The Sydney Games 2066 Session 6

Princess Guard - The New Era 2015/02/12 	 Lorelei Titan Lord Elrohir 6

Behind You!
Titan managed to hear at least Lorelei's part of the conversation. "I think I have an address for this Morlock. Ghost gave it to me.

Lorelei says, "Great - I was just going to say tracking Morlock down was the next thing to do!"

Lord Elrohir looks back and forth between Lorelei and Titan. He seems to come to a reluctant decision. "I shall withdraw from the competition if you have need of my blade, Highness." he says after a moment.

Lorelei replies honestly. "I cannot tell yet if you blade will be needed - though if this doctor has metahuman guards, as seems likely, it may well be. If you still feel you owe it to France to compete, I will not call you away. Yet it seems to me there is much more honour to be found in fighting these slavers than there is in besting human fencers in the games."

Titan furrows his brow, "I'm not sure if it's necessary. We don't really have a feel for the opposition, but I think it's unlikely we'd run into much trouble."

Lord Elrohir stands and draws his sword. "My blade is yours, Highness." he says with a bow. "I stand ready to withdraw from the competition should you ask. I will inform the..." his eyes widen and he blurts out, "Behind you, Princess!" He lunges across the table and the sound of steel passing through flesh can be heard followed by a choking cry of pain.

Two gray Fae assassins have suddenly appeared behind Lorelei and her daughter.

Titan gets up and tries to interpose himself between the other assassin and Lorelei.

Lorelei wheels about the better to defend herself from any attackers.

Titan steps over and gets between the assassin and Lorelei, only to have the poisonous blade hit him in the chest. It slices through his shirt, but doesn't break the skin.

The surviving, for now, assassin strikes Titan with the blade. The point doesn't penetrate his skin. The poison smokes with a foul green vapor but without injury it's impotent.

Lord Elrohir's infamous temper is in full control at this attack on a member of the royal family. His face is pale and twisted in fury as, although the assassin already has a mortal wound, Lord Elrohir slashes across the gray elf's throat and follows with a downward stroke to cut the dagger holding hand cleanly from the wrist.

Lorelei, now aware of the threat, responds practically in reflex by striking one of her stunning poses.

Lorelei says quickly, "Take him alive, for questioning -" lest Elrohir kill this one too.

The young princess is no longer in her chair. A second look will reveal she's been pulled under the table and the two clone kids are shielding her with their bodies.

Titan reaches out and attempts to grab the assassin and restrain him.

Lorelei is vastly relieved to see Meleryniel is safe! Still, she looks about for any sign of any more assassins.

Titan grabs the assassin, pinning both arms. "There...detained. There's no way this guy will break my grip."

The rest of the dining area are just awakening to the disturbance. A body stretched out on the floor in a growing pool of blood is causing considerable panic.

Lorelei has to delay her questioning of the gray Fae - she works her usual "magic" in calming the crowd, and assuring them that things are now safe. She hopes this is true.

Lord Elrohir is staring at the assassins. "What..!? Who... what... are they?" he asks in stunned surprise. The existence of the Forsaken is a fairly closely guarded secret.

Titan nods to Elrohir, "I suspect we should talk about that someplace more private. And we'll have to deal with the local authorities, as well."

Lorelei says, "Privacy may also be safer. Did you see where they came from?"

Titan shakes his head, "One of them had tried to kill me back in Colonial Bay. Same kind of thing. Seemed to appear from out of nowhere."

Lorelei says, "Take this one up to my suite for questioning, and get Meleryniel up their too. I'll square things with the local authorities."

Lord Elrohir nods, "Yes, Highness. I was facing in their direction when they just appeared. They came from nowhere." He looks at the assassin he killed. and bows to Lorelei, "My apologies if my actions have caused you inconvenience." he says, although it's clear he doesn't feel any regret at killing the assassin.

Lorelei doubts the police will really mind letting her handle the matter of the surviving extra dimensional assassin, at least for a short while. And if they do - well, she can be highly persuasive.

Titan doesn't really know where to go, but with some guidance, he takes the conscious assassin up to the suite.

And indeed the police are just as happy to let Fae affairs be dealt with by a member of the Fae royal family. They assign a liaison officer and simply request that they are kept informed of any developments.... after Lorelei talks to them.

