Freyd

What loot and pillage the brigands had already taken was stockpiled loosely in the space. There was enough to provide cover, but still sufficient gaps to swing a wide arc with his blade, when the time came. "Not a bad balance, given the likelihood of more trouble." As if bidden, another dozen thugs spilled from their hiding places to encircle him, hoping to blindside a solitary fighter. They had no way to know the depth of his vision, nor house their very presence armed him with options. A flick of his wrist sent their shadows flying away from him to engulf the lanterns scattered

Clearing out all remaining resistance from the outskirts, he knew that Cedrig's best warriors would be kept close. The man was a coward, based on everything revealed to date; a small and petty man paying others to do what he could or would not do himself. None of those assumptions were guaranteed, but the picture had been painted clearly. It just meant mopping up a bigger mess before getting to the core of the problem. Wading through a failed ambush at one of the warehouse entrances, the Whisper feigned being one of their own then turned on his would-be assailants from behind. His arm

Returning to Cedrig's not-so-discreet warehouse, Freyd charged from the shadows to decimate the main guard presence at the door. Drawing the others out, rather than getting swarmed inside a cage, seemed like the better plan. Dragging the battle out just long enough to let the alarm be raised, he retreated to favourable terrain and waited for the enemy to come to him. It didn't take long. "Your predictable compliance is appreciated. Please accept this complimentary sword slash as your reward." The quizzical expression on the mob's face was precious. "Don't worry, lads. I brou

"No. Probably not. Unless he's a very precautious twelve-year-old, or something." "He is not, though he may sometimes act like one. I'd Elgar, by the way. Thank you, on behalf of my house. We might have been decimated without your timely intervention. Rest assured that you'll be well-rewarded for your troubles." Freyd nodded, absentmindedly, checking on the petal count in his inventory, preferring not to have to explain why. The NPC would not have understood, leaving that awkward hanging gulch that occasionally developed in the AI processors when the system was reminded that

Allowing himself a brief detour to explore the local festivities confirmed that the chaos hadn't quite reached them yet. Whatever kerfuffles had been set off were still limited to dark alleys, seedy bars and other places of ill repute. Finding the contact the merchant in Ronbaru had described to him, he filled the rather startled man on the plot against him and his family. "Seems like you have some bad blood in the lineage," he began. Mention of Cedrig quickly connected the dots. "I can't say I'm surprised. The man's always had more ambition and money than brains. I just never t

Ordsea's criminal underbelly was already popping Pepto before he even got close, panic setting in as the locals fretted that others were coming to steal their turf. By the time Freyd actually entered the City, the guard were in a tizzy, wondering what could possibly have set the streets afire. "They say some big crime boss is moving in. Some sort of hostile takeover thing? Sounds like we might have a nasty turf war heading out way." "Not great with the festival going on," replied his partner, as he waved a normal-looking Freyd through the gates. It seemed his mischief might have g

By the end of the afternoon, the original mob had been whittled down to stragglers. Groups were turned into solitary survivors, left to find their way back to Lichten in disarray. When the last of the ambush group had been dealt with, Freyd interrogated the rest and found his way to a nearby barn that had been used as a staging area. The lot inside had a few more brains, which were quickly scattered into the stalls to keep the mess in check. Tongues loosened considerably towards the end, several mentioning the name Cedrig, and associating it with a particular emblem he's already spotted ar

Racing through the woods, full bore, another gaggle broke the tree line and cut through a low, narrow gorge cut through the countryside by a shallow creek. Their hopes of escape were soon dashed when they realized how they'd funneled themselves into a route with no escapes. Rounding a bend, they met Freyd's blade, his judgment delivered without hesitation or regret. He was alone, and while a few stragglers would be permitted, today was meant to sent a message to the local underworld. One our of every ten would be allowed to live. "You know who I am, yes?" Truth's tip danced a fraction

