Return To The HQ

[ringmasterrob]

*The cloaked figure of the archmage begins to travel towards the sight of the assassins guild HQ, his rings are tarnished and his robes tattyer than usual. This is odd as Tom, Hordriss and co will know he is in the forest. Rob walks past all the security, with a cloaking spell before entering Lady Morgan's inner sanctum*

Rob: *appears* Hello m'lady, mind if I discuss a little business with you? I wouldn't advise killing or harming me, as you know that is quite impossible for your guild. I have a much better proposal! *a strange smirk is across Rob's face*

[ladymorgan]

[ModNote: Lady Morgan was last seen in The Guardhouse thread.]

*Lady Morgan is very worried even though it does not show on her face*

Lady Morgan: How did you get in here mage?

Rob: Now, now let's keep cool. Please consider my proposal.

Lady Morgan: What is it?

Rob: I would like to take out a contract on an agent of Scareye living in the village, you know I have the gold to pay for it!

*Rob gives Lady Morgan a description of this agent*

Lady Morgan: Very well, seeing as you know of my identity. You know how to contact us?

Rob: Yes, but first we must shake on it

*Rob removes some gloves and shakes with Lady Morgan. She feels odd for a brief moment*

[Visage]

*Rob smiles, bows, and vanishes. A few moments later the door opens and closes and he leaves the room.*

*Lady Morgan retreats to another inner chamber to consider Rob's strange offer. Some time passes, and then she hears a scuffle outside her door. Hurriedly she opens a secret panel in the wall and peers out through a spy-hole. However, all she sees is her guard, standing there as normal. Not wanting to reveal this spy-hole just yet, she returns to her thoughts.*

*However, she is no longer alone. For in the outer chamber lurks a figure in long grey robes and a cowl.* [ModNote: Last seen in The Postman calls.]

*In the flickering torchlight, Visage himself seems to alter, sometimes there and sometimes not.*

Hmmm, assasinate me.... *he laughs very quietly, but it seems more a laugh of triumph than anything else.*

*Making not a sound, he creeps up to Lady Morgan's door. Then, to an observer he would appear to shift more drastically, as if the whole of this smoky figure was pouring through the keyhole of Lady Morgan's door.*

*Now he stands in the darkness of her inner sanctum. Quietly, he surveys the room for the correct tool. He sees some knives on the table, and for a moment he pauses, almost shuddering, and then his hands alight on a heavy candlestick. The candle has burned out so that corner of the room is dark. He sees her before him, feels the weight of the weapon in his hands, and raises it.*

[ladymorgan]

*A couple of hours later Lady Morgan has rallied her men, she has found a dead guard outside and the men are worried.*

Lady Morgan: My good servants, today a man tried to attack me, I have knocked him out and 'restrained' him in my quaters, he is a powerful illusionist and will easily confuse you so do not go in there.

Dark Raven: My lady, I should not have left your side!

Lady Morgan: This incident has shown me that I have the strong men but am not fit to lead our force, we have failed our tasks too many times lately. I propose we pledge alligance to the scourge of the Netherworlds, the Dark Lord Scareye!

*there are mixed mutterings and complaints from within the ranks*

Lady Morgan: My friends and comrades, have I ever steered you wrong? I would still be working with you as a deputy as before but we will have higher power to assist us in matters such as the Archmage. Please I beg of you, sign this contract of alliegance and become my loyal servants once more!

*Dark Raven signs it and hands if to other members, they sign, some more reluctantly than others, and the paper is handed back to the lady.*

Lady Morgan: I must go deal with the prisoner and send this to Scareye, return to your positions. Dark Raven wait outside in case of emergency.

*Lady Morgan returns to her quaters and inside her head hears the triumphant laugh of Scareye* [ModNote: Previously mentioned at The Forge; next seen in Confronting Nesty.]

[Visage]

*Lady Morgan slips into her chambers and sits, looking across at the grey-wrapped form lying on the bed*

Very good, very good, but not good enough. I wonder if I should kill you.... No, I've just gotten to like this... arrangement. Your death would cause complications.

*She bends close to the form which is bound hand and foot to the bed.*

When you awaken, you will find that Lord Scareye now has an army.... an army of the shadows! We are still growing, oh yes, we shall not attack just yet, but be careful who you trust. Not everything is what it appears to be....

*Gently, Lady Morgan turns over the sleeping figure to reveal... Lady Morgan! Except that the bound figure is unconscious and has a livid bruise on the back of her head, still visible amongst the tresses of her hair. The standing figure seems to jump and flicker in the torchlight, and for a moment the waking Lady Morgan's eyes darken into pools of shadows. Then she closes those eyes, and in a soft voice whispers..*

Thy will be done, my Lord.

*Then smiling, she leaves the Assasin's HQ. Who would stop their leader as she slips out of the front door?*

*Later, when the body of the guard is discovered, his neck snapped, the assasins send a messenger to look for Lady Morgan in the village, but she does not return, and they know that she left her inner sanctum, don't they?*

*It seems as though Lady Morgan has vanished.*

*Although a cowled man in grey says that he thought he saw her ride out of town....*

[ModNote: Visage is next seen in Confronting Nesty.]

[ladymorgan]

*some time after this Lady Morgan finally regains conciousness, she had been knocked into a deep coma by the cowled man. She is in the quaters and they are dusty and dark, it appears she has been out for a long time, she feels where she was hit. The swelling has gone down but she can feel a mark still there.
The doors to her quaters are locked and with great effort she breaks them open, the HQ is abandoned, it has been gutted and everything of interest taken. It appears her assassins have merely abandoned her. This makes no sense, how has she survived this long without food?
A clatter distrubs her thinking as a rusting door fixing creaks as the remains of the door are reluctantly pulled out, the Assassin codenamed "Dark Raven" who was her faithful secretary steps out and drops the bowl of soup in shock.*

Dark Raven: My lady, you're awake! What happened to you?

Lady Morgan: I know not but tell me what happened to my guild!

Dark Raven: You came out yourself to say an evil mage had attacked you and you had trapped him in oyur quaters, you convinced the guild to join Scareye and as they moved out to join him you disappeared, I wasn't convince and after they left I found your key and opened your quaters only to find you in the coma, i've been looking after you for months. Your fathers thinks you've been abducted. He fired me for failing you, he thinks i'm looking for you.

*Lady Morgan shocked by what has happened has one question*

Mogan: Where are the rest of the guild?

Raven: I cannot contact them, i have tried all I could to find them but they have not been seen in a long time, they must be working with Scareye now

Morgan: Well, first we must go to my father, I will say I was attacked and you saved me from a huge thug then we will begin plans to find who did this to me.

*The two set out from the abandoned guild HQ*

[ModNote: Lady Morgan is next seen in A Calling.]