Grimlak finished off another flagon of the fine ale. Lost in his own thoughts he brought back to the present as the Goblin and toad wink at him. As he watches the goblin he asks, "What happened to Duke, he was fine dog.... a good dog.... a sensible dog with good judgement."
Tush move next to the other two ladies in dark clothing Nicenzia and Swen,
and climbs up on a seat.
"What a group we have here. I haven't seen so many interesting races in one place ever. Myself, I just arrived recently myself. I came to create fashionable clothing. Who knew black wouldn't be a popular color around this part of Golarian. It's always been a wonderful choice. Doesn't show dirt, blood, or other things." She waves for more ale. "Have any of you been with the Shields for a while?"
"Well it is a little disappointing Swen, but to be honest I know nothing of the other planes only that they exist in some way or form. I still sense something like a kinship towards you, but I guess we just look that much alike I thought you a halfvampire also." She says smiling.
"I like black Tush so if you create some beautiful dresses I'll make some jewelry to fit it. I have only been with the Shields long enough to pass through basic training. Untill recently I was a slave in Cheliax on my way to a new master in Isger, so this is really my first experience to go out and see the world."
"Since things have calmed down, why do we not all take a breather? Tensions flare up, and tha may result in weapons drawn if left as it were... I for one will be standing outside for a while" he announces and bows to the large gathering of people before he goes to stand outside
As Nizvit leaves the Inn Aurelain turns to Inil and offers Good sir, I believe I initially misjudged your interest in my Kobold friend. What now seems to be a healthy interest I mistook for at least veiled hostility and for that offer my apology. As I suspect you know, many adventurer types take exception to the reptilian race on general principle. Might you allow me to buy you a drink in an attempt at amends?
As Nizvit leaves the Inn Aurelain turns to Inil and offers Good sir, I believe I initially misjudged your interest in my Kobold friend. What now seems to be a healthy interest I mistook for at least veiled hostility and for that offer my apology. As I suspect you know, many adventurer types take exception to the reptilian race on general principle. Might you allow me to buy you a drink in an attempt at amends?
Feeling Aurelain to be honest in his words Inil grins happily.
"I think I shall accept that offer, haven't had a drop all day due to all the excitement and am quite parched.
And its I who should be apologizing, I can get a little over excited when unique experience's present themselves.
Speaking of unique, no offence intended, I believe you to be of partial orc blood if I am correct, but your skin speaks otherwise and thats not even mentioning those claws of yours., do you mind if I ask for the story behind it?
Its curious to me that you take such an interest in others when you yourself are an oddity, if you do not mind my saying. While I have heard of your race, you are the first member I have met to represent it. So I propose that we trade tales, agreed?
Assuming that Inil is agreeable to this Aurelain continues. My mother was a rare thing. She was full orc but a woman of beauty and a sorcerer of note in her tribe, that of the Orcs of the Severed Hand. Some said that she was vane and shunned all orc suitors. She took a human lover who was also a sorcerer. Both were of draconic bloodlines and I am the product of their union.He flexes the muscles of his arm and there can be seen a hint of golden scales beneath the blond hair of his arm. Suffice it to say that a blond haired half breed did not lead an easy life among the 'Hand. I had been caged and tormented for many weeks for some minor infraction when I was rescued buy the Silver Shields and did not hesitate when Colewin offered to take me out of the cage and out of the orc camp. So I have grown and learned as a ward of the 'Shields for the last some years. So you have my story, and now I shall have your.
Its curious to me that you take such an interest in others when you yourself are an oddity, if you do not mind my saying. While I have heard of your race, you are the first member I have met to represent it. So I propose that we trade tales, agreed?
"Fair enough, but don't expect a lot from me for theirs not much to tell."
