Otlukbeli is a town in northeastern Anatolia, a part of the now fallen Empire of Trebizond, which was conquered by the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmet II. Now, he marches against Uzun Hassan and his tribe, the Ag Qoyunlu, which had close relations to Trebizond.
The tense atmosphere that has been present in the town since the arrival of Uzun Hassan, King of Kings, is felt by everyone in the Gentle Genie tonight. In the tables, precisely ordered in front of a wooden counter, the people eat silently and slowly, as if they hoped that it would somehow delay the battle to come. Many of them keep staring at the front window, decorated with arabesque designs, the voices of Turcoman soldiers and the whinnies of their horses coming into the welcoming inn through it.
A half-orc walks into the Gentle Genie.
He almost looks a husky human at first glance.
Except for his oddly coloured blue-grey skin.
He has pointed ears and tusks.
Although less pronounced than typical half-orcs.
His face has abundant geometric tattoos.
As does the back of his hands.
He approaches some patrons, politely introducing himself:
"Greetings! I am Ognos Jéggyík."
"I have walked here from Sződ, near Pest, in Hungary."
"I followed hallowed call here."
"Are there are any other wanderers here?"
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A tall, dark man walks approaches the inn. Tying his donkey to a stunted tree outside he enters the inn quietly, taking advantage of the distraction that the grey half orc has caused to sit quietly at an inconspicuous table. In his plain habit and wide hat he appears to be a traveller much like any other.
As the serving girl approaches he sketches the sign of the cross between them. "Good evening. A mug of beer if you would."
A tall, dark man walks approaches the inn. Tying his donkey to a stunted tree outside he enters the inn quietly, taking advantage of the distraction that the grey half orc has caused to sit quietly at an inconspicuous table. In his plain habit and wide hat he appears to be a traveller much like any other.
As the serving girl approaches he sketches the sign of the cross between them. "Good evening. A mug of beer if you would."
[dice=Stealth]d20+5
** spoiler omitted **
Misimba enters the cantina and is promptly shooed away by the bouncer.
"Get out of here kid! This is no place for you.", the bouncer chides the diminutive warrior. Usually having Duma with him smooths over such awkward occurrences, however he left the lion outside of town with strict instruction not to hunt the "tame" animals or harm the locals. Now he must simply exert himself.
Taking off his traveller's cloak and brandishing his slingstaff and shield, he approaches the doorman once again.
"I am sorry to bother you kind sir, but I am not a human child, but rather a warrior for the lands of Africa. Please allow me to pass."
The guard looks over the little warrior then steps out of his way, allowing him into the dim interior.
Walking in, Misimba stops to let his eyes adjust to the dim interior. The halfling stands just shy of 3 feet, with an athletic build. His bald head glistens in the light as he wipes the dust from the road off his cloak. A worn leather pack sits at his feet, and held in one hand is a strange staff with a sling attached to the end, and a tear-drop shaped shield. A small hand ax is thrust through a loop on his belt, along with a small pouch. Around his neck sits an odd symbol in a dark material.
Once his eyes have adjusted he hunter walks to the first empty seat and sits, looking around the room at the many other travellers.
Laughing in a surprising deep baritone, the halfling answers the human.
"Do you never have wanderers from the great lands of Africa visit your lands? I am Misimba, warrior and traveller from the Kingdom of Mutapa, and believe me human woman, I am old enough to be in this establishment!"
The halfling smiles broadly, and for effect pulls out two coins from his pouch to show he can indeed pay for his stay.
"Now that we have settled that, could I have something cold and refreshing to drink. Cool tea would be nice, if you have any."
She keeps smiling, waiting for you to order.
Among the patrons at the table nearest the half Orc, there is a younger man of the cloth. His hood is down and around his neck and complexion suggests that he comes from somewhere further west, France or Germany or the like. His prayer rope is oddly enough laced with feathers, but most will assume it is some church tradition they aren't familiar with. His ruddy hair is closely shaven and his face is clean, aside from the dust from long days of travel. The young acolyte is tall and broad shouldered and clearly concealing a weapon or two beneath the folds of his robes. A staff is set against the wall beside him as he slurps tea from a small glass.
