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Even Newer(er) Tavern Thread: The Hanged Man
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Eraden answers with a smile and nod of his head as Mallaby continues around the table. Watching the young lover leave for the ship he calmly finishes the fine wine gifted to the group of adventurers, allowing the smooth liquid to coat his pallet with each sip.
"A good start to our voyage." He says as he swirls around the last bit of wine in his goblet. "Well gentlemen" he says to those have have not yet left "I will take leave to our vessel and pray to Palladys for safe voyage." With that he takes a final drink and places his cup on the table. He removes the silver beads from his hair as he stands and once again wraps them around his left forearm, hooking it once around the thumb. As he leaves the tavern he flashes the bar keeper a smile of gratitude and walks off into the night.
H.M.Gimlord
Explorer
Retaehceht brings his goblet to his lips and drains it down, "Ah, well then," he leans forward, "I don't deal in contracts. Your word is as good as any signed document, so let's be on our way."
The drow leads the unlikely duo out onto the street under the light of the evening's oil lamp, "I didn't want to tell you this while we were inside," the two turn to face the drow, "You know how excitable people are when they see strange things," he walks toward them gesticulating dramatically, "Why, did you see the look on those faces when that girl stepped through the portal? You'd think they'd never seen inter-dimensional transport before." As he approaches the pair, his armor begins to shimmer.
At first, Tikchik thinks its the oil lamps playing tricks on his eyes, but he soon becomes convinced that the dark elf is actually changing shape...and growing. Elf-like features shrink and vanish, replaced by enlarging, blue scales on Retaehceht's skin. His face and teeth elongate into a grizzly, horned maw, while leathery, blue wings sprout from his back, "What do you think they would have done if they had seen this?"
The transformation occurs so quickly that the two have no time to react. In one fluid movement, the magnificent blue dragon grabs Tikchik and Sheng in his massive claws and leaps into the sky.
Sheng's first instinct is to struggle, and then he thinks better of it when he realizes the altitude the dragon has already achieved, "Hang on gentlemen! It's going to be a long, rough ride."
As it turns out. The dragon is not joking. He heads out over the harbor and makes for the open ocean in what turns out to be the beginning of an extremely long journey. For weeks, the dragon beats the air and soars over thermals, catching the wind in a glide where he can. The wind rushes by the faces of the two adventurers clutched in his claws as they try desperately to keep from freezing in the endless storm clouds that seem to follow the dragon wherever he flies.
Only a diffuse remnant of the sun's light makes it through the clouds, and the two have long since lost their bearings, giving up all hope on exactly how many days its been. Sheng counts twenty-three times that he's managed to fall asleep in the clutches of this enormous wyrm, and those have been due to sheer exhaustion.
Presently, the beast lowers his altitude below the cloud deck, and an island looms into view. It is an island amid an inland sea fed by tributaries from mountains to the north, a direction Sheng is pleased to divine from the newly emerging sun from behind a cloud. To the west, a single river drains the contents of the inland sea in a meandering course off to who-knows-where.
It is to the western edge of the island that the dragon takes them, approaching from the east, he passes the western shore and circles around low over the water headed directly for the face of a cliff wall in which marks the mouth of an underground river, vomiting a white foam of rough water into the inland sea.
The wyrm tucks his wings and glides into the cave at a frightening speed until he reaches a point where the cave widens and splits off into large side passages. Opening blue, sail-like wings, he comes to a jarring halt and angles to the left to light on a platform next to a rope bridge that extends across the river. One passage, across the river, leads off into a dark cave, guarded by sleeping dire wolves, while the another on their own side of the bridge leads off into the bedrock.
Five unusually large kobolds stand silently at attention when the dragon comes to rest on the underground bluff. The dragon growls an order "Rechan astahi persvek astahi persvek wer platohol. Tir ti svent astahi, shar tir ti xurwk astahi lapirul. Si geou return ihk astahi poktosh," and throws the two to the ground in front of the clutch of kobolds who quickly bind them and lead them off down the second corridor into the bedrock beyond.
Spears and sword points, as well as the exhaustion from the taxing journey convince the two that they had better play along for now. If that dragon wanted them dead, he would have just dropped them into the ocean.
The corridor widens into an ancient dungeon containing various instruments of torture as well as four holding cells, one of which stands ready to receive its new charges.
The kobolds strip the two of all clothing and armament, carting the stash away and out of viewm, and with two swift kicks, one after the other, the naked duo are thrust through the cell door which slams home behind them with a
clank!
that echoes down the corridor through which they came. A corridor that closes in on itself and disapears, taking the form of the rock from which it was carved, "Aldoer ekess Uoinota!" One of the kobold guards cackles through the cell bars. [sblock=Map]
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twilsemail
First Post
A human just on the younger side of middle aged pushes the door open and strides into the bar. He may look worn from travel, but his face still shines in a smile. He scratches at a dark beard that’s graying only on one side and recalls the tradition of the bar.
“I am Felix of Insula, I come seeking wine women and song. I hear this place has at least two of those all of the time and the third on a pretty regular basis.” He approaches the bar and orders the cheapest wine on the menu, which earns him a frown.
He sets down a heavy pack by the bar and brushes some stray droplets off of the oiled fabric. Straightening, he looks at the few patrons sitting separate from one another. “Maybe the song might take some doing…”
He stretches, almost catlike, and then adjusts clothes cut to match the uniform of the Imperial Legion. The cut is difficult to match, at first glance, as the colors are certainly not a match.
