Fantasy Contract: Mysterious activity at the northern Ruins

[Vampunk]

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Raising the foaming mug to her face Aerika took a sip of her ale, feeling the cool liquid soothe her dry throat as a content sigh escaped her lips.
A awfully smug smile came to adorn the Adventurer's lips as she wiped some of the foam off her upper lip.

She had actually managed to get her hands on one of the more sought after contracts. One that did seem to yield a pretty hefty sum for what looked like a simple reconnaissance mission. Easy money and yet another completed contract to add to her collection.
Her gloved hand came to reach into her reinforced jacket's pocket as she retrieved the document, carefully unfolding the parchment with the Guild's seal affirming the authenticity of said contract.

Raising an eyebrow Aerika's eyes wandered over the details, memorizing the little information that was actually provided.
Besides a lot of formalities like the payment, permits and of course the few lines that made the Guild unaccountable for any injuries or any other form of "workforce injury" there wasn't an awful lot of detail on what her adventuring party may encounter.

"Damnit..This will make it hard actually preparing for all the eventualities." Aerika mumbled to herself, taking yet another sip from her ale as her fingers came to rub the nape of her neck, still feeling sore from the bed she had rented for the night.
With her rather modest pay she couldn't possibly allow herself to spend the night in one of the city's more prestigious establishments but had to rent herself a small room in one of the adventuring Taverns.

At least it made her be able to keep tab on every piece of news that might prove useful in the future. Be it rumors of newfound dungeons to the west, new hunting parties being formed in preparation for the new season or simply catching up snippets of other adventurer's banter, it gave her a pretty good idea of the who's and what's of the city.

And currently there weren't exactly a lot of new contracts put up by the guilds. Knowing the machinations behind the guild's contracts Aerika knew that if they actually tried getting adventurer's on the job it was because they simply couldn't be bothered dispatching their own agents or they needed disposable manpower that wasn't directly tied to them.
For this contract she deemed the former to be the reason for it actually being handed out. Especially with something as vague as an abandoned ruin no longer being abandoned.

"Bandits. Probably." Aerika sighed to herself, already having the feeling that this contract might not exactly be the thing that would bring her the renown and recognition she deserved. Instead those accompanying her and herself would probably just be overglorified goons sent to snuff a few criminals out of their new hiding place.
Not exactly the most heroic of contracts but she was in no place to pass up on easy money.
Eyeing her half-empty mug Aerika raised her drink to her lips, emptying it in one large gulp before motioning the Barkeep to give her a refill.
Leaning back as she waited for her drink Aerika let her eyes wander around the establishment, watching other adventurers engage in drink, games or simply planning out their own little quests. A soft smile crept unto her face as Aerika raised an eyebrow overhearing some no names planning their very first raid on some poor goblin's encampment before she was brought back by the sound of her drink being put on top of the heavy oaken counter.

Knowing that she wasn't the only one having enlisted for this particular contract Aerika awaited someone to actually take a seat next to her, knowing that a few familiar faces had talked about taking on that generous offer of exploring a deserted ruin for a pouch of cold, hard silver.

​

 

[Absurdisan]

Sedna Arnaqi​

Tavern - Well-Rested
The stairs creaked as Sedna made her way up from the basement to the tavern bar, having slept soundly in one of the establishments more dilapidated, and cheaper, rooms below. Space for her bedroll was all she required, and she saved a lot of coin by not splurging on unnecessary luxuries. She had listened around the tavern the night before for any news of potential contracts, and had overheard one regarding an abandoned ruin that may be harbouring some unidentified threat. It was the most interesting one she had heard thus far, and decided to look into it more after she had got some sleep, as she had been travelling most of the day and night before, fulfilling a simple contract to escort a farmer and his wares to town.

She stopped at the top of the basement staircase and looked around, listening for any mention of ruins. Hearing no obvious remarks, and having had no meal that day so far, she headed to the bar to order a simple breakfast. Lunch. Dinner? Sedna realised she had no idea what the time actually was, but it was of little consequence. Settling herself on a stool next to a brown-haired woman and leaning her squtul against the bar next to her with a soft 'thunk', she beckoned the barkeep over and ordered some bread, pork and an ale. As the barkeep wandered off to procure her meal, she looked at the woman she had sat beside, noticing an odd tattoo snaking its way up her neck. In her hand she saw a guild contract, mentioning the ruins she had heard of the night before. That was oddly fortuitous.

