Post by Chanticleer on Nov 11, 2012 13:05:26 GMT -5
Originally posted March 5, 2012, on the ARPC Crossroads Tavern Board as part of Darkened World, a much larger thread.
And now he was Sir Chanticleer of Ashencrosse.
At the invitation of Countess Aurelia Bretane, he had abandoned the cold winds of Northridge to become a knight in this small Malas town. Since his arrival weeks prior, his encounters with its people and visitors had been decidedly mixed. But he was there to honor the oaths he had made, not for friendship, and his social expectations were limited. Those that did not comprehend the value of his presence were fools, and he did not lightly suffer stupidity. The carelessness of mental inbreeding inevitably yielded one an untimely demise, and he was conscious of where their folly would guide them. He could provide fair warning, but it was not his purpose to challenge their miserable destinies for them. Life in Ashencross was preferable to his prior employment as one of Countess de Mor's guardsman, but his gratitude would never blind him to the pitfalls of his new home.
There was blight in the air, but he could not quite determine its source. Perhaps it was related to the recent discussion of secret illness that involved the Countess, Friend Rosar, "Mistress" Jolicia, and the Painted Lady. Initially, Chanticleer believed they were attempting to conceal a deadly disease suffered by Sir Letholdus, but Friend Rosar assured him it was not the elf they spoke of. Yet, what disappointed the young knight was not his failure to uncover truth -- their tale would most likely have bored him anyway -- but Aurelia Bretane's subdued presence during the meeting. When he was first introduced to the Countess, she spoke with clarity and confidence, quickly inspiring him to enter her service. But something was absent, she was now lesser, not even capable of commanding a caravan to relieve the troubled City of Minoc. While Chanticleer cared little of the personal dramas that plagued her, she was still his leader. And as one of her knights, it was his duty to force her into focus, no matter what measures needed to be taken. For in a world drifting rapidly towards chaos, her weakness was simply unacceptable.
And now he was Sir Chanticleer of Ashencrosse.
At the invitation of Countess Aurelia Bretane, he had abandoned the cold winds of Northridge to become a knight in this small Malas town. Since his arrival weeks prior, his encounters with its people and visitors had been decidedly mixed. But he was there to honor the oaths he had made, not for friendship, and his social expectations were limited. Those that did not comprehend the value of his presence were fools, and he did not lightly suffer stupidity. The carelessness of mental inbreeding inevitably yielded one an untimely demise, and he was conscious of where their folly would guide them. He could provide fair warning, but it was not his purpose to challenge their miserable destinies for them. Life in Ashencross was preferable to his prior employment as one of Countess de Mor's guardsman, but his gratitude would never blind him to the pitfalls of his new home.
There was blight in the air, but he could not quite determine its source. Perhaps it was related to the recent discussion of secret illness that involved the Countess, Friend Rosar, "Mistress" Jolicia, and the Painted Lady. Initially, Chanticleer believed they were attempting to conceal a deadly disease suffered by Sir Letholdus, but Friend Rosar assured him it was not the elf they spoke of. Yet, what disappointed the young knight was not his failure to uncover truth -- their tale would most likely have bored him anyway -- but Aurelia Bretane's subdued presence during the meeting. When he was first introduced to the Countess, she spoke with clarity and confidence, quickly inspiring him to enter her service. But something was absent, she was now lesser, not even capable of commanding a caravan to relieve the troubled City of Minoc. While Chanticleer cared little of the personal dramas that plagued her, she was still his leader. And as one of her knights, it was his duty to force her into focus, no matter what measures needed to be taken. For in a world drifting rapidly towards chaos, her weakness was simply unacceptable.
