Senda

*Posters in Abresi and Kralta proudly proclaim the demolition of the Lion's Keep.*

*Once more, the Druidic Order is invited to reconsecrate the land being returned to nature.*

*Posters in both Abresi and Kralta proudly proclaim the razing of the settlement of Ager.*

*Added to the posters is another notice for the Druidic Order, inviting them to bless the land's return to nature.*

This gave me a good chuckle, which I find important in any guide, as stuff like that grabs your attention.. and makes one more likely to fully read it.

+1

*Posters in both Abresi and Kralta proudly proclaim the razing of the settlement of Aldersberg*

*On the posters, notice is given for the requested assistance of druids, for the effort of replanting and re-growing the forest, aiding in the land's total reclamation to nature*

Edited.

Removed all spoilers.

Pinned to the poster, a piece of parchment can be found:

"By the order of Lord Carrion, this project is on hold, while other demolition efforts take precedence."

"Workers seeking employment should seek out Joseph Lane at Aldersberg."

((Just an OOC note.. It is actually the intention to leave some of the castle as an overgrown ruin.. Not flatten it entirely so there's nothing left of it. In general, the area will be 'fixed' so it'll fit in the general plans and new lay-out we have come up with for what was once called 'The Westerlands'.))

((OOC reply:

I was hired to demolish the place, not leave a ruin. That means a complete cleanup.

If you want to discuss this further, it might be best to take it to pm's instead.))

Posters can be found, pinned up in Abresi and Kralta:

By the order of Lord Carrion,

Jospeh Lane has been commissioned to oversee the demolition of the abandoned ruins of Ard Kerrack, that the land may once again be returned to its former natural beauty and tranquility.

Any and all able workers, interested in sharing in the simple honour of hard labour, should report to Joseph Lane at Ard Karrack itself.

Glory to Ruska.

((OOC info:

Time to clean up the landscape of abandoned structures.

I will be taking a pickaxe to this ginormous structure myself, in order to remove it and clean up the landscape. Anyone interested in lending a hand should simply contact me in-game on "Senda" or via forum pm.))

To all Orcs, on behalf of the Intrepid Society:

Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to show to us that what happened was a mistake founded in simple miscommunication and benign neglect.

Hearing your praise and genuine admiration of our effort to construct your city is ultimately worth more to us then any amount of diamonds, as our goal when constructing anything for LotC is, has been and always shall be: To provide good-looking structures that promote active RP.

We would like to collectively shake all of your hands, treat this entire situation as being in the past and move on towards the bright new adventures that will await us in 3.0!

Thank you all again for setting the records straight, it is much appreciated.

Regards,

Senda

IS Community Leader

So, just out of curiosity here, considering the upcoming filming of the place..

The "Goblin Slums" we made, with the shoddy houses along the path, a small hospital, ending finally in a cave with multiple house-entrances in the wall (which were not finished on the inside deliberately I might add, due to a lack of actual goblins.)...

..Are not going to be used at all?

The forest is thick with darkness as Gerrard Lane walks the last few paces of the road, before it opens up to the clearings of Heaford.

As torchlight casts a flickering array of light and shadows, he makes his way to the entrance of the Keep, where John, the guardsman standing outside on duty, gives Ser Gerrard a quick nod of recognition before opening the doors.

Handing his sword and scabbard to Skylen with a small grunt of exhaustion, he sits down at the dining table, closing his eyes for a moment as he rests by the softly purring fireplace.

As the flames cast the warmth across the room, so do they warm his body, as Gerrard finds his aching muscles relaxing a bit.

This short reverie is quickly broken however, as Skylen walks into the room, carrying a bundle of messages, depositing them on the table in front of Gerrard, who rouses himself from his half-sleep, eyes blinking rapidly a few times.

"Well then, what is all this?" - He asks Skylen, looking at the bundle.

Skylen draws a small knife and cuts the bit of string that holds the bundle together, causing the individual papers to scatter over the table.

"They are letters from various persons, to let you know if they are attending the marriage ceremony or not." - Skylen replies, as he begins to sort the letter into neat stacks.

Nodding in understanding, Gerrard stifles a yawn as he draws his own small dagger and begins to remove the seals on some letters.

"Well then, let us find out how much food you will have to prepare" - Gerrard says, smiling at Skylen.

Skylen simply gives a small sigh, then grabs a notepad.

Are you kidding?

Of course we forgive you.

Mistakes happen, backups are in place, we rebuild what we lost (if any) and move on.

