Dungeons of the Palace

[m_1512]

Isidore sat in the dungeons, in much comfortable attire than the armor. Godfrey seemed kind enough to get him some decent attire, which ironically was from the Imperial palace. Isidore wondered at the undue kindness of the Franks. Why was he still sitting there with his head on his neck? By and by, the lesser Franks had proven to be barbarous.

He glanced at the two guards outside his cell. They were a boring company, speaking little of any topic. He finished his daily prayers in Orthodox style and sat back, awaiting a long day till the night.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

OOC: I see you have spared me the trouble of putting you in my own quarters.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor.
Godfery snapped his fingers and pointed towards the door at the end of the hallway
"you two, out..."
As they left, Godfrey pulled up a chair and sat himself down in front of him, leaning back a bit with his legs straight but crossed.
He rested his folded hands on his stomach for a few moments.
"hello, again. managed to get any sleep?"
he spoke up finally in French, while doing so, he pulled out an apple from his pocket and a dagger from the other side.

[m_1512]

Isildore raised an eyebrow, amused by the display of apple and dagger. He did not bother to raise himself, simply sat on the ground leaning on the wall.

Sleep? Plenty, due thanks to your guards. But surely a lord would not come all way here to inquire about my comfort. Why not we try a laconic conversation and get to the point?

---

OOC: Will have to leave soon, so let us try and cover as much as possible.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godfrey lifted an eyebrow in response, as the dagger sliced through the apple. He pressed the slice down on the blade with his thumb and put it in his mouth.
"ah, the direct approach, a man after my heart"
Chewing, he leaned forward
"Very well then: I have a proposal for you"
He got up and started strolling around the chair
"You seem a rather perceptive chap, so I assume you are aware of the situation you are in"
He fed himself another piece of the apple and sniffed, turned towards Isidore, waving the point of the dagger towards him
"in short: you are charged with trying to assissinate the emperor, which means you are going to loose. your. head"
He paused between each of those last 3 words, ostentatiously chopping off the top half of the apple with the last one
"however, since it appears I am going to stay here for a while longer than expected, I am currently in need of a man who knows the region and is capable of advising me on local affairs"

[m_1512]

Isidore laughed dryly. A change from the boring guards.

Lose my head, if your emperor orders. And as you say, kill a man who knows the region, is of the region, and speaks Greek, French, English, and Turkish. If any of the Frank lords think practically, very unlikely.

So, you tell me. What do you want, and we meanwhile stop pretending of being the sole director of terms.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godfrey put himself down on the chair again with a sudden movement
"None of the other Lords give's one about you, we're in a city filled with locals, and I'm sure there are a few clever rats among them who haven't tried to kill the king"
He leaned even closer to the prison bars and his voice grew calmer and more quiet
"yet you and I share a common interest, and I think we can both benefit from 'co-operating'"

[m_1512]

Isidore stood up, and started pacing suitable of starting a serious conversation. I heard what you had to say. Kindly do the same here. The lords might not care about one Greek in this cell, but they do care about the skeletons in each other's minds. Do not take me to be a fool, I studied politics in Athens and Constantinople. Isidore stopped for an instant to look at Godfrey and continued pacing with a smile. Yesterday when you stopped me, I am guessing there had been a struggle within you. On one hand, the joy of watching Bohemond succumb to his end, which I go further to guess would be shared by other lords. But your common sense triumphed and you stopped me earning a pile of our gold. Let us not speak of common interest, for your interest I perceive is to sit on the throne, and mine is to well, hurl all Latins in the Bosporus. He stopped pacing, and stepped near the bars with an equally serious face. But yes, we could co-operate. If so, the first thing you must do is get me out of this place. Then place me on a high safe position in your court. The rest of grand schemes can be discussed later.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godrey sprung up and grabbed the bars as he spat and shook his head in negation of that last statement
"The throne is no concern of mine!"
he let go and took a few pases back
"Envy is a sin from which I seek to abstain, like Bohemond should have abstained from greed. When I saw you charging at the emperor, I acted without thought at first, it was only when you clarified your motivation that I began to wonder..."
he stroke his chin as he recalled his path of thinking
"you are either utterly loyal and brave, or just really dumb"
A grin appeared as he produced that latter part of the sentence
"in either case, I am in need of a man of your qualifications, and indeed, getting you out of here is our primary concern"
He leaned back against the bars, his voice growing softer again, as to put the next suggestion delicately
"That's why I need you to get baptised..."

