Fantasy Tales of Raeligard

[AnonyMouse]

Sen Hyazari​

Location: Oyten, tavern (at the bar)​

Sen quieted for a moment as the warm, yet sweet, burn of the dwarven spirits worked its way down her throat and spread to her extremities. She had to admit, the barman's words rang true: 'just give it a minute,' he had said. Well, the minute was up and she was ready for another.

"Hmm... So, Sen, will you be returning with us, or did you have other plans?" Thea inquired before tapping the bar and ordering a shot for herself.

"Yeah, yeah, I suppose," the Syrieth said, the words coming out in a sigh. "Valdergeuse wants a report and writing ain't really my thing, ya know, so I guess I'll deliver it in person. Finally look the bitch in the eyes, see if she measures up," she soffed. "After that... I don't know. We'll see."

She appeared to be lost in thought for a moment. So much so, she didn't notice the barman pour a shot for the knight and lay her worries about pricing to rest. It seemed he wasn't the type to squabble over a few feln and his prices were reasonable, especially when compared to some establishments in the city. Sen did, however, notice him refill her glass and snapped out of her reverie when the clear liquid began to flow.

She instantly tossed it down her throat and slammed her glass on the bar, earning a wry look from the barman as he moved away to serve one of the loggers further down the bar. "Maybe I'll hang around for a minute," she said, as she stuffed a wad of bread in her mouth and turned to the knight. "I never been to Tylsen, but I've heard good things," she said, chewing as she spoke. She wagged half of a torn loaf at Thea as she continued. "You rookies got it easy, ya know. I mean, you'd probably be fine anywhere. You're... 'normal,' if a li'l boring," her eyes briefly trailed up and down Thea. She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in: "But... the cannibal? The pickpocket? And whatever the snake's fuckin' problem is? Nah, any other branch would eat them alive. Same goes for yours truly," she gestured to herself, before carrying on in a more conversational tone.

"Yeah.... I think I will stick around. Tylsen's pretty laid back. If they can put up with you lot, they ought to be able to handle me," she said. "Besides, I got a kid now. As everyone keeps reminding me!" she glared at the logger for a moment. "So, maybe I need to make some... changes."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oytenrand Greatwood​

With quiet relief she noted the prices, the man was reasonable, some merchants in Tylsen charged a much broader range, some were decent folk though. Taking the shot glass in hand and nodding to the barkeep, Thea snorted a little bit at being boring. "This crew has called me all sorts of things, though that is a new one." Thinking on the remarks towards Ceph, Thea gives a nod in kind. "She is an interesting woman, though I respect her for her accomplishments, her personality not so much... Yet I must ask her some questions when I am able upon our return, and I think in her own way she watches out for us that have come this far." As the whispers enter her ear she downed the shot, her face scrunching up a little as she let out a cough, be it from the drink, what was said, or both.

Letting her gaze shift over the three she speaks in a hushed tone as well. "Falco has moments I wish to put the words of the Goddess into him but he is one of the few I trust as a guildmate, the Snake has had a constant back and forth with her antics and I believe she is seeking something, has an agenda outside of the guild code, what I do not know. As to the cannibal, her ignorance of the land and society is awe inspiring, but some of her incidents yesterday I may overlook in my own report for performance in the mission." Concluding in a normal tone she speaks in closing.

"The Tylsen branch is an interesting one, history can be overcome within it should one be earnest. Or maybe they are just that hard pressed for help, ha." Maybe because of the Alcohol or a genuine feeling, the knight turns to her Ale, pondering getting another shot as she spoke in both ominious and uplifting portions.

"Though not all is so easily regained, some can never be, burdens to be carried, wages of laxity... But ah, I think you will like Tylsen, and Viv I think would be overjoyed to meet your son. I'm not sure if she's much of a babysitter though or not, still she is a good woman and some questions I have in regard to her I choose to remain ignorant of."


Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Topless

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Oyten, Local Pub
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

"Hah, I think I'd prefer this to the sewer still," Lucia replied, smirking as she watched his expression shift to one that struggled to stay straight.

Crossing one leg over the other as she straightened her posture, it seemed their rapport was more or less back to normal, for which Lucia was glad. His antics while retrieving the drinks and stew for himself elicited a small chuckle from her, followed by a courteous nod as she lifted her glass of wine. In much noble fashion, she swirled the clear liquid a bit before smelling it and taking a small sip.

"Mm... Well I'm quite happy to have any at this point. It looks like your skillset extends to other things as well," She mused, commenting on his waiting experience.

Contemplating his suggestion of getting some stew, Lucia saw him wave over Hysydice and Sakura, giving the prior a cautious glance before taking another sip of her wine. Setting the glass down, she gave Falco a nod. "I think I'll take after your suggestion. I'll be a moment," She said, standing up and heading for the bar to get a bowl of her own, setting herself next to Sen and Thea while she waited.

"May I have a bowl of stew as well? ...And a shotglass of the Durgish Firebrand since my companions appear to be Oh so enjoying it." A smirk graced her features as she said so, indicative of having overheard Sen's and comment of a competition following the logger's grumbling.

Lucia was not an alcoholic who would waste her time in a drinking competition, nor did she plan to be the belligerent drunkard that got themselves rocked at the local tavern. This was merely another, petty way of screwing with the oaf down the bar.

As the stew and glass were set on the table, Lucia picked up the liquor, sampling the smell of it as she had the wine. Then, she downed it, her face twisting with obvious displeasure. She had drank strong alcohols before but this. This was the type of drink you ordered when you were trying to get wasted or prove a point.

"Aurelia... Mayhaps enjoying is the wrong term, at least I hope...."

@Team A

 

[Silver Wolf]

Location: Heine Warehouse
Interactions/Party: Talio ( TreasureSniper ), Cressey ( King Crimson ), Lori ( ERode ), Endymion ( lunar_moth ), GM/Arien ( Reinhardt )


​

While she had opted to wait by the warehouse, Lupa couldn't help but feel slightly shameful that she had stayed behind, but when she tested her legs and she could barely walk straight, it was a cruel reminder of how she had essentially failed. Not that she hadn't failed before, what kind of monster is capable of going through life without failure? No, she was going to take the silver lining that they had maintained solid evidence, and that their duty was at least done. But by the goddess was it a frustrating feeling to be left alone while the rest went to go save your comrade. Talio's arm had snapped or malfunctioned, and he was still going, it made her feel pathetic in some regard someone without a functioning arm had more reason to go than she, but someone had to stay in her mind. If they left the warehouse unattended, there was that slim chance the caskarieth could come back. Not that it was likely, but silver lining and all that.

As she waited she started drafting a report in her head, just in case. She imagined Heine would want some testimony to take to the guard or someone with the resources to investigate the matter further. At the very least, she could write one that states Heine is likely not at fault, otherwise he probably wouldn't have hired Kriegslowen in the first place, much less random ones. No, the fault lied in those who misused the structures for their own nefarious ends, though the owner had some responsibility given it was their property and they aught to be maintaining or checking up on it, which they did to a degree.

No, no matter how she looked at it, Hedwig was likely not at fault and couldn't be charged, unless someone found a specific law or loophole for this exact case. Beyond that, nothing serious pointed to Hedwig. What did worry her was how professional their assailants were. You don't find professionals, with arcanizers no less, playing the part of drug smuggler with abandoned buildings without reason.

Her memories shifted back to the cause of her getting kicked out of the military through the Tylsen guard, and she felt herself shudder. Sure, it was far more likely the caskarieth were mercenaries, but the mystery man who decided to kill himself rather than risk capture, that made a pit form in her stomach. Whatever was going on, she hoped, prayed the two weren't related in any way. She let out a sigh and let it go. Whatever, it was what it was. She couldn't control the situation as she was.

She fondled the arcanizer in her pocket, curious as to what power could be bestowed upon her through it. Those elves had nearly ended the fight without having to actually defeat them, but the idea that magic could grant such an edge made her think. What could that same power do for her? She knew some principles of magic, but she had never actually made a spell, used a spell, or really tried to utilize it any way outside of the basic manatech one could use for everyday life. Either way, she couldn't do anything with it now, and she would need to slot the zauberite anyways. Until her allies came back, she couldn't do anything other than focus on making sure she didn't get jumped.

When they had finally come back, Lori in tow. She was ecstatic, happy that someone hadn't died on her watch, again. She was too tired to run up and hug the bird still, but she was now capable of standing and walking properly, at the very least.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: at the tavern
Thinking: "This is bar culture? Weird."

Location: tavern
Interacting: Topless AnonyMouse
Mentions:

Hyss watched as Sakura took a seat. So the fox was sociable? She only paused for a brief moment before deciding. Hyss then set her cup down one seat to the right of Sakura, on the opposite side of the table from Falco. She walked over, got herself a bowl, then a second, and carried them back over to the table.

