An early morning fog rolls along the ground of the train station. For your own reasons, you find yourself here in the rural town of Cabbot in Hannal. A halfling in a conductor's uniform paces up and down the platform, looking at his pocket watch. Old newspapers rustle by pushed by a cool spring wind. Children patrol the platform as well, seeking handouts and hawking today's news.
"2:05," the halfling grumbles audibly. "Train's late again."
As he complains for the fifth time, the great steam engine rolls into the station with a massive roar. It is a seven-car beast, the 'Pride of Coldglass' painted on each car in an alarming red color. The grey metal of the cars seem to blend with the mournful sky. The halfling relaxes as you hear a pssh from the train's doors opening.
the conductor bellows over the din of people pushing to get on the train.
You makes your way into Car 6 and settle into the cushioned seat. These tickets weren't cheap, but you are glad that your money was well-spent. The car is lined with velvet curtains and green-shaded lanterns sway slightly as the train begins to take off. You have a couple of hours before your stop in Coldglass, the only place in Hannal to make money anymore, so you've been told.
A half-elven man with a serious look on his face was looking out the window of the car. He had shoulder length black hair, with dark blue eyes. He stood that way for some time not moving much before he rolled his shoulders a bit. At that he stands to walk a bit slightly seeming to move his legs a bit. As he stands his garb can be seen fully, which was nicely made though anyone looking can tell that it was well use. He moves about the car some before sitting back down, which is when he pulls out a book to read, chuckling to himself now and again, from whatever it was that he was reading.
Sam was quite happy that the recent winnings from that last game were being put to good use, the boyish figure striding into the car carrying a loaded pack. On tiptoes they put it up into the overhead storage, leaving them in a slightly dusty set of traveler's gear, worn but durable, and with a bright red scarf wrapped around their neck. A shock of short blonde hair topped the gunslinger's head - and there was nary a doubt that they were a gunslinger, judging from the six iron worn at their hip.
The quite short but not short enough to be called a dwarf traveler took a seat on one of the cushioned seats, sighing and stretching their arms out into the air, grinning widely and glancing at the other occupant.
"Hey," A light and friendly voice spoke up from them as they grabbed a deck of cards from a pouch on the belt, giving it a few shuffles. "Care to play a friendly game? We'll start off with copper wagers, what do you say? I'll even let you pick the game."
A pretty female half-elf attendant pushes a cart along the aisle. "Care for a beverage? A newspaper?"
"I'll take both," The boyish youth speaks up to the attendant, giving her a wide smile. "You wouldn't happen to have some sweet tea, would you? Hold any liquor, though," They asked her, taking a paper and glancing at the headlines for anything of interest. One's fortune could be won or lost by the happenings of the world at large.
"Of course...sir," the attendant says, clearly unsure of how to refer to Sam. She drops in four ice cubes from a bucket and pours some tea from a green pitcher emblazoned with an eagle. The attendant fishes a paper out of the basket at the rear of the cart. She hands both items to Sam.
The bold headline on the Hannal Times reads:
The other news isn't noteworthy, except for a small blurb about several goblin attacks near Coldglass recently.
"You have my thanks, miss," Sam gratefully takes a sip of tea as they glance over the paper, wondering if it was possible to get into the Grand Gala. Probably not, but one never knew. They look back over at the seated half-elf - tall, with his face buried in a book - waving the paper at him. "Want something else to look through, stranger?"
Cyean looks up from his book when a question was asked to him, shaking his head as he starts to speak. His tone shows that he had some lessons on proper etiquette. "No, thank you, I am fine with my book. I might wish to read it later however." He looks at the paper as he speaks before starting up again putting his arm out to shake Sam's hand. "I am Cyean Gurov."
"Most people call me Jakobs," Sam introduces themselves to Cyean, giving his hand a shake. Judging from the grip, seemed like he was quite physically strong. "Any sort of business you're planning on attending to in Coldglass, friend? Going to be celebrating their big Quince- Quin, err..." They pause, glancing back at the paper.
"...Quincentennial. Is that really a word?" They mutter to themselves, before looking back up. "There's going to be a big party, anyways. So long as they have some tables reserved for cards, I think I'll feel right at home there - well, if they're letting just anyone in." They put the paper back down and pick up their deck of cards again, shuffling it.
Cyean nods "It is indeed a word, not commonly used word but is one. I have some business there yes, looking around mostly. As for cards I do not play myself was never that interested in it." He says as he watches Jakobs shuffle the deck.
