It's all going according to plan

[Shakira]

It's all going according to plan. She's managed to change RhyDin from a good place to something more to Her taste. Her influence in Badside is unmatched, and as a result Badside has grown stronger. The streets of RhyDin are no longer safe at night. She's bought the town officials, and they now run the town her way. Badside is practically running the whole town: slavery runs amok, and cries for justice go unheeded. The good people of RhyDin have decided to move away from the once-peaceful town. Hunger, sickness, and crime have taken a hold of the less fortunate citizens. Those who want to survive have no choice but to surrender to the wrong side of justice--Her side. As a result, they look up to her as their saviour, their only hope. She's toying with them as with puppets. The fools.

Most of the Baron Council is on her favor; those not loyal by choice have been bought or lied to. She can be very persuasive when she wants to, and even convince the best of them that she has had no part in any of the events going on around town. A Mistress of lies and deception.

Those she cannot convince, she will soon replace. Anubis, that handsome devil, was the first to succeed. The grant has fallen to Methous this time. He had been banished for some absurd reason but he successfully defeated the Council's champion and, as a reward, she handed him the right to challenge. Hopefully he will emerge victorious and hold the title of Baron to fill another loyal seat.

All the wrong people at the right time make for a very cozy environment for this Overlord. She hopes to attract more of them to her cause; which is chaos and confusion. If she could only see Xenograg's face right now, she smirks at the thought.

A blood curling scream is heard, followed by the laughter of several men. A dark shadow has fallen over RhyDin. This shadow has a name, and Her name is Shakira.

[Karen Wilder]

The Great Cathedral of Rhy'Din had shut it's gates... the Hospitallatier Cardinal Morten had won. No non-humans would be allowed to serve any of the Great Orders. The Franciscian Bishop Alderman's assertation that humans were the only Children of God had been accepted by the majority of the Cardinals. It was deemed that the Pope back on their Earth need not be informed, for these decisions had no effect upon a world of only humans.

A number of former Templars were cast out, and most of those remaining went with them. The Templars had always been the first to embrace new peoples and welcome them into the brotherhood of faith. They could not return to their homeworld, for the Hospitallatiers held the gate back home.

A forgotten building in the old temple district was chosen for the new home of the Templars, and word was passed through the network of informants and friends that those who were turned away by the First Catholic Church could find sanctuary amongst the Templars.

Not all the good people of Rhy'Din had been driven out...
Not all the cries for justice went unheard...

Karen walked the city streets, sometimes accompanied by others of the Order... and always watched over from the shadows by a trio of short elfin figures.

Karen's idea of justice was often rough, and she knew it was only a matter of time until more powerful and important people moved to deal with her.

[Vinny]

Things had been feeling different lately. He just couldn't explain it, but he knew that something was up. Lounging around on the isle, the winds usually brought him news from all over. However, it seemed muted in the past few days, like it was hesitant to speak of what evil had been growing. After much debate, he decided that it was time for him to get up and do something about it, lest it cause himself trouble down the road.

First thing he had to do was rid himself of any attachments that could be used against him. Fortunately, his family lived too far away to be caught up in this, assuming whoever was behind this knew that he even had a family. He smiled slightly at this, glad that he hadn't put out that information too much before. The last thing he needed was his family to get used as a weapon against him.

Next he called Guido over to let him know what was up. "I know we've been friends for a long time, and I appreciate all that you've done for me. But I want you to be fully aware that there's a good chance I'm going to end up locked away in some dungeon, dead, or even worse, be a personal chew toy for someone's dog. If you want in on this, that'd be great. If not, I don't blame you."

Guido thought this over for a few minutes before answering. "Vinny, I think it'd be best for me if I was backup incase you needed me. It'd be a lot easier for you to get around without an air elemental tagging along. Besides, I'm not the brightest being in the sky. But if you need me to run errands or get something for you, just whistle."

Vinny nodded, partially agreeing with him, but not wanting to press the issue further right now. "Ok, then what I need you to do for me is go back to my folks, and have them give me a rundown of how much money I've got tucked away. Have them liquidate all my stocks as well except for the one's in family businesses. I'll be expecting you back sometime next week." With that Guido was off in the blink of an eye.

