stpf log

(8:08:05 PM) SpaceThor: The Temple of Bahamut is warm today, though a gentle breeze from the north rolls through its open windows. The gleaming gold of the decorations shine in the midday sun as its inhabitants take care of daily chores to keep the temple running.
(8:09:21 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart doesn't have to sweep today, thankfully. Instead she's blessing holy water for use in rituals later. It's not a difficult or long process, but she finds it relaxing and many of the other helpers simply aren't able to do it.
(8:10:08 PM) Feldi: Jak Brightstep is having a nap against one of the stone walls, sleeping off a morning spent in the sun, helping the orchard harvest.
(8:10:51 PM) SpaceThor: From outside, a knocking sound comes from the heavy wooden doors.
(8:12:10 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Jak can you get that?" Eliza is still praying.
(8:13:55 PM) Feldi: Jak gets to his hoofs and walks towards the door, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he goes.
(8:14:37 PM) SpaceThor: You open the door and...oh, it's just Brother Pedro, nailing a notice of some kind to the door. "Oh, Jak, you're over today?"
(8:15:50 PM) Feldi: "Taking nap," he explains himself. "What's that?" He asks, tapping the notice.
(8:16:33 PM) SpaceThor: "Ah, notice for adventurers. We just got word that a shrine to Pelor north of town has been taken over by a goblin camp. Need someone to get rid of them."
(8:18:32 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart looks back. "Goblins? The same ones the farmers were worried about?"
(8:18:48 PM) Feldi: Jak huffs. "Goblins. Jak thinks so, Eliza."
(8:19:03 PM) SpaceThor: "Ah, could be. They come through every so often, but most times they set up in places people don't normally go."
(8:19:32 PM) SpaceThor: "These have already attacked a few pilgrims attempting to pray to Pelor, so we need them gone soon."
(8:20:22 PM) Feldi: "...Jak knows someone who could help.  Eliza want to come to tavern with Jak?"
(8:20:54 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart stands up and brushes herself off, nodding to Jak. "We'll need to go talk to the goblins and ask them to stop."
(8:21:53 PM) Feldi: "Jak will bring hammer and shield.  Just in case their ears are stuffed." Jak grins that minotaur grin at Eliza.
(8:24:53 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Hopefully it won't be needed."
(8:25:28 PM) SpaceThor: "Well, hope they can get those goblins moving. We don't want pilgrims to get attacked so close to our township."
(8:26:01 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart nods. "Let's go, Jak. You can introduce me to your friends!"
(8:27:42 PM) Feldi: Jak gathers up his large shield, the salvaged bottom of a broken cart, and his odd-pronged warhammer. He leads the way toward the tavern.
(8:30:02 PM) SpaceThor: The Crossed Spears is close to the Temple, a two story wooden tavern. The owner, a female dwarf named Dwali, apparently had some renown as a sellsword before she opened this business. There are five patrons in the building right now.
(8:32:14 PM) ***Aurora is one of them! She's a shifter girl, and from her pale skin, may be from Snowlight. Fox's ears grace her head, and her eyes are yellow-orange adn slitted. She sits at the tavern eating a meal; her hands are large for her sized, with odd joints and sharp claws. A tail juts from the base of her spine, fluffy; her hair is long, and with her fur, is a nearly purplish black.
(8:32:53 PM) Aurora: Her legs are digitigrade and furry, ending in clawed fox's paws. Resting against the bar near her is a long, metal tube with a crossbow-like stock on one end, with a pair of strange levers on it.
(8:33:57 PM) ***Jacek sits at the bar, smiling as he listens to a story of Dwali's, sipping a pint. His outfit is... Ostentatious, a vivid red doublet and breeches- A rather expensive dye- tailored with an echo of military uniforms in the usual Krzymosze fashion. He laughs at a punch line, short but a little ragged dark hair, a beard and an extensive moustache frame his face, a warm smile and bright blue
(8:33:58 PM) ***Jacek eyes. He's broad and clearly strong, although not particularly tall.
(8:34:12 PM) SpaceThor: Jolanta is sitting next to him, quietly eating her meal.
(8:36:12 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani is seated quietly at a table, reading. Sephideh is a tall, milk chocolate skinned girl with long dark brown hair flowing to mid-back and dressed in a rather vividly coloured and embroudered dress in oranges and browns. Despite her clothes that look fitting for a scholar or traveling noblewoman, she's very athletically figured.
(8:36:16 PM) Sepideh_Madani: Much more notable is the wolf's ears springing from her head, one of them pierced by jewelery.
(8:36:46 PM) Tanoran: Nearby to Aurora is a girl in a cloak! Except not just any girl; she's a drow, a surface-born by the look of her skin--more chocolatey and less nubian than her Underdark-dwelling cousins. She wears modest clothing, a mostly-white tunic and dyed brown pantaloons of her own, though the tunic is untied at the neck. Her cloak--more of a short cape, from the look of it--is the same green as her eyes.
(8:36:46 PM) Tanoran: Hair so blonde it's nearly white falls just past her shoulders in slight waves. She's strumming a little stringed instrument, like a smaller, more portable lute, and humming quietly, staring holes in the tabletop in front of her. She looks up as the tavern door opens, though, as if expecting somebody.
(8:37:10 PM) Aurora: The more-bestial shifter casts occasional glances to the more well tanned shifter, apparently considering striking up conversation.
(8:37:48 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani is reading quietly, occasionally picking at finger food on the plate in front of her.
(8:38:57 PM) Feldi: The minotaur walks across the tavern floor toward Jacek and his lady. His hoofsteps are heavy against the tavern's wooden floor.
(8:39:59 PM) Jacek: Jacek turns at the sound, looking a little surprised to see the minotaur. "Ah, Jak! How are you doing today?"
(8:40:02 PM) Aurora: The paler shifter turns her eyes from Sepideh towards the minotaur, now curious. She's new in town; this is new.
(8:40:52 PM) Feldi: "Jak is doing fine, but there is trouble.  Jacek said he would help if anyone was in danger, yes?"
(8:41:13 PM) Feldi: Jak turns to reveal Eliza behind him. "This Jak's friend, Eliza."
(8:41:56 PM) ***Tanoran follows the conversation. Her fingers pluck a new tune on the lute, more sprightly and active.
(8:42:00 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart looks in the tavern, curious, blinking as her eyes adjust to the light. She's a short girl, compared to the minotaur at least, a half elf with platinum-blonde hair and a crown of flowers around her braided hair. She waves. "Hello. I haven't seen any of you around before. Are you new in town?"
(8:42:31 PM) Tanoran: "I am, yes," Tanoran nods. Her voice is surprisingly high-pitched and sweet.
(8:43:13 PM) Aurora: "Just came in a few days ago," the shifter says. Her voice is deeper, huskier--she must have had a heavy dose of the curse in her veins.
(8:43:43 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is wearing silver-trimmed robes and a pendant depicting a dragon. It's likely she's part of the staff of the local temple to Bahamut
(8:44:03 PM) Jacek: "Of course! What's the matter? Brigands? Bandits?" Jacek sounds rather eager- And then pauses, composing himself, giving her a bow of his head. "Indeed we are, Priestess. How may I be of service?"
(8:47:07 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Well, um. I think it's goblins. We got word that there's trouble at the shrine to Pelor. It's north of here and we were going to talk to them and ask them to leave in peace. Jak said you might be able to help." She smiles.
(8:48:05 PM) Feldi: Jak nods, looking down his snout at Jacek.  With the knight seated, the minotaur towers over him even more.
(8:48:26 PM) Jacek: "...Oh." Jacek looks just a little disappointed for a moment, but rallies. "...Of course I'll help! Ah-" He looks to Jolanta. "With your permission, of course."
(8:49:18 PM) Aurora: "Goblins, huh?" The black-haired shifter says, looking over. "Would you want more help, by any chance?" She seems quite willing to speak out of turn, especially for someone wearing the leathers and travelling clothes of a commoner.
(8:49:22 PM) SpaceThor: She chuckles. "Take your time, cousin. We have a long journey."
(8:51:08 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Um..." she blushes. "There's no pay or anything, I'm afraid. Hopefully no fighting either."
(8:51:21 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "With any lucky they'll listen to reason and leave peacefully."
(8:51:54 PM) Jacek: "Honour compels me to assist! I'm sure the sight of a Hussar will send any cowardly goblin fleeing for their life!" He finishes his drink and stands. "Just let me don my armour and ready my horse... I wish I could have brought my squire..."
(8:52:26 PM) Feldi: Jak turns to Aurora. "More help would help, Jak thinks."
(8:52:30 PM) ***Aurora smiles toothily. "There's something to be said for listening to Reason," she says, patting the odd metal... stick? staff? Next to her. "Strength in numbers is never a bad thing, though. I can help out, if you'd like."
(8:53:25 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani raises an eyebrow. "I could not leave a shrine of Pelor in the hands of evil."
(8:54:13 PM) Feldi: The minotaur shrugs. "Jak sees no reason to say no.  Who are you?"
(8:54:34 PM) Aurora: "You can call me Aurora," she says, extending a hand.
(8:54:46 PM) ***Jacek heads off at a half-run. Putting on armour took a while, double for the horse.
(8:56:22 PM) Feldi: Jak places his hammer down his hammer, the weapon large enough that even it is taller than Aurora. He takes her hand in his massive one. "Jak."
(8:56:24 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles. "Thank you all for agreeing to help."
(8:56:42 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Sephideh Madani. A natural philosopher with some minor talent with the blade."
(8:57:01 PM) Aurora: "It's no problem. Sounds like an adventure, anyway, and that's what I left Snowlight for."
(8:58:05 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles brightly. "That's from so far away! I hope I get to travel someday."
(8:58:30 PM) Feldi: "Jak and Eliza will soon." He says to his friend.
(8:59:05 PM) Aurora: She chuckles. "It's a nice enough, two or three months out of the year," she says. "As long as you can hold up your weight, there's a place for you there."
(9:01:11 PM) ***Tanoran appears at Jak's elbow suddenly. "I'll come too...as long as the owner here can do a favor for me and keep an eye out for someone?"
(9:01:28 PM) Aurora: She finishes her plate and picks up the stick; fishing in a pocket, she puts a thick strip of what looks like some kind of cloth on a holder on one of the strange levers.
(9:01:34 PM) SpaceThor: Dwali shrugs. "Old boyfriend?"
(9:02:32 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani heads off, returning not long later wearing a coat of scale armour and with a pair of heavy scimitars at her side.
(9:02:41 PM) Tanoran: A slight bit of red tinges her cheeks, but she shakes her head. "She's an elf, a little taller than me, dressed in white...last I saw, at least...and with purple eyes."
(9:02:55 PM) Jacek: The sound of clattering metal soon comes from the stairs, Jacek coming down with heavy footsteps, but has to run outside to armour his horse as well. And put the wings on. They are really bad for fitting through doors.
(9:03:28 PM) ***Aurora peers at Jacek. "... Those wings look pretty silly if you were planning ot fit through the door," she says. "Maybe you should've held off on putting them on until we were leaving?"
(9:03:29 PM) SpaceThor: "Purple eyes? Never heard of that, but alright, I'll keep a look out."
(9:03:40 PM) ***Tanoran smiles. "Thank you~"
(9:05:26 PM) ***Tanoran scurries away with a rustle of the short cape; that comes off quickly enough and she spends a few minutes belting and buckling on a set of chainmail armor...and then grabbing a metal-shod scythe with a blade nearly half as long as she is tall. "Ready!"
(9:06:47 PM) Feldi: Jak casts his eyes over the group. "Everyone is ready?"
(9:07:16 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "I am, yes." She nods, clicking her book shut and pocketing it.
(9:07:21 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart takes a deep breath and nods. She's unarmed, aside from her staff, though she does have chainmail on under her robe.
(9:07:39 PM) Jacek: The clomp of hooves come out from outside, Jacek upon his steel clad steed, awaiting the rest.
(9:08:02 PM) ***Aurora inclines her head; she fishes out two more objects, one a bit of rolled paper and the other a small piece of wood. She steps outside,a nd strikes the latter upon the doorframe; it lights, and hse uses that to light the rolled-up papers in her mouth. "Let's go."
(9:09:55 PM) Feldi: Jak takes up the rear of the group leaving the tavern and then takes up position at its front. "Follow me." He starts off toward the shrine to Pelor.
(9:10:47 PM) ***Jacek smiles at Eliza as she emerges, offering her a hand. "Would you care to ride with me, Priestess?"
(9:11:25 PM) ***Tanoran clips the scythe into a tubular holster of sorts slung between her shoulderblades, and unslings the lute from her shoulder. As the walking begins she strums a placid walking tune.
(9:11:34 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blushes, not used to this kind of attention. She takes his hand. "O-okay."
(9:12:25 PM) Jacek: He hefts her up into the saddle behind him. "Don't worry, Sila gives a smooth ride. Just watch out for the spears. Hya!" He flicks the reins, the horse trotting forward obediently, easily keeping pace with the minotaur.
(9:12:25 PM) ***Aurora quirks an eyebrow at that, chuckling.
(9:16:03 PM) Sepideh_Madani: Sephiden's armoured footsteps click as they walk. "We should beware for ambushes. Goblins are cunning beyond their size."
(9:16:25 PM) ***Aurora nods. "I'll keep an eye out for trouble, then."
(9:16:29 PM) Jacek: "Cunning, really? I thought them little more than beasts."
(9:16:58 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is enjoying the novelty of the ride. "They're people. That's why we might be able to talk to them."
(9:16:58 PM) ***Aurora side-eyes Jacek.
(9:16:59 PM) Feldi: "Goblins can be sneaky.  And use beasts as well, like Jacek uses horse."
(9:17:07 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Then do not be surpised if your horse falls into a hole." She smiles.
(9:17:41 PM) Jacek: "Sila is far too smart for that." He smiles, patting the bay stallion. "Some days I wonder if he isn't smarter than I am."
(9:17:49 PM) SpaceThor: He is.
(9:17:53 PM) Feldi: Jak places a hand on Jacek's shoulder. "Jak will pick horse out of hole, if it happens."
(9:18:55 PM) Jacek: "...Thank you, Jak. That's very kind of you."
(9:19:11 PM) Aurora: "That... y'know, I'm just gonna let that one lay," she says with a chuckle.
(9:19:21 PM) SpaceThor: Eliza knows that the shrine is coming up, not too much further.
(9:19:25 PM) Aurora: Teh smoldering bit of paper in her mouth smells quite pungent, but she seems to enjoy it.
(9:26:08 PM) Feldi: "....Eliza knows Goblin?" Jak thinks to ask as they make their final approach.
(9:26:38 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "...I speak draconic! Maybe that'll work?"
(9:26:41 PM) ***Jacek helps Eliza down before drawing himself up at the head of the group, pulling down the faceplate of his armour and readying his lance- A brutal thing, not the long and graceful lance of a joust, but a thick and heavy weapon of war, with a tip of dark steel. He strikes a rather imposing figure.
(9:27:24 PM) Tanoran: The cheery drow puts away her lute and pulls out the scythe.
(9:27:28 PM) ***Aurora presses the smouldering tip of her lichencig to the strip of cloth on her staff. It, too, starts to smoulder; she adjusts herself a bit. "Maybe they'll speak the primordial tongue? I picked that up back home."
(9:27:41 PM) SpaceThor: The shrine opens before you at the end of the path. A great stone lion, a symbol of Pelor, stands in the center, while an altar stands before it. Surrounding it, a number of goblins wander, tents and cookfires indicating a camp in use.
(9:27:44 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "We'll try common first."
(9:27:46 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "I sincerely doubt they speak elven or old tongues."
(9:28:49 PM) SpaceThor: They soon see you and start grabbing around for weapons.
(9:29:09 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart raises her staff. "Hold! We come in peace!"
(9:29:26 PM) SpaceThor: They seem to ignore you. Probably don't speak common.
(9:30:25 PM) Feldi: "Jak think they don't believe Eliza."
(9:30:37 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Um..."
(9:31:12 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart clears her throat and growls in Draconic. "{TREMBLE, BRIEF MORTALS AND BE THANKFUL WE HAVE NOT COME TO DESTROY}."
(9:31:29 PM) ***Jacek nearly falls off his horse, looking at Eliza with shock.
(9:31:32 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: Draconic doesn't really have words that involve peace.
(9:31:39 PM) Feldi: Jak snorts.
(9:31:59 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blushes. "The sermons at the temple can get really loud."
(9:33:05 PM) ***Aurora rubs an ear and growls. "Owww... that was louder than some of the factories back home..."
(9:35:24 PM) SpaceThor: They seem to ignore that too
(9:37:07 PM) Jacek: "...It seems like force is the only thing they'll understand. But worry not! One charge and they'll all be fleeing for their mothers!"
(9:37:29 PM) Jacek: He lets out a roar, urging the horse forward, rapidly moving into a swift and ferocious charge towards one poor creature, levelling that brutal lance...
(9:40:35 PM) Jacek: And it never stood a chance, run through in an instant, all the power of the ferocious impact spitting it like a roast upon the shaft... Jacek turning to glower at its comrades, raising the lance in a fierce challenge.
(9:43:30 PM) SpaceThor: Two goblins respond to the challenge with spears, one stabbing Jacek, the other finding a solid hit on his horse.
(9:44:22 PM) Jacek: Jacek cries out at the strikes- More surprised than anything else. Why weren't they running away?
(9:47:24 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani heads foward, unslinging her bow and firing a pair of shots at one of the goblins...
(9:48:36 PM) SpaceThor: A crossbow bolt comes towards Jacek from the backline, but misses entirely.
(9:53:06 PM) Aurora: The shifter advances forward, into the brush; falling to a knee, she blends in rather well... and then there is a loud clack and the louder sound of thunder's fury; the crossbow-armed goblin that fired falls, half it's head blown off by some great force!
(9:54:37 PM) SpaceThor: Another crossbowgoblin steps forward, firing at Sepideh
(9:55:30 PM) SpaceThor: Another spear at Jacek, this one fails to find purchase.
(10:02:32 PM) SpaceThor: A crossbow bolt hits Jak, while another speargoblin charges Jacek to stab him between the plates of his armor.
(10:02:42 PM) Feldi: Jak's hoofbeats come faster and faster as he charges toward the last goblin at Jacek's side. Lowering his horns in the final approach, they puncture into the small creature's body.  With rapid twist of his head, Jak casts the goblin aside into the grass.
(10:03:43 PM) SpaceThor: Followed by another spear to Jacek.
(10:03:47 PM) Feldi: He winces as the crossbow bolt strikes him in the center of his hide armor. "Jacek alright?" The minotaur gruffs out.
(10:04:35 PM) Jacek: "Well enough." He gasps, armour looking a little battered. "And you?"
(10:05:08 PM) Feldi: "Jak got shot." He says simply.
(10:08:00 PM) ***Tanoran moves quickly and efficiently, taking cover behind the cart. "You'll be fine, Mister Hussar, we're here for you too!"
(10:08:25 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart huffs and puffs, running toward the fighting, too far away to help.
(10:11:48 PM) SpaceThor: Two more appear, one goblin wielding a staff steps out of the forest, while a huge, furry goblin walks out of the tent, axe in hand. A bugbear.
(10:12:57 PM) Eliza_Silverheart_ [[email protected]] entered the room.
(10:13:32 PM) SpaceThor: The bugbear howls, moving out to flank, and then charging Jak. Jak is able to avoid the hit though.
(10:13:51 PM) Eliza_Silverheart left the room (quit: Ping timeout).
(10:13:52 PM) Eliza_Silverheart_ is now known as Eliza_Silverheart
(10:15:00 PM) Jacek: "Blast, more of them!" He lets his lance fall to the ground, reaching back and bringing out a long, broad headed spear. "Head down, Jak!" He reaches out, striking from above and behind the minotaur, down at the greater foe.
(10:15:20 PM) Feldi: Jak does as he is asked.
(10:18:44 PM) Jacek: -Apparently not as low as he was expecting, grunting and pulling back to avoid accidentally stabbing Jak, and then struggling not to fall out of his saddle.
(10:23:53 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani drops her bow, charging foward silently with her blade. She feints with her right hand and opens it's neck with her left handed blade
(10:26:50 PM) Aurora: That damned sound of thunder flahes out again; this time, the goblin mage is hit, pierced through the torso by something moving at great speeds--no arrow or sling bullet did *that8 damage, making him stumble towards the group.
(10:32:11 PM) SpaceThor: A crossbow bolt hits Sepideth, while a spear misses. Then, the mage raises his staff, and a fiery blast encompasses Jacek, Sepideh, and the unlucky spear goblin.
(10:32:39 PM) Jacek: Jacek comes out of it coughing, armour blackened... Blinking down at his apparently untouched steed. "...I don't know how you do it, Sila..."
(10:33:16 PM) SpaceThor: The horse shakes its head.
(10:38:18 PM) Feldi: Wind begins to gather around Jak's hoofs, moving away from him into a full dust devil, a minor elemental of wind.  It stations itself between Jacek and the hobgoblin. "Thank you friend." Jak says to it, then smashes his hammer into the hobgoblin.
(10:39:30 PM) SpaceThor: He staggers, being slowed by the clay-mud now weighing his armor down.
(10:49:50 PM) ***Tanoran prances over to join the crowd mugging the hobgoblin, but in her haste she overextends the swing of her scythe and pegs the tip into the ground, stumbling hard.
(10:54:55 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart gets closer, a little out of breath. She raises her staff. "Bahamut, strike down those who would harm my allies!" Bolts of blue lightning streak up and around, hitting a few of the goblins with surprising force.
(10:55:16 PM) SpaceThor: Two of them go down, the mage stands on shaky legs.
(10:55:30 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart raises a hand, holding out her holy symbol and chanting something in draconic, Jacek's wounds knitting.
(10:56:46 PM) SpaceThor: The bugbear slips between the Minotaur and the Spirit, lashing out with his axe against Jacek
(10:57:06 PM) Jacek: He turns to grin at Eliza. "I'm just fine, thank y-Argh!"
(11:01:18 PM) Feldi: Jak slams his hammer into the back of the bugbear as it passes him, but it isn't enough to stop the blow to Jacek!
(11:02:11 PM) Jacek: He grits his teeth- He's no good mounted amidst the press. He spurs his horse, out and away... And straight towards the damn caster!
(11:03:06 PM) Jacek: And a second goblin is spitted on the shaft, joining its compatriot as Jacek lets out a shout of triumph!
(11:07:42 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smiles wolfishly, stalking behind the bugbear. She makes no warning of her presence before impaling it. Honor is for the dead.
(11:08:22 PM) SpaceThor: It wasn't exactly honorable itself, but it is also dead.
(11:08:30 PM) Aurora: It seems there's two that believe in that, at least; or osmething similar. A third crack of thunder, and anohter goblin crossbowman falls, a huge chunk torn out of it's pitifully sized torso.
(11:09:01 PM) Jacek: Jacek looks around wildly for a moment... And then relaxes, shoulders slumping a bit, wincing at the pain in his side from the axes impact. "...Well. That was quite something."
(11:09:02 PM) SpaceThor: No more come to assist them. It seems this battle is won.
(11:09:11 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart wipes her forehead. "Is everyone okay?"
(11:09:12 PM) Tanoran: When nothing immediately moves, Tanoran lowers her scythe and looks around. "...Is that all of them?"
(11:09:21 PM) Aurora: And then the other shift pads out from under the tree, her odd staff smoking out of hte hollow end. "Well, it didn't end up going peacefully," she says. "Glad I decided to come along. Who's up for looting?"
(11:09:22 PM) Tanoran: "I'm alright."
(11:09:38 PM) Feldi: Jak casts his eyes over the battlefield, watching the trees and the tents. He pulls the crossbow bolt from his armor. "Jak is not hurt."
(11:10:09 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani draws a cloth from her pockets, carefully wiping her blades of the blood.
(11:10:13 PM) ***Jacek slowly gets off his horse, giving the beast a frown, before sighing and patting it- Or leaning on it to stay upright. One of the two.
(11:10:40 PM) Aurora: She frowns a bit as she approaches the group. "You alright there?" She directs to Jacek. "Saw you take a hit or two, but..."
(11:11:07 PM) Feldi: Placing his hammer in his shield hand, Jak uses his now free hand to wipe the goblin blood from his horns.
(11:11:18 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart checks on Jak, worried.
(11:11:52 PM) Jacek: He waves at them. "I'm alright... Armour took the worst of it, just bruised..." He winces again. "...Maybe a cracked rib. I've had worse. Not Much worse, but..."
(11:12:13 PM) SpaceThor: A quick checkover, healing of the injured, and you're back in town soon enough. The shrine isn't so far out of the township. Back in the inn, Dwali shrugs as you enter. "No purple-eyed lady came through, elf or otherwise."
(11:13:02 PM) ***Tanoran nods, carefully concealing her disappointment. "Thank you for watching, anyway."
(11:13:12 PM) Aurora: The Snowlight shifter nods. She's lit another of her lichencigs for the trip back. "Was a nice trip, though."
(11:13:23 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I'm sorry that things went so badly." She looks down. "I'm glad none of us got seriously hurt, but..."
(11:14:02 PM) Aurora: "I wouldn't really call it badly? I got some target practice in, anyway, and if they weren't going to listen to us then, they weren't going to listen to people who COULDN'T defend themselves, either."
(11:14:04 PM) SpaceThor: Jolanta awaits. "Was your first adventure everything you dreamed, cousin?"
(11:14:29 PM) ***Jacek walks in, wheezing a little, dropping onto a bench with a grunt. "A Knight exists to defend, after all..." He smiles at her. "A little battered, but the day was ours!"
(11:14:41 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "I am curious about why they were there...temples of pelor are not generally rich in food or gold for goblins. Medical supplies perhaps but still..." She frowns.
(11:15:15 PM) SpaceThor: She thinks. "So, are you all parting ways then?"
(11:15:17 PM) Aurora: The other shifter shrugs. "Maybe someone paid them to be there."
(11:15:39 PM) Feldi: Jak looks at Dwali questioningly.
(11:16:08 PM) Aurora: "And... I dunno. I've been travelling alone since I left Snowlight. Might be good to hit the road with a group of like-goaled crazy people?" She looks around at the others.
(11:16:25 PM) Feldi: Jolanta*
(11:16:36 PM) ***Jacek pauses, giving Jolanta a confused look... And then seeming to get her gist. "Oh... Well. They all seemed competent?"
(11:16:58 PM) SpaceThor: J: "Well, it's like in the stories. Adventurers either part ways after the job is done, or they swear a compact to continue together as long as they can."
(11:16:59 PM) Feldi: "Jak and Eliza were going to travel.  Jak and Eliza are not crazy."
(11:17:03 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles a little. "Thank you, but you flatter me. I wish my prayers had been enough to keep everyone from getting hurt."
(11:17:23 PM) Aurora: The shifter quirks her head to the side. "Only competent?" She asks with a chuckle.
(11:17:38 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani looks towards Jolanta. "Have you heard much about the local goblin tribes before this attack on the shrine?"
(11:17:49 PM) SpaceThor: She shakes her head. "I'm not a native, I'm afraid."
(11:18:43 PM) Jacek: "From a Hussar, 'competent' is high praise... Ah, what was your name?" He pauses, glancing at Eliza. "Prayers helped me keep fighting, as did your words, er... Drow." He nods to Tanoran.
(11:18:43 PM) Feldi: The minotaur eyes that strange weapon in the pale shifter's hands.
(11:19:44 PM) Tanoran: "Tanoran," she supplies. "Tanoran Vellorexion."
(11:20:45 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Eliza."
(11:21:08 PM) Tanoran: The scythe has already disappeared somewhere--oh, it's leaned in a corner, away from everyone and everything.
(11:21:26 PM) Aurora: "Aurora," she says. "Anyway, that is a tradition in Snowlight, more or less." She leans her gun against the bar. "Sometimes it's written on paper, sometimes it's just spoken. Usually goes along the lines of 'In deepest dungeon and coldest winter, I shall not betray your trust in my skills. If you fall, so long as I stand, I shall bring you home.' Sometimes more, seomtimes less."
(11:21:38 PM) Aurora: "Heard more than a few of those oaths get sworn in taverns back home."
(11:22:03 PM) SpaceThor: Jolanta looks excited. "You should definitely do one!"
(11:22:17 PM) Jacek: "Well, we have our own duties... But until our journeys end, if you travel with me, we will be as sworn comrades." He smiles a little, at his cousins excitement.
(11:24:35 PM) ***Tanoran ponders for a moment. "Well...it IS safer to travel together, instead of alone, and I suppose wherever we might go, I can ask around after her...."
(11:25:05 PM) Feldi: "While we all walk same path, Jak swears that he will be shield for all and hammer for enemies....that good?" He asks Aurora.
(11:25:19 PM) Aurora: She snorts. "Only 'duty' I have is to my sisters and my baby girl, back home," she says. "But no man ever profitted by betraying another's trust, not for long. I'll be at your back; arquebus loaded and eyes sharp." She inclines her head to Jak. "That'll do."
(11:25:48 PM) Feldi: Jak tilts his head, smiling a minotaur smile at her.
(11:26:34 PM) Aurora left the room (quit: Quit: ).
(11:28:02 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart takes a deep breath. "I promised Jak that I'd go with him when he decided to leave. And I've always wanted to see the world. I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."
(11:31:02 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "I am a follower of Pelor and Ioun, I will go anywhere there is more to learn and people to help."
(11:36:40 PM) SpaceThor: Jolanta: "Great! Now you need a name for the group too..."
(11:36:56 PM) Jacek: Jacek frowns. "...I'm no good at names."
(11:37:06 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "The Super Best Friends!"
(11:37:21 PM) Feldi: Jak nods. "Jak likes it."
(11:38:23 PM) Jacek: "...Don't you think it lacks, what's the word... Gravitas?"
(11:39:43 PM) SpaceThor: Dwali looks over to Sepideh. "Goblins? They migrate through here mostly. heading south. Not sure why, never thought to ask."
(11:43:26 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods, pondering and writing things down. "Very interesting."
(11:45:13 PM) SpaceThor: "Honestly, they probably just sheltered at the shrine cause it's got good tree cover. I doubt they'd recognize a symbol of Pelor."
(11:45:40 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart ponders. "Maybe something in draconic? That always seems important."
(11:46:28 PM) Feldi: "What does Super Best Friends sound like in draconic?"
(11:46:42 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Draconic doesn't have a word for friend."
(11:47:47 PM) Tanoran: "Super Best Allies in Battle?
(11:47:50 PM) Tanoran: "
(11:48:15 PM) SpaceThor: Jolanta: "Please take this seriously. Names are an important portent."
(11:48:15 PM) Feldi: Jak hums at that. He turns to Sepideh, tapping her on the shoulder. "Ruins south of here, to Goblin gods."
(11:49:04 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods "That may be useful." She jots down more in her book.
(11:49:47 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blushes. "I'm not good at naming things."
(11:49:49 PM) SpaceThor: Dwali: "Either way, they don't go out of their way to fight when they travel, but they'll attack anyone that gets close to their camps or is in their path."
(11:49:49 PM) ***Tanoran rubs her chin with two fingers. "What about...well, Jacek is clearly a man with some military training. A term from that history, perhaps? The Irregulars?"
(11:51:17 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Oh no, there are some herbs for that. Ginger helps."
(11:52:38 PM) Tanoran: She continues, apparently having not heard Eliza. "Or...in music, a group of six singers or instrumentalists is called a sextet. Or...that sounds like sextant...finding horizons..." She descends into a bit of muttering.
(11:53:20 PM) Tanoran: "It ought to be grandiose so that I can set it to song and have people enjoy the sound of the name, you see?"
(11:53:52 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blushes more. "T-that- sextet? But I'm a virgin!"
(11:54:20 PM) SpaceThor: Dwali just shakes her head behind the bar.
(11:54:24 PM) Feldi: Jak snorts at that. "Jak thinks Hard Talkers."
(11:56:21 PM) Feldi: "Or...Horizon Walkers."
(11:59:07 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Oh! That sounds nice."
(11:59:08 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles.
(11:59:49 PM) Jacek: "Hm. It sounds meaningful without, well, meaning very much."
(11:59:56 PM) Jacek: "...At least, I think."
(12:05:47 AM) Tanoran: "...I could see it. It lacks a bit of personality...but give it time, I suppose."
(12:06:29 AM) Jacek: "And, well... We might win a better one. Great deeds and all that."
(12:07:14 AM) Feldi: Jak shrugs. "Jak not sure what to call six people who met in Montijo."
(12:08:09 AM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Bahamut helps those who help themselves. We'll earn a name."
(12:09:03 AM) Tanoran: "...And from all walks of life, too, it sounds," she adds. "I heard...was it Aurora?...earlier say she was from Snowlight, after all."