"Well, don't you worry - if you're interested, I can teach you the rules to a couple of the more popular games," Sam tells Cyean, taking another sip of tea and spreading the deck out on the seat. They glance back over at Oswin. "He doesn't play with me anymore. Ah, sorry, forgot to introduce you - that's Oswin, and he's my lackey," They state with a grin. "He's really handy, especially when I need to reach the top shelves. And when something needs killing that bullets won't do."
Cyean nods to Oswin "Greetings." He does not put his hand out as he sees the man attempting to nap. Before turns back to Jakobs "I will make sure to remember that."
Sheepishly showing his ticket to the conductor, Kisako wanders onto the train, feeling as conspicuous as ever.
Looking between the ticket and the seat numbers, starting at the back of the train, Kisako meanders through the train so slowly that by the time it starts moving, he still hasn't found his seat. The train has been moving for several minutes before he finally finds the right car - its obvious which seat is his as only one is unoccupied, and it rests next to those occupied by several other armed and armored individuals.
To the others, he appears human. Approximately 5'6", ginger, with golden eyes and a fair complexion and features, he carries a clanking bundle of armor, with a strange curved sword strapped across his back. He wears soft golden silk clothing, and similar breeches that merely tie in the front to keep them on. Around his neck is a pendant, a silver sun with a curved sword set across it.
With a loud jangle of metal, he sets the bundle down on his seat before turning to the boyish girl with the deck of cards (of course it doesn't even compute with him that she's not a girl, or that she could be mistaken as a boy), and asks, his voice lilting and sweet, "Excuse me. What are you doing?"
"Hmm? I'm drinking tea and trying to teach this guy how to play cards," Sam replies, grinning at the newcomer. He really did seem like something of a foreigner, with his fancy clothing. Not that they cared all that much to be honest. They were more interested in if he had some coin to spare.
"You interested in playing a game, stranger? We can always start with copper antes, but if that doesn't get your blood flowing, I'll be happy to match silver or gold as well," The gunslinger told him, fanning the deck out in their hands. "What's your game? Five card draw? Hold 'em? Or maybe you're not much for poker, but something like gin rummy or fisherman instead?" They suggested, glancing briefly at the sword strapped to his back.
The little woman's words tumble through his head like water off of a falls. So many. What was she even saying? In the wake of Sam's confident tirade of invitations, he could only hold his mouth open and stare for a few moments, before he finally collects himself, gulps, and says, "I...I frequently enjoy Go, but I know not of these games you speak of. 'Gin Rummy?'? 'Hold 'em'?."
"What? Never played a card game before?" Sam asks, slightly disappointed. "Well, you're obviously a foreigner, so I guess it makes sense you don't know any the games in this region. Which is a shame," They shrug their shoulders up in the air. "It's going to be a real dull couple of hours then. Maybe I should just go and take a nap, like Ozzie over there."
Sam finishes shuffling the deck with a flourish before slipping it back into the belt pouch, picking up the tea and giving it another sip. They stay quiet for approximately twenty seconds before letting out a heavy sigh, readjusting the bright red scarf around their neck. "Oh, yeah, foreigner, here's the paper if you want to take a look," They offer it up, tossing the newspaper to him.
Kisako doesn't even say anything as Sam loses interest in him, but just heaves his bag of armor into the overhead slots and sits in his chair, right after unslinging his sword from his back and laying it across his knees. He reaches into the overhead compartment into a backpack that's bundled in there with his armor, pulling out a whetstone and a rag.
He unsheathes his sword. Glittering in the continual flamelight of the train's onboard lights, the blade is sharp along one edge, and only carries a slight curve. Black except for the portion that's sharpened, which gleams silvery, it's an excellently-made weapon. First, he wipes down the weapon a few times, making sure it keeps it gleaming sheen. Next, he runs a finger down the blade, carefully and slowly, checking the edge. Then he takes some time to meticulously and carefully sharpen it.
He is silent, and his gaze is transfixed on the sword. Nothing else but what he's doing enters his mind, although he has put the newspaper, folded, in between his feet for later. He treats his sword nearly reverentially.
Sam lets out a short barking laugh when Oswin smacks his head into the window during his nap. "Hey, be more careful! If you broke it then you'd have to pay for it, you know? Plus you'd let the wind in and cause a draft."
The gunslinger's eyes roamed before stopping on the fancy blade of the scimitar. Sam wasn't much endeared to swords - the short one riding on the right hip, opposite the firearm, was poorly maintained compared to the battered revolver, the edge notched in several places and tip bent from that one time they'd used it as a pry tool. But the gambler could appreciate that the sword there was of quality make, and unlike the cruder weapons you'd see in these parts.
