Prequel 1 – Tallow
| The Assassins | Tallow - Rogue 1st Level LE (PC) |
| Locale | Unknown |
| Date | 22nd Reaping 566 CY (Common Year) |
| Time | Mid-Morning. |
The tortured scream rang throughout the damp dungeons. The sound reverberated through the tiny cell and reminded the occupants that death was the only escape. Tallow shut his eyes and sought solace in prayer. His mind played through the circumstances of his capture and he struggled to determine what went wrong.
His job was a simple one. The Vesper had given the contract to Tallow and his mentor, Greythorne, and instructed them to carry it out before week's end. They were to kill a foreign merchant from the Iron League who had cheated a local merchant. It all sounded simple enough but when they stole into their target's tent they were set upon by a number of black clad men. At least one of their captors was killed during the attack but ultimately both Tallow and his partner were knocked unconscious.
When Tallow finally woke he did so alone in his cell.
He had not seen Greythorne since that time but he assumed that they were both being subjected to similar torture. The Family trained all of its operatives to resist torture but by far the greatest protection was granted by their god, Vypre. His divine protection made each family member safe from all forms of magical detection and divination. It was very likely that both Tallow and Greythorne would die here but they would do so without providing one scrap of information to their captors. As yet Tallow had been unable to determine who his captors were and what information he had that they might be interested in. Thus far the interrogations had been very general in nature, asking things about his past, his parents, the country of his birth all designed to imprint a pattern of question and answer in his mind that would simplify the job of the interrogator when the true questions began. Naturally Tallow had told them nothing; refusing to answer even these seemingly innocent questions. His silence has thus far earned him hours of pain at the hands of the skilled torturer. His agonised screams still echoed in his mind but he knew that his will had not been broken and he fervently hoped that his suffering was not in vain.
Hours passed, or days, or weeks. He lost complete track of time. His routine of silent prayer and meditative relaxation broken by sessions of pain assisted interrogation and periods of sleep and food deprivation. Still he resisted and he knew that his time here would soon be over.
The door to his cell was thrust open and his eyes, sensitive now due to the extended periods of darkness, were blinded by the lantern light. Two guards stepped in and hauled Tallows large frame out of the cell. The man holding the lantern examined his face briefly before indicating to the guards to take him away. No doubt to another session of questions and pain.
Instead he was carried out of the dungeons and taken outside. He breathed deeply; savouring the freshness of the outside air. Thankfully, it was night time, and the guards were unusually gentle with him as he was once again taken inside and helped up a long series of stairs. They came to a halt before a solid door, the guards waiting while the lantern bearer unlocked then opened it. Inside the room was a large comfortable looking bed. A single window opened on one wall and opposite was a crackling fire burning in a large hearth. The lantern bearer motioned the guards inside and closed the door again once they were in the room.
By now Tallow was nearing total exhaustion he could barely keep his swollen eyes open and the site of the bed coupled with the warmth of the fire conspired to make the big man lose consciousness.
He awoke on the bed some time later, his soiled clothing removed and his wounds treated with bandages and healing salves. Tallow sat up and looked about the room his head spinning as he tried to recall how he came to be here. It took him a few moments to realise that he was not alone. Sitting in a chair by the foot of the bed was a woman. She was dressed in well made, yet functional clothes and carried no visible weapons.
| woman | (smiles warmly) I do hope you are feeling better? There is a little food on a tray by the bed if you feel up to it. |
| Tallow | (his throat hoarse) Where am I? |
| woman | (waves non-comitally) Your questions will be answered in time, for now just rest and eat. You are greatly weakened by your experience and now is not the time to confuse you with jumbled stories and garbled facts. |
| Tallow | (notices the tray then looks back at the woman) Thankyou. |
Tallow assumed that the food would not be poisoned, he reasoned that if whoever held him captive wanted him dead then they could simply have killed him. No something has changed, this was just another stage of their interrogation process. He had simply exchanged one cell with another, albeit more comfortable, cell. Given this, the young assassin consumed the food thankfully. He was careful not to gorge himself lest his stomach complain and cause him to vomit.
