Arren Illiathan helped his brother into the armored dueling coat, a blue leather doublet with metal plates riveted between the layers of fabric and studded with clasps bringing the two breasts together. It was the standard raiment of Danmierian gentlemen these days, inconspicuous and easy to don in the case of a particularly inciting challenge. Arren supposed that this was the case for Brennet, his eldest brother.
Brennet had come running into the dockside shop where Arren was finishing the account ledger from his previous voyage to Lionne.
"Brother, you must come at once to the ship yard, do not disappoint me" Brennet demanded, face flushed and out of breath.
Arren's heart dropped immediately when he saw that Brennet was wearing only one glove, Arren knew that Brennet did not want to meet at the docks because ha had taken a sudden interest in the family trade, but instead, had left his left glove in the possession of another man, who invariably intended to kill him. According to Danmeirian dueling custom the challenger would remove his glove and throw it in the face of the other person, who, if they felt equally inclined toward violence would throw his own glove back in the challenger's face. Arren looked down to Brennet's left hand which was gripping a velvety red glove that must belong to some very well off swordsman.
"Did you throw first?" Arren demanded.
Brennet leered from the door way at Arren a moment before answering, "Doesn't matter brother, what's done is done. You'll have to take Luthier's place for me and if you tell anyone I'll kill you myself." With that Brennet dashed out of the doorway to the weathered wooden shop, leaving the ocean breeze to blow a stack of faded yellow parchment to the floor.
Arren rose from his seat and picked up the fallen papers, stacking them back in their previous order before shutting the door the cold gray world outside. Andmar could be a dismal city. Today it was especially so. Arren knew that there would be fog rolling in any minute, making the ship yards the perfect place to kill or be killed. Arrren wanted to run to his father, and have him talk some sense into Brennet, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Although he was the youngest son, Arren was the most practical, and knew that Brennet would never regain the family honor by fighting every duelist that would except his challenge, and yet, part of Arren wanted to be in his place.
Arren was the head merchant of his father's best ship, the Couatl, and vastly enjoyed his position and way of life. Upon the sea, he felt a sense of freedom seldom offered to many other people in Andmar. In spite of his brother's adventurous disposition, Brennet, had only ventured to Lionne once when his father had purchased him a sword. Arren was still jealous of that, while Brennet had received a finely wrought bastard sword, the symbol of the family crest, Arren was given two things, a position upon the Couatl and a pair of spectacles. At the time Arren wasn't sure why his father had given him the spectacles, but by the age of 20 his sight began to worsen from the vast amount of time that he found himself reading the account ledgers and maps of his trade. However the spectacles had also encouraged him to take up the hobby of reading whatever books he found along his trading routes. Arren had built up quite a collection of over 25 volumes of history, tales of the ancient Danmeir court, and an especially rare volume of elvish poetry, written in elvish, which he had learned from a sea elf who took passage upon the Couatl years ago.
Arren Looked to his coat hanging upon the peg on the back of the door and put it on. It was a light wool jacket, perfect for the damp fog which had started to creep in upon the shore, shrouding the docks, which now looked like a ghostly forest of limbless trees from the masts which still stood above the fog bank. Arren removed his round spectacles from his face, and straightened his long drooping moustache . He sighed and reached for the door and opened it, stepping out into the damp streets of Andmar.
"He'd better show his ugly little face, or everyone in town will know that I have his glove." Brennet sneered as Arren finished buckling up Brennet's armored coat. Brennet didn't really need Arren's help in donning the simple armor, but Luthier had done so for Brennet before every one of his duels. Now that Luthier was dead, Brennet expected Arren to fill Luthier's boots. Luthier had died in a duel just two years ago, he was the greatest swordsman that the town had ever seen until the plague swept through Andmir five years ago. Hundereds had died and more were left weakened by the sickness. Luthier and their father had contracted the plague and survived. Arren's mother and sister said it was because the Illaithan men were destined to live until their old age. Luthier had proved that wrong. However, no one could doubt that the Illaithan men's strong physique was the reason for their surviving the plague. The Illaithan line was a bastard line descended from the noble houses of Illia and Mandrell .When the sword master The Silver Blade took the lady Illia as his lover, cuckolding lord Illia the line was created. Although The Silver Blade had forsaken his family and heritage, it was well known that he was from house Mandrell, making his children those of the new house, Illaithan, the bastard house. Because of their heratage, all the children of house Illaithan have been strong and skilled in swordsmanship, passing down the ancient art of the Silver Blade from generation to generation.
