"Aye, tis a fair question. You seem like a foreigner, so I'm not surprised that you don't know much about em. Let's see..." Shor ponders as the group walks towards the surface. "Well, sixty odd years ago, the Duke, Erod Blackbane, slew the Black Dragon who was ravaging the lands. That foul wyrm tore through the Kingdom of Bray to the north, seemed like he was going to continue his war path down south, destroying anything he felt like attacking. Not to mention his army, thousands upon thousands of monsters, demons, fey, and the like, following the Black Dragon and bringing chaos wherever it went." Shor seemed to reminisce on these times like they're a fond memory for him. "Aye, I myself fought in his army, before he was formally a Duke. Back then he was but another mercenary looking to raise an army in the hopes of earning glory and prestige. I wasn't a captain back then either, just another foot soldier along with me cousin Ferric. In any case, the Duke is an honorable man by my reckoning. He kept to his word and paid all of us well, listened to our concerns and addressed out complaints in a timely matter. If I had to mention his faults, I'd say that he's far too beholden to his people, and seems to lack a will of his own at times." Shor sighed as he mentioned this. "Like for example, the war he committed to up north. Bunch of lizard folk had rallied and began attacking lands far to the north. Now, I'm a loyal man of my country, and I'd gladly die for it, but I also know when to pick my battles as well. The lizardmen up north, that's way up north. And for the duke to take his standing army up there seems... Excessive. Especially during these trying times what with Elysium out and about. They were a problem even before... You know."

"Anyways as for the Senaschal, I'll admit I don't know him too well. He's not the first Senaschal the duke had, the third in fact, but the first one died due to being elderly, and the second turned treasonous and was executed. This third one I don't really know where he came from aside that he came along with the Duke's current wife. Apparently as part of an alliance to some southern lords, the duke was to marry a Princess Eleanor, and an adviser from her father's court would come to serve as the duke's new Senaschal. As for the man himself, his name is Julian Fournival. As I said, I don't know much about him personally. Only worked as the Senachal for about four years now, and he keeps to himself and does his job well. Stays out of trouble at least, but not a married man either. A real mystery." 

After Shor explained his thoughts Aisha spoke up, pushing her glasses up on her nose as she seemed a bit annoyed, as if she's restraining herself from speaking angrily. "While the captain has nothing but kind words about the Duke, I will speak far more candidly." Shor just sighed but did nothing to silence Aisha, so she continued. "The man is beholden to the nobility. The reason he committed to the war in the north is because of the warhawks among his court, who wished to use the chaos in order to elevate their own prestige as well as plunder the land taken by the lizardfolk. Land which I should inform was owned by the duke's own allies, simply under enemy occupation. Because the duke is toothless however, he essentially allowed his underlings to loot the burning home of his neighbor, under the guise of 'saving' their valuables. Indeed, when the captain says the duke is beholden to his people, he was putting it lightly. A leader must lead his men, not simply be their mouth piece. A king who does nothing but follow the commands of his people is nothing more than a figure head which can be manipulated by all and anyone. And frankly I would not be surprised if he already is."

Eventually the group would finally reach the surface. It was indeed somewhere around noon, as the sun was still very high into the air. The market place was loud and bustling, almost as if no one was even aware of the bloody battle that was fought below. After Aisha got out and put her hood on she continued speaking. "The Senaschal to me seems like a shady man. No mortal is without sin, and yet he seems to go out of his way to ensure no controversy by limiting his presence, using work as his excuse to minimize his interaction with others. Now, do not mistake me as some gossip. I've not interest in spreading lies and rumors for the sake of entertainment. But as a guardsman, it is my job to notice people who are acting suspicious, especially if it looks as though they are making preparations to commit crimes." At this, Shor seemed to give Aisha a stern glare. "Aisha, you aren't accusing the [i]Senaschal[/i] of something, are you?" The dark elf however brushed off his concerns. "Captain, I am simply being cautious considering what happened to the second Senaschal. He was also a reclusive man, and needed to be considering his involvement in slavery and selling kingdom's secrets. The fact that sir Fournival is just as reclusive makes be concerned that he too may be following a similar pattern. After all, it's not as if there is anyone to grant over sight of his activities except the duke, who is current off to fight some pointless war."

The group would finally arrive to the main market street, and the sound of people going about their business was almost deafening. It was hard to hear Aisha's rant over the noise, and she noticed, so she tried to wrap it up. "In essence, I do not trust the duke, for he is a puppet, nor do I trust the Senaschal, because he does nothing to earn trust." With her statement made Shor just looked over to you. "Well, I hope that'll give you an idea of who they are. As far as etiquette goes, just don't bring any weapons into his court for obvious reasons, do not speak over or try and interrupt the duke or his Senaschal when they are speaking, and overall don't act a daft twat. The duke was a common man after all, so he is not going to offend easily if you are not familiar with the customs. As for the Senaschal well, same thing I suppose. He's an outsider too so as long as you can avoid looking like a fool, you ought to have no trouble."