OOC! Go cray cray!
Bust out the booxe for all at honest john's, because we need the booze
Octavius offered Vetra a smile, but otherwise left her to her devices. Her flirtation had been rather clear; he would keep that in mind for later.
"It's funny, isn't it? Bandying about that word. 'Mortals'. Such a weight it carries with it! Are we, here, still that? I was born a human, true, but these days...I am so much more, as are we all."
Octavius took the hand that Layith folded. Collecting his coins, Octavius rapidly shuffled and dealt again, speaking as he slid out the cards.
"I just think it puts things in perspective. How our priorities change! I mean...take a look at this Lei Shin tournament. They've been rather tight lipped about the specific prize, other than that it is extraordinary valuable. Bets are already in the millions, so I'd be very surprised if it was mere gold, or even an extremely valuable magic item. That's really why I'm in the tournament...I want to find out what it is. When I was a much, much younger man, I would have been here for the money, but that stopped being a concern for me long ago. Hells, this mostly just to alleviate my boredom!"
"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen!" a high voice piped from Keria's elbow as a mop of bright green hair appeared. A tray was lifted up, filled with an assortment of exotic drinks in every color of the spectrum. "With compliments from the master!" the gnome said as she began to dole out drinks at random. Her big amber eyes darted from person to person as she laid out drinks, smiling the whole time with enormous dimples denting her cheeks. Once the drinks were handed out the gnome backed away with a bow and weaved back to the bar, darting between the legs of the big folk.
At this time it was obvious to anyone who was watching that drinks were being handed out to all of the players in the huge common room. Even the hulking balor in the corner, looking comical trying to tuck his large, winged frame into a chair that was too small, was handed a bubbling black drink in a bucket sized flagon. The red skinned creature grinned a mouthful of shark teeth as it took a sip of the strange liquid before turning back to the cards in it's hand. With a great frown the creature pulled a glowing orb from a bag on his hip and placed it in the pot.
The chatter in the room died down as the Maestro himself, Honest John, stepped onto a raised platform near the bar. He was a human man of indeterminate years clothed in what appeared to be a three piece suit and tie made from mithril. "Ladies, gentlemen and beings of indeterminate sexuality, welcome to the 1,475th Lei Shin tournament! As per tradition no gold, items, favors or spells may be bet! Fate is what is being gambled today, a fate of infinite possibility! Thirty minutes you have to complete your current games of chance so please don't dally! Fate is a fickle mistress!"
Keria folds her hand, disappointed more at the crap hand then at the lose. Maybe the tourney will be different. Though Octavius is right, boredom comes for us at the top.
After a few sips she would speak again unbraiding then rebraiding her long knee length hair.
"What would be in fate? The number of times we all have seen death is innumerable. Maybe this prize will give us all something exciting "
”Honestly I like having a hobby. Yes my immense wealth I could just have something commissioned, but nothing beats the feeling and thrill of getting your hands dirty in finding it.” she smiled at that, already reminiscing about her adventures into several planes, collecting a horde of unique and wondrous items. ”I just like the challenge of it. Call it handicapping myself for fun.”
Her eyes took in another dwarf who seemed to take an interest in her, but to that she smirked, [b]”I could tell you, but that would pretty easy, wouldn’t it?” Leaning back she crossed her legs while bringing the ale to her lips for a sip before holding it steady before her with both hands. ”I could bore you to death with my long story, but it is quite a fun one to regale.” She’d pause a moment before giving her toothy grin, ”Let’ make a trade, the names Vetra, what about yours?”
She seemed surprised by the sudden attention she was garnering but it only flattered her ego, anything with a draconic blood coursing through her veins, it’s quite easy to flatter one. ”Oh yes the blade is definitely still there, I’m pretty sure someone is playing a game with me. I believe I find the location and go to retrieve it, but sure enough, it’s gone.” She hummed for a moment, ”Sentimental value? Well it’s a thing I want, and I don’t have it yet. I think that’s as sentimental as it gets.” Giving a slight shrug she took another drag of the ale.
”I love the challenge, though the historical history is quite an odd one. Though to give you a short, some fire prince wielded it during a war of the planes and is foretold to have some sort of amazing ability, but I have a bit of a collection growing from artifacts from that war….” Her short explanation was interrupted by the bright green mop head dolling drinks. Slowly she’d set her old ale upon the platter and was handed a glass of liquid that was quite the coloring. Orange with gold streaks. Her attention quickly turned to Honest John.
