TVC II Chapter 7 - Return to the Silver Pinnacle

[Disciple of Nagash]

Rowhaine strode into the storeroom, secreted well away in the west wing of Drakenhof. It was far away from where the other groups were planning their missions, and a simple storeroom was unlikely to be monitored. Indeed its one entrance and lack of windows made maintaining their secrecy all the easier.

Still his face was a mask of worry as he sat down at the table the servants had brought in. After he had left the Council, the following discussions in private had in one way made it easier to have a clear course of action, but in another only increased his concerns at the decision. It was risky in the extreme.....but they had to know one way or another.

Hearing footsteps approach the Champion's expression masked his inner turmoil as he stood to greet the rest of the group.

 

[Count michael]

Mikhail stood for a long minute outside the storeroom muttering to himself in harsh kislev wondering if he was in the right place and wasn't lost again. Mikhail was about to turn around and go back down the corridor when he detected something strange coming from the storeroom, it was like an aura of magic which was biting at his own essence causing the beast within to tear at the chains of control he mentally weaved to hold it in check. Only a few times had Mikhail felt like this sensation and generally it was only very close to holy shrines and relics touched by certain gods which were anthem to his chaos mutated
form.

With a growl Mikhail kicked open the storeroom door with a crash seeing Rowhaine inside

Mikhail was slightly shocked, he had been expecting some magic trickery though instead there was that strange looking southerner from the main hall who was looking like he was expecting someone. Feeling rather embarrassed for over reacting Mikhail entered staring at Rowhaine with an almost animal like curiosity . "Sorry" Mikhail muttered sullenly "Thought you were someone else" taking great care to stand as far away as possible from Rowhaine's strange presence whilst still being in the room waiting for the others rather agitated.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

Rowhaine sat down from here he half stood as the door crashed in. Seeing who it was he signed inwardly, although he face revealed nothing. Mikhail had proved so far to be volatile, and the way he had barged in did nothing to dissuade that opinion.

"Who did you expect me to be?" Rowhaine questioned whilst waiting for the others, "I assume it must be someone who do not like unless you kick in the doors of all your friends?"

 

[Count michael]

Mikhail remained standing his arms crossed looking around the store room for a few moments before slowly realising Rowhain was speaking to him

"I kick in every door I see" Mikhail grinned proudly "Means I am not surprised by trickery or strange magic wielding Southerners" glaring at Rowhaine clearly not trusting him or his strange presence which seemed to have an odd effect on him.

 

[Count Vashra]

Having left the hall, Niklaus reached out with his senses to find the Champion, whom he knew was on the mission to the Pinnacle. The more he thought about it, the more he thought he was being stupid. A renegade male Lahmian going to the Queen's home? But it was better than going on a stealth mission with Helena, he was sure. And chances were such things as his disloyalty could be easily concealed. The Queen likely knew of him, but...it was likely things were not happening as normal.
Rowhaine's magic signature was easy to find, being powerful, and unusual, and he quickly found the room where eh was waiting.
As Niklaus stepped through the kicked open door, he closed his eyes for a second in what was almost exasperation when he saw Mikhail.
"There is no trickery here, Mikhail," Niklaus said. "And I would not advise kicking in every door. The damage repayments could become quite expensive." A smile flashed across Niklaus' face.

 

[the hidden one]

Odric walked toward the gathering place, smiling to himself.

I kick in every door I see. Yes, that does make sense. Let us hope that the doors don't open out, or we will be stuck for a while.

Hello everyone, he said, glancing around the cramped room and looking back at the champion, I love what you've done with the place

 

[Count Magpyr]

Viridian robes gently billowing, Prince Kithan glided into the dank chamber, mesmeric opals swirling on his brow. Peering through the shifting fabric poked the curious faces of the two spirit cats, content to appear as near normal felines at the moment. Giving a courtly, if archaic bow, the Prince acknowledged his fellow travellers. " Greeting my Lords, I hope I have not delayed you?"

