The Nexus

Danila stood on his balcony, overlooking the city of trees. He crumpled the paper in his hand and turned away from the natural beauty of his home, pacing into the pristine room and passed the courier who had given him the dratted letter. "You are dismissed," he said briskly and crossed the room to his closet to choose a cloak to put about his shoulders. He stopped at his desk and pulled a fresh leaf of paper loose from the stack and began to write. When he was done, he left his quarters, took a horse from the stables and rode to the edge of the city.

It was not often that strangers came to their lands, as many were afraid these elves were much like their cousins: unfriendly. But the Solenti were the most open and outgoing of the elf races of Ianua and he hoped some traveling mercenary might stop to read the quest board with his plea. His father had denied the necessity of dispatching a few men to find the lost diplomat, so he took it upon himself to find someone who would locate the woman. Danila dismounted and tacked the quest note onto the board on top of any others. he stood for a moment as if expecting someone to be there immediately to answer the call, but no one came.

The elf prince climbed back onto the horse and rode home with a depressed air about him. The note was left with the following message:

ADVENTURERS WANTED FOR A RESCUE MISSION
Please inquire at the Royal Spire in the center of the city.
Ask for Prince Danila Ylvarii the Second, Warden of Diplomacy.

It had been a bit of a dry period, days without a job and getting low on coin Olo was ready to do just about anything that they needed to do in order to bulk up their purse a bit. So, he was checking out every board he came across to see if there was anything that could keep them sustained for a bit.

It was this search that led him to skim over the board that Danila had posted his note upon, with pursed lips Olo looked towards the city, then back at the board, then towards Ang before his stomach quipped a witty and grumbling retort. "I think we need this job." Olo had been a bit more talkative as of late, but still blunt as usual.

Ang had been looking at boards too, but the jobs they had taken hadn't paid much. He always felt guilty taking from the poor anyway, but this note had been written by a Prince. "I think we should definitely take this job." He took the notice off the board for proof and headed towards the castle.

He didn't even think about cleaning up or anything even though they were going to see a prince. When they got to the castle gates he did all the talking when they got there. He held up the note, "We're here to see Prince Danlia about a job?" Hopefully they would be let in!

The city was made of white and gold stone and most of the buildings were tall and thin spire-like structures. The trees had no been disturbed at all when the elves began to build there and often homes were open and had tree branches and trunks growing through walls. The city itself was littered with blond or otherwise fair haired elves who spared a glance for the newcomers, but did not pay them any more attention. The guards outside the entrance to the ornate Tower dropped their spears together to bar entrance to the adventurers and asked them to state their business.

Ang had answered and lifted the leaflet for the guards and one leaned forward to inspect it. While he looked derisively on his cousin elf and his human companion, he could not discount the royal seal on the note. The guards parted and one slipped into the gates before Ang or Olo. He summoned a courier who nodded and showed the pair into an audience room before disappearing for the Prince.

Some time later Danila entered, decked out in an ornate outfit of soft greens and browns. It had been a few days since he'd placed the note and he'd almost given up waiting for someone to answer his need. He walked into the room stiffly, head head high. He nodded once to each of them. "Gentlemen." He gestured to a particularly large root in the far side of the room. "Please, have a seat. I trust you were received well?" He didn't quite wait for an answer.

"The matter I need assistance in is a dire one. I hope you men are up to the task. I need your adventuring skills to find a missing diplomat."

Olo offered a smile at Ang, "Good minds." And once they had the proof he followed him right into the city and up to the other elves. The two guards got hard eyes and a grunt when they were being judged. He had the feeling that these elves were far from being anything like his elf, and he suddenly had the urge to grab them both by their hair and slam their heads together. But, he wasn't quite that much of a caveman. At the moment anyway.

Once they were inside and Danila came out he quirked a brow and tilted his head but he'd take a seat when it was suggested and wait for more information. The bit about being up to the task made him grunt, "We're up for it." Strong silent type for sure, but his expression was a very serious one and he definitely meant it.

Ang glanced at Olo when Danila came into the room and he mouthed the word 'fancy.' He didn't have a lot of time to do much else because the man was speaking. "We can do that. How much does it pay?" He probably came off as a little crude, but he was hungry! "Who exactly are we looking for?" He skimmed over the well received bit, he was used to people giving him strange looks.

Danila nodded and had just the hint of a smile. He liked that Ang got right to the point. "I will pay you ten platinum pieces. Or I shall break it up into equal coins, should you wish." He put his hands behind his back and lifted his head. "My affianced has been kidnapped. She was one an important diplomatic trip to the human kingdom of Greyhawk, but misfortune fell on her party in the form of a thief. The knight who accompanied her," he said the word knight with a little sneer, clearly bitter with the man. "Has failed to protect her."

Olo almost snorted at Ang but he gave a nod, yep fancy was one word for it. But when Danila said how much he'd pay them his brows raised, well that was a fee he quite liked the sound of! His eyes fell on Ang and he gave him a little bit of a look, this wasn't a job they should pass up at all. Then his eyes fell back on the prince, "I believe we can help you."

Anguath didn't really like Danila's attitude, but he'd been around enough fancy types to know that they all just thought themselves above everyone. It didn't make him feel any less like shooting Danila in the butt with an arrow though.

"Well...what's her name? What does she look like? We can probably help you, but we'll need more information. You say on her way to Greyhawk, did she make it there? Do you know where exactly she was taken? How long ago did this happen?" He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. It wasn't like they could afford not to take the case, but Danila was rubbing him the wrong way.

