@Daveth:
"What am I talking about?! Haw! Haw! I'm talking about THIS, pipsqueak!" The troll, apparently uninterested in discussing your status as a traitor, lunges at you, swinging with both giant fists.
Falling back on the defensive, you're able to duck and dance around the two heaving haymakers, though one comes a little too close for comfort. "Hold still, squirt!" bellows the troll.
You hear footsteps behind you in the alley, making no attempts at being stealthy. Stealing a quick glance you see two hobgoblins clad in the same armor as the troll and the Erinyes. One of them has a tough-looking compound bow and the other has a big net. Fixing their piggy eyes on you they cackle gleefully. "We're gonna wrap you up and take you home to mommy, little half-breed freak. You're gonna help us out a lot, or so they say."
@Tokine:
"That would be a delight! Oh marvelous. Last time I was here the Head Curator of this temple was not so, um, forthcoming. Or friendly, even. This friend of yours, is he a scholar like yourself? You, if I'm not mistaken, you are of Celestial blood, yes? I don't really have much to do until this evening, though there is a book I promised a friend I would look for, but I can certainly do that after tea."
Rhon stows his gear and follows you out the door, still burbling away about this and that. As you step out you see another gaijin, a crushingly handsome half-elf, a magic user of some sort, you'd guess. He has very bright sky-blue eyes and flawless skin, hair like spun gold cut unfashionably short, but in a way that flatters his classic features. He is leaning casually against a building across the street. He could, conceivably, be oblivious to the maelstrom of tittering and giggling and flushing cheeks his exotic western good looks are causing amongst the girls walking by on errands, the shopkeeper's daughters, the apprentices and the like.
As you and Rhon step out, this newcomer makes a gesture of one who has been waiting some time, throwing his hands up. "Rhon! Finally! I thought that was you in there. You took forever!"
"You could have come in, Earenthil, it's not a private estate or something." Rhon says in mock irritation. He turns then to you. "Curator Nagano, this is my friend Earenthil, we...traveled here together." Earenthil approaches, giving you a smile that settles on you like a ton of bricks. "Curator Nagano, " he begins, his voice strangely musical "a pleasure, indeed." He doesn't so much bow as incline his head politely. "So, where you two off to? Naradil and Gwen and Fezza are all out looking for weapons and strange foods to try, and our dear lady del Solarian is engaged in politicking of some sort. I'm rather bored. Mind if I tag along?"
Rhon shrugs and looks questioningly to you.
@Chongde:
With silence and swiftness, you pass like the very mists at your ankles through the alleyways and side-streets, never losing sight of the three gangsters, and without them detecting you. Suddenly, after passing through a small square where four streets meet and cross, the three Burakumin have become six, and one of the newcomers has a symbol on his keikogi you think you recognize.
After chasing these three for near two minutes, you are brought up short when they stop by a large-ish court in a rough part of town outside the market district. They scatter to roofs and doorways, melting into the shadows. You can spot a couple of them but the rest are too well hidden. They seem to be waiting for something, their eyes are fixed on the courtyard and a large street leading into it, from which you hear a couple pairs of footsteps approaching.
"It is just tea. The proprietor will be pleased I have brought more guests. And my dear friend San Pen will be glad to meet such extensive travelers.
You mention others..are you one of the gai..newcomer groups that are causing such a stir here in the capital?" Tokine could already see that Earenthil was causing a stir. "There is much strange talk."
As they walk, small bells on her naginata tinkle gently creating a pleasant noise.
@Azami:
After drills in the courtyard, You watch as some sort of power struggle goes one between the girl from the mountains, Chongde, and the watch captain. Shan Chongde must have scored some sort of point because as she leaves, saddled with the bookish milquetoast Kong Zhen, you see He Mu Li seething. Suddenly she looks at you, catching you watching her. She stomps over to you. "Is this funny, ronin?" She spits the word at you as if it was the gravest insult imaginable, which to her it may well be. "Do you laugh? You westerners have no understanding of these things." She points to the door where Chongde and Zhen walked out just a minute or so ago. "If it is amusing, then you follow them, and aid them, and report back to me what they do. I wish to know." With a final glower, she turns and walks away.
