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The Ballad of Jace Evans, Pt. 4 - [OOC, lotsa pictures]


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OOC:

Continued from Part 3.
Part 1 and Part 2 here.

 

Recap:

 

Spoiler

After the destruction of Athera, humanity transitioned to the new and unspoiled lands of Vailor. The collective trauma of losing Athera ignited a powderkeg of tensions that had lain dormant for decades. 

 

Xavier de Sola, a member of the de Sola family, was accused of consorting with Frost Witches. He had been contracting the mysterious witches to assassinate members of House Vladov. Xavier de Sola was subsequently brought to the Duchy of Adria to stand trial. Yet before they could reach a verdict, the trial was interrupted by a raid from House de Sola. Several prominent Adrian citizens were slaughtered in the raid, which came to be known as the Massacre of Wett

 

Adria demanded royal justice, but their pleas for restitution and recompense fell on deaf ears. King Olivier de Savoie opted not to intervene in the conflict between House Vladov and House de Sola. The king's inaction pushed Adria into out-and-out rebellion against the Crown.

 

Initially, Duke Vasili Vanir opted for the Duchy of Vanaheim to remain neutral. Many noble families - both Savoyard and Vladovic - sought refuge from the conflict in Vanaheim. Duke Vasili did not want to endanger the fleeing women and children who'd come to his duchy for sanctuary. 

 

Soon, though, Duke Vasili would be forced to choose a side. His young relative, Britannus Vanir, was kidnapped by members of the Kingsguard and tortured. The kingsguard intended to punish Britannus for marrying Emilia Vladov, a member of House Vladov. Following the assault on Britannus, Vasili felt he had no choice but to align with Adria. The Dukes' War had now truly begun.

 

Jace, now Count of Vanhall under Duke Vasili, advocated passionately for Vanaheim's neutrality. Jace had fought in the Schism War and sacrificed a great deal to secure a unified Oren. His brother, Publius Bracchus, served King Olivier de Savoie as Lord Steward. If Vanaheim sided with Adria, the Bracchus clan would be split - brother against brother on different sides of the war. Yet Jace could not sway Duke Vasili away from joining the cause of Adria. 

 

Regardless of his liege's choice, though, Jace refused to fight in the war. He made a promise to Sister Lorina - who was once upon a time his betrothed, before she joined the clergy - that he would not stoop to kinslaying. Having given the Sister his word, he was loathe to break it.

 

And he wouldn't. For the entire duration of the war, Jace would not strike out against the Savoyard forces.

 

Because he was behind bars in the bowels of Peremont, the keep of Lord Chancellor Guy de Bar. Early in the war, cloaked riders intruded upon Vanaheim and snatched Jace from the farms surrounding Vanaheim.

 

For three long years, Jace rotted in the cold and dark - wondering if he would ever see the sun again... or if this dismal place would be his grave.

 

Portions of the screenshots are blacked out and/or otherwise edited. I did this to edit out OOC messages, troll RP, server notices, irrelevant RP, etc. This was done for ease of reading, so you could enjoy the RP without trying to figure out who was saying what.

 

Also, there's some romantic scenes/dialogue. No FTBs or emotes - just dialogue. I decided not to show the screenshots with intense romantic RP because those feel a bit too personal to me. Instead, for romantic roleplay scenes, I just briefly described them instead. Still, if that makes you feel icky, look out for it.

 

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EPISODE 13:

The Lord Chancellor's Bargain

Spoiler

The cloaked riders threw the unconscious Jace over the side of a horse. They sped away from Vanaheim under the cover of night. As they sped down the road, the lights of a fortress soon became visible in the distant. This was the fortress known as Peremont, a fortification under the dominion of Lord Guy de Bar. Peremont's gates opened to welcome the kidnappers, who entered and dismounted. They dragged the unconscious Jace down into the dungeons of the fortress - where an unexpected person awaited him...

 

It was Jace's own brother, Publius, who had arranged for his kidnapping!


 

Spoiler

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The Savoyards would soon descend on Vanaheim. Publius had arranged for Jace's kidnapping so that he would be spared from the oncoming violence - but that was not the only reason for his actions. Publius hoped that Jace could convince Duke Vasili to withdraw support from Adria. 

