South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

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the red soldier
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South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#1 Post by the red soldier »

It was a very busy day in the streets of Rune, then again, its always busy in the City of Legends. Merchants brisking back and forth between stalls in the grand open markets, sculptors and artisans working tirelessly on grand golden statues of the Emir in the Main Plaza of the markets, trumpets and drumbs filling the air as soldiers patrolled the streets, a common day to say the least in the Streets of Rune.

Czir Ald Alin

In a shadier market in a more ruff part of the city, everyone seemed to make way for the steel clad warrior lazying on his back on top of his mount, a giant sand scorpion. No one dared to stand in his way for everyone had heard the stories of the infamous Yaroz warriors. The sand warriors as they where often nicknamed, the warrior seemed very uncaring as his scorpion just seemed to walk mindlessly from one street to another. "Filthy little hovels." The warrior suddenly muffled to himself. "No sense of pride to be seen for miles in these streets." Again, muffling pretty loud for people to hear.

Then, without warning, the oh so grand warrior felt his head ringing in his helmet as a rock bounced off the perfectly polished steel. Getting up, his left hand gripping one of his sabre while the right one grabbing a javelin, he looked around to see where it came from only to notice a strange rider. The scorpion became agitated at the sight as heavy breathing came from its master's helmet. "That is where your wrong warrior of Yaroz, pride is easily found when you know where to look!" The strange rider yelled.

The two of them stared at each other. Although only a few minutes passed, one could swear it felt like hours as everyone watched in terror at the two warriors. Breaking the silence, the two of them began to laugh warmly at each other and dropped there guard altogether. "Czir Ald Alin in the flesh! I thought you died in the war!" The Scorpion rider, Czir, simply laughed even louder. "You of all people should know that a man of Yaroz is not easily killed! Come, I know of a good Inn across the city which serve the best of Castam drinks! Wine I think they call it." "That certainly sounds like a plan! Lead on my friend!"

Ruka Vor Gruznak

In the busy plaza, within the grand markets, a very odd looking orc woman seemed to simply browse the selection of several merchants. Not surprisingly she was looking at weapons and armor and seemed pretty fond of a particular Crossbow made of Ebony metal glistening of golden trimmings. Padding her sides, she simply sighed and moved on. "Only a king could afford something like that..." She whispered to herself. Moving to the more affordable weapon merchants, the orc looked around, spotting about 2 dozen iron bolts exactly the right size for her one handed crossbow. Picking them up and then turning to the shop keeper, the man suddenly went berzerk at the sight of the orc women touching his merchandise. "Let go of the merchandise you filthy orc!" The man said aloud. By the look of him he was a Castam merchant. The girl simply let go of the bolts. "Whats your problem?!" The man didn't even answer, he just shooed her away. "Begone greenskin! I wont have you scaring customers!"

It didn't take much more motivation, typical Castam treatment of orcs was to often string them up on sight. She sighed, a bit saddened by the whole affair when suddenly she was being hailed by another merchant, this one clearly of Hastrajal origins. "I have what green women seeks!" The man said in a very thick accent. He lifted about 3 quivers of iron bolts, exactly what the other merchant had. "Special offer for pretty face! Free dagger!" He said aloud, for the Castam merchant to hear. The orc smiled and handed him a pouch of gold. "Thanks a lot!" she said, rather cheerfully. The Hastrajal merchant lifted the gold in his hands for the other merchant to see and made a grimace while doing it, to spite. The Castam merchant flew into a rage at the other side of the street, crying out profanities like there was no tomorrow. "I thank you green women! Proper business and spiting annoying man in one day!"

Mysk the Faceless

It was dark. The windows where covered up, the doors barred closed and to top it off the small house was under the shadow of the city walls. A woman seemed to cower in a corner, crying and sniffling as a dead man was in the middle of the room, his right hand slit open, the dagger used in his left one. The pool of blood filled much of the floor of the small cramped room.

Glaring back and forth between the dead body and a small table completely engulfed in darkness in the corner of the room, the woman dared not move, fearing reprisal from the gazing eyes piercing the darkness. "No improvements... maybe..." The voice coming from the corner seemed uncaring about the sight in front of him, like that of an observer. "No... that wouldn't work... to weak... to fragile..." The sound of flipping pages filled the quiet room, followed by a large thud of a book being closed. "So many variables... so many things to consider..." The gazing eyes suddenly climbed out of the shadows, staring directly at the crying women. The man wore a rather plain ragged black robe but the mask hiding his face was in many ways one of a kind. "Only way to be sure is to experiment..." Rising his hands, chanting in a strange forgotten dialect, the spirits themselves filled the room, slipping from every corner as the women tried to scream but couldn't. "Don't worry... It will not take long this time..."

Same day, During the night

The Inn before her was very different compared to the rest of the city. Ruka looked at the Castam style building, clearly sticking out next to the more Hastrajal buildings next to it. Going next to the Inn, she noticed something very strange, a giant scorpion leashed to a pole next to a strange bird horse like mount. Entering the Inn itself, Ruka could easily guess which of the clientele owned the creatures outside. The two seasoned looking warriors seemed to catch up on old times, talking about latest exploits and how they both served as mercenaries during the "Triumvir wars", from what she could hear.

However, to her surprise, they where not the strangest sight in the Inn. In the corner of the Inn, a rather poorly lighted corner, sat a masked man in ragged robes. In front of him lied some sort of wooden board with bizarre looking symbols, neither Castam nor Hastrajal. Whoever he was, there was several people lining up to meet him, all of them rather eager. As for herself however, Ruka decided to head towards the Bar, where she waited for the Innkeeper.
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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#2 Post by Phantom »

The walk had been long, but Shade did not mind. The journey itself was a discovery all along the way. He encountered new smells, new sights, new sensations. He had managed to obtain a few supplies at a village not far from the castle. He procured some blank books, and a lead pencil. As he traveled, he made sketches, wrote notes, taking in the things he saw, as a sort of journal. He takes breaks at night in order to rest a while, though not feeling tired, the darkness made it harder for him to see and so he decided that it was wiser to set up camp.

