Exile of the Fifth Son

Mila Rosencrantz
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Mila nodded, at long last wholeheartedly agreeing to something the sister had said. "Agreed." If the method is degenerate to a high degree, halt it immediately. Leaving the problem unresolved by said original method would allow weaker yet more pure alternative methods to replace it. Over time, these alternatives may become as strong as the original methods themselves.

"Thank you for your time, Sister Adraidne. I will look into finding out the nature of these spirits as well as the physical location of the ritual site as soon as I can." That said, Tariku's request was likely more immediately pressing since the acquisition of livestock was easier when the markets were open, but Mila wasn't going to drop Adraidne's request altogether- she'd read all of the interesting books on the ship and Adraidne's new suggestion was much appreciated. "The book- or a library that houses said book- wouldn't to be in close proximity, would it?" Assuming it was, Mila would bid farewell to Adraidne, acquire it and spend some reading it as she walked back to the counsellor's office. If the book was unobtainable, she'd still say goodbye to the sister and head back to the counsellor's office to discuss her next move with the rest of the group, assuming there were no interruptions.
 
Vromdeir aep Cremmidrann
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His stab was successful enough, but Vromdeir didn't linger enough on the soon to be corpse. He didn't want those final efforts to harm him. Immediately after standing, he sprinted towards the first wolf he wounded. At full speed, hoping to catch it off guard with a rising axe kick aimed at its throat. If the wolf somehow evaded his initial strike. Vromdeir would gracefully adjust his body with a foot twist, and were the wolf to be close enough, Vromdeir would bring his foot down upon the wolf with his heel, which he magically enhanced to ensure speed and power weren't an issue.
 
GALT

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Galt squint eye at big wolf. Big wolf seem angry, but Galt angry-er. Galt roar big wolf, ground Galt to ground, then move arms to catch horns. Galt want stop Big wolf in tracks, show big wolf how much Galt stronger than it.

Galt feel weird, like drink too much, but Galt roar at wolf, catch wolf and hold in place. If Galt no can punch Wolf, Galt stay and let friend do instead. Galt give them honor of kill big wolf. Galt yell at wolf, "GALT MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU, BIG WOLF."
 
Chapter 1: The City of Bells
Plot-progressing post.

@Valkan @LondotheGreat @TubaPope @conman2163 @ItariChan @Jaguar Warrior

The City of Bells
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The City of Bells is the latest addition to the Kingdom of Edfield. It is a former city-state that has volunteered itself to annexation after seeing the stronger neighbouring kingdoms fall to the Kingdom of Edfield. It also forms the last civilised part of the continent, bordering a small mountain-chain that leads into the Hinterlands. These mountains also make sailing into the city's small bay the easiest way to reach the Hinterlands, as there are no roads or easily traversable plots of land connecting the City of Bells to the rest of the Kingdom of Edfield. Only the most adventurous would try to go to the city by foot, trying to navigate through the dangerous and twisting paths. Whilst the waters around the city are mostly safe, there are a few rumours that the sea north of it, along the shores of the Hinterlands, is filled with all sorts of monstrosities. The latter is enough for even the most daring sailors to go no further than the City of Bells, which makes it one of the primary starting points for expeditions into the Hinterlands.


City Outskirts
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[Alpha Wolf, right leg bleeding with a knife stuck in it. Flank mildly bleeding from another knife stuck into it.]
[Wolf #2, dead]
[Wolf #3, broken spine / out of commission.]
[Wolf #4, stomped down / out of commission.]
[Wolf #5, slowed down by Basilisk venom ]
[Wolf #6, dead.]
[Hereward, dead.]
[Vromdeir, mild bite injury to his left foot.]
[Galt, bleeding from left ankle. Back bitten/clawed open, bleeding. Getting woozy from blood-loss.]
[Basilisk, scales cut up by thousands of cuts.]

Not only did Galt somehow manage not to get himself knocked into a tree and out of commission, he somehow even found the strength to stop the wolf before it could fully push him there. He was still pushed back a fair bit, but in a way that made him avoid all harm. Even so, the Orc would feel that in his worn-out condition and without risking the usage of magic, this was more of an exception than a rule. Either his allies needed to come to his aid quickly, or he'd be in big trouble. For now, however, the Alpha was successfully halted.

