Ruk inhaled. "Given the circumstances, my men had no choice but to attack you. It was their hope that you would follow them to me... Apparently, you uttered the name of a Knight in the Inn, eh? Now, I'm told that the place was mostly occupied with Vasar, who could probably care less. But if one of the Monarch's spies informed on you, it could cost you your lives.

"You see," he said, "The Knights have been outlawed by the new regime. This man, your friend - Kem..."

"Kemuel, sir" added one of the men that attacked Lucas.

"Yes, Kemuel," Ruk continued, "He is being held in the palace dungeon. We have a plan in place to free the captured Knights of the Ton and... perhaps... restore the order to prominence. But we need you. It is vitally important that we have you on our side. Are you in or what?"


OOC: Seek more information if you want. Then,

Choice 1: "In"
Choice 2: "Out"

Lucas

"So you are suggesting a coup?" Lucas before turning to Exile and Leh, "You guys sure know how to have fun."

Lucas takes a sigh. "I've got one question. Is this all of us? Because I really hope this isn't because we will be waging war against an entire country if we go through this."

Ruk laughs.

"A coup? Hah! Give me more credit than that. If it was as difficult as a coup, then you four men would not be so valuable. No offense...

"No, we need you because you are foreigners. You are unknown here, so you can carry out our plan better than we can. You are to perform one task. Then, you are to flee the city. You will tell us where you intend to go and we will tell your friend Kem-Kemuel where to find you.

"The plan is as straightforward as this: you are to plant a document in the palace archives. Get in, get out, we will take care of the rest.

Of course, if you want to," Ruk says, speaking sarcastically, "you can always storm the dungeon yourself and try your hand against twenty five guards. Or... you can just go along with our plan. If you want to see your friend again, we're your only option."

"I guess we have no option since I really don't like idea of facing twenty five guards," Lucas said before rubbing his head. "I'm in."

Choice 1: In

In the shack

"Excellent!" Ruk exclaims. "What say your friends? We apologize for the way we started our... *ahem*.. partnership, but let us turn a new page here. Say, I will provide you with some more details, if you like.

"The situation is this: tonight, the Monarch will be holding a royal gala. Everyone in Hammerhall is invited, but no specific form of identification is required, so entry shall be no problem. You must attend.

"We are known as enemies of the current crown. We are also not so... slick. So our presence will only provoke suspicion. As foreigners, they are unfamiliar with your faces. You should blend right in.

"We will provide you with a document. You are free to read it, as we have nothing to hide. But I would advise against it, as it will only confuse you. Consider this your favor to us.

"You are to enter the royal archives and place it anywhere on the highest shelf. It may require one of you to climb, since the shelves are rather high.

"With the document planted, head back to... where did you say you were from again, Northbrook? Return to Northbrook with haste. Your continued presence would endanger the safety of the mission.

"We will have the Knights free from their chains in less than a week. Your friend shall be informed of your location and rendezvous with you there. We will even send a small group to escort him.

"If it helps, we will provide you with payment and a little 'deposit' to keep your minds at ease. Barren, bring out the 'deposit'!"

A barbarian steps forward and reluctantly displays two large emeralds.

"These gems," Ruk says, "are worth 200 gold each. If you men accept, you may take possession of them. One is yours to keep. We shall reclaim the other when we drop your friend off.

"So now, what say the rest of you? In or out?"

Exile stepped forward, "I am in. My skills as a thief may help, but I pray I need not use my powers over the four elements." He turned to the skeletons "Rest now my creatures." He nods to the elemental "Stone Wall, return to sleep."

Leh

"What? We're pawns now? You sure about this guys?" said Leh with a visible worry in his voice

"Leh this is probably our best chance to rescue our friend," Lucas replied. "Even though I dislike idea of being used, we have to do it."

Lucas then looks at the barbarians and asks them, "Is the Queen going to be there tonight? Just want to make sure of what is going on in there."

"We can do it." He smiles at his companions, trusting them to guard his back, and he theirs

Ruk smiles. "Perfect! Hey Barren, get this man a pint," he says, pointing to Leh. "I can tell you're a drinking man!

"Listen, this is not about 'you working for 'us', it's a trade. We have something you want, you have something we want.

"We're not going to pretend that we're perfect angels, no sir, but I do believe we saved your lives by intervening when you mentioned your friend's name at the inn. If the wrong kind of folks were there, who knows what might have happened...

"Granted, the way my man handled the situation wasn't ideal, but I do believe they did their best.

"To answer your question about the Queen, I believe you refer to the recently deposed Queen as the current monarch is a man. She will be there, in the dungeons, most likely.. you shall not see her.

"If you mean instead to refer to the King, yes, he shall be in attendance but heavily guarded. I shall advise you not to interact with him, if at all possible. This is about getting in and getting out as quickly as possible. Plant the document and return to your homeland.

Ruk describes the interior layout of the palace in detail, hands you the document and bids you good luck.

"You know everything you need to know. The gala begins shortly. I suggest you make haste."

OOC: Let me know when ready.

Quest 2/3 completed. You have learned of Kemuel's location.

Quest 3/3 commencing. Kemuel must be free.

OOC: Ready

OOC: Ready.

Zaranak or Kamelion around?
_____________________________________________________________________

Leh, Jack, Exile and Lucas arrive at the palace gates. What the barbarians told you was true, there certainly is a major event going on there tonight.

A large marble staircase leads to the ballroom. The crowd has congregated there. The guards appear to be allowing people in without much of a quarrel.

From the chatter you hear around you, you discern that this is an event to celebrate the coronation of the new King of Hammerhall. Part of you wonders why security seems so lax. After all, there have been several civil wars in the city over the years.

As you approach the stairs, you spot the King. He is heavily guarded, but seems unconcerned about his personal safety.

Ruk recommended that you pass into the ballroom first, mingle for awhile, and make your way into the palace archives when the opportunity arose to be discreet.

However, Ruk might not have realized that there was a side door that wasn't heavily guarded. If you can make your way to the side door discreetly, you might have a chance to bypass the ballroom. You would be one step closer to the palace archives, without being spotted.

However, if you are caught attempting to enter that door, you will have some explaining to do.

You determine that you have two "best bets":

1. Enter the ballroom together, and wait for the right moment. This is the most conservative option. It allows you to bide your time while you come up with a plan from the inside. On the other hand, the right moment may never present itself.

2. Give the document to someone (probably one of you with stealth) and have them attempt to enter the side door without being detected. This is a riskier option, but also presents your best chance for success.

What do you think?

"Jack, do you think you can get to the side door?" Lucas asks as he thinks about his options.

It's Christmas, so I'm betting most of you are very busy, but if you're around, please check in just so I know you're still continuing here.

Also, there is a new general discussion thread to be found . After this quest, the system will switch from skill-based to class-based for further ease. Your character remains stays pretty much the same as far as level, experience, background, etc., you just have to declare your [url=http://adventuresinvue.forumotion.com/f7-classes]class. Sorry for any confusion. :(