Fantasy Shards of Destiny (Jump In Accepting Always) Chapter One: A Meeting Of Vagabonds

[scorpiodragon]

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Posting Order (TBU as people join hopefully)
1. MiraAutumn
2. scorpiodragon
3. Kipsy
4. Yomojo
5. ArchAngelLexi
6. DJ UwU
7. Yahhah
8. BudgieLove

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These other threads are related to Shards of Destiny.

Festival of Maglif
Tumultuous Nights
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The Psychotic Bone
Location: Outskirts of Oghaz Nan, Clolight
From the outside it looks inviting, modest and peaceful. Softwooden planks and huge, stone pillars make up most of the building's outer exterior. It's tough to see through the darkened windows, but the happiness and joy can be felt outside. As you enter the tavern through the well-crafted, metal door, you're welcomed by the smell of alcohol and a pleasant atmosphere. The bartender is a little preoccupied but still manages to welcome you with a wink.
It's as lovely on the inside as it is on the outside. Wooden beams support the upper floor and the huge lamps attached to them. The walls are swarmed with paintings of famous people and flags of all sorts and sizes. Some are from nearby towns or provinces, others from far corners of the world. They must've been fitted to the owner. The tavern itself is packed. Travelers seem to be the primary clientele here, which could be seen as the best sign you can get. Several long tables are occupied by, what looks like, couples, lone travelers and anybody else who enjoys great company. The other, smaller tables are also occupied by people who seem to be close with the owner, though they happily welcome others among their midst. Even most of the stools at the bar are occupied, though nobody seems to mind more company. You've heard rumors of this tavern being famous for the atmosphere, judging by the warmth and joy radiating from the tavern. You find a seat and settle down for a comfortable evening.

Passage of Time
Season: Haru
Moon: Flower Moon
Day & Year: Primeval, Year of the Buffalo
Weather: Raining with thunderstorms in the evening
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Chapter One: A Meeting of Vagabonds
​

A torrential rain poured down from the sky, puddles forming upon the road that was quickly turning to mud. Likely the storm was brought by Lorasil, God of Storms and Weather as two figures hurried through along, searching for shelter. Two figures walked down the road, one tall and thin with pale skin and light hair while the other had hair resembling the earth beneath them. It was a long route, the letters within their rucksacks only containing a letter that read the following deceleration. The female snarled at the rain coming down and her companion chuckled in amusement, stopping within the road to take out the letter and look over it once more.


Please, champion. You're a sight for sore eyes.

We've been under constant harassment, our food has been stolen along with our gold and we're powerless to do anything to stop them. Hero, we need you to get rid of those vicious elves. I'm in no state to fight, but I know you'll manage without me. Please come to Oghaz Nan and head to Dual Spire Inn next to the River Rock Orchard. It should be easily recognizable, you only need to look for the dual spires stretching skyward within the other side of our town.

You are fully capable to handle those elves. You don't have to kill them all, just make sure they'll never return.

I have little possessions left, but I'll reward you with what I have. Justice will prevail hero and today you are our justice.

There was no signature or clue as to who the writer was but it appeared to have been sent out to a few strangers. Time would tell if they would get along or not but for the tall stranger, he was entirely wary of the letter and the circumstances surrounding him to head towards this city, an Orcish city so far as he understood. "We should keep going before the rain gets worse," said the tall stranger, tucking the letter back into his pack and making his way along the road, striding past the werecat easily. Continuing on, the stranger shook his head as the girl hurried after him. Glancing up at the clouds, he could hear a trill and saw a shimmer of red and gold, a feather floating down as it came loose and as it fell to the ground, Damascus caught the feather in his hand, turning it over. "A phoenix. They don't come here normally." He frowned and clipped the feather to a few locks within his hair but it was the girl who spotted the shrine to Xycana, known for a small hyena statue setting on a stone pedestal underneath which was a stone table to lay offerings or offer prayers. Beside it was a trough of water for mounted animal and to the left was a bench with an awning hanging over.

"I say we rest," said the girl, heading over to the bench and sitting down. Damascus coughed and headed to the shrine instead though in the distance there could be seen gently rolling hills and farm fields, a nice change from Hebjour Wilds where the elven city Myveluma was built. As he was speaking in the common tongue, there was a deep growl and out of the brush along the road jumped an adolescent manticore. Damascus stumbled back away from the shrine, the girl being knocked out of the tree as outstretched claws tore into her arm. Blood spilled upon the bench as she snarled at the Manticore who growled back. She dropped her bag as Damascus pushed himself up to his feet, feeling his canines begin to elongate as the girl began to warily move away from the Manticore that turned towards her. It was Damascus who spotted the tavern to their left and turned towards it, however the Manticore turned towards the sidestepping hybrid instead.

Do you...

Fight the Manticore?

Duck into the tavern?

Take your chances and run for your life?​

 

[MiraAutumn]

Ornei Wystel
The sound of galloping hooves echoed in the distance, muffled by the unrelenting downpour of rain. A visage of black and white gradually grew closer to the scene, slowing down to a canter, then a trot, as the figure realized there was a battle going on. Peeking out of his belt was the sight of a rolled up scroll, similar in appearance to the letter the pair were holding. His coal-black hair was plastered to his face from the weather, and his eyes seemed to disregard both the phoenix and the shrine for the battle. The sight of blood alarmed him, as he quickly drew his bow and aimed at the manticore through the rain. A silent arrow embedded itself into the beasts shoulder, its lethal aim offput by the merciless weather. Looking towards the brown haired female, he abruptly shouted through the downpour, "Go inside and get treated!", clearly referencing the tavern not too far away. Although he would've treated her himself, he needed to help preoccupy the beast with the other traveller.
scorpiodragon

 

[scorpiodragon]

Felicia Bast

As the Manticore turned towards Damascus, Felicia touched her arm and pulled it away to reveal blood staining her hand. She glanced over at Damascus who seemed to be surprised by the Minotaur appearing out of nowhere and despite the rain coming down, there was the faint clattering of hooves that gradually drew closer. At first, the werecat adolescent thought it might be a rider on a horse but no, it was a centaur coming towards them that leveled an arrow and bow at the Manticore before firing at it. A loud roar echoed from the Manticore as the arrow hit it in the shoulder and Felicia distinctly heard shouting in her direction.

"Get inside and get treated!" The Manticore swung its head towards the centaur instead and stepped towards him, Felicia's eyes darting towards the tavern to her left and rushed inside, a sign swinging in the wind. Felicia took the chance, knowing her injury would make it difficult to fight and she ran towards it, the Manticore swinging towards the noise when Damascus picked up a rock and threw it at the creature to get its attention. The door slammed behind her as she wrenched open the heavy metal door and dashed through, shutting behind her, the bartender looking up from where he was filling a mug. "I need help," said Felicia, the bartender leaving what he was doing and hurrying over to her.