He eventually reaches the great city of Rune, taking in the view with a few quick sketches before entering, he hoists his bag over his shoulder, and using his halberd as a sort of walking stick, makes his way into the city without much problems. He is fascinated by the crowds, seeing so many new races then before. He made his way to a square where he sat down on a bench by the side, taking time to complete several sketches. Hes minded raced at all the new senses and things he was discovering. He spends the day there, resting as well after the long journey, and beginning to wonder what he will do now that he is here.

He eventually decides that it might be good for him to find himself a job, so that he might get more equipment and so on. He wonders around town, and as evening fell, the air turned slightly chilly for him, and so he finds himself in front of a tavern. He makes his way inside, and sits down at a table near the fireplace, putting his halberd down besides him. Taking out his book, he adds a few more sketches to it, managing to hold his quill well despite being in a suite of armor. He takes a moment to go through the book, which is now up about three quarters full of drawings. Once settled down, Shade had a look around, seeing 2 men at the bar as well as a green woman like creature on the other side.

((EDITED, Had not noticed the time sorry))

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#3 Post by Stryder221 »

"Oi! You there!"
"Oh bugger... What is it?"

One of the people aboard a merchant ship* near the city of Rune, the captain no less, had seen a suspicious figure in a cloak and hood, and had immediately started to question him.
"Who the bloody hell are you? How did you get on my ship?!"
"Ah... Unofficial boarding of your ship? Yes... erm... The nobles have had doubts of your crew's behavior for some time, they believe you to be pirates, unlikely as that may be."
The captain, who was unfortunately a more-or-less honest type, took offense and brandished his sabre.

"Listen here, you blue-blood pig! I'm no pirate, and I'll cut yer bleeding tongue out if you dare mention it again!"
This stranger hadn't been phased by the fact that he nearly lost his head to a wild swing, and a smirk had appeared from under his hood.

"My apologies, but I'm not the one who has doubts. See, the nobles have been... wary... because... uh... the pirate gang, the black... uh, parrots... have been marauding the seas, they're not happy with the merchants these days."
The stranger's story was getting increasingly more unbelievable, the captain had about enough.

"Enough of yer lies! I'll toss you to the sharks!"
"Hold, peasant!"

The stranger spoke with such force that his would-be attacker froze for a second.
"I am no mere man, you filth! I am Aaron, eldest son of the Valamor family!"
"Valamor?! That stuck up little runt that ditched his family back in Castam? Haha! Yer old man put up a bounty on you fit for a king! That noble act won't get you anywhere, I'll collect that bounty and live filthy rich!"

"Hmmph... you assume you can actually catch me. How very wrong you are..."
"Men! We have an unwelcome guest here with us! Let's teach him a lesson, shall we?
"This meeting is over... I won't be seeing you later..."

After lashing out with a swift kick to his opponent's nether regions, Aaron sped past the captain, dived off the edge of the ship into the water below, then proceeded to swim to the nearby city of Rune.
It took a while, but eventually he climbed soaking wet onto the docks...

"Couldn't even catch a ride without having a scene... Damn it... This is what happens when your family's a bunch of corrupted fools..."
And the cloaked man cursed silently, the bitter memories of his banishment fresh in his mind as if it were just yesterday.

"So I made it to Rune... Now what?"
"Better find an inn first, I don't feel like sleeping in the streets."


(*If curious, the ship looks like this: http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo34 ... rchant.jpg)
E͎͖̯̱̻͡r̲͇r͢҉͈͚ò͈̹̰̩̺͓̝̘̟̕r̨̡̺̥̲̰͕̭̬:̵͙̦̟̮̖̯̞́͢ ̴̛̞̙͙̠̲̝̟S̵͎̼̖̜̯͕̺͔̀i̶͉̟̝̻͕̺g̢̤͕n̴͈̩̝͓͖̹͕̟͢a͕̺̱͞ț̸̛͓u̢̥̣̣̰̪ͅr̨̠͙̯̣̣̘̠ḛ̡̨̟̗̥̰̱̻ͅ ̻̮̼̥͕̼͉͎u͏͔̳n͏͔͈̭̭͟a̮͕͖̲͕͙͔ͅv̺̦̼̥̭͙a͏҉̦̺̫̯i̝̙̳̜l̴̡̳̥͠a̢̘̬͈͢ͅb̶̶̦͉͙́ḷ̸̙̙̳̩̥́e͔̪̳̦̫͚̪̹ͅ.͖̠̗͔̖̞ͅ

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#4 Post by MrFlyingAmoeba »

The city of Rune was home to many aspiring mercenaries, merchants, would-be mercenaries, and countless random citizens. Furthermore, due to its position as a major site for travelers wishing to see the world a great deal of traffic went through the city daily. Thirsty, hungry, weary traffic. As such, even the meanest of pubs and bedbug-ridden inns had little trouble making plenty of coin. And if your inn was of a somewhat higher caliber, such as, say, Nathaniel Frendal's The Dancing Vine, one did quite well indeed. His was rather unassuming, simply a brick and wooden affair, three floors high, a basement for storage, containing bedrooms and tavern. Outside frosted windows, a wooden signpost hung from the second floor, proclaiming the Dancing Vine in multiple common languages. A small stable stood nearby, with several stalls and a honest-faced groom.

