Chapter 1: The White Bishop

[Clockwork]

A cart trundled along an uneven path, trepidatiously, towards a lonely hill. As it neared the former Knight Ser Graves peered out from underneath the hood of his cloak. The day is pleasant, he mused, a fitting time and an even more fitting place. Even with what might be the last rays of sunshine ever to caress his face, his eyes remained dull and he coughed hard enough to suck the breath out of him. The cells had not been kind and he shook with a fever, not that it mattered much now.

The Orc that was to be his executioner remained silent, although it was unlike the Orcs that Ser Graves had met for *it* to be quiet and pensive, let alone reverence for the soon to be dead.



In the town of Halfway-Goldmark a spectacle rode through the streets with a body large enough to be a Minotaur dragged behind him, wrapped in cheap linen, patches of dark red showed every now and then as the body rolled. "Hearken and watch fellows, gentle-sers, gentle-dames!" A man in a beaten leather duster and cloak shouted as he approached the market. "I have here the notorious Giant of Cradlerock! Brought to you by myself, Prior Edgar Valt"

The people of Halfway-Goldmark knew the man as a fake, a liar and a cheat. However even the mention of the potential capture of this giant had gathered a crowd large enough to fill the tavern....Which had just emptied to bear witness.

"Follow me good people of the mark, see the giant unveiled!" The grey mare trudged onwards, painfully aware of the cargo she was unwittingly transporting but as always she knew that there would be respite at the end of the town, by the Abbey.

As Edgar neared the Abbey, the Abbot in full ceremonial chain mail, mitre and mace stepped from the heavy wooden double doors, arms outstretched in greeting to this unwelcome member of the clergy. "Ah Edgar, what have you here today? Holy tears of the first Merfolk? Perhaps the Bishop-Generals undergarments?"
"Wry as ever, Ser Abbot. I claim the bounty of one Giant of Cradlerock." And with that he dismounted and tore off the hood from the body still on the floor. The gasps within the crowd were audible as was one mad cackle coming from somewhere belly-height. The general perception from the crowd was of disbelief, not in a hundred years was Prior Edgar Valt capable of defeating the local fool, let alone a giant.

Each of you feel there is something strange about this day. Something will change, you are sure of it, but what are you going to do?

[TTG4]

I spot the crowd gathering round that moron Edgar, no way has he caught that giant, it'll be a trick, again. Though, in recent weeks business has been slow at best, why does no-one want these carrots anymore? Or these cabbages? Very strange. I decide that, since no-one's in the market I'll go and see about drumming up some sales the old fashioned way. I pack a basket with the best of my produce, lock up the rest under my stall and wander over. Heck worst comes to the worst I can convince some drunk they have magic powers, these humans are so dense when it comes to elfin magic.

[Tom]

I bounce around on the cart as it bucks and sways along the rutted dirt road. As we start to climb the hill I look down at the grey face of my prisoner, his whole body wracked with coughs and pale with sweat. 'He's probably not going to last long,' I think to myself, now turning back to face the village below us. An ants nest of villagers all streaming in one direction, towards the big stone building with a pointy bit out the top. 'That looks a whole lot more interesting than just chopping this pinkies block off' I think to myself, I order the driver of the cart to turn back and go to that big building with the crowd outside it.
As we approach the crowd we slow down to a crawl forwards, so packed together are the pinkies to see the lumpen shape that is on the ground. I jump down from the cart, leaving the puny prisoner alone and shove through the crowd to the front, ignoring the protests of those I push aside like wheat in a field. Now at the front, I wait to see what this monstrosity, that dwarfs even I, could be.
As the man rips the hood off of the figure on the ground I suppress a growl of surprise as it is revealed to be a Minotaur. 'Is it dead?' I ask myself, scouring the body for any signs of life.

[Cuddly Khan]

I finish my conversation with an agreement. This town is creepy, strange. You can't always trust the voices when they tell you what to do, but if they gave you advice they are usually always right. I take the last swig of beer left in the bottom of the mug and stand up, stretching my short arms long. I drop a few coins on the table and wave to the serving girl to come over, "Here's a few extra coins for the gorgeous view" I leer up at her and hand her 2 copper coins. I give her a final wink before swinging my travel pack onto my back and walk around to the small stable at the back to fetch Sheen, my pony.

Me and Sheen trot down the street, me leading her by a halter. My feet moving faster than any normal person to keep up with the pony. "Slow down damn you! I may be fast but I'm still a Dwarf!" I yell, frustrated at the horses fast pace.

Haha, horse can't talk silly, so there's no point talking to them!,

Yeah, talk to us, we talk back.

"What is it you want now?" I sigh, they get annoying sometimes but they're very useful.

There's something fun happening at the town square

Yeah, you should check it out. Another two of them say. The voices are almost always different. They're childish and love to play pranks on me and those around me.

I sigh, "Alright" and walk toward what I think is the town square as fast as these lazy legs take me, more than a bit suspicious that the voices are leading me into a trap just for a laugh.

[Clockwork]

Barely detectable if not for his years of knowing the dead, Hadrada notices a small flinch before the body relaxes as he kicks it.

Whilst walking up to the crowd, Faolan notices a shape dart behind a row of buildings.

Elarta moves with his wares to the greatest gathering of people, the crowd near the Abbey, hoping to make a sale. Before he reaches them however his ears prick up and he hears the sound of clinking coins behind him. There are three men, in their prime crouched near Elarta's stall.

