Graded [Stonewall Town] (Caelia Barony) – Baroness, Take Flight!

[Valkan]

Ryan Kylieth
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Ryan was surprised by Cynthia's display of skill, and it was clear on his expression. "It is. One that should only be wielded by artists like you. That was very impressive". Cynthia went on the offensive again, since his sealed eye impeded him from noticing Cynthia's glances while being too focused on doing his job to notice, her flirtatious came off as a shock. "Su..." a sudden knot in his throat cut him off. He tried to make it go away by clearing it "Ahem!... Sorry. I can keep that secret for you if that's what you want".

He was a bit taken aback, when he mentioned Aileen and seeing that reaction "Wait, 'That Ryan'. What does that mean?" He asked, catching the bread as it was launched at him. Did Aileen speak of him to others!? And Why Cynthia of all people?.

The answer to that question was something he was not prepared to hear. His face, who had barely any sign of a blush due to his time cooling down doing smith work, went red as a tomato in record time. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Cousin? Date!? WIFE!? Wha-what even..." He didn't even had the chance to get mad for calling Aileen a gorilla. This was a bad time to panic, Ryan took a really deep breath, and tried to collect his thoughts. "Sorry about that... I expected none of it" Sighing, he added "Could you... Please explain to me what's going on here? How do you know of me? And why are you so enthusiastic about... Dating me and... All that stuff you said?" still red from the all-out attack of Cynthia.

Uasal

 

[Uasal]

Cynthia

Staring at Ryan with an unshakable determination in her eyes, Cynthia moved closer. Just a foot in distance away now the woman responded her own blush still evident but clearly under her own control. So this was her fight-or-flight response. Puffing up her chest the woman dropped a hand to her hip and let out a soft sigh, her other hand still resting upon her chest. With her eyes following Ryans she spoke in a serious yet somehow gentle tone, pressing her advantage further now that she had the man a blushing mess. "Aileen, is my Younger Cousin. This here is our uncle's smithy.". Diverting her gaze for a moment, she forced it back to his own not wanting to falter but clearly now feeling the pressure herself.

Blush growing, she spoke up "Aileen told me all about your situation. My uncle asked you to marry her right!? That's not fair! She's a whole year younger than me! She can't be the first to marry! And, I mean look at you!". Blush growing even further and ears starting to steam the woman was starting to get the better of herself too it seemed. "You're handsome, hardworking, diligent, gentle, well-mannered, cute, shy, easy to blush, and I bet you're a great kisser too! Plus you're a blacksmith! And by Aileens account a good one at that! Especially if you managed to win over uncle!"

Moving a step closer, Cynthia would press a hand to his chest and with a little force push him back until he had no way to escape, stuck between a weapon display and herself. "You're my type! All I'm asking is for a chance! Aileen isn't even dating you right! Come on please!". Inching closer and closer, her face was practically mere inches from his own now, hand still firmly pressed to his chest and exerting a surprising amount of force given her stature. Whispering now, given their proximity, Cynthia would then move toward Ryan's ear and her voice would tickle it as she spoke softly. The smell of sweet perfume and baked bread was evident. "Just one picnic... You won't regret it I promise you that..."
Valkan ​

 

[Elvario]

Sootspire
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Village Centre
Time: 15:00 Weather: Clear skies.

Mentions: Teuihua TheTimePiece | Aria RavenSong

Ethel

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Spoiler: Full Image

Ethel was getting increasingly hyped up with the idea of starting her own cult religious practices for this Cuhxōch deity. “Thou practices hath unjustly died out in mine time, for thy practices soundeth worthy!” She declared. “Alas, thy practices wouldnts't be accepteth by many in mine time...” She doubted that Ezekiel or the baroness would allow her to start collecting skulls and putting jewels into them. Truly a shame.

More exciting was the fact he was willing to work on his speech. “Thou shalt speaketh proper sooneth! Thou shalt speaketh truly and just! Thou must merely emulate me and mine and thy shalt prosper!” Truth be told, she hadn't expected him to accept her offer at all, so she had no clue what to do next and was just winging it with the idea that he could maybe copy her or something.

Hallr

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Spoiler: Full Image

Hallr was a little shocked by the surprisingly friendly tone of this thing. For a second, you could almost see the wires in his mind reconnecting. Then he replied. “I'm Hallr, the prospector.” He put down the chunk of ore, then lifted up a piece of lumber with ease, checking it out. As he did so, it seemed like his strength might rival, or even surpass, that of Teuihua. “Hmmm. Some of this will be good to use in the mines, but some of it is probably better used on tools instead. For now, why don't you drop it off at the storage?” He said, pointing in the direction of a mostly open storage area (a roof with walls on three sides, but none on the front) which currently has mostly raw ore piled up in it, but would have more than enough room to house some lumber as well.

He too, turned over to the baroness upon her arrival. “Pleasure to meet you ma'am. I'm Hallr, Sootspire's prospector.” He said, not sure what else to say to a noble.

Regula Caelia
​

“Likewise, sir. I'd love to learn more about your work as a prospector and about the status of our mines here, at your earliest convenience.” Regula replied, to which Hallr simply nodded.

That brought Regula's attention back on Teuihua. “I'm glad nobody got injured, although... You're making me wonder, when you got dent, didn't it hurt? If normal people get hit like that, they'd start bruising and it would hurt a fair bit. Do you have sensory feedback like that as well, or none at all? Ah, you don't have to reply if it's something personal.” She quickly added, not wanting to make the golem feel uncomfortable. The second part was peculiar as well. “Still, I'm surprised a ram managed to do such a thing to you though. That must've been a really strong sheep.”

She was a bit shocked when he told her outright she'd failed at something. In front of one of her future subjects as well. It was honestly somewhat B0E0E6 to have this be her first impression, but she wasn't above admitting fault. “I'm sorry, I didn't think it through well enough. I figured I'd get here before you, but I got held up. You can do what mister Hallr suggested. Sorry for the hold-up.”

Rockmead Ale
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Tavern

Mentions: Retili conman2163

Berk

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Spoiler: Full Image

“Coming right up.” The bear of a man replied. If he had any issues with Retili being what he was, he didn't show it. The barkeep soon went to poor some ales to provide for the sudden influx of customers. He was probably already considering how this day might be one of the more profitable ones.

Ezekiel Hayward

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Spoiler: Full Image

The captain was surprised to be offered ale. “No thanks, I'm still on duty.” He replied, but then he felt a crumpled letter in his pocket. He sighed deeply. “Actually, no, I'll take it. My shift is almost over and the Marshall is with the Baroness, so it should be alright.” His hand held onto the letter for a bit, before he let go of it and sighed once more.

Having poured ale for Retili's man, the barkeep returned to Retili. “My recommendation? Rockmead Ale. The stuff this place is named after. It's strong stuff though. Folk like you might want to pace yourselves.” There it was. The barkeep had kept up a fairly professional attitude, but he'd let it slip that he did think of Retili as an odd duck out. Even so, he'd poor Retili a very generously filled mug of a oddly bright coloured ale. For the name 'Rockmead' it certainly didn't really look the part. The taste, however, was oddly surprising. Undertones of ginger, almost a certain spiciness. “It's made with roots that grow in the mines here. It somehow really makes alcohol pack some extra kick.” The barkeep added, after Retili would've tried it.

As for Retili's question, the barkeep would first ask him for proof (to which his letter would suffice), yet that in combination with Retili's tone was enough to get the barkeep started. “Alright, I'll go from oldest to youngest. Oldest here is madam Prisca, who's sort-off like a guardian to this place now. Then there's... Now Hallr, the prospector, was born here, but his father and mother... then his uncle moved to Kirkwall, but their daughter moved back... has a third child now, but also a second grandchild... moved here from Osun... somehow managed to make it to 90 years old, which is really old for a mere Human like us... recently started working in the mines again, after recovering from a broken leg... moved to Stonewall with his entire family... lived here for seven years now ...” He kept going. This man, without missing a beat, was listen every single person that had ever lived in Sootspire, mentioning a few details about every single one of them, like occupations and then some. It was a good thing Retili wasn't new to working as a scribe, for otherwise he'd never have been able to keep up with this information overload.

Saffron

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Spoiler: Full Image

Mentions: Micah DuckPrince

As Micah was about to leave, he ran into an unexpected guest. Saffron, the shopkeeper from Stonewall. He'd seen her before, once or twice, but that was about it. She was dragging along a very uncomfortable looking scout. “Oh, come on bro! How often does something like this happen?!? Both you and me are here, grandma says the blooming will happen tonight, the baroness is visiting and I've even heard that mom might be here! We've got to celebrate something like this!”

