Wandering Ways (Kitiara sets out for the first time)

Kitiara left the estate in Thessan’s hands as soon as she felt he was ready for the responsibility. That was something she wanted little to do with. Thessan however took to the duties of running the estate with zeal. After her mother had finally ended her misery by taking her own life Kitiara set out in the world to find her way. She traveled first to Riverholm.

There she found herself acting as a police force. It was what was needed. It also was something that she desired to do. There had been a large number of infiltrator activities including the murder of several local business owners. This was causing general unrest as well as economic impact on the town.

“Marcus hurry up and prep the men we are on patrol tonight” said Kitiara to her first in command. Marcus was very good at his job and well respected by the men. He was also deeply in love with Kitiara. Something that he was a little ashamed of. He felt that those emotions were dangerous in battle, and he would prove himself right soon enough.

Kitiara was openly fond of men and found their company when she could. She was attractive but not exceptionally so. She possessed that hidden quality that seemed to pull men towards her. Sometimes even if they were otherwise engaged. She knew this and used it to her advantage. Kitiara was even able to get better pricing in the market, and even talk well trained soldiers down on their pay requirements. She was bold but somehow not arrogant or cocky. Marcus admired all of those qualities. Kitiara was not aware of Marcus’s feeling towards her.

“This is another boring patrol” sighed Kitiara. She was looking for a little action this night.

“Careful what you wish for” said Marcus as he was scanning the side streets.

Suddenly a loud scream was heard from the alley. The men entered to see what was happening. What they saw was disturbing.

The screams were coming from a little girl of maybe 10 years. The child had discovered her mother dead in the ally. The scene was horrible. The woman had obviously been beaten and raped before dismemberment. The entire patrol stood stunned for a moment. Kitiara led the girl away and comforted her until the local police responded.

As Marcus was examining the area he noticed that the blood was relatively fresh and tracks were visible. The men set out to follow the trail and see if they could find the assailant. Shortly the trail ended. The men saw someone in an ally and entered to see if they were alright. He was not, but this time they stumbled on the assailant in the middle of dismembering another victim. There were a group of 10 men watching and directing the murder. They all wore the robes of the dark god. They saw us and did not even hesitate to draw their swords.

In the battle several men were wounded on both sides. Marcus and Kitiara were the last two in the patrol able to fight, and they were outnumbered. Kitiara was small in stature even for a woman, but her speed and accuracy with a blade made her a formidable fighter. Combine that with an unusual strength for one so small and she was deadly.

Marcus was less skilled but still a formidable opponent.

As the fight was nearing its end there were 3 attackers left. Kitiara was fighting 2 and Marcus was fighting one. Marcus was stunned by his opponent. Instead of taking advantage the murderer wheeled towards the larger threat. Kitiara was now fighting against three men and of course would not last long. She had been able to use the small size of the alley to her advantage against two, but the third was already behind her. As he closed in, Marcus, in an attempt to save Kitiara, threw himself between the third assailant and Kitiara. His act was foolish and clumsy. He had enough time to engage him, but his feelings for Kitiara had clouded his judgment. He was able to kill his opponent but took a mortal blow himself. Kitiara was able to defend herself against the two remaining assailants.

When the battle was over her thoughts went immediately to Marcus. This was something unexpected. She had not realized how much she had come to rely on Marcus. She would later admit that she was fond of him as well. She cried over him that night. She had never even cried over the death of her parents.

Kitiara returned home for a short time. She felt safe in the company of her brother. Soon she grew restless and continued her wandering ways. She returned to Riverholm to raise more troops and take her place among the troop leader of the realm.