Damascus Enwynn
Damascus, as he got up, was not expecting there to be so much trouble with the Manticore, nor that there might be help on the way. As the werecat attempted to move, she was injured, the smell of blood causing him to inhale sharply. It wasn't as bad as the dhamphir and vaewolf cousins, nor of the vampires' themselves, but it was a nuisance when he hadn't had anything but animal blood for the past few days. It was his own fault really for that particular predicament but the matter at hand was a dangerous one. He kept his eyes on the manticore, though heard the clattering of hooves and then suddenly there was an arrow lodged in the beast's shoulder, causing it to roar and turn its attention towards the newcomer. A voice shouted at Felicia and she tried to run, however the Manticore turning to her forced him to grab a rock from the earth. It didn't even make a dent in the creature as it hit its head but it did attract its attention and it swung back to him now. A snarl rose up through tight lips as he withdrew a pair of twin daggers from his back and held them in both hands, watching the Manticore before rushing towards it, dodging the stinger that was poised above its back and struck towards him.

MiraAutumn Gaius Danius Griinia darkborn Axel The Englishman

 

[Kipsy]

Makino Akiyama & Adamina Vethier
Mentions: Damascus Enwyn ( scorpiodragon ), Ornei Wystel ( MiraAutumn )

Two figures walked side-by-side. Neither spoke to the other, their eyes focused solely on the road in front of them. They didn't know each other--not really, anyway--having met at an inn a few stops ago. Realizing they both had received the same letter, however, they decided it would be better to travel together than separately. The male, a thin, messy-haired individual, was a bit heavier in his steps than the female, but his pace was quicker. The woman, on the other hand, was a bit grumpier, having had nothing to eat in the past few hours. Together, however, they seemed like quite the odd duo.

"Where's the next stop?" the woman, Adamina, asked, shivering in the rain. "I'm starving." That was an over-exaggeration, of course, but it wasn't something she hesitated in saying. She was cold, soggy, wet, hungry, and hormonal. Not at all an ideal situation, was it? "If it isn't coming up soon, I may just have to eat you."

The man, Makino, blinked a few times, turning to face Adamina with suspicious eyes. His hair drooped into his eyes, which he wiped away with the back of his hand before turning his attention back to the road. "The tavern is not that much further," he said cautiously. And then, after a beat, "Please don't eat me."

Adamina snorted, shaking her head. "I'm not going to eat you," she said, "yet."

They continued on their way. A commotion caught their attention up ahead. Manticore. It occurred then to both individuals that they had very few choices to make here. It was either to turn around, wait the situation out, or help whoever was stuck fighting the manticore. Adamina was the first to react, her body twisting and changing into the form of a Suon wolf. Her baby blue fur was soaked in the rain, shimmering brilliantly as she dashed forward. Makino froze in place for a moment, but only a moment, rolling his eyes before continuing to walk at the same pace he had been.

Adamina reached the scene first, carelessly growling as she circled the manticore. There were two others here, she noted: a male and a minotaur. The male held two daggers, beginning to defend himself as the manticore rushed to him. Adamina attacked from the back while the manticore was distracted, biting into its leg briefly before tugging it, hoping to make the beast lose its footing. If the stinger moved to attack her while she did so, she'd let go, for that was as reckless as she was willing to be.

Makino finally made it, and Adamina released the manticore to regroup with him. He pulled out his falchion, his gaze trained on the manticore. If it attacked him or his companion, he'd be ready.

 

[scorpiodragon]

Felicia Bast

Within the tavern, she was led to a chair at a table where she kept her arm level, one hand grasping her wounded arm tightly. Yet blood still trickled between her fingers and to the floor. Felicia knew she was lucky not to get hit by the stinger which carried poison but, at the same time, she was glad to be out of the rain. The barkeep came back with some water, some plants with a mortar and pestle and a few bandages that he set on the table, before removing her hand and beginning place a bit of water into the pestle and then a few of the plants. “What is this place?”

“The Psychotic Bone. A tavern for travelers and locals alike,” said the barkeep. “What caused you to run here traveler?”

“A Manticore attacked my companion and me,” said Felicia. “He is still out there trying to fight it but a centaur is helping.”

“Strange,” murmured the barkeep.

“How is that strange?”

“A Manticore near an orc village,” came the reply. “They prefer human flesh to any other yet are unable to attack the elephants of the jungles. Ye should be lucky thee escaped without being stung.” Once the medicinal plants were ground together and mixed with the water, he began cutting bandages and slathering the pulitice onto Felicia’s arm.

Damascus Enwynn

He dodged to the right, slipping on the path that we turning to mud, the Manticore’s stinger hurting the ground. “Grrrrrrrr,” growled the beast before it spoke. “Stand still so you can...” A roar of pain came from it, cutting off its speech as something hit it from behind, Damascus ducking as the beast whipped its tail up with a squelching noise and flicked its tail, sending a stinger on the side towards the centaur. If that hit, a Manticore’s venom could cause paralysis. Damascus slashed out with a dagger as the Manticore focused on the centaur, the thin male cutting across a leg as he ducked a kick with a back paw. “Don’t let its venom hit you!” He shouted over the rain as the Manticore turned towards the new strangers to cone upon it.

Kipsy MiraAutumn

 

[MiraAutumn]

Ornei Wystel
Thin jade eyes narrowed as Ornei realized he had missed his target by inches. He had silently hoped he could've ended this fight with a single lethal blow, but the weather and his own inadequecy failed to make that ideal come true. His ears rung at the manticores roar, beginning to circle the creature as it approached him, eyeing the rage clearly seen in the beasts eyes. It would be a dangerous move to draw his bow now, so he refrained from it and kept his eyes warily on the monster. As the manticore abruptly turned to lash out at the fleeing werecat, he was briefly stunned by the reaction time of the uninjured traveller, watching the stone fly through the air to distract the beast. He then heaved a short sigh of relief as he heard the door slam violently in the rain, realizing that the patient was most likely receiving treatment right now. Well, hopefully at least. He had little knowledge on how orcish villages behaved, but knew of their brutal nature. Silently, he thanked the traveller currently striking at the manticore for preventing any further injuries to the patient, as he drew his bow for another potentially lethal shot.

Just as he was about to release the bowstring, a blue wolf jumped into the fray, biting and tugging at the creatures leg. It seemed they also had another companion, who was standing back near the roadside. Although he was grateful for the reinforcements, it became harder for Ornei to aim at the manticore, considering he had two allies jumping around near it. As he was calculating the right time to let his arrow fly, through the heavy downpour and all, the beasts stinger came flying towards him. Unprepared, and unable to retreat quickly enough, the centaur was flung briefly through the air and slid across his right side on the sudden ground. His left side, more specifically his front left leg and part of his back leg, faced the full impact of the stingers collision, and were virtually numb. He could still slowly move the rest of his body, the resilience of a horse perhaps aiding to this, but that didn't change the fact that he could not get up or run to safety. He scoffed at his underestimation of the stingers length, considering he had thought he was far away enough to not get hit from an attack. "A bit late now!" He called back as optimistically as he could, his voice most likely muffled by the rain. As much as he shouldn't draw attention to himself, the manticore would notice his vulnerability eventually, and so Ornei drew his bow once more. Slowly, he sent another arrow straight for the beasts head.
scorpiodragon Kipsy

 

[scorpiodragon]