======

(5:03:50 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is in the bar, looking out of place. It's where her new friends seem to hang out, though she hasn't really spent a lot of time there alone. She's drinking hot tea, despite the warmth of the day.
(5:04:35 PM) SpaceThor_: Dwali, the proprietor, had to go buy the tea special, grumbling about non-dwarves the whole way.
(5:06:39 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora, at least, doesn't seem to be much of a tea drinker; she sticks with whatever's cheapest. She's sitting near Eliza, her strange, hollow staff on the bar in front of her; she has a series of brushes and oils and appears to be cleaning it while humming a tune.
(5:08:16 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is watching her take care of it, not wanting to interrupt her. She has no idea what she's looking at.
(5:10:53 PM) ***Earthflame comes down the stairs with a slight grunt, back in noble garb, this set mostly in black, with touches of blue and red. The colours of House Milewski, if anyone notices. He gives them both a smile, bowing despite the obvious nature of the lingering pain in his side. "Ladies."
(5:10:56 PM) Earthflame: *Jacek
(5:11:45 PM) ID_chrome: "Hey there," Aurora says to Jacek, bereft of anything resembling proper decorum, though she glances at his finer clothes and raises an eyebrow. "Glad to see you feeling better; figured you'd be laid up awhile yet, what with all the stabbing."
(5:11:55 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart stands when he approaches, to be polite, matching his bow. "Good day. How are you feeling?"
(5:12:58 PM) Earthflame: "I'm made of sterner stuff, and my armour took the worst of it... And of course, the good priestess helped a great deal." He gives her a smile and another nod, although it's accompanied with a slight wince, before making his way to the bar. "And, well. What else is a Hussar meant to do?"
(5:14:37 PM) ID_chrome: "Don't know, never met one before you!" The shifter says cheerfully, tapping a paw against the ground as she runs a cyndrilical brush through and back the hollow part of her device. "I mean, a few of the cheap novels back home had them as characters, but they're not exactly trustworthy," She notes.
(5:15:20 PM) Earthflame: "...Hussars aren't trustworthy?!" He seems aghast.
(5:15:35 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I think she means the books aren't always accurate."
(5:15:57 PM) Earthflame: "...Oh. Ah. My apologies." He looks rather embarrased. "...Never was much one for reading, myself."
(5:17:44 PM) ID_chrome: "What Eliza said, yeah," she says. "They're not real stories, right? So you can't really take them as fact, unless winged hussars actually can fly, kill dragons with a single lance charge, stuff like htat." She pauses. "I always liked reading, when I had the money to buy a book, or borrow one."
(5:18:14 PM) ID_chrome: "It was a lot nicer than spending my spare time scraping lichens off the steam vents in the understreet, or trying to find work in the winter."
(5:18:19 PM) Earthflame: "...Well. I can't. The Kings Hussars might be able to. Oh, to join their ranks one day..."
(5:18:48 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles. "Hey, maybe. Everyone's got a dream, right?"
(5:20:21 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles. "We have some books at the temple if you want to borrow any. There aren't many, but I used them to teach Jak."
(5:22:43 PM) ID_chrome: She pulls the brush out of the hollow part of her device, before picking it up and carefully looking down it. "There we go, clean as a whistle."
(5:22:59 PM) Earthflame: "...What Is that?"
(5:23:06 PM) Earthflame: "Some kind of wand?"
(5:24:23 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "...I've been curious as well. I haven't wanted to ask directly in case I seemed foolish."
(5:24:41 PM) Earthflame: "Well, I've no fear of such things!"
(5:25:17 PM) ID_chrome: "Hmm?" SHe looks over to Jacek. "Oh, no, no, I'm not a mage or anything," she says, grimacing at the thought. "It's an Arquebus. Saved up for almost two years to buy it; it's, uh... like a crossbow, almost, but it uses black powder to propel a little lead sling-bullet, basically."
(5:25:56 PM) ID_chrome: SHe pulls out a couple of pouches; one has a black, powdery substance that smells of alchemy, the other has a large number of lead sling bullets, and the third has those strange little bits of cloth that she put on one of the levers.
(5:27:27 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart leans in to look. "How strange..."
(5:27:46 PM) Earthflame: "..." He gives her a blank look for a few moments. "...I think I'll be more comfortable just thinking of it as another kind of magic... The Krasnoludek had some mechanisms, but I could never wrap my head around all those odd gears and things."
(5:30:02 PM) ID_chrome: "It's nto that complicated, here, let me explain it," she says. "This stuff's the powder. You pour it down the barrell, that's the hollow part," she says. "And some here, in the pan. You then roll a bullet down after the powder, sometimes with some cloth before it, and pack it tight."
(5:30:51 PM) ID_chrome: "Then you light this bit, the match," she says, pointing to the cloth. "And clamp it in place on the serpentine, locked back. When you pull this lever, it releases the spring on the serpentine, putting the lit match in the flash pan, which makes the powder explode--which makes the bullet come  out."
(5:31:12 PM) Earthflame: "I... See." He clearly does not.
(5:32:09 PM) ID_chrome: "They've got black powder around here, surely? I know I've heard it's not an uncommon alchemical creation, I could buy it in Sardis still, at least..."
(5:33:25 PM) Earthflame: "...I think I heard some mention of it? Something about the king buying it up to feed his Bellowing Dragons? I wasn't really sure what that meant..."
(5:34:59 PM) ID_chrome: "Huh." She shrugs. "But yeah, they're not really common, even in Snowlight. The standing Militia has a few; I'm glad I could afford one so quickly, since I really needed a way to get out and make money to send home." She shrugs. "And I'm not smart enough for the University."
(5:35:08 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "We don't really make anything like it here."
(5:36:58 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I know some magical rituals but..." she shakes her head. "With how complicated that all seems I'm surprised you don't use a crossbow instead."
(5:37:20 PM) Earthflame: "Expensive, are they? Why? It just looks like some metal and wood..."
(5:40:07 PM) ID_chrome: "Enough blackpowder can make a building fall over," she explains. "And... because this is a lot more dangerous," she says, firs tto Jacek, then to Eliza. "You saw what it did to the goblins. A crossbow couldn't've done that."
(5:41:35 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I'm just glad you were there to help." She smiles.
(5:42:05 PM) Earthflame: "Indeed! I might have been in a bit of trouble if I didn't have assistance."
(5:42:35 PM) ID_chrome: "So am I," she says. "It's good to get out and stretch a bit, and with my split from the loot my family should be able to eat decently for a week, once the package gets there."
(5:45:13 PM) Earthflame: "They go hungry? Does their Lord not compensate them well enough for their work?"
(5:45:49 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart gasps. "If I'd known you were sending money home to your family I would have given you part of my share."
(5:48:16 PM) ID_chrome: "We make enough to eat, most months," she says, frowning. "And... no? We don't have a Lord, or anything like that. That's not the Snowlight way. Everyone lives by their own merits, with their own skills," she says, a hint of pride in her voice.
(5:49:38 PM) ID_chrome: "We even have a decent apartment. It's got two rooms, even, and the heat only fails for maybe a month out of the year--but since my brother in law's a charcoal burner, he just holds back enough product to keep them warm."
(5:50:58 PM) Earthflame: "...And that... Works?" He sounds a little incredulous. "Who makes decisions?"
(5:53:04 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart looks worried.
(5:53:22 PM) ID_chrome: "The Council of Peace, for decisions that effect Snowlight as a whole," she says. "It's the twelve most powerful people in the city--our best businessmen, politicians, and researchers. They vote on major issues effecting the city."
(5:53:57 PM) Earthflame: "...Ohh." Jacek smiles, understanding. "So they just have different names. That makes sense."
(5:54:16 PM) ID_chrome: "It's everyone's dream to sit on the council, even if only for a day," she says with a sigh. "Anyone can do it, you know, if they work hard enough."
(5:57:38 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "...If there's anything I can do to help, please tell me." She puts a hand on the shifter's shoulder. "It's not right for anyone to go hungry when people can help them."
(5:59:34 PM) ID_chrome: She smiles at Eliza. "Thank you for the offer. I'll... consider it, I guess. I don't want to impose, though." She sets her gun to the side and sighs. "We don't usually go hungry, most of the time."
(6:00:18 PM) Earthflame: "Well. Perhaps on our journey you'll discover riches?" Says the man wearing a suit that could probably feed her family for a month, if not more.
(6:02:29 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles a bit weakly. "That's... that's the hope. I mean, we weren't bad off, even before I left. There were definitely poorer people in Snowlight." She shrugs. "Four sources of income helped a lot, but when I had my daughter.... it wasn't going to be enough."
(6:02:51 PM) ID_chrome: "One less mouth and a better source of income, though..." The shifter shrugs. She doesn't look past nineteen summers old or so. "We're making it owrk, even if I miss all of them."
(6:05:42 PM) Earthflame: "...Ah." He gives her an odd look. "But, if you'll excuse me, I need to attend to Sila..." He stands stiffly, bowing again before heading out to the stables.
(6:05:49 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blinks and sniffles, then she hugs Aurora. "I promise we'll make sure things are okay for your family. No one should have to leave a child behind."
(6:06:51 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter blinks at Jacek, then blushes a bit and hugs Eliza back. "It was for the best, really," she says, shakign her head. "I miss all of them, especially Autumn, but... I'm doing good things out there. Helping out. And they're eating better than they were before."
(6:09:56 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "We'll make sure we travel back there to check on them."
(6:11:19 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter blushes furthur. "I mean, if our travels take us there..." She trails off. "I probably wouldn't say no to seeing them all again," she admits with a bit of a lonely sigh.
(6:12:49 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles. "Jak and I want to travel to try and find our families. Of course we'll make time to see yours."
(6:16:20 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles a bit. "Well... thanks," she says, quite honestly. "And I'll do waht I can to help you both, too. I don't know what I would've done without my family; the idea of not having one is just..." She shakes her head. "At least I had my mother and have my sisters."
(6:20:17 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I hope we can meet them!" She smiles.
(6:22:49 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles a bit. "Well, if... when we go visit Snowlight, I'm sure we will," she says with a sigh, leaning back a bit.
(6:31:38 PM) ID_chrome: She pauses for a moment, then asks. "So... were you, um, raised by the church, then, or?"
(6:34:05 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "My parents left me at the church. They were part of a trading caravan and left me here to be safe while they went on a trip and... never came back."
(6:35:35 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter winces, her ears falling flat against her skull. "Avandra's breath, I'm sorry," she murmurs.
(6:37:23 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart holds up her hands. "No, no, it's okay. The priests and knights are really great!"
(6:38:08 PM) ID_chrome: She nods. "There were some priests back home that were really nice. Never met a knight until recently, though."
(6:41:01 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "You should come to the temple and meet the knights sometime. They train really hard."
(6:41:59 PM) ID_chrome: "Are they all so..." She purses her lips a bit. "... if I say rich I'll sound like a gold digger, won't I?"
(6:43:29 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart giggles. "No, you'd need to talk about how the beer isn't as strong as Dwarven ale and how wood isn't a proper building material."
(6:44:16 PM) ID_chrome: "..." She blinks a few times and makes a mental note about things. ".... Right, fair enough!"
(6:54:01 PM) ID_chrome: "Still, I guess it'd be interesting to meet them," she says. "Though I find a lot ofpeople think Snowlighters are odd."
(6:54:48 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Really? Why?"
(6:58:09 PM) ID_chrome: She shrugs. "Aside from the shifter stigma most of us have? I guess it's the whole... I dunno. What we do is so different, I guess. We don't have kings or nobles, we don't have that many mages, we've got plenty of faith but it's not really central to what we do..."
(7:02:18 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I see... but that's not bad. I like hearing about new places and new people. It'll be great to see what it's like!"
(7:02:49 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "All I've gotten to really see is the town, but some of the knights have great stories!"
(7:03:43 PM) ID_chrome: "Yeah? Want to share one or two, and I'll tell you some about living in Snowlight?" She offers with a smile.
(7:09:20 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart grins.  "Okay! One of the knights was telling me about some woods he was in once." She clears her throat. She's not terribly good with stories but she'll try to tell it correctly.
(7:10:15 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora leans forward a bit, paying close attention!
(7:13:08 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "It's called Spider Web Forest, and it's to the west, over the hills. The trees all grow high and tilted even on the flat ground, making the paths carved through the forest as dark as night even at noon, and the paths themselves twist and turn and cross over each other. Worse, they shift from day to day, making maps impossible."
(7:13:50 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Fog lingers among the thick brush, making it hard to see more than a few paces in any direction."
(7:14:30 PM) ID_chrome: She whistles softly. "Sounds like a bad place to get lost."
(7:15:30 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "He was in the wood responding to a request for aid from a castle in the heart of the darkness. They wrote the temple asking for help with bandits that had been attacking and stealing supplies and even children."
(7:17:20 PM) ID_chrome: The latter makes the shifter bristle. Literally. "They were stealing kids?!"
(7:17:32 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "He set out with a half-dozen knights and squires, more than enough to run off a few thieves and rescue the children."
(7:19:26 PM) ID_chrome: "It was more than a few thieves, wasn't it?" She guesses.
(7:20:06 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "They were met at the entrance of the wood by one of the locals, who stayed in the trees and refused to come out into the sunlight. After living for so long in darkness, his skin was pale and the bright light was enough to hurt his eyes." She grins. "He led them to the castle, an old keep, low to the ground, more wood than stone and in disrepair."
(7:20:29 PM) ID_chrome: She nods, falling quiet and just listening.
(7:21:35 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "The people were all like that, oddly pale, the whole place clammy and dark. There weren't any fires until the knights asked if they could make camp, and even then the people kept away from it as if they were afraid."
(7:22:17 PM) ID_chrome: "Huh..."
(7:23:57 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "That night, or at least it seemed like it was night, as difficult as it was to tell in that sunless place, the thieves struck!"
(7:25:04 PM) ID_chrome: The shfiter leans forward again...
(7:29:30 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "The knights raised the alarm and fought back, felling a number of the rogues and forcing the others back. The knights gave chase into the woods, and found their nest. But it wasn't what they expected. Instead of a camp of thieves it was a logging town, barricades in the streets, and frightened women and children manning the walls."
(7:30:03 PM) ID_chrome: "Interesting..."
(7:35:25 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "They called for parley, and met with the townsfolk. Here, things were warm, and there was fire and light. They claimed that the castle had fallen years ago to a dark force, and that they were attacking it to try and end the curse."
(7:36:25 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "The knights spent the day in prayer, and returned to the castle after communing and asking for guidance. There, they found the pale people feeding on the corpses that they'd left behind, devouring human flesh."
(7:37:27 PM) ID_chrome: That makes the shifter blink. "... Cannibals," she mutters, grimacing.
(7:43:57 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "With no choice, they struck at the ghouls. In the end only two knights survived, the monsters struck down. The knights were badly wounded. They tried to leave the forest and found themselves lost with no guide."
(7:45:46 PM) ID_chrome: She nods again, still listening.
(7:49:29 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Days blurred together, and they didn't know if they'd ever be able to leave. Then, near death, they saw it. Sunlight. They ran towards it. It was like a shower of warmth and energy. They left that place behind, intending to return with more men and supplies for the townsfolk."
(7:50:13 PM) ID_chrome: "I may see where this is going..."
(7:50:19 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "When they did, though, no one could find a trace of either the castle or the besieged town. Both had vanished without a trace into the maze of the woods."
(7:51:52 PM) ID_chrome: She whistles. "Wow."
(7:53:01 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "He even showed me the scar he got. It was teeth marks, like a human bite!"
(7:53:38 PM) ID_chrome: "I've left one or two of those," she says with a chuckle; her teeth are large and bestial.
(7:58:50 PM) ID_chrome: "I don't really have a story that interesting to tell, though, unfortunately, hmm..."
(8:02:40 PM) ID_chrome: "Oh, there was about, uh, five years ago; there was a big expedition coming back from the west, the whole city was celebrating, and I got to talk to one of the adventurers who came back from the land of the ancients!"
(8:03:11 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart sips at her tea and listens, smiling.
(8:05:02 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter settles in, fishing out of one of her rolled paper things and lighting it with a match. "We send these expeditions out pretty regularly; this was a big one, a couple of hundred people," she says. "About twenty of them made it back, which was good odds. There was a parade and everything."
(8:06:56 PM) ID_chrome: "I was sure to hit the streets that day; they'd came back with lots of loot andknowledge and had been away from civilization for awhile, so, you know... anyway! It was a half-elf guy who came through.  Tall, willowy, but pretty handsome in a rugged sort of way."
(8:09:43 PM) ID_chrome: "He told me a story about some of the ruins they delved into, while we were chatting," she continues. "It was apparently a giant tower once, but it had fallen over sideways--but most of hte interior was still intact, including a lot of old stone furniture and stuff."
(8:10:07 PM) ID_chrome: "So they crawled through a sideways tower, fighting all sorts of monsters--most of them looked like freaks of nature, with tentacles and too many mouths and eyes in the wron gplaces, he said."
(8:11:13 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Oh wow... they sound horrible!"
(8:15:11 PM) ID_chrome: "Yeah, they'd obviously had some effect on him," he says. "But apparently the wierd thing... the weirdest, anyway, is that when they got to the top of the tower? There was *another tower*. There was a door leading back to the bottom... but it was upright, and filled with monsters again."
(8:20:38 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart waves to the bartender for a refill of her exotic, imported tea.
(8:22:00 PM) ID_chrome: "So they fought through it. Again. And at the top... there was another door," she says, a distant look in her eyes as she remembers the tale. "And again. And again. Each time, different monsters. Each time, different treasure."
(8:24:23 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart shivers. "There wasn't an end to it?"
(8:25:03 PM) ID_chrome: "Not one. Eventually, they had to turn back... and the door to leave wasn't there." She frowns. "THey made it all the way back to the Sideways Tower, and there was just... a black, blank wall where the entrance had been."
(8:30:54 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "H-how did they get out?"
(8:31:52 PM) ID_chrome: "For a long time, they didn't," she says. "Then they turned around; figuring if they can't leave the way they came in, maybe there's a way out they missed." She pauses for a moment. "And then they found the exit. The guy told me they went in with a dozen people. Three survivors at the end."
(8:32:19 PM) ID_chrome: "They just... turned around and it was there. And apparently, barely two weeks had passed outside; but to them, they'd been in there over a month. Weird, huh?"
(8:36:24 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart nods. "I can't imagine what I'd do if I was trapped in an endless place like that."
(8:37:46 PM) ID_chrome: "Yeah. He talked about it for awhile." She sips her own drink, content with ale--though she gestures for a plate of food to snack on. "Seems he just needed a hug and an ear, which I was more than happy to provide."
(8:38:07 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles. "Did you become friends?"
(8:38:56 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles. "Somewhat? He became a regular, anyway. Liked the way I moved, he said, and apparently he liked the way I honestly listened to his problems instead of just nodded along like a lot of other prostitutes would."
(8:39:33 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "A lot of-" She stops and blushes, putting her hand over her mouth.
(8:40:39 PM) ID_chrome: "What?" The shifter blinks. "A job's a job, and I was always good with people."
(8:42:13 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I-I just didn't know." She looks embarrassed.
(8:43:29 PM) ID_chrome: "Oh." She shrugs. "I mean, I guess I never mentioned it? Is it a big deal?" She asks.
(8:45:25 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart shakes her head quickly. "No! I mean, um." She clears her throat. "What's important is what's in a person's heart. And you seem like a nice person."
(8:48:07 PM) ID_chrome: She grins a little ferally. "Which implies that I'm a nice person despite having been a prostitute?" She says, voice obviously teasing.
(8:51:21 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blushes more. "I wouldn't judge someone. It's just, um, you know. It's not something to discuss in public."
(8:52:30 PM) ID_chrome: "Is it?~" She says. "It's just talking business, when you get down to it~" She says, apparently enjoying herself and putting an arm around Eliza.
(8:54:47 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I mean, n-no one should judge someone for doing what they have to in order to provide for their f-family-" She doesn't shrink away, surprisingly. She's forcing herself to remain firm and unafraid. It's just that she's also very socially awkward about certain things.
(8:55:58 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter just chuckles. Her body temperature's warmer than a normal human's. "I mean, I probably had other options, but most were either illegal or a lot more dangerous," she says. "I'll stop teasing you, though. You look like you could boil tea on your head." SHe gives a little squeeze...
(8:56:02 PM) ID_chrome: then lets go, still grinning a bit.
(8:57:19 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart clears her throat. "For obvious reasons, um, it isn't something that came up much in the temple."
(8:58:42 PM) ID_chrome: "I can imagine," she says. "Though I imagine it comes up more often in people's thoughts than you might think. A lot of customers were faithful sorts, I found."
(9:00:51 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Oh no, the knights are all sworn to celibacy."
(9:01:40 PM) ID_chrome: She blinks at Eliza a few times. "... Of course," she says after a moment, awkwardly.
(9:02:01 PM) Sepideh_Madani [[email protected]] entered the room.
(9:05:31 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart nods. "And there's no one who does, um, that job in town." She coughs.
(9:05:41 PM) ID_chrome: "... REally, no one?"
(9:06:18 PM) SpaceThor_: Dwali pipes up. "Used to have a girl around who did that but she moved to be closer to family about seven years ago."
(9:06:30 PM) ID_chrome: "An untapped market, then!"
(9:07:59 PM) ID_chrome: "Clever girl could make a lot of money out of that," she notes.
(9:08:59 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "J-just please don't cause any trouble. Making money is fine as long as no one gets hurt."
(9:11:02 PM) ID_chrome: She gets an utterly angelic look on her face. "I would never. Unless they asked for it."
(9:11:23 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is relieved. "Thank you."
(9:12:10 PM) ID_chrome: "And I do mean that," she continues. "Not that I'd probably go for that, anyway. Small village, everyone knows everyone, it's asking for trouble, really, judging from the stories."
(9:12:40 PM) ID_chrome: "But, you know, there's oppurtunity for some extra cash still. Ah well."
(9:16:39 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart blushes. "I'm sure you can find something else. M-maybe there will be more goblins."
(9:18:47 PM) ID_chrome: "Goblins don't pay very well," she says, entirely straight faced.
(9:22:03 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart thinks about how much money they made. "You mean it usually costs more than that?" She's shocked by the high price of prostitutes.
(9:23:16 PM) ID_chrome: "... No, no, I was making a joke about goblins hiring prostitutes," she says with a chuckle. "My, ah, usual prices depended on what the customer wanted. Anywhere from twenty-five coppers to fifty silvers depending. Someone once asked me fo rsomething I wouldn't do for less than five gold once."
(9:31:40 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart isn't going to ask for details. "W-well, the good thing is that you don't have to do that anymore if you don't want to."
(9:32:27 PM) ID_chrome: "True," she says. "On the other hand, it *is* doing something really fun *and* getting paid for it," she notes with a smirk. "Definitely not as my go-to, though. Maybe as a hobby."
(9:34:20 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is going to need the strong tea after this conversation.
(9:35:39 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora just grins. "Gods above, but you are far too fun to tease; do let me know if I'm going to far or actually making you uncomfortable, just... your reactions are kind of adorable."
(9:38:48 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "It's okay." She takes a deep breath. "It's just not something I know much about. But if I didn't listen then I wouldn't be a good friend."
(9:39:46 PM) ID_chrome: THe shifter nods. "I appreciate that," she says, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
(9:43:54 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Just-" she blushes more. "Don't expect me to join in."
(9:46:06 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles a bit. "Only if you wanted to," she says, leaning over and giving the priestess a peck on the cheek. "I meant it when Is aid your reactions were adorable."'
(9:51:03 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: That almost kills Eliza. You can almost see steam coming out of her ears. "W-well, I should- I should get back to the temple and make sure the initiates are getting dinner together."
(9:52:01 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter grins, a little predatorily. "Alright then! Have fun." She pats the girl on the shoulder.
(9:54:08 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart stands up stiffly and walks out a little awkwardly, probably to stick her head in a bucket of cold water.
(9:55:07 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter just grins harder. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