Assuming that Inil is agreeable to this Aurelain continues. My mother was a rare thing. She was full orc but a woman of beauty and a sorcerer of note in her tribe, that of the Orcs of the Severed Hand. Some said that she was vane and shunned all orc suitors. She took a human lover who was also a sorcerer. Both were of draconic bloodlines and I am the product of their union.He flexes the muscles of his arm and there can be seen a hint of golden scales beneath the blond hair of his arm. Suffice it to say that a blond haired half breed did not lead an easy life among the 'Hand. I had been caged and tormented for many weeks for some minor infraction when I was rescued buy the Silver Shields and did not hesitate when Colewin offered to take me out of the cage and out of the orc camp. So I have grown and learned as a ward of the 'Shields for the last some years. So you have my story, and now I shall have your.
"I am sorry to have dredged up such foul a memory's for you, but I am glade to hear that tale has at least a good ending."
Taking a deep breath, followed by a sigh Inil prepares his tale.
"As I previously mentioned theirs not much to my tale, not due to it lacking in any way, but mainly since all I've known half my life is slavery, it took me 47 hellish years before I finally gained a chance to escape that life and as such I am rather against reliving the experience in any form.
What I can tell you of tho is my years after, for the majority of them I have traveled with a dear friend, more akin to family really, learning and experiencing new wonders were ever we could find them, at one point I studied alchemy under a man by the name Ben Fairwood after he took me into his home after a rather nasty experience with town guard, unfortunately that was cut short when the people of the town accused me of being the bearer of bad luck one particularly bad year and thus bringing around the failure in their crops, still it was not the first time that has happened and at least put up with me for a few years and they didn't try to kill me like so many other places.
Luckily for me Ben told me of this place before I was runned off, and so here I am.
My interest in others as you pointed out is mostly just me being overly curious, I love meeting new people of new races, custom's , religions and so on, even if they don't like meeting me.
I apologize for the unfair trade, but I did warn you."
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Swen returns Nicenzia's smile and replies, Then I hope we have the chance to get to know each other better.
When Tush joins them she answers I've only just arrived myself. Came on the recommendation of an old employer. I worked as a caravan guard for a few years, a tiresome job, not much action. I heard the Silver Shields provided ample opportunity for some excitement.
She takes a sip of wine and smirks, I wasn't aware that black had gone out of style. To be honest, it serves a practical purpose, helps me blend into the shadows.
Swen remembers the flowers she's lain on the table and adds as a second thought as she looks over to the half-giant who gave them to her, However, perhaps I could use more color in my life.
A quick smile tugs at her lips and she introduces herself to Tush, The name's Swen. How 'bout yourself? New around here too? I guess you must be if you had to ask.
"I hope so too Swen. Hopefully we are assigned the same mission on the morrow." Nicenzia says waving at the barkeep to get something to snack on to the table.
"I suppose a little color couldn't hurt any of us, on the other hand I think it might look wrong on me with red." she replies smiling.
Went and stood next to the big guy, the one called Hanz, since there was an open sit next to him. That, and she had a thing for taller men, they could more easily reach things. The panther followed, looking a bit miffed it had to move, before settling down at her feet once more. She tries to speak to Hanz in her best common, but it was still easy to spot it was not nor ever will be her first language.
" You broke a chair. There is a wood back home that does not break easy, and is dark of color. You need that wood for chair. Maybe we can find some and build you a chair. It's strong wood. Would make a strong bow."
She nods, before sipping more of her juice in the chair next to Hanz.
" I wonder who I would go with. Everyone else seems to either be a close by fighter or some kind of magic user. I am unsure whose skills I would work best with. If anyone. Me and Untari will hopefully have many flanking partners.'
Grimlak finished off another flagon as the Kobold invites others to join him outside. The dwarf decided that he would rather stay close to the tap as he laments his empty cup. He tries to get the tavern keepers attention when the drow takes a seat at the table. He slowly looks around the table and thinks A drow, a goblin, and a giant walk into a bar. There must be a joke in this somewhere. He looks around the table one last time and hastily gets up from his chair. He quickly makes his way toward the door as he yells, ”Nizvit that be a great idea I be thinkin I be joinin you for a bit of air.”