Even if you didnt have a battery-powered prostetic arm.. you could simply have been tired and typed it in by mistake.

I think the important thing is that you made the mistake -while handling a modreq-, helping the community fix issues.

But that is just my opinion.

As your travels take you to one of the many cities in the Empire, you notice a young man in the colours of Heaford, pinning a poster to the local noticeboard.

Walking over and exchanging greetings with the man, you lean over and study the poster:

"Oh how nice, a wedding!" - You state with a smile.

Nodding in agreement, the young man answers with a smile of his own.

"It would seem my master has finally found the one who is right for him." - He tells you.

"It would seem congratulations are in order then, as any marriage is a joyful occasion!" - You reply.

"Tell me, is this marriage open for all to attend?"

The young man gives you a nod, before speaking:

"Indeed it is. Ser Gerrard wished for this marriage to be an occasion to bring all in the Empire that desired it a day of ceremony and happiness as he is wed to Lady Argent."

Continiuing on, the young man explains that the ceremony is held at the Church of Saint Everard, by the wish of the Emperor himself, whom Ser Gerrard asked for the hand of Lady Argent in person.

"Our own Father Jack Hackett will lead the ceremony." - he states.

Nodding in understanding, you ask about the difference in location between the ceremony and reception.

"It was the wish of the couple that the reception should be held at Heaford, where Lady Argent shall take up residence with Ser Gerrard. A carriageride will be set up between the Church and Heaford, so guests will not have to walk or ride the entire way themselves." - he explains.

You take a small step back as you take in the scale of this wedding.

"Will I have to bring a gift?" - you ask.

"That is appreciated, yes." - the young man answers.

"Oh.. and originality far outweighs value for Ser Gerrard."

Nodding in approval, you ponder a moment before stating:

"I may attend myself"

Smiling, the young man states:

"Be sure to send a message if you wish to attend, and make sure to state your wish for a vegetarian dish at the banquet if you so desire."

"I must be off now, I have several more cities to post this poster in!" - the young man finishes, as he sets off.

[[

OOC notes:

- The poster has been put up in all cities of the Empire.

- This will take place Friday the 10th of August, at 8 pm GMT

- Expect a proper ceremony in the church, a fast-travel carriage-ride to Heaford after that, a long table, a speech by the best man.. and food, drinks and dance aplenty!

]]

"One-two.. Heave!" - Shouted Ser Gerrard

With a final grunt of effort, the wooden beam reached the required height.

Waiting there, harnass strapped to the towerside to keep him from falling, was Howard Semp, with hammer and nails in hand.

Quickly securing the beam, then hammering in the long nails, a cheer erupted from below as the workforce, both Orcs and Men, took note that the tower was now completed.

Shaking hands with some of them, Gerrard shared the moment of excitement and relief before a tap on his shoulder broke him from the moment.

Turning around, he found Skylen facing him, flanked by an Orc.. who seemed to have some feathers stuck to his face, one precariously dangling from his tusks.

Quickly handing over the piece of parchment, Skylen looked slightly embarrassed at being stood side by side with the Orc, who proceeded to burp out a few feathers, then excused himself and walked off.

Raising an eyebrow as he slowly unfurled the message, Ser Gerrard asked:

"Those feathers seemed familiar.."

Bowing his head in shame, Skylen did not reply.

"The Orc got to the bird before you did and had a nice meal did he?" - Gerrard spoke as he mentioned for Skylen to see to the charts.

"Good thing you pried the message from him before he could eat that too, this seems important." - He finished, as Skylen hurried about his next task.

Reading the message, he pauzed for a moment to consider his actions.

Calling over Howard Semp, he outlined the details of what he was about to do:

"I have been summoned to a meeting. Take charge of matters here and see to it this bridge is done by the time I return.. And if I am not back by the time you finish.. Skylen has the charts, keep at it."

Howard Semp gave a simple nod, then walked off to inform the others.

Days later, the weary and exhausted form of Ser Gerrard Lane arrived at the camp.

Taking the time to clean the dust off his garments, he walked up to the main tent, gave a nod to the guards at the entrance and walked inside.

Taking a moment to stand still and scan the room, he saw many a familiar face, as well as many more he had never met before, taking mental notes to ascertain their identities at a later point.

Sharing a few looks of familiarity with some, him nodding to each in turn, he walked over to an empty seat next to Lord Norsem, who's hand he shakes, then sits down slowly.

