The Gang of Five
Role Play => Random Role Play => Topic started by: Noname on August 26, 2009, 01:21:24 PM
-
Ophion walked down the streets of Minthebec, one of the largest cities in his land. He had just left the palace of the king, hoping the find a job at the palace. While he already owned a shop, his magical skills were being underutilized, in his opinion. The wizard knew that his power was far inferior to that of the court mages, but he had believed that he could fill a job to teach the king's seventh son about the basics of magic... a task which hardly seemed worth the time of the powerful mages already present... turns out he was wrong.
Not far from the palace was the great market of the city, and it seemed like all the world had come there to buy and sell a wide multitude of items... and not far from that, Ophion could see the tall marble and granite towers of the rich merchants and bankers who profited from this trade.
-
Laddy minna looked out over the raparts of her cAstle,. Technically it was her fathers, since females couldn't own property, but she live d in it and ran it like it was hers
.minna was nineteen, and unmarried. her father was a high-ranking noble at the kings court, although in terms of power and prestige he wasn't in the highest ranks.. yet..
-
Ophion continued to walk through the city, passing from the paved roads of the marketplace to the cobblestone streets of a more... common neighborhood. The main street of Minthebec was wide and smooth, and was literally fit for a king to traverse across with his retinue... but Ophion's house was along a less... prestigious path. Literally.
(http://www.walkingboston.com/images/Cobblestone3.jpg)
-
Not far from where Ophion was, a new soul wandered the streets of the city. He had only arrived from the desert waste shortly before noon, be he showed no signs of fatigue. Many dracons gave second glances at him and any of the guards that passed him eyed him suspiciously. His silhouette underneath his flowing ragged clothes show that he's no dracon, but simple hints and features reveal he's no simple human, either. Even the fact that his coat flapped about to a wind that no one else can feel.
He paid no heed to the stares as he continued on, his beautifully crafted staff gently rapping against the street as he walked...
-
The Dracon mage stopped for a moment. Although Ophion was powerful, even he couldn't help but be awed by the sight of his city from the hill he was on... one of the highest in the city... it seemed as if it was a jewel indeed... but he knew of the poverty it held within its recesses...
-
Elsewhere in the city...
Valeron was in the temple. Today, I'm finally a paladin. he had spent the past three years in training, and now he was finally ready to do his duties to the temple.
-
The temple Valeron entered was the Great Temple of Minthebec, an opulent temple to be sure. All major Dracon temples were full of mages, priests, dancers, priestesses, alchemists, craftsmen, and other workers... paladins were just one of many who served there.
-
Jake had recently awoken at the Acadamy where he had finished his training as a squire, Jake was a young human boy at the age of 16 training to be a knight. All he had to do now was walk through a Dracon City called Minthebec and travel 5 more kilometres until he arrived at a castle ruled by King Archibold. Jake had packed all of his things and farewelled his friends and he set off for the Dracon City on a white horse.
-
Inside the town square, a group of Fauxen youths stood, looking at the city.
"Wow..." Akito, the oldest of the group said, awestruck. His friend Touga nodded mutely, too dumbfounded to form any words.
"It's so...big..." Juri, the older of the two females in the group added, jaw slack with amazement. Utena, the other female nodded her agreement, her tail flicking back and forth...
"By my best estimations, this city would take us days to get around fully. Miki, the youngest male said, looking around.
"Tch. Whatever." Kyuichi scoffed, sounding disinterested...
The group had come to study the Dracon culture as a part of their rite to become counted as adults in their tribe...
_________________________________________________________________________
Canas sighed as he sat in his house. Unlike most Dracon males, he remained clothed, simply because he was always expecting to have company, as he did things to help out others on a regular basis. He looked over the book on his desk again, then shook his head and got up, heading outside...
-
Many races could be found in the largest cities in the Dracon lands. Traders and explorers came from far and wide, and adventurers have long regarded their lands as a good source for excitement... and loot.
Most inhabitants were Dracons, though. Each city was run by a king, and each king had many wives, countless children, a huge palace, and legions of soldiers. In addition, each city had fancy temples, thick walls, and dozens of palaces. This came at a great cost to the poor, however, who rarely benefited from all the wealth...
-
The clang of the sea bell woke Harly abruptly as the ferry smashed into the dock. He blinked and looked up at the Captain, who was busy yelling at the crew for allowing his ship to hit the dock - Harly couldn't help but regard how idiotic he was.
Harly stretched and asked the stranger next to him, a Dracon who was only half-clothed, a question.
"You wouldn't happen to know where we are?" The stranger pointed to a sign that said "Minthebec''.
"Hmm... an odd name for a city."
Harly jumped out onto the dock and into the portyards. He was carrying pretty much everything he had with him. Upon reaching the road he shifted through the crowd and discovered he was completely lost.
Harly hailed the nearest patron of the street, who happened to be Dracon mage Ophion, and asked him,
"Say I don't suppose you know where I can find the inn? A man needs a place to rest."
-
"The nearest inn is down the street, two blocks south from here" Ophion replied. "No wait... there's a closer one about one block from here if you turn to the east and go down... oh. Never mind... there's one right... there" He said, pointing at a building parallel to the street they were standing on. "You probably don't want to go to that one if you are looking to rest... it is loud all day and all night... The first one I mentioned is probably the best for a human to visit."
Yes, the Dracons had many inns... far too many...
-
Passing by a group of young fauxens, even the stranger paused to look up at the marvel of the city. Its spires reached up towards the azure skies, perhaps where the wind continues to blow in this time of day.
It won't be long before he must begin his prayers, so he heads off to find some locals of the city, his coat flapping still to an unfelt wind...
-
Meanwhile, not too far from Ophion, a female Dracon prepared food for dinner. This was Ausrescia, Ophion's wife. Few female Dracons were stay-at-homes, and she was no exception. "Ausie" helped her husband maintain the magic shop, did real work for herself, and had some skill in magic... as several would-be muggers had found out the hard way!
-
Jake rode through the harsh desert terrain and he stopped to give his horse and himself a drink of water. Once Jake had finished that Jake got back onto his horse Blazer and he continued to Ride. He had been riding for 1 hour now and he had reached a large city.....he got off of his horse and walked over to a large male Dracon.
"um......hello, is this the city Minthebec?" asked Jake
the Dracon nodded and continued along the street.
Jake got his horse and he walked through town looking for an inn that he could stay at. He noticed a human walk inside a building.
Jake saw a sign that related to it being an inn. "this will have to do..." said Jake as he tied up his horse. Jake walked over to the door and he opened it and went inside.
-
Ausrescia set the food to cooking... it would be some time before it was done... so she spent some time reading a book... literacy was rare for the Dracons... and that went for males and females alike... but Ophion's household was totally literate... even his kids knew how to read... the only problem was that most Dracon novels were of low quality... usually a piece of historical fiction authorized by the state to glorify the government <_< ... or a baudy "romance novel" ;) ... or in this case, a story about a mythological heroes of their land. :)
-
Jake walked over to the counter to book a room for himself although he had one problem.....he couldn't understand the Dracon serving him. Jake was extremely confused....
-
The Dracon handed Jake a translation book, and Jake finally understood what the Dracon was saying. The dracon was telling him that he was in room 7 and he could order room service if need be.
-
At the inn, a Dracon mage suggested to Jake that he should get a ring of tongues... a magical ring which was sold at moderate price at the city's main marketplace. The ring could give the wearer the ability to comprehend any foreign language... and since so many of them were made, the price was relatively low...
Meanwhile, Ophion was still in the streets of Minthebec...
-
Jake walked upstairs and walked down the inn hallway. He arrived at room number 7...
"this is it" said Jake as he unlocked the door and went inside. Jake put his things down and thought it was best to take the dracons advice to get the ring. Jake didn't usually like to take advice from another species but....he didn't want to accidently offend someone on the street without realizing it...
-
Ophion continued walking down the street... he had had a long day... why, just earlier that day, he had a nasty run in with a very rude mage... he and the other mage were looking for the same scroll, only to get in a shouting match over it when they refused to share it... Ophion didn't like that guy... someone named "Arcantas"... who seemed very interested in an old piece of parchment which had an obscure reference to some lost ruins in the middle of nowhere...
-
Jake decided it was best to rest for the night and then go get the ring when the sun rises. During his day he had to get some apples and some assortments of grains for his horse.
-
(gtg)
-
Ophion finally made it home, to his wife and three children. His wife knew he was coming before she saw him or heard his footsteps... she could tell he was near by his scent, and the wind was blowing it in the direction of the open window in the house that she was sitting next to...
Ausrescia came over to greet him. She was quite a sight to see for her husband. Since the Dracons had very different ideas about modesty than those of humans, she was only dressed in enough to cover her private areas in the lower areas... same thing with the males... although this only applied at home... when they were around others in public, they were expected to cover up much more.
-
OOC: Sorry I did not respond I spent last night resting after a bout of sickness.
Harly found the inn he had been looking for, but the mage's advice hadn't been that helpful. This city was large and thoroughly confusing and it had taken him nearly an hour to finally find the proper place to stay.
The Shady Inn certainly was shady as Harly pushed open the old saloon style doors, and found his way into a bar seat. Everywhere nobody spoke like it was some unwritten law, and only a few of the patrons actually had drinks.
"I'll take a port with wash of soy water and a portion of sea bass," Harly asked the barman. The Dracon simply looked at him like he was an alien.
Man these people were wierd.
-
"What is... soy?" The bartender, and old Dracon with reddish skin and few teeth, asked Harly. "We've got water alright... and I think we have some bass" said the cook, all the way in the back.
This was the dining room of the inn, in as far as it could be called that... the common room was next door... and, like most rooms of that sort in these lands, it was loud... and every now and then a female would exit the veiled common room and go through the dining area, looking tired... these were dancers, no doubt.
"You a human?" the bartender asked. "We don't get too many of you in these parts..."
-
"I'm not surprised," stated Harly, "I'll take it then please."
The former sea captain pulled out a wooden box from his bag and withdrew a wooden pipe and an iron lighter.
Four flicks of the lighter and it still hadn't caught - Harly was getting annoyed.
"I don't suppose you have a light?" he asked the bartender.
-
"What d'you expect? For me to breathe fire out of my mouth? Because I look like a dragon?" the bartender said. "We breathe acid, and not very strong acid at that... unless a Dracon is a powerful warrior, of course..."
"Don't be rude to the man" a female Dracon, obviously a waitress, said. "Here you go" she told Harly, giving him a light from a firebrand lit by a torch.
-
Meanwhile A nessage arrived for Minna from her father It directed her to go out into the city and wait for an entourage sent by a fellow noble. Minna was expected to welcome them, and guide them to the castle..
-
Later that day, Ophion sat at his study, reviewing his notes. Dinner had been great, and his wife and three children were as well-mannered as usual... which was a refreshing change from many Dracons in his neighborhood, especially the ones who played loud music until far into the morning...
As he was working, Ophion's youngest child entered the room. He was a six-year old son named Kosjurac, or "Kos" for short. By human standards, one would be unable to tell his age, as Kos was already as tall as a human twelve year old male, and almost as mentally and emotionally developed.
Ophion and Ausrescia had known that he had sorcerous powers since he was a hatchling, but these powers were undeveloped, and would remain so until puberty, which was still years and years away for him. Even so, the magical arts held a great interest for him, and he would often check up on his father to see what he was doing.
"Hi dad! What are you writing?"
"Just... reviewing some notes from earlier... mostly some stuff about how to harness the element of fire."
"Oh! I can do that! Watch me!" Kos said, as he tried to summon his magical powers , but only succeeded in producing a small spark.
"... Well, I can sorta do it..."
"You shouldn't try to use magic yet, son. You aren't old enough, and the last time you tried to cast a serious spell..."
"... I hurt myself." Kos said. He simply needed to grow older and stronger before he could use magic...
"But, there is no harm in learning about it, as long as you remember not to actually try it until you are a bit older..."
"I hate being so young..." Kos said, sitting down, wrapping his tail around his legs. "Why do we even have these stupid rules anyway? I'm almost as large as mom and all I can wear is this stupid piece of cloth until I'm seven..."
-
These people were so tempermental, at least thats what Harly thought as he sighed and took the light from a torch. It wasn't easy to do either - if only his lighter had been working.
Suddenly there was a loud and thunderous roar as a massive fireball burned through the wall and entered the inn, ingulfing it in flames. The event was followed by a thunderous BOOM!!! That knocked Harly out of his chair.
A figure came in through the gap in the wall. He was a tall and vicious looking Dracon with black skin robed in fine red silk. His eyes looked with a burning hatred at Harly and he juggled a small ball of flame in his nimble fingers.
"You wanted a light?" he called out in comtempt. "We have them on special today." And he lobbed the fireball across the room towards Harly.
-
As the flame closed in on Harly, a black wall formed in front of her.
"Sorry, my friend. But I see no reason for you to hurt her. Therefore, I won't let you"
Canas said, robe swirling around him...
-
(OOC: Isn't Harly a guy?)
Ophion heard the explosion all the way from his house.
"Ophie?! What was that?!" Ausrescia exclaimed.
"I don't know! I'm going to investigate. Stay in the house! The wards will protect you." This was true; he had placed some enchantments on the walls of the house in order to protect his family.
The only problem was, Ophion didn't notice that Kos was following him, curious to see what the explosion was...
-
Valeron was walking home from the temple. That ceremony took all day. I'm glad that I'm on my way home.
Just then, Valeron heard a large explosion. Should I investigate? I am now a paladin, and my duties compel me to end disturbances, but I'm unarmed. Curiosity got the best of him, and Valeron began running towards the source of the explosion.
-
Harly had experienced battle before... cannon fire had blistered his cabbin at one point during his tour as a first mate on a sailing vessel, but this was far different.
How were these strange people doing things with their minds?
After the black shield broke the flame he hit the deck - literally. He hopped up over the bar counter and hid behind it, taking him out of the fight.
Through all this the unfortunate bartender came out to see what was going on...
-
Within a minute, Ophion was about a third of the way to the scene of the blast. Several city guards were heading there as well, and a crowd of Dracon civilians were moving away from the scene.
Kos managed to avoid the crowd by climbing up the side of a wall and running from roof to roof... being careful to avoid a sleeping female who was sunning herself on the top of one of them...
-
Valeron was almost to the scene. His smelled burning wood, old wood. Blast, he thought to himself, a fire might be brewing. As Valeron turned the corner, he saw smoke coming out of an inn.
He ran as fast as he could towards the inn to see the robed Dracon throwing a fireball at a human at the bar.
-
As he ran towards the blast site, Ophion prepared a spell to increase his resistance to fire... not that his robes weren't already enchanted to be resistant to flames, but he was hardly immune to them...
Kos continued running as well, climbing off of the rooftop and hiding behind a well not far from where the burning inn was...
-
(OOC:is Kos a guy) coming down Kos saw an image of two shadowy figures one appeared to be a adult Dracon who was being slain by the other which lookws like a teenage human boy with a broadsword, the boy looked at Kos and said "if you value your life then leave now!" Kos backed away and fired one question at the boy "who are you?" while the boy answered "my name is of no importance,now leave if you want to live" this kid sounded like he was insane but he knew what he was doing.
So Kos left the burning inn but he hoped to reveal who the mysterious figure at the inn was.
-
(OOC:is Kos a guy)
coming down Kos saw an image of two shadowy figures one appeared to be a adult Dracon who was being slain by the other which lookws like a teenage human boy with a broadsword, the boy looked at Kos and said "if you value your life then leave now!" Kos backed away and fired one question at the boy "who are you?" while the boy answered "my name is of no importance,now leave if you want to live" this kid sounded like he was insane but he knew what he was doing.
So Kos left the burning inn but he hoped to reveal who the mysterious figure at the inn was.
-
(OOC: Kos is a six year old Dracon Male, and please don't take control of other player's characters without the permission of the player who made the character... and please fix that double post. Thanks.)
Kos backed off from the inn, moving about a block away. He saw his father arrive at the burning scene in about a minute after he had backed off.
Ophion had stopped to cast the fire resistance spell, and it had worked. Walking past still-burning fires, the tongues of flame licked his robes and skin, but had no effect on him. Drawing his sword, the Ophion asked "What in blazes is going on here?!"
Meanwhile, Kos climbed up the side of another building, and, walking on the flat rooftops, approached the inn again, hoping to watch from what he believed was a safe place to watch the action from a safe distance.
He was wrong.
-
Valeron had noticed the red-robed Dracon was about to throw another fireball and tried to stop the mage, but the paladin was too late. The fireball was flying towards the human when a dark wall appeared, seemingly from nowhere, to stop the blaze.
Valeron then tried to incapacitate the Dracon mage when Ophion arrived. When Ophion posed his question, Valeron said, "Help me get this mage under control! And try to get some help with this fire!"
-
Ophion cast a spell, "Extinguish flames", which quickly put out all fires within a 100-foot radius.
"Now... less flame, more answers" he said. "Who are you, and why are you torching this place?"
Kos watched from an awning attached to the roof of the next building over, looking down at the scene.
-
"If you want to know why the fire was started, ask this mage." Valeron had succeeded in immobilizing the mage and now held the mage's arms behind the mage's back. "When I got here, he was casting a fireball."
-
"You, mage. Why are you blasting this place? Tell me!" Ophion said to the rouge spellcaster.
While it was the job of the city guard to take care of hostile wizards, the mages of Minthebec were also interested in each others affairs... they all had a power-hungry streak, even though in some mages, it was much worse... Ophion was interested in the motives and spells of this wizard, just as any other would be... if he could get the rogue wizard's note, spellbook, and other magical equipment, so much the better...
What was clear was that all Dracon mages sought power for themselves... if serving a city was a necessary means to that ends, so be it... if they could, each mage would be a power unto himself... as the greatest archmages were. Manipulating the elements, delving into aracane mysteries, summoning and controlling powerful creatures... these were all aspects of power... and fire was one of the most visible manifestations of such power...
Which brought Ophion back to this current incident. Clearly, this mage was blasting the inn because he believed he had something to gain from it... but what?
-
"I had hoped to make less of a... spectacle." the mage replied,
"I bet you don't even know who he is." he said as he pointed at the wrecked bar stand. "Either way, I can't let either of you live now that you've seen me."
Meanwhile in the kitchen Harly had crawled inside and grabbed the biggest, longest knife he could find - which was just a steak knife.
Things were about to get real ugly.
-
"Well, you did make a spectacle. The city guards are on their way, I presume?" Valeron asked Ophion. He still had the mage's arms in his grasp. It's a good thing it was just one mage, otherwise this could have gotten a whole lot worse..
-
(OOC: I forfiet the rights to the attacker, do with him as you choose)
Harly emerged from the kitchen with the knife shaking menacingly in his hands, only to find the situation under control.
By under control he ment that his mysterious attacker was pinned and there were two people in the room - one he had met before in the street and the other he had never seen before.
"Hmph... hogging all the action for yourselves..." complained Harly as he crossed his arms. All around most of the innocent bar patrons had been cowering, hoping to remain unnoticed.
"I don't suppose you people are the police?" Harly asked.
-
"The guard should be on their way now" Ophion told Harly. "And yes, I did see you before... on the street. I wonder if the mage's attack has anything to do with your-"
Suddenly, a burst of light was seen, and the mage broke free from the Paladin's grasp!
-
The traveler was almost on the other side of town when he caught wind of smoke and fire, and had hurried at windy speed to join in on the commotion. He stopped at a residential building scorched with fire damage...
-
A bright nova of flame pierced the inn as the mage threw another spell, this one hasty and weak to speed his escape.
"I'll be back... and next time the human will die." with a poof he was gone.
"Oh I highly doubt that..." chided Harley, "because I won't be here when he comes back, I'm leaving this messed up place."
-
"Are you okay, human?" Ophion asked Harly. "Do you have any idea who that was or why they would attack you?"
Just then, Kos lost his footing on the awning, falling down on top of the two of them!
-
The traveler watched as he momentarily saw a cloaked Dracon use magic to escape, before he entered the inn to the upper levels, finding two Dracons and human in a pile on the floor...
-
The interior of the inn was chaos... although most of the patrons and staff had left in a hurry, some were still cowering in the corners or else holed up in some of the rooms.
There was a dancer, a female Dracon with bangles, hidden in one of the rooms on the top level. On the floor beneath that, the barkeeper was still there... hiding under the table, armed with a long knife, in case anyone thought to steal the alcohol...
-
"Dang it!" Valeron said as the mage broke Valeron's hold on him, and Valeron tried desperately to grab the mage, but to no avail. The mage cast another spell at Valeron that forced him to dodge the attack. When Valeron looked back at the direction of the door, the mage was gone.
Valeron turned around to see a third Dracon fall on top of Ochion and Harley. This day is getting crazier and crazier. Valeron thought to himself as he walked over to the fallen group, offering a hand to Ophion and Harley.
-
"He probably attacked me because I'm human," sighed Harly, helping the Dracon mage get the child to his feet.
The former sea captain picked up his bag and his pipe and to leave the inn. All around people were gathering and more and more were pouring in to get a glimpse of the action.
"Well now even with a decent amount of coin I still end up on the street." Harly said hoarsely, "Do you think you could point me to another place to stay?"
-
"Kos! What are you doing, son?!" Ophion said, getting up, and looking the young Dracon in the eye.
"Oh, dad! I was... watching the action..." Kosjurec replied.
"I told you to stay in the house... away from danger..." Ophion replied. "You know what this means..."
"I know... you won't show me any spells for a month, I'm grounded for a week, and no more back talk..." Kos replied.
"Now go back to the house son... and if you don't follow your punishment, your mother will see to it that you do..."
Kos ran off for home... "It got me grounded, but it was worth it" he thought.
Ophion now turned his attention to the matter at hand...
"The temples welcome in weary travelers" the mage told Harly. "It is very safe there..."
-
The traveler watched the group as spectators and later guards came to crowd the scene. One guard tapped him on the shoulder. "Did you see what happened?"
The traveler finally spoke, his voice strangely soft and disembodied. "I only caught the tail end of it. Those three may have been a part of it."
The guard nodded and walked away. The traveler turned to a local for directions. What he got was directions to a nearby temple with high towers, normally for Dracons only, but he could get permission to enter and pray, but not to spend the night. Satisfied, the traveler left the now-crowded inn on his way...
-
Kos made it home... his mother was quite surprised to see him there.
"Kos?! You were supposed to stay here! What's the meaning of this?" Aurescia said.
"I know... I followed dad..." the youth said. "I'll go to my room..."
"You know the drill... no watching your dad practice magic..." his mother continued...
-
"Ah Kos welcome back" happily said Ophion
"Yeah its Good to see you again" replied Kos.
"Ay Kos...;) its been awhile" said the strange voice out of know where.
"Hey Ryuunite, boy I haven't seen you in ages"! said Kos with excitement, "You finished you training with Master Arch already?"
"Well not as fast as I hoped for" answered Ryuunite, "His Training was tough it even toke me a long time to even be the Legend Master himself.
-
"Here, let me show you to the temples." Valeron said to Harley. Being a paladin does have its benefits.
-
(OOC: You will need to edit that post, Neogenesis... Ophion is the father of Kos... and he is my character... and Ophion is not at home. And Kos isn't your character to control. Until that post is edited, I'm disregarding it as part of the story.)
The city guard had reached the ruins of the inn... an investigation was launched into the mage who had attacked it, but they could find no evidence to link it to anyone in specific.
-
What appeared to be a strange Female Dracon with scales dyed blue sat near the entrance to a shop. The mysterious Dracon in question was called Shal'thzar. She wore a long loincloth that touched the ground and a top, both of which were teal to match the element which she wields and purple feathers dangling from various places. She also wore a headdress made of purple feathers that made it look like she had grown purple feathers ontop of her head. various bracelets with emeralds were located on her hands and legs.
Shal'thzar sighed as she tried once again to summon water for her to drink out of a small cup she had just recently bought. She was thirsty but she knew that it was hard for her to summon water in a place like this, and it annoyed her. She was about to try summoning water again until she heard the sounds of the city guard going past the area where she sat. She then decided to follow the guards and see what they were up to.
Shal'thzar finally arrived to the ruins of the inn. Not knowing what had happened, she searched for a place to sit down.. "Now that im at the Inn, i can finally have something to drink!" Shal'thzar thought to herself as she sat down on a burnt chair.
-
The bartender approached Shal'thzar. "Uh miss... the inn is closed for now. Thanks to all that damage, it will be some time before we can hope to reopen... I can get you some water if you like, though."
A waitress who was still at the damaged inn spoke to the newcomer: "Hey lady! Are you blind or something? Can't you see the mess? And... oh..."
-
"I've never been much of a religious person." Harly told the paladin.
"If I come with you to the temple I'm not going to have to swear any oaths am I?"
-
"Huh? Damage?" Shal'thzar said with a surprised tone. She then noticed that the inn smelled funny, as if something had just recently burned. "Now that you mention it, place does smell kinda fishy.. Like something burned!" Shal'thzar said with a harty laugh then silenced for a moment. She had heard what the other waitress had said, but did not say anything. She then looked back to the bartender and said: "I shall take my leave. Before i go though, may i request this cup.." Shal'thzar held up her small cup and continued. ".. Be filled with water?"
-
"Here you go" the waitress said, pouring some water for the newcomer...
Hopefully, the inn would be repaired soon...
-
"Thank you very much." Shal'thzar said with a smile, gently setting a few coins on the table for the waitress. Shal'thzar got up from the chair and began to head for the door. "By the way, do not worry about it. I am indeed blind, but no hard feelings, right?" Shal'thzar said to the waitress with a laugh. "May luck be with you." Shal'thzar said before exiting the inn..
She walked over to a nearby shop not far from the inn and sat down. Something had happened and she wanted to know what it was, and she wanted to ask the guards questions about what had happened to said inn..
-
Back at the inn...
The bartender collected the money, with a surprised look on his face... "That was quite a generous amount for a glass of water..."
Meanwhile...
Ophion (who was not at home) used a spell to find other spellcasters in the area, on the off-chance that the mage who had attacked the inn was still in the area. As it was, he detected the power of another Dracon with magic nearby... a female. Wondering if she had any connection to this, he followed her to see if she knew anything.
-
Shal'thzar took a sip of the water in her cup and was immediately refreshed. She was about to take another sip (or a gulp, as she was very thirsty) but noticed the sound of a Dracon nearby, one that was following her. She was about to respond to the sound of the Dracon but decided to wait and see what would happen..
-
Ophion came up to Shal'thzar. He greeted her formally and asked her "Do you know of what happened here? I can sense that you cannot see, but that you aren't totally unaware of your surroundings. Do you know anything about the mage that attacked this place?"
-
"Darn, you noticed i was listining!" Shal'thzar said with a laugh, but was quickly silenced. She looked up at Ophion and shook her head. "Something might happen, though im not compleatly sure. For all i know, something may happen but it might be far from where we are. Or will it be close by?" Shal'thzar said with an emotionles tone to her voice and folding her arms. "We may never know. Although i do know that i do not know anything of what had happened here, nor do i know anything about this mage." Shal'thzar took another sip of water. "Are you after him? Are you one of the city guards?" Shal'thzar asked, now with a questioning tone to her voice.
-
"I am a mage of some power, as well as an adept at the sword... but I am not a city guard" Ophion replied. "I used to be a soldier for this city, and I am still loyal to it. If anyone harms Minthebec, they will have to answer to me..." he said with a grin.
-
Shal'thzar grinned at Ophion's reply. "So you say." Shal'thzar said, drinking her water until only a drop remained. "This mage that decided to attack the inn.. Do you know anything about them?" Shal'thzar asked.
-
"I have no idea who that was or what his motive might have been..." Ophion replied. "I was hoping that you knew something about it..."
Meanwhile...
Kos sat on his bed. He waited there patiently "thinking about what he did"... he waited until the sun sank just low enough in the sky. Although his family had already eaten dinner, he knew that his mother liked to have a cup of tea afterwards... and always at a certain time of day. When he knew that time had come, he also knew that his mother would be downstairs, sitting on a nice, soft cushion drinking that tea and reading something.
Now that she was distracted, Kosjurec pushed his bed aside and lifted up a loose floorboard, revealing some scrolls he had "borrowed" from his father. He sat on his bed, reading those magical pieces of parchment, hoping to learn more about the mysteries of magic...
-
"Not at all!" Valeron said. "The only times you have to swear oaths at the temples are when you already worship the temple gods."
-
"On second thought I have an errand I wish to attend to," said Harly, "but I thank you for your help...umm... your a paladin right? Forgive me but from where I come from knights of faith are forbidden... could you tell me more about yourself?"
-
Meanwhile...
Kos sat on his bed, reading the scrolls. With his parents busy, no one saw him. He saw a particularly interesting spell... a force bolt. When used correctly, this spell would conjure a blue sphere of energy and hurl it in a certain direction. If it hit a smooth surface that was hard enough, it would bounce off of it, and could bounce around for a little while before eventually dissipating. Useful as a weapon... but also as a way to hit something from an angle...
-
"So i see." Shal'thzar replied. She then looked down at her cup and saw that it was full again and took another sip. "Fire is weak against water. If you need any help on finding or fighting this mage let me know."
-
"I will try to find this mage... and bring him to justice" Ophion said. "Any help you can give would be appreciated... We should really bring this information to the city guards, though. The city has far more resources than either of us... and it is the job of the king and his men to stop threats like that from threatening the city."
"So he can collect more taxes" Ophion added mentally, knowing how little the king really cared about his people.
-
Canas stepped out of an alley near the other two Dracons.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but...perhaps I could be of assistance, as well. I am Canas, a scholar of the ancient arts. I'd be interested in helping you, if...that's at all possible."
He said, inclining his head politely...
-
"Sure, you can join us" Ophion said to Canas. "We are trying to gather information about a mage who recently attacked that inn over there. Do you know of anyone who might have done it?"
-
"Very well, i shall help you find this mage. My magic is limited but it might help." Shal'thzar said. All this talk about searching for a mage who could possably be a threat piqued her interest, so she was willing to help Ophion search for the mage. Who knows? There might even be a reward for finding and capturing the mage.
Shal'thzar then heard the sound of another Dracon called Canas stepping out of a nearby ally to offer assistance. "Greetings, Canas." Shal'thzar said with a polite bow. She then heard Ophion asking if Canas knew anything about the mage who had attacked the inn and added in: "Anything at all?"
-
Canas shook his head.
"All I do know, is that he cast a high level fire spell. My shadow shields could barely stop it. He was a dracon, too, but you already knew that. The only other thing that may help, is that I managed to hear his voice. I may be able to pick him out by that..."
He sighed...
-
Meanwhile...
Aurescia was indeed drinking her tea and reading her book, as her youngest son knew she was doing. She was a sorceress as well, and was sensitive to the presence of magic. She knew that Kos was reading those magical scrolls again... but she let it slide. If anything, she encouraged his learning about such things, as that knowledge might one day make him a great success. And the sooner he started learning about it, the better.
She finished her tea and stretched her legs and feet. It was getting late... where was her husband? He had gone out a while ago to investigate an explosion... if he wasn't back soon, Aurescia would have to cast a spell to find out where he was. She went over to her room and brought a container of a clear liquid... some water modified by some potions... she poured it into her bowl made of enchanted wood... her scrying bowl. While she could use scrying magic to find out where someone was using simple water in any container, using magical components made casting the spell far more easier and much more effective.
But, like all spells, this would take up some power and effort, and she was already feeling tired... regardless, this was important, she she stirred the liquid with her clawed finger and looked into it, silently casting her spell... which revealed her husband and two other Dracons in an image in the water... and the burned out wreckage of a nearby inn. At least he was okay... not hurt or anything. Satisfied with this, Aurescia turned the spell off with a wave of her hand. She knew that her husband was looking for someone... she could her the conversation and it would take a spell more powerful than scrying to find him...
Putting the bowl down, she went downstairs to a very special room. Closing the wooden door behind her, the room of communion was a special place. Aurescia's greatest talent was her astral magic; the power of pure arcana derived from the astral plane. Here, she could meditate, and sense thoughts, feelings, powers, and detect almost anyone and anything that wasn't magically blocked off in the entire city, going as far out as a 100 kilometer radius from her position.
Crossing her legs, the sorceress sat in the center of the room, over a blue circle that was painted on the floor. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all painted a very light blue, and there were magic Draconic symbols etched into the wall to aid with spellcasting. Aurescia closed her eyes and began to float about a third of a meter above the floor, legs still crossed, deep in meditation. She had undone her loincloth, which now rested on the floor. From here, her consciousness expanded, as if she were floating above the city, and, although unable to see anything with her eyes shut, she was able to sense the minds and souls of every living thing in the city of Minthebec.
While she could not read their mind in a direct sense, Aurescia was able to tell if an individual was happy, sad, angry, excited, bored, disgusted, or any other strong feeling. She could also feel the humming of magic emanating from various parts of the city... it was strongest at the city's magical towers, academies, palaces, magical markets, and temples, especially the great temple. After a little while, her focus shifted to specific mages. She could obvious feel the energy signatures of her youngest son and husband, but in a little while, she could feel the energy of other mages... including the ones near her husband, and some others.
After more focusing, Aurescia could feel the magic of one who had recently departed
from a location... and in a few minutes, she could feel the energy of the mage who had recently blasted the inn... a few minutes later, she could feel that same energy again in a different part of the city... Aurescia knew where the mage had run off to... she could feel it. The energy signatures were a perfect match.
Opening her eyes, Aurescia wrote down where she had felt that energy; she had some parchment and a pen placed in the room for such a purpose. She then went back into her trance and used the spell to mentally contact her husband, and tell him what she had learned.
Ophion was used to his wife communicating with him using this spell... he was used to the sensation of her mind "pressing" against his as she contacted him. Her "voice" made no sound in his head, but he could tell that these were her thoughts being directed to him. "Ophie-" she called him, as a pet name... "-I have found the mage you seek." Typical. She had scried on him, learned what he was searching for, found it, and contacted him, all without leaving their home. "I'll show you the energy signature" And as soon as she had "said" that to him, the energy signature she had felt was now known to him as well... it was unmistakable. Now, there were ways to disguise it, but there was no reason to believe that this mage had that level of power or knowledge to do that... mages who had that sort of ability didn't just blast holes in buildings with crude spells...
Within a moment, Ophion knew where his wife had felt the energy... both the traces of it a the inn, and elsewhere, in a tower in the city... she had no further details... as the tower was warded against scrying (a typical precaution), but not warded against energy signature detection (a much less typcial precaution) "Thank you, my love" Ophion thought back "You have done much to help me. I'll see you as soon as I can, but for now, you should get some rest." He knew that scrying, communing, and contacting him was a very strainful process, and having to detect a single energy signature in a city of so many people was even harder.
Aurescia broke contact with her husband, and climbed up the stairs to her room, where she quickly fell on the bed and was fast asleep. She really was exhausted by the effort.
-
The traveler made his way to the temple that he was directed to. This one had spires almost tall enough to pierce the skies. Such towers are second only to those owned by the fabulously wealthy, but this one will do just fine. Upon entering, he calmly explained himself to the welcoming priest, gave a generous donation, and was led to a stairway leading up one of the towers. When the priest walked away, the traveler contemplated for a while before ascending the winding stairs...
(OOC: I may bring in another character into the mix, if that's OK with you guys.)
-
"Well, paladins serve the temples. We perform various tasks. I'm a new paladin, but I was told that my job was to, and I quote, 'Ward off evil encroaching upon our city.' " Valeron told Harley. "By the way, what is your name? I'm Valeron, son of Orithos."
-
(OOC: Sure, you can bring in another character... as many as you think you can handle)
Kos left his room to go downstairs. He was lucky that his house had running water, a real luxury in these parts...
After doing his business, he noticed that his mother's tea cup was left on the table... she never left it lying there unless she was too tired to put it back, which sometimes happened when she cast some spells... especially if she tried to cast too many of them or she tried to cast one that was too much for her.
Running upstairs, the young Dracon headed towards his parent's room and listened. He heard the faint sounds of breathing. Daring the crack the door open just a bit, he stuck his snout in and smelled the air... it was his mother in there alright, and a quick look confirmed it. Backing off from the room, Kos realized that both of his parents were either out or asleep... only his siblings were still in the house, and neither of them were aware of his punishment...
However, his older sister Schakria, (or Kria, for short) was awake... and just happened to be walking down the halls. The two of them didn't get along so well. When Kria hatched, her parents thought that she had dormant magical powers, but later testing proved this not to be the case. When Kos was born, he indeed had the powers that Kria was told she had for years, but ended up not having at all. It also didn't help that she was the youngest of their surviving children until Kos was born... now he was the youngest...
Kria looked like a younger, smaller version of her mother, save for her green eyes. She a green loincloth at home, and had a matching top for going outside with. She also had the same clothes in blue and red... all made of silk, as she liked to brag... it was no coincidence that her name was derived from "Schakri"... which meant "Noble" in Draconic. Now that the life of a sorceress was denied her, she was being taught gymnastics and dancing. While she was good at them, being a mage was what she really wanted...
-
Shal'thzar turned her head in the direction where the Inn was and heard that the bartender and waitress were still inside. Being blind ever since she was a hatchling she was used to letting her hearing do most of the work. Infact if it weren't for her eyes one would probably not know she was blind, as she can sense the vibrations her feet make while walking and thanks to the vibrations, can sense nearby objects.
Shal'thzar then looked back at Ophion and Canas and said: "What about those at the inn? Do you think they might know something?"
-
"My wife has sent me the information we need" Ophion said. "She contacted me using a spell... she's very good with that" he added with a grin. "We need to go to a certain mage's tower on the other side of the city, near the eastern wall. I'll be sure to inform the city guard of the situation. I'm a trusted name in this city. And if you don't mind my asking... do you feel the vibrations around you to navigate? That is a rare skill, used mostly by blinded females. Males generally use hearing and smell to navigate when blinded... At least that is what a mage, lady Minna, told me."
-
Ilsa waited impatiently as her caravan approached the city. ' she was beig sent by her father to Mithelbec, to meet a daughter of a friendly noble. "Minna.. the girl's name is.. hmm.. Shes a sorceress like me.." Ilsa thought herself as she reached the gates of the city..
-
"Kos! What are you doing?" Kria snapped at her younger brother.
"Oh, Kria! I was just on my way out..." Kosjurec replied.
"Out at this hour? It's getting dark. The streets are no place for a six-year old to be wandering around."
"I'm almost as tall as mom is!" Kos replied. "How would anyone know my age anyway?"
"Not that it matters that they know how old you are... but you are looking kinda... exposed to be a seven year old. :lol"
Dracons grew very quickly, and stayed young for a long time. Mental and physical development were rapid until age seven, when it slowed down considerably in order to enable more internal growth. Kos was wearing a single white piece of cloth, covering only the 'personal area'... and even this had to have a hole in it for his tail.
"I'm sure that neither mom nor dad would like you to be out at this time. If you DO go... I'm telling them." Kria said.
"Fine... I'll go to my room now..." Kos said, slightly mad. He was similar to a twelve-year old human in size and in many mental and physical capacities, but he was still quite young... and he would not be like a teenager in human terms until he was at least ten... Dracon growth patterns did not conform so neatly with human standards...
Kos left, heading back upstairs to his room... Kria returned to her own room, having been tired out by a long day of gymnastics practice. Like Kos, she too kept a secret... when she was sure that she was alone, she pulled a book out from underneath her bed. She then lit some candles and a bit of incense, and closed the shades. Sitting cross-legged in the darkness, Kria opened the book, which was titled
"Codex Daemoniorum." Given to her by... "a friend." She read a passage from it...
"Malthus, forty-third in rank of the 69 major demon lords of the infernal planes, commands 26 legions of demons. Frequently depicted in the shape of a large raven, he is well known for his building of towers and filling them with weapons... an armorer of a sort..."
This was the sort of material that one could get into SERIOUS trouble with... The Dracons worshiped many gods, and revered Dragons highly... but outright Demon worship was rare... and for good reason! Demonology brought nothing except false promises, false works, shattered cities, and lost souls. Demonic cults were more common in some cities than in others, but very few cities, and none of the major ones, tolerated this sort of worship.
Kria wanted power... her younger brother had it naturally, and her older brother had learned it and worked hard for it. If she couldn't get it by nature or by work... she would make a deal with one who could give her what she desired...
-
Shal'thzar now had a surprised expression on her face. She was going to ask him how he knew that but decided against it. "Indeed, i do use vibrations to navigate. I can also hear things like those at the Inn. But enough about me, what of this mage on the other side of town?"
-
"My wife determined his location using her most powerful magics" Ophion replied. "I should be able to take us there with ease... once we inform the city guards of this. What she did was to detect traces of his power here, and find the same power readings in another part of the city. We should be able to get there with little difficulty. Just don't expect my wife to help us any more for now; this sort of thing tires her greatly."
-
"I used to be called Captain Wolfe, but now that that life is behind me you may call me Harly," Harly said as he extended a hand.
-
Meanwhile...
Kria finished her book, and put it down. She still couldn't believe she was going through with this... the others... she couldn't disappoint them. She had talked with them for months about this... and her parents didn't know... they wouldn't understand... they couldn't. Her whole family had magic... her father was a wizard, her mother and younger brother were sorcerors, and her older brother was also a wizard... and an alchemist to boot! Why should she be left out...?
-
(soz i havn't posted in so long!!!)
Jake woke from the noise downstairs at the inn and he sat upright.
"what on earth was that?!" Jake said. Jake lifted his legs over the side of the bed and he stood up straight. and he put his shirt on and he proceeded out of his room, down the corridor and he then walked downstairs to find that it was in a mess.
"what happened here?" asked Jake "never mind.....i can't understand you animals anyway..."
-
"Animals? What are you talking about?" Ophion said, somewhat offended at the comment. "A rogue mage blasted a hole in the wall of this inn, THAT'S what happened, human."
-
"sorry...but i cannot understand what your saying scaly" said Jake not realizing that was extremely offensive
-
Ophion was getting annoyed at him. "Look, you pink ape-thing, why don't you just run up in a tree and eat some bananas? I've got more important things to do that to trade insults..."
-
Jake laughed at Ophion because the dracon looked very funny when he got angry.
"you dracons crack me up!" said Jake "you should see your face! it's hilerious!"
-
"Heh. At least my face isn't flat like yours... now human, I have to do something, so either help the situation or get out." Ophion replied.
-
"I still can't understand you lizard man" said Jake. Jake was becoming bored so he turned his back to go back to his room.
