Ronald
**Jeanne de Lysse - The Keep Sempiternal of the Grey Hills**

Spring had come early to the Grey Hills. Ironic, considering the snowstorm that had hit the Sun Gate some days ago. Jeanne hated winter: it forced her to remain caged inside the keep, where she would have to bear the dullards of her family like her father Cyprien of her half-brother Bastien. Even her mother could be annoying at times. Obsessive bitch. Only her beloved brother Jean understood her where no one else did.

Jeanne loved spring: it was a time of hunting and horse riding. A time of colors and leisure in anticipation of the Greenfest tournament. It was also the time when she could finally shed her silk dresses, cut her hair short, and wear the light armor that she had comissioned. Her parents didn't approve of their eldest daugther playing knight, but she didn't care. In Jeanne's opinion, riding and swimming were life's perennial pleasures.

On her way to the stables, she noticed a man arguing with the guards on the other side of the waterfall drawbridge. His white hair confused Jeanne at first, making her think he was yet another of her distant relatives, but upon closer inspection he proved to be something else entirely. None of her relatives would wear black for starters, it was an inky and dour color that didn't fit House de Lysse, or the land they ruled over. His eyes were also yellow, not indigo like Jeanne's.

"I assume you are the man my mother is expecting?" She said to the stranger.

Selene had mentionned a court agent would arrive soon. An "Ace in the hole" She had said. Even with her husband gone far away to the isles, that woman couldn't resist plotting something.
John
**Cornelius - Keep Sempiternal of the Grey Hills**

The man at the other side of the drawbridge was more than happy to be out of the snow, having traveled through it to get to the keep. He'd stood there for at least half an hour, arguing with the guards about his entry into the keep. At points, Cornelius couldn't help but throw out unpleasant explatives at the men. They were in the way of his work, something he hated more than most things.

When he heard the lady call out to him, he was at last relieved. As soon as the guards shut their mouths in response, he brushed past them, intentionally impacting one of them as he passed through, eventually meeting up with Lady Jeanne. His posture noticably straightened perfectly when he approached. A scar ran down the left side of his face, starting at his forehead, skipping over the eye, and running down his cheek. His hair was kept as kempt as possible without a barber. It was slicked back and running a little longer that it should. Cornelius bowed his head to the lady before introducing himself.

"If your mother is the one who can't forge a signature, then I very well might be. I am called Cornelius," He said, unfurling the letter he was sent. "I received this in Sol, and your relatives at the Sun Gate sent me here."
Ronald
**Jeanne de Lysse - The Keep Sempiternal**

A signature. An envoy from the Sun Gate.
Jeanne hated to admit it, but this was a matter that would require her attention. Looks like her morning ride was destined to be dead on arrival after all.

"Follow me," She said as she got off her horse. "If you are not entirely sure of why you are here, then it has to be my mother who summoned you."

Jeanne led Cornellius across the bridge and into the halls of the Keep Sempiternal.

The interior of the fastness contrasted with it's castle-like appearence. Here, the tunnels were wide and tall. The walls and columns were of colored marble... But the most noticeable difference wasn't just in terms of aesthetic, but rather in terms of theme. Half of the corridors and towers were sculpted over the mointain, the other half were carved inside it. If the shell of the Keep Sempiternal looked like a fastness, it's belly was definitevely an art gallery: exquisite statues could be found at every corner, paintings were held in every wall. At every possible opportunity, the Keep made use of it's large windows to show Cornelius the valley below. Even the torch holders and chandeliers were exposition pieces in their own right.

"You didn't mention your name, did you?" Asked Jeanne. "Mine is Jeanne. Jeanne de Lysse."

She ran her hand across her short white hair.
Katherine
Loralie Douze
Northwind

Loralie made herself steel as the woman picked up the knife. She knew the woman wouldn't hurt her. Though Levi's comment about her head getting cut clean off made her a bit uneasy. She smiled at Ms. Frincilla nervously. "Oh, um... Whatever you think is best," She said as she was guided to sit down. "Though I don't mind if it's a bit short."

Ms. Frincilla tsked as she held up the length of Loralie's hair. "A bit short," She repeated. "Alright, I will see what I can do. I will make it look pretty, don't worry," She said with a comforting pat on Loralie's shoulder. The young girl couldn't care less what it looked like, as long as it was short and out of the way.

It took about twenty minutes, but finally the older woman made a sound of approval. "Finished. What do you think?" She asked, handing a small mirror to Loralie while she kept the other.

Her hair was now short, and it lined the edge of her jaw. Instead of being a shaggy rug, it neatly framed her face, bringing attention to her sharp cheekbones and green eyes. She reached one hand and was delighted to see that she could barely tuck the hair behind her ear so it was completely out of the way. Her head and neck had never felt so light. Though it was so much shorter, it was still pretty in a rugged way.

"I love it," She said with a whisper, still staring at her reflection. She almost looked like a different person.
John
The man couldn't help but admire the scenery both inside the castle and out. It was the single most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. His eyes wandered about the ornate masonry, art, and the valley below.

"My brothers and sisters named me Cornelius," He said, "No family name. I must say, this castle alone puts the rathole that I came from to shame. The masonry is, for lack of a better word, exquisite."

He attempted to fill the air with some idle conversation until they made there way to wherever the hell they were going. He straightened his collar as they walked. One thing that that Jeanne could note is that his footsteps weren't only quiet, they were absolutely silent on the floor below, and his breathing equally so.

"Does your mother make a habit of summoning dangerous men under a false name?" He joked.
Ronald
**Jeane de Lysse - The Keep Sempiternal**

"My mother makes a habit of many things." Jeanne slid her fingers behind her ear. "You will find that her mind is a dark coil."

