Antagonist's Anarchy: Desolation in the Daylight - Chapter II (Open)

[Ivelliis]

the people and the captain

Telryn nodded as the Guard Captain addressed him.
"I have just one concern..." Telryn started, his voice trailing off slightly, "...You do not ask our names, any reason why?"

Confusion flickered for a brief moment over the guard captain's face, but was rapidly replaced by sudden confidence.
"Right you are! I had almost forgotten that slight little detail. So what is your name?"

Telryn frowned and stood up straight, towering over those around him. Raising his arm in a quick salute of respect, he said, his voice booming "Telryn Gale, Guard Captain of the City of Port Fallenham, position currently filled by Second-in-Command Officer Zarn Horlik whilst I'm on business out here."
Telryn sharply lowered his hand to his side, relaxing his stance as he did.

"Never heard the name Telryn Gale. Never took much care to the affairs of Port Fallenham." the guard captain replied. "I did hear a few months ago that after being appointed acting captain, this Zarn Horlik was murdered by assassins in his own home."

"Have you any proof of your identity?" he asked.

Telryn bit his lip before dropping his items on the floor with a clatter, and removing his midnight blue cloak, turning it inside out as he did so. Stitched, quite crudely, on one of the pockets were the words "Telryn Gale, Captain of the Guard". Pointing the words at the Guard Captain, he smiled behind the cloak. The man didn't seem like the quickest of the bunch, whether this "proof" would be adequate, he would soon find out.

The guard captain almost laughed out loud, barely able to suppress a chuckle.

"Is that all the proof that you can provide? Anyone can get a cloak like that and what's to tell me that the inscription on it does confirm your story? As far as I can see you are asking me to take your word on you being some guard captain from the north, while the only concrete proof I have at the moment is that you were travelling with a wanted criminal."

He grinned at the rest of the guards, whose faces echoed their captain's mocking smile.

"What do you think of my assessment, Mr. Gale?"

Telryn couldn't stifle his chuckle.
"Perhaps you are not as dumb as you look, Captain."
Telryn removed his backpack, reaching inside and pulling out a scruffy piece of paper, crumpled up in a ball. He leant down, straightening the paper on his knee, before handing it to the Captain.
"I do hope that royal seal is enough proof, Captain, as I'm sure you'll agree it'd be bloody hard to forge."
Telryn couldn't help but grin.

The guard captain took the paper from Telryn's grasp, scanning quickly over it at first, then reading it in detail. He hesitated for a moment before replying, his voice not sounding as sure as before.

“This does confirm the story of a certain Telryn Gale indeed having been released from his position. But it offers no proof as to you actually being this person. Theoretically you could be someone who has killed the real Telryn Gale and are just parading around with his name in parts of this country where the face associated to the name is unknown. Is there anyone who can confirm your identity?”

"Anyone I would trust?"the captain added.


"You've already stated you would not trust those in the...'presence of a wanted criminal'” Telryn stated, saying the last part with obvious displeasure.

"And besides, a Guard Captain of Port Fallenham would not be someone to mess with, I think you would agree...”


"Were I sure of your identity I would immediately release you. But I am also responsible for the well being of this town, and releasing a suspected criminal back into the streets is not something I wish to be responsible for. If you truly are who you say you are, then you must understand the delicate position I am in."

"I could send a message to the capital on your behalf though. A bird could carry your message there and the reply back again in slightly less than two days."

“In the meantime however I feel that I have no other choice but to keep you here."

"Understandable Captain, although I would request me and my companions are treated a bit better than the scum of the earth. If, by two days, the reply you get is not adequate, feel free to lynch me for the hassle I have caused...but until then, identity confirmed or not, I'd like a bit better treatment than the criminals of the town."
Telryn knew fine well this was a bold claim, but the guard captain seemed fairly on his side, confirmation or not. He'd felt like the scum of the earth once before...never again.


