A cold rain falls in icy drizzle, splashing thin drops against the ground. It's the kind of rain that sinks into the bones, makes the slight breeze feel like icy fingers of doom, and is just coming down enough to encourage most people to stick inside if they can. No doubt the bones of the elderly have provided prophecy for something more to come based on this, and it's certainly a precursor to the winter snows not too far ahead. Inside the tower, most of the off-duty knights have gone on to spend their evening with their families or retired to the barracks to have a bowl of stew in peace.

That's when the gatehouse opens, admitting a knight that's been away for weeks. A tired and wan looking Sir Culthbert staggers inside under the weight of some invisible burden. He's lost weight since he left to deliver a message near the Lycene split. His eyes have a sunken quality to them, a haunted look found in the normally radiant sapphires. There are scratches on his armor, dents, signs of some combat in the recent past. His tabbard is muddy, plashed with the ruddy color of dried blood, and rent in places - usually right above where the armor is scratched or dented. His hair is greasy, a bath apparently a long way in his past.

It seems there was some justification for sending a knight of his repute for the delivery.

Without a word, Culthbert walks through the gate and just heads towards the barracks.

Olivia looks around, "Can someone please direct me to your medical storage? I need to check and make sure you all do not need me to make any-" She is cut off as she turns and sees Culthbert. He doesn't look well, she knows that much from this distance. So she rushes over there quickly, "Sir.... Are you ok?" She tries to get a good look at the man but is not getting in his way yet.

Being the First Captain means checking up on the watches and making sure all is in order in the Tower and any place that the Hundred might be found. Sir Corban Telmar is in his armor, a sign that he is "on duty" in his supervisor's role. He is chatting with the two knights at the gatehouse door, who challenge those not of the Silver Swords and otherwise see them off to where they need to be. The weather seems to be the topic of conversation.

"It will make for a chilly drills tomorrow morning," the second-in-command is saying, turning when the ragged knight enters. "Sir Culthbert? What happened to you on the road?" His eyes narrow.

The interception by Olivia brings the weary knight to a stop, honor and decorum surging to the fore by rote and pushing away the single-minded track the man was taking. "My lady, forgive me, I did not see you there," Culthbert answers lethargically. "I'll be fine. Just need a drink and a bath." Stoic to the end. He probably could use some real help. Up close, Olivia can hear a faint wheeze, and no matter how stone-faced he may be trying to be, Culthbert's eyes are tense at the corner like a man trying to hide his pain.

But there's not just a noble in the area. Culthbert lifts a fist to his chest and taps it against his breastplate to salute Corban. There's not nearly as much force behind the thump as there should be. "Beset by shavs on the way back, Captain." Succinct, without revealing a lot of detail in possibly delicate and certainly mixed company.

"Well, I would send for Sir Miles, but he is attending to the Queen and the Royal Twins at the moment," says Sir Corban with a deep crease to his face. He then turns his head towards Olivia, gesturing to her. "My lady? What was it you said you did? Something with medicines?" But even with his concern, Corban returns the salute, fist to chest. Some traditions remain. "Might you lend a hand? I will require a full report, Sir Culthbert, for the Lord Commander."

Olivia nods once to Corban, "I can help. I am a physician indeed. We need to get this man out of his armor. I need to check him throughly. That wheeze bothers me sir." She frowns at Culthbert. She looks at him with her big blue eyes. She does her best to make them look like she is getting ready to cry, (Easy way to get a knight to listen) "Please let me help you? I need you to take this armor off..."

Crying Eyes? Why did it have to be Crying Eyes!? Culthbert swallows hard and nods his head. "Out of the cold, perhaps, my lady?" he continues to hold to some measure of manners, even if all this standing up is starting to take its toll. Culthbert looks at Corban, to his superior. "Busted my writing hand up pretty good. I'll need someone to scribe for it, but yes, sir. A report will be made."