Sherwood

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Spoiler: Full Image

The scout didn't reply, instead, he just let himself get pushed along with Saffron. However...

“Oh, you're that handsome fellow working for Hestia! You're joining too! Us Elves gotta celebrate together, don't we? Sherwood here is barely even recognisable as one, he takes more after our father. Anyhow, let's go!” She said, as she'd push Sherwood and Micah back into the tavern. “Barkeep, three Dryad Brews for us!” She called over.

For what it was worth, Saffron was 'kind' enough to push Micah and Sherwood to a table in the corner. She didn't force them to be at the centre of attention. The Dryad Brew they'd be getting was a relatively light alcoholic drink popular in The See and some of the regions bordering it. It'd have some hints of berry and mint in it. “So, why don't you start by telling me your name and what you're doing in Thorne... sorry, Caelia barony. Still takes some getting used to the name-change.” She'd ask Micah.

Sootspire Mine
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Mine

Mentions: Amanda Uasal

Ebenezer

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Spoiler: Full Image

“Them prospector, he be running things down here.” The man replied, staring Amanda up and down. “I can show you 'round though. Been 'ere often enough.” He said, as his eyes wandered towards 'the truth' for quite a while.

“Hey, you see these, girly.” He pointed at the marks on his pick-axe. “Them's the gobbo's I killed.” He showed the marks with more than a bit of pride. “Lot's of 'em, ey?” He continued. “You know, them previous Count. He was an odd fellow. We be struggling with lots of gobbo's here. Count himself came down to kill 'em all. I joined in as a mercenary. Count asked some fancy fellows if they should spare goblin children and wives. Soft-hearted fools said they should. Them blasted fools don't know. Monsters are monsters. They only kill, destroy and sow chaos. Doesn't matter if it's a kid or wife or elderly or anything. If it's a monster, it'll try to kill or hurt you. It's a law of nature. Ain't nothing gonna change that. The count, he looked like some soft, weak-hearted city-boy, but he knew. He know you can't let a monster live. He told us, told us to go kill 'em all.”

A broad smile formed on the man's face. “It was great. Them gobbo kids head popped like watermelons. Splashed 'em skulls I did. Gobbo women and elderly too. Didn't even count them though. No honour in killing defenceless ones. Only the ones that fight back well enough get added on the pickaxe.” He said, sounding as if he was bragging whilst clearly enjoying to return to the memories of the supposed slaughter he'd been part off under Count Light. “Lassies like you are safe cause of that slaughter. If a gobbo were to get their grubby hands on you... oh, they wouldn't make it quick. They be ripping away clothes, gnawing on them thighs whilst you're still alive, they be looking to break you. Mind, body, anything. They be making you suffer, slowly, with pleasure, they be killing you. I like killing 'em in turn, but I make it quick. That's why I ain't a monster and they are. They be killing children and elderly extra slow, I be popping their heads quickly.”

This man's ethics were pretty all-over the place, but he was right about monsters. They were to be killed on sight in pretty much all of the second continent, regardless of age, sex, or even their pleas to surrender. “Heh, so, want me to show you, eh?” He said, gesturing towards the mine.

The Ironbender
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Smithy

Mentions: Ryan Valkan

The tools Ryan appraised were all generally 'decent' at around E/D grade. It seemed like quantity was of a higher importance than quality. They weren't exactly shabby though, which suggested they were an uncomfortable compromise between mass-producing and trying to still offer some level of quality. The sword was the polar opposite. As Cynthia was swinging it around, Ryan would spot something. The girl was clearly talented, but this sword was highly specialised for someone that wasn't Cynthia. She was just short of being able to use it to its fullest, although she came very close.

Aileen

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Spoiler: Full Image

“Hey, Cynth, do you know if uncle has any...” Aileen's voice could be heard before she even passed around the corner, but when she walked in and spotted Ryan, Cynthia's existence was instantly forgotten. “Ryan! You're here!” She called out happily.

Ryan would instantly notice a few things about her. For one, she was covered in greyish dust, like crushed rocks. Clothes, hair, pretty much everything was covered in it. Some of her clothing was torn and ragged as well. Her hands in particular, were looking really roughed up. She worked as a smith, so she had rough hands, but even those clearly hadn't been up to the task of whatever she'd been doing. They were reddened and blistered, some fingers had been roughly wrapped up after it looked like they'd been bleeding.

However, there was one thing that looked pristine. Kept clean and safe regardless of how she'd been looking after herself. Ryan had never seen her wear jewellery before, so his would be a first for him. A sterling silver necklace hang across her neck. It's pristine shine was forming a sharp contrast with Aileen's grimy and rough look, but as they same, diamonds were shining brightest in the rough. Something along those lines.

“I'm really glad you're here, remember when I said I promised you I'd show you some cool places? I made sure we can go to one of the coolest ones of them them all! It shouldn't be to late to go there if we go now, so will join me?” She asked, eyes full of eager expectancy. Whatever she had planned, she was clearly highly excited about it. Oh, she also didn't even seem to register Cynthia's existence any-more. She had eyes for only one person.

 

[Uasal]

Cynthia

Just as Cynthia finished her whisper, the Smithy was assaulted by the sound of Aileen arriving. Though faint, given their close proximity, Ryan would have heard Cynthia suck her teeth in annoyance. Of course, Aileen had to return right this second, right when she had been so close to securing a date with Ryan! And... was she ignoring Cynthia! The audacity! Releasing her hand from Ryan's chest the woman moved to stand directly in front of her little cousin, pressing her chest against her own.

Sparks practically flying Cynthia was quick to force a smile, tilting her head to the side, but eyes aflame as she glared daggers at Aileen. "Can't you see I'm currently busy with Ryan, Aileen? Don't you have some work to be doing? You know, some trees to be climbing or rocks to be smashing together?" Eye twitching, Cynthia gripped her cousin's shoulder firmly. "Besides, you never told me he was this good-looking... He practically swept me off my feet! That's playing dirty!".

Glancing back at Ryan, Cynthia offered him a sweet smile and wave "But see I'm not afraid to fight fair and square. I'll cover for you, but in return, I get a picnic. And you can't but in! What do you say? Afraid you can't match me?".


Elvario Valkan​

 

[DuckPrince]

Micah Ambrose​

Micah wasn't expecting to be dragged back to the tavern.. but at least it was by elves this time. Or, a sibling dragging her surrendered brother and himself along. He definitely felt sympathy for the scout, on a personal level really. Once sat in a corner, away from too many eyes, he did seem to relax a bit.

The alcohol he was given was nice, kind of like fruity champagne from his homeworld. He sipped it quietly at first. It was definitely nicer to drink than distilled alcohol. He used to get shitfaced often back home to avoid being depressed. "Micah Ambrose.." He said eventually, looking at her. "I'm just trying to survive.. maybe saving up for a ranch.. I just want to work with horses. Animals and plants are far better than most people." He said lightly. He didn't look either of them in the eyes, and if they tried to meet his eyes, he would look at their forehead or nose bridge. "I've been interrogated a lot today since no one is keen to be friendly to a stranger." He mused. It did sting just a bit, but he didn't expect anything else. A certain amount of distrust was healthy.

Elvario

 

[Valkan]

Ryan Kylieth
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The blacksmith listened attentively, while also trying to shuffle away from Cynthia. But it was futile, she easily overpowered him. Which was a tad bit humiliating considering that she's a baker and he's a blacksmith. Though considering her display of skill from earlier, it made more sense. Not that he stopped feeling the need to work out because of it. Regardless, for a [Timid] person, it was a bit much for their first encounter in terms of flirting.

That's when a voice coming from the entrance instantly made his heart race. "Ail..." he didn't get a chance to greet her, though. As Cynthia cut him off and went on the offensive against her, further insulting her as she did... And this time she didn't go under the radar. When Cynthia turned to Ryan, his expression was a completely different one from before. Cold and distant, with his eye flaring in anger. "Do not..." he took a step forward "Insult her..." two more steps "In my presence..." he finished placing himself between the cousins, glaring just as furiously as Cynthia did with Aileen "Ever again."

Sighing with exasperation, he gently got ahold of Aileen's forearm and walked with her away from the smithy, picking the rack he brought on the way out. Ready to lash out at Cynthia again if needed. He hoped he didn't have to, though. That took way too much effort, and still, it felt like the right action to take.