========

(9:32:55 PM) Earthflame: Jacek, still wincing just a little, enjoys a meal at a table in the in, clad in yet another outfit, this one slightly less lavish, its red deeper and less bright, a more practical although still fashionable garment.
(9:34:38 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani is seated quietly at a nearby table, reading. Sephideh is a tall, milk chocolate skinned girl with long dark brown hair flowing to mid-back and dressed in a rather vividly coloured and embroudered dress in oranges and browns. Despite her clothes that look fitting for a scholar or traveling noblewoman, she's very athletically figured.
(9:35:07 PM) Sepideh_Madani: Much more notable is the wolf's ears springing from her head, one of them pierced by jewelery. A pair of heavy scimitars are placed next to the table, leaning against it.
(9:35:58 PM) Earthflame: Jacek looks up, having glanced her way a few times, and finally raises his voice. "Ah... Sepi-dah, was it? My apologies, I'm not the best with names."
(9:36:47 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Sephideh." She turns a page in her book.
(9:39:09 PM) Earthflame: Jacek is a rather muscular man, not particularly tall but very broad, with rougher hands than you'd expect from a nobleman. His dark hair is just a little shaggy, his beard is full and his moustache is extravagant, with bright blue eyes half-lost between them. "Sepideh, Sepideh... Thank you. I, ah, wished to ask... From where do you hail? You have the look of good breeding, but not the sort
(9:39:09 PM) Earthflame: I'm familiar with."
(9:41:20 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Breeding?" One of her wolf-like ears twitches. "Are you asking if I am Purebred or a Mongrel?"
(9:41:56 PM) Earthflame: "I... Don't think so?" He looks embarrased. "I mean, ah, you have the bearing of a highborn... Am I wrong?"
(9:43:35 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "You are not. The Madani family are nobility, if minor nobles, in Pirhajat." She shakes her head.
(9:45:52 PM) Earthflame: "Ahh, of course!" He gives her a smile. "My own kin are a minor house as well... Although this is the first time I've spent long outside Krzymoszan borders. It's all rather new to me. I... Never quite got the lessons on politics, despite my tutors best efforts. But we all have our own strengths." He nods affirmatively.
(9:48:37 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "My family is that of scholars. We try to understand all there is, one of several reasons I am here."
(9:49:33 PM) Earthflame: "Ahh. Well! All the better that those suited for it can undertake it with such focus. Are you seeking to understand anything in particular?"
(9:50:24 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "To make a name for myself."
(9:51:39 PM) Earthflame: "Well, I can empathise with that. A Hussar of Krzymosze must prove themselves, time and time again... I only hope that serving my house may bring honour to both of us." He lifts a glass to her. "And while we work together, may our endeavours be best for the both of us!"
(9:52:40 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani lifts her own glass, simple water.
(9:55:14 PM) Earthflame: "What are you aspiring to? Some scholarly position?"
(10:02:20 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani shakes her head. "I hope to join the Immortals." She taps her blades.
(10:02:47 PM) Earthflame: "...Immortals? The name rings a bell..."
(10:08:28 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "...I should hope they do." She looks honestly suprised at him not knowing.
(10:08:58 PM) Earthflame: "...Perhaps you could jog my memory?"
(10:10:33 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "The Immortals are the royal guard of Pirhajat."
(10:10:41 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani sounds dumbfounded.
(10:11:08 PM) Earthflame: "Ahh, of course! Like the Kings Hussars!" He nods. "Now it comes together... I must say I'm surprised."
(10:12:39 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "In what way?" She raises an eyebrow
(10:13:23 PM) Earthflame: "Well, ah." He looks embarrased again. "Given your studies-" He gestures vaguely to the book. "I thought your skill at arms was more practicality than passion. Clearly I was wrong."
(10:18:01 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "It can be both. A healthy mind and a healthy body work well together."
(10:19:05 PM) Earthflame: "So I've heard..." He sighs, having another bite of food, speaking again once it's done. "...I've had to make the latter do the work of the former. I mean, I'm not Unhealthy, not odd or any of that. I've Known some strange sorts, and- But, I mean, anyway... Yes. I never was particularly gifted."
(10:20:47 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani raises an eyebrow at him.
(10:22:18 PM) Earthflame: "The higher arts... Speechcraft, diplomacy, business and management..." He gestures vaguely. "Just never seemed to click for me."
(10:23:28 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "...I would believe that." She smiles slightly.
(10:24:12 PM) Earthflame: "But... Well, you can't just give up. And the country always needs more strong arms and swift spears."
(10:27:42 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "I suppose that is true...why here, however?"
(10:29:17 PM) Earthflame: "Escorting my cousin to her betrothed! I was entrusted with Jolanta's safety, and it's a duty I bear proudly. Plus... I thought I might have the good fortune to have an adventure or two, on the road." He gives a little smile, gently testing his side with a fingertip. "...I must admit, the first one was more eventful than I expected."
(10:31:31 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "A little more impactful than planned?" She smirks.
(10:33:08 PM) Earthflame: "Quite... I thought a good charge would have them breaking and running. Then again... I thought their kind weren't much more than animals. It was what I'd heard said most often, at least..."
(10:34:28 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani shakes her head. "You should never assume that your foe is less inteligent than yourself."
(10:35:31 PM) Earthflame: He nods. "An important lesson... And one I'm glad I didn't pay too dearly for. Or my Sila..."
(10:35:45 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Your Sila?"
(10:38:32 PM) Earthflame: "My horse! He's been a friend to me since not long after I was knighted."
(10:38:52 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "How long ago was that?"
(10:40:09 PM) Earthflame: "Going on three years now... Sila and I have rode the breadth of Krzymosze together, and now we're going beyond... Well. I don't know where I'd be without him. That horse always seems to get me where I need to go, no matter what."
(10:41:56 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "I am glad to hear so. I travel alone, myself."
(10:42:41 PM) Earthflame: "Not anymore!" Jacek gives her a warm smile.
(10:42:53 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani chuckles. "I suppose that is true."
(10:45:55 PM) Earthflame: He chuckles as well. "It should prove an interesting journey... Particularly with the variety involved. It's more non-humans than I can ever recall seeing. Well, save for the local Krasnolud."
(10:49:57 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Oh, I have not seen many~"
(10:50:48 PM) Earthflame: "So your, ah..." He gestures vaguely to the relative position of her ears.
(10:53:03 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Oh, what makes you think I am not human?"
(10:54:00 PM) Earthflame: "...Well. The ears? I mean... Unless that's common elsewhere?"
(10:55:04 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Ah, no. My entire family has them, it is just how some humans are."
(10:55:56 PM) Earthflame: "Ahh, I see! I didn't know they were... I. Well." He coughs. "They're rather fetching!"
(10:59:43 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Thank you." She smiles

