text: Having agreed to travel back to the city with the Owner you have to get your affairs in order, you assign supervisors to your work groups and try to do a quick final check over some wood, but you've got your men working well enough to finish the job without you now. The Overseer will be taking over from you to make sure the completion and transition from construction to full production goes smoothly, he will even have use of the owners house whenever he isn't visiting the mine.
  
  Having said your goodbyes you join the Owner and his daughter in their small carriage and set off back to the city. A second wagon with a few guards goes ahead of you to make sure you have no trouble with bandits as your also carrying one of the first silver shipments from the mine. The trip is significantly faster with horses pulling you at a brisk trot the whole way but it still takes a couple of days and that leaves plenty of time for talking with the owner and his daughter. To her about herself, and to him about this secret he wouldn't tell you before.
  
  You find out that he has holdings and mines not just in the lands around the city in which you grew up but in many other places too. Your home city is really a small kingdom in itself, ruling many small villages around it and a stretch of coastline long enough for several small fishing villages and ports. There are many such city states and kingdoms in the surrounding lands and yours is just above average size for the area, however your city is large and old so your kingdom has a much higher population than many others.
  
  The guilds of course know this and trade in the main cities of all the kingdoms but your king has never really spread the information widely- you of course knew of other places but they were always spoken of as far off  and hard to get too, not borders merely a couple of weeks away by horse from the city center.
  
  The reason he told you all this was that recently there had been a lot of tension with your nearest neighbor Carn. You had heard rumors about it, that they had been causing minor trouble over trade and fishing, small regional things that you hadn't paid much mind to, but you were now told it wasn't as simple as that. His contacts in Carn and other cities had been providing very different reports than your own rulers, your city being much larger than Carn was the one causing the problems, making demands after signing treaties and encroaching on their land. He was convinced that your King didn't know what was really happening as he had always seemed like an honest man, but many of the kingdoms decisions, and most importantly, military decisions were taken by his advisors, who were not known for being honest men.
  
  Your given time to think over this as you finally see the city approach. As you draw near the first roadside farms your given another choice.
  
  "Well now that you know the reality of the situation you need to decide. I know you might not believe me, you might even think I'm being treasonous in my allegations but that is why I'm offering you this chance. This farm is well under half a days walk from the City, you've had a good lunch not long ago and you have been paid very well for your work so if you want to you can leave here and walk back to the city with no strings attached. Or you can stay and we will head to the meeting."
  
   
  > you've come this far and his daughter is smiling at you, you may as well carry on and see where this leads.
  You tell him your choice and he just smiles back then says "Well then lets go meet your new friends, I'll head up with the driver and leave you and my daughter to have the chat you've both been desperately wanting to have since you first saw each other. JUST a chat mind."
  
  You immediately try to stammer out a response but he just laughs and climbs out and round to the drivers seat. You turn to his daughter to see she has turned an almost luminous shade of red and is desperately trying to look like she wasn't just mortified by her fathers candor.
  
  You cant think of much to say so just go with "He did that on purpose to make this awkward didn't he?"
  
  She seems to relax the tiniest bit as she replies that "Its just his sense of humor but he means well."
  
  You take the opening and run with it so that you're both having a good conversation as the carriage pulls into the city and heads right through the Iron district and into the stone district, the area of the wealthiest and most powerful members of the kings court and city. Your chat is interrupted as you pull up to a small mansion and the doors are opened but you both promise to have more soon and you all head inside.
  > The 'Family'
  You enter the mansion and are led into a large hall with several men and women lounging in chairs or drinking wine by small tables, they turn to greet you...
  
  Seeing that the Owner and his daughter have someone with them causes the talking to stop and everyone watches you for a while. The owner steps forward after giving them a minute to look you over.
  
