Old storyline; locked

A messenger arrived.
"Lord...we have captured a girl. She will be here within a few hours." He said, and scuttled out.
Optimarus frowned behind the Mask. He would have to punish that messenger. Nobody left the Mask's prescence without his permission.
So...this girl. She was the one that had the strange problem, and then...Selena...had used Empathy to cure it. How strange. Sometimes Scrying glasses weren't very useful; they showed what was happening, but not what it meant.
Well. Easy enough to question her. In a few hours.
How long till the Norn Mountains died? He asked himself.
Soon. 18 hours. Soon.

A pair of soldiers literally dragged Airien in to the throne room and brought her before the Golden Mask. "We have the one you wanted my lord." one of them said. Airien struggled slightly trying to break free but the other soldier hit her across the back of her head, hard.

Bandon sighed, the trek was long and he did'nt find his horse either. The horde was having alot of fun it seemed. "Hey, hawke how long intil we are there?" Tulak asked, then suddenly Bandon Clutched the back of his head, groaned and dropped to the floor, comatose...

Hakwe spun around. The Fortress was very close now; he could see Norn wandering out of it, into it, and along the walls.
He ran his hand over the back of Bandon#s head, and found a dart. It had a sticky liquid on the end.
Hakwe looked up.
"Damn...traitor..." He whispered. Then he grabbed Cibhi, shielding him with hos body. He couldn't risk The king being hurt. Thne he backed away, facing towards the horde.

Bandon had been poisoned, badly so much so that it was lethal to his kind aswell. The horde split in two halves and started fighting. They were not happy. Tulak was tryiing to drag Bandon to safety but the age old man was too heavy for him. "A little help please?" he shouted after Hawke...

Optimarus looked down at the girl. He dismissed the guards.
"You're name is Airien? Daughter of the Duke of Travui?" He said rather then asked, getting up and beginning to circle the girl.

"Coward, don't come out of you little room do you? I will never submit!"Airien spat at him "You won't learn anything, I am not a traitor like all those you pay to do your dirty work."

Optimarus smiled.
"I find that cowards tend to live longer. Besides, I do not shirk from a fight. I find, however, that my talents are better used directing the fighting." He knelt down.
"Never submit? Are you sure?" He said.

"Never you back stabbing, cowardly traitor!"

Optimarus laughed softly.
"My guards have gone a long time without the pleasure of a female for company." He said, smiling.
He got up, and called the two guards in.
He gestured to Airien. "Do what you will with her. I will be outside." He said, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

The two guards, came grinning...
Airien struggled of course and outside that could be heard, along with the laughter of the two guards, and later the sobbing and then more laughter. Then the two guards came out, sweaty and with grins on their faces. "Thank you most gracious Lord." They said to Optimarus, "Thats what you had in mind isn't it? We left her alive."

Optimarus told them to stay outside, and he went back in.
Despite being one of the most evil and insane people on the planet, he disliked what he had done. He grimaced in distaste. He had, in fact, had his fingers in his ears the whole time. But, not only would Airien soon submit, but it would strengthen his reputation as a stern but benign ruler.
He knelt by the sobbing girl, and almost felt pity. Almost, but not quite.
"Will you submit now? If you do not, then every guard in the fortress will do the same by tomorrow morning. Do you submit to my power?" He said.

Heiwa looked down from atop the fortress at the group.He had seen the dart fly,but not who shot it.He sighed.A fight on the doorstep of the Fortress.
And of course,the small one in the robe...the King of Corbep.He recognised him at once.There were wanted posters all over Corbep,or so he had been told.But it was not for him to bother with...

Cibhi sighed,and looked up at the fortress.Atop a tower he saw a man in resplendant armour...armour he recognised.The Red Knight.
Could he be alive?He had died in the Great War,killed by a Norn...Of course,no-one had found the body,but there were many eye witnesses who reported seeing his death...
A dart flew over his shoulder and he ducked and turned instantly,jumping behind a rock to get under cover.

Hawke grabbed the comatose Bandon, ,while staying in front of Cibhi, and dragged him the short way into the Fortress.
"I wish...to see the Flameseer!" He panted to the nearest Norn.
The Norn laughed. "Why should he see you, little one? You are simply another human." He said scornfully. Other Norn's joined in the laughter.
Damn, Hakwe thought. Nothing for it...
"I challenge any Norn here who will face me!" He said loudly and defiantly.

Tulak got Bandon into the fortress and into a medicine tent. "well, he looks like he will live through it. I suggest that he does no more fighting for a while though." Said the doctor and suddenly Bandon jumped up. "Airien!" He screamed. Tulak watched him carefully. "Where is Bossimich? I need him here now!" He got up out of bed. "No no! You must stay lying down!" The doctor said before being tossed aside by Bandon. Tulak rushed over to his side and checked to see if he was ok. "Time to find the Golden Mask..." Bandon said as he left.
The horde stopped fighting, they found who the traitor was and he laid there, slain on the floor. They witnissed Bandon leaving the fortess. "Bossimich! Come with me! the rest stay with the king." Bandon shouted...

Heiwa walked in.
"I accept your challenge."He said,drawing his sword."Any particular requests you wish to make or are we just going to fight in any way?"
Cibhi was stood at the front entrance,watching.He had the right armour,but something seemed...wrong about him.

Hawke looked at his opponent.
Damn. One of the stronger ones.
"I have no armour, only these light leather clothes. Remove your armour, and we may begin." He said, nervously. He drew his two knives.

Xu tried to stand up, but felt the pain too much and laid down, clenching his teeth.
"What..Happened?" he said Weakly
"You got shot. By a soldier sent by the Golden Mask." Said Coralie,
"But..Why? I wasn't even in the war.." he replied
"He's taking out all the Strong ones, before the war actually begins." she stated
Xu's puzzled look disappeared.

"Where were, you?" he then asked
"...None of that matters at the Moment. You should get some rest" she said, before returning to her own bed.

Xu then fell off into sleep once more..

Selena watched from the sidelines as Hawke and the Norn squared up to begin the fight.
She hoped that he didn't die, or get hurt...If he did...
Selena shivered, and tried to cover it up.

Heiwa sighed.
"Do you want me to go easy on you?I have listened to requests before..."He said,then slashed wildly at Hawke's feet.
Cibhi watched.Without the armour,he seemed alot less like the Red Knight than he originally had...But then who was he?

Hakwe leapt backwards, but still didn't attack. He continured to circle the Norn. He was concentrating entirely on the Norn.

Airien drew he knees up to cover her nuditybut said nothing, still sobbing quietly. It seemed like she was not going to answer when she said, very quietly "I... submit..."

Optimarus grinned. That was all he needed.
His mind control was very practiced, and he was skilled at it- but it only worked when the intended had submitted themselves to your power. Exactly what Airien had just done.
His hand shot forth, grabbing Airien's forehead, his fingers splayed so that they touched her temples. He now purged all disobedience, happiness, and misery from her head that he could find.
"Now...tell me..everything.." He whispered. And he extracted the memories from her mind.

And in a toneless voice Airien told him, everything from her birth in Travui to that moment, in a lot of detail...

Heiwa swung at Hawke again,this time from above.
"Why don't you fight back?"He mocked."Too cowardly?Too weak?"