The half-orc, though intimidating with his facial markings, seems to amuse the Monk.
He smiles and says, "And in Hungary, this is the customary way to greet strangers? Just announce yourself and wait to be welcomed?"
He lowers his voice and tells the half-orc, "You'd best keep your head down 'round these parts, or at least not be quite so loud, gypsy. Some people aren't so tolerant of your kind. Why don't you sit down and order some tea, Ognos? I'd treat you, but as a traveling Monk, I often have to beg for my own food."
"I'm Michel, by the by. Has our Lord called you to this small town?" He adds belatedly.
Ognos smiles at Michel:
"Thank you, Michel. Pleased to meet you."
"I thought I might as well take the bold approach."
"Tact and discretion are obviously not my strengths."
… he concludes with a chuckle as he sits by the human monk.
"I've had to answer a peculiar dream-call that brings me here."
"A dragon's face wreathed in fire of ice and water."
"My Uncle Tarfenc, an alchemist in Pest, told me follow it."
"Hullo! Those three seem to be out of place like you and I."
He then gestures politely to the waitress and the bold halfling and the priest to join them.
Without waiting for a response from the other three, Ognos turns back to Michel:
"You too had some sort of call to come here?"
"Of a sort," Michel replied, "though I was referring to your 'hallowed call', as you said before. Nothing as overt as a vision of Dragons -Not that I judge, mind you, but one should be careful about what one tells a stranger- but I am here on Church business. When you said 'hallowed call' I had assumed you had meant a call from the Christian God. In all honesty your story seems far more interesting than mine. "
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The young dwarven woman smiles. "I am sorry, father, we do not sell beer here, but we do have Amar al Din."
She keeps smiling, waiting for you to order.
Lucius smiles in return, "Then Amar al Din please." He sits quietly for a few moments before hearing the half orc pick him out of the crowd. Lucius nods politely, waits a minute until his drink arrives, and then makes his way between the carefully ordered tables.
"Blessings of God upon you all my sons. It is good to see some friendly faces so far from home." He sits, taking very small sips of his unusual drink, before speaking up again. "You are on church business then my son? Might I inquire what should bring another christian to the frontiers of Anatolia?"
"Greetings gentlemen and a fair day to you. I am Misimba, warrior and traveller from the Kingdom of Mutapa. It is good to make your acquaintance."
"Hello, Misimba. I am Ognos from Sződ, not far from Pest."
"I had to answer a dream-call to bring me here."
"Many of my ancestors were warriors, although I'm not one."
"What brings you here?"
The Amar al Din is a dark orange liquid. The texture it's a bit weird, but it's very refreshing. If Lucius has eaten apricot, he'll recognize it's taste in the drink.
"Yes, a dream voice for me, if nobody else."
"A dragon's face surrounded in a fire of ice and water."
"Telling me to come here, but not why."
"My Uncle Tarfenc told me this sort of thing runs in our family."
"I was told not to question it, but follow it."
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"I am no monk my dear, merely a priest, passing through this fair town on my way to the lands of the Ag Qoyunlu. Although if I had been travelling with this gentleman I imagine my journey would have been less of a trial." Lucius smiles gently, fully immersed in his role as a kindly wandering priest. "If there are any Christians in the village I would be happy to hear confessions before I depart."
He looks around the room, noticing the depressed atmosphere. "Forgive a strangers curiosity but is it normally this quiet around here?"
"I wouldn't know, I've only just arrived here, Father. I am a Monk, however, he says as he points a look at Gül, " but I am just here to meet with the local Orthodox chapter. There is a Monastery up in the mountains where I'm from, Sumela Monastery, its called. We don't get out much so this is a bit of a treat.
