Fantasy Lamed: You All Meet in a Tavern (still open and still accepting)

[BackSet]

The No Man's Land Tavern is exactly what it says: a no mans land. A safe haven where nobody is superior over the other. You are asked to leave your predjudice at th door and there is no fighting allowed. The guards aren't even allowed to take up arms against the Tavern's patrons thanks to an extremly generous donation the taverns owner, a dwarf named Drale, gave to the guard. Because of this there's an impressive collection of criminals and fugitives hanging out in the tavern and mingling with the citizens and adventurers.

This tavern is where you meet. This tavern is where you start your adventure.

 

[ThePerpetualShadow]

Idam Lightstrider paused at the entrance to one of Sebtack's many taverns, sparing a glance at the sign that hung over the heavy wooden door. Written on the sign was the name of the tavern in colourful writing, and below was a slogan of sorts.

‘The No Man’s Land Tavern, where prejudice and hatred are set aside, hopefully for good’

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, showing his amusement at the sign. Prejudice, hatred. A part of the world's races that would never be extinguished. A simple sign on a tavern would have little effect. Still, he gained a small amount of respect for the owner of the tavern, at least for trying.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when a beefy hand slapped him in the chest. Slightly annoyed at being disturbed, he turned his head towards the tavern guard who was the culprit. The man pulled back after meeting Idam’s glare under his hood and jerkily pointed at the sign.

“Don’t cause problems and you won’t have one with us” He said gruffly, but with a hint of fear. His hand was on the club nestled in his belt. Idam glanced at it and then back to the guard, an amused smile playing on his lips. The guard took another step back, but didn’t remove his hand from his weapon.

After what seemed like hours, Idam gave the tiniest nod of his head to acknowledge the man’s warning, before turning his head (And therefore the glare) away, moving towards the door. The guard let out an audible sigh of relief as Idam placed his palm on the door. Unnoticed beneath his hood, a satisfied smirk flashed across his features for a split second before he opened the door.

 

[Malanta]

Denkum has finally arrived at the city of Sebtack, the travel from the last town over, wasn't too far but he was warn down after carrying so much on his person, the pain his back was intense and his throat was feeling dry.

He looked around for a little around for the nearest place he could stop off for a bite, but in his haste he noticed that the city he was in wasn't like the dirt poor villages with the dirty walls and awful smells that would burn noses from the inside out, this city had beauty like no other. All he can get out is a long and exaggerated wow, then he started looking at the people.

He was astounded, never before had he seen so many Elves together in one place, how they walked and talked with each other made him envious. He made his way into the market district with pompous merchants talking to each other, he never had respect for the sleazeballs, the way they looked down on those who weren't rich. He cursed them under his breathe and traveled further into the city, but the smells started to change.

It started to reek of feces and rotten foods, the men and women here looked poorer and sad. He actually felt like they were worse then him!
chuckling to himself then walking a distance further
he notices a guardsmen standing in front of building with a wooden sign with the name of the tavern with various colors made into the shape of a beer keg and a quote he quickly glanced over.
"The Tavern! Finally" he speeds him off into that direction.
When he makes it to the door, the guardsmen stops him.
"Aye, before I let your rank self into that place, just because someone is different don't make em' bad ya hear me sport?"
Denkum nods and the guard opens the door for him, he steps inside with the plank he steps on making a loud creaking noise.
All the heads in the tavern turns toward him and he tenses up.

He gives off a little nervous wave, but he gags immediately afterwards. The smell here was worse then in the streets, not of rotten food or feces, but of potatoes!
Those things gave him nightmares, of when he gathered them for a living back when he was still working day and night as a serf.

Getting his mind off of that, he them starts heading towards the dwarven bartender.
Who blurts out to Denkum
"Woah boy, you stop right there! I know what you are." Giving him a glare, and pointing directly at him.
and then bursting out in cheery laughter. "Gave ya a good scare didn I boyo? Come on then, everyone is welcome here, even the less among us!"
Denkum made a face at that last comment, something about it just striked him the wrong way, but the bartender was telling the truth, so why did it hurt him?
Getting his mind off that, Denkum heads toward the back of the tavern at an empty table and gets lost in thought.

