Keithson Family/Tom/Hunt for Paul

OOC Introduction

OOC, or META, or whatever:

In order to understand the following, one should read this, this, and probably that as well.

Short version: The Keithson's aren't noble; the Keithson Matriarch, (normally referred to as "Mother") had her blacksmith husband, (and the local baron's wife) killed so she could marry above her station. Two of the three brothers, (Paul and Marc) are old enough to remember evesdropping on their mother talking to the assasain; however, their youngest brother Tom isn't - and, due to him staying at home after his mis-adventure in Tuchananon II and Minas Ithil - he has been "corrupted" by Mother to believe that Paul has information that could destroy the family.

So, it all boils down to two sides: Mother's side, (which Tom, [and possibly his son Eric] is on) and Paul's side, (which Marc is on). What they are battling for, and what they'll do to the others isn't quite clear - but, whomever wins will change the Keithson Family...

The Hunt Begins... Badly

A somewhat young man is seen, sitting beside a handsome older woman. As the dinner progressed, the almost regal woman begins to speak towards no one, but, for some reason, her words carry a vast weight.

"My son, I've received word... Paul has disappeared. Somehow, he managed to keep his ship journey a secret..."

The man looks up quickly, and murmers a quick, "Yes, mother." when she stops speaking and looks directly at him.

"Yes, what?"

The man stammers a bit, "Yes, I understand..."

"You'll do more then understand... Paul needs to be watched... he never writes, and when he does, there's a simmering anger underneath... I, and you should too, worry. Go, join with those Old Rancaguans... and see if you can learn anything about where Paul went, and what he's trying to do."

The man immediately gets up from the table, dresses against the cool night, puts together a small unit and takes several bags of family gold before heading to the recruitment center near the family home in Ashforth.

[several hours later]

The man signs his name, and his family creast to the list of nobles sworn to Old Rancagua.

"I have a family friend in Oroya, Captain, get a map of the northlands for our trip. I'm going to secure travel."

The Captain salutes and, being the illiterate peasant that he was, has no idea where to get a map. So, when the time comes to get a map, he just blindly points in a direction to travel.

A few hours later, the newest Old Rancaguian noble finds himself lost, in the badlands.

The Hunt Really Begins

"Ahhhh... there is too much here!" Tom exploded, the hours spent pouring over records telling on him. "How can I read all this? It will take weeks..."

"Ssshhh, my son... calm down... you will find him, and when you do, you will tell me..." Mother replied, comforting her son and trying to refocus him.

"But... where do I start? How can I find him, when he's left all these multiple pathways... first, he's in Slimbar, then he's in Ashforth... this paper says he left for the accursed Colonies... and this one over here says that he was a Sirionite all his life!" Tom says, furiously shuffling papers and pulling out documents. "There's too many leads to run down, too many forgeries to sort through..."

"Well, my son... why not go where you know he was? Meet people, see what they can tell you..." Mother whispered softly.

"That's it!" Tom breathed. "Oligarch City..."

Time Well Wasted In Oligarch

"Ah, that was a restful sleep..." Tom says, yawning a bit.

"Mi'lord..." Tom's scribe askes hesitantly, "there are still messages here for you... you haven't looked at them for several days..."

Tom cocked his head to the side and mentally flipped a coin... start reading and answering his messages, or continue his vacation in Oligarch.

"Eh, why not?" Tom says, almost resigned. "Who's the first letter from?"

"Well, mi'lord... the most important one is from your mother... she askes for your progress."

Tom's face falls. Blancing, he turns to the scribe.

"Tell her... that I've found some promising documents and I'm running them down now."

A quiet knocking on the door distracts the relaxing noble.

"Ah hah! My food is finally here!"

Foriegn Noble In The City

"Hey, who're you?" A guard challenged. "And why are you digging around here?"

Tom sighed. It hadn't been an easy day in Oligarch... this was the fifth guard to challenge him. And this would be the fifth time they'd have to pack up and go wait for the guard to go home and a new one to be patrolling here.

"Nothing, nothing good soldier! I am having my soldiers dig here for... for training of they're "digging in" abilities! Nothing is happening here."

The guard seems to accept this excuse, until Tom shifts slightly and the White Tree on his uniform twinkles in the moonlight. This, of course, marks Tom as a foreign noble.

The guards eyes narrow and gives Tom a look that he's seen, well, for the fifth time now.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't dig here... if you'll come with me, I can get a... permit for digging."

Tom sighed, and sighed again when he had to give the guard a knock to the head. (Just enough to knock him out for long enough to give him and his men a chance to get their stuff packed up and hidden)

"Ah, these Old Rancaguian colors aren't what I need... I need the Sirionite orb."

Progress... For More Then One

"Ah sweah my laord, dat's where it whera!" The peasant says, this time a little more upset due to Tom's sword being at his throat.

"Really? Because we've been digging there for the past four days..." Tom speaks into the peasant's ear, just barely above a whisper. "So WHERE is it?"

~THUNNK~

The sound of the metal spades hitting a wooden... thing, echoed throughout the confined ally. Sweating, Tom's men uncovered the object, (the peasant used this distraction as time to escape) pulled and pushed it up to the top of the hole where Sir Tom was waiting.

The object was of little importacet - an old signpost - but what was written on it was: General, Judge, and Banker Paul's Manor, next right

Tom grinned almost evilly and set about finding a route through the newly rebult parts of Oligarch City - and trying to see where the Oligarchian parts where buried.

Meanwhile, a figure watched the party from overhead... and when he saw what they had unearthed, and which direction they had went in, made some notes and fled back to report to his Master what, and who, he had seen.