[Venora] Cruel World

14th of Saun 716

The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
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Alistair
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[Venora] Cruel World

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14th of Saun, Arc 716

OOC: Crunching these threads together like a mofo, but when you have almost 30 threads in a 40 day season...

The sun shone through the windows as daybreak came, though the room was isolated enough so that the glare merely missed. Even so, the incursion of light into the room eventually woke Alistair, who lay shirtless and wrapped tightly in Duncan's grasp for most of the night. He looked to see the flutter of eyelashes or sudden movements from his companion, but found none. Alistair likely slept a lot less than this man, as he had always become restless after seven hours or so passed of essentially wasting time. The man rose from the bed and tried not to wake Duncan with sudden, jerky movements. His mind went immediately to a matter they hadn't yet settled.

Icarus Axton, he whispered. The man moved to his desk and he drew the name onto a sheet of parchment with his inked quill. Beneath the name he scribbled several things - information he'd uncovered about him since the assassination attempt.

One, he is from the town of Bayern, northeast Venora. It was not until Alistair had researched Icarus that he'd even heard of Bayern. Allegedly the town was a farming settlement that had fallen to extortion beneath a gang leadership; the Bloodletters of Bayern, a group led primarily by the Axton sons and daughters. He had uncovered this information by looking into the reports and records of each town in Venora alphabetically in the libraries of Sabaissant.

He wrote this as the where - assuming this was his base of operations. Additionally, he'd uncovered more information about him that was astoundingly unique.

Two, he was once a high ranking member of the Iron Hand. The man's skill in words and battle did not go unnoticed, and before he had fallen to the whims of gold as a common bandit, he'd signed up with and climbed the ranks of the Iron Hand. Evidence in Alistair's research suggested several possibilities. Firstly, he did not find this work lucrative enough. While honor and serving the Kingdom of Rynmere was noble, it did not supplement what he desired - to use his exceptional skills to obtain vast sums of coin. Another possibility was a disagreement with other high ranking members of the Hand. The final was the most grievous possibility - he had been selling particular Iron Hand information to members of criminal organizations for coin.

Either way, he had been expelled from the order, whether by choice or by punishment.

Three, he was renowned for his hatred of the nobility while serving in the Iron Hand - numerous allegations had been laid against him of exceptional disregard for the system of nobility and nobles in general, regardless of the situation. Becoming a noble killer thus made perfect sense, and what greater prize than the heir of one of the largest noble houses? Well, there was the King, but he wasn't quite "true" nobility. He was born of an illegitimate and non-noble line, which may have made his death inconsequential to Icarus, who obviously valued his ideals to some extent.

Four, he was a total sleaze. Apparently he'd slept around with a ridiculous sum of people, man and woman both, and had killed many of his partners due to alleged slights against him. Icarus was a powerful and pragmatic individual, but was also cruel and volatile. He was an opponent that Alistair and Duncan would have to put a tremendous amount of weight into. As such - the Necromancer would be bringing his Lich companion with him. Damien would likely be hanging around the artist venue in Sabaissant, so they would have to catch him there later. He'd been aware of this impending 'quest' for some time now.

The mage studied anatomical sciences for about an hour or more. He learned about the sciatic nerve - a receptor that frequently experienced strain, nerve pain and the locking and retracting of muscles. He jot down notes alongside the pages of Anatomical Sciences of Rynmere, one of his prized books. When he was finished, he checked to see if Duncan was awake, and leaned over to look at his face with Alistair's lower body pressing into the side of the bed. He said nothing, just stared and waited. If he didn't spring up, the Necromancer would return to his studies as if nothing ever occurred.
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word count: 748
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Duncan Oisin
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Duncan woke slowly, far too comfortable to pull himself from sleep fully. He could hear movement around him, and he could tell without rolling around that Alistair was no longer sleeping beside him, but he was loathe to open his eye's, determined to make the most of the comfortable bed and the chance to sleep inside for once. The night before had been long, but despite that, Duncan still felt well rested, a slow sleepy smile spreading across his face as he thought back on what had happened.

Alistair had been sweet and shy, completely unaware of how stunning he was. I wasn't something Duncan was used too, most people he'd ever had experience with were totally aware of their own allure and how they affected other's in such an amorous way, whereas Alistair seemed surprised each time Duncan commented on how incredible he found him. Alistair was unique, which made it all the more satisfying and heart warming when he had slowly opened up, returning Duncan's advances with some of his own. Duncan's mind went directly to the kiss they'd shared the night before. He hadn't expected it at all, and the excitement and giddiness that it has caused in it's wake had bolstered his energy, so that once Alistair had settled down beside him to sleep, Duncan had remained awake, smug and smiling with his arm's wrapped around the young doctor.

