[CRP] A Wayward Son Returns

This is where the Kingdom of Fenia's main Inn is.

Moderator: Community Team

Post Reply
Bhenithius

[CRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

The high walls of Imperius gleamed a rosy gold in the pale, soft light of the awakening morning as Bhenithius Agesarian lay amongst the cover of tall wild grasses along the the forest edge, the chest of his woolen turnic and front of his doeskin trousers rested damp from dew against his body as he watched the city gates with the keen interest of a paid agent. Yet he was no agent, paid or otherwise. He was a wayward son, returning to his family after almost a year of becoming a man in the lands of the far east. Yesterday he had been unsure of what it was he would be returning to, but after the events of last night, he was even more uncertain than before.

The previous evening....

Bhenithius approached the wayfarers tavern deep in the mysterious, and some might say Mystical forests of The Mysts, and none too certain of the current political situation within the lands of Secfenia he avoided the small crowd of drunken men mingling outside the front entrance and slinked around back to enter through the rear.

Walking his way casually through the kitchens to the surprise of a scullery maid, Bhenithius found the tavern's common room and seated himself at the bar, well away from the only other guests; a couple of women, chattering amongst themselves like women do.

The first woman, finely dressed in the regalia of a lady of nobility and means clapped her hands. "I'm glad Evan got Sebastian's costume. We are switching roles at the costume party! I'm going to be a vampire, and he is going to be a princess." She giggles, and turned her head to the bar to wave towards Bhenithius. "Greetings"

While trying to avert his gaze from the first, he failed to notice the second woman appear across from him at the bar as she leaned forward to say, "I don't think we've met."

Bhenithius jumped, startled by the surprise, and replied to the woman across from him,"I have been away in the east for some time, ma'am. Returning home after a nearly a year."

The noblewoman on the couch tilted her head curiously in his direction and asked, "What was it like East?"

Bhenithius shrugged, uncertain of what to say. Too much of his time in the east had been spent running from jungle beasts and avoiding pigmy tribesmen wanting to shrink and stuff his head for the purposes of their primitive majicks. "... very... eastern... ma'am..." he replied to the woman, then taking in her fine appearance, corrects himself, "err.. Milady.."

The second woman nodded, "You'll have to regale us all with tales of your adventures, sir. My name is Aida, by the way. Aida of Fenia, just that."

The noblewoman chuckled, "What is your name? My name is Ambra."

The Countess Ambrosia.. he knew the name well if never having met the Imperius noblewoman in person. His humble family had been in service of the Imperius noble houses for generations, including that of the Countess' great House.

"I am Bhen," he replied honestly, but purposely left out his family name, not that he suspected such a name would warrant any troubles, but after a year in The East he had learned well to give little away to strangers. "Uhm.. What news of Fenia and Imperius?"

The woman who had introduced herself as Aida answered first. "Things are a little, unruly here. Literally unruly actually, seeing as someone has taken the crown illegally and is ruling in King Zuan's place."

The Countess Ambra nodded to Aida, "Politics are crushing us."

Bhenithius nodded gravely and risked another question. It has been almost a year since he'd heard word from home. "And.. the Agesarian family? Are they well?"

The woman named Aida shrugged. " There are families who have left recently, but I wouldn't know any of their names."

I must find out.. Benithius nodded appreciatively. "Thank you both." I hope my family is well. Perhaps he had been abroad too long. Things in his homeland seemed to be declining.

At the mention of the Agesarian name, the Countess Ambra looked in his direction with the look of musing in her eyes but remained silent on the matter.

"I'm sure they're fine," Aida spoke up, as if feeling the need for positivity, "Lots of people went to the woods when Michael revolted, or they converged on the roads. I passed lots of tents and shelters when I was returning. Perhaps you could ask some of the refugees....

Oh, he eventually found those refugees spoken of after taking his leave of The Mysts and carried on home; Long swathes of roadside covered with makeshift tents of scavanged canvas, dirty children with swollen bellies and open mouths with empty hands oustretched, bony cows with sagging if dried udders. Bhen had even spotted the body of an emaciated old man laying striped and naked in a ditch half filled with human waste.

It was all so much to take in. Last Bhenithius had been in his native land of Fenia the King had been Zuan. A War to the reconquer the rebellious Kienese separatists was seemingly imminent.

Now his kingdom and city of birth seemed to be on the brink. The brink of what? he didn't know, but he had to find out.... and most importantly, he had to find his family and make sure they were safe.

