Nienna looked around at the others as each one entered the building, presenting their letters. With one last look at her surroundings, Nienna turned and walked inside, she pushed her letter into the huge hands of an enrmous man, and sat down.

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<center>


~Thank you to Estë Undómë for the Beeeautiful Banners & Avvie <3 ~

Fyreg`s thoughts concentrated and his eyes narrowed as the closet of a man appeared on the door, a quirk smirk appeared on Fyreg`s face as he recalled as to how many men of that size he had brought down in his short lifetime. Yet this was no bar fight or a man who had a bounty on his head, this was just a guard on a door, nothing more apparently as everyone handed out their letters before entering. Fyreg followed the example of the others and handed out his letter of introduction with an emotionless face before stepping inside the building. He followed the rest with relative ease in his steps and shut the door behind him as he entered the room where everyone seemed to have gathered at the moment.

Fyreg gazed briefly around making a quick count of the people in the room and then looked at the man at the table, he whistled quietly as, if impressed as he heard the high captain being mentioned. His sarcasm didn`t go unnoticed as he felt someone`s eyes glaring at him with murderous intent.

"Might someone tell me as to why a bounty hunter was called to a.... seemingly military meeting? And are the ladies here to undertake the same mission as us or for the high captains amusement?"

He inquired with a wide smirk as he walked up to the wall and leaned against it with his hands crossed on his chest. He blinked and gazed around at the people in the room again, somehow he had the feeling he did not belong. Perhaps it was his paranoia that he had developed over the years telling him that or perhaps he had a sixth sense he was not aware of. One might have said that he was bored as he eyed the room and payed no great attention to any details, but Fyreg liked to think it as his best act. Being seemingly dizzy and uninterested whilst he was in truth memorizing every weapon visible in the room, possible places to hide weapons and possible exits. Just his paranoia or there was something not right with his meeting... nah, probably just a bleak and pointless guess.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

I think I'll join! This sounds interesting!
my bio:
Name: Laraina Endymion(goes by last name pronounced End-ei-me-on)
Gender: female
Age: 18
Occupation: hunter/tracker
Phys. Description: she's average height, standing around 6 foot. Has black hair just above shoulders, usually messy. Grey eyes. She's thin, and her form is somewhat masculine, as is her face.
Attire: black trousers, along with brown leather calf-high boots. a blue long sleeve shirt, with green vest, brown jacket, green cloak- all dull and worn. And black gloves that go up to her shoulders under her jacket and shirt.
Weapon(s): a longsword, bow/arrows, hunting knife
Background: Her mother was a papur(sp?), her father hunted near in the small forest that her family lived on in a small village. He father taught her to track, and how to use a bow. When she was 15 her parents sent her to school on a bigger island. The year after she left, when she came to visit she found her village destroyed, and the villagers pilled and burned. Around and in the town were clawmarks, not foot or bootprins. So around her neck she wheres a slightly melted ring with a diamond on a chain that was her mother's that she found.

To get revenge, she traveled to island after island, searching for all the beastes she could to get her revenge. Through experience she taught herself to fight with a sword. Along with doing that, she hunts deer and such, selling the meat and pelts to merchants and clerks to earn money to get by.

Is that alright? May I join? Well... I guess I'll post anyway...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Endymion stared down into the glass, it's contents almost empty. Her short black hair was strewn across her face. With a sigh, she emptied the cup, and placed it back on the bar, along with the coins she needed to buy the drink. The girl, looking much like a boy, walked out of the bar, and into the street. She walked along, a gloved hilt on her sword. Endymion didn't care to cover her few weapons, she was just a simple hunter and her weapons were her way of living.

Endymion stuck her other hand in her pocket, fingering the letter she had recieved requesting her presence. Laraina snorted. Why someone wanted her prensence, was unknown to her.

She made her way down the street, and watched as a few people, not like the peasants walking by her, go into a small house. A quick glance at her letter told her that was where she had to be.

Endymion walked to the door, and knocked loudly. A big man opened the door. She handed him her letter, and was let inside. Glancing around the room, she took to leaning against a corner to wait for instruction. She did not know that the one sitting at the head of the table was the High Captain.

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Yeah, Doc, it's fine if you join. Same to you, Eruraina. Welcome.