"You can dictate it to Reedy," says Sir Corban, offering up his trusty aide to Sir Culthbert. But then the First Captain says, not unkindly, "Let us get you to your quarters, Sir Culthbert, and Lady -- Olivia is it? -- can take a look. And I should at least like a preview of what happened. In case it is a matter I must address with the Lord Commander at once." Not unkindly, yes. But also not a matter up for debate.

Olivia Looks over to Corban for approval, this isn't her knight after all. When he says to go to the knights quarters she nods once. Corban might be a mind reader! Nope... just common sense likely. She looks up to Culthbert, "Lead the way?" She says this, but she is already trying to pull the mans gauntlets off before they even start moving.

Culthbert was never one of ambition, and while he's served with the King's Own for a few years now, he's not in the fast-track of up-and-comers that gets a room of his own. So when Corban lays out the plan, the knight gives a singular nod and starts his grim walk towards the barracks and the open spaces there. It's a walk made awkward with the pause needed and trying to hide the pain and walk while Olivia's pulling at his hands and tugging off the guantlets - the right one certainly scuffed and banged up. Beneath the armored gloves right hand is swollen and bruised. An inspection might lead one to think something inside broken. Certainly it pains Culthbert; he hisses as quietly as he can when the hand is revealed.

Once inside, Culthbert stops before his bunk and unclasps his cloak. "Everything was fine, Captain," Culthbert begins while trying to help with the removal of the banged up armor, "on the way down. Fine most of the way back home too. I stopped at that little wayside inn - the Hungry Boar? - to rest my horse and have a meal a couple days ago." Corban, at least, would recognize the name of the place, a simple common room, some beds, and a barn at a small crossroads about three days outside of Arx.

"Yes, of course. I know it." Corban nods his head, not really doing much other than prompting the story along at this point. He allows Olivia to take the lead on assisting the injured knight, but stands by to help with the removal of armor if need be. "And is that when the attack happened?"

Olivia stops and frowns big at the hand first. She glance up to the Knight with a sharp glance. "You sure are fine... it looks like you have broken every single bone in this hand Sir." But other than that she does not interrupt. She starts taking off the bracers (what ever his arm armor is) on the same side as the awfully smashed up hand. Working carefully to make sure she does not injure his hand further. She looks up to Corban and gestures for him to come over, "Sir Commander? Is that your name? Can you help me get his other arm clear and get the chestplate off?"

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Olivia before departing.

Culthbert goes on with the report. "No, that was the next day. But... I swear before Limerance that I saw Rowland, Captain." Metal plates are removed and there's a padded gambeson beneath the breatplate that has to go as well. Culthbert doesn't smell the freshest, to be sure, and beneath the layers of cloth are more bruises, a few shallow cuts that were field bandaged. He's clearly broken a few ribs and maybe taken the business end of a sword in shallow ways - not enough to be of real concern but stitches likely necessary (days ago, when it really happened). "But he left as soon as I came in. Ran. I called out, but he didn't even flinch, just hurried out the back. Didn't see him again, sir. Then a day after that, close to dusk, the shav came on me."

"Sir Rowland?" asks Corban, inclining his head. "But -- Sir Rowland --" Yes, Corban, he is dead. Which is why, perhaps, Cuthbert is not talking so openly about this. "I believe you," he hastens to add. "Odd things happen. And yet --" Clearly the gears are turning.

Olivia glares at Corban as he seems to get distracted. She taps him on the elbow and gestures quite forcefully at the armor. She is gonna leave taking the rest of it off to someone who knows how to wear armor. She begins her poking and prodding. She starts with a decent poke at fhe mans (likely) broken ribs and stares at his face, trying to gauge the reaction as she does.

The poking of Olivia's fingers brings water to Culthbert's eyes and a clenched jaw that holds back any further words the beleaguered knight may have been about to say. A sound of pain is swallowed and Culthbert stares ahead at the wall, focusing on keeping his knees from collapsing beneath him. "Ah, that is, mmm, tender, my lady," he manages to Olivia. Oh yeah, totally broken. "Knocked me from my horse with a swinging log, I'm afraid."

