The Order | An Original Fantasy Roleplay [M] (RP Thread)

[Minteh]

SU Thread​

RULES

• All standard forum rules apply.

• Please, no bunnying/god-modding without permission. I will allow you to do it to my characters, but only in response to non-violent interactions, and nothing that would seem out of character.

• Post as often as you can! I know most people have their own thing going on in their personal lives, but this is one of those RPs that is fun if you keep up with it.

• Swearing is allowed as this is rated 'M', but please don't abuse it. I know some characters will swear, just don't use it as an excuse to have them swear in every sentence.

• Romance is fine with me, but don't go overboard. We're not here for that.

• Also, and I can't stress this enough, please make it appear realistic during fight scenes. I know that since there is magic involved, it isn't going to be exactly identical to real life, but don't make it so your character gets punched and is barely affected by it.

• Don't ask for multiple characters.

• If you're going to be away for a period of time, please let me know in advance.

ACCEPTED PLAYERS

1. Petra Telaris (Dwarf Cleric) - Minteh
2. Emilia Ulric (Werewolf Barbarian) - Jean Grey (Accepted)
3. Evan Gyre (Afflicted Vampire Solider) - Schade (Accepted)
4. Henry Woodwick (Human Wizard) - Mon (Accepted)
5. Axel Nicks (Elf Illusionist) - VampireMace (Accepted)
6. Lucas Wolfssegner Ladimoore (Werewolf Wizard) - Andydemon (Accepted)
7. Sekolah Sensale (Tiefling Bard) - Skillfulness (Accepted)
8. Arauvir (Elf Wizard/Rogue) - Cobalt (Accepted)
9. Fallon Jadestone (Elf Ranger) - Tangy (Accepted)

~~Petra Telaris~~
Westreach Prison
​

Westreach prison, better known as "The Gallows" to locals and those unfortunate to be imprisoned there, was a fortress inside and out. The original building that was known as the prison, loomed like a dark shadow over the small town that had once been known as Westreach. Now all that remained of the town and the people who once lived here were old dilapidated buildings, many of which were converted into new buildings to better suit the expanding prison.

Before her imprisonment, Petra had assumed some of the stories about the prison were made up, as they seemed too impossible to be real. However, like the rumours had warned, the prison was a veritable hellhole. Prisoners were held in small cramped cells, with barely enough room to fit a bed, chamber pot and chair inside, let alone a fully grown prisoner. They were kept on a rigid schedule, forced to remain in their cells for the entire day, save for an hour for dinner, two hours to spend outside stretching their legs, and the occasional time given for them to bathe. The rules were fairly surprisingly simple but very easy to break, and very easy to be punished for. Punishment usually involved being sent to solitary for up to a week, sometimes a month if you'd been particularly rowdy, or in extreme cases a heavy beating. Since there were only six solitary cells, they tended to fill up fairly quickly, so beatings were fairly common. Petra had been in solitary twice but had thankfully been spared from any beatings, save for one slap as punishment for insinuating that Ravenna was going to kill one of the guards as justice. Not her finest moment she had to admit.

The weather was pleasant today, with the sun basking down on them, and a gentle breeze ensuring that the heat wasn't too bad. The courtyard was shared not only by the prisoners in Petra's cellblock but the prisoners from five other identical blocks as well. Petra had always assumed that the building had been part of a street in the past due to the similarity of the architecture.

As to be expected with the sheer volume of prisoners currently milling around in the courtyard, there were a fair number of guards on patrol, eyes always watching to ensure that trouble didn't break out. Considering that prisoners were nearly always in a pair of cuffs, it seemed unlikely that they would ever cause much trouble if a fight broke out, but as Petra had seen many times in seven months here, many of these prisoners were quite resourceful.

One of these more 'resourceful' prisoners, was a man named Hugo, who Petra had the misfortune of occupying the neighbouring cell to hers. He was a mouthy, reckless man, who despite numerous beatings, seemed to have no issue with routinely annoying the guards or other prisoners. He seemed more reserved today, talking quite animatedly to a girl from one of the other prison blocks, who seemed less enthused by whatever it was he was talking about.

Petra had few friends in the cell block, though she could probably name most of them if pushed. Today she found herself in the company of five other dwarves, all a few years older than her, who were housed in one of the other blocks. They could be a rowdy bunch when they wanted to be, but were generally pretty quiet and kept to themselves. Due to her beliefs in the elven gods, they had been a little reluctant to accept her into their little group at first, but had eventually gotten used to her and accepted her differing beliefs. She didn't think they understood it all very well and found it more amusing more than anything, but at least they hadn't shunned her away.

"Haven't seen Tenor today," Mused the eldest of the assembled dwarves, a bearded fellow known as Endrin.

A younger dwarf beside him snorted at this. He lacked a beard, but the resemblance between father and son were uncanny. "And that's a bad thing? Any day without Tenor stalking around is a good day in my books."

"How good can it be if we're still in prison?" Petra teased, nudging the younger dwarf with an elbow. He blushed slightly and ducked his head away. "Personally I hope he fell into a hole and died. It's the least he deserves."

The only other female dwarf and Endrin both gasped at this, whereas the other dwarves laughed, nodding their heads in agreement. "Oh, Miss Telaris, you should watch that mouth of yours." Endrin warned. A small smirk formed on his lips, though it was difficult to define due to his thick beard. "Though I must agree with you in that I hope something awful has happened to him."

 

[Schade]

~~Evan Gyre~~
Westreach Prison
​

It was a warm and sunny day in the Gallows: Prison city of the westreach. A warm, sunny and generally unbearable day. Not the best day for a vampire to be looming around outdoors that's for sure. However, Evan had been forced to spend time outdoors with the rest of the prisoners anyways, as were scheduled. Apparently, spending some time outdoors was "Nice and refreshing so shut the fuck up, Vampire", despite the whole Burst into flames in the sun-thing. It was typically on days like these Evan would go about and murder a fellow inmate so that he would be sent to solitary confinement. One would think that being all alone in an enclosed space was endeering, and though Evan thought so at first, he had come to like it there. It was not as if he had anything he had to hastily attend to. He was a patient man, h had learned that virtue over the past century. Sitting in complete silence and generally enjoying oneself wasn't exactly what one would expect from the most feared prison in the realm.

Considering the guards didn't exactly cooperate and comply whenever he put on a pretty face and asked real nicely, Evan had managed to scrape together a sort of understanding. One of the guards knew a vampire; had been courted by one against his wil, most likely, and understood Evans predicament. He had coe with the suggestion that if Evan was to "Remove" unwanted prisoners, troublemakers or generally anyone who would make the guards actually have to do their job, they would in turn prolong his stay in solitary, especially on warm, sunny days like this. Having a crudely made list tucked away in his tunic which he had wrapped around his waist, it wasn't that difficult to murder someone in prison, and apparently it build reputation in the process. Sure, the wrist-cuffs made it all a bit more difficult, and the mask the vampire residents had to wear in order not to bite anyone as just as impractical as it was humiliating, but Evan had found a lot of different other way of taking people out to compensate. It also helped that he as the only vampire currently imprisoned. Vampiric rivalries in closed up confinements like this tended to get real nasty real fast, and being the only vampire currently there, Evan held reputation as, first of all the guards bìtch, but second of all one of the most dangerous inmates there

Speaking of reputation. Considering he was pretty much one of the baddest inmates there, having done more on the inside than he did on the outside to be sent there in the first place, he attracted other inmates like a shark attracts smaller fish. Though he was pretty much a lone wolf in there, he did have friends. Mutual understandings and beneficial aquaintances based around years of companionship. First on said list was none other than Steffen Tration. He was a small man in his mid 40's who had been sent there due to "Financial issues", or so he claims. He had confided though, that he was sent there due to having been set up by a man who had murdered his family to death, and pinned it all on him while stealing his vast fortunes. The Trations wre a prominent family from Kilward before this incident, but has more or leess been wiped from the history books after the incident. The second and last "main" in his posse was a prettyboy named Ailian. The elven assassin, similarily to Evan, was set up by a contractor on a mission, and walked right into an ambush, though unlike in Evans case, Ailian took out as many guards as he could bfore they managed to subdue him. Rumors has sirculated that the small city of Plomidor was later conquered by a neighbouring kingdom as a result of their severely disabled military. Besides the two, the trio occasionally pulled in newcomers, those treated unfairly and generally whoever they seem would be fun to tease.

However, today, their little posse was temporarily seperated. Ailian was sleeping in like the big-sleeper he was, and Steffen was crying in his cell again, probably reminessing over his lost daughter, Penny. It was generally a nice day to extract some egoistically-reasoned vigilante justice. His target for today was a man named Johann: a human man in his late 20's who was a bit too much into some of the female inmates. He was a predator basically, but th tables were about to be turned. Sensing what was about to go down, most of the other inmates left the dining hall. Those who didn't were mostly newcomers and those not knowing what was about to go down. To no ones surprise, Johann was standing there, uncomfortable close to one of the new inmates, a... young man? Well, Evan didn't judge, or at least not by those standards. he walked over to the man.

"And here i thought you only targetted little girls, Johann you've grown soft." he said in a deadpan tone, gesturing towards the newcomer to skidaddle. He complied. "Oh yeah, whats it to ya?" Johan asked. He was acting tough, but it was obvious he was acting. He was a bard before all this, after all. "Well a man can't help but feeling a little jealous" Evan said sarcastically before grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt and throwing him over the table. Damn these cuffs. Johann let out a pathetic shriek before he got up. "What? Why me?" he asked almost crying. Pathetic little man. "You know the drill Johann. It's such a sunny day outside" Evan said with a grin. He did admittidly enjoy this maybe a bit too much. Trying to fight back, Johann went down fairly easily. Damn cuffs. The fight proba bly looked silly, but things took a turn for the grousome, or amazing from Evan's point of view, when he effectively dug his hand into Johanns throat and ripped a large chunk of it out. Johann made some appologetic gurgling sounds, possibly to whatever god he was following while evan stood there basking in the literal fountain of blood spouting out from the open wound, enjoying himself as if outside on a rainy day. Takin a deep breath he prepared to be subdued by the guards, and predictably enough, there they were.

"We've told you not to do **** like this you filthy leech!" they said in an aggressive tone. "It's solitary for you, you wont be seeing th sun for a loong time" the other guard, a woman, said before they yanked him away. As they were taking him to solitary, he could see that another "resident" was being escorted out. Easily recognizable by his dreadlocks and sly smirk, he recognized the elf as Axel... something. he didnt really bother with many of the other inmates save from his posse, but he had heard of the guy. Apparently an amatour magician. Not a mage, per se, a magician. Apparenty there was a difference. Walking past him, the tw briefly locked eyes, and Evan stared him down, soaked in blood, and smirked, before being closed into solitary once again.

 

[VampirateMace]

Axel Nicks
(aka The Grand Wizard Alexandros Brightstone Charlemagne, the Skilled)
Westreach Prison/The Gallows: Solitary Confinement -> Prison Courtyard​

Axel sat in the corner of the solitary cell, staring towards the ceiling. Not really because he wanted to, but simply because there really wasn't anything else to do. The solitary cells were smaller and darker then the regular cells, and of course, very very lonely. Assuming you believed yourself alone in the dark, which Axel did, because he was a realist.