Taking a cup of wine and sipping it carefully, he shares some details of his recent work with Lord Norsem, before they settle down in anticipation of the meeting to come.

Ser Gerrard bows deeply to Godfrey, before rising again and looking over to Katherine.

As he walks over to her, a warm smile is shared between them.

Gently taking her hand in his, his eyes begin to water slightly.

Swallowing with effort to remain composed, he turns back to Godfrey.

"As you command my Liege, the wedding shall be held two elven days from now.."

Ser Gerrard turns back to Katherine as he finishes the sentence.

"Notice shall be made across the lands, that we.. shall be married."

The poster as nailed to the noticeboards in various locations:

A young man is making rounds through Cloud Temple, Arethor, Riven and Solace.

Hammer and nails in hand, he is busy nailing posters to noticeboards.

You approach him out of curiosity, intending to strike up a conversation.

"Hello there!" – You say as you walk the last few yards towards him, giving him a small wave.

The young man, noticing you are adressing him, turns to face you properly and returns the greeting.

"A good day to you as well." – He replies.

You look him over, noticing the young face with the dark complexion.. the rough, but durable clothing. Clearly, this is not an avarage peasant, but someone higher up in the ranks.. perhaps a man-at-arms?

Not wanting to start the conversation with an akward silence, as you could easily spend another few minutes gazing at him.. wondering what else you could discover simply by looking, you ask him a question:

"I could not help but notice you are nailing a poster to the noticeboard.. what is it about?"

The young man gives you a slightly quizzical look, then steps to the side slightly, allowing you to see the poster in its entirety.

"Heaford, a small township in the Oren Empire, is holding a contest to determine who can become the newest addition to its cadre of villagers." – He indicates, as he points at the poster.

You have a good look at the poster.. it does indeed state that.

You slightly raise one of your eyebrows in mild suprise.

"A contest? Is a simple notice of open space not normally what towns post to attract new citizens?" – You ask.

The young man pauzes slightly before answering.

"Well, yes. Most towns do indeed simply put up a notice stating they have free housing and that anyone is welcome to join." – He replies.

Looking at the poster himself, he continues:

"But our township is a very close-knit community. Our master does not wish for a large influx of new citizens to ruin that." – He states.

This notice has your attention now.. but you realize something else.. something civil..

"Please forgive my rudeness, but I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is <Insert your character name>, a pleasure to make your aquaintance." – You say, as you extend your hand.

"My name is Skylen Nedlog, Herald to Ser Gerrard Lane of Heaford." – The young man replies, as he takes your hand and shakes it firmly.

Your hands part as you return your gaze upon the poster.

"So.. a competition to determine who will be allowed to become the next citizen of Heaford then. Most interesting." – You state, as you go over the poster carefully, intruiged to find what the details of this competition are.

Noticing you are taking your time to read it, Skylen chips in with several comments as you go through the lines.

"The competition is to determine who will fit best, socially speaking, within the existing community."

"The township is selfsufficient for the better part, but we do rely of trade to get the things we cannot make ourselves. Thankfully, that is never a tall order, as going out in a small group to obtain things is always a bit of an adventure."

"People interested should note that we are a township within Oren. Fealty to the Emperor is absolute, there will be no exceptions to that. Ser Gerrard is very strict about these matters."

"Heaford is looking for lower-class citizens. Anyone of the rank of Knight of higher should really not bother to want the spot, as they no doubt can make better use of themselves elsewhere.. what with Heaford already being home to Ser Gerrard and his squire, Viro de Martenaire-Fulloire."

"The competition itself will be held roughly one elven week from now."

"Anyone interested should simply show up on the day itself, as the specific details about the competition and what it entails will remain secret, so as not to benefit anyone with foreknowledge."

"Of course, sending advance word that you would like to attend is more then welcome, as it does give us a better indication of the size of the meals to prepare.. but it will not reflect badly if you do not get the chance to.. anyone that shows up on the day will be considered."

Turning back to Skylen, you ask him another question:

"Im reading here at the bottom that the person winning shall recieve a set of prizes upon winning the competition and joining the township, what is that all about?"

Skylen smiles as he points out the final lines on the poster.

"The winner, besides becoming a permanent resident at Heaford, shall recieve a house, built by us. Furthermore, he shall not want for anything, as long as he is a contributing member of the township." – Skylen finishes.

Nodding in understanding, you once again extend a hand to Skylen, who shakes it firmly once again.