  "ladies and gentlemen this is Glor, he has proven to be a most resourceful and trustworthy man in one of my mining jobs and I feel that he would be a perfect addition to our little family. I'll be personally vouching for him"
  
  There are mixed reactions but a beautiful lady just a little older than yourself approaches and gives you a slightly too welcoming hug "Welcome to the family Glor, I'm sure we'll get along VERY well indeed, once the music starts be sure to ask me for a dance".
  
  As she walks away you catch a glimpse of the owners daughter with bright red cheeks glaring daggers at her back. The owner sees your slight confusion and his daughters rage and just laughs. "Right then neither of you are dressed for the occasion so you head off my dear and get ready and I'll see if I have anything to fit Glor."
  
  You are lead through several rooms until you are in a bedroom with a butler standing waiting for you. "Glor will be joining us for dinner, do you think you could make him presentable for the evening?" The butler gives a quick nod and heads out of a side door, returning quickly with two dinner suits which he lays on the bed before circling you once. he takes one suit then heads out just leaving the one on the bed.
  
  "Right then Glor my butler has an uncanny ability to size people up so that suit should fit you well, I'll be in the next room writing a few quick letters while you prepare".
  > your a bit overwhelmed by the rapid turn of events but you dont have much choice now so you quickly wash and dress
  Having gotten yourself to what you believe is a presentable state you knock on the owners door. He emerges and gives you a once over.
  
  "Well its not bad at all for a first try!" he smiles at you before fixing various parts of the suits that are hanging wrong and showing you how to put on cufflinks. "Well you wont ever pass for some highborn sop who lives in a mansion but I rather think that it makes you a better man for it. Now follow me, I'm sure my daughter has had enough time to change as well."
  
  Your lead back to the large room where all tables and chairs have seemingly vanished and a small string quartet has started playing soft music, a few couples are already dancing near them on the open floor. The owner leads you to the side of the room to a small drinks bar.
  
  "Ok its time I did my mingling and information gathering, the serious meeting shall begin in a few hours when most of the guests here are gone." He walks away towards a group of men smoking pipes before calling back "The music is just warming up, make sure you dance with at least one girl while your here!"
  
  You're no master on the dance floor but you know the basics and as long as the songs are slow you're sure you could keep up. The music gets louder and more people move to the dance floor when you see two things happening. The Owners daughter enters the room looking beautiful in a flowing red dress and is immediately approached by several men asking her to dance, and the woman who approached you earlier detaches herself from the group she was in and slowly heads your way.
  > The woman in blue is clearly coming on strong but the Owner's daughter is the one you want to dance with, head over towards her and hope she dosn't dance with someone else instead.
  You start heading towards the Owner's daughter, you get close to the ring of men surrounding her and are unsure how you are going to approach this so you quickly glance back towards the woman in the blue dress. She has obviously seen you choose another girl over her flirtatious interest so gives you a stormy look before immediately slipping her arm through nearby man's who seems more than happy to take her for a dance. You look back just in time to see the Owner's daughter watching you with a huge smile on her face.
  
  She makes quick apologies to the men around her and heads over to you, slides her arm in yours and leads you to the dance floor. "Now if I wasn't very much mistaken I just saw a handsome but nearly penniless young man spurn the advances of the beautiful and extremely rich Lady Bridleworth, just so he could ask the daughter of a merchant to dance. What do you think about my surmise?"
  
  "I would never say your father was just a merchant..." you start before seeing her cheeky smile and start again "I'd say that the young man would be flattered to be called handsome by the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and that he would pay every penny of Lady Bridleworth's fortune for a single dance with her. So clearly he made the right choice."
  
  She laughs at your blatant flattery but you can tell she loves that you said it all the same and you begin dancing slowly to the music. "I must admit I'm a little surprised, I thought I'd have to teach you how to dance, being a lowly mine worker and everything."
  
  "Well my lady" you give a slight mocking bow "This worker has many surprises to him, I'm surprised in return though, you turned down offers from a large number of eligible gentry to dance with me, lowly as I am."
  
