The Castle

[Talon]

Deep within the frozen wasteland of the far northern reaches of Salvar, amidst never ending snowstorms and blizzards, sat a prominent stone fortress, covered from top to bottom in ice. Once a mighty symbol of power in some long forgotten rulers conquest, it is now a vague memory in the back of people's minds. Which is the exact reason why it was the perfect haunt for the Assassin's Guild.

Talon stood high above the meager supply of inhabitants within the guild, up in his tower which was situated in the exact center of the fortress. It was said to be the most fortified location of the entire building, which was the exact reason why he had chosen it for his home. If he were to command a group as powerful as the Assassin's Guild, he would have to be safe. It would do him no good to be killed.

Draping his black fur cloak around his body and head, he exited in the room and began the long and tedious journey down the stairs. He could have Shadowmelded his way down much more quickly, but he needed to keep in shape and on his toes. His ability to sink into shadows and emerge elsewhere would do him little good if the rest of his body was lax in its upkeep.

Everyday more and more people came to the Castle. The Assassin's Guild was growing, as more and more of his invitees came to join his side. It had not taken much effort to break into the Radasanth Guard's records room and steal all of their information about various assassins and mercenaries from across Althanas. Then it was a simple task of sending messages to each of the most prominent to join the Guild.

Indeed, at the moment he was forced to work beneath the watchful eye of Deimis as well as the watchful eye of Trakos kar' Atron, their notorious leader. Still, he would be no puppet. He would accept their aid and their money for as long as necessary before becoming independent of their rule and spreading out on their own. It would be no simple task, yet it would be done.

Talon stepped out into the snow covered streets of the central area of the Castle. Few were out in the freezing weather, many were enjoying the fine beverages from within the newly built taverns scattered across town. This assassin would have none of that, not yet at least. He would have to see to the newest recruits, all of which were being directed to a single tavern near the entrance to the fortress.

The guards of the fortress were expert marksmen and hand selected to be loyal to only him. They were being paid well enough that they ought to be loyal, by Deimis' money of course. Still, they would make sure that there were no strays until they were certified by him.

Entering the tavern, he found half-a-dozen souls within, the smallest group to join yet. Removing his hood, he strode to the front of the room and requested their attention. "Fellow assassins and mercenaries. I welcome you to the Castle and the Assassin's Guild. Enjoy your drinks and speak freely among one another, I will be here to answer questions as well. In a bit, we will begin the joining process.

((Closed to the Assassin's Guild. To join, visit the link in my signature.))

[Komosatuo]

The ninja sniffed then sneezed so violently that he was nearly thrown from his chair. The cold weather had done a number on his equilibrium, his body feeling as though he had been stuffed full of wool. He moved awkwardly, almost stiffly and he paused for a moment to inhale the warm, sweet scents of the medicated drink he had, had brought to him. He could tell that this lingering bout of sickness would only be temporary, he hadn't gotten used to the cold, that was all.

This is what comes of being from a warm climate.

He sneezed again, this time a little less violent and hacked a few coughs out of his chest, doubling over in the process. Curse this cold.

Just then a man strode into the tavern in which the ninja was situated, announcing his presense as the beginning the recruitment process. The ninja absently pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the crumpled piece of paper there, the memorized words running through his mind. He coughed again and stood, holding his drink loosely in one hand. His walk was a little watery, like he had drunk just a little too much the night before, but any man with eyes to see such things, would know that he was simply just not quite in the bloom of health that he should be. He made his way carefully towards the man, just in case, and presented himself squarely in front of him.

"Your cloak, where can I get one?" He sniffed loudly, almost on the point of sneezing, but settled instead with a muffled cough behind a clenched fist. He sniffed again, more loudly this time, and waited for a response.

[Talon]

Talion chuckled at the poor sight in front of him, his violent sneezing. He patted him on the back and motioned him to the bar. Glancing once at the bartender, a mug of his favorite rum was set before him and he took a deep drink, taking in the warmth it provided. Another glass was set in front of the other man, filled with a warm broth.

"There is a tailor a little ways within the Castle, they have excellent furs and cloaks and I am sure they will set you up with a something warm. You don't appear to be too prepared for the intense climate here in Salvar. To tell you the truth, neither was I the first time I came to this barren lands. I've grown to like it though. Salvar is honest, no frills to hide the truth behind. This place proves to all that life is tough and that no matter how hard you try, sometimes you will fail, and fail miserably."