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Seeing the Kobald N something so many new names to get straight walk out Throg gets up and stretches a bit before following after him. looking a bit amused as the dwarf also gets up and heads toward the door.
Best thing about living in an actual city. Fresh air whenever you want, the caverns were of coarse kept as clean as possible but the flowing wind is always grand.
"The name is Tush Piack. I'm from Varisia, and heard there was coin to be made here. I'm mainly here for adventure. I'm a gnome you see, and we have a terrible time avoiding the blight if we don't have new experiences often. That would really remove my color." she shakes her head and takes another drink.
"Food sounds wonderful" she says as Nicenzia waves at the bartender.
"Where did that fellow get off to that speaks in rhymes? I was going to ask him for another one. They are interesting."
"Is this blight the reason som of your kind looks alot like ghosts moving around?" Nicenzia asks curious.
Hanz didn't notice as Kelisa approached. Not until she was next too him. And for a moment he had the same look of concern as he had for the other pale members of the Silver Shields. But he lit up at the sight of her panther following.
And he tried his damnedest to get it to encourage it a few more feet into his lap or at least next to him. If it does, he gently stokes its head and back as he had seen other cats liked. A goofy grin spreads across his face. Distracted as he was, he still manages to be polite and offer conversation. "I have chair. At home. Made from, uh, paw calls it axe breaker. Strong wood. Can't have bows no more. I break those too. Paw said chair wood not good as bow wood though. Not flex, uh, flex-ble. Not bendy."
Smiles softly as Untari lets Hanz pet him. Truthful he was a lazy cat, most likely why she had to rescue him when he was younger. She grins as the big cat sat and rubbed against Hanz, before addressing him
" I heard stories of magic bows. They are hard to break, you use them. I am Kelisa. This lazy Untari. He good for catching prey. Not much else. Sleeps otherwise." She nods sagely, looking at Untari before he makes a sound similar to a cough, almost as if he was disagreeing with her. They had been together ever since she found him as a kit hidden in a tree, surrounded by some wild boars. He was asleep then, having a sunny spot, obvliovus to the danger around him. She shakes her head at the memory, as only they knew the stories they had. Though most seemed like they started with Untari asleep
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Swen leans in and listens, curious too to learn more about this gnome blight. Gnomes have always been a peculiar race for her, and this is her first real opportunity to get to know one. But, moreso, she too feels the dread of boredom. She's felt most alive when, in her youth, she was committing crimes and there was always the danger of getting caught. Of course, actually getting caught was no fun at all. She wonders if she too has some biological need for adventure, for danger, not being from this plane, and actually being stuck here, like a prisoner.
Others walk past her and out the unhinged door, out into the cool, dark, night. The thought seems pleasant, the dark, but Swen decides to stay and learn what she can about her new companions.
@Shagou
Tindertwig just shakes his head. The little goblin puts his tools back in his pack; before lifting it up.
Dirtbag, our dworf frien isa getings away!
Rippit!, comes a mournful croak from Dirtbag.
Tindertwig waves.
Wees be gittn outside. Wees likes it bedder anyways. Bye!
And the little goblin (and his toad) exit.
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Throg is standing in the open air trying to enjoy the breeze pass over his skin and being distracted by the looks of various passerby's. He shifts his body so that the Silver Shield armband is more in view and his face is pulled down more toward the ground. while standing like that he notices Tindertwig and his little pet come out.
Ah, hello little friend have you come to round out our little group to an even four.
He then digs in his bag to give the frog a small piece of ration.
The dwarf made his way outside and smiles, Strange times indeed when a dwarf prefers the company of a Kobold. He took a deep breath of fresh air and was surprised to hear a voice next to him remark;
Best thing about living in an actual city. Fresh air whenever you want, the caverns were of coarse kept as clean as possible but the flowing wind is always grand.
