Before the Fall

[Shadow_Twisted]

Samuel had arrived at the inn as instructed by the Mask after he had returned to the Aristocrat's house. The meeting was scheduled for a few reasons, one of which being Samuel's successful initiation into the Order.

The Aristocrat had also been called upon, so the duo had traveled together. At the moment, Samuel was keeping watch from a table upstairs on a small balcony. He was trying to keep a lookout for any guards or local officials who may suspect something.

The inn itself was fairly old, a relic of a time before most of the town could seem to recall. Which was perhaps why no one seemed to know of the trapdoor behind the counter, usually covered up by a barrel of some kind of alcohol to help preserve the secrecy.

Under the door was one of several meeting halls that the Order used. Actually, it was the tunnel to the meeting hall, which was located in a buried undercroft of a church that had burned down decades prior. Some suspect it was the work of the Order, but as with most affairs concerning the Order, there was nothing solid to support any claims.

"Anything yet, chap?" The mask spoke, startling Samuel somewhat.

"Not a whisper, capital conditions as expected." Samuel replied.

"Then all is as it should be. It won't be long before the others begin to arrive, we should get you ready for your appearance." The Mask said, leading the tiger down towards the meeting hall.

The tunnel resembled much of a mine shaft, as aged wooden beams stood nailed against earth. From a few posts were dimly lit flickering oil lanterns. The meeting hall itself consisted of a rather different appearance. For one, there was actual stone flooring, charred black from fire and loosely covered with earth. In the middle was a long marble table at which were sturdy wooden chairs, not unlike the ones used in the tavern of the inn from which they had come. Along the walls were several partially buried coffins, worn with age. There was one, however, that had seemed amiss. Ebon black, with a silver lining, and loosely placed as though a recent addition, which is exactly what it was.

"It is in death that we are born as brothers and sisters of a common cause. Inside you will find your robe and hood, put them on, but remain in the coffin. It is part of the confirmation of your acceptance that you be as the dead, for we are the servants of death himself." The Mask instructed.

Samuel pulled the coffin loose of its position and noticed an odd symbol on the lid. It was a silver plaque, inscribed with a triangle. At the top point was a circle with a cloak inside it, at the bottom right was a circle with a droplet symbol, and at the left was a circle in which a dagger's image appeared.

It was odd, but Samuel decided now was not the time to ask. He opened the lid and dawned the robes and hood before laying in the coffin and letting the lid close. He then felt the coffin move back into the crevice in the wall from which it had came.

From the coffin, Samuel could not quite hear anything, but he had trusted in the Mask that this would only be a temporary situation. Soon the others would arrive.