Fantasy Twisted Adventures: Disorder and Gob Snot

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium Aravyre
Interacting: Caligena
Mentioning: Lost Echo rakshasa

“A pity then that you aren’t efficient enough to deal with life outside of a tailor shop then. If you truly are too frightened to do anything about being trapped, perhaps you can set up shop here for all eternity.” He scoffed as he stood, casting a severely less cross stare down at Fawke as he and his pet met his departing handshake. “I have not heard of a Dippu elf, but as far as I know, elves will often procreate with a variety of creatures. You simply appeared to be such an offspring between one and a gnome. Perhaps a halfling. Thus creating an elven lineage creature that looks…like yourself.” Casting him a final nod, he slipped away from the table, less than satisfied with what he could gleam from the pair. Turning his attention to the remainder of the tavern, the tiefling glanced about in attempt to locate some other individual that might have more of a sense as to what was going on here.

Just as he did so, his attention was swept towards the staircase as Fara came flying down them, one step at a time–well it had been one step at a time. Anziium’s cheeks lit with embarrassment as she made a fool of herself with the landing thud as she finally made her way to the bottom of the stairs. Not only was it an embarrassment for her, but was equally for him, given that it was apparent they were associated with one another. His hand strayed to his face as he pinched the bridge of his nose with irritation. Today was going splendidly-

A pent up sigh would leave him as he opened his eyes once again, only to open his eyes to a dark mass before him. Uncertain what he was looking at, his attention strayed upwards for a good few inches until he was met with a rather toothy grin. And there went his own jaw, gaping at the creature before him; it was something he’d never seen and he was certain of that given that it was pure nightmare fuel. Words caught within his throat, the tiefling tried to mutter out a response but was thankfully whisked away to another area of the tavern before the building scream could be let out.

His brain did not immediately reboot, not as Fara was speaking, but rather when she pinned him against the wall to get his attention. That certainly got his attention, and a sharp crack across the face, causing her to let him go. “What. The. Fuck?!” He spat, attention now fully tuned on her rather than the tavern. “First of all, don’t you dare go doing that again. Secondly, I already know that!” Tail bristled at his side, he shoved her back another foot or two from his personal space, a chill running down his spine at the phantom imprints of her hands against his shoulders. “These people know nothing at all. Hell, the human woman over there thinks this all to be a dream, so she isn’t of any good to anybody!” His words were very much not hushed as he spoke.

 

[BeegYoshi]

B. Investigate the Hill - proceed as you would reaching the top of the hill.

Darkness, something Curtis was all too familiar with, betrayed him for the first time in his life as he was enveloped entirely by it. The usual warm blanket feeling was replaced by the warm side of the pillow covering your face trying to suffocate you, the two arms holding it down belonging to the Mimic that swallowed him whole. A torrent of thoughts in his mind all tried to process at once. The last thing he could think about was his daughter, who would never see him again. Of all the ways to go...

"He just arrived! Take our guest to his quest you foolish piece of wood!"

His train of thought was halted by the sound of the barmaid yelling at his captor like you would at a pet who ate some food off the floor. Curtis was the food in this case. Like a good boy, the Mimic had spit him out, the darkness now shifting into a bright blinding sunlight almost instantaneously. He wasn't on the floor of the inn however. Instead he was on a bed of lush green grass. He ran his hand along the blades underneath him, not to different from what he remembered his own worlds grass feeling like. He lied there for a moment, grateful that his life hadn't been cut short. He also felt a little nauseous from what he assumed was caused by that little trip into the Mimics stomach.

A couple minutes would go by until he decided to pick himself up and get on with this mission. He stood out in the open, trying to compose himself. The soft breeze of wind was distracting enough to make him open his eyes and look toward the direction it came from. He gazed upon a wall of trees that would make up the outer layer of a heavily dense forest. He looked at the leaves moving as the wind caressed them gently. Something felt off about that forest area, so he decided to ignore it for now. He turned around and saw a rather obvious looking hill in the distance. He thought he would go there to get some elevation and scout out the area. His first few steps were a bit shaky, but then fell into something closer to a purposeful walk. Another soft breeze tickled the back of Curtis' neck, along with it a subtle sound of soft whispers that no one would have heard if you weren't trying to listen to them. He was too drunk to notice them though, so he just rubbed the back of his neck and continued onward towards his destination

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Fawke Locke - Dippu elf...~
~Bok - Fey chicken...~
~Location The Twisted Inn...~
~Interactions: rakshasa Caligena sraes



Fawke was sitting at the table kicking his legs back and forth since they didn't reach the floor. Bok was turning her head in every which direction. If it moved, the chicken saw it. Which is why she was the first of the two to notice Jane come over. Fawke turned and saw the mysterious lady, slack jawed. She couldn't make heads or tails of this place and he couldn't make either of her! But his mamma didn't raise a delinquent! He put on a brave smile and cleared his throat before looking her in the eyes. Or at least, he thought he was making eye contact.

"Hiya miss. Oh! Uuuuggh... Beats me! But the lady over there gave me a free drink" Fawke said cheerfully. She seemed friendly enough, seeing the way she looked at Anziium. Speaking of Anziium, Fawke heard another voice...! A tiefling lady. But who is Anzii? Anzii... Anziiii.... um. Oh! So she knows him. He smiled and nodded at her.

"No, its okay...! Family comes first, right...? Go talk to your brother in private" Fawke said. He turned and shuddered at the sight of a giant elf. They were massive! Every bit 6 ft tall. Fawke closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. They seemed like a friendly elf. Not that much different than the wood elves that inhabited the forests surrounding Dippu Island. He took three deep breaths before turning to face the sun elf. Reluctantly opening his eyes as he looked over at them.

"Hello...! N-no... I'm not sure where we are, but I have a feeling I'm a lot farther from home than I think" Fawke said, remembering the others saying where they started from. Fawke looked down at his list of ingredients. They were not flower or herbs that he was familiar with. Not at all. Fawke smiled at Anziium and waved at him as he walked away. Fawke was a good liar, for the tiefling's words cut far deeper than his carefree smile would suggest. This lil elf knew how to hide his emotions well, and did so gracefully. Like an elf. At least Anziium seemingly did not intentionally insult him, nor mock him for being short, and Fawke was grateful for that. He lifted Bok and placing her closer to himself. Petting her ever so gently.

 

[Lost Echo]

“Well, isn’t he a pleasant person.” Ankerita turned away from the tiefling, returning her attention to the dwarfen man, and shook her head. “Well, I’ve certainly heard of elves smaller than humans, and fully believe you are a Dippu elf.” As much as that mattered. The elves she’d heard of were tricksters, willing to help but always for a price. And the most important thing was respect. Hopefully, it wouldn’t hold the child comment against her…like the tiefling did. As he spoke of his home, she sighed, “I’ve never heard of that either. This ‘inn’ must open to multiple locations. Maybe we’re all from someplace different. It’s likely if we managed to open the door it wouldn’t be our world we’re walking out to.” She had to take a few deep breaths to calm down the panic trying to break her. She’d never been trapped before. She may have been scared near witless with the giant, but it hadn’t grabbed her. This felt as if she were caught in its grasp, the fingers slowly tightening squeezing first the breath, then the life out of her.

Shaking her head, she smiled at the chil--young man. His lack of combat experience was terrifying. She didn’t know what a goblin was, but did he kill the wolf? Mind you, Ankerita wasn’t sure she could keep her head if a wolf was trying to kill her. So he must be somewhat steady. She didn’t know what an alchemist was, but it was likely in touch with healing. “That sounds wonderful. Still, let’s hope you don’t get too much practice while we’re here.” Her smile invited him to share in the joke.

