Story

Isse-Istar opened his eyes. He looked around the room. It was a cozy room of an average inn with a wooden bed and a chest. He was meditating on the floor and it always took him some time to remember the events in periods between meditations. He thought a little bit without getting off the floor and the visions of the day before started returning.
The day before he was out in the Flaming Skull on a mission to assassinate an Ork rogue, a leader of a small thief guild, which was bothering Flaming Skull mayor a lot. The Ork put up quite a resistance and Isse-Istar remembered Ork’s eyes when the he grabbed the Ork’s face and cast a fireball point blank. Isse-Istar reached for his robe belt and felt a pouch thick with gold. “Was worth it,” – he thought and left the inn.
He was outside in the middle of a small settlement in Mirendil. He breathed in the air of the mighty Mirendil forest and felt satisfied with himself and the rest of the world. “Home,” – he said, but he knew he had to leave soon, since there was an announcement board on the other treetop platform and he could already see a fresh unmarred green leaf clipped to it, which was placed there for this settlement, for it was a settlement of mercenaries. This leaf could mean only leaving on to the next mission and more blood. He hated killing just for the money’s sake. There was something low about it. He preferred thinking about it from a different perspective: helping dissatisfied with a small but pleasurable return for himself. Surely it was tricking oneself but it was all for a good cause.
Having finished reflecting, he moved on to the announcement board. The green leaf stated that Isse-Istar was to go to Mercia and there he was to meet up with a wealthy plutocratic merchant named Aduntir the Sly for further instructions. So Isse-Istar picked up his bag and mounted his Shulgan Drake, which he took from a “recently deceased” Alfar insurgent. The drakes name was Oma Sulinen, or “the voice in the wind”. And off to Mercia mage left.
In Mercia he found the merchant and the rendezvous point, which was in a gulf south of Aincourt. Merchant was very brief about the mission. Aduntir said that there was some competition to be eliminated. The name was Loico. Loico lived in a defended manor in the forest of Longstowe.
Isse-Istar arrived at the Loico estate. That was one impressive manor, if there ever was one. It was a huge castle. Isse-Istar looked out for guards on the wall. He saw quite a number of them on the western guard post (there were four, since the castle was square). The other posts were also occupied but weaker, due to Alfar threat from Nagast to the west. Southern one looked the weakest. Isse-Istar left Oma in the dark of the forest and swiftly made his way to the southern edge of the forest directly in front of the post. He pulled out a small vial from his bag and in one swig emptied it. He looked at his hands and saw the grass beneath him through them. He ran up to the guard post tower. While running he picked a rock from the ground. At the foot of the tower he pulled out a little bag and spread some blue and white powder beneath his feet, muttered an incantation “vilya halpusule val” and jerked his hands down. The air spell sent him like a bolt through the air to the top of the wall, nearby a guard outpost. Guards heard the thump of Isse-Istar’s feet hitting the ground. Quickly the Mirdain threw a rock onto the other side of the wall and diverted the guard’s attention. When they headed there he quickly made his way down the stairs and into the courtyard.
He looked back up onto the tower. Suddenly he saw a shadow on the wall, but it was gone in seconds. “Competition’s back,” – he thought. But he had more pressing problems at the moment. There was the door into Loico’s halls and it was guarded by four spearmen. There was seemingly no way of dispatching them without noise. Invisibility potions were out and the windows were closed so air push spells would be of little use. There was always an option of flame gust spell but that would be messy and a bright flash of fire was sure to attract attention. He looked over the doorway. It was a wooden gate fixed into a stone wall. There was an archway of white stone lining the entrance.
And then an idea struck him. Isse-Istar pulled his staff from a holster on his back. He pulled off the red crystal at the top and placed a white one in its place. Then he waved it a little and muttered “vilya ramba undlant”. A white stone in the archway has quivered and collapsed. It smashed at the head of one of the guards and his blood dripped from beneath his helmet. The other three guards immediately rushed to help him. Isse-Istar was already preparing to drop more stones when suddenly there was a quick sound and two guards fell both with their heads pierced by arrows. Isse-Istar didn’t lose a single moment and finished the spell dispatching the last guard with a falling rock. He quickly glanced back and saw no guards on walls noticed anything. He turned back and from the shadows emerged a figure holding a bow. It was human wearing black and dark green clothing. He stretched his hand out and said: “Until Loico’s dead”. Isse-Istar shook his hand and responded: “Yes. I am Isse-Istar.” And human said: “Raiden Marus.”
Raiden took the keychain from a dead guard’s body and unlocked the door. They went in. The hall of the castle was glorious. It was an enormous room with chandeliers on the ceilings and tapestries on the walls. The two rows of columns were on either side of the carpet, which went to the large ladder leading upstairs. They went towards the ladder. They went up quickly and entered a corridor. There were doors on both sides but the one in the middle of the side opposite of the ladder was covered in carved wooden decorations, which were painted gold. There was no mistaking Loico’s bedroom. Raiden went up to the door and picked the lock. They opened it and entered. But there were guards in the room surrounding the door in the other end which separated study from bedroom. They couldn’t have missed the opening door.
Raiden and Isse-Istar found themselves facing 6 people with drawn swords. Suddenly a yell from outside the manor pierced the air and there was sound of blades and people getting slaughtered. The corridor doors behind Raiden and Isse-Istar flew open and guards swarmed the corridor. Two assassins were surrounded. The guards attacked but Isse-Istar hit the stuff at the floor and yelled “Vilya Val Lante Falma” and the floor shuddered under the pressing of the mighty air wave passing through the room. The guards were knocked down. At the same time the sounds outside died and there was sound of the door at the bottom floor getting knocked off the hinges. The sound of the heavy footsteps rang in the stairwell. By that time the guards were back on their feet and a number of them went to the stairwell. Raiden Marus wasn’t losing time during the confusion and pulled out a short sword and a dagger. He quickly sliced two guards down. Isse-Istar swung his arm forward and threw some red powder in attacker’s faces, it landed on four of them and Isse-Istar whispered “Aegnor Falma” and the four miserable wretches were momentarily incinerated by the scorching flames.
There were noises of battle coming from a stairwell and a head of a guard flew into the room. Suddenly a huge Ork burst out of the stairwell, covered in blood from head to toe. He was wearing a spiked plate mail and carried a huge two-handed sword, which had blood dripping from it and marring the floor. He burst at the group of enemies at the doorway into the study. With two mighty swings he killed three guards. There were 5 guards left in the room and Raiden Marus jumped up into the air and swung both of his hands dispatching two guards and when he landed he spun around chopping off feet of the remaining three. Then he stood up, went up to them and with unchanging facial expression slit their throats.
The room was covered in blood and enemy guts. The Ork was like a mountain over the two assassins. Human and Ork both had their blades drawn and the Mirdain had sparks flickering between his fingers. Then everyone lowered their weapons and that was the sign of a truce. Ork introduced as Motanum. After that they all burst into the room, Loico was there, still in the night gown, holding a one-handed sword and a kitchen knife. He was shivering from head to toe. Assassins looked at each other and all rushed forward trying to get a hit at Loico. In seconds there was little left recognizable of the body of a wealthy merchant.
They all claimed a proof of merchant’s death, for otherwise they wouldn’t get their well-deserved rewards. Motanum had the head, Raiden had the blade with a family crest and Isse-Istar had the family seal ring. They headed out, having few short encounters with the survivors of Motanum’s entrée. They were to part at the castle gate. But they knew that their meeting was pre-destined. This was not the end of their adventures, but it was just a start.