She set the bowl down and pushed it in front of Sakura, pulled out her own seat, and took a gentle sit. She looked around the table, then lifted her spoon and sipped some of the stew. She remained quiet, unsure of how to proceed.​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oytenrand Greatwood​

Glancing back as footsteps made their way towards the group, Thea took notice of Lucia and watched as she got some stew and a drink, with a straight face, she watched as the other downed it, with the obvious displeasure showing across her face. Laughing at that, Thea turns on her seat to face the other, casting a glance at the table. It seemed Falco was in an awkward position and the two wildings were like watching children, so unused to and unsure what to even do in such a place.


Letting out a sigh of sorts, the knight looks over at Sen and gives a shurg. "I'll return in a bit, I suppose I shouldn't give my team a cold shoulder, more so those two for here and now, though I must say Lucia, I'm surprised to see you here, I figured you would be inquiring about a bath. Hmm..."

Looking at the other, Thea gets to her feet, grabbing her Ale and food, with a glance at the table, it was big enough to sit more people than the number of seats would indicate. Big groups of friends going into such a place was a given and taking a chair or three from other tables wasn't too frowned upon. She needed to check on those two anyways, see what their wounds were like and maybe try making them feel a little more comfortable here...

Or just make the situation even more awkward, still, she would come back to talk to Sen, least she felt like hitting the bed to sleep before then. In either case.
"Well, lets go to the table, I don't think I care to have more of the Dwarf liquor, plus it would be better than just leaving it to chance." Motioning for Lucia to lead off, well if the other didn't decide to just sit here.


Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Topless

 

[Reinhardt]

Arien / Zest & Recruits​

Location: Heine Warehouse 6 → Tylsen​

The reunited group's trip back to Tylsen went much better than their journey outside. With a Land Ferry arranged for their transport, their travel went much faster and with much more comfort than their previous one could provide. Evidently, the recruits had faced their share of exhaustion in this supposedly simple quest, which surprised them at every corner with unanticipated dangers and unsolved mysteries. The trip back to Tylsen was rather silent and uneventful, in contrast with their former experiences.

In the middle of their trip back to Tylsen, Arien gave the recruits a nice remark with regard to how they performed given the circumstances, as well as gave them a word to "expect the unexpected" in their new line of work - and speaking of unexpected, he reminded them that they must all submit a report of their quest to the guild once all is said and done. This brought to mind the one final step in completing their quest - reporting their findings to the client, Hedwig Heine.

The group's arrival at Tylsen as well as their trek to meet with their client at the Marble District went just as expected. Granted, there was seemingly way more foot traffic than usual, but that was not really anything out of the ordinary. When the recruits gave their findings to their client, Hedwig Heine, he seemed both surprised and confused at the information he had received. The man did admit that he placed little resources regarding the security of such warehouses due to the nature of their use, but he had not expected such drastic outcomes, especially with the previous inspections he had showing pretty standard reports. One of the recruits, namely, Talio, offered some services to the client, but Hedwig outright refused, stating while the young merchant's offer sounded appetizing he has yet to acquire any footing to have Hedwig have enough confidence in him to trust in his services, let alone his contacts - and gave him the advice to start small, he is, after all, in Raeligard now, not in Valgem.

Additionally, Arien persuaded the client, with a little bit of difficulty, to put the inspected warehouses under lockdown until certain issues are resolved, for the safety of his personnel and his goods. The veteran Kriegslöwe even urged the man to send a request to the guild immediately to investigate the warehouses and the strange occurrences and mysteries that now surround them, with the promise that either Arien himself or a trusted colleague of his will be alongside those who shall take such a task. Whether the merchant would do so would be known sooner or later, especially with Arien's frequent interactions both as and with the guild staff.

When the group was finished, Hedwig handed over their promised rewards for the job, with some additional pay for pushing through with the job despite the dangers. A small, but heavy pouch was handed over to every member of the group, with each one containing 3 gold feln and 20 silver feln - a rather big reward for an initial quest. The group returned to Tylsen, their pocket heavier than when they left. Whether the reward or the pride of finishing the job was enough to wash away their exhaustion was entirely up to them.

Finally, the group returned to the Tylsen guildhall, just as a different group had finally returned from their long trip. The once somewhat-empty hall was now adorned with a variety of recruits and veterans. Before he left the recruits to their own devices, he reminded them of two things - the first was to turn in their reports on their quest as soon as they are done, and the second was to get some rest, for their days as Kriegslöwen had finally just begun.

In the distance, Arien saw and approached a familiar face among the newly arrived group - well as familiar as it could seem. "I had not expected this to be the day I see the Swordbreaker return to civilized land again.", he gave a snarky remark.

Interaction/s: Cresslinde ( King Crimson ), Endymion( lunar_moth ), Lupa ( Silver Wolf ), Talio ( TreasureSniper ), Lori ( ERode ), Sen ( AnonyMouse )

 

[AnonyMouse]

Location: Oyten, a nondescript tavern
Time: 3 / 9 / 422AC, late evening​

The night stretched on. Food and drinks continued to flow. Some of the adventurers mellowed out, finding relief in the warmth of the hearth and the knowledge that their latest quest was at its end and they had all made it through alive and relatively unscathed. Others found themselves wrapped up in the social atmosphere, talking, laughing, and sharing stories.

For his part, Falco tried to spark up conversation with Sakura and Hyss, but found little fruit there. Lucia's return, with Thea accompanying her, came as a relief. Unfortunately, the knight's departure from the bar left the wildling to her own devices. Sen began trading 'friendly' banter with the loggers within minutes of Thea's departure, which quickly devolved into them pooling their resources to buy a bottle of the dwarf liquour and begin a 'friendly' drinking competition.

The barman decided this would be a good time to remove himself from the ensuing chaos, as if he knew how this would end and was content to let it run its course unsupervised. He lumbered away to a backroom and emerged some time later to inform the recruits three rooms and a bath were ready, for those who wished to partake. One by one, the adventurers began to depart the public room, until only one drunk elf remained, snoring on the bar with her arm wrapped around a half-empty bottle. By now, everyone's favorite inebriated logger had been escorted out by his workmates, presumably blacked out or too drunk to stand unassisted.

When the last adventurer shuffled off to bed, peace descended upon the tavern. A crescent moon loomed in Oyten's night sky as the barman retired, putting an end to another day in this quiet town.

Location: Oyten, mayoral residence
Time: 3 / 10 / 422AC, morning​

Morning came far too quickly. The adventurers made their way to the mayor's residence slightly later than anticipated. Whether this was due to their tiredness from the previous day's struggles or due to the amount of alcohol imbibed the night before was anyone's guess. Only one member of their party showed obvious signs of a hangover. The senior Kreigslowen remained uncharacteristically silent during the proceedings, clearly nursing a major headache.

The group made a brief detour to the landferry to drop off their gear and found Risax there. To their surprise, the arachne bore gifts: silk blankets and a heartfelt apology for remaining behind. Falco assured him it was no big deal and he shouldn't worry about it. 'Knowing your limits' is all part of being a Kreigslowen. Sen said nothing, but stood by with crossed arms and a sour look on her face, clearly unimpressed with the spider. With the party now complete, they continued to the mayor's home.

Old Man Johnson greeted them warmly and, just like last time, invited them inside for breakfast, where Thea did most of the talking. She explained the situation with the esservine at length, and urged him to keep all personnel away from that area until specialists could be dispatched to resolve the matter. Fortunately, the mayor informed them that no one ever ventured that far out, which made the body they found all the more concerning. No one had any business being there and he theorized the victim --or suspect-- had chosen that site for precisely that reason. The mayor seemed quite upset that someone would do such a thing, perverting the forest to cultivate such a monstrous abomination!

Just as he started to get preachy about the sanctity of nature and how such actions 'transgress against Aurelia's will,' Sen cut in to inform him they didn't know any of that yet. While cradling Marcel in her arms, the Syrieth said the corpse they found could be an infortunate victim. They should respect the dead by not jumping to conclusions. However, in a lowered voice, she admitted, "But... yeah... that fucker probably planted it. Let's be real."

With the reports and such out of the way, breakfast continued at a more casual pace. The old man and his wife repeatedly thanked them for everything and turned to asking the adventurers about themselves and their plans for the future. Eventually, as if a spark of inspiration went off in his head, the mayor remembered the rewards he had put together for them.

Oyten is known not only for its logging but its highly-skilled craftsmen. As a reward for their hard work, he informed the Kriegslowen that he had spoken with some of the town's best and arranged for each of them to have something handmade. After breakfast was over, the group headed to Lewis and Sons, the shop they had visited the previous day, where they were allowed to choose something from the slection there or, if they found nothing to their liking, have something made specifically for them.

Location: On the road to Tylsen
Time: 3 / 10 / 422AC, afternoon​

The midday sun was high when the adventurers finally departed Oyten. Their landferry rumbled down the muddy streets, leaving the small town behind at last. The trio of dwarves informed them they would be traveling through the night, just as they had come, and would likely arrive in Tylsen by sun rise the following day.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be untrue. The first leg of their journey was plagued with bad weather, forcing a significantly reduced speed. At times, they were completely stopped by impassable mud, forcing the crew to exit the landferry and shove planks under its wheels or break out shovels to gain any advantage in the muck. There were moments were every inch became a battle. Some of the adventurers joined in, using manpower, ingenuity, or even magic to alter the rain-soaked landscape and give the landferry's wheels a fighting chance.