He stared straight forward as he spoke, his thoughts journeying far away, to a small village in Corone. To a friend that he lost forever and a love that was gone as well. His emerald eyes lost focus for a moment before returning to reality. He smiled once at the other man.

"My name is Talon. You will also know me as the Hand. Assassin by trade, as are most of the people here. Even this bartender has murdered five people while they slept." The bartender smirked as he dried a mug that he had just washed. "Still, just because someone is an assassin doesn't make them untrustworthy. After all, we only kill for money. Plus, this place is safe. No assassin would dare work within these walls, the others would rise up and he would be dead before he spoke another word." He finished his mug and looked over to whom he spoke. "So, who might you be?"

[Komosatuo]

The ninja smiled and let himself be led to the bar. He let the man speak while he sat silent, listening to his words but not really hearing them. Oh he heard, the tailor and the mans name, but he stopped paying attention after that. All he was concerned with now, was the still warm and full mug of medicated ale in his hands.

Pulling down his head scarf, just enough reveal his mouth and the sickly pale flesh that was his face, he quickly downed the drink before pulling the scarf back up over his mouth and nose. His eyes glittered a pale gray as they caught the light of the near by lamps and he inhaled sharply. The ale had just hit his stomach and he could already feel the medicine taking effect. His nose cleared up and he suddenly felt right as rain.

His ears perked when the man once more addressed him, with a question as to who he was. Only fair I tell him my life story, seeing as he babbled his to me.

"I am called, in my own tongue, Kiomatosa. You may address me as Kio though, if you find the pronunciation too difficult." He sniffed and rubbed his nose through his scarf with a free hand. "I must apologize for my appearance, I hail from the forests of Concordia, where the weather is, much, milder, than this here."

He nodded then smiled, though the man could see no such thing of his face besides his eyes.

"I will take you up on your recommendation of that tailor, but first, the recruitment must be handled. Commitment first, comfort second." His smile stayed on his lips, and he swung his eyes out to the few souls dwelling within the tavern. His mouth twisted to a frown then, and he wondered how many of them he could really trust.

[Tera]

The dark smoke from her cigarillo flowed from between her crimson lips. Her magenta eyes opening only after “The Hand” finished his speech. Her eyes studied the people who had filled the room. The majority of them were the typical assassin and mercenary stereotype, each one exaggerating their stories in an attempt to have their ego’s sated.

This is almost as bad as the Banishment, at least there’s no….

Her inner dialog stalled as two frost covered dwarfs walked in the door.

…Dwarfs…

She sighed with disgust and took another pull from her Cigarillo. Of all the races that existed, Dwarves had to be the foulest, most noxious and all together loathsome beings in existence.

She had been away only a few weeks, but already she missed hell. The cold of Salvar was a great contrast from the heat of the abyss, not that it mattered undeath had its advantages.

She adjusted her corset and leaned back in her chair a little before putting her feet up on the table.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

It was cold, definitely. The temperature had Ravenok's skin screaming for heat on the whole journey here. The Assassin's Guild... Hm. Ravenok wasn't really much of an assassin, but being as how he was basically a Bounty Hunter, he couldn't have been too bad at being an assassin also, could he? Bounties often payed less than assassinations, anyway. He could suppose that with his skill, he could be as quiet and stealthy as any other diminutive human out there. Not that that was the only quality an assassin needed to be good. They needed to be ruthless and strategic, with knowledge of what to do in a squeeze. The freelancer did not even carry a blade with him, the choice weapon of an assassin usually. That, or some sort of crossbow.

He had only previously travelled in snow like this for short periods of time. A day and if not, less. He never even bothered to buy some sort of fur cloak to protect himself from the elements, usually just heating himself up with a Chi-created fire. But the trip here was colder, longer, and Ravenok felt a lack of energy for chi on the way. Luckily he was only feet away from the tavern.

The wave of warmth that shot out at Ravenok's shivering body as he opened the door was incredible. He almost wanted to just stand at the doorway, as the warm air that rushed past him in it's frantic attempt to get out in the cold. He envied the warm wind, for it actually wanted to go outside in the cold. He wish he could have the same urge to get out there as the wind did, maybe after he purchased some sort of heavy fur cloak.