"Call me Brother Michel. Its good to meet all of you Gül, Ognos, Misimba, Father- ...? I hadn't gotten your name." Michel notes.
"Pleased to meet you all."
"Lucius is right, though."
"This does seem like a dour crowd."
"You work here, Gül."
"Why is it so, well, here?"
Misimba quietly sit in the oversized chair, swinging his feet back and forth as he drink his cool tea and listens to the others talk.
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"I plan to leave within the next few days. I am hoping to find a place at the court of Uzun Hassan and spread the good word of Christ. If any of you would like to accompany me I would welcome the company. Many of us could likely travel more easily than one man alone." Lucius looks around and then lowers his voice, "If there is a battle then the town is the last place any of us will want to be, especially you my daughter."
"I'm sure it's unsafe being too close to any battle."
"It's just in the city. I would need to speak with them before going anywhere."
"I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing here."
"Not long after I discovered I have some magical abilities, I started getting these strange dreams telling me to come here."
"Uncle Tarfenc only told me it runs in the family and it's a call to be obeyed."
"No matter how strange."
"No, no business. I am a free-lance, just travelling the lands and learning what I can. I am more than happy to join your group, if you will have me, but I must tell you that I do not travel alone. My animal companion, Duma, waits for me outside of this town."
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Lucius smiles, "As long as he will leave my poor Alfonso alone I have no objections!" Carefully finishing his drink, which was surprisingly refreshing and cut through the dust of the road wonderfully, Lucius puts his cup down and looks around. "Shall we depart in the morning then? If you will permit Brother I will come to your chapter and beg a bed for the night if your order have one to spare. Would tierce suit you all?" He pauses and corrects himself "I mean to say some three hours after dawn if that does not inconvenience you all?"
Misimba shrugs.
"Well if you want to start late, that is fine with me! Who is Alfonso? Duma is a lion from my homeland."
"That sounds agreeable."
"I have been living on the rough these past four months."
"Sleeping indoors, even for one night, will be a nice change!"
"I can stay here for the night, if that's acceptable."
Amidst your conversation, the wooden door of the inn opens and hits the wall with a loud crash. A blonde elven woman runs, sobbing, into the Gentle Genie and, stopping for a second to look around, heads to the table next to yours, babbling in a language not all of you understand to a bearded man eating alone.
The man makes a worried face and stands up without saying anything. Together, they hurry to the exit, as the patrons look at them curiously.
Michel looks at Gül, and asks, "What was that? My Greek isn't very good."
He looks around at the other patrons and no one else gets up to follow. "Huh, doesn't look like anyone else knows."
"Something's wrong, obviously."
"But I didn't understand a word of it."
"Oh..well the lady ran in and said "Azad! They took Azad from me!". Not too sure who or what that might be. Is it important, do you think? Maybe I should go and talk to her and the man and see if there is anything I can do."
With that, the halfling hops down from his chair and heads off out into the street.
"I would guess 'Azad' is someone not something."
"I might as well see what all the fuss is about too."
Ognos follows Misimba out the door.
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"What do you think Brother? I am a little concerned about what possible use I would be. I am after all a stranger in this town and I don't speak a word of greek. As the local expert I will accede to your judgement." Lucius seems a little concerned, but not overly so, making no move to follow unless Michel does.
Michel rises quickly, nearly flipping the table. He grabs his walking stick with fluid grace as he stands and heads for the door.
He looks Lucius in the eye and says, "I'm not really an expert, but it sounds like someone's life is at stake! I'm going to go, they might need help! Come or don't come, your choice."
Michel dashes out of the door and tries to follow the man and woman.
Outside is cluttered and noisy, as numerous soldiers, many mounted on horses, listen a grey-haired dwarf with a long moustache, obviously encouraging them for the battle to come, and, right where the road goes out to the field, another dwarf gives a package to an old human, also on a horse, and shakes hands with him.
She puts her head on the man's shoulder and goes back to sobbing. He looks like he is about to burst into tears, too.