Vromdeir, on the other side of the rock, decided not to hold back on fighting the already heavily wounded wolf #1. Oddly enough, it didn't feel like the magic actually did anything. If anything, he felt a slight bit dull and slow (borderline back-fire risk), but that didn't stop him from managing to finish off the wounded wolf. With its paw out of commission it wasn't fast enough to dodge Vromdeir, who had enough fighting experience to make up for the odd feeling.

Temple (downstairs)
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Araidne pointed upwards when Mila asked about the book. “I'm sure mister Takiru is willing to lend you a copy.” [OOC: you can add he did so without question.]

Counsellor's Office
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Mila would return just after Retili, walking in on the same sight of the counsellor, Albert and Melia going over a large map of the city. Various areas had been marked with coloured pebbles, in various patterns. It was unclear what they'd been planning out, but it was clear they'd been at it for a while.

She would also get a fairly similar response from prince Albert. “Ah, miss Rosencrantz, welcome back. Did you learn anything in the temple?”
 
Seeing that Galt was in trouble with the alpha wolf, Moira would use her magic to send a gust of wind to attempt to knock the wolf off balance, as well as drive her knives deeper into this body. Hopefully this would distract the wolf enough for Galt to pushback against the wolf or escape if should he need to.
 
Retili
@Elvario

The words of Oswald concerned Retili. He had not mentioned to any of his purpose, nor had he written anything in his journal that alluded to it or the prince. He didn't see the point in replying further so he instead found his way to the counsellors office. Retili blanked for a moment as the prince addressed him, his momentary pause giving time for Rosencrantz to enter behind him. He cut in before Mila could speak, mostly because he had been addressed first. "Your highness." Retili bowed to the man before continuing. "My visit to the Lady's home was quite fruitful. She has revealed to me what little history this city still knows of the spirits. They apparently were bound here at the city's inception. There was a magic circle carved into rock and then activated through the power of a mage. It bound the spirits to the city as protectors. The Lady believed that the magic was prolonged until recently through the extra ordinary ability of the mage. The fraying spell might be causing the spirits to attack citizens of the city."
 
Mila Rosencrantz
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Mila Rosencrantz quickly made her way back to the counsellor's office, making sure to skim the historian's book on the way there to understand the gist of the situation. There would be time to fully read the book later, but for now, she wanted to make sure she had at the very least a rough understanding of the history behind Sister Adraidne's claims.

Mila took quick stock of the room and its occupants before curtly walking to the Prince. Retili spoke first before she could respond to the Prince's question, so she opted to silently curtsy and then step backwards to allow her fellow exile to speak. "My liege, Retili's information does line up with what I've learned from Sister Adraidne. She is of the belief that these spirits are wrongfully subjugated, and that the only way to solve the current issue the city is facing is to release them from their service. Historian Takiru, on the other hand, has provided a more material approach to the situation. If we have the funds to purchase a small flock - half a dozen sheep, and even less would do- I would be able to further pinpoint the nature of these attacks."
 
Vromdeir aep Cremmidrann
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Vromdeir felt a wave of numbness crawl all over his body as he buried the wolves head into the dirt. He realized he had been using magic too hastily this fight, and he had to limit himself. Seeing as the fi al wolf from his side was busy fighting the giant lizard, Vromdeir looked over to see disaster. Not only was Hereward dead, but by the looks of it, Galt would be next if something wasn't done. Shaking off the numbness a bit, he sprinted towards the large beast from behind while readying another knife in his hand. When at a reasonable distance, he hoped his body could manage one big last stunt. He jumped forward and leaned his body, as if diving ahead, and attempted to use all of the momentum of the dive into driving his knife onto the exposed back of the neck of the beast, in hopes that'll put it down for good.
 
Chapter 1: The City of Bells
Plot-progressing post.

