This gameplay thread is for The Midnight Oil game.
It contains vore, fat furries, and stuff that you might not like. You can always click the hide button if you don't want to see this
thread. Otherwise, do not post here if your not playing.
Korvosa was once actually referred to once as the city of dreams, as prosperity for the city had grown it from a small seedling village to that of a full fledged kingdom. Times have changed though; the heritage of our city is influenced with people who practice summoning demons, pickpockets give tours to unsuspecting visitors that only end in dark alleys, and the city guard, the Hell-knights continue to work to keep the city under a close watch, but it doesn't stop anything. Our once grand Kingdom has rulers that change seats as often as the guillotine falls. We live in slums, while the rich eat hearty! We have slaves who work their fingers off to be considered useful to society. There are as many taverns in this city that drinking at each one could kill a healthy liver in a day. Your journeys to this city may have brought you luck, but now as they say, this is place is a nightmare to the sane.
Welcome to Korvosa.
The Tengu awoke this morning, well, afternoon just about... It was just turning two when the avian awoke from his bed. A single bed, in a single room for a single home, he groggily awoke to be ready to bathe. Getting that out of the way and having his breakfast, the standard random vegetables he'd have, this morning it was peas, as well as some pork and a hunk of bread. His small home having some old floorboards, but this produced the one sound he'd hear aside from his occasional yawn and footsteps. The sun filtered in through one of his windows and he dared not brave that beast yet. Getting appropriately dressed for the day, leather armor for when he was out on the town, dagger strapped in case he was in trouble. He left his musket and it's ammunition at home, in separate locations, just to prevent any mistakes if he would get into a fight.
Closer he drew to the door, dragging his feet before he sighed and pushed the door open, that sunlight shining down on his black feathers, smooth and glistening slightly. Rubbing his emerald colored eyes and looking around to see what was around, just the usual of people walking about and trading, seeing some of the scum from the thieves guild whom he glared at every now and again on his way to the pub. A bit of drink on his breakfast couldn't hurt, taking the next two hours to spend some of his coin and get a good wake up. He kept to himself since it seemed wise, just pondering what he should really do, ever since he quit being a guard he always had that same question, especially for how he quit so easily. Blinking himself back awake, he got up and checked the window that was near his usual seat in the back, seeing the sun had moved a bit he had decided it was time to get to work.
Paying for his drink and leaving the pub, now having the spice of his brandy giving him a good wake up, Talo returned to his home to collect his tools. Gunsmith's kit and a wooden table with a chair he had, waiting patiently there in case the guard would come by... Luck would have it they did, and it appeared to be the usual misfires, when his hand reached for the weapons he could see the burns on their hands as well. Looking the weapon over and piecing it back together was all based on how serious the misfire was which was also based on how poorly kept the weapon was. Cleaning it up a bit too for the man, he put it back together and slid it across the table, accepting the coin placed on the table, Talo would repeat this process three more times before he received no more customers.
The Tengu would normally sit around for as long as he felt like, it was an easy job with decent payment, he'd be out for a while but today felt like it was dragging him down a bit more than usual. He could not quite tell why, but his energy felt sapped, another guard came by with a weapon for him to fix. He worked still but idly made chatter with her, asking about the day, mainly about how the guard's life was still treating, more than surprised when the girl spoke his name: "I'm sure it'd be great to have you back, Talo." Of course he froze, stopping his work and keeping quiet the rest of the time, returning the weapon and skipping payment as he took everything back inside without another word.
Shutting his door, locking it, staring at it in thought for what felt like hours before he found himself making his way up to his bedroom. Not even peeling out of his armor yet, the Tengu dropped to the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that led up to this point. Sleep was creeping in through the back of his mind and he was growing more exhausted, he focused on the one thought that mattered right now, mumbling it to himself as he drifted off. "Talo Gosa..."
"A man’s gotta make at least one bet a day else he could be walking around lucky and never know it."
Paragon though to himself. This was his saying and lived by it being the notorious gambler he was.