-------------

Arren winced as the latest person entered the house. Starting with the person who had arrived right after him, everyone had entered in a rush, with very little regard for secrecy. Did they not realize that such a congregation of people would attract unwanted attention? He glanced over the group that was gathered. An impressive collection of weapons, but all too many looked far too young to be of much help.

"Is this all of those that Iyrdannal gathered?" he asked Melwyn, deciding that the brash youngsters would have to be dealt with later.

The High Captain perused the group for an few moments, then nodded. "Before I explain anything, I trust that you all know not to repeat a word of this conversation to anyone else? Should I ever find out that one of you spoke of it to anyone else, whoever it was will be summarily executed. There will be no debate. Should you speak of it to someone else, a knife in the back or throat is the least you can expect," Melwyn said, his tone brooking no argument, and his iron-hard gaze daring anyone to say anything about that.

Arren nodded. He expected as much from the High Captain after all of the stealth that had been used to arrange this meeting.

After pausing for a moment to let his words sink in, Melwyn continued. "The reason that all of you have been called here is first and foremost this: Several months ago, we received word from a reliable source that our fortress outpost on the island of Andayon has been eliminated. In the words of this man, who was still in shock, when he reached the fortress afterwards, the entire garrison was dead. Completely, and quite literally, mauled. Torn apart."

Shocked silence filled the room. Natural predators, decimating an entire garrison of Imperial soldiers? It was impossible. One Imperial soldier was, supposedly, equal to four barbarians. And an entire garrison had been killed?

The High Captain noted the silence with a baleful glance, then resumed his narrative. "We made several attempts to reach the fortress ourselves to find out for ourselves what happened, but have since recieved news from other sources that all of the expeditions were destroyed as well, in much the same manner as how the garrison was killed, apparently. There were no survivors.

Since the expeditions were far from public news, it is safe to assume that someone is monitoring our actions. That is where you come in. You have all been hired to go to find out what happened, and do what you can to stop it from happening again. Unfortunately, we fear it already has, though it is hard to tell with all of the barbarian attacks on the frontiers."

Melwyn paused again, taking a moment to look each of them in the eye. "I can't tell you what to expect--but know this. Something destroyed an entire garrison, so there will not be such a term as 'too careful' that could be applied to you. Use all possible caution, both there and on your way. If it's known that you're on your way, I fear that you will never be heard from again."

Melwyn threw a heavy sack to Arren. It was surprisingly heavy, and if the shape of the objects within was any clue, it was full of gold coins--probably crowns, not talents.

"That should cover the expenses for hiring a ship and buying supplies. Master Frondhaven, you are the senior tracker, so you and Master Tharkan will have command of this group. I trust you will come up with a plan."

The High Captain stood to leave, and Arren stood as well.

"High Ca--Melwyn," Arren said, irked by his slip. "This building is most likely unusable, now. By now, word will be spreading through the streets that a good many strangers were seen entering here. If, perhaps, they had chosen to come one at a time, and quietly, we would have attracted less notice, but what's done is done. Still, this building will be noted as a location to be watched, beyond any doubt."

The High Captain nodded, though clearly he himself did not intend on returning.

"May the Creator look kindly on you, good master," Arren said by way of farewell.

Melwyn opened the door and vanished back into the street outside, blending in rapidly with the crowd of people with a skill that belied his upbringing.

Arren tossed the sack of coins to Tharkan. "Shall we make our plans, then, good people?" he asked mildly, though his voice was touched with the apprehension that they all undoubtedly felt.

-----------------------------------

Okay, just to stop all ideas before they can be implemented, the cause of the garrison's destruction isn't anything any of the characters have come across before.

Also--anybody who didn't post about getting the house already, don't bother--just post as though you had been there the whole time.

_________________

Fyreg quietly listened to the briefing that the high captain gave to them and couldn`t help smirking at the threats of the captain about the possible fate of all those that mentioned this meeting to someone else not involved. To Fyreg this sounded like too much empty boasting as he had evaded the army on many occasions when he had broken the law. The law, steel or the empire had never scared Fyreg because as far as he was concerned, he was the law of his own world. He made the rules and only allowed outside influences when it was of any use to him. Fyreg pushed himself off the wall and placed his hands calmly on his belt, he gazed around at the rest of them before nailing his eyes at Arren and Tharkan as they seemed to have the closest relation to the captain.

"Now why do I feel that my presence is not required here? I was hardly given any answer as to how a bounty hunter like myself can help solve a mystery, I hunt people not ghost tales about garrisons that have been torn apart..... Yet then again the pay is good so I am going anyway as this is probably going to turn out to be the work of some barbarians or something equally brutish.

