The Bloody Birthday
During a night at the opera, seer Jera Isalya was granted a vision of the death of Prince Laurelson Mithrus and bloody screams that would ring dry.
The Vision
In this vision, Jera hears the same operatic song that triggered the start of the vision. She is able to make out a full moon circled by cloud, as mentioned in Sigrit's Prophecy. She then witnesses as Laurelson is pushed from his balcony onto a spiked fence, which impales and kills him. After this, the vision ends.Jera had a second vision closer to the time of the event. In this vision she sees the necromancer Ilros Ivanov raising an army of undead outside of Mithral before ordering them to wreck havoc on the city. He is lit by the same full moon surrounded by cloud as she saw in the vision of Laurelson's death.
The Plan
On the night of the 31st of July, 1015HU, Prince Laurelson Mithrus was to celebrate his 34th birthday. The date happened to coincide with a full moon which, in addition to the fact that Laurelson had invited the singer from the opera which had triggered Jera's vision to perform during the celebration confirmed his birthday as the date of the murder.Jera confinded in Drathir Lá the details of the vision and, having formed a romantic attachment to Prince Laurelson, he insisted on concocting a plan to try and save him. Having witnessed first hand the unintended consequences of trying to alter the fate of Prince Følger Mithrus during the Invasion of the Il'ithani Empire, Drathir suggested that they do not attempt to completely alter the events of the vision, but manipulate the details in order to save Laurelson's life. The two together hatched a plan to have Drathir disguise himself and Laurelson at the party and take his place, while Jera keeps watch over the real Prince Laurelson in a secure location. Drathir would then be able to be pushed out of the window as Laurelson onto the spikes and survive thanks to the Feather Fall spell, thus satisfying the conditions of Jera's vision whilst also saving the real Laurelson's life.
The Lead Up
In the lead up to the event, Jera began to consider the help that the crown might be able to provide to the plan, especially because of King Storvald Mithrus's blind faith in her visions. With Drathir's agreement, she premptively told the King about the vision and the plan to save his son. Storvald agreed to the plan, however he insisted that Jera would be the one to disguise as Laurelson after the stipulation that the person disguised should be "someone who could survive the fall, and someone we trust". He was unaware of Drathir's knowledge of the vision or his involvment in concocting the plan. Jera also told him of the necromancer who would raise and unleash an army of undead upon Mithral, however did not reveal that she knew the identiy of the necromancer in order to protect Ilros for Drathir's sake. King Storvald decreed that he would have extra forces stationed near the city outskirts, along with his own son Herliet Mithrus who would act as commander.King Storvald stipulated that only five people would know of the plan in order to prevent any would-be assassin from discovering the scheme early. These five would be: Jera, Laurelson, Drathir, Herliet and King Storvald himself. The following day, on the 29th of July just two days before the celebrations were due to commence, Drathir, still expecting to be the one impersonating Laurelson because of his superior acting skills and close friendship with the man, spent some time with Laurelson, helping him to study the identities of the nobles who would be attending the affair in order to clandestinely memorise some of them himself. The two were called to a meeting with Jera, Herliet and King Storvald, where Storvald laid out the plan and informed everyone of their roles. Drathir was not visibly rattled by the change of plan, and quickly came to accept that as long as Jera could successfully impersonate the charismatic Prince for a few hours he would be comforted to keep Laurelson close on the night.
When the meeting concluded, Laurelson asked Drathir to acquire him a sending scroll. With the two of them alone, Laurelsom confronted Jera, convinced that she was hiding something. The two got quite frank with one another, with Laurelson saying that he 'doesn't trust people who whisper in his father's ear'.
Whatever problems you have with me half of them are the projection of ghosts. I don’t speak for the dead, I fight for the living.
Jera brought up a previous conversation with him, where he had asked her how the two of them were alike, and commented that he had never said how he thought they were similar. He answered:
I might have been wrong. I thought we were both liars.