 

[Count michael]

Nodding his head in respect to Kithan Mikhail seemed shocked that he would be called such " Lord??? Gods no" he spluttered I don't know what you would call me" Noticing the wights companions Mikhail looked rather confused before muttering "Magic" whilst shaking his head

Mikhail's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the others arrived giving a look of pure loathing towards the vampires whilst his hands inched near his weapons before relaxing.

"I thought I smelled something foul" Mikhail hissed "Should of of known it was your kind"

"Trickery? there is always that with you damn vampires........."

Suddenly Mikhail looked rather angry at Niklaus

"If I want to kick a door in I will and I will not be told otherwise by a walking corpse" he growled whilst moving towards Niklaus menacing almost itching for a fight.

 

[Count Magpyr]

Kithan moved forward, allowing drifting coils of fabric to gently intersperse themselves between Mikhail and Nicklaus, distracting the former while allowing the latter to imperceptibly move further back into the shadows. The Prince turned to the Champion, "Sir, it is good to meet a fellow Lord from the South. It is my belief that we should aim to move swiftly confounding daemons and traitors alike with the speed of our response. I have resources I can draw upon to aid in our defence if needed, but what are your thoughts my Lord?" Inwardly, Kithan quietly seethed, couldn't these vampires organise anything?

 

[Count Vashra]

Niklaus' joke obviously hadn't carried properly, but that didn't matter. He wasn't here to get into arguments., more than he already had, at least, about pointless things.
Taking the opportunity provided by Kithan's intervention, he distanced himself slightly from Mikhail, though did not literally fade into the shadows.
The wight sounded very mature, far more sensible than...others on the Council, and Niklaus thought he would prove a valuable ally. So as not to leave the matter with Mikhail unresolved, he said, "I have no intention of obstructing your path." He turned to Rowhaine. "I too would be very interested to hear your thoughts upon how to proceed."

 

[Get of W'soran]

Before Rowhaine could respond to the questions there was a short knock on the door just as it swung open slowly.

In the doorway stood a tall, no that was an under statement, a colossally tall man, he had the slim waist and broad shoulders of a warrior but most strikingly was his perfectly handsome features. He wore an aristocratic robe of black and silver with hung open showing his pale chest where a number of carefully arranged golden amulets, in short it was a fashion that had died with Nehekhara thousands of years ago. The man looked like something stepping out of an ancient myth about Demi-Gods.

"Gentlemen" he said in a rich and powerful voice although utterly without accent.

The newcomer ducked into the room and closed the door carefully behind him before turning back to the Council members with a warm smile.

"The Lord Regent has sent me to inform on the arrangements he has made for your journey."he informed them before looking at Rowhaine and bowing his head adding "Unless the Champion has already explained?" he paused for a moment and then looked pleased as he realised Rowhaine had not said anything yet.

"Excellent!"

Clasping his hand behind his back he began addressing the gathered Council Members.

"Your mission has been classified as the most significant by the Lord Regent and also the most dangerous. As such he has arranged for Sir Sigmund von Muller, Grandmaster of the Order of Drakenhof Templars, and a number of Templars and Blood Knights to act as your escort. On top of this two High-Ranking members of Headmaster Satsu's Order will have squads scouting ahead to look out for any of Silibar's traitors, it is likely they realise you will have to travel to the Peak again but hopefully they will be dealt with long before we get near them."

He paused to allow this to sink in before continuing, his smile having faded and been replaced by a serious expression.

"I am sure you can now understand, my Lords, how important this task has been deemed. We must ensure you persons are kept unharmed and your journey unhindered so that you do not appear weak before the Queen. To that end the Lord Regent has asked me to accompany you, I am Ambassador Varelsa and my name will ensure your gain Audience."

He shook his head slightly "After we get inside the Mountain Palace however it will be up to you all to convince her Majesty, although if I can help I surely will."

He smiled once more "Any questions? If not our Coaches are prepared in the Courtyard as is our military escort."

 

[Count Vashra]

'No questions, my Lord,' Niklaus said, fixing his attention upon the imposing figure. Good. Everything was as ready as it could be. There was the matter of having killed a grandget of Neferata, but he would deal with that when he had to. "I am ready." He left the room and headed for the coaches.

