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^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^

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A Mad Hatter
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A Mad Hatter

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“The Emperor has a special announcement to the public,” the guard answered. “An’ he wants this one to be in attendance as a very special guest.”

~^+^~

“Yes, sir, he just arrived by hippogriff a few minutes ago,” the Ordinator said as he finished reporting to Nhur. A smile crossed the Mahjarrat’s skeletal features. “Ah, excellent. Have our distinguished ‘guest’ in position in a few minutes. I want everyone in attendance to see the traitor for what he really is.”

The guard saluted as he turned to leave. Nhur looked out one of the many windows that decorated the palace’s private quarters, and saw before him a massive crowd filled with Shades of all ages, which to him also looked like a sea of shadows in human form. He shivered at the sight, thinking that he’d never get used to the people. Ordinators were one thing-their armor covered up their shadowy features, making dealing with them much less disturbing- , and even the buildings, which normally had shadows warped to fit into key structure points for support, were decent enough to look at, but seeing humans with the shadows themselves crawling over every visible inch of their body up close was quite another sight entirely. However, Nhur knew that Shades were just as eager as humans to lynch somebody given the proper motivation, and that was a personality trait he knew how to exploit to the fullest extent.

Another Ordinator came into the room and said, “He’s ready, sir. Your orders?”

Turning towards an arched doorway that led to a balcony overlooking the crowd outside, he answered, “Bring the general out when I give the order. And keep an eye on him. We don’t want him trying to escape.”

~^+^~

Blending perfectly into the crowd, Joran made his way towards the palace to get a better view. He was within sight of the main wooden balcony, which stood out against the marble and granite walls of the palace itself.
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

01-Apr-2010 04:20:26 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:35:18 by A Mad Hatter

A Mad Hatter
Dec
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2005

A Mad Hatter

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Deciding that he couldn’t get any closer because of all the people in his way, Joran spotted a bench close to him and sat down to wait for the show to start. He knew that coming as close as he was to the palace was borderline suicide, but he felt that he needed to see what was happening anyway, if not to sate his curiosity, then at least to get a good look at the entrance plaza for later intel. Of course, there was also the fact that Kaz did*’t know he was there, but he decided putting up with the crap she would give him later was a small price to pay.

He was snapped out of his train of thought by the blare of trumpets coming from the balcony. Everyone present stopped talking, and looked up to see Nhur and his bodyguards emerging from the curtain onto the balcony, his appearance just as horrid as Joran remembered it being back on the platform a day ago.

“My fellow Ukroshans,” Nhur said as the noise dimmed down. “I come before you today with great news, and not so great news. I’m sure you’re all aware of the attempt on my life last night, but needless to say, the ringleader of the terrorists who perpetrated the act is now in custody!” A round of applause went up, and Nhur had to hold his hand in the air to get the crowd to quiet down. “Now, I know the citizens of this great city are glad that they are safe, I know I am, but that sadly brings me to my next point. Guards,” he said to an Ordinator on his left, “Bring him here so the people know who’s really responsible for this.”

The guard disappeared behind the curtain, and then shortly emerged with Arial in tow. The crowd gasped in astonishment before erupting in a chorus of shouts and excited whispers. “Ah, hell no!* Joran cried. “I can’t believe he’d do this.”

“Heh, you and me both,” a man standing near Joran replied. Joran scowled at the man, who seemed to pay no attention to him anyway, before listening to Nhur’s speech some more.
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

01-Apr-2010 04:20:52

A Mad Hatter
Dec
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2005

A Mad Hatter

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“I know some of you are shocked, but please, settle down!” Nhur cried, and the crowd seemed willing to comply for the moment. “As I was saying, this man stands accused of an attempt on my life, along with his accomplices who hide behind the title of ‘Patriots’. I say he and his kind are cowards! Not only did they scar my body,” Nhur motioned his hands around his skeletal frame. “But on top of that, they put everyone in the crowd that night in danger!” The crowd seemed to come alive at that, shouting obscenities at the helpless general on the balcony as well as congratulating Nhur on averting a near tragedy.

“That’s why,” he continued as the crowd died down again. “My first act as the de facto emperor, appointed by Ix himself, shall be as follows: I sentence this traitor to death!” The crowd fell silent at this. “Yes, I know some may object, but think! It’s because of this man that Ukrosha nearly fell during the ascension ceremony. If he succeeded, then he and his comrades would be ruling you right now with an iron fist, with a Fade Witch at his side!”