Ryan came to a halt once he realized he had been pulling Aileen the whole time, a few houses down the road. "Oh! I-I'm sorry." he let go of Aileen "I don't know what just came over me... It felt like the right thing to do. I apologize if that was too much." Though with his overloaded mind began to relax, he made a closer inspection of Aileen "Look at you... They had you at the mine or something?" he asked as he tried to gently brush and pat the gray dust off of her, he even tried to get some off her face by passing his hand by her cheeks. That's when he noticed she was wearing his gift. The chain was somehow immaculate. He chuckled nervously "I'm glad you liked it that much" then sighed, as if content with the small cleaning he did "Your hands, do they hurt? You should at least wash them before we go where you want to take me..." he asked, smiling yet again.

Elvario Uasal

 

[TheTimePiece]

Teuihua
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Elvario RavenSong
Teuihua looked to Ethel, glad to hear that she seemed to approve of the religious practices of his civilization. However he didn't entirely understand why she was under the impression that they wouldn't be suitable for the current time, perhaps an unfortunate side effect of so many years going by. He supposed she was the best judge of that however since she had actually lived in this current day her whole life, unlike Teuihua who hadn't woken up all that long ago all things considered.

"I suppose that is to be expected."
Teuihua thought for a moment before he tried to speak like he had heard Ethel speaking, a bit puzzled but assumed it would somehow help him fit in.
"Thou mean I should try to speak liketh thou art and i wilt art more accepted?" The dialect no doubt sounding strange in his ancient accent, but he tried at the very least it seemed to do something like what Ethel was saying.
---

Teuihua couldn't remember seeing too much organic life who were in the human tree who could pick up stuff as easily as Hallr seemed capable of. "It's nice to meet you Hallr." Teuihua naturally replied at getting the name. Better yet he heard where he was supposed to bring the lumber it sounded like, and there would be tangible use for what he had brought as expected. Teuihua looked toward the storage area and gave a nod of confirmation that he understood what Hallr thought he should do.

He figured now that Regula was there however he should probably confirm that's what she wanted him to do, had there been no one else there he probably would have just done what Hallr said immediately and then continued to wait for further instructions from those who needed help. He was glad to see that Hall was polite to the Baroness himself well enough.

Teuihua found it curious that Regula even felt like asking if it had hurt, before he continued in a positive intonation once more. "I will agree that Janja raised a particularly strong animal, but even then it is nothing serious there is no need for worry, he merely dented my armor. I appreciate the concern, but I've been hit by much worse, and it takes a lot more for me to feel something that is comparable discomfort feeling to the pain that someone who possesses skin and bone experiences." Teuihua replied. His Natural E Grade Heavy Armor on his [Large] form had been more than enough to shock adsorb the strike largely, Teuihua had been hit by monsters on a larger scale and not felt discomfort. Indeed with the way Teuihua described it didn't sound exactly like he experienced the same thing as pain in the same way.

"However even so it would probably be advisable for repair, to maintain my maximum efficiency." A dent was still a potential vulnerability in Teuihua's mind.

Of course Teuihua wasn't even thinking in the context of Regula's thought of her reputation in that moment, he was simply assessing and relaying the situation as what was accurate in his mind, as to explain why he hadn't fulfilled his task yet, since that was his primary objective until either something more pressing came up or told otherwise

"It is not a problem at all Baroness, I understand and I will see that it is done then." Teuihua replied as diligently as he could. There didn't seem to be any judgement or sense of annoyance from Teuihua, indeed instead he was calm and seemed happy enough that he had the information he needed to complete the task. He then placed his hand back on the cart and began to lumber over towards the storage area that had been pointed out to him with the cart in tow so that he could deliver the lumber.

 

[RavenSong]

She pondered Regula words for a fair while as Aria looked at her, she was genuine about Rosalia, to which she looked down a bit before nodding. “If it’s fine with you. Then i accept.” She said finally. The following comments provoked a head tilt from the sword maiden, it was a peculiar request, “If i.. still got it? Forgive me, but there’s nothing very special about serving drunk people more drinks and having to sometimes carry them out after they’ve reached excessive levels of intoxication.” She looked away, “Besides, aren’t my responsibilities meant to keep the guard at its highest level of performance?” Perhaps Aria was taking it the wrong way, perhaps her friend was simply inviting her to some time off, perhaps a moment of respite? It was impossible to tell, so she took her words for what they were.

—

After a short ’sprint’ back to Sootspire the giant known as Teuihua could be seen first, the glow about this construct was quite peculiar, he appeared to be obviously alive due to the effects of some kind of magic. Aria had spent a great deal of time with constructs by now however, which could be seen in the sword maidens features’ lack of surprise. Regula would speak up, upon her noticing the golem and inspecting the damages. She wouldn’t have much say when Regula asked she set out to look for Amanda. Aria nodded, “Very well, i’ll set out at once.” She saluted as she dismissed. After asking around a bit, she caught a glimpse of some horse tracks leading out of Sootspire proper to the mines. She picked up the pace, starting from a walk to a jog, it seemed she had traveled a bit out. After some time, a mine came into view, and a man’s voice could be heard but not before a strange scent overwlemed Aria’s sense. She slowly put the top of her hand under her nose. Surely, something had died in the mines. Before she knew it she was in the presence of the man whose voice it was and Amanda, her objective in this mission. “Lady Steelhaven, what brings you this far from the guard?” She inquired, a bit of a monotone sternness in her voice. “The baroness has requested your presence in regards to the plans meant to be reviewed.” She then turned to the miner, or so she assumed was a miner. “Well met citizen, I am marshal Aria Barlow, what business do you conduct here?” She’d glance into the darkness of the mines, recalling stories of the bards that would pass through Highgrove talking about unspeakable horrors that dwelled in the deep dark places.

 

[conman2163]

Retili Loxinofican​

Elvario

Retili was pleased with the quick and polite service the man gave. He passed over payment for all the drinks in turn as the man poured and served, and when they were finished he handed over a letter to prove that he was in fact the Baroness's advisor with a mission to complete a census. As the drinks were poured, he was surprised by a small commotion and that the three at cause were Safron, Sherwood, and Micah. He was happy to pay for all the drinks, and he even slipped some more coin to cover the three in the corner. He figured a little good will would be engendered from the simple act of kindness. The next few rounds they would have to cover however. He took a cautious sip of the ale. It was a lot more than he bargained for. He found himself thinking that he should have asked for a light ale as well. Far too polite to refuse the drink however, he decided he would just sip at the ale while they talked. As the barkeep started to rattle out names Retili removed a book and began to write quickly. The local notables he starred, especially the merchants and smiths as it seemed metals would be this town's main export. Even the practiced scribe's pen hand began to ache as he wrote, blotted, and set fresh pages aside at an almost cartoonish pace to keep up with the barkeep.

When they were finished the scribe removed a small rag from within his satchel and did his best to wipe away the ink that had come to stain his left hand. He had tried to keep the bad habit of resting his left hand on the paper out of his work, but the speed had him working off instinct as opposed to the skill he usually displayed. He already knew that he would need to copy over much of the information later. He finished blotting the pages, put them into a leather folder, and placed them into his satchel. He placed and extra coin on the bar as a tip for the information from the barkeep. Then he took a large drink of the ale as a bit of a victory lap. The only thing that would have made it better was if Hestia was here to drink with him. Business done, he figured he might take a poke at what the Barkeep knew of Hestia in Stonewall. It wouldn't hurt to know more about her after all. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about Miss Hestia over in Stonewall would you? I thought maybe since you were both barkeeps and your towns were relatively close you might know something."

 

[Uasal]

Amanda Steelhaven

Amanda jotted down a few final notes while listening to the miner before storing her notebook back in her satchel. Having been focused on writing she hadn't-noticed his wandering eyes until she looked up to find him staring, quite boldly, toward her waist and hips. 'What a creep'.Feeling a shiver run up her back upon noticing this, Amanda did her best to push her thoughts of the man aside. After all she was at a mine and though creepy and smelly as he was, the man had approached a rather interesting topic. The goblin raid. Though Amanda had her own thoughts on the matter she decided it best not to voice them, as a citizen of Kirkwall the goblin raid of Soothspire was often a topic of criticism. Criticism Amanda felt would not be welcomed by the slaughter-happy man.

That said he did bring up some good points of his own that Amanda felt were easy enough to speak on, even as an outsider. Though, how he went about explaining those points left a bad taste in Amanda's mouth, to say the least. Forcing a smile Amanda folded her hands neatly behind her back, inspecting the outer face of the mine as well as what she could see of the support structures within from where she stood. Though her eye scanned her vicinity, she would often return them to the man out of caution. She was really starting to get a bad feeling about him."Hmm, goblins multiply at a rapid rate. If left alone for too long a small tribe will become a colony in no time at all. Killing them all was indeed the right choice.".