"Hey, Ozzie," Sam whispers, crooking their finger at him, before pointing at the strange blade. "Ever see a sword like that?" If it was something rare, perhaps it would be worth some money to the right buyer - there was always a collector out there who'd pay out large sums of cash in exchange for exotic weaponry.
"Foreigner," Sam speaks up, the deck coming back out of the belt pouch. "Since you're new to these parts, would you like me to teach you a local game?"
Cyean turns to look up when he hears the sound of a sword raising an eyebrow at the blade "I have heard of those blades before, never thought I would get to see one however. Though I would suggest not doing that in the open, there are many people that would not be at ease with a weapon out like that." He turns back to Jakobs "You real do not like those games." With that he goes back to reading his book.
Looking up from his sword when he notices the strange people around him muttering, pointing, and staring at him, he draws a blank as to why. Eagerness leaps into his eyes when Sam offers to play a game with him, though. "You are offering to play a game with me? Of course! Teach me."
He gives his sword a final wipedown before sheathing it and threading it through the mesh of the bag that his stuff is all bundled together in. Then he puts his hands together in his lap and gives Sam an expectant look.
The idea that the foreigner was possibly quite rich struck Sam as an opportunity, smiling with charm as the deck was spread out. "First you ought to get familiar with the type of deck used in these parts. Most card games use this format - four suits, spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts, with thirteen cards per suit - two through ten, jack, queen, king, and ace..." The gambler does a standard lecture on the cards for the game, before starting off with something simple.
"This game's called fisherman - the object is to match like pairs, which you place face up in your 'bucket'. Every turn, you ask the other player if they have a particular card you possess, like a three or a queen, and if they have it, they pass it to you and you make a pair, then go again. If they don't, you've got to 'fish' from the top of the deck and add it to your hand - if that makes a pair, you get another turn as well. If not, the turn passes to the next player. The game ends when all the pairs have been played and the winner is the one with the most pairs in the bucket. Let's start with a friendly game to begin with, shall we?"
Sam was courteous enough to let the foreigner win the first game by a small margin, sixteen pairs to ten. It was easy enough, considering the cards were marked. "All right, now you've gotten a feel for it, up for a wager? Let's say, a copper piece for every pair more you get?" They ask. Always best to start things off small.
Kisako picks up the cards that he's given with fascination, mumbling a repetition of the last word that Sam's said every time she takes a breath, as if he's rehearsing them to himself to remember. "...Parts...thirteen....ace....fisherman..bucket.." and it goes on. Several times during the game, he asks for another repetition of the rules, and he has trouble connecting all of the rules together. Still, when it turns out that his score is higher than Sam's, he beams widely with sincere happiness. "I win!" He says, a grin on his face and a twinkle in his bright golden eyes. "Thank you very much for teaching me. It was fun."
His head snaps to the side at Oswin's words. He doesn't really process the "taking" part of the money, merely connecting the money and the wager suggestion. Still, he smiles again. "Yes, of course. My name!" He extends a hand. "I am called Kisako. What are you called?"
The train rolls on for about an hour. Except for minor jostles, it has been a fairly smooth and uneventful ride. As Sam and Kisako settle into playing cards, you hear some banging up on the roof of the train. At first, you think it might be rain, but a cursory glance reveals that, though the sky is an ill shade of grey, it's still dry out there. Moments later, a small explosion rocks the train car and three goblins enter wielding sharp blades.
You see through the open door in the back that the seventh car is now quickly moving away from you. The goblins look underfed and quite malicious. They all seem to be wearing a white piece of cloth around their arms. The largest of the three speaks up.
"Theez eez ay rob-bay-ray!"
Initiative:
Round 1: Cyean, Kisako, Oswin, Goblins, Sam
The door is burst open as Kisako is extending his hand, but it only takes him a few moments to process what's happening. In one fluid motion, he raises from the seat, reaching up with the handshake-hand to grasp his katana's handle. Drawing it from the sheath, he moves in between Sam and the nearest goblin .
Kisako's face has transitioned from friendly and amiable to rock-solid in mere moments, and his voice is steel and emotionless as he speaks. "You will not harm anyone here, nor will you have any of our goods. Leave now or die."