Joran didn't need to hear any more. He got up and made his way back through the entrance gate, bumping into a man in a red cloak and a matching scarf which covered the lower half of face on the way out, causing the stranger's wide brimmed hat to fall off his head to reveal long, black hair going down to his shoulders. “Sorry,” was all Joran could muster before running off. He needed to get back to Kaz, and quickly.

~^+^~

The stranger in the blood red cloak picked his matching hat up off the ground, dusting it off before putting it back on his head. Well, he thought, at least the guy had the courtesy to apologize. Judging from his manner, the guy he bumped into was in a hurry anyway, so the stranger just brushed it off before watching more of Nhur’s speech.
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

01-Apr-2010 04:21:07 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:34:58 by A Mad Hatter

A Mad Hatter
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A Mad Hatter

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Needless to say, the Mahjarrat was good with words. The stranger listened as the creature ranted about the safety of Ukrosha, how he planned to root out the rest of the rebellion, and hurled a few insults towards the Spellcasters from the local Chantry school. Just as he figured he heard enough, a slight ringing coming from his pocket caught his notice. The stranger started towards the entrance, and after making his way out into the main plaza beyond the gatehouse and the adjoining bridge, turned into a dark alleyway near a curio shop. Looking around to make sure nobody was watching him, he muttered an arcane word, and watched as the world shattered around him, only to reform to show him the rooftops of the plaza.

He opened up his cloak to reveal a suit of black dragonhide, which contrasted with his cloak to make the inside flaps seem like a bottomless pit, and searched through his pockets before drawing out a small crystal, which glowed a bit as it rung. Taking the trinket in his palm, he muttered another word, which caused the crystal to float in the air in front of him.

He spoke into it. “Yeah, I’m here. What’s new?”

A voice answered back, “Are you there yet? What’s the situation?”

“I got here last night. It seems the initial reports were right,” he replied. “The Mahjarrat took control of the capital, and it looks like he captured the leader of the local rebellion too. Things just got a lot more difficult for me, that’s for sure.”

“Well,” the voice said. “You know the mission. Nhur cannot be allowed to live. He is too much of a liability for us at this point, and my master does not like wild cards if he’s sure he cannot control them to his liking.”
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

01-Apr-2010 04:21:23 - Last edited on 02-Apr-2010 03:09:46 by A Mad Hatter

A Mad Hatter
Dec
fmod Member
2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Yeah, I know,” the stranger answered. “I got news for you though: the situation isn’t good. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that I won’t be able to finish this mission without aid.”

“Then secure some aid if it suits you. Hell, join the rebellion for all I care. But remember: the mission comes first. The safety of the locals is none of your concern, so sacrifice them if you must.”

“Fine,” the stranger said. “I’ll start with the rebellion first. If that fails, then I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet.”

“V,” the voice replied. “Again, do what you must, but remember: make sure the Mahjarrat dies and stays down for good. I cannot stress how important it is during these times. Oh, and one more thing. Be careful. We must not draw the attention of….others.”

V was confused, because his employer had never said anything like that before, and it caught him off guard.“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“You will soon, if you’re not careful.” The voice replied. “Keep in mind that we’re not the only one with an interest in this affair. However, I must be going now, so good day to you.” The crystal dimmed down as the connection was severed, and fell back into V’s palm.

Yeah, he thought. This is going to be one hell of a job.

^+^ The End of Chapter 3 ^+^
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

01-Apr-2010 04:21:36 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:34:31 by A Mad Hatter

A Mad Hatter
Dec
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2005

A Mad Hatter

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I'm just copy/pasting this on all of my threads since I'm kinda running short on time.

Leaving for vacation. Will be back sometime next weekend assuming the cruise ship doesn't pull a Titanic or Poseidon and sink or flip over or something.

Ogre agreed to watch the thread in the meantime, so he has the final say on things if there's any emergency (keyword here being "emergency"....as in, super big spam wave or something, not a few off topic or idiotic posts that would get ignored otherwise. Inb4vikingwcslavecamp)
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

03-Apr-2010 14:37:28

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09-Apr-2010 02:03:09

A Mad Hatter
Dec
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A Mad Hatter

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^Which beginning? The prologue part, or the first chapter (you're not the only one who mentioned that, but the others haven't exactly given me any idea of what they were talking about either) ?

Annnddd....vacation's over. Dammit, I miss the ship already even though I was sea sick nearly every time I was on the thing >.<
^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

10-Apr-2010 17:23:28 - Last edited on 10-Apr-2010 17:24:27 by A Mad Hatter

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