-
"We aren't lizards! We are Dracons! There is nothing lizard-like about us!" Ophion said. He was about to give that human a taste of his mind, but then thought better of it... "He isn't worth the effort" the mage thought...
-
Jake continued on his way to the stairs and he walked up them. Jake paused at the top of the stairs for a few seconds....
"these lizards...'Dracons'...are quiet funny when they're angry" thought Jake to himself. Jake began walking again down the hallway to his room.
-
As Jake was walking up the stairs, he accidentally stepped on the foot of a female Dracon who was serving there as a maid. This caused her soft body quite a bit of pain... which was not so funny.
-
"sorry" said Jake. Jake continued on his way even though he had hurt a female dracon. As Jake was growing up, he was taught by his father not to feel sympathy for species other than human.
-
(i'll be on again tomorrow)
-
(OOC: Cool!)
The maid let out a cry of pain, and shot a nasty look at Jake... but otherwise, said nothing to him. She limped a bit on her bruised foot... this would hurt quite a bit... her one-room apartment was over a kilometer from her workplace... and she would have to walk on that sore foot the whole way. The best she could do was to massage her foot and hope the pain went away...
-
"Who was that?" Shal'thzar asked Ophion, folding her arms and rising an eyebrow. "He seemed quite the joker.." Shal'thzar added in with a grumpy tone to her voice.
Shal'thzar never was fond of humans, especially those like that. She usually wanted no buisness with them unless they have a good spirit and mean well.
Shal'thzar then heard the maid limping a bit and frowned. She then remembered something and went up to the maid. "Excuse me. Did you need help? It sounds like you have a hurt foot. If you want i can heal it for you?" Shal'thzar said with a smile. Indeed she only had one healing spell but it was weak, it would never heal the deepest of wounds. But Scratches and Bumps or the like was no problem.
-
It was simply coincidence that the maid happened to be heading home when Jake had stepped on her foot, and even more coincidental that her path home happened to cross through the place where Ophion and Shal'thzar happened to be standing.
"Yes, I would like that very much" the maid said, as she lifted her brown-skinned foot to reveal a bruised toe on her left foot. The injury was especially visible on the pale while skin of her sole, which matched her pale belly and underside.
-
Shal'thzar kneeled down and examined the bruised toe. Indeed, healing would be no problem. Shal'thzar gently put her finger on the toe and closed her eyes. It only took about seven seconds before Shal'thzar openned her eyes again. Shal'thzar stood back up and smiled. "There we go. Good as new!" Shal'thzar said to the maid.
-
"Thank you very much!" The maid said, examining her newly-fixed toe. "My name is Chariana." Her name was derived from the Draconic words for "red flower", as her skin, while brown, had a reddish tint to it... so it was really more of a brownish red... that, and it was a nice-sounding name. Her eyes were red as well, so her name matched her appearance even more.
-
"You are very welcome, Chariana." Shal'thzar said with a polite bow.
-
"Now that we are done with the human and that maid, we should really get on with finding and stopping that mage." Ophion said. "While you were busy healing her, I told this information to a city guard. He has informed us that if we bring in that rogue wizard, we will get a reward."
-
Harly was very vulnerable here... as the incident in the inn brought to light.
Only now did he notice the looks he was getting as he moved through the crowd, and even his smooth dignified walk started some as they made their way around him. Here he was an alien - so it would be best that he could defend himself.
Harly stopped at the shop he noticed was marked "Manoir's Ancient Hierlooms and Weaponry". It was a good thing he still had a decent amount of worth in his fortunes - he could use it to buy a good sword or crossbow to protect his person.
"What would you recommend for someone desiring a good arm?" he asked the Dracon at the counter who was observing something was his monacle.
-
"Indeed. And that old warthog of a human was no help at all." Shal'thzar said, making a comment about Jake. "Shame, i wonder if we shall ever cross paths again? I want to drop a big bubble of water on him!" Shal'thzar said with a grin. "But let's forget about the joker for now. As i've said, i shall follow you for a while and help you find this mage."
OOC: About the whole "Old-Warthog" thing.. Sorry about that metadude1234 :(
-
The Dracon removed the monocle, which was really a small piece of glass used to examine things up closely.
"We've got plenty of weapons here... have a look." He responded.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/sword-long.gif) (http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/demonsbane.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/sword-great.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/customw8/ivoryblade.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/fang.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/katana.gif)
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/axe-bipennis.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/axe-hand.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/customw8/axe-beastslayer.gif)
-
"I was thinking of a crossbow actually... something that doesn't require me to get too close." said Harly as he ran his hands down a shiny new sword on display.
-
"How's this one, then?" The storekeeper said.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/crossbow.gif)
-
"Hmm," mumbled Harly as he checked the string, the reciever, and the trigger mechanism, "I don't suppose you have this in repeater variety? You know the one that automatically loads bolts via a spring,"
-
"I've got that too" the shopkeeper said, pulling out another crossbow. "Do you need ammunition for it?"
-
"No I'm going to fire rocks out of it," Harly said sarcastically, "Yes I am going to need some bolts. Can you give me 40?"
-
"Here are 40 bolts" that will be 5 copper per bolt. He responded.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/quarrels.gif)
-
"As you say," put out Harly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the necessary change.
-
"Thank you" said the storekeeper, "Don't forget to pay for the crossbow, too. You've only paid for the bolts!"
-
Canas came bounding back to the group, a small bundle of scrolls under his arm.
"So sorry about disappearing like that! I had to go check some things at my house, and sure enough, I found a registry that has some of the strongest mages, as well as their elemental preference!"
He said enthusiastically, almost tripping over his own feet in excitement...
-
Meanwhile, another ship has just docked at the pier, and passengers began disembarking. Two of these passengers, one half-elf female in a dark green cape and one male cloaked under a brown hood where only his glowing green eyes are visible, paused to look around at the city.
"Like a pearl in a mountain of marbles," the male muttered.
"It's good, but not like 'needle in a haystack,'" the half-elf chuckled. "But he said he should be in the city when we arrive. We'll probably just have to go exploring."
The two wandered off the pier and into the city metropolis...
-
"Thanks for the help, Canas!" Ophion replied. "Let's take a look and see what we have..." the scrolls were taken to a table in a nearby garden of the city, which was set up for public use. There, the Dracons were able to read through what the text said... Except for Shal'thzar, who was blind. She could still listen to what Ophion could read out to her...
-
OOC: Except for Shal'thzar. She's blinded :p Of course, if Ophion is reading it out then you can ignore this post ^_^
-
(OOC: Edited. And if you post something without any RP content, it should go in the discussion thread.)
Meanwhile...
Kria rested on her bed. It was getting darker out now, but in the summer, it still stayed light for a long time... In just a week, she would have all the magic she wanted... and so much more...
-
Jake continued walking down the hallway where he reached his room. He unlocked the door and opened it, he then went inside and closed the door behind him. Jake strolled over to his bed, as he did so he removed his shirt and he threw it onto the floor. Jake climbed onto his bed and he lay on it.
"heh, these lizard things have a very strange way of talking" chuckled Jake
-
At the inn, several other maids had heard of what Jake had done to poor Chariana. Rumors spread quickly. The females did not like to see someone abuse them, especially not a foreigner, and even less, a foreigner who was of another species.
-
Jake lay there on his bed wondering what he should do for tomorrow. First thing he wanted to do was get a good meal. During the day he needed to get a new longsword.....his old one was rusted and looked like it would turn to dust.
-
One of the other maids knocked on Jake's door. "Cleaning time" she said. "Can I come in?"
-
"huh what" said Jake as he sat upstraight "someones at the door". Jake got up off of his bed and he walked over to the door and opened it.
-
The maid entered the room "I'm here to clean the room, sir. Do you mind if I start now, or do you want me to wait until later?"
-
"I cannot understand you but...sure do what ever you need to do in here" said Jake "do i have to leave? just nod if it's yes and shake if it's no"
-
"Let me deal with him" another female said, entering Jake's room. This female was unusually attractive for her species, and spoke in a soothing voice... she wasn't a maid...
"You don't have to leave, Jake" the maid said, acknowledging the presence of the other female.
"In fact, you should stay here and relax..." the new female said to Jake, stretching out. "I'm the masseuse assigned to the rooms in this wing of the inn..."
This could be a very interesting day... :lol
-
The duo came to an inn, unaware that this was the very inn ravaged by a fight just earlier today, and entered. It was then they noticed the damage in scorch and burn marks, and they looked at each other momentarily.
"I guess it's the same sort of thing here," the construct inquired.
"Booze has the same effect on every species," the half-elf replied. She turned to what looked like a maid and stopped her. "Do you know where we can rent a room for a few nights?" she asked in slightly broken Dracon. Only the friend the two are looking for is the quickest to learn the languages of other species.
----------
The blue-skinned traveler made it to the top of the temple spire and stepped out onto the balcony. The view of this city as grand, and the wind blowing about him was perfect for his prayers. He knelt to his knees, took off his hood, and closed his eyes, only his white hair and coat moved to the wind.
A few minutes later, the wind changes, blowing from the sea, and the traveler realizes its message. His friends have arrived at last. He finished his prayers and stepped back down the tower into the temple. Until he exited the main doors, he had forgotten to put his hood back on, and the Dracon priests noticed as he walked away.
"Was that a gensai?" asked one priest.
"It must be," answered another. "In this city, you're bound to see something new."
The priests returned inside the temple...
-
"You can rent a room at the Green sands inn , where I work" Chariana said to the half-elf. "You might want to avoid the east wing... we've got a rude customer there..."
-
Jake was wondering why there were two dracon females in the same room as he is. "look, i didn't order room service ladies" said Jake
-
Shaina translated what was said to Youri.
"Even here, there are troublemakers," Youri muttered.
"Perhaps you can point us the way there?" Shiana asked the Dracon. "We're looking for a friend of ours. He's a humanoid with blue skin. Hopefully he's not hard to miss."
-
Jake walked over to his pants and he put them on so he didn't feel uncomfortable. "so what do ya's want?" asked Jake
-
The females backed off from the room... this wasn't going to work... not now.
"We... see that your room is clean enough... and that you have no need of further..."
And the two Dracon females just broke and ran on that note.
-
"oh well" said Jake. Jake walked back over to his bed and he lay down....within minutes he was beginning to become drousy and he slowly.....fell asleep
-
After Jake was asleep, the maid checked his room. Trying to take his spare clothes to "wash."
-
Youri was first to spot two Dracons running past them, but Shiana had the same thought. "It must be the rude customer," Shiana said.
"What rude customer?"
Shiana jumped as she turned around to see the gensai behind them. "Jeez...you should really put a stop to that habit of yours."
"The wind makes no sound when it chooses not to. Anyway, you just arrived?"
"Aye, and some of us are a little tired. It would be best to try a room away from this 'customer' they spoke of. I'm not in the mood to deal with it."
Halo turned to the Dracon maid. "May we have two rooms in the west wing?" he asked in fluent Dracon.
-
This was a second maid as Chariana wasn't there. "Yes, we have some rooms available. I can show you to one now and tell the innkeeper that you are staying in one of them. Would you like a larger room or a smaller one?"
-
"One large room with three beds, or at least with room for three beds," Halo answered.
-
"We have one of those left." The maid said. "I'll show you to the room..."
The Green Sands inn was of fair quality... nothing special, but a good place to stay, regardless. The costs of staying there were 5 silver pieces per day for a room, and 3 silver pieces per day more for three meals a day. But laundry and other services were included for free. The rooms were clean and the beds were soft.
-
The trio followed the maid to the room. It was nice, but it was not like they were going to live here, anyway. Their ship would not arrive for another 3 days, so Shiana pulled out 15 silver pieces to pay for the room, and 3 more for the tip...
-
The maid collected the money, and looked at the tip. It was sad... she was not allowed to keep more than 5 copper pieces for a tip... the rest was either taxed or taken by her employer. Still, most Dracons never tipped at all... and 5 copper pieces was enough to get her a good meal...
"The room is paid for, but if you want to eat here, there will be an additional charge of three silver pieces a day for three meals. You can eat either downstairs in the common room or have your food brought up to you for no extra charge. Fancier food than what we typically serve, ale, or wine costs extra. Use of running water is free, as are all other services." the maid told them.
-
"We'll most likely be eating out," Halo replied. "To be honest, some of us couldn't actually eat at all. But thank you anyway."
-
"Understood. There are a number of places to eat around here, although most of them are taverns or other inns. All your other services at this inn are free. Would you like me to tell you what services we offer?" The maid continued.
-
Jake continued to sleep peacefully
-
Aurescia also slept peacefully. Her magic had been badly spent by the spells she had recently cast, and it would take a whole day before she would recover enough to cast them again...
-
Jake began to toss and turn in his bed......he was dreaming about when he arrived at King archibold' castle and was made a knight. Jake smiled while he was dreaming...
-
As he dreamed, two maids from the inn quietly entered his room... they were up to no good, but it wasn't harmful... not really. They were just planning to make Jake feel what he had made one of their own feel, without hurting him... much :lol
-
Jake continued sleeping....and snoring while he was at it.....the maids approached Jake's bed.
-
The maid looked at Jake to see if he was asleep. He was. "Let's go" she said to her counterpart, another maid. The two of them took in Jake's loose clothes for "laundry"... without him telling them to wash them...
-
Jake continued dreaming..........and snoring :D
-
"Is that all of them?" asked one maid. "Yes, he looks comfortable as he is... we shall take these down to the laundry... do you know what this thing is?"
"They call it a 'shoe'" responded the other maid.
-
Jake began to toss and turn a bit....he was becoming restless
-
The two maids left the room quickly and quietly closed the door behind them. Each maid headed down to the laundry room in a separate direction, carrying some of the clothes...
-
Jake began to wake, he woke up because a silver piece in his pant pocket was scratching against his skin...
-
Meanwhile...
The inn was known for several free services... among those was free shows. Mostly, this consisted of music and dancing.
Another free service was the use of running water.
But sometimes, the music was loud and annoying... as it was now... if Jake wasn't awake, he would be shortly... :lol
-
"grrr.....stupid silver..." grumbled Jake "i was sleeping.........wait...where are my socks???". Jake got up off of his bed and he searched around the room for them. He also noticed that all of his clothes except for the pants he was wearing were missing.
-
Clothes were not a common sight downstairs at the moment... the maids had been careful to time their mischief... as per their Dracon customs, it was females downstairs who were scarcely clad... but tonight was female's night downstairs at the common room... :DD
-
"i bet those bloody maids took em!" yelled Jake in frustration. Jake walked over to the door and he opened it and he walked down the hallway. Jake went down the stairs to look for them. only to find--
(up to you Vincent)
-
-- to find a large number of Dracon males wearing nothing more than what Jake was wearing, lined up on a stage, surrounded by a crowd of screaming females. Yes, this was female's night alright... a stunning reversal from what was normally expected... :blink:
What's worse, they thought he was intended for the stage as well... :blink:
(OOC: This is a comedy scene, let's try to keep it under control.)
-
"what the hell?" thought Jake "what is this a zoo!"
(no problem, but it would be funny if the females forced Jake up on stage)
-
(OOC: They can still do that. In the future, let's try to keep these to the discussion page)
If it was a zoo, it was a very... loud one. And one with females tossing their tops at males whom they really liked... and more than one of them shouted for a male to "have her baby..."
-
"okay...." thought Jake "i need to find a way to get through these animals so i can get my clothes"
-
The only problem with that was the laundry room was downstairs, and the stairwell was past a crowd of over 200 screaming females... many of whom were drunk..
-
Jake gathered up the courage and he approached the crowd of drunken females and he tried to push through although--
(up to you again Vincent if you want)
-
Three of them approached him, and threw a pink feather boa around his neck... and shouted something about wanting his eggs in them... using very foul language... as they were very, very drunk.
(OOC: Based off of a real-life incident that I went through. ) :blink:
-
(similar to what happened to Jake in first rp as well)
"get off me you lizard!" Yelled Jake over the noise as he tried to push the female away but failed
-
Females outnumbered males in this event. While interspecies romance was highly discouraged, a short burst of desire in a heated moment could easily lead a Dracon female to be attracted to just about any male...
-
The trio had managed to leave the inn before the party began, and they don't plan on coming back for a while...at least until the rabble calms down. They walked the streets of the city as they explored...
-
OOC: Just'a Random bit of RP-Ing, dont want Shal'thzar to be forgotten ^_^
Shal'thzar listened to Ophion reading but then caught the sound of all the hustle and bustle happening at the Inn. "Something's happening at the Inn.." Shal'thzar said with a frown. "It sounds like.. One Wild Party. That or a great and terrible battle."
-
"Get off of me!" yelled Jake once more. Jake put more force into his next push and it made the female stagger back a few steps. Jake tried again to get through the crowd of drunken females.
-
Ophion paused from his reading. "That's not coming from the same inn... it is from a different one... I seem to recall that it is female's night there... and from the sheer number of drunken female voices I hear, it is quite a party. As it is, we've got a rogue mage on the loose... we should stop him before thinking of any wild parties."
-
Jake was almost at the laundry room when--
(would you like to do the honors Vince)
-
"Good idea." Snickered Shal'thzar.
-
-- When he discovered that the laundry had already been cleaned. Jake's clothes were placed in another room, next to the laundry room, for the finished clothes. His clothes were never washed, but were placed with the finished clothing anyway...
The laundry room had been cleared to give some room to females who were really drunk, or so intoxicated as to be nearly unconscious... and it was dark down there... very dark... and the barely-dressed or totally undressed females were lying all over the floor, often too insensate to do anything...
-
"gotta go down there to get my clothes..." thought Jake "I hate the hospitality at this place! they clean my clothes when i didn't ask them too!". Jake pushed through all of the drunken females until he arrived at some stairs
-
The clothes were waiting for him there... although the colors were slightly faded, and an odd smell hung on them... the females breathed acid on the clothes, as Dracons can do that. Luckily, it was very weak acid, so no real harm could be done...
-
Jake walked down the stairs into the dark room to collect his clothes. Jake put his shirt and Jacket on and he began to proceed back up the stairs but before he reached the stairs he tripped over a female dracons tail. Jake hit the ground face first extremely hard. He had broken his nose and he was knocked into unconciousness. A small blood puddle began to pool around his head.
-
Ophion finally knew enough. "Let's go get that rogue mage. Are you all with me?" He was sure that his wife had given him the correct location, she had never once detected the wrong energy signature...
-
"As i've said before, i shall follow you and help you catch this rouge mage." Shal'thzar said. She was unsure of what would happen once and if the mage was caught. However, she pushed the thought aside atleast until they have found the mage.
-
Harly felt that there was something he needed to do, somewhere he needed to be.
Back in his homeland he heard of dragons as vicious and terrifying beasts that attacked without warning and left destruction in their wake. It had taken years before they were finally driven out, but the warning sirens and arrow batteries still remained in most cities.
After meeting some of these wierd creatures here - or at least their descendants Harly was beginning to believe that the dragons of the past might have just been the outcasts of an otherwise well-developed society.
Spending an uneventful night in the temple - the priests there were so understanding and accomidating even though he wasn't one of their own - he decided to take a trip down to the library to find out more.
...
Walking into the Library he saw a clerk at the desk, reading something in a language he didn't understand. Harly trudged up to the desk and tapped his fingers to get it's attention.
-
The clerk looked up at Harly. This was a Dracon male, sitting at the desk, reading over the hierodule records of the temple, and organizing some other files. "Yes? What is it that you want, human?"
-
.... Meanwhile
(Back on Endor)
Valeron finally got to his home. He had lived there ever since his father and mother died. Valeron shuddered as he remembered seeing an injured battalion from the temple carry his parents, who were the most wounded.
At least I am obeying their final wishes. Valeron thought to himself as he took out his key and entered the building. He was too tired to make anything to eat, so he climbed up the stairs to the second floor where his room was. He removed his shirt and breeches, and climbed into bed.
(OOC: Hmm, since I pretty much vanished for a while, I'm just gonna tell my character to sleep. In the morning, he'll be back.)
-
Ophion and those in his company headed towards the place where his wife had detected the rogue mage's energy signature. What they found was a tall, black tower with a conical top. There also seemed to be no way in. This wasn't too uncommon for mages; some of them preferred to only allow access to their towers via teleportation, in order to gain more privacy and security.
"This is going to be a problem" Ophion said, feeling that the tower's walls were too slick to climb. "Does anyone have a spell which can get us inside, or else help us to get up this thing?"
-
"Would Illusion help?" Shal'thzar asked. "I know of no such spells that can get us inside, and i do not know if Illusion can help in this situation or not."
-
"I'm not sure" Ophion said. "Maybe an illusion to draw his attention? Do you have any other spells besides illusions?"
Meanwhile...
Kria slept soundly in her bed, dreaming of the time when she would get magic powers of hers own...
-
"Alas, the only other spells i have are water spells and one healing spell." Shal'thzar frowned. She tried to think of an Illusion that could get the mage to come out of his tower, but the only thing she could think of was..
"Do you think it's possable to conjure an Illusionary Dragon to make the rouge mage come out? I have only done it thrice before. It weakend my strength greatly but i can quickly recover."
-
While Jake lay there on the floor unconcious his broken nose had stopped bleeding. Jake lay there for a few more minutes and he beganto slip in and out of conciousness.
-
"Do it" Ophion said. "If he leaves his tower to fight or flee from the Dragon, I'll get him."
Meanwhile...
The female's night party continued, and a priestess who happened to be there used her magic to heal Jake, then returned to the debauchery.
-
Jake was now fully awake and he stood up.
"uuhhhh.......my head...." moanded Jake as his hand touched his forehead "what happened?...............". Jake knelt down and he picked up his clothes and he walked up the stairs and back into the party. Jake couldn't think straight with his sore head so he bumped into the female dracons by accident from time to time.
-
"Very well. Stay still and dont move." Shal'thzar said. She closed her eyes and began to chant. It was only a couple minutes later when a faint humming and crackling sound was heard. Just then a Blue Dragon (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG72.jpg) Soared through the sky shooting lightningbolts out of its mouth. The Dragon landed infront of the tower and roared loudly, shaking the area around.
One would easily mistake the Illusion to be a real dragon. Shal'thzar always was quite proud of her illusionary dragons and can even make the landscape itself appear as though a dragon has been wreaking havoc, but doing such illusions weakend her greatly. Only once has she actually been close to death due to controlling an illusionary dragon for far to long. This time however, even though the dragon seems real enough, it would not bring her to the brink of dieing. Only drain her strength breifly.
-
Jake was knocked backwards when a female dracons tail hit him in the head. "my head!" yelped Jake in agony "it hurts so badly!"
-
The rogue mage exited his tower, and, using a flight spell, managed to enter the air, and shoot a fireball at the "dragon", only to have it pass right through the illusion...
This gave Ophion his opening... he fired his own bolt of flame, hitting the mage square in the chest, sending him plummeting to the ground!
Meanwhile...
Female Dracons had very soft bodies... Jake must have been hurting badly ahead of time for that to have caused him any pain.
-
Jake recovered quickly and he continued making his way through the drunken femnales at the party. he wanted to get back to his room so he could rest.
-
Even if he could get back to his room, rest was probably out of the question... the party downstairs was very loud... :o
Although the next day would be quiet... many of those females would be too drunk and exhausted to move much...
-
While Jake was walking he slipped on the floor because of a spilt drink.... Jake fell onto the floor and.......you guessed it......hit his head....(poor Jake)
-
The party was starting to die down... and the females were either going home, or were all collapsing on the floor or going to their rooms... the beds of the inn were often full of Dracons, sometimes lying on top of each other in a tangle of tails, claws, and horns, and flesh layered on top of flesh, each one trying to rest and recover...
:blink:
-
Jake decided to lay on the floor so he wouldn't cause himself more pain.....bad mistake!......Just when Jake thought he was safe --
(would you like to continue vince or would you like me to add?)
-
-- A drunken female collapsed on top of him, and she out cold... and totally naked... and repeating the name "Adykon" again and again.
-
"Enough of this..." hissed the rogue mage as he cast a quick slow fall spell so land him on his feet. He glared at the other mage who had attacked him, but it wasn't important. He had other business to attend to.
"Duty calls." and in a puff of smoke he vanished.
...
"I'd like to take a look at a history book on your people, if you have one." Harly asked the clerk.
The old dracon reached into one of his personal shelves and pulled up a book entitled, "Endius Draconus - The World of the People".
Harly, picked it up and raised an eyebrow,
"Why did you have this ready behind the counter, were you expecting me?" the former sea captain said.
The librarian simply pointed to a shelf, which was entirely full of copies of the same book. Clearly it was a common read. Harly felt a tad stupid.
"Well well well... we have some unfinished business human." hissed the mage who had attacked him the day before. Harly turned out of mild curiousity, to confirm his suspictions of who it was, before ignoring him and picking up the book.
"I'll take this... thank you" Harly said to the clerk. He suddenly felt a pointed stab in his back, nothing penetrating but it certainly hurt. The mage was right behind him and had rested the end of his staff in the middle of Harly's back.
"You mock me," The mage asked bitterly.
"Oh no... I was wondering when you would show up." Harly returned.
With a practised motion the speed of lightning Harly whirled around and hammered the mage in the head with the spine of the book. The poor dracon didn't know what hit him, and was knocked out instantly.
"Be advised you will have to reembuse the library for any damages," the clerk told him. Harly flicked a coin onto the counter and walked out.
"Keep the change," he said as he parted the doors and made his way down into the city streets.
-
As the mage had disappeared, Ophion knew that finding him would be the top priority... he summoned his staff. which was made of cedar wood and had an ivory carving of a dragon's head on its top.
Using his staff, Ophion was able to blast a hole in the mage's tower, and enter. If he couldn't follow the mage, he could at least learn more about him...
-
"Sure wish i would have thought of that!" Shal'thzar said to herself as she heard the sound Ophion blasting a hole in the tower. Indeed she was weakend from the summoning of the illusionary dragon, but thanks to the rouge mage blasting a fireball at her dragon. When the rouge mage exited the tower and sent a fireball at the dragon, she dismissed her illusion and thanks to that has much of her strength intact still.
(OOC: That was a tounge twister, hopefully everything came out okay ^_^)
-
The mage had gone, but his tower was still there... and... something wasn't right... the tower was WAY too elaborate for a mage of that power level... the things in here... pots full of potions, magical machinery, ancient codices, vats used to concoct magical elixers... these items were the hallmark of an archmage, not that mid-level one Ophion had just fought... clearly, that mage was working for a far more powerful one...
And yet... Ophion looked around at the tower, and was partially relieved, but also a bit upset. He saw a family seal... an upside-down blue crescent surrounded by four stars... yes... this was the tower of Artyjesk... he was called "Arty" for short... this was Aurescia's great uncle's tower...
"Arty" was known for being an eccentric, and for moving from place to place every year or so... it was hard to keep track of him. Ophion knew that he was not an evil mage, powerful though he was... he must have been teaching that rogue mage as an apprentice, and, like many apprentice wizards, he went power-mad when he got a taste of what magic can do...
-
The trio soon returned to the inn to find the party had finally subsided...and the majority of the females within have collapsed where they stood.
"Good grief," Shiana said. "This looks no different than what the orcs do..."
-
The Green Sands Inn would need a through cleaning after this... at least this was the only female's night of the year at this inn... unfortunately, there was another one at the Gold Dragon Inn tomorrow, and another one at the Silver Moon Inn the night after that, and another one at the Inn of daggers the night after that...
The Dracons really had to develop some moderation... or temperance... or some discipline...
-
Jake was having a hard time trying to get the naked female off of him. He used his arm to push her off. Once he had got her off of him. He stood up and proceeded to the stairs
-
Meanwhile...
Ophion left the tower... he had done enough damage for now... he would return tomorrow and apologize for the incident... and see if he could talk his in-law into doing something about that apprentice...
-
Jake walked up the stairs and down the hallway. Jake stopped at his door and he opened it. Jake tossed his spare clothes onto the ground and he collapsed onto his bed and he fell asleep...although....he would wake up with an extremely sore head...lol
-
The next morning...
Ophion had returned to his home before the sun had risen. Rising fairly early, his family did what they normally would in the morning; wake, wash, and go downstairs for breakfast. Aurescia made the food, which consisted of warm bread and meat, cooked in a large pan.
The food was easy to make, and placed in the center of a table, and each family member was free to take as much as he or she wanted. Each of them sat around a round table, sitting on gray cushions. Water was the only drink, but if they wanted something extra, they had some fruit available as well.
The family consisted of Ophion, Vervesho ("Ver", for short), his eldest son, Kos, Kria, and Aurescia. All of them ate breakfast and dinner together.
-
Jake began to toss and turn in his bed...he couldn't sleep with a sore head. Jake got up out of his bed to see if the bar was still open. He wanted some alcohol so that he could forget about the pain in his head.
-
The bar was still open, but had nothing left to drink except for water. There was a priestess there whose magic could cure the pain... she was asleep on the counter, with her head down on it while sitting in the chair...
-
Jake arrived downstairs at the bar. "hello....anyone here?" he asked
-
There was a bartender, but the waitresses were all passed out on the floor... one of them kept repeating the name "Adykon"...
-
"grrr......that's the female that fell on me...." thought Jake angrily in his head. Jake turned to the bartender "do you have any alcohol left from the party?.......just nod if it's a yes"
-
"I've got some water... but that priestess can help you... hey priestess, can you help this guy?" the bartender said.
-
Shal'thzar walked into the Inn in search of a place to sit. As she entered, she noticed that the Inn sounded unusually quite except for the sound of an occasional "Adykon". Then she remembered: It was females night last night.. And i missed it! Shal'thzar snickered to herself.
After trying not to step on any sleeping females, Shal'thzar finally made her way to the bar. She searched for a place to sit and found a stool to sit on, convenient next to Jake even though she was unaware she was sitting next to him..
-
Meanwhile...
"So, Ver. What did you learn in school yesterday? It's been a while since we last spoke" Ophion asked his eldest son.
"I studied the basic principles of thaumaturgy and alteration. Basically, those are two ways to change the physical world around ourselves. The former is a way to change the essences underlying the world, and the latter is a way to change the manifestations of the those essences, which we call 'everyday items' I also learned..."
He went on like that. Every day. Father always asked him what he had learned, and listened to every last word of it. Every. Last. Boring. Word. He didn't listen to Kria in the same way... no... he liked his wizard child... a wizard like him. A chip off the old block... the smart one in the family... she hated that. Why should his "brilliant thoughts" matter more than her deepest feelings?
-
"no alcohol?.......okay...i'll just have some water then..." said Jake as he moaned and placed his hand on his extremely sore forehead
-
Within a minute, a glass of water was passed to Jake by a barmaid...
"No charge for the water... do you want to hear what services are also offered here?" the barmaid said.
-
"do you err.....have a translation book or somethin' so i can understand you?" asked Jake
-
(OOC: He spoke to the Dracons before)
"We are already speaking the same language, human" the barmaid said. "No need to insult the way we speak."
-
(I thought they spoke with roars and such?)
"sorry, originally it was a bit hard to understand you earlier....." said Jake, then Jake thought something nasty in his head "probably because i don't care what these animals have to say".
(Jake didn't say the nasty thought)
-
(OOC: It was long established that they spoke in Draconic, which is an actual language made for the D&D game. We're just "translating" the speech into English)
Meanwhile...
Ophion's family had finished breakfast and departed for their daily tasks. Ophion and Aurescia went to open their shop, Kos, Ver and Kria went to their school. She also had a dance lesson after school was out for the day.
-
(i know that it's translated although Jake can't understand draconic...soz i didn't post anything here)
-
(OOC: You will have to say that he understands it, unless you retcon half of your posts! :lol If he even spoke to them once and they understood him, he can speak their language)
The bar began to clear out and clean up, as the females gradually woke up and stumbled out... there would be a large batch of eggs from this night... and a lot of fatherless children...
-
Jake picked up the glass of water and he began to drink it. He didn't pause once to take a breath. Jake had drank all of the water in the glass in a timespan of 6 seconds (i can actually do that). "ahh....that was good....." said Jake "uhh....but my head still aches....i'm goin' back to bed..." Jake got off of the stool and he was about to leave for the stairs.
-
(OOC: And why does Jake's head keep hurting? He was healed at least once... and I can do that water thing too! :lol )
Several maids were busy cleaning the common room of the inn... the place was becoming tidy again at an amazing rate... soon, the first regular guests of the day would arrive...
-
"May i request this cup.." Shal'thzar began as she held up the same cup as before. "Be filled with water?"
-
"Here you go" the barmaid said, fetching some water. "Were you at the party last night? Countless females were..."
-
"Alas, i was not at the party last night." Shal'thzar said, taking a sip of water. "I heard that it was females night but i could not go as i had some buisness to attend to. Ah well, even if i did find myself a mate i would not know what he looks like."
-
"You would not know what he- oh." The bartender noticed Shal'thzar's lack of vision. "I am sorry to hear it. Do you need a room to spend the night? We also offer free services with our paid rooms..."
-
"No worries!" Shal'thzar said with a toothy grin. She then thought about a room for the night and said: "Yeah what they hey." Shal'thzar said. "How much?" She asked, smiling again.
-
"5 silver pieces per day for a room, and 3 silver pieces per day more for three meals a day. Additional food and drink can be purchased as well. We also offer free services with a room, if you are interested." The bartender said to Shal'thzar.
-
"Ok. I'll probably stay one night." Shal'thzar said with a smile. She put her hand inside a small pouch to see how many silver pieces were inside. Only seven? ah might as well.. Shal'thzar thought to herself. She took out the five pieces of silver and gave them to the bartender.
-
The bartender looked at her pouch, and noticed that there wasn't much in it. "You know, miss, we offer some free services... would you like us to tell you some of them?"
-
"Oh, Sure." Shal'thzar said with another smile.
-
"Included with your stay at the inn is a free supply of running water, and that includes hot water. We also offer free laundry services, full use of the steam room, free access to our shows, free services from the masseuses, delivery of food and laundry to your room on request, and free drinks every other day from sunset to midnight, provided that your purchase at least one meal earlier that day." The bartender told Shal'thzar.
The shows (mostly music and dancing) were already open to the public as it was...
-
"I should be fine with that." Said Shal'thzar
-
"Excellent. Here is the key to your room... it is on the east wing, second floor, last door on the right. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." The bartender, who also served as innkeeper, it seemed, told Shal'thzar.
-
"Ok, may i also request food be brought up to the room? Fruit? meat? either one is okay." Im still okay with water. Thank you very much" Shal'thzar said, paying the bartender, both for the room and food.
Shal'thzar walked up the stairs with little trouble, headed for the east wing and then finally to the door leading to her room.
Shal'thzar was tired, very tired, as she has only had three or two hours of sleep in the past couple of days. A growl from her stomach then reminded her of the food she requested. She would know when food arrives as she can smell it, but her smelling abilities still are not as good as her hearing or the use of vibrations. She searched for a bed and sat down on it..
-
(OOC: The food is not free, so that is okay. Having the food brought upstairs is free... heh. Also, media reference coming up... )
Meanwhile...
Kos and his siblings arrived at their school on time, as usual.
The school they attended, The Red Claw academy, was private. Dracons had no such thing as public schools, so all education was left up to temples, tutors, or a school run by a non-governmental institution. "The Claw", as it was called, offered education on a wider range of levels than humans were used to seeing under one roof... this institution educated Dracons from elementary to college level, even going into specialist fields, such as conjuration magic and architecture.
Five main buildings surrounded by a high sandstone wall made up the institution... one for the younger Dracons, one for teenagers, one for the college-level students, an office building, and a structure for advanced classes. In addition to this, there were many smaller buildings which served various purposes (storage, a small temple, housing, additional office space, etc.)
Located in the middle of Minthebec, "The Claw" was a respectable school, but hardly the richest that a Dracon could hope to attend. There were at least three other schools in Minthebec which were even more prestigious, and one other which might also qualify for that title. In addition, The Claw had to compete with schools in other cities for the attendance of the rich... the University of Hewaniar far outstripped its capabilities.
Kos liked the school for its nice playground... which is typical of a six year old... Ver liked the magical lab available there, although his talent was growing at such a pace as to outgrow it! He also like the library. Kria disliked her school, as it had a very lax dance program... her parents had to enroll her in classes in another school, one specifically set up for dancing.
While this was going on, Ophion and Aurescia ran their magic shop. Attached to their house, their shop was relatively small, but nevertheless useful. Upon entering, customers would see two sets of brown wooden shelves on either side of the store, and a counter with several more shelves behind it. Someone wishing to buy a simple magic item could just pick it off of the shelves, but more serious customers (the ones who made Ophion real money!) would go up to the counter and ask for an item that was not as readily available.
The store, named "Ophion's" was not a speciality store. It sold magical items of all kinds... wands, staffs, rings, books, amulets, powders, elixers, tonics, tinctures, potions, scrolls, staves, necklaces, talismans, magical and alchemical components, balms, salves, and many others. In addition, Ophion offered magical services to customers, such as enchanting items or interpreting arcane texts. Aurescia helped her husband run the shop in many ways, especially when it came to Alchemy, as she spent much of the time preparing potions in one of three sizable gray cauldrons in the back room. She also spent time inscribing magical scrolls, which was considered busywork among the Dracons... making scrolls to order as well as keeping a stock of commonly-purchased scrolls.
Magical scrolls were pieces of paper with a spell written on them. Once read, the spell would be activated, and the magic in the scroll would be discharged. These were not to be confused with magical books, the likes of which commanded a massive price, but were also hard to sell at a profit, due to the high price Ophion had to pay from his suppliers, and the fact that there was so much competition for magical books, that any hike in prices beyond a certain small profit margin would enable his competition in that field to undercut him.
Some items were useful and practical... such as healing balm, or curing elixer. Others, such as enchanted perfume and ensorcelled foods (enchanted so as not to spoil, like magical apples or pomegranates), were luxury items which commanded great respect among the vain rich. Many of these wealthy Dracons did not care for the price, so long as it was an item that was in fashion. As a result, the stock of these items changed very frequently... with every passing of the moon, it seemed. Recently Ophion had to order five different colors of crystal balls in five months to keep pace with the changing demands of the consumers...
But the largest profit-making goods Ophion could sell were magical antiques. A purchase of these goods was rare, as they buyer would have to be able to recognize the power in the item and have a use for it. In addition, Ophion's supply of such items was limited to what he could purchase from mundane antique and curio dealers and use his own powers to identify from. Non-magical goods in his stock were enchanted and sold at a profit, too. Recently, business had been going very, very well. It seemed that more and more Dracons were turning to magic to solve their problems... using things like magical rings to keep one safe from violence, or using love potions to smooth over relationship problems, or even enchanting a weapon or armor to gain an advantage against foes in an arena...
One area that the couple had considered going into was the sale of magical familiars, animals or other companions of a mage... but since neither Aurescia nor Ophion had a familiar of their own, they were hesitant. Business had been good, although there was a possible problem in the recent opening of so many specialty stores for certain items... they had seen their wand sales plummet after opening of a specialty wandmaker two blocks down the road, and their sales of scrolls had stagnated after a magical scribe opened up his shop five blocks away from them...
Regardless, there was no question that their store put more than enough food on the table, and kept a roof over their heads.
-
Out in a blacksmith's hut on a country road, Torvin was busy cleaning out his furnace. He was using a hammer and chisel to break off the pieces of slag that had accumulated in the furnace. The area echoed with the sound of hammer and chisel breaking the glassy slag.
-
A few hours later...
Aurescia was taking a nap on a mat that she had laid out for herself. It was midday and she had just eaten lunch with her husband. Ophion continued to run the shop... it wasn't the fastest day so far, but a rush of customers was expected in an hour or so... which was when Aurescia usually woke up from her nap...
-
When morning came, the trio came from their room to find the "party" room empty of females, save for the inn employees. They plan on spending more of the day exploring the whole of the city, and perhaps the outskirts as well.
Halo carries two waterskins to the bar and sets them on the counter. "Fill these up with water, please?" he asked the bartender.
-
"Sure thing" the bartender replied, as he filled the skins up with water. "Did you hear about the blast nearby here? They said there was a crazy mage who went off and blasted a hole in another inn."
-
"I saw the aftermath at the inn," Halo replied. "I didn't get any further involved, though. There were quite a few individuals there that look like they knew what they were looking for. Did they find whoever started the attack?"
-
Ilsa sighed as she reached the city gates, ' iisn't there someone here to greet us? She asked an Attendant..
:Theres someone my lady" he replied pointing out n approaching figure. it was Minna "Are you the caravan my father told me to wait for. is one of you Lady.. Sail?"
_ Ilsa, actually, You must be mInna' My family sent me here with instructyions to give uyou this.. we'll be getting to know each other for the next few eweeks' Ilsa Said Handing over a letter to her.."
-
Back at the inn...
"No, I don't think they found him, or if they did, I didn't hear of it. Sorry." The bartender said.
Meanwhile...
Kos was in gym class with all the other kids his age. This school had mixed sex gym classes, and females were in attendance as well. Kos was too young to think about certain things involving females, so there were no issues for him or the others...
The problems were that other males in the class were often older than him... and would pick on those younger than themselves. Today, they had hung Kos from one of the ornamental decorations... so that it looked like the carved dragon head was biting him!
-
"Has anything been said on what this sorcerer looks like?" Halo asked.
-
"Well, we know that he is a Dracon... not sure about the details." the Bartender said.
-
Jake woke up from his sleep and he got up. Jake gathered his money and he went downstairs. Jake wanted to go get a brand new sword and he needed a blacksmith to make him some armour for when he arrived at King Archibolds castle.
-
The blacksmith nearest to the inn that Jake was staying at was a specialty swordsmith, although he could do other works as well, his finest work was that of sharp blades...
-
Jake pulled out a map of the city that he had recieved from the inn keeper. Jake searched on the map for a blacksmith. Jake had found one not too far from his current location, Jake began on his way there immediately
-
The smithy was a very hot place. Two smiths, three apprentices, and a master smith worked around an series of anvils and workstations. It was almost too hot for a human to bear, but a strong Dracon male could take it.
(http://api.ning.com/files/zUrqFH*0Igb814ZM9*xS-gYE9bF3UUjYxsOm3iuZESESMzS4qrWFOn8CydWmFhf2G*qCNipy4d6SYQ9QKK3U8BQOBaD8cLpc/forge.jpg)
-
"why the hell is it so hot!" thought Jake to himself as he walked over "must need to be hot to make stuff....i got to be in and out....ASAP!". Jake quickly walked over to the master smith.