Damascus Elwynn

The Manticore seemed to not know who to attack first with the wolf at its back, one of its legs injured and then the centaur standing before it. As it struck out with its stinger, it caught the centaur, just as Damascus shouted for them to look out for its venom. While the centaur stumbled back, Damascus stepped backwards out of its way, holding a hand up in preparation to slash the Manticore's legs once again if it tried to attack him. The injury to its leg was bleeding somewhat profusely, hot crimson dripping into the mud and turning it reddish-brown as it was forced to lift its leg up due to injury. That would be its downfall as the arrow that was slowly drawn and fired hit true, burying itself within the Manticore's head. For an instant, the Manticore stood there, as if it couldn't believe this was the end of its life. It swayed dangerously on three legs and Damascus moved out of its way as it began to topple to the ground, the Snaedhel snarling as the creature attempted to lash out again with a paw and its tail. Running, he leapt at it and thrust his hand forward, digging his blade into the animal's side. There was a roar of pain and the monster collapsed to the ground. Damascus yanked his dagger out as it hit the ground and was sent rolling onto the ground as he lost his balance, yet slowly picked himself up and wiped his dagger on the manticore's clean fur to get the blood off. Grabbing Felicia's bag, he hefted it over his shoulder and turned towards the tavern. "Thanks," he said, then turned back towards the centaur and walked over to help it help, sheathing his daggers as he did. He turned to see two others, a blue wolf and what looked like a vampire. “Can you help me with the centaur?” He questioned the vampire.

MiraAutumn Kipsy

 

[Kipsy]

Makino Akiyama & Adamina Vethier
Interacting: Damascus Enwyn ( scorpiodragon ), Ornei Wystel ( MiraAutumn )

As the manticore lashed out with its tail, Adamina released it. She ran to Makino, skidding to a stop and spinning around. That's when she realized that the stinger had hit someone: the centaur. Realization kicked in and she blinked a few times, trying to understand what this meant. It was Makino who reacted first, beginning to run to the centaur's side. At the same time, the centaur shot and hit the manticore in the back of the skull, leaving it stunned. It lashed out once more with its claw, but ultimately collapsed. By the time it hit the ground, Makino was beside the centaur. Worthlessness swelled up in his chest, leaving him feeling stupid. He should've actually moved quicker at first. Maybe this poor sap wouldn't have been injured.

Adamina slowly began to trot over, her tail between her legs. It was partially her fault, wasn't it? She'd been the one to entice the manticore to lash out with its tail in the first place. She might've been able to dodge the attack, but at the moment she'd had zero consideration for the others around her. Makino watched as the male from earlier, the one with the daggers, asked for help with the centaur. He nodded, looking to the centaur to make sure that he, too, was comfortable with them trying to help him up. "I'll get his left side; you get his right," Makino said, trying to figure out how exactly to lift up a centaur. As they conversed, Adamina shifted back to help, seeing as how she'd be more capable in her human form.

"Do you guys need an extra hand?" she asked, then lowered her head a bit. "I feel guilty; let me help." Makino gave a pointed look to her stomach and she huffed, shaking her head. "I'll be fine."

Makino sighed. "Overexerting yourself and lifting heavy objects could lead to premature birth. We got this." Adamina looked ready to protest again, but she knew he was right. She needed to be careful now that she was pregnant; there were things she could and couldn't do. It was up to her to manage that now. She stepped back, watching with lidded eyes as Makino went around to the centaur's left side and got ready to support his weight. "On three. One... two... three."

 

[MiraAutumn]

Ornei Wystel
A triumphant smile lit up on the centaurs face as he watched the arrow fly true to his target. He was glad to see the dagger-wielding individual from earlier finish off the beast as well, preventing any further injuries. As the beast collapsed to the floor, he silently wondered if his herd would believe him if he said he took down a manticore with basically only three people. As he breathed a short sigh of relief, still collapsed on the muddy ground, he noticed the traveller from earlier running towards him. On closer inspection, it was almost alarming how similar this guy looked to himself. They both had messy dark hair, and greenish silver/grey eyes. Minus the difference in facial features and the fact that he wasn't a centaur, it was quite interesting to see. "Thanks for the help, sorry, this could've ended with no one getting hit by that stinger." Although it was better that he got hit rather than anyone else, considering his natural resilience, it still could've been avoided. He shook his head at his lack of awareness. However, the conversation between the two travellers caught his attention.

"Wait, you're pregnant?" Finally taking a proper look at the suon shifting nearby, the centaurs eyes widened in surprise and alarm at the clear sign of her late pregnancy. How could he not have noticed till now? Even in her wolf form it would've been obvious to him, as a doctor. "Why did you join in the battle? You shouldn't endanger your newborn!" He exclaimed in a minor panic. "..I'm sorry I know it's not my place to say, but.." He eyed her anxiously, checking for signs of injuries or other problems. He hoped she wasn't straining herself, childbirth was a delicate procedure.

As he was lifted up, and they slowly made their way to the tavern, Ornei aided his supporters by walking slightly with his right legs. It was rather scary as a healer not knowing where the pain was, or the extent of his own injuries. If he could get the paralytic poison to wear off, he could potentially treat himself. Although that was impossible with magic, he had a decent amount of medical knowledge after all those years of treating patients. After slightly struggling to get through the door, he prompted the others to leave him on the floor in the corner of the main room. "The manicore has been slain, but do you have someone that knows how to treat a manticores poison here?" He asked calmly, noticing the female from earlier being treated by the bartender. Although it was a little difficult bending his torso, he tried to get a closer look at his left side and understand the extent of damage done to it.
scorpiodragon Kipsy

 

[scorpiodragon]

Felicia Bast
Felicia's wound was steadily treated by the barkeep who then rose with his injured things and spoke to the girl. "What brings you to Oghaz Nan?" Felicia turned to him, a bit startled by the question and at first suspicious, though the barkeep seemed kind enough. As he stood, she examined the figure. He had greenish skin and a jutting jaw with two protruding tusks. Hair that was black and small beady yellow eyes that shone with a strange intelligence and compassion in them. Not the maliciousness that she had heard Orcs to possess among her kin. Felicia couldn't imagine a half-orc being intelligent enough to hold a job or speak in the common tongue, yet he was able to do both it seemed.

"I have business within Oghaz Nan," said Felicia, "as does my companion whom will hopefully be here shortly."

"Your business is ye own I see. Well, I can understand why you do not wish to converse with a stranger but if it is food or safety ye seek, then ye have mine service for as long as ye rest within these walls," said the barkeep. "Should ye need anything, just give Bauch a call lassie." Turning, he headed back towards the bar to stow the things where they were kept, when the door opened and some patrons within the tavern turned as did Bauch and Felicia from her table, the werecat holding up a hand as Damascus and another stranger tried to get the centaur within the tavern.

"What happened?" she called, rising and striding towards them, seeing the centaur being unable to really move well without leaning on Damascus and the other...now she could see....pale figure. A vampire, she thought to herself and gave Damascus a surprised look, the Snaedhel's features tightening as he scented Felicia's blood through the bandages wrapped around her arm.