Fortunately, conditions improved as they traveled away from the forest, which seemed to be a natural magnet for heavy precipitation. By late evening, they were moving at a more reasonable pace across the rolling plains of Raeligard's heartland. Around dusk, they stopped at a roadside stream to have lunch. Here, the dwarves set about scraping Oyten's thick red mud from the landferry's running gear, lest it dry and become clay. But the damage to their schedule had already been done.

During this stop, Sen shared some of her knowledge with the rookies, laying the groundwork for new techniques and spells they could use. Most of these would take many days to prove effective, and much longer to truly to master, but they would have plenty of time to practice once they arrived in Tylsen. As the sun began to set, the adventurers boarded the landferry once more and continued their journey into night.

Quest Rewards​

Standard Rewards:​

** Two gold pieces: Already received after killing hooktails. Hope you didn't spend it all at the tavern!

** A wood product: your choice of high-quality handmade item from Oyten's craftsmen. A bow? A walking stick? a small shield? A disturbingly realistic carving of a honey badger aggressively mating with a grizzly bear? Make up whatever your character would like to have and post your decision in Discord, for approval!

** For your actions in and around Oyten, Mayor Johnson will remember you favorably. All characters involved have gained increased respect from the mayor, as well as the town's various factions and logging companies, such as the Ravenloft Institute, Lewis and Sons, and even Jacobee Brothers.

Bonus Rewards:​

Work hard, play hard! For boldly facing the esservine and for showing you know how to kick back at a tavern, Sen has given select characters a special bonus reward:

"Stop using yourself as a shield. You got some kind of deathwish? Take this. I don't want it no more and I know you'll put it to good use." Thea has received Sen's shield. Nothing special, this crudely made iron disc shows heavy signs of battle damage, but still has plenty of life left in it. It has been dented and cracked in places and hastily rewelded, presumably by means of magic.

"The way you throw that thing pisses me off. You're makin' us look bad. Come here, snake, lemme learn ya a thing or two..." Hyss has gained the spell Ouroborous (Tier 1). When cast, it allows Fangflake to return to her hand up to four times without needing to recast... but only if it remains in motion. If the glaive becomes stuck in an enemy or obstacle, or she does not rethrow it smoothly enough, the spell will end, and recasting will not return it to her. This spell propels Fangflake faster than 'Howling Chill' can, but demands quick, graceful movements and accurate throws.

"You think you're hot shit, but you hit like a girl. Ya know what's really hot? Explosions." Lucia has learned the technique Chaos Fist (Tier 1), a risky spell / martial arts combo which briefly shrouds her hands in two opposing forms of volatile energy, which decay over time. If these energies meet, an explosion results. Landing a strike leaves traces of this energy on the target, which can be detonated by landing a strike with the opposite hand, in the same spot. Unfortunately, these energies cannot be seen, making it difficult to pinpoint where to strike.

"I heard they won't let you kill. Kinda hard to shoot arrows at folks and not kill 'em. But I know a l'il trick to stop 'em in their tracks..." Sakura has learned Earthen Forge (Tier 1), a spell which allows her to craft special arrowheads. By scooping up a fistful of earth or stabbing an arrow's tip into the ground while performing the incantation, she can apply heavy, blunted tips to her arrows. Unfortunately, these stony heads are quite brittle, but by upgrading her arcanizer with a ruby or jade zauberite, this spell can gain the ability to create grappling hooks or armor-penetrating arrowheads.

"Hey, kid. I know a weak-ass spell perfect for a weak-ass virgin, like you. You seem pretty good at makin' use of dumb shit like this so, hey, why not..." Despite not being a 'weak-ass virgin' Falco has learned Gust (Tier 1), a basic wind spell which emits a brief, but powerful, burst of air from the palm of his hand. While not strong enough to blow an opponent over, (unless they're already off-balance or clumsy AF,) it can kick up dust to blind them, blow away low-level flames, or, if timed perfectly, alter the trajectory of light projectiles. Its near-instantaneous casting time makes it perfect for comboing with melee strikes.

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Arriving in Tylsen​

If there was one thing to be thankful for, it was that the landferry's ride had been relatively smooth. Once they got past the bogs and mud, Falco hardly felt a thing. Or maybe his bum had become accustomed to it all. Whatever the reason, he slept well, thanks in part to Risax's blanket. Marcel, in particular, seemed to enjoy the gift. Which was probably for the best, since his mother didn't seem interested in it at all. At times, the small child would wear it like a cape as he moved from one passenger to another. Other times, he curled up in it and napped.

Falco spent most of the morning working on his report. He had brought paper and a writing utensil for this purpose. Sadly, most of his parchment was soaked and stained by rain and mud, but he could at least jot down some notes and cobble together an early draft, to be rewritten later. He would not make the mistake of submitting a water-logged, tattered report to Cephilia!

As morning wore into noon, the clocktower and some of the larger manors of Tylsen's Marble District came into view while they were still about half an hour away. Won't be long now, he thought, savoring the visiblity here. Oyten's overcast skies and foggy atmosphere, where a man can't look past the tip of his nose without seeing a wall of grey, green, or brown would not] be missed. Traveling to far away towns to fight 'mighty beasts' sounded great and all, but he was sick of this landferry. For now, all he wanted was small jobs around town. Deliver packages. Find lost pets. Clean this, check that. Easy. Simple.

With a sigh, he pressed his face to the glass of the landferry, no longer caring what a sudden pothole or rut might do. He wanted to be home so badly. And by 'home' he didn't mean his moldy apartment. No, he meant the entire city and everything it entailed. The guildhall, where Rena or Arien were always behind the receptionist's desk. Viv's ranch, where he learned what a proper ass-whopping felt like. The market square, where he knew most of the shopkeepers' names and prices and how to haggle them down.

As the landferry rolled into town, Falco was already on his feet, ready to disembark. The dwarves took them straight to the guildhall. To his surprise, Arien was there with... a group of people Falco didn't recognize. Oh, Cressey! Falco thought, his face momentarily brightening with an enormous smile... which he promptly extinguished before stepping down from the landferry. The white-haired boy adopted a very serious, 'hardcore adventurer' look as he slung his travel pack over his shoulder, like a brave soldier returning from war, unscathed.

But even he could not keep a straight face as he drank in Cressey's new... companions? Friends? Team? What even was this!? There were two young men, neither of whom warranted a second glance, and a lupine beastfolk wearing the colors of Tylsen's guard... who looked somewhat familiar, but Falco couldn't place her. But, most importantly, there was a second beastfolk, a wild-haird girl, who stood head-and-shoulders above the others, atop a pair of talon-tipped Legs which put Thea's appendages to shame. Shaaaame! So impressive were these veritable stilts, Falco hardly noticed the busty wolf girl's, umm, bust. Any other day, that would have been the target of his gaze.

Despite his best attempts at appearing unimpressed by all of this, Falco gawked. He gawked hard. So hard, his consciousness folded in upon itself, time dilated, and for an eternity, she --and those-- was all he could see. So hard, he visibly flinched when Sen spoke, the spell broken by the abject fear that she had caught him slipping. Thankfully, she was notaddressing him.

"Huh? Do I fuckin' know you?" Sen said, her face scrunching up in confusion as she studied Arien's visage. She was in the midst of gifting her 1/3 bottle of Dwarvish Firebrand to the dwarves when he addressed her. Marcel looked from his mother, to the dearves, to Arien, as if trying to compute it all in his tiny infant brain. After a small pause, Sen snapped her fingers and gave Arien a very aggressive handshake. "Oh, yeaaaah. You're.... that guy... from.... yeah. I know you."

Yup, Arien tends to have that effect on people, Falco thought witha slow shake of his head before shifting his attention to Cressey. "'Sup?" he said, with a small, nonchalant wave. It's not as if he cared how she was doing or anything.

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) // Reinhardt (Arien)
King Crimson (Cressey) / lunar_moth (Endymion) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / TreasureSniper (Talio) / ERode (Lori)

 

[ERode]

Location: Tylsen
​

Three gold feln and 20 silver feln, and for just two days of work? That was like, 500 feln altogether! That meant that if she just worked for 20 more days, she could buy a house! A real house! All for herself! Sure, it'd take maybe some more time if she wanted to, like, buy a house in a good place and then furnish it, but that just meant that all she needed to do was work for a year or two, and she'd be set!

Heck, if she got paid more for higher-rank jobs, she could eventually buy her own house...in every major city in the entirety of Raeligard!

As such, despite all that she had encountered, Lori was certainly happy to thank him for his patronage towards the Guild's services and to ask that he remember her whenever he wants another job to be done swiftly and safely. Indeed, she was absolutely all smiles as she skipped her way back to the Land Ferry, practically glowing with such anticipation that she wasn't even particularly put off by the prospect of having to write a report afterwards. To sum it up in a single, simple phrase, Lori was happy!