-
The smith addressed Jake "You're not supposed to be in here! If you need to buy a blade, go see my son! He's in the next room, working at the counter!"
-
"sorry" said Jake as he rushed out. Jake saw a the door to the shop, he opened it and walked inside. Jake walked over to the counter
-
The store was filled with more weapons than almost anyone had ever seen before... each wall was filled to the limit with weapon racks... swords, knives, axes, spears, maces... you name it, they had it!
-
Jake spoke to the Dracon "hello, i'm in need of a new sword....could you recommend one for a knight....well almost knight.."
-
"Try this one. Fine steel. Perfect balance. Brand new" the bladeseller replied.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/weaponsw8/demonsbane.gif)
-
"seems good" said Jake "what's the cost of the fine blade?"
-
"15 pieces of gold. It comes with a free dagger." The seller told Jake.
-
"i'll take it" said Jake. Jake handed over the pieces of gold. "by the way....you wouldn't by any chance sell armour would you?"
-
"Try the armorer down the block. It's a big shop with a plate armor vest on the sign. Just go one block south of here... you can't miss it" The merchant told Jake.
-
"thanks" said Jake. Jake walked out of the shop and he began to walk down the block to the armour shop. Jake eventually got to the area that the Dracon had mentioned. Jake looked at all of the signs.....he found the one he was looking for. Jake ran over and he walked inside and over to the counter.
-
This shop had a blacksmith in the rear... and quite the selection of fancy armors...
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/armorw8/breastplate.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/armorw8/platemail-upper.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/customw8/mirrorarmor.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/customw8/zynaryxarmor.gif)(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/customw8/steelhidebp.gif)
-
"do you have any armour that a knight from King Archibolds castle would wear?" asked Jake
-
"I have a suit of human chain mail... I got this back in an old campaign..." the vendor told Jake.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/armorw8/hauberk-chain.gif)
-
(OOC: I'm back. And so is Valeron :lol)
Valeron rose up much later than he usually did. Now that he had been accepted into the paladin ranks, he had this liberty. The only time he would need to wake up early in the morning from now on would be to go on temple missions. Hopefully, someone won't be giving me one of those for a while.
When Dracon paladins first become servants of the temples, they are usually sent to do small things, like catch thieves, guard caravans of low-importance, and other simple tasks. The more tasks a paladin does, the greater the paladin becomes. When the paladin is strong enough, he is sent on harder quests, like leading an assault on an advancing group of beasts and other creatures that thrive in the darkness.
However, I won't get a mount until I have to do quests outside of the city. Valeron rose from his bed, performed his daily ablutions, and dressed, putting on a white tunic with the temple crest stitched on the upper left shoulder. Valeron then tied the sheath of his silver-bladed hand-and-a-half sword to his belt, and sheathed the sword.
Well, time for my first day as a paladin. Valeron thought to himself as he left his abode.
-
"I heard there are quite a few Dracon mages in this city," Halo added. "I guess it would be hard to find a specific one."
Shiana stepped forward. "Speaking of mages, do you recommend any that can bestow magic on weapons? Preferably arrows?"
-
"If you need something enchanted, you should go to a magic store... a really good one is called "Ophion's"... I'll show you where it is on this map" the bartender said, pulling out a map and pointing out the store. "This guy's got everything, potions, powders, scrolls, the works. He can totally enchant arrows."
-
"That could work," Halo replied. "Thanks for the help. So how much for the water again?"
-
"Water is free" came the reply. "The rooms are expensive... but water is free. You know how much the average Dracon makes for a day's work? One silver piece. Ten silver pieces are worth one gold piece... it all adds up pretty fast."
-
"I see," Halo replied as he took back the water skins. "Thanks again."
The trio left the inn back to the bustling streets of the city, navigating their way to the magic shop owned by this Ophion. They paused to look it over before entering...
-
As expected, the shop was filled with magical goods... and customers clamoring to buy them. Many goods were purchased by Ophion from the makers of the items, but many were made by the owner of the shop and his wife. Scrolls, potions, and enchantments were usually made or bestowed on site; goods like rings or amulets had to be purchased, but when the enchantment was given in the back room of the shop, the price increased dramatically.
-
The trio were packed into the chaos of the shop, and tried to navigate their way through the shop.
"At least we know this place has a good reputation," Youri said.
"But now we have no idea which one of these people is Ophion," Shiana replied.
"He has to be here," Halo responded. "He'd be around to handle such a crowd if this happens each day."
-
Ophion was indeed there... he was running the store at the counter. He and some temporary workers helped keep the place stocked and made sure that customers were served. At the moment, he was selling a jar of toadstool powder to a customer...a rare ingredient in the desert.
-
"Well, there's a line to that counter," Halo pointed. "You can wait there."
Shiana sighed and walked to the end of the line, pulling her arrow quiver loose so she could take it off when she reaches the counter.
Youri and Halo stood back to look around.
"A number of these Dracons are a little young," Youri examined.
"You're right. There has to be an academy around. There wouldn't be that many spellcasters in one place if there wasn't one."
-
Several of the Dracons were indeed young; teenage males and female purchasing spell components for their training as mages...
Eventually, the line shortened. Halo and Youri could now make their purchase.
There were several schools of magic in the city. Many of them focused on one particular field, some focused on all fields. Most students here were from the latter. Ophion's was a store that had a good reputation, good items, and good prices. :)
And the shelves had the most interesting items on display:
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/gadgetsw8/gadget-lavalamp.gif) (http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/miscw8/bomb-acid.gif) (http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/gadgetsw8/gadget-largeprism.gif) (http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/miscw8/potion-red.gif) (http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/questw8/trangarm.gif) (http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/miscw8/potion-purple.gif)
-
"I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things," Youri replied as he looked around the shop.
Shiana removed her quiver full of arrows and sets it on the counter in from of her. "I'd like to have these arrows enchanted," she said in Draconic, a little better than she tried the first time.
-
Harly read through the history book he borrowed from the library while he stayed at the temple, and it gave him some key insights into the entire Dracon race. Things such as how they dressed, what they ate, and what their customs were. Magic seemed to be a part of everything - a concept that the former sea captain found detestful.
If one could simply wave their hands and issue a command to the world, and it obeyed, then how would they learn the true value of hard work and time? Tasks that could take an entire day to complete could be done in minutes, so life would quickly lose it's value.
Machines may have failed Menosan, his home, but he could see magic failing these people too - only the results would be even worse then how his former land had suffered. Pollution, steam bursts and rotating gears can harm one's person and even take their life, but from what he had learned a single mistake in magic can cost you your soul.
Harly could see the fall coming for this people, and he planned to not be here when it did occur. With a yawn he settled in to rest for the night as the priests of the temple extinguished the candle lights that lit the antrium.
"Good night good sir," said one of them as he passed the human's bed.
Tommarow would be an important day - the day he left this place behind.
-
"Certainly miss. I'll enchant these arrows for you right away." Ophion replied. "My wife will take over the counter while I'm busy with that." A moment later, Ophion went into the back room and not even half a minute after that, a female approached the counter. This was Aurescia, his wife.
In many lands, the enchantment of some arrows could cost hundreds of gold coins! But here, the prices was only about 1/10th that... the total cost would come to about 35 gold coins. This was due to the more abundant nature of magic in these lands, and the reduction of price due to volume. Ophion still made a profit, as enchanting these arrows only cost him some effort and a bit of time, no materials required.
Meanwhile..
Kos tried to dislodge himself from the stone carving by using his tail to get his loincloth unstuck. Eventually, he succeeded, but fell to the ground. He was angry. Very angry.
Elsewhere...
Shal'thzar's food was brought to her in a tray. It consisted of Smoked Quail, Pear Sorbet, some fresh bread, and a choice of water, or mead.
-
Shiana watched as Ophion left and his wife took his place at the counter. She fished into her coin purse. "So how much will it be for the full quiver?" she asked.
-
"Ahh, smells delicious!" Said Shal'thzar licking her lips as she smelled the food coming.
Shal'thzar thanked the maid for the food, but she did not take the mead as she wasn't much of a drinker(Plus she still had water :p). She was able to eat all of the pear sorbet and had most of the smoked quail finished but was unable to finish it and the fresh bread. She pulled out a cloth she had in one of her pouches, wrapped the food up and placed it on the table. After she had her fill, she went over to the bed and fell asleep..
OOC:Not sure if it was a maid. If not i will edit. And on a subject changer, new Dinosaur found i guess. Raptorex. Saw an illustration and a Mini T_Rex with feathers just doesn't match, i dont care if they say Dinosaurs have more in common with birds then modern day reptiles.. Sorry about the subject changer :rolleyes
-
(OOC: Yes, it was a maid)
Kos found the bullies who had put him in the rather... embarrassing position. They were all much older than he was... and there were five of them. This was after class, in the schools sandy yard...
"What are you going to you, Kos?" said the lead bully, a punk with long horns.
"Yeah! Your father got Jax in trouble for stealing that stuff from his magic store!" shouted another bully, this one with one horn and green skin.
"So, we took it out on you as an example for him!" said the third bully, who had an unusually long tail.
"He messes with us, we mess with those close to him!" The lead bully said. They didn't DARE attack a mage...
Kos was angry... very mad... so mad, that he lifted his hands, and feeling, an unusual heat in his right hand, tried to conjure a fireball! Sparks flew out...
"hahahaha! Look at him! Trying to use magic! The baby thinks he can hurt me! The little retard couldn't cast a- BOOM!" A fireball emerged from Kos's hands, hitting the bully in the stomach, and sending him flying through the air with a nasty but survivable burn.
-
"You want me to enchant the quiver itself, too?" Ophion asked. "For all of the arrows in the quiver, it will be 35 gold pieces. For the quiver as well... a extra ten pieces. "
-
Shiana looked up. "How do you enchant a quiver?" she blinked. "Usually only my ammunition needs enchanting."
-
"A quiver can be enchanted in several ways" Ophion told Shiana. "Usually, the enchanted quiver is used to enchant the arrows that are placed in it, so you don't have to keep going to a mage to enchant your arrows each and every time you get a new bunch. Now, the enchantment placed on the quiver produces a less powerful enchantment on the arrows than the mage places on them, but it is still very useful."
-
This news perked Shiana up. "OK! Enchant the quiver, too, please." She then pulls out and counts 45 gold coins.
Youri crossed his arms as he watched. "Back in some places you find females shopping for luxurious and useless items," he said to Halo.
"But, as you think of it," Halo replied, "You don't see much difference in between..."
-
"We've got luxuries if you want!" Aurescia said, pulling out some perfume.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/questw8/rapaxperfume.gif)
"This fragrance was made out of real dragon pheromones... care to smell?"
"We also have jewelry... magically-enchanted gold and gem-encrusted items which not only look good, but can be used for enhancing one's powers." Ophion added.
-
Youri kept quiet to avoid more trouble as he went back to looking around.
"Forgive us for not having much interest in magic," Halo responded. "We're not spellcasters, or known any to know enough about all of this."
-
"That's fine. Many who come here have no skill in magic either... that's why they need to purchase something magical; they cannot provide the magic themselves..." Ophion told Halo.
-
Torvin had finally cleaned out his furnaces. He looked at his stockpile of metal and realized that he would need to buy more. He grabbed a satchel of gold coins and a solid iron bar that he kept around as a weapon and he hopped in his wagon which was pulled by a large Ostrich-like creature.
"To the city." he said.
"What for?" the draft animal asked.
"Buy metal."
"Ran out so soon?"
Torvin nodded. "Yep."
The draft animal soon pulled the wagon down the dirt path, heading into the city.
-
(OOC: Good post!)
The gates of Minbenthac were large... with two sets of adamantine doors at each of the four main gates, and two adamantine steel portcullises at each one as well, it was hard to attack. The walls were over 30 meters high, and the towers on each wall were ever higher. It was an awesome sight for anyone entering the metropolis, such as Torvin.
-
Jake was returning back to the inn since he had purchased all he needed. Once Jake had returned and was in his room he put on his armour.
(http://forums2.battleon.com/f/avatars/AQWorlds/Characters/paladinyo0.gif)
-
Kos sat impatiently in the chair... he had been taken to the headmaster's office after that fireball incident... the school officials were investigating exactly what had happened, why it had happened, and who, if anyone, was to blame. For now, Kos had to sit in one of the school's anti-magic chairs; a piece of furniture which was enchanted to emit an invisible field which canceled out magical effects around it, and caused spells to fail.
Had Kos been as powerful as his father, the field would have been too weak to contain him... as it was, not only was the field enough to negate his magic... but the bars surrounding the chair were keeping him in place as well...
-
(OOC: Hey i know that armor! AdventureQuest Worlds! :) )
Shal'thzar sat up with a stretch. She indeed had a very good night's sleep, but it was time for her to go. She took her wrapped up leftovers and she head back down to the Inn. Before she exited, she asked the bartender for another refill of Water.
-
The bartender gave her another glass of water. "We boil it to keep the germs out... then we cool it for our patrons... hope you enjoy it, it's a hot one today" he told her.
-
(yeh i play aqworlds my user is metadude1234.....lol)
As Jake was checking over his armour in the mirror a maid knocked on the door. "huh?" said Jake, Jake walked over to the door and he opened it.
-
"I've come in to clean the room again sir" the maid said. She meant it for real this time... there was no more trick behind it... not now.
-
"okay, sure" said Jake, Jake let the maid in and Jake stayed in the room while he maid cleaned. He went and sat on a chair, he had to be careful that he didn't brake the chair with his armour.
-
Harly whistled as he walked down the streets with his bag of possessions over his shoulder. The nice new bow he had bought was also amoung them - he planned to at least take something with him as he departed Dracon lands.
"I'd like a one way ticket to Argannon please," the former sea captain requested of the ferry commisioner at the docks. It was time to set this wierd city to the seas, and now that he knew some locals were hostile to him it was best to leave this place behind.
"The ferry will be out of service for a fortnight or two... due to and unfortunate need for repairs," the commissioner explained.
The ferry that Harly had rode in was surprisingly still embedded into the docks, the stupid captain having wedged the bow right into the rocks and wood at the mooring.
Harly swore. This was the last thing he needed. Now he would need a place to spend the night once more, and it was too unkind to intrude on the temple once more.
He decided to go to the safest place he knew... the house of the stranger who saved him in the inn. After a few hours of searching and a timely request at the library he was able to find out where Ophion lived.
Harly walked up the steps and held up his hand to knock on the door, but hesitated. Why was he doing this? He didn't even know the guy and here he was asking to stay in his dwelling. Shaking his head he lowered his hand and made to go back out onto the street.
Behind him, the door unlatched and creeked open. Someone from inside had noticed him.
-
"Well, so far we've done quite well without spellcasting," Halo replied, and then his white hair moved slightly to an invisible wind when he got a thought. "Now that I think of it, we may need a few things when we get to a town on our way back home by ship. Perhaps you have something that give off some light that won't be extinguished by water?"
Youri had turned to see who had just entered the shop...
-
Harly had entered Ophion's shop. This was a store attached to his house, but it was not where he lived, thought the two structures were part of one larger one.
"We have crystals which absorb sunlight, and emit that light back out when it is dark" Ophion said to Halo. "I've got a fresh order from the Crimson Claw Crystal works, so you have a wide range of choices for what size and color you want your light to be."
-
The maid continued to clean Jakes room, while she was doing that Jake hadn't realized how tired he was. "must....stay...awake..." thought Jake to himself as his eyelids began to close. Jake began to sleep
-
The maid saw that Jake was tired. "What's the matter, human? You feeling alright? Should I call in a nurse? A masseuse? Maybe you need some water? Food? Or... a new pillow?"
-
"im good..." responded Jake "yawn...just a little tired..."
(gtg)
-
Torvin gaped in awe at the city's walls.
"Hey Torv, I thought you were going to buy metal?" the draft animal said.
"Right." Torvin replied.
The draft animal pulled the wagon through the gates and down the streets.
-
Torvin entered the wholesale district of the city, which was very busy almost every day. Minbenthac's economy was largely set up on trading resources. Each of the great nobles of the city controlled at least one major resource (mines, quarries, fertile land, etc.) In return for a monopoly over his resource or resources, the king of Minbenthac would have to pay taxes to the king, and be required to base his operations in the city, bringing jobs and money.
Since most nobles controlled only one resource each, each section of the wholesale district was run by its own staff, one resource per section. This also meant one noble per section, which created problems in its own right. While there was only one king, there were many factions among the nobility. Each noble had his own supporters, and when nobles fought, their supporters would fight each other as well. This was a patron-client relationship, in which loyalty and services by the poor were exchanged for protection and favors by the nobles.
Frequently, this played out in the arena, where supporters of one faction would fight another. Rarely, it devolved into clashes in the street, and even more rarely, it led to full-scale riots. When it got this bad, the king usually intervened, and would force the nobles to quiet things down.
At the moment, the iron section of the market was calm... the lord who controlled the iron mines and smelters had a conflict with the lord who owned the copper industry... there was conflict between them, and their followers.
-
Harly walked into what appeared to be a shop, rather then a house.
Perhaps he was in the wrong place...
-
Ophion spoke directly to Harley; "Welcome to my store! If you see anything you need, or have any questions, feel free to ask. If you need any help, my wife and I will be happy to assist."
-
"Thank you very much." Shal'thzar said to the bartender. She then left the inn and began to once again, roam the streets. As she traveled through the streets she listened to the many vibrations from all around her and sniffed around for anything that may prove usefull. She then caught the scent of Iron and Metel and knew that it was a shop which selled armor and weapons. Luckily, that was her next destination..
Shal'thzar entered the shop and sniffed around for anything that was usefull until the owner called..
-
As Ophion was talking to the human who entered, Halo recognized him from the inn that was attacked earlier today, but was not sure if he was involved.
Shiana has finally counted and set down 45 gold pieces on the counter. Now she could get not only her arrows, but also her quiver enchanted.
-
"Thank you. Now to enchant your quiver." Ophion said. "Aurescia, see to this quiver. I see a customer in need of help, and you said you wanted to do an enchantment today."
Ophion went to help Harly, while Aurescia began the incantation on the quiver.
-
Torvin picked up his bag of gold and he examined the various metals for sale.
"Hey Torv, I've never seen this many shops before." the draft animal said.
"Neither have I." Torvin replied. "I don't know where to begin." He noticed that many of the metals vendors sold metals far more exotic than the iron, steel, bronze, gold and silver he worked with.
-
The metal sections of the district were close to each other... but each part clearly had rivalries with the others... it was a complex game of interlocking alliances, bitter rivalries, and shifting loyalties.... trade wars were not pleasant.
-
(OOC: Noname can I have your permission to wreck your OC's house - like as in the bad guys attack again)
-
(OOC: Actually, no. Please don't have them wreck the house. If they attack again, have it happen somewhere else. That house will have a part to play later.)
Aurescia gathered her magic and placed her hands on the quiver. Within a few seconds, it glowed green and after about two minutes, the enchantment was done. Aurescia was visibly weakened from the effort, and looked quite tired, but it was done.
-
Shiana watched. "You need someplace to sit down?"
Halo looked around. "I think there was a chair nearby."
-
"No, I need to go lie down for a few minutes" Aurescia said, as she exited the room and went to lie down on a straw mat she had placed in the other room. Her magic was powerful, but she only had so much of it in her at once...
-
Jake stood up from th chair and he stretch to see if it would help to keep him awake. Jake bent over and he touched his toes. He sstood back up and he began to stretch his arms. Once Jake had finished that he sat back down on the chair.
-
One of the maids, a dracon female with red eyes, a pale yellow stomach, shiny horns, and reddish skin. brought Jake a pillow. "You might need this, human. I can see you are tired" she told him.
(OOC: BTW, what is Jake equipped with/wearing/using at the moment?)
-
(a longsword and this armour (http://metadude1234.deviantart.com/art/My-aqworlds-Character-137833406))
"thank you.." said Jake as he took the pillow and placed it on his bead. "when you leave i'll go to sleep"
-
The maid left the room and closed the wooden door behind her. She decided to wait outside the door. She had rarely seen humans before, and was interested in seeing this one... just as some humans were interested in seeing exotic races... well, exotic to them, as it was a relative term.
-
Jake began removing his chestplate and he placed it on the ground. Jake then removed the armour for his arms and then placed them on the ground. --
Once Jake had finished taking off his armour he was left wearing long pants. Jake walked over to his bed and he lay down on it and he began to drift off...
-
The maid outside his door could see inside, but she could smell inside. "Oh, so THAT'S what a human smells like... weird. I think I'll go somewhere else for now." she thought...
-
Jakes armour lay there in the corner....it began to stink due to some sweat that had come off of Jake while he was wearing it
-
Within a few minutes, several other maids had returned to Jake's room to clean out that odd smell... they brought soap, water, and towels with them... as well as some cleaning potion which smelled of exotic fruits...
-
While Jake was sleeping he began to snore.....softly...
-
The maids scrubbed the floors and the armor. After applying some of the potion, the smell went away... but not all of it. Some of the smell was from Jake...
"Prepare a bath for the human... whether he takes it or not is up to him." a maid said.
-
Jake continued to snore. 15 minutes had passed since Jake had fallen asleep.
-
A large wooden tub full of warm water was brought in, and some soap was added as well. "Pour some of the strong-smelling potion on the floor. It should wake the human up in about an hour when it starts to evaporate" the lead maid said. She was the only maid in the whole inn who could read of write, so she was the one who left a note to Jake telling him that they had made a bath for him...
Unfortunately, no one noticed one of the maids had decided to take a nap herself in the room... sleeping on a straw mat in the corner which all rooms came with if they needed to accommodate more guests.
-
Jake began to wake up from the scented potion. Jake yawned, he looked at a small bench beside his bed and he opened a note. The note said that a bath had been made for him. Jake said "great, this should wake me up." Jake walked over to the bath and he removed his long pants. Jake didn't notice the dracon in the corner...Jake then removed his boxers and he hopped into the bath. and he closed his eyes
-
The Dracon maid was awoken by the sound of splashing water. "Wuzz... what is... ahh!" She said, seeing the human in the bath.
-
Jakes eyes opened wide "what the hell are you doing in here!?" said Jake in alarm
(be back on tomorrow)
-
"Ahh! I was just... resting my eyes! Please don't hurt me!" the maid said, panicking.
The other maids heard the screaming of a female dracon coming from Jake's room.
"He's at it again! Let's stop him!" shouted the lead maid, and in a moment, several maids had burst into the room, and were trying to wrestle Jake down... while he was still in the bath.
-
"I guess such magic can drain any spellcaster," Youri implied. "Even a strong one."
"Any occupation has its pros and cons," Halo replied.
-
With Ophion busy assisting Harly and with Aurescia resting, someone had to take care of the shop. As the boys were at school, this duty fell to...
"... name is Kria. How can I help you?" she said in a dull tone, obviously tired from her dance classes, but also annoyed that she had to help in a magic store when she had no magic of her own.
-
Jake managed to get two of the maids off of him and he grabbed for a towl and he wrapped it around him and he ran over to his sword and he pulled it out. "what's going on!?" yelled Jake "i was having a bath and i find a maid in my room sleeping?! what was she waiting for?! trying to get a good look at me!?"
-
"You helped me in the bar... and for that I think you stranger," Harly said as he extended a hand, "May I ask your name?"
-
The females ran out of the room, terrified. They weren't going to bother Jake again, that was for sure...
-
"My name is Ophion" the mage said, extending his hand. "Welcome to my store. Take a look around. And thank YOU for helping out earlier."
-
Jake put down his sword and he removed the towl and he hopped back into the bath. "ahh....that's better.."
-
Jake finished his bath and he got out. Jake wrapped he towl around him and he lay on his bed. Jake closed his eyes...
-
Kos was let out of the chair. The authorities at his school pulled him out of his classes, and gave him a letter to give to his parents. He would be reassigned to a different division of the school which could better handle his powers...
Kosjurec was just happy not to be punished.
-
Jake continued to lay on his bed with his eyes closed and he decided to sleep a bit longer so he would be full of energy for later.
-
"A pleasure," replied Harly, "but what is it exactly you sell?"
-
"I sell magical items of all sorts. Wands, powders, potions, elixers, scrolls, books, rings, amulets, trinkets, alchemical tools and ingredients, talismans, and much more. I also enchant items for a fee. If you need it and it is magical, odds are I have it." Ophion replied.
-
"Explain to me...what exactly is this art you call magic?" Harly asked.
-
Ophion began a long speech. He was used to this question...
"Magic is the practice of energy manipulation in order to achieve a desired result. The kinds of energy manipulated are many, but the most common kinds are the four elements, astral magic, magics of life and death, divine magic, psionic magic, and ethereal magic. So, in short, magic is the manipulation of energy. A practitioner of magic is called a mage."
"I'll explain the most common types of magic, but are many, many more out there. The most common kind of magic is elemental, and this means earth, air, fire, and water. Earth magic tends to be defensive, air magic is usually enhancing and offensive, fire magic is mostly offensive, and water magic is usually healing and enhancing. Astral magic is considered to be the purest form of magic out there, as it is the manipulation of pure magical energy, also known as arcana. Life and death magic are fairly self-explanatory; one is mostly related to healing, the other is mostly related to killing and raising the undead. Divine magic is the use of spells granted by a deity to a cleric, usually related to healing, enhancing, and destroying evil forces. Psionic magic refers to spells related to the mind, like telekinetic spells, or the ability to read minds. Ethereal magic is tricky; it involves the manipulation of the powerful but highly unstable energy from the ethereal plane; I prefer to avoid its use."
"There are many different ways to go about using magic. For example, I am a wizard. My magical powers come from study and constant practice. For me, magic is a science, not an art. Wizardry is, in my estimation, the best school of magic, as it enables the practitioner to understand the power he is wielding, and to use the greatest variety of spells, as if I don't know a spell, I can simply learn it."
"My wife is a sorceress. Her magic was inborn, and manifested at puberty. In other words, she didn't have to learn her magic; it is as much a part of her as her skin or her heart. This sort of magic is rare, because it usually has to be inherent and it cannot be learned. To a sorcerer, magic is an art, not a science. Sorcerers have access to a smaller, but still large variety of spells relative to wizards. Also, because it is part of themselves, their magic is subject to changes based on their mental or emotional states. For males, sorcery is based on willpower, for females, it is based on emotions."
"A third school of magic is alchemy, the art of manipulating elements. This school is based on mixing things or combining them in such a way as to achieve a desired effect. While I've never had the time or patience to spend hours and hours on end every day mixing things just to be able to use magic, I must admit that alchemical arts are invaluable, and that alchemists, like wizards, treat magic like a science, which is how it ought to be, as magic is dangerous when one doesn't understand what they are wielding."
"Divinity is the school of magic in which the practitioner doesn't so much cast spells as he asks for his deity to cast them on his behalf. For obvious reasons, divine magic users have to believe in their god, but they also have to have at least some understanding of the magic they are using, even if the greater part of their power depends on faith. Some clerical magic can be very powerful. I wouldn't like having to be part of a religious order for it, though."
"Psionic magic is... tricky. Even I am not fully sure how it works... I know that it involves mental magic, and that psionics are in high demand in noble courts due to their ability to read minds and gain important information. I've never been interested in that sort of thing. It is a kind of magic that must be learned, and it can be dangerous, although it usually only works against foes who have a mind that can be affected... so that limits its use considerably against mindless foes, like golems or beings of pure energy."
"Enchantment is another school of magic in which one uses spells to change the nature of an item, person, or place. Usually, this is a way to give something more power, or to transform it from one thing to another. The problem with this school is, in my opinion, that it is based on the duration of a spell; it doesn't truly transform something, it uses a spell to force something to be different. If an enchantment is broken, an item will revert back to its normal state. It is a also a rather... limited form of magic, as it doesn't really do anything else besides add magic to something, or break an enchantment that was already there."
"There is also a pair of mage classes which are... tricky. First is the warlock, who gets his magic from a deal with an entity. Now, this sounds similar to divine magic, but is different for two reasons; first, a warlock actually has his magic as opposed to it being requested, and second, warlock magic tends to be of a darker nature than most divine magic, and tends not be centered around healing or getting rid of unnatural creatures. The other tricky class out there is the Druid, which gets his powers from nature itself. I admit that I don't know a whole lot of Druid magic, other than the fact that it is strongly based in manipulating plants and animals, and tends to be a rare form of magic."
"We also have magicians, who don't actually have any magic of their own, but are skilled at using magical items. Most true practitioners of magic look down upon them as pseudo-mages. There are many smaller schools of magic than those stated. Alternation is changing one item into another, conjuration is the creation and summoning of magical beings, summoning simply calls forth said beings without creating them, demonology is the use of blood rites to summon and bind demons and use their power, thaumaturgy is the manipulation of arcane essences, as opposed to their mainfestations, and, construction magic revolves around making magical items and magical constructs, like moving statues or magical swords."
"There's more to it as well, but I think I've covered the basics, Harly. Any questions?"
-
"If magic is defined as the manipulation of energy, would not a sail taming the wind or a boiler priming a furnace be considered magic also?" Harly inquired.
-
(OOC: Please keep modern technology OUT of this RP; it violates the setting.)
"I'm not sure what a 'boiler' is, but no. Magic is defined as the personal manipulation of those forces by one's own mind, will, or, in the case of certain mage females, emotions." Ophion replied.
-
Torvin examined the metals for sale. He went up to the iron and steel vendor.
"Greetings, what do you have for sale?"
-
The vendor, a huge green Dracon, pulled out several ingots of iron and some bars of steel for Torvin to sample.
"What kind of metal do you need?" the vendor asked the mammalian smith.
-
Shal'thzar finished her examining of the various armors and weapons. She then heard the voice of Torvin and the Dracon Vendor and followed it. First though, she will let Torvin speak to the vendor before asking for whatever it was she was looking for..
OOC: Sorry about that ^_^ hopefully it's okay to have Shal'thzar in the same place Torvin is in.
-
"I'm sorry," stated Harly, "A boiler was a device we used to use to power our ships, but that was before my homeland fell into ruin."
Harly paced about and admired the various magical artifacts adorning the shelves. This Dracon mage certainly had a magnificant collection, and judging from the craftsmanship displayed in the magic swords he clearly had a good blacksmith in his employ.
"Have you had any luck determining the identity of our tavern attacker?" asked Harly as he lit his pipe.
-
Ophion indeed contracted weapons from some blacksmiths, though he made no blades himself. He did know how to use a sword, having been a soldier years ago.
"I'm afraid not" came the response. "There are dozens of magical malcontents who might have done it... the city is full of them."
-
Torvin thought a moment. "I need some raw iron as well as steel that can used in swords and other weapons. Neither has to be capable of being enchanted."
"Torv, I thought you needed steel that was capable of holding an enchantment." the draft animal said.
"Thanks!" Torvin called. He then turned to the vendor. "I also need a small quantity of steel that can be enchanted."
-
"All steel can be enchanted" the vendor replied "But I have some steel that HAS an enchantment on it which makes it easier to absorb other enchantments." The dracon pulled out a box with some steel bars in it, and laid them out...
(http://imghost.indiamart.com/data/G/A/MY-1445828/stainless-steel-bars_10870411_250x250.jpg)
"I'll get you some of the regular metal too; I've got plenty of it. Jonpud! Get some some iron for the customer!"
A kobold entered the room with some iron bars in his hands. This was Jonpud, the paid servant of the vendor. Some richer vendors kept slaves... this merchant was more merciful; he also paid wages a bit above starvation level...
-
Torvin looked at the metal bars. "I will take 40 pounds of the modified steel and 150 pounds of normal steel."
-
"Sure thing. That will be 420 silver pieces, or the equal thereof." the vendor replied.
One gold piece was equal to 10 silver pieces. 1 silver was worth ten copper.
"By the way... I know we have many races living around this city, but... what racial name do you prefer to be called?" the vendor asked.
-
"I prefer my given name, Torvin." Torvin replied. He handed 42 gold pieces over. "Here you are."
-
"Thanks, Torvin. You are a... kind of horse?" the vendor asked. "We don't have too many of your kind around here. Not to offend, but... how did a normally quadrupedal race of creatures gain the ability to walk on two legs? And become a skilled craftsman at that?"
-
"I am a Clydesdale specifically. I'd rather not get into the details but I am not native here." Torvin replied.
-
"Understood. Not all Dracons are so understanding, you know. Most in this city don't mind having mammals living among them, and I don't care myself. Just be careful around this district; it tends to attract a lot of unsavory customers..." the vendor replied.
-
Harly browsed the shop for a while, and finding nothing of interest he thanked the Dracon for his time and proceeded out into the streets.
Where he came from magical arts were forbidden, and often daubling in them resulted in imprisonment or worse. It was odd to go from a place were it was against the law, to a place where it was not only allowed but encouraged.
The former sea captain had earned a bit of respect for these mages, even if their arts were less precise and technical then those of the tinkers and steam engineers back home. Perhaps he should learn to use a bit of magic for himself... it would come in handy when he finally settled down and opened a business.
Suddenly realizing he was hungry, Harly padded down the streets towards a food stand he had seen here during his travels. His money purse was getting low however, so he wasn't sure how much longer he could go like this without a job.
Perhaps time would tell.
-
There were plenty of jobs for aspiring adventurers in Minbenthac; all one had to do was be brave enough to try out for one... of course, the high mortality rate kept most newcomers away, but someone like Harly would have no problem. Not coincidentally, there was a reward sign posted for the capture of a rogue mage who had recently blown a hole in a tavern... the same case Ophion was working on!
-
Torvin loaded the metal onto his wagon.
"Well, what else you going to get?" the draft animal asked.
"Copper, bronze and brass." Torvin replied. He then headed over to the copper dealer. "Hello. What wares do you have?"
-
"Do you sell Armor or Weapons?" Said Shal'thzar to the Dracon Vendor. "If so, how much would they cost?"
-
"I have some daggers and swords, mostly traded in as scrap. I polish off some of better ones for sale. Are you interested? They cost between two to ten gold pieces each, depending on what you buy." The vendor told the female dracon.
Meanwhile...
The copper vendor also sold brass and bronze. This merchant was not as tolerant as the last one...
"Hmph. I've got some for you, mammal, but I'm saving the finest for my OWN kind. You can have some of this if your money is good... I've heard bad things about hairy creatures... you all cut your coins with lesser metals!" The vendor told Torvin. This red dracon had piercing red eyes, long silver horns with unusually sharp ends (he filed them), and the clothing typical of a metalworker...
However, someone more tolerant than himself had heard his little speech...
She sighed to herself. Times were tough for copper salesmen; there was a glut of supply, and the market was depressed, especially since weapons were now almost exclusively made of ferrous or magical metals, and the market for bronzeware was losing out to clay pots and iron tools. In times like this, people looked for a scapegoat, and foreigners were very convenient, especially one with iron and steel loaded on his draft animal... he was "foreign competition" in the vendor's eyes.
-
Upon hearing the Dracon's words, Shal'thzar felt around in her small pouch to see if she had any coins for a weapon. She took a few peaces out and placed them on the counter infront of the Dracon Vendor, hoping that they were gold coins(Which they were) "Hopefully those are gold coins, as i cannot tell because i am blind and hopefully that's the right amount of coins.. Im looking for a curved blade, one that isn't heavy but can still prove userfull when times are dire. Going to go off to adventure soon, hopefully come back with more plunder." Shal'thzar said with a laugh.
-
"I've got one for you, right here" the vendor said, pulling out a scimitar.
(http://www.flamestryke.com/wizardry8/imagesw8/itemsw8/unusedw8/scimitar.gif)
"And you have given me a bit more than enough for it. The total cost was 15 gold pieces." he added, pushing some coins back into her hands.
-
OOC: Going to hop into the world of sleep, ye be warned.
"Whoops. Sorry about that." Shal'thzar said with a smile. Shal'thzar picked up the scimiter and felt it. "Indeed, this is a fine blade. Easy to handle too!" Shal'thzar said with a nod.
-
"Be careful with that thing! Since you are blind... well, I hope you know who you're swinging it at, my lady!" the vendor said, scared.
-
"Look, I'm here just to buy bronze and copper. I am not here for an argument. Now if you don't mind, may I have 150 pounds of raw copper as well as 25 pounds each of brass and bronze?" Torvin said, a hint of anger in his voice.
"Torv, what is taking so long?" the draft animal asked.
-
The vendor got the metal out. "Here. I have only 50 pounds of copper for you, mammal."
"Varanus! Are you giving other races a hard time again?" A female voice called out. Stepping out of the shadows came a female with orange skin (a very rare shade for a dracon), shiny white teeth, and a pale white belly. She had golden colored eyes, and for a female dracon, was unusually beautiful. Wearing yellow cloth on her top and loins, she came forward.
"Pogona... I was just... (sigh) you are right... I shouldn't be throwing away a good sale, especially with you in your... condition. We need the money for the child, and chasing off customers isn't good for business anyway..."
Turning to Torvin, Varanus the vendor spoke.
"Alright. I'll get you your metal."
Pogona returned to the inner room, where she was resting. She worked with her husband, but liked to take a nap during her break. She lay down on the straw mat and resumed her rest.
-
"Do not worry, i shall use this with caution." Shal'thzar said to the Dracon Vendor. She went to sheath her new weapon, but remembered something.. "Does this sword happen to have a sheath to go with it? If so, then i would like to buy one as well. If not, would you happen to know who sells sheaths?" Shal'thzar said with another smile.
-
"Sheaths aren't my specialty... but I have one for this kind of sword anyway" the vendor said. "Since you are blind and... well... it is probably safer for you to have this" he added, pulling out a sheath. "It doesn't fit my other weapons... so, you may have it for free."
-
"Really? Okay." Shal'thzar said, taking the sheath and sheathing her new sword. "Thank you again." Shal'thzar added in with a smile.
Shal'thzar left the shop with her new weapon and sheath. She knew she was poor and there would probably be no one to hire her due to her being blind, and so the only way was to explore the outside world and hopefully find some gold or something to sell for gold.
And so, Shal'thzar traveled through the city and to the city gates, and departed..
OOC: This wont be the last time Shal'thzar is seen, nope. She will return, hopefully with a little bit more gold :p
-
(OOC: You can have her interact with any character at almost any time, you know. Shal'thzar and any other character you have are always welcome!)
Meanwhile...
Kria looked over her books... she was going through with it tomorrow. They had moved the ritual up, now that the cult leader had prepared the altar far ahead of time... turns out the oils needed to anoint the stone were found much quicker than they had anticipated... soon, Kria would have her magical powers... and much more than she had bargained for.
She quickly put the books down and got back to serving the customers. The young female could not afford to let herself get distracted during work.
-
Shiana eyed the young Dracon's lack of enthusiasm curiously before pushing her 45 gold pieces forward and took back her quiver, now enchanted with magic. "The gold pieces was for the quiver and arrows your mother enchanted. Tell her I said thanks."
The trio made their way back out of the shop, stopping long enough for the Half-Elf to strap her quiver back on.
"So, what's next?"
"We'll probably have to stop back at this place to buy some of those glowing stones before tonight," Halo replied. "But, we can look around again to see what we'll need."
(OOC: Sorry for the late response. This was before Noname's last post with Kria.)
-
(OOC: That's fine.)
Kria collected the money and went back to serving the customers. People of all sorts were coming to buy magical goods for gods-know-what purposes. At least the buyers paid well; many people who sought magical goods at better prices went to the city's magic marketplace in the street. Of course, the expression "you get what you pay for" was all too true... many of their items had little charge in some of the seedier marketplaces, and it was generally a brick-and-mortar place that had the good stuff... which came with a price, but it was of dependable quality...
Although so many items were so... vain... rings that increased one's strength, potions that got rid of wrinkles, magical claw polish that lasted a whole year, dragon musk perfume...
-
Jake continued to sleep.....still wearing only a towel...he rolled over onto his side for a second then he returned to lay on his back.
-
Meanwhile...
Kria left her post at the counter, as her mother had woken up and was ready to work again. Taking her books upstairs, her claws clacking against the wooden floor, she lay down on her bed and began to read about the creatures she would be dealing with soon...
At the same time, Kos arrived at his house with the letter from his school... he sought out one of his parents, and gave them the letter...
-
Torvin accepted the metal and paid the vendor.
"We almost done yet?" the draft animal asked as Torvin loaded the metal.
"Almost just got to make a quick stop to the precious metals stall." Torvin replied.
He then headed to the precious metals stall. "Greetings. What is there for sale?"
-
The vendor here was another male... dressed in a fine cloak of green silk. "Greetings. I have gold and silver at this stall, but only in limited quantities. I am limited to a pound of the former and five pounds of the latter per customer at most."
-
"I only require 8 ounces of gold and 2 pounds of silver." Torvin replied.
"Torv, shouldn't you stock up?" the draft animal replied.
"No. This is enough to last me a while."
-
"I'll get it all right now" the vendor said, going to a back room behind a locked door. A minute later, he returned with the metal. "Let me weigh the gold and give you the price for it... 40 gold pieces for the gold, and 10 gold pieces for the silver... the total is 50 gold for the metals."
-
Torvin paid the vendor. "Thank you." He accepted the metals, loaded them onto the wagon and buried the precious metals under the ordinary metals.
"Where to now?" the draft animal replied.
"I'd just like to go to a tavern." Torvin replied.
-
Torvin wouldn't be disappointed... there were taverns every which way he turned... all of them had loud music, cheap drinks, and many dancers. Some were more crowded than others. Most had comfortable seats, some had good food, a few even had good rooms attached to them as part of an inn...
-
Jake had finished sleeping and he got up. He yawned "ah, that was a good rest" he said. Jake walked over and he got a pair of frwesh boxer shorts and he put them on. Jake lay the towel in a laundry basket. Jake took a look at his armour.....he could smell something..."what's that odd smell?". Jake picked up his his chest plate and he sniffed it. "it smells like a kind of purfume..."
-
The females had worn perfume when they could afford it. Most of the maids couldn't use it regularly... but every now and then they would save up just enough money for one small dose of it. Of course, one dose was all it took...
-
Jake looked around the room for a rag that he could use to get rid of the perfume smell. He didn't want to be wearing armor that smelled of perfume...It took Jake 3 minutes to find something that would act as a rag and he wet it down and he started using it to get the smell off of his armor.
-
Torvin entered a small tavern. Many Dracons were enjoying themselves but he could see other races as well.
