Kree watched as they Got  closer to the Booths, He  handed the Fellow   the charter, and the  fellow  double checked the charters, , Looking at the charter, the man  began to ask Kree about   certain names, Kree would reply,..Dead....on a Mission...At the Village...dead....Dead...Retired, but on recall....

 The Sgt Nods  and waves them through, Once they get  further  away from the Booth, and Closer to the  ...ever growing..walls of the City,...we  will need  all the skills will have to find One person in this  City...however...I am hoping we find those who are working with  him/her  as well...each one of thier  deaths, will send a message....

 The seen was  worse, at the Main Gate. People  going  through one  side , to leave the city...have their charters  checked, Goods ect ect. Yhose Going in went through the same deal. Though Ironmound  was a free City, anyone  from North of the Mountain, better have a good reason for being here...

In reply to donsr (msg # 7):

Justin chins at the line exiting the city Double security such doth suggest somett be amis

  Kree chuckles,..they  make note of everyone  cming and going...do they get them all?...no..the ships do not get checked  as often, the  side door in the Orc's  Section, is not checked at all, Save By Orc Guards, who kill anyone  they feel is a slaver.....This may be a free city? But that freedom comes at a price...

Laithia turns to look at Foril over her shoulder. Her expression is slightly guarded as they ride through the first check point. "Its been about a year since I have been here. I do not think she would do anything to my place. That is not like her. Its too private. She would call me out in front of a crowd of people calling me a homewrecker. She loves the drama! No she will find me at a public place and make a scene if she wants to do something," there is a hint of melancholy in her voice as she takes a deep steadying breath.

"To have your help and presence would be greatly appreciated. I cannot think you enough for just being here and listening," she says with a smile.

Diana takes her turn at the checkpoint.  Once done, she will walk her horse into the city, and wait for the others, and go from there.

Riku for probably the first time, flies down to the ground and looks at the guards ankles and knees with rather ease.  She looks up at the guard and his "note-taking" capabilities and duty.

Riku Key, she said, her arms readily on her hips as if that should indicate she was someone special.  When she sees the guard finally take notice, she takes to the air again finding Kree.

Need some shoulder companion for this...meeting, she said.

  Kree nods to the Gate  as they walk through, the Gurads Noting their  Arrow  pins, a Corpral marking down their NAme s again,on a parchment. The Corporal Looks  at  the Group and says,..Who is  in charge of  this....this..Rabble?.

  Ivy Groans,..just one time..I would like there  NOT...to be an Idiot at the gate!

 Kree Steps Up tot he Corporal, he bumps him with his Bow,  the ink from  the holder of his  Noteboard  splashes...why you Long Eared....

 Corporal!..At Ease....This Is CAptain Quickshadow..Of the Crimson Arrows.... A LT with a wide  grin, Half elf  Male, offers his hand to  Kree.Well met. My Friend...kill anything worth killing?

 Kree Smiles,..Antok?  I thought they sent you to the  Ironwood Forest to garrison  there?

  Antok shook his head,..they thought about  it. But some  Noble's son needed to get some battles  under him, so they let him lead the  replacements out there...

 ..we managed to do some damage to a slaver Ring...Killed alot of Cats..and some Humans on the Tou..almost had a ship..but...it caught fire...

 The Corporal finally wiped the ink from  the page and his  cuff..but the Uniform was going to need cleaned.

  Antok's Face lost it smile  as he said,..I need you and Your Group to  come with me...my friend...it appears..the Emperor wishes to speak to you...

 Kree didn't even have to look around, to Know there were  Ironmound Regulars closing in  around them,..I am to assume...it cannot wait?


 Sorry, My Friend..I do home  we can allow you to walk in?..I would ahte to lose troopers, Just to being you in for a Chat?

   Looking at he ground a moment. Kree looks at his people then says to Antok,..we keep our  weapons...we do not walk in, without our  weapons. If we cannot keep them, then  his  Highness will have to come out to the courtyard...

 The Corporal snaps, How Dare You....

 Antok shakes his head,Aye....Your weapons  and such can be kept...after all...you will be in the palace..the Emperor  is a highly skilled Mage, and  there are some 300  elite troopers  , just in that building..not to mention the Royal Guard..so..I think he is safe enough..Hmmm?

