Lord Nathaniel Royalty Ruler of Lithônion member is offline
Fortune favours the brave.
Joined: Jan 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 68
The Gallows and Stocks « Thread Started on Mar 10, 2007, 1:50pm »
A rather unpleasent part of the city, but it has to be done. Lord Nathaniel prefers to keep the gallows as far from his castle as possible. The cries of the damned can be heard for miles around...
On a lighter note, if you have any spare fruit on you (preferably rotten) you may wish to hurl it at the many criminals who have to take a spell in the stocks.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #1 on Nov 25, 2007, 5:35pm »
Farusan sat, with his head on his hands as he watched the last wisps of the crowd trail out of the cobbled square. Although he averted his eyes, the sound of the gallows creaking in the wind still reverberated through Farusans head and reminded him that hanging up there was one of his own men.
It was the first time anyone had been hung in Lithonion in almost a year, and Farusan knew that this one was his own fault. Robert Caiss, had been a loyal soldier in the past months, continuing to serve Farusan despite the risks. It had been his downfall in the end though, as his death was a result of refusing to reveal details of The Crusaders.
Footsteps aroused Farusan from his own thoughts as the Royal Guards entered the square, grimacing at the body above them but continuing their duties regardless. Soon all but Farusan had been ushered out [with force if necessary]. He sensed them men approaching and carefully eased himself up. He began to hobble towards the nearest exit in the square.
"Halt!" A voice cried.Farusan froze, his breath sharp and hot in his throat. "Yes?" He rasped in return. The guard looked over him, his dark beady eyes seeming to taste his form. "Is there something you want?" Farusan asked, his eyes wide with faux innocence. The guard signalled to two others who appeared to be of a lesser rank and hissed some orders at them. With a grim smile he moved on.
A few seconds later Farusan was dragged from the square by the two men. Inside he knew he could have escaped easily, but his disguise would not allow that. A cripple would never have been abke to fight off the guards, even with their slack grip. Still, Farusans blood was boiling. This was a prime example of the way the authorities abused their positions without needing to.
The leader of the rebels was finally left laying in the gutter in one of the tiny alleys of the slums. The harsh laughing of the guards faded slowly as they returned to work, but Farusan still sat in the gutter. The rain had begun and somehow it calmed him, the feeling of the cold water running across his cheeks and forehead.Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a length of black leather tie, looped it around his wrist and pulled it into a tight knot. It lay there beside the 4 bands he already wore, another reason to fight.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #2 on Nov 28, 2007, 12:13am »
Zethra was chilled inside as she stood amid the crowd of people, watching the man walk forward. As he stepped one last time, she looked down, only to see his boots stop in midair as the uneasy silence was filled with the sound of a rope creaking. Zethra had always come to hangings and executions, wherever she had been. She did not feel sorry for any of the people killed, and how could she when she did not know any of the names or faces? Zethra came mostly to remind herself that she could easily be in their place, that it could happen to her if she made only one slip. She also maybe came to pay some of them respect. The people like her who had fallen, but unlike her had been caught, and also for those who were innocent. Many of the filthy, disgusting criminals who had become darker than any being could seem to be, and insane besides, those she could care less about.
Zethra began filing out of the square with the other people, quicker than most. She looked back to catch one last glance at the dead man still swaying on the rope, and then went on, leading her grey horse on behind her. Many of the people around her were grumbling about something or another, any thoughts they may have had about the hanging out of their heads. Some of them even had seemed to enjoy watching the criminal being put to death. In a few minute's time Zethra was caught between reeking peasants and their animals in a crowded road. Unable to stand the rough fabric of clothes rubbing against her and being shoved every which way, she pushed her way off to the side and into an alleyway.
She breathed a sigh of relief before continuing down the alley. With the maze of alleys that made up this god-forsaken part of the city, it would be easy to navigate a path that could get her where the crowded road could. She kept on, still leading her horse; they were much to narrow to ride, let alone manage to get through easily with a horse behind. She turned to the right at an intersection in the alleys, and grunted in disgust and the body laying there. She didn't care whether or not the person was dead or not, but tryed to think of how to avoid it. The alleys were too narrow for her to lead the horse around the man, but she wouldn't come accross as direct a pathway as this was to get into the main city. She stepped carefully over the man, leading the horse over as well, before going carelessly onward.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #3 on Dec 5, 2007, 11:29pm »
Farusan was laying back in the gutter, his face adorned with ribbons of white where the rain had washed the days of grime from his face. The weather somehow calmed him and distracted him from his morbid thoughts but any other sounds frustrated him.