As he snoozed, not fully awake, but no longer asleep either; Duncan pictured the scene in his mind, remembering Alistair's gentle touch, his honest and heartfelt words, and the fond look the noble had pinned him with. If he'd had his way, and if Alistair had been anyone else, he'd have pulled the man down to the bed and had his way with him, loathe to let him back up ever again. But, it was Alistair, and the last thing Duncan wanted to do was scare the man off by coming on too strong or forceful, so instead he took it slow, letting Alistair set the pace. He wasn't sure where this blossoming relationship would lead him, but he was excited to find out, and in the process learn more about the complex and intoxicating man that was Alistair.

Duncan yawned, rolling over to lay fully on his back, blinking his eye's open slowly, Alistair's face coming into focus above him. He stretched and smiled, somewhat surprised by the other man's proximity, but not too bothered by it, as it made it easier for him to reach out and wrap a hand around the back of Alistair's neck, drawing him down. "Good morning there..." He murmured softly, eye's tracing his face, admiring the greens and browns of his eyes, his nose, and the bow of his lips, before pulling the other man down for a soft kiss.

word count: 489
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"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,
and when you move fall like a thunderbolt"
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Alistair
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[Venora] Cruel World

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He watched the mercenary's eyes flutter awake, his arms stretching about as he smiled pleasantly in the face of Ali's visage. Shortly after his eyes had opened for the first time, he brought his hands to the back of the Necromancer's neck and pulled him in. Alistair lightly smiled as he did so, accepting his kiss with one of his own, their lips tangled together for but a moment. "Hey..." he said shyly. The mage felt like a total wet donkey around the mercenary, but he couldn't help it. Somehow the kiss was more paralyzing to him than anything else he'd experienced. He felt this strong compulsion afterwards, every time - to collapse onto Duncan and hold him as tightly as he could. He resisted, if only to try and keep his cool, but the desire was there. The strong desire.

God, how astounding this was for him. He couldn't even have imagined moments like these just a dozen trials ago, and now every moment spent with Duncan was as serendipity to him. He could feel the warmth growing in his chest already. It made it difficult for him to think about what he'd wanted to do. He could hardly remember the man's name now, the Bayern Bloodletter. Hickarus? "Icarus," he said to himself. He remembered, though it was probably not the first actual word Duncan wanted to wake to, considering Alistair hardly counted 'hey' as intelligent speech.

Even so, he had to keep it on his mind. Priorities. He wouldn't be able to spend time with Duncan if he was dead, after all. His focus needed to remain clear. Right. Right. "Oh, hey," his mind trailed off again. "I have a present for you." The man nodded and stood up, escaping Duncan for a moment as if to allow himself a moment of regular breathing habits. He went to the patient room and atop one of the desks laid a sheath, a weapon wrapped in a disposable padding. He grabbed the equipment and returned to Duncan's side, laying it on the bed. "I had commissioned this when we arrived in Venora, and I received it yesterday some time before you came in. I just figured it was inappropriate to give you a sword during the midst of our... operation," he said with a slight grin.

"You should open it, Duncan," he said. His hands stroked over the bandaged arms of the mercenary, Alistair offering him the gift with an exceptionally excited look upon his face. He knew Duncan would love it. When he opened it, he'd find it to be a blade of astounding quality, built from a metal exceptionally sharp, durable and refined and crafted with the care of an expert blacksmith. On the hilt was the symbol of a rose, with a word - small and carved - "Loyalty". Perhaps that defined Duncan's work ethic the best in Alistair's eyes, his commitment to Ali despite all that had gone on. Him as a person? Love. That was what he'd always remember him by. That great and vast feeling.

This sword would be a reminder of it. So, as Duncan would unwrap it and pull it from its sheathe, Alistair could only wait impatiently as the man revealed his gift. There was no gift greater than the one he'd given the nobleman just a night ago, but the Venora could seek to repay him over time, beginning with a blade that he could always rely on to defend him in the most dangerous of situations.