Her face grew solemn at the new voice, though when she’d spotted the…dark…moving…thin--being? her eyes widened. She’d learned her lesson, holding her tongue as it spoke. The words she spoke were heard, and some of them were even understood, but she couldn’t help but stare. Its teeth were revealed with each word, their size and apparent sharpness promising her meals weren’t merely vegetables.

She was relieved when another voice drew her attention. She was human, enough, tall, but no giant. A smile came again as did words, “Hello. I think we’re all quite lost here.” She waved to the chairs, “Please, have a seat. Fawke and I were trying to figure out what’s going on. If we listen to the barmaid, we’re trapped until we complete quests. Though…the board is…” she hesitated to use the word monster again, “Apparently alive and hungry.”

TheCrowKing ThAtGuY101 rakshasa sraes

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn

Interacting with Anzi TheCrowKing
Location: Twisted Inn, off in the corner, with
a sore bottom and struck face​

The sting of his palm on her cheek precisely and punctually carried exactly the message he meant it to. Mentally retracking for a moment and realizing where she messed up, Fara apologized, taking a step back following his pushing gesture. "Ow! Sorry! Sorry, I forgot about the no-touchy rule! Won't happen again." Quickly dropping her hands from him, she huddled close, speaking in hushed tones but still using her hands to assist her in talking as she got back on-topic. "The tired one? With how exhausted she looked, I wouldn't be surprised if that really was how she got in here - some sort of astral projection maybe? Looks well-put together, at least, but I don't know if I read Spirit Medium from her..." She shook her head, realizing she had derailed for a moment. "Er-. Distracted, sorry. Anyway, my findings-"

Reaching back into her bag, the sorceress re-extracted both pieces of paper she had acquired, as if presenting evidence. She held up the ingredients list so her brother could read it while she gestured with the other hand. "You got one of these too, right? The weird surveys turned into them after they were filled out, and that wart of a fairy seemed to be handing those out to everyone and their mother." She whipped the list back around to glance over it again herself to reassure it hadn't changed another time while she wasn't looking. Satisfied that it hadn't, she un-clenched the other piece of paper with the odd riddle, laying the two side by side.

"This riddle has to be some sort of clue on how to get one of these ingredients. Look here - embers, embers." She quickly pointed between the two instances of the keyword to illustrate her point. "Now, while I haven't figured out what in the nine hells that's supposed to mean, do you remember what the pretty barmaid said about forming parties and getting ingredients? That has to be our ticket home! A place! Where!! I very much want to be!! Right now!!!"
Her eyebrows danced with each stage-whisper exclamation, head bobbing. "Those rooms are nice, but I don't want to stay cooped up in another magical entrapment scheme while some twisted billboard monster slowly eats us one by one!"

She messily stuffed the leafs of paper back into her side satchel, taking a quick count of her supplies. "I hope they'll provide supplies for whatever the fauch we're supposed to do, because I think playing along with the maiden's game is really our only option here." She jerked her head toward and gave an indicative glance at seemingly the only door in or out of the establishment, punctuating her statement. "So, what do you think?"

She looked quite proud of her deductive reasoning at the moment, a feat for which she is not typically known for in her social circles.

Spoiler: HC Internal Monologue Theme

 

[sraes]

Helewys deGrey
Location: The Twisted Inn
Interacting with: Fawke ThAtGuY101 Jane rakshasa Ankerita Lost Echo
Mentioning: Barmaid RitualDeadlyf​

“Hello,” Helewys responded to the small man and human woman sitting at the table, the greetings drawing their attention from the void of a person towering over them. As curious as the person’s appearance made them it would be rude to stare any longer so they let their gaze drift away with only a polite nod upwards. “I’ll be honest, I get that feeling as well. This is certainly not a place I would have expected to find in the middle of the forest that should be right outside. In fact very little should be this deep in the wilds away from the roads.” Not to mention that of all the people arrayed around them, Helewys could only confidently identify a few. And even those seemed just a shade off, like a missed step going down a familiar set of stairs.

Disquieted by the thought their lips pulled into a frown before they consciously smoothed it back into polite neutrality. It would seem they were all in much the same situation, no need to make things tenser then they already were.

“The offer is appreciated but I’ll keep to my feet for the moment,” they demurred. If they sat down now they had the feeling that they may very well pass out on the table entirely, exhaustion tugging at the edge of their mind. The woman’s explanation was helpful though and Helewys glanced towards the aforementioned board and mentally heaved a sigh. Alive and hungry, eh? The wolves were looking better and better by the moment. Not that they apparently had a choice any longer if the words of the barmaid were to be believed. “Well, I suppose there are worse places to be trapped,” they finally remarked with forced positivity.

At the very least Helewys could be sure none of the Precept’s soldiers were likely to track them down here. Little blessing and all that.

“Sorry, I’ve butted into your conversation and didn’t even bother introducing myself,” they hid a grimace at the realization. A few days fleeing through a forest and all politeness seemed to have flown out the window – they gave themselves a mental shake, tucking an errant strand of curly hair behind their pointed ears as they gathered their wits about them. “My name is Helewys. I’m an acolyte of the Weaver. I believe she said your name was Fawke, yes?” Hel inclined their head towards the young man they’d first taken as a gnome, though on closer inspection they looked more like an elf in miniature. “And I’m sorry but I don’t believe I caught either of your names,” they added with a flicker of their eyes from the human to the tall, dark woman behind her.

 

[Raena Kamikaze]

Much like many of the other visitors in this tavern, Raena was not having the best of nights. She felt frustrated and angry. The place that she had just begun to call home
had basically shut down their boarders and kicked her out for not being a native resident to their lands. The man that she had grown so close to, somehow had found a wormhole
and been transported back to his own time..leaving her stranded, lost, and without hope.

Raena had always been a very positive and optimistic individual. She always found the light in any situation. She enjoyed creating chaos and then finding a way out of it,
but now she only wanted to be alone to sulk in her misery. She has basically given up looking for her parents, whom she was taken from as a child. Every person she seemed to
get close to has been taken away from her one way or another. For the first time in her life, she wasn't looking for any type of adventure..just relief.

Stepping into the tavern, bright golden hues peered through a hooded and cloaked figure. Strands of black hair kissed her cheeks, and bright searing red tribal tattoos decorated the right side of her face. Those tattoos were a part of her back story, given to her by her captors so that she would stand out against any crowd. Upon her back and behind her right shoulder, one could see a quiver full of arrows and the tip of a bow that hung across her body. Underneath her cloak, she was leather clad in skin tight clothing that suited her to the best of its ability. First she took in the smells and the sounds, and much to her dismay it left much to be desired. Before she could take another step further she was quickly approached and stopped by the most horrid pixie she had ever seen in her life.

"Welcome to the Twisted Inn! Please fill out this survey on how you found us and a signature."

Raena's face remained emotionless, her burning embers glaring on. The way the pixie said "signature" caused Raena's teeth to clinch. Without a second thought she replied, "No." And Raena moved forward and literally shouldering the pixie out of her way. She heard the pixie scoff and fly off in disgust at Raena's behavior but she did not care. Should they retort in some form or fashion or try to throw her out, they may be in for a rude awakening. For the smaller 5'6" cloaked woman was highly skilled in many forms of combat and battle. Walking past the many faces, including a young boy with his chicken, a few disgruntled patrons, a girl..blob? Raena was able to find an empty booth in the back corner where she took a seat, calmly folded her arms on the table, closed her eyes and took a deep breath..only to hear a blood curdling scream. Without opening her eyes to see what the ruckus was about, a soft grin formed across her rose colored lips. It was like music to her ears, perhaps tonight will be more entertaining that she originally anticipated.

