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Industrygothica's "Those Left Behind" [IC]
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<blockquote data-quote="industrygothica" data-source="post: 3510635" data-attributes="member: 23298"><p><em>This must be the place</em>, the halfling thought to himself. The wooden placard swung from rotting post connected with two rusted rings; an image of a dagger was carved into it. The paint was faded was the halfling could still see the remnants of the vermilion paint lingering on the misshapen blade. </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">#</p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"The Crimson Dagger's where ye wanna go fer excitement,"</span> the guardsman at the gate had told him. Friadoc had just reached the entry gates to the city of Irongate today, and the toothless gate man was the first person he saw. <span style="color: SlateGray">"Plenty o' things goin' on down there ye know. Lotsa interestin' folks."</span> The guard smiled an ugly, gap-toothed smile and pointed straight ahead. <span style="color: SlateGray">"Jus' up da road a bit, an' go left on Martrusse. You'd be knowin' the place when ye see it"</span></p><p></p><p>The guard's eyes darted furtively back and forth for only a second, and he bent down to the halfling's level. <span style="color: SlateGray">"An' be sure'n tell 'em Kavros sent ye,"</span> he added with a wink.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">#</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Yellow"><em>"The Crimson Dagger</em>"</span> Friadoc whispers to himself. With wanderlust in his eyes, he pops another peanut into the air and catches it with his mouth and makes his way to the door. </p><p></p><p>The halfling managed to sidestep the man coming through the door, and his wonderlust quickly turned into trepitidation as he looked up and saw the beast that had thrown him through it.</p><p></p><p>A huge, over-muscled half-orc with a broken tusk looked down at him and held the door. <span style="color: SlateGray">"Comin' in or ain't ya?"</span> The grisly voice sank down to the halfling's bones, and as his eyes rested on the unconscious man beside him, he didn't even realize he was walking through the door.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">-----------------------------</p><p></p><p></p><p>The dwarf sat drunk again at the table in the corner, barely noticing the fight in front of him. He was thinking of Captain Stonebender again, and tryign to wash the memories away; those were dreams that he just wasn't in the mood for tonight.</p><p></p><p>The large half-orc had invited him to this underground tavern a few weeks ago, and Rogash had been coming ever since. He knew the fights were probably illegal, but the drinks were cheap, and the solitude merciful. </p><p></p><p>A particularly nasty crash had brought him temporarily out of his stupor and he looked up in time to see the elven man slide face-first down the side of the cage and collapse into a broken heap. <em><span style="color: Yellow">This one's over</span></em>, he thought as he brought his mug up to his cracked lips and drained it completely.</p><p></p><p>He raised his mug to the serving wench as she made her way through the groping ruffians in the crowd, signalling for another. A hand clasped his shoulder. <span style="color: SlateGray">"Yer up, Dwarf,"</span> a voice said.</p><p></p><p>Rogash, his mug still in the air, turned just enough to see the man who spoke. The fightmaster, Cragen, was a huge man with disfiguring scars covering his most of his body was standing over him, his hand still on his shoulder but not bothering to look down at him.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Yellow">"Don't wanna,"</span> Rogash said as he watched the half-orc drag the lifeless elven body out of the cage door and up the back staircase.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"Yer tab's late, dwarf. Get in the cage."</span> Cragen looked down at him now; his grip tightened on Rogash's shoulder. <span style="color: SlateGray">"That is, unless you'd rather take it to the alley."</span></p><p></p><p>Rogash looked up at Cragen; the man's twisted grin was sobering. He weighed his odds, but the two over-sized goons at the door made his decision. Slowly he got up, and made his way to the cage.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">-----------------------------</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"Sure, I know how ye can make some extra gold,"</span> said the wiry old man behind the bar. His eyes were shifty, and Rokelsh knew he couldn't be trusted, but he decided to listen anyway, just to hear what he had to say.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"Yer a big fella, look like ye c'n fight."</span> Rokelsh's ears perked. This was getting interesting.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"Looks like there might be room fer ya,"</span> The old mad nodded towards the door and watched a corded-muscled half-orc toss a man through the front door of the tavern. He hadn't seen them before, like they appeared from nowhere.