Owain and his troop returned from their latest mission to the city of Kalaman. But even Solamnic Knights on mission had to stop at the gates to show their papers before they were allowed to enter.

But Owain didn’t have that problem. Not many were as strong as he was and most of the guards and watchmen knew him by sight. So as they arrived at the gates, the guards only needed to see his face before they waved them by.

But tonight a fellow Solamnic Knight was stationed where the gate should have been too, while most nights they only held wall duty, where they were supposed to stand guard where the wall should have been and make sure that no one got past them. So far no one had.

And while the militia guards waved Owain by, the knight called for him to stop.

“His Majesty wishes to speak with you Sir Owain,” the knight said when he stopped his horse.

Owain meets the knights words with questioning eyes as he directs his horse to stand closer before stopping.  He turns over his shoulder and waves his men to continue on ahead of him.

"Very well, I shall see his majesty at once. Can you say why I was summoned?" asks Owain with curiosity. To be summoned direcly by the king was unusual, and unexpected. Already his mind speculated on the reasons for his summoning. He was not in trouble or more than a single brother in arms would have been here to greet him. To have a fellow knight waiting at the gate for him also indicated that it was a matter of importance and likely in need of immediate attention.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:20, Wed 10 Mar 2010.

"I cannot," the knight said. "All I know is that we have been assigned to each of the five gates of the city and told to keep our eyes open for you, a white robed wizard, and a monk of Majere.”

Owain nods thoughtfully and salutes his brother knight, then urges his mount to move on. How he, a wizard and a monk could be connected is a mystery to him.  Answers were certainly to be offered once he met with his majesty so he puts his curiousity aside for the moment and ponders how he should best present himself before royalty.

Considering the current state of his ruined lands and the fact that the king had requested him personally, this was certainly a military matter rather than a matter of state. He searches his memory for military protocol when addressing a sovereign and prepares for his audience before the king.

Owain returned to Dragonword Keep with the nearly full Lunitari and Solinari that would become full five days hence illuminating the broken city. The first day of Solinari’s three day full moon cycle was the second anniversary of the king’s liberation, as he had been taken as a prisoner of war by the dragonarmies when the city was sacked. But more importantly it was also the anniversary of the return of the gods.

And as one of the godsbringers, the first cleric of Paladine in this age, His Majesty Eisen III, by the Grace of Paladine, King of Eastlund, Patriarch of Dragonword, Defender of the Covenant, Custodian of the Grove, Keeper of the Lost Tomb, Lord Clerist of the Knights of the Sword had proclaimed that there would be three days of rest from the rebuilding of the city to commemorate the gods return with a great feast.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:31, Thu 11 Mar 2010.

Deciding it was proper to be washed and attired properly before meeting with the king, and that the required time would be brief enough to be of little consequence, Owain returns to his quarters at Dragonword Keep.  After washing and dressing appropriately he sends a messenger to annouce his arrival to the king and awaits notification that the king is ready for him.

Dressed and ready, one of the Gold Guards, the King’s personal body guards, walked Sir Owain from his quarters. A duty normally left to one of the pages. The Gold Guards were all members of the Order of the Sword, all of them the King’s Own.

Another of them stood outside the door and when the door was opened and Sir Owain ushered inside, he stood there alone with the king in a small study he’d never been in before. The king himself was seated at a desk.

Owain takes a knee and bows his head respectfully before the king. "Your majesty I, Owain uth Urien, have arrived at your request."

Owain continues to kneel and awaits permission to stand.

“Rise,” the king said and paused until Owain was standing.

“There are many things of which we would like to speak with you Sir Owain.You have been a true and faithful servant. Our cause has been your cause. Whatever we have asked, you have done. Even though your own village was sacked just like our city, your mansion destroyed by the ravages of war, your lands empty, your fields untouched by the hand of men for two harvests, and your people slaughtered. Many have died in this war. There are too few farmers, craftsmen are needed everywhere, and you know how difficult it will be for you to rebuild your fief. The dragonarmies left our lands more than a year ago and yet you remain with us. And yet there is more we must ask of you.” His Majesty swallowed in a short pause.

