Curse

Ristaron · Aug 31, 2006, 05:21 AM // 05:21

Setting: Orr, roughly 500 AE.
The Royal Family has been restored after an extensive civil war caused by their absurd taxes and lack of respect of the rights of the people. The rebellion that ousted them has been crushed by the perseverence of the Royal House and their loyal followers, once again returning the kingdom to a peaceful - if distinguished tiered system. The people now keep constant vigilance on the actions of the King, and the threat of another civil war is present in the kingdom, adding an intense chance of serious repercussions for the smallest action.
For a year Orr has stood on the edge of disaster, with the people living in fear of more war and repression by the Royal House. And now, the fragile equilibrium is about to be tipped.

**

Vizier Kafele cursed yet another great blast of wind that rushed in through the open window across the large room. The long linen draperies danced gracefully on either side of the floor-to-ceiling frame, which despite providing a stunning view of the bay also allowed the often wild sea winds to invade and stir. Catching an excited page of parchment with a gnarled hand as it flew through the air in front of him, Kafele replaced it on a disorganized pile and set an obsidian paperweight on top to secure the structure.
Until another great gust came and tipped the entire stack.
Grumbling of wasted time in his fading years, the aged aristocrat placed his quill in the ink bottle, stood from his cushioned seat, and crossed the immense room to the tall, extravagant window. The painted pine groaned as Kafele pulled it shut, but aquiesced to the venerable lord's vexation after his obstinate force overcame the resistance of the misaligned track. Sliding down, the elaborate window almost slammed closed.
Sighing for the relief from the irritating intrusions, Kafele turned to return to his desk and finish his letter to the restored king whom he had once acted against, only to repent a year later before aiding the Royal Family's return. He was stopped from proceeding further than another step by the tip of a long dagger resting ominously between his collar bones. The dagger itself wasn't what frightened the Vizier the most. Indeed, far more intimidating was the arm that held it, and the body to which the arm belonged.
The man before Kafele was obviously extremely powerful, even though the layers of linen served to disguise his stature. His posture was strong and imposing, though he wasn't even as tall as the elevated Vizier. But what struck Kafele the most was the mask the man wore over his face.
It was simple, yet intricate; plain ivory with elaborate patterns woven with inlaid gold. The eyes were vacant, allowing for those of the wearer to shine through - and this man's were deathly cold.
"Good evening, Vizier", the man spoke in a stern voice. For all his personal strength and charisma, Kafele could not summon the courage to reply anything more than a muted gasp.
"Don't worry", the masked man went on, "you needn't speak - just listen". The intruder took a firm hold of the Vizier's long robes and steered him back towards his plush chair.
"Now that you're comfortable", he began as he forced the Vizier into the seat, "I'd like to bring to light a certain past crime which you - and several others - have successfully buried. You know what I'm talking about already, don't you?"
The darkly enunciated words dripped with acidity, and indeed Kafele immediately knew what the man was speaking of. Images of blood, torture, and steel cascaded through his thoughts, clouding his mind with dark emotions he had thought suppressed. He grimmaced as they at last came to a single image, forever burned in his memory, of a man standing alone, forsaken, his eyes resigned to the fate laid out before him.
"You...", he breathed, and it was his last breath.

OOC:

Alright, there are obviously a few positions characters involved will need to hold, including police/investigator/secret-police, someone close enough to the king, and someone in the public. I want this to be a slightly different type of roleplay where people create the story from the outside-in, rather than the inside-out. That is to say, different characters will see different sides of the storyline and illustrate the larger picture rather than have the characters act in one place and see later the repercussions they caused through a slightly disconnected perspective.
Of course, the roleplay doesn't have to happen this way, but I think it would be an interesting change from the general flow we see here on these forums.
One thing I will insist, however, is that nobody else was present at the scene of the murder, nor did anyone see enough of the man in the ivory mask to follow the character.

I intend to reveal more of the identity of the masked 'justiciar' as the roleplay goes on, but for the time being here are some facts about him. (Feel free to create extensive character biographies for the people you intend to use, but try to keep it shorter than three paragraphs.)
Oh yes, due to the fact the participants may have more than one character under their control at a time, the maximum admittance of people is limited to 4 (including myself).

The Man in the Ivory Mask:
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 165 lb
Build: athletic/muscular, not ripped-like-on-steroids like the typical warrior in-game
Profession: Warrior
Armour: none or heavy padding (this is the desert, you can't wear platemail... in fact you can barely wear any armour due to the heat) and an ivory mask (which has a linen hood-ish thing to prevent any part of his head from being seen)
Weapons: 4 Large daggers (18 inches long)
Age: not known
Eye colour and hair colour: not known
Past: Clearly the victim of some horrifying event orchestrated by several people who have tried to wash their hands of it and bury the evidence.
Peculiar traits: A desire for revenge, and a charismatic personality.