For the Throne - An Alternate Universe RP

[The Skarzs]

  King Kraoleck stood on a balcony in the side of Sarahadoron, looking out over the village far below at the foot of the mountain. His slitted eyes could make out little movements throughout the whole town, creatures working and staying busy.
  If production kept going according to plan, Sarahadoron would be ready to go further north and inland within a season, around midsummer. It would be the perfect time to expand his control, no cold rain or snow, and no threat of frost.
  The monitor hissed in displeasure; he hated frost, and it had been frosty that morning, while his windows were left open by the servants. He would have to have to talk to his steward, Ordis Fletcher, about who was taking care of his room the night before and have them punished. If he had not awoken when he did, their king may have been frozen.
  Kraoleck turned away, his red tail following smoothly behind him. Passing between his two bodyguards, monitors just like him, as he exited the balcony, the king motioned that they follow him, which they did obediently. His second in command, Seht, was waiting nearby.
  "Ssseht, do you think we have enough ssoldierss in our army?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Faukin looked at the logging village on the edge of the Plantarre forest from a small rise. The town was bustling to and fro, the sounds of axes and hammers always present. Out of the forest came some freshly felled trees, stripped of leaves and limbs, on wheeled trolleys. They gradually made their way to a yard where they were stripped of bark and rough-hewn into workable pieces.
  So this was what they were talking about, the wildcat thought to herself. That rat family wasn't kidding when they said the town was always busy. Breathing in deeply, Fauken readjusted her satchel and made her way into the town, preparing herself to see how "King Kraoleck" really ran his creatures.

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Hey Skarzs I might have did a little PP with the whole lizard appetite thing, and the guards executing staff members for minor stuff. Is that A-ok or should I change it?

Cool I edited it.

IC:

Making one last check of his list Ordis entered the large hall which presided as the dining room for Sarahadoron. He was followed by two nervous looking, young vole maids. The creatures whispered to each other unprofessionally making the mouse's whiskers twitch, however the presence of monitor guards eating at the table stopped him from telling them off. That could be done later in private.

Taking a pure white glove from his waist pouch the Steward slipped it onto his paw and rubbed the glove on the tabletop where Kraoleck would be sitting for his evening meal. That is if he sat with his creatures at the evening meal. Lizards had an unpredictable appetite.

After several seconds of swiping the glove across the table's surface, underneath, and edges Ordis inspected it critically. Holding the now brown tinged glove Ordis shook his head.

"Dust, on the underneath. Redo the entire table, his majesty will not appreciate a dirty place to eat. And neither will his officers. I should not have to send you to do this task twice." The two voles looked crestfallen and slumped off to collect their cleaning equipment. Ordis on the other paw returned the glove to it's proper place and produced a small slip of parchment. Scribbling a quick note the mouse ascended the main stairs frowning at his notes.

The Sarahadoron staff was short again. He hated assigning young creatures to work in the king's living quarters, and  they were opt to make mistakes. Mistakes that could be dangerous to both them and him. However all the older staff had either been killed or left the fortress, youth was Ordis' only option.

He'd have to either request for the king to have his monitors stop whipping servants for minor grievances, or have some new staff recruitment. Knowing the first choice might result in the loss of his life the mouse grudgingly scribbled down a reminder to ask that some new servants be brought in.

[The Skarzs]

OOC: Executions wouldn't be that common; lashings would be more commonplace, though it would certainly still prevent creatures from wanting the jobs.

[Hickory]

Rusk Streamdiver took a sip of his beaker of November Ale. He observed the mountain rearing in the distance through the window of the second floor of his business building. The armory he ran was local, but he was a richbeast from the money collected from the various beasts who bought his weapons. Mainly Kraoleck, whom Rusk nursed an intense dislike for. Of course, that was why he was in the resistance.

Finishing off his drink, the otter got up from his chair and went to the stairwell leading down to the first floor of the building. This was where the bulk of his creatures worked, fashioning blades and trimming wood, binding hilts and beating out spearheads. Most of the employees were normal civilians, totally uninvolved with the resistance. Rusk observed them work before tiring of the sight. The restless energy of the wilderness outside was constantly flowing through the otter's veins, and he wasted not a second. He was off to see his resistance contacts at the property of one Lady Silvertail.

OOC: Jukka, I hope that that's okay.