So it is that after gathering your necessary equipment you take the path into the city, to the market district, and have just caught up with the two erstwhile shoppers when you spy the same thing Chongde does; burakumin. Gangsters. In the market district. Such...temerity. You see her think for just a moment, then give her bag to a vendor and take off in pursuit, leaving a very confused Kong Zhen in her wake.
You mention others..are you one of the gai..newcomer groups that are causing such a stir here in the capital?"[/b] Tokine could already see that Earenthil was causing a stir. "There is much strange talk."
As they walk, small bells on her naginata tinkle gently creating a pleasant noise.
"Us? A stir?" Rhon, walking on your left, says this, then turns to Earenthil, who is on your right. (You can just imagine what talk this will start. *sigh*)
"Perish the thought." says Earenthil drily.Rhon continues. "I do not know about a stir, but I am certain our presence here must be noteworthy, especially given those that have arrived with us. There is going to be much vying for the emperor's attention, and his military might, in the coming days."
"Yeah, how about no! I've got no intention of letting some dumb brute like yourself be the one who kills me so its starting to look like I'm really going to have to fight you." As he said this the two hobgoblins arrived causing Daveth to groan as now not only was he out muscled but also out numbered. "I'd always thought my mother would have better taste in minions, I honestly have to hope she's just underestimating me and decided to send the most unintelligent and disposable of her warriors."Daveth taunted as he lashed out at the Troll with two quick swipes of his claws he then followed that up with a vicious almost animalistic bite at the troll. he didn't much care where he hit the troll so long as he DID hit it and the damn thing went down. Sure it wasn't exactly SMART to insult the monsters that had him outnumbered but he couldn't help himself he needed to do SOEMTHING to keep his spirits up as this battle was going rather poorly already.
OOC:
Still keeping full defense so I take a -4 on my attacks.
Claw 1
Claw 2
Bite
Azami bows stiffly, murmuring, "Yes, He-san," before moving swiftly to prepare and follow the other two. It feels as if she is a toy for children, and she takes no relish in being used as a political wedge for He Mu Li's hurt pride.
The colors of the marketplace, the bustle; it is obvious that the people are filled with anticipation to know of the mysterious visitors from the West, and it does not surprise her that the burakumin may also be planning to take advantage of such distraction. What does surprise her is how openly they are displaying themselves.
Seeing Chongde run off after the burakumin, Azami runs up to Kong Zhen, her hand on the boy's arm. She considers Kong Zhen's surroundings for a moment, determining whether the boy is in any danger. Chongde can protect herself, but Zhen...he is no more than a leaf caught in her wind.
If he seems safe, Azami says, "Stay here," and runs off after Chongde.
Claw 11d20 + 5
Claw 21d20 + 5
Bite 1d20 + 5
Your bite attack misses
The troll laughs as you slice its flesh. Much to your dismay, both of your hits stop bleeding immediately, and one closes up most of the way. "If you fight like that I don't know WHAT use you're gonna be." You hear the distinctive *FAK* of a bow behind you and a whistling noise.
You easily duck under the poor shot the hobgoblin made, then narrowly avoid the net that the other one throws. Unfortunately all this dancing around opens you up to attack and the troll manages to land a hit with its claws, gouging a piece out of your flesh. You hear the hobgoblins muttering angrily behind you.
Round 3, Initiative 13
Daveth chenches his teeth as the troll gouges him with his claws he quickly comes to realize just how bad his situation is though as the amount of power behind that single attack would be nothing compared to how much pain this thing could deal if it got both of it's claws into him. On top of that his attacks seemed to have been almost completely ineffectual against the beast. Perhaps a tactical retreat would be the best option... Ignoring the sharp pain in his side Daveth has his armor reform into it's natural state. Spreading his wings wide Daveth leaps into the sky in an attempt to escape the troll and hobgoblins.
I'm a bit fuzzy on the rules in the situation but if I take to the sky... am I still in the same square as I started in? If so then they would not get an attack of opportunity otherwise they do. If possible Daveth is still in full defense for this escape attempt.
@Kyras:
Lu leads you through what is clearly -- as Xun warned -- not a nice part of town. Eyes watch you from the shadows. Disembodied voices can be heard down alleys. There is a whimper from a nearby window. Many-legged things scuttle by. The shops in this district are a strange mix of downtrodden and useless-looking, and fantastically bizarre; you see shops that as far as you can tell purport to sell wonders, but you can see that only the brave or the foolish would dare set foot in there.
