Souls of Lost Aridia Crucible Recruitment (Inactive)

Game Master Shanosuke

Raine gazes up at the strange apparition before her. There are snakes in the desert, of course; most of them the same dusty brown as the sand, to better blend, with their patterns muted by the bleaching sun.

The sophisticate manners of many elves have also been bleached and muted by the desert, when it comes to Raine's people. The bow would be perfect in Kyonin-- it might elicit a slight murmur of approval there, an inclined head in return. Raine only looks at Tolus as if he were speaking a language she halfway understood.

"I do not have possession over this table. Nor the chairs. Do as you will," she says after a few second's hesitation. The other human had not asked to sit, after all.

But then, this one is not a human. Something other.

"Katapesh... I have heard of this city." As she has heard of Abadar-- it is something distant, something other, something foreign to her people. It may be a desert city, but it is not her desert. "A city of much trade, yes?"

Raine does not follow the unspoken social tradition of offering her own name in turn. It simply does not occur to her.

Tolus sits while taking immediate notice of her speech and mannerisms. He is trained to notice such things, after all. He nods, confirming her knowledge of the city, and says Kataphesh is, yes. The only real law there is trade. Anything can be had, for the right price, but that is far away and is of no consequence here. He smiles, revealing a pair of what can only be fangs, as he remembers for a moment. He soon looks at Raine and says, You look like the desert. I know there are several tribes around it's borders and even a few that manage to survive in the deep desert. Are you from one of those tribes?

Raine blinks once at the sight of the very sharp teeth. She wonders if this being is poisonous. Many snakes are.

Poisonous or not, he is curious.

Raine settles her spear against the wall and folds her hands into her lap. The chair is not thoroughly comfortable to her-- cross-legged on the sand would be her preference, but the floor in this room is filthy with sticky, spilled drinks. She is not going to sit on it: she will use a chair, as the outsiders do.

"I am." There is no volunteering of information beyond that.

She continues to regard the serpentkin with blunt, frank curiosity of her own. "I have never seen one such as you before. If you are a servant, who do you serve?"

She seems to have hit on something there. The Snake-man pauses for a moment. No one, now. He replies. I am a former slave, and a very good slave at that. I have spent over 40 years of my not-yet-50 year life in the service of the Guild Masters of Kataphesh. Serpent Servant is the title that was given me and has defined much of who I am. There is of course, much more to me than that, but in another way, I will always be a slave to someone, by my leave or no.
There is another pause before he says, But you are a magnificent specimin of an elf, if I may say so. Here I am, talking away, and you have yet to reveal your name. May I have the honor of knowing who I sit with?

Slavery. It is not practiced by her people, and her knowledge of it is, like so much else, abstract. They read, her people, and so she knows the world: the faiths of the non-elven gods, the cities and the continents... the trade in flesh. Dry as maps.

Raine listens intently, her own yellow-wine eyes fixed on Tolus's. It's rather strange that as different as they are in-- everything-- their eyes should be similar.

She's silent for a moment after the serpent-man finishes speaking, her brows furrowed in thought.

"You introduce yourself as a servant," she says. "This means that it is how those you meet will see you. You create this state of servitude by your words."

The flattery-- magnificent-- makes her blink again, and shift in her chair, uncertainly. Well. It is true she has worked hard be strong enough for the desert, for the task her family has appointed her. That someone-- an outsider, no less-- should remark upon it...

For a few seconds, the elf's impassive face flickers into the shy pleasure of a young woman receiving an unexpected compliment. Whatever her experiences, whatever her skills, Raine has little experience with social manipulation and that much is clear from her reaction.

"I-- I am named Raine."

Faruq bowed slightly to the two men before him. "My name is Faruq al-Rashid, although you may call me Faruq, if it pleases you. May I ask your names?"

I am standing next to Farid and Meruii, I believe. Things seem a bit jumbled. Are there others relatively nearby?

