House Torteneys

[Padraig Rua]

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[font="Times New Roman"]House Torteneys was the former ruling family of Utoria, a fallen Kingdom which once existed far beyond the northern borders of Europe.

The earliest written evidence of Utoria is in Ptolemy’s Geographia which stipulated the nature of the Kingdom to be an enlightened society equivalent to Rome, but isolated from the rest of the world. It described the lands of the Utoria as fertile, and surrounded by a snow covered mountain range which was near impassable. However, due to what is believed to be a catastrophic social upheaval, the Kingdom was destroyed at an unknown date in time and forgotten about.

Rare accounts from traders who had been to Utoria mentioned how advanced their architecture, military and agriculture was (symbols of which can be seen on the Torteneys household arms). They spoke of magnificent buildings and palatial homes which dominated the skyline of the various cities of the Kingdom, and vast fields of wheat and corn which spread out as far as the eye could see. The accounts also mentioned the splendour of the Utorian military. They described Utorian soldiers as professional men prepared to fight, and die, for their King.

The last known traders to have visited the Kingdom of Utoria returned with news of destruction and death. They spoke of the Utorian capital, Kingstone, where only ruins and monuments remained of the once glorious city.

The accounts also spoke of how the streets of Kingstone were littered with the bodies of the dead. Men, women and children of all classes and all ages slaughtered or left to die on the blood stained pavements of the city. Every ruined house or structure the traders entered had at least one dead body within. And from what they saw, each body had a crueller death than the last.

So was the fate of Utoria. But something remained of the Kingdom. Something to carry on what was at the heart of their society. The last remaining Torteneys. Heir to the throne of Utoria. His name was Visulius. Visulius Torteneys. He was found as a child within the ruins of the [i]Grand Temple of Kings[/i] at the centre of the city, dedicated to deceased Utorian Monarchs.

He was found by an European trader named Alexander Nadiya, who took him in as a son of his own blood. Fifteen years later the story of Visulius Torteneys continues, with an unknown future ahead……………[/font]

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"]The walls of the parlour room had been striped bare, the European tapestries that Alexander loved taken down and stocked in the corner in a neat pile. The tapestries were replaced by dark silks of the finest quality, draped around pillars, lain upon tables and placed upon walls. Colourful exotic flowers in white and blue stripped vases were positioned throughout the room, and a hint of sunlight illuminated the faces of the people present.

In the centre of the room a solid wooden table, draped in dark cloth and surrounded by more exotic flowers, lay podium to a human figure clad in bright steel armour. Many people surrounded the table, looking upon the face of the person it held, whispering in Russian [i]“ May the Gods bless you with happiness.”[/i]. From the window a bright haired, blue eyed Visulius observed the actions of others in the room. Many times he had been approached by strangers offering him condolences and sympathies. Each one he thanked and sent away.

Visulius was saddened by the loss of his guardian. Alexander was the closest thing he had to family, and now, he was gone. Visulius had no idea what to do next, where to go....

[i]‘ Visulius you shouldn’t stay here. There is greater opportunity for you elsewhere.’[/i] said the beautiful green eyed Sasha to Visulius. [i]‘ I suppose you’re right Sasha. My place isn’t here, not anymore, no matter what Alexi says. We may be brothers, but not of blood. Nor are you my sister. Its better I make my own way in the world.’[/i] Visulius looked at the golden ring on his finger. It was engraved with the arms of his house. He wondered....[i]‘ Perhaps I might learn more of my heritage. Alexander never told me anything. He died with what little knowledge he had of my Kingdom. I must know. I must know my history.’[/i] Visulius focused his eyes on Sasha again [i]' I must make my own history.'[/i].

That evening, after saying plenty of goodbyes, Visulius left his mansion home. He was heading to mainland Europe from his Scandinavian home. First stop, Paris.[/font]

Edited May 5, 2012 by Chancellor Patrick

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"]The waters beneath the boat rocked violently, forcing it to tilt from side to side and, in the process, made Visulius queasy. The Captain of the vessel, a man with ancient features sketched into his face, said to Visulius in a rough French accent [i]' Ehhh......you no look good monsieur. Perhaps you should have took a train.'[/i]. The old man laughed in his face. Loud enough to overcome the roar of the waves which surrounded the boat and crashed into the shore ahead of them.