”Ah! The main event!”
He pondered, but only for a moment or two, as if he was weighing his words in his mind. He continued his task of buffing and shining 'Matilda' as he once again spoke with Vetra. "My name is Rodric, and precisely what I be meaning is yer... background? I think? I 'Ave met many a dragon-blooded being and I neva' met one quite like yerself. Could ye enlighten me abit?"
He asked in the warmest way he could, jumping back and clutching Matilda as the friendly server zipped by him, dropping off drinks and sharing smiles. He looked visibly pale as he settled back down and started to return to his task once more. "Sorreh fer that, I 'Ave a bit of history with some small folk." He grinned sheepishly back to her.
Octavius laughed, but it wasn't his friendly chuckle from before. This was something else, at once filled with self-derision, weariness, and the imperishable glimmer of something he had not allowed himself for more years than he could remember...hope.
"You don't get it. This is it! What I've been waiting for...a chance. A chance to rewrite this pathetic sham that I call my life. A chance to do it again, to do it better. To make something of my life, not have my life made for me by being too weak and inexperienced and stupid to know any better. It's a second chance, and I'm sorry to tell you, but knowing that's what's on the line...none of you have a chance of beating me."
His affable nature, his happy go lucky body language, his friendly words, all of them seemed to slough away, replaced by sudden intensity and hunger. Octavius had plunged his blade into the hearts of dragons, ferreted out hidden phylacteries, diced with gods and made deals with Death. But now, at the prospect of this prize, it was all he could do to stop from shaking with excitement.
The gray skinned man accepts another wine glass filled with blood red and throws his head back to laugh.
Ah, of course. Lei Shen. That explains all the dungeon delvers and demon slayers and bugbear botherers addicted to the rush of challenging and overcoming fate here today. Why wouldn't your type be eager to play in a game of chance for the prize of fate itself?
He leans back, his elegantly sleek cuffs resting on the arms of his comfortably stuffed chair as one hand idly swirls his wine glass.
You will excuse me for not joining in, I have no interest in gambling. I do so enjoy watching others do so though. The roll of the dice is far more amusing when the future of others lie in the balance.
He does quirk a perfectly groomed eyebrow at Octavius though. It is the rare being that would make it to John's and be ashamed of the existence that allowed such a feat to be accomplished.
Well he was here, not like he could leave and find his way home just yet. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the wizard getting more inebriated, he'd be here for the night. He sipped the curious drink, what the hell was it? He'd never tasted anything like it, it wasn't unpleasant but very alien to his taste buds. He nursed it nodding at Vetra as she spoke and then listened to Rodric "I'm Andrew, by the way. Do either ye have experience on what this main event might entail? Given the disparate abilities of those present it wont be anything straight forward I suspect."
You will excuse me for not joining in,...
"Not at all! I didn't come here to participate either. My fate has already occurred, you see, and I am now retired. I don't think I have much fate left to gamble with, but as I said before, I am here to meet someone."
Layith stretches and his bones creak.
"I see no need to end our side game though if you are not going over to join the main event. As long as we play for trifling things like gold it helps pass the time."
Layith turns to Andrew.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you how this competition works. I don't bother with such things. I do believe it will treat the contestants impartially. But the house always gets its percentage, no matter who wins. The winnings never equal the losses, you understand. They don't serve drinks like this," Layith holds up his glass of Ambrosia, "because they want to give money away. Or Fate, or whatever the currency is on any given day."
Games of chance necessitate not being in control which is a feeling that I cannot abide. If I cannot be the house then I choose not to play. the gray skinned man says to Layith after his comment to Andrew Nevertheless I thank you for the offer.
Octavius regarded the gray skinned man.
"I suppose my humanity hasn't been so stripped as to leave me unaware of my own self. When I was younger, and lesser, I used to dream of things like this. Now that I am who I am, where I am and what I am, I know that...I don't deserve it. And there are many that died to see me here, that I would have in my place. If I can hold onto that, and command a new fate...I think I might actually do something worthwhile."
Octavius then nodded in agreement with Layith, dealing out one final hand.
"There's a saying; 'The House always wins.' No matter what. And they do, because they can always afford to give away what they're offering. What they get in return...well. We'll see, won't we?"