 

[BackSet]

Karry sat in a dank corner of the Tavern counting the money she had managed to steal. It wasn't much. 5 gold pieces and 8 silver. It would hardly afford her a cup of ale let alone passage out of the city. Karry looked up from her counting to gaze at the crowd gathered in the Tavern. There was lots of different races. Orcs and gnomes and dwarves and elves. But no Kitsune. She probably stood out like a sore thumb. She sighed.

What's the point. She thought. I'm thousands of miles from home and even if I manage to get out of this cursed city I will have no idea where my home even is.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Nethali had decided she loved Sebtack. That wasn't surprising; so far, she'd loved every city she'd been to. Towns, too. And the countryside was fascinating. Farmers had such stories to tell! So many generations of knowledge about the land. She hummed a tune as she walked, a simple melody she'd heard a traveler singing a few days ago. Nethali wasn't particularly musical, but she had a good memory. That's why she was here, after all. To memorize the outside world.

For the past few days she'd been staying with an older Elven couple who ran a machine shop. They'd allowed her to stay there in exchange for help around the shop, and she'd agreed to help as long as they got to chat while they worked. But it was time to move on, and hopefully have an adventure of her own. What better place to start than a tavern? So many tales began with the heroes meeting in one.

The No Man's Land caught her eye. I'm not a man, she thought, crossing the street towards the building. I must be allowed in.

A guard stopped her at the entrance, though. "Hold up," he said, holding out an armored hand. "Just warnin' you we don't allow any prejudice here."

Nethali tilted her head. "Prejudice? What do you mean?"

"You can't treat any race like they're any better or worse than any other inside those doors," the guard said.

"Oh. Well, I won't." The guard lowered his hand. Nethali stepped forward to open the door. "Anyway, I don't think that races are inherently better than others. Well, some are better at some things than others. It's your societies that are inferior."

The guard looked taken aback, but after a moment he moved to block Nethali's entrance. "What?"

Nethali shrugged. "Well, take the whole slavery thing. I know you've done away with it, but it's really not a good foundation to build a civilization upon. And having men in charge is just barbaric. Don't they get into fights all the time? Honestly, it's a wonder you haven't learned more from us by now."

The guard's mouth opened, then closed. "Look, miss," he said earnestly. "Whatever your opinions are about that, best leave them to yourself. In fact, I need your promise that you won't bring that up in there."

Nethali frowned, considering. "Hmm...well, all right, I suppose. I promise."

The guard looked uncertain, but eventually opened the door. "And no using those weapons, you hear?"

"All right," she said, her attention already on the tavern. What a marvelous place! There were so many people there. So many stories waiting to be told. Nethali ordered some Elven wine from the bar - it was the only foreign drink she could stand, so far - and looked around.

There was a blonde man sitting alone, looking lost in thought. Lost in thought was a good sign. He must have some interesting things to think about. Nethali walked up to his table, smiling pleasantly. "Do you mind if I share your table?" she asked.

Malanta

 

[Malanta]

Broken from his train of thought, Denkum was shocked to find someone standing near his table
"Do you mind if I share your table?" she asked him, Denkum looked at her for a second curiously, she looked genuine and friendly, something he hasn't been used to recently.
He replies back to her "Uhh... yeah sure go ahead, I don't mind"
He wonders why she'd want to sit here, thinking that he maybe did something wrong or he was in the wrong seat.
"Sorry, ma'am but why'd you come over here? I mean there are plenty of other... seats around here and-" He cuts himself off,
thinking that he had asked too much.

Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

"Wonderful," she said, sitting down next to him. People who actually wanted to talk to her were the best to spend time with, she'd learned. Trying to pry information out of people who didn't like it was very difficult.

Now that was a tricky question to answer. The first few people had asked, Nethali had told everything to. But either they'd grown incredibly bored as she rambled on, or it had prompted them to ask more questions about her journey. And that was the last thing she wanted. She already knew her story.

"I like talking to people," she said, deciding to keep it simple. "I'm collecting stories, you see. I'm traveling around so that I can see the world and learn about other people and cultures. And I can't do that sitting by myself." She smiled at him, then took a sip of her drink. It was...surprisingly good, actually. No wonder people came here.