"Greetings." Sedna offered a hand to the woman, her voice steady and calm, "my name is Sedna." She gave a knowing look at the parchment in the woman's hands. "I believe we are looking for the same contract. I would be interested in joining you, as I am looking for work at the moment."

Interactions Vampunk

 

[Vampunk]

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Easing her eyes from the contract Aerika came to face the woman that had seated herself next to her, introducing herself as "Sedna" on the basis of them sharing a common interest in the contract. Carefully folding the contract Aerika put the parchment back into her pocket as her hand came to shake Sedna's, a smile adorning Aerika's face as she raised an eyebrow at the one-eyed woman.
"So it seems, huh? I'm Aerika. An adventurer just like you, looking for something worthwhile. Or, well, playing the part of underpaid goons for the Guild." Aerika remarked with a sigh.
"Personally, I feel this thing isn't going to be very eventful. Looks to me like a severe case of bandit infestation. Might have scared the local merchants with their hollering. Nothing more." Aerika added, taking a sip of her ale as her tongue protruded to lick the foam off her lips.

"But where are my manners. Welcome aboard I guess? Not often that I get the pleasure to work alongside like-minded individuals. Usually just spare guards and guild officials. Well, to be fair, I'm one of them as well." Aerika remarked with a toothy grin, her cheeks flushing a bright red due to her already having spent most of her spare change on her ale, before pointing to her left shoulder, adorned by the Ember Heart's guild crest.
"The two guilds aren't on the best of terms but beggars can't be choosers. Not like the Ember Heart has anything to offer during this time of the year. The northern passes are already heavy with snow and there's not a lot of big game hunts to be had there." Just then did Aerika realize she had been going on and on, without letting Sedna get the chance to add to the conversation.

Awkwardly rubbing her neck Aerika glanced over to Sedna, letting out a soft chuckle.
"Excuse me, I just thought I'd indulge myself in some banter and booze before we hit the road tomorrow. Not like we'd get the chance on the voyage. The guild's got a strict no-drinking-on-the-job policy." Aerila remarked with a raised eyebrow as she took another sip of her ale.

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Absurdisan

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[doneanddusted]

Devyn Rutsson ​

"I'm just testing shit rn don't mine meeeeee"​

▾▾▾​

Status || Waiting for some food.
Mood || Pretty lax
Location || Tavern
Currently || None
Mentioned || Vampunk
Interactions ||​

Devyn had been traveling for quite a while. It took an extremely long time getting down her home mountains of Daggertop- because Devyn didn't have any animal to ride on, she had decided to snowboard down. Now normally sliding down a lil' slope on a hand-made (by yours truly) board wasn't dangerous... but add in blizzards and steep slopes and bumps and the usual dangers of going down mountains, PLUS a backpack full of important things, and snowboarding gets a little bit... life-threatening. Risky. Synonyms. The north was especially snowy this year, too, which was actually sort of nice (minus the lack of vision). The ground was always soft. Devyn had managed to travel quite a distance on her snowboard, before finally being forced to walk. The rest of the journey was pleasant, seeing that Devyn paid for carriages after some walking.

Now Devyn was in {INSERT NAME OF TOWN}, and had just woken up in an inn. She half-expected to hear her father cooking, or to see her mother peaking in her room. Her mother always managed to predict when she would wake up. Had it been anyone but her parents, Devyn would be a bit disturbed, but this was her mother's way of showing how much she cared. Devyn changed her clothing, brushed her messy pink hair, and slung on her backpack (with some items unpacked, of course), which she always took with her. The girl stepped into town with a hop in her step, and a rather carefree and childish look to her. Well, she was 5 feet tall. Anyone could mistake her for a 12 year old or something. Devyn wanted to find some breakfast... brunch? She had no idea what time it was. The girl found a tavern. While she highly doubted anyone would let her drink in there, Devyn was pretty sure there'd be good food.

Devyn took her tiny self through the tavern, receiving puzzled looks from other NPCs.
Well gee, I'm short, I noticed.
Back in Daggertop, Devyn had been able to drink a year ago. Not that she drank on a regular basis- drinking was really only for special occasions or for when she was highly stressed. The girl pushed herself up on to one of the stools, next to a woman with dark brown hair and a bunch of tattoos. She asked for a cinnamon roll and some coffee (and apparently asking for coffee also meant she got a weird look).

code by Aukanai ​

 

[RoarkSouth]

Radiver Redwing​

On the rafters underneath one of the raised portions of the city lay a slumbering knight. Radiver, not having a coin to his name, had to forgo the tavern's beds and instead took to rest in the one part of the sprawling city that gave somewhat of a resemblance to home.