[Jukka the Sling]

OOC:  It's fine.  I'm going to have a random NPC Resistance dude who Rusk can talk to.  Maybe I'll make him an actual character later.
BIC:

Ennalee had slept in, as usual.  Rubbing her eyes, she rolled over and yawned, then slowly got out of bed.  The sunlight streaming in through the window warmed her somewhat as she pulled on a simple tunic and splashed her face with the water in the washbasin to help herself wake up.  The water was frigid; the weather had been chilly so far that spring.

The stoat dried her face, then walked downstairs to see what her elderly housekeeper had cooked for breakfast.
----------------------------
Daniel had been up for over an hour already.  Normally the young hedgehog would have been working the fields, but today he had been assigned the job of fixing a cart axle that had broken.  He had a natural flair for working with those types of things.

Secretly he was happy he'd been given this job, working alone by an old shed on the edge of the farm.  Not only was it a welcome change from the usual tasks, but he was hoping (unlikely though it was) that someone from the Resistance might try and meet with him sometime soon.  Daniel had been unable to meet with them lately due to all the work he'd been assigned and the heightened danger of sneaking away from home after curfew, but he had promised to pinch a few odds and ends from the farm that might help the group, and he wanted to hand them over.  So he kept his eyes and ears open while he worked to remove the warped axle from the cart.

[Hickory]

Rusk waved a sinewy paw at two guards on the path, one of Kraloeck's patrols. He was respected well enough among the ranks of the Monitor's forces, he only needed to show them the piece of parchment all citizens carrying around to denote their identity. Ennalee's farm good in the distance. The armorer and the landowner had never really talked. Rusk formed an excuse for his arrival as he strode up the path.

[LT Sandpaw]

Yawning a small rat flicked swept her way slowly across the kitchen floor. She had never been much of an early riser, but if she wanted a good, warm meal before going out to work she needed to assist the elderly housekeeper with the morning chores.

The broom's rough wood scraped against her paws she brushed the last of the dirt out into the garden. Giving the floor one last check Linty stored the broom and went over to wait beside the oven warming her frigid paws by its door. A clatter of pots and pans made her turn slightly to see Millie approaching.

"Move lass, the bread is done." Linty shuffled aside as the aging weasel opened the oven door. Linty's nose twitched appreciatively as Millie withdrew the steaming loaf.

"Mm, smells good mama." The little rat stuck out a paw which the weasel slapped away.

"This is for the Mistress Silvertail Lin', not for you. Your meal is over there, on the counter." Millie scolded as she bustled away. Not wanting to leave the comfortable warmth of the oven Linty was torn for a moment between food, and warmth. Deciding she could always return she scurried over to the counter where the servants meal had been lined along the counter.

"Oatmeal?"

"And a little flatbread left over from last night. Don't complain and be grateful like I taught you."

"Yes'm." Linty whined taking the largest portion of oatmeal and flatbread. At least it was warm. Quickly she trotted over to a corner of the kitchen and began spooning in the bland meal before it went cold.

[Jukka the Sling]

Passing by the small but comfortable dining room, Ennalee saw Millie setting out the meal.  Giving a slight appreciative smile, she walked in.  "Morning, Millie."  She pulled out one of the chairs from the table (it sat six, which was ridiculous because they never had anybody over) and sat down.  Everything smelled good, and she was just about to serve herself when her gaze was drawn to the window.  It overlooked the front yard, and she didn't usually look out there, but now in the gap between the old curtains she saw an otter coming up the path.  She stared for a second and then got to her feet.

"There's someone coming," she said, puzzled.  "Have you seen him before?"

OOC:  Tell me if this post doesn't fit what you've planned, Sage.

[Hickory]

OOC: No, that's fine.

[Lady Amber]

Aydin awoke to a cold morning in his small cottage on the outskirts of town. Yawning, he threw back the warm blanket that covered him. He sat up and stretched. He cast a glance over to the fireplace and saw that the fire had gone out. That was why he was so cold. Rubbing his paws together for warmth the otter strode over to the pile of wood next to the fireplace and tossed a few logs into the space. He grabbed a couple of pawfuls of twigs and dry grass and placed it on top of the wood. Sparks flew as he struck flint and steel together, and he soon had a nice fire going.

Aydin sat back, holding his paws out to the fire and enjoying its warmth. He mused over what he would do that day, which wasn't much. His stomach grumbled; he would need to fix breakfast soon.

[Lady Ashenwyte]

"There could be more, my Lord. The number of our troopsss in fighting condition can defend Sssaharadoron with a few casualties." Seht said "However, we can levy the civiliansss, if need be."