After a time, you come to a courtyard. It matches the address on the paper given to you by Xun. Lu gives you a strange look with his watery eyes, and limps his way down a side street.
As you approach the door, preparing to knock, something strikes you as odd, out of place. Suddenly you hear footsteps from all around you. Six figures in grey keikogi step out of the shadows. All of them have weapons; katana, shuriken, naginata, two appear to be spellcasters. One points at you and speaks. "For your transgressions against the empire, gaijin, now you die!"
@Chongde: As you are standing at the end of the alley, you see a tall, muscular, hooded gaijin get led to the square by a Dumb man with a limp. The dumb fellow leaves the gaijin then walks away. You see the burakumin step out and their leader give his speech, but it makes no sense to you; burakumin could care less about transgressions against the empire. They themselves are transgressors! What could this possibly be about? You hear a noise behind you; footsteps of a person making no attempt to conceal themselves. Looking back you see Azami Ito, a fellow guard. She is ronin and gaijin both, but aside from that you know very little about her. Still, she is Palace Guard just like you.
@Azami: As far as you can tell, Zhen is safe. He looks rather bewildered at your appearance, opening his mouth to speak, but you are gone before he can get a word out, which is no small feat.
After running for a few minutes, you see Chongde stop, bringing you up short. You, too, hear the yelling in the courtyard and see the six burakumin move out to surround the tall gaijin, forming a semi-circle keeping his back to the building. You are able to approach and get just a bit behind Chongde; she sees your approach.
Four of the burakumin rush in at Kyras before he can react, swinging their Katana and Guisarme, the other two stay back and attempt to cast spells. Two of the gangsters land wicked slices with their swords while the westerner is slapping aside the other blades. This leaves him open for two orbs of acid that smash into his torso, which he curiously seems not to notice, and which washes off of him like water, leaving no mark of any sort.
Azami and Chongde; you watch this unfold with horror. This is just like these malcontent fools to gang up on someone like this. Granted, the gaijin could be a rival crimelord targeted for death, but still. This cannot stand in your city. This must be stopped.
Round 3, Initiative 13
Daveth chenches his teeth as the troll gouges him with his claws he quickly comes to realize just how bad his situation is though as the amount of power behind that single attack would be nothing compared to how much pain this thing could deal if it got both of it's claws into him. On top of that his attacks seemed to have been almost completely ineffectual against the beast. Perhaps a tactical retreat would be the best option... Ignoring the sharp pain in his side Daveth has his armor reform into it's natural state. Spreading his wings wide Daveth leaps into the sky in an attempt to escape the troll and hobgoblins.
** spoiler omitted **
You vault cleanly up into the sky leaving the angry troll and squinty little hobgoblins far beneath you. Suddenly, to the east, you see the Erinyes you saw earlier sitting on a rooftop, her wings folded, keeping a low profile behind a chimney. From the sound of it, she seems to be watching a fight in a courtyard below her.
Daveth lets out a sigh of relief as he smirks down at the troll ever so slightly hoping that the brutish creature can see the smirk. As he scans the skyline he notices the Erinyes from before watching some sort of battle commencing in a nearby courtyard. Flying forward a bit Daveth attempts to get a better look at the battle to see if perhaps he was not the only one beset by his mothers minions. Regardless of if they seem to be wearing the same armor as those who attacked him he will swoop in next to the Erinyes as quietly as possible and attempt to take a seat next to her. If dealing with the unintelligent agents was not possible then perhaps he simply needed to take a calculated risk and speak with someone he KNEW would be intelligent enough to respond with more than brute force.
OOC:
Here are the likely rolls I'll have to make.
Perception:
Fly: 9 + 3(just read the fly skill again, apparently I treat it as a class skill since I have wings, woohoo!) +4 due to good maneuverability
Stealth:
The unexpected assault caught Kyras largely unawares, but the temerity of his assailants woke something within him. The dragon was waking up. He could feel it rising in his veins, and words of black fire began to burn themselves into his mind.
"You dare?" His voice was incredulous. The audacity of these people!
