September 25, 2006

Assassins in the Dark


Jean Renault was fast asleep when suddenly there was a sharp pain in his chest. At first he thought it was another one of his nightmares, but this was no dream, the pain was real and in a flash he knew what had happened. Instantly he was awake. He grabs the stilettos he keeps at his side and pushes the assassin back, before he could get another strike. A river of blood ran down his naked chest. A new scar to be added the many that already covers his body, if only he survives the night. Jean and the assassin stare at one another as the dance of death begins.

* * *

Izzie was two rooms down the hall. She was in the middle of writing in her journal when she heard the sounds of a fight. She quickly goes to the side of her fiancé and gently wakes him. "Diego dear."

"What is it Bonita?" Diego murmurs as he slowly awakes.

"There's, something going on… out in the hall," Izzie nervously whispers, "perhaps we should..."

"Aye Bonita, I will check on it for you."

Diego gets up, rubs his eyes, grabs his daggers and walks towards the door. Diego and Izzie venture into the hallway but everything is still. The sounds can still be heard from a room down the hall. Izzie huddles close to Diego as they creep down the hall towards the sounds. Izzie face turns pale when she realizes that the sounds are calling from Jean's room. Diego tries the door, it was still locked. Diego runs back to their room to get his lockpicks. Izzie returns with Diego as fear turns into horror. As Diego runs back to Jean’s room, Izzie starts to light every candle and lantern she can scrounge up.

* * *

Jean patiently worked at the assassin’s defenses. Waiting for an opening and striking then. After what seems like hours but in reality has only been a few seconds, Jean has tipped the scale towards his favor. But it had cost him a great deal of his own blood. The two were about even when Jean changed his strategy. He went on the offensive and instinctively the assassin went on the defense. Jean dropped one of his stilettos and the assassin mirrored the action. A blade of darkness formed from the palm of Jean's hand. A similar blade formed from the assassin’s hand and the dance continued. Jean and assassin launch into a flurry of stabs and parries and counter stabs with lightning like speed. Some of the stabs hit as other are parried or riposted. Except for the shadow daggers, they always seem to hit, but when they do, they spill no blood. Jean keeps up with assault as the assassin switches styles but stays very defensive. Jean believes he has the assassin almost finished. He watches and waits for the assassin to drop his guard one last time. So he can deliver the finishing blow. The assassin hears the door unlock, he glances over and sees a pair of feet on the other side of the door. Jean sees the assassin’s attention had been diverted and quickly stabs twice at the assassin. The first strike hits, and the assassin realize that he is about to lose this battle. The second one is about to do the same, when the assassin touches the shadow he is casting on the wall and instantly sinks into the wall. The shadow blade passes harmlessly through what should have been the assassin’s head. He won't get away that easy, Jean thinks to himself as he stretches out his own hand and touches the shadow he was casting and disappears into the wall.

* * *

By the time Izzie was done lighting all the lanterns and returns into the hallway, Diego has finished unlocking the door. The sounds of fighting suddenly stop. Diego throws the door open draws his dagger and enters into an empty room. Izzie runs to Diego's side. The lantern light spills into the room illuminating the small pools blood covering the floor and bed. Izzie swallows and audible gulp as she stares stunned at the carnage left behind. Both Diego and Izzie stood motionless for a few moments, not knowing what to do next. Then Izzie starts to light all the lanterns and candles in Jean's room.

* * *

Jean was left disoriented for a moment. The ground below him was soft and spongy. The sky was the strange violet hue that made him uncomfortable and all sounds were muffled like they where very far away and heard through earmuffs. The assassin was running away. He looked back to see if Jean had followed and started running harder when he saw him. Jean ran to catch up with him. His body was pumped with adrenaline which made catching up with the assassin easy. The voice of rage demanded satisfaction for what he had done. Jean was eager to obey.He raised the stiletto he held. The killing blow only moments away when a vision flashed in his minds eye. It was the vision of a shadow knight, a creature that lurks in the dark paths, a reminder of what happens to those that have died here. This vision caused Jean to suddenly stop, the killing strike frozen in place. Jean decided to let the assassin escape. The adrenaline drained from his body allowing the cold ice water like chill to fill the void. Jean recognized this feeling and knew he needed to get out of the dark path. He saw a shadow cast from the real world and stepped out.