Traveling to this down about a few days ago his fortunes were high. It seems everyone had sometime to play in Korvosa as Paragon would set up his table at the most local tavern. He was getting popular over the nights with his table usually full of players looking to take on a few rounds of poker.
The tavernkeep and bar maids didn't mind at all since it did bring in business. They didn't enjoy Paragon's ways but, hey, whatever gave them customers and what made people happy. Sadly though with gambling comes drinking and fights occur when loses are made against the cheeky gambler.
But as good as he is at gambling he's just as good as fighting. A strong warrior he is and even helped out in the Tavern when things got rough in fights that weren't his involving. He was almost like a bodyguard for the tavern in his own ways but just playing for himself.
"Golly... such big buildings!"
Logrokoko said in awe, looking over all the buildings like a freak, his albino white fur standing out anyway, as the sun glistened in his two different colored eyes.
Logrokoko had never been to a city all his life, always being used to nature and living like a hermit in a forest a bit far from here, growing up there. Now he was in a city, and was a bit confused from all the crowds and buildings and.... everything!
He looked at his note again,
"We are alive son, and we are in the city Korvosa!"
He gulped nervous, hoping some magical clue would lead him to his parents he never grew up with. Although the trip left him quite hungry as he wandered the streets, getting several looks as his outfit was foreign and a little outlandish. His nose quickly caught wind of a familiar scent he loved, food! He thought, "Well if they are safe, they wouldn't mind their son to eat..."
He greedily followed his nose, his muzzle never being wrong to the scent of food, as he quickly found a tavern. He walked in, awkwardly staring at everyone as they stared at him, as he blushed and came in a bar lady asked him,
"What will you be having today sir?"
Logrokoko froze, very nervous at what to say, not used to being around others.
"I uhh... food?"
He gave a weak smile, and went and sat down, he ate a light meal of chicken, and getting tired, having traveled so far. He asked the person at the counter of a place to sleep and was informed of here, so he helped clean the dishes to pay his stay for the night, as he went upstairs to rest... hoping to find his family soon.
Times were tough for the Galka. He had arrived in Korvosa with naught a copper piece to his name. He wandered around, starving, trying not to break anything as he walked down the streets. Being well over 14 feet tall meant he took up a lot of space. Even more so due to his broad muscular frame. His muscular arms ended with powerful hands that had 4 fingers. His thick tail stuck out from above his butt and swayed as he walked.
His stomach growled and he placed a hand on it. He was hoping to find some work so he could feed himself but no luck so far. His aimless wandering eventually brought him to the edge of the East Shore district. There were farmlands just outside of town and Zemik just had to see where all the food supplied to Korvosa was coming from.
He spots what he assumes to be a farmer plowing a field. He idly watches him work when suddenly there's a loud snap and the plow breaks. The farmer curses loudly and without thinking, Zemik steps over the fence to offer help. The farmer panics at the 14.5 foot humanoid and runs off.
Zem sighs and looks down at the broken tool. He gets an idea and picks up the blade of the plow. After getting a feeling for the weight, he shoves it in the ground and starts dragging it. The farmer comes back, curious at what the galka's doing. After a bit of talking the two work out a deal. Zemik finishes plowing the field and the farmer will give him some food and a place to sleep.
Finishing the field much sooner than he thought was possible, the farmer was thankful for the help and gave him the promised meal. Unfortunatly, due to Zemik's size the only place he could sleep was in the barn. "Better than nothing," he thought to himself.
The hour comes and passes, the guards in the city change hands, shifts start anew. Everywhere in Korvosa, the city streets glisten in the moon light. The sound of the ocean lap against the shores of Old Korvosa. Time however, for you seems like a blink of an eye. Some of you relax in a nice warm barn, others find the comfort of the inn or your own house a nice place to spend the night, but something feels different.
Your dreams starts for you like any other. Vague images, faces, places twirl and twine as your mind seeks to unwind. Your eyes twitch, to and fro, until you far gone and then things start to turn grey. The images you saw disappear from your very eyes. It feels like you are waking from a dream to another, but this doesn't feel like any one you have even been in before.
