4 - 028: The Fourth Piece

[K Man]

All -

The eerie silence remains prevalent as Romar is surrounded by the guards of Ravenshead - the very same guards he stood with only days ago, defending the castle. Unceremonsiously, he is stripped of weaponry and armor, everything save for basic clothing. The King - his eyes alight with a fiery rage not seen before in him - keeps a firm graps on Romar as he's disrobed.

When the last bit of armor strikes the ground, the sound of manacles being slapped around his wrists and ankles echoes in the courtyard. They jingle on the ground as Romar takes his first steps towards an invariably long time in the castle dungeon. Sturmguard finally releases his grip and the guards begin to shuffle him along. King Sturmguard begins to speak, but much to Romar's dismay, it is not to him as rather about him.



"Let this be an example to us all! Disrespect of anyone will no longer be tolerated. We are the last bastion of hope, the last hurdle that will trip 'The Master' on his conquest for the lands...to be this, we must work and love each no matter what the circumstances."

"In this battle, we will be as one!"

The roars and cheers of the crowd come quickly, washing away any thought that morale was deafened. The 'Faceless Knight', the proud champion of Ravenshead will serve the city once more...but this time a matyr. King Sturmguard, in his ruling wisdom, knew what the people wanted...something to blame, something to stoke their fires of hate and drive them to defend their home rather than wait for oblivion.

That something is now Romar...

The crowd drowns out the please of Romar, it drowns out the cold statements of Yuri...it washes away the cold exile from the companions that began this fight together, but most of all, it drown out anything that Romar might have been.

Within seconds, he is transformed from a hero of the city to its demon - from it's saviour to its undermine...

...from something to nothing...

He is led away, unknown when he will be seen again.

{Fear not Romar, there's always more story for you somewhere. }

------------------------------------------------------------------------

All but Romar -

King Sturmguard remains cold for a moment, eyes following Romar as he's led away. Then, the great King's eyes float down to the bleeding form of his nephew and they melt to compassion again. He motions a guard over and you hear the conversation above the dull roar of the crowd.



"Take his body to the Pyre Pits, prepare it for departure. I will be there by nightfall..."

The King ushers the guard away with the body and he strides over to you.

"Come, let us talk about saving this city..."

He shoots a glance to the Kuo-Toan Chief, letting him know that he too should be included.

The King strides into the castle with advisors and King Grandil in tow....

__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Japic]

Moving near to the no-longer-faceless Knights body Girud says his goodbyes.

"You did well for yourself Mordrid; peace be with you."

With one last glance in the direction they hauled Romar off in Girud and Alton follow their King.

[K Man]

{As a side note, Romar's goods are spirited away by the guards, not up for grabs.}

[VemuKhaham]

As he is led away, manacled and dishonored, Romar's head sinks low. He doesn't cry, and neither is the prevalent thought in his head one of sadness. No, once the panic subsides, it makes place for anger. For Romar is dismayed at the cheers of the crowds after he is taken away, dismayed by the words of his king, for he could not understand them. Dismayed, perhaps, by the way Yuri did not come to him in his hour of need, but he could not yet say for certain if he could ever be angry at Yuri.

But worst of all, definitely, were the cheers. They were like acid on an open wound, and while in jail he would probably spend many restless hours pondering solely on that.

---

Okay, I guess I'll stay here, so you'll know where to find me if you need anything.

Oh, and don't touch Romar's belongings; there's female lingerie among it.

[Japic]

{Well Vemu, you have to admit that he gave you every chance to avoid this catastrophy. I think you might have gotten away with it all, if not for spitting on 'ol Faceless. You have to admit that that was about as rude as it gets.

Imagine the way your character would feel if your brother had been spit on as you carried him to the steps and put him into the King's hands. You know; just to put the shoe on the other foot for a minute.

In any circumstance you did well with the RP of Romar, but you shouldn't be surprised what came of it all. Mebbe if your a good boy they'll let you out in five to ten. ;D}

{p.s. Sorry for the double post, I hope I don't get time; be gentle Warden.}

[GeneralMHB]

(OOC: That was very well RPed Vemu! Out of game, I can see why Romar would do something like that, but keep in mind: Yuri has NO idea of Romar's past life. Romar never told him anything. It is sad to see the friendship end like that )

Yuri simply nods at the King and follows, keeping silent for the time being. Before going, he pays his final respects to Mordrid, drinking from the cantine of blood and giving a silent prayer that he will find peace in the afterlife and asks for forgiveness, never imagining Mordrid would come back to find his uncle and atone for what he did at Boon's Freehold.

The loss of a redeemed hero, the fall of Yuri's best friend, the final seige of Ravenshead. Nothing more needs to be said. Enough damage has been done, and more destruction will follow in its wake.

[Fangor the Fierce]

Krysta can't help but feel a sorrow in her heart. Again, another seemed to have been lost. Mordrid had started his life hiding behind his face, and when he did what he did at Boone's Freehold, he still found the courage to come back to his king, and to begin the path of atonement.

Romar had nothing when he first came to Ravenshead, as many others followed in the same footsteps. He had lost everyone dear to him. He then became a protector, a hero even, as they sought out to save the shards, and defeat the Master.

Now, with Mordrid the Faceless laying dead at the hands of Romar, and Romar now bent on the verge of lusting for revenge and anger, things have surely changed. It is as though with the addition of one as pure as Mordrid, someone had to take the place of the lost anger and shame. It is a pity that it had to be Romar....

She can only close her eyes, and say a quick prayer for both of them. Mordrid, so that he may find peace int he afterlife after atoning for his sins. Those sinds that even she, who had to deal with the consequences first hand, has now forgiven him of. She also prays for Romar, so that he may find that which others have seen in him. A glimpse of greatness and goodness. When this battle is over, she will see what she can do to help Romar. But first things first...

She turns to the kings, heading up the ramp and to the task at hand. There will be a glorious battle. One that will decide the fate of Ravenshead and its refugees. Yes, this will be a glorious battle, if she has anything to do about it....

When the leaders finally set down to talk, she would like for Yuri, Adelia and Anton to head to Theld's machine, to learn to vein-ride. It would be a great advantage to have them all know the way, as they will be the strike force.

"This battle will not be won on the fact of how many die, or how many live, but simply by the defeat of one. The Master. He is the target. With his fall, surely his troops will scatter to the winds, as their leader will be no more. Perhaps even the fabric that keeps them undead will unravel, as their lifeless bodies fall once more to the earth, never to be awoken again."

"My king. The battle will be fierce, and tough. But if you can keep the troops morale up, and the fighting balanced, then it may work. We will head straight into the depths of the army, by way of Theld's machine, and seek out the Master. When we find him, his fate will be sealed, and when he falls, you will know it. Ravenshead will not fall to this army. Not while there is still breath in me to fight."

"You have allies outside these walls, my King. The forest itself will lend a hand, the blades of the Knights will seek out justice, the Roc riders will swoop down and avenge their lands, the dwarven army of constructs will hold back the tides of the undead, and the Kua-Toan masses will show the might of the sea. Yes, this will be a battle to remember. One that will show the world how together, we can survive."

She waits for his answer, and also for the others to speak their wishes.