Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Mephisto]

---

Early Wednesday morn, atop his log house, Mephisto looks up from the scrolls marked “Dungeon Doom” that he has been studying all the night. Pushing himself away from his desk, he reaches up to rub the weariness from his eyes. Stifling a yawn, he packs his pipe and sits back in his chair and awaits the dawn as he has done every morning since his rescue. As the sun starts to crest the horizon, a hawk’s cry reverberates off the mountain range only a few yards to the south, echoing its urgency for miles around. A red tailed hawk glides gracefully down. “A Message from Malo?” he thinks to himself recognizing the bird used by the Guildmaster for The Legion of Honor. “What could be so important that he couldn’t just walk around the bend and tell me?” The hawk spirals downward, landing feather light on the desk in front of him. Removing the message attached to the birds leg, he unrolls it and begins to read; “The Drow have committed the foulest of deeds! Last eventide Faith, the Guildmaster for the Drow, did kidnap Angelique of the Hand of Humanis from The Gypsy's Crossroads of Life and used her to perform and evil ritual in the name of their God. Angelique lies near death and I ride to seek council with Silent Poet. Do nothing! Await my return.” Do… What was he expecting that I would do for a matter that does not concern me?” The Hand of Humanis and the Drow could be wiped off the face of Britania for all I care”. With a discontented grunt, he crumbles the small piece of parchment and tosses it aside and without giving the matter a second thought, returns to his studies.

Later that night, while preparing the tavern for its inevitable opening night, Mephisto hears the rush of wind that is associated with the opening of a magical gateway. He peers out the window to see Malo come through the open gate, face filled with fury. Rushing to meet him, Mephisto deftly ducks a chair that just barely missed his head. He turns and prepares to recite the words of power that will destroy the fool who dared to attack him in his own home. The incantation never left his lips for as his eyes searched the room for his would be attacker; he witnessed Malo tearing the tavern apart with his bare hands. “Master, what is wrong?” He managed to blurt out. “What is wrong… did you not receive my message?” Malo demanded. “Aye I did at that” Mephisto replied while righting an overturned table. “But I care more about my furniture than I do about a woman I have never met in a Guild whose politics I do not agree with.” He states as he examines a broken stool. Malo’s face lost all expression as he slowly approached Mephisto and said in a voice that nearly cracked, “Angelique was with child…” Malo could not finish the sentence and just stared down at the floorboards. After a short silence he added, “Do you still care not?” “Nay Master… I care.” Mephisto whispered in an inhuman hollowed voice. Malo looked up into his horror stricken face, “Poet has placed a 20,000 Gold price on Faiths head and I have sent messages to the Drow, naming them cowards without honor, and to declare my intent to war with them. My only reply from them was that of Faith claiming difficulties in gathering the necessary council to accept my challenge.” Mephisto turned and headed for the stairs, “Where are you going?” Malo asked. “I am going to send for my Daughter,” Came that same detached inhuman reply. “Nay lad… not yet.” “B…but Master after what th…” “I said Nay!” Malo shouted. “We are not without honor; we will not stoop to the same depths as the Drow! We will wait until Faith assembles this supposed council. Until then… no one from the Legion will lift a finger against them. Do I make myself clear?” “Aye Master… it will be as you command.”
_________________

In reality, anything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
In Sosaria, anything that does kill you makes you wiser.

[Mephisto]

---

Reaching up onto his mantle, Malo picks up the piece of parchment and begins once again to read the words written, “Malo… she comes.” No more than those simple words were needed to know that after she did come, events would be set in motion that could very well mean a long and terrible war. To think that this all began just a few short days ago, and even fewer when Malo informed Mephisto of the Drow’s response. Putting the parchment down, Malo sighs and without turning says “Good Eventide, would you like something to drink?” After a short silence, “How did you know I was here?” Malo turns to the voice and replies with a grin on his face, “You have your secrets, I have mine.” As if by some enchantment, one of the shadows at the far end of Malo’s common room detaches itself and slowly creeps toward Malo. “You sent for me Milord?” The voice asked in a whisper and without humor. “Aye, I did at that. I trust your Father has been keeping you advised on what has been transpiring between us and the Drow?” A short, barely perceptible nod was the only response. “Good, I want you to work with the others on this one. No shenanigans, I just want intelligence for now.” The ghostly figure reaches up to pull the cowl away from her face to reveal a youthful beauty that would make any mans heart pound faster. She reaches up to Malo’s face and scratches his long white beard. Smiling now, she says, “Ok, Uncle Malo, I promise to play nice.” Malo, bursting into laughter, turns to reach for his pipe, “Oh, and tell your Father…” The words fell on deaf ears, for when he turned back to her… she was gone. “Or maybe I’ll just go tell him myself.” He whispered to himself while settling into a chair to pack his pipe.
_________________

In reality, anything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
In Sosaria, anything that does kill you makes you wiser.