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Formations; Part 1: Snowhaven
Topic Started: Feb 6 2012, 01:21 AM (561 Views)
Volksgeist
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Timeskip - Daytime
 
Nathanial made his rounds throughout the castle, seeking out those guards and servants that had once belonged to the House that had once existed under his father's name. Each man he spoke with was surprised and pleased to hear about the rebirth of House Knyre, and when they were asked of their interest in rejoining the House, all of them seemed to agree full-heartedly so long as Lord Addam and his household would not be missing them. Indeed, it seemed like Nathanial was being well-set very early on. Lord Addam had no shortage of guards or servants, and the portion that had come from House Knyre was not overly large but certainly a good start.

When he was done, almost twenty guards had come forth and said they would rejoin House Knyre. Of their ranks, he knew eight fairly well: Orus Reddman, who had once served as Captain of the House Knyre Guard; Saege Rohmen, who had once been the Master-At-Arms of House Knyre; Errig Rohmen, Saege's adult son who was slightly older than Nathanial; Darwyn; Anders; Bryn; Daav; and Jayson. All of them had played an integral part in House Knyre, even when Nathanial had been young. The servants were of a number close to forty, and none of them were specifically interesting.

Done with his task, Nathanial soon realized that the day had waned away.


Nathanial was standing near the doors of the castle. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and the world was bathed in a purplish shadow, crowned with a halo of bright orange. The wind was sharp but the skies were clear. It promised to be a good night for stat watching.
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Damon
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Nathanial had hoped to recruit some servants and perhaps masons and craftsman to come along to his new homestead as well today, but the night was falling, and he wanted to use the darkness if it was to be used. He didn't know why the woman had bid him return, but he pulled his cloak tight around him, and set out to the woman's cottage.
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Volksgeist
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OOC


Nathanial made his way from Lord Addam's estate down into the town below as the howling winds picked the snow up from the surrounding area and turned it into a strange, white maelstrom. It was not long before he made his way to the old woman's cottage, and when he arrived, it was strange to not see her out smoking her pipe in the cold on her porch. However, he proceeded to move toward the door and knock. When he knocked, the door swung open of its own accord, and hesitantly Nathanial entered the complex.

It was cold and dark inside. The fire that had been burning within the hearth was out and it seemed strange. Nathanial had a very odd feeling in his gut. Most of the star maps and stuff he had seen had mysteriously disappeared from the many surfaces and walls they had covered. As he walked by the hearth, Nathanial caught sight of a piece of parchment. Upon closer inspection, it had been one of the many star maps, and it seemed it had been tossed into the fire but had not burned all the way away.

Nathanial moved into the room and pulled down the stairs. He climbed them and then, he saw the silhouette of the old lady. She was sitting stark still, not looking up. She seemed to be looking forward.
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Damon
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Nathanial was very put off, but curious to say the least.

"My lady?" He said cautiously, and quietly, stepping up to the floor. "I've come as you asked."
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Volksgeist
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After a few minutes without any answer whatsoever, Nathanial cautiously strode forward and put a hand on her shoulder. All at once, the weight of the woman slumped to the ground. Her eyes were completely white, not rolled up in her head but almost entirely glazed over with strange cataracts that had formed over them, something that probably would have taken a hundred years to happen and yet had done so in a day. Her face, too, was strangely rigid and had seemingly become older in appearance, as if she were little more than a withering skeleton that was wrapped in leathery brown skin. In her hands was the small book she had been writing the prophecies down in the night previous. It was small and bound in a reddish leather. On the front of it was a piece of parchment. In hasty writing, it read:

To Nathanial:
 
What lies within the stars?
A fire burned out yestereve and took with it life
A child bearing a child walks among the wastes, knife in quivering hand
The mountains rise as rib cages and hollow shells
And the skull smiles from the deep ravine

I can see his eyes now
Sparkling like diamonds in the night
Take the book and flee, leave the rest!
Forget not that he still lays claim to three
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Damon
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Nathanial was taken aback, he couldn't believe the decrepit corpse was the woman he had conversed with only a night before. Grabbing the book and clutching it tightly in his hand, he stared for another moment, then made for the stairs.