"Do you come to this place often?" she asked. "It's so interesting." People from so many walks of life, all collected in one place. Nethali looked around, stopping at the dwarven bartender. From what she understood, it was somewhat rare for a dwarf to run a tavern. Many dwarves didn't drink.

Then she noticed a young woman standing near the doorway, looking uncertain. A kitsune! Nethali had never spoken to one before. Nethali was waving at her before she knew it. "Excuse me!" she called. "Are you looking for a seat? You could sit with us!" It didn't occur to Nethali until she'd made the offer that she might just be waiting for someone, or that the human Nethali was currently sitting with might take offense to her offer. Oh well. You didn't make things interesting by worrying about "offending people" and "politeness."

Malanta BackSet

 

[ThePerpetualShadow]

Idam seated himself in the darkest corner of the tavern, leaning his staff against the table. With the addition of his robes, he was nearly invisible amongst the tavern goers. Just the way he liked it.

His cold blue eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that would stand out. He spotted a woman who could only be an Amazon, due to her style of dress and tanned skin. Interesting. Not many Amazons came to this part of the world. She had made straight for a blond haired man sitting alone at one of the tables. At first Idam thought she was meeting him for some reason, but when she spoke to him, he looked up at her with a confused expression. She on the other hand, appeared confident and friendly.

Both were armed with crossbows on their backs, and the Amazon had a pair of sheathed kopis swords on her person. Deadly weapons indeed. Idam had nearly been killed by one such blade months before. He had survived. The Amazon that had attacked him did not.

He decided to keep an eye on her, just in case.

Another person caught his eye, a Kitsune if he wasn't mistaken. Judging by the clearly visible fox ears and tail, he wasn't. She seemed awfully out of place amongst the other patrons. A quick check of the room revealed the reason. She was the only Kitsune in the tavern. He wondered how she had ended up in Sebtack. He also noticed that several of the male patrons were shooting her lecherous grins, although she seemed not to notice. He shook his head in silent contempt for his fellow sapient beings.

 

[Malanta]

"Do you come to this place often?" She asked him the question, but looked invested in everything else, Denkum not wanting to be rude still answered her question though.
"Often... well I mean no, In fact this is kind of my first time in the city... I've been looking for work." He saw her calling out to someone, when he looked in the direction she was staring, he saw a girl with red hair, ears and a tail, something he didn't recognize.

The Amazon Girl, called out to her to sit with us, something Denkum wasn't opposed to but feels a little weird having someone just being called over like that. Right when he is about say something he notices quite a few people staring at the Amazon girl, but with no pure intent, he gave them a bit of glare, but caught someone different than the rest. He gave him a curious look, but was sort of intimidated.

When the red-headed girl came over to sit down and says "H-hello"
he lightly nods to her in response
He then takes his drink and takes a sip. Them whispering to himself
"Well this is an interesting day, I am actually enjoying myself for once"
And a small grin forms on his face.

ThePerpetualShadow Trompe lOeil BackSet

 

[BackSet]

Karry was startled when the Amazon called to her. It worried her more than anything. Why would anyone want to talk to her. The only reason she could think of was kidnap. She shook her head. She was just paranoid. She was in a safe haven. Not wanting to be rude, she walked over and took a seat. "H-hello." She said, nervously. She really wasn't a people person.

Trompe lOeil Malanta

 

[Malanta]

Denkum then looks to both of them, and blurts out to the two girls.
"Since we're here, we might wanna learn names.
I'll start off I'm, Denkum Altserger, I'm from... well I don't really know where I'm from but-
It's nice to meet you both."

BackSet Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

This was perfect! The kitsune had joined them, and the human wasn't yelling at her. Nethali was practically beaming.

The blonde man had answered her question, so she turned to him. "Your first time in the city? How marvelous! What sort of work are you looking for? If you don't mind my asking." For some reason, the phrase "if you don't mind me asking" seemed to put people at ease. She'd gotten away with some seriously impertinent questions that way.