When Luthier died, it was to the hands of a traveling swordsman and aspiring sword master, he traveled from city to city challenging the greatest swordsmen in each town. He called himself the serpent blade ,an ostentatious title assuming the rank of sword master without having achieved it, however, Luthier even after the plague was able to wound the man before he was cut across the chest by the stranger's large and wicked great sword. Brennet took Luthier’s death even worse than their mother and had sworn to kill the serpent blade, his hand still showing a long red scar where he had made his blood oath with his silver bastard sword.
Leaning against the bulk of a beached ship was Brennet's bastard sword, the weapon on the Illaithan family crest. Wrapped around the hilt was a wire grip, and around the cross piece a ring hilt that wound around the blade like a serpent . The quillions of the blade were forged in such a way to give the serpent the aspect of wings. This was the other item on the family crest a winged serpent known as a Couatl. It was featured on the crest wrapped around the Bastard sword. A bastard weapon wreathed in a bastardized snake, the perfect symbol of a bastard line of a bastard house.
Arren unsheathed the blade and handed it to his brother who took it and began stretching, practicing cutting and thrusting motions with the blade.
"Who'se glove is that exactly?" Arren asked.
"Hmmm? Oh, nobody special," Brennet replied nonchalantly, judging by the fabric of the glove, it was. "Just Virgo Vex."
"What?" Arren asked. Virgo Vex was a particularly gifted swordsman. "Vex will kill you Brennet, what were you thinking challenging him?"
"He challenged me Arren. Do you want me to shame the family? I know he's good but I can kill him, I swear. I've seen him fight with that puny sword of his, he's a dead man." Brennet was good enough to stand a chance, Arren had to admit. However Arren knew Vex's father, an extremely corrupt merchant who had been trying to get Bjorus, their father out of the competition for years, and if Arren was right, then Vex had something nasty up his sleeve.
Just then Vex materialized out of the mist, he was wearing a crimson red dueling coat studded in gold. Knee high socks and velvet trousers. Vex had fop written all over him. His twisted moustache, and curled black wig always made Arren hate him a little more every time he saw the man.
"I'm surprised that you showed up Brennet, with a second too, I had almost forgotten that there was a third bastard in the litter." Virgo smirked at them and then withdrew from under his short dueling cape a sword barely two feet long and needle sharp. It was made in Danmeir’s capitol Andisine no doubt, by the mages themselves. The blade was the same as when it was forged, razor sharp and deadlier than any steel a normal man could craft.
"Don't let him hit you brother, that thing is made to kill, not wound." Arren said.
"I know brother," Brennet repied.
"Will you bleed for this man," Arren asked on instinct. It was the question that every Illaithan must ask before a duel.
"Yes," Brennet replied.
"Will you give your honor to your people and keep none for your self?" The second question that must be asked.
"Yes," Brennet's stoic answer.
"Is Virgo Vex a good man?" a subjective question to some.
"No," Brennet's resolution was sound.
"Then take his blood." Arren said with a sigh. The family code was there to prevent this sort of nonsense, but being in Vex's presence, Arren felt that Brennet was doing the right thing.
"Are you done with your ridiculous ritual?" sneered Vex. "Weren't those the same words you said to your brother, Brennet? Before he was cut in half?"
"Speak with your sword Vex," Brennet demanded, and as the words escaped his mouth he stepped forward with the blade, swinging it down in an arc across Vex's body. The sword barely missed the fop's chest, grazing the red coat and nicking one of the golden studs. Vex dance back gingerly, obviously surprised at Brennet's speed, and reposted with a low thrust to Brennet's stomach. Brennet easily deflected the blow which was thrown to keep the attacking man at bay. Brennet continued his assault swinging his large sword quickly and effectively deflecting every one of Vex's desperate attempts to reverse the momentum of the duel.