Once he had finished eating the woman rose, took the tray and knocked on the door. She handed it to a guard standing outside and resumed her seat. She smiled once as Tallow returned to sleep, offering thanks to his god as he healed and regained his strength.
Soon, there would be the opportunity to escape.
It was several days before Tallow had the strength to get out of the bed. Many of his wounds had fully healed but he still had a long way to go before he recovered completely. The woman, Tara, had kept her vigil by his bedside for the entire time and if she ever left the room he did not know it. It was her job to change the bandages and to keep him clean and fed. She spoke little but Tallow could tell that she was not used to this duty. Her body was muscular and she walked with the predatory grace of a trained warrior. Tallow had no doubt that Tara was dangerous and he knew that in his current physical state she would easily be more than he could handle.
After he finished his meal Tallow took the first unassisted steps he had taken in a long time. He had asked Tara how long he had been here but she claimed not to know how long he had been imprisoned. Using the bed to stabilise himself he stood. His mind swam for an instant and he almost lost his balance, but before long he was able to remain standing on his own.
Cautiously he walked to the window. The shutter were closed, as always, but he felt the need to breathe some fresh air.
| Tallow | (indicates the shutters) Can you open these? |
| Tara | (smiles and shakes her head) Unfortunately I don't have the key. I will request the guard to get it for you tomorrow if you like? |
| Tallow | (nods) I would like that, very much. |
| Tara | I know it has been a long time since you saw the sun, but we needed to keep this room warm to keep you from catching your death of fever. Now that you are on the mend that risk is gone we can re-open the window and let you see the world again. |
Exhausted by even this slight exertion, Tallow returned to the bed and promptly fell asleep. He awoke some time later to the sound of voices. He forced himself to remain motionless and kept his breathing regular.
| Tara | He wants to open the window? |
| man | He has recovered quickly. You have done your job too well, Tara. We are not yet ready for him. The timetable for this is very delicate, we can not afford any mistakes. |
| Tara | I have done nothing. It is his own body which has healed this quickly. He was up and walking today, after only six days. I don't think we can drag our feet with this one, if he is too well healed before we begin we will lose this chance. |
| man | Very well, drug him and we will move him back to the tower room. Do you think he suspects that he is back underground? |
| Tara | I'm not sure, but if we don't move him soon he will begin to. Don't make the mistake of assuming he is stupid. I question the wisdom of this course of action. |
| man | We have already discovered that torture is not an effective means of extracting the information we need. This one's partner was subjected to the most intense interrogation and we learned nothing. If the direct approach fails we must try a different tactic. We will allow him to heal and then he will be conditioned to tell us what we want to know without anyone having to lift a finger. |
| Tara | I think its dangerous. If he is healthy he may attempt to escape. |
| man | It is your job to see that does not happen. Now stop questioning me and carry out your instructions. |
Eventually, he fell back to sleep. Tara awoke him for food, which Tallow assumed would be drugged. He ate it without complaint but tried to see if he could detect presence of the drug in the meal. He thought he noticed a slight metallic taste but was not sure if this indicated the drug. After he finished eating he sat back and waited for the drugs to take effect.
| Tallow | What are you going to do with me? |
| Tara | What do you mean? |
| Tallow | Why are you helping me, what do you expect from me? |
| Tara | (chuckles) We're helping you because you need our help. We rescued you from the dungeons and now we are trying to make you well again. As to what we expect, well we expect nothing. Nothing beyond your health and well being... |
| Tallow | You are indeed kind. (beginning to feel drowsy) I was lucky you came along, I probably would not have survived in those dungeons much longer. Thankyou. |
| Tara | (smiles) I know. Now go to sleep, you need your rest. |
He awoke the next day to see the sun streaming in through the open window. Despite the brightness the sun felt good on his face.