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Keria waves a hand, and loud enough for all gather to hear, states
" We have a saying. That one either looks at fate as either a gentle lover, or a raging fire, but to ignore either is to bring danger to us all. We did not get here by not tempting fate, rather, we courted her however well it ended up. I know that we all are varied in skill, but let us all partake. You can always fold before you lose completely you know."
She was sincere in the fact she wanted all to play, for then how could you call yourself the best until you beat the best? Honor among thieves is a creed, but a master thief only steals from other thieves. Surely they all could play a few hands together, but if all she got was their stories, she would even count that. For while she may have defeated a few lichs, the others may have saved whole worlds.
She seemed a bit amused by the question, ”Oh? Oh yes I constantly forget about it, my apologies, but I’m actually a Kobold, if you could believe it. Born golden, most of the time we do not survive long as our birth tribe kicks us out or well, kills us.” Vetra’s smile seemed to sadden for a moment before she shook her head, ”At any rate, apparently if they let us live, we are essentially an divergence to the Kobold species.” At Roderic’s jump all she could do was chuckle lightly, shaking her head.
She paused for a moment as she took in the commotion of everyone around her as she lifted the glass to her lips, taking a sip, letting the interesting liquid bathe her tongue for a moment before swallowing.
Her attention was quickly stolen by Andrew, another friendly smile being given to him, ”It’s good to have a name to a face. But to your question, I’ve heard of it, but this is quite the first time I have the opportunity to take part. It’s much like poker, really, but when it comes to Honest John’s…. creativity, I wager it’s quite different every time.”
Raising her glass she clicked her tongue, which sounded much more like a loud snap, audible for everyone to hear, once Keria had spoken. ”I have to say, I quite agree with you long ears. We all have played with Fate and Fate played with us, mostly dragging us along by our ears. Join the merriment, join the chance at something,” she would pause for dramatic effect, ”exquisite!”
Rodric finally calmed himself down and taking a separate handkerchief from within his coat he wiped the sweat from his wrinkled brow. He then stroked his silver-streaked beard and chuckled softly at the announcements from both Kiera and Vetra. He then carefully took Matilda and stood up, quickly grabbing his pipe and other things as he did so.
He turned to look over at Vetra, and smiled feeling a small stirring in his blood as the real festivities were just about to begin. "I thank ye miss Vetra, we should really join them if we want to be apart of this grand event." He said with a coy wink and with Matilda tucked close to him, carefully repacked his pipe. He was looking forward to taking place in the games for a chance at Fate.
Octavius drew out the hand a bit. He seemed to think on his wagers, waffle a bit on whether or not to fold, and portrayed general indecisiveness. He was, however, merely killing time, attempting to rebuild his persona as an affable, hapless gambler. When Vetra spoke, Octavius grunted.
"My hope is that you'll pardon the vulgarity, but when I look back at my life in particular, for most of it, I feel like Fate had me pinned down with my breeches around my ankles and didn't even offer the courtesy of a reach-around as it buggered me. I am more than interested in the chance at some real control!"
As the hand neared the end, Octavius folded, not caring who won the paltry (to him) amount of gold on the table. He stood.
"Your pardon. This was the last hand I'll be playing. The true tournament draws near, and I wouldn't chance missing it for anything."
A new figure enters the tavern. One who appears to be quiet oblivious to the commotion going on around him. His gait was long and purposeful with the light bounce that came naturally to of a man so used to fighting. He seemed far more agile than his magnificent full-plate armor would allow yet it didn't seem to bother him a bit. Mithril? It certainly had the silvery sheen of the famous metal. He wore no helmet and not much of an expression underneath. Just the far away look of someone tired and in need of a drink. He was handsome, in a rugged, manly kind of way, and a few waitresses turn his way with a speculative eye.
He carries little in the way of gear. Just a few pouches on his waist and spear on his back. The spear was...deceptively simple looking. It had little in the way of decoration and ornamentation. But it was still beautiful in the way that something that was perfectly built for its function was. Not wasted ounce of metal or wood. but should someone slip into magically aided sight they would see it was a powerful magical artifact.
The most striking thing about him was the thing he carried though. or maybe who in this case. It was covered in a bluish cloth that hung from its four-eyed face like tentacles. Even in death the eyes glowed an eerie crimson. Those more knowledgeable about the would recognize him as an up and coming Ripper Demon by the name of...well, mortal mouths could not pronounce it but it translated into something like Sanguine Nightmare. He was a Nascent Demon Lord and strong one at that.