"You will rue this day. I swear it on the blood in my veins!" He exclaimed. And, instead of reaching for his sword like most would expect, his hands came together before him, fingers splayed out.
"GETHRAK ESHRIN!" He cried, the black words in his minds eye were released in an instant, and a wave of hissing black liquid burst forth, washing over the assailants that had tried to surround him, sticking to clothes, weapons, armour, anything that would hold purchace for the acidic substance.
"AAAAIIGGHHH!!!" Kyras' attackers howl in pain as they are coated in a thick spray of acid. All onlookers are amazed at the gaijin's power. Chongde, you especially are agog at this. You have never seen such arcane might! From just two words the Gaijin splattered his enemies with a horrid blast of acid, clearly harming them all.
@Daveth: As you approach in what you deem an appropriately stealthy manner, the Erinyes suddenly turns and looks directly at you. She holds one scarred, caloused finger to her cruel mouth in a "shhhh" gesture, and motions you hide behind a chimney several feet away.
"These friends of yours, especially this..Lady del Solarian..do you have business at the court?" Tokine pulls the imperial scroll from within the sleeve of her kimono. "Would you perhaps be the reason for this summons?"
She tucks the scroll back in her sleeve, and feels the parchment she painted this morning. The thought of the crane with dirty feet runs through her mind. [b]"And would this be over your talk of war? By your manner, I would think you either fleeing it or outracing it."[b]
"These friends of yours, especially this..Lady del Solarian..do you have business at the court?" Tokine pulls the imperial scroll from within the sleeve of her kimono. "Would you perhaps be the reason for this summons?"
She tucks the scroll back in her sleeve, and feels the parchment she painted this morning. The thought of the crane with dirty feet runs through her mind. "And would this be over your talk of war? By your manner, I would think you either fleeing it or outracing it."[b]
[b]Tokine:
Anyway. Chongde frowns. Spellcasters at that! These men have NO HONOR! Drawing my blade and look to Azami. Before moving up to the spellcaster. I'll use a spell pool point to add a Shield Bonus of +4 to my AC then swinging with the katana.
Initiative 5:
Chongde frowns at the brutal initial attack. The young woman's blade is drawn slowly, yet freely from it's scabbard. "I will take this spellcaster, then join you further in!" she notes, looking to Azami. After all, if a gaijin is chosen for the Palace Guard, she must be honorable and skilled in battle!
Rushing forward, there is a shimmering in front of Chongde for just a moment, a protective field conjured from the woman's will, before she brings the katana around in attempts at doing great physical harm to spellcaster.
RPG Superstar 2013
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Imuri bows, slightly but graciously, at the humble heimin merchant who supplies his morning rice cakes. No time for a polite tea ceremony - the efforts to influence some of his family's rivals at the geisha house absorbed most of his morning. He still needed to inspect the incoming gaijin goods to determine their worthiness and then prepare for the state dinner this evening.
He mentally checked the list of invitees he knew about. This very morning he had lpayed the part of drunken flirt. While inside the geisha house, a man such as he could be expected to unwind from the burden of chugo - the bushido concept of duty. But the face he wore before the crowded gathering of samuraio and bonge was intentional. A rival he knew was in attendance - one who would definitely not be in attendance this evening, had seen Imuri as an unserious boy - hardly the sort of samurai that would force an insult at a future meeting, then gain the upper hand in negotiations after killing his yojimbo.
Tonight his demeanor would be more like himself. The yojimbo brought the trappings of war with them. And for three to descend on the Imperial Capitol at the same time?
Imuri considered as he ate his rice, walking briskly toward the beautiful on kimono-works. He would ahve to return home and select a fearsome mask for the formal gathering.
The gaijin must be remindd that entry to the Empire of Mists was a privelege, not an entitlement.
"The second group comes dressed in the finest raiments and armor, bearing gifts and flattery and inducements and enticements. They ride great western dragons and are accompanied by a retinue of militia, spirits, and strange dark angels from the abyssal plane. They move through the city making friends and ingratiating themselves with the population. Their leader is a sorceress I do not know named Lassana, an elven woman of great power."
"The last group come in plate mail, also riding western dragons, but they are strident and zealous, wielding their faith like a shield into negotiations instead of approaching the table openly. In spite of this, I can see their hearts are pure, but a pure heart is not an indication of goodness. The second group is pure of heart as well."