Tolus can see it written all over her. Here is a young lady who has no idea what it's like to be in a city with 'civilized' (though experience has taught him to hesitate to use the word) people. She is completely out of her element. It's refreshing to behold. He has not seen such, what was it, Innocence?, in a long time.
Well, Raine, he gives a courtly, flowing bow in his chair (somehow), I create a state of servitude because that is who I am. It is all I have known. I would serve you, if you had the inclination. I go on this trip into the sands to let the desert and the experience molt me, if you will. I wish to discover the Serpent behind the Servant.
Also, he adds as an afterthought, people tend not to look too hard at someone who is their lesser, allowing me the time to do things like this...
He glances around playfully then completely disappears before her eyes. (Use of Vanish ninja trick) One moment he's there, the next there is an empty chair. He holds this state for 5 or 6 seconds before he reappears in his chair, just as he was before except for a broad, fanged grin.

Raine sits up very straight, her shoulders squared. "I do not require a servant. I do not wish a servant."

Before she can elaborate upon this (if she was going to, which may not be likely), Tolus disappears.

Raine stares a moment at the space where he sat, hand darting towards her weapon-- then she smiles, a brief flash of white teeth in the bronze of her face. She is still smiling slightly when he reappears.

"You are a student of the arcane. You learned in Katapesh?"

You would think it was arcane, but it isn't. It's actually a little trick I picked up under a... rather distasteful.. Master. It was best to not be seen by him, so I leaned to disappear.
Also, don't judge too quickly about having a servant. It can be very nice. Especially if you treat them well.

The knit-brows make an appearance again.

"Not arcane?" Her doubt is clear in her tone, but she does not further question this. There are other questions.

A servant... What would she do with such? She sees to her own concerns. She does her own work. The idea of one bound to carry out her will is vaguely distasteful.

Tolus's words seem like some sort of battle she does not understand. Like feints and stabs, except she does not gather their purpose. While Raine is not a match of the intellect of some of her tribe, she has studied hard and does not consider herself stupid, so this rankles her pride. If there is a battle, she won't back away from it... even if she does not understand the rules.

"I know that servants must be paid. I have no money to pay a servant. And I do my own labor."

Wyldryn removes his hood as he enters into the tavern. The Sarengave elf is dressed in his trading clothes; a sleeveless red vest with hood and a long black embroidered with red and blue designs around his waist. To those familiar with Daiga, they spot his holy symbol embroidered in black on the chest of Wyldyrn's vest. Any others would simply see a cylindrical rock topped with the symbol of the sun.

He glances at the earthware mugs as he steps up to the bar and then spots the overall filthiness of the bar. Despite the glare from the barkeep, Wyldyrn removes his own waterskin and takes a deep drink.

The tavern was filled with a rather motley crew, he spotted elves, humans, a halfling, was that a kobold? And a strange reptilian species he was unfamiliar with. Most likely all hopefuls for the caravan. He then spotted the half-elf dancer and smiled at her attempts to dance, perhaps he could give her some pointers....

He approaches the young woman, but stops short. He smiles at her as he glances his direction. "You have skill, my dear, but there is always room for improvement, if we are willing." Wyldyrn gracefully dances around the crowded tables towards her. "I am willing to teach, if you have the willingness to learn."

What if you didn't have to pay this servant? What if he served because that was his place in life. He existed to serve, that is all. What if you could only say the word, and the work was done? Would that have value to you?
I know we share very different backgrounds, so, please, if I somehow offend, accept my apologies in advance. I do not intend it.

I just wanted to say, this is going very well. I am liking what I have seen so far and I have started my evaluations as to not only who gets in but which groups people will be in.

There are a couple of folks who I am still waiting to see and I will give them some time to put forth their interviews and some RP.

You guys are doing great displaying your creativity and playing off one another. I have already begun selecting people. I need all five slots filled though and I will end the Crucible as so as they are filled.

I will reveal those who have been accepted once I am done. This won't take long though, I can promise that.

Good to hear. Good to hear, indeed.

Raine opens her mouth to answer the serpent-man-- then stops, shuts it with a click, and has to think about her answer.

Everything in nature has its place. As one who has long studied the cycle of suns rising and falling, of moon waxing and waning, of stars in their dance, Raine believes this with surety. Is it possible that there are beings whose place is to serve?

Her people serve, after a fashion. They serve the old city, as guardians of whatever secrets the elders believe to exist there. In turn, she serves the elders-- they had said, go here, join this so-called caravan, and she had gone. There had been no question of 'pay'.

It is her place to serve her people in this fashion, and there is honor in this, and pride. Is this fundamentally different than his words of service? She feels that it must be, but she is not certain she can articulate how, exactly.

Raine stares at Tolus, frowning and perplexed.