Amanda however didn't get much of a chance to finish her train of thought before the man was speaking about what might come to pass should a young woman like herself be met alone by such a foe. Doing her best to remain calm in the face of a very dodgy and unpredictable situation, Amanda continued to force her smile. Eyes now no longer concerned with the mine at all. Taking no chances. Perhaps she was overthinking things but she didn't like this situation at all! Not one bit! "My... what a vivid image. You eh... you have my thanks. Without you, women all across the barony would no doubt find it harder to sleep at night." 'yeh right!'.

Just as things were reaching a point of no return, a familiar voice rang out from behind. Though Amanda would have rejected the man's offer for a closer look at the mines under the current circumstances, Aria's sudden appearance with an excuse to do so was a godsend. To say Amanda was relieved was an understatement. Taking a step back and behind the woman, Amanda put some much-needed space between herself and the man in question. Amanda had yet to see the marshal in action but her presence alone had made Amanda feel much safer. A testament to her skill no doubt.

"Ah, my plans. Yes. Of course.". Looking to the man with her forced smile yet again, Amanda offered him a goodbye "Ah, apologies. It seems I'm needed elsewhere quite urgently. One cannot keep the Baroness waiting, please inform this 'prospector' I will need to meet with him. And t...thank you for the chat.". Not wanting to cause a scene or dishonour a citizen for little more than unease and assault of the nose, Amanda decided it best to leave on a good note. After all he hadn't actually done anything wrong, no matter how creepy he was. But that said she wasted no time in vacating the area. Stopping to rest only after reaching her horse which was thankfully near the road entrance and out of sight from the man.

Turning to face Aria, Amanda felt a flood of emotion wash over her. The sudden relief of being out of that situation was almost enough to break her composure. Looking at the Marshal, Amanda felt her heartbeat race. Though the woman likely meant to do nothing more than retrieve and escort Amanda, she had unknowingly just rescued her from a situation most emotionally dire. A situation that could have gone a lot worse. Struggling to come up with something to say, as well as to keep eye contact, Amanda turned back to face her horse. Her voice quiet and to a trained ear, shaken "T.Thank you.". Ears turning a soft shade of red Amanda continued "And sorry." Mounting her horse Amanda made ready to leave. Offering her hand the woman "Here, let me give you a ride back to town"
RavenSong Elvario ​

 

[Elvario]

Sootspire
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Village Centre
Time: 16:00 Weather: Clear skies.

Spoiler: W.I.P. Sootspire map

Mentions: Teuihua TheTimePiece

Ethel

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Spoiler: Full Image

“Thou art gifted in thy adaptation of speech! Shouldst thou continueth, thou shalt reveleth in fame beforeth long!” Ethel enthusiastically declared to her new companion in speech. Today was a most glorious day indeed. She'd already forgotten she'd yet to see his innards.

Regula Caelia
​

She nodded at Teuihua's reply. She wondered if not feeling pain like that was going to be an advantage or not. That said, on the topic of repairs... Her blacksmith instincts were tingling. She was pretty eager to work on a being like him. “Let's get you sorted out then, I'm sure we've got some time before I'll be meeting the people here.” She... wasn't exactly sure, but that was an issue for later. “Let's go check the nearby smithy.” They didn't need to look for long though, as it was across the street from the storage.

The Ironbender
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Smithy

Mentions: Teuihua TheTimePiece

They'd find the smithy either empty or with Cynthia still lingering (as the unloading would've taken enough time for Ryan and Aileen to be gone already). “Hmm... I'd normally like to check in with the local smith before using their forge, but considering nobody's around and I'd like to get started on this, I guess I'll lay temporary claim on it for the sake of the greater good for our barony~” She would, however, make sure to keep track of any materials she'd use to ensure the smith would receive proper payment for them. Then again, she'd not need a lot for un-denting someone. As she looked around to gather up the right tools to un-dent Teuihua, she spotted the large quantity of unrefined ores. It seemed like the amount of ore they mined was larger than they had the capacity to melt down into ingots properly. “Alright, I think I got everything I'll need~ Let's get you all nice and smooth again.” She said, planning to un-dent him possibly polish the metal arm while at it. That said, there was something that'd made her question some things. “That ancient civilisation you were talking about with Ethel. Are you sure that was in this geographical area? If so, it might be worth investigating what traces there are left of it, if they were able to employ people like you.” That's when another thing she'd heard him mention came to mind. “Ah, don't worry, I'll respect the skull-inlaying parts from the past and try not to disturb it, even though Ethel was correct that it wouldn't be deemed appropriate in the current day and age.”

Rockmead Ale
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Tavern

Mentions: Retili conman2163

Berk

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Spoiler: Full Image

A silence so thick that it felt like you could cut through it with a knife. That was what Retili was met with at the mention of Hestia. She and her daughter had gone unmentioned in the long-winded detailing of just about anyone living in or related to Sootspire... The man's already furry and full eyebrows seemed to frown even further than their natural state. “Why would someone like you wish to know more about someone like here?” The tone in his voice was... mildly annoyed? It was peculiar. It was clear, however, that he didn't much like the topic for some reason or another.

Ezekiel Hayward

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Spoiler: Full Image

Should Retili spare a sideways glance, he'd notice the captain had already finished his drink and was now staring at a piece of paper like he was trying to burn a hole through it with the powers of his mind.

Saffron

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Spoiler: Full Image

Mentions: Micah DuckPrince

When Saffron realised the first round of drinks was 'free' due to some other Fae, she gave him (Retili) a friendly wave and immediately ordered another round with her own money. “Ah, a round of free drinks~ This day went from amazing to ultra-amazing.”

She leaned over towards Micah when he replied. Mostly due to him not speaking all that loudly. “Micah Ambrose... nice one!” The name surely had a ring to it. “A bit Human-esque though. Do you have a Human somewhere up your ancestry tree?” As for his job, she nodded. “A horse ranch sounds interesting. Good horses sell for a lot to the nobility. However, I wouldn't say animals and plants are better than most people~ People can be fun, you just have to know how to work with them. I'll give it to you that knowing how to work with plants or animals is easier than knowing how to work with people~”

She chucked at his mention of being interrogated a lot. “Perhaps they're just jealous they can't all be as good-looking as you Micah. Right bro?”

Sherwood

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Spoiler: Full Image

Sherwood had been trying to pretend his drink was the only person with him this evening, so getting pulled roughly out of his bubble was a bit of a shock. What even was the question again? Probably if he was enjoying himself. “Yes, I'm liking it a lot.” He replied, hoping that would satisfy his sisters inquiry. He knew that anything less 'convincing' was probably just going to have her try harder, which would be an annoyance.

Sootspire Mine
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Mine

Mentions: Amanda Uasal | Aria RavenSong

Ebenezer

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Spoiler: Full Image

“Oh, my, if it isn't the Champion of Light herself! Hah hah.” The man spoke upon Aria introducing herself, with a bit of a foul little laugh at the end. “Ah, sorry, my bad. Former Champion of Light. Real shame he got himself killed. Real shame... Would've been great seeing a gal like you massacre goblin kids, elderly and woman at his command, just like before... would be very great indeed. I bet those legs could squash and splatter some skulls.” He said, as he was staring at Aria's legs. “As for my business here... I work here. Some mining. Checking for stray goblins at times. Graciously showing lassies like this one around...” He said, pointing at Amanda.

He'd just nodded along with Amanda's attempt at being 'subtle' towards him. He had, however, commented on the sleeping at night part. “Heh... heh... it's true, but you ain't fooling me. Not a single lassie ever genuinely thanked me for it. Y'all need folk like me to do their jobs, but ain't wanna have us enjoy doing it. That's it, ain't it?” That said, she was tactical enough to leave on a 'good' note all things considered. “That's fine lassie... sure... Come back if you want to have me show you them mines though.” He knew she wouldn't, yet felt the need to say it anyway.

Aileen

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Spoiler: Full Image

Mentions: Ryan Valkan

Aileen was frozen in place. She'd always told Cynthia just about anything. They were cousins, but with Cynthia being among the few girls around her age in the area, they'd also been great friends on top of it. Well, other then the many times they butted heads about something, of course... Even so, she'd told Cynthia about Ryan without thinking much of it. It's why the sudden aggressiveness had her at a loss for words. Her brain was still stuck between 'quick, hit her with the hammer' and 'make a run for it' mode without even really processing Cynthia's words. Other than the key part of Cynthia suddenly wanting Ryan. That couldn't happen, right?

