Loreley
Archer
A sailor lass with a powerful namesake from the Western Isles at the start of her adventures.
Posts: 72
Profession: Sailing Adventurer
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Loreley on May 5, 2016 7:50:05 GMT -6
The excitement from actually starting up training with a merc in an official sense had faded a little, but Loreley was still happy with her choice. She'd lucked out when Syana had found her. The woman was an amazing top-tier assassin! And she was respectful too. She'd been a little worried when she'd found out exactly what kind of mercenary she was learning under, but that concern was gone now. They'd done some more sparring, and Lore thought she was getting a little quicker. Not quick enough for Syana though. She'd kept up her shooting too, but it was hard to focus on learning to handle more than one weapon at a time. At least with how the sailor girl pushed herself for mastery in everything. It wasn't coming fast, and she knew it wouldn't.
More recently, they'd started up on a job for someone. She considered it her first. She'd been proud and all aquiver to prove that she was good enough for this at first. Thank goodness that some time had passed and she could get out of that mindset! Nothing bothered her more than feeling herself inferior to a task. They were good enough for this. She just had to calm down a little, and be smart about this. No need to get worked up to prove yourself. Just calm down, do the job, and let your actions speak for you.
Nearby in Bern, two Baronial houses had an old feud going: The Helmer-Bartolf feud. No one quite knew what it had started over anymore. While in the local taverns, she'd listened to the story at least a dozen times, and sometimes it started over a woman. Sometimes land. Sometimes an honor stolen in battle. Sometimes it was merely the accusation of one upon the other that they'd lied, stolen, cheated, and murdered their way into their position. That'd make Loreley pretty mad to be accused of too, were she in their positions....
The problem she had, was that she could't pick which side was in the right. They'd both lied, killed, stolen, and cheated in the feud against each other over the generations. Ultimately, it didn't really matter which side was in the right. Baron Helmer had contacted Syana, and told her a tale of having a family relic, a weapon attached to their house for generations, stolen from him. He'd said he'd tracked the thieves to the manor of his enemies, the Bartolfs, and he wanted it back. So that's what they were doing.... Now they were starting to get close to their target. The road was getting a little more worn with traffic, and soon they'd be seeing the manor property itself.
"So we need to go and get this sword, and bring it back. He didn't seem to care too much about whether or not things got violent though. You asked alot of questions before taking this job. What do you think about it?"
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Post by Syana Flamberge on May 7, 2016 12:04:47 GMT -6
Syana was walking with Loreley by her side on their way to their first job as a pair. She had had mixed emotions when Baron Helmer had contacted her. Her immediate reaction was to turn the job down. Two feuding families? Come on, that's boring. And on top of that, it was a simple theft. Normally, it wouldn't have been worth her time. But today was different. Today, she was training Loreley. And a nice easy job like this could be exactly what she needed.
That being said, she had no intention of doing the job for free. If anything, she had driven the price up because she normally wouldn't have even bothered. Baron Helmer was wealthy enough that she didn't even feel bad about it. These families with their old money, never having to work a day in their lives. She never felt bad taking advantage of them. If they were gonna over pay her, she would accept with open arms.
When Lore asked her a question, Sy looked over at the girl. "People like that never seem to care if things get violent, as long as they get what they want. People, especially those in positions of power, are often like that. We won't go in with the intention of letting things get violent, but if we have to defend ourselves, we will. As for asking the questions, there's two main reasons for that. The first is to try to get as much information as possible before starting a job. That helps both when it comes to taking the job and then actually doing the job. The second is to make sure the client isn't lying to you. If they are, asking too many questions can cause them to trip up or get flustered. It's an easy way to keep yourself safe."
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Loreley
Archer
A sailor lass with a powerful namesake from the Western Isles at the start of her adventures.
Posts: 72
Profession: Sailing Adventurer
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Loreley on May 8, 2016 18:16:37 GMT -6
Syana spoke, and the Islander listened. The redhead was clear enough in her estimation of the rich and powerful, but Loreley had to ask if she had looked for people who weren't like that among the nobility. After all... maybe she thought they were like that because those were the ones that she dealt with as a mercenary.... Not that she was going to defend them. The main experience she'd had with the rich and powerful were her own parents. And being notable members and spiritual leaders in a small fishing village was a far cry from the wealth and authority that the Baron had taken for granted. Even the trappings of the house had stunned the sunkissed blonde. Guardsmen and servants. Horses and wagons. Fine clothes and fine foods. Yes. The visit to the mansion had been an adventure by itself.... She could see herself spending time among such things, but she'd never take it for granted.... That, and she knew that after just a short time, the call for travel and the sea would make her leave it all behind again.
