Ronald
Lucien Verne & the Knight | The Keep Sempiternal.

A storm was gathering outside the fortress, fitting for a day clouded with bad omens.
Lucien felt himself a prisioner of fate, but the prison was of his own making. His decisions had come back to bite him in the worst possible.
No good deed ever went unpunished. His initial agreement to Jeanne's project, originally intended as no more than a show of good faith towards his surrogate children, had ended with his family enthralled to designs of the mercurial lady.
Later he would feel the temptation to abandon Linas in the Oubliette, but he resisted. Linas would then reward him by steering his family once more towards the cursed place. Lucien felt no anger at him though. The Oubliette had sank his roots in the young meister. He could no longer resist its call. _"I should find a way to wreste control away from this spineless fool"_, he thought. _"If we are fated to face the forest, I cannot allow his cowardice to endanger us all."_

The Lysse brat had at least promised them a knight. A knight they were told could be found in a stone shack near the western cliffside of the mount Sempiternal. It was larger that Lucien had expected despite it's rustic appearance, but it didn't surprise him. He had already grown accustomed to House de Lysse's displays of opulence.

"Sir Iago Malpertuis," Lucien rang at the doorbell. The name tasted bitter for some reason he could not explain. "We are Lady de Lysse's artisans, reporting for duty!"

The door of the cabin opened to reveal a tall man with wide shoulders, a short beard, and raven hair. His eyes were as grey as the mountain, but his burgundy clothes defied his austere appearence. 

"Welcome meisters! What can I do for you?"

The inside of the cabin was filled with art. Wood carvings, small sculptures, and lavish paintings. Unlike the ones found in the Keep however, the ones in Iago's workshop depicted wounded soldiers fallen in battle, dead animals, and other morbid themes.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Keep Sempiternal 

Lei looked over at his comrades briefly when the offer of a knight was given to protect them at the Oubilette, he did not expect them to join him in his travels there. Lucien made it clear that he had no intention of staying there. He was ready to face the return to that place with out them. When he found himself walking along with them to the Paladin's living quarters he grew concerned and confused. 

"Sir. Lucien?" Lei asked cautiously as he walked with him and his children. "Did you not want to continue working in the Oubilette? Wouldn't you rather stay in town with your family?" 

Hearing him call out to the knight, Lei hushed up and looked back towards his children with worry and guilt heavy in his heart. Was it his fault they were forced to return there? 

As soon as the knight was heard approaching the door Lei forced on his usual cheery demeanor and greeted the paladin with a respectful nod. "Good day, Sir. The Lady de Lysse instructed us to come to you for your services. We?- or... I am in need of a guard during our stay at the Oubilette."
Ronald
**Iago Malpertuis** | The mount Sempiternal

The knight led the visitors inside his cabin. First to enter was the old man, with a grim look on his face, then a trio of teenagers followed him. Were those his children?

"There is a storm coming," He explained "Better if you stay here and talk of what your project is about. Lady Jeanne is fond of artwork, but this is the first time I've seen her comission machinery. That's more of an Old Guard thing, and Jeanne is from the newer generations, more interested in leisure than war."
Jarod
Lei Linas | The mount Sempiternal

Lei looked down briefly as he entered. Hearing of this storm worried him and the Knight's following words only added to his growing worries. The coming surge had more meaning to the young man than its literal translation held. He hoped that his inventions would be enough to help protect the residents of this land. 

"She asked me to create war machines for her. I already do have several ideas that will be useful to her. "
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | The mount sempiternal

"Well, I'm no engineer, so you'd be better spare me those details. But I'm interested on why you requested my aid. The Oubliette is notorious for it's lack of predators. I don't see the need for a knight."
Jarod
Lei Linas | The mount Sempiternal

"The remains of a fallen knight was found there... It seems like animals might not be the problem." Lei smiled sadly. 
"If this kingdom is under threat of war, I worry there may be spies lurking in those woods."
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | The mount sempiternal

"There are no spies in the Oubliette. The only pass to the upper mountain is blocked by the castle, though all who seek the forest will always find a way in. What's hard is finding a way out. I think lady Jeanne told you already. Every knight of House de Lysse must go inside the forest as a trial. I still remember minel: it has been the greatest inspiration for my art."

Malpretuis pointed towards a pair of his paintings. One depicted a skeleton of marble bones covered in lavish regalia, the other a corpse from whose decomposing wounds had sprung a series of beautiful orchids.

"The ancient skeleton you saw there must've been an aspirant who failed his trial. Nothing more."