OOC: Permissions given by Ambra and Aida to use tavern conversation in this rp
Last edited by Bhenithius on Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bhenithius

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

From his place of cover Bhenithius could see that the city gates of Imperius were manned by guards but still open. A queue of wagons, carts and pedestrians were linning up in front awaiting their turns to pass into the city. Word of civil turmoil within the kingdom aside, the city of imperius still appeared to be accepting traffic on this day. Thank the Gods... Bhenithius sighed in relief. Getting up from the wet grass Bhenithius grabbed his bag and started towards the city and the queue.

As he neared the end of the line of traffic the voice of one of the City Guards could be heard above the idle chatter of peasants. "Have yer papers in hand! Have yer papers in hand!" Papers? Bhenithius gripped silently, none too pleased at hearing the guard's demand. He had no such papers.

When it was finally his turn, Bhenithius stepped forward to the waiting guardsman who demanded with a scowl, "State yer purpose in Imperius, an where are yer papers, boy?"

"Papers? I uh, there were no need of papers when I left the city last. I am returning home to my family after some time away." Bhenithius replied truthfully.

The guard cocked his head to the side suspiciously and questioned, "Family, eh? Which family is this?"

"Agesarian, sir"

The guardsman eyed him for a long moment before waving him through. "Be shure yer not gettin into trouble, boy."

With a greatful nod Bhenithius entered the city of Imperius with his bag over his shoulder and sought out his home.

The stone tallhouse of the Agesarian family stood high and narrow amongst a row of other tallhouses. The home Bhenithius had been born in. Walking up to the front door Bhenithius rapped loudly but found no answer and eventually decided to pull on bronze hand ring and found the door unbarred. He slowly opened a space wide enough to peer his head in and called out, "Hullo??" Just inside the entry way was empty, cold and silent where dried leaf debris lay scattered over the stone tiles. "Father? Mother?... anybody?"
Bhenithius

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

The air inside was cold and stale, as if the the stone walls of the Agesarian Tallhouse had been empty of life for some time. Dropping his bag on the dusty and leaf littered floor, Bhenithius called out again, his voice echoing through the empty halls of the home. "Hullo?.."

A clatter of ceramic sounded from somewhere deeper within. "Who's there?!" he demanded, trying to keep the wariness from his tone. There was no immediate reply, nor any sound at all for a long moment, and he thought that maybe he had heard something which hadn't been there. But then the patter of light footsteps sounded through the corridors and the form of a woman appeared at the end of the hall from the direction of the kitchens, carrying a tall stack of fine plates.

Bhenithius shot a finger down the corridor at the women, "You! Wait!" The woman dropped the stack of ceramic plates which shattered into a shower of brittle shards upon the tiles floor as she fled away in a blur of speed like a startled deer.

Damnation! Bhenithius cursed silently as she dashed off after her up the corridor, his boots crunched noisely over the broken plates as he passed over them. She was making her way towards the back door which led to a small rear courtyard, but after a year of running from the pygmy tribes of The Far East, Bhenithius was no tortoise, and he was quickly able to reach out and snag the woman by the arm.

The young woman fought against his steel grip and pleaded in a frieghtened manner, "Release me! Let go!"

Bhenithius yanked roughly at her attempts to flee. He had no intention of letting her go before he got some answers. "What happened here, tell me!"

The woman looked around wildly before answering, "What?... I can't. It shouldn't be talked of!"

Bhenithius pressed on with his questioning, "Where are the Agesarians?! What happened??"

"Please, i'm sorry, but I cannot answer your questions! Now let me be!"

"No... you're going to---" he wasn't able to finish his sentence before a surge of electricity passed into his body through his hold on her wrist and the next thing he knew, he was being hurled back through the air as he cursed his stupidity... WITCH... and landed hard upon the floor, his world a daze of blurrs and ringing noises.

He fumbled feebily unable to sense his surroundings properly. "I am sorry..." a voice said, distorted by the ringing within his skull. "... seek the Countess Ambrosia for your answers.... but I warn you, you will not like what you hear..."

As the woman's voice trailed off, his world fell to black..
Bhenithius

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

The following Blue is meant to be a memory event

"You Will marry her and you Will plant your seed in her and breed." Bhenithius' father stated brusquely.

In a dejected tone, Bhen replied, "I don't even know her, father!!"

"What is there to know? She is a woman of pure human blood and of a respectable Imperiun family." his father answered matter of factly, as if those were the only important factors.

"I'd rather marry someone I loved.."