At some point, one of the guards had told him he was supposed to be reflecting on what he did wrong while in solitary, by which he assumed the man meant breaking the rules, though Axel couldn't help but feel what had gone wrong this time (for he'd been in solitary three times in as many months, and beaten twice as well) was not getting the fork into Hugo's eye before they’d tackled him. He reached up he felt his lip. Both the bust in his lip and the gash at his eyebrow were pretty well sealed after a week, but dried blood was still caked around those areas of his face. - Of course the ultimate thing he'd done wrong was failed to realize the city guards were onto him until they were too close for him to escape properly. He'd obviously gotten too focused on his 'magic'.

He heard a click and looked up, wincing as light flooded into the small chamber. There were a couple of guards standing there, and one of them demanded, “Get up!”

Grumbling Axel pushed himself off from the ground, which was made slightly dificult by his hands being cuffed fairly close together. Of course he wanted to be out of here, so they didn't need to act like they were forcing him to come out of this tiny space. The guard glared at him, “You got something to say?”

“No sir,” choked out Axel. Damn, he hated being civil to these pigs, he knew full well of the corruption in their kingdom's justice system. The guards shoved him around, roughly manhandling him as they 'escorted' him to the courtyard. On the way out he spotted another prisoner coming in, and though he was covered in blood, Axel was still pretty sure he recognized him as the vampire Evan. He also suspected this meant the weather today was fairly nice, as he'd noticed Evan tended to kill more on sunny days. He wasn't sure how many of the other prisoners would have made that connection, but as he told fortunes, picking up on details was an important skill. The pair of them locked eyes in passing, Evan staring at him intensely, and Axel found himself feeling grateful he hadn't been in the dining room that day, as he'd not yet seen someone survive, once Evan decided to go after them. And he had no reason to believe Evan wouldn't target him.

Axel didn't know how much of the social hour was left as he was shoved out into the courtyard, but he hardly cared. He scanned the yard, people here often grouped off by race, even more so then he'd seen in the outside world. There was a group of dwarves chatting, another of humans that seemed to be making a contraband deal that the guards were actively ignoring, and Hugo appeared to be failing to flirt with some girl. Good, that meant he was distracted and hadn't seen Axel, because Axel was definitely not ready for a rematch with that monster of a man.

Axel made his way along the opposite fence, weaving through the groups, most of which didn't want to have much to do with him. Though he knew there were a few gullible and superstitious prisoners he could do palm readings for, in exchange for favors of course. He caught sight of Tinto, an elf from another cell block, for whom he's already done just that. He was talking to a skinny heavily tattooed human. Tinto had spotted him as well, “Oh, oh, Axel!” Axel slinked up to them, overhearing Tinto explaining, “Yeah, this is the guy I was telling you about. At'tallah has granted him insight.”

“That troublemaker? I don't know. . . I don't really believe that kind of stuff,” replied the human, rubbing the back of his neck, but Tinto wasn't interested. He turned to Axel, “You can do a reading for Hector here, right? We have tribute for the goddess.”

Discreetly, Tinto withdrew a small bundle of bandage from his tunic and passed it to Axel, who slipped the bundle into his own shirt. He didn't know what they'd just paid him with, but there was something hard inside the wad of bandage. He nodded and sat down cross-legged on the ground, “Of course, come here. Show me your palms. . . faithful At'tallah please grant me sight.”

Axel gently traced a finger over the lines on Hector's hand while preparing to cold read the man. It had been easy with Tinto, because they'd talked beforehand, and so he was able to fill in some gaps for that reading. Still there were things to go off of; scars, tattoos, the lack of writer's bump, an indent on the ring finger - ah, talk of lovers always made people open up and offer information that helped him with his reading. Axel reran a finger over the human's lifeline, “There is someone waiting for you, isn't there?”

He looked up as the man replied, blushing lightly before turning sullen as he spoke, “Yeah, my wife Ann. She must be so distraught. They came for me in the middle of the night, broke down our door.”

Axel continued reading like this, making vague statements and reading between the lines of the man's statements. Like, now he knew the man was probably in organized crime, between having his home raided and the tattoos. But just encase he was wrong, couldn't directly say it, “You worked with other people didn't you? But I sense there's been some contention. . .”

At what would have been halfway through his reading, Axel felt a rough pressure on his neck and shoulders as he was yanked up backwards. He struggled. Someone had grabbed his shoulders, and was choking him with the short link of chain between their cuffs. He heard Hugo's strong voice whisper harshly in his ear, “Don't think I haven't forgotten that you pulled a fork on me the last time I saw you elf!”

Axel kicked, to little effect. He could see Tinto and Hector had stood up, and were backing away, while some guards were moving in. . . very slowly. Probably they were taking their time just to see if Hugo would kill the 'troublemaker' Axel before they actually got there to break up the fight. Gasping, Axel knew he need to escape on his own if he was going to survive, so he tried thrusting back his elbow hard into Hugo's gut. Hugo gasped himself, loosening his grip just enough that Axel was able to slip out. Now though, while he'd escaped suffocation, he was still a bad position, on the ground with an angry Hugo looming over him.

 

[Monster Guy]

Henry Woodwick
Westreach Prison: Courtyard​

Henry was escorted to the courtyard in cuffs and chains. He had just arrived at the gallows, along with the other rouges in the camp that had been forced to fight with. He had been stripped of all his things, and was given the standard prison clothes to wear. Even his precious wand was in storage somewhere.

As he was roughly taken along by one of the gaurds, the young man begged the officer to set him free. "Please sir! I don't belong here! I'm not a thief! I was just at their camp, and everyone attacked me! I was just defending myself. You have to believe me! Please let me go!"

The gaurd rolled his eyes, and scoffed. "Yeah yeah, that's what they all say!" When they arrived at the courtyard, the gaurd pushed Henry in hard. Causing the boy to fall on his face. "You'll be spending some time here kid, I'll be back later to show you to your cell."

"But..."

The gaurd turned around, and walked off before Henry could try to beg for his freedom again.

The young man sat up. His eyes started to well up, and he didn't even bother trying to hide it. He started bawling, tears streaming down his face. "WAHHHH! I DON'T WANNA GO TO JAIL! I'M NOT A CRIMINAL!"

The crying kid was getting all kinds of looks from the other inmates. Some of them were used to this kind of thing, and said nothing. Some actually felt bad for him. Others scowled at the boy, and were annoyed by his sobbing. "Oh for fuck's sake... SHUT UP! You're stuck in here whether you like it or not!" One of them shouted.

Of course, this did nothing to help, and Henry continued crying hysterically.

 

[Skillfulness]

~~Sekolah “Seko” Sensale~~
Westreach Prison - Dining Hall -> Courtyard​

Sitting under the afternoon sun, Seko lounged in the dining hall of the prison. She had been waiting a substantial amount of time for her ogre to arrive, well, not a literal ‘ogre’ but that’s how she thought of her. It was mostly quiet here, something Seko didn’t mind every now and again. She really wouldn’t mind being out to dance a sing for her fellow captives for a while, but there was a deal to be made so here she was waiting.

“Tiefling,” said a grumbling voice from behind her. Seko whipped around, chains clattering, to greet her associate.

“Ah Binsen, so good to see you! Isn’t it a lovely day?” She offered a toothy grin and leaned back casually. No one paid mind to the hulking tower of an elven woman or Seko as they took a second to size each other up. She had a lot of muscle to her, maybe not a lot of brain, but after one of her faithful ‘friends’ had disappeared, either released or executed they would never know, Seko knew she would need to buddy up with another strong inmate to replace her. With a grunt, the woman seemed to finish her analysis of Seko and approved, holding out a large hand.

“Well now, no subtly? These things are usually handled with more… discretion, secrecy?” She tried a few words that she thought the woman could understand, but it was mostly a show. They’re weren’t technically breaking any rules. Seko fished out four still (mostly) fresh biscuits from the folds of her clothes and set them in her hand.

“Pleasure doing business with you, we can meet with the other muscles later tomorrow.” The woman stuffed a biscuit in her mouth, nodded and left. Sighing, Seko relaxed fully and slumped on one of the tables. She was a scrawny thing when first arriving at the prison, around six months ago, and she was still a scrawny thing today. She knew scrawny things didn’t do well in prison so using her endless pools of charm and cleverness she won herself some allies that could do well in a fight. Just being near some of the bigger players at prison helped keep her safe. The business deals she ran on the side were another thing that caused people to avoid messing with her. She knew what everyone had; tools, food, drugs, secrets, you name it. Her reputation was known enough that she avoided most trouble. Speaking of trouble…

Evan the vampire entered the dining hall, eyes hungry. Seko knew of him and had seen a few of his unlucky targets. She didn’t have much interest in dealing with him directly, but made sure to keep tabs on him. He might make a good ally, but she didn’t know what kind of self control he had. Some people changed in prison. Since he had been talking with some guards lately, she figured there would be a bloody display soon so she quietly made her leave towards the Courtyard.

The atmosphere was almost peaceful outside. No fights had broken out yet, just some chatter and scuffling about. Seko found a shady spot to sit and stare up at the sky. Already burnt out on people for the day, she simply wanted to enjoy a moment to herself. She missed the sky, the ocean breeze, her crew. Surviving prison was ok, an interesting endeavour, but the sea is where she belongs. Planning a break out hadn’t be easy. There were plenty willing to help, but no one trusted each other enough or they were useless. Never much for patience, Seko was itching to try escaping on her own, maybe charming one of the guards, trying to get him to pity her and hurry off while his guard was down…

A couple of yells broke Seko from her daydreaming and she shook her head to clear it. A quick glance around the yard and she spotted the source. Inmates were backing up from a scuffle while guards slowly converged. At the center of it was the dreadlocked elf named Axel with, ****! Jumping to her feet Seko darted over quick as she could. That idiot Hugo.

“Hey hey hey, Hugo, settle down friend.” She placed her hands gently, but firmly on his chest and started pushing him away from the elf on the ground. He was a bit of a trouble maker as well, everyone here seemed to enjoy starting things, but Seko appreciated what Axel did for some of the others there. Through word of mouth she knew he did some readings for people; whether or not accurate, they gave people hope and gods above knew that’s just what people needed here. Plus if she could get on his good side he could be a valuable asset for an escape. Hugo wouldn’t make a bad distraction either so he needed to stay alive too.

“Whatever our fellow inmate here did I’m sure he’s sorry about, but besides that, don’t you have bigger fish to fry? Don’t want to hurt yourself if you want another swing at ol’ Captain Tenor, right?” She was still trying to slowly steer him away and hoped her interfering would make him think twice, if he was capable of that in his hot head.

 

[Cobalt XIV]

~Arauvir Sylraanis~
Westreach Prison​

Within the few months that he’d been here, the lack of stimulation and monotonous routine of prison grew grating. The cramped quarters of the prison left much to be desired. He knew that he must find a way to leave soon. He’d done well in avoiding trouble and took note of the resources around him to leverage for his safety while imprisoned.