Damascus Elwynn

Calling to the vampire, much as he was loath, he stood on one side while the vampire stood on the other, the wolf taking that moment to turn back to human form with a heavily swollen womb, evidence of pregnancy by Damascus's reckoning and confirmed by her companion. She offered to help but twould seem the news shocked both him and the centaur that she would risk her life in such a manner as to help fight a manticore, though she had not done much. The centaur might be half horse but there was no feasible way to tie a rope and pull the centaur to their feet as one might do a horse that suffered from colic and needed to be moved around. As Damascus and the stranger lift the centaur to his feet, the rain continues and the trio make their way steadily towards the tavern off to their left, a sure sign of there being food. Approaching the tavern, one could see that the outside was made up of softwooden planks and stone pillars, the entrance being barred by a metal door that appeared well used but free of rust. Whoever owned the tavern obviously cared for its appearance though appearances could be deceiving.

Entering through the metal door, after struggling slightly to get the centaur inside, the centaur spoke for help relieving the poison of the Manticore that kept it paralyzed, the brief journey splattering mud onto lower legs and pants, a jaunt that involved some slipping despite the support that could be given from the centaur. Laying the figure to rest upon the ground, Felicia approached and asked what happened, Damascus's features tightening at the scent of blood that was so inviting and begging to be consumed. He tried to ignore it for the sake of himself, not sure how the barkeep would feel about him feeding within the establishment. The inside held a long counter with bar stools on three sides and many tables of varying sizes with chairs and benches around them. Stairs led up to the second floor and there was a door against one wall that led to a cellar downstairs of which the barkeep and workers of The Psychotic Bone were allowed entry. Flags of varying sizes and designs decorated the walls along with paintings, the atmosphere joyful and pleasant. Despite the joyful atmosphere, it made Damascus uneasy, though that might have been because of the blood Felicia had spilled when she had been injured.

Reaching out, he shoved the girl away from him as the centaur was lain down away from the door against a wall and called for someone to help him. For a moment, Damascus's eyes turned red and remained that way, a sign that he was hungry. All the half-vampire cousins had eyes that turned different colors. Felicia backed away as Bauch spoke up, seeming to sense the sudden tension within the room. "There'll be no attacks within this establishment," said the half-orc barkeep as then flicked his eyes towards the centaur. "Mine hthamra can help alleviate the djartu," said Bauch, using words in the Orcish language for 'mother' and 'poison' respectively. "Take a seat and I'll fetch her, though she is no doctor...that be a man's work after all, she knows enough bout herbs to help laboring mothers." Taking a look at the pregnant Suon before him, he made a harsh noise in his throat. "Thee lassie might wish to be looked at as well," he spoke before finishing his trek to the counter and ducking behind it for a moment, then coming back out and disappearing upstairs wherein Baust and his mother lived, his heavy footfalls easily heard as he stomped upstairs. Damasucs followed Felicia towards the table where she sat and dropped her bag within a chair while outside the hyena statue glowed white and then a striped hyena appeared on the ground before making its way towards the Manticore, the creature motionless and very much deceased. Cackling as it sniffed the corpse and then circled the body, seeing tracks and evidence of a battle, it raised its eyes towards the tavern opposite and then looked up at the sky for a moment before huffing and then fading, leaving no tracks or scent behind.

MiraAutumn Kipsy

OOC Notes: Orcish tongue here! hthamra is 'mother' in Orcish & djartu is 'poison' in Orcish.

 

[Yomojo]

Ayren and Aucren had been enjoying the well deserved break at the tavern, after the lengthy and eventful voyage there. It seemed a nice enough place, and Aucren seemed less glum than usual, perhaps due to being near to an Orcish town. That same fact might be making Ayren a bit nervous, but if so she wasn't showing it outwardly. The two were sat at one of the smaller tables, nursing drinks and conversing. Well, "conversing" might be a bit of an overstatement, as it mostly consisted of Ayren carrying on about one thing or another, with Aucren grunting in agreement every so often.

That all changed, of course, when the werecat burst through the doors. That by itself wasn't too noteworthy, however, and the tavern's lovely proprietor seemed to have the situation covered. When the centaur entered, practically carried by what seemed to be two vampires, well that was another thing entirely. Not to mention the pregnant wolf lady that followed. At this commotion, the fairer of the two ladies at the table looks up, then back to her dining companion "Okay, now we have to go check it out. No way a group that... strange... would be out here without good reason. And something tells me they might have come at the summons of a certain letter."

"Certain letter? You mean..." Comes the uncertain reply from across the table. "Yes, I mean the same letters we got. The thing about the elves." Ayren replies, cutting Aucren off with an expression conveying a silent question of "Did you really have to ask?" The half-elf gets up, chair skidding back against the floor, and the half-orc joins suit somewhat reluctantly. "Just be careful. We don't know who these people are yet." Aucren rumbles, eyeing the newcomers warily. Ayren seemingly ignores the warning, striding confidently towards the group standing around the injured centaur.

"Wow, sounds like you all got into quite the nasty scrape out there. Manticore, someone said? I've heard they're nasty, but I've been lucky enough never to have encountered one yet. Well," Ayren pauses, a thoughtful expression coming across her face as she looks back towards Aucren "maybe not so lucky for you, I feel like Aucren and I might have been able to help. Guess we just got to The Psychotic Bone a bit too early, huh?" Turning back to face the gathered newcomers, she smiles and extends a hand to no-one in particular. "My name's Ayren, by the way, pleasure to meet you. Were any of you brought here by a letter requesting help with a wild elf problem, by chance?"

scorpiodragon MiraAutumn Kipsy

 

[Kipsy]

Makino Akiyama & Adamina Vethier
scorpiodragon , MiraAutumn , Yomojo ​

Makino looked the centaur with confused eyes. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked, bewildered. "It wasn't your fault you got hit. Sure, there was the chance that we could've all gotten through that unscathed, but things didn't work out that way. There's nothing any of us could've done, so don't blame yourself or anything like that." He wasn't intending to be soothing at all, but it sort of ended up coming out that way. In any case, now that he no longer needed to be ready to fight at all, he took in the other's appearance. The centaur had a similar eye color to his own, which was, admittedly, a bit odd. The only difference there was just how dull Makino's was. It was like the green was barely there, especially in the darkness that currently surrounded them.

The rain continued to fall as Adamina finished shifting. Her attention was caught by the centaur, as well, who asked for a confirmation that she was really pregnant. She nodded her head, not at all expecting the lecture-like panic that soon followed. It was odd to her that someone could be so caring about an unborn child that wasn't even theirs. She smiled nonetheless, partially amused and partially honored. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but this isn't the first scuffle my little one has been through. So far, so good. I don't see the problem." The weight of her pregnancy hadn't really dwelled on her yet. Which, of course, was incredibly bizarre considering how long the child had been growing inside her. She needed a reality check, but, until then, she didn't see any point in changing her ways. She's managed and been careful enough so far; why would that change anytime soon?

With care and effort, Makino helped walk the centaur to the tavern. They left a deep trail in the mud as they made their way inside, tracking in rainwater, leaves, and dirt. The environment was quite quaint, but Makino didn't have the time to take much of it in. The strong scent of blood overtook him and he took a few moments to track down its source before settling down. It wasn't nearly as bad for him as it might be for others, but he still had to snap himself out of a haze. Biting down on his lip, he turned to Adamina, inspecting her for any potential injuries. Seeing as how she was fine, if only a little high on adrenaline still, he redirected his attention to the wounded female and the centaur.

