[centre][Kathar - The Rusty Brewer]

Nerom listened with curiousity as Lukas spoke of a dark power plotting a plan to undo life as he knew it. He sat, with a raised eyebrow, through the old man's speech and let his thoughts drift away, wondering what sort of foul creatures could possibly undo the work of the Gods. When he was little, he had often been read stories of the Shadowlands. He was told tales of the Nine and how they had banished the great evil there, casting a protection spell so powerful even they had to step back from it. As convincing as Lukas was, Nerom doubted very much it would be possible to break such a spell, but he knew he should never rely on impossibilities. In his line of work, anything he thought impossible to go wrong, often [i]had[/i] gone wrong, and it had led him to always doubt himself when he thought something impossible. And that's why, when he heard Lukas ask the question, as he heard the balding old man ask them if they would choose to rally their support or flee, Nerom stood proudly and spoke loudly.

"The Empress gave her life so that we may protect this land. Her dying wish was that this group, her chosen allies, would come together and use all their skills to fight off this growing darkness. And fight it off, we shall. You can all count on my support." It was clear he was not used to speaking publicly, and his sentences faltered slightly as he thought up the next word to say, but he was sure he got his point across well enough.

In the room, he heard others also joining the Empresses' cause. The first to speak, Jan as he had been called, seemed confused that the letter should be addressed to him and not to his Lord, but he noticed Lukas was prepared to meet his question and so he remained quiet. The next was Cerise, who remained silent, merely nodding her head. Nerom's brow furrowed as he stared at her face, hoping to gain insight to the clearly troubled look she was expressing. It only then occurred to him he had ignored her earlier question and not given her his name. Though Lukas had spoken since then, Nerom was never one to be unchivalrous, and so he opened his mouth to reply, just as Jonah stood up with a clearly disgusted look on his face, swiftly followed by a quiet "Aye" from the girl in the corner, the one Nerom had ignored since she had entered. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Nerom watched as his fellow assassin went through his personal ritual of informing the guild of his new quest. It wasn't required of the members to do such a thing, often contracts would be forced to wait if the chosen assassin was otherwise preoccupied, but Jonah had always stuck to the tradition of communicating with the guild. The elf shrugged and let the man get on with it before turning his attention back to their summoner.

"So tell me, Lukas," he said in a much quieter tone than before, "Exactly how do you plan to stop this ritual taking place?"

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[img=https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/13971683445_61215e3c2d_o.jpg]

[Kathar - The Rusty Brewer]

Lukas sighed deeply as Jan asked his question, but he drew a smile upon his face and answered in his kind tone, "[b]My dear Jan. The letter is meant for you, and you alone. The Empress recognised you served a master, but she felt you would do better on this mission as a free man. Word was sent to your Lord that the Empress commanded you be free from your contracts, but alas, Saffeud was killed in his last battle. Were you not told of this?[/b]" Lukas nodded his head slightly, "[b]You have my condolences[/b]"

"[b]"Cerise,[/b]" his smile widened at the Empresses' healer, having heard cherished stories of her over the years, "[b]The Empress would indeed be proud that you accepted this invitation. She always was very fond of you. I do hope you realise.[/b]" To anyone else in the room, it may appear to be favouritism towards Cerise, but Lukas had been friends with the Empress Catherina for years, and they often shared evenings together telling stories of the others lives. Catherina had spoken highly of Cerise, and Lukas merely wanted to show her appreciation towards the girl, despite what others may think.

The next to stand up was Jonah, and Lukas couldn't help but tut as he pricked his thumb and bled onto Catherina's letter. "[/b]You shouldn't defile your body like that, boy,[/b]" he almost hissed at him, "[b]Despite your remedies to repair the damage.[/b]" Lukas said nothing else to the assassin, instead turning his attention to the other assassin that had just stood up. "[b]Thank you, Nerom,[/b]" his tone had quietened back down to his kindly voice, "[b]I extend the same gratitude to you as I have to the others who have agreed. As for your question, this is how we will defeat the opposing side. There are shrines in his world, dedicated to each of the Immortal Nine. At each shrine is an artifact, said to have once belonged to the God the shrine is dedicated to when they once walked this earth. As much as it pains me to say this, I must ask you all to travel to each of these shrines in turn, and destroy the artifacts they hold. Indeed, we could steal them away, but I'm afraid only destruction will ensure this ritual will never go ahead. But I'm afraid it won't be as simple as walking in and stamping on a piece of armour or the like. It is said that a fearsome guardian guards these shrines, though nobody knows exactly what form this guardian takes. I'm afraid it will be down to you to figure that one out, as the time comes for you to face it. No doubt you will be an equally fearsome match for it though, I'm sure your with you all using your skills together you can fight off anything the Nine throw your way.[/b]" Lukas settled back in his chair and crossed his arms gently, awaiting whatever response he may receive from the room.[/centre]