Walking down to the beach, he sighed. This was going to be one of the hardest parts. He called over several of the penguins hanging around there and told them that he was buying out all of their contracts and releasing all of them from his service. The refuge would still be funded by him, so they'd still have a place to live, but it wouldn't be the same without them around anymore. With that said, he stepped through the portal before they could react, not wanting to deal with all the goodbyes and such right now.

He popped out of the portal and entered the Outback, which was fortunately empty. Pulling up a chair, he thought about what other links could be used against him. It basically boiled down to attacks on his friends, which would be tough to stop. He sighed and wondered absently about whether or not he would have to sacrifice friends in order to get this done and if so, would he be able to go through with it. He quickly dismissed these notions, not wanting to deal with it unless it actually happened. What If was a dangerous game to play.

Counting off what he did have, he came down to this. Friends, a not so known family, no more penguins, and a mission which he wasn't sure of yet. That and money. Lots and lots of money. He laughed wildly, his voice echoing thoughout the place. It dawned on him what he should do. Now the only question he had was just how much was it going to cost to do it?

[Michelle Montoya]

Michelle had always had a bit of curiousness in her and now it was starting to surface. On her few visits latley to RhyDin and the dueling arena things had seemed....well strange. She became more and more nervous on her little visits and tended to stay away from any and all shadows.

She had heard bits and pieces of the goings on, little talks about Badside and how it kept growing. These things she kept well away from the ears of her mother, as she knew it would frighten her. How long she would be able to keep coming here was unknown. Michelle had many friends that would soon recognize the danger that she was just beginning to notice. These friends would then try and keep her away from dangers touch.

The curiousity however would still exist, and try as her friends might, Michelle would keep coming. She felt as if she needed to help prevent whatever evil was growing. For that's what it was, evil.

[TheAce0fSpades]

With the decreasing popularity of the Blindfold Establishment after the proxy's disappearance, Ace found himself with little opportunity to provide his consulting services to a reputable name. That was until Shakira came along and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Although only a scant few in Badside knew him by name, many were starting to know him by reputation. Ace was always careful to leave his mark on his victims in the hope that it would pique the interest of a certain pair whose recognition of the mark would be instantaneous. But the senses of those two had grown dull, and their visits to Badside were far too infrequent.

After winning the favor of his new employer, he was receiving more of the high profile jobs. The sudden increase in stature of his victims was causing whispers around Badside that those who bore the mark weren't cooperating with the new boss in town...


On this evening, Ace was ordered to pay a visit to a local magistrate who had refused an offer from Ace's new employer. The magistrate was to serve as an example for those that refused to lend their services to his employer.

A simple scout revealed the gaping hole in the magistrate's security. A three minute carriage ride from his business location to his small home was all Ace would need. Only two lightly armed guards rode with the magistrate and one of them drove the carriage.

Two crystal daggers quickly neutralized the horses, and a moment after they reappeared in Ace's hands, were once more sent silently through the air to dispatch the driver. The second guard was quickly laid alongside the first when he stepped out of the carriage to investigate the abrupt halt. This left Ace free to make the example his employer wished before blending back into the shadows as the guards from the magistrate's home ran down the street to investigate what had caused the tardiness of their master.


...Ace knew he was simply being used as a means to an end; however he was using Shakira as well. Until he was able to draw his true prey out to fight on his ground, he would serve Shakira well. And this was enough to keep them both satisfied with each other...for the time being.

[NickOvTyme]

It was never easy walking the streets at night these days. Rumors and whispers of things transpiring around the city made people uneasy; looking over their shoulders when the flicker of a shadow made them jump and the rustling of some animal in the corners were enough to send people running.

He didn't like it. He had known Shakira for many years, but had never grasped the depth of her powers. He knew that she always toyed with him; making him offers...some he resisted...others he had not.

As the wind chilled him slightly, he tucked up his jacket tighter around him. Turning a corner, he looked up up the road in front of him. Grimacing, he shook his head. He had hoped that he was given the wrong directions, but there it was...the gate to some God-forsaken mansion in probably the worst part of town. Again, he questioned himself. What the hell was he doing here. All he received was a piece of paper with directions written on it and the words, "It's worth your while." written on it.