"Thank you for the information. I wish you the best of luck with the competition and.. who knows.. I am going to consider this.. perhaps I shall give it a shot myself!" – You say, as you walk away, finishing with a wave as you then round the corner.

(( OOC details & clarification ))

(( The date for this event is Saturday, the 4th of August, at 10 pm GMT. ))

(( An overview video of Heaford can be found below, in my signature. ))

(( The township of Heaford is home to the group of friends that are a part of the Intrepid Society Gaming Community. ))

(( Information on this can be found here: www.intrepid-society.com ))

(( Winning the contest will grant you an immediate trial-spot within the community proper, completely circumventing the normal application procedure.. as we believe you will have put in more then enough effort “showing us you are an actual nice person” by winning the contest. ))

(( All the relevant data pertaining to whether or not this will be something that suits your character can be found in the above conversation. If you still have any questions, please send me a PM and I shall do my best to answer them. ))

Why don't you sign the charter and help us out personally :)

Well, Im already part of an existing township.

Wouldn't be fair of me to sign a charter I can't properly devote time to.

On our previous server, we roleplayed an Oriental-themed culture and did a rather large amount of building to go with it.

If you would like, I would be happy to chat about our experiences in that regard.

Ser Gerrard nods politely as he sees Winter nail the plans to a board in Heaford.

Walking over, he exchanges proper greetings with his neighbor, before turning to the plans proper.

"This sure looks interesting." - He replies as he takes note of the well-structured nature of the plans.

Taking his time to study the plans in detail, he then takes out a small notepad and pencil, to note down a few points of interest, while making sure to double-check the details with Winter herself to avoid mistakes.

"M'Lady has certainly put together a solid plan."

Taking more notes, then finishing off with what seems to be a quick calculation, he turns to Winter.

"I fear that complete removal of the village might well be inevitable, if not expedient.

Without the desire to thread on your plans, would you not have ample room within Riven Castle to house the remaining villagers?"

As it stands, I simply do not see the need for a village outside Riven Castle.

Having said this, if the castle would be overflowing with people, making it impossible to house then, it would be no more then natural that a village would once again spring up outside the Castle walls."

Ser Gerrard looks back at the map, seemingly pondering the situation.

7/10

I found it to be amusing.

A hushed silence falls as Gerrard Lane steps into the Throne Room.

Faces turn to watch as the elderly knight stands just beyond the entrance, taking a moment to look around the room before walking in proper.

Nodding briefly in greeting to a few familiar faces, Gerrard Lane walks along the path to the throne, stopping a few yards in front of it.

Falling one one knee, as well as inclining his head in a gesture of respect, Gerrard speaks a single line as he adresses Godfrey:

"Your Imperial Majesty."

As Godfrey coughs politely and mentions for him to speak, Gerrard slowly raises his head to look upon his Emperor.

Taking a moment to determine exactly how he wants to continue, Gerrard starts to speak:

"My liege,

It has been close to five years since the founding of Heaford, by your benevolent grace, home to myself and my following.

With great joy and fervent abandon have we made work of employing our trade in your name, rebuilding Riven Castle for Ser Uthor, as well as erecting the fortification known as Shadow's Edge Keep for Ser Charles.

By your wisdom, we have been granted leave to assist the Orcs in the reconstruction of their capitol city, that our efforts may reflect in a positive light upon the diplomatic relations between our two races.

My liege, we wish to express gratitude.

Gratitude towards your person, for the chances given and the rewards granted in your name."

Gerrard pauzes a moment, allowing for his message to sink in with the Emperor, as well as the small crowd of people, who stand and watch in silence.

"My liege,

I come before you today to resolve a matter you brought up when you visited Heaford in person, almost two years ago."

Taking note of a small glimmer of recognition in Godfrey's eyes, Gerrard continues:

"By your wisdom, I have come to open my eyes to the world in a broader way then before.

It is by the grace of your foresight, that I have been given the priviledge of meeting someone in your court, that has become unto me.. a person of deeper interest then mere friendship.

A person of such kindness, that it impossible for a man not to feel moved by her very presence.

A person of such beauty, that she would illuminate the world around us, simply by smiling.

A person of such quality, that she would enrich the life of your faithfull servant.

As the entire Throne Room is dead silent, all attention concentrated upon Gerrard Lane, he delivers the final words of his message:

Your Imperial Highness,

I would wish for Lady Katherine Argent, Lady in Waiting at your court, to become my wife in marriage."

7/10

The eyes..

3/10

Seen you before on the forums, never actually talked to you though.