-
Jake had finished cleaning off his armor and he put it on. He thought he looked very cool in the armor. Jake smiled to himself..."i wonder what else could make this look cooler...." he thought to himself "i know! i'll get a cape!"
-
Capes and other cloth items were easily accessible to males in the Dracon cities. Capes, while rare, could still be found without too much trouble... Jake would have to search the marketplace, but he could get one easily enough.
-
Jake removed his armour and he put on his shirt, jacket, socks and boot and he went over to the door. Jake opened it and he walked downstairs and out onto the street. "hmmm......" thought Jake to himself "i think i could find a cape in the southern part of the district where the cloths are...".
-
The cloth district of Minbenthac was crowded all day from dawn till dusk, and after dusk, it was filled with thieves and thugs. Right now, cloth and textiles could be purchased in huge quantities. Finished clothing, while more expensive, was also available for consumption. Carpets and rugs were also sold here, but there was a more specialized district for that in a district next to the cloth section.
-
Torvin sat at the counter and ordered a mug of beer. He paid the bartender and sat slowly sipping his beer. He absorbed in the eerie high pitched flutes of the band playing in the corner.
-
Many female dracons walked by Torvin. Obviously, few of them had interest in a member who was not of their species, but none of them objected to his being there. To them, he was a paying customer at the bar. They would not discriminate against that.
Suddenly, the flute music came to and end. A band of dracons playing sitars got up and sat on a rug near the stage. Then, a new round of dancers started their act...
-
Torvin watched the lithe Dracon dancers with interest. He noticed that several other Dracons were watching with interest as well.
-
Indeed they were interested. As each dancer stopped her dance, she was quickly replaced by another in her spot. The finished dancer went to recover from her performance by sitting down and having something to drink. Some dancers with sore feet went to get a rubdown in another room, then return to the main hall. The dancers, all female, were dressed in such a way as to show off various "features" on them.
They didn't pay much attention to the non-dracons in the inn, though. These females had a goal that night, and it was accomplished by a male dracon, no money, and a room upstairs. These female dancers were paid very little; their main payment was in the food they were given, and the use of the facilities, which were open to the dancers. Each dancer had to be registered ahead of time to prevent impostors from getting a free room, and in no case could the room be a more expensive one.
The musicians, by contrast, were well paid, and mostly male. The sound of dozens of sitar strings ran out through the inn, creating an almost otherworldly sound...
-
Torvin had a sip of his beer. The sound of the sitars had a nearly hypnotic effect on him. He was so entranced by the music he paid almost no attention to the dancers.
-
One of the dancers finished her shift and sat down next to Torvin. She wasn't trying to come on to him, but she had heard things about horse-people... something about hanging like them... the phrase didn't translate into Draconic very well.
-
Torvin paid no attention to the Dracon dancer next to him; he was too busy listening to the music.
-
"Excuse me" the white-bellied, red-skinned dancer said to Torvin. "I don't mean to interrupt but... you are a horse." That sounded silly alright. "What is the phrase about you? You hang things well?"
-
Jake headed into the main crwod of the cloth market area and he was careful to watch for pickpockets. Jake wasn't at all worried about pickpockets because he had his sword with him. anyone that tried to steal from him would pay.
-
Pickpockets were common here... the goal of a pickpocket was not to be seen... so even with a weapon, one was not totally immune from them.
.
-
Torvin blushed. "Erm... It's...an untranslatable compliment."
I need to get out before something even more awkward comes up. Torvin thought.
-
Another dancer approached the first one and spoke to her "Actually, I think it means that a certain part hangs out..."
"Hangs out? But... the male parts are internal until they are-"
"Yes, among out kind, but mammals often have it out all the time."
The first dancer's eyes brightened and she perked up.
"Really? That's so interesting. Say, I wonder if that horse will-"
The music played over their voices...
-
Torvin sighed and got up to leave the bar. He wasn't interested in the Dracon dancers but he got the impression that they were interested in him.
-
Yes... the dancers did that sometimes... it was part of the culture. They were harmless, on the whole, however promiscuous they were. Few of them would have gone through with it... :blink:
-
Jake eventually came across a small stall that did sell capes. Some of the expensive capes were made from silks and extremely soft cloth. Jake came over to the stall and he checked out some of the red capes. "hmmm......which fabric should i get? silk....or.....cloth......i'll go with cloth." thought Jake. Jake took the cape off of its hanging rack and brought it over to the counter. "how much does this cost?" asked Jake
-
The Dracon at the counter took a look at the cape, the material, and, truth be told, he adjusted the price to match what he thought he could get out of Jake. Prices were not often posted in Dracon cities, and it was common for people to haggle over the cost of goods, that is, to argue over the price of items until they agreed on a number.
It was not the best system, but it worked. "For you, this cape will cost 5 gold pieces" he replied.
-
"erm....okay" said Jake, Jake put his hand into his pocket and he pulled out a bag filled with coins. "do you accept silver pieces?" asked Jake "i can still pay the same price in silver"
-
"Sure thing. That'll be 50 silver coins, though." The Dracon vendor told Jake. "And they have to be the same size as the standard coin of our city..." He held up a coin to demonstrate the size.
(http://www.studiolum.com/wang/coin/greek-coin-lion.jpg)
-
(lol that would be hard to carry 50 of those if it were actual size)
"sure" said Jake as he counted 50 silver pieces for the dracon. Jake handed them over "here you go".
-
(OOC: That is at least twice normal size of the coin! :lol)
"Thank you, human. Enjoy the cape" the vendor told Jake. "Heh heh. He doesn't know that it isn't worth HALF the price he paid" the vendor added mentally.
-
Jake continued walking down the street with his cape in his backpack. It took Jake 20 minutes to reach the inn he was staying at. Once Jake got inside his room he put his armour on. "time to add the final thing." jake pulled the cape he bought from his backpack and he attached it to his armour. "man i look tuff" (tuff: Handsome, cute)
-
Jake needed to realize two things; the armor wasn't going to impress anyone if no one saw him in it... and that the only females to impress around here all had horns and tails...
-
"this will impress the ladies at the castle" thought Jake to himself. "and no one will try to mess with me in the street either. I look like a real knight!"
-
Capes were a liability in combat unless they were enchanted. Every real knight knew that. Jake, by contrast, still had a lot to learn... a lot...
-
"next time when i go out on the street i'll still wear this" thought Jake "i reckon i look good in this"
-
Some Dracon wore capes. They were almost invariably rich or well-to-do males. The capes were a status symbol, not a practical piece of war gear.
-
Jake felt his stomache gurgle...."hmmm...i'm starting to get hungry...i'll go downstairs and get a meal. Jake walked outside and halfway down the stairs he realized he forgot to take his armour off!. "dammit! > <" thought Jake. Jake continued down the stairs and he walked over to the bar. "erm......can i order a meal..." asked Jake awkwardly...Jake's cheeks were red by now...
-
"Sure, human. What kinda food do you want? We have Spicy Mutton Stew,Smoked Hash, Fried Pork Kebabs, Grilled Pork, Smoked Duck, Spicy Duck, Lizard-on-a-stick, Boiled lizard hash..."
The list went on like that for some time.
-
"i'll have some fried kebabs" said Jake "how will it cost?"
-
"For you, just 1 silver piece." It was an okay price... nothing special.
The sign above the bar of the inn was rather elaborate...
The Bright Sun Inn.
-
Torvin left the bar and went up to his wagon.
"So anything interesting?" the draft animal asked.
"More like something awkward." Torvin replied.
-
Awkward was the least of it... a rumor spread about a horse showing up... one female told another that she saw a walking horse... that female told another that there was a comment made about the horse hanging something. This was told to another female dracon who knew what that meant, and said that a horse showed up with it's privates exposed... this led to the rumor of a horse mating with a dancer... which later ballooned into a rumor of a pregnancy of a bizarre half-horse, half-dracon...
And it would take only a day for these rumors to spread. :slap
-
Meanwhile, mInna lead Ilsa and her entourage deep into the city, towards her fathers palace. From a casual reading of Ilsa, Minna gott the sense that she loved adventure..
_
So You're a soucceress as well? Ilsa asked looking at the smaller Dracon.. Minna had a warm face which indicated to Ilsa a kind and generous nature.. the group rounded a corner and behelsd the palace, whic was a beautiful sight to behold..
-
The palace was a gigantic limestone structure, with gardens, statues, and fountains within its walls. The doors of the gates were made of bronze, and were over 15 meters high. Each part of the door had an engraving on it, recounting some part of Dracon history; it was a full time line of the major events of their race going from their creation at the top to recent events at the bottom. Some space was left on the doors for new events, if there was time for them.
The gates alone were a great treasure, but inside... the words "luxury", "opulent", and "magnificent" could not do it justice... and this was not even the largest or fanciest palace in the city; THAT belonged to Minbenthac's king. The marble statues in the gardens alone numbered over 200, plus another 50 bronze ones... not including another several hundred in the palace's interior...
Minna had a room in the palace, in spite of having been given a palace all her own, although, like all female Dracons, she didn't own it, as females could not own land. Her father was in a rare class of super-rich nobles. He owned many estates, managed much valuable farmland at oases and along rivers, possessed mines and quarries, and even made money off of loans he made personally... in addition to his stake in Minbenthec's bank.
Above all, he was a shrewd businessman; his wealth was so great that even the opulence he had was the result of less spending proportionally than most other wealthy Dracons, including the king of Minbenthac! He did, however, grant his children good deal of money, so it cannot be said he was not generous... to an extent.
-
This place is amazing " Ilsa said as she gazed up at the intricately crarved cEiling which was covered in a beautiful mosaic.. "Your father is very rich.."
_
As is yours apparently Minna replied.. "Your caravan sure indicated a high degree of wealth.. You came here too train?'
- Yes I am a sorceress as I have told you.. I guess we;'ll be studying together ..?' Ilsa asked. Minna nodded .. "Along with a few other nobes, I particularly have my eye on Lord Margas' She giggled.
-
Another ceiling in the palace had an intricate pattern to it. This one was made in a geometric style, and was quite elaborate.
(http://winewriter.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/marrakesh-ceiling-in-the-bahia-palace-image-by-blogtrotter.jpg)
-
"So you heading back?" the draft animal asked.
"Probably going to stay the night." Torvin replied. He entered a small but respectable looking inn. He was carrying his precious metals and coins with him.
"Hello, I am looking for a place to stay the night." Torvin said to the Dracon proprietor.
-
"Sure thing. We have plenty of rooms. What kind of room do you want? We have rooms in three classes; basic, normal, and elite." The inn owner said. "Basic is just a small room with free cleaning services. Normal costs more, gives you a larger room and three meals a day. Elite costs the most but gives you the best room, all the meals you can eat, and a range of extra services. Entertainment in the common room is free for all rooms, as is laundry service."
Pausing to take a breath, the owner continued. His red eyes gave away no indication of whether or not he approved of a non-Dracon staying in his hotel, but since he was willing to give Torvin a list of amenities, he couldn't have been totally biased.
"The basic room costs two silver pieces per night. The normal room costs five silver pieces a night. The elite room costs two gold pieces per night. Drinks cost extra in all cases, but we have free refills for ale during certain times of the night."
-
Meanwhile...
Ophion's daughter, Kria, read through one of her books on demons:
"There are many kinds of extraplanar creatures in the multiverse. In the lower planes, as in the upper ones, there are three main divisions between lawful, neutral, and chaotic beings. All three are brought together in hell proper, although three divisions constantly struggle with each other and themselves for primacy. So far, none of the three have been able to gain an advantage over the other two, and scholars believe it will be like this for quite some time."
This was not the typical codex she normally read; it was "borrowed" from the stock in the magic shop. Her father would be very angry to learn that she was reading through a tome intended for mages who specialize in studying and controlling demons, not the general public.
After reading some highly technical notes about the "scientific" magic about how demons operate, Kria found another passage written in draconic that she could read.
The following passage was false, and red letters saying "not true" were over the following page, and several passages were underlined in
"To superstitious minds, such as those in the field of divine magic, demonology is a dark art, but to those of sufficient intellect and will, it is a most useful tool for ones ends..."
The rest of the passage went on to describe the position of the author of the book in regards to cosmology:
"In the beginning was nothing but a single consciousness. This primordial awareness had no content, as there was nothing in existence of which to be aware. It existed in a timeless, thoughtless state. This consciousness split itself in two. The reasons given are various - desire for companionship, curiosity about itself, or just plain boredom.
The two minds, one male and one female, interacted creating a pantheon of deities known as aeons, who inhabited a divine realm of light known as the "Pleroma".
The most distant aeon from the Source, named Sophia, fell into error. Some myths say that she tried to emanate a universe without her male counterpart, others say that she tried to take on the mind of the Source in its entirety. Whatever the reason, she fell out of communion with the rest of the aeons and became trapped in the primordial material universe.
From the matter that solidified out of her divine power, she created an overseer to guide and direct the evolution of the material universe, known as the Demiurge or Yaltabaoth. The world of matter and its laws is governed by this Demiurge who mistakenly believes himself to be the absolute God.
Living creatures are spirits, sparks of divine light from the Pleroma, who are trapped in the material universe and who must endeavor to free themselves and their kin from the shackles of matter. Some versions of the creation myth say the Demiurge originally created soulless creatures out of matter, and that Sophia took pity on them and breathed sparks from the Pleroma into them, only to have the sparks become trapped in the material bodies. The Demiurge, and his created servants the Archons, manipulate sentient beings into violence and misery to feed themselves and further their egotistical projects."
Every major religion, Dracon or otherwise, rejected these teachings on the grounds of its contradictory nature, needlessly complicated system, and the fact that if the material world were indeed a "mistake" or a "prison", one ought to kill oneself to be free of it. Puzzled by this, Kria nevertheless was comforted by the idea that nothing in this precluded contact with demons as a legitimate means of gaining magical powers...
-
Jake waited for his meal to come. Once Jake received the meal he began to eat it. It tasted great! "mmm....this tastes good" thought Jake "i'm gonna leave some coins here as a tip"
-
Kria shut the book. She had enough confusing philosophy for one day, and she couldn't even begin to understand the complex magical formulas she had read. Closing the book, she had recalled that being a warlock meant she wouldn't have to learn any of the technical aspects of magic; her power would be granted to her, not studied for.
-
"Basic please." Torvin said, placing the cash on the table.
-
"Alright. A basic room it is" The innkeeper said, taking the money. "Your room is on the second floor, down the hall. It is the door with a carving of intertwined dragons over it. Can't miss it. You also get the basic services along with it; entertainment in the common room, free cleaning, and some basic comforts."
-
Halo, Shiana, and Youri soon returned to Ophion's shop. Halo had mentioned that the ship will come late tomorrow, and he would need some glowing stones for some adventures.
"We'll be back at the inn," Shiana replied, then she and Youri walked away.
The air gensai re-entered the store...
-
Aurescia was on duty at the store at the moment; her husband was busy doing some magical research. All in a day's work.
"Can I help you fine people?" the sorceress asked, giving a wide Dracon smile that would have been interpreted by many as a threat, given her bared fangs. :blink:
-
"Good eve, ma'am," Halo replied as he reached the counter. "You helped one of my friends enchant her quiver and arrows earlier today."
-
"Yes, I recognize you." Aurescia replied. "Most of the customers are Dracon, so you can imagine how much you stand out. What would you like now? We've got a special two-for-one sale on poison cures this week..."
-
(OOC: The others left for the inn. Halo's the only one.)
"Actually, your husband had mentioned earlier about glowing stones," Halo replied, "And after some thought, I've decided to purchase a few while there's time. Our ship arrives and leaves tomorrow."
-
Jake finished up his meal. He paid the Dracon and he left 3 silver coins as a tip. Jake got up from his stool and he headed towards the stairs. Jake walked up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He walked inside and noticed that--
(Hey Vincent, would you like to finish this? if not i'll add more to my post. Your call)
-
Torvin nodded and headed up to the second floor. He placed his sack of gold under the bed, washed up and sat on the bed.
The room was lit with a single candle on the dresser. The room was simple but clean and tastefully decorated. A plain but beautiful rug covered the polished wood floor.
-
(OOC: This is the first music to be put in this RP, please tell me what you think in an OOC. Thanks. Note that it is not mine, but is linked to a site.)
-- and Jake saw that his room had graffiti on the wall. Some nasty writing in Draconic was written in black ink...
Meanwhile...
Soft music could be heard coming from the common room of the inn, common to many such Dracon inns. Torvin heard it faintly from his room...
Music of the Inn (http://66.49.226.244/digital/qfg3cd/Track07.ogg)
-
"what the heck!" yelled Jake "what happened here? i bet it was one of them female scalies...."
-
It was not the maids who did it; in fact, it was their job to keep this place clean. They would much rather scream at the graffiti vandals than to become them. Nevertheless, Jake had no way of knowing this...
-
"hmmm....nothing i can do but....i could get the maids up here to clean it up, that way i don't have to look at this piec of lizard 'art' ". Jake walked back outside of his room, down the hallway and downstairs. Jake walked over to the counter "excuse me, may i ask for my room to be cleaned?"
-
"What? Did graffiti vandals strike again?" the Dracon at the counter asked. He had guessed it in one try... this was a common occurrence. "I'll send some of the cleaning females up in a moment, human."
-
Minna led iLsa into another ornately furnished room,. " My father should be in shortly to welcome you" Minna said with a smile.. "once he gives his greeting then i'll show you to the room you'll be using while you are here..
-
Ophion went downstairs to check on his stock of magical goods. After seeing his wife at the counter (and giving her a hug), he went on to see what he had, what he was selling, and what he needed to order more of.
"Let's see..." he thought to himself. "I need more powdered fish bone... more nightshad juice... more fish oil... hmm... that's two fish items I need more of... some mandrake root... not sure who's buying that. Ah, I need more healing potions... those are always in demand..."
"Ophion! Do we have any scrolls of the "haste" spell?" Aurescia asked him from the next room. "There's someone who wants to buy one!"
"We sold our last one yesterday! Offer him a haste potion instead!" he replied...
Yes, it was another average day... or so he thought...
-
(OOC - I like the music.)
Torvin blew the candle out and fell asleep to the soft strains of Dracon music
-
(OOC: Thanks!)
Kosjurec thought about his day... what a day it had been. Magic powers coming into their own... how was he gonna tell his parents about this? How was he gonna handle this? What did this mean for him?
-
(OOC: Im back! :) )
Shal'thzar had wandered through the desert for quite some time, but eventually she returned to the city of Minbenthac..
Shal'thzar had collected various objects from various creatures she had encountered, and so returned back to the city to find someone that was willing to buy the objects she had collected. Unless there were none that are willing to buy said items, she would then seek out someone that would hire her for a job.
(OOC: Probably just a bunch of useless junk :p Unless this is something like Morrowind/Oblivion with the whole Collect-Items-From-Creatures-And-Sell-Them-For-A-Bit-Of-Gold thing from those games, then yay :p )
-
(OOC: The city is named Minbenthac, sometimes misspelled as "Minthebec." Glad to have you back)
Shal'thzar would have little problem finding someone to buy her goods at the city's markets and bazaars; the former were characterized by order and permanent stalls made of wood, whereas the latter were a chaotic mess of merchants pushing carts, carrying their goods, setting their wares down on a rug in the middle of the streets and shouting at the top of the lungs. Both of them had their good and bad sides. Markets had better goods at higher prices, bazaars had worse goods at cheaper prices...
-
Haste potion? Halo thought. "Actually, it was illuminating stones I'm looking to buy from you..."
-
"Sorry dear, I was asking my husband about a previous customer's order. I told him we were out of one item, so I need to sell him an alternative one... now, how many illuminating stones do you need?" Aurescia asked.
-
"At least 6," Halo replied. "Would these stones have any unique effects like sunlight, or are they just like candles?"
-
"We have stronger stones for effects like sunlight... they cost a bit more, though. Here's six stones for you? Will that be anything else?" Aurescia told Halo, handing him the stones.
-
"That will be it, thank you," Halo replied, and pulled out his money bag. "So how much will that be?"
-
"1 gold per stone... that's six gold coins in total!" Aurescia said to Halo.
Meanwhile...
Ophion was still sorting through his goods... he didn't know who would buy some of them... "acid puffs?" What the heck WERE those?
-
Halo puled and counted 6 cold coins, and placed them on the counter. "Six gold coins," he replied.
-
Jake was waiting downstairs while his room was being cleaned up. Jake sat down on the stool, Jake spoke to the bartender "excuse me, have you got any good drinks i could purchase?"
-
"Well, we have rum, common ale, beer, common wine, whiskey, mead, cider, grog, sonti, sake, palm wine, sparkling wine, bitter ale, brandy, porter, stout, bock, perry, barleywine, pale ale, fruit beer, lager beer, tonto, sherry, gin, arak, palinka, and... well, we also have cask ale... but our shipment was bad this time... we also normally have sangria, but... we're all out of that. We also have a new shipment of Passum, which is a kind of raisin wine..." the bartender told Jake.
-
"hmmm......i might try the Passum" said Jake "it doesn't sound too bad, how much will it cost me?"
-
Shal'thzar listened for the sound of merchents, shoppers and various other things that told her that there was a shop or merchent nearby. She wandered for a bit in search of a place that would buy the items she had recently collected and entered one of the shops, not even knowing that Ophion and his wife, Aurescia were inside..
(OOC: Hopefully i got everything correct :p)
-
(OOC: Yes, you did. Ophion has a brick-and-mortar shop, not a stall, but you got that detail correct.)
Aurescia heard the sound of another customer entering the shop. Another female Dracon, like herself. Taking one look at her, Aurescia could tell two things; first, that this exotically colored female was a mage like herself, and second... this female was totally blind.
"Hello, fellow mage. Can you hear me?" Aurescia asked Shal'thzar.
-
"What?" Shal'thzar replied, then grinned. "Just kidding, sorry about that. Indeed i can here you." Shal'thzar said with a smile.
"I was wondering if there would be a place to sell these.." Shal'thzar began, taking out various pouches that contained the things she had collected from her journey through the desert.
"Their not much to look at though." Shal'thzar added in while itching her head. "just in case there is nobody that would buy these, would you know of anyone that can hire me for jobs? Indeed, i am blind but i can hear many things and the vibrations my feet make tell me where to go and what to avoid." Shal'thzar said with a slight nod.
Indeed, the items inside the pouch weren't much to look at.. Claws, Teeth and an eye or two from various creatures that wandered the desert land. Shal'thzar had unfortunately run afoul of unfortunate travellers that had either been attacked by desert bandits or made quite a meal for the desert creatures. However, Shal'thzar had collected a few valuables from the bodies of the travellers: Jewelry, Magic Stones and a few bottles of potions and atleast three daggers.
(OOC: If there are any desert bandits. :p Sounds good enough though! :lol )
-
Looking over the items, Aurescia gave a slight smile, half out of happiness that she could use the claws and teeth, half out of a slight sense of pity for the blind female in front of her. Fortunately, Aurescia was very polite and straightforward.
"The items you have... I can give you 10 gold in total for them; mostly for the eyes and claws. I'll buy the daggers as well, even if that only makes up a small total of the gold I can give you for them all."
-
The Bartender got Jake the drink he ordered. "thanks" said Jake, But jake thought in his mind that Dracons are useless and he sees no reason why they even exist. Jake didn't say this out aloud of course but he sure was thinking it...
-
"Anything else, human?" the bartender asked Jake, while passing a mug of ale over to another customer... he had had several mugs too many already... :blink:
-
"i'm fine" responded jake, Jake lifted his mug and he took a big gulp of the ale. jake's eyes shot right open...Jake thought that this ale tasted foul...Jake didn't say anything though, jake swallowed and he paid the dracon and he went upstairs and into his room to lay down..the ale had made him feel sick. "uhhh........my gut......uhhh"
-
"Really?" Shal'thzar said with a slightly surprised tone to her voice. "Very well. thank you!" She added in with another smile.
-
"You are most welcome." Aurescia replied with a smile, although Shal'thzar couldn't see it. "Is there anything else you need? We sell magical services as well as goods, you know. If you need us to make a potion or elixer, we can do custom orders as well."
-
Shal'thzar thought for a moment on what Aurescia said. "Well, i suppose.." Shal'thzar began, trying to think until she finally said..
"Got any Armor? Leg Guards especially?" Shal'thzar said, folding her arms.
-
"We have some, but it is quite expensive... let me... well... hmm. There is a pair of leather greaves... they have a weak enchantment on them to make them somewhat more durable... I'm not sure that a mage would want them... usually that stuff is reserved for warriors, and females like you and I... well... we have to rely on mobility to survive combat, not armor." Aurescia told Shal'thzar.
"If you really want them, we've got them... but the price is kinda steep... 50 gold pieces per greave." Aurescia added.
-
Torvin got up, placed his hand on the candle and lit it using his fire based magic.
He thought back to how he was and still is impressed by mages hurling fireballs and sending vortexes of fire swirling into the air.
And though he had been taught the basics of magic, he was one of the worst students in his class. Even today, after years of practice, the most he can do is ignite or heat whatever he is holding.
"Wonder what they got at the bar?" he asked out loud.
-
The bar downstairs was surprisingly quiet for a Dracon one... the festivities had died down for the time being. Some old music was playing, not exactly the kind most Dracons listened to anymore, having been imported from human lands to the east long ago.
Music (http://66.49.226.244/digital/qfg2cd/Track15.ogg)
-
With the money on the counter, Halo took the stones and pocketed them, and had stepped aside as the newcomer came in to sell trinkets from her travels. He gave a courteous nod to Aurescia and walked out the shop. By now, Shiana and Youri were waiting.
----------
As they waited for their friend to come back, Shiana left the room to the bar just as Jake disappeared into his room.
-
Later...
Much time had passed and it had grown dark. Kos had returned home, but did not tell his parents about what had happened... not yet. He would think about it some more and tell them in the morning. His powers had manifested...
Meanwhile, Kria was going to contact the one who would initiate her into the cult tomorrow. Se had wanted magical powers of her own, and now, she would get that chance...
It would be a big day tomorrow, that was for sure.
-
Torvin entered the bar and sat at the counter. He ordered a pint of mead from the Dracon bartender.
-
"Coming right up!" said the bartender, as he prepared some mead for Torvin.
The tavern was crowded with the usual guests... mostly Dracons...but this time...
"There's another one of your kind in here, horsey!" the bartender told Torvin. "We don't get very many of you, so you might want to take a look. She's in the back of the bar!"
-
Torvin sipped the mead. "Thanks." He then got up and walked over to the female in the back of the bar.
She was a husky looking grey Shire horse wearing light chain mail armor.
-
The female, Cassia, was not very large, about average in size for a female of her species, but was husky in the sense that she was rather rough and wild. The Dracon Lands were not an easy place to live in for most, especially for a young single female like herself, fresh into adulthood just a few years back. Her situation was made even harder by the fact that she was part of a racial minority... or a species minority, for that matter.
Cassia was an adventurer in a sense... she had some chain mail that was altogether too small on her, but it covered what it had to, even if her belly was exposed. Underneath the chain mail, she wore a sleeveless shirt, which worked out well as the chain mail did not cover her arms. Armed with a rapier, she fought with grace over strength, as she had much of the former, and less of the latter.
Mostly, it was her task to assist low-ranking adventurers with tasks that the other ones did not want to do, such as investigate infestations by sand beetles, find a runaway kobold slave, weed out brigands in the slums, or some other such thing. It wasn't the best job, but she earned enough to live in an apartment that was... well... she preferred to think of it as the very next step above a slum. At least her hooves could handle those stairs up to her fifth story apartment.
She abhorred slavery and inequality, both of which plagued these lands. Crime was also a big problem, especially in the cities and along certain trade routes, but no matter how many bandits she stopped, there were always many more to take their place. Cassia had come to the bar in search of a chance to relax after spending 10 hours looking for a lost lizard familiar belonging to a wizard, only to learn that it was in its owner's house the whole time. At least he paid her for her time... it was just enough to buy a round of drinks...
-
Jake lay on his bed. his gut had settled down and he relaxed on his bed while a cool breeze blew in from the window "ah...that's a nice breeze" said Jake in a calm tone. Jake got off his bed and he walked over to the window and he took a deep breath of fresh air. Jake stayed at the window and he gazed at the city. It was quiet large and it had very many residents and travellers. at night he thought that the city looked quiet beautiful.
-
At night, Minbenthac lit up the desert like a candle; it's many lamps and lanterns could be seen for many kilometers around, and it seemed like a glowing gem. A close examination would reveal that more light was coming from some areas than others. The rich areas of the city were lit up like it was day... the poor areas were drowned in darkness like that which surrounded the city.
-
(OOC: Sorry it took long :p)
"I see.." Shal'thzar replied with a nod. "Very well, i shall wait on the armor." Shal'thzar added in with another nod. She only had 19 gold coins now, so armor would have to wait. It would also give her enough time to think things over on if she wanted leg guards or not.
She then added in: "I shall go re-explore the city and get a feel on where things are again." Shal'thzar added in with a smile and a click of her fingers. "I thank you again, Aurescia!" Shal'thzar said with a polite bow.
-
"You are most welcome, good sorceress! Come back at any time!" Aurescia said with a cheery tone and a smile.
"She couldn't see the smile, could she?" Aurescia realized, thinking to herself. "Oh well. Back to work. Still have some potions to mix before closing up shop. Ophion should be done with his part of the work by now..."
This little exchange had taken place just as night was falling.
Ophion and Aurescia were husband and wife, but their relationship had more magic to it than just the "magic" of love; they also had actual magic in abundance as well. In addition to cooperating as any good couple does, they also pooled their knowledge and power when it came to magic. Each of them were very devoted to their craft, even if they approached it in different ways; Ophion was more active, Aurescia's magic was more passive, being based on ritual magic performed from a distance rather than the up-close spells of her husband. Her specialty was thaumaturgical astral magic used to scan from a distance, her husband was best at evocation fire spells, primarily those used in combat. Rather than cause friction between them, the two of them realized that having skills in different schools of magic was a strength, as each one could complement the other and they could collectively use a greater number of spells, and get much more done. Two heads were better than one, after all. ;)
-
Halo soon meets Shiana at the bar, drinking a pint of ale, but it was only half-empty.
"No sleep?" he asked.
"I always sleep better back in my home town," she replied. "This Dracon country is alright, but not a place for a half-elf to be comfortable in."
"The ferry will come tomorrow, but even after that, it'll be nearly a week until we reach home."
"Better a week than a month."
The air gensai chuckled. "I never thought you to be homesick."
"There's something about that just isn't right. And I don't like sticking around too long in an unsecured place..."
"I had that too... The winds changed quite a bit when it reached this city. This city is heavily influenced by magic, but something doesn't feel quite right."
"It may be more than what the three of us can handle."
"Have you still been getting in touch with Knights of the Cloak?"
"Only a few days. There's no word yet on my initiation."
"You could still probably get their assistance, anyway."
"We'll see what happens before tomorrow. If nothing happens, then there's no need for the Knights."
-
Cassia noticed a male equine approaching her. It had been so long since she had seen another of her kind. Years, in fact... and even longer since she had seen a male! And he was some sort of metalworker, judging by his smell... a rather strong metalworker...
Her race was far kinder to the females than these Dracons were; Cassia counted herself lucky not to be one of them. Even though they didn't treat her badly very often, the males viewed her with disdain, and gave her jobs which few males wanted to do. Hopefully, this equine in her sights would be better than the Dracon males...
-
"Erm hi." Torvin said. He noticed that the equine was either an adventurer or some kind of warrior because of the chain mail armor she wore.
-
"Hello. My name is Cassia" replied the female equine. "I've been an adventurer in these parts for years. I came here as a way to make easy money... so I'd heard. You know how overcrowded our own country is... and when the drought hit... it is no wonder so many of our kind left. I've done... okay as an adventurer. How have you been doing in these lands?"
-
"I'm Torvin. And I've been doing fairly good. I opened up a blacksmith's shop outside the city. I came here just to buy supplies but admittedly I do sometimes go exploring to try and find supplies that I cannot buy. But sadly, I am no fighter." Torvin replied.
-
"You certainly seem strong enough to fight" Cassia replied, her ears perking up. "Come, sit down. We should talk. It has been so long since I've had a chance to speak with one of our kind. Has it been the same way with you?" she added, clearly interested.
-
Torvin sat down. "Actually Cassia, you are the first of our kind I've seen in the city. I mean I get quite a few at my shop but I don't really get to talk to them because I'm doing metalwork."
-
"Really? Where do they live? Our kind are not common in these parts... but I can see why they'd turn to you for their metalwork..." she said, observing his well-built frame. "Surely one who can swing a hammer onto metal can swing it onto an enemy." Cassia turned more fully to Torvin, so now he could see her chain mail armor only covered her torso, and it stopped short of her exposed belly, even though she, like him, was covered in the coarse fur of an Equine.
This mare was hardly docile... she was quite feisty.
(http://www.kb.nl/coop/geheugen/extra/tentoonstellingen/ROBNISA_nl/rapier.jpg)
Cassia's rapier (usually kept sheathed.)
-
Meanwhile...
Ophion took one last look around the store before closing up shop for the night. Everything seemed to be in order... the spell components were in place... the magic scrolls were secure, even the potions were safe, and they were the most commonly-shoplifted item. He planned to place wards on his merchandise which set off an alarm when they were taken out of the store... and he would have the ward removed only when a customer paid for the item...
-
Oddly enough, Torvin paid no attention to Cassia's exposed belly. He then stood up revealing the fact that he was wearing clothing made of heavy canvas.
"I don't know because I don't really get to talk to them." Torvin replied, stretching his arms. "I have fought but not as part of adventuring. My shop was once attacked by some Dracons. Since we have no weapons to speak of, my assistants and I resorted to fighting them off with pieces of metal and hammers."
He then sighed. "Never figured why they attacked us. We had no gold or anything at that time because we had just deposited it."
-
"Well, maybe it was an attack out of bias." Cassia replied. "I have been called bad names before, but never attacked outright. Then again, I have little they could possibly want" Cassia added, standing up.
"It is getting late. I'm going to go to the baths here in this inn before they close. I could use a good cleaning... I'm all sweaty... this armor and my fur don't mix well in the desert. We should continue this conversation when I get back. What room are you staying in?" she asked Torvin.
-
"Room 212." Torvin replied with a yawn. He then headed up the stairs.
-
"I'll see you later tonight then, handsome." Cassia said, departing the bar. She went down to the bathing area at the inn, which was in the lower level. After a quick but relaxing soak, she got out of the water and dried off. While Cassia had an apartment of her own, she had purchased a stay at room at the inn, which she sometimes did when she had a bit of extra money, mostly to enjoy the other amenities the inn would provide. Heading to her room, she replaced her armor and shirt with her Dracon-type garments, which in this context, meant nothing more than what a Dracon female wore in public; just enough to cover her top and bottom.
If nothing else, she would show off her curves... she also left her sword in her room. Maybe she and Torvin would have a nice... talk.
-
(sorry i havn't posted in a very long time guys!)
Jake backed away from the window. he sat down on a stool that was next to his bed, he thought "this city is really beautiful.....it's a shame that the only place i have been my whole life is at the castle training with my father.....these dracons are actually nice...i wonder...if....my father was wrong about these Dracons?". Jake sat in the chair and he thought over those thoughts over and over in his mind.
Jake stood up from the stool and he walked away and he lay down on his bed (how much does he like to lay down on his bed geeze?! :) lol). and he reached into his pack that was lying on the floor next to his bed and he pulled out a small book, it was his diary. he opened it.
He wrote:
To my personal diary, today while i was sitting over by the window i was thinking.....i was wondering if....my father was wrong about all species other than humans actually had feelings.......---
journal entry end
-
Night had fallen over the city indeed. It was past midnight, but parties continued on. They always did in this city... many smaller towns were as silent as the night in the Dracon Lands, but not here. It wasn't just Dracons who partied long into the night; other races who visited took part in the revelry...
-
"hmm...i wonder what time the parties end?" thought Jake to himself "if i'm gonna be here for a while i may as well enjoy it and have some fun, and enjoy a large selection of alcohol". Jake got up from his bed and he proceeded over to the door and he walked downstairs to the bar where he asked the bartender when all the parties all over the city ended. They didn't end till late. Jake began walking over to a nearby bar that had a party going on. he walked inside and it was crowded with lots of dracons.
-
The two warriors returned to their room for the night, where Youri waited by the window, looking out at the city. They needed as much sleep as they could, for they leave tomorrow...
-
Minbenthac was a large city, but not the largest. Rumors traveled quickly, as did legitimate news. The events of the past day were already known by most people... and they would be quickly forgotten. Rogue mages, drunken parties, and magical battles were par for the course in these parts...
-
Torvin entered his room, put out the candle, took off his canvas apron and soon fell asleep on the bed.
-
Early the next morning, Cassia knocked on Torvin's door. She had gone to sleep herself when she had discovered that he had fallen asleep, but she was still dressed in her light "Dracon clothes." When she heard Torvin wake up, a smile passed over her face... ;)
-
Jake walked in to a nearby inn that had lot's of noise coming from it. He walked over to the bar and he sat down on a stool "looks like your makin' business tonight!" yelled Jake over the noise to the bartender
-
"Yeah, it was constant business, from last night into the day!" came the reply. "We had to keep changing bartenders, it went on for so long. What'll it be, human?" Jake had spent a lot of time in these bars... it was good for business, but not the greatest thing overall. Still, it was fun, no on doubted that.
-
Harly worked many odd jobs around the city for a few weeks, but none of them suited his true potential. He was born to command a sailing vessel, and being so land locked make him edgey.
One morning after working stacking grain, he just couldn't take it anymore. Once his work hours were done, he went to pick up his old captains suit and gathered the coins he had managed to make over the course of the month. He had almost 300, which compared to the peasants who lived around here he was near royalty, but from experience he knew just how fast it could go.
With a huff, Harly moved into the streets for another day in the market.
-
At that hour, Ophion was in the marketplace, looking for some potion ingredients. He would look in the regular marketplace first, as it was easier to reach than the city's magic bazaar. He ran into Harley in the middle of the market...
"Harley? Is it you? Where have you been since we took on that rogue mage?"
-
"Working of course son," replied Harly, "I plan on building myself my own ship, a bit of a free-booter if you will."
-
"Do you need any help?" Ophion asked. "It's the least I can do after what you did to help earlier."
-
Jake soon left the bar and he headed out into the streets. He was walking through the market place to get back to the inn he was staying at. In the distance Jake could see another human interacting with a Dracon. Jake ran over "hey it's nice to another of my kind here"
-
"Your kind, boy we are worlds apart. One day you gotta make something o yourself, like me today," responded Harly.
"Of course you can help magic man, a ship needs sails, a steady stern, and a crew. Think you can look around a bit?"
-
"we're both human right? or are you using some kind of spell to mock humans?" asked Jake sternly
-
"If you need a crew I would suggest you go to the guild hall district. It's about 30 blocks east of here... that way!" Ophion replied, pointing to the east. "There's bound to be at least a few good sailors who can sail a ship up the river..."
-
"No...no! Get away from me!" Emerald shouted as he ran as fast as he could.
"Oh come now..you don't want to play?" Axel cackled, drool flying from her open jaws.
Emerald didn't know how much longer he could run. He could feel his heart beating faster and his breath quickening. His throat was starting to feel a little dry and his feet were starting to ache. But he knew he couldn't stop now. He had to keep moving until he got away from this...this monster chasing after him. He saw what appeared to be a city aheaed and he quickened his pace.
The two were of the same species, a race of intelligent beasts that looked a bit like a sauropod with the claws and teeth of a predator. Emerald was a green-colored male with a gray muzzle, paws, and belly. His claws were red and his eyes were blue. The alimon chasing after him was much larger in size due to being many years older than he was. Axel was yellow with a red-violet underside, a brown back, and red claws like Emerald's. Her eyes were light blue, and her eyewhites were a darker shade of blue. Physically, the most distinguishing feature between the two was that Emerald had a single row of long feathers while Axel had a short mane of downy feathers.
Axel leaped forward and slammed against Emerald. Before he could fight back, Axel pushed his head into the ground, rendering his jaws useless for defending himself. Emerald kicked his legs wildly, but the female had quickly positioned herself so he couldn't strike her. She used her superior size and strength to keep the younger alimon pinned on the ground. Slowly, Emerald stopped struggling and looked up with one eye.
Axel grinned and lowered her head down to Emerald's level. "You should have just surrendered yourself. This would have been a lot easier on you if you had."
"How would I know that?" Emerald asked, baring his teeth. Regardless if he gave himself up earlier or not, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. He wasn't going to allow Axel a chance to go forth with her plans. "You're nothing but a lying, despicaple excuse for a....!"
Axel put pressure suddenly on Emerald's head, her claws cutting into his face. "That's no way to talk to your superior, now is it?" She asked in a darkened tone of voice. Emerald didn't answer and closed his eyes tightly. Axel lowered her head so that her jaws were inches away from Emerald's vulnerable neck. "I should just finish you off now...but I like to play with my prey..."
With that, she moved her head away and her eyes locked onto the base of his neck, where it attached to the body. She opened her jaws as wide as she could and slammed her jaws shut around that area of Emerald's body. Emerald howled in pain and started to struggle frantically. Axel simply ignored him and continued to drive her teeth deep into the flesh, blood pouring from the wound. At least, Emerald was able to get free by knocking Axel off with his legs.
However, Axel hadn't opened her jaws when he knocked her back, so she tore some flesh from his neck. Emerald staggered back, crying out in pain several times. Emerald looked in horror at the blood forming on the ground, but he didn't have time to let it sink in. He looked up and saw Axel rushing towards him again. Out of fear, he stood up on two legs and swatted at her with a paw. Out of shere luck, he managed to strike her. Axel fell back and hit her head against the ground and was knocked out.
Emerald didn't know how he managed to knock out an alimon that size with one hit, but he wasn't going to sit around and ask questions. He quickly turned towards the city and ran as fast he could. As he got closer, he started to slow down. The blood loss was starting to get to him. His vision was getting blurry as blood continued to leak from the wound on his neck. Finally, he collapsed to the ground. His eyes closed as he slipped into unconsciousness as well.