(OOC: Grader, please deduct 96 gn for the Mastercraft Quality Gladius gift.)
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word count: 611
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Duncan Oisin
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Duncan hummed lowly, a slight frown pulling at the corner of his mouth as Alistair murmured that name into the space between them. He knew the name, and he guessed by the mention of it that they wouldn't be having the lazy, leisurely morning as he'd hoped. He pushed himself up, sitting properly and swinging his legs off the side of them bed. He felt surprisingly well considering the night before, though his face and hands throbbed dully. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned, casting his gaze around the room as Alistair hurried away, taking the moment to rub the sleep from his eye's and pick a lump of dried blood from his chin.

Duncan stilled when Alistair reentered the room, eye's darting down to the distinct item he held in his hands. Alistair laid it down beside him, and Duncan swapped his gaze between the other man and the sword, somewhat unsure. He could already tell the quality of the blade without even touching it, and he was hesitant to do even that, despite the fact that Alistair clearly wanted him to. Duncan glanced at the other man's face, pleased to see that the other man looked quite happy. "You shouldn't have bought this..." He said slowly, voice low, but he reached for the sword all the same, holding the weapon with careful, gentle hand's to turn the sheathe over, admiring the craftsmanship before even drawing the sword. He could see his gladius in the corner of the room with his other belongings; the blade was dull and old, the craftsmanship passable, but not especially good.

Duncan examined the hilt carefully, eye's lighting and a slow smile forming as his eye's swept over the rose and the word 'Loyalty'. Duncan's eye's darted again to Alistair's and his smile grew, closing his hand around the grip to pull the sword from the sheathe, eye's going wide as the beautiful blade was revealed. It was leagues above his old sword, his was chipped and dull, looking far worse for wear. Alistair's gift on the other hand, was easily one of the most stunning weapons Duncan had ever seen, though he supposed he may have been a little biased in the matter. The subtle curves of the short blade had been honed to a lethal edge, the metal gleaming in the morning light. Duncan could only imagine how many hour's would have gone into crafting such an exceptional weapon, let alone how much the blade must have cost Alistair.

The thought caused his gaze to return to Alistair, though he kept the blade drawn in his hand, tilting it from side to side and testing it's weight. "Are you sure you want me to have this?" He questioned hesitantly, eye's searching Alistair's face. The mercenary was unused to gift's, let alone one's of such astounding value, and he felt unworthy of such an item, especially since Alistair was already paying him for his services. Picking up the sheathe, Duncan slowly slide the blade back inside, eye's tracking the blade as it disappeared. Setting the now sheathed sword across his lap, Duncan fixed his attention more fully on Alistair. "If you're sure, then thank you. This mean's a lot to me."



word count: 564
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"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,
and when you move fall like a thunderbolt"
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[Venora] Cruel World

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Duncan


Points!:

Story: 1/5
Collaboration: 3/ 5 (2 x posts)
Structure: 5/ 5
Knowledge:

Alistair: Light sleeper
Alistair: Shy
Alistair: Gave you a gift

Loot:
Gained: 1 x sword as described
Fame:
NA
Magic:
These points may NOT be used for arcana
Alistair


Points!:

Story: 1/5
Collaboration: 3/ 5 (2 x posts)
Structure: 5/ 5
Knowledge:

Icarus Axton: Attempted to assassinate you
Icarus Axton: From Bayern, northeast Venora.
Icarus Axton: Was previously a high ranking member of the Iron Hand.
Icarus Axton: Expelled from the Iron Hand
Icarus Axton: Renowned for his hatred of the nobility
Icarus Axton: Has slept with a lot of people, has killed a large number of them.
Bayern: A farming settlement
Bayern: Has fallen to extortion from a gang; the Bloodletters of Bayern
Bloodletters of Bayern: A gang led by the Axton sons and daughters.



Loot:
Please deduct 96gn from your ledger.
Fame:
+1 (good deed)
Magic:
These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

General comments. I have given you 1 point each in story, because there is absolutely no attempt to finish this - I do feel that you could have given it a shot - even having Duncan just leave the room, for example. However, what you have written is clear and well done.
Story The story fundamentally is that they woke up and Alistair gave Duncan a sword. In and of itself nothing wrong, but hardly begun, let alone finished. It's such a shame, because I love reading about both pc's and I understand it's really difficult when one pc has left / is taking a break. I look forward to reading about them in the future!
Structure No problems.

Please do PM me if you think I've missed anything or you have any questions!
word count: 297
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~~Red in hoof and claw... ~~


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