========

(2:29:27 PM) Earthflame: Clad in more workmanlike clothes than usual, Jacek makes his way to the stable, to undertake the necessary maintenance for his loyal steed
(2:34:45 PM) Feldi: As he approaches, Jacek can hear an oddly familiar voice within.  The heavy voice of Jak.  "-promise not to scare rider again. Sila fine with Jak now?"
(2:35:20 PM) Earthflame: Jacek hesitates a moment, before pushing open the stable door, looking rather confused.
(2:36:11 PM) Feldi: Sila, the horses's head poking out of the stable, and Jak both turn their heads to look at him. "Jak speak of Angel and he appears!"
(2:37:25 PM) Earthflame: "...Angel?" Jacek gives Jak a quizzical look, approaching slowly as he looks between the minotaur and Sila.
(2:39:24 PM) Feldi: "Jacek not familiar with saying? Usually devil but..." The minotaur waves the rest of the sentence away.
(2:40:54 PM) Earthflame: "I, ah, am familiar with it, yes... Although I've not heard myself called an Angel before. I mean, Hussars wear wings, but..." He smiles a little, still confused as he approaches the pair, reaching over to pat Sila on the nose.
(2:45:17 PM) Feldi: "Jak imagine Jacek not unattractive for human.  Angel seemed fitting with wings, Jacek helping with goblins."
(2:45:37 PM) Feldi: The minotaur shrugs.
(2:47:06 PM) Earthflame: "Well, ah... Thank you!" Jacek smiles. "And, you and Sila seem to be getting along?" He smiles at the horse. "I know he was a bit nervous around you at first."
(2:49:18 PM) Feldi: The horse and the minotaur exchange a look. "Jak and Sila are getting along." The horse coincidentally seems to nod.
(2:49:59 PM) Earthflame: "I... Well, that's good!" He smiles, offering the horse an apple.
(2:50:13 PM) Earthflame: "We'll be travelling together for quite a while, after all.
(2:52:24 PM) Feldi: The minotaur tilts his head a little. "Jak hope so."
(2:52:52 PM) Feldi: a little to the side.*
(2:53:17 PM) Earthflame: "I'm sure! Jolanta and I have quite a way to go... And when I deliver her, well... I might not have to go directly back." He smiles. "...I've always wanted to do some adventuring, you know. Then again, what Knight hasn't?"
(2:55:08 PM) Feldi: "Jak doesn't know.  Jak not talked to many knights."
(2:56:43 PM) Earthflame: "...Ah. Well, I suppose." He shakes his head. "But, well... You and Eliza have your own reasons, yes?"
(2:58:12 PM) Feldi: "Jak and Eliza looking for family. Both lost somewhere out there," he gestures outside the barn.
(2:59:48 PM) Earthflame: "...Well. While I am free to do so, I'll help you find them." He reaches over to place a hand, with a bit of a stretch, upon the minotaurs shoulder. Well. Upper arm.
(3:01:43 PM) Feldi: Jak looks down at the hand on his arm with an unreadable expression.
(3:03:36 PM) Earthflame: Jacek withdraws the hand after a moment or two, looking a bit uncertain.
(3:06:21 PM) Feldi: Jak huffs, tilting his head a little deeper to the side than he did before. "Human sign of affection, yes? Jak unused to receiving them, aside from Eliza. And Eliza is half human."
(3:07:07 PM) Earthflame: "I... Yes! Well. Of camaraderie and friendship, and all that."
(3:08:38 PM) Feldi: "Jak would give Jacek minotaur sign of friendship, but unsure if Jacek should receive." Jak looks the Hussar up and down. "As already injured."
(3:09:03 PM) Earthflame: "Hah! I'm sure I can hold up! Just... Well. Be a Little careful?"
(3:10:06 PM) Feldi: Jak regards Jacek for a moment, then lowers himself to his haunches. "Tilt head toward chest."
(3:10:37 PM) Feldi: He gestures at Jacek's chin then to his sternum.
(3:10:52 PM) Earthflame: Jacek does so, hesitantly and a little awkwardly. "Like this?"
(3:13:10 PM) Feldi: "Yes." Jacek can see Jak lean closer, the broad chest filling up the edge of his vision. Hot breath plays on his head before he feels what must be Jak carefully headbutt him. "There." Jak says as he pulls back.  "One way Jak's people show friendship."
(3:14:47 PM) Earthflame: "...Ah!" He smiles. "You might be surprised, but knights do it too! Often through our helmets."
(3:16:26 PM) Feldi: Jak knocks himself on the head. "Minotaur no need for helmet. Hard head." From the tilt of Jak's neck, which Jacek realizes might be how Minotaurs smile, Jacek feels that Jak might be teasing him.
(3:17:37 PM) Earthflame: He chuckles. "I've no doubt, my friend. But those less blessed must do our best to keep up."
(3:21:35 PM) Feldi: "Jak think Jacek's head might be nearly as hard....after Jacek done with Sila, does Jacek want to spar?  Jak often spars with Temple's soldiers."
(3:22:29 PM) Earthflame: "Oh!" He smiles. "I'd be honoured, Jak! Meet you outside after I'm done?" He pats Sila again. "A good steed like this deserves all the attention he's due."
(3:23:46 PM) Feldi: "Sila agrees." Jak says as he rises back to his full height. "Jak will wait outside."
(3:31:51 PM) ID is now known as Aurora
(3:34:27 PM) Aurora: Aurora's not far from the barn; she's set up a few clay bottles along a fencerow, a bit randomly, and then spread out furthur behind it. She's humming a bit tunelessly as she works. Her arquebus is leaned against the fence, and she's not wearing her leathers right now, dressed in a simple blouse and pants with a hole cut for her tail.
(3:35:36 PM) Feldi: Jak raises a hand as he approaches. "What is Aurora up to?" He asks.
(3:35:55 PM) Feldi: He looks quizzically at the bottles on the fence.
(3:37:13 PM) Aurora: "Hmm? Oh, hello!" She turns and waves. "Was just setting up for some target practice. Thought I might show off to the locals a bit, since I haven't had a chance too yet," the bestial woman continues.
(3:38:16 PM) Feldi: "With black powder weapon? Very loud, farmers might not like Aurora."
(3:41:21 PM) Aurora: "It's not that loud! Well, it is, but in short bursts. It's not like it's a constant loud noise," she says. "Why wouldn't they like me, though?"
(3:42:55 PM) Feldi: "Sound could startle animals. Many things startle animals.  But Aurora would not know as from city, yes?"
(3:43:25 PM) Aurora: "... I hadn't thought of htat," she says. "It didn't seem to startle Jacek's horse!"
(3:43:35 PM) Aurora: "I mean, it was sort of being stabbed at by goblins every time I fired, but..."
(3:45:27 PM) Feldi: "Sila is smart and calm steed. Told Jak he thinks he strong one in relationship. Aurora can still practice, but Jak just wanted to warn Aurora."
(3:46:34 PM) Aurora: "Ah, huh." She rubs the back of her neck. "Maybe I'll ask around if it's okay first?"
(3:46:40 PM) Aurora: "I dont want to cause that much trouble."
(3:47:50 PM) Feldi: Jak shrugs. "If wish.  Training grounds of Temple is further from fields.  Jacek and Jak going to go there to spar."
(3:50:17 PM) Aurora: "Ah. Might set up there instead, then." She nods. "Didn'tw ant to go too close to the temple, I guess; I might've embarrassed Eliza a bit, heh, and didn't want to distract her."
(3:51:01 PM) Feldi: The minotaur blinks down at her. "How did Aurora embarrass Eliza?"
(3:52:18 PM) Aurora: She laughs a bit. "Told her what I did for a living before I got my gun. And maybe complimented her a bit."
(3:54:23 PM) Feldi: The Minotaur doesn't join in the laughter. "Is this a human thing?"
(3:55:20 PM) Aurora: "Probably?" She offers. "She's just very adorable when she blushes."
(3:57:27 PM) Feldi: "Jak can agree to that." He gives her a minotaur smile.
(3:58:26 PM) Aurora: The shifter chuckles. "Fair enough!"
(3:59:44 PM) Feldi: The two talk until Jacek is done seeing to Sila.
(4:00:06 PM) Earthflame: Jacek leaves the stable not long after, looking happy and apparently having found a broom handle from somewhere, a 'safe' approximation of his spear. He nods upon seeing Aurora as well. "Ah, good afternoon!"
(4:02:11 PM) Aurora: She smiles, waving at him. "Hey there," she says. "Everything alright?"
(4:03:20 PM) Feldi: "Aurora wants to practice while we spar," Jak brings Jacek up to speed.
(4:04:26 PM) Earthflame: "Ah... Do you need to practice? I mean, crossbows always seemed quite simple to me... You just point and, well, shoot?" He nods to Jak, as they head to the training field.
(4:05:08 PM) Aurora: "It's harder than you might think," she says with a grin. "You could give it a try if you'd like to see?"
(4:08:00 PM) Earthflame: "No, no... Leave it to the experts."
(4:11:40 PM) SpaceThorWork: The training grounds are...pretty sparse. Nobody here is really a 'trained' fighter or even really the numbers to do so. With only a few local watchmen, the actual defense falls to the castle up the hill, and they have their own grounds. It's relatively flat, has a few straw dummies, and that's about it.
(4:12:20 PM) Aurora: "Then maybe it's not so simple~" She sing-songs with a teasing grin, patting Jak on the shoulder. "So, what's the plan for you two's spar?"
(4:14:13 PM) Earthflame: "Ohh, nothing special I think." He takes up the simple stick, spinning it in hand a few times to get a feel for its balance, surprising dexterity in his muscular hands before he settles into a more standard staff grip. "A few exchanges, working up a bit of a sweat?"
(4:15:27 PM) Aurora: She quirks an eyebrow, taking a step back. "A bit of a sweat, huh?~"
(4:15:36 PM) Feldi: "Jak agrees to that."  He walks over to collect a stick about the length of his warhammer which is resting on the nearby wall.  The wood is well-worn and battered; it's obviously seen its fair share of combat.
(4:16:32 PM) Earthflame: Jacek takes up a position a few paces away, giving Jak a bow.
(4:16:59 PM) Aurora: "I... Think I'll watch," the shifter says with a wide grin, her tail swishing a bit as she steps back to watch.
(4:18:31 PM) Feldi: Jak returns the bow.  "Jack and Jacek have audience then."
(4:18:40 PM) Feldi: He says as he straightens back up.
(4:18:56 PM) Earthflame: "Quite! Let's make a show of it, eh?"
(4:23:27 PM) Feldi: Jak smiles. "Jak will hold back less."
(4:23:45 PM) Earthflame: "I'm insulted that you think you'll need to!" Jacek grins.
(4:25:09 PM) Feldi: Jak nods at his incredibly beaten stick. "Jak's weapon might break."
(4:25:33 PM) Earthflame: "...Oh." He pauses, looking at the broom handle. "...And the innkeeper might be annoyed if I broke this. Hold back a little bit, eh?"
(4:26:44 PM) Feldi: "To keep innkeeper happy," Jak agrees. He begins to circle around Jacek. "Jacek want to bet anything on spar? Soldiers sometimes do."
(4:27:40 PM) Earthflame: "Hmm... Not sure there's anything I'd want, or care to bet. Just a bit of friendly excercise, eh?" He smiles... And then steps into a thrust, exploiting his reach despite Jak's far greater size.
(4:29:04 PM) ***Aurora watches, flicking her eyes back and forth from one fighter to another.
(4:29:47 PM) Feldi: Jacek steps backwards, just out of reach, but placing himself on the back foot. "Jak glad that Jacek and Jak already friends."
(4:30:29 PM) Earthflame: "I feel the same!" He smiles... Stepping in, following up with another thrust, getting in closer in order to strike faster- A brash move, putting himself within Jak's reach.
(4:34:28 PM) Feldi: Jak grunts as he has to hot-step to the side of the blow.  He stumbles, but swings his own stick as he does, Jacek easily within reach of the minotaur's arm and the length of the stick put together.
(4:36:15 PM) Earthflame: Overextended, he just barely gets the broom up in time- And the force sends him back a pair of staggering steps, taking a third to get his footing again. "A good hit!"
(4:39:17 PM) ***Aurora laughs, watching and apparently enjoying herself.
(4:39:30 PM) Feldi: "Jacek is fast," Jak returns the compliment with one of his own. He takes the time to steady himself as well.  The loose ground of the training grounds makes staying upright difficult enough on two hooves.
(4:41:28 PM) Earthflame: "And you're solid as a rock." He chuckles as he shifts his stance, a more defensive and reactive posture. "Where did you learn to fight, Jak?"
(4:45:32 PM) Feldi: "My people, a matriarch in my tribe, my mother and my father, on my own, with soldiers here.  Jak carries it all with him."  Jak takes two quick hoof steps forward, twisting his body to try for a horizontal blow, testing Jacek's defenses.
(4:47:17 PM) Earthflame: But approaching him is tricky- The faux-speartip comes up, fending and threatening, slowing the charge and giving him time to get out the way. "Then you bring honour to them with your skill!"
(5:53:35 PM) Feldi: Jak presses his attack, trying to knock the speartip far enough out that he might step in close. "Jak hopes so! Jacek learn from where?"
(5:55:23 PM) Earthflame: The sheer power of Jak's strikes make it hard to keep him off forever, Jacek forced to switch to a closer hold and a more direct defence. "Gah- Tutors, and then the finest Krzymoszan military academies, then my time as a squire!"
(5:56:26 PM) ***Aurora chuckles a bit. "And here I am, just picking it up as I go along," the shifter says as she watches.
(6:00:23 PM) Feldi: "Jacek shares honor with them too!" Jak's strikes are powerful, but that can be an undoing too.  He strikes too hard, too far, overextending his arm in a swipe, leaving his side vulnerable.
(6:03:34 PM) Earthflame: Jacek can't entirely take advantage of it... But a quick swipe with the butt of his spear after a block gives him a moment to back away again, panting for breath a little... Smiling and giving Jak another bow of respect. "And we honour each other, I think... I've never fought someone like you before! This is a magnificent lesson."
(6:03:53 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza meeps in alarm from the window where she's been watching, standing on a small crate and trying not to disturb the sparring warriors.
(6:06:24 PM) Feldi: Jak pauses mid bow, ear twitching in the direction of the window. He glances over at where Eliza watches. "Jak has fought many humans before.  Jacek is much better than them.  Often Jak does not use weapon when fighting them."
(6:06:59 PM) Earthflame: Jacek chuckles at that. "I've no doubt. I imagine a swift right hook does the job, eh?"
(6:08:29 PM) Feldi: "They say it is to train for Bugbears. Jak thinks they searching for advantage."
(6:08:57 PM) Feldi: He huffs, a laugh.
(6:10:51 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza hops down and walks over to the door. "Did anyone get hurt? Jak is sometimes a little rough with the knights..."
(6:11:29 PM) Earthflame: He chuckles as well. "Well, I'm certain they'll never find one over you." He turns to smile at Eliza, giving her a wave. "I'm quite alright! I've had far worse in training bouts before. Ahh, when I was a lad... To really impress the armsmaster, sometimes you went at it with all your strength."
(6:15:02 PM) Feldi: "Jak is fine as well."
(6:15:26 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza smiles. "I knew you'd be okay, Jak. You're the strongest person I know."
(6:16:28 PM) Aurora: She chuckles. "It was a very nice show, I'll admit. Nothing like watching two strong men realy go at it~"
(6:16:47 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza blushes at that. There's something about the way Aurora said that...
(6:16:47 PM) Earthflame: Jacek gives Aurora an odd look, raising an eyebrow.
(6:17:04 PM) Feldi: The minotaur smiles back. "Jak thinks there are many kinds of strength. Jacek...nimble."  He joins Jacek in looking over at Aurora quizzically.
(6:18:22 PM) ***Aurora just grins, the very image of innocence. "It really inspires the inner artist, I'll say. I tried my hand at writing a couple of times back home~"
(6:19:03 PM) Feldi: "Aurora writes books?" The minotaur seems interested, lowering his battered stick.
(6:19:17 PM) Earthflame: "Or poetry?" Jacek hazards.
(6:21:41 PM) Feldi: Feeling overheated from the fight, and the afternoon sun, Jak begins to work at the buckles of his armor.
(6:22:31 PM) Aurora: "Want some help, Jak?" She offers. "And I said I tried. Didn't really go anywhere, though. Didn't know the right people to get popular."
(6:24:40 PM) Feldi: The minotaur shrugs and makes to sit by Aurora so that she can more easily loosen the straps and buckles that hold the toughened hide together.
(6:25:05 PM) Feldi: "Have writings with you?"
(6:26:26 PM) Aurora: She goes to help him take it off, smirking a bit behind him. "Ah... no, I left them back in Snowlight," she says. "My sisters liked them a bit, so I kinda just let them keep them; some of the easiers ones I thought might be useful for helping teach my daughter to read when she's old enough, if I'm not there."
(6:27:58 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza sits. "Oh! Maybe you could write up the story of what happens to us!"
(6:29:11 PM) Feldi: Around his waist and falling to Jak's knees is a leather skirt, scratched in places, likely in these very grounds. Given his hooves, his digitigrade legs, and the lack of an experienced leather-worker in town, the minotaur wears no armor below the skirt.  A few scars on his legs show the problems of that forced choice.
(6:30:41 PM) Feldi: "Jak thinks that is a good idea."
(6:32:17 PM) Aurora: "Hmm. Maybe I could!"
(6:32:32 PM) Earthflame: "I was never much one for books, but... To be remembered in song and story? That would be a good thing, I think."
(6:32:59 PM) Aurora: THe shifter smirks a bit. "I'll see what i can do, maybe. I'm no bard, though."
(6:34:02 PM) ***Viola_Gray giggles. "So that means we don't have to pay you for playing the lute?"
(7:00:55 PM) Aurora: She smirks a bit. "Well, that depends on exactly what lute you want me to play?~" She says, framing her face as she finishes in perfect innocence.
(7:01:37 PM) Feldi: "...are there many kinds of lutes?" Jak turns to ask Eliza.
(7:02:50 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza's cheeks turn red. "T-that-" She sputters.
(7:03:02 PM) Earthflame: Jacek looks just as confused as Jak.
(7:04:01 PM) Aurora: She chuckles a bit. "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it~" She says with a sly grin. "I neve ractually learned the lute, anyway. I play a bit of the flute. It was useful to get attention, and everyone likes music."
(7:04:15 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza tries to compose herself. "W-whatever kind of... music people want to play in their own time is their business."
(7:05:05 PM) Feldi: Jak looks to Jacek to see if he understands what's going on between the human women.
(7:05:27 PM) Earthflame: Jacek gives Jak a rather helpless shrug.
(7:06:39 PM) Aurora: "Yes, but it used to also be my business, as I'm sure you remember~" She replies to Eliza, internally wondering if she's a horribl eperson.
(7:06:59 PM) Feldi: "You were a musician?"
(7:08:10 PM) ***Viola_Gray buries her face in her hands.
(7:08:18 PM) Earthflame: "Are you alright, priestess?"
(7:08:28 PM) Earthflame: Jacek moves over to her, looking concerned.
(7:08:45 PM) Feldi: Jak glances over at Eliza, blinking at her.
(7:09:30 PM) Aurora: "Not... quite," she admits with a chuckle. "I apologize, I've been amusing myself here, Eliza there is just so adorable when she gets flustered."
(7:10:34 PM) ***Viola_Gray takes a step without looking and bumps into Jacek, almost falling over.
(7:11:09 PM) Earthflame: He takes her by the shoulders, steadying her, looking increasingly concerned. "...Have you caught the sun? Do you need to sit down? You're looking very red..."
(7:12:04 PM) Aurora: "Here, let me help, given it is my fault,' she says, moving to the side of Eliza. "Let's get you somewhere to sit and a drink, okay? I apologize... I really need to control myself better."
(7:12:28 PM) Feldi: Jak regards Aurora, wondering what it is exactly that this tailed human is doing to make Eliza so embarrassed.
(7:14:31 PM) Feldi: Jak regards Aurora, wondering what it is exactly that this tailed human is doing to make Eliza so embarrassed.
(7:16:13 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza can't handle all this attention! Of course to certain eyes it might simply look like her condition is getting worse. Clearly too much excitement
(7:16:56 PM) Aurora: She helps get Eliza to a stump to sit on and offers her canteen to the priestess. "There we go, sorry again," she says, patting the girl on the head.
(7:18:06 PM) Earthflame: Jacek takes a step back, letting Aurora guide her. "If you wish to go travelling Eliza, you will need to build your stamina... I know some can't help it, but to make a decent pace we can't take too many breaks."
(7:19:18 PM) Feldi: Jak strips off the armor that Aurora loosened, leaving him bare chested, unless one counts the dark brown fur upon it, dampened by sweat. He stands up, walks over to where the rest have walked to, holding his armor in one-hand.
(7:19:51 PM) Aurora: "Mmm. I'm thankful you'll all find my stamina, at least, will be fine~" she says, nodding at Jacek and Jak.
(7:19:53 PM) Viola_Gray: Eliza takes a sip of the water (hopefully its water). She takes a deep breath, looks at Jak, and damnit her cheeks are red again. She averts her eyes. "I- maybe I should lay down for a while."
(7:20:48 PM) Earthflame: "Maybe we should see about acquiring a cart or wagon... A carthorse or two, as well. Although I suppose Sila could serve double duty, if needs must."
(7:22:04 PM) Feldi: "Jak thinks that might be for the best. It would be helpful to carry rations."
(7:22:43 PM) Aurora: It is water! She nods. "Yeah. A covered cart, ideally; saves on tents, keeps the cold out."
(7:22:50 PM) Aurora: "Not that I Imagine the cold is going to be a huge problem."
(7:23:53 PM) Viola_Gray: "N-not at this time of year. If we're on the road for a long time we might need to buy blankets and coats."
(7:24:50 PM) Aurora: She nods. "Worse comes to worse, we share body heat, hm?~"
(7:25:32 PM) Earthflame: "Well, a cart helps if we need supplies too." He pauses, and gives Aurora a nod. "Indeed. That's a practical lesson I learnt, training during winter amidst the Krzymoszan mountains. I'm surprised it's common knowledge."
(7:25:56 PM) Feldi: Jak nods, setting his hide armor on the ground and sitting down before the stump, legs out before him. "Like the tribe did when the season turns in Sardis too. It is useful." Jak nods.
(7:27:24 PM) Aurora: <Viola_Gray> "N-not at this time of year. If we're on the road for a long time we might need to buy blankets and coats."
(7:27:24 PM) Aurora: <Aurora> She nods. "Worse comes to worse, we share body heat, hm?~"
(7:27:24 PM) Aurora: <Earthflame> "Well, a cart helps if we need supplies too." He pauses, and gives Aurora a nod. "Indeed. That's a practical lesson I learnt, training during winter amidst the Krzymoszan mountains. I'm surprised it's common knowledge."
(7:27:24 PM) Aurora: <Feldi> Jak nods, setting his hide armor on the ground and sitting down before the stump, legs out before him. "Like the tribe did when the season turns in Sardis too. It is useful." Jak nods.
(7:27:44 PM) ***Viola_Gray sputters, turning bright red. "Body heat?!"
(7:27:48 PM) Aurora: "Well, I'm from Snowlight," she says. "It's winter six months out the year there; and while most of the city's heated..." She shrugs. "We lose a lot of people every winter."
(7:28:19 PM) Aurora: "Yep. Body heat." She nods, perfectly serious. "Much, much better than freezing to death, or losing an arm or leg to frostbite."
(7:28:32 PM) Feldi: "Heat is most important thing in winter." Jak agrees.
(7:28:34 PM) Earthflame: "Cold can kill a man, quick as any blade... Training on the lower peaks, we all huddled together for warmth. Must have been a dozen of us, just on the verge of becoming full fledged squires."
(7:28:52 PM) Viola_Gray: "B-but that's- that's-" She shakes her head. "It's so improper!"
(7:29:11 PM) Feldi: Jak looks to the others. "It is survival, yes?"
(7:29:24 PM) Earthflame: Jacek chuckles. "And not exactly uncommon in Krzymoszan military camps."
(7:29:35 PM) Aurora: "Propriety takes a secondary concern to survival," she says.
(7:30:05 PM) Feldi: Jak nods his agreement.
(7:31:00 PM) Viola_Gray: "I-I know. But..." She takes a deep breath. "It's not exactly something they teach at the temple."
(7:32:30 PM) Aurora: "Different professions, different lessons," she says. "They don't teach how to be a whore at the University, after all."
(7:32:31 PM) Earthflame: "Well... When we travel together, these are lessons you'll learn by necessity. Churches are places of peace and respite, in my experience... But beyond them is a hard world. It's why Knights like the Hussars are needed."
(7:32:41 PM) Earthflame: He pauses, turning to blink at Aurora.
(7:33:46 PM) Feldi: "Eliza, a whore is someone who sleeps with people for money, yes?"
(7:33:52 PM) Aurora: "I mean, it's true," she says. "They teach artificery, alchemy, and sciences there," she says.
(7:34:06 PM) Aurora: "I mean, they advertise it anyway. I never could afford to attend."
(7:34:07 PM) Viola_Gray: "Y-yes," she tells Jak.
(7:34:33 PM) Feldi: Jak nods. "Jak wanted to be sure."
(7:35:26 PM) Feldi: Jak turns to Aurora.
(7:35:34 PM) Viola_Gray: "She- I mean, if you-" She tries to gather her thoughts.
(7:35:34 PM) Earthflame: "A rather vulgar term for it, at least in Krzymosze. 'Lady of the Evening' was the preferred term."
(7:35:39 PM) Feldi: "How much do you charge?"
(7:35:55 PM) Feldi: does Aurora charge?"* Damn quirk
(7:36:41 PM) Aurora: She blinks. "well! I thought I'd gotten out of the business by becoming an adventurer, but I was considering sticking with it for a little extra money to send home," she says. "I'd probably not charge a friend, though. I mean, we're friends, that'd be like charging to shoot the goblin trying to stab you."
(7:37:09 PM) Aurora: She turns to Jacek. "I try not to sugar-coat it, really," she says. "Though I'd use euphemisms in more polite company."
(7:37:40 PM) ***Viola_Gray blushes more. "I-if you- just please don't discuss it around me. I'd rather not know." She looks down, embarrassed.
(7:37:43 PM) Feldi: Jak nods. "That is good to know for when we must share body heat.  Jak wanted to be sure he had enough money to pay for all but is thankful you don't charge."
(7:38:40 PM) Aurora: She laughs at that, winking at Jak. She pats Eliza on the head again. "Okay, okay. I'll stop, even if it makes you blush adorably. It makes me want to hug you tight and mother you."
(7:39:34 PM) Feldi: Aurora can see Jak give her a minotaur grin out of the corner of her eye.
(7:42:51 PM) Viola_Gray: "I'm just... not used to people discussing things like that openly. It's fine if you d-do it." She looks away. "I just don't think I'd survive hearing about it."
(7:43:54 PM) Earthflame: "Well, such things aren't usually discussed in polite company."
(7:44:09 PM) Feldi: "When is company polite?"
(7:45:08 PM) Aurora: "IF the clothes you have to wear could feed a mid-sized family for a month is how I've defined it."
(7:45:45 PM) Earthflame: "Nonsense... Even ladies of lower birth deserve to be treated courteously. That's what I was taught, at least..."
(7:45:57 PM) Earthflame: He doesn't sound exactly certain about it though.
(7:46:31 PM) Feldi: Jak looks between Aurora and Jacek. "All ladies are polite company?"
(7:46:43 PM) Aurora: "Oh, courtesy's fine," she says. "I guess I'm just more used to being what's considered impolite company than polite." She shrugs.
(7:48:16 PM) Feldi: Jak rubs at one of his ears. "...how do clothes feed a family?"
(7:48:40 PM) Viola_Gray: "S-she means if the clothing was expensive enough that you could have bought a lot of food instead."
(7:49:41 PM) Aurora: She nods. "Mm hm." She stretches a bit, sighing.
(7:49:57 PM) Feldi: "Oh, it is value of clothing?" He huffs, knocking a fist lightly against his bare chest. "Jak silly....Jak not sure if he can value clothing properly."
(7:50:31 PM) Aurora: "Most people don't have to," Aurora says.
(7:51:18 PM) Earthflame: "It's a noble necessity. Showing that your house is strong and prosperous."
(7:51:58 PM) Feldi: "Jak does not want to cause problems. How else Jak to know if company is polite?"
(7:52:34 PM) Aurora: "I mean... generally it's safer to assume that it is," she says. "I just felt comfortable talking about impolite topics since we'll be travelling together. If you can't trust your adventuring party with how you really act, who can you trust?"
(7:55:16 PM) Aurora: "There's not going to be a problem about my past, is there?" She asks, looking over towards Jacek.
(7:55:30 PM) Earthflame: "Why would there be?"
(7:56:13 PM) Feldi: Jak shrugs.
(7:57:01 PM) Aurora: "Well," she says, "Better safe than sorry," she says. "Since you... well, actually ARE a noble, don't your sort of people care a lot about how things look? Travelling with a former whore wouldn't be good for that, would it?"
(7:57:06 PM) Viola_Gray: "I-it's fine. You're a good person. A-and I don't mean that in a 'despite your past' way."
(7:58:43 PM) Earthflame: He nods. "And I didn't realise at all!"
(7:58:57 PM) Feldi: "Being a whore is shameful?" Jak asks, helpfully.
(7:59:49 PM) Viola_Gray: "People do who- I mean, do what they have to to survive. A-and she was caring for her family."
(8:00:30 PM) Aurora: "Some people consider my former job a shameful one." She shrugs. 'I never did. It was just a job, one I was good at... and it fed myself and my family for awhile." She smiles a bit.
(8:01:07 PM) Earthflame: Jacek shrugs. "I've never considered such things my business."
(8:01:45 PM) Aurora: "Never... indulged, then?" She asks.
(8:02:39 PM) Earthflame: "I never needed to."
(8:02:46 PM) Earthflame: He says, rather matter of factly.
(8:03:27 PM) Feldi: Jak simply follows along with the conversation.
(8:04:02 PM) Aurora: She chuckles. "I'm not sure if I should be surprised, but somehow I"m not," she notes.
(8:04:17 PM) Aurora: "You strike me as the sort of fellow that has the women swooning for him, if only for how... nice and eager you are."
(8:04:30 PM) ***Viola_Gray almost gets a nosebleed from that.
(8:05:16 PM) Earthflame: He waves a hand. "Hardly. Many of my peers are far more handsome and charming."
(8:07:08 PM) Feldi: Noticing Eliza's discomfort, Jak leans closer, tilting up her chin carefully so he can look at her. "Eliza ok?"
(8:08:08 PM) Viola_Gray: "I-I'm fine! It's just-" She tries not to think about his broad chest. "I-it's a little much being around all this flirting."
(8:08:26 PM) Aurora: "Being handsome and charming helps," she says. "But I've found that being honest and pleasant is better."
(8:09:18 PM) Feldi: "...Flirting? Is that what has been happening?"
(8:10:19 PM) ***Aurora remains tight-lipped on that.
(8:11:41 PM) Feldi: Jak looks around the group, before leaning back, giving Eliza some reprieve from the sight of his chest so close. "Jak didn't realize."
(8:13:09 PM) Earthflame: Jacek shrugs a little. "I was always very focused on my training... I tried to not get distracted."
(8:13:17 PM) Viola_Gray: "I-it's fine. I'm a grown woman. I can handle such things. I'm just not used to... that kind of attention or seeing it."
(8:13:53 PM) Feldi: "Was anyone flirting with Jak?"
(8:14:31 PM) Feldi: He looks to Aurora for that answer.
(8:14:58 PM) Aurora: "Being honest, a litte bit," she asides to Jak. "But that's more or less my default state." She smiles at him, then turns back to Jacek. "What did you do for fun, then?"
(8:15:30 PM) Feldi: Jak nods to himself, and then pats Eliza's knee to reassure the overwhelmed girl.
(8:16:15 PM) Earthflame: "...I didn't have very much time for it. My house is quite low ranking... I had to work my hardest for a chance at a Knighthood."
(8:21:31 PM) Aurora: "... Poor thing," she says. "Even I had some time for leisure," she says, giving Jacek a quick hug.
(8:22:28 PM) Earthflame: He chuckles, leaning into it a little. "Oh, one does what one must, for house, liege and country."
(8:25:09 PM) Aurora: She chuckles a bit. "Maybe we're not too different on that. I've done everything I have for my family and my ideals."
(8:32:04 PM) Feldi: "Shall we go to the tavern for a meal?" Jak offers. "Staying in sun can be dangerous."
(8:32:25 PM) Earthflame: "Certainly!" Jacek nods.
(8:32:34 PM) Aurora: "Ah, sure! I could definitely eat. Being able to afford real meat every meal is very nice," she says. "I haven't eaten any lichen since I left home, and I absolutely do not miss it."
(8:33:30 PM) Feldi: Jak nods, getting to his hooves. "Jak never eaten lichen.  Eliza, want Jak to carry?" The minotaur asks.
(8:34:15 PM) Aurora: "It's not very tasty, but it's free, common, and filling enough in Snowlight."
(8:36:45 PM) ***Viola_Gray stands up, blushing. "C-carry? I mean-" Her ears are red!
(8:37:25 PM) Earthflame: "...I didn't know lichens were even edible."
(8:38:10 PM) Viola_Gray: It's probably a good idea to carry her. she looks ill!
(8:38:43 PM) Aurora: "Some are! Some aren't. Some, we smoke!" She says, pulling out one of her rolls of paper.
(8:39:04 PM) Feldi: "Humans are light to Jak." Jak says, reassuring Eliza there's no real effort to it. "Here-" He scoops her up, holding her by her legs and back.  A bridal carry, in some places and languages.
(8:39:38 PM) ***Aurora smirks at that a bit. "Now that's adorable."
(8:39:40 PM) Feldi: He doesn't look to be struggling at all!
(8:40:09 PM) ***Viola_Gray doesn't resist. She might like it more than she should.
(8:40:35 PM) Feldi: Jak gives her a smile, then turns to Aurora. "Jak not described that way before."
(8:41:51 PM) Aurora: "Someone not adorable in form can be adorable in acts," she says sagely.
(8:42:04 PM) Aurora: "And that?" She says, lighting a match and lighting her lichen-cig. "That's adorable."
(8:44:13 PM) Feldi: Jak nods, taking in this wisdom.
(8:44:22 PM) Feldi: "Shall we all?"
(8:44:36 PM) Feldi: "Jacek could take Jak's armor?"
(8:49:51 PM) Aurora: "Sounds like a plan. I can definitely eat."
(8:51:16 PM) Viola_Gray: "I wouldn't mind some food," Eliza says, quietly.
(8:53:59 PM) Feldi: "Then we will all eat together, as friends, yes?" Jak adjusts Eliza in his arms and leads the way to the tavern, for food and conversation...

========

(10:05:35 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani has taken a break from her reading, heading outside in the mid-afternoon air with her heavy falchion by her side. Her eyes are closed as she focuses on the world about her, ears twitching slightly.
(10:07:31 PM) Jak_Brightstep: The noise of Jak approaching is easy enough for the Shifter to pick up, heavy hooves on dry ground.
(10:08:13 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani turns, not opening her eyes. She traces a small line on the ground as she moves one leg.
(10:09:28 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Sepideh can catch the comment Jak sees her by the pause in his step.  He plods towards her, coming to a standstill a few feet away.
(10:10:53 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani opens her eyes. "Good afternoon." She smiles up at the minotaur.
(10:13:33 PM) ***Jak_Brightstep lowers himself to his haunches, resting his hands on his knees. "Good afternoon." He tilts his head to the side, exposing his neck to her, the smile of a minotaur and a sign of trust, according to Sepideh's books on the subject.
(10:17:15 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani mirrors the action. "How are you?"
(10:19:36 PM) Jak_Brightstep: The minotaur huffs, a surprised laugh.  "Jak no work this afternoon. Though he'd see how others are."
(10:19:38 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Thought*
(10:20:27 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "Just practicing. Dealing with Jacek too long was unbalancing."
(10:21:56 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Practicing?"
(10:23:19 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "My sword forms." She doesn't have her blade drawn right now.
(10:25:32 PM) Jak_Brightstep: His eyes go to the blade resting on the ground next to her. "Sepideh has interesting way to practice."
(10:27:50 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smiles. "A battle is won in the mind before it is fought in the flesh. It is why the immortals are such, they opponent has lost before any blows are struck."
(10:30:19 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods in return, though something in his bovine expression suggests he might not quite get it.
(10:31:19 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani shrugs. "And it is not like I am unarmed even without my blade." She reaches over, picking it up.
(10:33:03 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Trained with fists?"
(10:33:37 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "I wouldn't claim to be a master but I'm decent, yes."
(10:35:14 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "It is good to know how to fight without weapon," Jak compliments. He regards her for a long moment.
(10:40:06 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Thank you. A copper piece for your thoughts?"
(10:41:19 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak was wondering why Sepideh is in Montijo.  Jak knows why all the others are here, but not Sepideh."
(10:41:46 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani chuckles. "I'm hoping to prove myself and make a name."
(10:44:31 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jacek said similar....who is Sepideh proving self too? If Sepideh does not mind answering."
(10:46:41 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "The Immortals. Have you heard of them? Jacek somehow did not."
(10:47:49 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Pirhajat soldiers, yes? Jak read book about Pirhajat while learning Common."
(10:49:14 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "The most elite of the royal guard. A legion of heroes."
(10:51:09 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods. "Sepideh trying to become known as great adventurer so she can join Immortals....why Sepideh in Montijo?"
(10:51:26 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Very quiet place."
(10:52:22 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Local ruins. My family has a trade in history."
(10:53:38 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Ruins to Goblins' God? Has Sepideh visited already?"
(10:54:38 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani shakes her head. "Not yet. I intend to, however."
(10:56:10 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Want companions? Jak think others would be glad to help Sepideh.  Jacek would like to kill more Goblins, Jak thinks too."
(10:58:14 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "If needed." She nods. "The fighting I mean. Company would be very much appreciated, I doubt I could take on  groups of goblins without anyone watching my back."
(11:00:49 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak happy to watch Sepideh's back." He smiles at her. "Two minds can win battle better in mind and flesh. Sepideh agree?"
(11:02:39 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "Of course. Only a fool would charge in alone."
(11:04:18 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak thinks for a moment. "Jak might talk to Jacek about charging in alone."  The Hussar had left them all behind to get stabbed by several goblins...
(11:04:36 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "That is a good example, yes." She smiles
(11:05:53 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak huffs out a laugh. "Jak will watch Jacek's back too.  Might be all Jak can see as Jacek charges." The minotaur grins.
(11:07:27 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani laughs in responce.
(11:09:19 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak waits till Sepideh finishes laughing to talk again. "Jak will leave Sepideh to practice.  Jak will talk to others about ruins and to meet in tavern later, if Sepideh wants?"
(11:09:59 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods "That would be lovely, thank you."
(11:11:41 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He nods at her, and gets to his feet, casting a long shadow once more. "Jak free for afternoon.  May as well help friends." He smiles at her once more and turns to leave.
(11:12:41 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani waves. "Thank you." She takes a breath and returns to her forms, this time with a blade in hand.