Involving Druken
Meanwhile, Drathir was able to acquire the scroll of sending for Laurelson. When he returned with it to Laurelson's room the Prince asked if it would be out of the question for the two of them to 'fool around' for the next few days as the had done previously, a relationship which was only halted because of growing romantic feelings between the two men. Drathir accepted, however at that moment he received a sending of his own from Ilros, who said that he was ready and waiting to meet him in the hidden cave along the beach This meeting had been prearranged as Drathir had requested that Ilros begin the process of making Drathir a clone to keep his life safe. Drathir excused himself in order to meet with Ilros and promised to return, meanwhile Laurelson used the sending scroll Drathir had provided to speak with his brother Druken, who was still in hiding from the capital after allogations of lichdom and the attempted regicide of Lettleset Mithrus were raised against him. In his response, Druken reassured Laurelson that he was not the one who would attempt his assassination on his birthday, nor did he intend to raise an undead army on Mithral. At the end of his reply, he added 'be wary of the full moon brother, they are not on your side'. Drathir returned not long after from his meeting with Ilros, and he and Laurelson slept together for the first time since Laurelson had broken off their romantic entanglement due to the growing feelings between them.Debts Repayed
The next day, the day before the party was to take place, Drathir spent time with Jera, coaching her on how to embody Laurelson to a believeable extent and help her to memorise some of the nobility she may come into contact with at the party.As night fell, Drathir went to the kitchens in order to acquire wine for himself and Laurelson, who he had planned to spend the night with. On his way, he noticed a rat scurrying wildly into a bush. He followed it, and found a note left to him by Dorabus Xerexes, the Drow prisoner who he had helped capture from Sutrali and later freed from the Mithral palace dungeons:
I had toPanicked, Drathir used the sending spell to contact Dorabus, who told him that he had been quickly captured by the Drow after Drathir had helped him escape, though not before he had spent time with the criminals of Mithral. Assuming that Dorabus was unlikely to know anything that Drathir didn't know already, he did not dwell on the warning it but remained cautious.
They found me
This is my advanced apology -D
The Best Day Ever
Upon returning to Laurelson's chambers, Drathir instructed him that for his birthday gift he needed Laurelson to fall asleep. Laurelson went along with it, and so Drathir cast the Dream spell and shaped the world to the specifications of what Laurelson has always said he wanted after his duties as Prince were over; a cabin by a lake, with two dogs. Laurelson immediately took to the dream space, and made further requests of Drathir, such as the addition of 37 scantily clad women to join them in their revelry. Drathir abided, but did include one very conspicuous man in the group just to throw Laurelson off. The two spent the night together, and Laurelson declared it to be the best gift he had ever received. To end the night, he requested that the 36 women and 1 man be turned into beautiful birds and set free, while the two of them sailed into the sunset on a boat of gold and jewels, which the pair aptly named Modesty and Humility.The Bloody Birthday
On the morning of Laurelson's 34th birthday, Drathir left him alone at his request so he could sit down to write a will. Jera encouraged Prince Lettleset Mithrus to give Laurelson his birthday gift, a speach he had written about his relationship with his older brother, prior to the party rather than read it out in front of the guests as he had originally intended. When he went to his chambers he was quickly turned away by a seemingly annoyed Laurelson, so instead he put the speach under the crack in his door for him to read later. At this time, Lettleset had no idea that Laurelson was in the process of writing his will, nor of the plot for Jera to trade places with Laurelson that night. He was upset when he discovered that Jera would not be attending the party due to work she was required to undertake for his father, though he didn't press her for details nor did Jera provide any indication of what this 'job' really was.Just before the party, as the guests began to arrive, the palace was bustling with nobility and the serving staff that would be attending to the event. King Storvald gave Jera a magical ring which had been enchanted to allow the wearer to shift themselves into any other person for 8 hours. Leaving her to get ready, the King made a point to parade Laurelson in front of some of the earliest guests so that they could get a glimpse of him, his outfit, and smell the distinctive perfume that he had already given to Jera in order to add to the disguise.
Looking Like a Prince
The switch took place quickly, with King Storvald directing Drathir with the real Laurelson to a secret chamber hidden underneath the throne which could only be opened by 'royal blood'; the blood of the All-Father, Odin. The two went down inside, Drathir having been given the explicit instruction to ensure Laurelson's escape should anything go wrong.In the meantime, Jera had traded places with Laurelson and made her grand entrance to the party, which required her to make a small toast welcoming the nobility of Mithral to the palace and acknowledging the support of his family. After deliverying a short but well received speach, Jera was quickly caught for conversation by the Queen, Apegia Mithrus. She had not been informed of the plan, thus assumed she was speaking with her son, and encouraged him to use the party to find a suitable bride. Jera went along with the act and approached a group of eligible women who were all looking to court Laurelson. In the group she recognised two of them from Prince Herliet's return feast, and after some flirtation ended up dancing with one of them, Lady Strixhaben.
