[Jericho Xanatos]

It had been quite some time since Jericho had set off from the Kingdom of Faylinn, chasing rumors of rogue Kings across the realm, and it seemed as if he was no closer to finding the man which had eluded him for nearly a year. As much as Jericho hated to admit it, John Scarborough was beginning to prove to be more trouble to find than he was worth. Though the price the Queen’s men had named for his death or capture was practically a small fortune, it didn’t quite have the same allure after a year of continuous trekking back and forth throughout the land. By now, Jericho was almost ready to simply return back to Faylinn and report that the outlaw had completely vanished. The reward would not be his, and his journey would have been all for naught, but the mercenary was quite certain he could easily recoup his losses if he were to begin freelancing again. After all, war was spreading throughout the seven kingdoms of Faeryn. Somewhere, there was a lord or general with ample coin and a spot on his force, just waiting to be approached by the Wolf.

But no matter how much he tried to convince himself to turn back, Jericho just kept pushing forward. He knew why, of course. He was working for the Queen of Faylinn, a woman of immense power and influence. If it became known that the Wolf had abandoned a contract, she could destroy his reputation from Everfell to Hrothgard. And if there was one thing Jericho was afraid of more than anything, it was losing his reputation for solidarity. The Wolf of Fenris was the absolute most loyal, steadfast soldier of fortune money could buy, in this realm or any other. To have his name known for anything less was to lose what little power he had in the world. And for that reason, Jericho would continue his search, until he found that outlaw scum and brought him back to the Queen, dead or alive.

Which meant that he would need to double his efforts, especially if he wanted to get paid before the year was out.

Presently, Jericho’s journey had taken him to the kingdom of Valterra, north of Faylinn. He had been here once before, having passed through on his way to Hrothgard, but until now, Jericho had not taken the time to acquaint himself with the region. Despite his rather poor morale, he could not help but admit that the kingdom was quite beautiful, much more so than many other places he had traveled to. Though it could not come close to comparing with his beloved homeland across the ocean, Valterra was, in his opinion, a decently enjoyable place to find himself working. At the very least, his search for the renegade would be tempered by pleasant landscapes.

Having only arrived in the capital a few days prior, Jericho hadn’t had much time to begin his operations, and so far his inquiries had been restricted to a few taverns within the city. However, now that he was settled in, Jericho was ready to expand his search to cover much more ground. Unlike Hrothgard, Jericho possessed absolutely no contacts within this kingdom, and so was unable to rely on any one else for help within the city. The closest thing he had to a lead was that John was traveling in the company of a group of warriors from both Faylinn and Hrothgard. While vague, this information was the only thing he had going for him, and that meant it was worth a fortune to him at this point. He just needed to figure out where that group had ended up. There were several options for him, however, the majority of them were not ones he was willing to take. While under normal circumstances, he could just go straight to the Queen’s steward and offer his services, Jericho did not want to out himself as a mercenary quite yet.

Instead, Jericho decided that in order to find the information he needed, he would need to make himself seem like someone more trustworthy. Someone like a knight.

It was an easy task, stripping the assorted bits off his armor which identified him as the Wolf of Fenris. The wolf fur cloak, the skull on his shoulder… all of it, he removed and kept in the sack within his room at the inn he was staying at. With only the armor itself, and a crimson red cloak around his shoulders, he looked every bit the part of a knight of the realm, a man just out to do his job. A man who had practically guaranteed anonymity when it came to peasants, who usually could not tell the difference between the knights and soldiers who served their masters. While the other knights of the realm could perhaps notice that they did not recognize him, Jericho could always say he was from one of the vassal cities.

Simple, really.

With a wanted poster of John in his hand, Jericho set out, to begin his information gathering.

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A week after arriving within the capital, Jericho found himself within the Dragon’s Rest Inn, trying to figure out his next move. So far, his search had managed to uncover next to nothing on the whereabouts of John Scarborough within the city, and it seemed as if he would have to begin inquiring with the knights and nobility after all. It was something he most certainly did not want to do, but it was something he was prepared to take care of. He wouldn’t go as a mercenary, of course. That would be too obvious, and would defeat the purpose completely. But as a knight of Hrothgard, seeking out the party which John had left with, now that was a plan he was willing to get behind. It was sound, and could actually work.

But at the same time, there was something else. During his investigation, Jericho had managed to overhear a conversation between two off-duty soldiers in an inn he had stepped into. This conversation had caught his interest, specifically because the two men had mentioned a name, a name which he had desperately wanted to hear: Scarborough. However, this name was not attached to John… no, the person they had been discussing had been Mercy Scarborough, former princess of Faylinn and current outlaw. According to what he had heard, the princess was in the kingdom, under the protection of the Queen. Jericho’s spirits had been lifted greatly at this news, but just as quickly, he had become uncertain of his movements. Mercy Scarborough was the second target he had been paid to find and capture, and she was so very close, but there was a problem.

While getting to Mercy would be an absolute breeze, if he captured or eliminated her, news would get out. The kingdom’s forces would be placed on high alert, no doubt. But even worse: John would no doubt find out. And if John found out his sister was dead, he would either come at Jericho with a vengeance, or go further into hiding. And while John coming after him would save him so much trouble, Jericho was certain he would come with friends. And they would come with friends. And no matter how skilled he was, The Wolf of Fenris could not take on an entire kingdom’s worth of men.

The mercenary disliked his current dilemma. He could go after the rogue princess, the easy target, and get the quick reward. Or, he could wait, watch, keep doing what he was doing, and go after the renegade prince, and get the bigger reward. Or, of course, he could simply keep drinking the ales the barkeeper was bringing him.

Yeah, that was the best idea for now.