Lucius Cypher

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Though tensions were high due to Pylia and Kor, Shor made sure to listen to you carefully and make it clear that despite his subordinate's words, he was in command here. "Of course. I know all too well how dangerous information can be when it incites a panic. I'll make sure to keep this information confidential." As he, his group, and Ferric listened to you, they all seemed a mixed of tense, frighten, and confused. "The Black Dragon..." Aisha said quietly. She took a step away from the group to think about this. Yorik didn't seem to grasp the full implications of this information. "Black Dragon? Dat some sorta gang? Or do ya mean... A real dragon?" The two halflings were quiet, just glancing at each other. Suddenly, Shortfang sprang from his back, looking right at you. This caused the guards to immediately grab their weapons, however Shor raised his hand to stop them. "What's a kobold doing here!?" Kor said out loud. Shortfang however didn't pay any attention to them and looked right at you.

"Boss! You have dragon dream too!? Shortfang have dragon dream too! Shortfang left home because bad dragon dream! He returns, Calamity Dragon Kalmeet!" Shortfang seemed to be really intense about this. The others were very wary with Shortfang, however Shor gave them a harsh look to put their weapons down. "Enough! Lower your weapons. Just because he's a kobold doesn't mean he's with the dragon... Hopefully." He took a deep breath, rubbing his face in distress. "But this is worse than I thought. This... Ah..." Shor looked at you with his arms crossed.

"Well, I suppose since you already know of the dragon, there's no harm in me telling you this; we've heard rumors of the dragon's return. What's been keeping me and my men busy are rumors of cultists who worship the dragon and the destruction it brings. At first it was nothing more than lies told to the poor and desperate, to trick them into a scam and sell what little they had to hedonism and gluttony. Recently however, we've received reports of more organized actions by a group called 'Elysium' who have been sowing chaos in the lands. It's mostly been kidnappings and robberies, low level thuggery... But the fact that we've received no ransom notes, as well as most of the robberies being things such as tools and supplies as oppose to riches, makes many within the guard concerned that these truly aren't just the acts of pretty criminals. What cultists we've managed to capture speak of almost nothing but the dragon's return and death it'll cause. Apparently these people see the dragon's return as some form of cleansing, and plan to live out the rest of their days pleasurably and ensure the dragon's rampage is absolute. Sufficient to say, that isn't good."

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Shor's eyes widen seeing the medallion, getting a closer look at it. "Gods, this is a true Marker... Hmm, if you really do have a message from the chief, with this, than it must be serious... I'll respect your decision to wait, but if you don't mind could you tell me what's so important that the chief must call upon a marker? Tis no small thing to use it in these lands. A Marker can rise a commoner to the ranks of dukedom, if he so requests." Shor and his men were genuinely concerned, at least the two who understood the importance of the Marker. The others were simply concerned since the others were. "Aye, the fact you even came here with a Marker's suspicious." Kor said bluntly. "That's not something the chief should've just given to anyone. If it's that important he ought to be here himself. Unless something happened to him."

Hearing this made Pylia look at Kor angrily. She stepped forward with indigenous anger. "I'll not stand idly by if you're implying that Sylvia stole this 'Marker'. Regardless of it's importance, she would never do something so sinister!" Kor stepped forward and locked eyes with Pylia, though Cera tried to hold him back. "The only proof of anything is that she has a marker, and we know what that means. Something real tragic has to have happened if the chief himself couldn't deliver it in person!" Shor clapped his hands loudly enough to cause almost everyone to flinch. "OI! Enough of that! Back off Kor." Shor looked to you expectantly. "We're not in any position to start throwing any accusation around. The only fact here is that a Marker is being used, which means whatever is happening is of dire importance and needs the Duke's attention. And if it's that important, as a guard captain I want to make sure that whatever needs to be done gets done. For everyone's sake."

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

"Well, naturally they'd have to head into the castle town, straight to the keep itself. Though you'll need an invitation of some sort. Can't just let anyone go in and bother the duke." Shor crossed his arms and looked at you. "I'd guess you have some business with the Duke? At the moment, his seneschal is taking care of court matters. I'm sure if you speak with him, he can rely the information to the duke. Of course, you'll still need that invitation."

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

"Ah, that." Shor seemed notable dishearten hearing about this. "Well, nothing of the sort. Simply that the duke is returning from an expedition in about a fortnight or so. He and other lords had been called to deal with a threat to the north, and news is that they're victorious, so naturally the city folk have been told to celebrate the return of our lordship." Shor sighs as he rubs his face. "Which is fine, really, I can't fault m'lord answering our king, but as you can imagine lot of people getting rowdy for the coming festivities. Been keeping me and my boys busy dealing with drunken louts and pickpockets trying to take advantage of the festivities." He says with a tired smile. It seemed like he had a lot more on his mind than just the festival. "And what's your last question?"

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

"An inn eh? Plenty of places to stay around here. Closest one I'd recommend is the Silver Stag, just a few blocks away from here. It can be a bit rowdy but as long as you don't mind the noise, it's got good drink and good beds. If you're looking for something cheap but isn't a complete dump, closer to the waterfront is a boat called the Bloated Float. It's got some of the best rum you can't get in Gransys. I should warn you though, the Waterfront isn't a nice neighborhood. Full of thieves and madmen." Shor thought about it some more and had one more answer. "If you can afford it, the Union Inn isn't too far, and it's in the castle town. It's a nice place, got private rooms, safe storage, the whole works. Can't say I'd want to spend too many nights there though. It's just a money sink, and don't be surprised if you get escorts bothering you while you're there. Unless you make yourself known around the area, they're going to try and trick and scam you."