Footsteps were the worst and eventually there came such a clamour that Farusan opened his eyes. He did so just in time to see a girl lead her grey horse right over him. Something in her eyes triggered Farusans memories, and he realised in horror that it was the elf from the inn all those months ago. Standing up, his serenity vanished and he trembled with the anger he harboured for this girl. "You." He spoke quietly but with such venom he surprised even himself. A nearby cat backed away from him, ears flat and eyes wide. "What were you doing at the hanging?" he hissed, before realising that his anger might just give him away.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #4 on Dec 8, 2007, 8:28pm »
Zethra spun around as she heard the man's voice. As her eyes locked onto him she realized that it was one of the men who had been at the inn when she had first arrived here. In her mind she cursed herself for being so foolish then. Nothing had even come from attempting to interfere in the men's business, anyways, and now she had this to face. She kept her face unchanging even hearing the contempt for her in his voice. It was nothing new to her, she was hated by most.
"If you inquire, then may I ask of you what you're doing laying in a gutter?" Zethra said, raising her eyebrows, "I was merely going to see the hanging, there is not much else I could be doing there exactly, now is there. Certainly it must be you who are up to something, not me."
She considered beginning to walk away, saying all that she meant to, but instead she stood with her feet planted to the ground. Before she realized it, her hand was on the hilt of her sword, and she was trying to judge whether or not she could win a fight with this man. She usually operated in stealth, not fights where her enemies were aware of her, or had time to do anything, and this man looked fairly strong. How regretful it was that she hadn't learned much magic yet.
She surely did not hate the man, but she could see how much he disliked her, and why wouldn't he after her meddling around in what she shouldn't have? But it had been a while since those events had occured. Zethra hadn't even thought of the two men who had been at the inn since a few days after she had been there, and she was surprised to run into him, especially here.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #5 on Dec 10, 2007, 6:26pm »
Farusan remained a little awestruck after her quick reply. He had expected a quick tongued jibe but this was too...calm. Perhaps the girl had grown up a little since he had first met her. His anger subsided and he noted how she seemed a little hesitant, unsure maybe whether he wished to fight her. "I do not wish to fight you." He said sharply, but not unkindly. "And i lay in this gutter because thats where those cretins left me!" he spat the words out but soon regained his usual composure. Getting out of the dirty puddle, he strode up to the grey mare she held the reigns to and crouched beside it. "This is a pretty horse. Where'd you get her?" again his voice was unfriendly but not unkind. Even Farusan himself didnt know how he was doing it. "Shall we walk?" Before Zethra could reply to either question, he walked away without a backwards glance. It was up to her if she followed or not.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #6 on Dec 11, 2007, 6:26pm »
Zethra drew her hand away from her sword after he said he didn't want to fight, but still remained ready, just in case. He did not have to be telling the truth. She meant to inquire more about how he ended up in the puddle, and who exactly those people were, but he did not leave any chance in the conversation for her to ask. Zethra's eyes followed the man warily as he came closer towards her, but he seemed as if he really didn't mean any harm towards her.
"I bought her from some village, Morholt, I think it was called," Zethra said, not entirely sure that the man was listening, or expecting an answer.
As he walked on away from her she stood watching him, taken aback at his sudden change of emotion, or so it seemed. It had only been minutes ago when he had said spoke to her with such vehemance, and already he seemed to be past it.
She decided to walk forward to catch up to him. Not at a faster pace than usual, of course. Just walking quickly, like she often did.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #7 on Dec 15, 2007, 6:14pm »
Farusan was pleased to hear Zethras footsteps behind him and he slowed his pace, as to let her catch up. He was not usually one for befriending or conversing with random strangers, but the days events had left him feeling empty and it was nice to be able to escape, even with an elf.. The girl did not know his true identity and for that he was grateful, for it allowed him to be at ease and forget his worried. The fact that she was an elf didnt actually enter his head. For maybe the first time in his life, Farusan Sawyer was able to ignore the difference in race and accept an elf.
"So, you live round here someplace?" He asked casually, wondering if she was a newcomer or had been around years like himself. He had never seen her before that day in the inn, and it was rare to see such a pale, dark character like Zethra in Cesitria. "Whats your name too?"
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #8 on Dec 15, 2007, 7:22pm »
Zethra awkwardly walked beside the man, still wondering how this had happened. Her life had changed so completely within the last few months that she had no idea what to expect anymore. Everything that she had faced while being in Cesitria was another surprise, another obstacle to find a way around. She tugged her cloak around her, shivering in the rain.
"I don't live anywhere, and never have. I am currently staying in Tirenna," Zethra said cooly, watching the man's face surreptitiously for any reaction. Most people would be able to tell that Zethra was not finished with all her training yet, but there were not many indicators that she hadn't even finished her first level. There was a small moment of hesitation before she added on her name "I am called Zethra Ellanry."