@Valkan @LondotheGreat @TubaPope @conman2163 @ItariChan @Jaguar Warrior

The City of Bells
cpfR25w.jpg

The City of Bells is the latest addition to the Kingdom of Edfield. It is a former city-state that has volunteered itself to annexation after seeing the stronger neighbouring kingdoms fall to the Kingdom of Edfield. It also forms the last civilised part of the continent, bordering a small mountain-chain that leads into the Hinterlands. These mountains also make sailing into the city's small bay the easiest way to reach the Hinterlands, as there are no roads or easily traversable plots of land connecting the City of Bells to the rest of the Kingdom of Edfield. Only the most adventurous would try to go to the city by foot, trying to navigate through the dangerous and twisting paths. Whilst the waters around the city are mostly safe, there are a few rumours that the sea north of it, along the shores of the Hinterlands, is filled with all sorts of monstrosities. The latter is enough for even the most daring sailors to go no further than the City of Bells, which makes it one of the primary starting points for expeditions into the Hinterlands.


City Outskirts
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[Alpha Wolf, right leg bleeding with a knife stuck in it. Flank mildly bleeding from another knife stuck into it.]
[Wolf #2, dead]
[Wolf #3, broken spine / out of commission.]
[Wolf #4, stomped down / out of commission.]
[Wolf #5, slowed down by Basilisk venom ]
[Wolf #6, dead.]
[Hereward, dead.]
[Vromdeir, mild bite injury to his left foot.]
[Galt, bleeding from left ankle. Back bitten/clawed open, bleeding. Getting woozy from blood-loss.]
[Basilisk, scales cut up by thousands of cuts.]

Galt was still trying to hold off the wolf, but didn't do much else, although he'd have to react soon, as the Alpha was using it's head in an attempt to knock the orc down once and for all.

The time that Galt bought gave Moira a good opportunity to attempt throwing it off balance with a gust of wind and to throw her knives at it. Sadly enough, it was barely bothered by the slight breeze that went past him. The knives managed to hit it, but only one of them actually pierced its flesh whilst the other bounced off due to hitting it at a bad angle. All in all, it had gotten off mostly unscathed. If anything, Moira herself would start feeling a little bit more easily out of breath from the attempt (first indication of risking a potential backfire).

Vromdeir decided to trust on his warrior's instincts, rather than on his magic. Luckily for him, the Alpha was still preoccupied with Galt, leaving him a clean target. He managed to plant his blades into the back of the beast, but he missed out on the neck, as the wolf turned its head upwards and slammed it down again in an attempt to topple Galt. Instead, Vromdeir was able to hit it in its back and would be able to hold-on to the weapons whilst they were lodged in the wolf if he wished to try doing so.

Counsellor's Office
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The prince was clearly happy to hear that Retili had been successful. "Well done, I'm sure that will come in helpful!"

The counsellor had a different reaction; showing mostly surprise. "Lady Manjusha thinks the spell itself is fraying? Then why didn't she just say so? Wait... how does she plan to solve it?" The counsellor, although not exactly on golden terms with lady Manjusha, wasn't an opponent of hers either. He was sure she'd tell him if she believed there was a simple solution, so he was eager to learn what she proposed to solve it and fearful it'd be expensive or difficult.

The prince, being who he was, was equally happy with Mila's success. "Thank you miss Rosencrantz. I'm sure we'll be able to arrange something. Did you get separate from miss Moira?" He added the latter with a bit of genuine concern in his voice.

After giving Mila a chance to reply, Albert was about to turn towards the mayor when a third person walked in. It was the small Harvin woman, a fellow exile who'd been aboard the ship with them; Morana. She didn't say much as she headed straight towards the table where she picked up a pencil and marked a few places on the map. Although they'd let her do it, it was clear the present company working on the map was curious as to why, but luckily enough she explained herself. "I was eager to learn how the thieves operate in this city, as you can't exactly sneak around whilst wearing bells all the time, so I've gone through the most likely locations and eventually managed to spot one. They taught me some valuable things, namely that these areas are almost entirely free of spirits, whilst these others ones have considerably less spirits in them. Thieves can usually go there without bells during the day, for as long as there is at least a feint ringing in the distance, so they use them as hide-outs, getaways and corridors. They did mention that popular areas used for such things grow far more dangerous the more they're used over the years, especially those that were popular during the previous generations became much more dangerous."

The counsellor reacted rather shocked, as he had just been presented with some prime locations of his city's crime rings, but before he could come up with a way to act on it, Melia spoke up. "We should focus on the spirits first, with all due respect counsellor." She'd already noticed the man's eagerness to wipe out crime in his city and figured she'd need to make sure he had his priorities straight. The man simply nodded, after which Melia continued. "I notice these are all places that wouldn't be near any strategical places for guards to walk their routes or stand guard. Are there any other similarities?"