And the happiness cycle only continued when the guildhall they returned to was abuzz with other recruits, all of them weird and wonderful in their own way. For all her time spent out rushing through animal trails with her father in her youth, for all the love she had for isolated wilderness, the birdfolk too enjoyed places bustling with weirdos. Her own vertical advantage ensured that it was nearly impossible for her to get buried in the crowds, and the viewpoint it gave her meant she could easily eye all the interesting people too.

Of course, the one that caught her eye wasn't one of the weirdos, but rather a fairly plain-looking young man whose jaw had dropped hard enough to leave an indent in the floor when he laid eyes on her. A stranger in the end, sure, but Lori was always happy to provide some service to someone who noticed her. She waved at the white-haired lad and winked at him, her red eyes sparkling in the magi-light of the building, before turning her attention back upon her compatriots.

"So, Lupa, you've done this sort of busy work before, right? Cressey too? You two should show me how to write reports! And then we can all go to one of those fancy bathhouses after too!" She snapped her hips from one side to another, the coins in her pockets jingling merrily. "I'll treat you two for it!"

 

[Topless]

Location: Oyten

Sakura had enjoyed the night, chatting away with Falco and Hyss even though it didn't got interesting. Still, she liked the camaraderie and is excited to head back to Tylsen. She can finally see Flora after all this time. Perhaps it is time to move in to the city, experience what the busy streets is all about instead of spending her time out of the woods hunting for game and sleeping on either branch or grass. Flora may need some company, after all she is living by herself for most of the time.


Location: Tylsen

Sakura had a good sleep thanks to Risax's blankets. She looked out of the window to see Tylsen in full view. Before heading back home, she and her comrades got themselves some souvenirs as a remembrance of their mission. Sakura got herself a water bottle with her clan's insignia etched on it. It may looked boring for a souvenir, but it will serve a very practical purpose. Once the landferry stopped at the guild, Sakura followed suit where she met up with Cressey, Arien and some new recruits. She didn't mind the newbies or Arien or anyone higher in the guild, Sakura took mind of Cressey.

"Cressey? Where have you been? I though you must have stayed home or whatever." She asked.

AnonyMouse Reinhardt RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko
Huntertabbysandshark3 King Crimson lunar_moth Silver Wolf TreasureSniper ERode​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oyten - Inn - Mayor's House​

As the evening rolled along, Thea watched with a tired sigh as Sen and the loggers got into a drinking match, which thankfully only had gotten into harsh words territory. Had it came to blows, Thea would have had to step in... Which was an uncomfortable thought, she was not sure she could do much to stop Sen. Still, it was no worse than the campfires of her youth, still, she doubted that fireband drink was so cheap. One by one the others left, with Thea taking a later slot in the bath, she just wanted to be before Sakura given the other was covered in dried blood and fur, if the water had to be shared her own sweat was a lesser offender. Still, there was one thing to head off before it became a problem.

"Lucky man, Falco you get a room to yourself, the wildlings can share the second, and I'll take the third with Lucia." A bit pleased with herself, she eventually left once the loggers did having only another glass or two of ale, she was not sure how much the rest would have, and even if it was their reward she stayed within her limits on principle.

The following morning, Thea was among, if not the first to come too, though for a change she decided to wait for the rest to stir about before getting on with the rest of the mission. One by one the rest awakened or struggled to do so as with some insistence from some parties at dropping their gear off, the team meets up with Risax who seemingly had made small blankets for them all. Accepting the gift and thanking him, Thea says aloud to his apology, "It is fine, that area would not have suited you. You did your job." Though not your Duty, she thought but did not add.

Heading to Mayor Johnsons home the typical formalities rolled about as Thea gave a detailed debriefing. With the closing remarks from all above, Thea could not say she disagreed with most of what he had to say, nor what Sen had to say, though she did have one thing to add on. "There were signs of more than one person, we should not assume this was ended with the man. Keep a watchful eye or at least notes from visitors in the area."

With that out of the way the group was then it was to the meal and casual small talk, ending with the group being taken back to the Lewis and Sons store, being offered anything within reason that they could want, Thea looked at a few carvings and paused, wooden equipment would serve her little use here, or anywhere really, she was not an archer and had a couple weapons to carry, she had a luggage carrier and wood made a poor long term container for liquid, still, the displays did make her want something that did make her wince a little. "If it is not too much to ask, I would like two objects, small ones at that, both of them to be hooktails. I wish to remember this place, one I would like detailed, the other a simple child's toy. I wish to make the later a gift for my younger brother when I write home about my adventure here. Shipping it to Tyslen to the guild should be fine, don't rush with it."

It may be worth doing this for other noteworthy missions, some form of trophy collection. The hooktails were worthy of remembering for what all had happened this day, to her failings and successes. Waiting for the rest to grab their own orders or to place them, the Knight wasted little time with bidding the Mayor and town goodbye and getting the rest aboard the landferry.

~~~
On the Road to Tyslen
~~~
​

As they disembarked the Goddess's fury seemed to wish to stop them, or at least the weather. With a mix of sweat and magic the muddy roads did not stop them, though it did slow them, it did not stop them. It was dispiriting in a manner, to just have been cleaned, to escape that rainforest hell, but it was what it was. Thea was used to some discomfort in her life. Curious how Lucia would take it all, Thea put her back into keeping the wagon moving, till they finally escaped the rain, a break was in order, which the dwarven drivers asked for. Though a bit grumpy about having their schedule disrupted, they were still ahead of time, based on the days they requested. Still some lunch would be nice. During this Sen offered most of them something in the form of skills, advice or in her own case a weapon.

Peering at the shield, she did want to say something about the using herself as a shield comment, or if she had a deathwish? Did she have a deathwish? Thea herself didn't consider it a deathwish, though this job had made her question a few things. Gazing at Sen, Thea was heavy infantry, unlike Sen who was a skirmisher. It was natural for her to dodge hits, whereas Thea relied on brute force, angle of attack. The two may have been bruisers, but Thea had decided her path was likely more armor, at this point of her life the steel plate was like a second skin, the question was how to go about making enemies target her, or to close the distance with them.


Thinking back on how Sen had used the shield, it was true it could be effective when thrown or to absorb greater blows, the question was on how to use her Zweihander in conjunction with it. Something to figure out later, running one of her gloved hands across it she gave a nod. "It has served you well and I shall see to it that it continues to be used well. You have my thanks."

As the rest got their own tidbits it was not long till they were back on the road, they would be traveling through the night. Thea would set about writing her report, with dried parchment in her carrying bag. Picking a spot towards the driver's position, Thea picked a corner for herself and began the process of removing armor, the shield resting against her side with the shortsword as she did so.

~~~
Tyslen - City Streets - Guild Hall
~~~​

Watching Marcel play around with the blanket, she would smile time to time when the boy came over to be nosey or to show off in his limited command of the common tongue, offering him some of her beef jerky or nuts as a snack and writing in her report when he did not. As day turned to night, she stopped her writings long enough to sleep when the hour grew late, waking up early the next morning she was on to the final touches. It was then her gaze lingered on Sakura for a little bit. Exhaling a sigh, Thea was indeed a zealot but she was not petty. Sakura had proven her worth against the Esservine and showed her determination. However, it could not be all rainbows and sunshine, noting that Sakura needed cultural education about the realm and a handler to watch over her actives, something Thea made a point of mentioned that she had neither time nor patience to do so.

Hyss and Risax would be in other reports so Thea would not remove mention of that from her own. Others would likely mention it, or have complaints of their own about herself. Thea made points of mentioning where her own failings were, such as not noticing the two weren't with them and when she had mistakenly assumed there was only one beast and the differing tales were down to hysteria or time of day. Pondering that she still felt as if they never had the full picture of what went on there as her report drifted into information on the Esservine. What the ecological damage was and the fact the main problem was so well defended that they could not pursue any further, as well as offering her own support behind what Sen had theorized. Finished her report as she had some bread and spread, Thea noticed Falco getting a bit antsy as the city came into view, Thea used this time to don her armor, piece by piece as the landferry finally arrived and was kind enough to bring them to the guild hall directly. Packing her things, Thea was quick to get to her feet, weapons on her back and sides.

Stretching her legs, neck and arms, it seemed Falco, Sen and Marcel were the first to get off, followed by the knight, happy to be out of that wooden box, that hellish rainforest and back into the City. It was then she sighed again, keeping her same detached expression as she shook her head side-to-side, finding it tempting to wack Falco across the back of the head. Still, there was no harm in letting him strut about like a rooster. He had earned this much and likely found two more girls to impress, judging by what she seen.

Cressey, two other girls she had not seen before, including the one that Falco was staring at mightily hard, talk girl, though most of that looked to be bird bones, hopefully she or no one else noticed that. Then there was a man who had one arm that didn't seem quite right, a wolf beastfolk girl with more human features and the colors of the guard, yet off, another man who also didn't seem right and Arien. The last of whom was quick to address Sen by a title she had not known about, only to have the woman have no idea who he was, which Thea somewhat winced at.

