supported the king, and his death would open the door or an enemy to make their move. “Very well.” She motioned slightly for him to go first. Across the bar a frustrated male handed over a small stack of coins. He was certain his opponent was cheating at their card game, yet couldn’t figure out how. She hadn’t yet decided if he was new to this line of work and in training, or simply bad. He certainly wasn’t nearly observant enough.

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nine1122

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

Vale smiled slightly, a rare thing. He enjoyed the game. It was always an opportunity for assassins to see how well they knew each other and the craft. The challenge was making a deduction that did not also reveal something about yourself and being able to catch when the other player revealed something. "You are here, in what could only be described as the slums. In a place where few would look. So it is clear that you are working yet there is more to it. You seem comfortable meaning whoever is employing you has some sort of power. Yet not entirely relaxed, so they would not be willing to bail you out. The dirt on your shoes is almost entirely from this area yet they are cleaner than my own meaning you did not enter town the same way I did. I moved through the slums to here which left me with a lot of dirt yet it seems almost as if you were cleaned before you came here. It could be a personal preference but knowing our line of work, dirt helps blend. We would stay in the dirt if our targets did. So your target must be in the upper districts. That would explain why you wear less dirt than I. The path down here from the upper districts is cleaner than the path into the slums from out of the city. Still no employer who lived with the rich would meet in their own home so you must have made a trip there of your own will. To the higher districts. Scouting perhaps? But that doesn't help." Having drawn no more evidence at the moment or theories, he posed the first of three questions that he was allowed under the rules of the game. "Is your target in the upper districts?" Now, there were some holes in Vale's logic that he had put there intentionally. His target was also in the upper districts but he had not yet gone to see which was why he was dirtier than she. His intention was to mislead her into believing his target was in the slums.

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger

 

[Deadly_Tiger]

Azril Nalaam
"Moonhunter"

“They are.” She answered simply without confirming or denying anything else he had stated so far. “You’ve just arrived in the city. You’ve got horsehair on your clothing, which has the worn and rumpled look of someone who has spent a few nights sleeping at the side of the road. Not to mention you seemed to have picked up a leaf in Apollonian. Not that any of that is very helpful in figuring out who your target is.” To be fair, she had already been in the city for some time and therefore knew he had just arrived. It was unlikely he would go anywhere else upon entering the city. The observations were given to cover up what she had already known and cover up just how long she had already been in the city. Azril took a swig from her pint, and then set it back on the table. “Despite just arriving you are in no hurry to start working. One my even go so far as to say you are looking to kill some time. Someone you already know the schedule perhaps, or are difficult to get to at night. Is your target in hightown?” Now Azril was making a bit of a leap here since there could be other reasons for Vale to wait until the morrow to make a move, however nobles were the only people with any kind of itinerary and locked away safely in their palaces at night.

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nine1122

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

"Yes." Vale replied as simply as she had to his question. Hightown. Could have picked anywhere but she picked Hightown. He knew her target was in the upper districts and given that she had made the leap to the target being in Hightown he could assume that it somehow related to her. Some part of her contract came from Hightown. "You are a Nalaam, your family is known for this line of work so anyone who was anyone and wanted someone dead would come to your family. High profile contracts would fall to you so you must have a target in Hightown as well. But not just Hightown. This kingdom's lords and ladies live in fear of their king. Crippling fear. They wouldn't hire someone to kill him not after the last one. So a target in Hightown who is not the king. Begs the question of whether or not a lord would higher an assassin to kill another lord. Possible, but not likely. Not for the Nalaam family. No you are experts in discretion and lords are rarely that careful. Is your target in the castle?" It was the only place he knew in Hightown where there were targets other than lords.

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger

 

[Deadly_Tiger]

Azril Nalaam
"Moonhunter"

“From the Upper Districts to the castle. That is quite the leap.” Azril pointed out, pausing slightly to take a sip of her pint before answering his question. “They are in the castle, however I think you are projecting, or perhaps trying to mislead me. Perhaps that crippling fear drove someone to purchase themselves a guaranteed kill. Or perhaps there is someone who does not fear the king as much as he should or a foreign ruler who wants his removal. We are the experts in discretion as you say. Yet you are very confident my target is not the king.” She paused again, wondering if she was about to waste one of her three questions with this very specific one rather than a broad one to eliminate several people. Perhaps that was exactly what The Wraith wanted, but Azril decided to trust her instincts. “Is your target the king?”

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nine1122

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

Vale smiled slightly. "Yes. He is the target. Given that a king could kill his servants without any consequences it is not a castle servant that you are after. So the few people who remain are generals. I can't guess through all of them, I don't have enough questions. But I don't have to ask anything else. Orric is a jealous man, General Deveral is a great leader and popular among the nobles. He is your target." It had been narrowed down by figuring out the target was in the castle and not the king. when it was clear it was a general the question only became which general was it? Deveral was the clear choice. But now the game ended and the two sat across from each other, knowing what they were here to do. Vale know who had employed her, but she didn't know who had employed him. She could try to keep playing, but it would never garner an answer she believed. "So we are both here to kill valued targets."

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger

 

[Deadly_Tiger]

Azril Nalaam
"Moonhunter"

“It seems we have a conflict of interest. If you complete your task before the weeks end I will not be paid for mine. If you complete your task before a month passes and word gets out who hired me some might even think I disposed of my own client. An insult to the name Nalaam.” Certainly getting paid was a concern. Though the family was vastly wealthy they were far from altruistic. However the bigger concern was reputation. Rumours and half-truths had a way of spreading like wild fire and even if it was in the King’s best interest that no one knew of their arrangement she did not doubt he had a bragged to at least one trusted individual. Or perhaps a trusted individual was the one why suggested he go to the Nalaam’s in the first place.

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nine1122

 

[Nine1122]

Vale Do'urden

"Yet if I kill him I would wager it becomes easier for you to get into the treasury and take your pay for a short window. I can't refuse my client. You can refuse yours." Vale would not halt what he had put in motion. The plan he had set out. It had to be done. One did not simply refuse the goddess of chaos, not when she was the singular reason for your life. "If word gets out your family is far more that suited to crush the rumors. They have done it before just as I have. However they did it will a little more style than myself."

Alias: The Wraith | Profession: Assassin | Gear: Ten throwing knives, a dagger, and two shortswords

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Deadly_Tiger