It's warm here to the touch. The grey feels warm, and wet down your lower portion of your bodies. For Zemik, who stands taller than the rest, his knees are just below water. For Talo, Koko, and Para, they all feel water about waist high. The area is complete fog, grey, surreal.
You feel like your dreaming still but your not in control. As you walk through the fog in waist high water, you see daylight though its only in the distance. The clouds break, revealing a white house five stories tall, peaking out from the fog. It rests on a small island. The water gets shallow as you arrive, and you can now see the sand once you journey from the fog. Sand leading to a beach with a dock that looks unkept and weathered by time it seems. The fog surrounds the island completely.
All the windows are boarded up except for a front door. As you all exit the fog, standing in water, there are three other total strangers.
- A 14 foot tall slightly green giant with brown hair and red eyes:
- A Raven like bird about as tall as a man with green eyes:
- A turtle-folk with a large shell on his back and eyes as blue as the water:
- And a friendlier-looking Minotaur with a slight chubby gut, white hair as fair as new snow, and looking pretty well groomed:
... All meet each other from the fog, standing what could be west of a white house.
Logrokoko stares at the tall giant, looking impressed at his size, feeling a little confused wondering what kind of dream this was since it was like no other.
He waves at the others and gives a weak smile, being a little shy from his personality in the countryside but nods politely anyway.
Logrokoko looks uneasy at the company, unsure fully what is going on and what is to happen.
"Hello? Is this... real?" Said the confused tauren, gawking awkwardly his country accent showing.
Drifting through dreams and thoughts of his own, being astonished when he had no control but the moment he felt he warm wetness at his waistline... The dream felt a bit more lucid and that he had control again, feeling a little bit heavier now than he was before. He checked himself over to see he had his rifle strapped to the backpack he wore and his dagger at his hip. Confused by this and feeling the light jingling of his coin in his pocket, he just continued onward, wading through the deep waters but thankfully shallow enough he didn't need to swim through it.
A strange dream that seemed to only get stranger, exiting this strange mist from nowhere to see there were others, the moment he saw them he had a hand hovering over his dagger, thankfully hidden by the water for now. Green eyes darting around to stare at each of them, once he heard the question, he eased up just a little. Hearing the question he let out a relaxed sigh, stepping out of the more shallow water, feeling annoyed by how much he had went through to get to this strange place. Stepping onto just the shore to get out of the wetness, his leather armor and dagger able to be seen now.
The Tengu first took off his pack to check through his supplies to see what all was brought with him to this strange dream. Despite how tired he was when he went to bed, right now he felt disturbingly awake, which was fine to him so he could remain alert. He didn't answer the question immediately, but spoke up when he did. His own accent was a bit more feint, the tone low and soft, coming slow as he spoke. "Your guess will probably be as good as my own.. 'Tis a strange place, but it certainly opens my eyes a bit in terms of curiosity."
The male arose to his feet, showing he was pretty slender in terms of strength, but stood at a good 4'6", holding the stance of a soldier with how stock still he stood and upright, but he was no grizzled veteran, looking young as well. "In case we're here for longer than I'd like, my name is..." What came next was a different language, his own, speaking in Tengu with a mix of cawing in with the foreign language. "But in the language known by most.. It's Talo Gosa, just say Talo though." He gave as much of a smile as a person with a beak could before he finished searching through his pack and slinging it back onto himself.
The Tauren rubs his head astonished, the Tengu answering him starting to get a feeling of question? Fear? He was not sure yet, he was happy though that they responded moreso normally, was this still really a dream he thought?
"My name is Logrokoko..." His accent still showing a little, as he spoke, but a noticeable fear in his voice now.
"If this really is real... I am not sure what to think right now, I just was in a big city, now i'm here?"
Logrokoko couldn't wrap his head around the situation, and sits down, eyes resting on Talo, giving him a weak smile.
Sighed a bit after it sounded as though the other male was taken the same way he was. Rubbing his beak in thought as he began to pace back and forth, gaze losing focus as he tried to think about what may be causing this. He would say magic but at the same time he'd probably sound mad... He wasn't quite sure if it even existed, he had never personally seen magic of any regard, himself.