Stepping forward with her report in hand and still technically in command till the books were closed, Thea took note that the Dwarves had came to enjoy the show as well, "Master Arien, er Arien, or Arien Bermille, B rank Kriegslowen and unofficial receptionist. We bring word of success as well as ill tidings from the depths of the Oyten Greatwood." Turning to the rest, Thea nods her head in greeting but does not speak for now, as she waits for the rest to come along or for Arien to provide instruction.


Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Topless Huntertabbysandshark3 Reinhardt King Crimson lunar_moth Silver Wolf TreasureSniper ERode

 

[Silver Wolf]

Location: Guildhall
Direct Interaction: ERode (Lori), King Crimson (Cressey), AnonyMouse (Falco)
Mentioned/Noticed: RedArmyShogun (Thea), Reinhardt (Arien/GM), Swordbreaker, Topless (Sakura)
Nearby: lunar_moth (Endymion), EmperorsChosen (Lucia), TreasureSniper (Talio), Huntertabbysandshark3 (Spooder), Thalia_Neko (Snek)


​

The trip really wasn't worth talking about, but at the very least she was glad to be back home, well, as home as she could be. Sure, the reward was nice, but she didn't particularly need a large sum of money, but it would put bread on the table for the weeks it would last, and if needed she could set it aside in a nest egg of sorts anyways. But it was a first step towards her own steps to full independence, save for the fact her house was passed down from her adoptive father. If nothing else, it was a comforting weight and a reminder that should she keep to this line of work, it could be very rewarding monetarily. She was looking forward to treating herself for the first time in a while.

Returning to the guildhall, she was reminded that they would need to submit reports. Easy enough, since she had needed to do so in the past. She was going to go wander off and look for some paper to get started before she noticed Arien had addressed a particular adventurer by the title of Swordbreaker. Looking at her, she was a rough looking caskarieth who responded to Arien swearing like a sailor before failing to fully recognize him, which did earn a light chuckle from her. It wasn't to last though as Lori decided to drag her into conversation alongside Cressey. When asked if she would help with reports, she gave off her signature, optimistic smile and said, "Of course! It would be my pleasure to show you the ropes, though I don't know how much report styles carry over from the military to the guild. Though I'm sure you could help us with that part, Cressey. Being our senior and all."

It was then that a new face entered the conversation between the three women of the group, one of the group that seemed to be with the Swordbreaker, curious she looked to Arien to notice that a girl in far more sturdy clothes than hers was speaking to their...chaperone? She couldn't entirely know what Arien was at this point. Either way, she was drawn to looking at the young man who had decided to address Cressey first with a simple 'sup' as though they held familiarity. After a little bit of thinking, and the approach of another beastfolk to Cressey, what Cressey spoke of during their mission came back. A lightbulb moment happened and she stepped forward to address this man.

"Ah! You must be Falco. Cressey's been talking about her previous group, so I thought it must be one of you. Let me think...if I remember her words were that you were the long-haired one, and that you would try to grab my tail."

She waited for a few reactions, giggling after. Her tail wrapped in front of her, the fluffy white mass covered a good chunk of her figure and she grabbed it to adjust it better.

"I take pride in my tail and groom it meticulously every morning. You can't grab it out of nowhere, but..." her eyes narrowed and her smile widened. "You need but ask, or take any invitations I offer. Where's the fun in grooming it if no one can admire it after all?"

It was clear if any read between the lines she was daring Falco to touch her tail. Her smile and eyes stared at him with an oddly playful hunger, if only to accentuate the effect of making him wonder if it was truly OK to touch it. Should Falco choose not to touch the fluffy mass in front of him, she would withdraw the tail soon and internally, feel a tad disappointed. Either way, it was a fun little tease to gauge Falco. Sometimes a simple action could give insight to person's character, but it was also a way to have fun and act as an icebreaker.

Should the opportunity arise, she would also give this introduction to Cressey's last party and a beaming smile sure to give a great first impression, "My name is Lupa, former soldier and city guard of Tylsen. Nice to meet you."

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: back, meeting new peeps
Thinking: "Hm. New spell. New weapon.. Gotta train.."

Location: tylsen
Interacting: Silver Wolf
Mentions: Risax, Sen, Falco

Although she wasn't much for conversation, it wasn't for a lack of trying. Hyss had been amicable and tried to chat, she was just bad at it. But she was friendly enough. Also, while others -namely Sen- were wallowers, and the type to drink till they dropped, Hyss was much more frugal. She didn't spend much, opting to just sip a little of her drink. Only sipping enough to say she was taking part in the social custom, more so than actually getting drunk or anything of that nature.

The following day, for her reward, Hyss opted to gain another weapon she could use. Unlike that flimsy makeshift thing that snapped instantly from the fight with the esservine, she found herself a nice little bow. This "shortbow" was exactly the right 'travel-sized' weapon that fit amongst her arsenal. It was well crafted and the wood was pliant. She tested it a bit, and enjoyed the way it felt in her hands. Along with 10 arrows, this was her reward. She bought another 15 arrows to fill out the quiver that came with the bow. She had some gold left, but that was a decent chunk from her reward money.

Still, she was satisfied. On the way back to Tylsen, Hyss sat -or rather, bumped and tossed- on her seat in the ferry, while trying to decipher this new spell she was taught. She had been surprised when Sen opted to teach her it. But Sen had taught it to her with a gruff and annoying statement that sounded much like an insult. Regardless, Hyss accepted the spell and was grateful for it. She attempted to consider how best to use this spell going forward, and would need to practice it.

Let's back up a bit. When they got back, and Risax was there to greet them. He had apparently made them all gifts. Or rather, some sort of peace offering for taking it easy while they all worked. Hyss hadn't thought one or two things about it. But she looked from him to the blanket in her hands. She gave him a dip of her head and went about her merry way. Now on the ferry, she took note of the craftsmanship of the blanket. It felt like silk in her hands. Or perhaps it was silk. It was a nice gesture, and she could always use blankets, so she opted to wonder how to properly thank the big spider man.

When she wasn't considering the above, Hyss kept her gaze locked on the young one of Sen's. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the blanket himself. Once they were safe in this ferry, amongst others, nothing seemed out of the ordinary between mother and son. Hyss pursed her lips. She was keeping a close watch on the boy. But perhaps she had been a bit too hasty when calling out Sen about her particular brand of mothering. When she saw Sen and her son, Hyss could only recall her own brother and parents. And the image of her dead brother was always at the forefront. Perhaps Hyss just had a very protective streak of young males. Huh, that didn't seem to include Falco.. strange.

She shivered and wrapped the blanket around herself while watching the boy have his fun. Hyss figured there would be a time to apologize for being so rude to Sen had some later date and held her tongue for now. She remained wrapped up until they arrived back in Tylsen, where they met... some new people.

Hyss departed the ferry behind the others, always in her place as their shadow. But upon introductions to the new people, she peeked out. She was feeling a bit shy, though, so had her hood up and over her eyes. It was a common look for her, so probably only strange to anyone new. With a soft hiss, she spoke up, "Don't encourage him," was her advice to the wolf girl.​

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Tylsen, guild hall​

Falco barely finished his one-syllalbe greeting to Cressey when the bird girl lit up like a Feast Day spread and waved at him. D-did she catch him looking? She must have! Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shi-

Nope, it's fine. Totally fine, Falco thought as he lazily waved back and met her wink with a nod, still playing it cool.

Looking was like an unspoken compliment. It's not as if he'd been staring. That would be rude. He merely 'looked.' Glanced, actually. 'Peeked,' some might say. It had been over in the blink of an eye. In fact, the only reason she caught such a small, insignificant, infinitessimally small thing was proof that she had been looking at him first. And we all know what that means...

Bruh... she's into you.

Just as this realization dawned upon him, the wolf girl began to speak, posturing, and smiling, and coiling herself up in her own unimaginably floofy tail as she invited him to touch it (!), while claiming Cressey had warned her he would do such a thing upon their first encounter. The mention of the pint-sized princess brought Falco's eyes crashing down upon her once more, partly because 'how DARE she slander his name in such a way,' but also because if he stared into the light any longer he feared what might become of him.

As if on queue, Sakura arrived and addressed Cressey, finally shattering the illusion and bringing Falco firmly back down to reality. This was not the first time floof was offered to him. It likely would not be the last. He had been here before and had resisted. He could do so again. Hyss's remark only further extinguished the flames within him. Falco's smile grew with the knowledge that he is not the weak man he once was. He was stronger than ever.

He laughed the cordial, sociable laugh of one who is used to sharing his laughter with others. It trailed off into a small chuckle as he spoke. "Why, yes, I am that Falco. Falion Cauphix, at your service. And these are my companions, Sakura and Hysydice," he added, with a gesture to the other two beastfolk. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, ladies," he said with a small bow and a special glint in his eyes aimed squarely at Lupa and the bird. A direct shot right into their souls.

"You must forgive my friend," he said, lightly patting the small girl's head and ruffling her blonde hair. "Cressey and I go way back, you see. About a week, I think. She was once the princess of a small dwarven kingdom, hiiiiiigh in the mountains!" he explained, with a grand, sweeping gesture and the booming tones of a bard about to launch into a tall tale. But he dropped to a low, somber tone as he continued: "T'was a lonely life for her, which is why she is prone to flights of fancy. Such an active imagination, this one, but oh isn't she adorable?"