The freelancer shut the door quickly, after getting some looks from the already present patrons saying that they were cold from the air outside. His body shivered still as he stood within the warmth of the tavern, adjusting it's temperature. There weren't a lot of people within already, he thought that there might've been more by now. Maybe the cold is slowing them down, it certainly slowed him down. A petite woman, compared to Ravenok, was kicking back in a chair and smoking some oversized 'thing' that the he had never even seen before. Her, and the strange man who appeared to be sick and coughing incessantly were the only two who seemed to stick out at him like a sore thumb, besides the Hand.

"We will begin the joining process." Were the words that Ravenok heard just as he entered the tavern. The words came out loud, apparantly for all to hear. This must be the Hand. He guessed that he meant the joining process for the Assassin's Guild.

The monk took a step forward, with meaning to approach the Talon and ask him a few questions, but as he was about to open his mouth, the Hand approached the sickly man and brought him over to the bar. Ravenok sighed, "I can wait, I suppose." He thought to himself as he strolled to the bar and sat down behind Talon. He tuned into their conversation and simply waited for a moment to budge in.

[Madyrn]

Within the bar of the Assassin's Guild, an uncommon courtesy was taking place. Amidst it stood an elven man, tall and thin, with a curved sheath at his hip and a sheathed kukri across his chest, held in place by a strap across his chainmail. Long, golden hair spilled down his shoulders, precisely the same color of his eyes, though within his iris' were speckles of night black.

He seemed to hold a wealth of different expressions at once, making it impossible to get a feel for his impression of the place. Arms crossed just below the deadly knife he wore like a badge of honor, Madyrn Baelystadi, Quietus his alias, scanned slowly the room. Though his eyes seemed to be doing the examining, truly he was listening closely to the conversation between the two men at the bar. Surely they knew an elf could hear them from this distance, but they didn't seem to be making an effort to hide their words in the first place.

When it seemed like the conversation was reaching a close, Madyrn moved over. He seemed to glide across the floor, so smooth his movement. He was quickly next to Talon, leaning slightly over the bar to look past him to Komosatuo.

"Excuse my interruption," he said quiantly, the tone of his voice majestic and musical, hardly subtle. "Let me make my allegiance known at the same time, so I can leave to explore my new home."

Allegiance indeed, he thought, but how long would he hold it?

[Talon]

Finishing his rum, Talion nodded to Kio and stood, scanning the bar. It appeared that everyone that would be joining at this moment in time were here. The various conversations taking place throughout the tavern quieted as all attention was on the Deimos. His expression became blank as he became the Hand of the Assassin's Guild, the one running the show.

"Welcome to the Assassin's Guild. We are a sub-society of Deimis, though pretty much we are free to do as we please. The Guild is a brotherhood of assassins and various mercenaries across Althanas. This group is dedicated to prospect of making money through basically any means necessary, be it assassinations, body guarding, or kidnapping. The Assassin's Guild is a focal point for a large number of proprietors, meaning that it is much easier to obtain marks within the guild than without." Talon began walking along the bar looking each new member in the eye.

"There are rules within the Guild that must be adhered to. There is no killing within the Castle. Even if your mark has somehow found his way into the Castle, you may not kill them until they have left the premises. There is no killing of fellow members without my permission. Basically, unless that member has betrayed the Guild, they shall not be killed. I give out marks personally, meaning that once you have completed a task, you merely have to come to me to receive your next task. If I am not here, you may look at the board for your next mark. Ten percent of any and every bounty you take will come to the Guild. This is to further the Assassin's Guild." He stopped pacing and faced everyone once again.

"Finally, once you leave here, you will only be able to reenter the Castle through a certain sequence of steps that will be taught to you. Try to enter the Castle without using the sequence and you will be killed. No exceptions." The Hand pulled a piece of parchment from his cloak and set it onto the table, a quill set beside it. At the top were his two codenames, Talon and the Hand. "Now, write your name and chosen codename onto the official roster. The codename shall be used for all official business between you and any other member of the group. Once you have signed this parchment you are free to journey through the city. All members have quarters of their own along the outer wall. The Castle's staff will direct you to them. If there are any questions, feel free to ask them of me." He motioned to the parchment and stepped back for the new recruits to sign.