That pie looked divine. Fit enough for royalty. Sitting on a window ledge, right next to a long alleyway leading through the city slums, it was there for the taking.
"Go on Tel, nick it" A young boy with flaming red hair muttered, pushed a skinny, weedy boy forward.
The skinny weedy boy, with that recognisable ruffled black hair, sighed a bit.
"I don't want to, we'll get done for it I know we will" the young boy muttered.
The ginger boy let out a huge sigh - "Fine then...go bang on the door as a distraction, then run down the alley"
The black haired boy, Telryn, did so as the ginger boy grabbed the pie. The adrenaline pumped through his skinny arms and legs, he felt alive, but this didn't displace the fact he was terrified of the consequences if he was caught.
“Gotcha, lad," came a voice from behind him, as his heels were taken from underneath him.
Lying on the floor, winded, he looked up and saw the owner of the house, wielding a broom.
"You'll be sorry you took my wife’s pie, scum" He said as the broom handle came down, connecting with Telryn's side with huge force.
And then it all went black


The guard captain shrugged.

"I wish I could accommodate your request. Believe me, I wish I could. But in a town of this size, we do not have any deluxe cells, only the five foot by eight foot, stone variety."

"Anything else? The hour is getting late, and I have other business to attend to. I'll have parchment and some paper sent to you later."

"By the by...what's your companion's name? He seems to be strangely silent."

[dplax]

OOC: Sorry for the belated reply...I totally thought it was Jason's turn to post... *smacks himself*

For Jason:

A long silence greeted Jason's words, making him question even whether the old man had fallen asleep or not. When finally he spoke, his voice was distant yet devoid of its previous accent, as if he was recalling memories from many dozens of years ago.

"Thievery, murder, arson...there are worse crimes than those in the eyes of the mighty. One day...many years ago, I was a young man, looking forward to dozens of years of life. I had just found my first job, as an apprentice to the blacksmith and was gaining two copper pieces a day. And I was in love. I was nineteen and all life was ahead of me. She was a beautiful, golden haired girl, his eyes as blue as the sea on a magnificent sunlit day. She was eighteen and we were in love. But she was a noble's daughter."

"We kept on believing that nothing could stand between us, that our difference in class could be overcome by true love. Oh how the folly of youth and love had clouded my reason!" His voice had lifted and now he was well within his tale, his voice steady and more youthful than earlier.

"It was not long before her father found out. She came to tell me that he knew...we spent one last night together...the night we gave ourselves to each other. It was my last night outside of these walls. In the morning armed men came and I was charged with raping my beloved. Not even her protests could stop her father's influence over the judge. That was fifty seven years ago to the day. She died forty years ago in childbirth to a man she never loved."

A single tear rolled down the old man's right cheek.

"Her name was Isabelle..."

His voice faded away and the tears now came freely. Unable to speak further, the old man sat down...helpless in his misery.

[DrowArchmage]

Jason looked away as so not to observe the old mans tears.

I'm sorry for your loss. I too know the sting of a love lost. Though i must admit mine is not so sad as yours. I dont know if i can help you or not, but if i make it out of here alive, i may be able to negotiate a release.

Jason cracked his fingers. The thought of being on the outside was almost mouth watering, he hated being locked up.

[Legolas]

Ydalon

With a few final stitches, the clothes were good to last another set of weeks. The other members of the loose-bound group had yet to arrive, and might not be able to find the inn at all. Perhaps someone should look for them later.

Dressed only in undergarments and praying, for the moment, that the solitude would last a while longer, Ydalon recovered the coil of rope carried with the other belongings and set about spinning a web between the various empty wallscones. It was a lesson swiftly learned, that no adventurer could carry all the tools and instruments a normal household might possess. The trick lay in carrying only that which was essential, and that with which one might improvise everything else.
After suspending damp cloth from the clothesrack, Ydalon set to tidying up the storage chest.

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel

Detheriel had been listening to their conversation with some surprise; whilst he had realised Telryn had a military background it had not occurred to him that he would have held such a position.

Unfortunately the conversation hadn't gone as well as it might have done and the Captain seemed reluctant to remove the spectre of prison from their heads. Hearing the conversation move onto him, he forced himself to look the guard in the eye and tried to appear as calm as he could given the circumstances.

"My name is Detheriel" he said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "I am a travelling companion of Telryn here. We...we have travelled many miles to bring this bandit to justice."

At this he paused, trying his best to look contrite before he continued.