Adamina didn't understand orcish, but she could tell that the barkeep had someone here who could help. It looked like he'd been able to patch up the other girl, but the centaur's injury didn't seem to be something he could handle. Probably the poison's fault, she thought. A huff left her lips when even the bartender mentioned she might want to be looked at. She was just a bit sweaty and out of breath, that was all. Nothing serious as far as she was knew. The nausea was surely normal. "I'm alr--" she began, but was stopped before she could finish her sentence.

"After the centaur is taken care of, my companion here would like to be looked at," Makino answered for her. Adamina cast him a glare, which he paid no mind, and together they watched the barkeep disappear. It was then that someone else spoke up. Neither Adamina nor Makino took the hand that was extended to them, but they listened as the half-elf mentioned the letter that they both had received.

"Oh, you got it too?" Adamina questioned. "What are the chances?" She then realized that Ayren had introduced herself expecting introductions to be done in turn. Smiling, she took Ayren's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Sorry. My name is Adamina. Adamina Vethier. It's lovely to meet you, too." She pointed over to Makino. "That poor sap has been stuck with me since we first met a few stops ago. His name is Makino."

The vampire in question frowned. "I could've introduced myself, you know..."

"I know," came Adamina's reply.

 

[ArchAngelLexi]

Ori was seated at one of the tables with his young griffin, Pin, asleep on his lap. Though Pin was slowly starting to grow larger she was still no larger than a dog and thus quite manage able. He was busy writing in his journal while mindlessly petting the feathery head of his dearest companion. Before him he had nearly finished drink, which he had been slowly drinking. The sound of the door banging startled him and awoke Pin who jumped up on the table. Pin's back was arched, cat like, and feathers raised. "Hey, Pin. Relax." He whispered soothingly, petting down her feathers. once she was calmed Ori pulled her back into his lap. He watched as the barkeep treated the girls wounds, and took note of what was used in his journal.
Soon he saw the Centaur being dragged in by the 2 vampires. What an odd trio. I wonder what's happened. He silently watched for a moment before he heard the mention of Manticore poison. He stood up to speak a moment too late to offer some aid. As another person rose and spoke he stayed quite to see what happens.
Without his realizing, Pin had hopped off his lap and made her way under the tables toward the group of people.

 

[scorpiodragon]

Felicia Bast & Damascus Elwynn
Despite Baust leaving to fetch his mother, workers continued to serve food and drink to the customers that were within The Psychotic Bone and conversing with each other. Felicia looked away from Damascus as he shoved his bag in her direction, the girl nearly toppling out of her chair at the force with which her bag was thrust into her arms. Damascus heard the sound of chairs scraping back from a small table within the tavern and coming towards where the centaur and strangers were. Their table turned out to be close enough to the entrance that they could be considered a part of the group and both listened as the two new strangers, one smelling of elf and one smelling like an orc appeared before the group.

Felicia had one ear tuned to the people around her, probably hoping that someone would know about the letters they carried. As it turned out, it seemed the two hybrids had also received letters though Felicia could not say why that made her somewhat uneasy. "My name's Ayren, by the way, pleasure to meet you. Were any of you brought here by a letter requesting help with a wild elf problem, by chance?" Felicia glanced at Damascus whose face was still tightly set, the Snaedhel's eyes narrowing to slits though of course nothing could make slit-eyes like a werecat, at that little tidbit of information and the apparent lack of danger the hybrid female posed towards going towards a group of potential cutthroats for all she knew.

The elf hybrid put out her hand for someone, anyone, to shake while the apparent orc smelling hybrid seemed more cautious. Felicia could say that was a good thing, though for a female, she herself was a bit trusting of people that could and had gotten her into trouble as a Chi and Sigma. It had been her mischievous and trusting nature that had gotten her nearly denied her assessment ceremony and put as a Mu, a horrible thing for a werecat as a werewolf did not want to be put as an omega...a hiss escaping her at the thought of werewolves. They liked chasing werecats and the two were enemies....werecats had been created supposedly to help fight the werewolves and be a match for them. "Our business is our own," spoke Damascus with a glare at Felicia to keep her quiet, repeating the same words that Felicia had spoken to Baust upon the barkeep questioning the werecat.

Before any potential bloodshed or arguing could take place, thumping could be heard on the stairs, descending from the upper floor to the tavern below. Baust soon appeared and with him a middle-aged human who had aged considerably. Pregnancy on a non-orc parent in a Orc and non-Orc relationship was difficult for the non-Orc mother, though easier if the mother was an Orc. There were possible complications; the mother's body rejected the child for some unknown reason and the child was expelled the next moon or the mother's life could be in danger though would not know this until the time of labor came around. The child could then be stillborn or suffer blood loss and hemorrhaging which would result in the loss of the mother or the child. It had been severe blood loss that had nearly cost Baust's mother her life and the near loss of Baust himself. Despite her obvious ageing, the woman had a kind demeanor about her and followed her son over towards the group of strangers standing or sitting in a cluster. "You say you had a Manticore attack and this centaur was poisoned?" questioned the woman. "Baust, help him to the back room," she spoke to her son before casting her eyes upon the Suon and then the injured werecat. The half-orc nodded and reached down to help the centaur to his feet as his mother spoke again. "You dear should sit. I will check you after dealing with the centaur here," she spoke, turning and heading towards a door carved of oak and cherry.

MiraAutumn Yomojo Kipsy ArchAngelLexi

 

[DJ UwU]

Ghash Orag

Through the rain, a tall, cloaked figure walked with long steps through the road, wondering where he was, after all, he had been walking for a while, wondering where this letter that he found would get him, or what it says, since he didn't even know that. While everything seemed the same as it was a couple minutes ago, he noticed the large body of a creature, which upon closer inspection, was a Manticore, problem was, it was still intact, either they left their prize or they were near, probably the latter, noticing the building off to the side.

He didn't have much of a choice at this point, it was either walking some more, completely lost and wet, or asking for help, so steeling himself, he decided to enter, opening the metal door with ease, he let himself in, observing the people inside while closing the door, once it was completely closed, his companion, Cat, woke up from a nap she was taking, realizing she wasn't being held while he pulled his hood down, she took this opportunity to leap from his arms, and emerged quickly from the cloak, jumping around the tables and the counter, making her presence known to all. Ghash following her with his gaze, turned his expression from surprise, to anger in a few seconds, after all, it wasn't the first time she did something like this, although this time, she stopped right in the middle of a table, and, after a few seconds, began hissing to a woman in what seemed her teens, while a lady was walking away from her.
Ignoring this strange behavior, and overcoming his short surprise, Ghash used this opportunity to move quickly and grab her, before she got him into more trouble.

Stomping his way through, “Cat!” he shouted, with a booming voice, while staring down angrily at her, still hissing on their table, with brisk pace he reached his destination, leaving a trail of mud behind him, his cloak still dripping wet from the rain, he extended an arm to try to grab her while she was distracted with her, now thinking of how was he going to apologize this time.