Lorelei goes back to the suite once the police - and hotel staff - are appeased.

The two clone kids and Lady Nienna show Titan where the royal suite is, the kids hovering around the young princess protectively.

Titan secures the assassin in a chair, using his belt, if necessary. He makes sure the knife is out of the way.

Lorelei enters, doing a quick scan of the room to make sure nothing else has gone wrong in her absence!

Lord Elrohir still has his sword drawn and is probably only holding back because Lorelei said she wanted the assassin alive. Lady Nienna has taken the young princess and the two kids into another room.

Titan looks over to Lorelei, "I figured I'd wait until you got back before I asked any questions."

Lorelei nods. She walks straight over to the would-be assassin and asks, in the Fae language, "Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

The assassin has said nothing.

And he continues to say nothing.

Lorelei says, "Can you understand me? Tell me!"

Titan furrows his brow, "I think these are the folks that worked with Palanir to disrupt the wedding, right? I didn't make the trip to recover the Duke from their hands, but I remember a bit about it."

Lorelei says, "Yes. Long-lost relatives of the Fae, from the Lost Worlds, as I understand it..."

Lord Elrohir looks at Lorelei and Titan, "The Lost Realms?" he asks.

The assassin grudgingly nods, "I can understand you." he admits.

Titan nods to Elrohir, "Those are the ones. I think the group that went on the expedition spotted a dragon in the same realm on the way out."

Lorelei nods to Elrohir. "So it seems." She turns back to the assassin. "But I don't understand you. Why attack me? I have done nothing to you or your kin. Until recently, none of the Fae even knew that your kin were even alive!"

The assassin spits on the floor, probably aiming for Lorelei's shoes. "Revenge." he asks fighting against every word he speaks, "Revenge against those who stopped the plan to take the worlds your kind went to when you left us behind. The Lord Palanir would have opened the Ways for us if he hadn't been stopped."

Lorelei isn't quite sure where to start with that. "You would take revenge on those whose only offense was to defend themselves against you?"

The assassin shakes his head, "We were left behind. We suffered, are suffering, and that Lord Palanir was going to change. If the people you call the Princess Guard hadn't stopped him. Those are who we will revenge ourselves on. Those and the ones who give them their orders."

Lorelei frowns. "What do you mean, you were left behind? And how are you suffering?"

Titan isn't really versed on Fae history, but he says, "Wasn't Palanir let go? He could have tried to contact them again."

"Our worlds are ash and barren. We starve as we huddle in hiding from the dragons. And when the dragons find us we die." the assassin says.

Titan blinks. "Wait...but you got here to this world. Why not the rest of you?"

The assassin says, "Those of us who could not flee back to our worlds were killed. Lord Palanir has told us that we must destroy your rulers so he may make it possible for us to live safely on your worlds."

Titan takes a deep breath and looks to Lorelei, "I know I don't have any political pull here, but can't some area be set aside to help them out?"

Lorelei says, "That doesn't surprise me. Palanir is a traitor and an outlaw, and indeed no longer a lord. No doubt he saw in you a potential army who would believe his lies."

[To Titan] Lorelei says, "I would think so. Surely if not on the Twilit Worlds themselves then at least somewhere in the known worlds. But unless their numbers are huge I would have though that Twilit Worlds big enough!"

Titan nods. "Okay...so let's say we can help them. And that this assassin believes us. How can we actually tell them that we want to do so?"

Lorelei says, "That's a good question."

Lorelei asks the assassin, "Have you a way to return home?"

Lorelei says, "Or to communicate with it?"

The assassin has been following the conversation with mixed disbelief and just a hint of hope. He shakes his head though, "No. Coming here was a one way journey. If we succeeded we would have killed ourselves afterwards."

Lorelei says, "that... seems particularly nihilistic."

Titan shakes his head, "Palanir figured out how to get there. I know he's the only one who's done it, but someone else should be able to pull it off."

Lorelei says, "I agree. Palanir is not the greatest Worldwalker - though he may be among the most widely traveled."

Titan says, "Maybe there's some...magical residue or something where they arrived that could be used to figure it out?"

Lorelei says, "Possibly - I wish Alex were still about. He might be able to figure this out with science if magic can't do it...."