 

[RitualDeadlyf]

Darkness, something Curtis was all too familiar with, betrayed him for the first time in his life as he was enveloped entirely by it. The usual warm blanket feeling was replaced by the warm side of the pillow covering your face trying to suffocate you, the two arms holding it down belonging to the Mimic that swallowed him whole. A torrent of thoughts in his mind all tried to process at once. The last thing he could think about was his daughter, who would never see him again. Of all the ways to go...

His train of thought was halted by the sound of the barmaid yelling at his captor like you would at a pet who ate some food off the floor. Curtis was the food in this case. Like a good boy, the Mimic had spit him out, the darkness now shifting into a bright blinding sunlight almost instantaneously. He wasn't on the floor of the inn however. Instead he was on a bed of lush green grass. He ran his hand along the blades underneath him, not to different from what he remembered his own worlds grass feeling like. He lied there for a moment, grateful that his life hadn't been cut short. He also felt a little nauseous from what he assumed was caused by that little trip into the Mimics stomach.

A couple minutes would go by until he decided to pick himself up and get on with this mission. He stood out in the open, trying to compose himself. The soft breeze of wind was distracting enough to make him open his eyes and look toward the direction it came from. He gazed upon a wall of trees that would make up the outer layer of a heavily dense forest. He looked at the leaves moving as the wind caressed them gently. Something felt off about that forest area, so he decided to ignore it for now. He turned around and saw a rather obvious looking hill in the distance. He thought he would go there to get some elevation and scout out the area. His first few steps were a bit shaky, but then fell into something closer to a purposeful walk. Another soft breeze tickled the back of Curtis' neck, along with it a subtle sound of soft whispers that no one would have heard if you weren't trying to listen to them. He was too drunk to notice them though, so he just rubbed the back of his neck and continued onward towards his destination

Upon reaching the hill, a small village was revealed in the distance with many tiny creatures running around, spread out like a warzone. The village had surprisingly well-made huts that seemed to be structured out of some sort of stone from the distance - perhaps. Roofs were reinforced with wooden spikes as if preventing something from getting on top and the doors seemed to blend in with the buildings. Like miniature, dark brown, building blocks. Barking only became louder the closer you approached. Oddly, it appeared as if a fight was taking place as these fluffy creatures were trying to eat or tear down plant-like monsters with all their might - tooth and claw.

To your left, a ball of vines came whipping at you with big hungry eyes. Tentacles were swinging rapidly as it approached mid-air, mouth wide open. But, fear not! From behind, a small fluffy being no taller than your knee came rushing up from behind, jumping in the air and biting down,ripping the ball of vines like a freshly new toy. Its white fur soaked in the sunlight making it appear like a bright, heroic idol. Cute, brown fluffy ears bounced with each movement with an adorable wagging tail. Green vine juices soaked the rims of this creatures lips as it looked up at you.

The creature barked before lifting up its front paw and pointed towards the camp with his snout. Will you follow?

A: Follow this adorable, oddly dressed canine who just murder a plant in front of you.
B: Hurl the remainder of the ball of vines into the distance and run off into the whispering forest.

Ailments

Curtis is suffering from a minor stomach ache.
Curtis is suffering from feeling drunk due to Skooma. Ends in 1 turn.
Curtis will suffer from Skooma withdraw in 1 Turns.

BeegYoshi

 

[Gravedigger]

Milly was out on his usual rides through Paradime city, until he got separated from his group. While he had been riding a motorcycle for long, he still didn't understand basic traffic laws, and had the habit of confusing left with right, even though he had been corrected multiple times on which way to go, for each direction. Seriously, this was beginning to be a problem. Pulling to the side of the road, it seemed oddly deserted, with, well, desert all around him. Only when he pulled over to get out did he truly see it- a door in the middle of nowhere. Looking around, the door didn't seem to belong. All that was there was the door and it's frame, with no building to go into. "A door in the middle on nowhere? Seems odd. Pretty fishy, but not fishy enough. I kinda wanna open it."

"Milly, you really shouldn't open that. It could be a trap, like if you open it, you could get transported somewhere, where you would have to go to great lengths to escape, through dungeons and quests in a DnD style format." Milly looked at Gunther in confusion. Sometimes he said things he just didn't understand. "That was... oddly specific. Even still, you can't sway me to NOT open that door. I mean, look at it! It's big and fancy, but rustic enough to be a true classic. Even the door nob has a perfect symmetry and balance within the handle. If there was one door to open it, it would be this one."

The conversation was beginning to get heated, but at the end of the day, Milly made most of the decisions anyways. "I'm gonna open it-Don't you open it-I'M GONNA OPEN IT-AHHH-AHHH-"

The door opened. With a bright flash and winds blowing about, Milly was transported to the Tavern. Landing on his face, he quickly jumped up and panicked. "What the hell man? This sucks! How was I supposed to know that?" "I warned you not to open that! Jesus Christ, when will you ever learn? This reminds me of that time you almost got yer parts chopped off in the Swampfest!" "Hey, what happens in Swampfest stays in Swampfest."

An odd pixie, (or was it a fairy?) flew in with a paper. It seemed like it wanted them to sign it, and fill it out. While the whole experience was jarring, it was a surprise to see that they actually weren't too surprised with the flying Pixie.

How did you find us?

"Uh, shit, how do you spell desert again?" "...no." "Fine, I'll do it myself! Uh, lemme think..."

"D-E-S-E-...-T. Desert!" "Oh my god."

Signature here:

"Oh hey, I know this one!" Milly put a crude drawing of a smiley face, along with his first name, Milly.

Walking around the Tavern, Milly was surprised to see so many people here, in weird or flashy clothes. They kinda looked like superheros to him, which is kinda weird, since superheros don't wear axes or swords. Why would there be a Tavern all the way out here? Country folk sure do have their surprises. Some jars with papers there, candles and old fashioned wood here, it all had this home-y vibe, which Milly approved of with a brief thumbs up to himself.

"Come one, come all, Shotgun Milly is here! I know, I know, big surprise. Why would someone like the Great Milly show up at a place like this? Well, I'll tell you, I personally came here to approve of this architecture! And maybe some food. And gas. I'll take the best stock you got for 340 creds, ok? Haha!"

Nobody seemed to notice his presence. He stood out like a awkward, sore thumb.

"Do you know what you're doing? Calm down hot shot! You wanna get killed?"
"Ha. Um, ok then, I'll just go and uh- wait over here, right next to this wall, in the corner..."

And thus, the adventure of Shotgun Milly began, one step at a time. What would he experience next? Would he survive? (Probably not) Only the future could tell.

 

[rakshasa]

Hthul’orpsyd’janede "Jane" Kw'e

Spoiler

"Free drinks on a night like tonight, huh? Ha, maybe that's why this place is so packed. I didn't see nothing about it out front though." Jane had to fold and bunch up into a heap in order to stuff herself into the tiny seat. Even then, her legs spilled out, forcing her to choose between lifting the table off the ground with her knees, or almost kneeling on the ground. She chose the less disruptive option and folded her feet underneath her. Whoever this bar was built for, she was not considered in it's creation.

“Please, have a seat. Fawke and I were trying to figure out what’s going on. If we listen to the barmaid, we’re trapped until we complete quests. Though…the board is…” she hesitated to use the word monster again, “Apparently alive and hungry.”

"Trapped?" She went quiet. She wasn't sure what to make of this information. Just a minute ago, she was out strolling the streets of her home world, and now she was being held hostage? She folded her arms, resting her elbows on the table and perching her chin in her palms. It didn't feel like a prison to her, not that she was extensively acquainted with that feeling. She had mostly made peace with the fact that she wouldn't be joining her friend's jam session anytime soon, and this wasn't the worst place to be trapped on a warm summer night. Booze flowing, merriment, as mingled with terror as it was, plenty of opportunity for people watching. If she was really stuck here, it wasn't the greatest tragedy. It's not like she had much waiting for her at home. Wait, what did she say about the board?