"So was he lying?" She asked. She'd been a little distracted by the mansion, but had done her best to bring her focus back to the present once negotiations had started. Other than that, she'd pretty much just been silent witness to the dealings. It made sense now why the woman had asked so many questions about the circumstances around the job.
"And what do you mean by "not intending for things to get violent". Do you already have a plan for getting in yet, or do you normally wait before even trying to come up with an idea?" So many questions to ask.... Loreley was going to learn how to be a merc though.
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Post by Syana Flamberge on May 10, 2016 12:45:54 GMT -6
Syana shook her head. "No, he wasn't lying. Well, that may not be entirely true. He at least believe everything he said. Whether or not it's the truth is something different entirely." She sighed. The number of people that deluded themselves into believing their own lies was shocking. She guessed that repeating the same lie over and lie could do that to someone. Was that what Helmer was doing? She wasn't sure. She had a feeling that the Bartolfs weren't the being of pure evil that he made them out to be. That's what happened in these types of feuds. The hatred grows so strong they don't remember why they hated each other to begin with, but they find new things to focus on and hate even more.
She paused a minute before answering Loreley's next question. "For most jobs, I try not to leave a trail of bodies behind. Obviously, an assassination is different, as that's the whole point. But when it comes to a simple theft, there's no need to kill anyone. Except if they discover you and initiate the fight. Even then, if you can simply defeat them without killing them, that's always better in my mind. But if they leave you no other choice, you cannot hesitate to finish them. Because if it comes down to that, they won't hesitate to end you." Idiots. The number of people who lost their lives because they were too stubborn to back down.
A smirk grew over Syana's face. "And of course I have a plan. It might change when we get closer and survey the actual properly, but I always have a plan."
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Loreley
Archer
A sailor lass with a powerful namesake from the Western Isles at the start of her adventures.
Posts: 72
Profession: Sailing Adventurer
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Loreley on May 21, 2016 18:38:13 GMT -6
The idea that the man could think himself telling the truth, but still be lying caught Loreley off guard a little bit. In a world of black and white, that was a shade of grey that some people wouldn't even be able to grasp. And it was an allowance that she'd have to make certain she was aware of in these situations, or else she'd always be thinking she'd been double crossed by someone. Best to allow for other people's mistakes as well as their lies. That way, you might be more prepared for the reality...
"I thought assassin's were supposed to just kill their target, and leave the rest alone." She jibed at the redhead. She was a little more comfortable around those words now than she'd been at first. "That sounds more like scare tactics." She heard the rest of the instruction. She had to refortify her mind again. On the ocean there were times when you couldn't hold back anything in reserve. She would have to learn to do the same in a fight.... She'd been in fights before and she'd just not been able to bring herself to try and kill the people. Once they were shooting at her specifically, some of that trepidation had vanished, replaced with fear, panic, and fire. She'd have to start off with that now though. It was foolish to go into a fight if you were unwilling to do everything you could for your own survival.
"Lead on, Fearless Leader!... I'll just follow along behind and keep out of the way." There was a small grin on the blonde's face. Of course she would be doing that! She was definitely here to participate though, and she wanted to learn. She wanted to be a hardened fighter like Syana some day....
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Post by Syana Flamberge on May 23, 2016 20:20:54 GMT -6
The red headed assassin gave a shrug. "That's the goal, to only kill your target. Get in, take them out, get out before anyone else knows you're there. But sometimes things go south and people find you before you can get out. At that point you have two options: Escape while you can, or accomplish your mission no matter the cost. It's a call you'll have to make by yourself and within seconds." She gave a little grin at Lore's next comment. "Scare tactics are a girl's best friend."
Syana grinned more when Loreley called her 'Fearless Leader.' She wouldn't quite say she was fearless, but she did view herself as something of a leader. Sure, she could follow too, like whenever Saturos was around. But she was no slouch. She had a tactical mind to lead a team. She hadn't had many opportunities to do so, sadly, so maybe sometime in the future. But for now, she could lead Lore. She might not have really lead a full on team, but she'd taken the lead in a partnership many times. Time to add another to the list.
From her map, Syana could tell they were close to their destination. Moving off the main path and into the nearby woods, she pushed her way through the brush. It was slightly more difficult, but it would allow for them to maintain secrecy. Spotting a rocky outcrop ahead of them, Syana picked up her pace. Upon reaching it, she slowed to a stop and motions Loreley to get onto the ground. Crawling forward and looking over the slope, a grand manor house appeared before then. Syana instantly picked out several important things, but this was for training. She turned to her student. "Tell me, Lore. What do you see?"
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