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

"Aye lass. If you ever get into some trouble, don't be afraid to talk to me or my unit here. These two are Kor and Cera, my morning patrol." Shor motioned to the halflings. One, a male halfling with some stubble, continued to look tough though it didn't really work so well considering he was barely your waist high. The other halfling, a female with short hair, seemed more friendly and waved hello. "The big orc there is Yorik. He works nights." The orc chuckled and nodded his head. "If ya come ta me fer help, just know dat all I can do is crush heads. If dat's all ya need, den I'm yer man." He said with a very thick accent, similar to the traders you spoke with when you left the encampment. Then Shor pointed to the dark elf. "She's Aisha. Also works night, and the only one with magic between the five of us." Aisha simply nodded at you. Shor then turned to look at you. "Anything you want to know about the city? I'm not tour guide, but for a friend of Ferric I'll tell you what I know."

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

"Name's-" Before the dwarf could answer Ferric stepped pass Sylvia with his arms spread out. "Cousin Shor, you shady bastard!" The two dwarves chuckled as they embraced one another. Mica also came out as the darker dwarf, Shor, went to hug the young dwarf. Ferric turned to you. "Allow me to introduce you, this is my Cousin Shor Axefist. He's a guard captain here in Gransys. Shor, this lass is Sylvia Thorne, an adventurer who helped me and my son from a few tight spots with goblins." Shor nods and extends his hand out to you. Pylia and Buddy also come over. "Thanks for saving my cousin's butt. I knew he'd get himself into trouble on his own, so I'm glad to know you saved Mica from his mistake!" Shor said boisterously. Pylia and Buddy nods and introduces themselves. Shortfang has notably not left the sack yet.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

The party would part ways as Ferric took his wagon closer towards the huge castle walls. Though oddly enough, it seemed like that just before they would enter the castle walls itself, Ferric took them to an off path. There were less people here and the roads looked less maintained. The stone were worn with grass growing from between. Occasionally you’d spot a stray dog walking by. It was easy to tell that this was obviously a less affluent part of town. Fortunately there wasn’t any trouble as Ferric stopped by a corner.

“And here it is! It’s not much right now, but I paid good money for this spot!” Not too far away was a fairly bustling market bizarre. Already all sorts of vendors were selling food, goods, and textiles, and there were other shops nearby as well. Places to get your clothes washed, someone who made nets, even a stable. It would remind you a lot of an intercity area. Perhaps a bit shady, but a tightknit community. “If there’s a festival going on I better set up quickly! C’mon son, let’s unload our goods.”

As Ferric, Mica, and Buddy unloaded the cart, a few figures approached. Leading them wa a darkskinned dwarf with a full black beard and an axe as huge as himself. There was two halfling with shortbows and shortswords. A burly orcish man with a threatening looking hammer and shield. And finally a tall slender dark elf, wearing their hood up so you could only barely make out their facial features. The dwarf approached with a chuckle. “Well well well! What do we have here?”

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

“Sylvia... Thorne... Good to know!” The guard wrote your name down, checked a list, and moved along. Once inside the streets were flooded with people working hard at their job or making preparations for the festival, possibly both. It forced the two vehicles to be very close to one another as they moved through the streets. To awnser your question, Andras shouted over the crowd. “No important holidays I can think of! There is competition in a month but that’s too far for these festivities!”

Soon however, it was time to part ways. In a larger square area, Andras stopped he cart in front of a modest looking store front. He asked Ferric to stop as his family got out of the cart. “Well then, everyone, this is it. This my brother’s shop, whom I usually sell my produce with. I can’t thank you all enough for everything you’ve done for us. I... I know we’ll have a hard time for a while, but thanks to you all my family has a Chance again. So thank you. And I won’t forget what I owe you either. Come back here tomorrow and I promise something for everything you all done for us.”

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

“Ha ha! That’s what the city of Gransys is known for! In ages ago, the name Gransys meant ‘Grand Blade’. It was here long before anyone settled here, said to be a relic of the primordial gods. Made of some mysterious metal that so far no one has been able to crack, though occasionally a bit would fall every few years small enough for master smiths to try and process.” Ferric explained as they came closer. As they did the group would see more people, loggers and workers, going about their daily business. Horse mounted guardsmen patrolled the area to ensure all was right. In the distance you could see a few guardsmen burning the body of some sort of huge creature, possibly an ogre.

Notably as you approached the city proper, there seemed to be quite a bit of hustle and bustle as the smell of cooking foods and wood wafted through the air. People were hanging up decorations and setting up booths as well. “Hmm. Looks like they’re setting up some sort of festival. Strange.” Andras said. Soon they would arrive to a sort of gate where there were two guards standing by checking travelers and carts coming through. Seeing this Shortfang notable tried to hide himself, wrapping himself up in his cloak to look like a sack before the guards came over. They questioned everyone with a few basic things. Soon it’s be your turn.

“Hello hello. Name, occupation, and purpose please.”