 

While they talked in the dungeons, the soldiers of Peremont rallied for battle. Sister Lorina raised the alarm when Jace was kidnapped. Immediately, the Vydrian Order - the martial forces of Vanaheim - set out to free their captured count. 


 

Spoiler

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Publius revealed that Percival Staunton had turned traitor. The Stauntons had opted to remain loyal to the Crown instead of following Vasili into battle for Adria. In exchange, they asked to be given Jace's county should the Savoyards claim victory. In fact, Percival Staunton himself was up on the battlements of Peremont right that moment, preparing to gun down the forces that were mobilizing to rescue Jace.

 

Without the Stauntons, Vanaheim was in a weakened position. Vasili would be powerless without the backing of his vassals. The Savoyards only required Jace to defect as well. If Jace swore his allegiance to the crown, Vasili would be entirely delegitimized as the Duke of Vanaheim.

 

Publius did his best to convince Jace. The Lord Steward told Jace that, should he defect, he would be made Duke of Vanaheim upon Adria's capitulation. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Lord Steward did not know his brother's heart half so well as he imagined. Jace refused to betray Vasili. Jace valued his loyalty, his honor, and his integrity more than the promises of titles and wealth.


 

Spoiler

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The sounds of battle had begun to fade - and along with them, Jace's hopes of quick rescue. Publius suggested that Jace be placed on house arrest rather than confined to a dark and dirty cell. The Savoyard soldiers decided to bring the captive Count before the Lord Chancellor. If Publius could not change his brother's mind, perhaps the infamous and terrifying Lord Chancellor could.

 

Jace soon found himself standing before Lord Chancellor Guy de Bar and his entourage.


 

Spoiler

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No argument, no eloquent words, no promises of power, and no threats of violence would convince Jace Bracchus to break the oaths he swore. The Savoyard's were displeased by Jace's unassailable integrity and honor. When Jace Bracchus gave his word, he gave it with his whole heart. Yet as irritating as the Savoyards found Jace's refusal to capitulate, they also couldn't help but respect it just a little.

 

Guy de Bar decided he would keep Jace captive a little longer - in hopes that Jace could be traded for Clement de Sola (a prisoner being held captive on the Adrian side of the war). Jace would be given a small, but decent bedroom and a soldier's rations. Jace asked if he might contact his friends back in Vanaheim, to discuss matters pertaining to the county. Guy de Bar allowed it, on the condition that Jace's mail was monitored. 

 

Jace - perhaps a little too boldly - suggested that Sister Lorina might also come and visit him.


 

Spoiler

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Sergius de Bar - Guy's son - took Jace back down to the dungeons for the night. The Adrian threat had not quite passed. It was possible they would attempt to assault the fortress a second time. On the way down, Sergius spoke with Jace. Jace's commitment to Vanaheim and the Vanirs puzzled the young de Bar.


 

Spoiler

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Was Jace truly not tempted at all by the prospect of dukedom? No matter how many times the Savoyards offered Jace the ducal throne of Vanaheim, he would not take it. Perhaps it was because he didn't believe they'd hold up their end of the bargain - or perhaps it was because of something deeper than that.

 

Whatever Jace was, he was something different than what they had encountered before.

 

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EPISODE 14:

Hope

 

Spoiler

Despite his resolve to stay loyal to the Vanirs, Jace worried. He was not allowed much contact with the outside world - and he had little knowledge of what was happening in his county. He asked Sergius de Bar, once again, if he might contact Sister Lorina. She was his closest advisor and friend - and, secretly, the woman he loved. The de Bar lordling consented to allow the Sister to visit, so long as she came alone. 

 

Jace wrote to Lorina - and she soon arrived, bearing good news.


 

Spoiler

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Lorina's visit restored Jace's faith that he might soon be freed - traded to the Adrians in exchange for Clement de Sola. He waited for news of a hostage exchange. 

 

Yet the news never came.

 

Lorina still tried to visit him frequently. During one of these visits, Jace was locked in the dungeons due to word that the Adrians would be attempting another rescue mission. 