The swaying increased. Visulius could no longer hold down the food he ate earlier in his cabin. He ran to the side of the boat, pushing the hysterically laughing Captain out of his way. He unleashed a torrent of vomit over the railings and into the water. He did so two more times before the vomiting relented. He lifted his head weakly and looked towards the coast. The lights of Cherbourg resembled a thousand lit candles adorning a shelf in a room consumed with darkness. It filled him with delight, or so he thought, as another torrent of vomit rushed up from his stomach and out of his mouth. [i]" Jesus!"[/i] he shouted, angered by the violent swaying of the boat [i]" Just get me ashore before anything else decides to exit my stomach."[/i]

That night the boat docked at Cherbourgs port. Visulius thanked the elderly Captain for the [i]" pleasant"[/i] journey, paid him, and went on his merry way wearing a white t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and cream colored combats with a satchel hanging from his shoulder. He walked through the streets of Cherbourg, admiring the architecture as he went along. The coastal city was all but asleep. Only a few taverns remained open, but he was unsure whether or not they would serve him a drink because of his 16 years of life. Then he thought to himself [i]" It is France, of course they will!"[/i]. He entered a fairly empty pub called [i]la fleur[/i]. He sat down by the fireplace and warmed himself with the heat of the fire. Its flames dancing before him. A bartender approached him and asked him what he would like to drink. Visulius asked for some wine. Their finest. As quickly as Visulius gave a reply to the bartender he returned with a glass and a bottle of [i]Castillo de Aguaron[/i].

Visulius poured his wine and leaned back in his chair, sipping gently at the fine red wine. He opened his satchel and took out a leather skinned book and began to read. He told himself he would have a few minutes of respite here and then move on to search for some accommodation. And so he sat by the fire, enjoying his temporary solitude. Wondering what adventures awaited him in France. What information he would find of his history. Maybe even some love?[/font]

[Evangeline Anovilis]

[font="Times New Roman"]The weather in France seemed to be a bit unsteady at this time of the year. And just as Visulius had gotten his wine, it began to rain, first only single drops, then a heavy curtain of water. Most likely his ship was also the last to arrive safely in Cherbourg this day. Inside the tavern, people cared rather little, it was why the tavern had a roof and fire, to keep it dry and warm. Two things that also attracted new guests, as the street was considerably less dry and warm, if not completely wet and cold. At least, one had to admit, it was unpleasant outside. Thus, there were plenty of refugees.

As Visulius sat in his chair, from behind, slowly a shadow appeared. Unnoticeable and without a sound, light as a feather, the figure walked up to him, the hood of their coat hiding their identity. From the seams of said coat, the water still ran onto the floor, a wet trail behind the shadow. It draw nearer to Visulius, slowly raising the arm to come down upon the foreigner, as a freezing cold hand touched his left shoulder, and a hale could be felt in his neck... as a light kind voice said [i]"Is this place over there still free?"[/i][/font]

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"] [i]" But of course."[/i] replied Visulius, slightly spooked by the sudden appearance of this stranger. He watched as the hooded person moved slowly towards the free chair across from him. Visulius took another sip from his glass of red wine. He quickly finished the page he was reading and closed the book with a loud bang. He then fixed his posture and looked at the stranger with his dark blue eyes, trying to get a better glimpse of what lay under the wet hood which shrouded the face of this stranger of the night. [i]" Might I ask your name, stranger?".[/i][/font]

[Evangeline Anovilis]

[font="Times New Roman"][i]"Merci, Monsieur."[/i] As the person walked into the fire's light, one would lose most fears. Rather small, at maybe 156 cm, it was a person with a coat that just covered about everything. It was even a bit to large one could think, as the sleeves covered half of the small hands. As the stranger arrived by the seat, they slowly and due to the excessive size and also a bit heavier than usual weight, given it was soaked with water, removed the coat to hang it up next to the fire. Immediatly a small puddle formed on the ground, as the water flew down on the floor.

It was a girl, brown eyes and long brown hair. a bit young, it was rather hard to tell how old exactly she was. The size made her seem like she was still 14, altough the etablissement surely was for older people. [i]"Brrrr"[/i] She quickly set down and extented her arms towards the fire. [i]"Mon Dieu, it is damn cold today."[/i] With a smile, she seemed to soak up the warmth into the palms of her hands, from where it spread to the rest of the body, until she lowered her arms again. [i]"Hah, now I'm warm again."[/i] Still, she didn't remove her scarf. Overall, the girl was clothed as if out there was the next ice age. Without the coat, she still wore a dark blue cape, on top of a thick black dress, which again had too long sleeves, with a white petticoat. Now, she first deemed Valerius worth a notice. Maybe she had forgotten him, maybe she was freezing bad enough to give him this little priority, maybe she had no clue about anything, anyway, she promptly replied. [i]"Evangeline Vaillancourt. Bon Soir. May I ask yours in return?"[/i][/font]

Edited May 8, 2012 by Evangeline Anovilis

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"][i]" Visulius....Visulius Torteneys. Its a pleasure to meet you. Would you care for some wine?"[/i] Without waiting for a reply, Visulius quickly poured a glass and gave it to the beautiful girl in front of him. He was captivated for a view brief moments with her brown eyes and browner hair, but broke away and quickly returned to his book. [i]" So what brings you here, my dear. Besides the rain."[/i] Visulius leaned back in his seat, waiting for a reply. Still half fixed on his book.[/font]