* * *

Diego and Izzie had finished searching Jean's room for clues when they exited. Diego started to head back to their room when he saw Jean start to walk into the hallway from an adjacent hallway and darted back. Jean saw he was spotted so turned around the corner and placed his fingers to his lips and whispered "shhh..." then motioned for Diego to follow before slipping down the hallway. Diego nodded and started to follow. Izzie still nervous about the nights events, noticed Diego walking down the hall. His hands sliding down to the daggers at his side as he turns the corner. Curious as to where her love is going she runs to catch up. Jean is slumped against the wall and has his hand to his side trying, unsuccessfully, to keep the blood from spilling out when Diego sees him.

"Who all is out there?" Jean whispers

"Just the Captain and me." Diego replies as the Izzie rounds the corner. She emits a gasp at the condition she sees Jean in.

"Hello Captain" Jeans says as he forms a weary smile. "Can we speak in private?"

"Yes, I'll get Christopher." Izzie says as the blood drains from her face.

Diego helps Jean back his and captains room and lays him down. Izzie returns shortly with Christopher. Christopher starts to clean and stitch up Jean when Izzie asks, "Do you know who did this?"

"No, but I'm sure its safe to say that the people I use to work for know I'm still alive and want to change that."

A mental image of the midnight visitor she encounter so long ago flashes in her mind as her face changes to yet another pale shade of white. She starts to leave but only makes it to the door when Jean asks. "Captain? Can we keep this quiet?"

"Why?" Izzie nervously asks.

"If THEY learn that the others know, when they are finished with me, they'll be next."

Izzie blinks rapidly as she utters "Oh"

"If anyone asks, I was up late last night and had a disagreement with someone."

"Gambling?"

"Aye."

"I suggest you stay away from the tables then."

"Aye, aye Captain."

Christopher cast a curious look towards Izzie after hearing their conversation. She sees his look and tries to give a reassuring smile. Once Christopher is finished, he stands up and packs his things and leaves.

Jean slowly stands, still weak from all the blood loss. "If there is nothing more Captain, I'm off to bed."

Izzie just shakes her head and sits down on her bed next to Diego who was trying to sleep.

"I'll see you in the morning." Jean says as he exits the room.

"Good night Renault." She manages to squeak out before he leaves. Still in shock from Jean's subtle hint that perhaps she may receive another midnight visitor.

Heinizal-whatsit

So, Once upon a time there lived a Sea Captain and her ship the Sea Fox smashed into a much smaller boat operated by slavers from the Crescent Empire. Her ship got badly damaged when it hit the other boat. So the Captain had her crew fix the Sea Fox as she had one of her crewman torture the Crescents slavers. When they were done torturing the Crescent infidels slavers the Captain had them hanged, their bodies weighted down with shot and thrown into the sea as they sailed to Freiburg.

On the way to Freiburg we bump into a Vesten Raider by the name of Ragnar. Izzie talked to him, and she convinced him that we had nothing of Value, which was mostly true.

Once in Freiburg Izzie checked in at Drachenheim Manor and then we started our travel to Tannen. A few weeks of travel, we arrived in Seeufer, around dusk. As we entered the city gate we saw a fishing boat in trouble on the lake. We rescued the crew and boat from spending the night out on the lake, which would have been bad for them, Lake Sirens and all.

Took lodgings at one of the towns Inns. Woke up the next morning with a visitor wanting to meet with us. The visitor was messenger girl that took us to manor house, the house belonged to someone important, related to Fischler or something. They have a chapel in the back with an important crown to some saint. If it were fall into the wrong hands the War of the Cross could start up again.

We investigated some, Izzie talked to some old lady about small people "Heinizalmanchen" or something like that. There like gnomes. The old woman sent Izzie on some quest for a blue flower in the die Schwartzen Walder Forest. Izzie hired a boy to get the flower for us, but he never returned.

We went in after him, fought some Kobolds met with an Axe wielding Woodsman. Got paranoid around the Woodsman refused any help from him many times over until finally we excepted his help. He told us to go to his house and wait for him. We met the Woodsman's daughter had lunch, waited a few hours he never showed up. We took the blue flower the girl gave us and walked towards the path when we came upon the Woodsman. He saw the flower and said "oh you found them." We said "yes your daughter gave them to us". He said "I have no daughter." "Oh" we said. So the Woodsman lead us to the path back to town. Turns out the girl in the house is linked to the legend about the crown.

We walk back to town found the old lady. We gave her the flowers, she gives us the secret password and location to find a Heinizal-whatsit. Went to the place said the magic words and talked to one of the gnomes about the missing crown. He leads us to a hill and we enter the hill. Some ceremony was taking place. Turns out some new group small guys have moved in and were using the crown as a candelabra for their ceremony. After the ceremony, they invited us in for the party we ask for the crown back they give it and our small guy guide leads us back to Seeufer. Before our guide departs he give Izzie a small pouch that we are to give to Fischler and Fischler is to give to his wife.