"Hello!" she said as the kitsune sat down. "Thank you so much for joining us. I've never met a kitsune before. I'm trying to learn as much about the rest of the world as I can, so I hope you don't mind that I waved you over." She smiled at the girl. "Tell me, would you say you're typical for one of your kind, or are you very different from other kistunes?" Nethali didn't want to take the information she learned from this girl as indicative of all kistunes unless it made sense to. She'd gotten into trouble at the last tavern when she'd assumed all humans were farmers. Apparently they were interested in all sorts of professions.

"Good idea," she said to the man - Denkum. Who...didn't know where he was from? That troubled Nethali somewhat. What if he didn't have much to tell her? "My name is Nethali Echysis. I'm from the Amazon capital. Thank you both for talking to me, I greatly appreciate it."

BackSet Malanta

 

[Malanta]

Denkum thought about what he wanted to do, he left the village nearby in such hurry for something, but he couldn't place his finger on it.
"Hmm... Nethali, that's a nice name... and about what kind of work I came for?" He started to think about what work, as being in the tavern and resting for awhile had made him forget. Then the word adventurer shot to his mind.
"Oh! Yeah I came here looking for a place called, The Adventurers Contracting Guild, apparently they hire people with contracts to take care of different types of tasks,
and I'm sick of all the other jobs in the villages. Only problem is, they have a very restrictive requirements with who they hire, just came to the city to try my luck with them."


He realized he'd been talking for awhile, something unusual of him. So he apologizes to both of them
"Oh sorry, I've been talking quite a lot what about you...?" He looked toward the red-headed Kitsune.

BackSet Trompe lOeil

 

[BackSet]

"Me?" Karry asked. "Um, well, my name is Karry Asher and I'm... Well... Im not that different from other Kitsune I think." Karry honestly didn't know how different or similar she might be to other Kitsune. Had her time in captivity made her different than other Kitsune? If so, how? It was all very confusing and she didn't want to think about it. She decided to continue talking to distract herself. "I'm from the Forest Camp out in the Ocarina Woods... And... I'm here looking for transport out of the city..."

Trompe lOeil Malanta

 

[Malanta]

The name Ocarina Woods triggered a flag in Denkum's brain, he heard the name from somewhere but can't remember exactly how.
"Ocarina Woods... Does that happen to be near a local Lumber Mill run by an Orc named... Nar' Goth?"

Nar' Goth was one of Denkum's employers who would actually treat him well and knew what he was going through, the orc was a serf escapist as well.
Although he missed working there, he remembered hearing about something terrible happening to the mill, a raid, burning, the facts aren't clear to him but figures those were just rumors.

"I mean sorry if it isn't, I was just wondering how the old guy is doing... It's been a couple years since I've-"
Denkum cuts himself off,
he was talking too much again, besides they wouldn't care about an old orc at a lumber mill.
besides the chances of something like that being true is too small to even mention.

Trompe lOeil BackSet

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Nethali's eyes lit up. A real life adventurer, sitting next to her? How exciting! "An Adventurer's Guild? How wonderful," she said, fighting the urge to wax poetic about adventures. "Have you been on many adventures? Do you have a favorite? How are you going to prove yourself?" Wait, too many questions. The worst thing she could do now was scare him off.

Nethali nodded at the kistune - Karry's - response. "Marvelous. I knew inviting you over was a good idea." She smiled at her.

Denkum seemed to have some familiarity with area. Nethali hadn't been there yet herself - she remembered hearing that they didn't take too kindly to outsiders. Not that Nethali was unfamiliar with that concept. "No, please go on," Nethali told him. "I've yet to hear a story that didn't interest me." Well, there had been that old man that had told her three identical stories about his pigs. Somehow he'd thought that changing the name of the pig in each story would make it different.

Something caught Nethali's attention - a pair of Elves, arguing amongst themselves at the bar. "I'm just going to talk to him," one growled. Nethali didn't catch what the other one said - he was talking quietly and urgently - but he seemed to be trying to calm the first elf down. They were both glaring at a human with dark hair, sitting alone at the bar. Nethali wasn't certain what kind of clothing he was wearing, maybe the robes of a priest or a mage, but whatever he was, these elves didn't seem to like it.