Do Not Trust the Moon
Meanwhile, Drathir and Laurelson were preoccupying themselves inside the hidden chamber, attempting to make light of their predicament by making jokes in their usual style of flirtatious humour. Drathir revealed that he had brought wine with him, assuming that they would need it to help keep calm. Feeling increadibly reflective given the circumstances and his possible impending death, Laurelson asked Drathir if he would die for him. It was then that Drathir revealed that no he would not, because he had a plot to ensure if Laurelson died he would be able to be brought back to life again thanks to the powers granted to him by his Goddess Sehanine. Laurelson immediately grew mistrustful, remembering Druken's warning from his sending, and asked Drathir if he could truly trust his Goddess. Drathir said without a doubt but Laurelson, still unsatisfied, asked him if there was anything he was hiding from him. Drathir asked where this was coming from and Laurelson admitted to his concerns over what Druken had said, and asked if Drathir knew anything about what he could have meant. Not wanting to give away the fact that he had kept the existance of Jalanthar and his romantic entanglement and secret alliance with Ilros secret from the Prince, Drathir quickly brought up the details of the Sigrit's prophecy, which specified a sky with the full moon was circled by cloud as it was that very night. Laurelson, seemingly appeased, fell quiet and the two carried on drinking in silence. After awhile, this was broken by Drathir, who finally gave in and admitted his true feelings for the Prince which until this point had only been hinted at by either of them."I love you too you know, for what it is worth."
"I know."
Hands Unclean
Back at the party, Jera was still playing the part of Laurelson as best as she could. At one point, she was beconned over by a strange man wearing a masquerade mask who called to Prince Laurelson by name. When she approached, she was told simply that 'the job was done' and that the man was expecting payment. Taken aback, Jera asked for 'proof beyond his word' that whatever this 'job' was had been completed and was handed a bloody talisman carved with an Old Ysgorian rune. She quickly stashed it as it had confirmed what she had feared, that Prince Laurelson had hired this man to assassinate someone. She asked the man whether payment could wait until after the party, but the man insisted he not leave empty handed, noting that the expected payment was 1,000 gold. She quickly handed him one of the many necklaces she was wearing and left.The Old Flame
It was soon announced to Jera that the opera singer requested by Laurelson to perform for the evening had arrived, the same one that had triggered Jera's vision of Laurelson's death as she was supposesd to be singing at the time of his murder. Jera introduced herself as Laurelson to the opera singer, who promptly took to the stage in order to ready herself for the performance. Not long after this exchange, Jera noticed the arrival of another woman whom she recognised; Lady Harriet, who had been Laurelson's first love until she left Mithral after the poor treatment she received from his family. She had since married another man, who had accompanied her to the party, though the two seemed unhappy; her husband was was gripping her extremely tightly, enough for Jera to notice the bruises forming on her arms.After the two made eye contact, Harriet fled the ballroom and Jera quickly followed. They ended up going to Laurelson's chambers, which Jera knew lead to the balcony from which her vision showed he was to be pushed to his death. Focusing on Harriet, Jera learned that her husband had discovered the old love letters between herself and Laurelson that she had secretly kept, and that this had lead to violent outbursts from him towards her. Disgusted, Jera swore they would get Harriet out of her marriage together, however she was quickly silenced when she noticed Harriet look past her in fear.
Turning around, Jera saw a half-elf man with a burn scarred face whom she quickly recognised as a friend from her childhood named Rudy whom Jera had presumed dead. Shocked, she stood between him and Harriet, begging Rudy to let Harriet live in exchange for her, still posing as Laurelson, dying without a fight. Rudy allowed Harriet to run and a tossle began between Rudy and the disguised Jera. It was at this moment that Jera heard the operatic song begin as the two wrestled onto the balcony. Jera allowed Rudy to drag her over to the railing and asked him to promise that after he pushed her that he would run and not let the palace guard find her. Rudy made the remark that this was the most noble thing that 'Laurelson' had ever done and pushed Jera over the edge to what he presumed would be 'Laurelson's' death.
Jera managed to slow her fall and land between the spikes on the fence, however she soon heard the sound of screams coming from the palace ballroom. Laying still long enough for Rudy to confirm Laurelson's death, she got up and ran towards the screams, smashing windows in order to get to there quicker.