"You two stay right there where I can see you. Not another step or we'll cut you down!" Madness swirled about the edges of the speaker's eyes, his three companions just as unhinged and tainted by desperation. "Geoffrin, it's me: Karl. Come on. We can't stay here. If we make a break for Ordsea now, the rest can serve as dec..." Karl's head chose an early departure, but left the rest of him behind. Having resumed the guise of the hooded black samurai, his face concealed by a shroud of roiling shadows, Freyd stood there a moment to let the mobs ponder their fates. The black sword in

Another group gathered in a glade, brandishing weapons in an outward circle like some rag-tag tortoise formation. "Can you see where he went? Is it just the one? Oh, gods... what the hell is happening?" Every creaking branch and snapping twig, every pained cry in the distance became a source of panic rising in their throats, wondering from which direction death would come. Too late, they discovered it already in their midst. Shifting appearances once more, Freyd turned from ally into foe before their eyes. Nowhere was safe. No one to be trusted. He let two live and flee, so th

Dashing for the treeline wouldn't help them. The paths through shadow traveled by the Whisper knew no true distance. He could overtake them with little effort, springing at them from behind boughs and trunks alike. Nowhere was safe, no shelter deep or dark enough to hide in. Batman would have been proud, if he was a villain. Freyd wasn't exactly proud of all this. Diwali hardly proved a proper backdrop for this sort of thing, and at least some of these men likely had families. Poor life choices indeed. With rumours swirling about dark influences spreading in the corners and recesse

Just for kicks, the darker side of his sense of humour taking over, Freyd allowed his disguise to slip a few times. But rather than his normal guise, he deliberately revealed the face of the merchant who'd put him up to this in the first place. Well... kinda. He'd done most of the talking, and scheming, and pretty much everything else. But she'd been super-grateful, and that was something. Darting into one of the few remaining groups still flailing about to organize, a whirling slice cut most of them down at the knees. So many bursts of light were pulsing about the melee that it was

"Form ranks!" At least one had some sense, and probably a smidgen of military experience in his background. He had the look of Braso about him, and had likely joined this crowd as a result of poor life choice. A deft cut and cleave ensured that wouldn't be a problem for him any longer as his head sailed past his fellows. Not great for their morale. But they'd have bigger problems in a moment. "It's the Faceless Lord! Oh shit, we're completely fu.... arrrrgh..." Freyd grinned from the depths of his cowl, that ever-present persona having been held in reserve for months, just wait

Chaos erupted. These weren't true soldiers, but merely street thugs and hooligans enlisted by the prospect of cheap coin and no risk. Their numbers had made them brave, and those were already winnowing downward at an alarming rate. Seizing advantage in the form of sheer boldness and lethality, the Whisper's cowl found itself back in place as he carved a bloody path through the startled throng still struggling to comprehend precisely what was happening. "Ey? Wot? Man said this was an easy job. Wut's dis about then?" "Get the blighter! On me boys, we'll... Aarrggghhh..." "'

It didn't take much convincing to get the merchant to reveal her standard routes, especially after Freyd reminded her that she should be changing them anyway. The dozens of men now surrounding him outside of Ronboru were clearly not asking for his catalog. Stepping down from his decoy wagon confirmed that her suspicions had been correct, though the level of effort on display seemed a tad excessive for a single cart. "Uh... guys? Doesn't all this seem like a bit much for a single little old lady?" Judging by the gruff chuckling, baring of blades and gaping grins, they probably concurr

"I will not be blackmailed just to do business in my own city! Now get yourselves out of here and let good people be!" The highly agitated merchant dressed in southern garb wilted the gaggle of men gathered around her, each of them at least a hand's length taller than her, and burlier by far. Her sheer audacity at drawing attention to their bluster attracted unwanted that such ruffian tactics are rarely able to withstand. Freyd happened to be wandering near enough to overhear the exchange. "Trouble in Ordsea's paradise?" "Heh. You might say that. Those goons were sent by m

Something about Ordsea gave Freyd the creeps, like the entire region carried a palpable veneer of benevolence it hadn't earned and didn't deserve. Sure, the various churches and academies were all impressive, but they felt pompous and arrogant in their decor. Maybe it was just his father's preference for sterile modern aesthetic being channeled through unpurgeable indoctrination, but his spy-dey senses were tingling just as strongly. There were threats here, sinister and insidious. The type that would smile at you while their agents lined up their custom order daggers to stab you with the g