After a bit of silence, the counsellor spoke up again. "They are all places that are rarely visited in general. These are remote... those over there are for the wealthiest few citizens, over there is a storage area we use for goods we only take out once a year at most..." The counsellor went through all marked areas, giving a reason for the presence of just a few people year-round for each of them.

It wasn't clear where this clue would lead them, however, so the prince looked at Retili, Mila and Morana. "Was there anything the three of you learned that could help us figure out what to make of this?" Morana almost immediately shook her head, so it'd be up to Mila and Retili to try drawing some conclusions.
 
Retili
@Elvario

Moving towards the map that Morana marked, Retili took a moment to note the locations and where they were before the prince turned to address him once again. "To answer the question of both the counsellor and my lord, there are two things that I learned in my meeting with the Lady Manjusha about the spell specifically. First was the location. The written source refers to a circle carved into strong stone foundations. I am no great mage, but I believe that this circle likely still exists in a foundation of some old building in the city. Secondly, If the power of the spell still exists it might be easy enough to renew the spell if we have the means. The process was not described at length in the chronicle Manjusha maintains, but it does require a mage of some kind. We would by necessity need to find one." Thus finished Retili fell silent. He wondered for a moment if his own power might possibly be used to repair the spell, but he did not want to try. Death scared him as much as anyone, and he did not want to make any great sacrifice for strangers he didn't know. Besides, he still had his own mission to fulfill.
 
Chapter 1: The City of Bells
Plot-progressing post.

@Valkan @LondotheGreat @TubaPope @conman2163 @ItariChan @Jaguar Warrior

The City of Bells
cpfR25w.jpg

The City of Bells is the latest addition to the Kingdom of Edfield. It is a former city-state that has volunteered itself to annexation after seeing the stronger neighbouring kingdoms fall to the Kingdom of Edfield. It also forms the last civilised part of the continent, bordering a small mountain-chain that leads into the Hinterlands. These mountains also make sailing into the city's small bay the easiest way to reach the Hinterlands, as there are no roads or easily traversable plots of land connecting the City of Bells to the rest of the Kingdom of Edfield. Only the most adventurous would try to go to the city by foot, trying to navigate through the dangerous and twisting paths. Whilst the waters around the city are mostly safe, there are a few rumours that the sea north of it, along the shores of the Hinterlands, is filled with all sorts of monstrosities. The latter is enough for even the most daring sailors to go no further than the City of Bells, which makes it one of the primary starting points for expeditions into the Hinterlands.


Counsellor's Office
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Whilst the prince merely nodded at Retili, the counsellor started to actively move around some pieces on the map. "Those would be the areas that have stone foundations below them..." As they all observes them, it'd soon be clear there were three places that had both the decreased amount of attacks mentioned by Morana and the stone foundations. One of them, oddly enough, was a few feet away further inland and a fair bit down. Another was below the temple, whilst the third was a smaller warehouse across the water. "If there is any relation between what we found, it'd be in one of those places... It does seem plausible that such a ritualistic site would remain hidden to most and thereby turn into a safe zone for thieves."

The prince, after nodding, had another question. "If we need a mage, do you think Melia, who's magic allows her to heal others, might be capable of performing the task, or does it require a specific type of magic?"
 
Moira paused for a moment to catch her breath. It seemed at this rate, she was in danger of fainting. Since Vromdeir was on the wolf's back now, it wouldn't be safe to attempt to push it over again. Despite its injuries, it still seemed determined to continue fighting. Moira pulled out five of the seven remaining knives she had on her and threw then in the air. Then using her magic, she launched all five at high speed at the wolf, aiming at its neck and head. The maneuver would have a high chance of leading to her magic to backfire and passing out, but if would be worth it if the felled the beast.
 
Chapter 1: The City of Bells
Plot-progressing post.

