Still picking the papers frantically, the youg man answers: "Master Liao, my superior, third class magistrate..."
Then he stops, looks at you curiously, Schattir. "You are not from here, are you?"
Still picking the papers frantically, the youg man answers: "Master Liao, my superior, third class magistrate..."
Then he stops, looks at you curiously, Schattir. "You are not from here, are you?"
*Cough, "None of us are from "here"... and none of us wants to be here.., that is why we are on our way to your master Liao to find out in the paperwork what has happened to "Us"..." and with that Goldblood turns around and walks out of the office with the young administrator, and says "which way to Mr Liao's office?"
While the young man is destracted by Goldblood, Schattir takes the opportunity to take a good look of the room, hoping to find some source of extra information.
"This is master Liao's office! But he's not here, he's supervising the exams. And I have to take him these papers, otherwise the exams can't start in time, and master Liao hates unpunctuality! He would report that!" The youth seems a bit hysterical now... His hands are shaky and the pile of papers in his hand (while picking up papers from the floor with his other hand) is a bit unstable again. That poor sod will probably so hurry to these "exams", that he will stumble somewhere and fall again.
Schattir: Nothing more to be seen, really. Desks, bookcases, lot of papers everywhere. While you can't read it, nothing catches your attention.
"Here, let me carry those for you," Schattir walks over and takes the papers. "Now, which way to these exams? What kind of exams, anyway?"
Goldblood crosses his arms and holds his cane under his arm, leaning against the door till the others have found out which way to go...
To no longer block the path, Avreal moves out of the room and leaves the young man completly in Schattir hands. After he walks out he turns once again to his elf companion and mutters to himself. "I can also hardly imagine what kind of exams can be taken in palace of dead..."
"Uh, you will take it for me?", the young man says uncertainly. "But please careful, I have to deliver all the papers..."
He hustles to the door, and when passing by the tall muscular orc, he trembles a little. The truth is, that Goldblood with his arms crossed has a presence of dignity and power... You others are aware of his inner strenght (as well as of his physical strenght), but this poor sod is still nervous when the orc is near.
When he walks through the door, he turns back to check, if you are still behind him, Schattir. Relieved by your smile, he takes an evaluating look at Avrael, but says nothing. When Goldblood walks from the office, the young administrator closes the door and hastens you: "Now, if you be so kind and follow me..." and he chooses the corridor to the right (leading west).
While quickly walking through the corridor, the young man ignores several doors to your right and you slowly gain the understanding of the actual size of this palace - it is huge. "You asked about the exams, right? So, it's simple. The Emperor, in his wisdom, does not choose the loyal executors of his will by high birth. If you want to serve, you have to prove your worth. If a higher office is available, many lower class magistrates seek after that position. So, the exams are held. I have been succesfully passing the exam to became a fifth class magistrate", he continues with clearly proud voice.
You pass another door.
"One day, I will became a third class magistrate as well, I hope. I do not aim higher though, I will be happy enough in the master Liao's position."
"Do you have any more question? We are almost there."
"Where to start..." Schattir grins, eager to finally have found someone who answers his questions. "Firstly, where and what are the archives and do you have access to htem or do I have to talk to Mr. Liao for that? Secondly, what language is spoken and written here?"
He looks at Goldblood and Avrael. "Did I miss anything?"
"Do you have any more question? We are almost there."
"YES!" Goldblood says with enthusiasm whilst waiving his hands in the air to add emphasis... "I would like to know where the archives would be and how we can get there, as we have been given permission by Mr Sung to find out about "our case" and we have to prepare our "defense" as such... or should we ask your Mr Liao?.."
After Goldblood's excited (and loud) "YES!", the poor young man stumbles and hardly lands on the stony floor. Hissing with pain over his hurted knees and elbows, he slowly gets up again.
"Pl-pl-please, I'm just an errand boy! No need to shout on me!" You have a strong feeling that you could make him cry Goldblood...
"I will tell you everything you want, but just don't shout on me..." Is is a tear in the corner of his eye?
"The archives are on the corner of the building, we will pass them, I will show you! I don't know if you have the permission to access, I never thought about that. But searching in the records, that is possible after a permission of the Keeper of Archives and only under the supervision of some of the archivists."
"Please, I can't tell you more, I was in the archives only few times, only when master Liao sent me! I only asked the archivists and they gave me the records master Liao wanted..."
He cowers before you, Goldblood, as if expecting being beaten soon...
"Sorry, but my enthousiasm was getting the better of me, i did not mean to frighten you like this.." with that he helps the young man up...and ushers him the way we should be going..
(using diplo and bluf to achieve that)
Schattir moves forward, trying to calm the little man, while at the same time looking at Goldblood, annoyed.
"Please, calm down... I know Goldblood can be frightening... but in reality he's more like..." He looks around for inspiration. "More like a puppy. That's it. When you first get to know him, he yaps a lot, and yells sometimes... but then, he calms down."
The elf leans in confidentially.
"To tell you the truth, he still sometimes scares me, and I've known him for ages. But, as I said, he's really quite harmless."
(Diplo and Bluff to calm him)
"Hmmz...Harrumpf.."
Goldblood taps his fingers irritatedly on the nearest wall and says: "I am NOT a puppy, but i am goodhearted..."
Schattir glances at Avrael iwth raised eyebrows, surprised at the man's reaction.
This obviously isn't the keeper of archives, more his apprentice or something, he thinks. And the keeper must be Mr Liao...
"Hello?" he says aloud to the youth, firmly yet kindly. "Who and where is Mr. Liao?"