  "Well if you are able to turn down the most eligible Lady of marrying age in the entire kingdom just to dance with me, why shouldn't I turn down the sons of some rich idiots to dance with the man I choose?" Unable to think up a reply you simply laugh and keep dancing.
  
  The rest of the night passes like a blur since you spend it entirely with her, dancing and talking and just enjoying every second in her company. Once the party starts ending she leads you over to her father and a group of men he is talking to and after giving you both a look over and a smile he leads you all through to a side room where a few people are starting to sit around a large table.
  > The Truth
  After everyone is seated the Owner addresses you "Now Glor I have explained a little of why we are here during our trip down from the mines. This family I have gathered together is for the purpose of getting the truth out and showing the king that he is being tricked. We have tried getting evidence straight to him but the rest of the council has him surrounded day and night and I cannot do anything for fear of being caught and this entire group being put in danger."
  
  "Which is why we are sending an expedition." one of the other men joins in. "I am a commander in the 3rd company and will be sending some men along with a relief detachment to the border. they will be carrying proof of everything that has been happening over the past two years. We have had to wait this long as gathering the evidence without raising suspicion has not been easy but it is done now and we must hurry as we think the council are preparing for something big using two captured Carn ships. You will be drafted into the 3rd under my orders and send along as well, it'll become your job to help get the proof to Carn."
  
  You think for a minute before answering. "Why are we sending the proof to Carn, why not get it to our king?"
  
  "We tried, many times we tried, most of the men were killed and the rest searched and all the documents they had destroyed so they couldn't risk saying anything without proof, that would just lead to us all being killed before we could prove anything."
  
  "so when does this expedition leave?"
  
  "It was going to be in over a month, but now that you are here, the man you know as the Owner of the mine you were in has planned to make them leave in 1 week. You wont be traveling with a relief squad but the papers I provide should see that you don't come under any suspicion."
  > A New Morning
  You spend the night in the large mansion and you wake thinking you haven't slept anywhere so comfortable before in your life. You find fresh cloths and a note inviting you to breakfast in the solar at the end of your bed so you quickly get ready and head out of your door.  You immediately realize that you are entirely lost and have no hope of finding the right room but are luckily saved by a butler who appears to materialize beside you arm.
  
  Once you have been guided to the solar for breakfast you are left with the owner and a table laden with food. "All from my own farms and holdings!" he says happily "Now dig in, we have a long day ahead and my daughter has 'informed' me that you are to meet her for a late lunch in the gardens. I normally would entirely ignore any order that came from my daughter but she has inherited a certain look from her mother that I know better than to argue with."
  
  "Erm, of course that sounds lovely." you stammer, not really knowing what to say in the current situation.
  
  "Hah! don't worry, I have no issue with the fact you both are going dopey eyed at each other since her choice in a man is hers to make, but I will give this warning, if you lead my daughter on then hurt her, I will destroy you entirely. Excellent, now that thats all been said on to business!"
  
  You're a little shocked by his change of pace but you both soon start chatting about the up coming plans and preparations. The next few days are spent much the same way, breakfast with the owner, planning time, then lunch with his daughter before more planning. The evenings however are spent at dinners, entertaining guests and holding meetings with other members of the 'family' from around the city.
  > The Plan Begins
  You have spent an amazing week in the mansion, you and the owner's daughter, Amelia (You almost laughed when you heard because of the dream you had back in the mining camp) are on first name terms and getting closer than ever. Your plans have been completed too. The 'family' of conspirators had been waiting as they didn't have anyone with enough training in construction to go with their team to the front that wouldn't arouse suspicion from the council, and that is where you were to come in. You would be their team leader with a sound understanding of construction, and since you hadn't been in the city for years, you were almost entirely unknown.
  
  The plan was simple, The council were watching all the crossing points so you and three others would be sent to the borders with paperwork saying you are new recruits from the 3rd company, the army's builders. Then you would slip across the border and meet up with an intended contact a few miles to the other side.
  