"...but they are my tasks to do," she says, sounding somewhat less certain, and to her own ears, almost childish. She scowls at herself and tries to continue in a firmer tone. "My work-- keeping my weapons, studying the books of my people, seeing my friend Simoom fed and groomed and watered: these are my tasks. There is-- honor-- that I perform them. I cannot have another study in my place: how would I learn? Simoom would be betrayed to be groomed by another hand than mine, simply because I did not wish to work."

It is by far the most words she has ever spoken in one go to an outsider. Raine hesitates, and opens her mouth only to shut it a second time. Another frown at Tolus, distracted, bemused.

"You do not offend. But you-- you-- confuse."

Wyldyrn-- I see we both made Sarangave elves. ;) I don't know what the odds are of TWO tribes of elves in this desert-- we already have several human tribes represented here, hehe, I think we're doing a fine job collectively populating the unpopulated desert-- are you okay with assuming our characters are from the same tribe, at least for purposes of the tavern?

Yeah, it's a bit jumbled. Haroun's talking to Meriui, so you're pretty close.

Haroun's suspicions rise again. The faith of Daiga is a cult, nothing more. However, if I wish to investigate it further, I would do well to not anger his faithful.

He is about to reply, to probe a little deeper, when another man approaches and introduces himself - a fellow Keleshite. He smiles warmly, extending his right hand in greeting.

"Haroun ibn Yuself al-Hasib," he replies. "If you are also seeking to join the caravan through the Sarengave, then yes, we have similar goals." He takes note of Farouq's mannerisms and style of dress. A Sarenrite, by the look of it. Holding respect for the faith of the Dawnflower, Haroun refrains from attempting to detect the man's alignment.

Tolus smiles warmly (which always comes off a bit predatory). He is not condescending, but is clearly enjoying the conversation. It is clear that we are of two different backgrounds, my lady. I am simply explaining mine, as you are doing a fine job expounding on yours.
Where I am from, slavery is a state of being. I am, or was, a slave, and with that came with certain duties to perform daily. Just as you feed, water, and study; I brought food, prepared beds, and served my Masters every need and whim. This was my role, and I was happy to do it. In return my Masters provided my every need and trusted me to oversee small portions of their empires.
Slavery is a dirty word to many because they know only the abuses of the institution. I argue that slavery is what the Masters and the Slaves -together- make of it.
I hope that helps you to understand my point of view.

I'm just waiting for some Lawful Good to get all up in my fanged grill about this, but I'm happy it hasn't happened quite yet. :P

Of course Dien, I believed that'd be just fine. Allows for a little PC interaction. Just for info... I am doing a fluff write-up on a custom Sarengave elf race I made with the race builder. Wyldyrn is one of the tribe's Fire Dancers, highly respected religious leaders. Wyldryn should be known to Raine if they're both of the same tribe. We could assume perhaps he couldn't see her when he came in lol.

Wyldyrn's easy and honest manner seem to win over the young half-elf as she coyly smiles at the handsome oracle. He places his hands on her hips lightly. "The trick to dancing, young one, is to be fluid like the water, and capricious like the flame. Most believe fire and water are enemies of each other, but such is not true. Fire and water must work together." He uses his hands to move the dancer's hips around, loosening them up.

He shows her some simple techinques to improve her skills a little and smiles as he takes a step back. "Yes, that is the way, dear one. Practice such things and your talent will show forth."

Tolus- it's fun! I'd say 'stop making my character question her worldview' but that's exactly why I'm playing a somewhat-naive, isolated elf, so.....

Wyldyrn- sounds good! Yeah, she would definitely know who he was. Whereas she is a younger, competent-but-somewhat-unproven elf.

Raine huffs out an exhale, brows drawn together again.

"You talk like a dancer moves," she says, and does not actually mean it as a compliment.

"Is it not true that slaves do not choose to be slaves? Are not most of them slaves against their will? Even if one has a-- a-- master--" the word trips uncertainly off her tongue; in her study of Taldane she has rarely said the word, "--who is... kind... one is still giving up one's own dreams and wishes and will, to be the hand of another. It..."

Raine trails off, her arguments feeling feeble in the face of the serpent-man's smooth logic and smile. "...it seems wrong," she says at last, which her own sense of logic tells her is a terrible argument. 'Seeming' is not truth.