@Valkan @LondotheGreat @TubaPope @conman2163 @ItariChan @Jaguar Warrior

The City of Bells
cpfR25w.jpg

The City of Bells is the latest addition to the Kingdom of Edfield. It is a former city-state that has volunteered itself to annexation after seeing the stronger neighbouring kingdoms fall to the Kingdom of Edfield. It also forms the last civilised part of the continent, bordering a small mountain-chain that leads into the Hinterlands. These mountains also make sailing into the city's small bay the easiest way to reach the Hinterlands, as there are no roads or easily traversable plots of land connecting the City of Bells to the rest of the Kingdom of Edfield. Only the most adventurous would try to go to the city by foot, trying to navigate through the dangerous and twisting paths. Whilst the waters around the city are mostly safe, there are a few rumours that the sea north of it, along the shores of the Hinterlands, is filled with all sorts of monstrosities. The latter is enough for even the most daring sailors to go no further than the City of Bells, which makes it one of the primary starting points for expeditions into the Hinterlands.


The moment Moira threw her blades, she felt all the air vanish from her lungs. It almost immediately got even worse; as if her magic was trying to suck out the air from her very blood and bones. She'd start seeing black, feeling dizzy, being unclear of mind and having little to no control over her senses whatsoever, not even being able to gasp for air due to how harshly she got hit by the backfire risk of her own magic. However... whilst 3 daggers weren't even sent off and 1 dagger missed, the fifth was a clean hit right through the wolf's head. The majestic beast, held still by the combined efforts of Galt and Vromdeir, was hit in a critical spot right between the eyes, dropping dead instantly. Morai would be conscious for just long enough to spot the results of her actions; a messy yet clear victory.

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Almost immediately after the last of the wolves was dealt with by the Basilisk, a young boy revealed himself atop the rocks. He was quick to notice the situation, with some of them being barely able to walk, so he rushed off to go get the guards. They arrived a bit after, patching everyone up to the best of their ability and doing some heavy lifting to get them all (especially Galt) back into the city safe and sound.

Counsellor's Office
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They'd arrive in the counsellor's office, where they met back up with everyone else. Melia was quick to use her magic to heal everyone, although the attempt did end up making her terrified of Galt and utterly in love with both Vromdeir and Moira for a short time, as she clearly was handling far more healing than she could take without taking on the backfire risk.

With all of them alive and somewhat well (no longer at risk of dying) and with the sad news of Hereward's passing having been delivered, all the pieces were finally put together. The young boy that had revealed himself was related to the mage that founded the city. Though they were multiple generations apart, his blood was still the same, which suddenly meant they might have someone capable of carrying out the ritual without having to die for it. The reason this wasn't revealed sooner was a complex one, as it turned out the boy had the magic ability to remain entirely hidden to all senses. However, his backfire risk had once gone bad enough for people to forget about him the moment he vanished from sight, whether by magical or normal means. It was the reason the guards only knew to look for someone in the wolf-infested area, without being sure of the who or where, as they only had some notes left on that there might be someone that could help them. It was also why he hadn't dared to reveal himself whilst the fight was going on, as just he might get hit in the crossfire or someone forgetting he existed.

Thanks to what they found out on the map, they had only three areas to check. They started at the area near the office, but didn't find anything. However, the area underneath the temple turned out to be the right place. After going down the tunnels and halls through multiple secret rooms and hidden passages, they eventually found themselves in a room that was clearly brimming with magical energy. The boy wasn't sure what to do, but they were met by the visage of a ghost after accidentally triggering some old magic whilst searching the area. It was that of the city's founder. He was quick to tell them the truth of what was going on.

The city's spirits had been functioning as normal, but the spell had a fatal flaw. It didn't release them. As a results, over the course of multiple generations, the amount of people trapped in the city as spirits had increased so much that they were driven insane by it, as the spectral entities weren't able to coexist well when as many of them were clutched together as they were. The sound of bells was used to sooth them, but with their numbers increasing, it eventually was no longer enough. To make matters worse, they could only traverse through areas they'd been in during their life. Hence there were locations where relatively few spirits gathered and other locations that were overflowing with them. It'd take some tampering with the magic, but with their combined powers and knowledge, they managed to figure out how to alter the ritual to free these spirits after serving the city for a hundred years.

With all that said and done, the group was allowed to rest for one more night. After that, however, the city's relation to the empire forced them to sent the exiles off to their final destination; the Hinterlands themselves. As they left the city gates for one final time, they were officially exiled.