========

(6:21:10 PM) SpaceThor: The outside of town is mostly populated by orchards, in full bloom as summer enters its full swing. People toil in the fields to pick apples and pears, none having the time or inclination to give you more than a passing glance.
(6:22:51 PM) Nemi: Which suits Fiona just fine. While clean, relatively speaking, she was still trailworn and not terribly inclined to have any runins with anyone. Her pack weighed heavy on her back and despite her previously seemingly-boundless endurance the heat was starting to get to her. Pale, redheaded Witneyan and hot sun don't mix- she was happier in the deep woods. "Ugh, granddad, it /sucks/ here.."
(6:23:39 PM) SpaceThor: "Humidity builds character. We're not far now, I wonder if this shithole has a new bar yet."
(6:24:26 PM) Feld is now known as Jak_Brightstep
(6:24:59 PM) Nemi: "Humidity builds boob-sweat, granddad. I feel /disgusting/." Fiona hmphs and scurries onward, cloak thrown loosely over her head to act as a sun-shield. At least stray apples and pears are easily nabbed off trees in passing, giving her something to munch on the way.
(6:26:41 PM) SpaceThor: "There's also a lake nearby. A shitty, miserable little lake, but it keeps Krzymosze on the other side."
(6:28:20 PM) Nemi: "I think being any more wet is the last thing I want on a day like this. Bleghk. Let me guess, they dump all their sewage in it?"
(6:28:48 PM) SpaceThor: "Probably."
(6:29:16 PM) SpaceThor: The town stands ahead. It's not real big, but a few buildings stand above the others. One is clearly a temple of Bahamut.
(6:29:22 PM) SpaceThor: The other sort of looks like a bar.
(6:29:35 PM) SpaceThor: Granddad grunts. "Temple's new, I hope there aren't any paladins hanging around."
(6:30:29 PM) Nemi: "Why would there be.. I thought paladins were more of a, you know, eastern thing? Ugh, that'll be inconvenient.." Fiona hurries ever onward, munching the stolen apple she'd fetched down to the core and dropping that down on the roadside for the birds.
(6:31:11 PM) SpaceThor: "Where do you think we are, fool girl? Pirhajat is as far east as anyone goes."
(6:35:50 PM) Nemi: "I thought we were just in the borderlaaaands... Ugh! Fine!" Fiona hurrumphs melodramatically on her way onward.
(6:36:06 PM) SpaceThor: "You'll get wrinkles if you keep that up."
(6:36:35 PM) Nemi: "I'm going for the bar, first, I think. I want some /booze/.. ugh, granddad, since when did you care about my wrinkles or lack thereof?"
(6:36:38 PM) SpaceThor: Now that you're in the town, there's really not much to it. The temple is there, definitely Bahamut, and there's an inn called The Crossed Spears nearby.
(6:37:47 PM) Nemi: Disappointing, but civilization. She edges around the temple and slinks toward the doors of the Crossed Spears.
(6:39:23 PM) SpaceThor: The doors open, and there are some patrons there at a nearby table. Behind the counter is a dwarf woman polishing a piece of armor.
(6:41:15 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak, a Minotaur wearing well-worn hide armor and a leather skirt, is in the middle of telling the others about Sepideh's wish to visit the ruins, to stay safe under threat of Goblins.
(6:41:22 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is sitting at one of the tables, drinking a cup of hot tea and smiling quietly, listening to her friends. She's a young-looking half-elf in light grey robes, with a pendant of a stylized dragon and a simple staff.
(6:42:17 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He turns to look toward the door as Fiona steps inside, the bead necklaces on his neck clicking against each other.
(6:43:28 PM) Earthflame: A man sits across from the minotaur, nodding as he listens. His features are a little rough, his eyes bright blue, framed between dark hair gone a little shaggy, a full beard and an enormously extravagant moustache. He wears finely made noblemans garments, its styling very military inspired, a very Krzymoszan affectation, and dyed bright red- An expensive colour indeed. Although they fit him
(6:43:29 PM) Earthflame: well, he doesn't exactly have the right shape for them, broad across the shoulders and muscular, although not too tall.
(6:43:51 PM) SpaceThor: "Hey, challenge the big one. He looks like a good fight."
(6:47:12 PM) Nemi: "I want a drink first, granddad," Fiona grumbles as she totters on inside and over to the bar. She's a tall, willowy young woman with terribly pale skin and sunken eyes that gleam green in the shadow of the impromptu hood thrown over her head. She's a little red in the face, very sweaty and generally tired-looking, likely not helped by the well-laden pack on her back. "I know you're gonna say
(6:47:12 PM) Nemi: something about the time you marched for four days straight without rest and then fought a battle but I'm not quite your level yet." There's a floating skull beside her that she's talking with. That's new.
(6:48:25 PM) Earthflame: The man just blinks in confusion, unsure what to make of the new arrival.
(6:48:45 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart looks at the skull and cautiously touches her holy symbol. This is a delicate situation.
(6:49:15 PM) SpaceThor: "It was two battles."
(6:49:28 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart stands up and walks towards them. "E-excuse me, miss."
(6:49:55 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak's nostrils flare and then his muzzle rankles as he takes in Fiona's 'well-traveled' scent. "Did skull want to fight Jak?" He quietly asks Jacek.
(6:50:47 PM) Earthflame: ...Oh, you can see it too?" He seems to relax a bit. "I was wondering if the beer had gone funny. And... Maybe?"
(6:50:59 PM) SpaceThor: Granddad floats along with her as she walks to the bar and turns. "Oh lady save me, is that Dwali?"
(6:51:12 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf looks up. "Now that voice sounds familiar."
(6:51:20 PM) Nemi: "Right, the one where .." She peers blearily at the bartender as she plops down on a stool. ".. hello. Beer me, kindly." She starts doffing some of her traveling clothes, backpack finding a place down at her side and cloak and coat rolled up to be left atop that. Her arms are bared as her undershirt's thus revealed and- she is surprisingly muscular for her build. She pivots up at Eliza, staring
(6:51:20 PM) Nemi: blearily through green eyes. Without her hood, her hair's a fire-red, slightly wavy and tied into a ponytail.
(6:52:15 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "...skull and Dwali know each other." Jak continues commenting to Jacek.
(6:52:44 PM) SpaceThor: She pours a beer, while the skull stares. "Man, it has to have been almost eighty years. It's Eddie, the swordsman." Dwali laughs. "Oh, the one with the two swords. I remember you, Eddie. You lose weight?"
(6:52:57 PM) Earthflame: "...So it seems?"
(6:53:48 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Ma'am, I need to ask you to stay calm. I think you have been possessed by a possibly-malevolent spirit."
(6:53:58 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "If we all stay calm, I can get some holy water and take care of this."
(6:53:59 PM) Nemi: The thought of her Granddad having a nickname shocked Fiona as much as the nickname itself. ".. thaaank you." Still looking up at Eliza, Fiona reached into a belt pouch to fetch a few battered silver coins. Better they're serving her than their previous owners. Despite well overpaying for a single beer, she didn't care. And she stares.
(6:53:59 PM) SpaceThor: "Eh, you could say that. Went back home and raised a family who turned out to be a lot of idiots."
(6:54:01 PM) Nemi: "What."
(6:54:37 PM) Nemi: "That's my granddad. He's not malevolent, I'm not possessed, everything's fine, and I'll agree that dad makes terrible decisions but I don't think he's an /idiot/."
(6:55:11 PM) SpaceThor: "I'm not sure how else to describe losing all the lands my grandfather built when he was alive."
(6:55:17 PM) ***Jak_Brightstep exchanges a look with Jacek.
(6:55:39 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart whispers to Jak. "You might need to hold her down while I do the exorcism."
(6:55:59 PM) Earthflame: "Wait..." Jacek frowns. "Are you from... What's it called, that funny little island..."
(6:56:18 PM) Nemi: Fiona groans and takes a loooong drink of the beer. ".. okay, good point, but the Earl of Bannon's at least partly to blame for it. What with the, you know, /completely pointless idiotic war/ with the neighbor who /completely demolished him/.." She peers to Jacek. "Heeey, fancy-man. Nice coat. Yes, I'm from Witney. Yes, this is normal."
(6:56:57 PM) SpaceThor: "So, D, how are you doing these days? Still not allowed back in the hold?" Dwali scoffs. "Those idiots can go fuck rocks for all I care. I got good business up here, so good sometimes their merchants show up to get drinks."
(6:57:12 PM) Earthflame: He gives her a long look. "...Are you dead too?"
(6:57:22 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart gets a small vial out of her robes and sprinkles it at the girl.
(6:57:33 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak does not know if that good idea," Jak replies to Eliza. "...oh."
(6:57:53 PM) Nemi: "No, I'm just-" Fiona stares at Eliza. ".. I feel better. Thanks." It mingles with the sweat clinging to her face.
(6:58:23 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak don't think woman is dead."
(6:58:40 PM) SpaceThor: "You look good though D, if I were twenty years younger and also alive, I'd be all over you."
(6:58:53 PM) Earthflame: "...Ah! That's good. I'd heard some people say everyone on that island was dead, they just acted like they weren't, but I was never sure."
(6:58:53 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart frowns and tries it on the skull.
(6:59:09 PM) SpaceThor: "Hey, knock that off. I'm trying to reconnect with an old flame."
(6:59:29 PM) SpaceThor: "Goddamn kids these days. First you destroy the guilds by not buying traditional crafts, now this."
(6:59:59 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "...skull is not dead too?" Jak says, obviously confused, looking at Eliza.
(7:00:30 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I think my magic just isn't strong enough..."
(7:00:35 PM) Nemi: "Granddad," Fiona groans as she wipes at her brow and drinks the OTHER half of her beer. "Weren't you part of that revolutionary group that was trying to /destroy/ the guilds for the stranglehold they had on trade down in the capital?"
(7:01:09 PM) ***Jak_Brightstep puts a reassuring hand on Eliza's shoulder.
(7:02:21 PM) SpaceThor: "Yeah, but we were forthright about it!"
(7:02:37 PM) Earthflame: "So, ah... I am Jacek, and these are my companions, Eliza and Jak." The man gestures to each in turn. "And, you are...?"
(7:03:14 PM) SpaceThor: "Anyway, go hang out with the other young ones, I'm gonna see if I still have my silver tongue, or if your dad sold it."
(7:04:04 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "...is skull trying to...?" Jak narrows his eye at the scene.
(7:04:15 PM) Nemi: Fiona has the look on her face of someone who's nodding along but will almost certainly not remember those names after five minutes. "Fiona Delaine. Nice to meet you. And- ugh, sure.." Fiona scootches her stool over toward Eliza a little more. An arming sword sits in a scabbard at her hip, along with a brace of long daggers.
(7:04:46 PM) Earthflame: "So, you're... Travelling? Witney is a long way, isn't it?"
(7:05:39 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "It's at least a week's travel from here."
(7:06:45 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak drops his hand from Eliza's shoulder.
(7:09:01 PM) Nemi: "Traaaveling, sure." Fiona looks up at Jak, lip quirked. "Trying to get stronger, better, see the world, that kind of thing. Also, uh.." She's clearly not seen a minotaur before. ".. Granddad probably wants me to fight you."
(7:10:13 PM) You are now known as Tanoran
(7:10:25 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak could spar Fiona? If she wants?"
(7:13:07 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak looks down at her.
(7:13:20 PM) Nemi: "Sure! I'd be up for that! It'd be a good way to see if I'm, uh, up to snuff, I guess." She grins the grin of someone who's too tired to have fear of something twice her size.
(7:13:54 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Maybe after Fiona eaten...and bathed...and slept?"
(7:14:21 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He tilts his head in a way the others recognize as his smile.
(7:15:54 PM) Tanoran: There's the sound of the inn's door opening again, followed by a solid *thud,* then "Oh, sorry, sorry!" Another female-shaped figure of medium height slips inside, and the source of the thud was evident as she watches the entrance door swing shut again; she'd apparently bonked the head of a large war scythe against the lintel on the way inside. From the back, there's the impression of an off-white blouse, brown pants belted twice and tucked into black boots, and a wide-brimmed hat.
(7:15:54 PM) Tanoran: There's also a thick amount of loose-worn white hair falling to her shoulderblades. She turns around then and the rest of her features become apparent: the narrow, elegant, high-cheekboned features of an elf, with the skin tone of a drow.
(7:15:54 PM) Tanoran: "Hi guys," she calls, high-pitched voice sweet. "I was out catching shade under a tree--better than sails, they are!--but it still got too hot so I came back, and why is there a skull floating in midair?"
(7:16:28 PM) SpaceThor: "Why is everyone so uncultured, it's almost-oh huh, they let Drow just walk around nowadays?"
(7:16:42 PM) SpaceThor: The skull turns around to look at Tanoran.
(7:16:50 PM) SpaceThor: Dwali adjusts her top.
(7:17:18 PM) Tanoran: "Aaaaaand it talks too." She looks suddenly unsure. "Guuuuuuys? Why's the floating skull talk?"
(7:18:07 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "New friend Fiona's family." He gestures to the newcomer.
(7:18:14 PM) SpaceThor: "I mean, nothing against Drow, but your kind attacked the surface a lot in my day. Still prefer them to other elves, at least it's a better than 50/50 to figure out if they're a girl or boy."
(7:18:35 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "This Tanoran," Jak makes introductions.
(7:19:33 PM) Tanoran: "...Yeah. Tanoran Vellorexion." She takes off her hat and sketches a bow. "Um. Well, my grandparents came to the surface, uh...two hundred and forty...one? No, two, now, years ago. So..."
(7:19:58 PM) Nemi: ".. next. After I eat. Bathe. Sleep." Fiona nods- and slooowly looks over at the drow. A drow. She stares.
(7:20:26 PM) ***Tanoran fidgets uncomfortably after several awkward, silent seconds.
(7:20:37 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak looks between the two of them, wondering if anything will happen.
(7:20:54 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He'll step in if violence starts.
(7:21:12 PM) SpaceThor: "Easy way was to see if they shouted about sacrificing you to Lolth when they saw you. If they did, usually a girl elf. Not a perfect system though." The skull sighs. "I still kinda miss Rothilion."
(7:21:42 PM) Nemi: ".. huh. Well. Hi. You seem, uh. Well. I don't see any spider symbols or straps, whips and leather, so you're probably cool." Fiona raises a hand to wave.
(7:21:49 PM) Tanoran: "...But I don't even /like/ Lolth..."
(7:22:43 PM) Tanoran: "Dad used the whip, but he was also a galley master, so..."
(7:22:52 PM) Tanoran: "It made sense?"
(7:23:02 PM) Tanoran: "And spiders are creepy."
(7:23:16 PM) Nemi: Fiona looks over at the floating skull. "I think she's good, Granddad."
(7:23:18 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods in agreement to that.
(7:23:40 PM) Tanoran: "They're less bad than termites, though. Can't *stand* those things."
(7:24:24 PM) SpaceThor: "Eh, whatever, worst case you fight her too." He turns back to Dwali. "So, what do I have to do to get a little peek?"
(7:25:28 PM) Tanoran: She blinks. "Peek?" She sidles over Jak's way. "What's he talking about?"
(7:25:52 PM) Nemi: "Yeah, guess that'd be the worst. Granddad, gonna get something to eat and drink and maybe sleep a bit before the minotaur and I face off. If I can beat him then I'm gonna feel pretty good."
(7:25:58 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Skull trying to flirt with Dwali." He catches her up to speed.
(7:27:22 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "And see dwarf udders...breasts?" He looks to Eliza for any correction.
(7:27:54 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Breasts."
(7:28:12 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods, turning back to Tanoran.
(7:28:16 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Breasts."
(7:31:16 PM) Nemi: Fiona blankfaces. Boobtalk.
(7:33:21 PM) Tanoran: "Well...that's not something I'd expect to see every day..."
(7:34:21 PM) Earthflame: "So, ah... Where are you headed?" Jacek attempts polite conversation.
(7:34:22 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak huffs, a laugh, and nods.
(7:35:34 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He turns back to Fiona at Jacek's question, curious to the answer.
(7:41:03 PM) Feldi|Away left the room (quit: Ping timeout).
(7:41:04 PM) Nemi: "Right now? Here in the borderlands. I'm aiming to meet new people, see exciting new places, and also beat up a lot of the people I'm meeting." Nod nod.
(7:41:52 PM) Earthflame: Jacek blinks a couple of times, and then smiles. "...Well! Would you like some company? For a time, at least?"
(7:42:22 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to travel with a necrobubba."
(7:42:26 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "All of us and others planning to travel together."
(7:42:33 PM) Tanoran: "A necrowhowhat?"
(7:42:41 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart points to the skull.
(7:42:45 PM) Tanoran: "Oh."
(7:42:58 PM) Nemi: "I wouldn't mind company. What're you all doing, where're you headed? And- necrowhat? Excuse me? That's my /grandfather/."
(7:43:36 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "....bubba?" Jak repeats to himself.
(7:43:44 PM) Earthflame: "Now now, I'm sure we can't be so judgemental of foreign cultures... At least, that's what one of my tutors told me. And I'm sure they were smarter than I am!" He pauses. "...Then again, my history tutor kept teaching me about times we'd killed people where strange foreign cultures was part of the reason. Hmm..."
(7:44:27 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Often human reason."
(7:44:28 PM) Nemi: Fiona's face is a bit less red and she seems to be relaxing, at last. She's /darn/ pale, lightly freckled, and has stretched out languidly about her stool.
(7:45:15 PM) Earthflame: "And my cousin is to be wed! I was assigned as her escort, and after clearing out a camp full of goblins, we thought it a fine idea to travel together. Safety in numbers, camaraderie, all of that."
(7:45:26 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Raising the dead is strictly against the rules."
(7:45:42 PM) Earthflame: "Well, is he actually raised?"
(7:46:15 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Not much raised, if so."
(7:46:44 PM) Nemi: "You're totally oppressing my cultural heritage." Fiona deadpans as she slowly flops out over the counter. "Besides, he was hanging around as a ghost loooong before he was in his skull."
(7:47:02 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Does he need help going into the light?"
(7:47:49 PM) Nemi: "Nnno? He's quite happy hanging around here."
(7:47:56 PM) Earthflame: "...Oh, I know this one! Spirits of ancestors following their kin to help guide them, right? I saw a play about it once!"
(7:48:33 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Hmm..."
(7:48:36 PM) Nemi: "Exactly!"
(7:48:54 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I guess. But I'll be really upset if you start raising an undead army."
(7:50:45 PM) Nemi: The battered, pale, kind of willowy-muscular young woman on the stool just stares. ".. why would I do that? The whole point is to honour your ancestors, to let them guide you and pass on what they know, not to just.. raise a corpse to do your bidding. That's just messed up."
(7:51:29 PM) SpaceThor: Granddad floats over. "Also if she had enough talent to raise a corpse I wouldn't be stuck floating along in my skull."
(7:51:57 PM) Nemi: "That was your idea!" Fiona pouts, crossing her arms across her chest. "You wanted to be solid again!"
(7:52:06 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods at the skull in greeting."
(7:53:14 PM) SpaceThor: "I wanted to be solid again AND you were the only one I could convince that my son was an idiot."
(7:54:59 PM) Nemi: "And I /suck/ at necromancy." Fiona pouts more, somehow.
(7:55:37 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "That's because there's nothing romantic about necromancy."
(7:55:44 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I have a pamphlet on it."
(7:56:03 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak found it fun and informative."
(7:56:26 PM) ***Jak_Brightstep is good at supporting his friends.
(7:59:53 PM) Nemi: "There's plenty romantic about neck romancing, though." Fiona stares at Eliza through half-lidded eyes, now grinning toothily.
(8:01:46 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart gasps. "Are you a vampire?"
(8:02:52 PM) Nemi: "No, that arsehole Barrett was, though. Bit my neck and didn't even write back." She pouts, then rises to pick up her stuff. "I need a bath and a room. I'll talk to you all soon, yeah? Let me know if we're moving on."
(8:03:25 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak will." He assures her. "Have good sleep."
(8:03:53 PM) Earthflame: Jacek looks confused, but nods. "Ah, rest well!"
(8:04:15 PM) Nemi: Fiona flashes a grin and totters off to talk to Dwali. She'd soon retire to get some rest- stupid summer heat..
(8:05:06 PM) SpaceThor: The skull goes with her.
(8:05:17 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Group getting to good size," Jak comments to Jacek and Eliza.
(8:05:25 PM) Earthflame: "indeed!"
(8:06:44 PM) Jak_Brightstep is now known as FeldiPhone
(8:07:31 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "...Wait, was the neck thing an innuendo? Was she flirting?" She starts turning red, flustered.
(8:08:12 PM) FeldiPhone: "Jak wrong Minotaur to ask. Jacek?"
(8:10:23 PM) Earthflame: "...I'm not sure?"
(8:10:44 PM) FeldiPhone: Jak shrugs.
(8:11:03 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I can't ask her! Aurora would know. I can just-" she turns around, takes a step and stops. "Oh no. If I tell her she'll make it even worse!"
(8:13:09 PM) Earthflame: Jacek chuckles, patting Eliza on the shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be alright."
(8:13:58 PM) ***Tanoran whistles quietly as Fiona and the skull depart. "Well. That was a trip." A beat. "I guess that's what it's like when people meet me, huh?"
(8:14:24 PM) FeldiPhone: "Is it?"
(8:25:28 PM) FeldiPhone: Jak looks at her quizzically.