As he set in the dining hall, he surveyed the crowd. A few inmates trudged about here and there. He’d just finished eating when he notice Evan. The vampire had made quite a name for himself, ruining a few appetites in the process. Arauvir marveled at the power he possessed. He respected it and wondered what it would be like to possess it. He had many questions for the man, but he valued his life more than making his presence known to the violent creature. Regardless, even this spectacle grew commonplace. It was not unlikely to find a prisoner at the ends of his cruel, supernatural strength. As the guards escorted him away, Arauvir spotted one of the guards he’d gotten to know, William, cleaning up the mess. He walked over to table.

“Pretty gruesome sight,” Arauvir said. William was at least as tall as Arauvir.

“Nothin’ pretty to see here,” he said. William was one of the few guards who seemed not totally corrupted. He understood his job and how the powers that be were overpopulating the prison. He also seemed to sympathize with the misfortune that befell some of the prisoners here. “That vampire’s nothing but trouble.”

“So was he, might I add. How long are you going to be stuck on clean up duty?” Arauvir asked.

“Hopefully, not long. I’m in talks to be promoted. They don’t think I know, but I do.” William said. A goofy grin spread across his mug.

“I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. You know, maybe you could put in good word for me. Maybe I could fill the spot you leave.” Arauvir knew it was a long shot, but it couldn’t hurt to plant the idea in his head.

William scoffed, “Perhaps. Unlikely for a prisoner to become a guard. Mind givin’ me hand, here?”

He motioned to the corpse. Arauvir grabbed the feet and lifted as William took the other end. They heaved the body on to a cart.

As William pushed the cart, they passed the dreadlocked charlatan Axel, who claimed to be a fortune teller. Arauvir knew a crook when he saw one, but he remained silent on the matter as he was amused by the gullibility of those the elf fooled.

“Any more tales to share?” William asked as they disposed of the corpse. William had a fascination with elven culture and history. Being well-learned, Arauvir had shared what he knew and made up what he didn’t, within reason of course. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that elves had many powerful artifacts lost to time, this could not be disproven or proven, and William was happy to know what he could. Arauvir went on to tell William the story of The Sword and the Sacred Grove, something he thought of as they walked to the courtyard.

“I think you’ve missed your calling as a scholar, William. You have a lot more going up there than many would think,” Arauvir said as he began walking toward the other prisoners. “Don’t forget me when you leave this trash heap.”

Arauvir approached the congregation of elves that seemed to converge near a corner of the grounds. The sunshine was a welcomed change to the dank dungeon he’d been confined to. He inhaled the fresh air and took a post under some shade, enjoying the peace that’d found him. Something about today felt different to him. The wind carried an energy upon it that he didn’t feel indoors. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, beginning to pray.

A few months have passed, now. I’m starting to grow bored with this scenery. You know my heart and you know my innocence. I feel a change on the currents of the breeze. I know that you haven’t forgotten me. Please, point me in the right direction, and I’ll handle the rest.

A few moments passed as he remained in deep thought. Loud cries flooded into his ears. His eyes flicked open to see a boy with mousy brown hair sobbing. Arauvir looked upon him with a sense of perplexity.

Arauvir approached. He’s going to be eaten alive.

“You shouldn’t cry here. It’s a sign of weakness and marks you as a target. At least cry in your cell where no one can see.” Arauvir said. “What...what are you....why have you been brought here?”

 

[Andydemon]

Lucas Wolfssegner Ladimoore
Westreach Prison, Courtyard

What was he doing here? Lucas wasn't sure, it all happened so fast. One moment he was minding his own business, the next he had apparently gotten too close to a theft in progress. Even though he had absolutely nothing to do with what was going on, he was still accused of being involved. Was it because he was a Werewolf, or was he simply at the wrong place at the wrong time? Either way he was in his true adult form at the time, so they knew what he really looked like, which meant appearing as a child wasn't going to save him here.

Either way, he felt it might at least help make the guards go easy on him. Looking like a child would make him appear less threatening so maybe they'd focus on the larger inmates. Whether it did work or not, one was always with him to lead him along, pushing him all the while despite his obedience. It seems good behavior didn't amount to much here.

"Don't think that little kid look'll fool us. We know you're a young adult at the very least." A guard in front of Lucas said as he confronted him before asking, "You name?"

"Lucas...." The Werewolf answered then paused for a moment.

"Your full name?"

"....Lucas...Wolfssegner..." He answered, going with the name he adopted from the elder Werewolf that trained him to be a Druid about a year ago. She did feel like something of a grandmother to him after the time they've spent together. Besides, if they learned his true last name, they'd probably take him back to his adoptive father in the Capital. He had no intention of going back to him, he'd rather be a prisoner with a chance of being let out at some point than some hopeless pet.

Speaking of hopeless, it appeared that someone else wasn't taking the situation well at all, as he was crying loudly and insisting he was not a criminal. Whether he was telling the truth or not, Lucas couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Wanting to do something for the poor man, Lucas went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, at least as well as his hand cuffs let him. Thankfully being in a child's body made him sound the part as well as look it. "Hey, it'll be okay. I can't promise anything, but I'm sure if we're both only here by mistake, then they can't keep us in here for that long, right?"

 

[Minteh]

~~Petra Telaris~~
Westreach Prison
​

As Petra had come to realise from the months she had been here, peace in the Gallows, did not last long at all.

A vampire that Petra believed was named Evan, was the first to stir up trouble, outright murdering a man. This was not new to those who had been in the prison for some time. The vampire had killed other prisoners before, and as punishment had often been hauled off to solitary. Petra often wondered why they never just outright killed him for what he did. Though she knew a few rumours circulated that the guards were forbidden to kill any of the prisoners unless given orders to do so by "higher up", which Petra assumed was another was to say "The Emperor". As was expected, after basking in the moment of death, guards quickly began to swarm the vampire. Petra was too far away to make out what was being said, but she imagined it was probably a warning of sorts, as he quickly escorted away.

After the vampire had been lead away, it seemed more trouble was likely, when, fresh from a stint in solitary, an elven man named as Axel appeared in the courtyard. Like Endrin, Petra's eyes suddenly went to Hugo, knowing full well that he and the elf had some issues between them, the last of which nearly involved Hugo losing an eye. Thankfully, Axel's attempts at sticking to the edge of the courtyard did him well, as Hugo seemed too preoccupied with his flirting to notice him, at least for a moment.

It did not take long for Jakob, Endrin's son, to alert them that something was about to happen.

"Uh oh, here comes trouble."

Twisting on the spot, Petra turned just in time to see Hugo attempt to pull Axel towards him, practically choking him with his shackles.

Petra shook her head. "What an idiot." If she were lucky, the guards might haul him off to solitary again for this, and she wouldn't have to hear his rambling in the night.

Before the guards could step in - or at least, make it look like they would - a tiefling that Petra knew as Seko, stepped in, placing her hands firmly on his chest, and pushing him away from Axel.

“Whatever our fellow inmate here did I’m sure he’s sorry about, but besides that, don’t you have bigger fish to fry? Don’t want to hurt yourself if you want another swing at ol’ Captain Tenor, right?” Petra heard her say. As he was facing away from her, it was unclear if Hugo seemed affected by her words or not, but moments later he did take a step back. He shook his head and spat on the ground. "Whatever. I don't want to deal with this piece of shit anymore."

For a moment it seemed like Hugo had relented, as he started moving away, but when everything seemed to have calmed down again, he suddenly turned and made a running leap at Axel. It was unclear if he actually managed to get a hit on the elf or not, for moments later, three guards swarmed them, two managing to pull Hugo away, and a third squatting beside Axel but not helping him.

When Hugo was a good distance away from Axel, the two guards released him, pushing him a little as they did so. "I'm sick of having to deal with this from you, Hugo," warned one of the guards, a woman if her high voice was anything to by. "Try this again, and you'll be losing another finger, as well as having your ass hauled into solitary again!"

With the warning firmly in his mind, Hugo stalked away, walking past Petra and the other dwarves, and retreating to a quiet shaded corner in the courtyard, where he promptly sat down, no doubt nursing his wounded pride.

 

[VampirateMace]

Axel Nicks
(aka The Grand Wizard Alexandros Brightstone Charlemagne, the Skilled)
Westreach Prison/The Gallows: Prison Courtyard​

From his spot on the ground, Axel could see the unusual color of a Tiefling rush in, placing her hands on Hugo, and trying to reason with him. She looked ridiculously small for this task, but seemed to be offering Hugo's bulk resistance none the less. She seemed familiar to Axel, he was sure they were in the same cell block, but he wasn't quite sure of her name. . . Sally, Shelia, or something like that? He'd have to make a point of discreetly finding it out and remembering it after this. In the meantime, he'd just avoid bringing the subject up.

With some newbie crying in the background, Hugo appeared to relent, resolving to save his strength for Captain Tenor. Alex let out a relived sigh. Then slowly repositioning so he could get up, while still watching Hugo sulk away, Axel offered her his appreciation, gaze going from Hugo to her and back again, “Thanks miss. That almost. . .”

Axel cut the comment short, realizing Hugo was coming at him again. He dropped back down, rolling away, just as the thud of Hugo hitting the dirt reverberated the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Then finally, the guards decided to do their jobs, reaching Hugo and pulling him away. Axel quickly got to his feet after this, dusting himself off as he looked down at the guard that had squatted down beside him, “So your friends finally decided to do their job.”

“That sass is gonna land you back in solitary Nicks,” remarked the guard, leisurely getting to his own feet. Further away, Axel could hear an authoritative female guard threaten Hugo with the removal of another finger. Considering he knew Hugo only had eight fingers, this did not seem to be an empty threat. Axel cringed, and did a half-hearted backpedal on his insult, “Right, I'm sure you guys are doing your best.”

The guard took that exactly how it was meant, and squinted irritably at Axel before deciding it wasn't worth his time, and walking off. Axel took another glance at Hugo before turning back to Seko, “Thanks again, that could have gotten a lot uglier. I owe you one.”

It was not words he loved to say, but Axel knew telling someone he was in their debt built up the illusion of trust and comradery, both of which could be useful for him in here, especially with someone who was already willing to put her neck on the line for him. And usually people forgot you owed them, or otherwise never collected on the debt, anyways. He reached into the fold of his tunic, taking out a different bandage wrapped bundle from the on he'd just been paid with, and silently offered it to her (inside was a small bone talisman on a small bit of gold wire. He didn't know what kind of bone, or what it was supposed to be a depiction of, because at the time, he'd not wanted to ask).

 

[Tangeh]

Fallon Jadestone
Westreach Prison: Courtyard
​

The sun shone down on Fallon's tall, lithe body as the wind played with her short choppy hair. Her sharp orange eyes surveyed the daily antics of her fellow inmates, and her long elven ears twitched as they took in the conversations around her. By all accounts, it was another beautiful day in hell. But Fallon could be housed in a palace with silk bedsheets and a maid to handfeed her grapes - she was certain now, at two months in, that the anxiety stabbing knives into her heart over and over again was never going to go away. They could starve and beat her all they wanted - that was nothing compared to the torture of having no clue how her little girl was faring on her own. Her daughter Aila was only ten years old, and by all accounts not prepared to deal with the world on her own. Fallon knew what it was like to be abandoned, and that only made the knife twist itself further into her chest.