"Anyway... I wouldn't dare," he said, gesturing to Lupa's tail. "Beautiful things are to be gazed upon, not touched. The princess taught me that and I am most grateful for her tutelage! Aurelia hath made her wise beyond her height." He stifled a laugh. "I mean, 'years.' Truly the best 'senior' one could ask for."
Interaction(s): Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / King Crimson (Cressey) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / ERode (Lori)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Tylsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Leaving the common room of the tavern buzzed, Lucia took her turn in the bath and cozied up in her own bed with Thea as a roommate. The rest of their stay in the town was rather lax comparative to outing they had just been on. The mayor was grateful and offered them breakfast again, which Lucia was happy to accept, and they even got a token from the local craftsmen in addition to their pay. Lucia took a pendant fashioned after some of the local flora, something she could keep as a reminder or wear as an accessory.

Their return home was quite comfortable too, save for the trudging through the gunk. Lucia was none too pleased after having only had a shower not very long ago, however a consolation was the technique shared by Sen which she would certainly make use of. She shared words of gratitude, though her appreciation was more given away by the look on her face.

As they reached the hall and began to dismount, Arein and some others were waiting for them. Sen went to exchange words with the former, meanwhile Falco was quick to greet the latter, of which included Cressey. Following after him were Hyss and Sakura. The number of beastkin had grown. Hopefully the heart-eating hadn't.

Lucia didn't think poorly of Cressey. However, they were both aristocrats. As such, it was natural they would butt heads as much as they saw eye to eye. Still, considering the conversation seemed to center around Falco's flirting for the most part, Lucia wasn't itching to get involved. Instead, she turned her gaze to Sen and Arien, voicing Thea's thoughts.

"Sen the Swordbreaker?" She repeated before glancing over to the other. "There isn't enough vocabulary to describe the horrid state of affairs that forest is in."

Mentions: Most/all
Interactions: Thea, Sen, Arien

 

[TreasureSniper]

Location: Guildhall
Direct Interaction: ERode Lori AnonyMouse Falco Silver Wolf Lupa Thalia_Neko Hyss
​

While he found it disappointing that the warehouse owner declined his offer, the pay for the job was acceptable. Considering the unforeseen circumstances and damage to his arm, he would at least still have a decent amount left over for his other ventures and maybe some amount to pay for his debt. While this particular mission did leave a sour taste in his mouth, he was nonetheless thankful that they were somewhat successful in their mission and lived to fight another day. Once the group had arrived back at the guildhall, he made a short detour back to his wagon, quickly using the tools present to detach his damaged arm and replace it with a much more basic looking prosthetic, looking like an appendage of a pirate. Classic.

Rummaging, through his inventory, he thought about what celebratory gift he should present to his team, to commemorate their mostly successful mission. His usual stock was much too mundane and boring since they could get it from him at any time. His small but tasteful collection of Valgem vine would be a good candidate, though he would prefer to save such drinks for a more momentous occasion. His eyes eventually wandered toward his shelves of multiple prototype clocks. He experimented with a few designs, but in the end, they were simply not cost or time efficient to be sold as products. Being made with spare parts, he thought it was a great way of making use of what was considered a waste product. But in the end, his obsession to experiment and improve upon an already sufficient design got the better of him. "Hmm that will do." Talio thought to himself as he bagged a few of the non-uniformed contraptions.



Packing up his magitek arm into the separate sacks, he made his way back to the guildhall, carrying two sacks over his back. As a person who usually works alone, he was used to carrying large load himself, and thankfully the distance between his wagon and the hall wasn't that far either. Entering the hall, he could see a combination of faces, both familiar and unfamiliar. He decided to approach the two beastkin from his last team first, after all, he did have something for them. Hearing them mention writing reports reminded him that he too still needed to submit his own. Thankfully his notes from earlier should make it a relatively simple task. "Lupa, Lori. Good to see you both in high spirits. I have something for you." Talio announced to his teammates, placing the sacks near the table next to them. Slowly and carefully he unveiled two custom-made clocks to each of them. They were a bit on the rough side, clearly made using makeshift parts and methods, uniformed but nonetheless, functional. Based on the way he was handling them, it was easy to tell that Talio wasn't used to holding things with the hook configuration of his current prosthetic. "A little gift to commemorate our first successful mission. May it be the first of many." He was of course referring to successful missions.

With the gifts for the two beastkin delivered, he turned to greet this ashen-haired individual who seemed to have taken an interest in Lupa's tail. Based on his demeanor and overall disposition, he suspects that this individual was Falco, the one for that Cressey seemed to have a strong distaste towards. "Ah, you must be the one called, Falco. I am Talio Ferromanus, an Entreprenuer from Valgem, A pleasure to make your acquaintance." And with that out of the way, he extended his normal arm to him, waiting for his usual handshake. So far, based on what he could see at least, this "Falco" character didn't seem unpleasant. But upon hearing his "comments" about the short girl, he started to understand more where her annoyance at him came from. That said, he did fine his jovial personality rather amusing. "Hmm, you seem like a person who can make anything more "interesting"." He added, chuckling for bit for before turning his attention to the other two beastkin. Based on the names alone, he could assume that the one snake-like attributes was Hysydice. "Hmm I am guessing you're Hysydice?" Talio spoke, pronouncing her name as perfectly as humanly possible. He has crossed paths with her kind in his past, and has grown more accustomed to their manner of speech and naming convetions.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: back, meeting new peeps
Thinking: "Ooo, this one has manners! But I'm feeling conflicted.."

Location: tylsen
Interacting: TreasureSniper
Mentions: Falco

Hyss glanced at Falco. "Your name is Falion?" she asked without a hint of irony. Her blatant unimpressed gaze asked, 'Then why do we call you Falco?'

Her lazy eyes watched as Falion went and started talking about Cressey, ruffling her hair. The snake stared. How did Falion know so much about her? Were they really this close? Hyss hadn't noticed.. So Cressey was a dwarf; that explained her height. Although all this was very informative, Hyss couldn't help but think Falion was saying it with a certain tone. A tone that seemed to indicate there was lies within it. A tone of fakery. A tone of hyperbolic nonsense. Which is what she had come to know from Falion. So while Hyss thought it was informative, she couldn't help but draw her gaze back up to him and stare, her sharp eyes boring into the back of his skull. This was why she tried to warn others about this boy. Simply put, she couldn't take him seriously.

Another male entered the conversation. He appeared to be gifting something to the others, congratulating them on the mission they apparently had just gone on. Now that was interesting. Hyss wondered, was it his duty to be gifting them rewards? Not the guild's?

Anyway, he attempted to pronounce her name correctly. While he was off, it was a valiant attempt. That made her smile. Though her smile was quite concealed by her mask, so it wasn't all too noticeable. She decided she liked this one, based on his attempt at least. Well, actually, he introduced himself as a Valgemian. Why would he do that? For a brief moment, her eyes narrowed to slits. She wondered why he did that. For what purpose was it to be that transparent with random strangers? She was feeling a bit conflicted. He had attempted to say her name correctly, giving her the proper respect, yet he was Valgemian... Valgemian's were often taught proper decorum, so that was probably the reason, but still.. Yeah, a part of her was feeling conflicted, but she decided to take the approach of "wait and see". He was here, yes? He wasn't serving Valgem anymore.

"Yup, that's me! I'm Hysydice." She introduced herself, the cadence of her name now heard by all, spoken right from the source. So they shouldn't get it wrong going forward! "Those gifts, you're giving them. What are they? And why?" She asked, poking her nose into someone else's business out of curiosity.​

 

[King Crimson]

Current Location: Guild Hall​

After a long, uneventful trip back to Tylsen, the case of the unkempt warehouses finally drew to a close.
The recruits had successfully taken their first step towards the rest of their life within the halls of the guild, and now, they were all free to celebrate a job well done.
...But gazing pensively at the hefty sack of feln in her hand, Cressey couldn't feel any such satisfaction.
From the time they had boarded the carriage, to their meeting with their esteemed client, to their arrival at the familiar halls of the guild, Cressey's mind was occupied only with the past.
Play by play, she watched and re-watched their battle with the twin bandits, reflecting on what she could have done differently, how she could have possibly won, what she was missing.
Alas, the answer she wanted only eluded her, and it was all too easy to just accept that they had the advantage of surprise, and more importantly, the advantage of more sophisticated magic.
A heavy sigh of defeat pushed out through her nose, knowing what would need to be done in the coming days.
She was hoping that she would be able to force her way with nothing but her spear and her own natural skills, that she wouldn't have to speak with her throughout this ordeal, but it was painfully obvious to her now.
If she wanted to win, she would need more powerful magic.