Inside, the atmosphere was usually hectic, but warm, almost comforting, with its wholesome smell of savory meats, ale, freshly baked bread, and Nathaniel's 'secret sauce' which was a minor local mystery, sought after for its unique, delectable flavor, all of this framed by the laughs and cheers of those who are fortunate enough to find good friends and drink. Perhaps a dozen or so tables were scattered about the room, with a few stools against a bar where one could order more special drinks. At any given time, all of these tables would be filled with customers, barmaids and waiters traveling an intricate dance around the room, skillfully balancing huge platters of steaming food or drink. A small chest of various toys and games was in a corner, holding time-worn chess boards, some paper and pen, and so on.

A fireplace could be found across from the entrance, a simple affair fronted by a few comfortable chairs, where logs held up by a grate slowly gave up their forms to provide comfort to those around it. Next to the fireplace were the stairs, leading to the second and third floors, the second being a dozen bedrooms, the third much the same, except for one larger space, which was set aside as a semi-private meeting hall for those who wished to eat while discussing matters in relative quiet. Nathaniel, the owner of the inn, and a few other employees both lived and worked at the inn, and had their own bedrooms on the third floor. Lights glowed softly throughout the floors, small candles held inside faintly translucent bowls.

Currently, it being pitch-night, much fewer customers were in the Dancing Vine, as the greatest flow came during the waning hours of the day, when work-weary folk would make their ways to familiar taverns to relax. As such, only Nathaniel and one other employee stayed behind in the kitchen, the rest of his staff either having their own late meals or simply chatting with friends. Despite the loud intervals of laughter or other noisy customers, the atmosphere felt quite homely, the air of a long day coming to an end.

A fair, honorable man, Nathaniel did not tolerate over-rowdy behavior in his inn, nor did he stand for cheating either his workers or the customer. A rarely seen metal truncheon and even more seldom seen crossbow were always at hand to aid him in this. Familiar faces could rely on having their own special spots (If such was possible), or perhaps having an extra slice of something or other now and then. Nathaniel was hardly 'famous' in Rune, being only one excellent inn amongst countless more, but the late 30-something did more than tolerably well, being a local favorite despite only arriving less than a decade ago.

The other being behind the counter now greeted Ruka, waving at her politely. She was an anthropomorphic spider, a surprisingly small abdomen preventing unwanted kitchen accidents. Each thin limb was colored black up to the 'elbow', giving the impression of elbow-length black gloves meeting pale carapace. Eight ruby-red eyes blinked curiously at the orc. Two arms swiped the counter busily while two more framed the surprisingly humanoid face, only the presence of fangs and lack of ears/nose indicating anything unusual. Shoulder-length white hair completed the unexpectedly relieving sight.

"Evening." Her voice was pleasantly mellow, with a hint of vibration thrumming behind it. Nancy blinked again, forming the impression of a slight bow. "What can I do for you? Place to sleep, food, drink?"

(OOC-Red, if it's a small thing like food/drink/bed, go ahead and move forward this time, just gloss over it somewhat.
OOC-If anyone else comes in afterwards, do the same, unless you want the interaction with Nancy/Jormandur/Porthis to be more significant. Please don't assume that they're going to say/do such and such a thing aside from that, PM me first and we'll work that out.)

Maud, an energetic human red-head who was the fantasy of quite a few regulars, flitted from the few tables that were still occupied, refilling mugs and nimbly dodging any drunken pinches. It was well-known to regulars that she was capable of rendering an overly-bold man crippled for life, so only the newcomers were stupid enough to try anything. Thankfully for Nathaniel's reputation as a innkeeper, she refrained from beating the light out of the newcomers

Jormandur, a dark-skinned human, sat in a empty corner with his coworker and close friend, Porthis, an olive-skinned human with an exotic lisp that only served to endear him to various female friends. The two held a quiet conversation over a game of black and white tiles, occasionally glancing about to ensure that nothing was amiss.

It was into this inn, The Dancing Vine, that a weary Valentine dragged himself into. A slumbering Naoko draped over his shoulders and beloved hat (Which was, to his chagrin, being squished underneath the kitsune's face) weighed on the mage like some mythological hero of old. Having said his goodbyes to Cayl once departing their ship, Valentine had gotten himself lost several times due to particularly unhelpful citizens. Thankfully, only one of them had been a would-be robber.

He slumped into a nearby chair, the weight of his familiar almost flattening his face into the wood. Maud was there in a few seconds.

"What'll it be?" She asked, amusement flickering in green eyes as Valentine managed to drag his face upwards.

"Nathaniel still has that touch." He chuckled weakly, drawing a raised eyebrow from the barmaid at the name. "Sorry. If you could tell Nathaniel that his friend Valentine is here, that would be good. And some lamb stew. Mead. Thanks."

"Red meat." Naoko muttered sleepily, ears twitching at the scent of hot food.

"And half a pound of medium rare beefsteak."

"I c'n eat a pound." The kitsune protested, eyes opening slowly.

Valentine patted her soft head reassuringly, receiving a half-hearted slap on the hand in protest. "A pound, then." He managed to fumble out a coin pouch, and tossed a few gold coins out. "Thanks." He buried his face in the aromatic wood once more, leaning heavily against the table as Maud went back to prepare his food.

"Valentine? Valentine Felding, is that you?" Nathaniel walked out from behind the counter, picking up on the rather silly (In his mind, although he would never say it out loud) hat that his old friend favored so much, as well as the two-tailed kitsune familiar he had bound before the other came to Rune. The older man sat down across from his friend, who raised a hand in greeting, head still face-down in the table.

"Good to hear your voice again." Valentine said, muffled by the table. "How have you been?"