Cornelius styled himself as a dangerous man. By looks alone, Jeanne would be willing to bet he was either a killer or a bodyguard, but it's not like her mother was in need of those. Or was she?

"You said you were a dangerous man, Cornelius. What is your talent?"
John
**Cornelius - The Keep Sempiternal**

"Murder certainly isn't my favorite trade, but I am much more than capable should such services be required. My work with a pen, however, is what I am most proud of. Sword strokes may deliver deaths, but pen strokes order them, after all. I'd be very happy to demonstrate when it's most convenient."

He paused for a moment.

"I've also been required to do much, much worse things than murder, nothing a fair maiden such as yourself should hear in any great detail. There are fates worse than death."

Cornelius' face had been mostly blank up until this point. Following that last remark, his eyes showed a hint of disgust.
Ronald
**Jeanne de Lysse - The Keep Sempiternal**

What a cocksure bastard. Flaunting his supposed skill in the art of lies, and reveling in his attempt at intimadtion. Jeanne had learned by experience that the most dangerous men were often the ones who kept to themselves. Or at least that's what her other said.
What truly annoyed Jeanne was the way the man percieved her: ignorant, weak. Just like her father and her half-brother did. Despite her short hair, riding trousers, and blouse, this Cornelius still had the gall to call her a "Fair maiden" Unable to bear the burden of life's many horrors.

He was right about something though: there were fates worse than death. Jeanne wondered what Cornellius would think of the secret rituals and ceremonies held by the serpent lodges in the darkest corners of the keep.
Would he change his mind? Would he be disgusted? Horrified?
She ran her tongue trough her lips at thought of it.

"Selene de Lysse awaits you inside." She told him. Her hand gestured towards a small wooden door. "The lady of the House is my mother. Would you like me to introduce you to her, or do you prefer to meet her alone?"
John
Cornelius - The Keep Sempiternal

The man was happy to finally meet his employer, and although he'd intended to speak one last sentence to the lady, he saved the breath, maneuvering around her and entering the room. He spoke once the door shut behind him.

"I hope the gods smite me before I have to make idle conversation again. It's difficult being polite."

His blank face morphed into that of displeasure. Now in the presence of the one he'd be working for, every facade of his withered in a near instant.

"Especially in front of women."

His perfect posture slowly but steadily degraded. It wasn't poor by any means, but it certainly wasn't worthy of public view.

"At the very least, it's so much easier to read men," He said, taking a breath. "Sorry for my rant, Lady Selene. I'm told you sought me out under your... Brother's name. You should work on your forgeries, by the way. I don't suppose it would be overstepping my bounds to ask why I was summoned. Would it?"
Ronald
**Selene de Lysse - The Keep Sempiternal**

Selene was resting under the beam of a narrow skylight, her legs crossed under the shallow waters and petals of a baptismal pool carved in the centre of the floor. The room itslef was barely illuminated, with only the dim flicker of aromatic candles fighting against the dark in those places beyond the reach of the perfumed waters.

"If your question is why I summoned you trough a lie, the answer lies in the lie itself. It was a test of your mettle, Cornelius. Lesser men would've turned away, but not you. You have a thirst for knowledge."

Her voice was mellow and pugnant. Like mulled wine.

Lady de Lysse stood up. The water dripping from her waist made her white tunic fade into translucence below her knees. Like Jeanne, a mane of ashen hair framed her sculpted face, but unlike her, the violet eyes possesed the hypnotic glow of rare gems.

"I am indeed, your new employer. And as I mentionned in the letter, a friend of the late Lady Heloise."
John
**Cornelius - The Keep Sempiternal**

There was a grin followed by a brief chuckle.

"I'd prefer it if the flattery was set aside while conducting business, Lady Selene."

Cornelius pressed his back against the wall, and he slunk down to a sitting position. He unbuttoned the button on his collar, and a long breath of relief superceded it. It was clear now that he'd been on the road for far too long. This was his first respite since leaving Sol.

"I won't ask how you knew my late master, but I am inclined to wonder what deplorable work you'll have me doing; I find it difficult to imagine a world where I am asked to be an honest man for a living."
Ronald
**Selene de Lysse - The Keep Sempiternal**

"The task at hand is far from a henious crime. On the contrary, it will create a safer world for future generations. For my daughter."
Cornelius didn't fully understood why, but his gut told him that by "Her daughter", Selene had not meant Jeanne.

"The task at hand is very simple, yet it presents a great challenge: I will give you a list of names, and I want you to collect everything that is known about them. Their past, their dreams, their secrets, their loved ones, the mark they have left in the world since infancy... I want to know it all, as little and insignificant as it may be. I want to know these people better than they know themselves."

She handled Cornelius an old piece of paper. Three names were written on it.

_Calypso Kolgrim
Raegan Koern
John de Burgh_

"I have ranked them by what I believe is the difficulty of the tasks at hand, but you are free to pursue your search in any order you please. Find who these people are. Roll back the thread of their lives all the way back to their cradle.
But I see you look tired, meister Cornelius. So allow me to recieve you tonight as our as guest here at the Keep Sempiternal. House de Lysse would be honoured to have you."
Vincent
Dagstygg Jarl and the Berserksgangr
The Rustlands

The Jarl would look on at the man shouting to them from the watchtower before looking down into the sea, indeed, the sea floor was treacherous. He would order his men to steer through the gates but be on their guard, those not rowing formed two somewhat small shield walls on either side of the ships incase they were towing ship into trouble