 

Spoiler

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Lorina's presence inspired hope in Jace, who looked forward to seeing her and hearing news of what was happening in his county. Her readings of scripture reminded him why he had committed to non-violence.

 

This time, however, Lorina came bearing news most dire.


 

Spoiler

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EPISODE 15:

Asher

 

Spoiler

Jace's captivity continued on, seemingly endless. He occupied his time wandering around Peremont and conversing with the soldiers there. Most of the soldiers were wary of Jace, though they tried to be civil with him. To the Savoyards' credit, Jace was not ill-treated - not by the soldiers and not by the nobles that oversaw them. Still, Jace found few allies among the denizens of Peremont.

 

His luck was about to take a turn for the worse, though.

 

One day, as he passed by one of the fort's windows, he noticed someone standing in the yard below. The man waved, trying to get Jace's attention. He pulled back his cloak, revealing a Vydrian order uniform hidden underneath. Asher Bridgehelm was a soldier of Vanaheim, mounting a single-man rescue mission to spring Jace from captivity.


 

Spoiler

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Jace sent the man on his way. He knew it would be suicide for one man to break into Peremont, swarming as it was with enemy soldiers. It wouldn't be long before he saw Asher Bridgehelm again, though.

 

Just one month later, Jace found Asher locked up inside a cell in Peremont's dungeon.


 

Spoiler

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Asher brought Jace horrible news about Vanaheim's condition. The northern duchy had been battered terribly in the war. The Vydrian Order lay butchered by the Savoyards. Jace's brother, Octavianus, was missing in action - perhaps captured, perhaps killed. No one knew for certain. Jace realized that Lorina, too, had not come to visit him in several months. Worry gripped his breast, but he could not say it aloud.

 

At that moment, Lord Sergius de Bar came storming down into the dungeon. In a rage, he ordered that Jace be thrown in the cell alongside Asher Bridgehelm. Jace was confused - what had he done? What rule had he broken that so offended the young de Bar? 

 

Jace had written a letter to Guy de Bar. He'd asked one of the guards at Peremont to deliver it to the Lord Chancellor. In the letter, Jace made an argument for why he ought to be released. The letter ended up in possession of Sergius, who viewed it as a grievous insult. For that, he intended to punish Jace.


 

Spoiler

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Jace's period of relatively comfortable house arrest had ended. Now, it seemed, he would need to make himself at home in the dripping, dark, filthy dungeon of Peremont.

 

He and Asher were now confined together. With no one else for company, they began to talk and get to know one another.


 

Spoiler

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Months passed in the lightless cell. Jace began to fear that he would never see the sun again, never feel the wind on his face nor smell the salt on the sea breeze. 

 

Even worse, the soldiers and guards of Peremont began to take their anger out on the prisoners. Jace awoke one day to find that his cellmate, Asher, had been tortured. The Savoyards had taken Asher out of the cell and given him a cruel choice. He could either hang by the neck until dead - or give up one of his hands. Asher, not wanting to die, allowed his hand to be amputated. The guards bound the wound so that Asher would not bleed out and die - but otherwise gave him no medical care whatsoever.


 

Spoiler

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Luckily, the paladin Tessa was also being held captive at Peremont. Under cover of night - while the guards were changing shifts - she snuck down into the dungeons and used her healing magic to treat Asher's hand. She couldn't restore the hand he'd lost, but she cured an infection that has been festering in the amputation wound.


 

Spoiler

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Not all of the guards were cruel, though. Some took pity on Jace and Asher, providing them with food and medical supplies so that they would not die in captivity under Peremont. A few had even taken a liking to the imprisoned pair.


 

Spoiler

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Some of the Knights of St. Amyas even attempted to recruit Jace to their cause - praising his piety and strength of character.


 

Spoiler

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Jace held out hope that he and Asher might see release before the war's end. He listened closely to the voices of the people that passed through Peremont, hoping to catch the sound of Publius's voice. Yet Publius never graced Peremont's halls. Jace began to fear that Publius had forgotten him.