His eyes cut to Olo when he said they could help. He had to push down the excitement that rose in him at the prospect of someone helping. It wasn't as if he had much else to think about being third in line. Ang started asking questions and his face became a mask again.

"Her name is Aurelia. She is Solenti like myself, tall, thin with hair the color of honey and eyes of blue of tourmaline." Ang had rattled off a lot of things and he did his best to answer well and in order. "As far as we were informed, she did not reach Greyhawk. Nor did the Knight of the Rose Order, Sir Bastien. Intelligence collected suggests they were merely a days ride from the kingdom's edge when their trail deviated. We believe she was taken west toward the Great Forest." He stopped there and allowed a momentary hint of concern strike his features. But the prince was well bred and trained to hide his thoughts so the trace left quickly. If anything, he just seemed earnest.

"Unfortunately she has been missing for some months. I was hoping I might place my hope on your skills in tracking, gentlemen."

Olo let Ang ask his questions and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, to listen to what the prince had to say. He was sticking with it well until the elf said that she'd been missing for some months. "Months? Any sightings in that time?" If she'd been gone for months he'd hate to tell the prince but there likely wasn't anyone to find. But he didn't want to say that out loud just yet, "How far is this place from here?"

Ang looked over at Olo, "We met a girl named Aurelia that fits that description. When we were tracking the Changling." He didn't remember what city it was though, "There was no knight with her..." So maybe it wasn't the same girl?

"We are good trackers." He didn't say anything about the woman being missing for months either, they could at least try to follow her trail. "Would it be possible to speak to this knight and find out what he knows?"

The elf prince hesitated. "I had heard a rumor of an elf of her beauty in a port town to the south... But it was not confirmed as my Aurelia. Greyhawk is at least a few days ride by horse. It's on the main road and should have been an easy journey." He clenched his fist. "She carried important news for the human kingdom. I can only assume someone did not want it to arrive."

Danila's attention turned to Ang. "You have seen her?" He seemed almost anxious for Ang to know where she was, but she did not have the knight with her and he wilted some, confused. "Sir Bastien was dispatched to us as her guardian in good faith, he would not have left her side..." Or so he thought, anyway. He had trusted the man with his beloved and he failed them both. "He has not been heard from since her disappearance. I do not wish to assume he had something to do with it, but perhaps he has been looking for her as well."

When Ang brought up the two they'd met some time ago his brows furrowed, "That's why the name sounded familiar...she was well but there was no knight. Could have been someone else." He took a breath when Danila went on about what the girl was doing and pursed his lips, a few days ride by horse was a long few days of walking but likely whatever had been where she was when she disappeared would wait that long. Likely. The news about the knight had him thinking, if the knight wasn't with her it didn't necessarily mean that he was in on it. He could have been dispatched by any number of bandits!

Ang thought about it, "There have been lots of bandits on the road. Maybe one of them was able to get the better of this knight." Danila mentions horseback, and Ang looked worried. "We have no mounts, your highness. We would be walking." Hopefully that wouldn't be a deal breaker because he really wanted this job. Not only for the money, but if it was the same girl, Aurelia had been kind enough and she didn't deserve to be kidnapped by some lowly thief.

"Have there?" He said in answer to Ang's comment about bandits. The prince was never outside the city limits and he had no idea. Dark thoughts clouded his mind and a small crease formed betwixt his brows. It was entirely possible the knight could have been overwhelmed and he only just thought it a possibility after Ang suggested it. "I had thought him capable... But if what you tell me is true, the road may have been too unsafe for even him."

Danila waved a hand about the horses. "I shall provide you with all you need. If you desire a mount, my stables are open to you."

Olohorn frowned at the way the conversation had gone about the bandits, he hoped for the lady's sake that she was in one piece and still had her knight. "There have, we encounter them quite often in our travels." It really was almost ridiculous how often they saw bandits! When the prince said the stables were open to them he looked at Anguath and quirked a brow. Well talk about a gift horse. "We would desire mounts, it would make the trip faster and speed is important when on a rescue."

Ang blinked at how easily Danila offered them whatever they wanted. "Horses it is then. We could start off right away if you show us to your stables?" He hoped that the Prince wasn't going to offer them some old horses he didn't want anymore. Anguath would feel too badly about riding them!

"We'll head for the town she was last seen in. Surely someone there saw something that can give us a direction to go after that."

Danila nodded. "Then it is done. I can show you to the stables myself and be sure you leave with fine mounts." The prince had let worry slip into his expression again as he was unaware of the state of the world. He lived a relatively sheltered life. He nodded once more to Ang. "That sounds like a fine plan. I will find you a map to the town to aid you."

With everything settled, he spread an arm out to show the men out of the room. He'd lead them through the first floor of the castle and out the back, though most rooms only had thee walls and an open one to walk out of. He brought them to the stables and waved the guards away, letting the rangers walk in first. The horses quartered there were many and of various pedigrees. He led them to a line of courier animals he thought would be the swiftest. "You man have your pick, gentlemen."

Olohorn nodded to the prince, it was might helpful and he wasn't going to complain one bit. He'd follow the prince out to the stables and survey the horses carefully. It wasn't a small task, picking a horse for a job like this, but Olo thought that they may need something that was not only fast but also could potentially carry more than one person. Olo was a big boy so...he went with a larger draft type horse.

"This one, for me." The man walked up and pet the horse's nose gently before looking to Ang, wondering what horse he would pick. "The map will be helpful. I have a bird that can relay messages to you as we make progress."