Chase looked down at Stagfell and the sound of voices drifted up to him on the night air as the lights glowed from the various tents surrounding the half built castle. He should have felt some sense of pride as he stood there, but he didn’t have feelings, such as pride, for anything except perhaps his daughter Katrina. Katrina was the only thing in his life that he felt any emotions for. The fledgling hamlet has grown into bustling a village and with some care as well as vigilance on his part, Redemption would rival Restov. It was the reason Chase was on the ridge over looking Tuskwater, though he was not really sure what he was going to do about the situation, he knew something had to be done. What had to be done always seemed to fall on his shoulders.
Chase assessed that none of the others would be able to handle this. As much as Chase respected Raam, the sorcerer was too busy trying to wrap his mind around the idea of being a leader, whether he was chosen because he was fit to rule or because no one else wanted it. Fizz was too involved solving all the worlds’ problems through his beakers and flasks to even notice what was happening around him. If Balian wasn’t too busy playing the heroic knight, he was pretending he was apart of some noble court of Brevoy or off chasing after Svetlana’s skirt. There was no way to count on him to dirty his shiny full plate with matters like this. Then there is Zuhair, who was part of the reason Chase was out in the middle of the night instead of in his underground room underneath the castle that the kobolds had dug for him. The big ox could not read! Chase was dumbfounded when he heard the news. Of all the things that should be brought to people’s attention when accepting a post in a growing Kingdom, it would be if the person can read common or not!
Chase didn’t know if the reason Zuhair’s illiteracy wasn’t disclosed was simply due to Zuhair being too ignorant to realize it might be an issue or if he was too proud to admit that he could not read common. Especially since Chase could read and Erastil be damned before Zuhair would admit that the ”devil spawn” knew something he did not. Chase had his suspicions confirmed that Zuhair’s reasons were not just out of ignorance when he discovered that Zuhair had been secretly going to Jhod to learn to read common with out letting anyone know. Zuhair did not even tell his friend and fellow follower of Sarenrae, Akiros. Akiros was someone who could have taught him just as easily, but then Zuhair probably didn’t want to admit to his disciple that he had a flaw. No, of course not, Zuhair’s true weakness is his pride and that would be his downfall not his lack of intelligence.
So Chase stood out on the Western edge of Tuskwater waiting to meet with a courier named Wes-lee. A courier that while being swift of feet was also, unfortunately, swift of tongue and was now running all over Stagfell spreading the tale of Zuhair being an idiot who could shatter steel, but could not even read a child’s primer. It all started when Zuhair made the mistake of pretending to read a note from Raam. In the note, Raam asked Zuhair if he wanted to go have a look at the new Smithy that was being fired up for the first time that day on the western edge of town. As Wes-lee stood waiting for Zuhair’s response, it became obvious to the courier that Zuhair could not read the message written in common. The courier ignorantly made fun of the muscle bound fanatic in front of the city watch, which caused most of the men to laugh in complete disrespect to the man that was to be the leader of the Watch. The incident caused a minor stir in town and among some settlers and nobles visiting from Restov. Zuhair has already had enough trouble trying to get the people of the Riverlands to trust and believe in him with his strange religion and customs, then to toss on top of it something like this. Well, something like this spelled trouble for our fledgling Kingdom.
Zuhair and Akiros have left Redemption this morning for some religious quest that has taken them to Ustalav. Chase made sure to send two men to shadow them, report back to him, and bring back their bodies if need be. So as usual when there was trouble that needed fixing and someones hands were to get dirty fixing it, the problem was left to Chase to handle. It should bother Chase that none of the others seemed to care what he went through to make sure everything went smoothly, or even worse that they mistrusted his methods. They were willing to condemn his actions but unwilling or unable to come up with better solutions. Chase didn’t bother with petty emotions like jealousy or feeling slighted due to being taken for granted. He simply did what has to be done to solve the problem.
Interestingly, only Raam has ever shown any real concern for Chase in these matters, for example, the night when someone had to infiltrate the Staglord’s fort to gain access. That was left up to Chase since he was just “bandit scum” and “evil spawn of some Devil” according to certain members of his group. If he died getting in, it was no great loss. The only other solution suggested was to charge the gate at a full gallop, a true fool’s quest. Only Raam stepped up with him, showing that he too valued life over some silly notion of honor. Zuhair, like the zealot he is, wanted to go in as well, even though it meant putting the entire party at risk of being killed. Chase would not have it, he told him that he would only take him if changed out of his religious garb, but Zuhair refused once again his pride stepping in the way of common sense.