  The morning you were due to leave the Owner (Who's name you still haven't been told) arrives late to breakfast and hands you a small cloth bundle full of documents. "These are the documents we need to get across the borders, each of you has a set and this morning we have included new information. One of the council members has managed to capture two of Carn's galleys and is now talking about some 'project spark' or something like that. We don't know what it is yet but we have included a letter in which he admits to taking the ships. You need to get these across the border before something big starts."
  > goodbyes
  Having accepted your documents you finish eating quickly before heading back to your room to collect your things. The Owner has prepared you a set of nice traveling gear and also laid out some 3rd company clothing including a tunic and cloak. You've got a full set of Army issue armor in saddle bag on your horse but you'd rather not travel the whole way there in it so the tunic and cloak should be more than enough.
  
  You head to the front of the house and find Amelia waiting for you. She looks relieved to see you "I was worried I wouldn't be back in time to see you off! I've been down in the Stone quarter collecting an order I made a few days ago. Its something I had made for you, I want you to wear it under your tunic so you remember I'm thinking about you as you travel." You're unsure what to reply and your slightly worried she has gotten you a waistcoat or something you'd never normally wear but she has already turned bright red so you simply reply "Of Course I will."
  
  She hands you a small package which you unwrap to find a tunic made of unbelievably fine metal rings. "This is incredible, I've never seen such fine mail before!"
  
  Clearly happy at your reaction she grins "I had one of the best armorers in the city make it, its the finest steel so its very strong but the links are small so its light and can be worn under normal clothing. This way I can keep you safe while you travel!"
  
  Unable to think of a proper way to thank her and distracted by her smiling face being so near yours you instead step forward and give her a small kiss. She is initially shocked and almost moves away but then returns the kiss for a second before stepping away her face a beacon of red. "Well that was very forward of you Glor, now you have no choice but to return and beg my forgiveness afterwards!" The she spins on her heels and runs off. You're almost worried you really did offend her until she reaches the door and gives you a big grin and a wave before heading inside.
  
  You hop into the carriage that is waiting for you and quickly change into the gift then slip the 3rd company tunic over the top, and its almost impossible to tell your wearing any mail. The Owner joins you and the carriage heads off to the south gate of the city.
  > A New Adventure
  Once at the south gate you disembark and are given a last few words of encouragement by the owner before he is driven away, leaving you and your new horse alone at the gate. You are quickly joined by a group of three men similarly dressed to yourself and you all begin the ride out of the city on the road that will turn East towards Carn.
  
  The first few days of the trip pass quickly, you see very few travelers on the roads and the border disputes with Carn aren't enough to have a large military presence on the roads so you only have to produce your papers once, when you come across a camp of soldiers from the First Company. You decide it would seems strange to ride on by them when it was nearing dusk so you all join them at their camp and spend a nice evening chatting over cooking fires.
  
  The next morning you are all saddled up and preparing to leave the First Company soldiers who are traveling on foot when a call is raised of a fast rider approaching on the road. You feel a sense of unease and one of your company signals for you to be ready to ride hard if needed.
  
  As the man approaches the small camp he slow momentarily to hand down a letter from his pouch "The Old Quarter is burning, Carn has attacked us. I Need to get news to the borders quickly." You are panicked by the news since The Old Quarter is where you grew up and your remaining friends still live there. You catch his arm as he makes to leave.
  
  "We are riding the same way, let us accompany you incase something happens on the road."
  
  The man nods his thanks and your small group sets out at a fast pace from the camp. One of your men rides close by and whispers to you "What are you doing getting us involved here?"
  
  "I need more information about what is going on, besides if they receive news of an attack before we get there we will look pretty suspicious but if we arrive as guards for the Councils own messenger they wont take a second glance at our reason for being there." The man still doesn't seem happy but falls back as you ride up to the messenger and ask if you can read one of the letters he is distributing since you didn't get a chance back at the camp. His orders are to give them to every military detachment he comes across on way to the border so he happily hands you one.
  
