For the first time in the fortnight, since
his companions left Fewham, Vogir relaxes. Lord Rician has reduced his guard
numbers to that of before the threat he’d made.
He’d kept out of sight, watching from
outside the town perimeter.
What was weird though was the whole
situation…
It smelled.
It smelled a lot.
It positively stunk!
A dragon in the form of a lady, mincing
about pretending to be human while being served upon hand and foot.
A Lord feigning consideration for his
people while living in luxury.
The flawed defence of the Lady Sybille
being Theranthor’s daughter and therefore apparently keeping the Empress’
forces from attacking.
And finally, a secret that everyone seems
to be aware of: The local nobility, the dragon empress, the guards and even the
locals themselves.
Everyone knows!
So why wasn’t Lord Rician honest in the
beginning?
Why the pretence?
Still, Vogir wasn’t fooled and he wasn’t to
be put off. After weeks of waiting, of questioning visitors and travelers from
and to the town, he was ready to act.
The mansion carefully cased, Vogir
approaches stealthily and under the cover of darkness. Easily bypassing the
locked doors, he drifts as mist through the corridors and under the cracks in
doors.
Still, despite the hour, Vogir is too early. Lady Sybille is
awake and still in conversation with her ‘Father’. Confident in his hidden
state though, Vogir edges forward to listen…
The conversation is sweet. Loving even and
worse, it seems sincere.
Lord Rician kisses her gently on her
forehead before retiring for the night.
It would be easy now. Lady Sybille is
completely alone but something stays Vogir’s hand.
Following her to her own bedchamber, she is
met by an older women dressed in a robe of dark grey. She passably resembles a
Black-cloak but her graying hair and lined face are unhidden by the hood.
The woman smiles when Sybille enters and the
affection again seems genuine.
Despite not currently having a stomach,
Vogir feels a sinking within it.
This woman is almost certainly the trusted
Black-cloak who’d stolen the little wyrmling in the first place. That she was
still here spoke of care beyond mere duty.
After combing and braiding Sybille’s long
blond hair, the lady-in-waiting puts her to bed and retires to an adjoining
room.
Vogir watches until Sybille’s breathing
becomes deeper and he’s sure she’s asleep.
He could kill her now.
It’d be easy.
He could kill the nanny and Lord Rician too…
If he wanted to…
If it were the right thing to do.
…
An eerie sigh escapes Vogir’s insubstantial
form and, like a shadow, he slips from the silent mansion.
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Originally I was going to have Vogir kill, not only Sybille but Lord Rician and her nanny as well.
ReplyDeleteI usually write stories to give background information, to give clues and to move on the story. Sometimes just to explain what and how my characters have gained while I was DMing.
I could’ve made the argument that killing another of her children would’ve made Thereanthor even more anxious and angry.
I could’ve justified the act as meaningless within the game.
Unfortunately Christoph and Scott both made good arguments.
Christoph asserted that I was just trying to turn over a role-playing incident and Scott maintained that (despite not being shown in-game) I’d misunderstood the situation he’d created.
Fair points both and after thinking it over, I realised that there was certainly some wish fulfillment clouding my thinking.
Therefore: Despite my own selfish desires… Sybille lives!