"Oi, hey boss!" The voice was distantly familiar, though it had been a few years since the last time she heard it. She spotted the dwarven man, his dark hair held up in a messy bun, hobbling toward her on his stumpy, worn out legs. "It's me, Enoch! What're you doing here? Last I heard you'd had a kid and retired. No idea you'd actually ended up here."

Well, it was something like that. Fallon knelt down to make it easier to make eye contact. By the gods, dwarves were tiny. "I'm not in for thievery. At least, I don't think I am." She'd woken up in a cell with a wicked hangover and bruises covering her body. She supposed it was a barfight or something to that effect, and hadn't quite gotten over the fact that she'd been incarcerated for something so petty. Fresh regret overlapped the stabbing, and she broke eye contact.

The man chuckled. "Eh, well, I am. Malakai'd sent us on a suicide mission - stealing from the governor. Dunno what happened to the others, but my leg got hurt pretty bad, so... got caught." He shrugged, as if this was no big deal. Fallon continued staring at the ground. Eroch nudged her. "Hey, don't look so glum. How 'bout you give me the rundown of this place. You know, a tour of the hierarchy, if you will."

Fallon glanced up, eager for something to distract her brain. "Well... I try to stay out of trouble. I need to get out of here, and the more you land in solitary, the less likely that's going to happen."

"Yeah, alright," Eroch said, his tone urging her to continue, "but what about the others? Who's the best to get in with?"

Fallon glanced around, her eyes landing on a group of six dwarves. She didn't socialize with them often, so their names escaped her. She nodded in their direction. "Well, your people tend to stick together. You could probably befriend them quickly. They seem to keep to themselves and don't cause a lot of trouble... well, most of them, anyways."

Eroch nodded slowly, and turned back to her. Even with her kneeling he was looking up. "Elves not so much?" He gestured to Axel - Fallon knew his name, hell, everyone in Westreach probably knew his name. He looked like he was up to his standard gig, performing a ritual on a human man. "What about that guy? He seems popular."

Fallon bit back a laugh. That was one way to put it. "That's Axel. He claims At'tallah granted him powers of insight and performs readings in exchange for valuables. Suppose he would be the go-to for trading in here, he must be rich by prison standards."

"At'tallah?"

"The elven goddess of fate and judgement." Eroch scoffed at the mention of the elven gods. Typical dwarf response. They watched as there was a bit of a commotion ("And that would be Hugo."), before a tiefling woman attempted to break up the fight. She seemed successful at first, then Hugo leapt at Axel. A scuffle ensued for a few moments, which Hugo undoubtedly would have won had the guards not decided to do their job. Eroch let out a low whistle. Fallon was used to this now. "That's why I try not to associate with Axel. He has a lot of enemies and his followers are all either desperate or naive."

Eroch looked back and forth. "You never asked him for a reading to see how your kid is doing?" Fallon winced. She had nothing of value to offer him regardless, but was doubtful that At'tallah would truly bless somebody as crooked as he was. He was too dramatic and charismatic about the whole event for her liking.

Another new inmate was practically dragged into the courtyard, and promptly burst into tears, prompting jeers and whispers from the other inmates. Eroch gave a low laugh. "Oh, that's the kid brought in the same time I was. He's not gonna last two days. No way he's guilty, no rogue settlement would take someone like that in."

Fallon watched as a male elf and what looked like a young teenager came to comfort him. She shifted suddenly on instinct, as if to go toward them herself, but hesitated.

"They let kids in here?" Eroch marveled. He looked at Fallon. "Huh, you really are a mom now, aren't you? Maybe comforting the babies would make you feel better. Fill the void, or something. I dunno, I never had the patience for the whiners."

"N... no, no, I should wait for things to settle down. I could get in trouble associating with them."

Eroch shrugged. "Suit yourself, but I'm going to go socialize. Later." He limped away, and Fallon's attention shifted back to the crying man. Was he younger than he looked? He certain had a childish disposition for a human so big.

 

[Skillfulness]

~~Sekolah “Seko” Sensale~~
Prison Courtyard​

“Whatever. I don't want to deal with this piece of shit anymore." The tension in Hugo’s shoulders relaxed and he stepped back. Seko did the same, smiling and offering him a pat on the back. With the immediate threat of a pummeling out of the way, the elf, I’m sure his name is Axel, stood up and turned to her.

“Thanks miss. That almost...” his thanks were cut off and Seko felt a presence rush past her from behind. Hugo was charging Axel, but with a swift duck and roll he was able to avoid him. Hugo flew past and hit the ground instead of his inmate, guards finally quick to jump in and drag him away.

“He just can’t help himself,” Seko said, as much to herself as towards anyone who might listen. At this point she noticed her ogre a few steps away. The huge woman was paying very close attention and the two offered approving nods to each other. While some viewed showing kindness to others in prison as a weakness, there were far more who were of the opinion that helping each other out was a better option. Helping others here cost her nothing, so she would continue to do so. The thought reminded her of the elf, Axel, whom she realized was addressing her again. Probably to finish his thanks, other inmates wouldn’t even offer me the time of day. Definitely closer tabs on this one, he’s a good one.

“Thanks again, that could have gotten a lot uglier. I owe you one,” he said, offering a small, wrapped object. She took it without opening, trying to be more grateful than curious for the moment.

“It’s nothing,” she responded, “He just likes to throw tantrums, that Hugo. But we’ll have to meet at a bar sometime once we’re out of here and then you can pay me back. Name’s Seko by the way, and you’re Axel, right? How’d you end up in this hellhole?” She offered a hand and flashed her most charming grin. This man had a way with people and it seemed he could take care of himself. He would definitely make a decent ally here.

 

[*Jean Grey*]

~~Emilia Ulric~~
Westreach Prison - Solitary -> Courtyard​

Leaning against the dented wall of her solitary cell and tugging at the dirty bandages tightly wrapped around her torso, Emilia Ulric glared at the burly, scarred guard with an eyepatch, who had unlocked the door and was now standing at the doorway. He gave a pointed look at her bandages and smirked. The bandages weren't there to cover her injuries - no, Westreach wasn't that nice. Rather, they were there, and fastened tightly at that, for an entirely different reason - to prevent her from flashing her breasts whenever she felt the need to stir up trouble. Solitary had both its pros and cons. One of its cons, of course, happened to be the fact that

"What the fuck do you want?" She growled, fiddling with the bandages once more. She did want to get a rise out of said guard, whom she knew all too well from the many clashes they had. Arken was one of the most fearsome guards in Westreach, and was often the one called on to haul Lia off to solitary for killing prisoners who pushed one too many of her buttons, for starting fights, or for flashing. As a matter of fact, she had been the one to take out his eye merely a few weeks ago - the reason for her most recent stint in solitary in the first place, and he never forgave her for that. Not that she wanted his forgiveness...he deserved the pain and worse things. She briefly wondered why she hadn't killed him yet, then decided that the best time to do it was during supper, in front of everybody. Today was going to be her first day out of the solitary cell...again.

"Get out...and your clothes better be on, werewolf." Arken snarled. Lia looked at him boredly and raised her middle finger at him. The older man gave her a warning look, and began rattling the door of Lia's solitary cell impatiently. She stayed put. She might've been a prisoner, but she was still the same woman who refused to take orders from abusive and overbearing sorts. He could carry her out if he dared, but at least she was far from a five-foot, ninety-pound waif, so she wasn't going to make it easy for him anyway.

The older man gritted his teeth and lunged towards her, clearly intending to punish her in some way for her insolence. He was only human, however, and a mere soldier at that, so before he could grab her, she stood up and decked him on his chest, before kicking his package and knocking him down to the stone floor. Unlike most other prisoners, Lia was careful not to let herself go, and her muscles and strength were things she took pride in - they allowed her to have her own territory, deal with guards without anyone's help, and as a bonus, less people bothered her. Having been at the prison for a year, she already had a reputation of her own - that of a troublemaking, insubordinate and dangerous "wild animal", if her frequent stints in solitary, her numerous scars, her bandages and the fact that she already had a considerable body count said anything about her.

She then took a look at the rough shirt she had laid out on top of the bed, and in her usual defiant manner, chose not to put it on, but rather, tucked it under the rope that served as a belt to fasten her trousers, and she strode out of her cell in just trousers and the bandages wrapped around her torso and arms. It was a warm day anyway - almost uncomfortably warm for Lia, who much preferred the snow and the cold winds of winter.

Already, she saw the blond vampire, Evan Gyre, covered in blood and being dragged into yet another stint in solitary. She knew how he would do anything to go back to solitary - he hated how mandatory exercise took place when the sun was up. Being dragged out of solitary as well was Axel the charlatan.

"Long time no see, Emmy," a rough voice whispered into her ear as her arms were forcibly pulled back behind her and locked in a vice-like grip. "You do know that one more wrong move and I have every authority to beat you up?" Cian, she instinctively deduced, looking back and glaring at the blond man, who was perhaps around her age if not a little older, who now held her. She despised how the guards called her "Emmy", and she instinctively reacted with a backward kick. This earned her a smack behind her knees and two on her back. Cian then kicked her repeatedly and she fought back as they made their way out to the courtyard. Once they were outside, the guard then shoved her to the ground and took his place near the door, though his eyes remained trained on Lia.

The redheaded werewolf picked herself up and turned away, walking across the courtyard. While she might not have liked warm temperatures, she did enjoy outdoor time and exercise - even if the courtyard was far from the wintry woods she so missed. It was ironic that in a way, she was back "home". She had grown up in what was once Westreach Town, and had witnessed its conversion thirteen years ago. Her parents died in this very fortress, and she never forgave the Emperor for that.

"Lia, how many times have I told you to choose your battles? Fighting with guards and killing those who piss you off...isn't worth it in the long run. You'd just get a longer sentence...and more stints in solitary..." A small, dark-haired woman worried over her. Lia shook her head and smiled carelessly. Deirdre was one of the few people who truly cared about her in prison, and while Lia and her didn't always agree on things, she always had Lia's back, even at her worst.

"I am choosing my damn battles. Whatever the hell I do, they all deserve it and worse, Deirdre," Lia grumbled, crossing her arms as she heard crying from across the courtyard. Taking one look, she saw that the cryer was a youth, much younger than her. Attempting to comfort him was a werewolf...a child werewolf, that was. Lia's eyes widened at the sight. What kind of heinous crime did a kid do to get himself imprisoned in Westreach Prison.

"I didn't know they were fucking throwing children here on a regular basis now. Last time this happened was five months ago. Why the hell is the kid even here? And the crybaby for that matter...I don't think guilty hardened criminals cry that bad" she remarked.

"Petty crime? It really depends on what they stole, and who they might have pissed off." Deirdre hypothesized. Lia snorted.

"I pissed off a lot of people to get thrown here. Some real serious shit must have happened, or they got here on a fucking sham," she explained, before stalking over to the crying boy and the young werewolf. She noticed that a pale-haired elf also thought the same thing. Already, she was hearing the elf advise the human boy not to cry, and the werewolf assuring him that they would be out after a short while if indeed they were "here by mistake". Lia didn't agree with their approaches. He had to toughen up fast if he wanted to survive. She pushed aside the elf and grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt.