Fortunately or unfortunately, she is distracted by a familiar figure entering the tavern. Raine visibly starts in her chair, golden eyes widening at she catches sight of an elf on the stage with the one she had dismissed as half-breed. Not any elf: Wyldyrn.

Speaking of glib dancers....

She grips at the table, and after a second her sun-bronzed cheeks flush to a copper tone: acute embarrassment. The elders have clearly decided she is not enough, after all-- that the mission was not one she could conduct without supervision. No, they have sent someone more important. This is not to be her proving ground after all, but only another thing in which she can assist someone more gifted.

Oblivious to any scrutiny she may be undergoing from the sharp-eyed serpent, Raine clears her throat and attempts to compose herself, which she does by draining the rest of the cold water in the glass that the human man had created for her.

To Farid.
As the man whispered in his ear that a desert tribe's dance would be better appreciated and that compliments will not kill, Draahzin nodded his approval.
'You are right. I was merely cautious, the folks here are a little on edge.'

Suddenly a man. A scaled-man! sat on the chair at his left, but before he could open his mouth he had already disappeared and was seating across the rude elve. Dammit! We'll talk later. Then he focused his attention on their conversation, they spoke of slaves and slavery. Very interesting. Goods argruments. The confusion on the face of the elve was also great.

As Lilith asked Mia, when nodding towards Toby, she nodded.

"With mae born áppearánce, some sociál daelings áre á problem. Thát þárune mán would just háve sent me áwae, were it not for á "grownup", whom acts ás mae guárdián. þut i ám in no wae reláted to this individuál.

Mia looks around the inn from time to time. She does however notice this halfling man looking at her frequenly.
What is it with that halfling? If he suspects at all, he's not being very careful in giving that away.

She thought back on what her mother at Absalom said for traveing, or any social situations for that matter.
To mingle, observe and explore what kind of people there are around.

Mia spoke again;
"I will þe þack soon. Just á quick wálk to see whát kind of people áre áround. I'll þe þack shortly."
Mia got down from her seat and wandered past the tables, her doll in one hand.
While looking around she accidentally bumps into a tall serpentine male. She looked up with a hint of curiousity and observation in her eyes. Having talked elven with Lilith the entire time, a slip of the tongue got her to say pardon in elven.
"áh...sorry. I'll þe on mae wae."

That table having more than one person who speak elven....cue one "human child" apologizing in elven ^^. Kind of reminds me when i greet italians when they are tourists over in our country.

Totally forgot a crucial part on Mia. She carries with her a doll. Which also is a factor to her disguise (doesn't matter in disguise score, but you get the drift). But since she's childlike i thought it should be more like this: Mia's Doll

About Mia's doll:

To Faruq al-Rashid:

"I am Meriui bin Mircea, of the Varn'ea."

Stopped to see what happened before I went to work, and there were 21 messages posted while I slept . . .. Just a quick "tap" in the thread before I leave for work.

I would seen some people are coming form rather far away for this job. Of course there are quite a few beast masters and rangers. Bah the skills a have have landed me interesting opportunity in the past. But i really wonder what is her story.

Tolus simply observes as his conversation companion does her best to look presentable. His eyes dart to the stage. There is a new figure in the tavern, an elf with robes that roughly correspond to Raine's. He is obviously older. Clan elder? Family figure maybe
Tolus is about to ask when a little girl, a human girl, bumps into his chair and apologizes in Elven. A human child speaking Elven? I've seen odder.
Tolus looks down, his golden eyes with their vertical slits focusing intently on the child. He responds in fluid, almost native Elven,
Not sure the language you two were using for elven, so I'll just write it here for now.
Thankyou for apologizing. That's good. How old are you?

"Well met. I am Farid Sa'd-Ghalib, from this desert." Farid looks as though he were going to speak more, but his brow also furrows slightly when Meriui mentions Daiga. So he is one of those fellows. The tribes who forsook the spirits, who cast off their ancestral ways and decided that the worship of a singular entity is greater than the combined powers of sky and sand and beast... Best to keep an eye on this one.

"The desert is treacherous, though it seems we all are of hardy stock and understand the dangers," he begins, but then he catches a stranger showing the dancer some tricks. He angles his head and raises an eyebrow at seeing what the stranger is. "Pardon me," he says to the men, and he stands with his water and approaches the dancer and the elf.