"Yeah, this isn't a bad place to be held against our will at all! No use in being pessimistic!"

“I’ll be honest, I get that feeling as well. This is certainly not a place I would have expected to find in the middle of the forest that should be right outside. In fact very little should be this deep in the wilds away from the roads.”

The possibility that she had wandered into some sort of inter-universal pocket dimension by way of a small inn was something she couldn't say she had never pondered, though it was certainly novel to consider while sober. Looking around at all these monstrous beings with the eye-piercing bright colors of their skin and unearthly accoutrements made her wonder if she had taken something and forgotten about it.

“And I’m sorry but I don’t believe I caught either of your names,”

"You can call me Jane. Nice to meetcha! So, what's this about quests? Is this lady sending us out to do her errands or what? Ah well, maybe she can't leave her bar unstaffed. I'm overdue for a bit of community service anyway."

Interactions: ThAtGuY101 Lost Echo sraes

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium Aravyre
Mentions: sraes Lost Echo ThAtGuY101 rakshasa
Interacting: Caligena

Ha! She had forgotten, what a funny statement, He thought he had made himself clear countless times over back at the farm, but it seemed that wasn’t the case at all. Satisfied once she had removed herself from his personal space, the tiefling crossed his arms over his chest, feeling all the more chilled from her sudden forgetfulness; he was beyond tired, thoroughly angry, and beyond uncomfortable now. “She’s nothing more than an unnoteworthy seamstress-” Anziium piped in, casting an irksome glare at the table he had just retreated from. It seemed they not only got an addition with the sentient void, but another as well. From what it appeared, and what he strongly assumed, was an elf. An actual one this time, sun if he wasn’t mistaken. He briefly glanced them over before returning back to Fara, now rubbing his arms in attempt to get some warmth into his limbs. “Apparently she’s done crossed a giant or something of the sort. Hard to tell when she’d blabbering on about this being some sort of dream. Hard to believe anything that comes out of her when she’s speaking like that.”

One of his hands would pause briefly to take the ingredient list shoved before him, skimming over the items before landing on the one she seemed so stirred up about. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He had something similar, but he didn’t think too hard about it until she brought her own worry. Which, at this point, was warranted. “Yes, I got one of the papers that were being handed out, but I never quite read it. Nor planned to.” Ah yes, crumbling it up in his wet pocket was his best idea yet! Handing her list back over, Anziium fished around for his own, not really having gotten the chance to read it with the human woman blathering away about dreams.

“Here. I think I have something similar to your embers but not any like that. Halfling, I think. Er-” His bronze gaze flashed across the paper, he shaking his head. “Dwarven, actually. I don’t understand what exactly your ‘riddle’ quite means, but apparently we both need to make light of it.” Heavens forbid it mean something unsightly with another of their race. It would sure make to be something unsavory if that were the case. Returning his own paper to his pocket, he breathed out a minorly irritated sigh at the mentioning of the groups. No, he particularly didn’t wish to gather with strangers, but what else was there to do? He’d already tried the front door and things kept getting stranger and stranger. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even too certain where that barmaid of pixie had went after shouting about quests, anyway.

“If you believe yourself capable of finding a handful worth bothering with, be my guest. The human over there finds us to be monsters and supposedly, the short one isn’t a child, from what I gathered from them earlier. Although I may have offended the short one..” He trailed on, casting his gaze away and carrying on before he found himself at the end of an accusing finger for doing such. “The…void? It wasn’t there before, nor the sun elf. Maybe they’d be helpful, that is, if the walking darkness doesn’t eat you first. It has t e e t h. In the mean time though, I suppose I’ll take a glance at those quests the barmaid put up if you wish to find some capable individuals.”

With a nod, Anziium would push past her, his shaking figure making its way to the questboard. Now, he hadn’t see the poor fellow get eaten earlier, thus he wasn’t being all too careful about his approach to the monstrous board. A cold hand would brush its way through his sodden hair, moving it aside for him to be able to read what fresh hell he and his sister had gotten themselves into.

 

[Gravedigger]

After the glorious and surely enchanting entrance Milly had performed, the stage fright had gotten the best of him. Some time had passed, which was enough for him to come up with a few inferences of where he was. The more and more bizarre things became, the less and less he seemed to care. Counting on his fingers, he was able to list a few things he knew for sure. This was actually pretty mature for him.

1. I can't go out the door. Nobody else can either.
2. The people here have stayed for a long time. Help is not coming, and I cannot seem to escape.
3. There seem to be... jobs? People seem to get eaten by a chest when they use the slips of paper. Why though?
4. Wait, why is the chest eating people again? That's probably illegal.
5. Maybe these people are from another world. That would explain the weird dimension stuff, probably some funky universe laws.

Finally, there seemed to be a bartender at a desk. For Milly, talking to her would help him out the most, as he could get useful information. With a deep breath, and a posture befitting of a outlaw of his caliber, he... dived back under a table, in which Jane, Helewys, and other people were residing at. This was harder than expected. [2/20]

"Milly, what the hell are you doing? I thought we were gonna talk to her for some info!" The 'talking' gun was in no mood to be dealing with his troublesome tendencies. "It's just that she's woman, and women are hard to talk to! You need to be nice, and not talk about the kill-streak you have in Call of War-" "Nobody cares about your kill-streak in Call of War! Literally no one but you! Every time you meet someone you like, you consistently talk about your kill-streak in Call of Whatever, and what happens? You get blocked out the next hour! Had to spend 4k creds just for that..." Gunther paused for a minute. "Whatever. Just get up and see if you can figure out what that chest thingy is."

Getting out from under the table, Milly immediately realized that he'd be rambling under the table, all while the people sitting there thought he was crazy or something. He instantly blushed a deep shade of red, and assumed a position of stiffness, with a panicky face. This was... definitely something. These people that he had first interacted with varied in shape in size. Some were small, some had pointy ears, he didn't even know where to start!

"Uh- Hello there, fleshbags! It is I, Shotgun Milly! Don't mind me, I was just figuring a way out of here, and I believe I've found it! Now, if you're wondering what it is, I assure you I have the best ideas! It's just in the works, yeah! So do not worry, soon I will get you all out, just to be robbed by the Markers again!"

Milly closed his eyes with a smirk, shifting his gaze from Jane to his gun, holstered in his hands. "Yeah, that was pretty cool of me, huh Gunther?" The piece of metal did not reply. It was a piece of metal.

sraes TheCrowKing Caligena ThAtGuY101 rakshasa

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Fawke Locke - Dippu elf...~
~Bok - Fey chicken...~
~Location The Twisted Inn...~
~Interactions: Lost Echo sraes rakshasa TheCrowKing

Fawke smiled and nodded at Ankerita, whom believed him.

"And I appreciate that. Whenever people see us away from our island its usually because they are on a pilgrimage, like I am!" Fawke said. He chuckled to himself. Ankerita seemed to propose a decent theory of the tavern being in multiple locations. But how and why? He remembered the orc that was gobbled up. Horrid thought. What malicious intent could this place serve? He scratched his chin as he thought about it. Fawke looked at the sun elf's pointed ear confirming they were indeed an elf.

"Nice to meet you too, Helewys. Yes, I am indeed Fawke. Fawke Locke and Bok...!" He said patting his chicken on the back. Fawke turned his attention toward Jane. It was rude to stare at people and Fawke didn't want to come off as ignorant or insensitive by asking her what she was, but he wondered. With a single finger he reached out and poked her elbow. Slimey to the touch! Unexpected. It was clearly solid He brought his arm back to himself.