"That's the same for me, I was in my home.. Midland.. Tired after working and deciding to hit the sack early and was dreaming as I normally would. Then I was suddenly given full control and had to wade through what felt like water to get here." He sighed and gave a shrug after another few moments of pondering, looking to the others since they seemed a bit distracted by something else. "I suppose we only have one direction to go the moment those two want to introduce themselves."
Paragon stumbled around still gaining his bearing from the oddity that was happening as he looks at the other three creatures and ats an eye at each of them?
"...what the 'ell is going on here?"
Using his lance as sort of a balance to keep himself up he planted it into the water. He was still a bit drunk... or so he though from last night.
"wh...what did I drink last night..? Who are you all?"
Paragon kind of thought to himself that maybe one of these three could of spiked his drink or something but didn't question just yet.
Spotted the male stepping in, his emerald green gaze, practically glowing, locking on the turtle-like creature before he gave a shrug in response to him. "My name is Talo." He then pointed to the Tauren. "That's Logrokoko.. The long and short is that we all seem to have just woken up here, I certainly know nobody here." He sighed a bit, waving his hand dismissively of the thought.
The Tengu approached the porch and stepped up to it, reaching for the door but he felt a chill, stepping away and returning to the others. His face had gone a bit more pale, his expression a bit more shocked, mainly because of the feeling as though he should not be trying to head inside yet. Returning to the group and sitting down, blinking himself back into focus.
Logrokoko gave an amused look at the turtle's behavior, thinking how funny it was he stumbled around.
"My name is Logrokoko, i'm not from round here but I do think we might be sharing a dream together? Although it feels so real..."
He gestures to the turtle, and looks him up and down, never really having seen one of his kind before.
"What is your name friend?"
Zemik had been preoccupied with observing the surroundings and splashing the water down at his knees. He couldn't quite make what was going on. It felt too real to be a dream but he clearly remembers going to sleep inside of a barn. He then notices the other three people with him.
"Uhhh... Hi? I'm Zemik."
Logrokoko jumps a little at the giant speaking and looks up at him a bit nervous at his size, but manages a weak smile.
"H-hey Zemik! You're awfully tall!" Logrokoko says at a complete loss for words, really not knowing what to say, staring at the white house.
"Should we go in maybe? I mean there are 4 of us... what could possibly go wrong?" Logrokoko chuckled, trying to make it not seem as bad.
Purging his lance from the ground as he grips it tight looking at the lot, he shifts his eyes one direction saying that his name was Paragon. Though it was easy to tell he didn't trust anyone yet as he walked with the group anyway to the doorway; Keeping keen eye on the entire lot of people.
Whispers echo in and out, mumbling in tune. Yet there are no shadows of anyone seen in this narrow passage. Zemik is going to have a problem at first, but the big guy can squeeze in without too much hassle. No light bleeds in too well, and the bright light at the end of the tunnel is all that is visible.
Simply watched the turtle creature before sighing and shrugging, rising back up to start walking back towards the door. Looking back towards everyone else, Talo stared straight ahead at the white door he attempted to touch and heard something he wish he hadn't... Just sucking in a deep breath, he started back up to the door, grabbing the knob to turn it until a satisfying 'click' allowed the door to be pushed open.
Once he opened the door, he looked down that passage, hearing the whispers, the feathers on the back of his neck rose a bit but he continued. The Tengu reached for his firearm with a shaking hand to pull it from the loop on his pack, holding it with both hands as he walked. Talons lightly clicking against the flooring with each step, he did stop for a moment to listen for those whispers a bit better, in hopes to know where they were coming from.
Let out the deep breath he was choking on for a while as he went ahead and continued onward. Heading farther down the marble-like floored hallway, slowly towards the light every now and again he would check if the group was following him or something else was. Only tightly gripping his weapon as he marched onward, feeling fear creeping into the back of his mind, it was only children but it certainly felt like something else.