Before she had her thoughts straight enough to react, she suddenly heard Ryan speak up. She'd never seen him like that. She wasn't even aware he could be like that. It was... it was for her? He was doing this for her, wasn't he? She always thought the butterfly feeling in one's chest was a stupid metaphor, but that was the only way she could describe what she felt when Ryan stepped in front of her and separated her from her cousin. When her forearm was grabbed, it was like the world around them blurred, with her simply following along without another thought in the world. She felt like he could walk to the moon with her right now and she'd follow without a question.

It's why she was almost sad when he suddenly let go and apologised. “I... No... That was... It was really cool.” She stammered, unsure of how to verbalise what she'd just felt. “It's... You can be even cooler than I thought.” She wanted to bite her tongue after saying that. Did she just say she first thought he couldn't be all that cool? Her heart was beating so quickly, she felt like she could barely think straight.

Luckily enough, there was a distraction. The necklace. “Yes! It's great! I never managed to make more detailed things like that. My dad says I'm not precise enough.”

Then, the attention got drawn to her hands. “Oh, no, this is... I eh, well. I was trying to surprise you, but I had to check up on something and it wasn't great so I had to fix it to surprise you but I wasn't sure if there was enough time so...” She stammered relatively incoherently.

“I'll show you! Just come along! I'll wash my hands in the water later...” She said, not wanting to wait another second before going to show Ryan what she'd been wanting to show him for a while now.

She'd lead Ryan in the direction of Sootspire Mountain, but would take a small side-path. It didn't look well-travelled, although there were signs of recent usage. It was a pretty narrow and unassuming path, with eventually seemed to end with a large rock formation blocking it. “Here, look!” She said, pointing at various pins and handles hammered into the rocks. Some were very old, some had recently been worked on or added. Putting two and two together, it was likely that Aileen had been fixing up the 'climbing' part of this trail.

“I'm not sure how good you are at climbing, but with the trail all fixed up, I'm sure you'll be able to get up here as well. Come on, I'll show you how to get up the easiest.” She said, as she'd carefully ascent the rocks, making sure that Ryan would see exactly how and where she placed her hands and feet so that he could follow along steadily and easily.

Once they were up, it was only a small bit further. From a distance, Ryan would notice it was some sort of mini-valley tucked away on the mountain-side.

Aileen's Secret Spot
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Mountain

“I loved coming here when I was young, so I really wanted to show this place to you as well!” She said, looking at Ryan.

 

[DuckPrince]

Micah Ambrose​

Micah shook his head. "No humans. If something like that happened, the consequences would've been.. traumatizing.." He said under his breath. He hated thinking of his family, they were narrow-minded hypocrites that would happily watch this new world burn if they were ever to show up.
At the mention of his face though, he shook his head. It was obvious Sherwood wasn't paying attention to the conversation and he wasn't going to bring it up and embarrass the introvert. "People judge far more than animals do. They don't lie like people. An animal will see you as a moron simply because you've done something moronic, not because of how you might look or things you're interested in." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I am aware it's a very biased and jaded opinion. I'm sure extroverts like yourself, Miss Saffron, and folks who actually like people would disagree." He said softly. "Much like your brother, I would rather flee and quietly spend time in the stables."

He swirled the alcohol glass while tilting his head. "But.. if.. either of you perhaps know of any means I could earn more coin.. I would greatly appreciate it." Hopefully he would find some ways to earn coin besides taking care of Hestia's stables. It admittedly wasn't all that much work once one had a rhythm going.

Elvario

 

[TheTimePiece]

Teuihua
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Mentions: Elvario
Hearing Ethel pleased by extension made Teuihua rather happy as he went off to finish his primary task. It seemed for now Teuihua had been concerned for naught since Ethel sounded rather agreeable to at least part of his civilization's culture and religion which reassured Teuihua that perhaps all would be okay despite him being divorced from his time and place. Truthfully Teuihua was a bit too self conscious to try speaking like that to the baroness at the moment, even with Ethel's encouragement, Teuihua imagined he'd need more practice if he wanted to sound like Ethel did perfectly.
---
"As long as it truly isn't a bother that sounds like a splendid idea Baroness." Teuihua replied cheerily enough, after lumbering back from leaving the lumber there in the holding area. He felt at ease that it sounded like she actually wanted to fix him up rather than it being an inconvenience, making his way back. The golem diligently followed her across the way to the forge. To Teuihua this would certainly be much more efficient. He continued to survey the area making sure that the Baronness was safe as they crossed, it was definitely a force of habit of sorts when he was with someone he deemed of importance.
---
Once they arrived at the forge Teuihua found the space to be most interesting. Some tools were more familiar than others but ultimately, so many years of advancement left the golem very curious about the space around him. For now he just tried to stay out of Regula's way whilst she went to get what she needed, standing nearby.. Upon hearing Regula's comment about the greater good Teuihua nodded. It was nothing odd to Teuihua the most elite leadership from his time could seize whatever they wanted from the lower classes and there wasn't much anyone could do about it. Thankfully not many of them went around deliberately, but if they saw something they liked in someone's dwelling? They frequently could just seize it. Of course Teuihua wasn't aware about her plan to keep track of the materials and repayment had he known he would have praised her kindness.

Teuihua felt a sense of trust with Regula having worked for her for the time he had and she had been quite kind to him so he had no qualms with letting her work on the arm, he shifted himself so that she had easy access to it. "Thank you, I very much appreciate it." While it was. true that Teuihua didn't usually feel pain on the natural armor layer, there was certainly discomfort to be had even if it wasn't exactly pain on the inner layers of his body if not prepared properly for opening.It didn't sound like this was going to go below his natural armor layer, Teuihua typically liked to go into stasis for the duration if someone was going to go that deep. "I do apologize however, my body does not appear currently to be up to usual performance and have not been for awhile, since I woke up, I imagine so many years of stasis has led to a slow start up, but I predict that some of my more usual features will return with time and will exponentially lower the chance of me getting dented in the future from something of that caliber, even so I still feel I am capable to continue to carry out the tasks I've been working on so far."
Teuihua rotated his head towards Regula once more at the mention of that.
"Yes the Mictlantecuhtlian civilization built off from the nearby water source and spread out from there, there were multiple cities spread throughout these lands. It is interesting you mention that Baroness, I myself have had a similar thought, it would be good for me to go and see if i can recover anything of value, I know that it wouldn't help much with my current predicament but It would also bring me peace to understand what happened while I was in stasis for all those years, I thought maybe Hathaway the Priest might like to accompany me there one day so that I could show him what I spoke of back from Windfall, the village I mentioned. Even so an excursion could be useful regardless of who goes." Teuihua agreed.

"I also thank you for your religious and cultural considerations, particularly since you are under no obligation, I am certain that Cuhxoch smiles favorably upon you, in that you wish to respect their sites." Teuihua said once more taking on a positive tone.

 

[Valkan]

Ryan Kylieth
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Cool? Aileen thought what Ryan did was cool? He couldn't help but smile at the response he got. Maybe making himself heard wasn't all that bad after all... With Aileen at least. His smile grew brighter when Aileen complimented his gift. With a nod, he rebutted "I'm sure you will, in time" As for her hands, she got quite flustered about it. Ryan tried to calm her down while also showing interest in what she had in store for him "It's ok then, lead the way!"

A short walk later, the two of them stood before a rock they had to climb. Or so he assumed from the various climbing assets standing out from the formation. The most he had climbed before this were a few trees in his own secret spot, back in his own village. That said, he wouldn't let Aileen's efforts be in vain. First, he paid close attention to Aileen's motions as she climbed. As for his own attempt, he climbed with no issue other than perhaps his speed. He didn't want to fall and embarrass himself at best.

Regardless, once up top, and an even shorter walk later. Ryan was treated with a rather awe inspiring sight. With Aileen likely expecting an answer, Ryan was quick to respond "It's very beautiful..." he said as he admired the greatness of this place, and back into Aileen's eyes.

Say it! Say it! Say it! The echo of an idea grew noisier and noisier in his head, at some point he had even started fidgeting with something in his hand. Until, in an instant of relative ease he stammered "Verymuchlikeyou!" he hoped that was comprehensive enough. He was unsure how he managed to keep eye contact during that, but he did... He just hoped he wasn't being too hasty.

Well, there was probably no coming back from that. So it was most likely a good chance to present Aileen the second part of his gift. Using his [Introverted Charisma F], he cooled down just enough to steel himself and follow through. His reddened face projected a nervous, yet determined smile. "I have another gift for you... Or, well, the second half of the one you're wearing." He extended his closed hand fidgeting with something moments ago.