========

(8:05:33 PM) SpaceThor: It's been a few days since your last adventure, and the addition of a new girl to the group probably. The inn is warm, despite the summer breeze rolling through the windows as you plan your next move.
(8:07:01 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora's been keeping busy! She's not exactly got any plans herself, but it's been a nice couple of days to lounge around, chat with others, and keep her gear intact.
(8:07:48 PM) Feldi: Jak is sat on the sturdiest stool in the bar.  It has to be to hold his weight.  He's half-dozing in the wake of the hot summer day.
(8:09:15 PM) Nemi: Despite the heat and sun, Fiona's been up at dawn and spending near all day training in the yard. Her combination of long arming sword and dagger seems more a duelist's style than a soldier's- but her moves are quick and practiced. When not doing sword-practice, she's doing pushups, situps, running about town, and pullups off doorframes near constantly. She is appropriately ludicrously fit.
(8:09:30 PM) LawfulPhone: Eliza has been spending most of her time at the temple. She's been praying an awful lot for temperance and strength of will.
(8:09:36 PM) SpaceThor: The skull barking orders into her ear probably helps.
(8:10:33 PM) Nemi: Most likely. Either way, the end result is that she is working her arse off in the summer heat, not wearing terribly much, and sweat is thus glistening on her amazing abs.
(8:10:40 PM) Feldi: Jak has been busy himself: helping the farmers out in the fields and sparring with the local soldiers in preparation for the bugbear migration.
(8:10:45 PM) ***Jacek had been doing excercises with her up until recently, currently bare chested to cool off as he sits inside, sipping a cold (or at least, slightly cool) glass of water.
(8:11:22 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf always gives you a weird look when you order water.
(8:12:23 PM) Jacek: In contrast to Fiona's more delicate style, Jacek's is more solid and practical. While not without finesse, a great deal of it seems to simply be a matter of setting your feet and stabbing very hard in a particular direction.
(8:12:53 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani is, in contrast to both of them, reading. It's hot out there.
(8:13:03 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora hasn't had much to do with the new girl yet; she's been MORE than happy to watch all the training going on, though, lazing about nearby. Not that she hasn't done some training of her own, but her skills are rather less physical--and after the first time her gun spooked a horse, well.
(8:13:13 PM) Tanoran: Meanwhile, Tanoran has spent her time writing. It's hard to say what about, given she keeps her little book close to her at all times, but the busy quill and inkwell are never far from hand, even when sitting under a tree and gazing contemplatively at the clouds--what few of them there are.
(8:13:56 PM) SpaceThor: Everything is pretty calm today, which means if you want to do something as a group, you'll have to make your own work.
(8:15:27 PM) Nemi: Fiona has no lack of force- it's just that it's tempered with technique. She's /ludicrously/ quick with that arming sword, scything heads off training dummies and following up with a thrust through the torso from the dagger. In short trousers and with her chest wrapped up in bandages, and a tan having come quickly to her fair skin, the redheaded Witneyan's quite the sight. "So!" she calls off
(8:15:27 PM) Nemi: to the nearby Aurora. "What do you lot all do?"
(8:15:49 PM) Nemi: She's got the received pronunciation of someone with some measure of education, despite her well-honed and almost punk look.
(8:16:24 PM) ID_chrome: "Adventure!" The fox-eared shifter says. "Last I heard, Sepideh might have an idea, so I figure once we're done waiting she'll lead us to something decent."
(8:18:26 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "I am curious about the local ruins and why goblins have recently invaded them."
(8:18:50 PM) Feldi: "Ruins to their god," Jak reminds the group.
(8:19:02 PM) Nemi: "Not that I'm complaining about plenty food, drink, and time to train, but it's pretty dull around here- yeah?" Fiona rests her sword over a shoulder as she nods to the two, brows arched. "Goblins, huh? Not much worth killing, but might be something in there.."
(8:19:45 PM) ID_chrome: "Hey, easy work means easy pay," Aurora notes. "And, in my limited experience so far, probably leads to harder work and better pay down the road."
(8:19:58 PM) Jacek: "Well, while we're here..." Jacek shrugs a little, resting in the shadow of the inn.
(8:20:18 PM) Feldi: "Makes town safer if goblins gone."
(8:21:13 PM) Nemi: "Better training than dummies, anyway. I'm in."
(8:22:20 PM) Tanoran: "What's behind the ruins anyway?" Tanoran asks, perking up. The book claps shut in her hand and she starts putting her paraphernalia away. "Like, what's the story?"
(8:22:35 PM) Nemi: She swings her sword out to one side, twirls it, and slides it into its scabbard. Her dagger soon joins it in a side scabbard. Both are heavier-looking than their usual- despite having a strong point, there's a diamond cross-section that would impart greater strength- and weight- to the blades, balanced out by a solid brass acorn pommel. Good for slashing and chopping, nevermind thrusting.
(8:23:52 PM) Feldi: Jak turns to Tanoran.  "What does Tanoran mean? Ruins of temple to Goblin's god, holy site for them."
(8:24:07 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora's only weapon of note is a short sword at her hip--and, known to the others, but perhaps not as well to Fiona, the wood-ended tube of her Arquebus, slung across her back. Her light leathers don't slow her down at all; she wears them day to day.
(8:25:22 PM) Nemi: The ludicrously fit, abs-tastic and insufficiently dressed Fiona stretches a bit before slinging her sword-belt over her shoulder. "Granddad wants me to kill a war elephant before we're out of here- I think training /up/ to it wouldn't hurt. Maybe there'll be some bugbears or something else big in the temple, too.."
(8:26:59 PM) Jacek: "If you want to kill something large, start with the legs. That's what I was taught, at least."
(8:27:03 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani raises an eyebrow at Fiona.
(8:27:36 PM) Tanoran: "Well, there's that. But did they build it? Was it here before them, and they corrupted it for their fell purpose? Maybe it originally was for the ancient races." She gets to her feet and retrieves her scythe.
(8:27:58 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora's eyes wander over Fiona for a bit, then she chuckles. "Seems like the best way to find out," she notes to Tanoran, "Is is to go."
(8:28:11 PM) Jacek: "...Do those things actually matter?"
(8:28:31 PM) Feldi: Jak shrugs, not knowing the answer. "To some people," he says to Jacek.
(8:29:29 PM) Feldi: Jak doesn't have his weapons or armor on, leaving him only in his skirt made of burlap.
(8:30:33 PM) Nemi: "It's all a test, you know. That's life- you want to become the best you can be, whatever it is you're doing, so you can go where you want and not need to answer to anyone."
(8:31:20 PM) Nemi: "Anyway," Fiona stretches again and runs a hand up through her long bold red hair. "I'm gonna get a drink, get a bath, and get changed. Let me know when it's time to head out, yeah?"
(8:31:22 PM) Jacek: "There's nothing diminishing about a higher calling. I serve my liege lord and my king, after all, even if they are not calling upon me at this very moment."
(8:32:23 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods to Fiona. "By the way, it is a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Sepideh."
(8:32:48 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter shrugs at Fiona. "Oh, right, I never introduced myself, sorry. Aurora."
(8:33:24 PM) Feldi: "Jak will go prepare himself too." He nods at the others in the party and then exits the tavern.
(8:33:58 PM) Nemi: "Nice meeting you both. Fiona Delaine." Fiona winks as she slinks off indoors.
(8:34:49 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani raises an eyebrow as she heads off.
(8:35:17 PM) Jacek: "Sila and I will be ready!" He heads off to tend to his horse.
(8:35:39 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora smirks. "A challenger appears," she mutters, already prepared. She goes to see if she can't find directions, asking around.
(8:36:05 PM) SpaceThor: Some asking gets you pointed to an alley on the edge of town where an old, bearded goblin sits on a mat.
(8:36:13 PM) SpaceThor: "Ah, what brings you here, my lady?"
(8:38:59 PM) ID_chrome: She peers at the goblin. "Ah, well, directions," she says. "A friend of mine's something of a scholar of history, she's looking for, uh. Local ruins, to the god of goblins."
(8:39:39 PM) SpaceThor: "Do you speak of Maglubiyet, or Bane?"
(8:42:44 PM) ID_chrome: "She didn't say which one, and I'm not, uh, much of a scholar myself, so let's go with both?"
(8:44:05 PM) SpaceThor: "There are no temples to Maglubiyet in these parts. It's rare to find one at all, though I know of one in the mountains of Krzymosze. There is a temple of Bane nearby. This friend of yours, is she a devout of Pelor or Bahamut?"
(8:44:31 PM) ID_chrome: "I'm pretty sure she's mentioned Pelor a few times," she says.
(8:44:54 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora said no such thing!
(8:46:04 PM) ID_chrome: "Probably not," she says smoothly. "Never mentioned it if she was, and I've never known someone devout to one of those gods to be quiet about it."
(8:46:49 PM) SpaceThor: "Hm. Well, I don't have a map, but look for a keep where the grass was burned away long ago. It lies south of here. It has been converted into a place for those devout to Bane may worship."
(8:48:02 PM) ID_chrome: She nods. "South, keep where the grass was burned, place for devouted of Bane. Thank you much!"
(8:48:08 PM) SpaceThor: "Anytime."
(8:50:16 PM) Nemi: Fiona has herself a cold bath, puts on actual normal clothes, and has a bit to eat in the meantime!
(8:50:51 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart continues to pray for temperance and power to resist temptation.
(8:51:11 PM) Nemi: Can she resist Fiona's abs?
(8:52:02 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: NO
(8:52:06 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: That's why she needs the prayers
(8:52:13 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani has fetched her blade and traveling clothes in turn. Said blade is a heavy falchion, clearly showing where Sepideh gets her muscles.
(8:52:43 PM) ***Jacek is properly dressed as well, horse and rider in heavy armour of the Hussars
(8:52:48 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: Over the last few days she keeps hearing people training, she goes out to greet them, then she sees glistening abs or a broad chest or a nice butt and she needs to excuse herself.
(8:53:30 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora wanders back to the group, information in tow; she's lit one of her lichen cigarettes, smoking the pungent, heady thing happily.
(8:53:56 PM) Nemi: When Fiona returns, it's in her traveling clothes- cut down somewhat with the weather. Heavy pack and sword-belt over a loose linen cloak to catch the breeze and ward off the sun- she doesn't seem one for heavy armour at all. And it's also with a freshly-filled waterskin and a hunk of bread to munch on.
(8:54:02 PM) ID_chrome: "Found something out!" She says once she gets to them, waving. "Down south of town, there's a keep where the grass was burned away. That'll be what we're looking for."
(8:55:06 PM) Feldi: Jak returns in hide armor, straps buckled and tightened, his heavy leather skirt and carries his converted cart bottom shield and heavy warhammer, both well-worn and scarred.
(8:55:17 PM) Nemi: "Oh, yeah, foxy? Keen. You're cunning as one, that's for certain." Fiona gives a big cheery grin from behind the loose cowl warding the sun away from her face.
(8:55:45 PM) SpaceThor: "Puns are a lower form of humor. I'll not have you sully my name by making them." Oh, granddad is awake.
(8:56:00 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani raises an eyebrow at the new voice.
(8:56:15 PM) SpaceThor: It's a skull tied to Fiona's backpack right now.
(8:56:31 PM) ID_chrome: She laughs a bit, smirking at Fiona. "I'm more like a fox than you might think~" She says with a toothy grin. "I'm also fond of rolling in leaves and pouncing on things~" She pauses for a moment. "... And that skull just talked.. Neat~"
(8:56:37 PM) ID_chrome: ((*neat!))
(8:57:06 PM) Nemi: "That's my granddad. Granddad, meet Aurora. Isn't she right out of one of those lithographs..?"
(8:57:08 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani flips through one of her books. "Ah, here we go. Patun castle."
(8:58:54 PM) ID_chrome: "Can't say I ever got in any lithographs, but I know a painter used me as a model once," she says. "Paid really well for it, too. Little weird, but I didn't complain."
(8:59:06 PM) Feldi: Jak heads over to Sepideh, casting a curious glance at Aurora and Fiona as he passes by them.
(8:59:19 PM) SpaceThor: "Oh, the ones the wizard had. Sorta like them, I think those had cattier ears though."
(8:59:55 PM) Feldi: "Patun castle?" He looks over the rough map Sepideh has in her book.  "Jak could find that."
(9:00:08 PM) Feldi: "But it would be an overnight trip."
(9:01:20 PM) Nemi: "More cat ears, huh? Wonder where /those/ are from.." Fiona muses. "Not the lithographs, I mean.. Any-way," Fiona peers from her granddad and grins at Aurora from under the shadow of her thin cloak's cowl. Her eyes and hair sure are vivid, standing out especially against the white fabric. Jak gets a wave as he passes by.
(9:02:07 PM) Feldi: Jak waves back at her.
(9:02:34 PM) ID_chrome: She smiles back; her grin is toothy and a little predatory. "They make Shifters in all types," she says. "Wolf, cat, fox... it can be quite a buffet~"
(9:03:31 PM) Tanoran: "Overnight's fine," she tells Jak. "I mean...it took me probably...a month on my own to get down here, so what's a day with a group of people?"
(9:03:58 PM) Nemi: "I could go for one of those- all you can eat." Nod nod. And then Fiona cackles. "I've been on the road- or off- for six, eight moons- I can deal with a day."
(9:04:07 PM) Jacek: "...I'll need to let Jolanta know I'll be away a day or so. But I'm sure it will be fine!"
(9:05:11 PM) Feldi: Jak nods. "Jak will gather supplies from farmers and temple. Rations for the road."
(9:05:52 PM) ID_chrome: "Three months for me, but I'm still finding camping wonderfully novel. The moon and stars overhead, the sound of animals all around, a crackling campfire..." She sighs happily. "It almost makes being away from home worth it. The company might just finish the rest."
(9:06:32 PM) Jacek: "Well, I suppose it's time to see if we can find a cart... Although, ah, any contributions to acquiring one might help."
(9:07:21 PM) Feldi: "Temple has cart for supplies and for body collection.  Jak will ask Eliza if we can borrow."
(9:07:50 PM) Nemi: "What would we need a cart for?" Fiona boggles. A glance back to Aurora- and a grin. "It was novel at first. Then it was just living for me. I'd like to see it be a novelty again."
(9:09:35 PM) SpaceThor: "Every decent adventuring group has a cart. Unless you want to carry the stuff you take from the ruins on your back."
(9:09:46 PM) SpaceThor: Hope you don't hit the motherlode and have to leave stuff behind, in that case."
(9:10:27 PM) Nemi: "Goootcha."
(9:10:45 PM) Feldi: "Skull is right.  Jak will gather supplies and we all meet back in hour, yes?"
(9:10:52 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora smirks at Fiona. "If you ask me, life should be a novelty. Drudgery kills the soul and wastes the mind, I've heard. Sounds good, Jak!"
(9:11:04 PM) Feldi: And so that happens.
(9:11:18 PM) Nemi: Fiona sloooowly offers a thumbs-up to Jak before pivoting back to Aurora. There's a nod. "'s why I like going to new places. Meeting new people, seeing new things.."
(9:11:37 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart comes back with Jack. She's finished her prayers and an ice-cold shower and she's ready to go!
(9:15:55 PM) SpaceThor: The road south is warm as you leave, orchards turning into fields of wheat as you get further and further into town
(9:15:57 PM) SpaceThor: .
(9:16:33 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora sits up on the cart, since it's a good vantage point. She checks her supply of match fuses and has one burning on her arquebus, just in case.
(9:17:18 PM) Feldi: Jak is pulling the cart since there weren't horses to spare, a leather harness around his waist and shoulders as he pulls the cart along.
(9:17:33 PM) Nemi: Fiona, rather than burden the cart any, walks alongside it. She stays near the front, to keep an eye on their flank.
(9:17:38 PM) SpaceThor: The night comes and goes uneventfully. Granddad spends the entire next morning complaining about how in his day, you'd be attacked on the road, attacked in camp, and attacked leaving camp.
(9:18:46 PM) Feldi: "Jak wonders how skull survived to become skull."
(9:18:59 PM) Feldi: "If things so dangerous back then."
(9:19:04 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani walks with the cart, watching the area carefully and taking notes on the trip.
(9:19:06 PM) ID_chrome: "Presumably by being better tahn everyone who tried to attack him, except for the last thing," Aurora quips.
(9:19:28 PM) Feldi: Jak looks over at Nemi and her floating skull. "What did kill Skull?"
(9:19:45 PM) SpaceThor: The trees down here never really get dense, but even still, you see the charring on their sides before you see the ruined walls of Patun castle. However, despite what you thought about the location, it's far from in ruins. There are several people standing out front, four humans and a dwarf. The humans look annoyed as the Dwarf blocks the way into the gate.
(9:19:46 PM) ***Jacek glances up from where he rides, at the head of the column... Apparently curious about the answer.
(9:20:50 PM) Nemi: Fiona perks in some interest. Well, that's different. She glances over to Jak and grins. "I'll let Granddad tell /that/ story."
(9:21:25 PM) SpaceThor: "It's not that interesting. I died in my bed at age 60, when an ogre smashed me through a wall into my own bedroom."
(9:21:49 PM) Feldi: Jak nods. "At least skull died in comfort."
(9:22:02 PM) ***Tanoran clutches her weapon more tightly, and decides to pull the hood of her traveling cloak up and over her head to hide her face a little.
(9:22:45 PM) Feldi: Jak huffs. "Would 'at least skull died in comforter' have been funnier?" He asks Eliza.
(9:22:59 PM) Nemi: Fiona snrks and laughs aloud.
(9:23:06 PM) ID_chrome: She adjusts her grip on her arquebus a bit, peering with sharp eyes. "Huh. Non-goblin bane worshippers, I'd guess?" She murmurs.
(9:23:13 PM) ***Jacek chuckles as well... Looking curiously at the group up ahead.
(9:23:30 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf notices you before too long. "Ho there, passing through? Or come to visit the temple?"
(9:24:13 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart pats Jak's head
(9:24:42 PM) SpaceThor: The leader of the humans, a woman wearing an eyepatch, scoffs. "With any luck they're here to visit. We've been waiting over a week."
(9:25:39 PM) Feldi: Jak smiles at Eliza, before turning back to the group before them.
(9:25:51 PM) Nemi: Fiona eyebrow waggles and looks up to the others- the ones who AREN'T skull-toting weirdos.
(9:26:34 PM) Tanoran: "Waiting for what?" she asks.
(9:26:41 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora glances at the others, then steps forward with a sigh. "Ah, yeah, we're here to visit, look around, see the sights," she says smoothly.
(9:27:04 PM) SpaceThor: "Well, this is the Temple outdoors. If you want to come inside, you have to win the favor of Bane."
(9:27:28 PM) Jacek: "...And that means...?"
(9:28:04 PM) SpaceThor: "You have to fight another group here to devote themselves and win."
(9:28:26 PM) Jacek: "...Oh."
(9:28:27 PM) SpaceThor: "This lady and her cohort have been waiting a week for another group to show up. Normally this time of year we have more goblins coming in, but they seem to be late."
(9:28:29 PM) Nemi: The favour of bane? That doesn't sound good. Fiona glances to the other people- the humans, trying to measure them up. How they're dressed, how they're armed, their general look.
(9:28:31 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "...a little predictable." Sepideh sounds amused.
(9:29:19 PM) ID_chrome: "Heard a scholar once say that if you knew enough, everything in life was predictable," Aurora notes.
(9:29:30 PM) ID_chrome: "Are, uh, we going to, then...?" She quirks an eyebrow and an ear, looking at the others.
(9:30:03 PM) Tanoran: "..."
(9:30:10 PM) ***Tanoran tugs on some of the fur on Jak's arm.
(9:30:14 PM) Nemi: Fiona shrugs. She never backs down from a fight, but she's not so sure she wants to do it for the glory of Bane.
(9:30:36 PM) Feldi: Jak looks down at Tanoran, eyebrows lifted in question.
(9:31:27 PM) Tanoran: "If we have to fight to get in...can't we just team up and fight the dwarf? If he's guarding the place, him and whoever else, then don't you think they're here to devote themselves too?"
(9:31:53 PM) ***Jacek dismounts, patting Sila on the flank as he takes up his long, heavy bladed spear. "You stay out of this, Sila. It wouldn't really be fair otherwise."
(9:32:03 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf laughs. "That's legal too, but you don't get to be a priest of Bane with your own temple by being a slouch!"
(9:32:53 PM) Feldi: "Tanoran have point...but dwarf also have point."
(9:33:02 PM) Nemi: "Seems a bit queer a way to run things if you ask me," Fiona shrugs, then turns to the quartet and their camp. "You four! I'd have your names! I am Fiona of house Delaine!"
(9:33:16 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter quicks and eyebrow at Tanoran. "That's not a bad idea. I mean, it's cutthroat, but, somehow..." She lights the match of her arquebus. "I'm okay with that~"
(9:34:41 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart coughs. "Excuse me. Maybe we should just ask Bane nicely?"
(9:34:57 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I can pray to Bahamut to intervene."
(9:35:16 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf makes a face. "Ah, Bahamut and us don't usually get along."
(9:35:28 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "I am Sepideh Madani."
(9:35:55 PM) Jacek: "Jacek Skorupa!" He gestures with the spear, a ribbon fluttering from near the tip.
(9:36:12 PM) ID_chrome: "Aurora Sharpclaw," she says, since everyone seems to be introducing themselves.
(9:36:14 PM) Feldi: "Jak Brightstep." Jak begins to unharness himself from the cart.
(9:36:53 PM) SpaceThor: The woman responds. "Svitlana of Haivoron." The others respond. "Georgiy." "Boris." "And Andrij."
(9:36:58 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Eliza Silverheart, cleric of Bahamut, walker of the platinum path, slayer of goblins."
(9:37:35 PM) Nemi: Fiona glances back at Eliza, brows up. "Huh. Fancy titles." Back to Svitlana. She nods and steps forward. "Shall we do this, then?"
(9:37:51 PM) SpaceThor: She nods, drawing her greatsword as her men draw spears.
(9:37:58 PM) Feldi: Jak walks up to the cart and pulls out his shield and his hammer.
(9:38:06 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Bahamut says we should always present ourselves with pride and honor."
(9:38:26 PM) Feldi: He squares up, putting himself between the party and Svitlana's group.
(9:38:38 PM) Nemi: Fiona draws her sword and large dagger, both heavy cut-and-thrust instruments. She raps the dagger blade against the sword's- and points to Andrij.
(9:38:55 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart clears her throat and quotes from the scriptures in Draconic. "{LET YOUR ENEMIES TREMBLE AT THE SOUND OF YOUR NAME AND THE GREAT DEEDS YOU HAVE DONE.}"
(9:44:05 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani moves foward, drawing her blade in a single sweeping arc down at one of the enemies. She smiles widely as she does so.
(9:45:52 PM) SpaceThor: Georgiy staggers under the attack. Boris surges forward, charging Jak.
(9:47:10 PM) SpaceThor: Heavy Flails*
(9:47:50 PM) Feldi: Down to 27 health
(9:47:52 PM) SpaceThor: Jak gets smashed in the chest by the flail.
(9:47:57 PM) Feldi: Not even bloodied
(9:52:52 PM) Feldi: Jak grunts, his armor thankfully taking the brunt of the damage, the leather and metal buckles catching the spikes.  He returns the favor by conjuring that wind elemental once more from his feet, and smashing his hammer into Boris, the ground around the human cracking from the impact!
(9:56:32 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart raises her staff, sending bolts of light up into the sky and crashing down, narrowly missing two of the warriors and winging the third.
(9:56:35 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Oh dear..."
(9:59:39 PM) ID_chrome: Meanwhile, Aurora ducks backward, hiding in the trees; she moves around it softly, taking aim... and firing, thunder and fire and steel shooting towards the woman in charge of the other group.
(10:03:33 PM) Jacek: "You sir!" Jacek gestures towards the unengaged man with the tip of his spear, marching forward. "I shall be your opponent!". With that, he breaks into a run, throwing his weight behind his spear as he lunges for his designated foe.
(10:05:25 PM) SpaceThor: He's driven back as your spear finds a gap in his armor. Blood flows.
(10:08:08 PM) SpaceThor: Svitlana manages to move to Jacek, and she brings her sword up in an upper strike, and following it up with a gloved strike from overhead onto Jacek's helmet.
(10:08:37 PM) Jacek: He's blindsided, taking both. "-Ack. Didn't you hear me woman!? I said He was my opponent!"
(10:08:57 PM) SpaceThor: "You really don't know anything about Bane, do you?"
(10:10:04 PM) SpaceThor: Sepideh's opponent moves cautiously, before swinging in with his flail, the odd angle of attack slipping past her guard.
(10:14:18 PM) ***Tanoran loops around, her scythe sweeping out. The movement makes the hood of her cloak fall back as she swings her weapon in a sideways arc, and the point lodges hard in one of the man's legs; regardless of the actual extent of the injury, she's got him skewered, and pulling his leg here and there ruins some of his attempts to defend himself.
(10:15:31 PM) Nemi: Fiona is off like lightning, dashing past the frontline- a dagger finding itself wedged into Georgiy's flank- to loop around behind Svetlana, a sword-stroke catching her from behind. She's fast.
(10:17:55 PM) SpaceThor: The last armored man moves cautiously to flank Jacek and smacks him with the flail.
(10:18:24 PM) Jacek: "Ow!" Jacek  had taken a moment to marvel at Fiona's swiftness, and pays for it.
(10:24:24 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani winces at the impact and focuses, bringing her blade down in an arc that would sever his head from his shoulders if she didn't turn the blade. Instead the flat impacts his head with the force of a lightning bolt.
(10:24:50 PM) SpaceThor: He crumples to the ground, his flail falls.
(10:24:56 PM) SpaceThor: The next man swings at Jak again.
(10:25:11 PM) SpaceThor: He's unable to land a strike though.
(10:25:16 PM) SpaceThor: Jak's turn
(10:30:59 PM) Feldi: Jak steps back, hooking his hammer around Boris' thick neck at the same time.  He pulls the man with him, causing him to trip over the rough ground at his feet, sending him skidding across the fresh grass to stop forcefully on a lucky rock.  Jak huffs to himself, one job done.
(10:35:25 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora doesn't move; she doesn't need to. The minor enchantment on her arquebus relaods it, and she shifts her aim to the less-wounded knight, trusting her allies to finish off the heavily wounded woman. She aims for a thick part of armor... and grins, before pulling the lever. Thunder, fire...
(10:35:31 PM) ID_chrome: and a man in pain, edging into unconciousness on the ground.
(10:37:46 PM) Jacek: "Victory is ours!" Jacek yells, swiping at her with the butt of his spear to try and take her down... Missing completely. You can sense the embarrasment, even from underneath his metal faceplate.
(10:39:54 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani sighs...and kicks a rock to impact off Jacek's spear and send it skidding at the woman again.
(10:40:53 PM) Nemi: Fiona twirled her sword, having barely expended any effort in the encounter, and ambles on over to the fallen Georgiy to retrieve one of her long daggers from his shoulder. "Nice warmup for the day, I think."
(10:41:08 PM) Jacek: He blinks in stunned surprise as the redirection bonks her on the head, sending her down. "...Well that was lucky."
(10:42:09 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf nods. "Nonlethal. Unusual, but within the rules. You've demonstrated that Bane is with you today. Welcome to the temple."
(10:42:25 PM) ID_chrome: Aurora chuckles, stepping out of cover. "Luck's nice when it happens," she says, amused.
(10:42:39 PM) Nemi: "Granddad, what'd you think of that?" Fiona asks as she flicks blood off her weapons and slips them into their respective scabbards.
(10:43:03 PM) SpaceThor: "I noticed you didn't take any of them down yourself. Fifty pushups."
(10:43:08 PM) Feldi: Jak checks that Boris did not manage to die, pressing a finger to his neck.  He nods and stands up checking all around him.  He looks down at his own spike-marked armor and huffs.
(10:43:46 PM) Nemi: "Uuugh," Fiona whined and dropped down to start her customary penitentiary pushups. One, two, three..
(10:44:16 PM) ID_chrome: "... In the middle of... come on now, what if we get attacked, doing that right now is just silly!"
(10:44:32 PM) ***Jacek raises his spear in a salute... And then winces. "Damn bruises..."
(10:44:43 PM) SpaceThor: "Questioning my training eh? Fifty from you too."
(10:44:54 PM) SpaceThor: The skull is staring right at Aurora.
(10:45:05 PM) Nemi: Fiona starts doing one-armed pushups, just because she can.
(10:45:12 PM) ID_chrome: She crosses her arms over her chest. "No," she says... and then sticks her tongue out at the skull.
(10:45:18 PM) Tanoran: "They're not bruises, just minor exhaustion," she tells Jacek, smiling slightly. "Give you a few minutes, you'll be right as rain.
(10:45:20 PM) Tanoran: "
(10:45:32 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Thank you, sir, but Bahamut was with us. I know."
(10:45:35 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles.
(10:45:47 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani stares the skull down, taking notes in her book already.
(10:45:49 PM) SpaceThor: "I'm not joking, foxy. Fifty or you'll find out what I can still do while in here."
(10:46:48 PM) ID_chrome: "Rattle your teeth at me, old man?~" She teases. "Unless you're suggesting a different form of exercise, but if you can still do THAT, I'll be very surprised~"
(10:46:57 PM) ID_chrome: She's not being nasty with her tone; she's mroe amused than anything else.
(10:47:30 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "As Bahamut teaches, {I AM FIRE, I AM DEATH, LET YOUR FOES QUAKE WITH FEAR}."
(10:47:34 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani is making bestiary entries for angry old man skulls.
(10:47:37 PM) SpaceThor: The skull's eyes glow, and suddenly, a tall, bearded man with fire in his eyes who seems to taper off at the thigh is standing right in front of you, facsimiles of Fiona's swords on his hip. "Fifty. Pushups."
(10:48:04 PM) Feldi: Jak fingers a hole in his hide armor. "Jak will have bruises in morning...and have to fix armor."  He looks up as the skull becomes a man.
(10:48:51 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani adds that to the information.
(10:49:04 PM) Jacek: Jacek takes a startled step backwards at the appearance of the apparition.
(10:49:16 PM) Feldi: "...Jak wonder why humans...." He trails off, as really that's all that needs to be said.
(10:49:18 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf waits patiently at the gate.
(10:49:35 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart pats Jak's shoulder.
(10:49:43 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani heads for the gate, sheathing her blade
(10:49:49 PM) ID_chrome: The shifter blinks twice. "... Oooh, that is *really* neat," she says, apparently without fear. "Given my upper body strength isn't great, how about a raincheck on that so our good host doesn't have to wait on us longer. Hate to be rude to him~"
(10:49:53 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "I'll help with the bruises later."
(10:50:22 PM) SpaceThor: "Unless you want to lose out on business when you go back to your old job, you'll want to get that exercise in."
(10:50:47 PM) SpaceThor: "But fine. Fiona, you're in charge of making sure she does them." He fades, the light reentering the eye sockets of the skull.
(10:50:55 PM) SpaceThor: The cleric coughs. "Anyway, let's go inside."
(10:51:26 PM) ID_chrome: She chuckles a bit and rolls her eyes. "Shall we?"
(10:51:29 PM) Feldi: Jak smiles down at her. "Jak thanks Eliza. Jak would prefer not to sleep with bruises."
(10:51:39 PM) Feldi: Jak heads into the temple.
(10:51:43 PM) Nemi: "Yes, granddad," Fiona nods as she springs up to standing from her obligatory pushups. No wonder she's so strong, if she does that casually. She ambles on toward the dwarf, ignoring the fallen behind her.
(10:52:07 PM) ***Jacek nods... Pausing to glance at his horse. "Be careful, Sila." He pats the beast before heading in with the rest.
(10:53:36 PM) SpaceThor: The castle grounds aren't exactly busy, but statues to mighty warriors and training grounds fill the area. He leads you inside the keep proper to a room with several weapon racks lining the walls.
(10:54:02 PM) SpaceThor: "These are the temple grounds. Most folks come here for the Trials, of course, so there's not much in the way of accommodation."
(10:54:10 PM) ID_chrome: "Trails?"
(10:54:29 PM) Feldi: "Trials."
(10:54:48 PM) ID_chrome: "... Yes, those," she says. "It's the teeth sometimes."
(10:55:00 PM) SpaceThor: He nods. "Yep. A series of tasks, with a reward at the end. Mostly stuff donated to us by adherents that don't need it anymore. Potions, magic items, things like that."
(10:55:06 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: It's not as nice as Bahamut's temple.
(10:55:08 PM) SpaceThor: "A lot of adventurers like yourselves will attempt them."
(10:55:25 PM) Nemi: Fiona stretches a bit. "What do these trials entail?" The idea of difficult and mythical challenges appealed to her greatly.
(10:55:26 PM) SpaceThor: "Bane prefers things to be functional over being shiny."
(10:56:04 PM) SpaceThor: "There's three tasks. A test of might, a test of knowledge, and a test of mettle. These echo the first of Bane's tenets."
(10:56:20 PM) ID_chrome: "Interesting."
(10:56:33 PM) Jacek: "Interesting."
(10:56:41 PM) SpaceThor: "The test of might represents Bane's command; You must always be ready to overwhelm your enemy with force. You may be cunning, wise, or quick, but brute force is always your last fallback."
(10:56:56 PM) SpaceThor: "One of you must destroy a special, enchanted training dummy in a single blow."
(10:57:14 PM) Jacek: "...Can I use my horse?"
(10:58:18 PM) SpaceThor: "Second is the test of Knowledge. I will show you a map, and you must combine your knowledge to determine the best course of action. Bane's second command is this; Employ all weapons at your disposal, above all, your mind. Your mind can save a battle when weapons brake and bodies fail."
(10:58:49 PM) Nemi: Fiona crosses her arms across her chest and nods along. Hmm.
(10:59:07 PM) SpaceThor: "Last is the test of Mettle. You must fight one of my adherents, and put this knowledge to use. Bane's third command is this; A warrior can break dummies and pore over maps for a lifetime, but he is nothing if he cannot find victory on the battlefield."
(10:59:16 PM) SpaceThor: "Pass all three trials and you will receive the reward."
(11:00:24 PM) ID_chrome: "Well, my arquebus hits pretty hard, but I'm not a tactician or anything," she says. "So I'm gonna be of limited use, more than likely. At least I can help with morale?"
(11:00:29 PM) SpaceThor: "If you can fit the horse through the door, sure."
(11:00:42 PM) SpaceThor: The door is pretty narrow. Almost like this castle wasn't designed for indoor cavalry engagements.
(11:00:49 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smiles. "Tactics? Now this I do like."
(11:01:33 PM) SpaceThor: "Once you start the trial you'll have no time for resting, so if you need a break after that battle, take it now."
(11:01:52 PM) Nemi: Fiona shrugs. She's feeling fine as is.
(11:02:05 PM) ID_chrome: "Sounds like a plan." She's feeling fine still, but a chance to take a smoke's nice.
(11:02:24 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani stretches slightly then leans against a wall with her book.
(11:02:37 PM) Feldi: "Jak needs to patch armor."