Paragon just followed the bird behind him as he watched him grab his gun and kind of smirked. He knew this bird was timid of what was in the door looking at him take brave steps as we continued. He pretty much had his lance over the shoulder casually strolling behind until he stopped; Paragon halted his footsteps as well.
Paragon raised his eye wondering what has the bird so spooked but he just treaded along. As the bird looked back at Paragon he kind of just shrugged as if making a gesture to move on.
Everyone:
At the end of the tunnel is the light, and soon the noises of whispers echoing in this dark room over shadowed by the sounds of a rag time piano timing away at a lovely tune. Its sometime at night, glancing at the windows in this lobby of a place. The place is light by oil lanterns, and the whole place seems lively. A balcony to the northern wall over looks the main lobby with two sets of doors. A hallway leads to the immediate left. Each table is fully stocked with food, and the smell of a roast over whelms the scents here. A piano man sits in the south corner near a door on the lower floor.
There is a gathering of twenty to thirty some odd people, talking and chiming away. Food and drink are lively, everyone seems to have a plate in one hand, and a goblet in another. They seemingly walk around a stone-carved cauldron sitting tilted on one side wedged unbecomingly into the floor, like it was dropped there. As they circle around and chatting away, and no one seems to notice your presence as you open the door. However, their mouths are moving, seeming gabbing, but while there is a loud chatter in the room, its hard to make out anything anyone is saying.
That is when you notice not a single one of them have eyes or a nose. Not even the piano man.
Logrokoko looked at the Turtle and talo as they entered, getting concerned as he went over, and tried to push his way to the front, not wanting them to get hurt.
"H-hey! Let me! I'll defend you if anyone tries to hurt you!"
As he tries to get to the front of them, just trying to protect them.
Looked back at the Tauren as he followed along, his feathers stood up when he spoke and immediately shook his head, quickening his pace and refusing to let him pass him. "No no.. I'll be fine for now, I don't want to turn tail and leave somebody else to take the hit for me." He sighed softly, the next words he muttered followed in a whisper. "Not again.." He simply continued on, shrugging his shoulders a few times.
Once he stepped through the light, seeing the food and drink before frowning and just feeling something else was irking him... His eyes fixated on the nothingness that was their faces, missing eyes and noses, shocked and appalled he did nothing and stepped out of the way so others could see as well.
Keeping his weapon clutched and just watching them, feeling as though he had read something about them somewhere... He sighed a bit, believing he read a book about this but he really he couldn't place it... He knew he should have joined the Academy to gain more knowledge, perhaps be a little bit more like the rest of his feathered brothers and know how to speak multiple languages.
"What is this place?"
Logrokoko says overwhelmed, but is relaxed when the scent of food hits his nose, and he licks his lips, trying to ignore the rest of the uneasiness of the place, and starts to head toward the tables greedily.
"I will check out this room! Don't worry!" As he advances toward the room with the filled tables of food tail wagging happily...
Watched the male he first met when he got here head towards the food, giving a shrug and frowning. "I wouldn't suggest eating food you find in such a random place, especially when there's these... Fine people." He muttered, his gaze looking at the others. "But I'm a little young to be your mother." He smiled a bit and looked around, stealing one of the chairs that wasn't occupied before taking it to sit down next to the door where they came into this room from.
Paragon scoffs at the Minotaur as he rushes ahead of them but shrugs anyway and replies,
"...be my guest..."
As he enters the room with everyone he kinds just cocks his head to the side and just wonders what the hell he's just walked into looking around at the strange people and the scenery.
".......this is new..." He said out loud.
He watches as the other two leave and props himself by the door.
Everyone:
The door to the darkened hallway closes behind as Zemik follow behind you to. As it shuts almost on its own, the door seemingly slams against the room. The party members don't seem to notice.
Koko:
The food on the table is loaded in large portions. Mashed potatoes with real potatoes, the husks of corn look to be a foot long, and the roast looks like it all easily takes up one table alone. Portions really are out of proportion. Standing at the first table, are two of these faceless creatures. They babble on in tongue as if they understand each other. The plates they care for in their right hand, have but a single chunk of food, no larger than a finger. A baby carrot in one, and a small wedge of cheese in another. Large plates to match the food on the table, but not what they have to hold. Their drinks are filled with a white looking wine.