Once downstairs, he grabbed the only remaining star chart, and left, making immediately for the keep. He would tell any city guardsman, or Knygrove House guards about the woman, so that she might be properly buried, but he would speak nothing of her prophecies, the book, or her possessions. He couldn't help but notice he was running, no, sprinting. He didn't know why, death hadn't perturbed him so in the past. His mind raced with wonderings of how she had died, what had made her wither so, and who had taken her charts and instruments?
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Volksgeist
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Nathanial's legs carried him through the frozen wastes as if he were a bat out of hell. It was not too long before he came across the Snowhaven guard and quickly mentioned to them what he had seen. At first, it took them a few minutes to understand the words of the disgruntled Nathanial, but when they caught the meaning they moved swiftly to the home in question. Everyone in the town knew each other, as it was not entirely so large, and so they knew where to go.

Nathanial made is back to the castle and hurried inside, the burned star chart and the book held tightly to himself. It seemed Lord Addam and Eddard were not back from their hunt yet, but that gave him plenty of time to inspect his findings.
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Damon
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Nathanial didn't want to be disturbed at this time, so, feeling relaxed in the thick and well guarded walls, he ascended his tower to look over the book and star chart in his own chambers.
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Volksgeist
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Once he was secured into his Chambers, Nathanial sat down at his wide desk and flipped open the book. The first page was scrawled in nearly illegible handwriting, but after putting his mind to it for a while, he was able to discern what it said:

First Page
 
A Compendium of the Stars
By Alianor of Whitefall

Herein lies the many starcharts I have recorded over the decades of my life. This may be the most comprehensive Western collection of starcharts ever recorded, and this is the only book I will make with them. It contains all of my life's work, all the way up to my certain death as foretold long ago. The stars can be read by all, but it takes a special kind of person to discern what they mean. Perhaps if you read this, you will be able to carry on the work of my life and see what is said to come. Take heed, gazing upon the stars is often more perilous than one may think.

To Nathanial Knyre:
I leave this book to you. I am dead now.
Your visiting me was foretold by the stars long ago.
May you find use in this dusty volume that I did not.
I have burned the other starcharts I have made, but the only other copies are within.
I made sure to destroy my starscope as well. You have your own and it suits you well.
May the gods be with you.

I knew of your past
You knew of my present
But only the stars know of the future


Just as the introduction said, the next pages were filled with starcharts, all of the ones that had been in her house and more. They were filled with analyses of the charts, of predictions, and of other celestial bodies. They told of the times to see them, when they occurred in the sky, in what seasons they were most prevalent, and so on. About 3/4 of the way through, the book ended, and in the same almost-illegible writing there was the prediction the old woman had given Nathanial before he had left the previous night. Then, there was another note.

Last Page
 
To Nathanial Knyre:
If you find me on the eve of morrow passed, know that it was not by a man's hand.
The stars take their toll on you if you look too deep, and some strange magics pervade them.
With each glimpse into the future, you lose a little bit of yourself.
Be careful.


He closed the book.
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Damon
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Nathanial set down the windfall he had just inherited, and stepped outwards to walk the halls, and find a place with open air and a view of the sky. He didn't bring his star scope, but he wanted the blanket of the stars to help comfort him in his disquieted state.
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Volksgeist
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Nathanial stood outside and allowed the stars to soothe his nerves. Truly, this was most definitely a hard thing to believe. Yesterday, a chance encounter had acquainted him with perhaps the single most knowledgeable stargazer within the western world of Peleras, and today she was dead. Not only was she dead, she had seemed a very aged corpse. Indeed, it seemed like there was much more at work here than a simple fortune telling by the stars and the ravings and rantings of an old, crazed woman.

The night passed and, soon, Nathanial retired.

Timeskip - Remaining Days
 
A few days later, in the early afternoon, Lord Addam and Eddard returned from their hunt. Though they seemed to had killed their fair share of the herd of Great Elk that had been at the brink of Ivorywood, they were surrounded by an air of melancholy. Upon questioning, Nathanial learned that one of their men had had a mishap during the hunt, that his horse had tripped and sent him flying to the ground, breaking his legs. When the man had risen, a Great Elk had taken him for a predator and had charged goring him with its wide horns. He sustained such terrible injuries that they had made haste to return with the small number of game they had retrieved, but he had died earlier that morning just as the castle and the city were coming into view. Within Nathanial's mind, the prophecy rang true. Two deaths, one remained.