The Dead Stand Still
Inside the hidden chamber, Drathir was the first to pick up on the sound of screaming overhead. Quickly, he ushered Laurelson to the escape hatch below the stairs. The two ran down the nearly pitch-black tunnel which lead to the outside of the city. They travelled for over an hour before they reached the wooden hatch at the other end of the tunnel, Drathir pressing his ear to it cautiously, expecting to hear the sounds of undead armies as Jera had described from her vision. Hearing nothing, Laurelson insisted Drathir use his arcane ability to contact his brother, Prince Herliet, who had been stationed as the city's first line of defense. Herliet responded with mixed news; the dead had indeed risen, however they were quickly halted before they could do much damage by none other than Prince Druken himself. Drathir blanched, immediately fearful of what Druken's return could mean for himself, Jera and the Mithrus family who Druken was trying to 'save' by seemingly capturing their souls for himself. Drathir was hesitant to rendez-vous with Herliet, however Laurelson quickly pushed passed him, offering Drathir a hand out of the tunnels onto a field of sentinel undead.The two found the group quickly, and Laurelson was reunited with Druken for the first time since the allogations, greeting him with blatant brotherly affection. Drathir and Herliet both seemed nervous, as did Father Harrald, and Captain Eric Ironside who was maintaining some distance from the group, pressumably due to Druken's pressence. Drathir did not say much to Druken directly, however the two did acknowledge each other. With the situation under control, there was not much to do except for the group to ride back to the palace and help with whatever was happening there.
Screams that Rang Dry
When Jera, still disguised as Prince Laurelson, made it back to the ballroom, the scene before her was devastating. The staff who had been serving the party had in fact been Mithrali Anarchs who had infiltrated the palace with weaponary in order to slaughter the nobility in attendance at Laurelson's birthday celebration. Having had the element of surprise, a crossbow bolt managed to fatally wounded Queen Apegia, an injury that King Storvald was able to magically heal before she had bled out. The other royalty present, Queen Apegia, Prince Maktun and Prince Lettleset, had quickly fled the scene. In their escape Maktun had been forced to murder a handful of Anarchs to defend himself and his brother, an act which triggered a trauma response and left him in a state of panic while he hid with his mother and brother.Jera was able to provide support to King Storvald as he fought off Anarchs who were trying to murder him. Not wanting to kill those of a group she had a history with, Jera focused mainly on helping some of the nobility still trapped in the ballroom to escape and knocking out anyone who came at her without killing them. The fight was long and bloody, but in the end Jera and King Storvald were left standing in the ballroom doused in blood, the bodies of Anarchs and Ysgorian nobility alike littered around them. After a moment, Storvald demanded Jera remove the ring which enabled her disguise. She did so and handed it back to him, returning to her regular form. Jera then received contact from Drathir via sending spell, asking whether she was alive, what had happened, and telling her that he was on his way back with Laurelson, Hurliet and, most notably, Druken.
The Aftermath
Upon the return of Drathir, Laurelson, Herliet, Father Harrald and Druken, the latter was greeted by his father and then taken to the palace dungeons immediately. Drathir went to comfort Jera and the two of them guided Laurelson back to his chambers while Herliet stayed with his father. On their way to his rooms, Laurelson noticed a body in the hallway. It was his first love, the Lady Harriet, who had been shot in the back with a crossbow bolt and bled to death on the palace floor. Drathir thought quickly, immediately getting Jera to help him carry her body to Laurelson's balcony. Laurelson however was upset and infuriated, immediately turning around and rushing off. With the night not quite over, Drathir didn't want to risk leaving him alone so he instructed Jera to take Harriet to the balcony while he followed Laurelson to the dungeons.When he arrived, hot on Laurelson's heels, Drathir overheard Laurelson insisting that Druken swear to him that once he was released from the dungeons he would do something for him. Druken said that it was done, and Laurelson left him in his cell, commenting that 'it was difficult to see him that way'. Upon leaving, Laurelson quickly ran into Drathir, who told him that he would bring Harriet back using the magic from Sehanine that he had mentioned while the two were hiding in the underground chamber. Overwhelmed, Laurelson embraced him and the two rushed back to his rooms, where Jera had done as instructed and removed the bolt from Harriet's back and laid her out on the balcony.