 

[The Dread King]

OOC: whilst DoN is absent, I will make posts in his place for Rowhaine, but only where it is necessary because of plot reasons for me to do so. So long as DoN is absent from the TVC II, expect further posts like this from me.

Rowhaine responded to Varelsa with no more than a simple, "Thank you." In truth, he had been reluctant to engage in the pathetic bickering of the council here; so long as it did not escalate into something more dangerous, he was prepared to simply ignore it. Indeed, he was going to do just that.

He put one foot on the step of an empty carriage, then turned to address the group as a whole: "On this journey, I wish to commune with my gods to plan our strategy. I require solitude to do this; with their guidance, we are less likely to suffer our previous failure again regarding this mission. My advice to you is this: when we are at the Pinnacle, be ready for anything." With those words, the Champion of the Gods turned back towards the interior of the carriage, duly stepping into it, sitting down, closing its door and subsequently closing his eyes. It was time for him to commune with the Nehekharan Pantheon.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Varelsa nodded to Niklaus as he left and then as Rowhaine finished speaking he give the man a respectful courtly bow.

After the Champion had left for his coach the Ambassador smiled at the remaining council members. "Not to worry though, there's plenty of coaches prepared for all of us."

There was a swift knock on the door behind him and the vampire turned "Yes?"

The door opened to reveal a group of servants carrying chests and two carried a long wooden case. "My Lord, the items are ready."

Varelsa waved the mortals away "Load them onto the coaches." he commanded.

The humans bowed deeply and headed to where the coaches awaited.

 

[Count michael]

Mikhail grunted a somewhat hard to understand response at Nikalus and glowered at the vampire until a new stranger arrived.

Immediately disliking this new arrival for some odd reason Mikhail barged past the others making his way to the coaches cursing in Norse,realising he didn't know where to go, he waited until one of the others left the room as well before following Niklaus who seemed to know where he was going. with a dry rattle passing between them the two wights who had become Mikhail's companion stopped their silent vigil outside the storeroom staring at him for a while before marching in step behind the north man towards the coaches with the sound of armour clanking.

 

[Get of W'soran]

The Wight's expression was rather difficult to read, largely due to his face being a skull, and the last vampire had remained silent but after a few minutes Varelsa decided to take their silence as acceptance.

"Very well then, we should make our way to the courtyard your Highness and my Lord von Carstein." the Ambassador said to Kithan and Odric.

With that Varelsa turned and strode out of the room, he moved with surety down the labyrinth of corridors clearly knowing the castle well.


Within a short enough period of time he, and those who had chosen to follow him, had reached the Courtyard.

The powerful looking vampire clasped his hands behind his back as he surveyed the three carriages, pleased to see the servants had already loaded his baggage onto the transports, the chests had been shared out amongst all three.

"Clever." he thought with a faint smile.

He turned his gaze to the fifteen dismounted knights who, with their unnatural steeds, waited next to the Carriages, eight wore black serrated plate armour whilst the other seven were donned in more traditional Imperial plate armour of crimson.

One of the warriors in black broke away from the group and made his way towards the group.

"My Lord Varelsa." he said politely with a bow.

The warrior was slightly above average height and well built, appearing to be in his mid-thirties with the clean shaven and hawk like features common of the nobility from this part of the world. He had bright yellow eyes with brown hair wore in a ponytail. He would have been quite impressive looking if not standing next to Varelsa who seemed make the man seem much diminished in comparison.

Varelsa returned the bow with a respectful nod "Grandmaster. Is our escort ready?"

Sigmund von Muller, Grandmaster of the Drakenhof Templars, nodded in response "We are, both my Order and the Blood Knights. Also Commanders Meta and Anastasia have already left with their...scouts."

"Excellent! We'll be ready shortly."

Sigmund nodded and with a quick bow he left to return to his men.


Turning to the gathered Council Members Varelsa gestured.

"Choose any of the first two Carriages however leave the last be. The Champion wishes his solitude and is resting in it even now."

Varelsa knew which one Rowhaine would choose before he had even left the storeroom for it had been prepared specifically for the Divine Mortal.

"So I think three in one and two in the other will suffice." he said "So choose at your leisure gentlemen."

