IC Scene - Residential Area

"This is not for your friends to hear. Leave us." Natir indicated for the peasants around the ranger, who were waiting to get food, to disperse.

"Sooner rather than later."

The trio of barclayans formed a line behind Natir and Morek who stood side by side.

Harvey stared at them for a moment sadly.

" You had best go my friends before they kill you, evidently the days when knights could speak openly have long sinced faded south of Ravenstern where knights still remember there true duty.

Eve please take our family and escort the citizens away, I'm worried about the intentions of these " knights " who insist on talking in secret. "

The verbal barb seemed to fly over Morek's armored head. Or maybe the bigger man just didn't care.

"Enough lies Ranger. You will tell us who you are and why you are here."

" I'm a Knight and Bowmaster of Ravenstern here to end this revolt before it can threaten my people and to train my apprentices. The rest is none of your business and I have no intention of sharing it with you.

So unless you plan to attack me and in doing so condemn yourself and your men to death we seem to be at an impasse. "

"When you first arrived you said you were just here training and didn't know about the horde. Why did you lie?"

One Conquistador stepped forwards at Wagner's words condemnation but halted as Morek put a hand back towards him. The man stepped back into line obediently.

"If you wish to remain at all near the Radiant Cross or Clarion Call I'm afraid your business is ours."

Morek leaned forwards slightly, eager to hear the Ravensterners response to Natir's question.

" I didn't lie, I heard about thise horde while I was traveling search of a place to train them. If this horde keeps going sooner or later it will devastate my homeland as well so I took it upon myself to stop it here and now. If you won't work with me I'll kill the leader and do it myself. "

Natir frowned. Though he could argue himself out Natir's first question, this ranger had already admitted to having another motive of being in the city, and this sat very uneasily with him. "Fair enough on that part, but what of this other mission of yours, can you really not tell us, because if you cannot you are giving neither of us a reason to trust you, and so shall ask you to stay away from both the Clarion Call and the Radiant Cross."

(( Sorry I'm so late, I'll edit my response in once I eat. Been a long day. ))

" Trust? You think I want your trust? You come here to question me in company of a man who approves of using threats and intimidation to force half starved and unarmed civilians into doing what he wants?
If thats what earning your trust entails then you can keep it I and my men at least still remember why knights exist. You seem to have forgotten or is my memory faulty? I thought the Radiant cross existed to help the people not terrorize them? The Clarion Call existed to defend the people of Pendor not control them?

And you wonder why I won't tell you why I'm here? Hell I'll tell you. I swore an oath to my lord to always defend my people no matter what the threat even if it costs me my life and this invasion is a threat. That Oath is personal and so you had no right to know. I took an Oath as a Knight to defend the peoples of Pendor!!!! NOT TREAT THEM LIKE GOD DAMNED SLAVES!!!!

As he finishes talking his voice having risen to a yell he looked over the two knight leaders his face first showing disappointment as he looked at the Radiant before turning to outright disgust as his gaze settled on the Clarion.

The Radiant Knight's blank faced helmet tilted to the side slightly before answering.

"Are you quite through yelling? If so, look towards my camp and tell me what that is if not a place of rest and healing. Know my Oath does not extend to helping every downtrodden person I come across. My Order was founded to fight an enemy far worse than any horde that has come spilling out of this desert before or after the Unification Wars. Stand in front of and fight the shrieking masses of a Snake Cult force and then come back and try preaching this idealism to me. "

It probably came out colder than Morek had intended, but any shred of idealism had been beaten out of him in windholm, where the blood of his men had stained the cobblestones of the street.

"You heard the Clarion. Clear out."

"Being a Knight is not a part time job, you don't get to just decide some people deserve help and some should be treated like dirt. A Knights duty is to everybody not just those he feels like helping."

Natir frowned. This stranger seemed to angry him even more, but he composed himself.

"These are strong claims to be making against us ranger. Especially since you only met us a few hours ago, and within that time I do not recall, Sir Morek or I harming any citizens. Look the Radiant Cross have even set up a make shift hospital, and you claim morale superiority, by giving a couple scraps of bread in an attempt to manipulate the citizens to fight on your side, and you call us controlling." Natir paused and stopped himself. "I apologize I allowed my frustration to speak. I apologize, but as fellow knights we had a hard time trusting a stranger who came out of no where on a strange coincidence. It first seemed at first a very suspicious encounter. I apologize for the suspicion I have shown you. If you are here for the purpose you say you are, then we are on the same side, and in order to accomplish our task we should not fight, though I do not understand why you were so unwilling to share your vow to your lord, because I have made the same vow to my order, and I do not attempt to hide it."

" Because my vow is far more complicated then yours to your order.

I gave them food because they need it, I have no intention of asking them to fight I simply want information and then to help them find a better life. What way is more effective then to give a starving person food?

As for the Radiant, the moment the pair of you arrived to speak to me he first spouted a vague threat to make the civilians leave then his men began intimidating them. "

"I'm sure my men are honored by your words. They are quite intimidating when they stand about doing nothing and I mention that I'd rather talk in private sooner rather than waiting."

Beneath his helmet Morek was rolling his eyes as one of the Conquistadors behind him let out an amused snort. It seemed the Clarion was backing down. He guessed from an Order that tired to maintain a status quo he shouldn't have expected much more.

"Any Knight should be proud enough of their vow that they shouldn't try to hide it."

Morek shrugged before continuing.

" Until you actually decide to come clean you will leave the Radiant Cross be. This is the only warning I will provide."

" I've already told you my other mission, the rest of the vow is of a personal nature revolving around several specific people close to my lord and I am forbidden to speak of it for there safety. It has nothing to do with what is going on here and refusing the help of one of the best bowmen in the kingdom right before going into battle is a foolish idea.

You know why I'm here and you know I'm willing to help you, thats all you really need to know at present. But anyway Natir I have a message to deliver from Sir Mantrel. In Private.


Are you planning to share your exact mission here in complete details with every person you meet? "

"It is no longer a matter of him not know your intentions that worries him, its your initial refusal to state your mission, and you continual arguments and insults that is causing him to not trust, and its also starting to eat away at the benefit of the doubt I was willing to give you, and yes for a mission as broad, I would be willing to tell you my mission without hesitation."

Natir paused when realized what Harvey had just said. "Wait did you just say Sir Mantrel? How do you know Sir Mantrel?"

" That would be the man I knocked from his horse during our regrettable misunderstanding. He gave a message to be delivered to you in private when I told him I would be coming in this direction. "

''Okay, I guess that makes sense, but why did you not give it to me earlier? Ah, well that doesn't really matter, now I'll relieve of the burden now. Do you have it with you?" Natir stood expectantly looking at Harvey.

Harvey looked pointedly at the Radiant nearby.

" His instructions were in private Sir Knight. "

"Hnh. Fair enough."

Morek turned his head to Natir.

"Find me when you're done with him. I'd rather find this horde soon and your outriders and my cavalry can cover much ground. As for him:"

He pointed at Harvey.

"He is your responsibility now. He does anything that harms my men or Order I'll take the price from your hide in the style of Ravenstern Clarion-Captain."

With that Morek left the pair, his Barlcayans following along behind before splitting off to ready their horses.

Natir nodded his head to the Cross, then turned back the Ranger of the North.

"Now what is the word from Sir Martrel."

" Simply to inform you not to get taken prisoner again.

What did he mean taken prisoner?

Not that it matters, I assume you have other questions for me."

"Is that all, hardly worth sending the Cross away for that."

" Well given the situation with me being in your order and nobody else knowing that I thought you might have some questions for me and it'd be safer to ask them away from the Radiants. "