Then after all of that, when the deed was done and Chase had killed the Staglord; Zuhair and Balian had the gall to mock him, telling him that killing that monster in his sleep was not honorable. If they had their way, their silly notions of honor would have killed and maimed innocent people; better to kill a monster while it sleeps then let it wake to hurt others. After all, dead is dead, did it matter how? The fish in the water now feasting on the Staglord’s bloated corpse would not care how he was killed, neither would those same fish care if it was Chase’s body they feasted on as it floated down the Shrike. Some would get upset over the slight, but fortunately Chase did not have to bother, they did not stir in the hollow center of his being where most people felt things.
As Chase stood there in the dark waiting for Wes-lee to arrive he thought of how he would handle this most current problem. He figured he would simple convince the man that it would be in his best interest to keep his tongue quiet or his tongue would be quieted for him. It was then that Chase saw Wes-lee stumbling up the hill with Kressle. Chase had asked her to keep an eye on the man. He knew the man would be drunk tonight since it was pay day and Chase had seen to it that a little extra coin had found its way into his possession. Chase needed to put all other thoughts from his mind and focus on the task at hand and make sure to deter this problem before it becomes a bigger issue.
Chase watched Wes-lee closely as he approached, Kressle prodding him along. Chase could almost smell Wes-lee from here, the man reeked of a Brewery. Wes-lee stumbled up the to the top of the ridge, looking around and drunkenly slurred, “What am I doing up here?” Chase slowly stepped out of the shadows like a part of the night had given birth to him. He flipped his cloak back, Chase knew that he had to strike fear into this man’s heart, “You’re here because you don’t know when to keep your mouth shut.” Wes-lee looked at Chase his eyes growing wide as watched Chase’s hair moving unnaturally around the antlers of his Staghelm. Wes-lee looked as if he had seen a ghost or some demon coming to get him. Chase was accustomed to those looks and this was exactly the response he had desired, “You need to learn your place and when it’s best not to speak out of turn.” Chase added, letting the man stare into his soulless dark eyes.
Weslee seemed to finally recover from the initial shock of what looked like someone appearing from nowhere, “Wait, you’re that other one, the one that no one ever talks about? The Stagslayer is what Lord Balian calls you, the devil from Cheliax, right?” It seemed the alcohol was making Wes-lee even more foolhardy then when he insulted Zuhair in front of his own men. “I would hold your tongue, sir. It has already gotten you into enough trouble.” Chase added taking a step forward towards the man. Wes-lee blinked stumbling back a step, “What are you talking about?” Chase could hear a note of aggravation creeping into Wes-lee’s voice. Chase continues, “I’m talking about your continued comments about the Captain of the Watch.” Wes-lee started to chuckle, “Oh, your talking about Lord Zuhair.”
Weslee kept chortling, “The fact that the soldier of the southern sun is about as bright as a candle in a sandstorm.” Wes-lee snorted ungracefully, “Did you like that one, I just made it up.” Chase could see Kressle out of the corner of his eye, looking like she wanted to slit this fool’s throat and be done with it. Chase did not need this little spark of a problem turning into a bonfire of a headache, “Sir, this is the last warning you will get, either you silence your tongue or I will make sure it is silenced for you.” Chase glared at the man, taking time to let the man see his hand wrapped around the hilt of his rapier. Wes-lee seem to take notice of Chase then and reached down to his belt pulling out a crudely made long knife from his belt. He raised his knife up and it glinted in the light from the distant campfires of Redemption, “Are you trying to order me like I’m some servant? You bastard of a devil, I’m a free man of the River Kingdom!” Chase quickly made a hand signal to Kressle, which caused her to halt from planting her now raised and ready to strike handaxe into Wes-lee’s skull, “I gave you two warnings, I shall not give another. Now put that knife away or I will take it from you, skin you alive with it and let my worgs eat your entrails.” As soon as Chase finished his threat, Wes-lee eyes went wild as if he was possessed by some inner demon. Wes-lee growled as he charged Chase, “Devil spawn, I will kill you, then your devil seed, and your fey tainted dogs all while I raping your whore over there.”
Chase was not worried about Wes-lee charging at him, Chase was in his element. The world seem to slow down and Wes-lee looked like he was moving through an invisible wall of mud as he rushed at Chase, his blade slowly swinging forward. Chase knew the man was no real threat to him. It was also at this moment of reflection that Chase realized his error, the mistake he had made was letting the man get to drunk. Drunks always had a false sense of bravado, that false sense of strength worked well for bullies like the Staglord who used fear and murder to rule, but for Chase it was another empty emotion. Chase didn’t feel fear, he hardly ever felt anything, except at times like these when life and death were dancing with him. Chase lived for these moments, it was at times like these that he felt truly alive. Chase’s introspection of the events almost allowed Wes-lee enough time to reach him, but not quite enough. At the last possible second when it almost seemed likely that Wes-lee’s crudely made knife would strike Chase in the chest, Chase’s rapier slid out of it’s scabbard. Chase simply came underneath Wes-lee’s awkward assault by taking a step back to the edge of the ridge and let his rapier darted back in, piercing the man’s hand through the wrist causing him to drop his knife on the grass-covered hill.