But forgive me about my suspicions and allow me to share my thoughts that are relevant... if we are to travel we need a ship, would anyone happen to know a ship with a trustworthy, more importantly cheap captain. Wasting our money on the journey isn`t my idea of good organizing and I am sure there are other things that require the use those coins...."

He proposed and gazed around, he would himself would have known a small number of ship captains willing to take them wherever they were going as long as their cargo destination was nearby. Yet the idea of traveling with smugglers might not be too fond to the those in the group that had devotion to the army or the empire itself.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"I have a ship. It already holds over thirty of my own warriors, but space could be made," said Raign. Her voice was flat as usual, hard to read any emotion into. She shifted in her seat. "I will require due compensation, and my band will not be sharing their supplies." She sounded insufferably like Lucan, but to offer services without requiring something in return was rank foolishness. Briefly a memory surfaced in her mind - the image of a man standing on a rocky shore, arm around a slender dark-skinned girl, waving after a retreating ship. It represented what had happened far too much. Warriors of the Jewel Isles had thrust away the life that loomd bleakly before them, a life of grappling to stay alive; or they'd found love and clung to it, treasuring what they'd thought gone irretrievably with the destruction of their homeland.

Raign didn't blame them. She might have done the same in their place. But if she did nothing else, she would not be the monarch who saw her people scatter - even if only thirty-odd remained, and the title of monarch was no more than a memory itself. She would keep them united. No, she clutched at no fleeting memories, nor did she attempt to cling to the past by calling herself any more than she was. But was there a queen left in Raignheidra Terhin? Perhaps.

The thoughts took no more than a moment to spin through her head, but Raign's demeanor seemed to go more rigid than it already was. "I doubt you'll find such an offer elsewhere."

Mentally she was already prepared to use all her powers of persuasion, if not beg. Empty coffers could be filled with this opportunity.

_________________

Aidne had followed the others in, hesitantly, and produced her letter to validate her admittance. Some of the the others in the room had looked askance at her presence, but she shook it off, comfortable with maintaining her facade of normalcy. Of course she was not a killer. Nor an adventurer. She knew plenty about household chores, though.

Her behavioral mask slipped slightly, though, at the red-haired man's uncouth comment about the captain's entertainment. She found herself shooting a venomous glare at him before catching herself and lowering her eyelids demurely. Can't do that too much, girl. Aidne sat, placing the basket beside her, nervously smoothing her skirts.

As the High Captain emphasized the import of secrecy, she had to duck her head yet again, to hide the twitching at the corner of her mouth. A knife in the back? It would probably be one of hers. She'd had assignments not unlike that in the past.

Finally, Melwyn ended, and the discussion began.

"Well," Aidne offered in the silence that followed Raignheidra Terhin's offer, "we could always swim." Only the faintest edge in her voice suggested that she was being heavily sarcastic. She'd dealt with the woman before, and, although proud, Aidne had to admit she admired Raign's determination. It took an obstinate sort of leadership to hold a band together. Still, it never hurt to play her a bit. Especially when she'd broken the cardinal rule of haggling: never make the first offer.

_________________


<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Im afraid im gonna quit this rp, its all a bit confusing for me, and im like an amertuer rper compared to you lot. Sorry

_________________

<center>


~Thank you to Estë Undómë for the Beeeautiful Banners & Avvie <3 ~

Garvan couldn't hold his peace anymore. He had meant to wait until a lull in the conversation to speak, but he worried if he didn't say anything now, he wouldn't get a chance to. He pushed himself off the wall and stepped forward, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Wait- just wait for a minute. I don't know who you all think I am, but I'm not a soldier who can just go sailin' off the island. I have a family, I have students- I have obligations here that I can't leave. All this talk about gettin' a ship, food, bedrolls... Look, I came because I got a letter askin' me to come. I have no plans to leave my home just because the rest of you are. I'm afraid you're goin' to have to count me out of these plans. Good afternoon."

He turned on his heel and strode towards the door, ready to march out into the street. A beefy hand on his chest stopped him, though. The guard was standing in front of the door, his other hand on his sword. Garvan briefly considered fighting his way out, but he only had his two daggers on him.

With a sigh, he turned back around to face the group. He slouched back in his place along the wall. Even if he couldn't leave yet, he wasn't about to take part in the scheme.