[Komosatuo]

The ninja sniffed, although his nose was feeling cleared up a bit, it still felt like the right thing to do. He set his mug down and walked quickly to the quill and paper, careful not to bump the newest arrival to the bar. An elf he looked like, but he paid him as much mind as everyone else there. A quick nod and a muttered apology for intruding. He picked up the quill, then stared at it questioningly. He then looked up at Talon, or the Hand.

"No ink?"

The bartender barked a laugh then rummaged behind his counter for a moment, pulling out a long metal tube with a sharpened tip at the end. "Here," he said behind chuckles. The ninja couldn't help but chuckle too and gave the Hand an amused look.

"We all make mistakes," he said quietly as he bent over the parchment and carefully wrote his name, and then his code man. He straightened and placed the metal tube beside the parchment. "Now, to see that talior."

Coughing suddenly, and dreading the cold that waited outside, he nodded respectfully to the Hand then turned to leave, carefully not meeting anyones eye. Although, he couldn't help but notice that three individuals stood out against the drap appearances of the rest. One was a massive demon and for a moment the ninja thought he recognized the man, but the memory was fleeting, leaving as soon as it was remembered. The second was a woman, flesh as pale as the snow outside, hair as red as blood. A sneer came to the ninja's mouth when he saw this but before he could study her appearance further he was confronted by a small man, eyes hooded with a small smile on his face.

"If you would follow me," he said in words a single octave above a tiny whisper. "I couldn't help but over hear your need for a cloak." His smile said that it had been intentional, but he kept on as though nothing happened. "I will then see you to your quarters."

The ninja nodded. "Lead on then, it is beginning to feel cold, even here." He shot a glance at the woman, it seemed to be coming mainly from her.

Then, he was outside, huddling in on himself against the cold and struggling through the snow to keep up with the man in front of him. Damn snow!

[Tera]

The Vampress had just finished the last drag of her cigarillo as “The Hand” took his place once more at the head of the room. The silver smoke rolled from her lips as she stood, dropping the remainder of the tobacco on the floor and killing the ember with the heel of her boot. Tera had begun to question if this endeavor had been a mistake, yet if this man had taken the time like he had to track her down. Though she felt it odd that he knew she was back from the fires of hell.

She walked forward slowly, taking the pen from the hand of a man preparing to sign.

Blood Red Rose…

She signed only that, and walked away after placing the pen back in the startled man’s hand.

If it was one thing she had learned in hell, names really meant little, especially to immortals. Besides, anonymity was the name of the game for assassins, even in the banishment, or the syndicate, and now even here.

As she neared the door a servant ushered her to follow.

[Madyrn]

Madyrn signed the taberd after the demon woman, choosing Quietus as his name, feeling it represented what would be his role in the Assassin's Guild.

With that, he was off, curious and anxious to explore this new home.

[Koran]

Cold! So god blasted cold.

He landed with a heavy thud, snow, dirt and various debris hidden beneath the white powder, erupting like a tiny explosion around his armored feet. He had transformed some fifteen feet in the air, letting his massive body weight gain momentum and the resulting crater was much to his liking. Two men were just exiting the tavern in front of him, one garbed in black, looking pale and worn from the cold, the other dressed in servants clothes, looking much better off, probably used to the cold by now.

"This looks like the place," he said to himself, although not quietly. Pulling himself out of the two holes hit feet had made in the frozen ground, the armored hulk strode through the door even as it was starting to close. He had to swiftly dodge out of the way of another exiting patron, a woman garbed in some very appealing clothing, and he growled for her to watch her step next time. He squared himself just left of the door, eyes scanning the inside of the room.

There were four or five men in the room, two women, and of course, the bartender. He was a fat man, to engrossed with chuckling to himself, like he knew a joke that no one else understood so as not much to worry of. The two women were serving girls, just pushing past maturity, eyes wide and bodies ripe for the plucking. A part of him regretted not being able to feast on said ripe fruits; he quietly squashed the thought. Of the four men, only two had any interest to him. They were the only ones standing, or still standing; the other two looked to have just drowned their miseries in a barrel of ale apiece, and didn't look to be moving any time soon. One had a certain arrogance to him, standing with his back straight, his hands held just so and his eyes sweeping the meager occupants, his eyes hard and unyielding. The second was a scrawny fellow, elf by the looks of it; probably hadn't fought a single battle in his life.