There is a pause. "San Pen, I will be present at these meetings, but in disguise as usual. I will be disguised as a functionary, serving tea to the guests and to my stand-in, and to the gallery. I wish for you to be there, in your raiments. I wish to see how they treat with you, and what arguments and words they bring to the table. I want to hear all of their tales to find out what this is all about, though I believe I already know. They wish for me to bring the Empire into their war, and this is a decision I have known would come for some months now. But I cannot make that choice based on the arguments of three representative groups. I must find out from people I trust..."
Again a pause. "I will think on this, my friend, and we will meet again. In the meantime, please, enjoy the jacinth, and give my regards to curator Nagano when you meet her for tea. Tell her..."the emperor sends regards, and continues to respect the honor your work brings his empire." Yes, that should suffice." He smiles.
@Chongde:
@Kyras: you see another shadow detach itself from an alley and rush in, but this is one of the palace guard. What on earth are they doing here? The warrior woman Chongde charges forward and wounds one of the sorcerers that tried hitting you with acid. Screaming in shock and pain, the man turns around and when he sees who sliced his back open his eyes go wide and he yells. "Palace guard! We're made! We're made!"
A deep bow proceeds my departure.
Rhon smiles. "In all honesty, Curator, we're really doing neither. We'll be heading back to the west as shortly as possible, we left much...ah...unfinished business that I would see through to completion as soon as I can. But yes; we are to have audience with the emperor tonight, so you will see us there, as well. I have yet to speak with Erudima about just what exactly she intends to say, though we discussed much about the generalities on the journey here."
You have been walking as you are talking, and you notice that Rhon, whether he is aware of it or not, has fallen into a sort of rhythm with the bells on your naginata.
The emperor looks at you thoughtfully for a moment, then slowly nods and bows deeply. "Thank you, San Pen. I will see you this evening." He smiles as he watches you glide down through the earth.
Azami draws her katana in a sinuous lightning quick motion, pointing it towards one of the warriors surrounding Kyras, issuing her challenge. “Your filth shall no longer soil the Empire’s streets. I shall use your blood to wash away the stain.” She bolts forward , closing the distance between her and the gangster in a terrible charge, slicing towards his viscera with focused precision.
"Well, let us talk of lighter things then. I do not mean to pry into your trusts, and I feel that many questions will be answered tonight."
"I would hear of your...acquisitions..as it were...Ah, the tea shop is just around this next street corner. You two are in luck, the proprietor has developed a special blend he wishes to present to me today"
Tokine sees the looks she is garnering. Being of low birth, she is aware how special a position she has risen to, and the access that comes with that. Being seen about town with two rakish gaijin, one's reputatuion might not survive such a thing. But these are emissaries, and she is not unaccustomine to rough edges, bah that is nothing compared to her days living in the Dwarven mines. Let them stare, this crane is not afraid of dirty feet. Although I think they are about to get a lot dirtier.
As Chongde and Azami charge out and begin to slice the Burakumin up, one of the gansgters throws a tiny flash bomb against the wall, summoning forth four more of his kin from the shadows. "We must win! To hell with the palace guard! We must win to prove ourselves to the dark lady!" The gangsters shift around or charge in and press the attack. Unfortunately for them, after they attack, all the burakumin that Kyras hit with acid make a strangled gargling noise and fall dead, the flesh melting away from their bones in a disgusting slurry.
@Daveth: from your rooftop perch you are watching all this go down. As you stand there hidden behind the chimney, you see the Erinyes watching eagerly, and when the gaijin uses his incredible magic she lets out a small exclamation in Infernal: "Iak! Ra yk dra yra. Yr Lassanna 'ok rynnard. Ra 'ymm zyyr 'k yn ra 'ymm jya."
@San Pen and @Tokine: The two of you meet at the teashop of Chen Daiyu, a lovely and elegant former geisha who has made quite a name for herself as a tea artisan in the autumn of her life. She bows deeply to you both and arches one perfectly shaped eyebrow at Tokine as she takes note of the handsome elf and half-elf accompanying her.
