Altaea Saga: The Thousand Halls

Killing, of course. What else?

Glad we're on the same totally non-perverted page!

Right... I believe both of you are on the same page. But I think you're in denial of what page it truly is.. I'll just go watch 300 and get my eye candy there, mmk?

If you want. But since Lox and I are both HERE, you certainly won't find it THERE.

He's right, you know.

(Honestly, I leave you guys for a couple of days and you get into all sorts of double entendres...)

Scouting carefully at the edge of the encampment you find a suitable looking supply tent filled with crates and sacks and barrels. Secreting yourself inside you change into the blue robes of the mage before planting the small bag of black powder and, after a little experimentation, manage to set the device to strike the its flint on a delay. Hurrying back to the Sheikh's tent you wait eagerly for the explosion and ensing chaos.

You are unprepared for the severity of the explosion and are startled as the sky erupts into a plume of smoke and flame to the edge of your vision. The flames are already spreading like wild fire as soldiers cry and scurry back and forth in their efforts to extinguish the fire. But the guards.

The guards, they do not move. If anything their formation tightens and they being to patrol with more obvious wariness. You grit your teeth and curse under your breath as your distraction has failed. Nevertheless, you must continue with your plan. You stride forward with measured confidence, your head lowered so that the hood of the mage's robe obscures your face. You make an enigmatic figure and the guards baulk visibly at your sudden appearance. After a moment's hesitation they cross their blades infront of you, barring your entrance into the tent.

"What is your business, sorcerer?" One of the men seethes, the hatred and disgust in his voice barely disguised.

What will you tell them?

The Sheikh sent for you?
You have come to defend the Sheikh from assassins?
You bring word from your master?

(Really, they'd be kind of shitty bodyguards if they left their VIP following an attack. So now we need to convince the guys that we're legit and have business with their boss. What shall we do people? WHAT SHALL WE DO?)

I say we turn into Drizzt Do'Urden and butcher them all.

Oh, wait, it wasn't among the options, was it? Oh well. I'll go with number three, then. Tell them we bring word from the Big Kahuna, El Jefe, the Head Honcho, aka "our master".

We were lucky enough to get the drop on them last time. In a straight fight with one of them we might be able to scrape by (We haven't had any combat segments, so I've yet to introduce the mechanics of that.) but against two we'd be mincemeat. Ignoring the others just waiting around the corner :S.

I wish you had grenade launcher technology in Altaea.

Awe, Lox, it's ok you can have a grenade launcher in the Character Park

I'd say the Sheikh thing, but I wonder how smart the guards are and they'd know. Lets do the Master thing.

The master has important information for the Sheikh, all the more important now that this explosion has occurred!

You inform the men that you bring word from your master, the Archmage. They remain steadfast however, their blades crossed before your neck. Your eyes drift across the gleaming, polished blades with their wickedly curved, broad blades. You suspect that they could sever your head in a single blow and from their position about your neck you would be powerless to stop them from shearing it from your shoulders.

"Can you not see you fool we are under attack!" One of them spits derisively and you feel the flecks of spittle across your face. "Your master's message can wait until morning. For now we must protect the Sheikh." The second Eunuch speaks, somewhat more measured in tone than his compatriot.

Nevertheless you remain calm and resolute, never raising your cowled head to meet their inscrutible gazes as you reply in a low and measured tone.

What will you tell them?

Press the matter and insist that the message is urgent?
That you will return in the morning?
That the Sheikh will be displeased if he does not hear what you have to tell him?

Press the matter! Press the matter!

"You FOOLS!!!" *Double power super mega ultra laser bitchslap* "My master does not WAIT!!! >_<"

Or something along those lines. XD

Press the matter, they are certainly not stupid enough to kill an important mage

"You can protect him just as well while I deliver my message"

It's a majority anyway, but I agree, press the matter. I don't have something bad-a to say.

"And will you take responsibility for the consequences if this urgent matter is not dealt with?" You remark cryptically. The guards seem caught in a moment of indecision and you wonder if you have made the correct choice until they relent, uncrossing the swords from your throat and allowing you to step inside. You lower your head and stride confidently inside the tent, casting aside the covering with an ostentaious flick of your wrist.