========

(10:57:34 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani heads out, smiling and making notes in her book. She's been sketching the pictures on the walls indoors and plans to do so outdoors as well.
(11:00:55 AM) SpaceThor: Outside, the warriors from earlier seem to have regained consciousness, and are milling around their camp. Svitlana sits on a stump nearby, looking into the fire.
(11:03:36 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani gives them a wave, looking them over.
(11:04:13 AM) SpaceThor: They're...not too happy looking, all things considered. Svitlana gives a little wave, but keeps looking at the fire.
(11:05:55 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani heads over towards them, sketching a picture of the group in her book.
(11:07:24 AM) SpaceThor: Svitlana is a tall woman, clad in furs with red hair, an eyepatch over her left eye, and greatsword on her back.
(11:08:22 AM) SpaceThor: The rest, clad in heavy armor and helmets as they are, are hard to distinguish, but the coarse, black facial hair and heavy features indicate their heritage from the cold south of Haivoron. They seem to be tearing the camp down.
(11:12:35 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani arrives nearby. "Do you mind if I help?"
(11:15:16 AM) SpaceThor: Svitlana shakes her head. "Well, you and your friends already helped this much, why not."
(11:18:23 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "My apologies...but I don't think Bane would have approved of doing less than our best." She starts helping pull stuff apart, moving gracefully and effeciently.
(11:19:59 AM) SpaceThor: Svitlana sighs. "No, I shouldn't have said anything. It's important to know how to take a loss."
(11:21:18 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani smiles. "If I recall correctly, Bane believes that defeat only comes when you cannot fight again. There is no shame in battles that are not won."
(11:24:41 AM) SpaceThor: "Something like that. Even still, all things considered, a fight to get into a temple isn't something worth bitterness over."
(11:24:45 AM) SpaceThor: She leans back.
(11:26:16 AM) SpaceThor: "You an adherent too?"
(11:26:44 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani shakes her head. "Not of Bane. Of Ioun. I seek knowledge of all things, including other faiths."
(11:27:15 AM) SpaceThor: "Ah, that makes sense. Little unusual for Pirhajati though. Seems like you lot are all in on Pelor or Bahamut."
(11:29:34 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "The light of knowledge shines from many places. Pelor illuminates the world and Ioun allows us to understand what it reveals." She shrugs.
(11:35:52 AM) SpaceThor: She shrugs. "Not a lot of sunlight where we're from."
(11:36:02 AM) SpaceThor: "Not that Bane is especially popular there either."
(11:37:45 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "Oh, yes? I've not visited your lands before."
(11:38:46 AM) SpaceThor: "Haivoron isn't much to see. Cold farmlands and forests, mostly. Only decent thing there is hot food, and not compared to the food of foreign lands."
(11:44:17 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani smiles. "We've rather hot food where I come from, despite what some people might think."
(11:47:30 AM) SpaceThor: "I've been here for a month or so, I've had the chance to have the local cuisine."
(11:49:07 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods "My apologies, making polite talk."
(11:50:30 AM) SpaceThor: She shrugs. "I know, I'm not great at conversation."
(11:50:42 AM) SpaceThor: "So was the temple what you thought it'd be?"
(11:53:00 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "So far, it's facinating...though we've yet to go too far into it. The tests make no effort to stop inside." She frowns slightly.
(11:55:35 AM) SpaceThor: She laughs. "The priest here loves his tests."
(11:55:46 AM) SpaceThor: "I think he says it 'shows who has the will to conquer.'"
(11:58:11 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "Or at the very least, the will to not get annoyed and leave." She smiles. "So what brought you here?"
(12:00:17 PM) SpaceThor: "We were heading back to Haivoron, we had a quest to go up to Krzymosze, and heard that if you can get through the trials here, you get some pretty nice rewards."
(12:05:14 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "I can't say about the rewards, as I said, I'm here for scholarly reasons."
(12:05:44 PM) SpaceThor: She shrugs. "But you're not gonna turn em down, right?"
(12:10:12 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Unless there is some reason to do so, no." She smiles.
(12:13:19 PM) SpaceThor: "I don't think they're real big on making magic items with the blood of innocents, so you should be fine."
(12:15:45 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Well, I imagine not. It's not effeciant, for one." She nods. "Best of luck in your travels."
(12:17:34 PM) SpaceThor: "And you. Maybe we'll see you again sometime."
(12:19:13 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Perhaps next time you'll win. Or we'll manage a duel, I'd like that." She taps her heavy blade.
(12:21:11 PM) SpaceThor: She nods. "Until then. Boris, Georgiy, Andrij, let's go." The men load the heavy packs onto a cart.
(12:23:14 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods to them and starts to head back towards the temple.

========

(11:27:24 PM) ***Tanoran shuffles into the temple of Bane, gawping like a wide-eyed tourist, green eyes taking in every detail. Her scythe bumps a wall gently, a reminder of its awkward size, and she finds a corner to drop her pack and lean the weapon down. She shuffles through her pack and retrieves her book, quill, and ink pot, and gets to scribbling.
(11:28:21 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani is not far away, leaning against a wall with her book.
(11:29:29 PM) Tanoran: "Oh, hi!" the drow chirps, surprised to see her there. "Don't mind me, I'm just ...writing away," she says, with an awkward laugh at the end.
(11:29:54 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani raises an eyebrow. "What are you writing?"
(11:35:08 PM) Tanoran: "Oh, nothing special!" She quickly hides the book behind her back.
(11:35:31 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani chuckles. "That, I rather doubt."
(11:37:40 PM) Tanoran: "Well...it's not...not special, anyway."
(11:40:47 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Do tell~" She heads over, peering over the drow's shoulder.
(11:42:13 PM) Tanoran: She's got it shut, including a blotter stuck in there so the ink doesn't smear across pages.
(11:43:00 PM) Tanoran: "It's just a...record...of sorts, places I've been, people and things, all that stuff...we, uh, don't really have anyone pay attention to Bane back home."
(11:43:29 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "A travel journal?"
(11:47:37 PM) Tanoran: "You...could say that..." She's lying, though not grievously.
(11:57:50 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smirks. "Oh, yes?"
(12:02:37 AM) Tanoran: "Yeah, so it's kinda private, not really the sort of thing to really look through and all that..."
(12:07:10 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "I see, that's very interesting~"
(12:18:38 AM) Tanoran: "And you're still trying to read it because...what, people from outside home have no concept of personal space?"
(12:19:08 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "I am a scholar, I find such things facinating~"
(12:24:43 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani slips her hand foward, snatching it. She's rather fast.
(12:25:47 AM) ***Tanoran reacts a hair too slowly, and is suddenly minus one book.
(12:26:20 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani flips it open, taking a look. "Just a moment~"
(12:31:22 AM) Tanoran: It's--well, it's something. The page that Sepideh opened to appears to be the middle of some sort of sweeping epic, an adventure through dark forests and cursed grasslands, ending on a high note as a shining city on a hill comes into the writer's view, the promise of rest and perhaps a hint of the...it's difficult to tell. Some sort of object of affection, or obsession?
(12:32:02 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "...oh, my~"
(12:35:52 AM) Tanoran: It's hard to tell when a drow is blushing, even one whose skin, as Tanoran's, isn't the midnight-dark of her underground kin, but instead bleached by generations under the sun. Even the most socially unlearned, though, can see Tanoran's current embarrassment, as she pokes her fingers together and stares at the floor.
(12:36:38 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "This is lovely prose~" It's hard to tell is Sepideh is teasing or genuine, though she's grinning wolfishly.
(12:37:11 AM) Tanoran: "..." She mumbles something. "Can...I have my book back please?"
(12:38:53 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani keeps reading for a moment longer before handing it back.
(12:41:33 AM) ***Tanoran holds it to her chest, staring at the ground. That blush isn't going away any time soon.
(12:43:19 AM) ***Sepideh_Madani reaches over, ruffling her hair. "It reads well~"
(12:45:31 AM) Tanoran: "...Thanks." She backs out from under the ruffling and puts the book away, following it with the quill and inkpot.
(12:48:02 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "I look foward to seeing if any of us turn up in your story~"
(12:52:36 AM) Tanoran: "...Maybe some day," she mumbles again, making sure to buckle her backpack extra tightly.
(12:53:47 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "What sort of character are you thinking of with me?~"
(12:57:51 AM) Tanoran: "...I dunno. Maybe...nah. I don't know yet."
(12:58:07 AM) Sepideh_Madani: "Maybe?~"

========

(10:44:49 AM) SpaceThor: The courtyard of the temple is just the drilling grounds of the keep. It's nice and sunny right now, though the high walls of the keep seem to have a frustrating effect of stifling the breeze you felt as you fought outside. Old training dummies and rusted weapons lay on one end, clearly disused compared to the much nicer grounds closer to the door the priest led you through before explaining
(10:44:49 AM) SpaceThor: the trial.
(10:48:07 AM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak has sat down in the rough grass at the edge of the courtyard.  His hide armor rests in his lap as he works to patch it with a surprisingly delicate hand, to repair the holes the spiked flail created.
(10:48:43 AM) Jak_Brightstep: He hums to himself as he works.
(10:51:11 AM) ***Tanoran has shed her pack, though her everpresent scythe is still attached to her. She wanders around, inspecting the walls, sometimes reaching out to trace a finger along old battle scars in the stone. Then she hears Jak's humming and comes over to watch him work. "...What's the name of the song?"
(10:55:20 AM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak stills his needle, resting it upon the patch as he looks up at Tanoran. "In Common tongue, Jak believe the name would be 'Blessings of Erathis.'"
(10:58:34 AM) ***Tanoran purses her lips, green eyes turning upwards as she thinks. "...Can't say I've heard it before. Is it something you learned as a kid?"
(11:01:52 AM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods, picking his needle back up and starting to work again. "All minotaurs in tribe learn song.  It teaches children of Erathis meeting with the first freed minotaurs, what she gave us, why we should never turn astray."
(11:02:13 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Catchy too."
(11:03:14 AM) ***Tanoran smiles a little bit. "That it is. I wonder if anyone's set it to something more involved, like an actual dance..."
(11:04:29 AM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak huffs.  This time the needle doesn't pause as he glances up at her. "During festival, there is ritual dance to song, and others."
(11:05:48 AM) Tanoran: "Any festival? Or something specific?" She crouches down on her haunches, twisting the scythe so it rests horizontally, and watches Jak work. "We...don't see a lot of, um. You. Back home. So I'm really curious."
(11:10:10 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak find many people curious of Jak. Or afraid. Then curious, when no longer fearing that Jak will smash them." He huffs, looking at Tanoran from the corner of one eye. "Festival, harvest festival.  Give thanks to Erathis and nature for bounty.  There are other festivals.  Winter festival, when day is shortest, Jak's people work ritual to protect us from Baphomet and his creatures."
(11:10:34 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Or did."
(11:10:45 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Festivals forgotten now. Go undone."
(11:25:31 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Sardis. Land south of here, with great forest. Humans always at war, not taking care of the land, attack Jak's people....Jak understand why tribe would turn away from Erathis."
(11:25:59 AM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak continues to sew, nearly half-done with the patch.
(11:28:29 AM) Tanoran: "Hnh." She makes a sound through her nose, watching him work. "Well...for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what happened to your people. Why did you leave, though? What made Jak decide he didn't want to stay with the rest of his tribe?"
(11:29:36 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak's mother priestess of tribe. Would have been killed if stayed, father and Jak too.  Had no choice but to flee into human lands."
(11:33:25 AM) ***Tanoran nods slowly. "Thaaaaat's a good reason."
(11:34:27 AM) Tanoran: "Can't say I have anything that scary driving me to travel," she goes on. "But I hope you can go home some day."
(11:35:28 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak hope so too." Jak nods, turning back to his sewing. "Where Tanoran from? Rare to see elf with good skin color."
(11:36:33 AM) ***Tanoran blinks...and starts to laugh. Not just giggling, either; full-on laughing. It only lasts for a short time, though. "Sorry, sorry! I'm not laughing at you, not really...I'm a drow. Really, this is *terrible* skin coloring~"
(11:38:54 AM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak looks over at her, looking her up and down with both eyes. "Jak does not think so. Pale humans burn easily in sun, turn red and look awful.  Dark humans seem more resilient.  Tanoran should be proud of strong skin."
(11:44:54 AM) Tanoran: She smiles. "Drow are sometimes known as dark elves; my grandparents and so on would have completely black skin." Her own is dark, still, though more of a dusky bronze than truly black. "They came to the surface probably three hundred years ago, though. I suppose you could say that our skin is kind of bleached by the sun?"
(11:47:33 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Reverse of humans," Jak notes with a certain curiosity, glancing her over once more. "Still, Jak think Tanoran skin look good, make Tanoran pretty, for elf." He turns back to his sewing, the bead necklaces on his neck rustle against each other.
(11:48:15 AM) Jak_Brightstep: rustling*
(11:49:39 AM) Tanoran: "Aww~" She smiles, pressing a hand to her chest. "Thank you. And to answer your other question, I'm from Ramitha. It's way up on the northeast side; we have a lot of cities along the coast and a lot of boats. When I was a little girl I spent a lot of time sailing."
(11:54:43 AM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak never been on boat. Did Tanoran enjoy sailing?"
(11:58:34 AM) Tanoran: "I did! It's a lot of work, but sometimes when the wind hits just right and the rowers can stop, and you can feel the sea breeze on your face, the wind in your hair and the sun on your back, the water giving way to the bow as you cut right through it..." She closes her eyes in remembrance and breathes deeply, clearly reliving memories.
(11:59:00 AM) Tanoran: "It's got to be as close to what flying feels like as I can get," she says, opening her eyes again.
(12:00:56 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak's needle slowed as he watched Tanoran get absorbed in her memories. "Flying?" He huffs. "Jak not sure how Jak feels about that, but Tanoran clearly loves the sea. Purple-eyed elf that important that Tanoran wanders so far from sea for them?"
(12:02:26 PM) ***Tanoran purses her lips, looking down at her lap. "...Yes, but...I'm not sure I can explain why. It's weird, it's like...like she called me, but she didn't say anything. And her eyes looked so sad."
(12:03:11 PM) Tanoran: "I have to find her again, even if only to know what the call was for. It was like...like something that gets under your skin and itches, but you can't scratch it. Or...or that gut feeling that says you're going the wrong way."
(12:03:25 PM) Sepideh_Madani left the room (quit: Connection reset by peer).
(12:03:32 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak regards her for a moment and then says a word or possibly two in a tongue Tanoran doesn't know.
(12:03:54 PM) Tanoran: "Huh?"
(12:03:57 PM) ***Tanoran blinks.
(12:04:56 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak stretches his neck, trying to find the words. "Jak not sure if Common has words for what Jak said.  It is like 'longing' but deeper."
(12:06:25 PM) Tanoran: "...Yes. I think you got it exactly right. Almost like a *need* but without...you know...consequences."
(12:07:04 PM) Tanoran: "I did try to ignore it at first," she adds. "But after...a month? I couldn't put it off any more."
(12:09:30 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods. "Usually tales speak of it as part of call of gods.  Maybe Purple-eyed elf vision of a god?"
(12:12:35 PM) ***Tanoran pauses to consider that. "...Maybe," she says finally. "I've never...actually thought of that."
(12:14:51 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "If it is, Tanoran following right path. If just normal elf, perhaps Gods guiding Tanoran anyway. Gods act in strange ways, Jak's mother taught him."
(12:16:28 PM) ***Tanoran smirks. "You can say that again. Our biggest temples are to Melora, after all...and she's not really a fan of civilization, so it's kind of a wobbly balance. Sometimes she DOES get mean and hit a city with a big tidal wave. "
(12:16:51 PM) Tanoran: "We have to assume it means something else, because she could just knock all our cities over."
(12:19:46 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak huffs, a rumbling noise in his chest. "Some Gods act in violent ways too.  War part of civilization, Erathis..." He looks over the courtyard, at the others in their group chatting and resting.  "Jak does not think our meeting coincidence, all of our meetings. Just as trouble begins and nature is disturbed, so many good people in one place...perhaps Jak is seeing the Gods' work where it...
(12:19:48 PM) Jak_Brightstep: ...is not there."
(12:20:10 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "But perhaps Jak is not."
(12:23:50 PM) ***Tanoran nods slowly. "It's...something to keep in mind. Hmm..." She puts a finger to her chin.
(12:25:00 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Tanoran's thoughts?" Jak is nearly done with the patching of his armor, turning it in his lap for a better angle for the finishing touches.
(12:31:36 PM) Tanoran: "Hm? Oh." She blinks. "I was...just thinking of what to add into my book later. I'm keeping a...travel journal, of sorts, and I'm just...working on the phrasing in my head. For what you said."
(12:34:06 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak will be in Tanoran's journal?" He smiles at her. "Jak pleased that Jak made impression."
(12:35:58 PM) ***Tanoran grins. "Everyone is, but if you keep up with that insightful stuff, I might have to give you even more lines than ever~"
(12:39:00 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak will try his best, but Jak makes no promises." He huffs, finishing the patching. "What Jak know, Jak learned from mother."
(12:41:30 PM) Tanoran: "Yeah...in my experience, though? Stuff like that tends to pop out when you least expect it."
(12:43:26 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods at that, testing the strength of his stitching with his thumb.
(12:47:41 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He hums in satisfaction as it holds. "Tanoran worried about tests of Bane?"
(12:48:58 PM) ***Tanoran makes a face. "A little bit," she concedes. "I'm...not the most athletically inclined person, but I guess we'll see what happens, right?"
(12:50:35 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "With all our strength and skill, Jak thinks we will be fine." Jak smiles at her.
(12:52:26 PM) Tanoran: "I guess, if we're going to be doing it together instead of separately, there's nothing to worry about, eh?"
(12:53:38 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak nods. "No matter what happens, Jak will make sure all live. That's Jak's promise."
(12:55:56 PM) ***Tanoran smiles brightly. "Me too! After all, it's hard to write an epic story when you're dead~"
(12:56:36 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Fiona's grandpa does lack hands," Jak notes, grinning.
(12:57:56 PM) ***Tanoran giggles--and yes, it's a giggle this time. "True! He'd probably make her write it for him while jawing away."
(12:59:34 PM) Deedles is now known as Susu
(12:59:40 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "He certainly can talk for a dead man.  Hopefully, he doesn't want you to write for him."
(1:04:46 PM) Tanoran: "He'd probably die again first, honestly. I think he doesn't like drow very much."
(1:14:24 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Well, sometimes old age comes with folly, along with wisdom."
(1:18:13 PM) ***Tanoran dips her head in a nod of agreement. "I suppose...and even more so when you're not really all-the-way dead and floating around in a skull."
(1:19:35 PM) Jak_Brightstep: "Jak would think that would make someone smarter. Being all head and no body, but Jak endlessly surprised."
(1:20:41 PM) Tanoran: "I blame magic."
(1:22:01 PM) Jak_Brightstep: Jak snorts. "Jak think that likely...Jak believe others are getting up to go inside."
(1:24:05 PM) Tanoran: "Huh? Oh!" She pushes herself back to her feet, the scythe rotating smoothly to sit upright against her back again. She holds out a hand. "Let me help you up?"
(1:25:28 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He lifts his eyebrows at her and then huffs, enveloping her hand in his as he gets himself to his hooves. "Thank you."
(1:27:11 PM) Tanoran: "You're welcome~" she sing-songs, letting his hand go after a moment and dashing off to get her pack. As she returns, she falters. "...I probably won't need this, will I."
(1:27:55 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He shrugs, beginning to work on his armor in a practiced motion. "Better to have than not have."
(1:34:49 PM) Jak_Brightstep: He smiles at her as they both rejoin the others.