The Price of His Heart
Not being able to stand seeing Harriet in that way, Laurelson begged Drathir to bring her back. Drathir went into his pocket, where he had stored the diamond required for the spell. He flipped it into the air, where it faded into the sky and blinked back at the group as a new star joined the night. With this offering, Drathir began to pray over Harriet's body. From behind his eyes and through his many tattoos, Drathir began to glow, a light which grew steadily until he held the moonlight in his hands. With this, he was able to place his hands onto Harriet, inbuing her body with the light as it transferred from him into her. Harriet gasped, as life had been returned to her.Jera solemnly congratulated Drathir, who was watching Laurelson and Harriet embrace with a melancholic acceptance. Jera informed them that Harriet's husband had been among the dead in the ballroom and Harriet whept with relief. Giving Drathir a comforting squeeze, Jera left Laurelson's chambers and ventured into the lower city, intending to track down Rudy. It was at this moment that Drathir picked up on shouting being carried on the wind from far away.
Laurelson helped Harriet to his bed for her to rest and embraced Drathir with gratitude. Drathir immediately got the impression that this was the end of any romantic involvement the two of them had had and wished Laurelson all the best, before excusing himself into the silent palace hallway. Taking a moment to grieve the relationship, Drathir decided that he had better find the rest of the royal family in order to tell them about what had happened.
Drathir enquired with the remaining guard and, after extra precautions being taken to ensure his identity, was quickly directed to the library. There he found Queen Apegia and Princes Maktun and Lettleset. Apegia was relieved to see another face, and was futhrer relieved when Drathir confirmed that the rest of her family was alive and safe. Drathir gave a brief recount of what had occured, leaving out the details of the plot to rescue Laurelson, and mentioned the Druken had been the one to halt the undead army outside of the city. He met Lettleset's gaze, who seemed immediately on edge and asked Drathir to confirm that Druken was indeed back in the capital. Drathir told him that he was indeed being held in the palace dungeon as they spoke. Drathir checked in on the two young princes specifically, Maktun was still visibly shaken from having to violently defend his brother in their escape. Drathir made the pointed remark that Maktun would have been very brave to protect his brother that way, appealing to Maktun's prominent pride, which seemed to help soothe him slightly.
Lettleset was clearly perturbed, both by the night's events and the news that the brother who had tried to murder him had returned. Drathir was at least able to reassure him that Jera had survived, and that she had gone to investigate something though he did not know what.
A Dark Promise Fulfilled
Upon her arrival in the lower city, Jera was quickly able to identify the source of the screaming that Drathir had noticed earlier. Bodies of Anarchs and innocents alike littered the street, and among them the decrepit corpses which had made up Ilros's halted undead army. Jera realised that Druken had released his hold over the army, leaving them to attack the lower city without restraint. Appauled and panicked, Jera combed through the streets, trying to locate her childhood friend dead or alive. When asking around, she was met but blatant suspicion, however, in the early hours of the morning, she was directed to a small safe house where she found a young girl and her old friend Rudy, roughed up but alive.One of Rudy's friends quickly recognised Jera as someone who worked in the palace. Rather than denying it, Jera instead revealled the truth to Rudy; the existance of Jalanthar and her role as a spy in the palace. Rudy considered this revelation, and was ultimately thrilled that it seemed the time for revolution was close at hand. The two caught up on less serious matters, and Jera stayed over for the remainder of the night.
Back in the palace, those who had hid in the library had slowly begun to fall asleep to the sound of Drathir's harp playing. Once he was confident the family was asleep, Drathir sat by the window to look out at the full moon as he prayed and began to cast the Dream spell in order to contact Ilros. After about an hour, the two met in Drathir's dreamscape, which he had shaped to look like a shore with the sun rising over the ocean. Drathir demanded to make sure that Ilros was alright, which though he was physically unharmed it quickly became apparent that he was worried about his safety, having failed to invade the city and likely disappointed his sister Lolshya Ivanov for the last time. Drathir, panciked, told Ilros that he knew a place where he could protect him, however that if he brought him there he would be, figuratively speaking, 'unable to return' to the life of darkness and evil that he had lead for centuries. Ilros agreed, stating that he was 'done serving his sister's dark whims' and the two agreed to meet physically in three days time.
When Jera returned the the palace the next morning, she quickly informed Drathir about the strange man at the party and undead uprising in the lower city. The two quickly surmised that this was what Laurelson was begging Druken to do, to release his hold of the army in order to get revenge on the Anarchs who had killed his first love. Stunned, Drathir took a moment to accept that Laurelson wasn't who he believed him to be and his heart broke even further.
In Art and Culture
Following Drathir Lá's personal experience of the evening, he penned a song which he titled The Ballad of the Heart of Laurelson Mithrus in which he expresses his turmoil surrounding his feelings for Laurelson Mithrus.
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