(OOC-Figured I should cut it here so I didn't jump ahead of anyone else)
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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#5 Post by deathwatch »

Issac & Kira

Standing on the deck of the rocking ship Issac and Kira prepared their things as the ship came to port, even at night the harbour was like nothing either of them had ever seen. After the ship docked they walked down the ramp onto the peir, Issac took a look around and took a deep breath "Ah, so this is the great city itself, i can't wait to get started." he grinned "yeah, lets find somewhere to sleep first." Kira told him. "Well then, let us go into the city and find a place to stay for a few nights.". The pair made their way through the city streets and eventually they came across an inn they liked called 'the dancing vine'. They walked in and he pointed to an empty table.
"Kira go sit with the stuff, I'll get the room this time. he recalled a fond memory as he spoke.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault that they only had the one bed.".
"That boat jouney lasted a couple of weeks and i might be a ranger but that long on a hard floor, my back is still sore. Kira couldn't help but laugh as Issac said that.

Issac walked over to what he assumed was the innkeeper and waited to be served.

Kira walked over to the table and sat, this city was something very new to her, it's stone buildings and dusty streets were a drastic change from the trees and grass of Castams great forest. Looking around she saw a strange man with a strange hat, he had a kitsune with him and was coversing with another man, she turned to see an orc, two warriors that were catching up, two men playing some sort of game, an armoured man with a book and she picked out a man in the corner, He was met by a small group of people and he held a board full of symbols. Kira then unslung her musket and began inspecting it whilst she waited.

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#6 Post by Nightfury »

(( Sorry if I'm being too presumptuous and powergamey here. Just tell me if so.))

Soon, in Aaron's search for an Inn, he'd come across a peculiar scene. Two large men, dark of skin and with cocky expressions, taunted a smaller, female figure with a blonde braid down to her waist. Her costume, however, was visible even in the dying light- multicolor patterns and a smirking white mask. Her eyes were invisible, and her stance unreadable, as one of the two men pushed her shoulder.

"What're you coming here for, eh? Little thing like you, challenging the two of us. Shoulda known better than to ask questions when we're drinking, girly."
The figure just glanced upwards, taking a step back, and spoke. "Your breath smells of drink. You're uncoordinated. Back off, you'll regret this."

What happened next was a blur- first, he made a move to punch the masked Harlequin, who stepped back, and, with a movement, hefted the flat of the blade into the side of the man's face. He dropped like an empty sack, while his friend decided that it wasn't worth the trouble and made a run for it. Turning to face Aaron, she pointed the swordtip at him. "And what of yourself? Do you seek a fight as well? If so, i'll provide."

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#7 Post by Stryder221 »

(Eh, I don't mind... this time, at least... :| )

From under the shroud of his hood, Aaron's expression was unnoticeable, and from under the cloak laid a hand on his longsword, a beautiful blade, but didn't draw it.

"Do I look like the town drunk to you? It just wouldn't be right to challenge a woman, as skilled as you seem to be... I am merely just looking to get out of the streets."
He spoke in a light, polite tone, attempting to display an appearance of decency.

This woman's costume reminded him of the entertainers that his family had occasionally hired for festive occasions back home, he had considered them bright and colorful, but this one was no mere entertainment, and the costume had a mildly frightening effect combined with the mask she had, but he ignored this, and walked to the recently knocked out drunk, then proceeded to give a single hard kick to his stomach.

"Though I'm sure I'd give more of a challenge than this... individual..."
He gave another kick to demonstrate who he meant.
"...I am not looking for a fight. well, not yet..."

He knelt down and began checking the drunk's pockets for some coins, and a few seconds later, he drew out a small pouch. After emptying the purse of some of it's coins into one of the pouches on his belt, he tossed it toward the harlequin, most of it's contents still remaining.

"Vermin... the lot of them... At the very least the coin might get one of us a place to sleep..."

"Speaking of which, would you happen to know where the nearest inn is, madam? And not a rat-infested hole, please... One that at least has some decency."
E͎͖̯̱̻͡r̲͇r͢҉͈͚ò͈̹̰̩̺͓̝̘̟̕r̨̡̺̥̲̰͕̭̬:̵͙̦̟̮̖̯̞́͢ ̴̛̞̙͙̠̲̝̟S̵͎̼̖̜̯͕̺͔̀i̶͉̟̝̻͕̺g̢̤͕n̴͈̩̝͓͖̹͕̟͢a͕̺̱͞ț̸̛͓u̢̥̣̣̰̪ͅr̨̠͙̯̣̣̘̠ḛ̡̨̟̗̥̰̱̻ͅ ̻̮̼̥͕̼͉͎u͏͔̳n͏͔͈̭̭͟a̮͕͖̲͕͙͔ͅv̺̦̼̥̭͙a͏҉̦̺̫̯i̝̙̳̜l̴̡̳̥͠a̢̘̬͈͢ͅb̶̶̦͉͙́ḷ̸̙̙̳̩̥́e͔̪̳̦̫͚̪̹ͅ.͖̠̗͔̖̞ͅ

Geo_&_Bio
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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#8 Post by Geo_&_Bio »

Glistening with all its glory; a relic that was to last for generations, only lasted a decade if that. It had served him well, and it would of continued its career if it had not been for his treacherous men. A tear ran down his face, hardly noticeable as he stood there firm; he didn’t want to give it up, it was crafted by one of his faithful supporters on his governing isle, used to defend himself against a mob of marines and small time boat defending mercenaries. His occupation as a smuggler, a pirate, and a con ended with a confined ship, stolen goods, and broken trust and the bartering will be his confirmed end of that age of his life. A hand gently sat upon his arm; a soft, light rest came from his one and only champion, Katherine. It was the rest of support, and the pain moving through him to continue with the transaction.

“Here you go, M’lord. Enough gold to last you at the bar for ages; and don’t worry, I’ll keep this baby nice and safe until your return, unless some other rich lord comes for it as well.” He gave a small chuckle the broker spewed. Vytos gave his gilded pistol a small kiss of respect. “Ah, nice. I can sell it for more, a poor lord with the kiss of tragedy.” The broker rubbed it in, Vytos wanted to say something; how on earth did he know about the Bronstrummers, yes they were famous, but it wasn’t a worldwide phenomenon like Zoredo explorations. Maybe he was in Castam when it happened, maybe he recognizes my appearance, maybe word did spread fast, ‘or maybe it looks like I am rich and I am forced to sell my equipment for money.' Either way, Vytos didn’t give any other expression other than his stern look, accepting the capital given to him.

