Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20150928220113/@comment-25828117-20150929182117

A wintery mist had fallen upon the county making it hard to see where you were going. Luckily the chapel of Bruma stuck out like a beacon of warmth and safety amidst the Morning Star cold.

Alain pointed at the grey spire in the distance.

"Look. We're almost there." He said while looking back at his men. But he couldn't bear to look more than a few short seconds before turning back ahead. He has no desire to see the faces of any of them.

"Good eye. My lord." Percival agreed. Not exactly revealing any emotion with that statement.

The horses turned into the mist. And marched towards the tower. The closer they got the more of the city became visible. Tall stone walls, and a large keep joined with the tall chapel, completing the city's foggy skyline.

The city had marked its entrances with outdoor braziers, as sort of guiding lights. A common thing found around the city, it helped to give some light in the darker days of the year but more importantly, the city guard wasn't particularly keen on the burying of frozen beggars. Something that happened from time to time.

The flames inside the braziers danced violently in the wind, revealing the clear eastward way it was blowing. The yellow banners of Bruma followed suit. Alain noticed they looked ragged and unkempt.

The budget of the city must be low, if they can't even afford proper banners. He thought while riding up to the east gate.

A guard wrapped in heaps of yellow cloth walked up to them, carrying a torch to see more clearly who had arrived.

"State your business." A muffled voice spoke from under a yellow scarf that covered the good man's face apart from the eyes.

"Accommodation." Alain informed, not wishing to wave his title and prestige around for the time being.

The guard looked at the others joining him. All looked like decent types, "riders"... From Breton lands by the looks of it.

"Alright. lead your horses to the stables, you are free to enter." The Imperial guard said with a nod, to make clear he agreed to let them in, just in case the message had somehow not gotten across through the layers of clothing he had put on himself.

The riders did so. Alain thought the boys would know the drill by now: 'Tomorrow at dawn back here at the stables'. So he didn't wait to tell them and went straight inside, leaving Percival to catch up with him.

Once inside the mist for some reason seemed less severe. But the town looked anything but appealing. Bad management had almost turned the city into a slum; they were clearly worse off than Evermore.

People in rags sat on the cold ground, coughing or shivering. Truly a miserable sight to behold.

Alain felt pity on them.

"Look at them..." He said, assuming Percival had already join his side. (Which he had)

"I think the city's dealing with some financial issues. I don't think they have gotten their annual monetary support of the Imperial City, my lord."

"Can't the city support itself? I mean Evermore can." Alain asked rather emotionally.

"Well, as I am sure you're aware, Evermore is also the capital of a kingdom, it's supposed to be self sufficient. But Bruma well... Bruma is a lookout/trading hub. Nothing grows out in those frozen fields beyond those gates, so they don't have agriculture to fall back on."

Alain grinned, for the first time in quite a while.

"I suppose that's true. Guess business has been rather slow."

Percival chuckled rather dryly while looking around the town.

"By the looks of it, I'd say it's not here at all... Wonder why the Imperial City would allow such a thing though..."

Alain simply shrugged. Neither did he understood why an emperor would allow such an uncertain political climate to develop.

"That's why we're here in Cyrodiil to find out."