| Tara | I imagine its good to see the sun again? How do you feel. |
| Tallow | (rises to a sitting position) A bit weak, but otherwise healthy. I would benefit from some exercise. |
| Tara | Perhaps I can arrange something. What did you have in mind? |
| Tallow | I was apprenticed as a blacksmith back home, I would be happy if I could be allowed to work at that. |
| Tara | A blacksmith? (smiles) And where is home? I imagine you would be keen to get back there. |
| Tallow | Yes, my father was the village blacksmith of Cessport, a small village a few miles from Pitchfield. (pauses) Do you know why I was being held in the dungeons? |
| Tara | (shakes her head) No, but you needn't worry about that now. Those days are over. Soon you will be able to return to your forge and family in Cessport. |
| Tallow | (smiles) I am glad. |
Tallow looked around the room. By all appearances it looked exactly like the one he was in yesterday, he realised that this was all part of some complex attempt to break his will. Clearly they felt that torture was proving to be unsuccessful so they changed tactics, where pain and suffering failed try kindness. He almost laughed at the idea that they believed that this would work, but if he was to have any chance of escape he had to play along a little. He suspected that they would try to keep him weak, to minimise the chance of his escape and he knew that it would be difficult for him to build his strength without them knowing, he would need to be discrete.
The following day he was taken from the room and led downstairs to a small study. The walls of this room were filled with shelves and the shelves contained a large number of books. Tallow was careful not to betray his education by paying the books any undue attention. The room was currently unoccupied but he felt sure that his every move was being watched. Two chairs sat on opposite sides of a well made table and a fire burned in the fireplace filling the room with a comfortable heat.
He was not left alone for long. Within a few minutes the door opened and a short, yet athletic looking man walked in, carrying a tray, a decanter and two pewter goblets.
| man | (places the tray down on the table and indicates one of the seats) Please, make yourself comfortable. |
| Tallow | Why have you brought me here? |
| man | (smiles warmly) Please sit. We have much to discuss and it will be made more pleasant in the comfortable chairs. Food will be served later but for now feel free to help yourself to the wine. It is from a local vintner and quite good. |
| Tallow | I'm not interested in your pleasantries, I just want you to answer my questions. Why have you brought me here? |
| man | (expression darkens visibly) Have we been anything other than cordial since you were liberated from the dungeons? Have we not tended your wounds and allowed you the chance to heal? What right do you have to refuse our hospitality and make demands of us? (pauses and breathes deeply) Now this is not the place for threats and ultimatums. We have something to discuss and I insist that we do it with a modicum of civility. Now, please sit down! |
Tallow, satisfied that he had defied the man enough promptly sat down without further complaint. The man took another deep breathe before seating himself in the remaining chair and pouring himself a goblet of wine.
| man | Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Carabin. I am responsible for your well being and I thought it opportune to make your acquaintance now that you have recovered from the worst of your injuries. |
| Tallow | Well naturally I am grateful. I have no way to repay you for your kindness beyond my gratitude. Perhaps once I return home to my family I will be in a position to make amends. |
| Carabin | (smiles) Of course, I understand completely. But there is something that you can give me now that will help me greatly. You see, I know who you are, I know what you are and more importantly I know where you come from. While my knowledge in these areas is quite extensive it is far from complete and I would like you to fill in some of the blanks. |
| Tallow | I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about. |
| Carabin | Now, don't pretend ignorance good Tallow. Your loyalties are misplaced, you owe nothing to the family. It was your very own Vesper who handed you to us in the first place and your partner Greythorne who told us so much about this family of yours. And now we have rescued you from torment and we offer you a future in exchange for some information. |
| Tallow | Who are you? |
| Carabin | I told you, I am Carabin. |
| Tallow | Not your name. Who do you work for? Where did you get all of this ridiculous information? My family lives in Cessport, my father is a blacksmith. |
| Carabin | I can be a fine benefactor, Tallow. Just as I can be a dangerous enemy. I'm not here to threaten you, but be aware that I hold your life in my hands. Give some thought to what I have said. I will talk with you again in a few days. Tara mentioned that you wish some exercise. Perhaps after you have been more accommodating you will get your wish. (stands) For now, think about what I said. |
With that, Carabin left the room. Tara returned a few minutes later and escorted Tallow back to his cell, for indeed that was exactly what purpose the room served despite the relative comfort. She let him in then left him alone, to think.
Tallow indeed had a lot to think about. Carabin had said that he was betrayed by his Vesper. Perhaps that much was true, how else could he explain the presence of the black clad men. He could not imagine Greythorne turning traitor as well but it was not an impossibility. He needed to get more information and he would not be able to do that while he was locked in this room.
He had to escape.
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