Light weight. His gaze shifted to the parchment that the small elf was writing on. It held three names, he guessed that one of them was the small elf's, seeing as he was just finishing writing something down. Looks like I sign up here. He knew as much, the instructions tucked into his hidden pocket told him as much, he just hadn't known what to expect. No he knew.

With out further thought to the matter he strode up to where the parchment was, picked up the knife in armored fingers and wrote his name. He then put the pen down and smiled at the man standing beside it.

"You'd be the Hand, no?" He didn't wait for conformation; he already knew the answer and was just making casual conversation. "Nice little town you've got here, saw most of it from the air but I was wondering what kind of 'fun' activities you sponsored here." The look in his cold, emotionless, dead black eyes didn't change, but his face said that he was looking for some fun, violent activities.

He smiled and waited calmly for a response, the cold coming off of his armor enough to put a damper on the warmth of the room.

[Poison]

Poison rose smoothly from the seat she had taken far from the door, or anyone one person. She was rarely in a sociable mood these days and this day was no exception. She watched the others sign their names and leave with equal interest, which meant none at all. Only two somewhat intersted her, the woman and the elf, but each for different reasons. After signing, she would see about finding the elf, he seemed almost arrogant enough to fit her present mood. The woman she would avoid.

It had been almost a year and a half since her rebirth as a vampire. Thus far, she had not encountered any other vampire and did not relish ever meeting another. Her last meeting with a vampire had left much to be desired.

As she approached the table, she regarded the newest comer with a single raised eyebrow before picking up the pen and bending low over the parchment. Her top was ubuttoned several buttons to reveal quite a bit of creamy cleavage.

"Poison. There, that's all the name anyone gets."

She glanced over the other names and commited a them to memory, noting that the other vampiress had done the same as herself in putting only one name on the paper.

Wise choice. Not even your fellow Guildmembers should know your true name unless you tell them yourself.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

"A nickname, hm?"

Ravenok had never really thought of some kind of nickname for himself in all the years of his life. What were the use of them? If one were to call him, he usually preferred them to use his real name, or last name if that's all he told them. But never did he need a pseudonym. He sat in the stool calmly for a moment or two, watching mainly Komosatuo's actions. He now knew who he was, he remembered perfectly. The freelancer couldn't recall anything bad in their short acquaintance, so there really shouldn't have been any tension between the two men. He watched Komo sign the paper quickly, then another person... Then another person... Then another person... Then one last person for the time being. The monk could not have cared less about the other interesting looking people that were busy signing the paper, his thoughts were fixed on the ninja.

He left into the cold, and Ravenok finally decided to stand up himself. He strolled calmly over to the paper, disregarding any other souls in the room and snatched up the quill in his big metal covered hand. He stood there, looming over the paper for a moment, his dark eyes gazing over each name and nickname. A couple one-namers... Some more people he didn't really care about... Ah, there he was. Kiomatosa A.K.A. Komosatuo Itachi Satuo. Now he remembered his name...

Ravenok chuckled quietly to himself when he thought of writing the nickname Tiny on the paper. That's what he remembered from his little encounter with the ninja... Though it wasn't really funny at the time. His chuckling stopped and was replaced by a smile, a smile one got when an idea popped into their mind. Darkness Monk. Yes... That did have a nice ring to it. He could imagine himself standing over fifty other Guild members, all cheering his name... Darkness Monk. It was nice, definitely, but those thoughts of grandeur were highly unlikely. Nonetheless, that would be his alias. He set the quill on the paper and began gliding the tip gently over the paper...


Ravenok Kinnes "Darkness Monk"

[Camella]

Sorry I am so late posting here.

It was odd. Camella had not expected that a place like this existed. She really wasn't sure what to believe, so she sat back in a corner while making herself totally invisible to see if this place was legit. She had been invited to this castle out of the blue to join a guild she had never heard of, so you can't blame her for being suspicious, but after hearing the rules of the guild and seeing the guild, She was happy to admit that she was wrong about it all being a hoax. After making herself visible again, she turned to Talon and explained her actions by saying

"These days, you can never be too careful in our profession."

Afterwards she went over and signed her name as Invisible Assassin.
Ok, It was a bit on the lame side, but she couldn't think of anything better.

"Sorry if I surprised anyone. I just have been tricked one too many times."