"How did Sir Rowland appear?" asks Corban, wanting to press the interrogation rather than remove the armor. But Olivia brings him to the senses, and the First Captain goes to undo the straps and latches, looking to gingerly take off the rubicund silver armor as best he can. "Did he --" the Telmar knight tries to choose his words carefully. "As an Arvani still did?"

Olivia rests her head on Culthbert's chest listebing for the wheezing trying to determine if the man has a punctured lung or not. She does apologize for the pain she caused, but she does need to know.

Olivia checked perception + medicine at difficulty 20, rolling 43 higher.

Culthbert looks entirely unsure of things now. He looks down at Olivia's head pressed to his chest and up at Corban as if to ask if he should really continue. For Olivia, there's information to be gained in the silence. For Corban, there's just a delay in answering. "What I saw of him. Yes."

"I assure you, Lady Olivia has heard stranger things in her life, yes, Lady Olivia?" The look that Corban gives the Ashford woman suggests what the answer should be. "Please, Sir Culthbert. You can speak freely. If you noticed anything that might tell us about a lost friend, it is our duty to see it tracked down. The King's Own will not leave a knight behind, if it can be helped."

Olivia glances at Corban then /glares/ at Culthbert. "I have seen the dead walk. I have heard the woods speak to me... I have seen flowers raise a shield to Protect the Lodge of Petrichor. You can speak freely in front of me." She pauses and looks at Culthbert again with the teary eyes again, "But not if you lie to me... what happened to your ribs Sir Culthbert?" She whispers to Corbad, "Sir Commander. You will have to do without this knight for a few weeks... He is hurt badly. Not beyond recovery. But He needs time to recover."

"Knocked from my horse," Culthbert repeats. "By a log." The man looks at the other two, a grunt of respectful acknowledgement given to Olivia for her list of experiences. "It was the shavs that looked odd," the tired knight finally answers. "Their eyes were bright green with slitted pupils, their tongues forked, and they kept trying to bite me with fangs. Stronger than an ox they were too. Barely got away and I'm pretty sure one that I hamstrung was standing up when I got back on my horse."

"Fascinating," says Corban, nodding his head slowly. "Fascinating. Almost -- snake-like. Or corrupted in some other ways. There are terrible things out in the wilderness, corrupting the shav'arani, as you know." The Lodge battles had their share of things that were perfectly normal but not entirely easy to explain. "But thank you, Lady Olivia. We will make sure Sir Miles sees to his recovery."

Corban checked intellect + occult at difficulty 25, rolling 23 higher.

Olivia:nods, hmms, "Sir Culthbert, could you direct us to these Shavs?" She eases up on her prodding. "I have witnessed people lose control over their own actions in a shardhaven... This needs to be followed up Sir."

"Roughly so, my lady. I know how far I traveled from the Inn to where I was attacked - dusk at a standard pace," Culthbert answers. "I'll get it all down with Reedy and give it to the Captain," Culthbert answers, looking from Olivia to Corban.

"Yes, quite so. It does sound as if there may be a shardhaven in the area." Corban frowns, troubled. Quite so. But he nods his head. "We will set you rest, Sir Culthbert, and I will send Reedy when you have had a chance to sleep. I am glad you are safely with us."

Olivia puts her finger in Culthbert's face. "You are off duty. No less than 90 days. Do you hear me soldier?!" She tries her best to sound bossy. She looks to Corban, "Sir Commander... if that is truly your name... I do not know enough about the issues to ask further questions for you... But I can make myself available to you when ever you require. Please keep this man off his feet for me though."

Culthbert will reluctantly agree to the restrictions, taking the first opportunity to sink down onto his bunk and relieve some of the strain from standing.

"Come, Lady Olivia," says Sir Corban, placing a hand on the Ashford's shoulder and guiding her back towards the gatehouse. "Let us let him rest." He then adds: "My name is Sir Corban Telmar. I apologize for the lack of introductions in the heat of things."

Olivia nods to Corban, "It is no issues, I am not a stickler from r titles and formalities if a life is at risk. Despite by ability to combat.. I am a combat medic.. I understand the need to move." She follows the commander out, letting the knight get his rest