 

Jace felt himself growing paler, thinner, and sicker as the months dragged into years. The moist, frigid darkness crept into his soul, leeching the hope and optimism slowly out of him. Day blended into night and back into day. Jace could only estimate how much time had passed since he was imprisoned. There was not a single crack in the prison wall through which he could view the sun. He and Asher could do nothing but sleep, eat their meager prison slop, wait, and try to talk of happier things.

 

Yet the smell of blood and mildew filled their lungs. Jace felt as though this cell would soon become his tomb. In some ways, he felt as though he were already dead. The occasional kind gesture from the guards was not enough to make up for his years of cruel imprisonment.

 

 

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EPISODE 16:

Freedom

 

Spoiler

One morning, Jace woke up to portentous news from Asher.


 

Spoiler

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The Dukes' War had, at long last, reached its conclusion. But Jace's hope for release had grown vanishingly small. He anticipated that what waited him was not, in fact, freedom... but trial and perhaps even execution. It seemed as though the de Bars had no intention of letting him go. Jace had spent the entirety of the war behind bars. He had never harmed a single Savoyard. Even so, he refused to betray Vasili - which made him an enemy combatant. His chances of survival seemed infinitesimal. 

 

Jace resigned himself to his fate. If he ever saw the sun again, it would be on the way to the gallows. That was, of course, if he didn't waste away inside the cell for the rest of his life, however long that might be. He had grown thin and pallid from years in captivity - his muscles wasting away from lack of use. 

 

One night, though, as Asher lay asleep -- Jace heard a familiar voice drifting from the upper floors of Peremont.


 

Spoiler

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For the first time in years, Jace felt fresh air upon his sunken cheeks. He nearly collapsed into Publius's arms, so thin and weak were his limbs. Publius drew his weakened brother's arm around his shoulder and they left Peremont together.

 

Jace pleaded with Publius to try and bargain for Asher's freedom as well. Asher Bridgehelm had been Jace's only company down in that dismal jail cell. He refused to leave Asher to rot and die in that awful place. Publius promised that he'd get Asher free as well.


 

Spoiler

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Together, Jace and Publius returned to Vanaheim. Jace feared that his county had been utterly destroyed by wartime violence. His heart nearly burst when he saw Lorina's church still standing, its warm lighted windows beckoning him through the deepening darkness.

 

Publius reassured Jace that he would not face any consequences for his actions during the war. In fact, as far as the Crown was concerned, Jace could retain his lordship over Vanaheim. 


 

Spoiler

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There was one person that Jace wanted to see more than anyone else, though.

 

During his long years in prison, he'd thought of her often. Long ago, in a greener and more peaceful time, Jace had courted a princess. Their courtship failed due to a cruel twist of fate, but Jace had never forgotten his feelings. His love for Lorina Carrion had remained true and strong. He thought of her continuously during his captivity, wondering what had happened to her - if he might ever see her face in the light of day again.

 

Jace feared what she would think of him, as emaciated and filthy as he was from years of prison. Yet he knew he needed to see her.


 

Spoiler

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In the midst of their reunion, Jace kissed her. Lorina stumbled backward, eyes wide, and touched her hand to her mouth. Her eyes went to Publius, whom she could see standing on the road outside the church. Publius faced off in a different direction, but she had a feeling he'd seen them. Quietly, Jace apologized. He couldn't help himself in the moment. Just as quietly, Lorina told him that he had absolutely nothing to apologize for. 

 

Timid, Jace turned away and exited the church.


 

Spoiler

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Jace returned to his manor for the night. He bathed and changed into clean clothes for the first time in three years. He sat by his window and looked across the street to the church. As he watched, a small figure in white stepped out of the church's front doors. Lorina saw Jace sitting by the window and waved to him. She gestured to the front door, asking without words if she might visit.

 

Jace went down to the foyer and opened the door for her. In the front room of the house, he and Lorina stood across from each other, neither one of them knowing what to say. Lorina looked up at Jace's face. Her eyes became misty with tears. Grabbing the nun's veil from her head, she dropped it on the floor and flung herself into Jace's arms. 

 

It was a mistake - and they were both aware of it. But neither one of them could hold back their feelings anymore. They had been in love with one another for years. 

 

Their actions would reap consequences, but - for now - they were together after the long and awful war.

 

 

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Part 5

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