Para:
A waiter dressed in somewhat plain clothing walks around to people near you. While he stops at everyone, he eventually reaches you and pushes a tray before you. Its has single grapes on it with a toothpick in each. He briefly mentions the words: "Val-ba?"
Zemik crawls down the hallway. It wasn't the first and nor will it be the last time he has to get on all fours to get somewhere. The smell of food entices him. He heads into the room with all the food, following behind Logro.
Seeing so much food piled in front of him was exciting for the big guy. Ever since his growth spurt he hasn't been able to feel the joy of stuffing himself full. He doesn't say anything as he grabs a large chunk of roast and starts eating it.
Raised a feathery brow as the... Person.. Spoke to the turtle, just going on about his business for now, deciding it'd be a bit smarter to go and investigate the food. Some of it looked unnaturally large, but it may be because of this area, eventually he found himself beside the Minotaur at the table of food, he was a bit hungry but he decided to see if there was anything wrong with it.
Zemik:
As you bit into this roast, the smell and the look feel all real but after a few bites you can taste something off about it. This bland food is usually some kind of hard tack, jerky, and dried out taste to it. It actually tastes familiar. You have at some point tried Trail Rations in the past, and your almost certain this is the same taste, but without the fruit flavoring. Nothing seemingly harmless, but as much as it looks delicious and smells wonderful, its warped by this realm a bit.
Zemik pauses for a moment. He sniffs at the food he's eating and can't comprehend how something that smells so good could taste so bland. It wasn't bland enough to stop him from eating. The idea of being full is what kept him going.
Logrokoko licks his lips, and starts devouring all the food at a table, enjoying himself greatly like the meals he used to cook at home, trying to get away from the weird place and enjoy himself.
Looking through some of the food through and through, it seemed edible, nothing too great but something to eat.. He sighed a bit, his stomach screamed at him in the past, so he decided to steal a few bites of the meal himself, nothing too severe since he wanted to be travelling light and still unsure. "It's not the best I've ever eaten... But I think it's safe, we may even be able to take some for the road, unsure though." He shrugged, the Tengu sure wasn't about to bring this strange dimensions meal with him, he already had five days worth of his own food with him.
Stepping away from the table, ready to go back to his seat alone. His gaze met with the others again, feeling ignored but he preferred that. The smaller meals they had seemed strange and the white wine caught his eye next, stopping, the Tengu then began to investigate the last thing he was entirely unsure of... Why the wine?
Koko:
You too experience the same bland, dry, tough taste of what you eat. Potatoes, Corn, even the roast have this unwelcome, yet edible taste to them without the flavor of a real meal. Your tongue can tell the difference.
Sighed, rubbing the back of his head, looking around and trying to think of what to do. The others didn't pay attention and it seemed as if they were speaking another language. The food seemed fine but at the same time it was outlandish... At least it was safe, as far as he knew.
Tapping his beak in thought, he listened to the conversations and went over to one of the beings, looking at them both and since he wasn't getting any attention, he spoke. It took a moment, wondering if he should really repeat those same words, but he did, speaking up to the nearly faceless creatures. "Val-ba..?"
Who Talo happens to stop is a woman in a blue coat that stretches down to her knees. She wears a breast plate, so its hard to tell at first that she was indeed a woman. She holds a sword at her side, hidden under the coat all except for the handle that protrudes outward. She seems preoccupied talking to a man in full plate armor, their faces motionless. As you ask her a question, she and the man who were busy about gossiping, she turns to only stop, as though you said something serious. She motions her head to look back at her friend, as though she could see, which he shrugs, and she responds "Dres-naba Fro-noil?" It comes off almost as gibberish the way she says it. She repeats herself twice to you, as if she's expecting you to answer it.
