The Rise of A Sleepy Hollow

Continued from here https://nationrp.rpg-board.net/t20-a-sleepy-hollow



With his sword drawn, Enoch Dusk stepped closer to the door and attempted to peer at the figure inside. He looked down at his lantern, and noticed there was no longer a flame. Only the dim, white-light from the moon and stars were allowing him to barely see the cloaked figure standing in the doorway.

"Man, or phantom? Show yourself..." Enoch said. "Are you the one that sent me the letter requesting my presence, or are you a demon?"

The figure cloaked in black probably smirked at the mention of him being a demon. "I am a man, and I am no demon, Baron Dusk. I am simply a messenger. My colleagues are eager to meet you. We meet here, in this old home, so that no one will bother us. Please, follow me."

Enoch slowly sheathed his sword. His primal instincts were telling him to run and return home to the safety of Thunder Bay, but he knew that if this wasn't some horrible trap, the powerful people meeting here could help save his little Sleepy Hollow, and perhaps ever expand his power. His mind raced for a few seconds, and then he stepped into the old home.

Just as it opened, the door creaked shut behind him. The hooded man began walking down the hall in the dark. Occasionally, there were candles on the wall which provided a faint orange glow. The carpet beneath his feet was old, perhaps too old. It was thin and matted down, as if it had seen years of use without care. The floorboards, however, seemed fresh. They glistened with the little light in the room, but he was sure they'd be radiant in reflection if the rooms had proper lighting. The old stone walls on either side surely had been there for ages. They were cold, and unforgiving.

Enoch's attention eventually left the floor and walls. It felt like he had been following this figure for ages. They zigzagged through the old stone home for what must have been at least fifteen minutes. Finally, they entered an old study which had books lining the walls. Like the other rooms and the hallway, a few candles kept the room dimly lit, but nothing strong enough to do it justice. Enoch approached one of the walls, and looked at the rows and rows of books that went up to the ceiling. Carefully, he pulled one out by the cover and opened it up. The pages were still crisp, even though the outside was both dusty and musty. He recognized that blue cover anywhere. The Great Gatsby...... First Edition Enoch's heart skipped a beat. This old home, filled with such treasures, yet the wonderful things inside were being left to rot? The people he was going meet were no doubt wealthy and powerful; only they would allow such a thing.

"Baron Dusk, please follow me. We are nearly here," the cloaked man said. From the deep, raspy way the man spoke, Enoch could tell that he was old. He had pep in his walk, but every now and again he had a slight limp. Perhaps it was the old man's hip starting to give out, or maybe he was trying to trick Enoch into thinking he was no threat. If he was, then it was working on Enoch who had become comfortable in the seemingly abandoned estate. Enoch finally approached the cloaked man, how was staring at the fire place. Was this the part where assassins ambushed him? Death among such a large number of books - it could be worse.

The cloaked man pulled on one of the mounted candle daubers, and the empty fireplace turned. It was a passage! Enoch stepped back as he observed it move, and laughed. "Well, at least it wasn't a book. If you are leading me to my death, friend, I have to appreciate the effort you've put into it."

The cloaked man let out an amused snarl, but then coughed. "Come, Baron Dusk, we mustn't keep them waiting."

After stepping past the fire place, the two descended down a staircase that must have gone down, by Enoch's estimate, thirty to forty feet. The air became even colder as they descended down into the Earth. Finally, they started walking level in a short hallway which lead to two eight feet high doors. The unknown man walked up to them, and slammed his fist against them three times. Silence.

Then, the doors creaked open to reveal a large chamber. It was perhaps twenty-five feet tall, and had coliseum seating. There were close to one-hundred people in the chamber. Three-fourths of them were cloaked in black robes with hoods of the same color, while one-fourth were cloaked in white with hoods. It seemed to be some kind of assembly. At the core of the chamber was a person cloaked in red, with a hood, who was presumably the presiding officer. Enoch was perplexed.

He cautiously stepped into the chamber, and listened as the doors slowly closed behind him. Everyone turned and faced him, as if they were waiting for something. The silence got the best of him, so he introduced himself.

"I am Baron Enoch Dusk, Protector of Thunder Bay, and Sovereign of Sleepy Hollow. Be you the ones who summoned me?" A few of the figures looked at each other, and then to the read figure standing at the core of the room.

"Welcome Baron Dusk, we have much to discuss," the red one said. "Please, come take my seat up here. You must have traveled far, at such a late time, to an unknown place. Though, I think you will come to appreciate our discretion."

Enoch went to the back center of the room, and sat in the red one's chair. He didn't attempt to look at their faces, because it seemed they certainly didn't want him to know who they were, let alone each other. It felt odd to be in a legislature, and be the only one who showed his face. It's like I'm in a room of executioners, he thought to himself.

