RP:A Symphony of Larceny and Murder

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc

Part of the Law and Oreder Arc

Summary

Lycidas raids the concert hall of Larket during the wedding. The members of the concert hall are murdered, their corpses left behind. The man steals several instruments, the costumes, and is caught in their during the quake that shook all of Larket. His escape, while close with the building collapsing around him, lead him to a large score of items for sale.

The Theft and Murder Begins

Lycidas sat atop the caravan riding towards the great concert hall of Larket, two stolen horses leading the way, the very same from his prior heist in Xalious. The two large creatures had proven themselves easy enough to work with, not taking much to convince to occasionally pull around materials when most the time they were allowed to roam free. As the death knight made his way through the city however, he could not be more pleased with the sight he saw before him, perfection, the literal perfect opportunity for yet another heist had arisen. People from everywhere had gathered to see this royal wedding and were flocking towards the grand halls of the palace room. Security was lax around the majority of the city, though Larketians knew better than to commit crimes due to the heavy punishments carried here. Lycidas was very pleased indeed! Finally he arrived at the Concert Hall, stopping the caravan right on the outside, three thud from his gloved hand against the heavy wood of the caravan followed by four men pulling themselves out from behind the covered caravan and moving up along side Lycidas. The large vampire descended from his wooden seat, already masked, standing in all his aged glory before them, each knowing the task at hand. Each of them approached the building through the front entrance, little resistance expected to get in between them and their prize and if it did, Lycidas was to speak before actions were to be taken. The crew was already aware the lead vampire had a tongue made of silver and were quite accepting of him lying his way through if it meant less work to follow.

Josleen is off getting married to a secret death knight! || The security stationed behind the front desk blinks himself to attention. He had not expected anyone to approach the hall today, least of all these stiff looking men. Sure, perhaps the wayward musician or theater director might come, but these five goons? Lycidas, the apparent leader, is address, “May I help you?” Inside the hall there are two more people. In the back rooms near the stage door is a second security guard, a burlier one, a retired army soldier. In the small museum in the foyer, an old, hunched over musician and museum curator named Mauricio practices the mandolin. He will not celebrate the King and Queen’s wedding. The King took a prized violin from the museum, an artifact that had been in the collection for over 100 years, which belonged to the greatest musical legend Larket ever produced. And that KING! That selfish monarch! What did he do? He took it and gave it to Josleen, that harlot who wets his whistle. Well! Mauricio will NOT celebrate this union! In fact, he recently formed a pro-democracy activist group that meets regularly at Kyla’s Eatery. The monarchy shall crumble! This octogenarian will see to it!

Lycidas went to move past the man, as if he belonged within these halls themselves, the air of confidence around the 6’8 man unnerving to most, “Gotta pick up the damned instruments, carry them off to the frelling throne room, grab the extra props! You know we have damned stagehands for a frell---.” The man stopped, as the guard interrupted his tirade of angered words, “Sorry, are you trying to slow me down? I have a damned job to do!” Lycidas pulled it off as if he was in no mood to be stopped by the security guard, “Look, I got to get the instruments back to the Throne Room because -KING- Macon in all his glory has to have TWICE the performers as before, so why don’t you get off your arse, carry some instruments with me to the caravan I got parked outside, before I inform him that you’re the reason it’s taking so long for us to get his grand performance done.. Have you seen the man when the crescendo isn’t just perfect!? I’m sure he’ll lop off Josleen’s head himself just for that simple imperfection!” The death knight stood, evaluating the guard’s reaction from behind his mask, evaluating what he should do based upon the man’s response.

The security guard is not an idiot and Larket is famous for its bureaucracy. He indeed tries to stop this tall and spooky interloper, and in addition says, “I’m sure everything is as you say, but if you could just produce signed entry slips.” He raises his hands as if in surrender to a higher power. “Pal, I believe you. Just doing my job.” He pulls a face when Lycidas suggests King Macon would kill his bride Josleen. What a weirdo, this creep. The guard doesn’t argue that point, but he is of the contingent of Larketians who 1) believe King Macon to be good, even if short-tempered, and 2) believe that True Love (™) between King Macon and Thane Josleen is what brought about peace with Frostmaw. He’s a romantic. Behind the desk is a political spy thriller book, very masculine, with an intense spy-on-spy romance and ample steamy scenes. Like Bond but in Hollow. Human rogue spy for Cenril infiltrating a foreign princess’s room, seducing her, because of course.