The two was walking out of the market place and into another district within the city. Kat, concerned about her new employer, leaned over to witness the bad. “’bout enough to last us a week alone if we rented two rooms in an inn, not the price I wanted, but it’s far better than others ten-fold and this was just squeezing at him to get this much. However, if we use your skill to our ability, we will be able to double it, maybe even triple if we are lucky.” Kat didn't even need to say a single word, Vytos could understand her curiosity and he often gave her more than she asked when it came for words. “So where are we heading now?” Vytos soon sparked up a bag full of confidence, “Tonight, we’re going to rest, tomorrow is when we really start everything. I've got us the funds, and you've got you’re sword.” Kat felt his confidence; it was rather contagious as the feeling of confidences spurred into her as well.

Darkness was overlapping as sunlight began to descend on the horizon, the two decided to stay on the main street, looking for a place to stay until the morning. It wasn’t until their path was obstructed by two rather shifty looking characters, both enigmatic in their own way; one a rather brightly colorful conglomerate of frills and the other a more orthodox of mystery, a dark cloak; conversing between the two, one beat down a couple of larger bodies whilst the other was kicking and, possibly, looting the stationary forms. It was possibly a good guess that they were unusual gang members or thugs or something. “I don’t like the look, let us go around.” Kat reassured Vytos in response. “Don’t worry, Lord Vytos, I am your sworn sword; I’ll keep you safe.” They continued onward, trying to walk past the two, hopefully without drawing attention and Kat's hand upon her sword.
The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#9 Post by Nightfury »

"Unfortunately...I do not know of a place. Here, I am foreign." She said, catching the bag delicately on her blade and, strangely, letting it slide sideways down into her other hand as if it were falling sideways. "Perhaps-" she began, then paused, looking at the new arrival as she adjusted her blade hand, the strange metal shimmering in the dim light. "We are not alone. Strangers, speak your name and goal! Are you a new foe?" she spoke, pointing the tip of her sword at the two trying to sneak past her.

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#10 Post by y7h65 »

Rune at night was a dark place, the image of a rich trading town ripped off by the embrace of the night. It was from her perch on top of the steeple of a church did the girl realize this. Despite the hustle and bustle of the day, the town became oddly quiet once night fell. Only the light of a few inns remained, everything else hidden in shadows or revealing themselves to the light of the moon.

She shivered as the night wind blew past the tower. It was cold. There really was no other way for the girl to describe how she felt as the moon continued to glow on the city below her. How long has it been since she awoke by herself in this city? It was almost a week now, by her count and with each day, she got colder and colder. She didn't have much time left and she had to find someone capable of helping her within the next day or so or else it would be too late. She really didn't want to think of what could happen if she were to fail. With one last shiver, she faded out of existence.

Meanwhile

Footsteps that weren't my own. That was the thing that had stopped since I had turned around the last corner. Truth be told, I had noticed that something was missing but I couldn't quite figure out what was missing until a second ago. It was this realization that had forced me to retrace my steps over the last two hundred or so meters. I had to admit, it probably wasn't a smart idea to let Ashley follow me. Knowing the airy girl, she had probably spotted a kitten or something and decided to go after it without telling me. It was events like this that made me question the wisdom of my decision to bring her along. It seemed that anytime I let her out of my sight for a bit, she would somehow disappear into the air. It would be amusing if it wasn't so damn frustrating. A part of me was telling me to just leave her out on the streets for a night, a part that was quickly silenced. For all the problems that Ashley brought, she could solve five or six more. She was also carrying all the goods that I was supposed to sell and who knows what could happen if I let those in her care for a night.

As I passed countless streets, alleys, and buildings a small chill started making it's way down my back. There was just something about this town that felt... odd. Sure the layout of the town was almost exactly the same as my own hometown but there was just a certain something about Rune that seemed to only appear during the night. I could swear that something was watching me from the shadows, a feeling that was making me wish for Ashley's presence. The sound of metal hitting the floor rang out from behind me and I spun around, hand already on the dagger at my hip.

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing behind me except for a pot on the ground and some rodent picking at the spilled contents. Letting go of a breath that I didn't know I was holding on to, I picked up my pace as I continued my search for Ashley. It may have been nothing this time but I really didn't want to face something without the airy girl.

Turning around the corner where I heard Ashley last I let out a quiet sigh as I spotted her sitting in the middle of the street, using the box that I had left in her care as a chair while her own massive sword rested on the ground and box. She was staring at something to the east side of the city. I had to wonder why. The only thing the the east that could even be remotely interesting was an old church and even that wasn't particularly noteworthy. Well, whatever she was looking at, she could look at once we were safely off the streets. "Ash!" I hissed at her as loud as possible without being too loud. Last thing I wanted was to draw any more attention to myself then I already had. "Ash, get over here!"

As if snapping out of a trance, Ashley's attention snapped immediately to me. She seemed confused for a moment but that was quickly swept aside for her usual overly energetic expression. "Lily!" She chirped out loud as she jumped to her feet, slinging her sword back to it's proper position behind her while lifting up the crate with her left as soon as she was firmly on the ground. "When'd you get here?" It seemed that she had yet to realize that she had been staring at whatever she was staring at for the last few minutes and that she had disappeared on me and not vice versa.

With a quiet groan, I pinched the bridge of my nose before grabbing her by her free arm and dragging her with me. I really did not want to be out on these streets for much longer. Whatever was creeping me out was getting closer and I would really like to get inside before we met it face to face. I could swear that there was almost an additional set of footsteps in addition to my footsteps and Ashley's. Hell, I swear that I could see something moving just out of the corner of my eyes. Sure there was nothing there when I turned to check but it certainly was playing hell on my nerves.