Spoiler: Gift

Opening his hand for Aileen to observe, she would find a silver pendant with some runes in it. Embedded in the silver, there was a smooth to the touch, cyan stone. "I hope you don't mind me being brazen, but I would like to see you with it, so..." as he spoke, Ryan's hands extended around Aileen's neck. And without much delay, he attached the pendant to the chain. He moved it to the front, and took a step back. "I am not good with words, so I wanted to give you something that showed you how you make me feel... Hold it tight, and, well, you'll see..." His bravado beginning to fall apart as he finished speaking. Being so direct was exhausting, he only hoped the effort was worth it.

Were Aileen to firmly grasp the pendant, in a matter of seconds, it would start to emit heat. Not a burning flame like the ones they're accustomed to work with. It was more like a gentle, embracing warmth that could make someone feel all their tensions wash away.

Elvario

 

[conman2163]

Retili Loxinofican​

Elvario

Retili internally was smacking himself over the head. The body language and tone of the man clearly told him that this was not a matter the man liked to talk about or wanted to talk about. He had firmly stuck his foot in it. Externally Retili simply raised an eyebrow. He could have lied and said he was going to ask after most folks in stonewall to try and get out of this mess, but he decided to be honest. "I apologize if it's a touchy subject. I was curious because she's become someone of particular interest to me and I was curious to learn more about her. I'm happy to drop the subject though. I've no wish to upset anyone." [Persuasion E, Insight F, Empathy E, Perception F] Retili tried to put some honey in his words to wriggle out of this situation. Of course if he could get more information that would have been preferable, but he'd be happy to break even at this point.

 

[Uasal]

Amanda Steelhaven

Riding back into town Amanda kept her peace, not wanting to discuss the matter any further. It hadn't shaken her too deeply but it most certainly had left her with a lot to think about. She didn't personally feel as though the man meant her any harm but he most certainly was a creep, of that she had no doubt. That said what if he had meant her harm, what would she have done then? This wasn't like Kirkwall, she couldn't just walk around in dangerous and shady locations expecting everything to be ok. One must always be prepared for the worst, even if it never comes to pass. That's what her father always told her anyway. Perhaps asking the Baroness to assign her a guard while carrying out her duties was a necessary precaution.

Alas now wasn't the time for that, the Baroness had summoned her and if she was to give advice and insight into her blueprints, Amanda would need to be in the proper headspace. And so pushing the thought aside for now she rode with Aria back to town. It didn't take them long to find the Baroness what with Aria guiding her and so Amanda arrived back quite quickly with Aria in tow. Entering the Blacksmiths behind the woman. Once inside she offered the Baroness a smile and bowed "Baroness Celia, you asked for my presence and so I have come.". Rising the woman looked to the Baroness and the Golem from before. She still hadn't had a chance to interact with the construct but from what she had seen so far she was impressed. Impressed and very curious to see if the construct would be willing to assist in future projects. Projects she was actually to present right now for starts!

Reaching for her scrolls Amanda placed them on a fee table and awaited the Baroness "Please, don't let me interrupt, I'll leave the schematics here and when you're ready we can discuss them. Ask anything you like regarding them."

Layed out on the table would be:
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• A redesign of the Stonewall wall C Grade {Arcitecture Expert}​
• A detailed plan for the implementation of a four-crop rotation within the Stonewall area C grade {Agriculture Expert} {Arcitecture Expert}

  Spoiler: [Zoning is Crucial!]

  [Zoning is Crucial! - Insight E, Architecture C - Amanda calls upon her sim knowledge in order to effectively zone and plan city and town structures as well as rezone existing areas to better the logistics and future growth of areas as a whole. - Grade C - 3 Post Cooldown}
• A detailed breakdown of how Amanda foresaw the 'Four Crop Rotation' affecting the economy of the Barony. Highlighting, in particular, the sale and export of Meat and Barley with an added note that at a later date production of alcohol may become available. Of course, cons were also listed of which bandits and wolf attacks ranked the highest right after 'stubborn farmers'. {Bussiness Expert}​

Abilities: Zoning is Crucial! - Cooldown 3 turns
TheTimePiece Elvario ​

---

Cythia Stroop
Kirkwall's Baker

In all honesty, Cynthia was quite taken aback by Ryan's sudden defence of Aileen. In fact, it left her speechless which was quite the feat! However, it seemed there had been quite the misunderstanding and before the woman could clear such up the two had fled the scene. It wasn't uncommon for Aileen and Cynthia to clash heads or insult one another, heck physical bouts weren't even a shock to see. Yet of course to an outsider it would most certainly have seemed as though Cynthia were completely out of line! Ah! Why was she always so cursed when it came to love affairs? Of course, he had to see it that way! See her that way!

Still, though Ryan had no way of knowing, he had left Cynthia even more lovestruck than before. Watching him defend Aileen like that, seeing the fire in his eyes despite his gentle nature "Ahhh, I can't let him go that easy!". Heartbeat racing and emotions flaring Cynthia let out a deep sigh before tears began to well up. Why was romance always so cruel to her? Also, Ryan was scary! Dreamy but oh so scary to be on the receiving end of! His eyes! Trying to compose herself the woman made for the private area out back.

Only to return to the forge, eyes clearly red, after Amanda had said her piece. Looking around in surprise, especially so upon seeing a giant golem, the woman quickly took hold of the rapier from before and pointed it toward the construct "S.Stop! What are you all doing here? State your names and purpose! And... and you!" Pointing her blade toward the Baroness, unknowingly, of course, the woman's eyes focused "what do you think you're doing with those items? Those tools are off-limits to outsiders! do you know the sentence for theft!"

Coughing softly Amanda spoke up "Cynth... that's the Baroness you're pointing your blade toward."

Cynthia would immediately sheath the weapon before turning to Amanda with confusion clearly evident on every feature. "A.AMANDA!?". Turning back to the Baroness the woman would immediately kneel "I. I . I . I! Ahh" Biting her tongue the woman would fumble and fall forward onto her forehead with a soft twacking sound. Producing a muffled sentence thereafter "Please, spare me".

Laughing to herself Amanda moved to help the woman up while smiling to the Baroness "This is Cynthia Stroop, Kirkwall's baker extraordinaire. Her uncle runs this smithy. Please excuse her bad manners, she has terrible luck as you can see." Laughing again Amanda turned her focus to the woman who was pouting "Though, I must admit this has to be the worst I've ever seen it haha!"

"Not funny... Didn't laugh" she puffed and grumbled.

Elvario TheTimePiece Valkan​

 

[Elvario]

Sootspire
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Village Centre
Time: 16:00 Weather: Clear skies.

Spoiler: W.I.P. Sootspire map

Mentions: Teuihua TheTimePiece

Regula Caelia
​

She was curious at Teuihua's mention of not being at his normal performance. “Perhaps we might be able to upgrade the out layer of your metal at some point, as I'd imagine that even though not looking rusty, it might have simply become more brittle with age...” An idea came to mind. “Do you know about mithril? Perhaps I could even forge you some mithril parts and enchant them for you. I bet that'd be able to get you in an even better shape than your previous best.”

As for the civilisation, she nodded. “Oddly enough, that reminds me of some odd circular structures we encountered on our way here. They should be somewhere in Morbella Barony, west of here.” She wondered if they really were related, but those were rumoured to be from an ancient civilisation an they were near the water. “I don't think I know the man, but I'm sure we'll be able to contact him, should he be interest.” She replied to the topic of a priest. She wasn't too big on the whole religion deal, but figured that didn't need mentioning.

That changed when he mentioned Cuhxoch. “I'll be honest, the main reason that it's important to me, is due to it being important to you and due to being of cultural importance. I'm not particularly well-versed or interested in religious aspects. Especially not due to what I heard about collecting enemy skulls likely being a problematic practise were it to be done in our current day and age.”

Mentions: Amanda Uasal

It wasn't long after that Amanda arrived. She'd be met with the sight of Regula finishing up her work on Teuihua. Although nobody had pointed it out yet, Regula's and Aria's clothes were still tattered and dirty from Regula's earlier flying crash. Regula herself had already forgotten about it, however, having been far to exited to get to work on someone as interesting as Teuihua. “Thanks for coming, I hope the journey here wasn't too problematic?” She'd ask Amanda, quickly wrapping up the last bits on Teuihua. “There we go, as good as new.” She'd state, happy with her work.

She then quickly went though the list of what materials she'd used and counted out enough coin to make up for it with a bit of interest to make up for making use of this place unasked. She'd leave them on a table a bit further into the smithy with a quick note regarding the what and why of it.