His father's expression turned to one of incredulousity, "Love?... Love??... what in the heavens does Love have to do with marriage? You will either learn to love her in time, or you'll learn to equiess about her and reserve your love for your paid harlots. The fact remains, this marriage pact was made years ago and now that she has matured adequately the time is right." Stroking his thick and greying beard, his father added, "You're long past due.... If anything, we should have married you off sooner, and perhaps your perverse affliction could have been twarted..." the disgust in his father's baratone voice was palpable..


His eyes opened with a start. All the world was on its side. His one cheek felt bitterly chilled. What happened... he thought as he tried to regain his senses. He lay sprawled on the stone tiles of the corridor. The corridor he had caught the women... the witch...

It took a minute for him to get to his feet, but once he did he started searching the house for others, but it was quite lifeless now. Although the tallhouse had been throughly looted of anything remotely carriable, several rooms still housed large pieces of furniture, likely too heavy and conspicuious to purloin.

Bhenithius' room had been on the third of the four storied house. Inside his bed remained, if naked of mattress or bedding, a solid wood desk without an accompanying chair sat next to a large wardrobe. Inside he found the wardrobe empty of his clothes. He had to wonder whether the removal of his things had been the doing of looters or if it had been done by his parents before that. He had never married that women his father had wanted. Instead he had fled his family, fled his city, fled the kingdom for the far east.

Deciding there was nothing else to do here and unable to find any sets of keys lingering around, Bhenithius sealed both front and rear doors with their iron bars and made his exit through a window which he made sure to close afterwards. He wasn't sure when he might return, but he hoped to put an end to the looting of his family's property.

The Countess Ambrosia was the only lead Bhenithius had been given. She was his best hope in finding some answers, but he had his doubts. The Countess had been there in the tavern in the mysts upon Bhen's return to the kingdom. He had asked about his family then and she had remained quiet. The worry could almost make you feel ill.

Leaving the same city gates of which he had entered, Bhenithius, with his leather rucksack, set out towards the west. The walk to Fenia City would be a long one without a horse and Bhen grumbled over his lack of coins or he might have bought one to give his feet a rest, but there was little else he could do but walk.
Bhenithius

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

The next day

Reaching the top of the ridge Bhenithius let out a breath of astoundment at the sight he beheld; masses of tents lay scattered about the walls of the city, clusters of armed men, women and creatures sat or stood huddled around the warmth of cooking fires. Banners of the royal family of winterborne and their allies flapped noisily in the afternoon wind. It had taken nearly a whole day of hard walking to reach here, but he had finally arrived at Fenia City and was hopefully a step closer to finding some answers he desperately needed.

Ahead an armoured horseman, wielding a long upright pike, trotted up the road towards him. The man's eyes were cautious but non threatening. Bhenithius was no threat. His clothes were little more than rags and he had no weapons, just his rucksack. "Halt! State your business," the horseman ordered.

Bhen stopped on the road where he stood and declared, "I am Bhenithius Agesarian, of Imperius. I have come seeking the Countess Ambrosia. My family are retainers to her household, and I am searching for them."

The horseman eyed him in silence for a moment, then started reining his steed around back towards the camps saying, "Move along then, and be sure to stay out of trouble."

Bhenithius started down the ridge towards the City of Fenia and the tents and fires of the winterborne encampment in search of the Countess.
Aida

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Aida »

Aida crouched stealthily in the mud, putting one foot delicately in front of the other to lessen the loud squelching. Her prey was just ahead, quietly going through the purse that had been stolen from her and counting the coins in its' hand. She pounced.

"OUCH! GEROFF!"

Aida yelped as they both fell straight down in the mud togeher, the young theif scrabbling to pick up the coins that were now scattered all over the churned up ground. It was too late though, she had him by the ear, whimpering as she gathered up what she could. Other refugees and travellers were beginning to take notice, but at the site of the muddy, furious Aida they thought the better of it and quietly went about their business.

"Ow, ow, ow!" The young lad whined.

"Yeah? Well that's what you get for theiving! That was my potato money, you little horror."

She gave a grimace and picked up the rest of the coins carefully, still pinching the lads ear. In the distance a figure caught her eye. She was sure she recognised him, whereever was it from? Whether or not they would recognise her, under a layer of mud, remained to be seen.

"Bhen! Bhenithius, correct? Do you remember me? What are you doing here? There's a war, you know. Not to mention a lot of theives" - she paused to pinch his ear a bit harder - "around the place."
Bhenithius

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

The air was filled with the smell of roasting meats, unwashed bodies, horse dung and heady ale. It was an odd sensation to have ones stomach both teased and turned at the same time. He hadn't much to eat but some dried venison jerky left over from his long journey to return to Fenia, and if truth be told, his jaw was mighty tired from all the tough chewing. He wondered if one could buy a meal from one of the cookfire leaders, or if he would have to find his supper elsewhere.