"I would ask your forgiveness Captain. The road has been a long and difficult one; several of my companions have fallen by the wayside." He paused to angrily spit on the floor, copying what he had observed some folk doing in the streets outside as they were escorted here. "One was brutally cut down by the bandit scum you hold in your cells now!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the cells.

"We slew the rest of his group" he finished, quietly.

"When we finally reached your town, a place I was unfamiliar with, I mistook your intervention as a hostile one - I'm sure that you, as a man accustomed to dealing with danger, can understand my mistake. I assure you that I was only acting in self-defense to protect my companions."

With this he paused, resisting the temptation to glance optimisticly at Telryn. Truth be told, he had no idea whether the Captain would be sympathetic or just laugh in his face, but he had to try to dig them out of this mess, even if Telryn had failed.

"So you see Captain, we are not the criminals here. If you would refrain from treating us as such, I give you our word that we will not attempt to leave the town against your will."

[ 03-05-2007, 08:34 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[dplax]

OOC: some might be disturbed by the end of this post, but I think it still fits under the PG-13 rating of IW.

For Detheriel and Telryn

The guard captain seemed to consider Detheriel's words for several long minutes before replying.

"Your words do indeed make sense." He paused for several seconds, carefully choosing his words. "However under the laws of this town, it is not my decision to make. I can make arrests, but I can not arbitrarily decide to release someone. You shall have to wait for the morning, when I get the chance to talk to the governor. In the meantime however, I shall have to lock you up."

With that he moved away and indicated to his men to gently take the two away, to their cells.

They did not know it, but Telryn and Detheriel got cells on each side of the one Jason had been taken to. Their respective cell doors closed, shutting them off from freedom, even if they might be released soon if Telryn's identity was confirmed.

It was only fifteen minutes before the shrieks of pain started. They lasted until early morning. To Telryn's and Detheriel's ears it was painfully clear who the shrieks were coming from, but they had to listen on helplessly, locked up in their cells.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nivram

The warden had taken Nivram away from the cell area, to the old dungeons. No light came in through the windows, no fresh air was filtered through the damp walls. This was the place from where no one left the same as before, the place no one in town spoke about.

Before Nivram had a chance to protest at being brought here, to this place he had heard rumours about, he felt a wet rag pushed against his face, covering his nose and mouth. He tried struggling against the old warden's grip, but once he inhaled all strength left his limbs and he slumped to the ground.

When he woke up, he was stark naked, his hands and legs chained to the wall, barely allowing him to move. As his blurry vision cleared, he noticed that the warden wasn't the only one in front of him. The captain of the guard, his regalia and uniform removed stood in front of Nivram in a simple shirt. It seemed that nothing could wipe the smile off his face.

"So this is the one, who knocked all your teeth out, is it?" the warden asked. Only then did Nivram notice the almost red hot tip of the tongs he was holding.

"Indeed. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Please begin."

The searing hot tip of metal was pressed against Nivram's abdomen. He couldn't help but give his torturers satisfaction by allowing a high-pitched shriek escape from his lungs.

It was only the beginning...worse followed.

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel

A thin ray of moonlight entering through the barred window provided the only illumination in Detheriel's cell. He sat in one corner, his knees pulled up to his chin, thoroughly despondent.

He hated being trapped in here, hated it utterly. He was suddenly deprived of things he had taken from granted during his life. In a cell, there was no fresh air, no weather, just a never-changing dampness that permeated the very stones and chilled him to the bone in a way that no storm ever could.

Again and again he cursed the hotheaded behaviour that had brought this upon them. In his rush to protect Nivram from danger he had been too hasty and failed to take into account his unfamiliar surroundings. What would have sufficed as a simple warning to another traveller in the country had aroused a response in the town that was completely unexpected.

He reminded himself to ask Telryn to forewarn him about what garb the local militia wore; his eyes completely failed to register any sort of uniform at the time.

Letting out a big sigh, he leant back against the wall, watching an impoverished mouse scuttle between the cobbles on the floor. It sniffed up against his leg, no doubt looking in vain for crumbs of food that might be trapped in a fold of material. He let it nestle, finding comfort in the presence of something else living.