He sat up and looked at the position of the sunlight's reflection on the water below. He aligned his thumb with the reflection and looked up at a series of markings on the plank of wood above him. His thumb pointed to a crude carving of a stout tavern with its door open. Good, he thought. The tavern is open.

Radiver grabbed his pouch off of a nearby protruding nail an fastened it to his waist before rising. He grabbed his arm and pulled, stretching the muscles before doing the same to the other arm, and twice again with his legs. With the warmups out of the way, he dropped from the beam, grabbing another on the way down. One drop after another, and with a few small leaps thrown in as well, he made his way down to the earth. Or more correctly, the cobblestone.

If there was one thing Radiver missed most about the forest, it would probably be the near omnipresence of the spirits. At times, it seemed that nearly every tree, stone, or pond had a spirit he could talk to. Here, there was barely a whisper. The one spirit he had been able to communicate with, one retained a waterway under a bridge, had been particularly grumpy. Still, it was pleased to see that at least one person in the city could perform the rituals to communicate with the somewhat present without having an exorcist nearby and told Radiver that he could find quests at a building called a tavern.

And now here he was.

Radiver entered the establishment, his armor reflecting the dim candle lights. There was a strong, pungent scent perfuming the air that he could not quite identify. Apparently it was coming from a frothy looking liquid a few of the patrons were drinking. He shook his head and tried to ignore it as he headed to a wooden board with many papers pinned on it. He read each of the papers, his father had taught how to read the common tongue, until one caught his attention.

It was a contract to look into mysterious activity in the northern ruins. If Radiver knew his vocabulary, which indeed he did, then a ruin was a place in a state of decay, usually manmade. Ruins implied that there were more than one, and if there was a large area of destruction, its quite possible that the disturbances were simply new spirits that had been born out of the destruction. That is how it worked when a large forest fire or storm ran through the forest, so it should be the same.

Radiver took the contract from the board and scanned the rest of the bar. Some of these people must have been adventurers who were interested in the same quest. Perhaps he could finally get to know one of his fellow humans? It was then that he realized that a several of the patrons were staring at him. Had he done something wrong? Did he break another taboo? How was he supposed to know that pointing with the middle finger was a rude gesture?

Radiver walked away from his small audience and tried to find a place to sit. Across the tavern, there was a small group who did not look like they were paying him any heed. One of them had an eye-patch, another was covered in tattoos, and the last one was short with pink hair. Was she a nymph? No, couldn't be. Her skin was not blue.

He sat next to the eye-patched one without saying anything, only holding up the contract and pointing to it.

 

[Absurdisan]

Sedna Arnaqi​

Tavern - Well-Rested
Aerika's strong handshake, attire and guild crest showed that she wasn't new to this adventuring business. She certainly seemed to know what she was talking about, and she appeared to enjoy her work. Sedna respected that - there was a nobility in taking pride in what you do, regardless of what it is - but she also noted Aerika's disappointment in the apparent simplicity of the task.

The barkeep returned with her ale and left, presumably to fetch her meal. She raised the tankard and drank - it was a weak beverage, but sufficient. Definitely sufficient for Aerika, by the looks of her flushed cheeks.

"Eventful or not, a good deed is worth doing. Even if it is as 'underpaid goons'," Sedna remarked, shooting a pointed look at Aerika over the top of her tankard before setting it down on the bar. "It looks like you've been doing this for a while, so I trust you know your limits before setting off on... a..."

Sedna drifted off as she noticed a diminuitive slip of a girl sit in the stool on the other side of Aerika. She looked so young, Sedna wasn't sure she should be in a place like this. Such a young and attention-grabbing girl could attract trouble, and her brow furrowed as she subtly scanned the tavern for any potential troublemakers looking to cash in on an easy mark. She took pains not to move her head lest her observations be obvious, and her left hand instintively started edging towards the greathooks on her side.

Her gaze caught a glint of light reflected off a suit of armour, which immediately set her on edge. It was rare to see a full suit of armour outside a town guard, and when the figure made his way to sit next to her, she slowly reached for her squtul and held it upright - still resting on the floor, but with a tight grip, ready to act. She returned her eyes to Aerika, keeping her face as passive as she could, though her voice was laced with tension as she couldn't clearly see what the armoured man was doing behind her. "We have company."