"If you want to have any hope of getting out, cut the damn crying and harden up! Do you want to live and get the hell out of here?" She taunted, her tone brusque. She then shook her head, and poked at his well-muscled arm with her free hand.

"Look at these muscles. Beautiful. You have a lot of fucking fight in that damn body of yours. Don't tell me I'm wrong, and don't you fucking screw yourself over by crying and making yourself everyone's perfect victim." Lia continued harshly, before looking over at the werewolf. Though she didn't want to admit it, she somehow felt the urge to look out for him and protect him from the guards. Her usually-hard eyes softened momentarily upon looking at him, and she was about to say something, when she heard taunting from behind her.

"Nice one, Ulric. Appraising your next victims already? You seem hungry for another beating or two." The jeering voice of Arken taunted from behind her. Lia turned around to see the sadistic guard sneering at her. Instinctively, she stepped in front of the others.

"No shit. I'm appraising my next damn victim, alright," she snarked, though she wasn't looking at the werewolf and the crying man...rather, she was looking at Arken as she spoke. She narrowed her eyes at him, before sliding off her silver bracelet and leaping at him and knocking him down to the ground. She began hitting him and he returned her punches. Soon, the claws and fangs came out, and the scene suddenly became more violent. She scratched and bit at his neck as they wrestled, Lia beginning to gain the upper hand. At this point, she tore at his neck with her werewolf fangs and blood began to pour out.

As the scuffle ensued, chants of "fight, fight, fight" echoed throughout the courtyard. Some guards saw what was happening, and began closing in...

 

[Minteh]

~~Petra Telaris~~
Westreach Prison​

It was not long before chants of "fight, fight, fight" began to echo throughout the courtyard. Beside her, Endrin groaned, clearly already disapproving of whatever was taking place. Petra and the other dwarves moved closer towards the sounds, curious to see who was causing a fight this time; she had almost expected to see Hugo again, so was oddly relieved to see it wasn’t him. The culprit was the werewolf named Emilia, another frequent visitor to the solitary cells, and below her, clutching at his bloodied throat was a guardsman. It took a moment to recall the name, but Petra recognised him as Arken, one of the more sadistic guards, who seemed to take some sick delight in tormenting the prisoners. Although the guards seemed to intervene fairly quickly this time - perhaps still on edge from Hugo’s earlier altercation - they struggled to get between Arken and Emilia, due to the number of prisoners who had gathered to witness the fight. Eventually, they managed to shove some of the prisoners aside, and whilst two of them got to work on dragging Arken to one side, a third held Emilia at bay by brandishing what appeared to be a silver-tipped rod near her.

Once Arken had been moved a good distance, the third guard ordered everyone to disperse. Reluctantly, those who had gathered moved away, though a few mumbles of approval at what had just transpired could be heard. Once satisfied that Emilia was to be of no harm to him, the guard put his weapon away. “Try not to cause any more trouble, wolf,” he advised with a cold tone. His gaze shifted towards Lucas and Henry behind her, sneering ever so slightly upon seeing Henry’s tears. “The other guards won’t be as lenient as I was. You ought to be thankful I have no quarrel with any of you.”

After leaving the scene of the fight, Petra and the other dwarves returned to Endrin, who didn’t even seem to notice their presence at first as his gaze was directed elsewhere.

“You okay, dad?” Jakob asked, resting a hand on his father’s shoulder. Endrin stirred ever so slightly and looked back at the assembled dwarves.

He cocked a head towards numerous guards stationed near the entrance to the courtyard, far more than usual, and beside them, stood Evan, who had clearly been fetched from his cells. Petra raised a brow. “What’s he doing back here? I thought they just hauled him off to solitary.”

“They did,” Endrin responded, “they brought him back here a minute ago, whilst most of you were distracted by that fight. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it can’t be good.”

And indeed, as Endrin predicted, what followed next was certainly not good. The gates to the courtyard opened, and the guards assembled near the front, all shuffled into a rough formation, one of them hastily dragging Evan into line beside them. Strutting in through the gates came none other than Captain Tenor himself, his armour shining brightly in the morning sun. Behind him trailed a tall man, wearing silky robes, who kept glancing around nervously, as though expecting one the of the prisoners to lunge for him. A reasonable fear to have given what has happened today Petra thought idly to herself. For several minutes nothing followed the arrival of Tenor and his unknown companion, they paced around the edge of the courtyard, speaking in low voices amongst themselves, careful not to stray too close to any prisoners. After a short walk, they turned abruptly and headed towards the middle of the courtyard, where they stopped and waited whilst Tenor reached for the whistle round his neck and brought it to his lips and blew.

What followed was an ear-splitting screech of a whistle, so loud that Petra was certain they may have heard it all the way in the capital. Sufficed that the whistle had caught everyone’s attention, Tenor moved on with what he had to say.

“If your name is called, please step forward. Everyone who isn’t named is to return to their cells immediately.”

He took a small step backwards and deferred the rest of the conversation to his companion, who shakily withdrew some papers from a satchel and in a shaky voice began to read out.

“Evan Gyre, Hu-” He was stopped momentarily by Tenor gesturing for the guards to bring Evan towards them. Once the vampire had been brought to the middle of the courtyard he nodded to his companion to continue. If he sounded shaky before, the interruption had only served to worsen his apparent nerves. “Hugo Lightfoot, Emilia Ulric, Axel Nicks, Lucas Wolfssegner, Petra Telaris, Henry Woodwick, Fallon Jadestone, Sekolah Sensale, and Arauvir.”

Petra’s heart dropped once she heard her name called out. Despite some shocked looks from her dwarven companions, Petra did not linger near them long, and moved forward to the centre of the courtyard along with the rest of those who had been called out. As mentioned before, as soon as the ten of them had been assembled, Tenor gestured silently for the rest of the guards to herd the rest of the prisoners back to their cells. All was silent for the time it took everyone to leave the courtyard, by the time they had all left, all who remained were the ten prisoners, Tenor and his companion, and two guards likely asked to remain to keep everyone in line here.

“Well, I must say I’m surprised that some of you are here,” Tenor said rather scornfully. His gaze seemed to linger on Axel, Emilia, and Hugo in particular. “Nevertheless you should all consider yourself lucky. You are all about to take part in something completely new and different.”

“And what would that be exactly?” Hugo asked sarcastically.

Tenor grinned. “I’m glad you asked, Lightfoot,” He seemed to take some delight in proceeding to leer over Hugo, causing the younger man to step back. “By the order of his imperial highness Emperor Encor of Verthall, you have been voluntarily handed over to the Order of Griffons.”

Voluntarily handed over? What was that supposed to mean? Petra could not recall consenting to join the Order of Griffon. In truth, she didn’t even think there was still an Order, nobody did. After the demons’ numbers dwindled, so too had the ranks of the Order, who had failed to draw any new recruits. There was still the odd passing mention in small towns or villages, but for the most part, Petra had just assumed the Order had ceased to exist. Evidently, if Encor’s words were true, that clearly wasn’t the case.

“Now, come. It is time you were handed over.”

***

Westreach Prison > The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town

Lead out of the courtyard the little group of prisoners was lead away from the prison complex they had once called home. It felt strange walking past this part of Westreach. Whereas most of the town had since been replaced by various prison blocks, the current part of the town they were being led through seemed relatively untouched, save for a few buildings where scaffolding was up, where guardsmen worked to strip wood and stone from the old buildings. In a few months time, most of this area would likely be transformed into more prison blocks. They continued to walk in silence until they came to a building on the corner of a street. A sign above the door told them this was once an inn. Although only the letters “e olden row” remained, judging by the indents left in the wood, the inn has once been known as “The Golden Crown” in another life.

The two guards Tenor had bought with them rushed to open the doors, and Tenor stepped inside first, followed by his companion.

“Here are the prisoners, your majesty.” Tenor bowed as he spoke.

Although she had expected it based on Tenor’s address, to see the Emperor of Verthall stood in this dilapidated inn, still took Petra by surprise. Stories about his looks were not an exaggeration, as he was a handsome man, and cut an imposing figure in his blue studded doublet. Encor smiled courteously at them, but there was something in the way he looked at them, in the way that a cat might observe its prey, that made Petra instantly uncomfortable. It was the less well-dressed man beside him that oddly made her feel more at ease.

“So, what do you think? Will they suit your needs?” Encor asked turning to see gauge the man’s opinion.

“They are better than nothing.” The man responded with a sniff. He did not look at Encor at all whilst he spoke, and instead focused solely on the group in front of him. “So long as they can follow orders to a degree, they will do fine.”

“What are we to you? Some cattle to be sold!” Hugo shouted from behind. “I didn’t waste almost a year here to be forced into service elsewhere!”

Encor seemed rather unimpressed with this little outburst and nodded at Tenor, who stepped forward and punched Hugo square in the jaw causing the man to drop to one knee.

“My apologies for...that.” Encor made a gesture towards Hugo with his hand and shook his head. “It’s a shame, really.. Do you know he had such promise before we hauled him in here for bribery and assault.”

Encor continued to shake his head before gesturing at the rest of the group. “All of these people here had such promise before they were corrupted. Petra was for attempted bribery and defamation of character. Fallon for being drunk and disorderly and assault on a guard. Our dear tiefling friend, Sekokah, for piracy, attempted murder and theft. Henry and Lucas are both here on attempted theft and assault as well both aiding and abetting numerous other crimes. Axel for illegal gambling and stealing money. Our vampire friend, Evan, was a contracted killer with numerous murders under his belt, but we also hauled him in for numerous counts of attempted murder. Arauvir is a rebel leader, who we found to have numerous links with a number of thefts in Verthall. The werewolf, Emilia, don’t be fooled by her beauty. We hauled her in for illegal hunting at first, but she’s remained here ever since we found out she had attempted to kill off my beloved wife.”

Whilst the emperor made his lengthy explanation of everyone’s crimes, the man beside him simply bobbed his head, but it seemed as though he didn’t really seem to care for what the man had to say. “Why are you telling me all this? I am simply a recruiter, I have no need to know of what their past crimes were.” The man pointed out, which earned him a raised brow from the emperor.

“I simply thought you should like to know the people you will have to travel with to Griffon's Peak,” The emperor answered. He had taken on a sort of amicable tone now, perhaps trying to appease the recruiter. However, the recruiter remained as stoic as before.

The man rolled his eyes. “I am well aware of who these people are, your majesty.”

The emperor raised his hands in surrender. “My apologies, but you can never be too careful with criminals. Especially ones such as these.” He glanced at Tenor who nodded his head in agreement. “At any rate, I shall leave you all to get better acquainted. I will send for your cart to come to pick you up.”

With a nod in farewell, the emperor left along with Tenor and the man in the silk robes, but not before instructing Tenor’s men to remove all their cuffs.

Whilst the guards got to work, the recruiter turned to the group.

“Finally, I never thought the prick was going to leave.” He shared a glance with one of the guards, who seemed to disapprove of the slander against the emperor. The recruiter simply flicked up his middle finger in response.

“The name is Oren. Like his majesty said, I’m a recruiter for the Order of Griffons. I brought some canteens with me if you’re thirsty. I’d suggest you take the moment to rest before the cart comes." Oren paused for a moment, as if forgetting something, before continuing. "If you have any questions, you're welcome to ask, but I can't promise my answers will be totally accurate. Like I said, I'm just a recruiter, haven't been back to the Griffon's Peak in a long while."