-
"anyway i better be off" said Jake as he turned to face ophion "see ya lizard man". Jake began to walk away
-
Aurescia was walking through the streets of Minbenthac, going out to purchase more goods for the magic store. Always interested in the possibility of finding new potion formulas, she had already been to two markets this morning alone. Fortunately, they were all close by. If this third one didn't have what she was looking for, the sorceress would have to go all the way to the southern districts of the city to find it... she hated that place... all that crime, and people tossing their wastewater out of windows... ugh.
Approaching the market, she quickly found a stand which sold antiques.
"Excuse me? Hello? Do you hear me?" Getting the attention of the vendor was hard to do in this market. Why so many other people were interested in this stuff was beyond her...
"Ah, yes. What is it that you want, ya- oh..."
The vendor, normally a rude figure, noticed Aurescia. She was known around here as a powerful sorceress in her own right, even though most of her magic was ritual, that is, it was essentially stationary, and her spells were cast from within the confines of her own home. Regardless, she was still dangerous if angered... and her husband was ever more so! It was best to attend to her now and be rude again later... to safer customers!
"Oh yes. Aurescia. Pleased to see you again. What are you looking for today?"
"I would like to see your scrolls, particularly those which pertain to magical potions." she replied.
"Well, the thing about that is... oh... I don't really know what the scrolls say. I just buy them from adventurers who get them from gods-knows-where. I leave the translation up to the customer."
"Then what are those scrolls that say 'strength formula' on them?" Aurescia asked him, suspecting the answer.
"Well, what the customer doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" The vendor said with a nervous smile, revealing his many missing teeth. "I don't try the same trick on a talented mage, because I have great respect for you, and your husband-"
"And that I can of blow up this stand with a single spell." she added with a wink.
"That too. Take a look at these scrolls here. I don't know what language they are written in, or how to translate them, but I'm hoping you do. I'll even let you read them here if you like."
Looking at the scrolls, Aurescia sighed inwardly. She was skilled at translating ancient languages in the Auran tongue... even more so than her husband, but these were written in Ignan, a language she knew little of, despite sharing a common alphabet with her own Draconic tongue. The most she could do was make out a few words here and there. After deducing just enough to tell that one scroll contained a formula for a new kind of healing potion, she decided to purchase it. She fully intended to take it home, use a spell to aid in the translation, and hopefully, get a new potion out of it...
Walking back, Aurescia thought of the plan... buy low, sell high. Hopefully, this was make a powerful potion a low cost... the fewer ingredients, the better. As the sorceress walked back through the crowds, she noticed that it was getting very hot... even for Minbenthac. The sun beat down on her scales from all sides. Normally, this was a welcome feeling, but not at this intensity, and she had been outside for hours now... her light clothing did little to shield her from the sun's rays...
"Okay, change of plan" she thought. "Find a shaded path back home, put this stuff down, get some water, take a nap, and then get to work translating this scroll." As she found a new path, the sorceress could sense fewer Draconic life forms... her magic enabled her to sense the energy in all things living... but suddenly, she felt something... new. Something was... unfamiliar. She smelled something odd too... blood? Heading over to the source of it, Aurescia found a curious creature; it looked a bit like a Drake... like it was some sort of reptile... but it had feathers to it. Was this the work of a mage? Some sort of composite creature?
Putting the formula away, Aurescia saw that the creature's life force was weak... a close examination revealed that it had been badly hurt in a fight. Using a minor spell to make a single item hover, she was able to pick up the creature and support its weight... she was not sure her muscles could handle it if it was fully under the force of gravity. Taking the creature to the lab behind the store, Aurescia laid the Alimon down on a cushion. Since the store, magic lab, and house were all connected in one structure, she was able to use a cushion from their living room for this... it was the one she particularly liked... well, the blood stains could be dealt with later...
Applying a healing salve to the creature, Aurescia then cast a calming spell, so that whatever this thing was would not maul her, in case it was aggressive. She knew that the spell was only partially effective; if the creature was truly out for her blood, it would eat her very calmly. It was worth the risk, in any case... few mages passed up the chance to learn about a new, possibly magic creature... and she was beating her husband to it! She loved Ophion dearly, and was the happy mother of his children, but Aurescia never lost her fiery interest in learning, despite being the more "domestic" of the couple. What secrets did this creature have...?
-
Emerald slowly opened one eye. His vision was very blurry at first, but it quickly sharpened. He lifted his head partially as he tried to remember what the last thing that happened was. All he could remember was being chased by Axel. Now he woke up in a place he's never been to and there was a sharp pain....then it all came back to him.
But yet despite the horror he had faced what may have been hours ago, he felt surprisingly calm. He wasn't sure what it was, but he wasn't feeling frightened, despite being in a strange place and nearly getting killed by Axel. He managed to lift his head high enough to turn his head so he could get a look around the room.
-
Aurescia looked around and saw that the creature was waking. Not knowing if it could speak or not, she applied a spell of magic designed to comfort it... this had no real healing effect, but it deadened pain and produced a warm feeling. Moving her right arm to stroke the Alimon, she asked:
"Can you understand me? My name is Aurescia, a sorceress. I found you on the streets of Minbenthac and brought you here."
-
Emerald jerked slightly in response to being touched. But something had quickly calmed him down. He turned his head over towards Aurescia. He didn't recognize what species she was and he started to wonder just how far away from home he truly was.
He thought he heard her talk, but her words made no sense to him. He tilted his head slightly to one side. Although he doubt she could understand him, he decided to speak. "I do not understand you."
-
Aurescia heard that the creature was trying to speak. It sounded like words, not roaring or growling. She couldn't begin to understand the words, but she was able to cast a spell to called "tongues." This spell granted the creature touched the ability to speak and understand the language of any intelligent creature.
With but a touch, Emerald was able to speak with Aurescia, and after a second spell, "Permanance", the spell would last until someone dispelled it.
-
"What did you just do to me?" Emerald said. He paused for a moment and realized what he did. Did he really speak this species' language? He didn't understand her a moment ago. Could she have had anything to do with it?
He decided not to ask. He took another look around the room. "And just where am I? I never been in a place like this before."
-
"Be at peace" Aurescia told Emerald, reaching out her arm to gently stroke his side. "I am Aurescia, a sorceress. This is my home. You are safe here."
"I found you in the middle of the road, gravely injured.... oh you poor thing... you don't know where you are do you? Do you know what I am or what lands these are? Or how you got here?"
-
That morning, the three adventurers checked out of their room. The ferry will arrive midday, but time will be needed to unload all of the cargo and prepare to ship back out. There is still some time to look around once more before they leave...
-
Emerald lifted a paw and placed it on his head. "No...I never been this far from home before." He put his paw down. "And I never see anyone like you before. You kind of remind me of my own species, except bipedal."
Then he sighed. "I can tell you how I got here. That I know well. I was chased here by Axel."
-
"Axel? Who is Axel? Is that another one of your kind?" Aurescia asked the Alimon after quickly returning with a wet cloth to clean some of Emerald's still visible wounds. He was not fully recovered, but the potion had helped considerably.
-
Emerald nodded slowly. "Yes. She's fully grown, unlike me. She's much larger and belongs to my pack's rival, the Darkarians." His expression saddened. "Axel chased me out here, and almost killed me. I was lucky to have knocked her off me. But she may track me down here."
-
"She cannot harm you here. This building is warded against all sorts of ways to detect us. Scrying spells are blocked, energy detection spells cannot get through, and scent stops right at the walls. We even have higher air pressure in here to keep out poison gasses, should it come to that." Aurescia said with a smile. Ophion took no chances with his family... and neither did she; the anti-energy detection ward was her idea.
-
Jake continued walking away and through the crowded streets until he reached the inn that he was staying at. Jake turned left away from the entrance of the inn and towards the stables so that he could feed his horse.
-
Aurescia ran her claws over Emeralds back, lightly scratching him. She tried to reduce any discomfort he would have, as she knew that even with the calm spell in effect, the wounds, though largely healed by her potion, would still be painful.
"In any case, if anyone tries to harm you, I will stop them myself. While you are here, you are under my protection."
-
Jake arrived at the stables and he pulled an apple from his pocket, "here you go Blazer, i'll bring you some more later when i get them...bye". Jake walked away from the stables over to the marketplace to see if he could buy some apples for his horse.
-
The Dracon running the stables fed Blazer some hay in addition to the fruit. After bidding Jake farewell, he brought over some water for the horses to drink. The Dracons kept many different animals as mounts; horses, camels, giant lizards, and in some rare cases, large flying animals were all used. Elephants were sometimes employed too.
-
Emerald smiled a bit at Aurescia's words. But he was not fully convinced that she could stop Axel. The Darkarians were known for using some forms of spiritual-based magic, the most notorious being Fire's death stone he tried to win leadership of the Rock Rangers, before the birth of the Darkarian pack.
But he didn't want to dwell on the subject much longer. So long as he was here, he might as well try to find someway to enjoy himself. Perhaps he should get more information on this city. His pack, if he ever returned, may be interested in learning about it. He was still surprised he hadn't heard of this place before.
"So what is this place?" Emerald asked.
-
"This is the city of Minbenthac" Aurescia replied. "This is one of eight major cities in the Dracon lands. Of all of them, this is one of the very best" the female mage added with a smile.
"Ours is a large city, placed right at the base of tall mountains. Traders come from all over to our markets, and our crafts are among the finest in all the world. This shop you are in is one of many such places to purchase magical goods and services. We are located a good distance from the next-nearest cities, and even farther from the coast, though we do have a river nearby which gradually leads to the ocean... even if that outlet to the great waters puts you in the middle of nowhere..."
Shifting her weight from one clawed foot to the other, Aurescia moved in closer to Emerald. "Do you think you are well enough to leave here? Do you need more help?"
-
Once Jake had purchased a large amount of apples he went back to the stables and placed some of the apples in the bucket for his horse. "there you go" said Jake as he gently pet his horse of the head. Jake turned his back to the stables and he proceeded to the inn he was staying at. He would need to collect his armour, out it on and go to the castle to make arrangements for when it came time for him to be a knight.
-
That day, Kria was in school. She had attended her second class of the day, and was moving onto gymnastics. She had to admit, she liked it very much; it played towards her natural flexibility and agility, and she would get to relax afterward in some warm water provided for the females in the school after exercise.
-
Ophion was up and doing some research in his study, in the house. He wondered what Aurescia was doing. He knew she was in the lab attached to their shop, which in turn was attached to the house, but normally she would be done by now to do her daily stretches and meditation before heading back to work... yes... she took two breaks... one to get a nap, the other to calm herself and relax her muscles... regardless, she still worked for about a third of the time the store was open, which was 5 days a week, but not on this day.
Meanwhile...
Aurescia checked the time. Emerald was still sitting in front of her, but she realized that her husband would wonder where she was. "Emerald, I'll be right back." Leaving the laboratory, she walked down the hall through a wooden door to enter the house. The floor was covered in a thick carpet, a great contrast to the cold stone of the lab and shop; it felt much warmer and softer on her clawed feet. Heading up the carpeted stairs to her husband's study, she found him dressed in full clothing, as if ready to go outside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, my love" Aurescia told Ophion. "I won't be doing my meditation today; there's this creature that I found on the streets. He's injured. I'm doing my best to heal him. So far, it seems to be working."
Now Aurescia had healed sick or hurt animals before, although very few of them could talk, as Emerald could. Even fewer of them were not native to these lands. Standing up, Ophion looked his wife in the eye. He towered over her by about a head...
"Do you want me to watch that creature for you? I know your powers, you need to be able to keep them under control."
Now sorceresses like Aurescia were not fully in control of their powers at all times. Their magic was linked to their emotions, which, given the hormonal, often sensitive nature of the Dracon females, could be tricky. In order to use their powers, they needed to feel an emotion, but if they felt it too much, they would lose all control. To stay calm, physical and emotional relaxation was needed. Aurescia went about this by meditating, stretching, and by indulging other other forms of physical... comfort. Her husband was useful for this last one, for obvious reasons. ;)
Ophion was rightly concerned that if she skipped a round of meditation, his wife's control over her powers would weaken, and this was true, although a sorceress with her level of experience was far more able to keep it together than a crazy, hormonal teenage Dracon girl.
"I'll be fine, dear. Just know that I'll be busy in the lab for a while."
"Alright, that's fine." Ophion replied.
"And what about you? You're all dressed up and ready to go somewhere. Normally, you don't wear your full regalia just to work in your study."
She was right. Dracons who were in the privacy of their homes seldom wore more than loinclothes, whether they were male or female. For Ophion, this meant taking off far more than Aurescia had to, as he normally wore wizards robes, a shirt, pants, and other garments... she just wore a top and a loincloth. This was not considered scandalous among their society; it was considered to be natural. To a human perspective, a mighty wizard writing a treatise on powerful spells while dressed solely in a piece of cloth to cover his genital area would have seemed to be a joke.
"I will be leaving shorty. I was just finishing up some notes on a fireball spell; a newer version to sell at the store."
"Is this the spell that generates its own oxidizer?"
"Yes. It is a combination air/fire spell. It uses oxygen-rich air to make the flame about... 20% hotter than the average fireball."
"Isn't that rather... dangerous?"
"Well... yes. That's the point of a fireball spell." He knew how Aurescia hated using fireballs. She could cast them, but would not do so unless she had to. He knew that she preferred to use magic in a more passive way, casting ritual spells from the safety of their home.
"Is the user in harm's way?" she queried.
"Well, if I were to put the spell up for sale tomorrow, it would burn the hands off of the caster... which is why I am still working on it. It will be safe to sell in a few days. Speaking of buying and selling... weren't you going out to buy something today?"
"Yes, and I found the creature in the middle of the road on the way back. You want to see him?" Now Aurescia had brought in many creatures before, so Ophion was not particularly interested in the next horned lizard or glowing dog who happened to be affected by strong magics.
"No, thanks. I'm sure you have this one under control. I'll be back in about 5-6 hours. I'm going to investigate more about that rogue mage from earlier. Maybe the city guard has caught him."
"Well, don't take too long, dear. I'll be making dinner in about 6 hours. I'm making shredded pork with potatoes and vegetables. Your favorite." she added with a wink.
"I wouldn't miss that for anything!" he said with a laugh. "I've got to go now. Tell me how the animal is doing... wait... what was it again?"
"It's something I've never seen before... an Alimon. And he's doing well at the moment. It's a quadrupedal reptile of some sort with fangs, claws, a tail, and... well... maybe you'll see him when you return. "
"Perhaps I will at that." Ophion replied, giving his wife a quick kiss. He then turned to head down the stairs. "Bye now!" And with that, he was out of the door. Aurescia turned to head back to the lab when a thought struck her. Maybe the Alimon were a creature she could look up in an bestiary. Hmm. She didn't want to keep Emerald waiting...but... another five minutes wouldn't hurt him.
Checking the pages of the Encyclopedia Darastrix, she found nothing. Then again, it was a rather bland, generic textbook. Was his species so rare as to escape the notice of Dracon taxonomy? This question would have to be answered later. The sorceress turned back for the lab and quickly walked back to Emerald.
"Sorry about that. I had to go check on my husband. How are you?"
Meanwhile...
Kria had finished her classes for the day. Kos was just finishing classes himself.
Kria was fortunate enough to be able to afford to relax after school. Those who knew her knew that she would go for a massage at least twice a week after school, especially after a big test like today. That's where one of the cultists found her, lying on a table, resting after having work done on her back.
A male Dracon with red skin, gold eyes, and two long, twisted horns walked up to Kria. She had seen him before; this was the assistant to the cult's priest. Muscular and covered in blue and bright red tattoos, he was an odd sight. The scars and cut-off half of a horn on his right side made him even more odd. His only garment was a pair of short pants, which was done for some odd reason involving demons and how he got those scars... something about not obscuring the marks he "earned" in the cult.
"Kria. Wake up." He told her. She wasn't fully asleep, but her eyes were closed as she relaxed in the aftermath of the rubdown she had recently received.
" *Yawn* What is- Jurec?!"
"Yeah. It's me. Listen. We're moving the ceremony up to well... two hours from now. Apparently, the forces needed to do this are going to be in place sooner than expected. You should get up and come with me. If you don't want to do this, we never met here, you understand?"
She knew what he meant. Taking a moment to stretch, the daughter of Ophion and Aurescia got off of the table and hastily donned her clothes. She would finally be getting her magical powers... from a demon.
"Take me there!" she told Jurec, with anticipation gleaming in her eyes, the same kind one would have when seeing an attractive member of the opposite sex. She had waiting SO long for this... she would finally join the rest of her family in using magic...
-
Halo suddenly stopped as a gust of wind gently struck him, his white hair and coat flapped to the moving air.
Shiana stopped and looked at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"An ill wind just blew by..." the gensai replied. "A bad omen of things to come..."
Youri crossed his arms. "I wonder why you never became a monk or a cleric..."
"I'm serious. Something's not right. Perhaps a church or an order of wizards could've sensed this too."
"Why not the couple at the store we visited before?" Shiana replied.
Youri shook his head. "They aren't the strongest wizards around."
"We should try, nonetheless," Halo replied. "It would be difficult for outsiders like us to convince the king of an omen the wind spoke of..."
"You have a point... But how are you sure about this?"
"The wind never lies to me..."
-
Emerald said, "Better than I was before, I admit." He lowered his head slightly. "I apologize for not answering your question earlier before you left. I might I might be well enough to go on my own, but..." He glanced around again. "I don't know my way around here."
-
"I can help you find your way around." Aurescia replied. "Was there anywhere you intended to go?" Not that he would have heard of the temples, the markets, the mage's guild... or any guild for that matter. His very being here was unusual... hmm...
"If you go out, do you think the one who injured you will find you?" she queried, realizing that was a distinct threat. "What was the one who attacked you like?"
-
Torvin was bathing in the communal baths. He dried himself off, put his clothes back on and headed to the tavern for some food.
-
Cassia was wearing her full suit of clothes on that day. She had given up trying to entice Torvin... for now. The female horse approached Serris to ask him about adventuring.
"Torvin! So nice to see you!"
Unsure about what to do next, she pawed the ground with her hoof and looked at him sheepishly. A funny thing for a horse-person to do.
"Do you want to search for any jobs to do in the city? Are you busy at your smithy?"
The next question just popped out. She hadn't meant to say it.
"Do you have a mate? Are you looking for one?"
-
Ilsa looked over at Tallon. "If you would pardon my asking sir " Why have you asked me to come here? I'm not exactly sure why I am here. perhaps to learn more magic?"
-
"That is correct. You have great potential, Ilsa. Great potential indeed. However, if it remains unlocked, that potential for greatness will never be known. You could be a very powerful mage if you are trained to be." Tallon replied.
-
Thank you sir" Ilsa said respectfully.. "and who am I to train with?
_
Most likely me' Minna said giving Ilsa a closer look, At first glance, she liked the girl who was bigger and slightly taller than she was. Ilsa was a attractive Dracon, who Minna hoped could become a friend..
_
I meant the teacher.. I figured you and i would be classmates" Ilsa replied looking at her with a 'duh' look on her face.
-
"We have several teachers available. I spared no expense. Only the best for you two." Tallon replied. "You first need to learn how to control your powers. This is a tricky thing for a sorceress."
-
it will probably be a long process.. hopefully by honing our skills we can become better mages and also make some friends..' Ilsa said.. "but I heard these schools are quite cutthroat, there's lots of competition.
-
"It won't be easy. A female Dracon's magical powers are tied to her body and her emotions, especially in a sorceress. How are you girls feeling right now? Tired? Sore? Tense? Stressed? It affects your powers. As females, you need to feel certain emotions in order to use your magical powers, but not too much or else you will lose control. It is a tricky ordeal to manage them." Tallon replied.
-
A little tired from the journey, but nothing i can't handle" Ilsa said with a note of confidence in her voice.. "My father talked to me a bit about them, and having lot of siblings you learn things here and there. it helps to have two dozen siblings..sometimes.."
-
"Do you girls think you can handle long days, emotionally draining practice, stressful tests, and no small amount of soreness and pain?" Tallon asked, concerned. He knew that there were many Dracons, male and female, who had magical potential, but they lacked the skill and willpower to unlock it.
-
Yes" Ilsa replied shortly.. "I have no reason yet to believe otherwise.
-
Of course" Minna replied defensively. 'The long hours will all be worth it in the end.. I expect the teacher to work us hard..
-
"You will be worked hard... and long. You will be pushed to the limits of your endurance in order to push those limits farther, and you will be challenged to unlock everything you have. For now, though, do you girls want anything to eat or drink?" Tallon asked them.
-
"Yes" Ilsa said ' I haven't eaten much today unfortunately " Hopefully the meal will be large and filling..
_
I'm hungry too" Minna added, gazing longingly in the direction of the kitchen..
-
"I'll have the servants bring out some food for you two." Tallon replied. "In the meantime, you two can go sit back and relax. Your training won't start until tomorrow. We can adjust the start date for it further if you need it to be so changed."
-
Thank you' Ilsa nodded, and bowing in Tallon's direction.. departed in the direction of the guest rooms. hers was on the first floor in the middle of the hallway..
_
I'kll just hang out here dad for awhile.."Minna said to her father "I'd like a massage though.."
-
"I'll call the servants in to give you one." And by clapping his hands three times, he sent them the signal to give her the massage she wanted. It was very efficient. Three servants entered, one carrying a table, another with lotion, and another with some warm stones for her.
-
"I...I have to deliver my load of metals to my shop. I may decide to go adventuring in the near future until then..." Torvin replied with a blush.
"Torvin! The metals!" his draft animal called.
"Just a moment!"
Torvin then ordered some heavy, dark bread for breakfast.
-
Cassia looked a bit disappointed, but realized that he had to move the metals first. But then, as a smile came across her face;
"Do you need any help moving those metals to your shop?" she asked him.
-
Halo made his way to Ophion's shop, and slowed his pace to keep himself calm. He then entered the shop, followed by Shiana and Youri.
-
Ophion was out of the shop at the moment, but Aurescia was able to assist Halo, Shiana and Youri.
"Ahh, customers! How can I be of service?" She asked.
-
"Yes, well, we were wondering if there is a wizard's guild here we could talk with," Halo replied. "About some...magic issues. Do you know of one around here?"
-
"Certainly. There are several guids in Minbenthac. If you are looking for wizards in specific, I'd suggest the order of the silver claw. Their guild headquarters is about one mile south of here. It's hard to miss if you know what to look for. Just seek the building with the big silver dome; it is the only large dome of that color in the city." Aurescia replied.
-
"Thank you very much," Halo said.
"Finally," Youri responded. "Then we could put this 'evil wind' of yours to rest before the ferry leaves..."
-
"Good luck! If you need any help in the guild, just tell them that Aurescia sent you! They'll respect that!" the Dracon female called out to them.
-
The trio left the shop and went south, and the dome was as clear as the sun in the sky. It took little time to reach the entrance...
-
The Order of The Silver Claw had a very impressive guild hall. The order had been founded for three reasons. First, to benefit the magic skills and powers of the members of the order. The experienced and powerful were to teach the inexperienced and weak, in return for their services. As a guild member grew in power, so did his responsibilities, until he was powerful enough to teach and guide others himself. Second, the order existed to enrich those in it by making and selling magical items to stores. Ophion purchased many of his potions and powders from the guild's potion hall. He could have made the potions himself, but his time was better spent on other endeavors, and the guild could manufacture items in far larger quantities than Ophion could ever hope to do.
The third reason for the Order's existence was controversial. The "Silvers" took it upon themselves to hunt down and destroy creatures, rivals, or individuals whom they deemed to be a threat to the Dracon race. Some have said that this was a cover for attacks meant to loot rich enemies, or to steal from a dragon's lair when they deemed it a threat. Furthermore, the Order maintained an off-limits section of the guild hall, and a library separate from that of the guild's standard one. While they never commented on it publicly, it was believed that the forbidden sections contained spellbooks and artifacts looted from powerful creatures, where the highest-ranking members of the guild learned their formidable spells and arcane knowledge.
Still, the guild was more than capable of helping the three who were even now approaching its gates.
-
As the three travelers neared the gates, a second gust of wind blew across Halo's body, where Youri & Shiana's coats barely even ripple. The air gensai stopped as if he had almost hit a brick wall head-on. "Twice is more than coincidence..." he said, and continued walking.
They entered the gates to the guild and looked around...
-
The great hall of the guild was a vast dome. Beneath it were dozens of stands, as if it were a marketplace. In some ways, it was. People seeking magical aid came to the guild, and generally, were not allowed far beyond the domed area unless a member of the Silver Claw.
Signs written in Draconic pointed out the various services offered, with names like "Potions", "Enchantments", "Curse Removal", "Translations" (written in several languages), "Materials", "Familiars", "Wands", "Staff and Staves", "Tools", "Magic Rings" "Talismans and Amulets", "Books and Scrolls" and "Hired Help." That last one seemed a bit out of place. The items sold were generally for wholesale, not for individual purchase.
-
"This looks more like a marketplace than a guild," Youri muttered.
"So which one of these wizards could help us?" Shiana asked.
"Good question," Halo answered, looking around. "We need to speak with a high priest for sure. Someone with plenty of magical knowledge would easily have sensed any foul doings around here..."
-
One of the guild members, an older Dracon in silver robes approached them. His skin was the same silvery shade as his robes. Creepy. At least his eyes were normal. A shade of bright blue.
"I know that you three have come seeking our aid. I sensed a gensai nearby." His very voice seemed like an echo, yet came out clear. "Forgive my outward appearance. It is rare that I greet and guide visitors, yet I sense that my aid will be required for you to accomplish your goals. And ours. We can work together. Allow me to introduce myself. I am known as Silver Fang, third in command of the order of the Silver Claw. My real name is of no consequence. Who are you that I may know you, and what exactly do you seek?"
-
The trio removed their hoods as the Dracon priest approached them.
"I am Halo, my Lord. I am gensai of the air, as you have sensed before. These are my friends. Shiana the half-elf, and Youri the nimblewright. What we seek from this guild is answers. As a child of the sky, I have the ability to commune with the wind, and earlier today I was warned of evil magic in use in this city. I doubted anyone of political authority here would believe this, so I hope that my suspicions could be corrigated by more experienced and respected users of magic. Have you or anyone else in this guild discovered anything out of the ordinary recently? Over a few days perhaps?"
-
"Yes, I have sensed several major users of forbidden magics. It isn't uncommon. In fact, it is quite rare that the guild does NOT sense use of much magics in a tower, back alley or slum somewhere in Minbenthac. Still, as a wizard, I should be able to help you three."
Silverfang move over to them and stretched out his arms, and was briefly enveloped in white light. None of this seemed to bother any of the other members of the guild or the patrons; given their field, they were quite used to these sort of things.
When the light cleared, Silverfang was dressed in a shirt, long pants, and had two swords on his back, held in holsters strapped to him. He also looked decades younger, and his skin, while still gray, was no longer the same silvery shade as before.
"Sorry for the deception" he told them in a regular voice. "I normally don't let others see my true self. It would be a scandal if everyone knew that I wasn't as old and experienced as I really am. The higher ranking guild members know it, and that transformation you just saw was something I didn't let anyone else see; they still see the illusion of a venerable old mage."
-
Yes, all three of them were stunned by the wizard's transformation, but they understood immediately of his reasons for the harmless deception.
"As I now recall," Halo thought outloud, "a few nights ago there was an attack at an inn by a Dracon wizard, shortly before I myself arrived in town. The damage there was immense, but anything other than what I know for sure I simply took for gossip. However, another Dracon wizard named Ophion may know more about that incident. His wife Aurescia referred us to this very guild for help."
-
"She did the right thing. Ophion and his wife are well-known to us. They come here all the time to buy our goods wholesale, and to cooperate on projects from time to time."
Silverfang shifted his weight from one clawed foot to the other and moved his tail in unison before continuing.
"I have heard about the inn, but did not think it significant until I sensed others searching for the one who was responsible. I would aid you three, if you would let me join you. I sense that the one responsible for this was the pawn of a more powerful entity."
-
"Ah, Halo," Youri said. "The three of us need to talk privately."
The three separated for a private talk.
"The ferry leaves today! We can't go around engaging in every conflict in every country we come to!"
"But this could be serious!" Shiana interjected.
"I'm sure the wizards could handle this withOUT our help!"
"Then why did they ask us to help them? They wouldn't ask for an outsider's help if they didn't need it."
"Halo, we can't be involved in this. We came here for answers and we got them. This city should have more than enough defenses to handle some rogue wizards..."
Halo was contemplating during the argument, but heard every word. It took a few moments for him to answer. "As a son of the sky, my path is ordained by the ever-changing winds that encircle this earth. And today, those winds of destiny has guided us to this city and its ordeals. And Shiana, you follow a code of the Knights of the Cloak, do you not?"
"I do," she replied. "And the code is to destroy the forces of evil wherever it hides."
"And Youri..."
"I won't be convinced..."
"Well, it's 2 to 1. Tough luck, pal."
The trio turned back to Silver Fang for their answer.
"We'll be glad to have powerful wizard like you in our team," Halo said.
-
"Excellent! The Order's higher-ups know of my mission here. Ask a common member of our ranks, and they will know nothing, nor should they know. As far as they are concerned, I am just an elder with a funny voice who tells them what to do. If you three would be so kind as to accompany me to the hall of foresight, we can learn more about this problem. There, we will be able to get the pool of foresight to activate, but its waters only show what needs to be shown when enough people with knowledge of what is being sought stir its waters. Since you three know more about this problem, it should work if all of us stir it. Getting there will require me to teleport you, so I need your permission first. I wouldn't take you there against your will." Silverfang told the trio.
-
"Honestly," Halo replied, "I'm not sure we know about this as much as some others. Maybe we can find some others that may be more involved with the incident several days before? I remember Ophion and a human paladin, and there may be another Dracon. Others I have not witnessed."
-
"That's okay. All we need is to provide details to the pool simply by stirring its waters. It will absorb what it needs, and it will show us all we need to know. Basically, we need to "ask" it a question by stirring the waters, and it will be able to give us the answer, so long as the "question" is specific enough." Silverfang replied.
-
"Ok then," Halo replied.
"Let's get going," Shiana added.
"Fine then," Youri finished.
-
"Then, we are off!" And with that, a bright flash of light enveloped all four of them. Not more than a split-second later, they found themselves in a room with very clean-smelling air, and a brown floor. The walls were gray, and the only light came from a small hole in the ceiling.
"Let me let in the sun. One moment" Silverfang told them. He must have cast some spell, because in a moment, the hole in the ceiling opened up further, letting in a large amount of light.
"Welcome to the silver tower. You may have seen a tall building as you entered Minbenthac, one with a silver dome on to top, besides the Order's main hall. This is the other major property owned by the guild. This room in particular is the hall or foresight. Come with me to the pool of foresight. It isn't far."
It was not far at all. On the far side of the room was a pool of dark blue water. It seemed stagnant and dull. Reaching in his clawed finger, Silverfang stirred the water.
"Go on. Put your hands in, and give it a quick stir. It should give us the answers we need."
-
The group approached the pool, and Halo was the first to touch it. A small breeze from nowhere caused the pool to ripple slightly before his finger touched.
Shiana removed a glove and joined to stir the water gently with her finger.
Youri was the last. His aged-looking steel index finger made contact with the water and stirred...
-
The pool immediately reacted to the information it obtained from all four of them. Now that it had specific knowledge of the subject, the waters swirled and spun. Before long, they had formed a whirlpool. Even more surprising was that-
"I know of what you are searching for, and can aid you in what you seek. You have but to ask, and I shall answer."
-it spoke.
-
The travelers looked at each other before Halo spoke.
"We have been warned of a great evil in this city. What is this evil we must find?"
-
"There are many such evils in this city. The ones you are looking for can be found in the catacombs, for that is where they are based."
The waters changed to form an image of a dark tunnel filled with bones. Human bones... in a Dracon city's burial place. Clearly, this was a place in the catacombs set aside for dead foreigners.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Catacombs-700px.jpg)
Silverfang's eyes widened as the pool spoke. The catacombs were a narrow, twisting series of tunnelts built over 1500 years ago as a place to bury the dead. New tunnels have been built since the old ones filled up, and the ancient segments of the catacombs had been long unused.
Obviously a place from which the undead could be raised, the catacombs were a place of great secrecy, silence, and above all, isolation. It was definitely a place from which mages could conduct evil acts in secret.
-
"It looks like a necromancer's dream..." Youri said.
"Humanoid catacombs underneath a Dracon city..." Shiana added. "I wouldn't want to know the history behind it..."
"That mage that is involved with this group," Halo thought out loud, "he attacked someone at the inn the day I arrived. Why did the mage attack?"
-
"His attack was a mistake. Bluntly put, he messed up. The mages in question who gather in the catacombs take on apprentices, and sometimes, as you probably suspect, apprentices can do stupid things with their powers, especially when they learn a new, powerful spell, or break through to a higher level of power, then they think they know it all. In other words, by causing such a mess at the inn, this mage risked exposing his group, which he did." The pool of foresight added.
-
"Then it was simply someone getting cocky with his magic..." Youri replied.
"Even so," Halo added, "that had to be a lot of power to destroy that inn for an apprentice. The higher classes of mages would be no pushovers. We'll need some allies, and I don't think the Knights of the Cloak will get here in time. Are there any others in the city that could help us against this cult?"
-
"There are others. Ophion would help, I am sure. You must also remember that this cabal, while dangerous, is limited in numbers. It has only 10 full power mages, and only seven apprentices. The head of the mages is a great threat, however. Silver Fang should still be able to handle him." The pool replied.
"The pool is correct; I am quite a powerful mage, although I cannot handle the whole cabal alone." Silver Fang added.
-
"So that leaves 5 against a dozen plus for now," Halo thought aloud. "Is time against us in finding this cabal?"
-
" "Yes. The group only meets in full about twice a year. The next meeting is the night of the day after tomorrow, just after sunset. I would suggest that, besides Ophion, you recruit some members from the Order" The pool spoke.
"I can help you with that. However, it is not in my power to compel a member of the order to go on a dangerous mission without their consent. Also, unless I can convince them of an award, it will be hard to get them to go. Merely mentioning the catacombs will be a disincentive, but I believe that I can must up about... 8 to 10 members. I don't know how good they will be; some of them might just be inexperienced wizards volunteering in the hopes that this will be their lucky break." Silver Fang told the group.
-
"I don't like entrusting myself to any wizard apprentices with nothing more than school lessons..." Youri protested.
"We need adventurers with skills to travel in dungeons and fight not only magic but also the undead," Shiana replied. "A cleric or a paladin should be helpful against necromancy."
-
The pool had fallen silent for the moment. It fell to Silverfang to explain the situation.
"I can make a call for clerics and paladins, but I am not sure many will respond. You see... my Order isn't exactly well-liked by the religious institutions. Not most of them. They say we are overly, hmm, ambitious. I must admit, they are correct. My guild is indeed the sort that would do anything for more knowledge and power, and this tends to put off the paladin-types. Still, I can offer help. I'll appeal to those who may help, whether they are motivated by goodness or gain."
-
"The Knights of the Cloak would have no problems taking on evil in any form," Halo said, "but they won't be able to get here for several days. OK, let's find Ophion and anyone else who will want to take the challenge.
-
"That's the best plan" Silver Fang told them. "I brought you here, I can get you out. Are you ready to be teleported again? We will reappear in the guild hall, in the inner chambers instead of the general visitors area. There, I might be able to get you more equipment if you should need it."
-
"We're ready to get back," Halo replied. "I doubt there's much in the way of magical equipment we could be able to use though."
-
"Alright then" Silverfang prepared a spell. In an instant, the party was back in the guild hall itself, in the blink of an eye. Teleportation always gave the smoothest trips. :lol:
"We should look for some help soon" Silverfang added, knowing that they had little time if they wanted to break up this cabal.
-
"We can search for Ophion, since we know his shop is open today," Halo replied. "You already figured we met his wife earlier."
-
"Yes. I don't know if he is in his shop, though. I'll tell you what; I'll do a scrying spell to find him. One moment." Silver Fang teleported out and about 15 seconds later, returned with a bowl of water. Kneeling down, he cast a spell in some language that was neither draconic nor common; turns out he cast the spell while speaking Ignan. Ophion was revealed to have been walking through the streets of Minbenthac this entire time.
-
Halo kneeled down across the bowl and looked. "That's him alright," he said. "But I don't remember the street he's on."
-
"I recognize that place; it's star street." Silverfang replied.
Dracon cities usually named their streets after the physical world; when streets converged, like star street and water street, they would refer to that as going to "star water." In any case, it was often confusing to those not from their lands. Having a good map was very useful when navigating a city in their lands.
"I can teleport us there, if you want." the mage added to Halo and the rest.
-
"Let's do it," Halo replied. "I doubt even I can find him in less than ten seconds."
-
No sooner than Halo had said that did the familiar teleportation effect happen, leaving the four of them in front of Ophion. Silverfang explained the situation to the mage...
"...so, let me get this straight" Adykon replied. "You're asking me to go down into the catacombs beneath our city to fight a group of dangerous mages for the twin purposes of keeping the city safe and of getting spoils of war from them?"
"Yes" Silverfang replied.
"I'll do it, if only to keep the city safe. I have a family to think about as well. I don't want dark wizards running around in the streets my children play in" came Ophion's reply.
-
"I'm not going to get used to this teleportation thing..." Youri muttered to Halo and Shiana, who shushed him quiet.
-
"Let's get some more aid, shall we?" Ophion asked Silverfang, who agreed. They teleported yet again back to the Order's hall. Luckily, teleportation wasn't dangerous, although it could be a bit disorienting at times.
-
The trio looked around as they were back in the guild. "So," Halo said. "Know of any lucky volunteers around here?"
-
"I'll check" Silverfang told the group. He was still wearing his "ancient elder" disguise, which commanded a level of respect from veteran mages. Unfortunately, few of them were particularly interested in this kind of a mission. After three hours spent searching the guild, they found a couple of red colored male wizards just experienced enough not to be called "hatchling" by the other Dracons, and a silver-skinned female who had showed up a few weeks ago with significant magical powers, but these were mostly latent, that is, they were there, but buried and mostly inaccessible to her conscious mind.
-
Youri looked at the new recruits from behind Halo and Shiana. "I don't believe this..." he whispered. "Even us non-magical creatures could probably fair better than them in a fight."
"Weren't we in a vary similar position when we started out?" Halo replied.
"Not me... I am a construct, remember?"
"Just give them a chance," Shiana said. "You never know when a good spell should come in hand."
"Fine..."
-
"It isn't much, but it's the best I could find" Silverfang replied. "It will have to do. We don't have a lot of time. Those mages won't be down there forever, and if we can't get them when they are together, I don't know if we can get them when they are scattered apart."
"They will have thought of that" Ophion replied.
"What?"
"It's a standard procedure for informal gatherings of mages, especially those who have enemies or are committing illegal activities. They know that their opponents will want to strike them when they are gathered, so they will probably have taken precautions."
-
"They'll set up early warning spells, traps, quick means of escape, and parhaps some guards, constructs or undead," Youri stated.
-
"Indeed they will." Ophion replied. "I'd say that whatever they will set up is probably going to be mobile, portable, and easy to setup and take apart. Nothing too sophisticated.
-
"Ok then," Halo said. "Then I guess we're ready to catch some evil mages."
-
"We are as ready as we're going to get" Silverfang told Halo. "Normally, I wouldn't attack like this, but we have to go with the forces we have, not the forces we wish we have, but don't."
-
"It just makes the adventure all the more challenging," Halo replied, "but rewarding."
Youri rolled his illuminescent green eyes...
----------
Meanwhile, from the skies above the city, a large form came for a landing on a roof nearly two blocks from the guild build. The creature had the body and head of a German Shepherd dog, but with a pair of feathered wings instead of forepaws and his body color of brilliant red, green, & blue hues. His pupil-less sky blue eyes scanned the area for someone he had traveled hundreds of miles to find...
-
"We should move now" Silverfang told them. "The catacomb entrances are scattered throughout the city, but the closest one to us is not very far. We need to go into a poor neighborhood to get there, so watch your step."
-
"Yeah I could use some help. Thanks Cassia," he said, finishing his breakfast.
He then winked at her. "Of course, I may be planning an expedition to get some exotic materials. You're welcome to come along and keep anything you find," he added
-
Cassia became unusually excited about this. Even if it was just a chance to be with one of her own kind, she would take it.
"Excellent! Lead the way. As soon as we are done here, I'd be glad to help you."
-
Torvin got into his wagon with the load of metals.
"So Torvin, I see you got a friend?" the draft animal said.
-
Cassia smiled at the draft animal. "What sort of a creature is it, Torvin? I haven't seen one of these before."
-
"I guess you find ghettos in every city where secret passages to dungeons and catacoubs exist," Youri remarked.
"Enough with the sarcasm and let's get going," Shiana responded.
----------
Finally catching scent of the person he's looking for, he lifted off towards the guild dome...
-
"We should find the entrance in the... wait. I detect an unfamiliar creature. Something magical. We're being watched!"
Turning in the direction of the unusual beast, Silverfang saw what looked like a winged german shepherd in the dome of the guild hall!
-
The trio looked up as the creature came in for a landing next to them, and they were stunned.
"By the gods..." Shiana gasped. "Storm Paw?!"
The beast landed calmly and bowed his head towards the group. The half-elf ran to him and hugged him around his neck.
"How on earth did you find us?"
The senmurv (D&D: Fiend Folio, if you're confused) could only speak Sylvan, but he could understand Common. "I sensed you weren't coming home today," he said, "so I searched for you all."
"Silverfang, Ophion," Halo said. "This is Storm Paw, one of our friends back home."
-
The two Dracon mages were surprised to say the least. No, stunned would be a better word. Neither Ophion nor Silverfang had seen or heard of anything like this creature.
"Amazing... powerful magic must have gone into that beast." Thought Ophion, who was far more polite in his speech. "Pleased to meet you, Storm Paw." The creature spoke Sylvan. It was a language that Ophion had heard of, but did not know of personally.
Silverfang, on the other hand, knew Sylvan very well, and spoke with an impeccable accent in that very language to Storm Paw. His Sylvan was rather formal, though. "Greetings. My name is Silverfang, a powerful mage of Minbenthac. We are on a mission to root out an evil cabal of wizards who are hiding in the catacombs beneath the city streets. If you wish to join us, you may."
-
Storm looked to the Dracon mages, paused, and bowed his head formally. "I knew of something was amiss when the others were not to return today," he said. "If this mission was their reason for staying, then I shall join you. No evil in any land ever passes my sight..."