 Turning   and Moving into the City, He turns to his right, Heading  down the  wide avenue that will lead to the road of Kings...so..it  appears you upgraded  your group abit?..alot of Pretty faces...

  why..thank you Antok..but i told you before..I like  the ladies...

With interest Justin noted the exchange, between the corporal and his Captain. Relieved that there was at least one in the regulars that a partiality to the Arrows. When Lieutenant Antok mentioned a chat with the Emperor, several possibilities sprang to mind, prompting him to quietly pray to Eta for a favourable outcome to the discussion and subsequent adventure.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:13, Sun 13 Mar 2016.

Riku narrows her eyes at the slimey bloke pretending to be a guard.  She crosses her arms and speaks loud enough for Kree and Ivy, per chance Justin to hear...  Can I, please?  Pretty please.  I can make him have pleasant dreams until I run out...

Diana noted the corporal's response, and just shook her head.  There was always one somewhere, it seemed.  That idiot non-com who thought, just because you weren't in the military that he was above you.

At the mention of going before the Emperor, Diana got a bit nervous.  She wasn't fond of going before royalty.  But since there was no choice, there was no choice.  It was, what it was.

So, she went along.  However, she was going to be ready for anything.

In reply to Riku Key (msg # 15):

Best for Thee to ask yon corporal; for if he hath issue t'wouldst place Thee in a precarious situation.

Laithia listened to the exchange between Kree and the guards. The emperor?! Ugh! All she wanted to do was check out her small place to see what damage that dumb slut may have done! Well ok maybe she was the slut but if she had put out...well...none of this would have happened!

As Antok mentioned pretty faces and Kree responded with his dry wit, Laithia let out a sigh. "Are we going to have to stay long? I really need to check out my place! I sort of left in a hurry and I actually do have items that I like and hope did not fall into someone elses hands," she says to Antok eyeing the half elf as she waits for his response. She had a feeling he did not have an answer but it made her feel better to voice her question out loud even if it were left unanswered.

Luthien, on the other hand...

Well, Tra may be a huntress...

But Luthien was still a Knight, of strength and honor, of the sacred honor. He had no fear to be in front of royalty. Those such as he could usually find a place in court, at least temporarily.

"I will accompany you to the Imperial meeting, if you wish."

  The elf  Turned to his  people as they walked  down the Ave stopping  once more at the Inner  Main  Gates, those  gates were opened as the  Captain of the Gate Crew signaled...and the agtes  opened up to the  huge  throngs of  People, tourists, merchants, and citizens, mixed with a  Very generous helping of Ironmound Regulars, City watch, or  marching Sailors.

 On either side of the Gates were the  Compounds  for the  Main Gate Guard....Beggars Corner  was on the   Southwest corner,  of   the Avenue known as  Northeast way ( on the  other side of the  Draw bridge that was to the North of them, the Ave was called North-East Way)

  Kree stopped at  the Beggars  Corner, his eyes  studied the  men, women and children there. He went up to a Youngish Lad who had a Bronze bowl. The Bowl told of his standing in the beggar's Guild.

  Kree dropped a  Silver into the Bowl and  whispered  something to the lad. The  Lad  snatched the  coin from the bowl, before  the noised of it hitting stopped..He nodded to Kree  and took
  Off  to the North...heading towards the Drawbridge,

  Now...before  them..heading  straight to the East, the broad  stone road called the Road  of Kings Lead to the huge fortress, that was  the palace...the  fortress, was only dwarfed, by the  'mound'..that Ironmound  was named for, that stood  off ot the North east, closer to the River Storm. Trees were thick on the northern side of the  road...to south, where some very well built Mansions, some had flags   or Pennants of the Nobles who lived there...Further to the South, many tress could be seen, though it  was also easy to see , there  were roads  cut through them, Man Spires and Bulb like  tops, peeked over those trees...My Holy Friends? to the South  and West are the 'learning' areas of Ironmound, Libaries ..Sages ..the Sage Guild,  Mages, shops that cater to magic, from Nature, or from the gods...many a Temple are built there..and they rival most you could think of...

  Antok Buckled the straps  of his  sword and adjusted the Helmet he wore as they Neared the  Palace.  A Stone  wall with a double gate was guarded, by Royal Guard, thet lead them  to a drawbridge over the  50 foot moat.

