Commander Braghaman Larethian

New Players, New Games...

(Originally Posted Dec 31, 2008)

Bragh had returned to Eva's inn shortly after his encounter with the death knight. It had been unsettling, as far as meetings went, but far from the worst that it could have been. With only a few hours left of that night, the paladin intended to get as much sleep as he could. 

When next he awoke, Braghaman found light slipping in through the opened front door. It had not reached him yet, sitting next to the fire, but it was close enough to bring him around. Rubbing his eyes, Bragh let out a colossal yawn that cracked his jaw. Wincing, he rubbed his jaw and lifted his head slowly. His neck ached from sleeping in the chair, but it was a penance he was willing to do. Rotating his head a little, cracking his neck and working out the aches, Bragh finally started to take in his surroundings. 

Nearby, Madame Eva stood, looking out the front door. When she heard him stirring, she turned and smiled at the paladin. 

"You slept well?" she asked, though the airiness in her tone made it sound as if she were only barely paying attention to her own conversation. 

"Very," Bragh lied as he pushed himself out of the chair. "Has Commander Ebonlocke come for me yet?" 

Madame Eva simply turned back towards the door and nodded off into the distance. When Braghaman walked over towards Eva to see what she was looking at, he noticed Commander Ebonlocke standing with a girl, a teenager from the look of it, near the town hall. Nothing to be done for it, Bragh thought to himself. Gently, he pat Madame Eva on the arm and then walked out the door towards the commander. Eva barely noticed. 

"Comm... Bragh," Ebonlocke said, correcting herself quickly. "This is Lil Bostich." The paladin nodded to the young lady who was dressed in plain white robes with a hooded cloak over top. "She's the one who wants to go to the Abbey." 

"You trained with Niviene?" Bragh asked, making idle chat. 

"Yes, sir," Lil responded quietly. She stared down, not looking Bragh in the eye as she spoke which made him suddenly feel cautious. "But with her current duties, I've not been able to train as much lately. Which is why I thought to go to Northshire." 

"Certainly," Bragh said, barely paying attention. Something about this girl got his curiosity. "Do you have a horse?" "No, sir," she answered quietly. 

"Guess you'll have to ride with me, then," Bragh said. He stood back and summoned his charger. With a loud neigh, the horse came forth and stood beside the paladin. Grabbing the saddle, he pulled himself up and got comfortable. Then, leaning down, Bragh offered his hand to the young lady. Obediently, she took his hand and pulled herself up behind the paladin. With a nod towards Commander Ebonlocke, Bragh pulled the reigns and set off at a trot out of town. 

The ride turned out to be uneventful. During the trip out of Duskwood, Bragh saw many sets of eyes peer at them through the brush, but nothing ventured onto the road to meet them. Lil didn't speak much during the trip and Bragh decided not to push it. 

Quicker than he imagined it would be, the paladin and young cleric found themselves passing through Goldshire. It was noisy and bustling and full of all the chaos that Bragh remembered when he first visited the town many moons ago. Glancing over his shoulder, he expected to see Lil looking warily at the sights. Instead, she appeared nonchalant about it, almost bored by the scene. The paladin's brow furled slightly as he took notice of this. But as quickly as they arrived, they were through Goldshire. 

Still a distance away from the Abbey, the buildings barely peeking through the treetops, Bragh felt Lil shifting behind him. Glancing back, he saw her looking intently from side to side. Looking back out into the trees, Bragh started feeling wary again. 

Just as he was taking the breath to ask a question, Bragh felt something slam into his shoulder. In danger of tipping off of his horse, the paladan reached towards his saddle. But before he could take hold, someone grabbed him and pulled him hard off the horse, causing him to land with a thud on the ground. 

The fall stunned Bragh, driving the air from his lungs. Standing above him, he could see three men in armor with maces drawn. Turning on his side, Bragh began to push himself up to defend himself. 

Suddenly, his whole body felt sluggish, as if it didn't want to listen to his commands. Lethargically, he turned his head to see Lil staring at him, her eyes glowing slightly. 

"He's fighting it," she said through gritted teeth. 

"Don't let him go," the leader said urgently. Bragh looked dully at the man. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this man, this paladin. Faris? Was that his name? But, try as he might, finally Bragh lost and the young cleric took control of his mind. Slowly, Bragh slumped to the ground and his eyes closed. 

---

"You're sure he's out?" Brother Faris asked of the young cleric.

"Definitely," Lil replied with a sneer. "After what he did to my father years ago, its the least I could do to him." 

"Good," Brother Faris replied. "That'll make this much easier. The Light knows he wouldn't have turned on the Church if it hadn't been for all those warlocks. But we'll save Brother Larethian," Faris added with a nod. The young cleric simply shrugged. 

"Sir?" one of the other paladins called out. "I think I saw something."

"Let's get back to Stormwind, then," Brother Faris said, leaning down to pull up Braghaman's prone body. 

Suddenly, Faris heard the sound of something striking metal, then a second strike. Dropping Braghaman's arm, Faris looked up and saw his men laying on the ground with arrows protruding from their chests. 

Faris stood up instantly. His hand dropped to the mace at his belt, but never had a chance to pull it free. Glancing to his side, he barely saw the form of someone charging at him. Tall and thin, the opponent wore black armor and had a cloth hiding their face. He brought his arm up to try and fend off the attack, but was too late. The flat of the attacker's blade struck against Brother Faris' temple and knocked him to the ground, unconscious. 

Lil shrieked and pulled a dagger out that had been hidden beneath her robes. The attacker titled her head slightly as she looked at the young priest. Then, with a contemptuous snort, she brought her gloved hand up and backhanded Lil across the jaw, knocking her unconscious as well. 

The attacker turned around to assess the situation. Seeing everyone unconscious, she reached up and pulled the cloth from her face. The delicate, purple features of an elf stopped and stared at the prone form of Braghaman. Whistling a call which sounded much like a bird call, the elf looked up to see her feline mount come prancing out of the tree line. 

Grabbing Bragh beneath his arms, she hoisted him over her saddle and tied him down. 

"If anyone will decide your fate, it will be me," the elf muttered as she checked her ropes. Finding him securely bound, she climbed up onto her cat. Taking one last moment to look at the scene around her, dead or unconscious bodies littering the ground, she pulled her mask back up and spurred her mount south.