As Daiyu goes behind the counter to prepare a tea service, the four of you sit down. Earanthil seems wary of San Pen, but Rhon is utterly delighted and begins peppering the serene Xorn with questions. "San Pen, tell me, how do other Xorns view your time with surface dwellers? do you still consume gems? Do you have a hoar--er, pantry? Kitchen? How do you find movement in the city? What is..."
Etc.
"hrumf" Tokine manages a small polite throat clearing, a slight blush to her cheeks. "Dear Friend San Pen. I hope you do not mind that I brought these two gentlemen. The is Rhon and his companion Earanthil. They have come with one of the emissaries the capital is awash with of late. Rhon has entrusted the Temple quite an excellent and diverse collection of art. They are quite traveled and I hoped they would share some news of the West and how they came to collect such unique art objects." Giving Rhon a bit of a squinted plea to behave himself.
Just then Chen brings the tea. Tokine says a small prayer over the pot, and pours for her companions, including San Pen's unique mug. To Chen, Tokine takes a moment to savor the new tea. Her mind tracing the hints and scents. "Madame Daiyo, Shelyn truly blesses your endeavors".
She then opens her satchel and whispers "Gem dust please." A small envelope from within her satchel rises to her hand. She shakes out a sparkle of clear and blue dust into San Pen's mug. "Diamond and Sapphire today. Xuan thinks he will start on those new emeralds soon."
@Tokine:
Daiyu-san nods in appreciation at Tokine's compliment. "In my dreams last night I saw a crane, flying over the mountains that border on The Old Land. It landed in a puddle on the highest peak, where the yiufan bushes grow strong against the frost, their roots, they say, reaching for miles down, where they intermingled with the delicate jasmine bushes in the valleys. This was how I thought to try this blend, a frost-kissed jasmine blush, born of high waters, much like yourself Nagano-san, beloved of Shelyn." She smiles and winks, and retreats back to her tea counter to assist new guests.
Masterr RRhon, slow the pace of yourr questions. Pick up yourr tea. And give me a moment to compose my answerrss.
Umm, diamond has such a harrd base flavorr, well contrrested by the clearrity of the emerrald. I look forrwarrd to viewing Honorred Crraftsman Xuan's worrk when he allows it. But not tasting it, he says with a sharp glance at Rhon.
Honorred Rrhon, wherre have yourr trravels taken you? And what arre these arrtworrks you have carrried?
Let us trrade questions.
A darkness in Kyras exulted at the sheer devastation he had caused with his magic, and the roaring in his ears meant that he almost didn't notice two women join the battle in his defense. But these men were his. They would experience what fear and death this day.
He almost laughed when four of his attackers dropped dead from his horrific spell. Serves them right. Part of his mind whispered. They should know better than to anger a Black.
Still neglecting to draw his weapon, Kyras pointed his open hands at the different groups of thugs, one hand at those closest to him, and the other at the more spread out group to his left.
"Fools." He said, practically snarling to word. "Gethrak Eshrin." He didn't scream the words the time, but the words pull at each person's mind. It feels like a semi-familiar language to all who hear it, but none can place it's origin. But it feels old. And although the pure rage isn't in his voice anymore, it has settled into something much darker. Something truly worthy of fear.
After hearing Daiyu describe her delicious new blend, Tokine breaks into a full blush and quickly sinks her face into her tea cup trying to smile and nod her thanks.
The portents are thick today, Daiyu's dream, my earlier mediation... Tokine watches the tea leaves swirl in her cup and then quickly puts the cup down, not allowing the leaves to form the shape of a crane, feeling they just might decide to do it to spite her.
Daveth raises an eyebrow at the Erinyes' admission, perhaps she'd forgotten he was here, or perhaps she had underestimated his knowledge of the languages of the lower planes, or perhaps even she believed him an ally. Regardless that made things rather interesting. He knew that at least on some level that they wanted him though sending a rather inept group of ground based fighters against someone who's known how to fly since he was six was a rather foolish endeavor, but now they seemed to also want that mage though he had to admit the guy had to have A LOT of power to cause that much wide spread damage and even then only to those that he WANTED to hurt. Daveth filed the name he'd heard the Erinyes say off for later as 'something I need to look into' and also made a mental note to just in general look up more about history and such for so long he'd neglected looking into THIS worlds history in favor of the outer planes and magic that now when he seemed to need that information most he was at a loss. "Recruitment through assault is not generally the best way to go about things." Daveth chimed in from the shadows of the chimney taking her break in the silence as a chance to speak with her. With luck the shot at there recruitment techniques would be enough to keep her attention for a bit.