  With a Chuckle kree said,..That is the way to do it, Antok. Pretty yourself  up for the Emperor...

 One of the Troopers  snapped,..still your  Tongue, you sell-sword Elf..or  I'll...

 SHUT UP....Trooper..and imagine what your threat was...except, that you are on your knees watching your entrails spill out...

 Ivy Chuckled  and shook his head..the trooper was dumbfounded by the Elf's sharp order.

 ..Ah...Kree?  Seems you still have   your  Old Habits   as  a Captain of the guard? Some skills never fail....still do not know why you left....

 ...I left , because i hated  seeing the darkness creeping into out lives, while  we paraded in pretty uniforms, pretending we could fight... I would wager...right here...right now?...Your  troops would all be dead, and at least half  mine would live, should we battle..here and now...

 ..oh...i don't know , Kree..these are Royal Guardsmen....

 ..and?...My people are Arrows....if your  people were better then mine?...we would not  be  walking   down these road...

  The troopers  looked at each other   and then to Antok, expecting him to speak up for them...Antok just shrugged,...fair enough...

Luthien, meanwhile, was not about to give the troopers any backtalk. He had better things to do...like changing his mind from the band he'd been part of, to the more genteel training he'd originally had when he was younger as a Paladin.

"Fear not, my friend...I'll not offend the Emperor."

He of course can't speak for any but himself. Though a servant of the Hunt, he was still a Knight, and would go in wearing his shining armor and holy symbols proudly.

Diana shook her head at the "pissing" contest.  Why was it males always seemed need such a thing?  There seemed to be a rivalry between Kree and Atok.  Not that it really mattered to her.  Things were tense enough, without anyone else causing trouble.

"Excuse me, but would you two like to be alone together?" She said, half serious.
"I'm sure the Emperor would be happy to deal with us, after the two fo you have done your ... thing." She said.

  Antok and Kree looked at each other...both rather sternly, then  began to chuckle.

  The  Gate Captain Nodded to Anotk  and the   Gates opened. Any who would  look would note several crossbows, and  a pair of  Robed figures  watched them, as they crossed the drawbridge...the Gate  opened there as well, ans  many...many Royal Guardsman came to the edges of the road, to watch the group enter the  First  curtain of the Palace's walls....turning to the right, they walled along the walls   until they came to another  Gate that was opened, above that gate  was  grille with  spots  for  boiling  oil  and such to be tilted over, should the need  ever arise.

  The group turned left for  another  500 or so yards   and entered another GAte, Much like the Last.

  from here, they entered the  courtyard. some residences where hear, mostly high ranking officers, or non-coms that didn't rate a room in the palace.

  Antok turned to the riders,...You will leave your  horse  with the Groomsmen, they will care for them as you  meet with the Emperor...

 Groomsmen with the livery of the crown stepped up to take the reins from the  riders, and Antok Grinned at Kree,...you ready?

 The elf  shrugged,..i have no  worries..after  all..he summoned  us for aid...not the other way around. One  would think, He would be ...more inclined to win our favor...as our book is pretty full....

  Antok's smile  Faded, but he said nothing  , and lead the  way  through the Great doors  of the Palace.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:57, Sun 12 May 2013.

The closer he got to a courtly presence, the more Luthien's old training reasserted itself. He carried himself straighter, threw his shoulders back, and started to look more and more like he belonged.

Having not been to this part of the kingdom ever before, she took in the sights and made key notes of various aspects of the castle and its guards.

She was rather curious why the Emperor beckoned the Arrows before him, however, it could simply be he wished the elven cousins more so than the Arrows as a whole.  Either way, she walked slightly above the group sight-seeing and overlooking the group in a respective, but protective manner.

As Laithia turns Navarre over to the grooms, she smiles saying in a bright voice, "watch out! He bites!"

Taking the large stallion by the muzzle she kisses it before commanding him to behave. The horse actually looks quite sad at this but nods his massive head giving Laithia and Foril goodbye nuzzles.