 

[VampirateMace]

Axel Nicks
(aka The Grand Wizard Alexandros Brightstone Charlemagne, the Skilled)
Westreach Prison/The Gallows: Prison Courtyard > The Golden Crown (Westreach Old Town)​

“And yeah, I suppose he can't,” mused Axel, more making conversation then actually agreeing, as Seko took the trinket he was offering. He nodded to further mention of Hugo and them maybe going drinking once out of here, again just to build up the emotion connection, not because he really cared if they did, or believed they would. He smiled as well, shaking her hand. She seemed smarter then a lot of people here, but thanks to those other people, he'd had some practice with his tale of how he got here. After all, who'd put their faith in a psychic wizard that simply couldn't see some bumbling city guards coming? And anyways the fresh meat's crying had died down, so the atmosphere for telling his tale was about as good as it was going to get.

“Well, I was called out to one of the northern settlements,” started Axel, tactfully giving plenty of info while also not mentioning as specific place or naming any person, “The ability to cut through the veil and glimpse the future is in rather high demand really, especially by those in power, and especially in such an uncertain environment as that. And so, the Governor wanted my insight on the coming year.” Axel paused, he could see a few people moving in closer, wanting to hear the tale as well, and this only emboldened the performance of his lie; the tone of his voice and liveliness of his gesturing, “Because as you know,” it was important make the audience feel smart, “the risks to such a settlement are numerous. . . The trip down was the easy part, of course, had my magic carpet back then. Have you ever ridden on a magic carpet? Delightful! Well, much better then a broom at least. Anyways it was after I got there. . . that. . . the. . .”

Axel trailed off, looking over, as were several of his audience, at the other gathering crowd, several of whom were chanting the taunt, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Best he could tell, from looking between the spectators, one of the werewolves had gotten a hold of a guard, and things were getting very bloody. His focus and most his audience lost, Axel stared at the fight for a moment, until silver armed guards intervened. It seemed far faster then when they reacted to inmate on inmate violence. Axel shook his head lightly and looked around the yard as he commented, “Where was I?”

But he did not pick the story up again, as he spotted something else that was most unusual. The vampire he'd just seen being hauled into solitary was being dragged out, not to mention Captain Tenor had appeared, and seemed to have picked up a silk clad toadie. Something was very wrong here indeed.

A whistle pierced the air, followed by instructions to come forward if called or return to your cell. The silk clad man started to read names, starting with the vampire, Evan, and then proceeding to Hugo, and Emilia. Knowing these were three of the worst troublemakers at the prison, Axel wondered if this was some special punishment. The guards hardly ever called out prisoners, and unusually only one if it was an execution. Could this be a mass execution? He wouldn't put it past the corrupt minds in charge.

With all this on his mind, it was no wonder his heart leapt into his throat when he heard his own name called next. He stood there staring blankly for a moment, so still he wasn't even breathing, nor was he processing the other names called. Then after a breath and look at those around him, he stumbled forward. This was bad, whatever this was, it was bad. He needed to find a way out. . .

When everyone had assembled and the other prisoners were gone, Tenor told them, at Hugo's prompting, they were 'lucky' because this was 'something new and different', which did nothing to ease Axel's fears, because that certainly sounded like code for some new weapon that could kill you quickly. He took a nervous step backwards, though he knew there was nowhere to run, not in the courtyard.

However the code apparently stood for being given as slaves to the Order of Griffons, which as Axel understood had something to do with demons, which he believed in about as much as he believed in gods. Sure there were monsters in the world, and some of them got called demons, he himself would do it for the sake of show. . . Briefly, he got a distant haunted look, as he wondered if something similar had happened to his brothers all those years ago. But quickly he stowed that emotion, distrust still etched on his face, and thought instead about if this might be his chance to escape.

***

The dilapidated inn they were lead too looked little better then the prison, and Axel knew the prison was expanding throughout the abandon city, so it was only a matter of time, before this place too was gone.

He too was surprised to see the emperor in such a place, but not in the manner of a one meeting a favorite celebrity, but more like two rival predators meeting in the jungle. He locked his green eyes on the emperor's, watching him back. But of course, they were being offered to the smaller less impressively dressed man in the room. No real surprised there. What would the emperor want with criminals?

What would he want indeed? wondered Axel as the emperor listed off how he felt each of them to be corrupt. Axel lifted an eyebrow. Gambling and stealing money? Really? He didn't even gamble that often, and for anyone to equate his activities to pick-pocketing, really, that was just insulting. He might even have said something if it weren't for the fact that as soon as the emperor stopped listing crimes, he and the 'recruiter' had started squabbling. This was interesting. What kind of man was this, that felt comfortable enough to argue with the emperor? Certainly not one that believed him to be a living god, as Axel knew some did.

And the Emperor gave? Interesting. And with that he left, along with Tenor and the silk toad, as the guards started uncuffing them. Axel was honestly surprised at this whole turn of events, but he'd noticed his new tiefling 'friend' had been brought along as well, so he'd better play it cool. Hands now free, he moved forward to pick up one of the canteens Oren was offering them. Uncapping it he engaged in the usual mind/word games, “Now this is just a guess; but we don't get a choice here, do we? Like, even if we do, it's not really a choice, is it?”

 

[Skillfulness]

~~Sekolah “Seko” Sensale~~
Prison Courtyard -> The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town​

Fortunately, Axel returned the handshake and began spinning a beautiful tale. Seko was dubious about his abilities to ‘cut through the veil’ and that his transportation was by magic carpet (Who could even afford those anyway?), but she loved a good story. The way he put inflection on the right words and used his body to emphasise certain points, it drew more people in and Seko was enthralled. She felt they were cut from the same cloth, but only having just fromally met him, she would continue to keep her guard up behind her excited appearance.

Unfortunately, the story would not see an end. Axel was first interrupted by a fight between werewolf female Lia and the nasty guard Arken. Seko silently cheered the girl on as blood sprouted from his neck, but more guards intervened and the crowd dispersed. Axel was interrupted a second time when the courtyard gates opened.

Captain Tenor strode into the yard with a number of guards and a jumpy man in silk robes. Instantly Seko was alert. They could be here for anything; she was pretty sure the last time Captain Tenor showed his face here a number of inmates had been dragged off for execution. Seko hadn’t been behaving the best during her time here, but the threat of death always hung in the air and it was one of the few things that frightened her.

“If your name is called, please step forward.” Dread filled every ounce of Seko’s gut. While she knew a bit of magic, none of it was precognition and yet she had a horrible feeling her name was going to be called. The other prisoners were being shuffled to their cells, but Seko’s name was called. Glancing around, she saw the other individuals called forward; Lia, Evan, and Axel she knew, a dwarf named Petra she had seen around, two new inmates, the foolish Hugo, and two elves she didn’t know well. Numbly she stepped forward with them.