Regula looked at the designs with clear interest, but eventually sighed. “I'm sorry, you're going to have to talk me through them from scratch. I'm afraid I lack to the expertise to know what I'm looking at well enough to judge it.” All she saw as impressive looking drawings that had a fair bit of effort put into them, but that she couldn't quite grasp.

Upon retrieving additional insight and explanation, however, Regula was quick to warm up to the ideas. “These are very impressive indeed. You're really making me warm up to implementing them as quickly as logistically possible. We should be able to deal with bandits and wolf attacks if we keep the likeliest targets of such an attack close to the villages and perhaps even provide our villages themselves with their own walls, or if we construct additional watchtowers. You'll have to tell me more about what you meant with 'stubborn farmers', though.”

Even so, her mind was made up. “I'll officially grand you the title Advisor of Caelia, to allow you to work on implementing these plans.” She then checked the area, before she'd got close to speak on a more hushed note. “However, I should warn you about one thing. I'm from a commoner background with only some bastard blood leading me to my current position, so there will undoubtedly be times where our plans are foiled simply due to people questioning my lineage. I believe it's only fair for you to be aware of this in advance. I hope you're still willing to help me turn this barony into something beautiful regardless.” Although her words were humble, her tone was not, as she spoke as a Baroness would [Baroness' Word C]. She loved Amanda's ambition due to how much it reminded her of her own past, which was exactly why she wanted Amanda to be aware of the set-backs that could stem from it.

Regula was surprised upon someone showing up and pointing a blade at her, but not the slightest bit scared or shocked. Perhaps she was overconfident in her abilities or instinctively grasping this would be cleared up, but something in her told her not to worry about this. The latter showed when Amanda spoke up. Now, oddly enough, the girl's sudden subservience caught her far more off guard. People kneeling to her like that really caught her off guard, making her doubt she'd ever get used to it. She'd barely warmed up to folk bowing to her. “No, no, please, get up. It's my bad for barging in here unannounced and making use of this place unasked.” She was quick to reply.

She shot Amanda a bit of a glare when she bullied the girl that looked to be in some sort of distress. This wasn't how Regula wanted to treat her subjects or wanted to see her subjects treat each-other. She'd offer Cynthia a hand to get back up. “I've left some money to compensate for the materials used. I hope none of it was reserved for other projects, but I didn't want to leave my friend dented for longer than needed.” She'd explain herself, but then got a closer look at Cynthia's eyes.

“You seem to be in distress. Is some thing wrong? I'd love to help out, if it's a problem I can help with.” Regula said, wondering if the smithy or bakery or something were in a bad shape, or if something bad had happened to this girl's uncle. Either way, she was oblivious to what the real reason of Cynthia's distress was or the level of seriousness behind it. Hence she used [Baroness' Word B] to convey her honest intend to help.

B Grade CD's: (0/4)
Baroness' Word – Character Grade B, [Baroness of Caelia] title, Culture C, Etiquette C, Leadership C, Persuasion C – Using her position as a baroness and her social prowess, Regula convinces, inspires or otherwise engages in social conversation. - Grade B – 4 Post Cooldown.
C Grade CD's: (0/3)
Baroness' Word – Character Grade C, [Baroness of Caelia] title, Culture C, Etiquette C, Leadership C, Persuasion C – Using her position as a baroness and her social prowess, Regula convinces, inspires or otherwise engages in social conversation. - Grade C – 3 Post Cooldown.

Rockmead Ale
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Tavern

Mentions: Retili conman2163

Berk

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Spoiler: Full Image

Retili's smooth tongue worked its wonders. “Fine. It's not like half the town isn't talking about it behind our backs... She's my ex-wife. We split up after she want to move to Stonewall and I wanted to stay in Sootspire. She was too afraid of another goblin attack on our village, I told her it'd be fine. We haven't had an attack since, but she still doesn't wish to return. She says she likes it better there. I like it better here. Our daughter only visits once every full moon or so.” He said, the amount of 'not liking this one bit' was overtly clear his voice. He then looked at Retili with a stern gaze. “So, add that to your census as you see fit.”

Ezekiel Hayward

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Spoiler: Full Image

From next to Retili, a murmur arose. “Sorry, I forgot to warn you.” He then looked at Berk, deciding to 'man up' a little. “Your wife and daughter are clearly happier now. You can't expect them to live their lives according to your will alone.” Although it got him a glare from Berk, the tavern owner didn't respond to it. Retili, however, with his insight and empathy, noticed something beneath the ulterior layer that Berk was putting up. Acceptance. Perhaps Berk himself didn't even really know it yet, but he had already come to accept that he was no longer married to this woman and that they'd drifted far enough apart to live totally different lives now.

Saffron

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Spoiler: Full Image

Mentions: Micah DuckPrince

Safrron picked up on Humans being a touchy subject, so she figured she'd best avoid it from now on. When Micah mentioned wanted to flee, like her brother, after his speech on animals and introverts, she gave a deep sigh. “Fine, you two win, be free!” She said, with a dramatic gesture, allowing them to run off. “Ah, by the way, for work, perhaps you might want to visit Kirkwall. I heard rumours they might have usage for someone working with horses, although I'll admit they're only rumours.”

Sherwood

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Spoiler: Full Image

When given permission to leave the place, the scout would normally just head out and find a quite place on the mountain side. This time around, he had a different idea. Mostly due to what Micah said. “Come.” He'd ask Micah, then leading him into the stables. It was nice there. Warmth from the animals. Scents of hay. Nobody trying to talk to them. For the next two hours or so, Sherwood would be content staring at the hay in front of him, allowing Micah to join him in doing so, if the latter wished to do so. However, as time was passing by, he'd once again speak up. “Come.” He spoke the exact same word again, but this time gestured as well.

Aileen's Secret Spot
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire: Mountain

Mentions: Ryan Valkan

Aileen

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Spoiler: Full Image

She was pretty relieved that Ryan liked this place. The idea that he wouldn't might've broken her heart. Then again, his next words got her pretty darn flustered. “R-really?” She replied. Great. That was how she was going to reply now? Mumbling doubt back at a compliment. She felt like she could sink into ground.

The necklace he was giving her, however, was amazing. “Wow.. that's really pretty.” She said, for a lack of better words. She turned red as a beet when Ryan put it around her neck. She silently did as told, holding the necklace. It felt warm. “I, thank you, I'm not sure what to say.” She said, feeling at a loss for words. The latter held up in its truest sense, as she just silently kept staring at Ryan and their surroundings, hoping to enjoy this feeling for as long as possible. Until she suddenly remembered something. “Wait, the fruits! We should go, it'd be rude to miss it!” She called out, quickly leading Ryan back towards Sootspire the way they came, without much further explanation.

Tree of Promises
Country of Ryken, County of Sadek, Barony of Caelia. Sootspire

Mentions: Amanda Uasal | Retili conman2163 | Ryan Valkan | Teuihua TheTimePiece | Micah DuckPrince

The group found themselves led towards a particular tree just outside of Sootspire, where all the village's residents had gathered. Even folk like Ebenezer were showing up. Sherwood had tactfully led Micah to a place near the edge, just close enough to see things, but as far away from everyone else as possible. Aileen, however, hadn't been so tactful, as she'd dragged Ryan into the crowd, wanting to be closer to the tree to show him what was about to go down. Regula, Amanda and even Teuihua had been swept up by the rest of the village passing the forge and had ended up in the crowd. Their company was getting looks left and right, but whatever was going on made it so people focussed less on the baroness and her company and more on what was about to transpire. To the group, three new faces stood out.

Jarek

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Spoiler: Full Image

One of them vaguely looked like Gobán, which Aileen soon clarified by greeting him with 'hello uncle!' upon spotting him.

Tisiphone

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Spoiler: Full Image

The other was a Fae woman who stood out as someone strong and dignified. Folk treated her with a certain respect, but also with a certain distance. It was clear she wasn't fully 'in' with the people here. It was unclear if she even enjoyed being here, yet seemed to feel some duty towards it.

Prisca

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Spoiler: Full Image

The third was an older Fae, who was standing directly near the tree. “Thank you all for coming.” She'd speak up, then spotting the new folk and somehow recognising Regula for who she was almost instantly. She gave the baroness a respectful nod, then continued. “Some of you are new, so forgive an old woman like me if she uses it as an excuse to retell an old tale of mine.”