Cyean turns to look up at the Goblins, which stopped his reading. He closes his book before standing up, while doing so he draws a longsword from a back at the sword of him which was not out in the open to see. He starts to move standing next to Kisako as he talks to the goblin just raising an eyebrow at the man. He points it at the goblins before speaking in their tongue at them, shaking his head as he does so.
"Really? A robbery?"
The goblins seem neither interested in diplomacy nor explaining themselves. They bring their swords up after a small, uncharacteristic flourish. It's as if these goblins have been trained. The goblins facing Kisako and Cyean swiftly attack, while the remaining one tries to grab a hold of Oswin.
;
;
;
The two goblins manage to draw blood on their opponents, while the other goblin grabs Oswin's legs and then makes his way up the barbarian's back. You hear screams coming from the next car.
Round 1: Cyean, Kisako, Oswin, Goblins, Sam
"...Well, balls," Sam speaks up, watching as the goblins attack the other members of the car, the gunslinger slightly slow to rise - mostly because they weren't expecting the goblin hijacking.
Hearing the screams coming from the next car, and knowing shooting into melee was always a bad idea, Sam drew their gun as they rose and headed for the back. "I'll find my own dance partner!" they state, yanking open the door.
Sam opens the door to see a goblin trying to set some explosives on the train hitch. Beyond that, there is one attempting to set fire to the curtains, while another rides a human passenger before slitting his throat.
Cyean looks down at his wound before looking back up at the goblin. He grips his sword lightly before letting a downward swing to the goblin.
"What was that?" Sam asks Oswin, just after the gun in hand erupts in a thunderous recoil...
...or would have, instead of the dull click that occurs instead. The gunslinger pauses momentarily, looking at their weapon with a groan. "...right, buy me a few seconds, the hammer's stuck," The gambler mutters in annoyance.
Kisako barely even registers the pain of taking the blow from the little holey knife that the little green creature is holding. Their response to his offer of mercy is known, and so their fate is decided.
He raises his katana, the blade flashing in the light as his wrist bends and he bends it towards the green creature's flesh. It only takes a pound of pressure to break skin. This has been drilled into him again and again and again. This was, of course, because one didn't need to use force to kill. It was just a waste of one's strength to put full-armed power into one's blows.
And so it was with no small amount of grace that Kisako swung his sword at the goblin in front of him, his keen ears registering that Sam was moving away and beyond his protection to attack further enemies. Of course, it wouldn't do to disengage to move and protect her again. The goal in front of you is always more important.
The sharp curved blade slices through the goblin's flesh like so much butter, and Kisako observes with approval the big human's martial skill as he cleaves apart the other goblins. Only for a moment, though. There's no time to waste.
He turns to follow Sam to the other car.
With the goblins in car six dead, the closest goblin takes a step back and tosses the bundle of unmarked red sticks at the kitsune. Then with a laugh, the other goblins retreat into the next car. The remaining one makes his way to the door. Looking down, Kisako notices that the fuse on the bundle is lit and quickly shortening.
Round 2: Cyean, Kisako, Oswin, Goblins, Sam
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Hey, I can't get a shot if you're in the way!" Sam shouts, annoyed the only unarmored person here would go and interject himself between them and the target. They bang the revolver and unstick the hammer, before noticing the bundle of dynamite with shock. "MOVE!" Sam yells, shoving the foreigner forward as they reach down to yank the fuse out of the bundle as quickly as possible.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Ah, balls," Sam yelps as she singes her palm on the sparks coming off of the fuse, waving her hand around. "Don't just stand there, get rid of it before it blows!"
Kisako balances on the train hitch between Sam and the goblin.
When the bundle is shoved into his arms, Kisako stands in abject confusion as to what to do. Then he sees Sam pull on the burning portion, and he tries to copy her.
Savagely, he rips the fuse out of the bundle of sticks and drops the bundle downwards, to fall onto the tracks and beneath the train.
Then, heeding Sam's words but remaining silent, the kitsune vaults past and around the goblin in front of him, leaving a firing path open for Sam but still exposing him as the greater target, readying his katana for another strike.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Kisako manages to defuse the explosives with aplomb, as Sam singes her hand with her attempt. There is only one goblin visible, but the unexpected sound of gunfire further on and the knowledge of at least two others on the train does little to raise hope.
Round 3: Cyean, Kisako (move action only), Oswin, Goblins, Sam
Kisako moves to follow the goblin, dropping the bundle as he goes and readying his katana for further battle.
Cyean looks about after the goblins die, turning to see all that was happening, with that he moves forward to had to the other car hoping to at least get the goblin's attention while the others stop whatever the goblins had planned.