Froze in place, he did get a response but it's still a word he did not understand, rubbing his beak as he tried to think his way through this. He had their attention now so he had to make use of it, sighing as he stood there, a bit of testing and experimenting would probably be needed. "Do you understand what I say to you? Nod for yes shake for no." He nodded his own head and then shook it to further portray his words. He certainly felt like a fool but this was certainly no language that he understood... If it even was a language.
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"Hmm...Korvosa, eh? That's a name for a city if I've ever seen it..."
Juro looks back from the map to the city entrance, cocking an eyebrow. There certainly seems to be some kind of activity, as a small stream of people move back and forth, caught up in the daily activities of their mundane lives. The bears attention is distracted by a growl from his paunch, and he winces, putting a hand on his belly.
How many days had it been? He'd counted at least three, and in between the last outpost and the city itself, there were no places to stop and rest. He'd run out of traveling food much faster than he anticipated, but in his defense, that bread was surprisingly delicious, and the jerky too.
The bear-folk sat down to rub his tired, aching feet, taking a second to collect his surroundings once more; beyond the hubbub by the gates, there wasn't much out here of interest. If he wanted a meal and rest, he'd have to find it inside. He set off, and soon enough found himself in the slum district of Midland. Poverty was certainly nothing new to him, but Juro was surprised at just how destitute the area was: buildings in varying states of decay, and the people residing in them not appearing well off either, physically of mentally. He made his way to a worn down tavern, the sign hanging by one non-broken chain, and pushed the door open with a creak.
His presence was noted by few, and in the seedy, dark room he tiptoed his way around tables and between people, very much aware of his size in relation to everyone, and everything else. Finding the tavernkeeper, he collected himself, asking quietly if there were any rooms available, to which the man gave a snort, muttering under his breath a price that made Juro's eyes widen. 80 gold a night for a rundown place like this! Ridiculous! The bear furled his brow, resting his hands on his hips. Of all the places he saw, this one looked the most...intact, and he didn't have much of a choice.
"There's...other ways I can pay, you know." *The heavy-set bear says give the tavernkeeper a wink, shrugging off of his pack to retrieve his. masterwork harp, eliciting a double-take from him as well as several other patrons. The air in the tavern changes, and people stop mid-action to stare at this newest person of interest. Apparently, it had been some time since this area had been visited by a bard, it seemed.
"A room for my performance for the night?" Juro asks, and the the tavernkeeper nods, seemingly satisfied with the trade in services. Taking up a seat where he could be easily seen, the bear made a silent prayer to Seramaydiel, bowing his head for a moment before placing his fingers on the strings.
Showtime!
....
I did alright, didn't I? I must have, I got a bed to sleep in, and food in my belly... The bear mused to himself. That was the deal after all...
The bear felt like he was slipping into an inky darkness-something not quite sleep, but not complete consciousness. His body felt numb, and it was difficult to move. Opening his eyes, he saw an endless sea of gray mist in front of him, reducing his field of view. He shook himself back and forth, feeling returning to his limbs, and with a glance downwards found himself in waist-deep water, a little cool but otherwise completely normal.
"...What have I gotten myself into now, I wonder..."
It seems that almost no time passes before the bear's feet touch sand, and a gentle breeze ruffles his fur. Juro looks up, shielding his eyes from the sunlight streaming in through the clouds. Off in the distance, a large manor sprawls up into the sky, looking decrepit and run-down, with boarded up windows. It seems reminiscent of the buildings in the slums of Korvosa, but it looks like at one time it would have housed someone of royalty, perhaps. A time-worn dock resides nearby, but there seems to be nothing of interest over there. Taking a deep breath, the bear makes his way towards the house, hesitating before stepping inside.
Something's not right about this. I can feel it... Juro thinks, but he shakes himself once more, summoning his courage and pressing onwards, curious as to what lays beyond and what exactly is going on.
Juro:
The tunnel is pitch black of course. It etches into darkness that feels vastly different than that of the outside was. It was midday there, it felt. However inside the hallway, its not even a time of day. Darkness of midnight was brighter, and the whispers of children did echo on.