As she follows the group, Laithia becomes more and more tense. She draws into herself as she ponders what this meeting is about. The emporer had more important things to deal with than one elf accused of adultery. Calise's dad may have power in the city but Laithia doubted it was this much. Plus why would the whole group be called in? She would have been called in alone. No this had something else to do with the Arrows as a whole. Still, her body was tense as her nails dug into her palms, thin lines of blood leaking out as she had to remind herself to breath. When she did breath, it was ragged and hard as her eyes had a panicked look in them like a trapped animal. She just wanted this over with...soon!

  The  Group , lead  by Antok and Kree walk through the double doors. The Arrows  are 'herded' into the middle and Antok's  unit  walks  down the  the sides... unlike the Arrows, they have their weapons  drawn.

  A Colonel of the Royal Guards   steps up and is ready to say  something to Antok,..before you delay us any longer?..none of us are giving up our weapons....if we cannot be  seen Inside  with them?  His Highness will have to come down to the  Walk-the Plank and speak...

  The Colonel  Gives  Kree a Hated look, but  stiffly Nods, Kree smiles  as he said,..Colonel now?...Good thing  I left..i did not know things  were so bad...

 Antok looked  down hiding  a smile as he motioned  for everyone to  keep walking.

  The sounds of   Lutes  and Mandolins  echo, and  grow  Louder. The Door men look at each other  as Antok waves them to Open the door...a footman rushes  in..the  music  stops  just as the door opens.

  Antok's sword   lays against Kree's  chest to stop the advance of the Group...some 50-60 people dressed in finery from every  City and Land of the  Empire look back, and  are herded  off the    Main floor..there is  a Buzz of conversation as they see the Ragged  group.

  The Footman  Motions  for Antok to come forward,..you know the drill...wait until i wave you forward.

 Kree looks back to check on everyone  as he nods. the only show of annoyance is the tapping  of his left index finger  against the bow he holds.

  When Antok finally Reaches the   Throne, he bows  and speaks with the Emporer,  the Buzz grows  louder as  the words those  by the throne hear and pass down.

   Antok Nods  and Turns  as he says  in a LOud  Voice, Emporer Lod? I Present  , Captain Quickshadow and  his Unit of  Crimson Arrows.... He waves the forward,

 Kree looks over his shoulder,...relax...be  proud..they need us...act like it....

 Walking  down the  middle of the Polished  floor. The elves   do not make a sound...when the  reach the Dias the Footman whispers "...bow.."

  Kree and Ivy do not.

In reply to donsr (msg # 27):

Intrigued as to why such a person as an Emperor would call this ad-hoc body of Crimson Arrows before him. Justin noted the path they were lead, behaviour and attitude of the guardsmen and any they met. Once inside the Palace, standing before the Emperor, Justin was surprised at the Captains demeanour and attitude. For himself he cared not for the traditions of any mortal beings, as his service, obedience and acquiescence was to Eta; as such he followed the Captains lead and nodding to the Emperor in a courtly manner then to the other officials.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:03, Mon 13 May 2013.

 As the group walked across the floor, towards the emperor, Laithia saw a face, in the  crowd to the left. She was dressed  Gaily, in a very low  cut gown, Her arm was entwined with  a  ( by his uniform rank) , a Captain in the Ironmound  Navy...thus far the woman did not seem to notice her.

    Justin, Riku  and Luthien would notice, 4 High ranking Clerics ( by their  over-the-top robes and guilded  weapons)... One, was   Of Alpower, 1 of Trall, 1 of Gorr and  a woman of Lenus.

 It was not hard, for those  of  The Art, to pick out Magelings who had ( or pretended to have) power. One thing they did have, for certain, was coin. Their  MAge robes and sacthels, and  hats were glittering in the candle lights, as well as from the Light that showed through the ornate  stained  glass  windows  that circled the top of the room.

Riku noticed the other Clerics around the room.  She looked at Kree for a few moments when he made the comment of being proud.

That's not a problem, she said. Not for me at least.

She gave him a plain smile.

Laithia noticed the woman luckily before she saw her. Without drawing any attention, she gradually moves so that Foril offers her a buffer. Moving a bit closer to him, her voice is strained as she whispers to him, "she is here! I was hoping she would not be and who she is with was not who I slept with. I wonder what happened to Carwyn. I really hope she did not do something to him." There is a little sadness in her voice as she stays close to the other elf as they follow the group along.