Lycidas had met the one non-idiot guard trope in all of the guards ever! Mayhaps he should of brought the cute female with her ability to allure and distract the man with nary an issue! Lycidas hadn’t quite tried this yet, not since he’d spoken with Rachelle to having it enchanted but here was his chance! The vampire put his arm out to the side, awaiting his blade to fly towards him from the caravan outside! He could feel the magic pulling his blade towards him, grasping the blade and bringing it through the air to him.. And that was when, a thud was heard outside, a clanging on the ground.. As it thunked harmlessly against the grand doors and fell upon the stone street. “I should of listened.” He mumbled this under his breath, thinking back to the warning Rachelle had given him. “Go fetch it.” A motion to one of the vampires to retrieve his blade, while Lycidas sprang into action. His hand moved quickly for the guard’s throat, attempting to lift him and smash him into the wall behind him before he might react.

The guard continues to be no fool. When a creep silently stretches their arm for no apparent reason, suspect magic. When that creep wanted entry without papers, suspect forced entry, now via magic. The guard immediately draws his sword and points it towards Lycidas’s throat, following protocol. “Stop! Surrender or face the brunt of the Larketian guard!” Human reflexes are slower than vampire reflexes, unfortunately, and Lycidas is on his throat and smashing his brain in so fast the poor man couldn’t even swing his blade. The guard goes down fast, less like the hero of his novel, and more like the (anachronistic) red shirt. The guard by the stage door hears the commotion and springs into action. Sword drawn, he rings a panic bell and then charges the front door. As he charges, he pulls goggles out of his utility belt and dons them. He meets the hall invaders somewhere in the lobby and throws a small tear gas magical capsule. It erupts just before the vampire crew’s feet and stings the eyes. Seeing many intruders, the solo guard pulls a crossbow from his back, loads it, and shoots into the small group. Meanwhile, Mauricio, having heard the panic bell, pulls a lever. In front of each of the art room’s entrances and windows a curtain of steel bars descends to bar entry to any would be thieves.

Lycidas hated using his magic and showing others that he was capable of doing just that.. Yet, here might just be the time he had to. As the capsule came forward, exploding before them and stinging into their eyes, under their masks, the lesser vampires whose discipline was not as great removed their mask, screaming in pain.. The death knight, bent down to retrieve a capsule from the ground below. He fought through the pain, the tears, the whizzing sound of a crossbow bolt flying over his head and thudding into flesh behind him.. Followed by a clang as his blade fell to the ground once again. Grasping the capsule, the pain becoming greater being so close, lifting it from the ground and forcing it into the mouth of one unsuspecting vampire who removed his mask. The vampire’s eyes turned from simple tear, to his entire facial expression showing immense amounts of pain. He ran from the scene, back and out.. Having been forced to swallow the unsuspecting capsule was not pleasant by any means. The gas was still there, the difficulty to breathe ignored by vampires, the pain in the eyes stinging and making it difficult to see, but the knight trudged on despite the sound of steel bars and panic bells being rung through the air. His blade was pulled towards him once more, reaching his hand as he charged forth at the new guard. The blade was swung, parried, multiple times the two would spar between one another, Lycidas each time attempting to severe limp from body and leave the unfortunate man dead below.. Then the steel bars.. This, would be the true issue.. Magic was soon to follow.

The burly former soldier has seen a lot in battle, but seeing a leader turn on their own men and render them disposable will always be hard to stomach. It enrages him. Vampires! He can identify them on sight for he has fought many in his day. Larketians are famously prejudice against their neighboring vampires, Vailkrin not being very far. He meets Lycidas’s blade with his own. Despite Lycidas’s superior speed, the former soldier is trained enough to parry and hold his own. However, when a second vampire joins the fray, the man is quickly overwhelmed and cut down. In the gallery, Mauricio begins locking up each precious instrument and music sheet and painting in their casings. It’s a slow process, slowed mostly by the curator’s age, but Mauricio is dedicated to each item herein.

