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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:21 pm Post subject:

Flora approaches Ian and says, "If the place has been taken over in Daniel's absence, there's no need to stop by. I was hoping to use the commodities here, but we can worry about taking back the keep some other time... I'd like to know who has taken up residence here, but that can wait until we return from the caves in the Black Mountain. We should take the long way around."

From one of the connecting base keeps, an escort of three mounted men in red and gold armor come out toward them. One of them holds a lance with a black banner with a red triangle and three gold circles. Two of the birds fly up and away from the windmill platform, flying over the mountains and away from Ian and Flora. The other three birds land onto a lowered platform, way up high.

Next to them, the old man cackles and shouts at Ian over the powerful winds, "Looks like you piqued someone's interest, mystery man!" With that, he begins climbing his rock again.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"A red triangle and three golden circles. Who does that belong to?" He asks the man, but loud enough for Flora to hear as well.

He waits until the riders get close, then: "Hail gentlemen. How can I help you?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject:

"Beats me!" he shouts over his shoulder, halfway up the rocks already.
Flora shakes her head no.

...

The riders are human enough, but horned and their skin has a reddish tone to it. Not traits Ian recalls Daniel ever displaying. The man riding in the middle is the oldest looking one and his armor is a bit more ornate. The youngest is the lance-bearer. They have cropped black hair and mustaches, and look like politicians rather than warriors. Even their swords are thin and ornate objects rather than tools of war. They regard Ian and Flora and their readied weapons but continue approaching.

"Hail, travelers!" the middle-aged balding man calls out in an accented Thari, he holds his right hand up in salute. "Our Lord of Mirrors, Ashelt, bids you welcome and wishes for you both to join him and his family for dinner." The man looks over at the old man at the top of the rocks. "Is he... yours?"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"He is his own creature, actually." He turns to Flora and walks a few steps closer to her. "Do we need to continue on or is information going to serve us well?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject:

Under the cover of the wind, she says, "At this point, we might as well go with it and see what happened here. For all I know this is a ripple of what Daniel described to me... Should we take Mr. Weird with us in case we need a well-placed distraction?"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"The three of us accept your invitation to dine. We will just require a few rooms and some time to make ourselves presentable. One room for my wife and I and the other for um...Rocky there."

He walks over to Flora and kisses her cheek, then whispers in her ear. "I am not letting you out of my sight. I mislike these people with their shady looks and ormolu blades."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:28 am Post subject:

Flora nods, "They are not from around Windborne or any neighboring lands. Their Lord must be able to travel through Shadow somehow, which is not an easy feat considering what this place is..."

The old man calls out, irritated as much as irritating and defiant, "Oh, I'm 'Rocky', now?" He jumps down, causing the three gentlemen's mounts to step back.

The man in ornate armor commands everyone's attention, "Very well! Follow me Lord and Lady. We will take you to your chambers." He ignores the old naked man when he addresses the group, while the other two men look at him attentively, as if a dangerous dog about to be unleashed. "I would like to arrange for chambers appropriate to your status. Pray tell what titles do you hold in these parts?" He looks from Ian to Florimel.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Some nagging feeling tells Ian that true names might be a bad idea here. He quickly improvises. "My lady wife is...Countess Marilyn, formerly of House Monroe. I am Count Vlad Taltos of Adrilankha. We both have long lists of titles, but they would bore you and Rocky here might freeze to death, so lead on, good sirs."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:12 pm Post subject:

Satisfied, he bows his head and says, "Count, Countess, I am Master Elishu'hur. Welcome to Windborne." The three riders turn around and make their way through the harsh winds back to the keep.

Rocky follows, muttering incoherent words behind Ian and Flora. Flora puts her weapons away and takes Ian's arm.

The white-stuccoed structures have very few interesting features on the outside. The few windows are arched and quite high but all wooden shutters are shut and look as though they rarely get opened, probably due to the near-constant windstorm.
The men dismount and the younger one without the lance takes Arson into the stables with his horse. The man with the lance drops it carefully in a placeholder outside the keep, among various other banners and colors. One of them is the Green and Gold banner of Oberon's Amber.

Ian, Flora, Rocky and Elishu'hur make their way to a different entrance. After a long series of black stone steps, surely quarried from the mountain range connected to the estate, they enter through a heavy arched door, opened by horned men with light brown skin smooth like a beetle's chitinous armor. Behind them, the door is locked loudly.

The halls of this place are wide and lavishly decorated with baroque objets d'art, tapestries and bronze statues. It is brightly lit by flower-like lamps hanging from the ceiling. Nothing here suggests that the estate was taken by force.

The group is taken through several flights of stairs quietly to a wide hallway with three doors on either side. On their way, Ian has counted less than a dozen guards/servants including the two he saw at the main door. Here, everything is also richly decorated. Elishu'hur gives Ian and Flora the largest room, fit for high nobility. The room also connects to a lesser room where several servants can reside.
"Will an hour accommodate you properly?" Elishu'hur asks.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Fine. Thank you."

Once they are in the room, he locks the other doors, then kisses Flora on the lips. "This room is more than adequate, my love." Spoken a little loudly. "An hour will do just fine." He leads her to the bed and pulls the covers up and over them as he gets in bed with her. He whispers in her ear. "Sorry for the subterfuge. I do not trust these people and fear they may be watching us. How do you wish to proceed? If you want, I have no compunctions about cleansing your son's house tonight, or we can leave. Your safety is first in my mind. Sorry about the name, too. I just...I don't know. There is power in names, and these demonic-looking guys reminded me of something I heard once about power over names." He keeps an ear and an eye open for the enemy.

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Assuming she hasn't killed him for his apparently way too forward behavior, he continues. "I think I've made a grievous error in coming here to gain intelligence on your son's Shadow's new owners. My first consideration should have been for the mission, and for your safety. For that I do apologize. I am loathe to eat anything or drink anything they put before us. Do you agree that we should leave, before hour is up? I can get out the window, get Arson and a horse for me and have you jump to me. We should be away from here before any alarm can be raised."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:46 pm Post subject:

Flora's eyes widen when Ian kisses her and brings her to the bed. While he begins to worry and speak very quickly to her she attempts to appease him by putting her left hand on his cheek and she says, "It's alright. We'll be alright. I know this place and I know how we can get out if we need to... And I'm pretty sure we would have sensed if they had been spying on us here." With that, she wipes her mouth and gets up from the bed and walks to a mirror. Her demeanor seems rather calm and relaxed considering the potential for trouble.

She says to him in a voice low enough for only him to hear, "They must know who I am by now... They would be rather incompetent if they didn't." She puts her and Ian's cloak on a nearby chair then proceeds to brush her long hair. "There are many portraits of me in the connecting keep north of here. My late husband was a fairly talented painter, if I say so myself... Either way, I imagine that they'll just play along. If they had wanted us dead they could have attacked, or at least they would have the courtesy to attack now, while we're changing." She looks at Ian via the mirror and winks.

There is a knock at the door.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

When she mentions the portraits hanging all over the Keep he smacks his forehead, thinking "Doh."

He walks to the door. "Who is it?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:40 am Post subject:

"Count! It's... ahem... Rocky..." the old man says in an excited, but hushed tone. "What the hell am I supposed to be wearing and what the hell am I supposed to be doing around here?!?"

Florimel is humming a tune and undressing behind a folding screen in the back of the chamber.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Get some clothes and wash up. We're expected for dinner. I'm...busy."

He turns away and hears Flora humming and sees clothes getting tossed on top of the changing screen. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He looks around for a sink or a bucket of water so he can wash his face before dinner.