"What happened to you guys last night?" Freyd had spent most of the night by the fire, swapping stories with the Braso Bros, unexpectedly finding them a friendlier bunch than their reputation had suggested. Foyle was still looking pretty rough in the morning, leading them all to speculate that his marriage fever dream might have involved post-nuptual celebrations. No official records had been filed, no ring or other bindings found, suggesting he might have gotten lucky, in every way. "Just be grateful you didn't break any bones. Those ladies had more meat on their bones than half the

At first glance, Torgok itself might have been a bandit camp. Braso's polar welcome already left much to be desired, including the freak and sporadic blizzards that ended as suddenly as they began, often with a bonus cold snap to freeze any potentially lingering moisture. Combined with the ever-present, ambient winter's dark, it made for quite the cozy hellhole. "People actually live here by choice? It makes Snowfrost look like a summer paradise." What might have otherwise elicited a chuckle barely garnered a shivering clatter of teeth from his traveling companions. "Wow. To

"Isn't this a bit of an obscure route, going from the far east to the western edge of the floor? We'll be passing back through Ronbaru along the way, I thought we'd be heading to Ordsea next." Foyle and the wagon master had other plans, preferring to alter their plans for the sake of breaking predictability. It was a good idea, though proved to be for naught, another band of brazen bandits spawning up ahead to bar their way. It was the first time Freyd heard the old man curse. "Don't feel too bad. At this point, I'm wondering whether this quest simply summons them after a fixed

"What? You've been giving me that sideways glance since we dealt with the goons at the border. What's the problem?" Ren had been dour since he'd picked the fight. "Was there truly a need for that? Could we not have actually bothered to try?" "What makes you feel we didn't?" Already unloading their next set of good from Ronbaru, Freyd was more intrigued by the wares and decor of Yvlon, having a greater sense of industrial quality about it. Even the white haired smith struggled not to be distracted by it. "Did you even notice the dozen archers waiting on the ridge, befor

Ushering the caravan out of Dagan and towards its next destination, Freyd took the lead with Foyle at his side, scouring the countryside for the inevitable trouble to follow. "Is it the same group?" Loosening his blade in its sheath, he readied to be called upon for any mayhem to follow. "Doesn't look like it. Their dress is regional, and likely linked to some of the abandoned mines we spotted earlier. I see picks and pikes. Their weapons look more akin to tools." Crouching atop a nearby rise, Foyle's trim white hair gave him an air like some bird of prey in search of its next

All four players in the escort were readily surprised by the enthusiasm of Vesh's welcome. Garlands full of yellow flowers shimmering with a pleasant bioluminescent glow were strewn over their shoulders, the farming community modest, often dour dwellings having been spruced up with the same. Every street glowed with runway lights dangling from eaves, posts and whatever else they'd had to cobble together to make an unbroken chain from one end of town to the other. Nodding in muted appreciation, Freyd busied himself with unloading their cargo, leaving it to the wagon hands to celebrate wi

"I'm not sure if I hate or admire that you were right, Jeeves." Charging forward, Freyd turned the tables on their ambushers and decimated their front ranks with a single wide swipe that sprayed their avatars all over the terraced landscape. Thanks to Foyle's keen reading of the hillside, they'd been able to bypass the first two groups completely and catch the brigands' main force from behind. "The sheer amount of noise this bloody armor makes is definitely on the hate list, though. And it chafes like crazy." Turning to face their remaining foes, Freyd paused and held his ground to gi

"Seriously? You want us for a standard escort and trade route patrol?" Freyd eyed the attendant like he'd just requested a flight of next-gen stealth fighters to escort a courier pigeon. "Are you sure? This seems more like a thing for local security." Jeeves was already plotting their most efficient route, complete with risk-reward analysis. Foyle was speaking with the caravan master about cargo and logistics, examining their gear for optimal travel speed and defensive potential. Ren was staring at the nearby statues, attempting to translate its completely irrelevant engravings. Nerd.