MiraAutumn Yomojo Kipsy ArchAngelLexi scorpiodragon

 

[MiraAutumn]

Ornei Wystel
As tensions began rising in the room, Ornei found himself drifting in and out of consciousness. He wasn't quite sure what the extent of damage was, but knew the longer he left it be, the worse it'd get. Leaning against the firm wooden walls by his side, he closed his eyes briefly as the adrenaline of the battle began to fade. He could feel the stinging of some of the scrapes he had received from skidding across the ground, but the most frightening part was not feeling anything at all in his left legs. He tried to pay attention to the conversation going on relatively nearby, between a pair of strangers and the pair that joined in the battle midway, but he found himself constantly checking himself for long-term/irrepairable damage. A habit from being a doctor perhaps. His attention was piqued when he heard the mention of a letter, from the delicate-appearing lady introducing herself as Ayren. Both the strangers seemed to be of mixed heritage, causing him to be unsure of their race. He hadn't been exposed to many other cultures before, considering he had always been with his herd living a simple life. As the bartender disappeared upstairs, Ornei found himself then pondering the little conversation he had with the similar-looking vampire and the pregnant suon.

Despite the reputation of vampires that he had heard about whilst passing through other towns to get to Oghaz Nan, rather than someone cunning or evil, he seemed rather kind. He shared re-assuring words that reminded him of the lectures he would get from the elder centaurs. The nostalgic thought made him smile a little, as he watched an aged human lady loudly trot down the stairs. The suon however, made him crease his eyebrows in worry. She didn't seem to realize the extent of what she could lose if she continued partaking in battles like that. He knew it wasn't his place to order around a stranger, but whilst he was nearby at least, he would try to prevent harm going her way. Considering they also received the letter he had, his of which now splattered with mud from the battle, that might be much longer than he had initially expected.

As the bartender pulled him to the backroom for treatment, Ornei sighed a little with relief as he heard that the Suon would be looked at after he was treated, minus the pain he felt from having to suddenly move again. Before turning towards his destination, he noticed the shadow of a creature with feathered wings dashing about underneath the tables. He was curious as to what it was, but couldn't find it again before he left. The door carved of oak and cherry was smudged with mud and droplets of blood as he passed, causing the centaur to quietly apologize under his breath for the great mess he had caused. However, his mood was quickly replaced with intrigue, curious as to how he would be treated. If all went well, he hoped to treat this as a learning experience. The sound of rapid stomping and the yell of "Cat!" reached past the closed door, alerting Ornei to whatever was going on back in the main room.
scorpiodragon Yomojo Kipsy ArchAngelLexi DJ UwU

 

[scorpiodragon]

Felicia Bast
A cat? Werecats tended to keep cats as pets and were encouraged to do so, but she'd never had one hiss at her unless it was laboring or in an angry mood or the Chi antagonized the house cats that roamed the respective werecat houses. Through the door came a booming voice and moved across the halls, the open door momentarily letting in the rain before it closed, the figure a hulking person who stood much taller than Felicia and likely taller than anyone here though she couldn't be sure of the heights of all the people. Meanwhile, the figure who chased after the cat and simply referred to as such, picked it up suddenly, allowing the young werecat to get a glimpse of the stranger's face. It seemed the strangers that had come in had all received a letter but Damascus was steadfastly refusing to say anything, his face still tightly set, probably from the blood he could undoubtly smell through her bandages.

While this was going on, Baust got the centaur to the back room, bits of mud splattering the cherry and oak wooden door, earning an apology from the centaur for the mess. His mother was already within the room, lighting torches within brackets and pulling back some floor length drapes from two sets of windows overlooking a tidy garden. "No trouble," said Baust as he led the centaur through the doorway and over to a straw pallet before helping the centaur lie upon it.

"You have customers to attend to," spoke his mother, the barkeep ducking his head and leaving his mother to her work with the centaur. Looking around the room, one can see two sets of windows, one on the south wall and one on the western wall. The floor is covered in oak hardwood, roughly hewn but clean. Along the walls at intermediate intervals are torch brackets and floor length drapes can be pulled back to allow light into the room. If one were to gaze at the ceiling, they would see wooden beams exposed and shelves lining two floors from floor just above the floor to the ceiling which contain the sweet smell of herbs and towards one end of the room, a hayloft where fresh hay is stowed and a few pallets above as well. Off to one's right is another door made of cherry wood and shining as the weak rays of sun hit it. Furthermore there are some other straw pallets, some stuffed into ticks with rough cloth that looks like burlap sacks covering them and some beds for those who wish not to lie on the floor as well as two beds with floor length curtains that can be pulled around to seal them off. As the aged woman turns to lighting some of the torches around the rooms, flames can be seen alighting and dancing across the shadows within the corners before she walks over to the centaur. "Manticore poisoning is a bad business, even when one thinks thee out of danger, the stinger can reach far," spoke the woman as she knelt and searched the centaur's side for the source of the entry.

Baust returns to the tavern, closing the door behind him and goes back to work before looking towards the strange group of people altogether, one such individual holding a cat now that is hissing at the girl he tended to earlier. "Please return to your seats. I'm afraid ye are blocking the entryway to the tavern for customers to enter and leave. But I must thank those who helped to fight and slay the Manticore and will give all who participated a reward if ye twold be so kind as to come to the counter," he spoke to the group. "The Manticore has been bad for business, attacking travelers and caravans on the way here so I thank thee for ending it."

"What about me? I didn't fight but ran," spoke up Felicia.

Baust turned his head towards the girl. "Ye payment will be less but ye notified me of the Manticore business and for that ye will get something."

MiraAutumn

Damascus Elwynn
Damascus watched as the barkeep took the centaur into the back of the tavern and then turned his eyes upon the cat that was on a table, hissing at Felicia. It was soon snatched up and he then turned his gaze around the tavern, observing the patrons who seemed naught to care that their barkeep was helping a muddy centaur across the room. As the cat hissed, he turned his eyes upon it. Damascus did not like cats, they were indifferent creatures and not at all like a dog that was more friendly and loving of its people. The barkeep, Baust apparently if he'd heard correctly and he was sure he had, spoke of there being a reward for fighting and killing the Manticore to those whom had fought. As Felicia spoke up, asking about her since she had run and learning she would get a reward as well, the hybrid rose to his feet and headed over to the counter as instructed, Felicia staring at the cat for a few moments longer before rising herself.

Behind him he could hear Felicia speaking to the cat and then to the stranger who found it, Baust having set his items where he had fetched them before looking up to see a pale skinned figure before him. "You're cute, even if you are being mischievous," said Felicia from behind him. "How long have you had the feline?" she asked the stranger holding the cat.

"Do you have blood here?" questioned Damascus tightly. Baust took in the man's tight features and nodded.

"Of course. Do you prefer on source, tap or from stock?" questioned Baust. As Damascus gave him a blank look, the barkeep explained. "Source is you get served blood directly from one of my workers, on tap means it's just like alcohol. I use one of these," he placed a hand on a beer tap, "and blood comes out. Stock means I retrieve it from the cellar and heat it over a fire until it's hot."