Death of David Rousseau

After saving Lady Jamais from a hanging by the Council of Public Welfare, we smuggler her out of Montaigne and sail to Medico, the island of Prince Falisci. Izzie is invited to a Party through by Falisci. After attending the party she returns to her ship to find Nick, her Quartermaster nearly dead in her quarters and her log and Vendel Merchant papers are missing. She returns to Prince Falisci to inform him of the problem and he helps with an investigation. He finds out how has the papers we go and retreive them. We sneak in and steal back our papers but after a brief fight. Izzie returns to inform Prince Falisci of our success when a Swordsman of Falisci's court stands up and says he's seen enough and changes the non-swordsman of the group to a duel. David goes out with Jacqueline to purchase supplies for a poisons that feign death. Daivd plans to use the poison in the event that the swordsmans is much better then him. Two days later the duels take place.

First the two duelist circle each other watch for any tells. Both calm and very business like. Then David moves in with a two quick almost simultaneous knife strikes which the swordsman easily avoids.

The duelist again go back to circling one another. Again David moves in with two quick knife strikes one easily misses and the other cuts through the shirt of the swordsman but misses skin.

The swordsman thrusts at David, David parries and counterattacks and misses.

During Davids counterattack he left himself open for a moment which the swordsman takes advantage of throws an elbow right into Davids throat causing him to stagger back gasping for air. The swordsman takes two more swings at David the first one misses, the second one cuts into his side.

David backs regroups before moving in with two quick attacks. Both attacks slice through the air missing the swordsman. The swordsman attacks, David parries and counterattacks. The swordsman parries the counterattack and performs a counterattack of his own. Another elbow smashes into the David's throat.

David quickly counters with two quick attacks. The first one knife is driven deep into the swordsman chest as the other knife glances off the swordsman's blade. The swordsman tries to counters with an attack of his own but David narrowly sidesteps the swordsman blade. David returns with two more quick attacks and again hits with the first one although the knife does not go in as deep, but still causes a lot of blood to stain the man's shirt.

The swordsman attacks, David parries and counterattacks, the swordsman parries and counterattacks with his blade. The blade slides deep into Davids chest causing him falls back. David stumbles way out of the swordsman range and falls onto
the ground in a motionless heap.

Jacqueline rushed to Davids side as the swordman walked over to make sure his job was finished. When he was satsifided he left and Jacqueline carried his body back to the Sea Fox. Ewan looked after the body of David until the time that the poison wore off. David was very weak and dehydrated and needed to clean up.

David washed himself, shaved his head and stayed below decks until after they had been three days out from Vodacce. When he appeared above decks he talked with the captain. The books were noted to have changed that David Rousseau had died and Jean Renault was added.

Rescue of Lady Jamais Sices du Sices

We get word to Raith through Jacqueline and Izzie was schedule to meet with him at Cercle du Chant, a fine restaurant in Charouse. Izzie was in disguise and accompanied by Diego also in disguise. Raith shows up with Reinhard. David bribed his way in also in disguise. During the dinner show a mob of men bust in claiming to members of the Committee for Public Welfare. They arrest a lady claiming she is a traitor and take her out. The lady arrested was Lady Jamais Sices du Sices. Izzie knows of her reputation at court. Before the group could leave a waiter approaches the table and asks the party to stay until after the show so the host could speak with them. After all the patrons leave an Inish man name Adrian Fletchyr meets with group and asks for there help in rescuing Lady Jamais. Raith mentioned that she will probably be held in Champ Keep and the warden can smell magic. The group agreed to help Adrian but schedule to meet later to go over the details of the rescue.

* * *

The next night Raith, Reinhard, Diego, Izzie, David and Adrian all meet aboard the Urchin Raith and Adrian give some information regarding the Keep and the schedule of Lady Jamais hanging. The plan was hijack the cart that is to transport her to the gallows. We disguise ourselves as the guards that are to pick up Lady Jamais. Then stage an El Vago like rescue at the gallows and run away with many Lady Jamais look-a-likes scattering in all directions. The real Lady Jamais is handed over to Adrian who smugglers her out of town in a pickle barrel. We all meet back at the ship and sail away when its convenient and pick her up at a later location. Sail to Vodacce and deliver her into the arms of her admirer. And for the most part the plan went off with out a hitch.