Tenor made some short comments and Seko had to concentrate extremely hard as her mind was attempting to wander. You’re going to die today. After all your years of running around having fun, today it’s all caught up to you. Those people you killed, doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean it, it’s all catching up. Dear gods I don’t want to die today. A few words from Tenor pushed away all the fears though and only made her confused and curious. Order of Griffons? Her history knowledge was sketchy at best, but she remembers them being an important fighting group. Why they were so important she can’t remember, but at least it meant she wasn’t dying today.

~~~

The group was dragged through the older parts of town. Buildings were mostly abandoned, some areas being prepared for construction. Likely more room for prisoners, the rich, greedy bastards. An old inn was their destination and Seko was both parts eager and anxious to learn what was in store for them once they entered.

“Here are the prisoners, your majesty.” Seko had been taking in the building when they entered, but her head snapped to the table where, sure enough, the Emperor of Verthall sat with another man beside him. As they filed in front of him, Seko offered a graceful curtsy. Well, as graceful as she could manage with cuffs and lacking a skirt. She ignored any looks from fellow prisoners or anyone besides the Emperor. Honestly she never cared to gain his graces, but there was an image she had to keep up, especially now that she wasn’t in prison anymore. The way social standings worked in society was strange, but she could play by their rules when she needed to. Dirty, cheating rules, but rules nonetheless.

The Emperor and the man chatted back and forth. Seko took in each word with its meaning. Something about her and the others made them stand out, their talents were special and required for…. well, she was still working on figuring that bit out. As their crimes were listed, Seko let the hint of a smile reach her lips. They were such good days with her crew. She desperately hoped to be reunited with them soon, but guessed this next adventure may take her a while.

The arrangement came to an end, their cuffs removed, and the Emperor left. There was a light tension in the air, but the recruiter, named Oren, seemed at ease and pleased that the Emperor was finally gone. Seko could appreciate the sentiment and she equally appreciated the offer of canteens. She was starting to like the man, though he made it seem that he would simply be passing them on to the Order of Griffon once they arrived. He seemed genuine at least.

“Now this is just a guess; but we don’t get a choice here, do we? Like, even if we do, it’s not really a choice, is it?” As the group rubbed their wrists and grabbed canteens, Axel was the first to speak up. He had a valid point. They were still practically prisoners.

“Right,” Seko slid in, nodding to the elf, “and if our choices are limited, what choices do we still have? Such as, do we have a right to our old belongings?” She bit her tongue and pushed her entertainer desires to the side. She desperately wanted her instruments back; they were more than just her spell casting focus, but she just felt much more comfortable with them, able to control the mood of a room with song and dance. She had grown tired of relying on her singing in prison and was itching to get her instruments back. Steady girl, play it cool and relaxed. Show them how desperate you are and there’s no way they’ll return anything. You ain’t in control right now so just play their games.

 

[Monster Guy]

Henry Woodwick
Westreach Prison: Courtyard > The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town​

Henry never understood why so many people had issues with men crying. Emotions were a perfectly normal thing. If anything, it was a sign of strength, unlike what so many of these other prisoners seemed to believe. Everybody needs to have a good cry once in a while. It's good for the soul. The first person to approach him was an elven man, who told him to stop crying then asked him why he was here.

It didn't really do much to help Henry feel better. His eyes were still watering. "I... I... really don't know... There were thieves, there was a fight, and then I got thrown in here. I really shouldn't be in here, but no one will listen! Why won't anyone listen?"

The next person to speak to him was a young werewolf boy. He was much younger than Henry was. Were they just throwing random people in prison at this point? What could a kid as young as him have possibly done to land in here. It had to be a mistake. At least this kid was better at comforting someone than the last guy. Henry sniffled, and wiped away a tear. "Oh gosh... I really hope you're right..."

And then all hell broke loose.

A redheaded woman grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and decided to yell at him for crying, and saying he should toughen up or something. Seriously? Did he miss the memo that having feelings was a bad thing? It all took him right back to his childhood bullies. It wasn't helped by the fact that she ran off to fight a guard that was taunting them. Weren't guards supposed to be more professional than this? Others in the prison started chanting "fight fight fight!" Henry had to fight off the urge to cry again. Why did everyone think that beating each other up was the solution to every problem? From his experience, it only made things worse. He silently prayed to K'tangyu that things would turn out ok.

The fight was ended by some of the other guards, and then someone who seemed to be of higher rank than the guards here, and someone dressed in silk robes entered the courtyard. Then, a loud whistle was blown, followed by instructions to come forward if called or return to your cell. Henry wondered what the heck was going on now.

Henry's name was called, along with a bunch of other people. Including the younger boy, the elven man, and the redheaded woman who spoke to him earlier. Some of the people called looked like this was something to be concerned about, but Henry didn't know. He was already in prison, how much worse could it get? Unless... he wasn't being sentenced to death right? It couldn't be, he just got here. He hadn’t even done anything to warrant a death sentence.

“Well, I must say I’m surprised that some of you are here,” The man lectured to everyone present. “Nevertheless you should all consider yourself lucky. You are all about to take part in something completely new and different.”

Henry's eyes widened. New and different was good. It certainly had to be better than here.

“By the order of his imperial highness Emperor Encor of Verthall, you have been voluntarily handed over to the Order of Griffons.”

Henry tilted his head. What did that even mean? Were they in for hard labor or something? Whatever it was, they were going to find out soon, the ten of them were led out of the courtyard, and out of the prison altogether. K'tangyu heard his prayers, and silently thanked his goddess for answering.

***

They were all led to a rundown inn called The Golden Crown. An ironic name, considering the state the place was in. Still, Henry was out of prison, and he was happy about that.

When they got there, the Emperor of Verthall and another man was sitting there waiting for all of them. Henry was surprised to see him here, of all places. He performed a small bow. It was the polite thing to do in the presence of royalty, right? While the emperor smiled at them, something in his eyes looked like he didn't want to be bothered with a bunch of criminals. The less fancy looking man next to him seemed more welcoming.

Then, the two men had a back forth conversation about how all of them had such potential before they were corrupted. Corrupted? What did he mean corrupted? Henry hadn't even done anything wrong.

Then the emperor listed off the crimes of everyone in the room, and Henry's jaw dropped when he heard what he was in for. "Attempted theft and assault as well both aiding and abetting numerous other crimes." Somebody made something up. Henry hadn't stolen anything in his life. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Henry would have said something, but then the emperor and this 'recruiter' person had started arguing. Throughout all of this, Henry still didn't understand what was going on. Were explanations going to be given anytime soon?

Then, the emperor, and some of the others left, but not before some the guards removed their cuffs. Henry breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed his wrists once his cuffs were off. One step closer to freedom. He was now in the room with the other prisoners, and this recruiter person.

The recruiter, who introduced himself was Oren, was happy to see the emperor go.
He explained that he was a recruiter for the Order of Griffons. Henry still didn't know what that meant for them. Still, Henry happily took the canteens, and chugged the liquid inside.

A few of the prisoners were skeptical about this situation and voiced their concerns. Henry also wanted to know if they would be getting their stuff back. He missed his precious wand, and felt naked without it. The tiefling girl already asked that question first. Still, Henry was happy to be out of cuffs, and out of prison. "Thank you so much for getting us out sir!" Henry exclaimed. "Those crimes I supposedly committed are completely not true. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Anyway... um... could ya tell us what exactly we're being recruited for?"

 

[Tangeh]

Fallon Jadestone
Westreach Prison: Courtyard
​

It wasn't long before another fight broke out. Chants of "fight, fight fight!" echoed around the courtyard. Fallon averted her gaze and began walking away from the chaos. She didn't want to risk being caught up in it and framed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time - that new kid had her a bit on edge. She just needed to stay quiet, stay obedient, and stay out of the way. It was the only way to get out of here, and she didn't care how many boring days she had to suffer for it, by the grace of Kindroth she was getting out of here. She could hear the guards shouting as they intervened, though she didn't care what was going on. She'd stopped caring a while ago if she was being honest. She didn't care if she was hungry, or dirty, or that she'd lost track of the number of days she'd been in here. All she cared about was leaving.

Fallon couldn't say she'd been the most religiously devout elf, but the past two months she'd sent a prayer to Melryn every night to watch over her daughter. Perhaps the Gods were sick of her by now - hell, she should have been in this place years ago if the guards had ever caught onto her. But surely they wouldn't let a child starve...

A sharp whistle jolted Fallon out of her thoughts, and she jumped and whirled around to face the center of the courtyard. Her eyes landed on Captain Tenor. He made an announcement to everyone to step forward if their name was called. Fallon zoned out after his companion listed Evan Gyre. A list of folks headed to the gallows, she figured. They had to clear some of them out eventually, what with all the children and innocent kids they were apparently dragging in. The next three names confirmed her suspicions: Hugo Lightfoot, Emilia Ulric, Axel Nicks. But then he went on to list the two kids, and then...

"Fallon Jadestone."

Her heart plummeted. No, no, no, she couldn't die, not like this - but they wouldn't seriously kill a kid, would they? Her eyes lingered on the young boy for a moment as she forced herself to step forward. No, some of these people weren't troublemakers, but what did they all have in common, then? Certainly they weren't setting Emilia, Evan, and Hugo free, or she'd been going about this 'be good and you'll get out' thing all wrong. Her mind jumped from wild thought to wild thought, but she stayed silent.

“Well, I must say I’m surprised that some of you are here,” Tenor said bitterly. Fallon noted him specifically eying Axel, Emilia, and Hugo. “Nevertheless you should all consider yourself lucky." Fallon's heart jumped - please, please, by the Gods... "You are all about to take part in something completely new and different.” ...What? What did that mean? Hugo asked for her, and Tenor continued with: “By the order of his imperial highness Emperor Encor of Verthall, you have been voluntarily handed over to the Order of Griffons.”

It took Fallon a moment to place the name, and once she had she came to a horrible realization. They weren't being set free; they were being conscripted. She had no idea the Order still existed - a organization to fight demons. It wasn't death, but it was nearly the same thing...

Westreach Prison -> The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town
​

It was pretty surreal walking out of the prison and into the broken town, which looked to be slowly turning into a gigantic prison. Even now there were workers busy making Westreach bigger. She could say with full confidence she didn't expect to be on the other side of those walls today. She wasn't sure whether to be elated or terrified. After all, this was just another form of imprisonment, but one where she doubted she could shut down and just wait it out.

They entered a rundown inn, where Fallon was immediately taken aback to see the Emperor of Verthall sitting there, along with another man. There was a back and forth between the emperor and the guards, which included the emperor reading off their listing of crimes - wait, she'd attacked a guard? Well, she supposed that explained a lot, but it was still an awfully petty crime compared to the others. And rather embarrassing in comparison, considering her long history as a thief. Regardless, there were thieves and murderers among her, and they'd thrown her in jail for a terrible drunken mistake? The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became, but she held her tongue. At least, she held her tongue long enough for Tenor and the Emperor to leave. She briefly considered making a run for it as soon as they'd removed her cuffs, but she knew she was too weak to make it far, and she had no idea which way home was anyways. She could survive on her own forever with her bow, but without it...

The recruiter, who had a surprising amount of open disrespect for the emperor, opened the floor to questions. The others immediately jumped on the opportunity, probably sensing a kindred spirit in the man, but Fallon doubted he would be of any help to her. She was just as powerless here as she was in prison, and the lack of shackles wasn't about to fool her into believing otherwise. Still, the others asked valid questions - did they really have freedom here? Where were their belongings? What were they being recruited for?

Fallon's question was more direct. "Why are you doing this?" Her voice cracked, but the implication was there. "We're malnourished and have barely been able to move for months, let alone train. Even if I had my bow, what use would I be to you? My daughter was left orphaned because her mother was imprisoned for a petty crime, and now you wish to draw out our deaths?!" Fallon had to bite her tongue, else she might've started spitting expletives at the man. He wasn't the only piece in the puzzle, and she needed to show some respect. "I'm sorry sir, I... I know you can't help us..." Tears pricked at her eyes and she turned away. She knew she deserved this hell. It was her daughter - a ten-year old little girl - who was the victim here, and that made her angrier than anything else.

 

[Schade]

~~Evan Gyre~~
Westreach Prison
​

As Evan was shoved into the tiny cell marked "Solitary", he heard the large door clank shut behind him. It was a large door, its tiny barred window being the only source of natural light int he cell. Perfectly suited for him in situations such as today. Save from the makeshift bed made from a poorly crafted straw-mattress lying on the floor, which also looked recently used, there was nothing in the cell besides some crudely carved markings in the stone wall and roof. People had to make time go by in here somehow. Evan just sat down though. The bare rocky floor didnt bother him too much, and he had mastered the art of sitting perfectly still doing nothing several decades ago. Sure it was boring, but time went by, and before he knew it, he would be out of there. He normally let his mind wander when he was in solitary. Thinking back on the easier times, what could've been. This way of reflecting was probably the last strings of humanity he had left from his former life, and though he knew it would eventually fade away such as everything else, he tried his best to maintain this little bright spot in his otherwise dark life.