Lycidas reached the steel bars, at first attempting to simply pry them open with the immense strength he possessed, the vampiric curse being a boon in most cases but when the bars didn’t budge, the man ceased. Taking the blade that Rachelle had recently enchanted for him, he used his magic upon it, the blade heating to uncomfortable levels to those around the man. The blade was pressed against the top of each of the bars, melting through the tops of the bars, though the process took some time. As each bar was melted through, it fell harmlessly to the ground below. The first bar to fall was thrown like a javelin at the unsuspecting democratic man, the molten steel being the leading end. As the javelin like metal bar was hurled forward, Lycidas went back to work, each time a bar would fall, he’d throw it at Mauricio, who, if not speared by the first, was still therein most likely trying to lock up his instruments.

Mauricio, watching this vampire cut through steel with an enchanted blade, makes peace with his death. He’s lived a long life. He will be cut down here protecting the items he cherishes most. He likely won’t save them, he knows this, and this is more painful than death itself, but he will try. As Lycidas slowly cuts through the bars, Mauricio works as quickly as he can to lock down each instrument in fortified steel cages with magical locks. He’s locking up a legendary flute just as he is impaled from behind. He doesn’t resist death. He doesn't struggle. He slumps to the ground, kneels in his own blood, says his final prayers, slumps forward, dies.

Lycidas watched the man in his last breath, finally having made his peace with death. The knight approached him, kneeling to his side and closing his eyes. Each of his eyelids was placed with a piece of gold, “You kept your ground honorably.” The knight had no problem with committing murder, yet he’d honor those who died honorably. He pointed at one of the other members, just now crawling through the bars, “Go, honor the other two guards, place them beside each other and cover their eyes with a piece of gold each.” The vampire lifted the wooden flute that was nearly locked away, off it’s pedestal. It was different than the other instruments, radiating an aura about it. It almost made the man want to play.. He strapped it onto his back, moving about to grasp the rest of the instruments he could find, yelling orders at the remaining two members of the four man group. Each was instructed to grasp the instruments, load them into the caravan. When the third man finished up with the guards, he was also instructed to load instruments, drums, pianos? Violins, other musical things? Flutes! Into the back of the caravan. It was going to be a quick process, fast and out of there.. Whilst Lycidas ran into the back for any stage props or anything else of value they could find.

Mauricio’s ghost, if it could talk, would say “Fffff yyoouuuuuuuuuOOOOoooOOoo” to the man honoring his death. It’s small consolation for having your museum ransacked by leeches. Without any opposition, the vampires take an orchestra's worth of instruments, a magical flute, a lesser magical triangle (five notes instead of three! magic!), and a drum and bassoon of no magic to boast of, but high historical relevance, and thus high value. The props are mostly junk, but there’s a few silver tea set items that may be pawned. As the vampires load the drum relic into the caravan, the earth suddenly begins to quake--violently. A massive earthquake rocks the city of Larket. Residents everywhere tumble to the ground. To the west, the towering tenements collapse like a match house. Buildings crumble as if made of chalk. To the east, screaming wedding guests stream out of the entrance. Fort gargoyles break free of their perch and crash onto party-goers below. From the south, smoke plumes above the Red Ogre Inn.

Lycidas was busy cramming outfits into a bag when the tremors first hit, shaking the foundation of the concert hall and causing building to tumble outside. The vampire fell to his feet, the ghost of Mauricio probably laughing realizing that Lycidas may be meeting his tomb if the concert hall fell on top of him. It was only seconds that this lasted, the quake shaking everything with a vast distance, and the vampire knew if he didn’t move he’d never make it out.. Stronger than any of the quakes he’d felt throughout his history. His crew was already free, outside, with specific instructions to take off with whatever loot they had should Lycidas become indisposed. The vampire ran, attempting to break free, pieces of the hall falling down around him, smashing about, debris shattering into his massive frame, bruising and impaling him yet he made no signs of stopping. Years of pain and battle, had him knowing hesitation meant death, that should he falter for even a moment he’d never make it out of this building.

The annexed backroom of the concert hall caves in, but the original building mostly stays intact structurally speaking, those its facade will need to be repaired. The vampires manage to escape, though their exit from the city will be circuitous as they circle around whimpering crowds, kneeling believers, and the fallen--both structures and people.