With that the diplomat strode towards the front carriage which he had noticed the long wooden case had been loaded onto.

He climbed in carefully and despite his stature sat gracefully in the vehicle.

 

[the hidden one]

Odric glanced at the carriages, glancing inquisitively at the champion's solitary coach, before hopping up into a carriage and preparing himself for the journey.

 

[Count Vashra]

"Thank you, Lord," Niklaus said politely. He then entered the second carriage. This would prove to be an interesting, journey he decided, especially with a god-blessed ex-Vampire -a concept he was still struggling to understand - coming with them. Or rather, leading them, he suspected.

 

[the hidden one]

Odric looked up as Niklaus entered his cabin.

This one is annoying

 

[Count Vashra]

"I was wondering what your general area of expertise was?" Niklaus asked. "I feel we will need a varied set of skills. I myself, as you saw earlier, am a Shadowmancer." It would be useful to determine what this Vampire specialised in, and what he could be relied upon to do in battle. It would be interesting, at least.

 

[the hidden one]

Pausing for effect as he glanced at the inquisitive vampire, Odric responded

I tend to gravitate toward archery, or more specifically, crossbowmanship.

"I feel we will need a varied set of skills". Well obviously, since that is the entire point of an group mission instead of a solo mission. But I shouldn't worry, since he's a shadowmancer, who strikes fear into the hearts of all of his enemies. Odric remarked to himself, thoroughly sarcastic.

 

[Count Magpyr]

Kithan let his gaze drift over the three carriages, the infamous Black Coaches of the vampire nobility and inwardly groaned. On horseback they would have been able to make a far less obtrusive approach to the pinnacle, flying would have been even better. Still at least this cavalcade would give the traitors lurking in the shadows something to target and draw them into the open. He passed his dispassionate gaze over the knightly escort, as both felines glided up to his shoulders. " Well my pets, I hope young Nick has some useful offensive magic potential, I think we are going to need it." Skeletal hands deftly raised the cowl of embroidered leaves and thorns so that it settled over both the cats and the tarnished crown, as he swept forward and entered the first carriage. " Shall we be off now?"

 

[Get of W'soran]

Varelsa give Kithan a nod and smiled politely "I don't think we're quite ready yet Prince Kithan."

The ambassador glanced out the open door "I believe we're still waiting on the Kislevite Mortal."

Turning back to the Wight he continued "However the Grandmaster has confirmed the escort is ready all our...luggage is present. We need only wait for the last of your fellow Council members to choose his transport and then we can begin our journey."

 

[Count michael]

After what seemed a while Mikhail finally entered the courtyard frustrated and disoriented. Getting sidetracked whilst following Niklaus he had got lost wandering around the castle. Muttering insults and curses under his breath, Mikhail made his way where everyone else was gathered in the courtyard by the carriages. Mikhail glared angrily at Varelsa for a while before groaning and entering the first carriage relieved that it was Kithan inside and not the other vampires. Seemingly agitated by being in a carriage Mikhail nodded in respect towards Kithan before turning back to Varelsa pointing to the wights which had followed him "Find my companions some mounts 'Southerner' " making special emphasis on his last remark "I'm sure you have plenty of dead things in this cursed place"

 

[Get of W'soran]

Varelsa looked amused at Mikhail's use of the term Southerner.

"As you wish mortal, excuse me a moment." he replied to the Kislevite's "request".

With that the ambassador stepped out of the carriage and strode away. waving a few servants over whom he had ordered to remain in the Courtyard until they had left.

Leaning down he asked the man for the necessary mounts before returning to the carriage.

The vampire nodded to Mikhail. "They shall arrive momentarily." he said shutting the door behind him although he left the curtains open so the inhabitants could see outside.

And true to Varelsa's word a Necromancer arrived escorting a set of undead steeds which were swiftly transferred to the command of the Wight pair.

"Now I believe we're all ready." Varelsa noted as Sigmund rode up alongside the carriage as his knights took escort positions around the three carriages.

With an unvoiced command the drivers cracked their ethereal whips and the carriages rode out of Drakenhof.