However, a disappointingly short amount of time after he had sat down as per usual, he felt a sudden shift in the air. Were they coming back for him? No, that couldn't be right. He had earned at least a week of solitary from his deed in the dining hall, there would be no reason for them to bring him back yet. Unless... Were they planning on killing him? No, that couldn't be it either. He was never bothersome for the guards. Well.. Never besides the happenings regarding their deal. Had they suddenly decided to get rid of him? Why would they do that? A million thoughts ran through Evans head. Were they actually killing him? Were they maybe replacing him? Would garlic be a good seasoning in mashed potatoes? so many questions. He heard the familiar noise of the door being yanked open from the outside. It was an outstanding feat not to be taken lightly. Standing up, Evan braced himself for whatever it was that was coming next.

"Put your hands where we can see them, Vampire. And no sudden movements. There has been a change of plans.", Nerv said. Nerv was the guard asigned to deal with the "Vampire issue" in the prison, and as the guard Evan had struck his deal with. He was a tiny man with no hope for a future, always accompanied by his partner, Greta. Greta was the hulk of human garbage that had both the strength, stamina and lack of brain to not only best Evan in combat, but to utterly humiliate him in the process. "What is this, Nerv. I thought this would land me a week." Evan said threateningly as the door went open. Nerv didn't respond, but notioned to Greta who entered her usual "Take Evan down just in case he decides to be a hero" stance. Evan sighed as the brute of a woman tackled him.

As he was being escorted along, Evan realized he was being escorted towards the courtyard. "Whoa. Whoa hey hey hey wait what's this" he said in hurried tones. "Not my call, Vampire. Sorry." Nerv said, sounding almost sincere. Evan began to struggle, but was firmly held in place by Greta. As they entered the sunlight in the courtyard, it felt to Evan as if he was thrown into a fireplace. Though he had learned that vampires did in fact survive in the sun, they were severely weakened by it. To Evan though, it really messed him up. after his sight adjusted to the sunlight, he could see a bunch of other inmates, including Axel from before. What was happening here? As he was being forcibly adjusted into the line, he noticed how someone was entering the courtyard further awya. As his sight properly adjusted, he saw that it was Captain tenor himself, donning his signature shiny armor to signalize that he was indeed better than pretty much everyone there and their grandmothers. In captain Tenors literal shadow was a robed figure following like a scared dog, looking nervously around as if anyone were going to just jump at him. His blood smelled nice...

Tenor then proceeded to call out a number of names, Evan's included. He did so dislike when people said his name publicly. Though his family had been dead for generations upon generations, chances were that there would always be someone to remember, somehow. Evan did as instructed though, and took a step forward.

“Well, I must say I’m surprised that some of you are here,” Tenor said rather scornfully. His gaze seemed to linger on Axel, Emilia, and Hugo in particular, though Evan figured the sun was playing tricks on him. Was he smoking? “Nevertheless you should all consider yourself lucky. You are all about to take part in something completely new and different.” he continued. Hugo, a fellow inmate, sarcastically asked what eactly what that would be, as if Tenor wouldnt actually explain it himself.

Tenor grinned. “I’m glad you asked, Lightfoot,” He seemed to take some delight in proceeding to leer over Hugo. “By the order of his imperial highness Emperor Encor of Verthall, you have been voluntarily handed over to the Order of Griffons.”. The what of the who now? Evan raised an eyebrow. This all reeked of corrupt lazy imperials. He had heard of the order though. Considered joining up a century back, but decided against it. The fact that they apparently revised the order was dubious though, as demons had been extinct for who knows how long. Also, the fact that this new order was made up by immates didn't really sound promising either.

“Now, come. It is time you were handed over.”


Westreach Prison > The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town

The trip away from the prison area was pretty much as grim as one would expect. There were no surprise that they were expanding the Westreach prison area to cover the mostly abandoned nearby towns. Walking through a desolate town that was, for some reason, stripped of woods and other raw materials, they eventually came to a small building which looked like your usual inn. Opening the doors, the ragtag team went inside.

“Here are the prisoners, your majesty.” Tenor bowed as he spoke.

The emperor had grown into a handsome man, no doubts about that. He looked incredibly out of place in a place like this, that was for sure, and though he had a certain warm smile, Evan was experienced enough to see right through it. This one wanted somehing from them. Needed something from them. Luckily, at least they were indoors now. Evan had been given a hood to cover his face from the sun, though that didn't exactly help his bare upper body.

after some degrating conversations regarding the groups capabilities of.. Whatever they were needed for, The emperor decided he would try to make himself look bigger by going on a run-through of what everyones crimes were. Apparently, Evan had failed an assassination? that was just plain wrong. it's not an assassination when there were no target, only guards lying in wait for you. However, it was cute seeing him trying to look menacing for once.

To cut a long story shorter than the life span of a baby shark somehow being born in the middle of a desert on the unlucky day of a heatwave, the rest of the conversation went something like that the emperor wanted the group to join the order of griffons. Fair enough, Evan had considered that before anyway, so he wasn't too worried about that. However, the nonchalantness of the emperor, coupled with the fact that he literally recruited outlaws, made Evan think this was definitely a suicide mission. However, the bottom line was that there was nothing Evan could do about the sitution. Most of the others were rightfully negative about their predicament. "Those crimes I supposedly committed are completely not true. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Anyway... um... could ya tell us what exactly we're being recruited for?", one of the others cried. A young man acting very scared and sobby in contrast to what his ripped appearance might otherwise suggest.

"Based on basic logic it would seem we are being recruited for a suicide mission. Think about it. Revival of a long dead order, but the initiates are a bunch of random criminals? Odds are not looking well for us". He then looked directly at the emperor before speaking again. "Isn't that right, Oren"

 

[Minteh]

~~Petra Telaris~~
The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town
​

As to be expected, at the offer of answering any questions, several of the prisoners were quick to ask about their fate and belongings. Petra held off asking any questions for the moment, but made sure to listen intently to Oren's answers, in case there was important information that would better explain their situation. Axel, Seko, and the boy who had been crying earlier - Henry? - were the first to ask questions, though Axel's was more like stating a fact rather than asking an outright question. Axel's statement about them not really having a choice in the matter seemed to be true judging by the small nod Oren gave. He waited to hear what Seko had to say before answering them.

"In regards to your belongings, I believe you should be getting them back. Encor's men were loading small crates onto my cart with names on them so I presume they were your belongings. Whether everything will be in tact remains to be seen." He explained. Petra frowned a little. If they had broken her necklace she would not be best impressed.

Oren then glanced at Henry and Axel. "As I said before, I am simply a recruiter, so I don't really know why you've surrendered to us. We don't really make it a habit of recruiting criminals. Not anymore at least." He paused and Petra could have sworn he started to chuckle. "However, recruiting criminals does tie in to why you're all being sent to Griffon's Peak - at least from what I can tell. Long ago we used to have an agreement with the kingdoms for prisoners who believed themselves to unfairly imprisoned. We called it the conscription rite. All a prisoner needed to do was 'claim' those rites and we would take them as recruits no questions asked."

Petra frowned. "Well, I know I certainly didn't claim any rites."

"Neither did I." Hugo cut in, glaring at Oren.

"We stopped relying on it after a while," Oren admitted, returning Hugo's glare. "A bunch of nobles started abusing the agreement, twisting the words to suit their needs, and falsifying claims. It got too hard to tell after a while which claims were real and which weren't so my predecessors made sure not to advertise it as much, until it eventually fell out of common knowledge. Or so I had thought. The emperor proved me wrong."

The elven woman spoke next, being direct in her questioning over why they had been recruited. Her questions were pretty fair really. Why had they been chosen? There was nothing obvious about them to suggest they were worthy candidates. Her tone softened slightly when she apologized for her outburst.

Before Oren had a chance to respond, Evan spoke up, seemingly in response to Henry's question. "Based on basic logic it would seem we are being recruited for a suicide mission. Think about it. Revival of a long dead order, but the initiates are a bunch of random criminals? Odds are not looking well for us." The Vampire's gaze met the recruiter. "Isn't that right, Oren"

Petra felt uncomfortable at the thought this was a suicide mission, and although she didn't want to believe it, she couldn't help but think back to what Hugo had said about being forced into service elsewhere. It did seem like they were an odd choice, even after Oren's reveal of the conscription rites prisoners could claim.

"Long dead? Is that what you believe?" Oren responded, his voice having taken on a more fierce tone now. "That's just what the rulers of this world want you to believe. A convenient lie they tell you all to sleep better at night." Oren shook his head, rising to his feet. "You'll learn the truth soon enough."

A rather ominous tone to end on Petra thought, but didn't say anything else. She was just eager to get her cuffs off at last, and held out her bound wrists for them to be taken off.

Oren meanwhile had gone to Fallon's side. "You have my sympathies for your daughter." He told her. Although his face was hard to read, he seemed genuine enough. "Does she have a guardian at all she could live with? A trusted friend perhaps? I could send word to the lord commander and see to it that she is escorted to somewhere safer if you wish. Or perhaps to have her bought Griffon's Peak? We don't usually take in children, but we have made exceptions in the past; for refugees and travellers mostly, but the point still stands."

 

[Cobalt XIV]

~Arauvir Sylraanis~
Westreach Prison​

Arauvir nodded at the wisdom the child offered the other. The innocence of both was apparent in their demeanor. Where one's masked a sagacious knowing, the other's revealed a tender soul. The boy revealed no one believed him. Arauvir pitted him. He hoped to offer words of solace.

"It may seem bleak now, but..." Arauvir began saying before a firm grip found his shoulder. He shrugged it off as a flash of red rushed by. Oh, this one. He'd heard of and seen the brashness of the red-haired one. He'd avoided mingling with her as troubled seemed to follow like thunder to lightning. Yet, here she was, rendering his efforts of avoidance dissolved.

She yanked the sobbing child up by the scruff and began shouting at him...words of encouragement? Odd way of showing support. Arauvir scoffed, perplexed by the unique approach to comfort.

Soon enough, a guard approached to taunt the woman. With a wry grin, she turned his words against him. The tussle turned bloody soon enough as claws and fangs came forth.

More guards were summoned to separate the pair. Arauvir remained uninvolved, even stepping back a bit. Instead, his attention was drawn to the opening gates of the courtyard. Guards converged near the gates to usher in who Arauvir assumed to be important people. He recognized Captain Tenor though the other was unfamiliar to him. He kept them within his sight being sure to be inconspicuous.

For a moment, they simply talked amongst themselves before the captain sounded a banshee of a whistle. The robed man stepped forward to read names from a list. Arauvir curiously watched. This is unusual. Unexpected ev- He instinctively flinched at the sound of his own name, just now realizing he only offered the guards his first name, initially. They weren't thorough enough to insist. He stepped forward to the gathering group of prisoners. He felt odd as he waited. A strange mixture of anxiety, excitement, despair, and relief brewed within his gut.

Captain Tenor spoke. The Order of Griffons?! Arauvir expected something, but that was not even within the realm of possibility. The Order was thought to long be defunct. From the clutches of a prison to the grasp of a dead brotherhood, Arauvir went.

At'tallah, a sense of humor you are assuredly not lacking.

~Arauvir Sylraanis~
The Golden Crown, Westreach Old Town​

As they marched away from the prison complex, Arauvir couldn't see this unexpected turn as anything less than a godsend. He was closer to freedom than not.

Construction of some sort seemed underway as they arrived at the skeleton of an inn. Here, they were met by the Emperor. Arauvir feigned respect and bowed after the captain. The Emperor bore a regality that was intermingled with cruelty. Sure enough, it didn't take Hugo long to engage in his predictable behavior, mouthing off at Emperor Encor. He was promptly knocked to the ground. Unbelievable. Lack of tact will undo him.

The emperor began to rattle off the crimes being held against them. Some seemed likely, yet, when his own was revealed, his brow furrowed. At least they gave enough thought to label me a leader and not some lowly grunt. This thought pleased his ego.

Soon, the other man spoke up, cutting the emperor's power play short. His blunt words garnered a small grin from Arauvir. As the emperor, the captain, and the silken spectator took their leave, Arauvir and the others had their shackles removed. He flexed his wrist before massaging them. He liked where this all was headed.

Oren revealed his name and intent. Arauvir stepped forward, seeking a canteen. He screwed off the cap and sniffed it, checking it for any abnormalities before judging it safe to drink.

"It is appreciated," Arauvir said and took a swig. He wasn't particularly thirsty, but somehow the water in the canteen seemed much more refreshing outside the walls of the prison. He observed as the others hurled their questions and accusations disguised as questions at Oren. He fielded them well enough before the vampire, Evan, offered his own predictions about their recruitment. Arauvir considered the thought and responded to Evan.

"What lies ahead may be suicide for some, but I believe otherwise. Surely you don't sell yourself that short." He said. "I know what I am capable of, and I would hope you all know the same of yourselves. Fortune has been gifted to us this day, regardless of how it seems at first glance, and I will not squander it. At any rate, I see not death ahead, but instead deliverance."

Confident in his words, he believed wholeheartedly what he said, or at least enough to keep doubt distant.

As Oren informed them of how they were conscripted through ancient laws and the misinformation surrounding the order, Arauvir began wondering why such lengths were taken to keep The Order hidden. He approached Oren.

"I understand that you are simply a messenger for those who run the Order. However, I would hope you would know something more beyond our recruitment. If what you say is true, why has the Order allowed the rumor that it was abolished to be perpetuated for so long if there are indeed dangers still lurking? What exactly has the Order been doing all this time?"