As she was speaking, her voice seemed to reach both ears and minds, allowing everyone to hear it clearly. Regardless of how loud the woman was speaking or how far away she was. “Many years ago, long before any of you were born, I lived with my with my family in The See, on the border with Ryke. On an unfortunate day, we got captured by slavers, who tried to smuggle us through Ryke and into the East Empire. Their got stopped by my daughter in law, Tisiphone, who managed to free us in this very Barony. However, we learned that the slavers had already killed my son.

For a moment, our rage got the better of us. That day, my daughter in law and I swore we'd make all Humans pay for their crimes. We intended to destroy this village and any other, before we'd eventually be killed ourselves. However, just as we were about to start our slaughter, a tree grew from my sons remains. On it were flowers blooming more beautiful than any we'd ever seen, which soon turned into fruits sweeter than we'd ever tasted. That's when we knew. My son didn't want us to take vengeance against the humans. After all, why would he grow such a beautiful tree on the lands in which he was killed? Looking at the tree calmed us and set us straight. During the many years since then, we've lived here in harmony with one another instead. Today, like so many days before, the tree is once again blooming. A sign of my sons continuing wish for us to live in harmony. I'd like to ask you all, old residents and newcomers alike, to accept its fruits as a sign of our co-existence.”

She said, gesturing forth Regula. “Baroness, would you accept the first fruit of this blooming?” Regula, a little caught off-guard, could only feel honoured to do so.

Regula Caelia
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“Yes, thank you for granting me this honour.” She said, accepting the fruit and biting into it. It was every bit as sweet as it was said to be, yet not overwhelmingly so. She could see how its supernatural flavour might help calm someone's rage, especially in the context of this story.

The elderly Fae would continue to ask people to come take fruits. “It's been long since what remains of our family has all gathered here. I'd like to ask all of you to keep being kind to my daughter-in-law and grand-children.” She said, as she handed over fruits to the Fae woman from before, as well as to Saffron and Sherwood.

Tisiphone

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Spoiler: Full Image

The Fae woman finally spoke up. Her words weren't magically amplified, but were instilled with enough power to still be difficult not to hear. “For as long as I draw breath, I shall strive to fight against the injustice that was done to us, but I shall no longer held it against the entire Human race.” She said, equal amounts of malice and forgiveness in her voice towards the respective sides mentioned.

The End​

The group, having met most of the town during the blooming and sharing of fruits, was granted a quick introduction to the village life there. They'd be able to discuss various plans or just relax for the rest of the day. Thanks to their timing coinciding with a blooming, some people saw it as a sign that the deceased son of their village's guardian Fae was blessing her rule over this barony.

Spoiler: Reward suggestions

Keep in mind that these are only suggestions. Don't add things until mods (hopefully) approve them in a grading post.

Titles:
Amanda
[Advisor of Caelia] - character is hired as an advisor to Baroness Regula Caelia. The title comes with a certain level of authority and responsibility towards her Barony.

Regula
Officially getting the Valkyrie title from the World Canon titles as a C-Grade character, now that she had a proper RP for it and meets all demands (she was using it unofficial prior due to rules being unclear on how to obtain it).
[Valkyrie] Human title, Aerial title, Precision A, Flight C, Fighting Style D (Strength C).
Valkyrie are humanoids highly adept at flying and aerial combat. Though they are often mistaken for angels, the Valkyrie are quite mortal, but very specialized as one might expect of a once ascended creature.

Retili
[Smooth-tongued] – character has a way to pry out information and getting folk to talk by using the right intonation and by picking up on details in someone's behaviour.

Aria
[Faithful] – character is faithful to their friends, family and/or goals. They're less easily swayed from acting against the interest of people or things they're faithful towards and more motivated when aiding them.

Ryan
[Aileen's Hero] – character made a positively heroic impression to a certain someone.

Teuihua
[Effort Connoisseur] – character is capable of detecting the amount of effort and skill with which food is prepared.

Micah
[Horse Whisperer] – character is starting to make a name for himself as someone who's good at dealing with horses. Horses and characters that like horses are both likelier to get along with them in turn.

Narrator Bonus Rewards:
Narrator standing = A (A grade character.). Bonus worth = 42 points.

Amanda
Attentive Student F (7 points) – Obtained after studying many topics and managing to quickly learn many new things whilst putting them into schematics.

Micah
Precision E => D (7 points) & Riding F => E (7 points) – Obtained after spending most of the RP successfully riding a horse that wasn't eager to start walking long distance.

Retili
Area Knowledge [Caelia Barony] F(7 points) – Obtained by taking census of many people in Caelia Barony and learning about their jobs and locations.

Ryan
Intimidation F (7 points) – Obtained by successfully making Cynthia back off and feel frightened by his sudden protectiveness of Aileen.

Teuihua
Strength D => C (7 points) – Obtained after doing heavy lifting and dragging a heavy car around for most of the RP.

 

[Novama]

Isekai Hell RP Grade​

Mentions: DuckPrince Elvario NeramoDJI RavenSong TheTimePiece Uasal Valkan conman2163

Sorry for the delay. Been working on something new. Will see how it goes. Speaking of new things, this rp gives the vibe of a series/movie with multiple connected threads. Really makes a place feel lived in due to so many elements getting touched on. I do wonder if there is a bit of npc overload though. Were this a stand alone rp and not part of a bigger thing, it would probably be more appropriate. Otherwise, my suggestion would be what if stuff like this was split out more? Would it lead to greater developments for the individual characters and those areas? But it was just random thoughts I had as I was reading. Feels like several things were noted for setup. Hopefully I captured all the thoughts folks had, but perhaps there's other times and rp's to better develop the things I missed.

Aftermath
The efforts put in by Regula and crew had a noteable impact on Sootspire and the Barony as a whole.

Work and consideration has started to move on infrastructure improvements. Better road quality within the Barony was a thought.
A push in key industries like mining and its related artisan businesses like smithing was beginning with attempts at recruiting smiths and fleshing out the mining industry.
Agriculture changes were being considered.

Overall impression of Regula by her people has improved.

However, with all the effort to improve things and boost overall appeal, certain risk factors remained were added.
Any expansion would require funds, funds the barony did not have. Reckless growth would exacerbate the issue.
Some of the town's people don't much care for the ideas being proposed. Their reasons are varied and nebulas but it makes consistent implementation of changes unlikely and in some cases sabotage can be expected.
Despite the tightened bond with the Fae, the development and proposed changes would lead to eventual expansion that will likely antagonize the Fae.
Since not all areas of the barony are equally full of growth opportunities, there will be a growing base of people that may feel left out or forgotten by leader ship when they do not see the same growth as the other areas of the Barony.
In the beginning, overextension would also be a considerably likely issue. There were only so many projects the barony could oversee at once without more competent leaders.

Rewards

Leiana - 1pt

Amanda - 27 points

• optional title acquired [Advisor of Caelia] - character is hired as an advisor to Baroness Regula Caelia. The title comes with a certain level of authority and responsibility towards her Barony.
• optional reward acquired Attentive Student F (7 points) = add 7 points to earned and spent portions of sheet when adding this skill.

Regula - 40 points (narration bonus applied)
(until racial changes are posted, evolution may happen whenever as a cosmetic thing)

• optional title acquired [Valkyrie] Human title, Aerial title, Precision A, Flight C, Fighting Style D (Strength C).

Valkyrie are humanoids highly adept at flying and aerial combat. Though they are often mistaken for angels, the Valkyrie are quite mortal, but very specialized as one might expect of a once ascended creature.

Retili - 27 points
optional title acquired = [bean counter] – character has a way with counting things. Can more easily count a group of things just by looking at it all together.
optional reward acquired = Area Knowledge [Caelia Barony] F(7 points) = when applying to sheet, update earned and spent points by 7

Aria - 27 points
optional title acquired - [Faithful] – character is faithful to their friends, family and/or goals. They're less easily swayed from acting against the interest of people or things they're faithful towards and more motivated when aiding them.

Ryan - 27points
optional title acquired - [Aileen's Hero] – character made a positively heroic impression to a certain someone.
optional reward acquired = Intimidation F (7 points) - add 7pts to earned and spent when adding skill. Ensure character meets minimum requirements for skill.

Teuihua - 27 points
optional title acquired - [Effort Connoisseur] – character is capable of detecting the amount of effort and skill with which food is prepared.
optional reward acquired = strength D => C 7pts = when applying to sheet, remember to update earned and spent stats with 7pts.

Micah - 27 points
optional title acquired - [Horse Whisperer] – character is starting to make a name for himself as someone who's good at dealing with horses. Horses and characters that like horses are both likelier to get along with them in turn.
option reward acquired = Precision E => D (7 points) & Riding F => E (7 points) = when applying to sheet, remember to update earned and spent stats with 14pts.