"Eheheh! Sorry about that. I should have asked before doing that, but I was really curious" Fawke nervously chuckled in an attempt to light hearten his action. Bok turned to look at Fawke and pecked his hand for being nosey. His laughter ceased the moment he saw someone crawl out from under the table.

"Huh...? Oh. Ugh. Nice to meet you Shotgun" Fawke said. Fawke did not know what a shotgun was and simply assumed it was his first name. Bok kept a weary eye on shotgun Milly. He looked around and spotted Anziium by the quest board. Inevitably he'd need to check that out too. Hopefully he'd be just fine.

 

[Lost Echo]

With a twist of her lips, Ankerita agreed. The tavern was warm, and the chatter had returned to its normal level. If she had to be trapped, this cozy environment was probably one of the best. Waving away her apology, she replied, “I feel that in these circumstances, a little leeway in etiquette is understandable.” She tried not to stare at the ears revealed behind her hair. It seemed there’d be a lot of mysteries she’ll never get the answer to if she remains polite. Upon hearing her introduction, the tailor smiled, “Oh! A weaver, that’s a good, strong profession. I myself have a loom at home, though I don’t get to use it as much as I’d like to.” Shaking her head, she gave a wry smile, “Dear me, listen to me, speaking before introducing myself. Why I haven’t even to Mr. Fawke here.” Bowing her head in greeting she began again, “Well met. I am Ankerita, a tailor from Redspire.” Her attention was momentarily drawn to a form as dark as the night itself, with only its eyes and huge teeth visible. She blanched slightly, unable to hear what he was saying, and returned her focus to those around her. Her gaze drawn to another colorless individual as she spoke, her massive teeth moving up and down in a parody of eating. It was ridiculous watching the lanky creature fold itself up to sit on the chair. Once more this felt like a dream. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to it. At least, if it was a dream she wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt, but this? A shiver ran down her spine.

Forcing a smile, she tried to greet it anyway, “Well met Jane.” Glancing around at the table, she spoke to the group as a whole, regardless that the voided individual mentioned it, “I don’t know what the quests are, but perhaps they’re mere errands. But going by how this day has gone, I worry that it’ll be more than that. Still, it’d likely be best if we went together. Would anyone like to join me to investigate the board? Hopefully, if we stay back far enough, it won’t…reach us.” Standing, she glanced over to the board, sighing when the dem-tiefling from before was standing in front of it. Maybe it’ll be distracted eating him

“Oh!” Suddenly the shadowed creature from before climbed under the table. Stepping back, she watched it disappear into the darkness. But she could still hear it, arguing with something, someone? Had there been another dark creature hiding under the table already? Stepping away, and smoothing down her skirts in anxiety, she watched the spot it had disappeared into. Then, after about a minute or so, it climbed out once more. She wrinkled her nose as it spoke, but needs must, she asked, “What’s your idea then,” Ankerita also did not know what a shotgun was, but her bigger concern was what title to use. Mister? Missus? If she chose wrong, she’d insult another monster. “Shotgun?” instead she followed Fawke’s example, leaving any title out.

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn

Interacting with Anzi TheCrowKing , then the rest of the PC table briefly Lost Echo ThAtGuY101 Gravedigger rakshasa sraes , then Haelga the Oni RitualDeadlyf
Location: Twisted Inn, from the huddle, to the PC table, to Haelga's table.
​

Fara seemed to be eating up every word of description Anzi was able to gather from his brief time with the others. Information was the key most resource when it came to making friends, so anything she could learn about someone was valuable to her. Or at least so the logic goes in her mind. One comment he gave made her chuckle a little to herself before they would split ways. Her brother? The capsaicin-laced charmer he was? Offending someone. N e v e r.

"But of course, Anzi, I'm nothing if not a delight," she winked, knowing full well that between the two, the comment was very tongue-in-cheek. Hopefully a little bit of playfulness would knock at least some of the keenness of the edge that was her brother's foul mood. Her deductive reasonings and her brother finally agreeing with her plan put a sure spring in her step as she turned on her heel, Anzi breezing past her, no doubt rolling his eyes.

She stood on her tiptoes to try and get a better survey of the crowd, finally feeling the anxiety start to find it's way out now that they had a plan. It seemed that in the two siblings' absence, yet another new face joining them, appearing similar in some regards to the tall slender lady that arrived just before Fara's short flying lesson. She started walking towards the group when she heard the human seamstress mention something about going to go look at the board.

Figuring she better hurry if she wanted a word in edge-wise, she skipped over to the table to at least give a brief mention about being interested in party members. "Hi hello, me again, name's Faralynn but you can just call me Fara. So sorry, but I heard something about you all going to go look for quests? If anyone..." she trailed off, looking the ragtag group up and down. "If anyone has any experience with magic, my brother's over at the board looking for one we could take. Feel free to ask him to party up while you're over there." She then cupped her hand to the side of her mouth and stage-whispered, "Also sorry if he said anything nasty to any of you, he's just going through something really hard right now. I'm sure you're lovely people!"

Flashing a genuine and heart-warming smile to the group before bowing back out of their conversation, she pranced off in search of any other potential candidates. Looking around again, she spotted one burly and frightening-looking oni woman sat at a different table nursing a drink and giving a thousand-yard stare at the quest board. A perfect pick! Not intimidated in the least by the woman's features, she stopped a couple feet away from her, leaning in sideways to interpose her gaze. "Hi, excuse me, my brother and I were gathering information about this place and looking for potential party-mates. Would you help us on either of those fronts, Ms...?"

 

[sraes]

Helewys deGrey
Location: The Twisted Inn – Table to the Quest Board
Interacting with: Jane rakshasa Ankerita Lost Echo Fawke ThAtGuY101 Milly Gravedigger
Mentioning: Fara Caligena​

Keeping their post next to the table, Helewys watched with unrepentant curiosity as the tall void of a person folded herself somewhat uncomfortably into a much-too-small chair. She almost reminded them of a shadowkin but corporeal and much, much larger. The desire to interrogate the woman rose up and was summarily crushed back down as inappropriate. No matter how they all ended up here from the various and – it was becoming quickly obvious – vastly different locations, few people enjoyed being singled out and asked invasive questions. No matter how good the questioner’s intentions.

Although certain little elves with poking fingers didn’t seem to entirely agree with them. Hel turned away slightly to hide an amused look as the boy’s chicken seemed to echo their sentiment.

“Nice to meet you as well Jane. I can’t say I know much more than you do,” they shrugged, then shifted their glance over to Ankerita before continuing, “but apparently we’ll find more information about the quests on the board over there. Hopefully you’re right and it’ll just be some errands to run though this seems like a bit of an overly elaborate way to recruit help if that were the case.” A wry twist of the elf’s lips belied their optimistic words. The expression softened slightly back into amusement at Ankerita’s misunderstanding – although given the circumstances it was a very easy one to make.

“I agree, my mother does a bit of weaving from time to time but the Weaver I serve is actually a goddess who weaves together the strands of magic that make up the world. I am a healer in her temple in the Precept’s capital. But I’m guessing by your reaction she is not a deity you are familiar with?” Helewys glanced around from person to person, no longer surprised when their guess was confirmed. “No matter, should probably have expected that given how far-flung we all seem to be.”

Following Ankerita’s gaze over to the quest board, they nodded a silent agreement that taking a look was the fastest way to get any actual answers rather than just guessing. “I suppose we shoul-” Helewys started before their words trailed off in surprise as another dark creature – though this one significantly smaller than Jane – popped out from beneath the table in a burst of quick words and bravado. ‘Did they just call us ‘fleshbags?’’ They thought, too dumbfounded to know if they should be offended.

Before they could decide either way, the tiefling woman from earlier bustled up providing a timely distraction.

