User:Oseng

[b]Stagenhall[/b]

Stagenhall was a a small fort protecting one of the two main approaches to the capital city of Chaodan, home to a garrison of the kingdom's Brown-Cloak soldiers, and commanded by a close personal friend of the king. It was rather unsurprising to most of the group that they were directed to gather there to join the other members of the forming rescue party.

As they arrived at the fort, apparently just some of the adventurers hired by the kingdom, they found themselves directed to a room deep in the inner keep. Some light refreshments were scattered about to allow them to break their fast, and it was not long after the last of their number arrived that they were joined by someone that they all knew.

Grey haired oldster that he was, the scarred and bulky man who entered the room and closed the door behind him looked like he could have gone toe to toe with the entire party in his younger days. Even now they sensed that he would be a dangerous and truly deadly foe, wearing chain mail and a hand a half sword with ease despite the toll that issues that his advancing age brought upon him. This was Count Toren, a hero and warleader of the kingdom who had fought the Greenskin Horde alongside the king's father.

"You all know why you are here so I'll be short about." The man said gruffly as he made his way to stand at the front of the room. "The princesses have been kidnapped and you are supposedly our "best chance" to rescue them."

He looked somewhat dismissively over the party before shaking his head and continuing onwards. Many of them got the feeling that he would have rather been in the field looking for the missing children himself.

"Regretfully the twice dammed Heradith have gotten their claws into the royal household and guard, only Kalten and Corthane know how deeply." He said with a faint snarl. "They had inside knowledge of the royal palace, authentic uniforms from the royal guard and passwords, not to mention apparent knowledge of ..... other security measures."

"Among the dead kidnappers were several royal servants and a few men who have been identified as Brown Cloaks." He continued, his disgust at the traitors clear to see. It was strange though.... the Heradith heresy was far more popular among the upper class, the people who had the time and education to study the magical arts, then the common folk. "They caught the twins while they were bathing and only lightly guarded but we think they underestimated their two female guards and their governess. Put up quite the fight before heading through a nearby servant's gate, but the guards and servants that should have been in the area were .... diverted."

"We managed to capture one of them alive and the priests and royal mage did something to make him talk before he died of his wounds." He said bluntly, which seemed to be his general nature. "That's the only reason we know that this is the Heradith and that there is someone in the upper nobility, some one of power involved in this - which is why we are turning to you lot instead of our usual resources."

"He also babbled some sort of nonsense about a sacrifice and power but by the point he was delusional." The war hero finished with a grimace. "We know that the Heradith have become active in the eastern border town of Belcrest... as one of you can explain in more detail an agent of ours managed to dig some information up before winding up dead in an alleyway."

"There are priests and warriors of Corthane who can explain the Heradith better then I can so I'll leave that to them." He said after a moment, gesturing roughly at Sir Wieland.

"News of the princesses' kidnapping has already leaked out, there is no way that the royal family could keep this a secret for long." He said as he apparently began to wrap the briefing up. "They are going to make a public announcement of it later this week, put a public bounty out, turn out the guards, the usual."

"On the other hand your group is going to be handing this more discreetly as we know we have traitors in our ranks..." He said with a dark look. "Any questions?"

OOC: Feel free to take agency and expand on this as you want, this is a basic outline.