Raign stiffened, pride already revolting at having to answer such a question. "Do you refer to the ships in harbour?" she responded coldly. "I seem to recall at least one that looked as though it were built for a parade, not a journey." Her position under his intense scrutiny was not one she appreciated, despite her ramrod-straight posture, and was certainly not favorable for negotiating. Raign rose to place her palms flat on the table, scanning the assembled personages once indifferently. "My vessel bears no insignia and has no identifying features. A hundred like it are in any harbour, the Empire over. Should you all maintain even a modicum of secrecy in coming aboard, there will be no noticeable difference between many of you and the rest of those I command. Can you offer a convenient disguise as such?" she ended with the biting inquiry thrown in Danil's direction, turning to regard him with all the stiffly proud bearing that had won her every victory she'd ever gained.

She broke off to sense the general consensus. Hard to tell. The burly man that had thus far hung back steped forward just as she made to continue, and looked ready to leave then and there. Predictably, his sentiments were not shared by the guards, but the effort did not improve the general atmosphere and thus did not support her proposal. Raign pressed down her protesting pride and continued, adding what she'd hoped she wouldn't be required to. There was no difference in her tone, no change n bearing at all - except that, if possible, her already rigid poise grew morie so. "I can say with conviction that nobody is tracking me or would wish to do so. You will not find a better disguise."

_________________

Endymion watched the whole time, and listened, from her corner, a slight smile on her lips. It was slightly amusing watching the scene unfold infront of her. She shook her head, and glanced around at everyone in the room from under her hood. When Danil asked for volunteers to get supplies, Endymion knew this was where she could help.

"I volunteer to get supplies. I come and go through this town to the point that I'm enough of a regular here that buying enough supplies to last the group is nothing unusuall to anyone," she said. Any stare was ignored at this point as she came over to the table.

"But, it also matters what kind of supplies. Food, water, and cloths are no problem."

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

"I disagree." Raign's words coincided almost exactly with Endymion's, rendering them unheard. Her tone had never wavered in volume or deviated from cool levelness, meaning that if she did not speak quietly, it was certainly not loud. She waited until the girl had finished and repeated herself, inflection identical, but this time directed unmistakeably at Danil - who seemed to be the leader. Raign could not say with honesty that she would have agreed with the choice, but it made little difference to her in any case and the thought was gone after only briefly flitting through her - undeniably calculating - mind. "If secrecy is as important as you say, meeting at my ship will sabotage your purpose from the beginning."

Very few seemed to be listening, but Raign continued nonetheless, looking calmly across the table at various personages but speaking distinctly to the still-seated Danil. "I would suggest remaining inconspicious until darkness can give you some cover. We have paid to dock until dawn tomorrow."

She shifted, hands folded in her lap. "You seem to additionally be forgetting that compensation must be negotiated. I do not offer free transport." Perhaps there was the slightest emphasis on not, but it was hard to tell.

_________________

OOC: I hope this is okay. I just took it from another RPG on a different site, so if something is off, tell me.

***

Name: Altair
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Occupation: Bounty Hunter/Tracker sort of person
Phys. Description: He has short brown hair with just the slightest indication of a beard growing on his face. Altair has hazel eyes he inherited from his mother. He is around 5’ 11” in height.
Attire:

Weapon(s): Altair carries a hidden blade on his left arm, a plain longsword, two throwing knives, and a crossbow. While he is fairly accurate with the crossbow and deadly accurate with the knives, Altair isn’t the greatest fighter with his sword, so he tries to avoid direct confrontation if it is at all possible.
Background: Altair makes his living hunting down anyone that has a bounty on his or her head, whether a legal or illegal bounty doesn’t matter. Neither does it bother him if it is an ‘only paid if dead’ bounty; or in other, less civilized words, an assassination. He achieved a reputation somewhat akin to honor because if you offer him more money to capture or kill his current employer, he will steadfastly refuse even if you offer him two or three times what he will get from your bounty.

Both of his parents were killed during a botched assassination attempt on someone totally unrelated to them in their simple lives when Altair was only 10. If that assassin had tried gathering his own intelligence instead of blindly trusting what other told him, Altair’s life would have been so much different. He would never have become a bounty hunter to track down and kill the man who had ruined his life. That was his lifelong goal, and Altair made sure that he would be able to follow through with his vow of vengeance against this unknown man. He eventually fashioned his trademark weapon, which he simply calls his ‘hidden blade,’ and also his personal signature of a white hawk’s feather left at the scene of either the kidnapping or assassination.

