Disclaimer: Must I? (sighs)
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After an uneventful ride from Waymoot on two bay horses purchased in the trading town, Ricardt and Teilla arrived in Cormyr's capital city at dusk. They rode in towards an inn with a stable conveniently attached and run by a family. They handed their horses to the stable girl and Ricardt followed the red haired bard into the inn proper. He nudged Teilla and said quietly, "I'm going to go to Valor Hall and see what they want with me."
The half elf cocked her head towards the paladin, "Are you planning staying here or there tonight?"
"Here," he answered, "their breakfast porridge tends to be inedible without at least a month of stomach training."
"Good to know you aren't going monk on me," Teilla grinned. "I'll make sure to get two beds then."
The dark haired paladin nodded and walked out into Suzail's wizard lit streets towards the Tyrran temple. The tavern spilled light and happy noise into the boulevard, which quieted down as he approached the temple district of the Cormyrean capital. He found the fortress—like temple to the god of justice, passed the door guards' muster and stepped into the building's torch lit halls.
A novice led Ricardt to a sparsely furnished office with two taller men inside waiting for him. Both had pale hair, sun weathered faces and more or less looked the part of paladin as Ricardt did not. He bowed to the pair as he entered and stood at attention as they looked him over.
One sat on the desk as he looked Ricardt up and down. Ricardt found himself growing slightly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "Is anything amiss, sir?" he ventured.
"My pardon," the paladin perched on the desk apologized. "I'm Hammerlord Dreas Trannas. We were wondering how you got here so quickly from the wilds of the Stormhorns."
Ricardt shrugged, "A friendly local ranger knew a few shortcuts."
"That must be some shortcut," the second paladin stated from a chair in front of the austere desk. Ricardt could see grey streaks in the man's blond hair as he held out a hand. "The fastest route I know of from Whizban still takes six days. I'm Tristan Yseph."
Ricardt clasped Tristan's outstretched hand and glanced back and forth between the two older men. "I'm sure you're wondering why we summoned you, Knight Arniss," the Hammerlord gestured to the remaining open seat in front of the desk and Ricardt sat down.
Ricardt squelched the first sarcastic response that came to mind and instead chose to nod gravely. The senior knight continued, "Tristan's son, Carad, is also a paladin. He was sent on his first quest about two months ago. A simple mission to find and vanquish the creature that has been menacing Eagle's Peak in the Stormhorns. He has not been seen since."
"Please help," Tristan looked at Ricardt in earnest entreaty. "I want to know what's happened to him, even if it is the worst." Trannas nodded gravely in silent agreement.
"Can you tell me more about what Carad was supposed to be doing in Eagle's Peak, sir?" Ricardt asked. "And what does he look like?"
The senior paladin looked pleased as he answered, "Something large was stealing sheep and then a few shepherds out of their fields. The villagers swear they went missing during broad daylight."
"I hope you kept the ranger around," Tristan said seriously. Ricardt silently agreed with him and wished Mirandaline had stuck around. Tristan continued through the dark haired paladin's musings, "My son looks a good deal like me but younger."
"In any case," Trannas broke in, "We want you to find out what happened to Carad Yseph and find out what is going on in the village. Send word via reliable messenger when you have achieved either part of this assignment."
Ricardt nodded and stood up to take his leave. As he did so, the Hammerlord asked, "You still travel with that half elf minstrel, don't you?"
"Yes sir," Ricardt saw where this line of questioning headed and he did not like it. He never did.
"Mind that she doesn't distract you from your duties," Trannas stated in a lecturing tone.
"Yes sir," Ricardt sighed quietly and exited the office and the temple proper.
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"So we were called out of the Stormhorns so you could be handed an assignment in the Stormhorns," Teilla summarized for the paladin when he gave her the details of the assignment Valor Hall had handed him. The bard shook her mane of coppery hair, "They really know how to turn something simple into an ordeal, don't they?"
"The messenger may have had to track us down," Ricardt noted. "We have been traveling a lot recently."
"True that," Teilla conceded. "So back the way we came?"
"Back to whence we came but not by the same route," Ricardt agreed. "I don't think I could find the trail markers our guide took."
"I don't think there were any," Teilla laughed. "Anyway, can we leave the day after tomorrow?"
"What are you up to?" Ricardt sighed. "We need to resupply for the trail up to Eagle's Peak and I don't see getting that done until mid-morning. If you are thinking of finding something out about the knight we are supposed to be asking after or the whatsit stealing sheep in the mountains, then I would suggest that you do so tonight and sleep in until I come and wake you."
Teilla smiled brightly, "You know me too well."
"And you know that I truly appreciate the background information you gather," The raven haired paladin replied, "And that with regards to directives from the church, I dislike undue delays."
"As long as you're fine with the reasonable delays," Teilla made sure that she had money in her belt pouch and her recorder close at hand.
"I am also fully aware that you enjoy talking your way through every tavern within walking distance," Ricardt smiled at her as she fussed over her travel cloak.
"It has the added bonus of keeping your brother paladins off your back about sharing a room with a pretty girl," Teilla added. "Makes it harder for them to accuse you of anything if I'm not in the room all night."
"Far too true that," Ricard groaned. Teilla Laughed at his melodramatic, woe begone tone as she left on her errands. Ricardt got to the serious business of sleeping.
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