“Well, um, Shotgun was it? I’m also curious about this idea of yours but I think I’d like to take a look at the quest board like Ms Ankerita mentioned before I start making any plans,” they tilted their head past the crowd to the board in question. “So if you’ll excuse me?” They nodded politely to the people they’d just met and turned to head towards the board to do just that.

 

[RitualDeadlyf]

Caligena

Looking around again, she spotted one burly and frightening-looking oni woman sat at a different table nursing a drink and giving a thousand-yard stare at the quest board. A perfect pick! Not intimidated in the least by the woman's features, she stopped a couple feet away from her, leaning in sideways to interpose her gaze. "Hi, excuse me, my brother and I were gathering information about this place and looking for potential party-mates. Would you help us on either of those fronts, Ms...?"

Of the interruption of her gaze, Haelga quickly shifted her glance toward the woman. Frustration fueled her from within and was expressed through their nostrils as hot air blew into the woman's face. The oni shifted their foot outwards. "Rude to interrupt staredown of oni." She said deeply. "You want my help?" The brute oni stared at the woman for a moment in silence before going on - "You are a squishy fake demon, not strong like us. However, we praise honesty. Can you prove you are an honest being? Show me pride."

The oni was clearly asking for something or two from Faralynn.

A. Show this oni your secret and be honest about the truth.
B. Show this oni your powers and be proud of your capabilities.
C. Introduce your brother and show the strength of your bond.
D. All the above.

Results and rewards may vary.

 

[rakshasa]

Hthul’orpsyd’janede "Jane" Kw'e

Spoiler

Their table seemed to be the busiest at the bar tonight, bustling with activity, individual conversations here and there, population growing as new folks wandered over trying to get their bearings. And unusually, Jane was among the most quiet there. Usually Jane would delight in a situation like this, with plenty of opportunities to socialize and be merry, but she could tell not everything she did was going over well. She wasn’t always the most socially aware back home, shooting off at the mouth, saying whatever came to mind, occasionally offending without realizing it. But the more time she spent at the inn, the more she became aware of how she was being perceived. Each person she spoke to, each gaze she met, responded with a similar look of terror. They would try to look away, or gape in a mix of shock and fear. It wasn’t completely unexpected, based on how different she appeared to any of the beings present here. It might’ve hurt her feelings if she wasn’t so empathetic, not to mention humble. Were she more close-minded, she might retaliate with the same fear. It was unnerving to see so many details in a creature's visage, from their gaping eyes to cavernous nostrils and dark pores. But, she had learned not to judge a book by its cover, and imitated the same comfort the creatures shared with members of their own/similar species. She didn’t know how they could stand to stare at each other so intently, though.

She was slightly taken aback when she received a gentle prod from the boy sitting beside her. Instead of gaping at her in terror, he gave her a chuckle and goofy smile.
“Heh, I’m all real, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He seemed friendly enough. At least he wasn’t afraid to be anywhere near her, or his tiny clucking beast of a companion.

Jane only watched as the horned girl popped in, said something she barely caught before she sped off, leaving no time for elaboration. Something about magic, concerning the young man she’d frightened a few minutes ago? If so, that was fine by her! She was a fledgling when it came to magic, but perhaps in this hostage situation she could find an opportunity to learn.

“Sounds like a plan, Ank!” She scooted her chair back a few feet before standing. When she reached her arms above her head to stretch, her fingers brushed against the ceiling. “This place is getting a bit crazy anyway, even for me. I need some fresh air.”

She pointed down at the dark creature that had just emerged from underneath the table. “You come too, Milly.” Despite its odd introduction to the group, she did feel relief in its appearance; she could tell they weren’t Melanopod in nature, judging by their short stature and visible eyes, but it was a relief to be able to look around in the bar and have her sore eyes settle on the familiar sight of darkness.

Setting her hands on her hips, she turned to meet the gaze of Fara’s brother, and attempted to shout over the crowd. “Hey, pal! Let’s go questin’!”

Interactions: ThAtGuY101 TheCrowKing Gravedigger
Mentions: Caligena , everyone else at the table lol

 

[Gravedigger]

“Oh!” Suddenly the shadowed creature from before climbed under the table. Stepping back, she watched it disappear into the darkness. But she could still hear it, arguing with something, someone? Had there been another dark creature hiding under the table already? Stepping away, and smoothing down her skirts in anxiety, she watched the spot it had disappeared into. Then, after about a minute or so, it climbed out once more. She wrinkled her nose as it spoke, but needs must, she asked, “What’s your idea then,” Ankerita also did not know what a shotgun was, but her bigger concern was what title to use. Mister? Missus? If she chose wrong, she’d insult another monster. “Shotgun?” instead she followed Fawke’s example, leaving any title out.[/FONT]


"Huh...? Oh. Ugh. Nice to meet you Shotgun" Fawke said. Fawke did not know what a shotgun was and simply assumed it was his first name. Bok kept a weary eye on shotgun Milly. He looked around and spotted Anziium by the quest board. Inevitably he'd need to check that out too. Hopefully he'd be just fine.

​

“Well, um, Shotgun was it? I’m also curious about this idea of yours but I think I’d like to take a look at the quest board like Ms Ankerita mentioned before I start making any plans,” they tilted their head past the crowd to the board in question. “So if you’ll excuse me?” They nodded politely to the people they’d just met and turned to head towards the board to do just that.

"Yes, Shotgun Milly! They know me from all around, they sing my name!" He paused for a minute, with momentary confusion. These people were confused, but not in the scared or awkward way, more like the I-don't-know-what-a-shotgun-is face. This could be troublesome. "Um, Milly, I'm pretty sure she doesn't know what a shotgun is. That's like if you named yourself Lesbian Larry." "What's a les.. lesbiun- ohhh, I get it." He scratched his head a bit before forming a coherent sentence, as he gestured his arms to fit the description he was matching. "It's like if you take a bow and arrow, but the bow is made out of metal, and the arrows are also made out of metal... Yeah, I'm pretty good at this explaining thing." He grinned smugly at himself, thinking that he was the best at explaining things, which happens a lot after doing something once.

"Of course, I know you all want to hear my master plan, yes? Well, it involves one of you reading the paper thingies, for the glory of my recognition!" He leaned on Gunther, which almost topped him in height, if looked at from certain angles. "Now, I would read it myself, but y'know, I uh... that stuff is waaayyy too easy for me. It's so easy that I could do it blindfolded. I'm not in the mood to do it, so don't worry about it." A trickle of a black ooze, commonly known as Shadow Sweat, trickled down his face. He was definitely lying.

She pointed down at the dark creature that had just emerged from underneath the table. “You come too, Milly.” Despite its odd introduction to the group, she did feel relief in its appearance; she could tell they weren’t Melanopod in nature, judging by their short stature and visible eyes, but it was a relief to be able to look around in the bar and have her sore eyes settle on the familiar sight of darkness.

Milly looked straight up at the woman, who was probably twice his height on a good day. In his planet, many assets of power were determined by how much one had, physically or financially. For example, "Shades," such as himself were somewhat feared, and tall women were seen as leaders in groups. With these two things combined, Milly felt like a fish out of water, then put in a deep fryer. "Um- y-yeah, I was just gonna do that, tall woman..! You have good ideas, even if you are a..." He stopped himself. Calling someone of this caliber a "meatbag" again would be a death sentence! Just her talking to him was enough to make him blush and shake, imagine if she touched him, or admired his shotgun! She was truly a force to fear.

"...Yes Ma'am..." He looked down and fidgeted with his hands.


rakshasa ThAtGuY101 TheCrowKing Caligena

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Fawke Locke - Dippu elf...~
~Bok - Fey chicken...~
~Location The Twisted Inn...~
~Interactions: Lost Echo Caligena sraes rakshasa ...~
~Reactions: RitualDeadlyf Gravedigger ...~
~Mentions: TheCrowKing ...~

Fawke turned to Ankerita and nodded in agreement that a weaver was a good profession.