The next few weeks were filled with the hustle and bustle of the castle preparing for their leave. The men who had sworn that they would side with Nathanial now were given leave of House Knygrove by Lord Addam, and given his blessing that they may help restore the throne that Nathanial had now claimed. On their way to Whitefall, they would pass by the castle that had once, and now had returned, to House Knyre. Nathanial would have to charge one of the men he had found to be the new steward and to prepare the castle and watch over it while he was absent.

The journey drew near.


It was the morning of their departure and Nathanial was in his chambers. A traveling chest (20 extra inventory spaces) was present with him, and all that was left for him to do was to fill it and meet the rest of the party outside, so that they could saddle up and ride before noon.

OOC
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Damon
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Nathanial intended to bring 9 spare sets of clothing, including a new tunic emblazoned with his new emblem, a cracked acorn entangled with roots, a deep reddish brown over light tan. It was an homage to the former Knyre sigil, an acorn, but a symbol of a new beginning, and a growing House. It had the added, unanticipated effect of making it seem that the Twisted Tree had bloomed from the Rooted Seed, as he had come to call it, upon his banners. Nathanial hoped that his uncle would not think it a sleight. For the first leg of the ride, he'd wear his heavy cloak, but he packed two others, each lighter than the last, for each leg of the journey. He wore his new blade as well, as it seemed the lordly thing to do. He packed his new book in his own knapsack, and packed a not insignificant amount of silver and a bit of gold in his chest, keeping a small purse on his person as well.

He had intended to bring a few of his new household servants, Errig Rohmen, another guardsman, and a footman for serving purposes, while leaving the rest under the command of Anders as Stewart. He granted Orus Reddman and Saege Rohmen their former offices in his house as well. He'd have liked to bring a few more, especially those who wanted to go, but he decided that the holdfast was like to hold bandits or wild animals, if anything at all, and be in need of serious repairs. He wanted his guardsmen to clear it of danger, and his other new subjects to be able to restore it to living condition as quickly as possible.

He did not intend to fly his new banners to the tourney, he felt it uncalled for considering his small party tagging along with his liege lord. He would likely need to show himself before the Tetrarchs, to swear fealty to the Four Thrones, as his House's fealty was broken. But until then, no one needed to think of him with any regard of import, in his mind.
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OOC


His things gathered and the stage set, it was time for Nathanial to depart with the rest of House Knygrove and the newly reformed House Knyre for The City of Four. On their way, they would pass Nathanial's new castle and there he would deposit those servants, guards, and others he would leave there to watch over it and renovate it in his absence. He would still need to come up with a name for the castle, be it the old one that it had once had or a newly claimed one. Once that was done, it would be to Whitefall to take a boat, and from there to Tearvale. Once in Tearvale, it would only be a short ride through the mountain passes that led to the Tear Gate of The City of Four.

Saddled up and ready to go, the party departed.

---

All things had gone smoothly on their way to Whitefall. Upon passing the castle that now belonged to Nathanial, their ranks had thinned, but the people of the village it lorded over seemed to be overwhelmingly glad that someone was returning to take lordship over the castle and their lands.

The city of Whitefall was beautiful, always bathed in a light blanket of powdery snow. The buildings were squat, white, and cubic, pushed together in long rows. Perhaps its most impressive feature were its docks, which housed many vessels from Peleras, The Orient, and even The Far East. It was a popular trading center and worked as a sort of shipping depot from the northern Oriental cities to Tearvale, and from there to the Eastern Bazaar sector of The City of Four. When the party entered Whitefall, they were welcome with all of the pomp and circumstance due to the Lords and Ladies of the prominent households. Once they had regained their energy, the party set off on a vessel known as The White Dagger for Tearvale.

The vision of the early morning light steaming through the heavy, snowy clouds and backed by the fading stars made Nathanial's heart beat with excitement. But the shadow of the Old Woman's fortune loomed over him.

He still lays claim to three.

There was but one death yet unaccounted for.

End of Part 1!
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