The stranger sits at the bar and places the demons head on the stool next to him. "The usual," he orders. His voice has a bored tone. He turns to look at the rest of the bar and his eyes widen a fraction at the activity. He looks up at the balor perched precariously in a chair not meant for his bulk. "Ain't friend of yours is he?"
Keria waves a hand, and loud enough for all gather to hear, states
"I know that we all are varied in skill, but let us all partake."
"Thank you, no. As I said, I am not here for the tournament, and I'm afraid my mind would not be on the game. I can hardly put up anything of real value as a stake if I won't be able to concentrate, and might have to leave mid-way through, can I? Had the time of my meeting been up to me I would have chosen a point when this place was less busy."
Considering the ring the old man was willing to put up was worth 100,000 gp at least, it is unclear what "real value" means to him.
Layith smiles and waves the others on.
"But don't hesitate on the account of a stodgy old man like me! If that is why you are here, by all means enjoy the tournament!"
"Though I should warn you, that most tournaments have a simple entry fee at the start, and that covers the whole tournament. So if you quit part way through, you do lose everything. Everything you were allowed to bet, anyway."
Octavius stood, stretching his neck and back. He called for another glass of wine, this time to calm his nerves. He breathed, slow and even, going through every mental trick he knew to settle himself. This was it...there would never be another chance like this, and he knew that to have a shot, he would have to be perfect.
Octavius felt his persona; the happy-go-lucky gambler, quick with a joke and always happy to pick up the tab, slipping back into place. He probably wouldn't fool anyone that had seen his intensity; but there were many gathered here for the tournament, and if he was smart, his original game plan of false tells and misdirection would still work like charm.
It was time to go to work.
Thanks for choosing me, I'm excited to get started!
So as of now the 'poker' game is over. Will start the game in the next day or so.
I suppose it's time our valuable prospects join us in the discussion channel proper. Who all is excited to start?
I am!!!!! So excited!
I am as well
Here here.
Isn't there still two other people?
Yeah Vetra and one other still has to post.
Apologies! I'm a horrible person!
Alrighty folks, let's get this on the road!
Gone for the 4 day, back on sunday evening folks.
@Moira: LOVED your characters reaction to Vetra! I would love to build upon that, set up a tense situation between the two of them, distrust and the like, maybe we can form a good rp dynamic between them? See them grow as team mates for not really having much of trust on each other? What do you say?
That was the plan. Glad you enjoyed it. I personally find it annoying when I pick a stereotypically evil race and no one bats an eye. "We got a drow, a kobold, and an orc in the party. I see no problems here. Put 'er there chum."
I love it, but I do agree with you. Honestly Vetra is a bit reserved with all the races in the party and will be hesitant to begin with. She may be a bit friendly, but she's not going to be any ones buddy buddy right off the bat!
Seriously, keep the tension going, I'm enjoying it.
I really feel bad about making Moira feel singled out, I really didn't intend it to be like that. Oh well, open mouth insert foot. >.<
This is pretty much the reason I didn't opt to be the face of the party :S
yeah unfortunately it's still going to be rp for just a bit longer. Once Skull gets back and Lyra joins us proper we should be able to go nuts and get running.
I'm back folks.
Thank god. Side note i don't know if you can remove my handle as a character from the roster. if not no big deal, i accidentally posted as it and even after edit fixing it, still got stuck in there.
So now we're just waiting on Lyra, is that right? Any idea when she will be joining us?
She should be posting anytime today.
Just going to RP this first night then will fast forward the rest of the week with encounter and fate rolls.
Okay act as Vetra is helping solidify the fire Rosa started.
Sorry bout the roll, thought surivival would do it. I'mma roll it here so im not cluttering the rp
Sorry for the absence, been super busy with real life. Going away for the weekend, posting to resume sunday evening!
I have returned! Doing some test rolls, Paizo.com seems to be hinky and ate one of my posts.
I am going to be out of town overnight, probably won't be back for posting until Sunday afternoon at the earliest, maybe into Monday. Feel free to bot if needed. Thanks!
I had high hopes for this game and its characters. I hope this is not the end of it.
It shouldn't be. Far from actually.
If I can help it I will do everything I can to keep this game going :P
I really want to see more of it, and I am eager to see the story as it unfolds.
I'll trying to bug at least the GM and one of the players about posting frequency, we should still be going forward though.
Are we waiting on Lyra? She's been gone for over two weeks by now.
And now the DM has too.