Once Altair managed to find and kill the man who had killed his parents, he had become too used to a life on the move, a life of adventure that he knew that he would never be able to settle down again. So he continued doing jobs for people. These days, those ‘people’ are often the Imperial Army, so Altair wasn’t really surprised when his next job came from them.

IC: Altair sat at the meeting, looking shabby compared to the rest, his body swathed in dirty beggar's robes as a means of disguise. He refused to volunteer his opinion, as there seemed to be a slight amount of 'competition' between Danil and Raign at the moment and his advice really couldn't help the situation in any way that he could see. So he simply sat there and waited for the decision of the fare for transport.

Altair's importance would come later, in determining if they were being followed or in silent killing, but in this discussion that was almost turning into a contest between Danil and Raign, he had nothing to contribute. So he remained silent, waiting and watching.

_________________
Four Gods wait on the windowsill,
Where once eight Gods did war and will,
And if the Gods themselves may die,
What does that say for you and I?

Now, three Gods wait on the windowsill
Where one God's blood was lately spilled
While black tongues lap at the spreading pool
And build the strength they need to rule.

Endymion watched as the two argued more. She stood by the table, licking dry lips, and sighing. If these two kept going on like this, the group would get nothing accomplished. She was only a teen, much younger than both of them, and felt that they were taking up precious time. But she agreed with Danil. The faster they left, the better.

Endymion nodded at Danil's last statement about supplies, knowing it was directed towards her.
"I'll go and get the supplies at your leave, Sir," she said, stepping back so as not to get caught in the middle if anything should break out between Raign and Danil...

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Lol. I want to play that game, Doc. Good bio adaption, though.

-----------------

Arren shook his head at the discourse between Tharkan and the woman. It was all important, but he wished they could go about it in a way that less resembled bickering. However, that was one of their lesser problems.

As one of the people who had come turned to leave, and another went to gain supplies, he intervened.

"Don't be so hasty to say yea or nay, good people," he said, holding up both hands to quell any protests before he continued.

He pointed to the man who was trying to leave. "You, good sir, are skilled with weapons, yes?" he asked. He continued without giving the man time to answer. "Perhaps you didn't quite understand Melwyn's point. Whoever or whatever destroyed the garrison on Andayon can't simply be tracked. It must also be stopped. I can track a gnat through a windstorm," he said with a touch of pride, "but when we find those responsible, my skill with weapons is not great enough to ensure their defeat--especially considering how apparently easily they killed the Imperials. That is where your skill will be necessary, good fellow."

He fixed the man with a stare for an instant, then moved his hand to point at the youngest-looking one of them all, who happened to think that she was going to get them supplies.

"You, young lady, need to stop for a moment and think things through. This good woman over here--" he gestured to the one who had offered her ship, "--has not yet told us which ship is hers. Without knowing that, it would be rather hard to deliver the supplies, no?" he gave the girl a baleful look. "Also, how do you propose to buy supplies, by yourself, sufficient to feed and shelter upwards of nine people without attracting suspiscion?" He raised an eyebrow in mocking inquiry.

Turning to Tharkan and the woman, he continued. "I think that you, my lady, should be the one to buy the supplies for your own ship, since that would not look out of place. After all--ship owners do buy their own supplies, yes?" he asked the woman who had been arguing with Tharkan.

He swept the room with his gaze, but his words were specifically aimed at Tharkan. "Departing in an hour would be rather unwise, I think. After all--reaching here with all possible secrecy took over an hour from the docks. To return should not take any less, as we want nothing less than to avoid attention. Additionally, the buying of supplies will require more time than that." He directed his next words to the ship-owner. "I shall accompany you, my lady, in the procurement of provisions--I can at least assist in the more physical requirements of such duties."

Once again, he spoke to the entire group, though pausing a moment to catch his breath. By the Creator, he seemed to be speaking quite a bit.

"And also, since it is exceedingly awkward to refer to everyone as 'Good Sir' or 'Good Lady', it might be wise to inform everyone of our names. I am Arren of Frondhaven."

_________________

((I love the name Liadan! Aerandir, was Arren talking to Curunir's or my charrie? I'm just a bit confuzzled. lol))