Well, she'd had fantastic success getting people to talk to her so far. The angry elf started making his way towards the dark-haired human, but Nethali got there before he did, leaning on the bar beside him and flashing a smile. "Hello," she said, trying to come across as unthreatening despite being so heavily armed. "I was wondering if you might like to join me and my friends? We're talking about adventures." Her eyes lit up on the word "adventures." What if this was the start of her very own adventure? Every band of heroes needed a mage.

Malanta BackSet ThePerpetualShadow

 

[BackSet]

Denkum's question startled Karry a bit. She honestly didn't know much about lumber mills. "Er... I'm sorry but I lived rather deep in the forest." She said. "I don't know much about lumber mills." Though, now that she thought about it, she had heard the people who kidnapped her talking to someone with an orcish accent. They had asked for a place to stay he had refused. The result was anger and fire. "Actually..." She said slowly, not wanting to alarm Denkum. "I'm very, very sorry but... I think... I think the people who kidnapped me burned down your friends mill... I'm not sure if he got put alive or not..."

Trompe lOeil Malanta ThePerpetualShadow

 

[Malanta]

Denkum replied to Nethali's question about his adventures.
"Well I uh... I haven't exactly been on too many, I've kind of started, and I haven't even applied there yet."

As she walks over he hears Karry's news...
A lump in his throat formed as Denkum tried to form sentences.
"B-Burned? So the rumors were true then, but the old orc wouldn't die on me that easily would he?"
he let out a sad laugh, because he knew what most likely happened to him. Besides someone willing to kidnap someone is also willing to kill.
"W-Wait kidnapped?! Someone kidnapped you?"
Denkum asked her with a concerned expression on his face.

Trompe lOeil BackSet

 

[ThePerpetualShadow]

It seemed that he had caught unwanted attention, judging by the angry glares directed his way by a pair of furiously whispering Elves. Ah, it appeared they suspected his dark alignment. What was it, the black robes? Or the staff? He chuckled internally as one of the Elves started walking in his direction, ignoring the attempts of his companion to calm him down.

He’d wanted to avoid this kind of thing, especially in the city. Unfortunately, a confrontation seemed inevitable. He discreetly reached for his staff while preparing to cast a spell.

Before the Elf could reach him however, a person placed themselves between him and Idam, cutting of his view of the hidden necromancer. To his surprise, it was the Amazon woman. She had a broad and friendly grin plastered on her face.

“Hello!” It was obvious that she was trying to appear non-threatening and friendly, something that she was admittedly very good at. The effect was somewhat ruined by her weapons clearly visible, but Idam didn’t think she wanted to use them on him. At least, not without a reason anyway.

“I was wondering if you might like to join me and my friend? We’re talking about adventures” Her eyes seemed to glow at the last word. So, someone who like to wander. Idam pondered his response for a moment. The woman seemed sincere enough, but her personality seemed a little….off, for a lack of a better word.

Meanwhile, the Elf had stopped in his tracks, hesitating at the sight of the heavily armed Amazon. Idam noticed this and sent him a mocking grin over the woman’s shoulder. The Elf’s expression contorted in rage, but eventually he growled in frustration and stomped off back to his companion. The two resumed their whispering , sneaking occasional glances at the pair.

Ignoring them, Idam turned to face the Amazon, meeting her gaze from under his hood.

“You are an adventurer?” He asked slowly, his voice soft with a slight hint of amusement.

 

[BackSet]

"Well... Yes." Karry said, a little aprehensively. She hadn't realized shed said that kidnapping part out loud. "I'm not exactly here by choice. I was kidnapped, put in a bag, and," Karry shuddered. "Sold to a pet shop." Karry shuddered again. You can a never shudder enough time when it comes to being treated like an animal and abused. It was all Karry could do to ignore the flashbacks.

Malanta

 

[Malanta]

"Heh, I guess you can say we aren't so different then... I was sold off when I was younger... but as a worker and I was abused or kidnapped, just sold out by own loving parents." He said, trying to empathize with Karry.
He then looked toward Nethali, who was currently talking with the hooded figure who he saw staring at her earlier, he couldn't blame her though, there was something about the man that naturally caused your eyes to go toward him, whether it was his dark clothing, or that he was the only hooded man in the tavern at the moment, Denkum couldn't really decide.