Wes-lee stumbled forward again, “I’m going to kill you demon....the voices have told me you die.” and with that Wes-lee leaped at Chase with a speed and strength that was quite surprising for someone in such a drunken state, still it was not hard for Chase to just step out of the way of the reckless bull rush. As Chase slid to the side with effortless grace, Wes-lee all of sudden twisted at what seemed like an inhuman angle and grabbed Chase’s arm. Wes-lee lashed forward, trying to use his momentum to pull Chase with him over the ridge and into the Tuskwater below. Before Chase could react, Wes-lee looked at him with a mad gleam in his eyes and screamed, “The voice’s tell me that you all will die and the lands will go back to the old ways!” As Chase struggled to keep his footing on the edge of the cliff he saw the flashing silver of Kressle’s handaxe slicing through air. Chase then felt the warm spray of blood as he watched Wes-lee’s descent down the ridge into the Tuskwater below, his warm hand still grasped around Chase’s arm.
Chase ripped the hand off and tossed it on the ground behind him, without turning around to look at Kressle, Chase said, “Thank you.” Chase could hear Kressle slip her handaxe back into it’s sheath on her hip, “Well, I wasn't about to let some mad man kill Katrina’s father.”
Chase sighed, “Well, that didn’t go exactly as planned.” He turned to look at Kressle, “I will have two of the my men collect the body.” Kressle nodded, “We could get lucky and the turtles and fish will eat him.”
Chase looked down over the ridge into the dark water of the Tuskwater, “I don’t think the creatures of the Tuskwater will want to dine on his corpse nor do I ever count on luck.” Kressle moved up next to him and followed his gaze, her fear of heights would not allow her to get any closer to the ridge then she already was. She murmured, “Why do you think that?”
Chase looked at her, then walked over the to severed hand on the ground and grimaced, “Just a feeling, the look in his eyes made me wonder if there was more to that man then just a simple courier.” Stabbing the hand with his rapier, he held it up letting the rest of the blood drain from it, then turned back to Kressle and handing it to her, “Keep this with the body when they find it.”
Kressle took the hand from him and nodded at Chase, whose gaze still focused on the severed hand, “No point in leaving any evidence is there?”. Chase looked down at Redemption then picked up Wes-lee’s knife, “Correct, at least none anyone can find that will trace it back to me or any of the others.” Chase paused, then looked back at her, “Have some of the camp whores and a couple of the men say they saw Wes-lee getting drunk and wandering out to the lake.” Kressle stuffed the hand into a small sack she had with her, “What are you going to do with the body when you find it?”
Chase walked her back to the Castle, still under construction, “Report it to the city watch, of course. Since the body will wash up outside of town it will fall under the jurisdiction of the outriders and I will make sure the body is disposed of before anyone has a chance to examine it.”
Kressle smiled, “It seems like you have it all thought out.” Chase snorted, “If I did then we would not be talking about how to dispose of a body.” Chase sheathed his rapier after wiping it clean on leaves he pulled from a nearby tree. Chase looked away from Kressle, “Actually, I will be leaving tomorrow and will take care of the body on my way out of town. I will report it when I get back.” Kressle handed him the bag with the hand in it, “Oh, really, and where are you heading to this time?” Chase took the sack from Kressle as she handed it to him, “I have information that there is a witch living just southwest of here, near the forest. I mean to go talk to her about something I’m following up on.”
Kressle face grew tight with the mention of the witch woman, “You’re talking about that temptress of a bitch, Tyana, aren’t you?” Chase stopped walking, not turning around to look at her, “Yes, Kressle, I am.” Chase paused for a moment before continuing, as if waiting to hear an handaxe being drawn, “I know we had a history, but I need information and Tyana might have it.” Kressle snorted at the last comment, “I know what she has and I know what you want from her.” Chase sighed, “Kressle, what we once had is gone, you made your choices as I have mine, we remain friends in this together for Katrina and for mutual benefit it brings us both, but even if that was not the case, what I need from Tyana right now is information, nothing more.”
Kressle stood there, jealousy and anger flaring in her eyes and then turned to storm off into the night. Chase breathed out slowly as he walked off, thinking to himself that he would have to be more careful with what he shared with Kressle in the future. While Chase knew he could trust Kressle for now, he also knew Kressle had her limits and Tyana could be that limit. Especially since she knew the last time he met with Tyana, the witch had almost seduced him into killing Kressle.