========

(8:03:09 PM) SpaceThor: With some time to rest, you all reconvene in the lobby of the Temple (actually a converted keep, so everything just feels more than a little military oriented). The dwarf stands ceremonially as he awaits you. "Well then, you lot ready for the First Trial of Bane?"
(8:03:55 PM) Nemi: Fiona glances to the skull hanging on her backpack, then shrugs. "Sure, about as ready as I'll ever be."
(8:04:06 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles placidly. "I've already completed many trials for Bahamut. This is no bother."
(8:04:25 PM) Feldi: Jak nods simply.
(8:05:55 PM) Aurora: Aurora lights her match. "I'm good!"
(8:06:12 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods, her blade over her shoulder and her book in hand.
(8:06:13 PM) ***Tanoran rolls onto the balls of her feet and back down to her heels, over and over, clearly ready to be onward. "Ready!"
(8:06:31 PM) SpaceThor: "Alright, and remember, once I say go, no resting. No time to rest on a battlefield either!"
(8:06:42 PM) SpaceThor: "Let the Trial of Bane begin!"
(8:07:30 PM) SpaceThor: He leads you through the first door, almost jogging. "First, the Trial of Might. We have an enchanted dummy, it won't take damage unless you hit it hard enough. Break the dummy to pass this trial."
(8:07:50 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart looks at Jak. This seems to be in his field of expertise.
(8:07:53 PM) SpaceThor: At the end of the room, it looks like a normal straw dummy. Baled straw fills out worn, dented armor on a stick.
(8:09:00 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Jak, would you like to handle this?"
(8:09:26 PM) Nemi: Fiona eyes the dummy, then glances at the others. Her sword and dagger wouldn't excel at a single crushing blow, most likely.
(8:09:37 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart is unarmed.
(8:09:51 PM) Jacek: "If only I could bring my horse..." Jacek mutters.
(8:10:05 PM) SpaceThor: These doors are not designed to accommodate a cavalry charge.
(8:10:07 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smiles, unsheathing her heavy blade. "If I may?"
(8:10:24 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "If you're volunteering, of course." She smiles.
(8:10:35 PM) Feldi: Jak narrows his eyes at the dummy, and then turns to nod at Sepideh. "Jak will sit out."
(8:11:20 PM) Aurora: "I could probably do it. This thing does hit like a wild horse," she notes.
(8:11:31 PM) Deedles left the room.
(8:13:56 PM) ***Tanoran readies her scythe. "I wanna give one a try! I mean, it IS straw, and this was originally for threshing!"
(8:14:05 PM) Nemi: "Go for it?" Fioan shruggles.
(8:14:28 PM) ***Tanoran gets in line behind Sepideh, then Aurora.
(8:14:33 PM) Tanoran: "Sepideh asked first."
(8:15:14 PM) Sepideh_Madani: She examines the room carefully and nods. "If people could move to where I indicate and prepare to brace?" She paces around the dummy, making gestures to locations.
(8:15:49 PM) Aurora: "Ah, sure?" The other shifter walks over, humming.
(8:15:54 PM) ***Jacek looks a bit confused, but acquiesces.
(8:15:55 PM) ***Tanoran stands behind it, next to Aurora. "Just...try not to miss and hit me?"
(8:16:06 PM) Feldi: Jak gives her a quizzical look, shrugs, and then moves to one of the positions.
(8:16:15 PM) Nemi: "Oookay.."
(8:17:05 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart whispers to Tanoran "I'll heal you if she slips and hits us."
(8:20:35 PM) ***Tanoran flashes a smile at the half-elf. "Thanks~"
(8:21:27 PM) Feldi: Jak huffs, overhearing.
(8:21:57 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani grins...and charges foward, delivering a wide cutting blow that would force the dummy backwards...if it wasn't for the formation hemming it in. Instead the force is entirely applied to the dummy by the blade...
(8:22:22 PM) Nemi: "Huh-" Fiona easily keeps her side of the dummy upright with a single hand. "Not a bad hit."
(8:22:29 PM) SpaceThor: The armor splits, and the dwarf grins. "Congratulations, you passed the first test."
(8:22:42 PM) ***Tanoran spits out fragments of cloven straw.
(8:23:11 PM) Aurora: "... Nice!" She grins and nods.
(8:23:11 PM) Jacek: "..." Jacek gives Sepideh a rather respectful nod at that.
(8:23:15 PM) SpaceThor: After a short pause, the armor begins to repair itself, sealing back together as though it had never been damaged before. "Right, now's time for the Trial of Wisdom."
(8:23:27 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Simple physics. Less applicable in a real fight~"
(8:23:27 PM) SpaceThor: "Follow me."
(8:23:34 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Oh! Very impressive."
(8:23:37 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart claps a little.
(8:24:20 PM) Nemi: Fiona smirks and moves over to follow the dwarf.
(8:24:48 PM) ***Tanoran gives Sepideh a thumbs-up, then follows the dwarf into the next room. Upon entering, she spots a large table, and is drawn to it almost as if magnetized.
(8:25:07 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf leads the way into another room. Near the wall, a desk stands overflowing with papers and scrolls. In the center of the table, a large map of...somewhere.
(8:25:20 PM) Feldi: Jak gives Sepideh a nod of respect as they all move into the next room.
(8:25:57 PM) Jacek: Jacek's eyes practically glaze over.
(8:26:30 PM) Nemi: Fiona eyes the map with some interest.
(8:26:34 PM) Feldi: Jak moves over to the edge of the table, looking over the map.
(8:26:37 PM) Feldi: Also with interest.
(8:26:45 PM) SpaceThor: "Now, I'm gonna give you some information, and I want you to come up with a battle strategy based on that to win the battle."
(8:28:12 PM) SpaceThor: "Ready?"
(8:28:25 PM) Aurora: "Uh... sure?"
(8:28:29 PM) Feldi: Jak looks around the party at the table with him and nods.
(8:30:03 PM) Tanoran: "As we'll ever be."
(8:30:05 PM) Nemi: "Ready."
(8:30:19 PM) SpaceThor: "Take a look at this map." He waves a hand, and the map shifts, to show a flat land. Anyone who's seen a map recently would recognize it as the border of Krzymosze and Gajeong-ri. A layer of white shows it is winter. "You are House Grzembski of Krzymosze, and are invading Gajeong-Ri to take control of the strategic town of Taebek."
(8:30:20 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods, her book out again to take notes
(8:31:03 PM) Jacek: "Cavalry charges, obviously. Nothing can stand up to a full charge of Krzymoszan Hussars!"
(8:31:18 PM) Feldi: Jak listens, but has no idea what most of the political terms means.
(8:31:28 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani sighs. "We are not the Hussars in this scenario."
(8:31:43 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "The Winter War, I see."
(8:31:56 PM) Aurora: "Well, we probably have some hussars? But, uh, what all do we have, forces wise? What do they have?"
(8:34:01 PM) SpaceThor: He raises a hand. "Let me finish. Your objective is to win the war." He nods "That's right. House Grzembski has, at this time, their Ducal Hussar Retainers, and their House Hajduk. Gajeong-Ri's house Seok has their legendary Swordsmen of Boeun, and Spear Cavalry. When the snows melt, House Yi will bring their much larger forces to bear to assist their vassal, and you will lose."
(8:34:08 PM) SpaceThor: "How do you win the war before the end of winter?"
(8:34:34 PM) Aurora: "What's a Hajduk?"
(8:35:26 PM) Feldi: Jak turns to Jacek.
(8:35:31 PM) Nemi: Fiona folds her arms. "What forces does House Hajduk have available? What sort of infantry, archers, support forces are available?"
(8:35:46 PM) Aurora: "We have any saboteurs or assassins?"
(8:36:33 PM) SpaceThor: "No. House Grzembski are notoriously direct in their methods, with the exception of economics."
(8:37:07 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "That is unfortunate."
(8:37:33 PM) Aurora: "Yeah, I pretty much don't know anything about direct warfare, uh..." She taps her fingers a bit. "Gonna leave this to the experts, I guess."
(8:37:38 PM) Jacek: "If they had any sense of honour you'd call them out, draw up battle lines and charge. The victory would go to the greatest army- And there is no greater army in the world than Krzymoszes."
(8:39:05 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart smiles. "It's the winter, so their supply lines will be slow and they won't be able to grow food. I would attack their supply likes with cavalry while using raiding parties to wear down their morale and attempt to destroy their stockpiles. Since they're occupying a town there will be many untrained civilians, and while laying siege I would offer them food and supplies in return for opening...
(8:39:07 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart ...the gates and surrendering."
(8:43:00 PM) Aurora: "... Hey, um, question."
(8:43:29 PM) Feldi: Jak pours over the map.  "It is very flat land. Strong cold winds in winter." He points at the two forts. Seok Fort much closer, could hold up and defend, until Grzembski in unfortunate position."
(8:43:52 PM) Aurora: "If what we're worried about is the fort there coming to attack the town while we're still attacking it, could we do something to disrupt the fort?"
(8:44:41 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "A flanking move by the Hussars to start burning the town would force them to leave the fort."
(8:45:20 PM) Nemi: * Fiona folds her arms and remains silent. Master strategist she was not.
(8:45:32 PM) ***Jacek pauses, looking at the map again, more thoughtful. "...Don't underestimate the damage Hussars can do, before they even touch the enemy. Our hoofbeats, our horns, the wind in our wings... Our very reputation is one that inspires fear. Sometimes, enemies will break before a charge even needs to land a single blow, or will sew discord in their ranks to the point they can't hold against
(8:45:32 PM) ***Jacek us."
(8:49:24 PM) Nemi: "Sooo. Psychological warfare, some good old war-crimes, what'll it be?"
(8:49:57 PM) ***Tanoran traces a finger along the map. "I remember reading about this in texts back home...the town is in a ravine, so you'd have no high ground occupying it. You'd almost have to drive them out, then leave it *un*occupied and station all the troops along the sides and top."
(8:50:21 PM) Feldi: Jak points at the forest to the west of Seok Fort. "Could soldiers hide in woods?  Wait till Seok army comes out?"
(8:51:31 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods. "Drive them out of the town and set it ablaze. They cannot afford to just leave it to burn or the territory is worthless. Use that as the basis to ambush them when they are forced to move into the town."
(8:52:03 PM) Tanoran: "The footsoldiers could, yeah. You'd need to keep the Hussars out, but I think Jacek was on to something with the cavalry charge idea, too. Smash that into their sides or rear while the infantry are keeping their attention?"
(8:53:18 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf nods. "So your plan is to move the hussars into the woods near the Seok fort, have the infantry burn the town, and pincer them when they counterattack?"
(8:53:57 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Have a few infantry burn the town, with the bulk staying for the counterattack. It takes only a few men to set a fire."
(8:54:27 PM) SpaceThor: He looks to the others. "Anything else to add?"
(8:54:30 PM) Tanoran: "Or that. And once they're down in the ravine to deal with it, approach from both ends."
(8:54:33 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart nods with approval. "As Bahamut says, {FIRE PURGES THE UNCLEAN}."
(8:54:58 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf laughs. {I've been to Gajeong-Ri, they're a very clean people.}
(8:55:05 PM) Feldi: "Jak thinks this is sound plan...if an evil one."
(8:55:16 PM) Aurora: "I mean, it sounds like it'll work?"
(8:55:56 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart pats Jak on the arm. "War should always be the last resort. It makes too many widows and orphans."
(8:56:23 PM) Feldi: "And many dead men."
(8:56:28 PM) Nemi: "If you're merciless enough, it'll leave a lot of corpses of all kinds."
(8:56:31 PM) Feldi: He smiles down at her.
(8:56:33 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "It's effecient, not a kind plan." She nods to Jak.
(8:56:47 PM) SpaceThor: "I'd agree. It's a plausible plan to win the war, and so you pass the trial of wisdom. Duke Ludwik Grzembski thought himself a grand strategist, but he made critical errors in knowing when to back off and when to commit his forces. The town of Taebek changed hands twenty-two times over the winter, but Ludwik could never hold anything consistently with the Seok fort threatening his rear. When
(8:56:48 PM) SpaceThor: the snows began to melt, he sued for terms of peace."
(8:57:21 PM) Nemi: Fiona nods, approvingly.
(8:57:23 PM) ***Tanoran nods slowly. "I vaguely remember that."
(8:57:23 PM) ***Jacek bristles a bit at that. "...Fools like him give our armies a bad name."
(8:57:39 PM) SpaceThor: "His army in tatters, he lost two valuable counties to his rival house, Jezierski, that following summer."
(8:58:17 PM) SpaceThor: "Bane teaches us that we must always keep our eyes on victory, and what it costs. The general who forgets the ultimate goal of his war has lost it already."
(8:58:53 PM) SpaceThor: "And now, the final test. Are you ready?"
(8:59:19 PM) Nemi: "It is better to be decisive in war. Hesitation is the first step toward failure and death." Fiona nods. "Ready."
(8:59:21 PM) Feldi: Jak hefts his warhammer.
(8:59:23 PM) Aurora: "I'd like to b euseful!"
(9:00:33 PM) SpaceThor: "Follow me then." He opens a door on the side of the room, and leads you in. THe room is small, and has two large statues inside of it. At the end of the hall, a red-skinned man with pointed ears stands, halberd on his shoulder and scaled armor on his body. "Skomnud, are they ready for the final trial?" He asks.
(9:00:46 PM) SpaceThor: The dwarf nods. "Aye, Thuf. Don't go easy on them."
(9:01:22 PM) ***Jacek raises an eyebrow, hefting his great spear as he eyes up the figure.
(9:01:49 PM) Nemi: Fiona eyes the hobgoblin- she raises a fist to her chest in a sort of salute.
(9:02:17 PM) SpaceThor: The tall marble statues barely fit in the room, names engraved on their bases to name a mighty warrior, wielding a battleaxe in his hand, and a wizard, tome and rod held high. Exemplars of bane, it seems.
(9:02:55 PM) Feldi: Jak eyes up the hobgoblin, taking int the length of the halberd resting on his shoulder.  Eyeing up Thuf's opponent's reach.  "What was last test again?" He asks the Dwarf.
(9:03:07 PM) SpaceThor: "Defeat Thuf here in battle."
(9:03:40 PM) Feldi: "When battle start? Can Jak stand anywhere?"
(9:04:36 PM) SpaceThor: The hobgoblin smiles. "Stand anywhere you like, friend. I look forward to testing you, as well as myself."
(9:05:11 PM) SpaceThor: "I am Thuf, Kensai of the Ironfang Goblin Clan of Gajeong-Ri, and Adherent of Bane. May I have the honor of your names?"
(9:05:31 PM) Feldi: Jak casually walks around the hobgoblin to stand at his back. "Jak look forward to it too.  Jak Brightstep, no longer of a tribe, servant of Erathis."
(9:06:15 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Eliza Silverheart, priestess of Bahamut."
(9:06:25 PM) Jacek: "Jacek Skorupa, Hussar of Krzymosze."
(9:07:34 PM) Sepideh_Madani: "Sepideh of the Madani family." She clicks her book shut, drawing her blade.
(9:08:42 PM) Nemi: "Fiona, of House Delaine. This-" She indicates the skull. "Is my grandfather, Edmund Delaine."
(9:08:47 PM) Aurora: "Aurora Sharpclaw, of Snowlight," she says, making sure her match is still burning.
(9:09:03 PM) SpaceThor: The skull is being quiet. Apparently manifesting like he did takes a lot out of him.
(9:10:50 PM) ***Tanoran readies her scythe. "And I'm Tanoran Vellorexion, warrior-sage of the north!"
(9:11:15 PM) SpaceThor: Skomnud speaks. "Alright, the last trial, the Trial of Mettle, begins now!"
(9:11:38 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smile slightly at Tanoran's comment.
(9:16:43 PM) Aurora: With the 'now', she's moving, ducking into the shadows--putitng her gun around it and pulling the trigger, aiming for the goblinoid's legs, to make him jump and move--and ricochet the bullet to somewhere VERY vulnerable indeed.
(9:18:25 PM) Nemi: "Now that's just rude."
(9:19:05 PM) SpaceThor: The bullet hits him in the side, and he staggers.
(9:21:48 PM) Nemi: A stagger that Fiona takes advantage of. She lunges in, moving astonishingly fast for her size, and unleashes a flurry of vicious strokes- a slash to the chest and a thrust from the long-dagger to the ribs, followed by another rising slash from the sword and a dagger-slash that skitters off Thrun's armour. "HYRAH!"
(9:22:08 PM) Aurora: "Rude works!" She calls out with a laugh.
(9:34:15 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani steps in towards his side, bringing her blade down in a massive overhead slash...
(9:34:48 PM) SpaceThor: He staggers under the hits, blood flowing.
(9:35:01 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: Brilliant Beacon on the baddy.
(9:37:27 PM) ***Eliza_Silverheart whispers "And I shall shed my light over dark evil, for the dark things cannot stand the light." She raises her staff, and a shaft of blinding silver light centers on the hobgoblin, burning and distracting him.
(9:42:15 PM) Jacek: Jacek takes up his spear... But rather than an all out charge, his advance is measured, solidly placing his feet as he advances on the bugbear... Lashing out with a furious roar, whole body driving the tip of the spear forward with enough force that Thuf is forced back into Jak, only the minotaurs bulk holding him in place- But Jacek isn't done, a savage sweep of his spear following to take
(9:42:15 PM) Jacek: the Bugbears legs out from under him.
(9:47:46 PM) Feldi: Jak follows that up by bringing his warhammer down hard on the prone Bugbear, shattering the ground beneath him from the strength of the blow!
(9:56:58 PM) ***Tanoran moves forward to help but the area around him is too crowded, and she can't maneuver her scythe well enough for a decent hit. The pointed tip catches in the floor, in fact, and nearly pulls the weapon from her grasp.
(9:57:31 PM) SpaceThor: The hobgoblin stands, somehow still standing, and smiles. "You are strong. Now it's my turn."
(9:57:42 PM) Aurora: "... Oh hells."
(10:05:23 PM) SpaceThor: Shifting his grip on his halberd, he sweeps the weapon around in a wide arc, putting everyone near him at threat.
(10:05:42 PM) ***Jacek brings up the haft of his own weapon, deflecting the blow
(10:05:48 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani ducks under it, grinning and bringing the handle of her blade up to meet his turning temple.
(10:07:06 PM) Feldi: Jak steps backwards, catching the blade on his wooden shield.
(10:07:51 PM) Nemi: Fiona lets out a 'hnrf!' as she's pushed back by Thuf's whirling halberd-strike- but she doesn't give in.
(10:08:13 PM) SpaceThor: The edge of his halberd clips Tanoran and Fiona, before he's brought low by Sepideh's counterattack.
(10:08:32 PM) SpaceThor: As he hits the ground, his armor begins to smolder and char.
(10:09:12 PM) Nemi: Fiona BACKS AWAY.
(10:10:39 PM) Feldi: Jak stays put, tilting his head curiously at the strange elemental occurrence.
(10:10:45 PM) SpaceThor: The armor ignites, burning away and sealing his wounds as it goes. He stands one more time, taking his halberd into his hand.
(10:10:55 PM) ***Jacek stares in astonishment
(10:11:14 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smirks. "I thought so~"
(10:11:14 PM) Aurora: "... Well that's hellish."
(10:12:02 PM) SpaceThor: "One more round then, my friends."
(10:12:18 PM) Tanoran: "A worthy fight!" Tanoran grins. The normal high pitch to her voice drops several degrees, closer to Sepideh's purr. "For being just a 'trial,' this will make an *excellent* story~"
(10:12:32 PM) Nemi: "Impressive!"
(10:14:28 PM) Aurora: "Mm." She leans in a bit... and fires--two shots? They never saw her reload, but two peals of thunder and two balls of lead fly out. "Overwhelming firepower!"
(10:17:17 PM) Nemi: Fiona winces at the crack of gunfire- but, undissuaded by Thruf's dramatic return, she lunges forward with a sword stroke, getting in past Thruf's halberd-guard and following up with a quick few frenzied stabs from her long dagger.
(10:23:52 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani runs her thumb along her blade, lightning crackling along it for a moment as she lashes on and smashes the flat of the blade into the man's face
(10:24:15 PM) SpaceThor: Thuf goes down again, and stays down this time.
(10:24:56 PM) SpaceThor: Skomnud shakes his head. "Thuf must be gettin old. You've passed the trial of mettle, well done."
(10:25:12 PM) SpaceThor: The treasures are yours, for completing the First Trial of Bane.
(10:26:52 PM) Jacek: "Huzzah!" Jacek raises his spear in triumph.
(10:26:59 PM) Aurora: "WOo hoo, treasure!" Aurora grins. "It is actual treasure, right? Not some sort of 'the real treasure was the skills you learned along the way' thing?"
(10:27:20 PM) SpaceThor: "If you want that, go do a trial in Bahamut's church."
(10:27:25 PM) SpaceThor: "No, it's real treasure."
(10:27:33 PM) Aurora: "I like this place!"
(10:27:46 PM) Eliza_Silverheart: "Learning is a reward that never loses its value."
(10:27:58 PM) Aurora: "You can't feed an infant with learning," Aurora notes.
(10:28:05 PM) Nemi: "Real treasure! Amazing!"
(10:28:22 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani smirks
(10:28:25 PM) Nemi: Fiona claps and sheathes her weapons. "Thruf will be alright, won't he? Will he get up amidst a gout of flame or somesuch?"
(10:28:30 PM) ***Tanoran tugs her scythe free of the ground, looking almost disappointed as Thuf hits the ground.
(10:28:51 PM) Feldi: Jak nudges Thuf with his hoof.
(10:29:27 PM) SpaceThor: "He's tougher than that." He raises a hand, and a glowing light envelops the hobgoblin. He stands up. "An excellent fight. You have my thanks."
(10:30:27 PM) ***Jacek offers Thuf a bow. "Always a pleasure to spar with a fellow. Perhaps you could show me a few tricks, before we leave?"
(10:30:41 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani nods, holding out a hand to the Hobgoblin. "If a bit uneven with the sides. Things might not have gone so well if there if the numbers were more even."
(10:30:44 PM) Feldi: "Jak would like to learn how to seal wounds with fire."
(10:31:02 PM) SpaceThor: He shakes the hand. "Oh, that's just the armor I have. It's gonna be a few days before it comes back."
(10:31:12 PM) SpaceThor: "And I have time for a student, at least for a few hours, before my meditation."
(10:32:05 PM) Nemi: "You're an incredible fighter. I haven't seen anyone take on that many and stay standing so long- I can't imagine the ordeals you've undertaken to get /that tough/," Fiona nods with some admiration at Thruf.
(10:32:32 PM) Feldi: "Jak agree. Being hit so much and not dying is impressive."
(10:32:49 PM) Aurora: Aurora nods. "Yeah, you're something of a beast, I'd say," she says with a grin, meaning it as a compliment. "Wonder if you're as tough in other ways, too?~"
(10:33:00 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani rolls her eyes
(10:33:12 PM) SpaceThor: "Ah, well, I pride myself on my mental fortitude."
(10:33:26 PM) Aurora: "Mmm hmm?~"
(10:34:30 PM) SpaceThor: "If you'd like to meditate with me, I'd be more than happy to have you."
(10:35:02 PM) SpaceThor: Skomnud laughs. "You be social, old man, I'm going to watch the gate. Adventurers, you're welcome to stay as long as you like, until battle calls you once more. Bane watch over your battles."
(10:35:15 PM) Aurora: "I'm sure that'd be very... enlightening," she muses, voice husky.
(10:35:35 PM) ***Jacek gives the priest a respectful nod as well
(10:36:17 PM) Feldi: Jak huffs and simply picks Aurora up and slings her over his shoulder.
(10:36:36 PM) Aurora: "Guh! Hey! I was enjoying myself!"
(10:36:48 PM) ***Sepideh_Madani bows deeply to the priest.
(10:37:11 PM) Feldi: "Maybe Jak enjoys picking up short people." He retorts with a smile.
(10:38:20 PM) Aurora: She pouts at hte minotaur. "Hmph. I'm going to hold you responsible for this~"
(10:38:49 PM) Tanoran: "Looks like Jak's the one doing the holding~"
(10:39:03 PM) Nemi: "It's been an adventure, Thruf. Thank you. T'was an honour facing one of your strength."
(10:39:05 PM) Aurora: "BAAAAAH!"
(10:39:12 PM) Aurora: Aurora's pout intensifies.
(10:39:53 PM) SpaceThor: Thuf goes to put his halberd on a nearby rack.
(10:40:31 PM) SpaceThor: "Oh, Skomnud forgot to mention this, but since you passed the trial, you're welcome to come anytime you need shelter. We'd be happy to accommodate you."
(10:40:36 PM) Feldi: Jak grins at Tanoran, patting the shifter over his shoulder on the ass as she cries.  "Jak enjoyed that one."
(10:41:33 PM) Nemi: "Much appreciated, Thuf. Mind if I ask a few things? How long's this temple been here? And, uh, are there many other acolytes around?"
(10:41:39 PM) Tanoran: "Ohhh, that's good to know!"
(10:41:47 PM) ***Tanoran flashes a grin at Jak as well.
(10:42:31 PM) Aurora: Aurora huffs, but blushes a bit. "I'm taking that out of your share," she huffs.
(10:42:54 PM) Tanoran: "Who says you're counting out the shares~?"
(10:43:15 PM) Aurora: "I'm a businesswoman! I'm qualified to do it!"
(10:43:19 PM) SpaceThor: "This temple has been a temple for eight years now, but it was a castle long before that. It was burned by Pirhajat during the last war, and Braganca never reclaimed it."
(10:43:44 PM) SpaceThor: "Myself and Skomnud are the only acolytes who remain here. We have adherents who come and pitch in a few months out of the year, but nothing permanent."
(10:44:00 PM) Feldi: "It may be hart to count if Jak keeps you up there." He says to the Shifter.
(10:44:06 PM) Feldi: hard*
(10:46:19 PM) Aurora: "Are you not planning to put me down? Because I do still owe Fiona's grandfather those pushups tonight."
(10:47:39 PM) Feldi: "Is Aurora still planning to take anything out of Jak's share?" He fires back, smiling all the while.
(10:47:57 PM) Aurora: She huffs. "Fiiiiine."
(10:48:39 PM) Feldi: Jak puts the shifter down, grinning at her.
(10:50:24 PM) Aurora: She brushes herself off with another huff, rolling her eyes... but there's the slight hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.