"Ooooh. Neat! So you make clothes?" Fawke said curiously wen Ankerita called herself a tailor. Given the clothes Ankerita wore, it was safe to say her style of tailoring was far different and likely didn't involve turning plants into cloth such as how his people did.

"You guys already know my name is Fawke Locke and my best buddy Bok! But while on the discussion of professions, I'm an alchemist! I make potions and stuff. I'm pretty good with a knife" Fawke said grinning, showing his bone dagger before putting it away.

"I'll join you Ankerita! You were the first Person here, I spoke to after all. Well besides that one Pixie and the barkeep, heheh" Fawke said before looking over at the tiefling that had seemed to know anziium was now speaking to the table and asked if anyone had magic capabilities.

"I have some skill in magic. Not a lot and nothing offensive usage. Some healing arts. Blood magic primarily but I'm still a bit of a novice, heheh" He said excitedly. She apologized for any offense Anzii may have caused. It was all water under the bridge for Fawke and didn't bother him. Eventually she spoke to the Oni woman. Who? Fawke glanced over to see who she was talking to. Fawke didn't know what an oni was, but her horns and the expression on her face was enough to worry the little elf. He got a good look of her, but remembered his upbringing and chose not to stare. He did give a slight smile before turning his attention towards Helewys. Their talking about weaving magic peaked his interest.

"Your momma taught you weaving magic? That sounds really neat! And your a healer? That's so cool! I bet it would be neat to compare healing spells. From one healer to the next. Though you probably know a lot more about the arcane arts than I do" Fawke said eagerly. After hearing Jane's friendly comment, Fawke nodded. Finding it difficult to make words come out. He cleared his voice.

"That's g-good to know. And now to meet you...!" Fawke said feeling rather determined to give a good impression. Bok squinted her eyes at Fawke before turning away, ready to judge the next fool that dares meet her gaze. Fawke nodded again in agreement to getting fresh air. Though seeing Jane touch the ceiling did not sit well with the small elf. Even with a chair stacked on the table and jumping on it, he still wouldn't be able to touch the ceiling. Though he had interacted with her enough to know she was a good person, and simply smiled. He slid down from his chair and stood up. stretching his arms into the air. Bok leaped onto his head and made herself comfy. He looked over at Milly explain a shotgun. A metal bow and arrow? was that practical? Was a metal bow even capable of properly and consistently bending without being damaged or breaking? Questions... Either way the lad seemed friendly enough and ready to help in quests.

 

[TheCrowKing]

Anziium Aravyre
Mentions: Caligena rakshasa

“Alright, what have we gotten ourselves into.” The tiefling murmured to himself, making his way in front of the board to get a better look. Some people of the tavern where still gathered around them, but he careful manuveured his way through them all to get a better look. From what he could see, there were only three quests to be undertaken, each neatly labeled upon a sheet of parchment with their designated reward below them. Seeing this, he retrieved his ingredients list, holding it up to first see if there were any stated rewards that would match his or his sister’s list. After a few moments comparing them to his list and the one he had remembered from Fara’s hands, he didn’t see any that matched, although the presentation of a ‘random’ reward intrigued him.

“If there’s none that match the ingredients, why go on doing this then?” He pondered to himself, ultimately putting the list away for safekeeping. I suppose if none match, then really, we could go on any of them. I eyes briefly alit with understanding, perhaps realizing they might could use the reward as a bartering chip in the future. With this thought, he finally moved away from the rewards and towards the actual quest description, itself.

Interesting, there doesn’t seem to be a Quest A. Biting the interior of his cheek, he disregarded that thought, assuming someone had went ahead and taken it. An apothecary searching for a particular herb that only grows within caverns. Seems simple enough. Monsters may or may not be included. Well, that would minorly complicate things. Although, this is the one with the random reward that might end up being something we need. Hmm.

Quest C, the undertaking of finding a cure to an ailment that’s plaguing a village. A faint frown twitched upon his lips for a brief moment, he feeling some pity for those poor souls. Alas, neither he nor his sister were a healer in the least bit. The best he could do would be to convince them they aren’t ill and she provide cleansing fire. Yeah, that wasn’t going to work.

And the final quest, Quest D. A…dracoling and cultists. Mm, that was a hard pass for him. He had never fought a dragon and hadn’t the intentions to, especially when the reward wasn’t something he needed to return home.

Turning away from the board to hunt down his sister amongst the crowd, Anziium remet the gaze(?) of the creature known as Jane, watching her attempt to shout something over the crowd. “By the gods, what the hell is that thing?” He breathed to himself, pretending he in fact hadn’t seen her whilst he awaited his sister’s return.

 

[TheCrowKing]

Kaeda Stillwater


A light misting of morning dew had dampened the forest, leaving the rich earth soft beneath the footfalls of its inhabitants. Somewhere deep within the wood, a creature stirred within an abandoned burrow, the former occupants long since having left the den for somewhere better. The creature was thankful for this, having escaped the elements the night previous by finding such a luxury as the comfortable den. Alas, they could not sleep forever, stirring at the morning cries of the woodland creatures arising to the new day. Just as they, the creature too must begin their day in following the sun westward. Dredging themselves to the mouth of the burrow, their pale skin reacted negatively to the harsh morning light, almost seeming to ripple with dissatisfaction. That’s when the milky flesh began to shift, from a creamy vanilla to a muddled purple, almost seeming to contemplate the two before landing on a freckled almond color. Their wild, white locks would burst into a fiery red, elongating until the hair reached their ankles. A sapped blink of their achromatic orbs reopened as a blue as deep as the ocean. Within the confines of that den, the creature had gone from exactly that, a disproportionate creature, to that of a young woman almost effortlessly.

Extending a hand once more from the burrow, they twisted their palm to meet the morning sun; this time the searing sensation of the sun stung far less after the acquisition of their newly pigmented skin. Now safe from the floating orb of fire within the skin, the creature was able to pull themselves free of the earthen bed they had taken residency in. After a few moments of struggle, they were free from their temporary shelter, reaching a hand inside to retrieve the sparse belongings they kept with them. Their tongue would drag along their cracked lips, the dryness of their mouth unbearable this early morning. And thus, they turned their back to the earthen den, bare feet squelching in the damp earth as they began their long, quiet walk.

Hours would pass, each minute spent in silence past the environmental music around them. Forest creatures would scamper by, almost bumping into the shuffling creature until they came close. Upon learning of the individual’s presence though, they would soon dart away quickly under the brush, as though frightened. This would continue throughout the day, the creature shambling through the wood to follow the light, walking without an end in sight.

It was high sun before the creature would stop, finally stumbling upon a babbling stream; the thirst from earlier in the day had intensified by tenfold from their ceaseless walking. Diverting from their straightforward path, the creature carefully navigated their way down to the stream, stooping to cup their hands within the flowing liquid. They would drink for what seemed like hours, drenching their bare breasts from the cool waters. Once satisfied with their fill, their cracked and cut feet would guide them into the chilling stream, taking some time to themselves to rest. Their fiery hair would flow behind them, spreading like fresh blood through the waters as they allowed themselves to float downstream.

After some time to soak and bathe, they would withdraw themselves from the waters to begin their journey once again. A few, brief moments were spent rummaging around a torn and tattered bag they held, before producing a set of clothing to warm them from the chilly swim. As they were doing so though, a slight movement amongst the trees would catch their vision. There stood a deer, its dark eyes watching the odd creature through the trees before walking away. The sensation of emptiness struck through the individual, it not having eaten for several days now. Unwilling to let this opportunity pass, it silently pulled a hunting bow from its belongings, leaving behind its baggage to creep through the trees after the deer.