“But none of this is why we asked you here. You know the efforts we have gone through and are going through to rebuild this beautiful city. But much still remains to be done. And more money is needed to do it. And for this we have summoned you. We know of your skill and courage. We know you would go where others would not. And this is what we ask of you now. To go to the secret places, to find that which has been hidden, and bring it back here so that it can be used to rebuild this city. To speak with those of affluence so that they too choose to donate to this glorious cause.”

“Will you continue to serve us as this city continue to need the services of all of its children?”

Owain absorbs the words of the king and is moved by the king's recognition of his many sacrifices for the good of the kingdom. He maintains his steely soldier's composure and listens intently as the king mentions secret places and the going of places others will not. His brother knights were a brave lot, could he really claim to be braver than they or was the king merely complimenting him? Owain wonders.

It was likely that this mission was the high danger sort. Owain had little left to lose compared to others after the loss of land and family. In fact the only thing remaining to him was his late brother's wife and children, whom he adored and cared for as his own. But it remained that they were not his own and he prefered to keep a degree of distance between he and they despite his adoration. His lot in life was service to the kingdom, such as what the king was proposing now, likely ending in his premature demise. He desired to spare his remaining family the pain of losing another close loved one, he desired to spare himself the pain.

"My heart belongs to this land and those call it home. A man who serves his kingdom best serves himself best." Owain pledges.

He awaits further enlightenment that was certainly to follow, setting premature questions aside for the time being.

“We are gathering some adventurers,” the king said. “We had hoped that you’d be back by the time we spoke with most of them, but that was not the case. The three we’ve spoken to so far seem to have adapted my suggestion to travel to the Lyceum first. We have informed them of what we know of this place and we suggest that you join them in that quest to help fund the rebuilding of this city of wonders.”

Owain attempts to recall what he knows about this Lyceum as he buys time for recollection with another question.  "These adventurers, I would like to know who they are and how they are known to you. Do you trust them to be forthcoming with the treasures gained? I suspect that may be playing a part in my selection to be accompanying them."

“They are men who will go where their city needs them,” the king said. “At least when they decide themselves what they keep and what is donated to the city. We hope that you will be a tempering influence on them so that as large a portion as absolutely possible will benefit the rebuilding of this pearl of the east”

“Handar is a merchant. Olven Wolf is a warrior. And Tarhall uth Veyranth is a white robed wizard of high sorcery. And Paladine pointed us in their direction. As he pointed us in yours.”

Owain balks slightly as it is made known to him that he was selected by Paladine himself for this task.  To have the attention of the king was an honor, but to be in the sight of a deity was a frigtening idea. For a mortal such as he to merit the attention of a god...

To hide his discomfort and to steady his spinning mind he changes the subject.  "I would not know less than they in regard to this Lyceum.  What infomation was shared with them?" he asks.

“Of course,” the king said smiling. “The Lyceum was some sort of wizard school before the Cataclysm, or so we understand. We went there with one of the other godsbringers, Nathan Evardson, now the Master of the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthus.”

“We gave the others a map to find the Lyceum, but we do not have another. But it is about 50 miles east of here on the other side of the Vingaard River, near the town of Turog. The doors in the Lyceum are magical, the doorknobs are shaped like hands and they will grab your hand as you try to open them, before letting go when the door is opened.”

“We met a ghost, some spectral beings, and we fought some water elementals. In one place we had to choose one of three doors to find a treasure, we chose the leftmost, but that was the wrong door.”

We found no traps, we found only one secret passage and it was behind a large statue that covered the stairs down to the basement. In the basement, we found a room with three doors and three pedestals. We couldn’t open the doors. There was a gem on each pedestal, but when we tried to take them, they just moved to another pedestal.”

“We discovered some strange hallways that were straight and curved at the same time. In that strange place we found a corridor protected by lightning, but we couldn’t find a way past it. And there may have been many things we didn’t discover in that strange place and elsewhere.”