Grimlack quickly sniffs the air and responds, "Me don't be thinking the air be that fresh in human cities. They be havin no idea of proper waste management." He looked up into the sky and continued, "Plus all this open space be unnerving, I be feelin like I be about to float away."
He stops as he sees the goblin and his toad approach and mutters, "Orc nuggets." He be like a bad case of the Calistrian rash. Suddenly he smiles, I be beatin the little bugger to the punch this time. The smirking dwarf looked the toad in the eye and winked, Ha! Let's be seein about that.
Tindertwig's dark green face splits into a grin.
Dirtbag waggles his shoulders.
Mees..
Rippit!
Wees..., the little goblin begrudgingly corrects.
...thought youd needed sum smartest company!
"Is this blight the reason som of your kind looks alot like ghosts moving around?" Nicenzia asks curious.
Tush sits more comfortably for the explanation of Bleaching. "The Bleaching is something that can happen to any gnome. Because we are creatures of curiosity and fey magic, the more shocking and vivid our lives, the more vivid we become and the longer we live. If we lack excitement our color fades and we get depressed which dulls our curiosity. It's a viscous cycle once the Bleaching starts. You aren't interested enough in life to have any new experiences or excitement and then you eventually die."
"Oh my that sounds horrible, I can only imagine it must be a sad way to leave this world to be judged on Pharasma's scale. So basicly your people need to have regular excitement in your lifes or you you just start a slowly but sure death?"
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Swen frowns, yes what a terribly sad way to go. Tush seems awful relaxed about it though, she's vibrant enough I'll say,must have had an interesting life.
When Shagou chimes in, Swen looks over at him and shudders a little trying to decipher what race he could be. Looking back at Tush, Well I believe I've seen enough strange things tonight to last me a lifetime.
Maxim had been leaning back, somewhat lost in his own thoughts, until he hears the gnome's description of the bleaching. He looks at the gnome with an expression of sorrow,
"Lost to boredom rather than old age,
With no adventure curiosity fades,
If that spirit is lost in its prime,
Your moments of life will run out of time.
Tomorrow's dawn brings a new day soon,
We have but a few hours beneath this night's moon,
So taste and embrace all that is at hand,
And may you push back the Bleaching's sands."
Maxim raises his glass to gnome with a nod. He looks about gathered group of dark ladies, one and all individuals that would be perceived with fear and dread by the greater world as whole - like him. Yet in them each he saw them all as unique and beautiful in their own light.
"A rose is darkness is not red,
Though lacking color it is not dead,
Blessed with supple curves and subtle lines,
And a fragrance that intoxicates the mind,
It's petals gentle like a mother's tone,
Amongst all flowers it stands alone,
Perhaps it's biting thorns will draw forth blood,
Yet truly, is it not a thing to love?"
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speaking of strange...
Somehow this halfling had escaped Swen's attention until now. A peculiar one, indeed. She takes a drawn out sip from her glass as she observes him from under a raised brow. Then her wine runs out. Swen lowers her glass and her suspicions are confirmed, ...empty.
She's about to order another but has a second thought. No matter if these people all shared the same armband, best not to lose her wits in this crowd. Nicenzia, Tush, and the giant all seemed amiable enough, but such a strange brew of people could turn volatile at any instant, and add drink to the mix...
She clears her throat and addresses the poetic halfling in the most approachable manner she can muster, That's... interesting. I'm not sure how to take your words, but I can tell they are not malicious, at least. You have a talent with words, to be sure. What's your name? Do you always speak in rhyme?
Tilted her head as the halfling continued to speak in rhymes. After the last one, having very little idea of flowers outside her native home ones. She ask " Small dark one, you speak roses? From your speech I gather it is flower. What does one look like? The one in shadows speaks true, as your words are..though the words are... beyond grasp?... I do not understand. The darkness is how Untari and I hunt. It provides cover from bigger prey. A wild boar may charge the lumbering giant, but dies to the hidden snake. There is no shame in nature."