However, your heart skips a beat when you notice the Sheikh is now awake and lucid. Though still clad only in a night gown he clutches his sword readily. The man eyes you suspiciously and begins to mouth a question.

"What? I did not send for-" The instant he sees your face however his own twists into a distorted mask of spite and fear. And he hisses a single, venomous word. "Assassin."

You have only moments before he cries for help and you are overwhelmed. You draw Hassan's dagger and cast it to the ground before the Sheikh. It sinks into the earth with a thud, the scroll of Hassan's message wrapped tightly around its hilt. The Sheikh lets out a cry and within seconds the guards have spilled into the tent, their blades held aloft to strike you down. But you have already made peace with your fate. For you know that you have carried out the will of the prophet Hassan Abass. And you are his messenger. You will be rewarded, in paradise.

As your lifeless body falls to the dusty earth, the Sheikh takes the dagger and its scroll in trembling hands, unfurling it, he reads:

"Did I not wish the Sheikh well, that dagger which was struck into the hard ground would have been planted in his soft breast."

In death you have carried out your mission.

(Well, I guess technically we won. But we're still dead. Rewind time again. Maybe this time we should avoid waking up our mark. Choose your destiny.)

Crap!!!

We just died to deliver the worlds most elaborate burn.

Hey, no pain, no gain.

Ok! Let's do it all again, except, let's skip the "diversion".

Aye, go back and remove the diversion...

Ya, that kinda did more then we thought huh? I agree go back, no diversion.

(In the interests of expediency and because I have some measure of confidence in your collective intelligence we will use the same options as last time, minus the dramatic explosions and guitar solos. Things proceed pretty much the same (my guess is the author was just lazy. ) until the final parapgraph.)

You stride forward with measured confidence, your head lowered so that the hood of the mage's robe obscures your face. You make an enigmatic figure and the guards baulk visibly at your sudden appearance. After a moment's hesitation they cross their blades infront of you, barring your entrance into the tent.

"What is your business, sorcerer?" One of the men seethes, the hatred and disgust in his voice barely disguised.

What will you tell them?

The Sheikh sent for you?
You have come to defend the Sheikh from assassins?
You bring word from your master?

You inform the men that you bring word from your master, the Archmage. They remain steadfast however, their blades crossed before your neck. Your eyes drift across the gleaming, polished blades with their wickedly curved, broad blades. You suspect that they could sever your head in a single blow and from their position about your neck you would be powerless to stop them from shearing it from your shoulders.

"Can you not see you fool we are under attack!" One of them spits derisively and you feel the flecks of spittle across your face. "Your master's message can wait until morning. For now we must protect the Sheikh." The second Eunuch speaks, somewhat more measured in tone than his compatriot.

Nevertheless you remain calm and resolute, never raising your cowled head to meet their inscrutible gazes as you reply in a low and measured tone.

What will you tell them?

Press the matter and insist that the message is urgent?
That you will return in the morning?
That the Sheikh will be displeased if he does not hear what you have to tell him?

"And will you take responsibility for the consequences if this urgent matter is not dealt with?" You remark cryptically. The guards seem caught in a moment of indecision and you wonder if you have made the correct choice until they relent, uncrossing the swords from your throat and allowing you to step inside. You lower your head and stride confidently inside the tent, casting aside the covering with an ostentaious flick of your wrist.

Once inside your eyes take a moment to become accustom to the gloom inside the tent and you scan the interior carefully with your hawk like gaze. Your ears strain and you pick up the slight, gentle breathign of the Sheikh. To your relief he is still sleeping. You creep closer to his bedroll and stand poised above him, ready to deliver your message. The dagger at your belly slips soundlessly from the stolen azure robes of the dead mage and you hold it aloft, blade poised above the slumbering man.

Will you:

Strike the blade into the Sheikh's chest and kill him?
Wake him with the blade at his throat, covering his mouth to prevent him from warning the guards?
Strike the blade into the ground beside him?

We do as ordered, and leave the blade in the ground next to him where he will find it the next morning!

Um ya! We do what we were sent to. Put the blade in the ground and walk away.

I think our collective intelligence has dwindled, Lox I believe is away at bootcamp/training.

Silv it's you and me and Dupree.. but lets leave him outta this, for the most part. Like when we have a tie or something.

I agree, Dupree isn't important, we're more awesome.