It wasn't until hearing Lori's cheery, singsong voice that Cressey finally broke her pensive silence.
"O-Oh, yeah...a bathhouse would be nice," she half-heartedly responded, feigning interest, though even the less astute would be able to tell that her mind still lay elsewhere, back on the road in front of warehouse five.
She pondered over what to do next.
The thought of rest certainly appealed to her aching, overworked muscles.
But her spirit was still restless, and the thought of letting herself give in to careless decadence, while those bandits were still out there, regrouping, growing stronger, held her back.
The door to the guild opened once more accompanied with a large hail of footsteps that begged her attention.
Her heart soared in her chest at the sight, the fog in her eyes lifting, burning alight with delighted clarity as she looked on at the familiar newcomers;
Her old friends, back from a perilous journey of their own.
Her eyes drank in each of their familiar features, letting herself find some measure of comfort in their presence, after all that had transpired, the tension in her shoulders finally shedding off of her like a massive weight.
Her eyes eventually settled on Falco, who, to her surprise, seemed to be looking back at her with the same sense of kinship, a wide grin plastered on his face.
Frankly, she thought he would be drawn more towards the two new beastkin among their ranks for him to fraternize with.
Of course, eventually his eyes did wander towards Lori and Lupa, not even attempting to hide how he drank in their exotic features.
Typical Falco.

"Ah, Falco...Sup" Cressey nonchalantly replied pouting her lips as she looked away from him in disinterest, mirroring the boy's own aloof façade, giving the hefty pouch in her hand a little toss into the air for good measure, letting it's bevy of coins rattle with an impressive, satisfying jingle that would be sure to catch his attention, and maybe, give the boy a bit of much needed humility.
Her attempts were completely thwarted, however, as Lupa introduced herself, scandalously offering her own tail to the boy, much to Cressey's dismay.
And of course, like a shark to blood, Falco seized the opportunity, playing the part of some sort of noble gentleman, and of course, finding a way to strike at almost every one of her personal sore points.
"D-Dwarf!?" Cressey exclaimed in disbelief, her façade undeniably broken, her face twisting in indignant rage, her foot slamming furiously upon the ground in indignant anger.
"I--!! You--!!" she stammered, her brain too frayed in the moment to come up with a clever retort.
Instead, she turned her anger on the girl to her side; it was her fault after all, flaunting around that tail without a care in the world!
Before Lupa could withdraw the furry appendage from Falco's reach, Cressey took the initiative to grab hold of the mound of fluff.
"Aurelia's sake! Don't encourage him!" she barked, giving the tail a sharp tug downward to teach the precocious beastkin a firm lesson.
"Guardsmen wagging tails at cutpurses...Bandits in the sewers...Bandits in the warehouses...Bandits standing in the bloody guild hall!" Cressey exasperatedly muttered to herself, one hand pinching the bridge of her nose while the other gestures to the large, imposing woman deep in her cups attempting to communicate with Arien.
"Truly, this is a land gone mad..."
With a heavy sigh, she accepts the sad state of affairs, along with the fact that that wily bastard had managed to worm his way past her defenses once again.
"So...I assume your mission went well?" Cressey huffed, eager to get the lecherous boy's mind away from such matters.
Crossing her arms across her chest, she adds, "Frankly, I'm surprised to find you lot didn't beat each other stupid with how you all carry on..."




Interacting:
@ Everyone

 

[Topless]

Location: Tylsen

It seemed that Cressey has completely ignored Sakura and just went over to Falco. She sighed, but that won't matter. All it matters to her is that everyone's all together now. Then came Lupa, "seducing" Falco with her fluffy tail that rivals her own. Cressey and Hyss seemed to be telling her to not encourage Falco to touch the fluff. Sakura's response?

"That's a nice fluffy tail you got there, Lupa. Though to be honest, it looked nothing compared to mine." She spoke rather haughty in spite of her blank expression "Bathed in the freshest spring water and coated with natural flower oil provided by the one Flora Gainsborough. Now you tell me how you'd treat your tail." Is Sakura...challenging her?

AnonyMouse Reinhardt Thalia_Neko
King Crimson Silver Wolf ERode ​

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

location: guild hall
interaction: AnonyMouse Thalia_Neko Topless King Crimson Silver Wolf ERode​

Rixas while somewhat sad about not fully assisting with the rest of their quest was glad most of them got out alive and well it was all rather nicely wrapped up Risax having acquired himself a lovely new walking stick. and as a bit of an apology to the group for not really assisting in the second half of the investigation, he'd got them all a lovely blanket hoping that would at least alleviate some of the.. uselessness of his departure luckily it seemed many of the group where happy enough to have it such as Marcel the small boy rather enjoying the gift. least it was over.. for now..


----

guild hall​

back at the guildhall risax arrived a little later than most on this day the arachine having come back from getting his hand ballista repaired after a training mishap that lead to one of the limbs breaking but now it was all fixed so nothing too bad. thusly wondering over to falco as he made jokes about a certain knights height.. and incidently looming behind falco. "hello everyone don't mind me intruding though i wouldn't mind joining in with the small talk"

 

[Silver Wolf]

Location Guildhall:
Interactions: King Crimson (Cressey), AnonyMouse (Sigma coward), Topless (Floof rival!)
Nearby/Mentioned: Huntertabbysandshark3 (Spooder), ERode (Stilt legs), TreasureSniper (Talio), Thalia_Neko (Mlem), RedArmyShogun (Thea), EmperorsChosen (Elfu), Reinhardt (God/Arien)


​

While she didn't get to have her tail floofed, it did prove Falco may be a good-for-nothing when it came to seizing any initiative. It's not like she doubted Cressey's judge of character, but she did have to admit Cressey did seem to have a few overblown details in description. Nothing new Lupa had to deal with, growing up with a veteran knight and spending years in the military. All it did was make it easier to piece out the little white lies meant to paint a favorable light on the people telling said story.

That, however, was the least thing on her attention. Falco's demeanor turned a little flowery in itself to his introduction, but soon he drew his attention to the short girl and started teasing her, which she happily giggled at in good faith. Before she could add a quip after her giggling though, Cressey yanked her tail and drew it down with frustrated hands which peeved her, until she got an idea. After Cressey had said her part, she would begind haphazardly bludgeoning her with her tail, primarily aiming for the head as she brushed it over the small one's figure like an artist does brush on a paper. Any shedding that Cressey then had to wash out of her clothes was just a bonus. She also took to receiving Talio's gift with a smile and a "thank you" before swiftly turning her attention back to Falco.

"Truly a wise princess..." Lupa said with a nod and faux seriousness, finally retreating her tail from harassing the poor girl. Before she could get another word in, the fox girl who was more fox than Lupa was wolf spoke up and challenged her. Suddenly, a spark in her eyes lit a raging fire of pride and she brought her tail forth to bare against Sakura's and granted the fox's wish. "Every morning I can I go over it with a wire brush to pull out shedding and debris, after that it is washed and shampooed, rinsed and conditioned, then dried and combed. After that I use a finer hair brush to rub in the oils on the overcoat to preserve the freshness throughout the day. Rinse and repeat every day I wake up in my house. Also, thank you for the information, I'll be visiting this Flora Gainsborough and gladly pay up front for her fine oils you use if you're so proud of her work."

Lupa then walked up to Sakura and presented her tail, a tail meticulously cared for each and every day the opportunity allowed, free of excessive shed and white as the snow. It was also rather large for a wolf tail, fluffy to match too. It was clear from appearance alone that it was silky smooth and the shininess fit to match the color of fresh snow. Lupa could blind with her tail if she wanted on a bright day. She was also no fool, she had seen when Sakura first responded and gazed at her tail, and she could take a few guesses why. Oh, she was going to have fun with this group for sure.

 

[Reinhardt]

Arien Bermille​

Location: Tylsen Guildhall​

Sen's handshake was a little bit more vigorous than what Arien had expected, but it was not quite beyond expectation. Instead, it was Sen's decision to give him a handshake that seemed a bit out of character - at the very least, from what he had known of the woman, however little and outdated that may be. "So, what brings you to Tylsen?", he asked shortly after. "Correct me if I am wrong, but I recall you were one of the many that Miss Cephilia took under her wing. I can help arrange a meeting with her if you wish."

As he waited for the Kriegslöwe's response, the young armor-clad lady that was Thea stepped forward, her hand stretched out as she presented a document, accompanied by a seemingly interesting string of words. "Arien is fine.", his gaze turned to her as he received the report. Without any hesitation, he started to flip through the pages of the document, skipping through any detail deemed unnecessary.

In the midst of his reading, Lucia voiced out her thoughts as well, which prompted a response from Arien. "Sounds like you've discovered something more than angry beasts.", he said.

At some point, Arien began to flip back and forth between certain pages of Thea's report, as if something had caught his intrigue. "Are you certain that what you saw was an Esservine?", he asked, not addressed to anyone in particular, but with a familiar tone that the other senior Kriegslöwe should be able to discern - whatever it is that they discovered, it may, no, it will become problematic if not handled accordingly.

Interaction/s: Sen ( AnonyMouse ), Thea ( RedArmyShogun ), Lucia ( EmperorsChosen )

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: back, meeting new peeps
Thinking: "A neat and sleek tail, with healthy scales is the best."