In many places just the rumour of her name being heard could trigger soldiers hunting for her, but Cestria was a long way from those lands, and no one here yet had been able to connect the name or her face with an assassin and thief. Besides, Zethra always enjoyed a challenge, and she had not been caught by anyone once so far in her life. And as Zethra had not been up to her usual tricks here, there was no reason that anyone would be searching for her, with or withour recognizing her name.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #9 on Dec 21, 2007, 6:56pm »
"Zethra Ellanry" Farusan repeated. "Its well suited" He smiled, it was a strange name and certainly not one he had ever heard of before, but it did seem strangely fitting for this elf. What happened next was something Farusan never expected. Never before had he made such an error, though he had had countless oppurtunities. "I'm Farusan-" He broke off sharply, wondering how and why he had let it slip out. For years his name had been worth more to the Royals than all the other outlaws put together, and yet here he was giving it openely to an elf
There was only one way Farusan was sure he could count on the elf telling no one, and quickly he pulled out his sword and held the tip against the Elf's neck. "Move and I'll kill you!" he hissed through his teeth. He hated this, terrifying an innocent. But what else could he do? His identity had to come first, or he'd never be able to help anyone.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #10 on Dec 22, 2007, 12:02am »
Zethra hissed sharply as she felt the cold steel of this man's, Farusan, she supposed, sword against her neck. How could she have let her guards down? He had seemed fine, until now, so had he been planning this all along? It must have been his name, she figured, trying to figure out who he was. She had been here for months, now, and she remembered the name mentioned, but it had never been anything she had paid much attention to. Now she strained her mind to connect it with anything. As she glared at the man, it clicked in her head that there was a man named Farusan who was wanted, for... opposing the royalty, was it? She couldn't think of anything else, and assumed that it must be what he was wanted for.
Zethra's fingers clenched at her sides, and she looked at Farusan calculating whether or not she could punch him without him slitting her throat. She decided not to risk it, and smirked, trying to act as if she wasn't the one with the disadvantage.
"Yes, I know who you are, but I won't tell anyone. After all, I have my own secrets to keep, and if I reported you, I would be dead as well." Zethra grimaced. "So I suggest that you put your sword away, Farusan Sawyer, or someone might realize who I am after I'm dead, and wonder what kind of person could have killed someone like me."
She shivered at the feeling of the sword on her neck as she talked, baring her teeth slightly at him as she talked. No, she wouldn't think of turning in another convict, at least as long as they didn't cross her.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #11 on Dec 22, 2007, 9:22pm »
"Dont think i fear you girl. It wouldnt take much to bury your body in my woods, and i think we both know that no one would miss you." Farusans words were cold, but still, he lowered his sword and turned his back.
"You have to understand that i cannot risk letting my identity be known. only my men and a few of the gypsy women know of me." he sighed and turned back to face her, sheathing his sword at the same time. "For years i have guarded my identity with my life, never telling a soul unless i knew he was willing to join me and now i've given my name away to you and an elf!" He couldnt believe how foolish he had been or why he had done it. It wasn't as though he had been distracted or even thinking of other things, it had been mere stupidity.
"Sow hat happens now? Usually those who know my idenity join me, but i guess thats out of the question?" he looked her straight in the eye, trying to gauge whether he really could trust an elf.
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #12 on Dec 23, 2007, 7:02pm »
Zethra sighed. His words were all too true, no matter what she said to make it seem otherwise. She felt more comfortable, however, now that she didn't have a sword pressed against her neck. It didn't help her think much easier, she realized, as she shifted her weight upon one foot, thinking as rapidly as she had with the sword against her.
"I... am not like most elves. In most ways, I am the same as the ones you know, but in others... I was raised mostly by humans, and I am certainly not on the side of your royalty. I am not exactly against them, but neither do I support them. Zethra spoke uneasily, trying to pick the right words. "Joining you would probably be far-off. As I said, I'm not totally against the royalty, and having an elf in your camps...I would be lucky if I could walk in and not get killed within the first few minutes, probably. " Zethra gave a hallow laugh, only slightly resembling her usual bell-like laughter.
"I would say its up to you to decide if you can trust me, and what to do with me."
Re: The Gallows and Stocks « Reply #13 on Dec 23, 2007, 11:06pm »
The fact that she was not like other elves, Farusan could believe. She looked like no other elf he had seen, for they were light and full of happiness whereas Zethra had an air of melancholy about her person. She also had a scar running down her face, something which any usual elf would have removed with magic in a second. "I shall let you live" FArusan said at last, slowly and with more composure than usual. "But if anyone suddenly comes looking for me, then i shall know who to blame and where to find you." He looked her in the eye while speaking, daring her to respond with some quick remark. He didn't really believe that she would give him away, after all she said that she had her own secrets and that turning him in would be the demise of herself too, but still he had to be cautious. She could be undercover, although he sincerely doubted it, for the kings guards would have arrived by now.
"I do not think i have to worry anyway, for no one has yet stumbled upon my camp without first being led there, and i dont think anyone is about to start." He bowed his head slightly at the girl and left. Striding quickly down the back alleys, heading for his camp once again. The air was cold, and he wrapped his arms around him, wishing he had brought Karsal, his horse for company and for speed. BY the time he reached the edge of the woodland he fondly called home, his fingers and toes were frozen solid and he longed for the warmth of an inn or tavern.
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