On the Blackwater

[Gandalfus]

It had been a few days since Vortimer had received the offer from the Lord Hand, and he had set out immediately in his task. Having hired a cheap rowing boat, he had made his way out towards the infamous "Dragon's Sepulchre" the scarred and burned piece of land that marked the night when Prince Aemond and Prince Daemon duelled from sundown to sunrise. No doubt, the corpses of the two beasts they rode lay below him in the water, but their riders had not been found. Although, not many had dared to look. It was an intimidating sight; even the water seemed burned, somehow. Hauling his small riverboat onto the discoloured sand, Vortimer squinted up at the cliff where it was said that the two warriors slew each other in mortal combat, and began his lengthy climb. He doubted that the sword would be up there; it was probably at the bottom of the bay, but it would be a good start for his search. A small, worn path lead him up to the rocky ledge; it seemed that even the rocks had melted like candle-wax when submitted to the ferocious heat of Dragonflame. Dried blood was still present on the rocks, for much of it must have been spilt. Perching himself on one of the larger stones, Vortimer surveyed the scene around him, hoping to pick up some form of clue as to the sword's whereabouts.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

OOC: Stats, retinue etc. please.

Either side of the path that had led up to the rocky ledge were loose pieces of stone and rock, chunks broken off from when the mighty dragons collided into each other or the cliff edges. From the ledge one path followed the cliff along the coast, blood-stained rocks and upturned earth suggesting a mighty brawl between men and beasts. The ground that this path led too was more solid than the scree that surrounded the worn path up to the cliff edge, and seemed a safer route. There was another path that led off from the worn one that ascended to the ledge. This one slowly descended down in the opposite direction of the first path, also following the cliff edge along the coast, but was more perilous as it wormed its down the cliff face instead of staying on-top of the ledge. By looking over the cliff edge one could see this path went as far down as the bottom of the cliff, where waves crashed into the cliff face, bombarding the path the water and spray. Past that point was a small cove where black charred sand indicated the remnants of a dance of dragons.

If someone was looking to find the final stand of the two warriors either path seemed a good option, the choice would depend on the person.

[Gandalfus]

+3 duels
+2 assassin
+2 survival
+1 capture
+1 charisma

Vortimer elected to explore the safer route first, as he didn't fancy risking his neck clambering the treacherous cliff-face. Carefully, he trudged down the path, looking around for any sign of fighting. Surely, something must exist to point him in the right direction.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

As he followed the path the signs of destruction caused from clashing dragons faded away, the upturned earth and broken pieces of rock becoming normal once again. However, littered along the path were small chunks of metal, perhaps off pieces of armour. Here the path began to worm its way upwards, leading to the highest point along the cliff edge.

[Gandalfus]

Gulping down some air as his nerves grew restless, Vortimer clung to the cliffside and began making his way steadily upwards, aiming to follow the trail of broken pieces of armour and weaponry.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

As he reached the highest point on the cliff, the Dragon's Sepulchre, it became clear a deadly fight had taken place. The ground was churned upwards, the surface scrapped off leaving only mud and soil exposed. A helm, thrown free or knocked off, lay among the ruined earth - would anything else be buried there?

[Gandalfus]

Vortimer edged forward, wary of his surroundings. Picking up the steel helm, he ran his coarse hands over the fine metal, taking in every detail.

Fine steel. Castle forged. Dented heavily, and stained with dried blood to boot. Definitely in the right place.

Falling to his knees, Vortimer scrambled through the pile of loose soil, desperate to find something. The glint of steel, perhaps? Something had to be buried here, the helmet was proof of that.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

OOC: What is it you are looking for again?

[Gandalfus]

OOC: Dark Sister

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Base roll: 5/20
+1 from capture
+1 from RP
Final roll: 7/20

Rolled: 7

Lucky.

As Vortimer searched through the dirt one of his hands cut across something sharp, drawing blood. As he looked down to see what caused the injury the glint of steel sparkled in the ground. It looked like a sword, could it be what he was looking for? Digging further he found what could only be Dark Sister, its slender blade unmistakable once from from the dirt.

Discarded in the glory of the blade, the ruined helm could still be used if needed.

OOC: You suffer a -1 to all combat rolls due to the injured hand for 3 days. However, you also get a Ruined Helm, which provides +1 Health Point in a Duel, but has a 5/20 chance of being destroyed after every battle or duel it is used in.

[Gandalfus]

"Ploughin' er!" Vortimer yelped as something drew blood from his hand, causing it to flow freely over his palms. Nursing the damage done to his right hand, he used his left to uncover a pile of loose dirt that concealed the glint of metal. Grinning as his prize was uncovered, Vortimer held the blade in his wounded hand, wiping off the dried blood and dust that caked it with his cloak. Standing, he swung the blade around a few times, wincing as he did so.

Gods, no wonder Arryn told me not to keep it. Beautiful blade. Lighter than a feather.

"Sharp as an angry , too." He said, aloud, looking down at his hand. It had cut him quite deep, but it would heal, given time. But he was sure his reward would make up for it. Or at least, he hoped anyway. Not wishing to try his luck any further, Vortimer started back the way he came, wandering back down to his simple rowing boat. Taking off his cloak, he wrapped the deadly blade within it, before setting off back for the Tower of The Hand.