Her words showed she missed what he was saying, having not very much practice with common, as it was not until she got to the Silver Shields that she truly talked with others, and even then, had kept to herself enough no one had really asked her to many questions, so she had never practiced much of her speech. Little did she know the reason people avoided her, while partly due to the 'dangerous' beast she kept, was also due to her being a drow.
Maxim looks determinedly at Swen, as if trying to unravel some puzzle in her otherwise direct words. Taking another sip, he replies:
"Called simply Ash by those of the Shield,
Needed something more proper for out in the field,
So Maxim I decreed to be my given name,
And keeping what I knew t'would end with Ashvayne."
He then pauses for another moment, the look of consternation returned to his visage.
"Words may offer counsel or recount a past time,
But what is this thing you speak of, this rhyme?"
Her gaze shifting slightly from the fetchling to the drow -
"A rose is a flower that presents full in bloom,
A symbol of love, peace, and less oftenly... doom."
Frowns, and tries to figure out what he meant. Love and peace are nice, but.. how does it lead to doom? She then asks, though she was not wishing to monopolize his time. Ash is what your mother calls for you by? Could you explain more about how it has doom? I.. I am unfamiliar with many customs here it seems, for back home, we do not have flowers that are love and doom. Unless it is similar to the one that your mate wishes to give you?" She was curious as to the differences in the cultures, since in her native home, everyone knew to not trust the snake in the water, the moving grounds, and the red berries close to the trees. Surely that was no different here.
Well, the bar seems to be clearing out. Aurelian notes as he stretches out and looks around to see who is still inside. I wonder which of us will be teamed together for missions. Any ideas? He asks the room.
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This one is unnerving... Reminds me of the D'ziriak. I hope I don't end up working with... him? He seems to have been around for some time. I wonder what he does know.
Swen summons up the courage to speak to Shaguo, Have you worked with the Shields for long? Any idea what sort of uh, work, we might be getting into?
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Hmm... not much. Helping others, doesn't sound too exciting. However...
Now, raiding tombs, I like the sound of that.
Swen wonders if his color shifting skin is anything like her own natural ability to change her appearance. Personally, she hates doing it, somehow it feels like a betrayal, but it comes in handy if she needs to make a getaway, disappear into a crowd, get away with a crime... But this guy seems to flaunt it.
Maybe he can't control it. Whatever, he sticks out like a sore thumb. A sore thumb with horns and a tail.
Tindertwig's dark green face splits into a grin.
Dirtbag waggles his shoulders.Mees..
Rippit!
Wees..., the little goblin begrudgingly corrects.
...thought youd needed sum smartest company!
The dwarf sighed and took out his pipe. As he filled it with tobacco he mumbled, "You be right I must have had me brains addled." Grimlak stood in silence as he began to smoke. He eventually looked down and saw the goblin still hovering around and asked, "Which one of you is the brains?"
The little goblin plops down next to his good buddy the dwarf.
Je looks up at him and smiles.
Yous can be guesses me!
Dirtbag (eye to eye with Grimlak; being perched on the goblins head) simply winks at the dwarf...
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hmm, traps.
The idea brings on a painful memory. A trap was her downfall. A lousy, magical trap. Got her disowned, banished, stuck here in this brightly colored world with its garish sun...
Swen frowns and decides that she's probably learned all she can for now, and the comfort of the darkness outside is calling her. She excuses herself from Nicenzia and Tush's company, stands and pulls her hood up and steps outside. She practically fades into the dark, and for those that are already outside, her presence is only announced by her luminescent yellow-green eyes.
The magus listens to the various conversation with interest.
As Swen gets up Nicenzia says "I was just thinking about leaving aswell, just didn't want to be the first to go. I'll head to my room to do a little practise of my spell casting, it's a good idea to be ready for tomorrow." she says towards Tush as she gets up and takes her umbrella unfolds it and heads out "Have a pleasant night."
Seeing people gradually dispersing from the main room, Inil decides to call it a early night in preparation for tomorrow.