Owain nods slowly as the king explains what is known about this Lyceum. Many questions he had, but they did not require answers from the king himself. Already the young knight was developing a course of action and a means to obtaining the answers he sought.

"Your majesty. As the kingdom is in a state of need I cannot in good conscience ask for material aid, nor do I wish to encumber you further with questions that are now primarily the responsibility of those you have entrusted with this task.  However, there is a way you can aid the kingdom, yourself and your humble servants in this endeavor that will not tax the meager resources of the kingdom. A simple license scribed upon parchment that does nothing more than legitimize our mission and bearing your royal seal will do much to facilitate our requests for aid from loyal and wealthy servants of the kingdom. Such a document could also do much to establish pecking order between my esteemed traveling companions without needless bickering or in-fighting." suggests the knight. Owain is certain the king understands a soldier's need for order and control in what was likely to be a perilous and long mission.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:12, Fri 12 Mar 2010.

“We’ll give you the legal document,” the king said. “But leadership is something the group needs to figure out on its own. We understand that bickering and infighting could be negative influences for the cohesion of the group, but they are not knights, and the strictures of a rigid chain of command may likewise be disruptive.”

“Each of you can contribute in ways the others can not. And you will need to find the balance to move things forward in the best interest of yourselves, the group, and the city.”

Owain turns a light shade of red in the face, not because he was angry but out of shame. Years of military structure, of servants at his beck and call, of men putting their lives in his hands had worked its degree of corruption on him. Pride was an ever present temptation to men of his kind. The king's advice hit Owain like a hammer. Even in his high seat of power the king had managed to keep his humility. His majesty shamed and encouraged Owain by his example, as a leader should.  Owain takes the lesson to heart.

"Your Majesty is wise. I will find a way to cooperate and contribute with the others to the best of my ability. Thank you for giving us your seal. The blessing of your word will aid us greatly in days to come." Owain bows then asks without rising, "Is there anything further my king, or may I take my leave?"

"You may take your leave," the king said. "The document will be brought to you when it is finished."

The king then informed Owain where the three others lived and he recognized that two of them lived in housing provided by the king in the city for those that not yet had a place in which to live.

Only Olven Wolf had a place of his own.

[OOC: Is Olven going to try to get together with the others this evening, or will he wait till the morning? We’ll continue this thread until you are ready to join the others in the main thread.]

Owain returns to his quarters and prepares to make good use of the time remaining this evening. He was eager to begin preparations for his journey but he wanted to know what preparations have already been made and what remains to be done. It was the time of day for a meal, a few drinks and conversation so he decides to ride out and make his traveling companion's acquaintance.

Owain pounds his fine giant spider silk arming coat free of dust outside of his window. He inspects the fine garment and finding it presentable dresses back into his familiar garb, glad to be free of the restrictive and uncomfortable court wear. His traveling gear had served him well through the years and were the last articles of wealth remaining to him. He strokes the elven mail hanging on its armor stand fondly before unfastening a crudely decorated and colorful horseshoe from its straps. He attaches the bauble to his belt and hangs his sword and dagger from his hip.

He rummages through his belongings and extracts a pouch of coins. A generous introduction of food and drink might help make a good impression on his fellows after all. He adds the pouch to his belt as he exits his room and makes his way to the stables.

OOC: Owain will attempt to find and meet with the others on horseback, to save time.

While Owain finished his preparations, one of the Gold Guards arrived at his quarters with the document Owain had asked for. The knight then headed to the warrior’s home on horseback, figuring that if they wanted to plan in private, it would be the best location.

As Owain made his way through the tenement, he ran into five men, one of them holding a baby boy, the swaddling clothes around his bottom stained red, seemingly by blood, but the kid seemed unharmed.

Two of the men were watchmen, so some crime obviously had taken place here and when Owain noted the red footprint stains that led out of one of the apartments, whose door was wide open, the location of said crime seemed obvious.

The other three men were likely the three the king had spoken of as one of them was dressed in the white robes of a wizard.

[OOC: This thred is closed. Feel free to post in the main thread.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:35, Fri 12 Mar 2010.