Kipsy ArchAngelLexi DJ UwU

 

[Kipsy]

Makino Akiyama & Adamina Vethier
scorpiodragon , DJ UwU , ArchAngelLexi , MiraAutumn , Yomojo ​

Adamina frowned as the middle-aged woman told her to sit. Perhaps she was a healer of some kind, and knew more about pregnancy than Adamina even did, but that didn't mean that the suon was willing to submit to the overwhelming nausea that had overtaken her. At least, not yet, anyway. "I don't need to--," Adamina complained, but the dizziness was definitely starting to convince her of otherwise. With a sigh, she let go of Aryen's hand and took a seat. Makino followed in suit, sitting down opposite her, his hands folded neatly on the table. The two watched, one with concern, the other with indifference, as the centaur was helped to the back room.

The door opened, revealing yet another person, but Makino and Adamina found no need to turn their heads and look. However, when a cat began jumping around from table to table, scurrying about like a diseased squirrel, Makino pulled his hands away from the table and kept them in his lap. "Ugh. I hate cats," he muttered to himself, pursing his lips. Felines were nothing but trouble. They had no care for their owners and preferred to keep to themselves. Independent little buggers. Then again, Makino didn't like dogs much either. His eyes trailed over to the man who had brought the small creature inside, practically begging for him to retrieve his animal before it got any closer. Watching her companion's face scrunch up in disgust at the sight of the cat, Adamina chuckled, albeit weakly, massaging her temples and trying to soothe the dizziness that was overwhelming her.

The barkeep soon returned, observing the hissing cat and the group of people huddled in front of the door, before asking for everyone to return to their seats. Adamina hummed as he mentioned rewarding the group who had taken down the manticore. She stood with the intent of heading to the counter, but immediately regretted it, placing a shaky hand down firmly on the table to help herself keep steady. Makino eyed her worriedly, but frowned and returned his gaze to the barkeep, raising his hand as if to ask permission to speak. "I didn't do much other than raise my sword," he noted, and then glanced back to his suon companion. "And I don't think she's well enough to stand up right now. Maybe we can discuss payment later?"

Adamina snarled, but soon enough winced, covering her mouth with her free hand. "Do you have a pail?" she asked after a moment, smiling thinly. "I think I'm going to throw up." Her words were blunt, but honest, as per usual.

Makino shook his head and stood, making his way over to the counter. "I'll ask if he has one. Hang tight," he said as he walked to the barkeep, who he believed was named Baust. As he approached the counter, he heard the other male, who he guessed was a sanaedhel, ask for blood. At the prospect, Makino's own eyes lit up. He listened as Baust explained the variations to the sanaedhel, unable to keep quiet for much longer. "Source, please," he blurted out, mouth watering, but then remembered what he'd come here for. "Ah, my friend thinks she may throw up. Do you have a bucket she could keep nearby just in case?"

 

[Yomojo]

At the request to sit, Ayren happily takes a seat at the table the group of strangers seemed to be settling around, but Aucren is a bit more hesitant. Ayren looks back at her sister, gesturing for the half-orc to take a seat. "But... we don't know these people. And they look dangerous." Aucren protests, earning a stern look from her sister. "Dangerous to Manticores, yes. Don't you think the service they've done to the good people of this tavern earns them some sort of respect, at least?" the half-elf retorts. After another small pause, the larger sister lets out a dismissive grunt, but pulls out the chair beside her sister anyways. As she sits in it, she stays a bit away from the table so as to keep a suspicious eye on the individuals gathered around it.

Ignoring the paranoid behaviors of her larger half, Ayren turns to converse with Adamina, mostly ignoring the strange person who seemed to be talking to the mischievous cat that had recently entered the tavern. "You seem rather far along, what's someone like you doing out here, chasing a letter requesting help with a potentially dangerous quest? I thought pregnant ladies were supposed to stay at home and let their baby's father take care of them? Oh, unless that's a... personal matter. Never mind, you don't have to answer that. I was just curious, but it's not like I need to know or anything." the half-elf trails off, the confident friendliness she had approached the group with fading away as a light blush blossoms across her face. Aucren sighs and shakes her head, embarrassed by the social fumbling of her normally quite sociable sister.

Aucren, for her part, is giving a quite curious look towards the full-blooded orc who seemed to be the owner of the rambunctious feline. It was quite a sight, seeing a creature that large and intimidating seemingly at the mercy of a creature so adorably small. She dared not comment, however, feeling that it was important to keep up her grumpy, untrusting appearance in the face of this potentially ill-meaning group of misfits.

ArchAngelLexi DJ UwU MiraAutumn scorpiodragon Kipsy

 

[Yahhah]

Seri​

A single sodden figure made her way down the road. She carried no hood and as such seemed to be resigned to her fate of drowning in a rainstorm. On the figures hip in a sheath was a longsword. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a tavern in the distance, there was a large still form lying outside of it, it appeared that Seri had missed something. As she passed by, she identified it as a Manticore. The amber eyed werecat made a face as the stench of venom hit her nose. Her eyes scanned the establishment before her before she stepped inside of the tavern. As she entered the door the incessant noise of endless conversations assaulted her ears, her first instinct as always was to take stock of her surroundings.

Her attention flicked to a mismatched table of assorted races which also seemed fresh from the storm, perhaps they had also received a letter summons. From the scents about them it was likely that they had been at least partly responsible for the carcass outside. Although it would be foolish to outright announce that she had been summoned as she didn’t know exactly who would hear. Seri was sure she was near Orghaz Nan, she’d just sit here through the rain and collect information. She took a seat and took out the letter examining it.

Nearby: scorpiodragon Yomojo Kipsy DJ UwU MiraAutumn ArchAngelLexi

 

[ArchAngelLexi]

Ori continued to listen in on the conversations around him. He couldn't decide if he wanted to speak with the group as they chatted. He couldn't decide if he should introduce himself or continue to wait it out. Meanwhile Pin walked under the table of guest. She spotted the cat in the Orc's arm and wandered over. She sat at his feet and pawed at him. Wanting someone to play with since Ori seemed preoccupied.

 

[DJ UwU]

Once he had captured the cat, Ghash looked around to find an empty chair, once he found and brought it back, he sat with the strangers at the table, hearing the question the woman had asked, he looked a little taken by surprise by the question, keeping his grip tight on Cat, without hurting her. "Had? I've never owned her," said the orc, "She's been the one that's followed me everywhere! It's been like what, four years...? Maybe?" He wasn't sure, for him, she was just there. Yes, he took care of her, but she helped too, otherwise, she couldn't have kept up with him.

Once he answered, he noticed the pair that was just sitting at the group's table, he didn't bother with returning the gaze at the one that was staring at him, but rather he listened to the other one, their conversation picked his interest. "A letter?" He said while rummaging his pockets. "You mean like this one?" He asked while lifting the same letter everyone seemed to have, but the one he held was bloodstained, not with his own blood, but rather someone else's. He felt something at his legs, but now wasn't the time to pay attention to it.
"Does anyone know what this says?" he finished, looking around at the group.

 

[scorpiodragon]

Damascus Elwynn
Damascus listened to Baust as he explained about the blood choices available, eyes widening as he heard they had workers available for drinking from, or as vampires called it, feeding. The other vampire walked up and spoke that they wanted source blood, Baust nodding and whistling. Three of his workers came over; one an orc, one a human and one a Nursarid. "I would appreciate my workers not being killed but you may choose from one of these," said Baust as Damascus spoke.