"Those assembled here have asked me to speak on their behalf, Baron Dusk," said the red one. "As the letter we sent you said, we are a group of powerful individuals who have special interests throughout Ontario, and your Sleepy Hollow. In Toronto, their city-government wants to restore Canada, but as a republic. The 'restored' Canadian government in Ottawa wants to return us to the Commonwealth, but I can never see that happening after the British replaced the monarchy. And then, there is you, Lord Baron. You stepped out of the shadows, from a comfortable life, and used your personal wealth to keep Thunder Bay safe.

"Now, we hear that you've raised an army... When we heard of these things, we knew that it would be you, who we asked to help us." Enoch was skeptical of what the red one was saying. He suddenly felt that he was now the pawn in a great plot, not a Baron being offered help.

"I want what is best for those in my Sleepy Hollow. If you are all here so that I will do your bidding like a puppet, then you have summoned the wrong man," Enoch said as he folded his hands, and looked out to the assembly. He wished he could see their faces, but he didn't know what their reactions were.

"We aren't trying to buy your loyalty, Baron Dusk. We want a united Ontario that is not obsessed and entangled with the outside world. In the vaguest of terms, we want one that is self-sufficient, conservative, maintains the unique way of life this region has developed, and is responsible. I promise you, on behalf of this group, that we would never have you do individual bidding on our behalf for money. But we do need stability, and a united nation. Those are interests we all share. If you think you would like to work with us, we can provide arms, funds, and even help connect you to leaders in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie."

Enoch sit down the first edition copy of The Great Gatsby before him and looked out to the assembly. "I would be willing to consider such an arrangement, if I can have the books in that library, and we talk more details on a budget. Taking on cities filled with millions is not something I can pay for alone."

As Enoch left the old stone home, he took with him his lantern, and his new book. He'd come to an agreement with this assembly of powerful men. Now, he was walking back to his boat so that he could return to Thunder Bay before he was missed. They wanted stability, expansion, and general seclusion. Those were all things he wanted too, and they were willing to fund his expenditures to ensure that it happened. What he knew in the back of his mind is that while they might pay for him to take a kingdom, he knew they wouldn't pay forever for him to keep it. At that moment, he had entered a game of chess.

Snap crunch crunch

Enoch stopped in his tracks. The wind blew his black cape slightly to the right. He'd just heard someone, or something, stepping in the woods not too carefully. Could it be someone from the assembly? Did they want to go back on the deal? Did they want their book back? Enoch drew his sword and swiftly turned around. He set down his lantern and peered into the ancient woods. "I've had enough trickery for one night. Show yourself now, or I will end you when I find you."

"Enoch," said a figure who was cloaked in black with a hood to match. It was the first man he met. "We've been given word from some of our associates outside of Thunder Bay. The Republicans have managed to get an army into Sleepy Hollow. Your home is in danger of being captured. Make haste, and organize your army. They'll be marching on Thunder Bay by daylight, from the east!"

Enoch sheathed his sword and looked down in contemplation. It was probably three in the morning. The sun would rise just before 7:30 in the morning. Hopefully the troops were still training outside of the city. He didn't have much time. First, he nodded to the messenger, and then began to dart back to his boat.

---

Adrian made it to shore, even though the fog was trying to confuse him. He thanked God for the lighthouse which guided him back to the bay. His men were waiting for him at the shore. As he approached the rocky edge of Lake Superior, his men could see the worried look on the face of a man who was usually stoic. Among the crashing waves, they pulled his small boat to shore. "What troubles you, Baron Dusk!" one yelled over the water as it smashed against the night's Plutonian shore.

Enoch pointed at the lighthouse, which was only about one-hundred feet away. He needed to get to the radio, but he doubted that the other three young men with him even knew what one was. Once he started walking to the structure, they followed in haste. Each was wielding either a musket long-rifle, and one had a more updated lever-action rifle.

With force, Enoch knocked on the door several times until they heard someone coming down the steps of the magnificent structure. The bright beam of light above continued to rotate. The metal door opened, and revealed the elderly lighthouse keeper who was in his pajamas. He was holding a candle, but dropped it when he saw who it was. The sight of the tall Baron standing outside his home with a few armed men nearly killed him there. The old man dropped to his knees.

"I do not know what I did," the lighthouse keeper said as he fell to his knees, "but I'm a good man. Have mercy, Baron!" Enoch stepped into the lighthouse and offered his hand to help the man up.

"I'm not here to judge you, I just need to use your radio. Sleepy Hollow is in danger."