[m_1512]

Isidore looked puzzled.
You too are either utterly pious or just dumb. But then, I think you too will be useful as compared your greedy Vandal of a leader.

Isidore stopped at the word of baptism.
But I am baptized, in a church in this very city. I am too a Christian like yourself, the only difference between us is that our Patriarch leaves politics and materialism to kings and dukes.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godfrey rubbed over his knees
"I mean to fully renounce your belief in the Orthodox church and accept his Holiness as the succesor of Peter"

He sighed
"it will not make the emperor's feelings towards you magically disappear, but we must do what we can to ensure he doesn't prefer your head on a spike. For all I care you make up some story of a priest showing you the light in this prison. He's already convinced of your devotion and straight-forwardness. So I want you 'swearing' allegiance to Rome, I will do my best to get you of here and under my watch, and when the time comes..."
He looked at the apple, lying on the ground in front of his feet, placed his boot on top of it and squished it.
He paused for a moment
"That is my offer, accept it and be rewarded, refuse and be strangled in your sleep. And I advice you to make up your mind quick, for I want to make a move before Bohemond's grip on the land becomes too firm."

[m_1512]

Isidore laughed, not the least intimidated of the threat.
Fine, I will swear your so called... He paused to pointedly ponder the word...
ah.. allegiance to whoever sits in the palace at Rome.

He smiles to himself.
Classic, just like a Greek play... A grand act such as baptism to pull off. Very well, tell the story to Bohemond or any equally corrupt priest you can find here. Get me out of here, and I will show you a safe place to plot.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

"To backstab me and run off into the suburbs of the city? I think not. Besides, you're of nobility, you have every right to share my home... and remain under surveillance"
He stepped towards the bars and put his hand through
"it's good to see another person finding the Light, my son"
he spoke with a grin

[m_1512]

Isidore did not smile this time.
One thing about us. We never backstab anyone incapable of backstabbing themselves. And you would do to use my spot if you do not wish to be caught. I do not need to tell you, you know what Bohemond is capable of.

He sighed at the priestly talk.
Yes, yes. Now go find a priest and get this baptism over with.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godfrey stepped back and turned towards the door
"The clergy are all Hagia Sofia, bickering over who gets the bigger bone in service of his Holiness, I'll fetch one."
He started to walk towards the door
"I'll be back in an hour or 2, try to come up with some not-too-ludicrous reasons by the time I get back"

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

(OOC: since the election is still being RP'ed, imagine that Godfrey found Orsini before or after it, and they now come back to the dungeonà

[Ganbarenippon]

Father Jacopo Orsini bustles into the dungeon. "My son, we must make this quick. The council will begin in less than two hours." He says to Godfrey. "Now, why is it you wish me to baptise this man?" 'There is an opportunity here and no mistake.' He slyly reasons.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godfrey guided the clergyman to the prison Isidore was in and gestured towards him
"Because of him, good father"
He spoke with a smile
"You speak French, don't you? Why don't you come forth and tell the priest yourself what your vision was"

[m_1512]

Isidore puts on his best acting expression.
Oui padre. I saw a light in the morning. The light seemed to come from outside of the dungeon, and from Rome. It showed me flashes of the legacy that was Rome and what it stood for. And the good man here told me the meaning. I will let him explain it in detail.
Isidore smiled a Godfrey encouraging him to speak.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Godfrey rolled his eyes as he heard Isidore's story, yet returned to a smile as the priest turned to him
"it seems, that even though we have abandoned our original goal to convert the heathens in the Holy lands, it seems we still have few souls left here to save from the lies of the Patriarch, and bring the back to the true flock of the Holy See"
he put his left hand on the father's shoulder and grabbed a bar from the prison
"set him free father, baptise him so that his old sins may be forgotten and that he may be embraced in the light of the Catholic church"
While he spoke, Godfrey shortly contemplated the thought of bashing in the priest's head, and give his clothes to Isidore, yet it would create more problems than it would solve, and perhaps the murder on a priest was one step to far. So he just continued to smile as he looked at the priest for an answer

[Ganbarenippon]

Jacopo smiled wolfishly. "I see." He clears his throat. "My son, you do not expect me to believe your story do you?" He asked the Greek. "It was good, but you overacted it. One of my more pious brethren may have been taken in." He turned to Godfrey. "If you wish to use this man for your own ends then kindly say so. I am no stranger to acting in one's own interests." He laughs. "It's audacious I'll give you that. Now, I will baptise the man, for your own ends, but what does Father Orsini get in return?"