</p><p><span style="color: SlateGray"></span></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"Don't be worryin',"</span> the man continued. He was drying a row of steins as he spoke. <span style="color: SlateGray">"Ye won't be havin' t'fight with Grunk. Won't be havin' that one on our heads!"</span> He loosed a quick chortle and an impressive glob of spittle sprayed fom his mouth landed on the mug he'd just dried. <span style="color: SlateGray">"But there's others,"</span> he said, and he wiped the dripping mound of spit off the mug and set it down with the rest of the clean ones. Rokelsh nodded.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"Good,"</span> the man said, and he scurried rat-like over to Grunk and whispered something in his ear. He was back in a flash. <span style="color: SlateGray">"Follow Grunk, he'll show you the way."</span></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray"></span></p><p>Rokelsh followed the solient half-orc through a well concealed dooor behind the bar and down a narrow flight of stairs. Another door met them at the bottom, and Grunk knocked. Three times, a pause, and then twice more, and the door opened. Inside stood two hulking humans, and beyond was a rowdy and drunken crowd. A sullen but able-looking dwarf stood in an open cage in the corner. Grunk extended his hand, <span style="color: SlateGray">"dis way."</span></p><p></p><p>The bloodthirsty crowd began to cheer.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">-----------------------------</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><em><span style="color: Yellow">It's not supposed to be this way!</span></em></p><p></p><p>That was his last thought as his face slammed into the iron cage, before everything went black. And it was his first thought as he came to his senses just in time to crash face first again into the dirt in front of the <em>Crimson Blade</em>. His equipment came out after him, stirring up the dirt and bringing a tear to his eyes. he looked up, tried to make sense of it all, but everything was a haze. It was all fading, but the pain was searing through his face. White flashes jumped in front of his eyes, but he struggled to stay conscious. He knew someone had done this to him, but why? Where?</p><p></p><p>A figure emerged from the pain-enduced haze. Slowly, it came to light, and then faded again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; couldn't believe how he'd sank so low, and that <em>this</em> had done it to him. He tried to say the words, but instead only found himself dreaming.</p><p></p><p>Several minutes later he snaps awake as two young boys try to relieve him of his purse. They seem to freeze in fear not only of his sudden awakening, but of the horrible condition of his nose, or at least what's left of it.</p><p></p><p>His eyes dart back and forth between the two boys, and the question burns at his lips. <span style="color: Yellow">"Where is the halfling?"</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="industrygothica, post: 3510635, member: 23298"] [i]This must be the place[/i], the halfling thought to himself. The wooden placard swung from rotting post connected with two rusted rings; an image of a dagger was carved into it. The paint was faded was the halfling could still see the remnants of the vermilion paint lingering on the misshapen blade. [CENTER]#[/CENTER] [COLOR=SlateGray]"The Crimson Dagger's where ye wanna go fer excitement,"[/COLOR] the guardsman at the gate had told him. Friadoc had just reached the entry gates to the city of Irongate today, and the toothless gate man was the first person he saw. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Plenty o' things goin' on down there ye know. Lotsa interestin' folks."[/COLOR] The guard smiled an ugly, gap-toothed smile and pointed straight ahead. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Jus' up da road a bit, an' go left on Martrusse. You'd be knowin' the place when ye see it"[/COLOR] The guard's eyes darted furtively back and forth for only a second, and he bent down to the halfling's level. [COLOR=SlateGray]"An' be sure'n tell 'em Kavros sent ye,"[/COLOR] he added with a wink. [CENTER]#[/CENTER] [COLOR=Yellow][i]"The Crimson Dagger[/i]"[/COLOR] Friadoc whispers to himself. With wanderlust in his eyes, he pops another peanut into the air and catches it with his mouth and makes his way to the door. The halfling managed to sidestep the man coming through the door, and his wonderlust quickly turned into trepitidation as he looked up and saw the beast that had thrown him through it. A huge, over-muscled half-orc with a broken tusk looked down at him and held the door. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Comin' in or ain't ya?"