[Conrad the Painless]

It was now late morning, but Marth had woken up at daybreak to tend to his garden. He tilled the soil, putting his back into it. The tall hare sighed as he leaned on the hoe, admiring his work. He glanced over at his shed. Hm. Needs some fixing, but nothing a stout fellow such as I can't accomplish... He finished the row, wiping his brow. Marth looked down at his tunic, not surprised to find it dirty. He went inside his small house, which was built into the side of a hill, quite a good ways away from the village, but still within walking distance. He dusted himself off before stepping inside. Over the roaring fire, he had a kettle boiling water with herbs from his garden, just in the event that somebeast should visit. Marth stretched out his long legs as he sat on a stool by the flames.

Beside him stood a small shelf full of books. He smiled as he picked up one and began to read.

[The Skarzs]

  "Begin a recruitment, then," Kraoleck said before stepping out of his living chamber. He was on his way to get his breakfast, guards in tow, when he came across Ordis.
  "Ssteward. Find the  sservantz who prepared my bedchamber lasst night and have them punished. There waz frosst." After a moment he suddenly spoke again. "Wait." Motioning at Seht, he continued. "Give them to Sseht; they will be put into the army."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Fauken entered the town and roamed the streets, catching the occasional glimpse from workers and citizens as she passed by. Stood to reason, of course, since wildcats were not very common creatures. She decided it would be best if she passed through as quickly as possible.

[Eulaliaaa!]

Anna Mudscale turned the corner of a street, quickly making her way down to a small bakery on the corner. She went around the back, stopping in front of a small shack leaning against the wall. The moniter's claws tightened around the bag she was holding as she peered into the small room, "This is a mess," she sniffed.

  A figure darted forward from behind the shack, making her jump slightly as it bowed deeply, "And what do you expect me to do about it, my lady?"

  Anna smiled at the young fox, "Clean it up, Reece. I brought you breakfast." She held the bag towards him.

  Reece's blue eyes lit up joyfully, "I can smell it. Did you get it from here?"

  "No, this bakery is worthless. I got it from the one on the other side of town," Anna answered.

  Reece hopped onto the stump of a tree and crouched down, taking a bite from the loaf of bread, "Want some?"

  "I've already eaten," Anna took the helmet off her head and let it drop to the ground, "If you were to join Kraoleck's army you'd be happier."

  Reece wrinkled his nose, "Army isn't for me. I'm happier fishing. Oh... I nearly forgot." He jumped up, going into the shack and walking out with a small necklace dangling from one of his claws, "For you, dearest mother."

  Anna took it slowly, "I didn't know you had the money for this." Her face darkened when Reece didn't answer, "Reece. You stole it."

  The cheerful fox grinned, "Ah, the old mouse was a mean one. He didn't deserve to make money off of it."

  Anna tossed the necklace back to Reece, "I won't take it. Stop stealing things or you're going to get caught," she said, then picked her helmet up and began to leave, "I need to get going. I hope you liked the breakfast."

  "I never get caught, and I never will," Reece smiled, "Goodbye, dearest mother!" He went back into the shack and gathered his fishing supplies, then set off through the town to get to work.

[Lady Ashenwyte]

"Your will ssshall be carried out." Seht looked at Ordis. "Sssend the ssservants to my office, good Ordisss. Do not forget to sssummon all the citizensss to the town sssquare. I will leave now, my dutiesss await." Seht walked off, gesturing to a guard to fetch his palanquin.

~~O~~
Tredian reread the letter. It had to be perfect. If it wasn't, the rebellion could fail, and that would doom Saharadoron and all who lived in it. The letter was to a certain Lady Silvertail, whose father had been involved in the rebellion and died.

Dear Lady Silvertail,

I am from the rebellion. If you are interested in hearing a proposition that would avenge your father and free Saharadoron of its shackles, meet me at The Lizard King's Tail inn at midnight. Come in disguise. An otter kit with brown fur and blue eyes should be delivering this message. If not, kill the messenger.

Signed,

Anon.

He gave it to an otter kit with brown fur and blue eyes, along with a package containing kitchen supplies. "Deliver it to Lady Ennalee Silvertail's farm, kit. The letter is for Lady Silvertail's eyes only, and tell whoever takes the package that." The kit nodded and ran out of the door, just in time as well, for a soldier from the army walked in.