-
"That's all and good. Welcome aboard!" Silverfang told Storm as Ophion grew uneasy.
"We really need to get going down in the catacombs. Our window of opportunity is narrow as it is." He told the rest of them.
"Quite right. Down we go!" Silverfang was correct about the entrance to the catacombs, or as he called them 'tunnels of death.' The walls of the tunnels were lined with Dracon bones, although the goal of the party was to reach the sections with human remains. Using his magic, Ophion conjured up a little ball of light to brighten up the area around the group as they descended into the darkness...
-
Youri had removed his robes, revealing his full construct form of tarnished copper-colored metal, and replaced his normal hands with a pair of sharpened rapiers.
Shiana removed the straps holding her short sword in its sheath alongside her thigh. She should be ready to use it if she had to fight up close.
Halo unscrewed the center of his staff into fighting sticks, useful in close quarters.
Storm Paw held up the rear, his nocturnal eyes and sensitive nose & ears picking up any slight hint of danger...
-
So far, none of the party detected any evil mages, although the background magic radiating from the very walls of the catacombs was obviously dark magic.
"This place is full of darkness. Necromantic energy is in the walls and the bones of this place. It's no wonder that ghosts and skeletons emerge from here at times." Ophion's words rang true. Every now and then, the undead would emerge from the tunnels and cause havoc in the city above ground.
-
"He's a Strutho. Basically a talking Ostrich," Tovin replied as the cart headed out to the countryside.
-
Cassia took a moment to think about that. "I see. It isn't like the other beasts of burden we see around here. It's so much nicer than a camel or a giant lizard... or the horses that are pressed into service for the Dracons."
-
"Then we should definitely be ready for any undead walking around here, besides the mages' traps," Halo replied...
-
The party advanced carefully, guided through the tunnels more by the radiation of even darker magics that the cabal of evil mages would be using, as opposed to the background magics present in the catacombs under normal circumstances.
"We should be getting near to... wait! Listen." Ophion heard them before he saw them.
Clak-clak! Clak-clak! Clak-clak!
The footfalls were of dried bones on the hard stone ground. Dracon skeletons!
-
The trio readied themselves, and Storm Paw gave a low snarl as he crouched lower...
-
Suddenly, a dozen dragon skeletons attacked from in front and behind the party, six on each side! Every one of them had a crude sword with the markings of an ancient royal family's seal on it. Clearly, these were the-
"-reanimated bones of an ancient king's guards!" It came out from Silverfang, and was quite a mouthful to say. One would think that the military would stop burying its dead with their weapons in light of the necromantic energies which could easily bring them back as undead. No such luck.
-
Storm Paw, Shiana, & Halo quickly turned to meet the undead from the rear, only their weapons seemed capable of shattering the skeletal remains apart. Despite being the largest of the others, Storm Paw was quick to dodge the skeletons' crude weapons and knock them to pieces with his wings.
Although Youri's steel form could easily handle the rusted blades of the undead, he preferred not to be touched at all. He almost gracefully dodges his attackers and cut them down to size with his sword-hands...
-
It took only a short time to deal with the brittle skeletons. Ophion and Silverfang were reluctant to waste magic on them, but a few magic bolts and some help from the rest of the team proved to be more than enough to make short work of them.
"Well, that was interesting." Ophion told the rest of the adventurers. "Now lets get on with things, shall we? I sense some energies coming from the north. Unless there is another group of mages down here, we have found our target."
-
OOC: Okay, how long have i been away and what all did i miss? :p
Shal'thzar had gotten a bit too adventurous when she had found some treasure and gotten some gold from selling. Now she was lost in Minbenthac(She has been away for so long, she cant even remember where she was) and for some reason, it seemed to smell of death.. but luckily she was someplace north of Ophion and his group.
-
(OOC: The city in the RP is Minbenthac. Feel free to go back and edit that post when you have the time. You are still very welcome to this RP, don't worry. Shal'thzar is still a good character.)
Ophion, Silverfang, and the rest of the group were getting close to the cabal of mages. When they were close enough, it was clear that the energies that these evil dracons were working with were causing the dead to stir.
"Necromancers..." Ophion practically spat the word. "Truly the lowest of all mages. We need to take them out before they unleash something truly deadly on the city."
-
"I can't tell exactly how many there are," Shiana whispered. "Some of them are pretty far from the light..."
"Just pick out the leaders," Youri replied. "I can take them out easily. No necromancer magic can work on constructs..."
-
Bursting onto the scene, Ophion and the rest found a circle of evil mages standing around a great black cauldron. An odd green vapor rose from the pot, wafting into the other halls of the catacombs. As far as he could tell, it wasn't poisonous, at least not yet; whatever the mages had planned on doing had probably been interrupted.
The leader of the cabal turned to Ophion. Facing the owner of the eponymous shop was a red-robed mage with reddish scales and eyes. His black horns were long and bent, and he smelled of blood and sulfur.
"Well, who have we here? It seems we have some unexpected guests for dinner. Don't you know it's not right to come to a party without being invited. Haha... no matter. We were just going to get to the main course!"
Silverfang knew that these weren't cannabals, and they weren't simply evil mages, or even necromancers. These were blood mages who mixed their knowledge of sanguine sacrifice with death magic; a devastating combination.
-
The wagon was on its way to Torvin's blacksmith shop. It was day time and the road was lined with trees and mile markers.
"So Torvin, I see you got a friend," the Strutho said.
"Yeah, met her at the inn," Torvin replied.
"I hope you got all the metals you need."
-
Shal'thzar sniffed around, hoping to catch familier scents. Finally, she shrugged and thought to herself: "What do i have to lose?" She breathed deeply, puffed out her chest, and then..
"HELLOOOOOO!" Shal'thzar cried out, hoping to get someones attention. Even though her senses were good, blindness wasn't always to kind to her..
-
Aurescia heard the loud greetings from outside the shop. That was unmistakeably the voice of Shal'thzar, whom she had met a few hours earlier.
"Wait here. I'll be back soon" she told Emerald, knowing that the blind Dracon outside could be in serious trouble. Maybe she was disoriented. Minbenthac could be very hard on those who where less fortunate.
Meanwhile...
Cassia and Torvin arrived at the smithy in a little town nestled in the Palmspring oasis. This was a quiet little place, close to the city, yet far away enough to have some peace and quiet. It was such a nice change from all the noise and filth of Minbenthac.
"So, Torvin, do you live alone here? It must be very lonely in this village, so far from our kind." Cassia then remembered that his draft animal could communicate just as easily as she could with him. It was a bit embarrassing, not remembering that the beast of burden who pulled the cart was also as sentient as her.
-
Torvin unhitched the Strutho who went over to his paddock. Some of his assistants, consisting of Humans, Dracons and some other races, helped him unload the cargo.
Torvin picked up the load of steel and carried it into the smithy. "Cassia, I need to start heat treating a sword blank then I'll go on the expedition with you. Until then, make yourself at home," he said.
-
Shal'thzar waited a moment for any signs of sound or vibration. Shrugging, she went to go explore but stopped when she finally felt the sound of vibration. She looked in the direction of the sound and vibration and finally caught a familier scent: Aurescia.
-
Just as the evil mage finished talking, the non-Dracons jumped to battle. Shiana drew her bow and let loose her enchanted arrows in quick succession at the lower-level mages. Youri honed in on the closest mage and stuck it through in quick speed with his blades jutting out the other end. Storm Paw, unable to fly, made up for his disadvantage by ramming the next Dracon. Halo twirled his parted staff and swept up dust and ash into the currently unhindered mancers...
-
Aurescia quickly went outside and met Shal'thzar. "Are you okay? Last time we met, you didn't seem so disoriented. Maybe you've been out in the hear for too long." Ophion's wife was always the most benevolent of souls. She had helped Emerald when he was hurt, and now was off to help the blind mage.
Meanwhile...
Cassia sat down in Torvin's place. He lived in a shop that was also his dwelling. Leaning back, the equine female stretched out and sighed. It was good to relax after such a long walk. Despite having feet hard enough to drive nails into, she was still glad to rest them; they hurt. Cassia could only imagine what it was like for the Dracons, who tottered around on feet with toes and soles. How could they walk around on such fragile things? She never understood how creatures without hooves could travel anywhere.
Back in Minbenthac...
Ophion and Silverfang unleashed a fireball and a lighting blast, respectively. Each of their shots found their mark, killing two of the less experienced mages. None of this worried the leader of the cabal, who was secretly happy to be rid of such lesser apprentices. If he was worried, it didn't show in his speech.
"Are you done yet? This game really is tiresome. Now let me show you some REAL magic!" With that, he pulled out his ceremonial dagger and stabbed the still-living mage that Youri had already stabbed. Out of that wound came a flow of blood, and a reddish glow. Within two seconds, the power of the apprentice transferred itself to the master, and he glowed with a similar red hue.
Ophion's heart sunk as he realized what was happening. They had been set up. The weaker mages had been intended to die. They were sacrifices for the master. His little ritual was a smokescreen, a decoy, a trick. Siverfang watched with horror as the corpses of the surrounding mages becan to glow red. Then the master mage began to transform, growing in size and power, with long horns and a stinger on his tail growing out, his claws becoming like daggers, and his fangs expanding to several times their normal size.
-
Torvin was busy stoking the fire in his forge to the proper temperature. As soon as the correct temperature was reached, he placed in a steel blank and heated it until it was red hot.
He then took it out and began hammering it into shape.
-
A few hours later, Cassia was resting on the couch, her eyes closed. The banging of a hammer on steel didn't bother her; in fact, when it stopped, she knew that Torvin was done with his daily tasks. The female equine was eager to get to know the male better. It had been so long since she could spend time with one of her kind, especially one so... virile.
Standing up and stretching, she approached Torvin, who seemed to be tired and sweating from his daily work. Cassia approached him and put her hands on his shoulders, reassuringly.
"Had a long day, Torvin? You can relax now, I'll make sure you do, if you'd like" Her tone was sensuous, but she wasn't thinking of anything serious with him. Not yet, at this time.
-
Torvin wiped his forehead. The steel blank was shaped roughly like a sword but he still had to heat treat it. He lowered the temperature of the forge and stuck the blank in it.
"Yes, Cassia, I'm done but I need to wash up before we go exploring," he said.
"Hey, knock it off!" the Strutho shouted from his paddock.
------------------
The Strutho was shouting profanities at some local children who were pelting him with rotten fruit.
-
Wash up... it was an idea.
"I should get cleaned up too. I'm all sweaty from the trip over here." The female equine could indeed use a cleaning, and she moved to wash up as well. Then she heard the noise from outside. Throwing her light armor back on, Cassia drew her rapier and stabbed a rotten apple in midair before it could hit the Strutho. Young dracons could be very mean to those not like them.
"Run along kids, or you'll see what I can really do with this thing!" To say that the crowd of hooligans dispersed quickly was an understatement. If they had run away any faster, Cassia would have expected to see an after-image. Of course, Cassia herself was much faster; that's how she fought: relying on speed, dexterity, and agility. Her armor was light, but protective, at least, over her chest and her more... sensitive areas. Her arms, legs, stomach, and head were all bare, but the armor she wore was made of chain mail, and crafted from a very light metal. It wasn't mithril, iron, or even steel, but argentite, a silvery metal as hard as steel which weighed a fraction as much.
-
"Thanks," the Strutho said. "I only wish that I could have kicked one of them. The same quality that makes us Strutho prized as 'draft animals' allows us to kick with devastating power," he added with a sigh.
Torvin emerged from the house in clean clothing.
"Erm, Cassia, Struth, what happened?" he asked, noticing the rotten fruit that was scattered around the paddock.
"Dracon children, that's what happened!" Struth replied.
-
"I chased off some punk kids, nothing to worry about, Torv." Cassia looked around and smelled the air. Torvin was much more appealing now that he didn't smell like he had caught on fire. Getting to know a metalworker was a very interesting thing indeed. "So, What do you want to do now, my strong smith?" She hoped he would notice her interest.
-
"Erm, I did mention that there is an old mine nearby right?" Torvin said with a blush. "And I planned to explore it with you."
-
"Oh great. Another chance to get dirty" Cassia thought to herself. Still, she had planned to explore this area, and it was something to do with Torvin. She'd call it a date.
"Good idea. Just make sure you take a weapon. I've heard a tribe of kobolds is around here, and we might run into some of those little whelps. I'll bring my rapier." The old iron mine had been exhausted years ago, but it was by no means empty or quiet.
-
Torvin picked up a length of steel bar. "I really don't have any weapons but this will do," he said. "Now let me get prepared for the exploration," he added, ducking into his house.
The Struth backed into the harness of the his wagon, which was at the corner of his paddock. "Cassia, if you and Torvin are going on an expedition, I'd assume that you'd want a little help carrying the spoils back?" he asked.
-
"Sure thing! It's nice of you to offer, er... I didn't catch your name." Cassia replied to the Strutho while pawing the dry dirt with her left hoof. How embarrassing not to know the name of a creature who was willing to act as a beast of burden just for pulling around her stuff. Not that she expected to find much in the mines. It was the thrill she was after, and maybe some intimacy with a strong male. Yeah... that was the life for her. An exciting life, filling with intrigue, romance and action, and... she needed to reign it in. Realistically, she was just going to check out an old mine and maybe stab some kobolds.
-
"Sorry about that.." Shal'thzar said, lowering her head slightly. "I noticed everything was awfully quite when i got back. Sniffed around and noticed that this place smelt of death." Shal'thzar then tipped her head to the side slightly. "Is everything alright?" Shal'thzar said.
-
Aurescia smelled the air, but didn't detect the scent of death. Then again, her nose wasn't as strong as Shal'thzar's. The blind's other senses were stronger to compensate for their lack of vision. "Everything is fine, mostly. There's some creature that needed my help, but I've taken care of him. I'm just waiting for Ophion to return. He said he was going to investigate something about that mage attack from earlier."
-
"I see.." Shal'thzar said, then grinned slightly. "Actually, scratch that. I hear." She added in with a laugh. She sniffed the air again. It was strange, there was something in the air that smelled of death. Shal'thzar shrugged and pushed the thought aside. "I've collected more items of interest i think. Not much, just a bunch of scales and talons like last time. Interested?" Shal'thzar said, taking out a bag with said items. "Also, i've been thinking of finding a job, but i know of no one that would hire a blind Dracon like me. Any tips?" Shal'thzar added in with a smile.
-
"Well, I can purchase those scales and talons. I see that they will act as good components in a number of spells. As for a job, I might have something for you. Are you familiar with astral meditation? It doesn't require use of sight, or any other corporeal senses, for that matter. For it to work, you only need magical powers and the use of one's own mind and soul." Aurescia was a master at ritual based spells done in the safety of her own home, or else a secure location. This was a common kind of magical for Dracon sorceresses, especially those who found combat magic to be distasteful.
-
"Just call me Strutho," the Strutho replied.
Torvin returned from his house with a backpack full of supplies.
He tossed them into the wagon and hitched up the Strutho to the wagon. Torvin got in.
"So where is the adventure going to be?" the Strutho asked.
"The Brimspark Iron Mines," Torvin replied.
The Strutho nodded. "Ah yes, one of the finest iron mines in the land. Also produced a fair amount of mithril. Pity that it has been abandoned for decades," he said.
-
Cassia, Torvin, and Strutho prepared their gear and went down the rocky road to the old mine. Their hooves clacked along the stony path, making much noise, but no one was around to mind it. The mine was a deep pit, exposed to the air. Cassia had never seen it before, and had assumed it was some kind of cave. If this was a "dungeon", it would be one of those rare open-air kinds. Reading the draconic sign, it was clear that this was the Brimspark mine, or rather, the hole in the ground that was left of it.
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/133/404873991_8c6ba57013.jpg)
-
The Struth been unhitched from the wagon and was carrying supplies. He had followed them down to the pit.
A four Kobolds armed with rusty mining tools suddenly appeared.
They chattered excitedly amongst themselves.
Torvin readied his iron bar.
"Torvin, Cassia, keep an eye on them," the Strutho said.
A Kobold went up to the Strutho and tried to cut the pack harness. The Strutho kicked the Kobold so hard it tumbled through the air and fell off the cliff.
The three Kobolds immediately rushed the three adventurers.
-
Cassia saw the first of the little assailants. Standing at only one meter tall, they were nowhere near as large as the equines. These little guys had sharp weapons, as well as sharp claws and fangs, but were too small to do much damage with them. Although they had fairly tough skin, none of the kobolds were well-armored, due to their light clothing and lack of armor. Indeed, all these kobolds had on was a piece of cloth around their privates, and an iron-tipped spear in their hands.
Wielding her rapier with amazing skill, the female equine sliced the top off of the spear of one of the kobolds. "Ha! What are ya gonna do now, squirt?!" He boasting got the better of her and the kobold, enraged at the loss of his most prized possession, leaped onto her leg and dug in his claws, then bit her. It was more painful than harmful, but Cassia was sent running and screaming, desperately trying to throw the kobold off of her leg.
-
"I got him!" Torvin said, with one swift downward blow of his steel bar, he smashed the Kobold against the rocky ground, killing it immediately.
"Cassia! Torvin! Some help!" the Strutho shouted. The body of another Kobold lay at his feet. The last Kobold had cut a strap and was running away with some of the goods.
"Give that back!" the Strutho shouted. He chased after thieving Kobold.
Torvin joined in the chase.
-
Cassia quickly bounded after the kobold on her swift hooves, and in no time was ahead of all the others. She made it look so easy. Drawing her rapier, the kobold stopped ahead of her, and dropped to the ground, begging for its life.
"Pleasepleasedonthurtme! I'm with eggs and I needed to feed my young! I'll give the stuff back, just don't hurt me!"
Cassia was not impressed.
"Are you even female? I think your just making stuff up." Than again, this kobold looked a little bloated, as if gravid with eggs, or maybe just fattened off of ill-gotten gains.
"Torvin, what do you think?" The female equine wanted to know what he thought of this.
-
The Strutho sniffed at the Kobold. "He's lying," the Strutho said coldly.
"Give my stuff back and we'll spare you," Torvin said, raising the steel bar which had some traces of Kobold blood on it.
-
"I'm not lying!" The kobold shouted in a high-pitched tone, squealing as it stamped its feet on the hard ground. "I'll even show you that I'm female!" After a few awkward moments of proving it, the kobold put her garment back on. Yes, this one was truly female. Cassia knew the difference externally between the two kinds if she saw it. How she knew that was her own business.
"Okay, so you're female. Fine. If you need help, get the father to feed your kids." The reply was swift and sad. "Equine, I don't know who is the father of all these eggs. Odds are, there were several fathers for several of my children, and all of them are dead, killed by you looters who enter our home!"
"Looters?! Excuse me, this is a Dracon mine. I don't see a sign welcoming in the kobolds."
"This mine is abandoned. No one uses it. Years ago, some 50 or so kobolds escaped from slavery in Minbenthac and came here. They had kids, and those kids had kids, and I'm part of the fifth generation of them since the escape. Some of the sixth generation is in me right now."
-
The Srutho glared at the Kobold. "Maybe if you didn't try to steal our stuff we would be more willing to help you," he said.
"Struth, forget it," Torvin said. He knelt down to the Kobold's level. "How much in exchange for letting us explore the mine for treasure?" he asked.
-
"I don't want your stuff, only food. I was hoping that the things you had would have something to eat in them." The kobold responded. "If I had to grab whatever I could reach and hope that a bit of it had something to eat, so be it. Did you really think I use money? There are treasures in here, but not of the kind you would expect."
Taking a deep breath into her little ribcage, the kobold continued.
"In any case, there's nowhere to buy food around here, Equine, and those who have something to eat rarely trade it for anything. As it is, I'm not in charge of this mine. You can go in, if you want. I can't stop you. The others won't listen to me if I told them not to attack. I can warn you that... oh... I'll let you know where all the traps I know of are if you give me something to eat, alright? I can't guarantee your safety. And just remember who is coming here to loot this place? Don't call ME a thief!"
-
Torvin reached inside a pack and grabbed a a small loaf of a dense dark bread. He handed it to the Kobold. "Here you are," he said,
"Torvin, you're giving food to those filthy creatures?!" the Strutho exclaimed.
"Struth, be nice!" Torvin scolded. He then turned to the Kobold. "We did not know that there were actually inhabitants here," he added.
-
The female kobold grabbed the bread and smelled it, then took a taste to make sure it was still fresh. After ripping it into two pieces, she ate the first half in one bite, then stabbed the other piece onto her speak, despite it missing a tip. She picked up the spear and proceeded to fulfill her end of the deal.
"My name is Alima. It is the only thing I inherited from my mother, who died not long after I was born. I'll tell you where the traps are, at least, the ones I know about. The first one is on the right of the..."
After about 15 minutes, Alima had told them about the traps to the best of her knowledge.
"... and that's all I know. Can I go now?"
-
Torvin nodded. "You are free to go, Alima," he said.
Torvin then continued down the rocky path. The path was steep but he was strong and surefooted as was the Strutho.
"Can we trust her?" the Strutho asked.
"Don't see why she had a reason to lie to us," Torvin replied.
-
Almia's word was good. The traps she had mentioned appeared right where she said they would. Cassia cut the tripwires with her rapier, disarming them harmlessly. After an hour of climbing down the mine, the party finally caught a glimpse of some treasure! From the distance, on a lower level in the mine, the equines saw a yellow flash in the distance.
"Look at that, Torvie. Gold! Did I just call you- never mind. Let's just go get it!" Cassia bounded off in the direction of the metal, as fast as a mare. Well, she was a mare, but hated having to clarify that she wasn't a four-legged one.
-
The Strutho and Torvin ran after Cassia.
"Cassia, the gold's nice but I came here looking for exotic metals," Torvin said when they arrived in front of the pile of gold coins. The pile was not massive but it was decently sized.
"You mean something like this?" the Strutho said, gently pushing a large piece of rock with his feet towards them. He then delivered a powerful stomp to the top of the rock, splitting it in two and revealing veins of a beautiful blue-silver metal running through the rock.
"Struth, that's mithril! How did you know?" Torvin asked.
The Strutho chuckled. "After working with me for so long, you still don't know that Struthos have an inherent ability to seek metals?"
-
Cassia began to take some of the gold for herself and the others. It certainly was easy... so easy... too easy. What was all this gold doing in an iron mine? Where did the kobolds get this from? A sinking feeling came over Cassia as she realized two things. First, upon closer inspection, the metal was iron pyrite, commonly known as fool's gold. Second, there was no good reason that this gold would be here, out in the open, unless it was a lure, a piece of bait, as in bait for a-
"It's a trap! Torvin, Strutho, we've got to get out of here!" Cassia saw the kobolds burst out of their hiding places moments after her realization. There were over a dozen of them, armed and angry.
-
Torvin quickly picked up the mithril and placed it in his rucksack. He noticed another exit that led to the surface. "Cassia! Over there!" he shouted pointing to the exit. A large rock narrowly missed his head.
The Strutho was hit with a small rock; in retaliation, he kicked a large rock at the guilty Kobold killing it instantly.
-
In truth, the mithril was the only real treasure in the pile. All of the iron pyrite was worth very little. As the three adventurers ran out of the pit, two more kobolds dropped a rock to block that path too. They were cornered.
"Well, Torvin, I guess this is it. I suppose I'd better say it now or never; no male has ever excited me as much as you. Now, if this mare is to die, she will die fighting!" Cassia drew her rapier and prepared for a huge struggle. Meanwhile, up above, someone was watching the struggle from the shadows with great interest...
-
The Strutho turned to the Kobolds. "Bring it, you filthy beasts!" he spat. A Kobold armed with a pickax rushed him. A kick from the Strutho snapped the pickax handle, another kick pulverized his ribs and sent him flying back a few feet.
Torvin said nothing but readied his steel bar. He even focused his magic into the steel so that it glowed red hot.
-
The trio fought well, but it was ultimately a losing fight. They could not hold out forever. They had just one chance left, but none of them knew it. Leaping out of the shadows, Alima landed in front of the kobold hoard, holding a rope in her hand. The other kobolds knew what that would do if she pulled it, but everyone was too stunned to react.
"When the fireworks begin, run to the north and don't stop until you are out of the mine, got it?" Before Cassia could react to Alima's directions, the female kobold pulled the rope, detonating an explosive which set off a bright flash and a loud bang. A flashbang. The hoard of kobolds was stunned by this and very much unable to give pursuit to the three, now four, adventurers who fled from the mine, mithril in tow.
-
Torvin and the Struth stood at the entrance to the Brimspark Iron Mines. Both of them were panting heavily.
"Thank you Alima," the Strutho said.
Torvin was bandaging a cut on his arm caused by a Kobold's short sword.
-
Cassia looked back. The kobolds did not bother to pursue them.
"It looks like we got away" The female equine told the others as she panted. "Thanks Alima. I suppose you were good to your word after all."
Alima turned the the others and told them what was on her mind.
"It was more than that. I wanted to get out of there, anyway. The others weren't so good to me. They never let me do much of anything, and kept pressuring me to- well, I guess that happens when there are twice as many males as females in the group. I can't go back there now. I turned on them, and they'd kill me if I were to show my face. Uh... I don't suppose you'd let me join you?"
-
Torvin shrugged. ""Why not? You saved our lives," he said.
The Strutho sighed. "I suppose exploring the Quartzon Mine is out of the question?"
"Depends, what do you know about it?"
The Strutho cleared his throat. "The Quartzon Mine is a recently abandoned underground mine. It is a large producer of magical gems but its Fire-Rubies were widely known. It also produces a small amount of mithril and darksteel. Unfortunately, that is all I know about the mine," he said.
Torvin shook his head. "I wonder why I hired you as a draft animal," he said jokingly.
"Hey! You try to forge metal with no arms!"
(OOC - Darksteel is ripped off of Magic the Gathering but this version of it is a bit different. Weaker and more brittle than steel but completely immune to magic.)
-
(OOC: That's fine. Mithril is also ripped off, from Tolkein, so you can feel free to use whatever name you want. :p)
"I've heard of the Quartzon mine. We'd have to start moving now if we want to get there before it is dark" Cassia told the rest.
Alima looked around and spoke out with the rest.
"That mine is much more dangerous than the one I'm from" Alima told the rest. "That one is known to be built on an old burial ground. You know what these burial grounds are like when disturbed."
-
"Well, I can purchase those scales and talons. I see that they will act as good components in a number of spells. As for a job, I might have something for you. Are you familiar with astral meditation? It doesn't require use of sight, or any other corporeal senses, for that matter. For it to work, you only need magical powers and the use of one's own mind and soul." Aurescia was a master at ritual based spells done in the safety of her own home, or else a secure location. This was a common kind of magical for Dracon sorceresses, especially those who found combat magic to be distasteful.
OOC: Dang, this RP sure gets alot of posts fast! :p
"Im afraid i haven't heard of astral meditation." Shal'thzar said, frowning slightly. "Is it difficult?"
-
"It depends. You and I are sorceresses, so this kind of magic comes more easily to us. You might have an advantage in learning it, as you already are used to not using your eyes. Astral meditation is the process of separating the soul from the body while still alive, and traveling from the material plane to the astral one, a place of pure energy, where one can see all magic, and traverse great distances in an instant. Your body will still be resting in the comfort of home the whole time. I try to do some of that meditation a few times a month, in addition to the normal kind. I can show you how."
Aurescia had taught this secret to only a few pupils before, but she trusted Shal'thzar not to abuse it.
-
"Well, let's get going then," Torvin said.
The Strutho spotted a dilapidated sign partially covered by overgrown grass. He nudged the grass aside and noticed that it pointed straight to the Quartzon Mine.
"We'll follow this trail," the Strutho said heading off in the trail.
Torvin kept his steel bar heated red hot to provide some illumination.
-
It took them the greater part of the remaining hours of daylight, but eventually, the four of them made it to the mine. Cassia seemed unfazed by the long walk, given her hooves, but Alima, on the other hand...
"How do you equines go this long without a rest? My feet are killing me!" The little kobold told the rest of the party. "Still we're almost there. It could've been worse."
-
"Cassia," Torvin asked, "can you do any form of magic or no?"
The Strutho chuckled. "Trying to compensate for something?" he asked.
"Hey, don't make fun of my fire magic!"
"The extent of your fire magic is setting something on fire by touching it."
-
"No, I don't know any magic. I'm good with a rapier and I'm very fast, but no magic." Cassia replied.
"I've got nothing either" Alima added. "I wish I was a shaman, then I could cast a healing spell. I think that could come in handy. Are you sure you want to do this? We're going into a burial mound! A burial mound with dead things! And you know that dead things can turn into UNDEAD things when enough dirty magic is around!"
-
"There are few things hot steel cannot hurt," Torvin replied. He held up his steel bar which was glowing red hot from his powers.
Strutho shrugged. "Pretty darn sure I can kick a skeleton apart," he replied.
"Well, here we are," Torvin said standing in front of the Quartzon mine.
The mine entrance was clearly well supported and it sloped down into the ground. Small glowing rods stuck in the ceiling provided a cool blue light.
"Alima, would you prefer a weapon?" the Strutho asked.
Torvin chuckled. Before, Struth wanted to kick Alima across the mine, now he's talking to her. he thought.
-
"I'd like a knife or something. That spear of mine was never very good. In any case, it is best not to get in a fight if it can be avoided." Alima told the others.
"Did you say you had to compensate for something?" Cassia asked, laughing. "I'm sure you have a pretty good "sword" as well as your weapon." The mare was still interested, even though this really wasn't the time to bring such personal details up.
-
Torvin handed Alima a small knife. To him it was suited only for peeling vegetables. "Here you are," he said.
The Strutho headed into the mine first. Suddenly, there was the sound of shouting and bones breaking.
Torvin rushed into the mine to find the remnants of a skeletal miner resting against a wall.
"Struth! What happened?" Torvin asked.
"Single skeleton," the Strutho replied.
Torvin looked at the bones. Most of them had been snapped clean in two by the Strutho's powerful kicks.
-
Cassia drew her rapier, but nothing more happened. No more skeleton came forward. Not yet, anyhow.
"Let's just move on" Cassia told the others, sheathing her blade, but staying vigilant nonetheless. Some time passed and the party walked down into the mines. This time, it was not an open pit, but a deep tunnel, doubtlessly a testament to the hard work of thousands of miners over many years.
Alima walked next to Cassia, on her right side, while Torvin was to Cassia's left. The mare looked down at the kobold, so much smaller than herself. The mine was lit up by glowing crystals that were in the walls. Cassia didn't know how they kept this place lit up after all this time.
"Was it a hard life, Alima? With the other kobolds?" the female equine queried.
Alima responded to cassia, looking up as she kept on walking with the rest of them. "It was all I knew. I didn't like how they treated me, or how I was prevented from enjoying the spoils we took from trespassing adventurers. Heck, whenever I managed to get a little coin or a shiny bauble, it was always taken from me. The males took whatever they wanted from me. I was expected to shut up and bear it."
-
The Strutho suddenly stopped in the middle of one of the tunnels. "Cassia, Torvin, I detect a deposit of darksteel down one of the side corridors. It appears to be high quality," he said.
Torvin's eyes lit up and he went down the corridor that the Strutho indicated. The corridor opened to a fairly large cave that was littered with rubble on the ground.
The glowing steel bar illuminated veins of a black, almost glassy metal running along the wall. Torvin gently touched the metal and noticed it had a feel like water.
-
Cassia looked at the steel. Equine eyes weren't the best, especially in the dim light. Kobold eyes, on the other hand, were quite good, even in the dark.
"Torvin... be careful. I don't know what magics are in this cave, but moving a piece of metal that has magic in it, or could have magic in it, might disrupt something." Alima told Torvin this, hoping that the things that were disrupted would not be the dead.
-
The Struth was busy breaking apart some rocks with his powerful feet. "I found something!" he said.
A small sapphire was lying in a pile of rubble. The sapphire emitted a cool blue light.
Torvin noticed a lump of darksteel lying on the ground. He examined it to make sure it actually was darksteel and he put it in his rucksack.
-
When all the metals and other materials were gathered... nothing happened. There was no attack of the undead, no violent zombie, nor the awakening of a terrible spirit. None. They seemed to have lucked out this time.
"Well, alls well that ends well. Now, lets get back to the house, and get some rest. I'm tired and sore, and I need a shower. My fur's got all this dust in it." Cassia was accustomed to comfort and cleanliness. Alima, however...
"You live in a HOUSE? You mean, not having to sleep on the ground? We're going to a house? Amazing!" The little kobold was very happy to hear it.
-
Torvin coughed and spat something on the ground. "Yeah, my pack's getting heavy too and I need to finish up that sword blank," he said.
"Well, I guess it's time to head back," the Strutho said, walking out of the passageway.
-
Not long after the party left the mine, they found that the path was blocked by a group of men in black cloaks. Cassia took the point as they approached the men, only to find that they were undead!
"Die, you undead fiends!" Cassia shouted as she drew her rapier, stabbing one of them through the stomach. If this hurt the undead in any way, it didn't show it, and it proceeded to calmly remove the sword from itself, then hand it back to the mare. It didn't strike back.
The man in the center was not undead, though. This was a human dressed in a red and gray robe, with a shaven head and fiery red eyes. He spoke in a monotonous voice, calm and flat.
"I don't suppose you feel sorry for stealing from the Quartzon mine. It's a pity, really. I was on my way to claim it with my minions, only to find that looters have gotten ahead of me. I could attack you with my zombies, but that would be rather self-defeating, seeing as even if I win, you are likely to take out a number of them, and they aren't easy to replace." He must have been an amateur necromancer; he wasn't very threatening, and a serious practitioner of the dark arts knew how to replace any mundane undead like skeletons and zombies with great ease.
Shifting his wight from one leg to the other, the necromancer decided that offering a trade might be the more useful option. "Do you have anything to barter with? If not, at the very least you could tell me of the condition of the mine. I'm looking for metals to equip my army and undead to raise to build up my forces."
In the Dracon lands, the practice of death and blood magics were normally forbidden. Of the 8 major cities, only Hekaga openly used those magics, although all of the eight cities would use them if truly desperate. Smaller cities sometimes allowed use of one or both kinds of dark magics, and sold such services to larger cities, or sometimes in the armies of one of the eight larger city which controlled it, if it was a vassal state. Dracon policy was hardly consistent on the ban of evil magics.
-
"It depends. You and I are sorceresses, so this kind of magic comes more easily to us. You might have an advantage in learning it, as you already are used to not using your eyes. Astral meditation is the process of separating the soul from the body while still alive, and traveling from the material plane to the astral one, a place of pure energy, where one can see all magic, and traverse great distances in an instant. Your body will still be resting in the comfort of home the whole time. I try to do some of that meditation a few times a month, in addition to the normal kind. I can show you how."
Aurescia had taught this secret to only a few pupils before, but she trusted Shal'thzar not to abuse it.
Shal'thzar thought for a moment on what Aurescia told her. the thought of seperating the soul from the body sent a slight shiver down Shal'thzar's spine. After thinking things over however, the Dracon nodded. "Okay." She said with a smile.
-
"Alright then! " Aurescia was happy to hear it. She ushered Shal'thzar inside the house. The two of them went downstairs to Aurescia's meditation room; a small, quiet space with several cushions and a soft green carpet. "First, you need to make yourself comfortable. Relax, sit down, and tell me when you are ready to begin. Do you meditate the normal way? It will help if you've had experience doing the normal kind first."
-
Sha'thzar sat down on the cushions and crossed both her feet. She was very comfortable sitting this way. She sniffed around and could no longer smell death in the air and was relaxed. "Before we begin, what is the normal way? As i've said, i've never done this kind of thing before. Unless we are doing the 'normal way' then i am ready." Shal'thzar said with a smile.
-
"Well, I like to meditate with my legs crossed with a scented candle or some incense burning. I don't have that set up right now, but its still good." Because Sha'thzar was blind, she could not tell that Aurescia had taken off what few garments she had on. This was considered normal for her, in an enclosed, private environment, or in this case, with one who could not see anything. "The 'normal' way is simply closing ones eyes and finding one's center, with no magic involved. Anyway, if we are both comfortable, we can begin."
Aurescia closed her eyes and began to focus her magic. "The first thing you will want to do is to concentrate your power within yourself and focus it on one spot. Find your center and be at one with your magic. Then we go on to the next step."
-
Shal'thzar followed Aurescia's instructions. Even though she was blind, she closed her eyes and concentrate on her own powers. She then felt as though she was one with atleast one of her magic powers: Water.. Shal'thzar however wasn't sure if she should remain this way or tell Aurescia if she had passed the first step.
-
Aurescia didn't need to open her eyes to tell that Shal'thzar was centered. The magical signatures she detected matched up perfectly with the bodies they inhabited. Both females were centered, so Aurescia could continue her instructions.
"Now you have to focus on your power, becoming one with it, so that manipulating it is as easy as moving a limb or taking a breath. Once you do this, you can put your consciousness into magical form, then, the way to the astral plane is simple."
-
"I have a lump of darksteel and a piece of Mithril," Torvin said. He did not mention the water sapphire in his pack.
"The mine is stable and there is a deposit of darksteel not too deep from the entrance. The Quartzon mine also produces a small amount of mithril but I do not know where the deposits are located," the Strutho said,
-
"That sounds good" the necromancer replied. "It was good of you to give me such information. Naive too. Don't ever give out any valuable facts without a price. If I can teach you anything, let it be that. Free knowledge is a gift, not a right. I shall trade you for the steel and Mithril." Reaching into a pocket, the dark mage pulled out a vial of green liquid.
"This is banefire extract, one of the many arts of necromancy. Pour it onto a blade and it will light up with the green fires of the netherworld, but don't let the flame touch you, lest you suffer under its decaying flame. You should have enough extract for three blades, or three doses for one blade, each dose lasting about an hour. If you need someone dead, one touch of banefire will be enough to kill almost anyone as they decay before your eyes. Is this a fair trade?"
-
Torvin nodded. "It is a fair trade," he said, handing over the darksteel and mithril.
The Struth looked at the sky. "We'd better get going," he said. "It's getting dark."
-
"Ah yes. I love it when that happens. Blessed be the darkness" the necromancer replied, handing over the vial in exchange for the metals. "Be very careful with that; one drop can make an entire hand wither. Now, I must be off. The metals must be acquired by sunrise."
Alima didn't like it one bit. Then again, mages scared her. All that esoteric knowledge combined with a lust for power... it was mind boggling to her.
-
Torvin carefully wrapped the banefire extract and packed it in one of the Strutho's packs. "So what am I going to do with this?" he asked.
"Use it like the necromancer said. Use it to power up your weapons," the Strutho replied.
Torvin shook his head. "I will only use it if we have no other choice," he said.
The group was now approaching the hamlet where Torvin lived.
-
By now, it was late at night, and Cassia was tired. Alima was beat, so much so she had to ride on the Strutho's back after being unable to go any further. "Made it back at last. I was thinking this day would never end" Cassia told Torvin.
-
"My feet hurt," Torvin said,
The Strutho pulled the wagon into his paddock and waited for Torvin to unhitch him.
Torvin yawned and unhitched the Strutho. He carried the gear inside the house and promptly collapsed on his bed.
-
Cassia and Alima stumbled into the house, and promptly fell asleep on the couch. The morning came all too soon for the equine and the kobold, both of whom regarded the sun's rays as an annoyance rather than a thing of beauty. Still, Cassia got up, even though it was broad daylight when she woke, and had been for a few hours.
-
Torvin got out of bed and washed up. He then went to check on the sword blank that he had been heating for the past day.
-
Youri and the others jumped back as the lead evil wizard had absorbed the lifeblood and power of the lesser mages to transform himself into a monster.
"Damn!" Youri cursed. "It's worse than fighting a lich!"
Storm Paw hissed at the sight with pure hatred for such evil power.
Halo leaped back and stood next to Silverfang. "And I thought we were hunting necromancers," he said.
Shiana, not wanting to waste another moment, drew back an enchanted arrow and fired straight for the beast's left eye...
-
The arrow struck true, but it didn't weaken the beast. Instead, the mage only became stronger, fiercer, and stronger.
"Blast it! I was afraid of this!" Silverfang launched a ray of ice at the towering monster, freezing it solid! Unfortunately, the ice simply coated the tough carapace, leaving the creature with a frosty look, but otherwise unharmed. Then, the mage-turned-monster lunged at Silverfang, who drew his swords in defense, slicing at the monster, but once again, to no avail.
Ophion took a more constructive approach, firing a bolt of lightning at the monster, causing it to stagger back and then fall over, a burned hole of charred flesh seared into its scaled hide. The whole of the party looked at the mage with surprise; he had accomplished what the archmage had failed to do.
"That was amazing, Ophion!" Who was that?! Oh, it was the female who had joined them. Youri, Halo and the rest were not the only ones in the party. The female was one of those they managed to recruit from the tower.
"Well, thank you, miss. That thing must have been vulnerable to electricity. That's why it- NO!" Ophion shouted as the monster got up and lunged at Youri, larger and stronger than ever! The injury Ophion had inflicted on it had healed already, and if anything, the creature was only made angrier by it.
-
(OOC: Stronger twice, huh? :lol )
Youri, who never took his eyes off of the beast, waited until the last possible moment to dodge it, using his rapier hands to slice at the tendons of the monster's left knee in the process.
Halo took the opportunity to piece his staff back together and twirled in the monster's direction, kicking up another dust storm.
Shiana moved back and covered her face from the dust. "It's no good here! That monster's getting stronger for every second it remains in all this dark magic! We've got to even the playing field!"
-
Ophion saw that every attempt to fight the creature was making it stronger. He had an odd idea... "Does anyone have a spell that can calm a creature down, or to put someone to sleep?!"
His plea seemed to fall on deaf ears as the battle continued. Then, the female who came from the guild, told him "I've got it!" She unleashed a wave of blue mist, or, rather, what seemed to be blue mist, from her hands, hurling it at the mage-turned-mosnter. Within a few moments, the beast calmed down.
"Don't attack it! You'll only enrage him further!" Silverfang told the others, who backed off.
-
Youri usually wasn't one to back down, but the situation advises him not to lunge. He keeps himself at the ready.
Shiana holds a hand up to wave Storm Paw back, for senmurvs spare no mercy for evil beings. The beast kept at a distance, but his pupil-less eyes remained fixated on the monster.
"I wonder if that thing retains the sentience of what it used to be," Halo pondered. "If so, then we're still in trouble down here."