"The spirits be alive, that one knows of dancing here!" Farid exclaims. "But of course--you look to be an elf of the Sarengave. Farid Sa'd-Ghalib, friend elf," he says, bowing lower to this elf than he had to others, though it still isn't very deep. "What brings you to Voush; the caravan?"

Wyldyrn (and Raine): I hadn't said it before, but it just came to my mind that you may know (or at least know of) Farid. He's not only one of the desert's nomads, but he's also served as a guide out of Voush for some time. It's quite possible he's visited your tribe in the past. At the very least he knows about the Sarengave elves... If you don't want to spin it this way that's fine, I just realized that it was a possibility. It makes sense that at least some of the various desert dwellers would know one another.

Lilith nods. It made sense after-all. If Lilith had been born to look like a child, she would have used it to her advantage frequently. After the halfling stood and walked away, Lilith stood and took her drink to an empty table. She never truly cared for sitting at bars with her back facing the main entrance-way to wherever she happened to be. She also wasn't interested in pushing interactions, so she just eavesdropped, putting down her hood and allowing her long black hair fall around her.

@Tolus. Fluffwise i'd say we both have a variant of pronunciation elven. Mia comes from the city, so the pronunciation would be a bit different from Lilith's.

As Mia was about to continue her walk through the tavern, the tall serpentine man spoke back. She looked back up, hesitating if she should continue a conversation. But she remembered her mother's advice that it is good to know alot of people.

Continuing the smalltalk with Tolus in elven:
"Thánk yoµ, i've learned elven from my mámá, she's á shopkeeper and people from várious kin visit the shop....I'm not very old yet mister. I cáme here with my pápá." She pauses briefly to take in some of the subtle features this tall man has before continuing.
"Mister, yoµ áre very táll. Maebe yoµ áre three times ás táll ás me?
...sorry for ásking, bút where do yoµ come from? I've not seen yoµr people before."

Tolus smiles, revealing his fangs to the girl, just to see what she'll do.
I am called Vishkanya. Most of my people look less like snakes, but I'm special.
Tolus keeps a close eye on her father. He should have noticed her leaving by now, especially when in a tavern like this one.

Mia sees the sudden fangs, revealed by Tolus' smile.
An interesting hidden feat. Much like us from the coven. You don't know about the sharp deadly details until we reveal them. I will have to take a note about this, i haven't yet heard of his people during my lessons.

"My mámá told me thát if people are special, thae áre people to þe rememþered. Else thae would þe júst ánother þrick in the wáll..... Forgive me, þút what is yoµr kin cálled?"

After that last sentence Toby, whom sat all by himself after Lilith went away, stood up. His daughter should have had plenty of time for her little exploration run.
Mia, Mia, where are you?
He stood and looked over the crowd. Such a tool..
He walked the along the tables, finally seeing her stand near the tall serpentine man. He himself gulped at the sight.....the man himself was a curious adventurer, but he was terrified of snakes.

Mia saw Toby's reaction.
Hey now, i haven't seen this yet. He is scared of snakes or snake featured people? Snakes are very practical. But i could exploit that in the future.

Tolus; make 10 on perception ^^:

"Well met, friends." He shakes Haroun's hand firmly, returning his smile. He nods to the others in turn and takes a sip of his wine. He immediately regrets it; overly tannic and vinegary, it was clearly off and Faruq was certain it hadn't been close to good when it was fresh either. He grimaced and set his cup on the table. I am a long way from Katheer.

After Farid excused himself, Faruq smiled. "It would seem that I scared him away. I apologize for barging into your conversation."

He took a moment to observe the men he was talking to. Haroun was another Keleshite, although his accent placed him as being from the great city-state of Katapesh. He wore the symbol of Abadar openly. Faruq knew that Sarenrae counted the Judge of the Gods amongst her allies; perhaps he could trust this man. "I see that you wear the symbol of Abadar. Are you of the faith?"

The other man, Meriui, was shorter than Haroun, but carried himself with a quiet confidence that Faruq recognized. He was a dangerous man. Faruq couldn't place his ethnicity, as his face was mostly covered by a veil. He extended his hand to Meriui. "Where do you call home?