As I dragged her down various streets and past multiple alleys, Ashley continued to blabber on and on about how she got really bored, saw a ghost, and how the constellations were different from the ones back home. Nothing out of the ordinary really. What was odd was the fact that whatever was creeping me out seemed to be fading. Whatever it was, it seemed to find Ashley's presence disquieting and had decided to leave. It certainly made the trip to our inn much less nerve wracking and terrifying.

Still, I couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief when we finally got to our inn. It was a dingy place, a bit on the run down and old side but still filled with mostly reputable people and a hospitable staff. Not to mention, they were rather cheap when compared to other inns. The innkeeper gave me and Ashley a curt nod as the two of us entered the inn and took a seat at one of the tables, only to glare at me slightly as Ashley took her seat. While I had sat myself in the chair quietly Ashley had opted to drop both the heavy crate and sword onto the ground. The wooden floor creaked in protest at the massive weight being dropped on it as Ashley grabbed her seat and literally dropped herself into it.

I could already begin to guess that we weren't likely to be welcome at this inn at any point in the near future.

"Ash, could you try to not drop the heavy goods and sword on the ground like that?" I whispered quietly to her while leaning in as close as possible. I swear that I could feel holes being burned into my back by some of the more annoyed patrons of the inn. Ashley, true to form, promptly answered with an answer that barely made sense. "Don't worry Lily! I'm sure that the forks don't have any feelings or anything! I mean if they did, I'm sure they would have brought it up by now!" I could almost feel the silence fill the inn as half of the other people attempted to figure out how the short girl managed to come to that exact conclusion while the other half attempted to figure out whether or not there was something wrong with her. Perhaps a third of them was considering whether or not it would be appropriate to start a fight with a crazy girl who owned a sword longer then she was tall. Well, uncomfortable silence was definitely a step up from the annoyance and hostility that was directed at us a moment ago.

The silence seemed to drag into eternity even though I knew it couldn't be much longer then several seconds. Carefully, I spoke up as if any word can cause a minor explosion. Considering the situation, that was entirely possible. "In any event... we have to wake up early to scout out some vacant stores, OK?" Ashley responded simply by nodding her head over energetically while her attention drifted over to the meal the couple next to us were eating.

Almost like if a spell was lifted, the other patrons turned back to their drinks or meals as if nothing happened. Any of the previous hostility had just simply vanished and I began to feel a slight sense of relief wash over me. I really didn't want to spend another week explaining how exactly Ashley had managed to level a whole block of buildings by herself again. That was one talk I really didn't want to have to repeat. Still, despite all that's happened tonight, I had a good feeling about this town. I'm sure I can make it big here with Ashley's help. Big things were in the future for me and her and it would begin tomorrow. But first, I needed to eat. After a month of eating ship food, I was craving fresh fruit and vegetables along with meat that wasn't salted and dried. Judging by how Ashley seemed conflicted over whether or not she should jump the couple next to us, I could tell that I wasn't the only one that felt that way. Without further pause, I waved over one of the girls waiting the tables. I had plenty of time to plan for the future. Right now, I needed to make sure that Ashley didn't maim someone over food.
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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#11 Post by Stryder221 »

"I thought as much..." *Sigh...* "Looks like I'll have to-"
Aaron paused at almost the same moment the harlequin did, and turned to face the new arrivals at the same moment the harlequin's blade was pointed at them.

"Ma'am, please... You don't have to point a sword at everyone..."

It was two people he saw, one with a crystal eye, and in some of the more finer attire Aaron had seen, likely a noble, or working for one.
The other one was a woman, but he couldn't be exactly sure in the dim light, on a closer look, he saw at least one blade with her. *

He was immediately suspicious of both of them, particularly the first one. he still remembered the atrocities committed by the upper class, and his grip on his sword tightened, but his tone wasn't aggressive in the slightest.

"Oh, you two are probably wondering what happened to this individual..."
He nudged the fallen drunk with his foot.

"It's not a long story. see, I assume this one and his friend merely had too much to drink, and accosted this madam you see here.
As you can see, that was a mistake, and he was knocked out while his cowardly friend left the scene in a hurry... That is all I know..."


Once he finished his story, he turned and spoke to the harlequin woman.
"Now, shall we leave the vicinity before we have more... guests, madam?"

(* If her sword's supposed to be hidden, Tell me, and I'll edit it out.)
E͎͖̯̱̻͡r̲͇r͢҉͈͚ò͈̹̰̩̺͓̝̘̟̕r̨̡̺̥̲̰͕̭̬:̵͙̦̟̮̖̯̞́͢ ̴̛̞̙͙̠̲̝̟S̵͎̼̖̜̯͕̺͔̀i̶͉̟̝̻͕̺g̢̤͕n̴͈̩̝͓͖̹͕̟͢a͕̺̱͞ț̸̛͓u̢̥̣̣̰̪ͅr̨̠͙̯̣̣̘̠ḛ̡̨̟̗̥̰̱̻ͅ ̻̮̼̥͕̼͉͎u͏͔̳n͏͔͈̭̭͟a̮͕͖̲͕͙͔ͅv̺̦̼̥̭͙a͏҉̦̺̫̯i̝̙̳̜l̴̡̳̥͠a̢̘̬͈͢ͅb̶̶̦͉͙́ḷ̸̙̙̳̩̥́e͔̪̳̦̫͚̪̹ͅ.͖̠̗͔̖̞ͅ

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#12 Post by Phoenix Fang »

Rakamilya

The exiled shaman had spent most of her day at the apothecary, today trading her help in the store for more information on local fauna as well as that from castram. She could tell that the owner was thinking on hiring her, as she knew what she was doing, and her unusual appearance was attracting people to come in, most came just for a look at her and hear her thick accent and generally left with something they didn’t need in the least, but owner was happy for the extra coin. She’d learned quite a bit today and had sent her little helpers to gather some plants so she might begin arming them better, the toxin she’d learned about put people to sleep, but that could be more than useful.