Arren was impressed with his brother's skill. He had been practicing hours on end since their brother had died and the effort was showing immensely. Arren was relieved. He had feared the worst until this moment. Yet something was wrong. Although Vex was loosing, he had a smile on his face. Just then Brennet struck the first blow bringing his pummel across Vex's face in a violent spurt of blood. Vex stumbled away from Brennet astounded at the older brother's strength. The Illaithan family was indeed something to behold when in a dance of swords. Brennet advanced swiftly, eager to end the duel. Illaithans never play with their food, they eat the same whether they enjoy the meal or not. He swung up with all his might at Vex's head, looking to cleave the smirking man from armpit to neck in a perfect cut.
"Ilmalithue!" Vex excitedly exclaimed a moment before the blade made contact. The dueling cloak which Vex wore so pompously shimmered with a hazy gleam and he vanished into thin air. Brennet's blade cleaved into nothingness, swinging it wildly upward, and caught off balance Arren's brother stumbled forward dismayed at the turn of events.
Of course Vex wouldn't fight without an ace up his sleeve. Virgo's family was in bed with the mages, their eldest son was a student of the black order, the worst of all wizards; demon summoners and necromancers.
Suddenly Virgo reappeared, in full view of Brennet's exposed flank. He stabbed with all the viciousness of a murderer and Arren watched as Vex's needle like sword pierced Brennet's side as a ship cuts through fog. The blade was buried to the hilt. Vex violently removed the sword, spraying the young man's blood across the sand, the side of the ship next to which they fought and upon Arren's face. Arren watched, half blinded by his brother's blood as Brennet slumped to the ground, unmoving, and unmistakably dead.
"You bastard!" the words were out of Arren's mouth before he knew he was speaking them.
"He knew the risks of fighting me. This is the land of mages now bookworm, magic is what wins duels, not strength or speed." Arren knew that vex was taunting him, but he didn't care. If Vex killed him, the family line would be all but over, but if Arren killed the arrogant fop while he had the chance, Brennet's death would not be in vain.
He began striding forward toward his brother's body.
"Will you bleed for this man?"
He knelt over his brother's mangled corpse.
"Yes"
"Will you give your honor to your brother and keep none for yourself?"
He grasped the blood spattered sword.
"Yes."
"Is this man good?" This wasn't a subjective question anymore.
"No."
“Two bastards in one day, this will be fun!” Vex exclaimed, readying his sword against Arren.
He met Virgo Vex's black beady eyes with the confidence of an executioner. The feel of his brother's sword in his hands brought back memories of the three siblings as children sparring until the late hours of the evening. He hoped that what he remembered from sword play as a young man would serve him now. He stepped forward, blade pointing toward the heavens, gripped firmly at his side as he had been taught by his father all those years ago, while he still dreamed of becoming a sword master himself.
Vex smiled and spoke the words of inaction, "Ilmalithue."
Arren swooped the silver blade of his brother’s toward Vex's form with all of his might, as the blade was about to make contact with flesh, Vex blinked seemingly out of existence. Arren had accounted for this and continued the motion of the swing, he gripped the sword firmly in his hands, life at sea had kept him strong and healthy, but he had never struck flesh with a sharpened blade before. Vex reappeared a bit further from where Arren had expected, the magic was seeming random in it's relocation of the user. Taking advantage of Arren's confusion, Vex lashed out with his magecrafted sword. The steel sung forward and struck Arren in the side,the blade so sharp Arren felt nothing more than a gentle touch to his body, but Arren's sword was more accurate in it's mark and cut through Vex's outstretched arm and into his left side. The blow was pure strength, lacking any finesse, his father would not have approved of such a cut.
The force behind Arren's sword knocked the lithe man to his knees, leaving his arm gripping the sword in Arren's side. Then the blood gurgled from Vex's mouth and neck and he crumbled to the ground. The abandoned sword in Arren's side slid out arm and sword thudding in the wet sand. It had entered under his ribs, leaving a dark red pool to well up in Arren's light wool jacket. The blow wasn't fatal.
Arren knelt to the ground and picked up his brother's corpse. Brennet's honor restored, he stumbled from the ghostly ship yard leaving the young fop to bleed out in the sand. Arren knew this was the beginning of something terrible, the Vex family had ties to the mages, and the mages could find and kill any man in this world...and the next.