As he scanned the camp, he caught the end of a scuffle between a couple rolling around in the mud, and didn't move to help. In these sorts of camps men often found themselves in drunken spats with one another; fighting over food, fighting over ale, fighting over dice, and fighting over women. It was wiser to just let such things be. The smaller of the two eventually seemed to be the victor, shouting after the other such things like Thief and Horror, and it was then that Bhenithius noticed that the victor was not a man at all, but a woman.

She turned her qaze to him with her face half obcured by mud and his heart swelled.... and as her mouth moved in speech to him, he could hear none of it...

"Sessana?!?" Bhenithius shouted, a tone of elation filling his voice as he dropped his rucksack and sprinted towards her, yet it was no more than a momentary trick of the mind. The woman's mud spattered face that had seemed so much like his middle sister, Sessana, melted away and was replaced by the face of another. Yet this one too was one he had seen before, and recently at that.

He halted his sprint and reach to scratch behind his head and said, "Uhh... from the tavern in the Mysts, right?? A couple days ago? You were with the Countess Ambrosia?" The young woman was one of the first people he had met upon returning to Fenia. "Eda? Eda, right?" Taking in her mud soaked and tossled appearance, Bhenithius asked, "Are you alright?"

He looked over his shoulder back towards the camp, "The Countess. Do you know where I can find her?"
Aida

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Aida »

She smiled as he rushed forward, thinking perhaps he did so a little too enthusiastically for someone she had only met once. Aida didn't catch the words he shouted, but tilted her head to the side in puzzlement when he stopped suddenly and scratched the back of his head.

"Eda?" She grinned suddenly, wiping her face of the mud. "Yeah, close enough."

She nodded at the mention of the Countess, "Princess Ambra? I know she's here, although I'm not sure where she is right at this moment. I only just arrived myself."

Aida turned to the lad she had apprehended and pressed a coin into his palm, "Here, you can half half what's in this purse if you return with knowledge of Princess Ambra's whereabouts, and then take us to that place. Understand."

He nodded, rubbing his ear, before he sped off towards the castle gates, expertly inserting himself into a crowd already approved by the guards. She turned to Bhen.

"It's Aida, by the way. Were you the one searching for your family? Any luck yet?" She gestured to the roads with a heavy-hearted sigh, "As you can see, things are pretty hectic around here."
Bhenithius

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Bhenithius »

Bhenithius watched the dirty man run off towards the city gates on his mission. He was skeptical that the man would return. To expect honest work from a thief was not something Bhenithius had ever thought to go hand in hand.

"No.." Bhen replied downtroddin to Aida's inqury on his search for his family. "I returned to Imperius the morning after I met you in The Mysts. I wasn't expecting a warm welcome, but I was at least expecting a home with people in it." He turn and went to retrieve his rucksack from where he had dropped it and continued, "The house was empty. Not just of my family, but it look like it had been looted too, and I even caught a woman in it in the midst of trying to make out with a stack of plates. I can't remember, but i think she might have been one of our maids." The last bit seemed obsured to him though. That woman had been a witch. His wrist still ached from the surge of defensive energy she let loose on him. But his father would never had hired a witch if he had known. The Witch is a deceitful creature... vile with their wantoness... and self serving in their use of their unnatural powers... his father's gruff voice echoed in memory..

"Now i've come here in search of the Countess Ambrosia. Both my father and brother had been retainers in her household. She must know something... anything.."
Aida

Re: [IRP] A Wayward Son Returns

Post by Aida »

Aida gave Bhen a sympathetic look as she gestured towards the city gates, "Well, they're giving people some trouble getting in and out of the city right now. Overzealous guards and all that, but I think I can get us in without too much trouble." She squelched towards the guard, who was arguing with an old woman carrying a basket of eggs.

"I don't care how many practical uses there are for eggs! No-one's in and out without good reason. How do I know those eggs aren't for one of our most noble lords 'n' ladies, eh?" He turned to Aida, "What do you want?"

She rummaged in her dirty bodice for the mayor's letter and then groaned, looking back towards the muddy pit she had apprehended her theif in. The letter must have fallen out and gotten trampled, there was no use searching for it now. She straightened up and did her best not to sound as bad as she looked.

"I'm Fenia City trade co-ordinator! Let me and my companion pass, at once. Please."

"Yeah, and I'm King Michael hisself. Get on with yourself, and your friend too. No rabble allowed in the city at this time."

Aida turned to Bhen and shrugged helplessly.

"Any ideas?"
Post Reply