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Post by Caelen on Feb 26, 2008 23:50:39 GMT -5
Antonietta rode at the front of her wagon loaded with illuminations, following the path towards Tear. Two guild guards rode in the back, both of which kept careful watch outside. A few nobles in Tear had hired Antonietta to put on a fireworks display. Her trip from Whitebridge had given her plenty of time to construct the fireworks, and she was anxious to get to Tear. She had never seen the Stone, and her display was going to be on top of it! She continued along, daydreaming about what the Stone would look like.
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Post by piñata on Feb 29, 2008 11:37:04 GMT -5
Another wagon pulled up alongside Antonietta's, loaded with all manner of odds and ends... obviously a peddler's wagon, though a nice one, which suggested its owner made a decent living. "Let me assure you I have no intention of attacking the beautiful lady," the wagon's single occupant told the guild guards, who were eyeing him warily.
Lopin looked toward the front of the wagon and winked at the beautiful lady in question. He looked unkempt (as always), but not dirty. "You're not going to be competing with me for customers, are you?" he asked her. "Because I'll try my luck in another city if you're selling goods here." Women who looked like that could get people who didn't even own farms to fork over their life's savings for fertilizer.
(OOC: Sorry I missed this thread earlier.)
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Post by Caelen on Feb 29, 2008 20:48:57 GMT -5
Antonietta chuckled at Lopin's comment. "Oh of course not. I'm on the way in for a private show." She giggled a bit and winked back at the strange man. "Of course, I think I know some people who'd love to see what you have." She turned back to look at the guards. "Terrance, can you dig up that little bag I put back there please?" Her eyes went wide for a split second as she realized something important. "Oh dear heavens," she said as she turned to face Lopin again, "I forgot to introduce myself! My name's Antonietta of the Illuminator's guild. Who might you be?"
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Post by piñata on Mar 4, 2008 12:51:59 GMT -5
"I am Lopin," he said, bowing from a sitting position as he spoke. "Only a mere peddler, but I fancy myself a better one than most of the others that come through here. Certainly it isn't as glamorous an occupation as an Illuminator, though. I hope I'm in town to catch your show." He had always rather liked fireworks. (OOC: I don't know why I sound so sodding British today. )
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Post by Caelen on Mar 4, 2008 20:18:25 GMT -5
Terrance handed Antonietta a small bag. Antonietta opened it up and pulled out a over-sized copper coin with a strange symbol on it. "A pleasure to meet you Lopin. We Illuminators couldn't possibly do our work without merchants such as yourself. So here, have this." she tossed the coin to Lopin. "It's an invitation to the show. Anyone that isn't one of the Lords of Tear will need it to get in, though I expect some of my illuminations will be perfectly visible from below. I'll be launching them from on top of the Stone itself!" She giggled a little more. "I haven't even seen the Stone before, and they want a show on top of it. It should be, quite literally, a blast!"
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Post by piñata on Mar 5, 2008 11:09:11 GMT -5
"Yes, it should," Lopin replied, deftly catching and pocketing the coin. "I didn't know they let civilians on top of the Stone. That must be quite an honor for you."
(Sorry for the short post. Brain fart.)
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Post by Caelen on Mar 21, 2008 10:46:40 GMT -5
Antonietta nodded. "Yes, I can't wait. Oh!" She pointed ahead. The gates of Tear came into view, and the Stone seemed to rise out of the ground as fast as a rushing river. "Amazing! I can't wait!" She flicked the reigns on her horses, accelerating towards the city.
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She rolled up to the gate. "Hail! I am Antonietta of the Illuminator's guild" she shouted towards the gate guards. Turning to face her escorts, he motioned to them to get her invitation.
"No need" one of the gate guards said. "We've already been informed of your invitation. Please head directly to the Stone."
Antonietta nodded towards the guards. "Wonderful! Oh, and my friend here is a member of my crew" she said while motioning towards Lopin. "He can come in with me as well right?" She shot a quick wink towards Lopin, careful not to let the guards see.
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Post by piñata on Mar 21, 2008 11:16:55 GMT -5
Lopin nodded back at Antonietta, careful to let the guards think he was nodding in their direction. After a brief discussion, they let him through after her. His familiar-looking wagon -- he had visited Tear before -- was immediately swarmed by customers, and he was forced to stop and do some business with the noble citizens of Tear. "I'll catch up with you later!" he called after Antonietta. He planned to catch her show... it should be very interesting.
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Prime
Apprentice
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Post by Prime on Mar 21, 2008 15:29:28 GMT -5
One of the guards hammered on the barracks door just inside of the gate. "Hey, the Illuminator is here, go do your job mate!" He yelled through the door. Tharian sighed, rising from the poker game he'd been playing with the other guards. "To bad," He said, shrugging, "I was going to give you a chance to win back your money to." They shook they're heads, sure they'd been swindled, but unable to prove it. Tharian gave a short bow, adjusting the angle of the spear holsters on his back, and seating his blade more comfortably at his side. He stepped out the door and hurried to catch the Illuminators wagon.
"Hello." He said politely, looking up at Antonietta. "I'm Tharian Darkbrand, I'm been assigned by the local authorities to guard you while you stay here. You can just call me Darkbrand." He said, reaching up and shaking Antonietta's hand. "You needn't worry about your safety while I'm here, the Lords are paying me quite a bit to keep you safe. This type of payday only comes once in a lifetime, I don't intend to screw it up." He said, then moved cautiously ahead of the horses. "Please follow me, I have an assigned route to follow that will keep you out of harms way. It won't take long to reach the fortress Tear." He said, walking briskly.