"I'll take tap," said Damascus.

"Certainly and yes, I do have a bucket," said Baust, heading further along the bar and coming back with a bucket which he set on the counter before the vampire. Turning to Damascus, he spoke. "We all race blood available or animal blood if you prefer."

"No animal blood," spoke Damascus. "I'll take elf blood."

"As you wish," said Baust. He grabbed a tankard and filled it up with the elvish blood. Once he was done, he set the mug onto the counter in front of Damascus who took it and then went into another backroom. Damascus sipped at the blood as they waited for Baust to come back.

While in the back room, Baust's mother mixed up Acai Berries, Echinacea, Iknoo, Pine Oil and White Willow Bark. Iknoo was a red and purple flowering medicinal plant of which all parts could be used to heal and one of the few plants that helped with manticore venom. Unfortunately the plant was not common everywhere within Xaythea. "This should help draw the venom out and prevent fever," said the woman to the centaur. "I'll give you some yucca root as well to help with any bleeding and treat the migraine that usually comes with manticore venom," she spoke. Grabbing another mortar and pestle, she found some goldenrod and some yucca root which she began to cut up and then mashed into a paste which was then poured into a bowl and a wooden spoon placed within that she set by the centaur's hands and then began spreading the other mixture onto the centaur's wound. "Do not move. This may burn but it needs to settle there on your skin until the toxin comes out."

MiraAutumn Kipsy

Felicia Bast
Felicia watched as the cat was picked up and the org spoke of the cat following him around but that it wasn't really his pet. She soon scented someone else coming in and turned her gaze towards the door to see someone that smelled like a cat entering the tavern and then turned her attention back to the orc when he spoke of a letter. She glanced at Damascus who was still up at the counter and preoccupied as the orc held up a letter and asked if anyone knew what it said. "It talks of heading to the Dual Spire Inn within Oghaz Nan for a quest to kill some elves that have been robbing the orcs within the town," said Felicia.

DJ UwU ArchAngelLexi Yomojo BudgieLove

Mentioned: Yahhah

 

[Kipsy]

Makino Akiyama
scorpiodragon
​

As Baust whistled and beckoned over some of his workers, Makino took in a deep breath. He couldn't actually believe that this was happening. It'd been a long while since someone had willingly offered for him to feed off them. It took a moment of regaining his composure in order for him not to jump the workers right then and there. But he needed to focus, here. Feeding was nice and all, but he had a pregnant acquaintance that looked on the verge of passing out. It could wait. It could wait. It could...

Nurasarid blood was something he'd never tried before... He wondered what they tasted like.

Shaking his head rather abruptly, Makino sighed, then bit his lip. "Ah, the pail first, please. I'd like to make sure she doesn't puke all over your floors." Watching as the barkeep brought over a bucket, Makino smiled. "Thank you," he said, taking it up. Giving one last, almost longing look to the other workers, he headed over to Adamina. He set the bucket down on the floor beside her. She immediately pulled it up and puked, spilling her guts quite literally into the pail for a few solid moments. Once she pulled away, she wiped her lips and groaned rather loudly, taking in a deep breath and then hurling once more into the bucket.

Makino's face scrunched up in disgust upon watching this, but he tried to do his best to comfort her, placing a soothing hand on her back. She shrugged him off, shooting him a glare from where she sat. Deciding enough was enough, Makino moved back over to the workers. He wasn't about to spend more time helping Adamina when she acted that ungrateful. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but she had no reason to glare at him. He was trying his best, after all.

"Which one of you have been drunk from before?" he asked the workers, looking among the three equally. "I've been told it hurts like hell when you're bitten for the first time. I don't want to inflict that much pain on someone if I can help it, especially since you're all willing to do this." Hypocrite, his brain reminded him, considering he hunted animals and fed off them without much mercy. He shrugged such thoughts off, however; there was a difference between an animal and a... well, a humanoid? Besides, he never killed his prey. There wouldn't be an exception here.

Adamina Vethier
Yomojo
​

Although she was feeling quite ill, Adamina tried her best to pay attention to the conversation. She loved talking to people, after all, and she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to befriend such an interesting acquaintance. "Yes, I'm... I have about another month before I give birth, I think," she said, running her fingers through her hair, making it stick up in several odd places. At the mention of pregnant ladies supposed to be taken care of by the baby's father, she snorted, but chose not to say anything on that matter. "It's okay," she assured the half-elf. "Curiosity is a good trait to have. Besides, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it." Above everything, though, she really didn't want to think about him.

As an orc asked what a bloodstained letter read, Makino finally returned with the pail in hand. Adamina hurriedly took it from him and hurled. It took a few minutes before she was able to come back to her senses. She picked up the pail and stood, giving a nod to Ayren. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse me for a moment here. I'll go wash this out outside," she said, voice hoarse. "I think all that running around fighting the manticore really shook me up. It's like my morning sickness all over again." Sighing, she left and took care of the soiled bucket. When she returned, she looked a bit better. Color had returned to her skin and she was a lot less heavier in her steps, as though she had better stability in her movements. She was still dizzy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before.

Adamina returned to her seat and looked back to Ayren. "Well that was certainly an experience," she said, taking in a deep breath. "I have a horrible headache now, though. I wonder what's wrong with me..." She mumbled the last sentence, not really intending to say it out loud, but not caring either way. "Anyway... A half-orc and a half-elf... Are you two friends? Or did you meet up like Makino and I did and decide to work together?"

 

[Yomojo]

Aucren was having a heck of a time keeping up with everything that was happening tonight. In addition to the obvious strangers she had already identified, it seemed another one had come in. That wasn't by itself a problem, until this person pulled out a letter as well. Well that is worrying. Our future employer would not have had to send out so many letters unless this was a dangerous mission... just going to have to make sure danger is handled by one of them and not my sister. she mused to herself, continuing to scan her surroundings. She prided herself on her perception, and so it was only a matter of time before she spotted the small winged creature at the full orc's feet, seemingly trying to play with the large man. Taking a more pointed glance around the tavern, she spots a humanoid looking in the direction of the small griffin, also spotting the telltale signs of a shifter who prefers feathered forms. Assuming this to be the owner of the beast attempting to grab the illiterate orc's attention, she stares at him for longer than would be considered polite, absentmindedly giving him a glare while mulling about in her head the pros and cons of escaping the situation and dragging her sister out of the inn.

Ayren, for her part, was more than a bit distressed by the werecat's violent upchuck. "Oh my. You might want to stay out of combat for the next month, in that case. I'm still not even sure why you accepted this job offer. Are you really that strapped for cash?" she asks, a look of concern settling upon her face. The question about her and Aucren seems to put her more at ease, face softening as she smiles. "Friends? No, we're sisters, couldn't you tell?" the grin widens, before breaking out into a light chuckle. "Alright, well, half-sisters I suppose. Or, more accurately, adoptive sisters. We grew up together, so I think it's safe to say we didn't "just meet". Although I suppose we did "decide to work together", as it were." the half-elf continues, settling back into her normal social graces. Her attention is mostly focused on Adamina while she talks, noticing but not giving much heed to the others gathered and gathering around the table.

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