Edited May 12, 2012 by Chancellor Patrick

[Evangeline Anovilis]

[font="Times New Roman"][i]"Ah, merci."[/i] She looked at the wine, then put it down next to her on the table. [i]"Hmm, apart from the rain? I guess the wind was also rather unpleasant. It is rather hard to work with this weather. But one cannot choose when one's needed, I guess. Not as if the other side would..."[/i] Then she thought for a moment. [i]"Oh no. Damn, I forgot my shovel. Ah, meh... I'll retrieve it later."[/i] It didn't look as if Evangeline made much sense, or as if she tried to make much sense, maybe she did, maybe she also had not bothered to explain anything, it was a mystery. [i]"And what are you doing here? I think, you may be quite young."[/i][/font]

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"]Visulius wasn't sure what to make of this French girl sitting across the table. To him she was a stranger, but a friendly stranger. He decided to trust her, a rare commodity among the people he shared his early life with before. [i]" My....father....he died. He was a good man. Kind to all those who knew him. After his death I decided to leave my home. You see, my brother has inherited all my fathers wealth and power. His titles and lands. Nothing for me to have. So I decided to leave. My sister encouraged me. She said there was more oppertunity to be had out in the world."[/i] Visulius paused for a moment. [i]" I believe she is right. So I decided to come here, to France. My target is Paris. There is something there I wish to...find. Something important."[/i]

Visulius finished what remained of his wine and filled another cup. He rubbed his eyes, soar from the heat of the fire. Or was he just tired? Visulius wasn't sure. [i]" I certainly have a long trip ahead. And I heard there is a war of some kind in this country. I'm not sure if that will make my journey more dangerous or exciting. Perhaps both?"[/i] He looked at the ring on his finger, engraved with the family coat of arms, and rubbed it." [i]It certainly will be interesting."[/i][/font]

[Evangeline Anovilis]

[font="Times New Roman"]Evangeline looked at Visulius with some surprise. [i]"You really want to Paris?"[/i] She leaned forth, looking at the young man rather closely. [i]"Well, if you want to die, why not do it right here? I thought business would go up in these times, but sadly, all is calm here. Now I can only get enough to scrap by and even my shovel I forgot. Ah, geez."[/i] She made a short pause. [i]"But really, before you go to Paris alone, hang yourself on a tree outside. The outcome's the same."[/i][/font]

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"][i]" That is ridiculous. They wouldn't kill a unarmed civilian! Would they?"[/i] Visulius was intelligent enough to figure out the answer for himself. He banged his hand on the table. [i]" Dammit! What am I to do now. My hole trip revolved around travelling to Paris."[/i] Visulius let out a short sigh. He was very annoyed. [i]" Well then, it seems there is to be a change in my plans. I must make for Jerusalem."[/i] Visulius packed up his things and stood up from his chair. He finished his glass of red wine and dropped some coin on the table to pay for it. Just as he was about to say goodbye, and walkout, to Evangeline, he had an idea. [i]" How would you like to come with me, Evangeline?".[/i][/font]

[Evangeline Anovilis]

[font="Times New Roman"]Evangeline looked at him and giggled. [i]"Follow you where to? To Jerusalem? Monsieur, I don't know what you are planning there, but a personal recommendation, I wouldn't go out into this downpour. It's raining halberds."[/i] She then took a blanket that was next to her chair and with one move, the blanket, that was again way too large for the Frenchwoman covered about all of her. Swiftly a hand extented out after the blanket waving Visulius away. [i]"If you are interested, I can get you into Paris without a beheading or show you the way to the Holy City, but only after the rain stopped." [/i]The hand immediatly went back under the blanket and an almost silent snorring was to be heard.[/font]

[Padraig Rua]

[font="Times New Roman"][i]" You can do that? I mean, you can get me into Paris? That would be great!"[/i] Visulius rummaged through his satchel. He took out a small notepad, flipped the cover and handed it to Evangeline. [i]" Can you take me to this address?"[/i] he asked, pointing to the words written on the page with his index finger. [i]" I know its somewhere on the outskirts of the city. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, right? There is someone there I must meet. What do you think?"[/i][/font]

[Evangeline Anovilis]

[font="Times New Roman"]Evangeline pushed the blanket back and stood up. [i]"Who on earth can sleep if someone makes such a noise?"[/i] She took his map and nodded. [i]"Not much of a problem. Can we now wait till the rain is gone. And with wait, I mean you let me sleep."[/i] Without waiting for a response, she mulled herself into the blanket again and slept for real.[/font]