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Post by Caelen on Mar 22, 2008 9:41:28 GMT -5
Antonietta waved to Lopin as they separated, then pulled her wagon to a stop as a man approached. She eyed Tharian rather suspiciously, having not expected an escort besides her own pair from the Illuminator's Guild. Ignoring the man's reach for a handshake, she turned her head towards the rear of the wagon while keeping her eyes locked on Tharian. "Terrance, you're a better judge of character than I. What do you make of this...guard for hire?" She seemed more surprised than apprehensive, but she had been warned by the guild to not trust those claiming to be on the side of the Lords without proof. After all, the darkfriends' activites had become slightly more common as of late.
Terrance stared at the man with a cold, unblinking stare. "You have proof I assume?" He waited for the man's response, clearly ready to jump to Antonietta's defense if needed.
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Post by piñata on Mar 22, 2008 14:46:28 GMT -5
Lopin received a respite from the crowd when they were distracted by the sudden appearance of an Ogier. Enough of them thought him a Trolloc that within moments, only a handful of curious onlookers remained in the streets, and they were no longer paying Lopin any mind. He quietly departed the square and made his way to the nearest inn, making arrangements for the night and being sure to get a room that could accomodate either one or two people... just in case things went well with Antonietta. He decided to catch a quick nap before leaving for the fortress to watch the night's festivities... he wanted to be well-rested, in the event that he was up later than usual.
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Prime
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Post by Prime on Mar 23, 2008 2:34:14 GMT -5
"Oh, well for once we have a woman with her wits about her." Tharian said levelly, carefully weighing the guard she had examining him. "The lords have been kind enough to supply me with a temporary token, to signify my actions in they're stead." He said, proffering his sword. A heron mark was plain on the pommel, though the rest of the curved blade lie within its sheath. That, however, was not what he meant to draw they're attention. The plain oval guard which had once adorned the sword has been removed. In its place sat a platinum oval guard, with the symbols of each lord in turn engraved around the oval.
"Do you find this satisfactory?" Tharian asked levelly, "Though if I'm not mistaken, you wouldn't recognize any other sign of authority. I doubt you even recognize the lords symbols on this guard. Would you recognize they're signatures instead? Or perhaps you'd be more comfortable if I were dressed in the attire of a city guard?" He grinned maliciously, "The only point of fact is, the cross-guard sitting on the pommel of this sword is something only a lord could afford. Everything else inside this city can be easily replicated, save for Aes Sedai, light willing no one shall ever be able to replicate one of those witches or they're power." He turned around sharply and started walking again, "In the end it really all comes down to trust. And if I can trust to turn my back on an Illuminators guards, you can trust to follow me. Distrust should only come, at the time when I lead you off the correct path, and into a dark alley."
He turned around and shrugged, now yelling, as they'd fallen behind quite a ways. "Though I must assure you!" He called, "Every road from here to fortress Tear is wide and well lit!"
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Post by Caelen on Mar 24, 2008 18:56:48 GMT -5
Terrance grunted in satisfaction, and Antonietta started the horses moving again. Now why would the lords of Tear take that much interest in my safety? she thought to herself. Something isn't right... She picked up the speed of the horses to catch up to Tharian. "Of course I recognize them. What do you think Illuminator's are, unschooled farmhands?" She tossed her hair back and held her head high in a very snobbish position with a loud hmph. Antonietta's second guard, who had until now remained rather relaxed on his makeshift bed, sat up and turned his head towards Tharian. His black armor, which covered every inch of him, reflected no light, but the armor was quite shapely. If it weren't for the color, it might have been mistaken for the elegant armors of old.
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Post by piñata on Mar 25, 2008 11:03:07 GMT -5
Lopin awoke to the sounds of shouting and scuffling outside his window. He looked out into the street... Whitecloaks were harassing a couple of people, probably innocent bystanders who were "witches" only because they weren't faithful enough for the Whitecloaks. He was intimately familiar with the Children of the Light, and decided not to let this atrocity stand. He grabbed his chamber pot and chucked it out the window, dumping the contents on top of the Whitecloaks... before they could see him at the window, he had retreated into the shadow of his room, but if they had good ears they could probably hear him laughing.
He went to his gear and grabbed some better clothes than what he was wearing right now... Antonietta's show was going to be a formal occasion, so he would need to look nice. He also trimmed his beard and combed and washed his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror afterward, and wondered whether she would even recognize him. Grabbing his best cloak, he added it to what he was already wearing and decided he could probably pass for a wealthy merchant, if not a noble. Satisfied, he left the room, being careful to lock it behind him, and headed for the Fortress.
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Post by Caelen on Mar 26, 2008 8:34:59 GMT -5
Antonietta stood up from her hunched-over position over her fireworks. "Well now, that took a bit more than I thought..." She carefully examined each and every launcher one more time, then hardened a dome of air around them, tying the weave off before leaving. Terrance was on guard at the display, so she wasn't worried about anything happening while she was away. The other guard followed closely behind Antonietta a she descended the stairs back to the location that would serve as the viewing courtyard. Many of the nobles had already gathered, and it seemed the party had already started. "Wow, what a crowd" she said to no-one in particular. "Roy, try not to scare them will you?" The guard nodded to her silently. She proceeded into the crowd and began looking for Lopin. She wanted to make sure he had made it inside. Roy stopped at the base of the stairs, but was careful to keep a close watch on Antonietta.
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A black-robed man and a black-robed woman approached the fireworks display. The woman whispered to man. "It looks like Roy left...what a shame. What should we do..."
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