She was just wandering when one of the connections to her little helpers began to resonate with spirit energy, which was highly unusual. The dark skinned elf tucked into an alley quickly and closed her eyes, her awareness shifting to the fetish and directing it to the source, a man in armor??? She pondered this for a moment before summoning the rest of her helpers, putting to them the task of following this… man.

The woman let her awareness shift back to her body blinking for a moment before pushing from the wall and walking out of the alley. Her destination was the place she was pitching her tent. The building had been abandoned and the roof offered quite a view of the land beyond the city, and of the city itself. She was not afraid to leave her things there as she always tasked several of her helpers to guard it. When she arrived she would crawl into her tent and sit cross-legged. Hand oif dusk would reach into a pouch at her side and draw the top of a bottle from it, the top was wide at top, meant for holding, and the bottom had a long needle, meant for the quick application of the contents of the bottle by will or force. She would draw the length of the needle across her tongue and swallow, shivering as the potent poison began to swim through her system, but it allowed her to free her spirit from her body, and it wasn’t enough to truly harm her, in the state she was putting herself, her body would burn it away quickly enough.

The world shifted, looking much the same as it had, but the colors much more saturated than they really were, and everything living glowed with an aura. She would be invisible to all others, but she could see and hear them. Her spirit would be drawn to one of her little spies and for a time she would wander after the man in armor, observing what he was doing, all the while growing more and more curious. He might feel her presence, but he wouldn’t be able to define it. At some point after coming up with a few theories, she instructed a fetish to through a stone at the man. It would be a small pebble and do nothing to him, but she wanted to see if the impact against the armor would ring hollow.

No matter the results of her experiment she would soon drift back to her body.

Later that night she would appear before him in the flesh. Without saying a word she would pull out a chair and sit cross-legged across from him, her violet eyes staring out at him from behind her mask.

Hathor

The world shone black and white for her, the only color were the vital aura settled on the hearts of those living. The Kahli was perched on an upper window sill of a tall building overlooking the compound of a man that thought he could take what he wanted, when he wanted, and who he wanted. But his appetites had earned him a contract, and she was here to collect that contract. She couldn’t see her target yet, but she knew where he would be, she’d been studying his movements for the last few days and he was a creature of habit. Suddenly the woman would lean forward, wings spreading before she pushed off the building. Catching air she would glide over the wall and land behind a hedge. Before her glide she’d let her vision return to normal, and her magic had recovered by now. Quickly she tucked her wings in and then she would disappear, reappearing twenty feet away and fifteen feet into the air, landing on the roof of an entrance way, quickly but quietly she scampered up to the building and hunkered down, using the edges of the roofs to hide her from view. Taking a breath she waited as that empty feeling passed and she again felt charged, telling her that she could again use her magic.

Eyesight shifted and she looked around, observing the guards as they walked about and checked to see that her target was at his desk in his study, she couldn’t be completely sure that it was him, but she’d been observing for several nights, sometimes sneaking in close like this. She could have already taken him out, but she wanted to make sure that the man had deserved to die, now that she was working for herself, she wanted to apply a certain morality to what she did.

Letting her vision return to normal she waited for a moment to feel charged before taking a step back and disappearing once more, appearing another ten feet up perched on the railing of a walkway the a guard used for his patrol. Slipping down onto that walkway she crouched and moved slowly, the guard walking before her. When he paused the woman leapt, wrapping an arm around his neck as her other clamped down on the top of his head. Leaning back, she easily lifted the shorter man a little off his feet. He struggled and kicked but could scream and in a few moments he went limp as he passed out from a lack of air.

She eased him down gently and made sure he would be seen from the edge or a window as he was the only guard patrolling up here. From there it was a simple matter to sneak into a room adjacent to the targets office through a window. Pressing up to the door she peeked through the keyhole to confirm that he was busily at work, his head down. Carefully she eased the door open and stepped sideways through it. She was to his left side, so slowly she eased to the side, sliding around behind him before approaching. He was completely unaware of her till she plunged her dagger into him, the curved edge sliding under the ribs and up to pierce the heart. He grunted and was dead, and a smile of satisfaction crept upon her lips. What came next was gruesome but necessary, as the severed finger with signet ring was the proof she needed to get paid. As soon as that was cut free and stored away she sent a pulse of magic through her dagger and watched as the body turned to ash.

In the next moments, as her eyes caught on a vase, a moral quandary presented itself, would she leave undetected, or would she make a statement to help get her name out there. Then she thought of the guards, and knew that they knew what the man they worked for did, and did nothing but take his money. So she walked over and tipped the vase off its stand, letting if fall and smash upon the floor.

A moment passed before she could hear running feet. The other door to the room burst open and a man rushed through, three more behind him in the hallway. Hathor stepped forward, a smile on her lips that the guards could not see for the mask she wore. The first man, sword drawn before he barged in, in light plate armor charged forward and swung for her neck, and she let him. Taking a single step forward she ducked down, the blade singing just over her head as the man barreled past. Without a thought she stood again, thrusting back as she swung her dagger up. Again blade pierced flesh and heart through the mans unprotected back. Feeling him go limp she released a pulse of magic and the man turned to ash.

Everything went still and three men stood their staring at her and a pile of ash. She would let that sink in before taking a single step towards them. The next moment the men were gone, running down the hall screaming of a demon.