There it stood, carelessly grazing amongst the grasses as the creature approached, so very unaware of the danger it was now in as the humanoid individual pulled back the string of the bow, arrow nocked and ready to whizz through the air. They drew in a deep breath, muscles tense as they readied their shot, about to take fire.

 

[Caligena]

Faralynn

Interacting with Haelga the Oni RitualDeadlyf
Location: Twisted Inn, Haelga's table.​

Oh so this woman is an oni! That makes some degree of sense. She'd heard about them loosely in her studies. Though... she wondered how much that information would actually prove helpful in a melting pot of universes such as this. Better to disregard that old stuff and just focus on what she knew for sure going forward. And what she knew for sure about this woman were the words she spoke. Honesty. Strength. Pride. The convictions this woman held personally, or so she said.

Several moments passed while she soaked in the demon's words. Considering several options, she found her mind straying to her pride in her older brother. How she looked up to him in so many regards. How she wanted to help him but never seeming to be able to. How angry they were at each at the given moment, and how ever since the Darkest Year, a rift has grown between them that she so desperately tries to close. Her eyebrows furrowed, her now looking at the ground. "Right... My pride."

Her eyes whipped up to meet the woman's arbiter gaze, a steeling of resolve in her eyes. She extended the hand with her staff in front of her, giving a rock solid thump on the ground directly in front of her. The lines of a runic circle spread as quick as a forest fire, hovering above the floor to connect behind her, glyphs tracing themselves along the inner circumference as it lit her frame from below. She closed her eyes and memories flooded into the magic she was pouring into this spell.

Memories of accidentally catching the chicken coop on fire for the first time and her and Anzi rushing to put it out before she got in trouble. Memories of the two young devil-kin skipping up a hill to a tree to read stories together. Memories of the study in the wee hours of the night, being awoken by her mother after she had fallen asleep on textbooks to study for her entrance exams. Every ounce of love that she's been given from her family. Every ounce of pride in the work she's put in to becoming as high in her craft as she's become.

Scalding hot air rose up from the circle, the updraft lifting her long flowing hair as small motes of light reminiscent of cinders meandered up from the circle before flickering out. She extended a hand, palm up, fingers splayed. All in all, it wasn't a very flashy or useful spell, and one that rarely saw much use outside of cloisters of professional pyromancers as a form of identification. It was one, however, that showed a reflection of yourself - something that one dealing with spirits of fire should have a good understanding of, lest they lose themselves and be consumed.
Not that any of that mattered to most onlookers.

"Soul Flame."

From the center of her palm sprouted a blossom of flame. Brilliant colors at first, mirroring her whirlpool of emotions, before stilling itself to a steady, thrumming fire, as if a heart beating. The core a light pink, fading out to a dark violet and navy blue at the peaks. She smiled, her tension releasing, the circle fading - yet the flame remained for a few moments more, before she clasped her fingers around it, extinguishing it.

"Apologies for my previous rudeness, miss. I am Faralynn Aravyre, first daughter of Kennerin and Addeus Aravyre, a tiefling and pyromancer. It would be an honor if you could assist us in returning home in any way you are willing," she beamed with reverence. She kept her hand extended, offering a handshake.

 

[RitualDeadlyf]

The demonic beast scoffed at the presentation and gave something short of a grin revealing some of their teeth. However, the Oni shook her head and declined the handshake as she stood up towering nearly eight feet. Looking down on Faralynn -

"You have fancy flames. Are you sure that is where your pride is?" The Oni did not give Faralynn time to answer. "Name is Haelga. I'm from Koji tribe. You are far from home in more than one way but I cannot help squishy fake demon."

Haelga pointed to Faralynn's chest as if referring to something else.

"Since one is so blind of themselves, they may be blind everywhere else. I will reveal Mimic trick. But, my strength will not be yours to use for you lack honesty with yourself. "

Haelga Results

Faralynn learned that the mimic is fearful to fire and will refuse to eat another coated in flames or open its mouth near open flames. Set aflame an article of clothing, jewelry or other items physically on your character to prevent death by mimic eating players. Use a torch or similar to safely maneuver around the mimic when not taking on quests (causes mimic to hide monster-like features and the QB will appear normal).

This does not prevent players from being transported to quests unless they have a torch.

This knowledge is sharable.

Haelga has left the area.

Caligena


TheCrowKing

As Anziium turned his back, the Mimic quest board opens its eyes and reaches out with a wet tongue touching the back of their neck before slurping the tongue back in. A large, evil grin waiting behind him.

 

[Nobody_]

Name: Prince Ianneros Leoris Sylemnar von Eldenstein III of Sylmyar
Interacting: TheCrowKing

A lone figure leans against a mature oak tree. One hand grips a compass, green eyes with an intense gaze reflecting back on its glass surface. The figure stares at the compass moving it to and fro slightly, watching the needle move and comparing to the wrinkled map at his feet. The other hand clutches a wine skin. Without moving his eyes from the compass and map the figure takes a long swig from the wine skin and swishes it around. He will have to slow down for it to last until he gets back to some sort of civilization to refill.

He should have been through these woods by now. Two days straight shot through, rather than a week to walk around. Sounded simple enough in theory.

He turns the compass around in his hand again while surveying his surroundings... It all looks the same. Trees, trees, and more trees.
He looked harder at the compass again... Observing the large end of the needle moving as he did, then back at the map, where the largest end of the compass rose pointed to the right.

Another drag from the flask.
Then it hit him.

He gulped down the mouthful he had been contemplating and returned the skin to his belt. Bending over to pick up the map, he rotated it counterclockwise to hold it portrait instead of the typical landscape. The once narrow seeming horizontal stretch of woods nestled between the 'U' shaped main road now stretched upwards, flanked East and West on either side by the road. He must have been in the bend when he entered the woods, and such has been walking the hardest way possible, alongside the road, for the past two days.

A string of elvish curses left his lips as he threw the compass down and pulled the wine-skin once again from his hip. He gulped another mouthful.
No... That wasn't enough.
With a sudden standing 4 foot vertical, he leaped gracefully in the air. His legs spun above his head before completing the rotation to rocket straight down, all momentum focused on the ball of his foot, straight on to the compass. A satisfying crunch was heard, the compass' glass shattering and contents spilled across the forest floor.
The victory was fleeting.

He continued to trudge in to the forest. Surely if he just picked a direction and stuck with it he would find either the road itself or some other landmark.
Luckily, it was not long until a babbling stream could be heard ahead in the trees. He checked the map again, ensuring this time to hold it where the North arrow was up, and found what appeared to match his general surroundings. If he just followed this, he would eventually reach a clearing in sight of the main road.
And so he trudged along, his legs not expecting this long of a hike, instead hoping to have caught a caravan or carriage to hitch a ride on.

The walk was uneventful, until he happened upon a torn sack. He withdrew his Kusarigama and used the blades in to pick up the bag.
Turning it around, inside their appeared to be a few sets of clothes, and a scimitar strapped to the side of it. He did not pry further. Hopefully whoever the bag belonged to was okay, and the bag was just misplaced. He examined the are for any trace of the owner, eventually finding a set of bare feet prints aside from his own. He made his way deeper in to the woods following after them. It did not take long before the back of a plume of red hair stood out to him amongst the greenery. From a few meters back, and several shrubs between them he could not make out any more detail about the individual other than her wet red hair and pointed ears emerging from beneath it. Another elf. Perfect! Perhaps they are more familiar with these woods and they could travel together from it. If their home was here, they could at least point him in the right direction.

Without any more thought he raised the bag up at head height to his side, still on the edge of the kusarigama, and proclaimed loudly;
"Greetings! I believe I have located your misplaced belongings!"