Rhon, catching a look from both San Pen and Tokine, stops himself short. "Oh. Oh of course. Hahahaa, terribly sorry. I...I get carried away, you see, I don't get opportunities like this every day, I completely forgot my manners, so sorry. The art, yes, of course. My companions -- Earanthil here included -- and I have been traveling for some time, most recently from H'arun in the Desert of Lop here to Lanzhu, no mean journey. Prior to that it was Mamban to Katapesh to H'arun. And prior to that, well, I'd been shall we say a 'free agent' for a time, and that work took me all over. I saw the signs of war coming months before any fighting broke out, and so I made it a point, while I was plying my trade as a sort of wandering scholar, to get representative samples from many cultures, even those that some elitist minds consider "low." I hoped then to journey here to the Empire to place them in the temple, but assumed it would be some months before I got to do so. But, then, my hand was forced by various events, and here I am, rather earlier than I thought I would be, and Nagano-san has most graciously agreed to take the pieces I brought."
Rhon pauses for some tea, and Earanthil picks up the tale. "Rhon's one of the smartest guys I've met, ever, and he's read about every history there is; from the bizarre uncatalogued stuff in Choban-La to the carefully cared-for volumes at the Hec Salazar in Stormfare, and the one thing he always sees that he's sick of seeing is 'unfortunately these works were destroyed in a war, and are no longer available to us.'"
"Earenthil's right." Rhon says, setting down his cup. "Even if this war is quick, which, I should add, it already has NOT been, even if it were quick, entire cultures have been wiped out in terrifyingly small amounts of time, and I'd rather not take any chances. There is too much beauty in this world that gets smashed for no reason, so this is my tiny way of maybe preventing some of it. I mean, imagine if no one ever got to read the poems of a fir tree living in the wastes of the White Dragonhold. Such stark precision and elegaic wordplay..." Rhon is staring into the middle distance, holding his teacup loosely between both hands. "...without equal..."
Earenthil sits forward and looks at both San Pen and Tokine, fixing them with his strangely electric blue eyes. "What Rhon's trying to say, basically, is that he's a romantic fool, but at least he's a motivated one. Plus all that travel sure doesn't hurt his pursuit of odd arcane knowledge and trinkets, does it now?" This last is aimed at Rhon, and the elf rolls his eyes sheepishly in a "who, ME?" gesture.
Chongde and Azami:
Six more jets of acid fly out from the giajin's person, precisely striking six of the remaining seven burakumin. Each of them let out another shriek. "This is impossible! It's impossible! Can't anyone bring him down?! And why are Palace Guards here?"
@Daveth: The Erinyes, who seems to have forgotten you were there, turns to look at you, her face is thougthful. "You're right. Of course."
OOC: I love how Kyras is almost surrounded by dead people now xD I might have to try out Power Word at some point now, it looks pretty cool.
Steven:
@Shoto Imuri: As you are returning from the morning's business, you pass Chen Daiyu's tea shop, famous for its artisanal blends and exquisite selection of varietals. Many times have you dallied over a fine cup of Daiyu-san's latest achievement in the fine art of cultivating and brewing tea. Today, however, there is a strange sight. Looking through the window you see Tokine Nagano, she of celestial descent and Head Curator of the Imperial Temple of Cultural Exchange, taking tea with the Xorn, San Pen, beloved advisor of the emperor. This in itself is not entirely unusual. Both have access to the Palace, so it is quite conceivable they could have formed a friendship. What strikes you as odd are the two rakishly handsome gaijin men they take tea with. One is an elf and one is a half-elf. The four are deep in conversation.
It does not escape your notice that the half-elf matches the description of one of the new gaijin guests you received from certain Clan Shoto contacts in the palace.
@Daveth:
The Erinyes suddenly throws a giant rope of her hair at you, which wriggles and winds like a thing alive. It begins coiling up around you.
"Let's try a new recruitment method, then. I'll just tie you up and DRAG YOU TO THE FRONT LINE BY YOUR EYELIDS YOU WHELP!"