-
The monster calmed down, and did not attack. It mind only had four modes; kill, eat, mate, or rest. Since none of the stimuli for the other three were present, the monster switched to the default mode of resting. As it calmed down, it began to weaken and shrink, now that combat was not necessary, neither was all that bulk.
Transforming before their very eyes, Silverfang could see that there was an opportunity to strike the beast down before it was ready to fight. Quietly casting a damage-boosting spell on Youri's weapons, the mage suddenly shouted "NOW! Strike while he's weak!"
-
The runes on Youri's sword-hands began to glow with Silverfang's magic, and Youri knew what to do. This was the initial purpose of his creation years ago. Within a moment, he moved like a blur, and in one motion he closed in on the monster, one blade for his jugular and the other for the reptilian ear hole...
-
Youri's blades stabbed the monster, dealing a savage blow! The beast roared in anger and pain, and it tried to attack, but the injuries were too great, even with its unnatural healing and mighty strength. The creature took a few steps forward, howled in pain and rage, then collapsed onto the floor in a bloody heap. It did not rise.
Ophion took a moment to examine the beast, as did Silverfang. After a while, it was Silverfang who spoke first. "I cannot tell if the creature is truly dead or not; the evil magic that permeated its flesh is still present, and I cannot tell if there is any life in that thing. Still, I can tell that it won't be getting up, and if it isn't dead now, it will be soon. Youri, that was amazing. In all my years, I've never seen such a bladesman."
-
Youri's blades, unstained with the evil blood, retracted into his arms as Silverfang gave the complement. "It's exactly what I was made for," he replied.
Halo stood next to Ophion and examined the body. "Maybe we should destroy the body just in case it might rise as an undead?" he asked.
-
"I'm not sure if we should" Silverfang replied. "These creatures are often unstable, and on a very low level, I might add. Just because we killed it doesn't mean it doesn't have residual magic in its corpse. If we tried to get rid of it... well, all of that energy has to go somewhere. It might blow up in our faces, or it might disperse."
From behind, a soft but stern female voice could be heard. "Hello! Does anyone remember me?! I'm the one who calmed that thing down to begin with!" It was the dracon from the guild hall! It was a sad but true fact that females were often belittled in Dracon culture, and their contributions all too often ignored.
-
Shiana patted the female mage on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It takes much for females like us to be better recognized for our merits. Besides, we're not sure if we're even done with this mess yet."
-
The silver-skinned female dracon looked Shiana in the eye and responded. "First, you can call me by my name. It's Selene. Second, I'm tired of being overlooked. Do they put females of your kind in light clothing, expect you to act like eye candy, and keep passing you over for recognition because of what's between your legs?!"
Selene was rather mad, and understandably so.
-
Shiana looked her right back, but kept cool. "As a matter of fact, Selene, where I came from, I am judged by my battle prowess rather than my gender. And for that, I've been selected to soon be Knight of the Cloak. You earn much respect for valor than for physiology."
Halo soon walked in on the conversation. "If you hate being here, why stay at all?"
-
"I don't have much of a choice" Selene replied. "I have magical powers that are a part of me. I was born like that. My parents were nobles and they could afford to pay for me to be sent to a magic academy. They shipped me off for a few years, and when I was to returned, I would be given to an arranged marriage, and expected to keep my powers under control. I hate that. I don't like constraints, and I don't the school they put me in. I never did. My powers aren't something to be repressed or locked up, like they were a curse. I want to be free and revel in my magic, not suppress it!"
Selene took a breath before finishing her story.
"Long story short, I ran away from the school and was taken in by the Silver Order. I have nowhere else to go, really."
Silverfang and Ophion were busy surveying the damage and discussing what to do, so the others could keep on talking for a while.
-
"There must be plenty of academies outside the Dracon jurisdiction that could accept you," Shiana replied. "Unfortunately, we're not spellcasters, so we don't know of anything personally."
"Isn't there a sorcerer in the Knights of the Cloak?" Halo thought. "I think he's one of the head Knights."
"Yeah, but... He only takes in apprentices for personal training. He may be powerful, but he's also a stickler in choosing the right student."
"It doesn't hurt to try."
"True. But even if you aren't picked as an apprentice, Selene, he has connections to many academies that can teach you like a real sorcerer."
-
Selene looked at them, a bit upset. "That's not really the problem! I already know how to use my magic! The academy I was sent to was trying to get me to suppress my magic! My father told me that I would never be accepted as a wife if I couldn't control my powers, but I can! He wishes I never had any powers at all."
The young dracon looked sullen and sad, but she continued nevertheless. "I think my parents wanted a son as their eldest child. Well, dad already had three kids, but I was the first my mother ever had. None of my siblings or half-siblings have natural magic, not even my brothers. Dad thought this was wrong, so he doesn't want me to use magic at all. I don't want a master, or a teacher, or anything; I just want to use my powers. It's like... imagine you had wings and you knew how to fly, but your father told you not to fly, and others were telling you how to fly according to their rules. That's what it is like; my magic is a part of me. Not using it would be like telling me to not use my voice or my hearing."
-
"Most academies where we came from don't have such restrictions over students depending on gender," Shiana said. "Some of the most powerful wizards I've read about were female. Perhaps some time out of Dracon territory will do wonders for you."
"And if her parents find out?" Youri said as he joined in. "If they were that controlling of their daughter, they could send somebody out after all of us."
"But it's not right for her. My elven kindred revels in free will and choice. Isn't that the same with yours, Halo?"
"Yes, but I also know that not all creatures think like us, so they don't sympathize like us."
"So now what?"
"First off, if Selene really wants to go with us, then we could think of a plan to help her leave, but make it more like she's gone to study in a more suitable environment, and not like she's been kidnapped or ran away. Selene, it's your call."
-
"I'd just like to go somewhere and just... just practice magic in peace. I'm not looking for a school. You know I can control my magic by now; I was the one who cast that spell on that... mage-monster, or whatever it is called. And, although going abroad sounds interesting, I'll have to pass on that, Youri. I don't really have the funds to go to another land, or much money at all, really. I do tasks for the guild, and they give me a place to stay, plus some food and a little stipend. See these clothes?" Selene indicated her garments, which were nothing more than a blue-colored top on her chest and a loincloth around her waist, and the latter was little more than a blue rope with a cloth on either end, with a hole for her tail on the back end.
"Besides these, and a few personal items, and a tiny of silver coins, that's all I've got. The one asset I have is my magic, which come from me personally. As it is, my mother has no real power over me, nor do any of my dad's other wives. My father only cares about me to marry me off to some male somewhere. He's expecting to pay a dowry that comes with any marriage, and then wants me to bear grandkids. I don't think he'll come looking for me, though. I never really saw him all that often. He never really cared about my sisters or half-sisters either."
-
Torvin had finished the sword just as the customer, a wiry dark-skinned Human came in.
"Your sword, sir," Torvin said, polishing it.
"Thank you, Torvin," the man replied, placing a bag of gold coins on the counter.
Torvin counted the coins up and handed the sword over.
"Wow! This is high quality!" the man said. "Also, your draft animal in your paddock is really knowledgeable about metals. We just had a discussion about the merits of Darksteel in weapons."
Torvin nodded and went to the back. "Alima! Cassia! What do you want for breakfast?" he asked.
-
The female equine bolted up from her seat, eager to get some food. "Do you have oats? I like mine mixed with water and salt, or... sugar! Do we have any sugar to mix with the oats?"
Alima got up as well, following Cassia, walking on the cold stone floor. Did Torvin know how cold his floor was? No, he wouldn't. Those hooves couldn't feel it like her kobold feet did. Oh well...
"Do we have any pork?" Alima asked Torvin that before pausing to think about what she had asked. The request for meat was given to a herbivorous creature. Pigs and horses were related in a way. How embarrassing. :blink:
-
"I can't eat meat so I don't keep it around," Torvin replied.
He then rummaged in the nearby closet and found a bag of oats, which he scooped into a pot, filled with water and placed it on the stove and waited for it to cook.
The Strutho stuck his head through a window. "Torvin, I decided to look through your metal stock. You're running low on Mirrodin," he said.
"Oh great," Torvin said.
Mirrodin was a volatile liquid metal that was useless in its pure form but when alloyed with other metals, it gave them the ability to store a magic charge and release it at another time.
-
Mirrodin... where has Cassia heard of that metal before. Wait a minute...
"I think I know where you can busy some" the female equine responded. She left the table where the oats had been laid out and returned with her recently-polished rapier.
"My blade is a steel-mirrodin alloy. I got it from a smith from Minbenthac, in the metals district. I'm sure they must have a supply there. How expensive is this stuff, anyway? I've heard that most blades that marry a magical charge don't use mirrodin, but the ones that do are often of very high quality."
-
"Mirrodin is found only in the Limefrost Spiral mine in the northern regions. Even though there are large veins of ore in that mine, even the richest ores yield very little Mirrodin when they are smelted. Mirrodin also has the habit of gradually evaporating at high temperatures," the Strutho said.
Torvin was doling out the oat porridge. "What about the cost?"
"Mirrodin, surprisingly, is not extraordinarily expensive but that is only due to its low demand; it is useless unless alloyed with other materials and few smiths want to work with it because pure mirrodin tends to destroy tools."
-
"I know about those mountains!" Cassia replied, suddenly interested. "The Limefrost range is very tall, so much so that even in this desert, there is snow on its peaks. Right now, a single noble controls many mines up, even though he lives far away from them."
Truth be told, those mountains were far from any of the major dracon cities, and access to the metals from them was only possible by shipping them by sea via the coastal towns near the mountain range, or by caravans traveling across a long road.
"There is a catch, however. While he lives in Minbenthac, the smiths and metal dealers under his patronage are involved in some sort of political mess and they aren't working. I know who he is because I've met his daughter, a sorceress. I believe her name was Minna, and the noble was Tallon. He must have access to a supply of mirrodin."
Alima has only one thing to add to the conversation, as she entered the room, hopping from foot to foot. "Where did you get the mirrodin in the first place, Torvin?" It was a very useful question on her part.
-
"So does that mean that we have to ration Mirrodin supplies?" Torvin asked, eating his porridge.
"You have 4 vials of Mirrodin. The ratio of Mirrodin to other metal depends on the type of metal," the Strutho replied.
"So I guess that's a yes? Pity. Mirrodin alloy weapons are the favorite of mages and they sell well."
"You do know that you can simulate a mirrodin alloy weapon by melting orichalc, mithril and steel in proportions, right?"
Torvin sighed. "Yes, I do. The only problem is that this alloy reacts strangely to certain spells and the charge does last as long," he said.
-
Mages like Ophion and Silverfang didn't use Mirrodin. Then again, few mages used weapons in close combat, although Silverfangs blades kept a charge based on their mithril alone. Nevertheless, it was one of the largest metals around for the purposes of storing a magical charge in a weapon or suit of armor.
"Where do you buy your Mirrodin from, Torvin? Alima had a good question." Cassia added. Maybe his source would not be out of the metal yet. Until the dispute was over, the supply would be short.
-
"I buy it from a Dracon dealer named Sy'Thet," Torvin replied finishing his porridge.
-
"Do you know what side he is on? I don't know that name, but if he is involved with the political struggle between Tallon's supporters and his rivals, he might not be selling it. Do you think we can work a deal out? I know Minna, and maybe I can call in a favor." Cassia knew a few people in Minbenthac.
-
Torvin shook his head. "I know nothing of his political affiliation," he said.
He got up and placed the empty bowl in the back where he would wash it.
"Torvin! You got a customer!" the Struth called.
-
Cassia looked at the shop. There was a customer, alright, a man in a robe. A human, no less. A rare sight in these parts, for sure. But something about this human... a look of recognition spread across Cassia's face. This was the necromancer from earlier!
"Hello. I am told that this is Torvin's metal shop? I come bearing no ill will, as you can see from my lack of... servants." The necromancer's words rang true; he was alone, without a retinue of undead of any kind. Maybe he was just here for business. Then again, what kind of metal goods would a user of death magic possibly want?
-
Torvin went up to the man.
"Greetings! How may I help you?" Torvin asked.
-
"Well, if you really want to stay at the guild," Shiana said, "the least you should have for starters is a better wardrobe. I never remember a sorcerer wearing so little clothing."
"Neither do I," Halo agreed. "And I traveled almost everywhere."
"What do you think, Selene? Something to start with?"
-
Selene looked down and sighed. Looking back up at Shiana, she explained herself.
"I know you aren't familiar with Dracon culture, so I shall fill you in on some facts. First, all Dracon females dress like this, regardless of whether or not they are sorceresses. It isn't that I wear clothes like this that is the problem; it is that I have very few other possessions. Second, what I own isn't so important to me as my freedom to use my magic the way I want to. I understand that there are some precautions that have to be taken in the name of safety, but I can control my magic. I wouldn't just "go off" and kill someone with my spells because they piss me off... although there are some people in the guild who I would like to do that to..."
Meanwhile...
"I was wondering if you could craft me a custom piece of equipment. It isn't anything enchanted or fancy, and I can pay well for it." The necromancer produced a paper with a schematic of a long metal tube. At first, it looked like a long, narrow pipe, until one noticed the point at the end of it. "I need something to aid in inject my subjects with... oh, I'm not talking about living people, mind you, oh no! I mean the undead. I need a pointed metal tube to continue some experiments with the undead. They can't feel a thing and never complain about it."
-
"What material would you prefer?" Torvin asked examining the schematics. "I can make it out of a mithril-orichalc alloy that is unaffected by many potions or I can use a basic steel," he added.
"The mithril-orichalc alloy takes a longer time to smelt and it will soften and melt at a lower temperature than steel," the Strutho added.
-
"Who hasn't had someone who could drive someone to rip their heads off?" Shiana replied. "Anyway, we just wanted to give you better options for you to choose for your life. This world is much larger than it seems, and it's not all under Dracon law."
"We already know you have great control over magic," Halo added. "We've just been in so many adventures with spellcasters, we don't give much attention as to exactly who threw the winning spell."
-
Selene sighed. "I know that there are better things out there. It's just... it's never easy to consider leaving behind what you know, what you are comfortable with. I'll consider it, definitely."
Meanwhile...
"I'm afraid I need something more... exotic." The necromancer's words were quite unusual. Mithril, nevryl, orichalc, alchemical silver, and magicite were all rare metals already. What could he possibly require? "Do you have a stock of adamantine? It is one of a few metals not affected by the reagents I use."
-
Torvin shook his head. "My supplier for adamantine has cut off my supplies and my last stock was stolen several months ago," he said.
"You do know that you can make an adamantine-like metal with mithril, carborundum, darksteel and orichalc in proper proportions, right?" the Strutho said.
"I do know that. That alloy is resistant to all known reagents but it is not immune to them like adamantine is though. Furthermore, adamantine is far stronger than this alloy." He then turned to the necromancer. "I am sorry but the best I could come up with is 'eka-adamantine'," he said.
-
"Then, that will have to do. Although my... formula is strong. Still, I am a man of great means. I can afford to replace my equipment from time to time. I'll take it. What is your asking price, and How long will it be before it will be ready?" The necromancer was a shrewd customer indeed.
Cassia had been listening in on the conversation the whole time. Strutting into the room, she became suspicious of the man's motives. "Why exactly do you need this... item?"
"Dear girl, some things are best left unspoken. You would not understand if I told you." The necromancer worried about what might happen next. At the very least, he would have to give a long explanation, if he was lucky. If he was not lucky, it could come to blows.
"And what is that supposed to mean? You think I don't know about the undead? I used to fight them back in my early days as an adventurer." Cassia had fought low-level undead, largely created by weaker necromancers. A half-powered skeleton was not a major threat, although it was quite a scary thing.
"Ah, then surely you must know the majesty of it. To be able to give new life to what was once dead and gone. The power it gives you... it is truly a thing of beauty. To be like a god... it is a grandeur beyond your comprehension."
"Your ideas about beauty and what really IS beautiful are two very different things!" Cassia was starting to get a little upset. She had lost friends and allies to the undead before, and while a deal or two with a necromancer was one thing, she did not want to think that anyone should actually help these dark mages propagate their "art."
For his part, the necromancer did not appear angry, or if he was in fact mad, he did not show it. "I did not expect you to understand. I was unsure of it at first, back when I was an apprentice. My master was a strict man, and he did not tolerate my pathetic squeamishness. The first conjuring was hard, and I nearly passed out when I saw my first zombie. The second time was easier, though, and the third conjuration was even easier than that. A few times later, it was like casting any other spell, although this one came with benefits..."
"What do you mean by 'benefits'?" Cassia truly hoped it did not mean what she thought it did.
"Oh, dear girl, you mustn't think that I use the undead for... intimate purposes. No, of course not! My wife would kill me if I did, and it is a sick thing to do in any case, dear gods! I mean to say that the undead can be used as soldiers, guards, servants, what have you. They can work all day, never complain, and I don't have to pay them anything. What more could a lord possibly desire?"
Cassia was taken aback, not at the fact that the necromancer was married, but that he was a noble. "You... are of high birth?"
"Hardly. I gained my title from the king of my land. He granted it to me not out of lineage or favoritism, but out of the usefulness he saw in me. You see, in my country, a king's army is made up of his own men, but that is rarely sufficient by itself. No. A king needs the armed support of his vassals, of which I am one... for now. The prospect of forces who never bleed, can march day and night, never desert from battle, and can fight until they fall apart is a most appealing one to a monarch who is always busy fighting wars."
The female equine was starting to piece together the situation. A noble who raised the dead, a king who fought wars all the time, an army made of living and undead troops. The next logical question was-
"Why is your king fighting so many wars?" Cassia asked him.
The necromancer looked at her, weighing the situation. If he had told someone who was able to get to his lands, it might make a difference. He had nothing to gain by telling her, but he might lose the confidence of the male whom he needed the tube from.
"The king is challenged from within and without. Enemy armies covet his soil, and many of the nobility do not support his policies on taxation and his open-mindedness towards practitioners of my kind."
Crossing her arms, the female equine could see it clearly now. "The king is a tyrant who consorts with dark mages and fights against his own people? I think I know what is going on here. Why should we help you?"
"It is not as simple as you make it sound, girl. Yes, it is true that I am a mage who practices spells and rituals that are not allowed in most countries, and that many people distrust me for it. This is not in question. However, the situation is more complex than that. If you would give me a moment, I will explain."
"Oh, this will be good." Cassia's eyes lit up in anticipation of what she expected to be a tale full of euphemisms for all sorts of evil deeds.
"My name is... well, names are not important. I can tell you where I am from, though. I hail from the land of Dhara. Does that ring a bell?"
"I've heard of that land, but do not know much about it. I know enough to tell that it doesn't have a strong tradition of dark magic; none of the lands in that part of the world tolerate it."
"What you say is true, girl. They do not, in fact, allow it. At least, not formally. By law, it is illegal, though the king of Dhara can grant a dispensation in extraordinary circumstances, so that I may continue sending undying armies."
"He lets you raise the dead just to help him. I see where this is going. Tyrants are the same everywhere." Cassia's words were true, although...
"The king is not a tyrant in the sense of your kings in these lands. No, he is not a despot, for an autocrat does not need the consent of the nobility to pass taxes or to declare war. At least, not normally."
"Has he done these things without the nobles's consent?"
"Yes. He had no choice. The royal coffers need cash to raise armies and resist foreign invaders... and to take back what is rightfully our land. We lost a series of wars about a century back, and with them, about a third of our country. The king wishes to reclaim our territory, but his wars did not proceed as planned. Several foreign states have allied against us, and now, instead of reclaiming our lands, we could lose our very independence."
"Oh? And only you can prevent that with your undead armies? Is that it? Do you expect me to believe that?" Cassia could not believe it.
"What you believe and what is true are two very different things, girl. So far, my forces have given the kingdom of Dhara enough manpower to hold off the enemy. With every battle , our numbers increase... or at least, they used to, until the enemies began burning the corpses every time they won a fight. I have not been able to raise as many undead as I would like to. So, I need to make them individually more powerful. To that end, I have concocted a formula which will double their strength and speed, and yet I need to find a way to inject it into them. The containers I have which hold the formula are ancient and their craftsmanship is unknown in my land."
"If that's the case, how did you get them?" Alima interjected into the conversation, curious to find out what was going on.
"I... inherited them from my old master when he died."
"Did you kill him?" Alima asked, as if it was a perfectly innocent question.
"Yes. I did. It was either me or him. That is our way. My useful life to him was at an end. He had gotten all of the grunt work from me that he could squeeze, and my power was rapidly approaching the point that I might be a threat. At least, that's what he thought. I had already been a threat months before he took measures to remove me."
"What exactly did he try to do to "remove you"? Cassia queried.
"He sent several heavily-armed undead to kill me before raising my corpse. They were past apprentices of his, and I was going to be added to their numbers. My survival was a close thing, I confess. The spell I used to take control of the undead did not work as well as I had thought it would. Still, it worked, although my success depended on my master's overconfidence. He thought he could simply send the undead after me while he slept. I sent them back to him before he woke. I think you can figure out the rest."
"So, why did you come to the Dracon lands?" Alima did not connect the dots, although Cassia did.
"The quality of Dracon metalwork is famous. No... not famous, it is revered. Your desert lands have almost every kind of metal and ore known to mankind, and many that are unknown to mankind as well. Naturally, this would be my first stop on the path to finding a tool that I could not acquire anywhere else."
Cassia turned to the one who would be making the tube in the first place. "Torvin, what do you think of all this?"
-
Torvin shrugged. "He is paying me and it sounds like he is fighting for a noble cause and he may be able to end the war that is causing the Mirrodin shortage," he said. He then turned to the necromancer. "The tube should be ready in 2 to 4 days. I am asking for 8,420 gold coins," he added.
"Torvin, be careful," the Struth said.
-
"Shortage of what now?" The necromancer responded. "The war isn't causing a shortage of anything, at least, not around here. If I had known there was a shortage in these parts, I would not have come. What exactly is the problem?"
-
"Mirrodin," Torvin replied, "the volatile liquid metal famed for its use in magical weapons when alloyed with other metals. The only known source is in the Limefrost Spiral mine in the northern regions."
-
"There is no such metal in my lands. I'm not sure how you thought there was any. In any case, I can pay you half now, half later. That sounds like a fair price, considering the high cost of the materials. Do we have a deal, equine?" The dark mage pulled out a pouch of coins as he spoke.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Torvin?" Cassia asked him.
-
Torvin nodded and accepted the money. "You have a deal," he said,
He then went to his shop and started relighting the forge, which had gone out.
-
"I shall return in three days. It had best be ready soon. Farewell." The necromancer left the shop and was gone. As soon as he had vanished from sight, Cassia went out to look for him, but could find no trace. It was as if he had just disappeared into thin air. :blink:
Entering the shop again, Cassia confronted Torvin about his decision.
"Why did you do that, Torv?! Don't you see that he's evil?! How many people are going to die because of your help to that... monster?!"
-
Torvin looked aback. "I actually thought he was planning to liberate his kingdom," he said.
"Torv, you do know that Darksteel and Mirrodin are incompatible with each other? Mirrodin that has been contaminated with Darksteel causes magic to behave erratically. Not to mention, magical reagents can become 'trapped' by the Mirrodin and contaminate the next batch that runs through it. That is why almost all magical reagents are brewed using Adamantine equipmen," the Strutho said. "I'm thinking that we 'accidentally' contaminate his 'eka-Adamantium' tube with some Mirrodin. Or we can introduce some Lustrum in his alloy. That will make it nearly too brittle to use,"
"One problem, Lustrum gives off a distinct silvery light," Torvin replied.
-
"You already took his dirty money, you know. If he learns that you did shoddy work for him, I don't know how he will react." Cassia was anxious, trying to think of a way out of the situation.
Alima saw a solution first, though. "Wait! What about those vials he gave us? The banefire liquid! Is there some way to use that against him?"
-
Torvin returned now that the forge was roaring at full power. "Ah yes, that vial, I still have it in a drawer somewhere. It may work but all I can pour it on is a steel bar that I keep on hand in case of trouble. And my assistants are unarmed except for metalworking tools they have used as weapons," he said.
The sound of footsteps alerted Torvin to the arrival of two of his assistants, golden Dracon and a wiry Human.
"Torvin, we have acquired some Darksteel from the Quartzon Mine," the Dracon said, placing a small sack on the table.
"Thank you," Torvin said, handing over some gold coins to them.
"Darksteel, eh?" the Struth said. "It is known for its ability to neutralize magical attacks."
-
Alima looked nervous, and she scratched one of her clawed toes on the ground. She had a plan, but was not sure exactly how to proceed.
"Well, I... um... I was thinking we could trick him. I mean, why fight him when you can just mess up his metal... thing. Yeah. You could figure out a way to pour that green stuff into his tube and have it hurt him somehow. He said it was really, really dangerous, right?"
As a kobold, Alima was no stranger to using tricks, ambushes, and dirty fighting to compensate for her lack of size and strength.
-
The Strutho thought a moment. "Banefire reacts explosively with many metals. To top it off, it rapidly corrodes metals that don't explode on contact with it. Only glass, ceramic, Adamantine and Electrum are capable of holding it. Darksteel and 'eka-Adamantine' resist its corrosive effects and do not explode on contact but they are not immune to it. Give it enough time and it will eat through containers made of those two metals," he said.
"How do you know about banefire and its effects on metals?" the Human assistant asked the Strutho.
The Strutho chuckled. "Metals and their properties are a specialty of mine. Many Struthos, myself included, are skilled metallurgists," he said.
Torvin grinned. "So if we transfer some banefire into a Darksteel container, seal that container shut, place it inside another container containing steel shavings, we essentially have a bomb!" he said. "Now the only problem is sealing that inside the tube," he added.
-
Cassia had an idea "Can't the tube BE the bomb? Maybe it can be made so that it doesn't explode when the necromancer returns to take it, but that it blows up when he tries to use it? Or at least explodes in a few hours after he leaves with it, when he is away from here. Preferably far, FAR away from here."
-
"Well, if you consider it one day," Shiana said, "Willowrock will be the place you should visit. It's where the Knights of the Cloak have their headquarters."
"We were meaning to leave for Willowrock by ferry earlier today," Youri added. "And then, of course, all of this happened."
"And we might have to wait another day before the next ferry leaves for home," Halo finished.
-
Selene looked at them, and wondered about the world beyond the borders of her own lands.
"What is it like in Willowrock? Is it colder than Minbenthac? Does it rain more than once a year? How about snow? I've heard of it. What's it like?"
-
The trio looked at each other, until Shiana decided to answer all her questions. "Well, it's a nice large town. Not as big as here, but plenty of life to it. It's in no desert, but has rolling plains to the north and woods to the east and south. It can become quite cool, and I think it gets snow about one week the entire year."
"Perhaps we can talk about Willowrock more when we leave these catacombs in the least," Youri replied.
-
"Strutho, what metals can react explosively with certain magical reagents?" Torvin asked.
"Saphirum for one - then again, that reacts explosively with water. Ironically, Mirrodin is another. Pure orichalc is another one," the Strutho replied.
Torvin grinned. "I think I've got it now," he said. "Make the tube normally, but add a layer of orichalc inside the tube."
-
"We've got to stop him with that explosion. If he survives, that necromancer could easily return here with a horde of undead and... well, we should make sure to kill him. That banefire sounds pretty deadly. Let's see how he likes some of his OWN medicine!" Cassia loved ironic justice.
"Excuse me. Uh... I don't know if we've thought of it or not, but, is there any way a necromancer could tell if his own potion is in the tube?" Alima thought of it, but she had no idea how that sort of magic worked.
-
"Remember that I mentioned that banefire reacts explosively with many metals?" the Strutho said to Cassia.
Torvin nodded. "I don't want to pour banefire on my weapon. It could cause an explosion that could easily kill us," he said. He then turned to the Strutho. "I need you to find the metal that reacts the most violently with common magical reagents," he said.
The Strutho nodded and began thinking.
-
"So you think it will work? Are necromancers immune to their own banefire?" Alima was curious about it.
"Unlikely. I've seen banefire torches before, lit on pieces of wood that had been magically treated to resist the corrosive effects of the fire. I was on an adventure before when some banefire touched a necromancer, and he not only burned, he decayed" Cassia said this last part with a stronger emphasis than either Torvin or Alima had ever heard from her before.
-
"Saphrium is definitely one of the most reactive metals I know," the Strutho said. "In fact, the main use for it is in bombs. And banefire-mirrodin explosions are extremely deadly as the Mirrodin pieces expelled from the explosion have the same properties as pure banefire," he added.
"That's it!" Torvin said. "Ee can make a banefire-mirrodin bomb and seal it inside the tube!"
-
"If you can find some way to put it in the tube without him noticing it, that might work" Cassia told the others, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof. "We don't want it going off before he uses it, though. The trick is for the tube to explode as he's using it."
-
Youri had returned to where Silverfang & Ophion were still examining the body of the former bloodmage. "I wonder what he had planned to do if he had left here not as himself but as a powerful but dim-witted magical creature..." he pondered. "He obviously wasn't able to cast spells in this form."
-
Ophion looked at Youri and the rest, and sighed. He had seen mages to terrible things to themselves before.
"Sometimes, magic doesn't work as well as the mage thinks it will. I'm sure that whatever this blood mage did looked good on paper, or at least looked good in his head, but when it actually happened, his plans went... well, you can see the results. I'm sure he didn't plan on this happening. It's probably a good thing that he lost his mind when he turned into that monster. Had he been able to cast spells as well, we might not have been able to beat him." Ophion knew that certain kinds of magic were best not to practice. How many promising wizards were tempted by the lure of power? How many lives were lost? It was sad, but it was common, especially as of late. While most mages never did something so stupid, the minority which did was increasingly active.
-
Youri stared down at the body, then turned away. "Well, that's one whole cabal of corrupted wizards destroyed," he said.
"And maybe we can have this room sealed from being used by any more groups like them," Halo added as he joined them. "Or at least until these catacombs can be blessed by a clergy."
"And that is one thing we won't be needed to do..."
-
Silverfang looked at the mess, and wished for a moment that these catacombs could be closed.
"Sadly, these tunnels of death are still in use. Unless Dracons stop dying, we will always have a need to put the dead, and frankly, that is never going to happen. The best I can do is to petition the king to place stronger anti-undead wards on the catacombs, and station guards at the entrances. These catacombs are as much a liability as an asset in this city."
-
"Coat the inside of the tube with Saphirum. Once any common magical reagent contacts it, it will explode," the Strutho said. "Now, the more important question, do you have Saphirum?"
Torvin shook his head. "I do not keep explosive metals around. Any other reactive metals?" he asked"
"Stygium is also fairly reactive. It's main use is in magical alloys for combining spells. It loses its reactivity if alloyed with Darksteel."
"What if I alloy it with Mirrodin?"
"Torvin, don't; you'll end up with a liquid metal that bursts into flame if it touches air."
-
Cassia didn't know much about metalworking, but she knew what her goals were. They needed to figure out a way to stop the necromancer. The specifics were less-than-important. What was important was that-
"We need to find a way to get this to work. How it works is less important than finding out a way to stop this guy." Cassia thought the situation over. The necromancer supported a tyrant, but may have been keeping a country free from invasion. It was not an easy moral situation.
-
"Then I guess that's that," Halo replied. "Well, for us outsiders anyway."
Youri nodded. "Then that just means we only have to wait one more day before we can get a ferry back to Willowrock."
"But what about the catacomb's newest residents? We can't just let them rot or become undead so quickly."
-
"You are correct, Youri." Ophion replied, thinking of what to do.
"I'll call in a cleanup team from the guild upon our return. They will be able to sanitize the area, and dispose of all the... waste." Silverfang knew that one of the services offered by his guild was magical cleanup, a service which the crown contracted from them. In return for an annual payment, plus an extra cost for excessively large tasks or a number of jobs over a certain limit, the guild provided disposal of harmful magical waste after a disaster occurred.
-
Youri walked back to the body of the monster he had slain with the assistance of Dracon magic, and his rapier hands again drew from his arms. With a quick swipe, the head of the evil creature was separated from its body. "Just making absolutely sure..." he said as his blades retracted once more.
-
Torvin sighed. "Stygium coating it is," he said. He then turned to Cassia and Alima. "Cassia, Alima could you fetch me some Stygium, Mithril, Carborundum, Darksteel and Orichalc, please? The metal store room is in the back,"
He then headed to his workshop to prepare the necessary tools to make the metal tube.
-
Ophion, Silverfang, and the rest left the catacombs. The bloody creature's corpse was left behind. It was indeed dead. No other living creature in Minbenthac saw its body. No living creature...
Stepping out of a swirling black portal, a two-and-a-half meter tall creature emerged. No one was there to see it, but had a pair of living eyes beheld it, the horror that it was would have been apparent. This being had black skin, seven horns, clawed limbs like a dracon, bat-like wings extending from its back, and fangs as sharp as a dragon. Taller than most dracons, the being was not living. It was another of the undead. Unlike the skeletons who infested these catacombs, this being was not a mindless beast, nor was it from this plane of existence. Stepping near to the corpse of the mage-monster's remains, a black tentacle extended from the body of the strange visitor, its sharpened top piercing the skull of the mage.
Within a few moments, a strange mass of energy emerged from the dark creature, injecting the severed head with an unnatural power. Looking down at the head, the otherworldly being made eye contact with the head, and the head returned the glance! It was not alive, but the mage-monster's head was reanimated!
"Who... who are you? What is? What happened?!"
The dark figure looked down at the undead head. Through its eyes, more details about the dark figure emerged. The strange being looked very much like the one lying dead on the ground, but if anything, it was far more dangerous. Like the demon the mage had turned into, this creature had a long tail with a stinger, and a physiology that was clearly a Dracon, yet it was a Dracon with so much more attached to it. It was a creature which had one foot in this world, and the other foot in places unknown.
"Be at peace, mortal. I have brought you back from beyond to serve me. What you could not accomplish in life, I shall see you gain in death. The magics you called on were not of this world; they were of mine. When you called out to me, I noticed. When you tapped into the magic that was my own, I felt it. You were wise to have recovered and studied my old texts, yet you were foolish enough to be killed anyway. I witnessed the whole thing, mage. I saw how you stumbled upon my old texts. I watched you from the moment you opened my tomes, and set your claws upon my life's work. It gave me great joy to see someone able to use my magic, for only one who was of my mindset would even be able to read the pages of my books."
"Master?! You- you have returned! Are you here to take your place as emperor?"
"I? Not I. What you see is but an avatar of the true master. I am him, but he is far more than I. He sent me here to find you. Although you are gone, your life's work has not been in vain. Look at you, look at the body you have left behind. Even in death, it is magnificent. You had reached a level of power that our race dreams of; the next stage in Dracon evolution. All those years spent researching, five decades of work... and you didn't keep your intellect intact. The results were predictable. Even the perfect body can be let down by a dull mind. Still, you have done well."
"Does this mean you will give me a second chance?! I wish nothing more than to serve the master! Oh, let me serve him, please!"
"You shall get your chance. Thanks to you, we shall know everything there is to know about the perfect form. First, we shall reattach your head to your body-"
"Yes! YESS!!!"
"- and cut you apart, piece by piece."
"... WHAT?!"
"The master wishes to learn how his work turned out. All the spells you cast served his goals; you unwittingly made yourself into a test subject for him. A guinea pig. An experiment. It is only natural that the one who made the spells should want to learn the results. I promise you this: your sacrifice will not be in vain, and the master will learn much by examining your every organ. Don't worry about your soul; where that is going, countless followers of the master are there already. As for why we are putting your head back on, well, we need to see how you react to each of your limbs being severed, and you cannot feel what you are not connected to. It really is work of anatomical art."
"NO! This isn't what I wanted! It isn't fair! The power is mine! All mine, you hear! I earned it!" The dark figure cast a spell over the limp body of the mage-monster, surrounding it in an aura of darkness, and pulling it into the portal. The still-screaming head was pulled in as well, to go off to its final fate as a living lesson in biology, or at least, a re-animated one.
"This isn't what the master promised! You can't do this! You ca-!" The monster and the dark being were gone, and no sooner had they left did the portal shrink and snap shut. No sign of the monster was left, save for some dried bloodstains and a few loose scales. The mage had received the reward for dealing with a demon.
-
The outsiders have left the catacombs the same way they came, and where nearly blinded by the sun.
"There's still daylight," Shiana said as she shielded her eyes so that she could adjust.
Storm Paw, however, inhaled a deep breath of fresh air in satisfaction. "It's always good to have sunlight," he said in Sylvan.
"That wasn't a long trip at all," Halo added, dusting himself off.
-
"We should head back to the guild. I believe the other elders will want to hear of our success." Silverfang told the rest. As he turned to walk back, the mage noticed that something was wrong.
"Ophion? Ophion, are you okay?" The one in question was sitting on the ground, looking disturbed.
"I... don't know. I sensed something. It wasn't the monster we killed, nor was it more of those skeletons. It's like... imagine if everything you've ever cared about were to disappear. For a moment, I felt that, even though I knew such a sensation was created by dark magics. It only lasted for an instant, but it made me think. Something truly dark entered our world, if but for a few moments, then left. I don't know what that was, or what it means, but if we ever have to face it..."
-
"Alima, Cassia! Have you found the metals I need?" Torvin called out.
His tools were laid out and his forge was roaring at full power.
-
"I've got the Stygium, Mithril, Carborundum, and Darksteel! Alima's got-!" Cassia was cut off as a little kobold carrying several ingots of orichalc which were almost as large as she was stepped into the room. It was too much for her as she swayed back and forth under the weight of the rare metal.
"Somebody HELP!!" She cried out, even as a part of her appreciated the comedy of the situation.
-
Torvin ran up to Alima and took some of the bars from her. "Thanks," he said. The Orichalc was a brilliant red metal that seemed to glow.
He then carried the ingots over to the forge. His Strutho was also present.
"All right. I believe a metal tube of this size will require about 500 grams of eka-adamantium," the Strutho said.
"We've got the supplies. Formula?" Torvin asked.
"50 percent Darksteel, 35 percent Carborundum, 10 percent Mithril and 5 percent Orichalc. All by weight," the Strutho said.
-
Cassia set down the metals she was holding. "Here you are, Torv. I sure hope this works. Amazing how things just seem to spiral out of control. Hmm. I hope this doesn't end with us having to fight a legion of undead while the house is burning, with one of us dying and the other swearing an oath of revenge by the blood of the fallen."
"That would be SO cool! I mean... let's hope it doesn't come to that." The high-pitched voice was that of Alima, the little kobold. Everyone just stared at her. For a moment, it was easy to forget that she was an expecting mother. "Uh... I'll just leave the room now. I'm- um... going to lie down for a little while, away from danger..."
-
Torvin nodded and weighed out 250 grams of Darksteel, which he carefully placed in a cold crucible. He stuck that into the raging furnace with his bare hands without any problem.
"Wait, you're immune to fire?" a silver scaled Dracon assistant asked. He was hammering out a plain steel sword.
Torvin shook his head. "As a - admittedly bad - fire mage; I can resist extreme temperatures for roughly 7 minutes. Any longer, and I can be seriously burned. I am, however, immune to my own fire and the fire in my forge is my fire," he replied.
-
The outsiders looked at each other, confused.
"That couldn't have happened after the fact with what we were facing back in the catacombs," Shiana said. "Could it?"
-
"It was. I cannot explain it, but something terrible has happened. I can't say much for sure, but whatever happened will have to be dealt with at a later time." Ophion had some suspicions about the dark presence, but they were far too dark to be taken seriously at the moment. Could the Dark Master have returned? It was true that there were many such "Dark Masters" among the dracons. It seemed that every crackpot evil mage and petty tyrant was calling himself that... but then, there was THE Dark Master, a being of myth and legend, whose origins were tied into those of the dracons themselves.
It would be best not to bring it up without solid proof, though. A really bad feeling was no match for reasoning and tangible evidence.
-
Torvin weighed out 175 grams of Carborundum.
He grabbed the crucible, now glowing red hot out of the fire and filled with the liquid Darksteel, now incandescent from the heat. He carefully added the Carborundum nuggets in to avoid splashing. Even if he was resistant to high temperatures, getting splashed with molten metal was something Torvin wanted to avoid.
He then slid the crucible back into the forge and waited.
"Torvin! The Stygium! You'll need a special magic potion to pour into the crucible so it doesn't burst into flame," the Struth said, sticking his head through the window into Torvin's workshop.
"Cassia, Alima can one of you get the blue amphora sitting in the storeroom? It says "Stygium shielding potion" on it," Torvin said,
-
"I'll go get it!" Cassia told Tovin as she reached over for the blue Amphora, which was a kind of pot. That style wasn't native to these lands, as it was a human design. She didn't know much about the people who made them, other than their skill with making marble temples, and really good drama.
"Is this is, Torv?" Cassia held the amphora in both hands, being careful not to drop it. For a liquid container, it was surprisingly heavy.
-
Torvin turned his head. "Yep, thanks!" he said. "I'm just waiting for the Carborundum to melt into the Darksteel," he added.
The intense heat from the forge did not bother Torvin at all, being that it was his fire.
-
Time went on, and eventually, the tube was completed, or at least the work had been finished for the day, only Torvin knew which one it was. It had been many hours, but by the time Torvin had finished, Cassia and Alima had already fallen asleep, the equine on the couch, and the kobold on a straw mat, curled up into a little ball. The sounds of the forge had gone on for much longer than either had anticipated, and when it was all over, Cassia gradually awoke, partially refreshed from her nap.
"So, Torv, are you finished? Is it what you expected?" She hoped that the necromancer would meet his fate at the hands of it.
-
Torvin nodded and held up the tube. "I managed to cast the alloy into a tube. All I have to do is coat the inside with molten Stygium" he said.
The Strutho stuck his head through the window of the workshop. "Torvin, I'll watch the Stygium for you," he said.
Torvin walked out of the workshop and washed up.
-
Cassia joined Torvin as he was cleaning up. She finally had a chance to talk to him, and have him say something other than "fetch me this" or "move that." Approaching him from behind, she put her arms around his shoulders, feeling his fur and strong muscles. She hoped he wouldn't mind her attention after so many hours spent working over a hot fire; most males wouldn't mind that after so much hard work.
"So, Torv... what do you like to do to relax after a long day in the forge?"
-
Torvin shrugged. "I like to soak in the nearby hot springs," he said, hanging up his apron.
-
"Are you going to do that later? Mind if I join you?" Cassia asked him, delighted that there were hot spring nearby.