“I am Felix of Insula, I come seeking wine women and song. I hear this place has at least two of those all of the time and the third on a pretty regular basis.” He approaches the bar and orders the cheapest wine on the menu, which earns him a frown.
He sets down a heavy pack by the bar and brushes some stray droplets off of the oiled fabric. Straightening, he looks at the few patrons sitting separate from one another. “Maybe the song might take some doing…”
He stretches, almost catlike, and then adjusts clothes cut to match the uniform of the Imperial Legion. The cut is difficult to match, at first glance, as the colors are certainly not a match.
At the word "song", Sharpe looks up from his nearly alcoholic fruit drink with an umbrella in at and twitches a little. No bard could resist that word.
Pray thee mention songs? he says, walking over Felix. My name is Sharpe, noble bard of this noble tavern! Let thee listen to thine music, and mayhast it stir your soul to serve me, ahem, your lord into greater servitude for honor and glory! he says, and bursts into song, accompanied by music supplied by his arcane talents.
Pray thee mention songs? he says, walking over Felix. My name is Sharpe, noble bard of this noble tavern! Let thee listen to thine music, and mayhast it stir your soul to serve me, ahem, your lord into greater servitude for honor and glory! he says, and bursts into song, accompanied by music supplied by his arcane talents.
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twilsemail
First Post
Felix drains his wine through the course of the song and, at the end, applauds enthusiastically. "Well played my good man. I'm sure you will go far in this business. How long do you plan to stay in town?"
From his tone it's fairly obvious that Felix is assuming Sharpe is hired entertainment. He's not necessarily talking down to him, he likes hanging out with the hired help. He isn't exactly being deferential, as Sharpe may prefer.
[sblock=OOC]Sorry Luinnar, I somehow missed the reply.[/sblock]
From his tone it's fairly obvious that Felix is assuming Sharpe is hired entertainment. He's not necessarily talking down to him, he likes hanging out with the hired help. He isn't exactly being deferential, as Sharpe may prefer.
[sblock=OOC]Sorry Luinnar, I somehow missed the reply.[/sblock]
I'll stay until I get my dragon! Sharpe shouts, his madness creeping back into him.
Where are the black markets! he says shaking Felix. I'll take an egg, I'll take anything! I just need one dragon! Is that so much to ask!?! he shouts, shaking Felix some more.
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twilsemail
First Post
Felix blinks in confusion as the man apparently loses his mind for a few moments. "Your dragon? Black Market? Ser, I just got into town. I don't..."
"I mean... I heard there was a shadow market by the docks, but I haven't been there myself. I couldn't confirm anything..."
"Alternately, I hear they have frost drakes up in Surtyr. Maybe you could try there?"
"I mean... I heard there was a shadow market by the docks, but I haven't been there myself. I couldn't confirm anything..."
"Alternately, I hear they have frost drakes up in Surtyr. Maybe you could try there?"
Dekana
Explorer
The tavern door creaks as a reptilian woman pushes it open. She may appear to be a slender Dragonborn to the untrained eye, but her tail gives her away as a Lizardfolk. She carries a wood-bound book in one hand.
The woman only takes a few steps into the Hanged Man before stopping before the bouncer. She says something very softly to him, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
The bulky man responds quite loudly. "Eithal? Fredrock? No, haven't seen 'em. We've some free tables if you're the first of your party, miss...?" Again, the woman offers a muted response. The bouncer continues. "Miss Toeto. Have a drink while you wait."
Toeto nods and walks slowly toward an empty table. Along the way, she can't help but wonder why the man with a heart-shaped eyepatch is staring at her...
The woman only takes a few steps into the Hanged Man before stopping before the bouncer. She says something very softly to him, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
The bulky man responds quite loudly. "Eithal? Fredrock? No, haven't seen 'em. We've some free tables if you're the first of your party, miss...?" Again, the woman offers a muted response. The bouncer continues. "Miss Toeto. Have a drink while you wait."
Toeto nods and walks slowly toward an empty table. Along the way, she can't help but wonder why the man with a heart-shaped eyepatch is staring at her...
Mewness
First Post
A kenku, dressed stylishly in a trimmed cape and carrying a elaborately-ornamented walking stick with a large, glowing crystal set in the top, enters right after the lizard-woman. He glances around the tavern suspiciously, as though looking for someone in particular. "Your name?" A bouncer asks him.
"Mr. Smith," replies the kenku in a rich, almost hypnotically pleasant voice.
The bouncer snorts. "That's your name?"
"Not precisely," replies the kenku, in a tone of mild annoyance. "It's Harold Smith, but we aren't exactly on a first-name basis, are we?"
Ignoring the bouncer's obvious irritation, "Harold" finishes his survey of the room, and, apparently satisfied, makes his way over to the lizard-woman and joins her at her table. "A wine list, if you please," he says jauntily to a girl walking by, then addresses Toeto. "My dear, you seem terribly pensive. This is hardly the mood with which to greet the occasion!"
"Harold Smith"
"Mr. Smith," replies the kenku in a rich, almost hypnotically pleasant voice.
The bouncer snorts. "That's your name?"
"Not precisely," replies the kenku, in a tone of mild annoyance. "It's Harold Smith, but we aren't exactly on a first-name basis, are we?"
Ignoring the bouncer's obvious irritation, "Harold" finishes his survey of the room, and, apparently satisfied, makes his way over to the lizard-woman and joins her at her table. "A wine list, if you please," he says jauntily to a girl walking by, then addresses Toeto. "My dear, you seem terribly pensive. This is hardly the mood with which to greet the occasion!"
"Harold Smith"
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