The path does come to a door at the far end that remains ajar. As far as you can see, a party is underway as you near the end. People seem to be enjoying themselves. Among the sea of faceless beings, however there are others here. You stand at the top of a balcony overlooking a party. There is also a white furred, well-groomed humanoid bovine-like centaur eating away at several tables, seemingly enjoying a huge portion meal. The is a 14 foot green orc-like being also sampling the food. A tengu on the floor chats with several different beings in the room. At the door near the bottom of the stairs, there is a large turtle-kin who looks like he is guarding the door and being pestered by a waiter.
Here everyone seems preoccupied and not aware at first of your entrance in the room. You are after all one of the best looking polar bears here, maybe the only one, but certainly the one who can carry a tune that is for sure.
The door behind you closes shut.
Talo:
Although there are 35 people in this room, its hard to keep an eye on what everyone is doing. Your shady mistress tilts her head with every word you attempt to communicate with her. She doesn't seem to understand what you say to her, perhaps she speaks a language that you can not really grasp or not sure if it is a language at that.
Everyone:
The piano playing in the corner of the room seems to be getting louder, harder, as though the player is slamming the keys. Notes start to sound a bit off here and there.
Talo smiled a bit, even though she didn't understand, he didn't either, which brought them to an understanding. He shrugged to her to justify he did not know and heard the keys, the louder playing made him wince a bit, looking over at the piano man. Looking back at her, he pointed to the man and did another shrug, trying to question her with body language to the best of his abilities.
Suddenly hearing the door shut, hardly, from the piano growing louder, he turned to face it and saw another face... A full face, eyes and all. How many people were being brought here? He felt a chill, looking at the room of individuals, were these possibly people like they were? Brought here and having... Whatever this may be done? He really wish he read that book more now.
Logrokoko jumps, and looks at the piano player, and gets up, still holding a piece of meat and walks over towards him on the way saying.
"Hey now, no need to get angry! We are all having a good time here!"
As the tauren looks over at Talo for approval, and back to the piano guy... hoping for the best.
With a mouthful of food, Zemik pauses and takes notice of the rest of the room. The piano is loud and starting to hurt his ears and the faceless people are starting to creep him out.
Paragon looks at the waiter and and just kind of darts his eyes back and forth and he grabs one of the grapes and cracks a fake smile.
"uhh... val-ba.."
He replies and waits for the waiter to leave before sneaking it back into his shell not attempting to eat anything.
Juro feels a chill creep down his spine as he surveys the macabre scene beneath him; faceless, humanoid beings save for moving, working lips. He leans over the railing, noting those individuals who stick out like a sore thumb: a tauren, a tengu, an orc, and a turtle-kin, to round out the motley crew. The piano isn't helping to make the situation any less disturbing, as the harsh notes seem to dig in like nails in the bear's eardrums. Someone seriously needs to tell that pianist to not quit his day-job!
Juro focuses back on one face-less individual, thinking hard. I've heard of these beings before, somewhere or somehow...I'm sure of it!
.
Everyone:
The faceless people all start to contort and twitch, as a few plates are dropped and cups are spilled on the floor. The piano man has just started slamming his fists into the keys now, and no longer carries a tune to enjoy. His tongue rolls out his mouth like that of a snake, and as he stops he heads over towards Talo. The others near each player are all doing the same, and a few of them attempt to bite
Felt the ringing in his ears from the sudden slamming of the piano keys, shaking his head a few times, feathers standing up in response. He was ready to go smash whatever creature this was and be done with it, no matter the consequence, but once he recovered he noticed he had stopped and the others suddenly were paying attention to the rest of them. The strange and rather horrifying sight almost made him stumble into the female creature behind him, whom he turned to immediately.
The sudden bite lunging for him allowed him to bring up his weapon to block it, yanking the firearm back away. His green eyes were wide with shock and fear as he was surrounded by these faceless abominations. It was time that he took these matters into his hands and dealt with them, checking over his shoulder briefly to see the situation and think about his initiative for this fight.
Zemik narrowly dodges being bitten. His size has caused a number of people to attack him on sight but being bitten isn't something he's experienced before.