GLRP:EMs:Royal Spies:Trainings:Training11 James' Story
James' Story
James stood in front of the gates to Blackthorn's Keep and would tell his tale of murder to anyone to mentioned the word "story."
Note: The last word of each thing James said was the keyword for the next part.
James: When I was a younger man, I served as an advanced scout in the Royal Guard.
James: The Guard's scouts were small groups who scouted into enemy territory.
James: The actual size of the unit varied, but I worked with six others.
James: The first was Alexander Martelli, who was our commanding officer and a mage.
James: The swordfighters were Joan, Simon, and Mark. Warriors are great when ambushed.
James: They were also helpful if we needed to carry anything or anyone back.
James: Next, we had the archers, Grace and Thomas. I was also sometimes an archer.
James: Sniper archers are very useful for ambushes of our own.
James: We'd be out in the field for a few weeks. We'd lost Simon to some orcs.
James: Mark was hurt most by that loss. Simon was his younger brother.
James: Mark blamed Officer Martelli for Simon's death.
James: During the incident, several of us were wounded. Simon was hit in the leg.
James: Martelli had refused to cast a gate.
James: Instead, he had ordered a retreat on foot which left Simon behind.
James: While Martelli never explained his reasons, I believe pride a likely factor.
James: Such a retreat would reflected badly on his reputation.
James: Thomas used the low moral as an opportunity to stir up dissent in the group.
James: Thomas had been demoted by Martelli for some incident they never talked about.
James: The rest of us tried to stay out of the fighting, except Grace.
James: Grace tended to side with Martelli in all things, and the two shared feelings.
James: While such relationships are always against regulations, they do happen.
James: Grace and Alexander often held private conversations in his tent.
James: Martelli shut down the arguments with threats of court martial.
James: That seemed to solve the problem to my understanding.
James: Not to say they weren't active. Back then, the wilds were actually wild.
James: We fought a stone elemental made of such hard stone, arrows did nothing.
James: Joan managed to wedge her blade in soft joints and crack off its limbs.
James: Sadly, the problem did return. One breakfast, Martelli did not come out to eat.
James: Thomas entered the tent and, on the way in, tripped over Alexander's pack.
James: He yelled for help, and I rushed in. I was also the field medic.
James: Martelli was lying on his bed roll with his eyes open, but not breathing.
James: Pulling back the blanket, I saw a single stab wound through the heart.
James: There were no tracks that did no belong to our unit.
James: We all knew one of us was the killer.
James: Questioning provided minimal useful information.
James: Grace collapsed in tears while Joan comforted.
James: Grace had spent several hours talking with Martelli the previous evening.
James: Thomas and Mark each stated that the other had entered officer's canvas.
James: So that is my story. For the next one, go see Sam Oxley at the bank.
James: Tell Sam Oxley the word "clerk" and he will tell you another story.
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