[/COLOR] The grisly voice sank down to the halfling's bones, and as his eyes rested on the unconscious man beside him, he didn't even realize he was walking through the door. [CENTER]-----------------------------[/CENTER] The dwarf sat drunk again at the table in the corner, barely noticing the fight in front of him. He was thinking of Captain Stonebender again, and tryign to wash the memories away; those were dreams that he just wasn't in the mood for tonight. The large half-orc had invited him to this underground tavern a few weeks ago, and Rogash had been coming ever since. He knew the fights were probably illegal, but the drinks were cheap, and the solitude merciful. A particularly nasty crash had brought him temporarily out of his stupor and he looked up in time to see the elven man slide face-first down the side of the cage and collapse into a broken heap. [i][COLOR=Yellow]This one's over[/COLOR][/i], he thought as he brought his mug up to his cracked lips and drained it completely. He raised his mug to the serving wench as she made her way through the groping ruffians in the crowd, signalling for another. A hand clasped his shoulder. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Yer up, Dwarf,"[/COLOR] a voice said. Rogash, his mug still in the air, turned just enough to see the man who spoke. The fightmaster, Cragen, was a huge man with disfiguring scars covering his most of his body was standing over him, his hand still on his shoulder but not bothering to look down at him. [COLOR=Yellow]"Don't wanna,"[/COLOR] Rogash said as he watched the half-orc drag the lifeless elven body out of the cage door and up the back staircase. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Yer tab's late, dwarf. Get in the cage."[/COLOR] Cragen looked down at him now; his grip tightened on Rogash's shoulder. [COLOR=SlateGray]"That is, unless you'd rather take it to the alley."[/COLOR] Rogash looked up at Cragen; the man's twisted grin was sobering. He weighed his odds, but the two over-sized goons at the door made his decision. Slowly he got up, and made his way to the cage. [CENTER]-----------------------------[/CENTER] [COLOR=SlateGray]"Sure, I know how ye can make some extra gold,"[/COLOR] said the wiry old man behind the bar. His eyes were shifty, and Rokelsh knew he couldn't be trusted, but he decided to listen anyway, just to hear what he had to say. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Yer a big fella, look like ye c'n fight."[/COLOR] Rokelsh's ears perked. This was getting interesting. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Looks like there might be room fer ya,"[/COLOR] The old mad nodded towards the door and watched a corded-muscled half-orc toss a man through the front door of the tavern. He hadn't seen them before, like they appeared from nowhere. [COLOR=SlateGray] "Don't be worryin',"[/COLOR] the man continued. He was drying a row of steins as he spoke. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Ye won't be havin' t'fight with Grunk. Won't be havin' that one on our heads!"[/COLOR] He loosed a quick chortle and an impressive glob of spittle sprayed fom his mouth landed on the mug he'd just dried. [COLOR=SlateGray]"But there's others,"[/COLOR] he said, and he wiped the dripping mound of spit off the mug and set it down with the rest of the clean ones. Rokelsh nodded. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Good,"[/COLOR] the man said, and he scurried rat-like over to Grunk and whispered something in his ear. He was back in a flash. [COLOR=SlateGray]"Follow Grunk, he'll show you the way." [/COLOR] Rokelsh followed the solient half-orc through a well concealed dooor behind the bar and down a narrow flight of stairs. Another door met them at the bottom, and Grunk knocked. Three times, a pause, and then twice more, and the door opened. Inside stood two hulking humans, and beyond was a rowdy and drunken crowd. A sullen but able-looking dwarf stood in an open cage in the corner. Grunk extended his hand, [COLOR=SlateGray]"dis way."[/COLOR] The bloodthirsty crowd began to cheer. [CENTER]-----------------------------[/CENTER] [i][COLOR=Yellow]It's not supposed to be this way![/COLOR][/i] That was his last thought as his face slammed into the iron cage, before everything went black. And it was his first thought as he came to his senses just in time to crash face first again into the dirt in front of the [i]Crimson Blade[/i]. His equipment came out after him, stirring up the dirt and bringing a tear to his eyes. he looked up, tried to make sense of it all, but everything was a haze. It was all fading, but the pain was searing through his face. White flashes jumped in front of his eyes, but he struggled to stay conscious. He knew someone had done this to him, but why? Where? A figure emerged from the pain-enduced haze. Slowly, it came to light, and then faded again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; couldn't believe how he'd sank so low, and that [i]this[/i] had done it to him. He tried to say the words, but instead only found himself dreaming. Several minutes later he snaps awake as two young boys try to relieve him of his purse. They seem to freeze in fear not only of his sudden awakening, but of the horrible condition of his nose, or at least what's left of it. His eyes dart back and forth between the two boys, and the question burns at his lips. [COLOR=Yellow]"Where is the halfling?"[/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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