-
Torvin shrugged. "Sure. I've got the Strutho watching the Stygium and supervising my assistants,"
"Hey! That's not how you melt Orichalc!" the Struth said to a Human assistant who had placed an ingot of Orichalc into the fire.
-
"Great!" Cassia was excited to have a chance to relax. It was even better to do so with a male of her species. "Where are these springs? Should we go together, or should one of us go there first?" Cassia and Torvin clearly had different thoughts about each other. She was attracted to him, while his view of the situation was that they were just friends.
Alima, meanwhile, slept on. She was expecting to lay her eggs in about a week, so she had to be careful with her health and safety.
-
(OOC: How about our group skip right back to the guild and start from there, Noname?)
-
(OOC: That works. In the future, please post such questions on the discussion page for this RP. That is a good idea, though. Let's put them in the guild.)
-
(OOC: Ok then.)
The group was finally back at the guild. Halo, Youri, Shiana, & Storm Paw waited in the lobby. The Dracon's last words had them wondering...
-
Ophion addressed the group. He had to get back to his home. Aurescia was probably wondering where her husband was, and his children were wondering about their father.
"Well, everyone, I can't say its been fun, but I can say that it has been an honor. All of you have proven your worth several times over, and we have stopped a serious threat to the city, and quite possibly to all Dracons. If you ever want to look me up, just head to the shop which bears my name. Thank you all."
With that, the mage went home, leaving the party in the capable hands of Silverfang.
"Is everyone okay? I know that we made it to the guild safely, and that the cabal was defeated. I'm sorry that there was so little gain to be had, at least in the material sense. If any of you wish for some kind of compensation from the guild, you have but to ask." The wise mage had his disguise back on, but the party was still able to see through it, thanks to Silverfang exempting them from the effects of the illusion spell he had cast.
-
"There is no desire for anything from you and your guild," Shiana replied. "The knowledge that a great evil is vanquished is reward for us."
Halo & Storm Paw nodded in agreement, while Youri was slightly aloof in his own thoughts.
"Anyway," Halo started, "remembering what you said about a darker evil making a presence soon after the defeat of the cabal, perhaps when we return to Willowrock, we'll speak with the Knights of the Cloak to see if there's anything they can do. They are better adept to fighting demons and devils than us."
Shiana looked around for signs of Selene.
-
Selene showed herself, having explained her desires to possibly leave the guild for a time to study abroad with Youri and the others. Silverfang would release her if she agreed to come back one day.
"Well, I have permission to leave and study in other lands. If we go, I am ready to leave as I am, taking only my natural magic. How long would such a trip be?" She asked Youri and the others, not knowing where they might go.
(OOC: If you want, we can spin this off into another RP, or keep a side-plot in it, if Youri and the others are going to leave the Dracon lands.)
-
Shiana smiled at Selene's decision to come along after all. "It's a two day ferry to the ocean coast, then a ship will take us straight to Willowrock."
"But the ferry won't come until the day after tomorrow," Youri pointed out.
(OOC: Chances are the initial group won't be able to leave again, so the Knights of the Cloak may have to come over themselves.)
-
Selene looked at them and smiled "Wow, that must be a pretty fast ferry, considering that we are in the middle of the desert!" She laughed for a moment, then calmed down. "Seriously, I know what you mean. I know that there is a river not too far away from here, and that certain ships are enchanted to go fast enough to take us to one of several seaports. Yeah. I'll be find. Is it cold where we are going?"
Being a dracon, Selene was not used to the cold, although she get used to it. Her normal clothes were rather light, but they covered what was needed. The sorceress decided against taking anything save for a bit of cash. The magic generated from her own body was sufficient for her needs, or so she thought.
-
The Strutho was dealing with the customers and dispensing metallurgical advice to them.
He noticed someone handling a small Darksteel ring. The ring itself was quite bland, just a bunch of flattened Darksteel ribbons woven together.
"Sir, put that back," the Strutho said.
The man appeared to comply but as soon as the Struth turned his back, he stuck it into his pocket.
The Strutho was advising a customer about the choices of metal for magical swords when he saw the man steal the ring.
"Hey! Put that back!" the Strutho shouted.
The man ran out of the shop and the Strutho gave chase..
----------------------
Torvin just shrugged. "Why not?" he said.
The air was shattered by the sound of the Strutho shouting at someone and running feet, both the heavy footsteps of the Strutho and the lighter footsteps of someone else.
-
It was Cassia who reacted first, before Torvin had even turned around, Cassia had already given chase to the man. Her speed and reflexes were amazing, even by the standards of equines. She had chosen well when she picked armor that was light, but protective. It didn't take her long to catch up to the man. Instead of simply tackling him, Cassia tried something different, which only an adventurer of the highest agility could hope to do.
Running from behind him, the female equine leaped into the air, jumping right in front of him headfirst, bringing her hooved feet down around his neck. Grabbing him with her strong legs, she threw the human down to the ground, sending him onto the hard soil on his back. Before he had a chance to recover, Cassia knelt down over him, placing his head and neck between her legs while resting on his chest, making it hard for him to move, and impossible for him to escape.
Hearing the Strutho coming up from behind, Cassia gave a quick speech to the man. "I don't know who you are or what you've done, but whatever it is, its over. If you stole something, you will return it. If you broke something, you will fix it or pay for it. I am NOT in the mood for this, human. You may very well have ruined a very good night for me, and I will be VERY mad if you give me more $#!+. Now, what did you do? Come on, spit it out!"
Despite her light arms and armor, Cassia was not to be underestimated, especially when she was angry.
-
"I don't think it will be cold for another three months," Shiana replied. "And it will be one more month after that until it snows."
"Snow will be better than desert sand for the case," Youri added.
"At least until you start getting sick of the snow," Halo joked.
"I have no problems with either. I'd just rather look at snow than dirt..."
-
"What's that like?" Selene asked Youri. "Snow... it is white and cold, but is it too cold to walk on? Can it be made into shapes? I've heard a lot about it, but have never seen it myself. The only snow we get around here comes from spells, although I think there's a bit of it on the highest mountains."
-
"Thanks, Cassia!" the Strutho said. He was fast but even he was amazed by Cassia's speed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the man said.
"The ring," the Strutho said.
"I don't have it!"
The Strutho bent down and snipped open the man's pocket with his beak. The Darksteel ring came out.
"That was the ring I saw you steal," the Strutho said coldly. "I'll take it back now." "Oh, and if you ever come back here again. I will personally kick your face in," he added. He then picked up the ring up in his beak and placed it in his mouth being careful not to swallow it.
-
Cassia got up off the man. "Don't let me catch you again, or I'll kick a lot more than your face..." She said, stomping with her hooves ominously. Turning to Torvin, she laughed. "Yeah, Torv, I am quite fast. It's very helpful to me in combat, especially given my style of fighting. Oh... I can be so mean when someone pisses me off, you know?"
The female equine went into combat armed with a rapier and clad only in light mithril chain armor and a short shirt over her chest, and additional mithril chain covering her loins, but she was trained to use her whole body in combat, how to fight unarmed, and how to use her speed and agility to their fullest advantage. She was a passionate fighter, able to channel her emotions into a battle, and was prone to bouts of great joy and anger alike, especially when it came to matters of her desire.
Her thoughts turned to relaxing, and how she hoped she and Torvin could still relax in the hot springs.
-
"Sounds like we'll be talking the rest of our time here," Halo said, and bowed his head to Silverfang. "We thank you for allowing us to assist you in protecting your lands."
Meanwhile, Shiana was the one explaining snow & winter, its beauty and its perils.
-
"It is we who should be thanking you, Youri. But... you are welcome" Silverfang replied, with a smile. "If there is anything else you or your team needs, you have but to ask me. You will always be welcome among us."
Meanwhile, Selene listened intently to Shiana. According to her, snow could be molded into a wide variety of shapes, the most popular of which was a round shaped snowball which could then be thrown. Apparently, this was considered a fun thing to do. But, in addition to all the fun snow could bring, it could also harm or even kill. Too much snow and cold could lead to one freezing to death.
"It seems like I will have to get used this new climate. Do you think I will be comfortable, dressed as I am?" the Dracon girl asked.
-
"I'm not sure," Shiana replied as the group began to leave the guild hall. "I know dragons can handle most temperatures. But there's always warmer clothing available if you need it."
Halo and Youri walked on ahead to buy two rooms for their extended stay, leaving Selene, Shiana, & Storm Paw to continue the conversation.
-
Selene looked around, a bit nervous. "Well, I am a dracon, not a dragon. It's easy to confuse the two. Dragons are much more powerful, and have four legs, not to mention wings and their tremendous size. If there is nothing more to do here, do you think we should be going off with Halo and Youri? I really appreciate you taking me along."
Pausing for a second, Selene was a bit curious. "What sort of warmer clothing are you thinking of?"
-
"Halo and Youri are getting rooms for us, since we're staying here longer than expected. So they're just letting us talk more." Shiana stopped with Selene. "Cloaks and coats, like we have," she answered.
-
"Oh... uhh. Hmm. That would be rather... odd." Selene told Shiana. "I know that male dracons wear those things, at least the cloaks, and I've seen them wear what you might call a coat, but... I've never worn a shirt or cloak, much less a coat. I've never heard of any female Dracon who ever has. It would be like a male wearing a skirt in your culture, from what I've heard."
-
The Strutho returned to the shop and handed the stolen ring to an assistant so it could be properly cleaned.
"Cassia, are you ready for the hot springs?" Torvin asked. He was dressed in a light canvas shirt and pants.
-
"You bet I am!" She replied. She had been waiting a long time for something like this. Her own clothing was fairly light, even though she was still wearing the mithril chain over some light clothes at the moment. "Just lead the way, Torvin."
-
Torvin headed out of his smithy/house.
The dirt path was quite busy and filled with the inhabitants of the his hamlet.
The air was cool and crisp with the scent of flowers.
-
"Wow. It's amazing how many flowers there are in the desert. A little bit of water is all it takes to make them grow." Cassia walked down the path strewn with the flora of the arid lands. "Did you plant these yourself, Torvin, or did they just grow here?"
The coolness of the area near the springs was in stark contrast to the heat of the forge. It was a nice change of pace. How Torvin ever found such a place as this was beyond Cassia. It was an amazing place to live.
-
"Really," Shiana replied. "So, do I look unusual with my cloak?" She was wearing a tan cloak and hood, one she wore when she and Youri arrived to find Halo.
----------
Halo & Youri neared the inn where they had stayed at before. They plan on buying two rooms, and if necessary, a place for Storm Paw.
-
Selene thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think you look odd in it, but I know I would. Your kind doesn't have the same... body type as mine. We Dracons have claws, scales, horns, and a snout, not to mention we can't possibly fit out feet into those things you have on" Selene briefly lifted up her three-toed foot to show what she meant.
"I don't think you look unusual in a cloak because it fits your kind. It would not look good on a female of my species. Now the fully-grown males of my race, they dress much like humans. The traditional clothing of the dracons was very light, covering just enough for our modesty. When we became civilized, the adult males adopted heavier, "civilized" clothing, leaving traditional garb for the females, children, and for home."
-
Torvin shook his head. "They are native here," he replied.
The two eventually made their way to a rocky grotto with a steaming pool at the base of a small creek at the left that led to the pool. The grey rocks were worn smooth by thousands of feet and the action of water.
"Well here we are," Torvin said.
-
Cassia looked at the pool of warm water. It was fitting that the water should be warm in the desert, yet it looked out of place, such an oasis... one expected the pools of water to be cool and fresh, yet this one was clearly quite hot. Still, the prospect of relaxing in the warm water was enticing to her.
The female equine reached over and removed the chain armor from her chest, and began to remove the rest of her garments in preparation for bathing in the pool. "So, Torvin, is there anything we should know about this place? Anything special about these waters?"
Before Torvin could answer, Cassia removed the sleeveless shirt she wore under her armor, revealing her... well-formed features.
-
Halo & Youri re-entered the inn to rent some rooms for a few more nights...
----------
"Well, when it gets cold there, you'll probably have to consider having something warm so you don't freeze to death," Shiana replied, and started walking again towards the inn, with Storm Paw watching the rear.
-
"Maybe I will, but maybe I'll just use some magic to keep myself warm. I don't like the though of wearing so much cloth. It seems so... confining" Selene didn't understand certain things about humans, but decided to move on to another subject. "At any rate, shall we join Halo and Youri? I am eager to get to know them better, if we are going to be team mates."
"Also... do you know if there will be any Dracons where we are going?" Selene added quickly, not wanting to be so far from her kind for a long time if she could help it.
-
Torvin shrugged. He took off his canvas shirt, revealing his chestnut fur and heavy muscles underneath as he slid into the hot spring.
"There's nothing special about these springs," Torvin replied. "Though the Strutho says that this water is used in certain metallurgical processes," he added.
-
Cassia left her clothes at the side of the pool as she entered the water, closing her eyes in pleasure as she felt the warmth soothe her muscles.
"Ahhh... that's better. I haven't felt anything this good in ages." As she opened her eyes, she saw Torvin's heavily muscled chest. While she was indeed attracted by this, the female equine had reason to believe that Torvin would be more interested to see her own... chest. It was bare for him to see. Moving over to Torvin in the pool, she heard him say something about metallurgical processes.
"Is that all you ever talk about, Torv? "Metallurgical this" and "smithing that"? You should relax a bit. It's been a long, long time since I've seen another of my kind, let alone a male. Am I the first female equine you've seen this year?" Cassia was facing Torvin, making eye contact with him, keeping her torso above water level for the time being.
-
Torvin sheepishly grinned. "I'm sorry but after talking to my Strutho for so long, that's all I can think about," he said.
Almost involuntarily, he draped an arm over Cassia's shoulders.
-
Cassia returned the gesture, and without thinking, gave him a hug, pressing her chest to his. The contrast between his muscles and her "large" chest was evident. After a few moments of this rather awkward moment, Cassia broke the hug, feeling a bit embarrassed but exhilarated all the same. She tried to change the subject.
"Uh... so Torvin, would you mind rubbing my back? I've been rather tense lately, and now's a good a time as any to relax." Cassia usually got a massage after stressful missions in Minbenthac, and in any given week, she tried to get at least one rubdown. It kept her muscles relaxed and loose, which was important for a fighter whose combat techniques depended on flexibility. Of course, that was just a side benefit as far as she was concerned; she loved how a massage felt more than anything else it did for her.
-
Torvin was shocked. "Erm, sure," he replied.
-
"Great. I've got some tension in my upper back in a spot that I can never reach." Cassia was also a bit embarrassed. She was not shocked, but saw that Torvin was. It was hard to tell, but she was blushing a bit through her fur. Still, the two equines, while not yet fully comfortable around each other, were still perfectly okay with bathing together. Cassia saw that Torvin had strong hands, and now she would get a chance to feel them on her sore back.
Cassia turned around and positioned herself in front of Torvin, her back facing him, positioned close enough for him to easily reach her.
-
As the trio started walking again, Shiana answered more of Selene's questions. "We see more dragons and other dragonfolk than we do Dracons in Willowrock. One dragon I know of personally is one of the heads of the Knights of the Cloak. He's the sorcerer we were talking about earlier."
-
"You've met a dragon? Wow. I know this might seem odd, given what my race is and where I live, but... I've never spoken to a dragon, much less spoken to one." Selene was not uncommon in this regard. Despite living a land with many dragons, it was rare that a dracon know one personally. Her kind were small and bipedal. Dragons were large and walked on four legs. The giant reptiles regarded the dracons as inferiors, although they had respect for the draconic race than they did for mammalian ones, such as humans or elves.
-
Torvin began kneading Cassia's back.
She's your friend not your girlfriend. he thought to himself as he massaged her back.
-
Cassia had no thoughts of being a girlfriend to him. She didn't think in such terms. Being an equine, she thought in terms of mates and friends, not in terms of spouses and boyfriends. While she and Torvin were neither mates nor a couple, she did enjoy his company, and right now, she enjoyed his back rub.
"Ohh... that's good. Could you go a little lower, please?"
-
The girls neared the inn, and Halo was waiting outside for them. "We got two rooms," he said, "but they'll only allow Storm Paw in the stable."
Storm Paw snorted. He'll be glad to be back in his lair in Willowrock...
-
"At least we have a room" Selene told the others as she stepped inside the inn, and as expected, she was greeted with the sound of music, the sight of large crowds, and the scent of dozens of Dracons, some of which were already inebriated.
"Hopefully, it will quiet down before we go to sleep. I know that inns such as this tend to be loud at the oddest hours of the night."
-
"We had one of those parties with almost no one but female Dracons drinking themselves dead drunk," Halo noted. "We remained in the room for most of the night. Anyway, there's a room for me and Youri, and one for you two. Both on the second floor."
-
"Good. If its on the second floor, the it shouldn't be so damn loud" Selene told the others. "I need to lie down. This has been a very long day." The silver-skinned female climbed the rough wooden stairs, each step creaking under her clawed feet. When she reached the appointed room, Selene opened the door and lay down on the bed, still clothed, but she didn't sleep just yet.
"Does anyone want anything to eat? Maybe I should ask." She thought to herself, realizing that the others might not have eaten yet, and that she was hungry herself.
-
As Selene left to the room, Shiana & Halo walked with Storm Paw to the stable in the back. The senmurv snorted at the 'accommodations'.
"Relax," Shiana said, stroking his ears. "You're not living here forever."
"Even so," Storm Paw replied in Sylvan. "This is nothing like my lair."
"He's not the only one eager to get home," Halo said.
"Youri?" Shiana responded.
Halo nodded. "He's been sensing something ever since that battle in the catacombs. I've sensed it too, through the wind..."
"Surely, it should just be the adrenaline we still have from the fight."
"Perhaps... But maybe that fight was only the start of something larger. Probably something we might not be able to handle the next time."
"So what should we do? Even if the Knights of the Cloak would be needed, they won't be here for a week going the same path as we."
"I thought some of them could fly."
"I doubt this something big enough for Dereksivat to get involved in, even if we face a demon or a devil."
"It is a chance we should take."
"Fine. We could send Storm Paw back with a message."
----------
In the room next to Selene's, Youri was making up for missing his meditation training while he's been here in Minthabec...
-
Selene got up and went down the stairs, taking care as she walked over the rough floor, greatly relieved when she reached the large rug in the middle of the common room of the inn. As usual, it was busy at this hour, and most of the patrons were more interested in drink than in food. This presented Selene with a problem. At this hour, many dracons who came to an inn's counter were looking for something other than alcohol...
"Excuse me? Hello? Bartender? Hello? Do you have any food to serve at this hour?" the sorceress could barely be heard over the din of the crowd. Eventually, a large, red-skinned male approached her, a cup in his hand.
"Hmm? Wha' you want? The kitchen has been closed for the night, but we still got some roast pork. Ya want some o' that?"
"Alright. That'll do. How much for the meal?"
"That'll be three coppers. Be right back." In a moment, the barkeep returned with a platter of lukewarm pork with some salt on it. Not exactly fine dining. Selene paid for her food and set about eating it.
"Much obliged, girl. If I were you, I'd eat that quickly and go. Some folks 'round here are lookin for a different kinda meat, if ya get my point." His words were all too true; poorer females could hope to attract male attention at places like this, and the female's being there was taken as a sign that she was in the mood for it. Selene was not, however, and she made sure to let the first male, a green one with a cracked left horn, know that by giving off a soft growl as he reached out to touch her silvery skin.
He backed off pretty quickly. There were lots of other females at the inn, and none of the males searching for one would be disappointed, given that they were outnumbered two-to-one by females at this bar.
Finishing her food, Selene rose and turned to find Halo and Storm Paw, only to find a red-robed, brown-skinned male following her. After it was clear that he was following her in specific, she turned to address him.
"Why are you following me?" She asked, knowing what the answer probably was.
"I know, I know, you aren't interested. At least, not in the other males. I know you have magic, and so do I!" With that, a red glow emanated from his claws, displaying his power. Selene was not impressed.
"So? You have magic. I sensed it too. Just because you can cast spells doesn't mean I'm gonna hop into bed with you. I'm not in the mood for... you know. Just don't feel like it right now. I wasn't refusing them because they didn't have magic." This was not the first time in her life that this had happened to her, and she was getting tired of it.
"Ah. Alright. No harm done. My name's Argus, by the way" he said as he extending a clawed hand to shake hers. "I'll leave you be. I'm no stalker. I won't be around in these parts long, anyway; there's business in foreign lands to take care of. I figured, this could be the last time I'd see a female dracon in months, so..."
"I get the picture. I'm sure there are plenty of others at the bar who would be happy to... oblige you. Now, if that is all, good night." Selene turned and left, happy that Argus hadn't pressured her for anything, but a bit unhappy as she suspected he only didn't because she was a mage like he was. Whether he respected her out of the common bonds of being a mage or out of fear of her power was unknown, and frankly, she didn't care.
-
I apologize for not posting in the roleplay for such a long time. But I recently started considering leaving this roleplay. I not really contributed much to this roleplay anyway. Not sure if I will leave or not, but I'm considering it.
Oh and I know I posted this in the actual roleplay instead of the discussion. I apologize; I couldn't find the discussion topic of this RP.
-
(OOC: It's okay. I understand.)
-
As Storm Paw was settling down for the night, Halo & Shiana talked until they see Selene approaching them.
"Something just happened?" Shiana asked. She could tell Selene did not look happy.
-
"Oh, the usual. Girl walks up to a bar, guys try to get girl into bed... that thing. Most of the females at the bar would have said yes eventually had they been in my position, but... that isn't what I'm here for. How are you two doing?" Selene was still annoyed, but she was still glad to be out of that bar.
-
"We're doing fine," Halo replied. "We've just been talking about what Silverfang said after we left the catacombs."
"We may have to report to the Knights of the Cloak about what happened today when we get to Willowrock," Shiana added. "They'll have a better chance of tracking these kinds of things than us."
-
Torvin nodded and went a little lower. He noticed that he was starting to become attracted to Cassia. It was the first time he actually fell in love.
"So Cassia..." he trailed of, not knowing what else to say.
-------------------
The Strutho went up to Alima, who was in the living room of Torvin's cottage.
"So Alima, are the customers aren't bothering you?" he asked.
-
Alima looked over at the Strutho, a bit surprised. "Not really. The caves where I came from were usually pretty loud, what with all the fighting and mining and adventurers always dropping in on us..."
Cassia sighed in relief. "Ahh... I needed that. Thanks." She turned around to Torvin, not sure if the attraction between her and him was the product of love, chemistry, or the fact that it had been a long time since they had seen another of their own kind of the opposite gender. She decided it was all three.
"Torvin, there's no need to feel ashamed. However you are feeling, I probably feel the same way, if not stronger. Whatever you want is fine with me. We can stay here in the pool, we can get out, and if you want to do something else..."
-
"Anyway, we should be turning in," Halo said as he started towards the main entrance of the inn.
"We could do some more exploring of the city," Shiana agreed. "Since we'll be here for another day before our next ferry arrives."
Storm Paw nestled himself down in the straw to get some sleep.
-
Selene moved over to Shiana, her draconic mind still full of questions about where she was going and what she was doing.
"Excuse me, Shiana. I was hoping we could have a chat. I'd like to know more about the society where we are going. What this place is like."
-
As Halo left to his room, Shiana leaned against the wall to answer Selene's questions. "I realized that where we come from would be much different than these cities," she replied. "Willowrock isn't as massive as this one, but it's certainly a large city with its share of towers. It's governed by a mayor and a senate, and it's protected by its own military and loosely by the Knights of the Cloak. Mostly humanoids live there, but you'll find many different races visiting the city. Maybe even a few Dracon traders."
-
"What is a senate? Is that a group of mages?" Selene had no idea what a legislature was, although she could infer what a mayor was. Dracons had kings in the cities, nobles in the cities and countryside, chiefs of the less developed tribes, and lord, governors, and sometimes military commanders in charge of vassal cities that were under control of the eight main cities, but concepts such as representation were foreign to her.
-
"I think very few of them are mages," Shiana replied. "They're...usually people with high status in their community chosen to be representatives of wherever they came from. And there are female senators among them."
Storm Paw drifts off to sleep...
-
"Representatives? Does that mean they have a say in the government? I'll find out more later, I guess. This is all so very new to me." Selene had heard of mage's councils, and certain Dracon tribes had warriors who met with their chiefs to decide their course of action, but the Dracon cities didn't have anything remotely like that in the civic government.
-
"I guess we can stay here," Torvin said, stretching out and draping another arm around Cassia.
-------------------------------
The Strutho was busy advising a customer on the best metal for a magic protecting ring.
-
"So, Torv, I know this seems a bit odd of me to ask. I don't want to break up this moment, but I really wanna know; how did you come to these dry lands? I came here seeking work as an adventurer, but I didn't think it would be such a long time before seeing another of my own kind."
Cassia asked this of Torvin as she had her arms around him. If she felt awkward bathing in a pool with a blacksmith with no clothes on, it didn't show.
-
"I heard that this was the best area for setting up a smithy and I decided to take a gamble. And it has paid off," Torvin said. He was now almost embracing Cassia.
---------------------
The Strutho entered the house to take a break. "I hope Torvin gets back soon. The Stygium is almost ready and if we overheat it, we could have a really nasty fire," he said.
-
"This is a good place for smithing, but doesn't it ever get lonely out here? There aren't exactly very many of our kind this far away from out homelands." Cassia was correct to say this, but her question was as much a hint as it was intended to elicit information from the horse-smith.
-
"I see a few of our kind around here but I socialize with my Strutho and assistants a lot," he admitted with a blush hidden by his fur.
-
"Well, maybe later on the two of us can... socialize. Not now, though. I think we should dry off a bit first. This bath was relaxing, but now I'm starting to get a bit too hot and my fur feels rather... wet. Your Strutho is probably wondering where you are, and I could use a rest. It's late, but tomorrow, we should... talk. What do you say to that, Torv?" Cassia looked at him with an expression that was 1 part affection, 2 parts desire.
-
"Yeah, it'll be a whole new experience when you're in Willowrock," Shiana replied. "It's getting late, and we'll probably have to buy some more supplies for the trip."
-
The night was already advanced, but finally, Ophion, Cassia, Alima, Selene, Kos, and the others all fell asleep in their own respective places. Silverfang didn't sleep until morning, but as a powerful mage, his need for sleep was considerably less than that of others, given the spells he had cast on himself.
Selene awoke some hours later as the sun rose, bathing her gray-skinned face with golden light.
"Uhh... just a few more minutes. Who's idea was it for the sun to rise this early?" She thought to herself.
-
At the bed next to Selene's, Shiana had already risen and had her clothes on. Adventurers like her, Halo, & Youri, naturally wake at the crack of dawn. Being considerate to let the Dracon sorceress sleep, Shiana had herself together quietly, and Halo had stopped by long enough to drop off some food for the girls, much of it still hot on the nearby desk.
-
Within a few minutes, Selene awoke. She yawned, stretched, and put on her clothes. The smell of hot food wafted towards her nostrils, and she realized that she was hungry.
"Good morning, Shaina. I trust you slept well?" The young sorceress was sitting on the bed, using the claws on her fingers to remove some dirt from under her toe claws. It made a scraping sound like two seashells being scraped against each other.
-
"I have, and good morning to you too," Shiana replied, inspecting her bow. "Halo brought up some breakfast. I had my fill, so the rest is for you."
----------
In the other room, Youri watched out the window onto the square below. Halo is already down at the stables with food for Storm Paw...
-
The square was already full of Dracons. Peddlers and traders had to rise early to get the best spots in the market, while young dracons, many of them orphans and street urchins, were running through the sandy streets, hoping to scavenge something left over from the market that was left there the day before.
"Thanks! I'll go get some food now." Selene moved over to find a plate of bread, eggs, and strips of dried meat. Chewing on the food, she spoke in between bites. "So, Shiana, when exactly do we leave? I imagine we have a lot to do between now and when we get to... wherever it is we are going."
-
"Our ferry won't arrive until tomorrow," Shiana replied as she sat down on the side of her bed. "All we outsiders would probably do today is restocking our supplies for the trip and a little more sightseeing."
-
"Well, if all we have is one day, we should have a little tour. There is a place I think you might like. First, I'd like to know what you think of Minbenthac so far. How has your time in this city been? Did you see a lot of it? There are some things I would like to see once before we go." Selene had a place in mind... Minbenthac was a city known for its markets and fine wares.
-
Torvin was up cooking breakfast, oatmeal with honey.
The Strutho was pecking at his bowl of grain on the floor.
"So Cassia, Torvin, what were you doing when you left me to take care of the smithy?" he asked.
"Erm, we were at the hot springs," Torvin replied.
-
"We sure were! Torvin was a real gentleman to me. He knows how to treat a girl right!" Cassia entered the room, and stood behind Torvin, leaning her head against his shoulder.
Alima was in the room as well, trying to make a piece of meat on the stove, and succeeding only in burning it to crisp. The little kobold female usually ate her food raw, sometimes freshly ripped from the body of her tribe's victims. Cooking was a new experience for her.
-
The Strutho chuckled. "That's new," he said.
"Struth! Please don't talk about that," Torvin said with a blush as he finished cooking the oatmeal.
-
Taking some oatmeal in a bowl for herself, Cassia set the food down on the table. "Well, I know that this arid land doesn't have many of our kind, so it isn't surprising that Torvin wouldn't see a lot of females. I know I rarely see equine males. Who knew such strong smithing hands could be put to such fine purposes..."
-
"Well, Minthenbec is a spectacular city," Shiana replied. "But it's simply not a place for outsiders like me to live here. Halo & Youri could probably adapt, but not me. So you mentioned you wanted to visit a few places today?"
-
"Yeah. Before we leave, I would like to visit the spice market. I don't imagine that wherever we are going will have quite the same tastes as this land, so, if it is alright with you, I'd like to buy a supply of spices, at least, to give me something familiar during the trip, even if it is just one thing." Selene knew how expensive some of these spices were, but she also knew which ones she could afford.
(OOC: No Dune reference intended!)
-
"OK then," Shiana replied. "We'll go there. I'll go check on the others if they're ready."
-
"Alright then. I'll be waiting here. Don't hurry on my account, and if you want anything, I'll be glad to show you around. You can buy almost anything you want in Minbenthac, you know." Selene was correct; the markets contained almost anything, including goods which were rarely legal in other lands.
-
The Strutho chuckled. "By the way, they Stygium is ready. It's just being kept warm and ready for use," he said.
"Thanks," Torvin said, eating his oatmeal.
-
"While you two lovebirds were busy doing who-knows-what, there's still a little problem. Have you forgotten about that necromancer? We still need to deal with him!" Alima's voice was high, whiny, and not very nice to listen to, especially when she was mad, but the little kobold had a point.
-
Shiana first found Youri in his room and Halo soon returned from the stables. Some talk was exchanged as to whether or not Storm Paw wishes to stay longer, which he doesn't seem adamant. The group returned to the senmurv and they soon agreed that Storm Paw could depart early for home. The half-elf quickly wrote a message and placed it in a belt pack strapped to Storm Paw, the only sort of equipment he is comfortable with carrying.
With a quick good-bye, the senmurv took to the turquoise sky, and the others re-entered the inn to pick up Selene...
-
Selene stood up as she saw the rest approach her.
"Are you all ready to go to the market? I'll show you the way. Minbenthac's streets can be kinda confusing, especially in the old city."
Most of Minbenthac was known as the "new" city, in that it was of more recent construction. Most of the streets were lined up in a grid pattern, save for those in the old city, where the streets were chaotic, disorganized, and seemed to go in every which way. Most of the important structures and locations were in the new city, but the old city was home to the spice market that Selene particularly liked.
-
"We're ready," Shiana replied. "Oh, and Storm Paw departed early for Willowrock. He didn't seem to like sleeping in the stables like a beast of burden."
-
"We'll see him later, I guess. Alright, I'll show you the way. Follow me, and stay close. The streets can be rather tricky." Selene led Shiana and the others through the streets of Minbenthac, being careful to avoid the most crowded intersections. At first it was an easy walk; the city's streets, while mostly covered in sand and smooth stone, were lined up in nice rows. Then, after the greater part of an hour, the streets became narrow, crowded and winding. The buildings on either side of the road took on a decidedly older and plainer look, and instead of stone buildings, houses and shops made of mud-brick and wood were common sites. To top it off, the number of peddlers and vagrants increased to the point that Selene had to take care not to trip over their tails. This was the old city, a reminder of what Minbenthac had once been.
-
The trio made sure not to lose sight of their guide, whom had almost seemed to quickly melt into the other Dracon faces, had they not had Youri's eyes for recognizing details of individuals. Another trait he had from his creation for certain purposes...
-
Soon, Selene led them to a large plaza in the middle of the Old City. The air was heavy with the smell of exotic spices; clearly this was the market. Setting her claws onto the reddish dirt of the plaza, the young dracon signaled for the others to keep near to her, as one could easily be lost in the crowd.
"Stay close, everyone. This place can be a little rough."
-
The trio took Selene's message to meaning, but Youri had less trouble. Anyone accidently colliding with the nimblewright would've felt like they were bumping into a metal pillar...
-
Eventually, the party came to the center of the market, the object of Selene's search. Specifically, they came to a green stall manned by an wizened old dracon male. His eyes widened with recognition when he saw Selene approach.
"Selene! Is that you? Oh my gods, It's been ages! How have you been?"
"Malik! It's so good to see you. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to you first."
"Leave?! You're going-?! Where are you leaving for?"
"I'm going to study magic abroad with some friends that are with me. I also wanted to buy some of your spices one last time before I depart. Don't worry, I'll be back someday."
-
While Selene was talking with her friend, the trio waited patiently. Somehow there was some tiny sense of uncertainty where they are.
-
Selene quickly paid for her spices and rejoined the others.
"Shiana! I've got some spices for the trip. Maybe we can use some of them with dinner, as long as we only use a pinch, 'cause we've got to make it last a long time!"
Truth be told, a pinch was all that most species could handle without the spices burning their tongues. Dracons could eat whole meals covered in that spice, but a human or an elf would find it intolerable in larger quantities.
-
"That's fine with me," Shiana replied. Halo rarely needs to eat, and Youri needs no nourishment from food.
Halo looked over at Shiana's bowcase and noticed something... "I think your bowstring needs to be replaced."
Shiana immediately drew her bow and examined it. "What the... I only used it in that underground fight! How's that possible?!"
-
"If you need a new bowstring, we can surely find one in the market, although not here. I can show you a place where that can be fixed or replaced. It is not nearly as exotic as this one." Selene knew the city well enough to lead them to where they needed to go.
-
"OK then," Shiana replied as she puts her bow back in her bow case. "I'm starting to think that the magic from the quiver onto the arrows may have something behind the bowstring breaking apart."
-
Selene was a mage, but her magic was natural and intuitive. The specific workings of her powers were largely unknown to her. All she knew is that her magic worked, and normally, that was enough. At this moment, however, it was a problem.
"I wish I knew if that was the case. I can sense magic in the bow, but I don't know how it is affecting the weapon. In any case, it can be fixed or replaced easily enough."
-
"Alima, that's what I intend to do," Torvin said, finishing his oatmeal. He headed to the smithy. The Strutho followed him.
The smithy was quiet save for the quiet roaring of the fire in the forge. The crucible containing the molten Stygium was sitting in the furnace.
The Strutho got up and fetched a ceramic basin and funnel and placed it on a wooden table. "Alima, Cassia! We're ready for the project!" he called.
-
"Alright! Finally some action! Er... that could have come out better." Cassia blushed after saying that, and she hoped that the double meaning of 'action' would not be apparent to the others, particularly in light of her attraction to Torvin. "Do you need any help, Torv?"
"Mammals... always holding themselves back" Alima thought.
-
"Yeah, I'd rather have it fixed before we leave tomorrow," Shiana replied. "It's no use as a weapon if it doesn't work."
-----------
Meanwhile, two cloaked figures watched the outside of Ophion's home as they waited for something to happen...
-
"Then lets go while there's still time." Selene led the others out of the run-down part of Minbenthac and into the paved streets, past a residential neighborhood, and past a temple dedicated to the various dragon gods. Eventually, they came to a weapons shop.
In that same neighborhood, Aurescia sensed two people just standing and waiting outside of the store. Normally, she was used to people moving through the streets, so the presence of two figures just standing there stood out. She wouldn't have made a big deal about it if the two figures outside weren't emanating a kind of magical power...
-
Shiana, Halo, & Youri reached & entered the weapon shop...
----------
The creatures were too well wrapped to be recognized as any race, but one particular feature were their dead eyes...
-
Torvin shrugged. He knew full well what the double meaning was but he did not really care.
Torvin got out the metal tube. "I need someone to pour the molten Stygium into the tube while I hold it over the basin," he said.
The Strutho noticed that some customers were coming in. "I'll handle the customers," he said. He then exited the smithy.
-
(OOC: Sorry for not being here more often! My time on the GoF is rather more limited than what I would like.)
"Do you need any help, Torvin?" Cassia asked, doing her best to keep her focus on the task at hand, and not to think about such thoughts as she was prone to have around a stallion.
Meanwhile...
The weapon shop was filled with all sorts of armaments, as expected. What was not expected was that the shop also doubled as a smithy, where some of the weapons were being forged and sharpened. Dracons generally preferred to use edged weapons, such as swords and knives, and many daggers and blades were available.
-
The trio spread about the shop, examining all its wares. Shiana had a look of slight disappointment on her face. "This looks like they work only on metal-forged weapons," she said.
"There is rather little wood available in the desert," Halo replied.
-
"Well, what do you expect? Stone-tipped spears?" A voice came forth from the back of the shop. The smell of a forge hung in the air as a massive, red-skinned Dracon male came out of the back room, wearing a smith's apron, clutching a hammer in his hands. His red scales were covered in soot, and even his long, curved horns smelled of sulfur and ash. His golden eyes were almost the only part of his face not covered in residue from the smithy.
"My name's Sethlan. I work the forge out back. Can I get you anything?"
-
"Can you just fetch the crucible of Stygium that's heating inside the forge?" Torvin asked. He was holding the tube slightly above the basin.
-
"We weren't disregarding your metalwork, sir," Shiana said defensively. "I was unsure whether or not you can do repairs with woodcraft. I have a shortbow that has its strings in need of repair or replacement." She pulled out her bow to show him...
----------
After a while of waiting, one of the cloaked figures finally approached the shop, and was only no more than a foot from the door when it stopped suddenly, as if some invisible shield barred its way. Some magical force repelled this creature to the point it had to turn back to its comrade...
-
Cassia brought the metal over and set it down right next to Torvin. "Is this good? Do you need anything else to make that tube?"
Meanwhile...
Sethlan looked at the weapon. "It isn't my usual field of work, but a bow is a bow. I should be able to fix it."
Elsewhere in the city...
Aurescia was still inside her house, the kids were at school, as far as she knew, and her husband, well, she didn't know exactly where he was at this hour, but then again, the life of a mage was not conducive to predictability... or safety, for that matter! She knew of the potential danger outside, but decided not to let it get to her, as the house was warded against many kinds of powerful magic. She decided to relax and read a book, something she liked to do quite often.
Going to the shelves, the female dracon looked over the little 'library' of mundane texts. It was always a regret of hers' that her reading material mostly dealt with magic. So few books were on average, everyday subjects. There were tomes on cooking that she had read a dozen times before, on the matter of ancient legends, and stories of war, crime, and sport. Reaching over to a thick green book with a golden chariot on the front cover, she pulled the book out and lay on her stomach in the living room. This was one of her favorites.
(OOC: I have a new picture up. This one shows a Dracon female reading a book. Just a little bonus.)
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/195/9/4/Dragon_Book_by_Noguy.jpg)
-
Shiana handed the bow to Sethlan. "The bow string wore out and it might need replacing," she said.
-
"I have some spare bowstrings in the back. Replacing it should be no problem." Sethlan left and returned a moment later with several bowstrings, of different make and material. "Just tell me which one you would like. I've got bowstrings made of linen, silk, hemp, rawhide, and sinew from various creatures."
-
"Let's go with the silk," Shiana replied. "The last one was sinew, which was only kind available to me last time. Silk somehow lasts longer on my bow."
-
"I imagine it would, given how silk seems to hold up better in our hot climate. I'll get you a good one. One moment, please." It took him only a few minutes to find and replace the string on Shiana's bow.
-
"Thank you very much." Shiana said as she watched. "So how much will it be?"
-
"10 silvers. We accept any coin of roughly equal weight to our own. I'm sure you know what they look like by now." Sethlan held up a coin of his for comparison, with a dragon's head on one side, and an image of the sun on the other.
-
(OOC: Sorry if there are any delays here. Things are slow, given all the time I must devote to law school.)
-
Shiana pulled out some equivalent silver coins, instead with a willow tree on one side and some elven writing on the other. "Do these work?" she asked.
-
Sethlan examined the coins for a moment, feeling the weight, and checking to see if the sides had been filed down. Upon determining they were legitimate, he nodded and accepted the payment.
"Here you go. Use it well."
-
(OOC: Sorry if this is going slowly. I might do a count and see who else is still active in this RP.)
-
(OCC: I'm still on. I'm just not sure of how to move on from here, especially for my chars to end up staying longer than they like.)
After paying the smithy and receiving her bow back, Shiana ran her thumb down the smooth but strong silk string, and she was satisfied.
"Hey Halo," Youri said from near the door. "I think she likes it..."
----------
Meanwhile, outside the city, a white sail could be seen above the horizon. The sail belonged to a sand skiff, gliding across the sand like a ship on water. A lone passenger rides upon it as it heads for the city...
-
The skiff glides into the city, and the lack of wind through the streets slowly brings the skiff to a crawling stop. The passenger, draped in desert sand-colored robes, calmly stepped off to pat the dust from his clothes, leaving the hood for last to straighten and allow his ears to poke through. He lifted his gaze, taking in the smells of the city in his sensitive snout. Underneath the hood was a jackal-head with dark brown fur and light brown eyes with slight tints of green.
He then turned to his skiff and removed his pack from it. Afterward, he said a single word in an unknown language, and the skiff began to vibrate and fold itself into a small palm-sized box. The traveler picks it up and tucks it away into his pack before strolling further into the city...
-
(OOC: I'm not sure if I shall have time to return to this one. I might make a post from time to time. Thanks to everyone who posted here. I'm going to concentrate on my main RP, now hosted at my site. Feel free to check it out if you wish.)