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Tolus readily notices the giggle. A girl who doesn't bat an eye at fangs, and yet giggles when her father is struck with fear in a seedy tavern in a strange land? There is more to this than it seems. He looks closer and sees that her features, while childlike, are not as fatty as a child's, and her responces are far more mature than her doll would suggest. Oh, clever girl. Suddenly I'm betting the strings in this relationship are yours.
But he doesn't let on. He simply locks his haunting gaze on Toby and smiles some more.

"Indeed. I have followed Abadar since I was a small boy. My faith in him is my strength and driving force. His allies are my friends, so if you truly follow Sarenrae, as it appears you do, then I have nothing to hide from you." He spreads his hands to accompany his words, his eyes taking on a fervent glow at the mention of his god.

Short posts usually mean I'm either on the iPad or out of ideas. In this case, the former. Formatting on a tablet is a pain in the ass, but that can't keep me from RP.

I make 90% of my posts from my iPhone, formatting and all. :P

My long posts are at pc. In a few days i'll likely have to resort to tablet. Which is going to be a nasty cookie with that touchscreen. But that isn't stopping me.

Farid: Sounds good to me! Makes sense, the desert is only so big after all.

The serpent man is now talking to a child-- in her distraction, it doesn't even occur to Raine to look closer at the small human girl. She sits back in her seat with a little exhale, closing her eyes briefly.

She should greet Wyldyrn and offer her services, but she is still... a bit mortified he is here, truly. The tavern is filling up-- now it is jam-packed with outlanders, more non-elves than she has ever been around in her life.

She finds herself longing for the open sands, for the breezes that whip across the desert at dusk, as opposed to the stifling noise and heat of all the conversation when enclosed in this shoddy building.

Perhaps she can excuse herself-- go out to check on Simoom, then meditate with the spear...

Raine opens her eyes again and reaches for her weapon. In the process she sees yet another familiar face: a human she knows, from his past visits to her tribe. He has partaken of their bread and water, on occasion.

Raine gives Farid a brief nod of acknowledgment, while inwardly her heart sinks a little more.

Everything that she thought she alone could bring to this caravan-- knowledge of the desert, understanding as a native has it-- is represented here by others already. Skill in battle-- oh yes, very represented. The perspective of an elf, to temper these humans-- represented.

She tells herself this is a childish emotion: a hunt is made the better if there are two hunters, not one. Surely it's the same with caravans.

Toby, unnerved as he may be by the tall serpentine man, somehow forces himself to regain his posture.

Toby:"Mia, if you are done talking to "the nice man". His voice somehow still uneasy when saying the latter part. "Then we should go back to our table to wait for Barune."
She winks the man to bow down so she can whisper.
*Whisper: It is húmorous, mae pápá isn't sháken quickly. So it's ámusing to see him a þit nervous.*

Mia walks back towards Toby. Just as she is about to take his hand to walk back with him, she turns around.

In elven:
"Yoµ áre a nice mister. Pérháps yoµ coµld teach mae yoµr people's speech sometime?"
At which, she gives you a faint smile. Something not quickly seen on the face of the girl.

With Toby's hand in one of her hands, her doll in the other, she walks back towards the table they were sitting at.
On a soft tone, barely above a whisper;
"You were rather causing a scene there. Don't draw so much attention, we have an appearance to keep up."

Farid also nods back to Raine, giving her a small smile, though he is focused on Wyldyrn.

Tolus turns back to Raine. Sorry about that, kids are hard to resist. Especially when they talk elven.

Seeing the scaled man is now free, Draahzin stood up and walk to greet him.
'Good day to you mister! I am called Draahzin the Blue. I hoped we could talk a bit as the sole scaled ones here? So what bring you in this town?'

A fair-skinned women wearing a set of plain, obviously well used, desert clothes walks into the tavern and looks around, taking in the the sight of the various people. The amateur dancer.. The clumsy half long server.. A kobold? Interesting, like the doll carrying lady. How many were here for the caravan, and how many would be picked?

She sat down near the others and listened to the goings on around her, muttering her spell again to clean her chair and table.

Shanosuke, I do need to know if I can use Words of Power before I'm done. I have her gear written down, so that just needs to be transferred to the profile.

"Did she speak elven?" Raine says vaguely. Her thoughts were so elsewhere that she hadn't even registered the child's tongue. She shakes her head as if to clear it of cobwebs-- or in this case, her own overly-emotional reaction-- and sits up straighter.