Pushing on through the gate, he stopped a minute to get his bearings. The walkway to the mansion was lined with trees that were long dead; moonlight was all he had to make out the silohuette of the massive building in front of him. Getting that feeling that he was being watched, he walked up the the front door. Maybe if he knocked and nobody answered, he would just turn around and leave. Who was he kidding....

Pushing open the door, he walked through. Still unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, he began to make his way as the paper told him. Another door...another door..where was that door. The directions said the door would not be hard to find, and he would know it when he seen it. The mansion itself was not very impressive on the interior. Sparsely decorated and years of dust and cobwebs lined the floors and walls.

He walked for what seemed like hours, though he knew it could only have been a few minutes...then there it was. The door...this had to be it. It could be nothing else. There was nothing dramatic about the door the way it looked; but the darkness eminating from it...a feeling he could not explain...this was it.

He pushed the door open. A set of steps were revealed behind the door...stepping through, he descended into the darkness.

Sitting straight up in bed, gasping for breath, he looked around him. He was safe. Safe in his room. Feeling in the darkness with his hands, he realized that his bed was soaked in sweat. Fumbling with the light, he was able to switch it on. On shaky legs, he stumbled to the window and pulled open the curtains. All appeared well. Pushing open the window, he sat upon the window sill and stared out ove the city. Lighting up a cigarette he shakes his head. Clearing his mind as the dream slowly slips through the recesses of his mind. Or so he convinces himself.

Nope, he didn't like it. Not one bit.

[Xenograg]

Dojo Darelir resides on a side street near the outer gate of Rhydin City's Foreign Quarter. For over a decade, Xenograg has provided genuine protection for the shopkeepers in his neighborhood, as opposed to the parasitic variety offered by the various underworld groups. Whether through negotiation or bloody confrontations, the bosses accepted that there was no profit to be made in that part of the city.

Things have changed of late, however.

It is obvious that this neighborhood is being specifically targeted, both as new territory and as payback for past resistance. Several buildings have been burned out completely, their owners murdered. Many more shops have simply closed. All but two merchants have bowed to the pressure and now pay tribute.

Despite the slaying of two dozen enforcers and two successive bosses, Xenograg is losing the battle for his neighborhood. Ten Rellugai are dead, including Captain Ajeh. Recruits have been slow in arriving from New Mountainside, and they need education in city life before training in street fighting. Corrupt city watchmen have curtailed the freedom of Xenograg's retainers; only counter-bribes have kept Xenograg and his men out of prison.

Only Xenograg and two veteran retainers now dare leave Dojo Darelir at night. Avoiding the city watch, they continue to fight for control of the streets. They check on the two stalwart merchants and the guardsmen who protect them. They also kill any thief, thug, pimp, or slaver they encounter. Neither Xenograg nor his men are above ambush or murder, an arrow in the back or a knife in the throat. No quarter is asked or given.

[Karen Wilder]

Karen had once more been given a command... and it felt like the seige at Constantinople all over again.

The Knights Templar were traditionally calvary. True, there were many knowedgable in seige warfare and most had been trained in defending walled compounds... But the old Temple District lacked walls of any substance, and this wasn't a seige in the normal sense.

Karen was one of the few who knew anything about guerrilla warfare, and Cardinal Shoc knew it. He praised God when she had shown up, just days after he had left with the others of the Order. He had given her a field promotion to Knight-Commander and directed her to organize and train patrols for the Temple District with an eye on expanding soon.

Others were working on defenses. The various factions in the city were rarely friendly, and a new faction could attract the wrong kind of attention. It was also possible that the Church would brand them heretics and attack.

Karen, however, was always one to follow what she called the Spirit of the orders, rather than the word of them. She worked hard to train patrols for the Temple District... but the best people she trained for more.

Random patols by day and by night, looking for trouble and dealing with it swiftly. Unfortunately, it didn't always go well. Two men had been killed answering a call for help which led them into an ambush.

Karen knew it was time to step things up... but she also knew that the Templars would need help. And her elfin "watchdogs" couldn't be relied upon doing anything more than pulling her own behind out of danger.

[Xenograg]

( These storylines continue in "The Streets" folder, http://www.ringsofhonor.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=26 )