Later that night the woman showed up at the inn dressed much differently, attracting eyes for her odd and revealing attire, not to mention the wings, the bone blades at her elbows and the horns atop her head. She’d been here several times, and tonight she had a fresh bag of coins and was looking to celebrate with a nice steak and trimmings. She was walking through the bar till someone nearly dropped a crate on her feet. She moved out of the way at the last moment, but her eyes turned to the person that had dropped the crate. A smile grew on her lips as the other spoke and brought the place to silence, she had to be a mage or a wizard, with how her own magic worked, it was always interesting to see how those types responded to her.

Once the bar restarted she leaned in and spoke in the others ear, “I think I should be invited to a conversation as an apology for almost taking off my foot.”
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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#13 Post by Geo_&_Bio »

“Ideally, I’d like to have things not point at me at this time.” Vytos stated to the Patches of colors that pointed its glistening sword in his general direction. The cloaked man explained to Vytos of the situation, but Vytos didn’t seem all that convinced. He could have easily made up that story, though it didn’t sound like a lie. Could’ve practiced though, and the figure upon the ground could have been just unfortunate drunk getting mugged by two inscrutable shades. “As a matter of fact, I wasn’t really wondering at all. However now I am curious.” Kat kept the blade out, not necessarily pointing at them, but ready to defend if need be. “How can I trust the value of your word, when one is knocked out while the other is not here? I see a drunk, yes, but I also see two who hides their faces, one behind a mask and another behind a cloak. How do I not know that you are not muggers and bag-snatchers? And dare I ask about the man’s purse?” Vytos began inquiring as they slowly continued, trying to maneuver around the might-be thugs; in earnest, the idea of them being thugs may be over the top due to the colorful one being very distinct, but she reacted quite oddly for people who were trying to walk peacefully, and the other looks like trouble, it doesn’t sit well with Vytos.


As much as he would like to help the poor drunk, he has no real stand on the subject; he has no idea if these two were telling the truth or thugs looking for cheap money. Instead of continuing the instigation, he kept his distance on the matter, shaking his head at the possible foolishness to make the matter far more complicated than it was in getting him involved at an rather unfortunate scene. “I just wish to get to the local inn for a rest.” He explained, though he may be in luck as the two mysterious figures are heading off, and maybe their blood may not be on his or his champion’s hands. Kat still stood defensively, the sword still not pointing but ready to parry at an instance if she needs to.
The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#14 Post by Nightfury »

The Harlequin's sword twitched very slightly from it's position, then it dropped to her side again, and she gave a slight bow. "My honor is true. You are of no threat to I...and I none to you."

Just at that moment, however, a clatter of feet came from an alley. The thug, that had fled, was back- and behind him in the alley stood at least four others, armed with chain and improvised metal clubs, all looking very angered. "There she is! The clown that took out my buddy! Get'er boys, and the others too!" He shouted, the bulky men charging out of the alleyway.

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Re: South Bound: The Quest for Hastrajal (RP)

#15 Post by the red soldier »

(The two of them are running parallel to each other)

Ruka and Mysk

The sight of the spider creature left the poor ork a bit breathless to say the least. It was the first time she ever saw such a woman. The eight eyes for one made Ruka a bit uneasy but there was an elegance to her appearance. Mumbling her words a bit, Ruka managed to swallow slowly, clearing her throat before making an order. "Y-yes, I'll have a three meat stew and a pint of Frodel Mead... Make that two pints." The spider woman simply nodded with a smile, vanishing behind closed doors for what was about 5 seconds before returning with the order. She was about to open her sack of gold when all of a sudden, yelling and screaming came from the direction of the strange masked figure in the dark corner.

Looking behind her, a man tried to get everyone's attention for some reason. "HE'S A FAKE!" He screamed. "NOTHING MORE THEN A LIAR I TELL YOU!" He continued screaming, pointing at the masked figure. Its about then that something was wrong, something seemed to thug at Ruka's spirit. Looking at the masked figure, she seemed to see dark tendrils sprouting from behind him. Of course there was nothing really there physically, it just seemed like something was manifesting.

"YoU tHiNk Me A cHeAp CoNjUrEr Of ThE mInD?!"

The booming voice filled the inn itself. The masked figure almost seemed to float in the air when several spirits appeared before him, there faces twisted and deformed as chains seemed to wrap around there limbs. The screaming man was in complete shock at the sight.

"BeGoNe WiTh YoU BeFoRe YoU jOiN tHe RaNkS oF tHe DaMnEd!"

Rest assured that he did not have to repeat himself twice as the man bolted out of the front doors, scared witless. Naturally Ruka had a hand on her crossbow and the other on her broadsword, waiting for what would happen next. However, the maligned spirits vanishing into thin air, the masked figure simply calmed down, mentioning for someone else to step forward. Not surprisingly his potential costumers hesitated but he motioned again for them to step forward. As for Ruka, her gaze slowly turned to face the bar again. Although she could not hide the sight of her nerves, as if she had just come out of a battle.

Czir

Bottle of red wine in one hand and a glass of cider in the other, Czir seemed to be having the time of his life. "Can... can-can... can you be-belie-ve these... Cast-tames. Mackingsh drinnkz oo-uut of APPLES!" He drunkenly said, almost screaming out the apple part as he gazed happily at the cider. "Geniush I saa-y!" His buddy on the other hand was merrily chopping down on a prime piece of ham. "I dont know about you but this meat is to die for! Nothing like this in the steppes!" The warrior said, drinking his meat down with a bit of classic mainland Hastrajal Kumis.

The two of them had a merry time, now talking about the latest close to death experience they went through when the screaming started. Czir, in his current state, could hardly tell what was happening. He simply looked towards the corner and saw "evil" ghosts! It didn't take that long to turn around, drink the rest of his cider and simply pass out a second later, his heavy upper body (Still in armor) slamming hard on the wooden table. As for the other warrior, he simply stared in disbelief, only to stare at his kumis then at Czir. "I think I've had enough for one night..."
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