The kobold is approaching the table, to speak to Tolus. Raine's lips thin in distaste. She stands to collect her guisarme, and to push the human's cup back across the table to him.

"I must check on my friend. Goodbye."

With that blunt farewell, Raine turns on her heel to stride from the increasingly crowded tavern.

I'm not de-scening Raine, just mixing it up a bit. People are welcome to approach her.

Okay, as I have been going over this, here is a list of people who have reported in followed by their classes. I have looked over your backstories again and watched you role play.

Anyone not on the list that I may have missed on this crucible, please speak up.

List
Raine – Elf Cavalier
Mia Rumsfeld – Halfling Witch
Tolus - Vishkanya Ninja
Faruq – Human Fighter
Adina – Human Sorcerer
Wyldyrn – Sarengave Elf Oracle –Daiga follower
Haroun – Human Inquisitor – Daiga Hunter
Cinabre – Kobold Cavalier
Lilith Hearteater - Custom Elf Alchemist
William Kazaar – Oracle Cavalier
Farid Sa’d-Ghalib – Human Cavalier/Ranger
Meriui bin Mircea – Human Monk – Daiga follower

I have been communicating with another potential player via PM. He is still being considered. That makes 13 people. If there is anyone who still wants to be considered that hasn't posted yet please let me know ASAP and put forth at least the interview here.

So far I have begun selecting players and have almost settled on my groups. I will only be selecting from those participating in this exercise.

I will be only selecting ten people. So sadly 3 of you so far won't make it in :(.

As before I have mentioned that groups will be selected based on party Dynamics and I will consider class into that. It wouldn't do if I put all mages in one team and all fighters in another. Still, I expect to see more than one cavalier in a single group given how many of them applied. :P I tell people they can go nuts with mounted in this one and everyone takes a cavalier lol.

Anyways. This Crucible won't last much longer. I am rounding off the edges of the groups and toying with a few final desiscions but I suspect we can be on the road to Aridia as early as tomorrow night my time. Which for me is in around 30 hours from now.

Thank you again for participating in this. It has been quite fun.

"I am of the Varn'ea. We live within the Sarengave." He removes his hand from the top of the mug in front of him and takes a deep drink before returning it to the table, and resealing the top with his hand.

"I think people believe me blind, because they seem to think I do not notice their reactions when I mention Daiga. The reactions are good. Daiga is to be denied. For generations the Varn'ea have learned to deny Daiga those things he would take. When we forget our traditions, Daiga takes what he wants. These events never serve the tribe well. So we teach even the youngest to deny Daiga at every turn." His tone is almost flat, as though simply stating fact, but there is a slight overtone to it. Disrespect? Insult? Simple negative judgement? There are too many small social differences to be certain about the cause.

Home from work! This is about as early an evening post as I'll make.

Daiga? Where had she heard that name before? Her interest grew and she turned a bit to watch the man a little more. Daiga, Daiga... Oh! The deity the 'established' religions didn't believe was a deity! This man knew about it, hmm? Very interesting...

Seeing the scaled man is now free, Draahzin stood up and walk to greet him.

'Good day to you mister! I am called Draahzin the Blue. I hoped we could talk a bit as the sole scaled ones here? So what bring you in this town?'

Tolus notes Riane's distaste as she leaves, but welcomes the kobold warmly. Greetings Draahzin the Blue. I am called Tolus the Serpent Servant. I am hoping to find out just how much serpent there is to the name in the deep desert. I assume you're here for the same opportunity?

That elve has a distaste for my kin, he tought as she left the table.

'Indeed. I'm waiting for the Yalandere's caravan. You believe to be related to desert snakes?'

Faruq eyed Meriui, not sure what to make of the Varn'ean. "You'll have to pardon me for asking, but why do you cover your cup?"

"Because Daiga steals unprotected water. If I am to drink this water, I need to either drink it all at once, or I must find another way to deny Daiga access. My hand sealing the mug is a method of denial. In the desert, I would simply have consumed it when I received it. Daiga's will is harder to deny in the open desert."

Tolus shakes his head, intentionally letting the light play off his scales and their multitude of greens. I doubt it, but I never knew my family, so there's always a chance. Who knows, maybe I have a bit of Dragon in here, somewhere!
Tolus is starting to ease up a bit. He leans back in his chair and doesn't take pains to hide his teeth when he talks.