[comrade_general]

I, former Knight Ser Graves, and too preoccupied with thought to pay any attention to the babbling of the townsfolk and their dead minotaurs.

[TTG4]

Thieves! As if I needed more problems, now I'm being robbed! I have to make a quick decision, do I call the guards? Or do I deal with it myself?

Typical, the guards have all deserted their posts and gone to that idiot showman to see what's going on, he ruins everything. Looks like my choice is made for me.

I jog over, shouting at them to get away. Then I have a brainwave, humans are so dim-witted, perhaps they'll be cowed by a bit of magic... I launch a few fireballs their way, trying to miss them of course, the guards may be utterly incompetant, but I think incinerating people might be pushing my luck a bit.

[Cuddly Khan]

I walk into the town square, a market is going on. "Surely you can't mean this is fun?" I say to the voices. It is just a market, people are selling vegetables and fruit and all that other stuff that villagers and farmers sell and buy.

Not yet, just you wait.

You'll see, it'll be fun soon.

I hear a commotion coming from behind me, the way I came, and turn around to see what's happening. I see a horse with a man on it, with a huge figure covered in a white sheet dragging behind. Sheen shakes her head, and snorts while staring at me her big beady eyes. "What is it Sheen?" I say to the horse.

Stop talking to the horse!

Talk to us! We are more interesting!

The voices startle me. "Will you stop that! At least give me some warning!" I shout back at mid air.

A crowd is gathering around the horse man now, all staring at the figure on the ground and the horseman and following him.

Follow him.

Do it Faolan, you won't regret it.

"Shut up already." I whisper, now conscious of the flocks of people crowding around, I follow along easily as fast as every other human and listen to what's being said, which isn't easy at my hight, down below at stomach hight. From listening to people talking above I work out that it's some guy called Edgar dragging something called the Giant of Cradlerock.

I bet it's a Minotaur wrapped up in that white clothe.

"Be quite" I say a bit too loud and get some strange looks. I push through a little further until I get a good view. Now outside what looks like the Abbey. I peer through a gap in the people just in time to see an Orc pull part of the covering off. It is a Minotaur. I start laughing.

I told you so.

People start to stare at me again when they see me laughing. The voices were, once again, right.

(OOC: I hope you don't mind if I go back to the start to get a bit of what was happening to my character before hand, I don't mean to confuse anyone.)

[Tom]

The skinny man that brought in the Minotaur swings a kick in to it's ribs, paying attention I notice a barely perceptible flinch. 'So it's alive,' I think to myself, stepping forwards out of the crowd towards the man known as the Prior. "What do you plan to do to this minotaur?" I ask him, rasping through my tusks.

[Jubal]

I stumble south, stretching and observing/picking up occasional interesting plants and insects along the way. Getting to the outskirts of town, I wander down an alleyway towards the commotion in the town's centre; probably nothing exciting, but I may as well observe in case anything particularly interesting shows up and in any case there might be a scholar or traveller at the market to talk to since it's that day of the week.

[Clockwork]

The fireballs hit the ground near the thieves with pinpoint accuracy, but for some reason they don't seem startled. "Get the mage!" and the three of them start moving towards you, slowly and cautiously, one straight towards you and the two others circle around either side to flank you. "You can't run away from the past, Elarta. Like a shadow it hangs over you, until we snuff out your light"



Edgar turns towards the impudent Orc that dared speak to a member of the clergy. With no small amount of disdain in his voice says "This *beast* is now property of the Abbot, and I am one step closer to Godhood, such things are obviously above your kind, Orc"

"In peace time we are peaceful, Prior" the Abbot cautions "But this creatures days of pillaging are no more, and for that, the Church of the Iron Hand thanks you." He then turns to Hadrada, and in sincere politeness asks "What interest in this creature do you have, forest clansman? The minotaur will be purged of evilness through expunction, Godless though he may be"

The crowd now starts to disperse, unwilling to become a part of whatever is going to happen next. A few people stay, Faolan notices that all of them are at least armed with daggers. Again he notices another person slink behind the same row of buildings as before.



Still waiting in chains at the cart, Ser Graves hears small explosions not too far to his left, elven magic in a place like this seems odd though.



As Eustathios enters the town he is greeted by the sight of a herd of humans walking away from something as well as a sick man in a cart and a little further away, an Elf being surrounded. He can tell that things aren't going to go well for the Elf, while the human is very sick, but curable, and for the moment, stable.

[TTG4]

The fireballs hit the ground near the thieves with pinpoint accuracy, but for some reason they don't seem startled. "Get the mage!" and the three of them start moving towards you, slowly and cautiously, one straight towards you and the two others circle around either side to flank you. "You can't run away from the past, Elarta. Like a shadow it hangs over you, until we snuff out your light"

Oh good, this just gets better and better. I bet none of these people will bother to help, too busy with that damned showman. Though that Minotaur just arriving could be helpful, that is, if he isn't working with them. It's too late to run, they're too close. I let them get closer and attempt to hurl my basket at the one on the left, following it with a fireball to try and set it alight. Hopefully that occupies him a bit.

(OOC: EDIT: Removed subsequent actions)

[comrade_general]

I turn my head towards the direction of the explosions.

[Tom]

I say to the abbot, "I want to know why the creature is going to be executed. What has he done wrong? Even in my homeland we don't kill without good reason."

[comrade_general]

I, former Knight Ser Graves, am an honourable man, and although I know my sentence to be far from just, I hesitate still for a moment before trying, but at long last I begin to attempt to free myself from these bonds.