After looking at the man, Denkum finished off his drink and decided to head up to the bartender, but was intercepted by a younger looking elf, who he presumed was the bar maiden. The girl said to him shyly
"Uhm.... Sir, can I talk to you and your group for a bit after you... gathered them together it's something very urgent, I assure you!"
Denkum stared back at the girl surprised, and quickly replies
"I just came up for some food... but sure I guess."
The lady apologizes and hands him a slice of bread and tells him that'll she will talk to him after everyone is together.
Denkum quickly heads back to his seat, and thinks why should would want them.

BackSet ThePerpetualShadow Trompe lOeil

 

[Kenjinx]

"No fightin' allowed, ye say? Looks like I dunnae have tae worry about aggravatin' th' wrong person, then!" A loud, whistling laugh came from Murrig as he reached up to clap the tavern guard on the shoulder, throwing open the door soon afterward. He planted his staff firmly onto the wooden floor inside and wasted no time in striding right toward the bar; to anyone who wasn't too drunk to notice, it was obvious that he was using the staff for effect rather than actually relying on it to walk. He put on a big ol' toothy grin, looking around at all the others before setting his eyes upon his fellow Dwarf and calling out.

"Drale, me lad! Could ye be so kind as tae get me some o' tha' mead ye always serve me?" Murrig's words were met with a wave and a nod of acknowledgment, people busying themselves behind the bar to prepare the drink. The druid stuck his hand up above his brow and turned as if peering out across some great distance, though he must have just been surveying the other patrons. Spooky, he thought to himself as he spotted the dark-dressed man. Spooky, and - woah! Next he spotted the armed Amazon with the barbs, leaning his head back and turning it to face a nearby drinking man as if to say 'Well, would you look at that!' There were more people chatting at other tables, people who didn't seem to be the usual crowd - though the drink arrived to take his attention away before any more thought could be put into it.

"Thank ye kindly." Murrig stuck the end of his staff against the floor, little trinkets of wood and bone rattling from around it as he shifted his weight onto it. He took a huge swig of his mead with one hand and stroked his beard with the other, content with keeping an eye and an ear out for any interesting stories - for now.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

"Oh, no." Nethali shook her head, although she was flattered by the assumption. She was heavily armed, but then, that was common for her people. Even priestesses in training grew up learning to fight. "I'm no adventurer. I'm just collecting stories, and I thought yours might be interesting."

A loud male voice in an unmistakable brogue distracted Nethali for a moment. She glanced behind her to see a dwarf holding a staff. He seemed to bring an instant jollity to the place. Nethali would have to see if he had anything to tell her later. Dwarves were fascinating people. And not one, but two dwarves who drank in one tavern? What luck!

Oh, she was talking to someone. Nethali turned back to the dark-haired human and looked at him appraisingly. The dark robes were interesting to her. She still couldn't tell if he was a priest or a mage. If he was a priest, perhaps he worshipped a more somber god. How different were human priests from Amazon priestesses, she wondered? "Are you interesting?" she asked him. If he wasn't, she hadn't lost too much time. And since those Elves hadn't come over to bother them, perhaps her time had been well spent.

ThePerpetualShadow

 

[Malanta]

The Dwarf that had entered the room, that seemingly brought a jolly and friendly vibe to the tavern also snapped Denkum back
into reality, realizing that he had just sat down where he was before.
Feeling bad for her, he apologizes.
"Oh... sorry I spaced out."
He then takes a little bit chunk of his bread and eats it, this is when he realizes that Karry had been eating nothing.
"Did you get any food?"
Feeling guilty Denkum takes another chunk off of the bread and holds it out to her.
"Here..."

BackSet

 

[BackSet]

Karry, not wanting to be rude and turn down the offering of food, took the piece.

"Thank you." She said, popping the piece into her mouth.

She hadn't realized how hungry she was until just then. The bread tasted so good. It was definitely just out of the oven. She hadn't eaten anything fresh in forever. This was clearly evident in her expression as she chewed. Feeling she should give Denkum something to thank him Karry dug out her pouch and slid a gold piece across the table.

"Here." She said. "I know it's not much but I don't have much else to thank you with."

Malanta