Location: tylsen
Interacting: Topless Silver Wolf
Mentions:


Hyss paused, sinking into a pit of despair. "Why does floof matter for a tail?" she wondered aloud enough for the tail-girls to hear her. As far as she was concerned, tails needed only to be functional. "Wouldn't all that fur just get in the way? Besides..." Her own tail snaked down out of her cloak, and the short girl wrapped her arms around her own tail, hugging it close. "A sleek, shiny coat of pristine scales is best. -- Silky smooth, nary a scale out of place. Look at that sheen. Yes. This is the perfect tail."​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Tyslen - Guild Hall
~~~​

Listening to the others as Arien read through the report, Thea let out a sigh, exhaling and ready to interject as the other offered her tail for Falco to touch. Which, he surprisingly turned down with a measure of self-control and a partial introduction of his allies... Though why those two? Still, he immediately went on to challenge Cressey's height and made up a false story for her. Speaking of, Lupa was it? Yes, Lupa said Cressey had told her about him and warned her. A warning she seemed eager to have come into play. What else had the pint-sized lancer said about the rest of them?

Likely nothing good if this was an example of it. And she fully expected the lancer to make an issue of it, which she did, stomping in anger with a face of rage, grabbing the tail and jerking it down, flowing into a flurry of responses of Falco and bandits, It was around here that Thea stopped giving the matter any thought as other things were soon to take her attention.

Chiefly, Hyss, she seemed genuinely surprised that Falco wasn't his name, rather that it was Falion. For one to be such a dear and precious friend and ally, she could not even recall his name, a name he had said a time or two, that even Thea made a point to remember and to call him when his antics went too far. Staring at her, thoughts of the mission lingered. "Hmm..." She then turned her attention to one of the new guys, Talio he said his name was, a businessman from the Empire, attempting to be a guilder... Though, unlike Rixas this one seemed more dangerous...

Watching as he handed out clocks, she was a bit confused, not by the fact of what they were, so much as that he would give something so expensive. She wanted nothing to remember her first mission. Mostly as she had a good memory and bad blood from the results of it. Then her attention was back on the tail discussion as the two girls said what they did and how to care about the tail. To think they would waste money on such a thing. Still, it was their money to do with as they please. Hyss then joined the discussion, showing her own tail and going into detail on why it was actually best. Were they all really competing about tails, or two of them in regard to Falco, in who was touched?

"Aurelia give me strength..." She says barely loud enough for anyone to hear, as Arien commented on Lucia's remark, she spoke up in turn. "We discovered something more than that, indeed."

As he reached near the end of the report, he flipped back and forth between the pages that were about the assault and tracking of the Esservine, how two of their number initially were in danger, the relentless advance, the blows taken and received, the hard won victory done out of responsibility rather than pay. And the campsite and body, the clear mark that the hand of man was at play here more likely than not. The Revelation that all they had done was killed a single piece. Though his next question was in the open, the tone it carried and direction, it was clearly aimed at Sen. Thea only knew what they were hunting as the Veteran had told them. Till that day she never even heard of an Esservine, Thea would still take some sort of decorum with the situation.

"All your's Sen." With that she shifted her attention to the rest, or at least the ones that had spoken up, "Hello there, a bit late, but I am Thea Schuerer, well met Lupa and Talio. And the group had its ups and downs, Cressey, but the pay is alright enough, and we finished the operation without losses or major wounding. A success at least I would say. Though we've seemed to have stumbled across another mystery and danger all together."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Topless Huntertabbysandshark3 Reinhardt King Crimson lunar_moth Silver Wolf TreasureSniper ERode

 

[AnonyMouse]

Sen Hyazari​

Location: Tylsen, guild hall​

Take me under her WHAT!? Sen thought, her face contorting with a mixture of anger and confusion when the stranger described her as Valdergeuse's... protege? Minion? Understudy? Assistant? Ugh. "Wrong. Consider yourself 'corrected,'" she said flatly as her eyes narrowed upon him. There was much more she could say, but she chose to stay her tongue, while he perused Thea's report.

Meanwhile, the other group a few feet away was getting awfully lively. The beastfolk were showing off their tails and comparing grooming methods, as if this was worth bragging about. It was the type of nonsense people often engaged in when they weren't worried about food or shelter or what might maul them as they slumber. Tch. Idiots, Sen thought. As the cherry on top, the tiny spear-wielder dared to remark about bandits while glancing in Sen's direction, which made the Syrieth's gaze zero in on her.

I ain't tossed a dwarf in a hot minute, but my throwin' arm's startin' ta itch... and I bet she flies reeeeeal nice," Sen thought. A sadist's grin twisted her lips as she side-eyed the small girl. The mental image of Cressey sailing through the air, twintails flapping in the breeze, brought sick joy to Sen's face, but, to an outsider, it probably looked as if she was imagining impaling this midget on her own weapon and roasting her over an open fire.

She would never do such a thing. The throwing, yes. Definitely. But not the spitroasting. We live in a society.

Marcel tugged the hem of her chainmail, bringing the elf crashing back down to reality. Huh? Oh, Arien was speaking and Thea was leaving. Right. "Yeah. Esservine. I weren't born yesterday, 'Master Bermille," she said with a roll of her eyes before pausing to scoop up her son in her arms and meet his gaze. She definitely recognized him from somewhere, but couldn't place it. She didn't feel the urge to sock him in the jaw, so whatever previous encounter they had must not have been entirely bad.

"Look, Valdergeuse hired me to babysit some rooks. 'Twas a fun l'il outing, but I'm ready to get paid and fuck off back into the woods, 'fore I lose it. You 'civilized folk' kinda piss me off, ya know. Better in small doses." Her gaze briefly drifted to the other group and their antics before returning to Arien.

"We did our thing, but Oyten's got a weed problem bigger'n me an' a couple o' greenhorns can solve," she said, in a sobering tone. "So, tell me where to find Miss Golden 'Geuse. And don't gimme no fuckin' 'appointment.' I like to surprise folks, ambush 'em. Heh... must be the bandit in me."

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Tylsen, guild hall​

Falco burst into laughter when Cressey attacked Lupa's tail. Same Cressey, he thought, though her minor freak-out a moment prior to it bothered him a little. 'Bandits in the warehouses?' Did she run into trouble again? He recalled her being very shaken up by their narrow victory in the sewers, as if it came as a reminder that death could come at any moment.

Around this time, Sakura approached and challenged Lupa, as only fellow wielders of floof could. As amusing as this was, Falco recognized it as an opportunity to disengage from both, disaster momentarily averted. Had he chosen correctly? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Much had been sacrificed, for the sake of peace. He did not regret his decision.

Now, one of the boys, whom Falco had barely paid any mind to, spoke up, offering gifts to Lupa and.... Lori? Ah, so that was the leggy one's name. Lori. Yes, he quite liked that. The young man had a hook for a hand and gave them both clocks as a reward for their first mission. Ah, so these guys were new, too. Even newer than Falco and his companions, which explained why Lupa had called Cressey her 'senior,' despite being older and... ahem... 'larger' in more ways than one.

Falco turned to Cressey once more, now that she was freed from Lupa's clutches, but the young man greeted him next. Talio Ferromanus was his name and he actually complimented Falco. Clearly, some are smart enough to see through your slanderous words, princess, he thought with a smile as he happily shook the boy's good hand. Perhaps the clocks were to repay them for protecting him. Must be hard to be an adventurer with only one arm. Which explains why Cressey didn't get one: she was too small to protect anyone.

"Y-yeah, we really came together, thanks in no small part to my motivational speeches," Falco said, finally responding to Cressey's inquiry about how their mission had gone... as well as her remarks about the likelihood of them tearing one another limb from limb. Not an inaccurate assumption, but he preferred to dwell on the high points, not the lows... of which there were many. "I really do bring out the best in people, you know. See, this guy gets it!" he said, gesturing to Talio, and his clocks. Well, Lupa's and Lori's clocks now. "Giving gifts. Keeping up morale. Building strong relationships. I see you, my good man."

Unsurprisingly, Hyss seemed confused by it all, though Falco had to admit, he was surprised she even spoke to Talio, and even more susprised when she whipped out her own tail --wait, she has a tail!?-- and joined Lupa and Sakura. Must be somehting in the air, affecting the beastfolk. Nope, Risax seemed fine. Affecting the beastgirls, then.

Anyway, he turned to Cressey once more, to share his adventures with them both, only for Thea to arrive and steal his thunder. Well, she would have, if not for her manner of speaking. Thea's tall tales were --ironically-- anything but. Strictly the facts, this one.

"Yeah... we did a job, nobody died," Falco said with a smirk and a shrug, mirroring her style. "Saved some dudes, fought giant beasts, and an entire forest tried to kill us. No big deal. Easy stuff, really. I could show you my report," he added, wagging the damp, mud-soaked parchment at Cressey, before tucking it back into his breast pocket as if he were in possession of a priceless manuscript. "But I wouldn't wanna bore you to death." The teasing never ended. How could it? "So, what'd you guys get up to?"
Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) // Reinhardt (Arien)
King Crimson (Cressey) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / TreasureSniper (Talio) / ERode (Lori)