His stomach growled, angry at being neglected and Detheriel sympathised with how the mouse must feel. In an effort to distract his hunger, he had just decided to close his eyes when the first scream echoed down the corridor towards him.

He recognised Nivram's voice instantly; an icy cold hand was suddenly present around his unfortunate stomach. At the second scream, Detheriel jumped up and ran to the door, his little cellmate fleeing in alarm.

"Ho there!" he cried out, striking his fists against the door. "Let me out!"

Another scream made him redouble his efforts and he crashed his shoulder against the door in an effort to burst it open. Unfortunately, the door was made of stout oak and despite kicking as hard as he could, all Detheriel had to show for his troubles was a sore shoulder and foot.

He settled for making as much noise as possible in the hope they would leave Nivram alone to investigate. "Let him go! Leave him alone!" he shouted, banging his hands raw on the door, galvanised by the sounds of Nivram in agony.

[Ivelliis]

Telryn

Telryn sat with his back against the wall, staring at the dull grey stone slabs opposite him. He couldn't help but smirk a bit; "Usually it's me doing the imprisoning, not the prisoner" he thought, thinking of the countless times he had thrown people through the wicked cell doors of *his* prison.
Then came the first scream. Undoubtably it was Nivram's voice, and whilst Telryn felt sorry for his companion, it wasn't his pain that was on his mind. Torture was, in his eyes, unacceptable. It wasn't as if this Captain was the only one who ever tortured someone, he could think of countless times it was necessary. It wasn't an enjoyable thing to witness, but for the safety of the nation sometimes information had to be found by any means possible.

Knowing he could do nothing, he stayed slouching against the wall. Well, could do nothing yet.

"Ho there! Let me out!" the voice of Detheriel echoed faintly through his door. Jumping to his feet Telryn ran to the door of his cell, cupping his hands and shouted - "Detheriel! Cease your shouting, there is nothing we can do for him tonight."

Whether or not Detheriel heard him was another matter, but Telryn soon slumped next to his door, determined to get at least an hours sleep in this godforsaken room.

OOC: Assuming Telryn can hear Deth's shouts...but giving Deth to option to hear Telryn's

[dplax]

The screams finally ceased as the sun's first rising rays shined in through the barred window of Telryn's cell.

The scribe and interrogation promised by the guard captain for the morning did not come. The morning passed, and then the afternoon slowly ticked away. It was already darkening, when a key turning in the lock brought Telryn out of his thoughts. The wooden door to his cell opened. Outside stood four guards, dressed not in the livery of the guards who had arrested them the night before, but much better quality armour.

A slightly overweight, richly-dressed, middle-aged man stood behind them, and next to him was one of the guards from the day before. The resemblance between the facial features of the two was remarkable. The town guard and the well dressed man could only have been father and son.

Pushing his guards aside the man, clearly a noble, stepped into the cell.

"Captain Gale. I am terribly sorry for your imprisonment. I am Lord Gardon, I am the governor of this town. I'd have released you earlier, but I was away most of the day today on official business. My son, newly appointed captain of the guard told me of what you had to go through yesterday. Please accept my deepest apologies for the actions of the former guard captain. He is now a wanted man. He commited an unexcusable crime in arresting you and your companions. Your face and name were well known to him, but for some reason he hid this knowledge from his men."

He turned to his son.

"Release the others immediately!"

Detheriel was soon standing next to Telryn in the prison corridor.

"There was another one travelling with them, but I do not know where the warden took him." The newly appointed guard captain spoke with genuine concern. "I fear for his well-being. My predecessor seemed very intent to get his hands on him."

[Ivelliis]

Telryn

"He must mean Nivram."

Nodding his head to the Lord, he spoke clearly and with an obvious change to his usual idiolect "Business is business as usual, my Lord, it done us no harm as far as I can tell."

"The former guard captain seemed to have something against our other companion, Nivram his name. Something about starting a public fight...but the screams we heard didn't sound too good." He turned to Detheriel; "You heard them too, didn't you?"

Turning back from Detheriel he spoke again, this time to the newly appointed guard captain.

"Do you, or any of your men, know where this ex-Captain could have took our friend? I also fear for his safety, and think it would be best if we found it fairly sharpish..."