  You ride in silence the rest of the day with only brief breaks for lunch and dinner and ride a couple of hours into the night. You finally pull up near a small stream to let the horses rest and make a temporary camp for the night. You take the opportunity to tell your companions what you learned from the letter.
  
  A couple of mornings ago two ships bearing Carn's colours had approached the docks in the Old quarter. One had pulled up and reversed course but the other sped up and rammed the docks, it seems it was on fire and filled with burning oils and other flammable substances. The first reports were all that had come in before the letter was sent but there was a fireball that tore through a huge area of the docks and started a fire that spread through the entire Quarter of the city within minutes. It had been dry for weeks and the Old quarter was made almost entirely of ancient timbers so you could imagine the fire tearing through it. The men around the fire swore and one finally spoke up. "Its the ships that councilor captured, they burned down the old quarter themselves to start the war, I'll gut him myself for this!"
  
  You caution him to keep his voice down but luckily the messenger sees nothing amiss about the bits he hears of your men's reactions to the news, he joins you at your fire and you all share stories of the city, especially of the Old Quarter which you hope isn't as bad as the letter implies. As the messenger gets into his bedroll for the night the man supposedly in charge of the others speaks up.
  
  "I was sent along to ensure we got the documents across the border no matter what happened, now this news changes many things but not our mission, if we can show it wasn't Carn that sent those ships we can prove the council did it and have our revenge. We have two choices, follow Glor's plan of arriving there as the messengers guards then try to slip across after nightfall, or we dispose of him to make sure we arrive before the news does so we can get across the border before they go into a lockdown."
  > want no part of killing an innocent man so you vote for staying as his guards and risk the harder crossing.
  You continue your hard ride with the messenger and after a couple more days all arrive just as the horses seem likely to give way. You are unsure what to expect but as soon as you reach the gates and the messenger shows his papers your all admitted straight away. Being with him seems to give you some official status is the guards eyes as you are all not even checked as he passes checkpoints and reaches the commanders office.
  
  You are all left in a waiting area as he goes in, he takes your identification papers with him. After a few minutes the commander emerges with the messenger. "It seems you three haven't even entered full service yet but volunteered for a dangerous ride to escort our messenger safely here. he has spoken well of you and your intentions so you are all very welcome in my fort, even if its almost a week early! Now down to business. The fort is going into partial lockdown until the news is spread and the patrols have been updated, you'll be shown to your new bunks and be given a tour, since your duties don't start for days you'll be free to come and go around the fort to learn your way. My aide will give you new papers to this effect."
  
  The new papers give you all the run of the forts interior and the messenger thanks you all before riding off again to deliver the letters down the line to the other forts. "It seems this was the right idea after all, these papers should make it easy to slip across the border."
  
  "We shall see." one of the men replies
  > night Falls
  As night falls over the fort you have visited and gotten your faces and papers known by many of the guards under the pretense of exploring. You all finish a late dinner in the mess hall then head back to your bunks where you have prepared your gear and hidden the documents. You quickly prepare, check Amelia's gift is in good working order and all head out.
  
  Getting around the fort is easy for you now thanks to the leg work earlier in the day and any guards that don't recognize you let you pass after seeing your papers. You all make it to the gate without incident, however once you reach it you realize that the initial panic from receiving the news is still in full swing. You quickly think that you could slip out behind a squad going on patrol since the gate is in chaos but you are only in army issue tunics rather than full armor.
  
   
  > tag along with a squad and try to stick close so you arn't noticed when they exit.
  You all move close behind a squad heading out of the gate and move into formation as if you are with them. Its all going surprisingly well until one guard remarks that is stupid for them to have men without full armor with them. They all quickly turn and point out that you are not in fact with them, and they have no idea WHO you are.
  
  You are about to quickly try and make an excuse when one of you men tries to run for it. Sadly with so many soldiers about he is almost instantly cut down and the rest charge at you. With so many men cutting and stabbing you at once even your special mail doesn't stand a chance.