Interactions Vampunk doneanddusted RoarkSouth

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Nepheline Frostgaar
Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. ​

Nephie hadn't the luxury of a proper inn upon arrival, but rather a small boarding house near the edge of the large city. Bunk beds by the dozen lined a large, shabbily constructed room in a large, shabbily constructed building. Her hair tangled and knotted, her eyes puffy and half-lidded, she'd slept horribly, surrounded by the snores and wind-breaking of strangers all night, clutching at her pack like there were goblins about. It wasn't so much the strangers, Nephie had never been particularly threatened by people she didn't know ... or at least, not simply by the fact that she didn't know them. No, it was the constant proximity to others. Perhaps the north simply enjoyed an abundance of space, but it seemed in the city that she was always breathing someone else's air, a flinch away from touching someone else, and it was so warm all the time. Heaving an exasperated sigh, the weary young woman cast a suspicious look down into the hand-carved wooden mug full of black, steaming liquid. It smelled foul, like burnt barney ... but not in a good way.

"What? Give it a shot, I promise it'll work." Asked the lithe young man who'd made her the suspicious beverage, his elbow propped on the strange cart from which he sold his ... she still wasn't entirely familiar with the name.

"It smells awful ..."
"Oh, it's going to taste awful too ..."

With a deeply set frown drawn across her face, Nephie gathered her resolve and took a small sip. It tasted like it smelled, burnt. It was strange though, as it tricked down her throat, there was a kind of tingle up her spine, a forced wideness to her heavy stare.

Another sip, this time it seemed like there was more body to the flavour, more character. Hints of aromatic wood, of spice came through, and it certainly seemed to kindle a fire in her.

"What do you call this stuff again?"
"Go Juice ... you know, because it gets you going."
"And it's made out of beans ..."
"No word of a lie."

Her lips drawn tight in an expression more of acceptance than approval, Nephie handed over two copper pieces and moved on, sipping occasionally at the acrid beverage. They certainly didn't have beans like this up north. Pulling out the crude map the boarding house owner had drawn for her, she peered down at the clumsily drawn streets. The names were written so poorly it seemed to be another language at first glance. She was suddenly regretting not inquiring with the bean-juice man about directions. Peering at the many buildings lining the street, one familiar name jumped out at her from just down the lane. Double checking the actual contract before she pushed her way through the doors, the young woman paused for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim candle-light. The interior was about as impressive as the exterior had been, but the lack of patronage made it easy to spot her would-be accomplices. Most occupied tables held three people at most, but the bar was lined at one side with people who looked ready for a fight.

Now came the un-pleasantries. Marching over, contract in hand, bean juice in the other, she stopped a few feet away and cleared her throat loudly.

"I uh ... I don't suppose you all are here to check up on some old stronghold?"

Offering a reserved wave, her lips were already drawn into a thin line as she peered halfheartedly at the group. Starting to wake up, her stare flicked momentarily to the end of the row, where a child sat ... her brow crumpled with concern ... DID she have the right people? Among the group were armoured, skilled, capable looking fighters ... perhaps the short one was someone's squire.

Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.​

 

[Dogs2900]

Malifus Thundershield​

Coming from above, down the creaking stairway. A stout dwarf thumping along in a full suit of polished plate and chain. How did he stoop this low. Then again he was pretty low back at the mines. Meh at least hes not working for the worst blacksmith in the town anymore. Poor dad, in another 50 years I'll have enough gold to make us the biggest of the big amung the family. He has to start somewhere though. He needs to get his name out there as the best merchant around. He walks through the tavern getting towards the bar and says to the barkeep "How are you doing on supplies for this place?"

The barkeep looks back and grumbles "I'm fine, do you need a drink or what?"

Looking back smiling Malifus says "I could make this place better than fine. A grand home for the best of the best and all the fine wines and ale a dwarf can imagine."

The barkeep puts their hands on the table and looks angry. "Look I've heard enough of your business proposals from yesterday when you talked my ear up about nothing. Now do you want something to drink or what!"

*Sigh* "Yea ale." Malifus slaps some coin down and grabs his drink. He starts walking away because the stools were too tall for him. *Sips* "Wait, did I just hear my contract?" He turns around to the bar and points to one of the girls on the bar talking about the contract. "Don't tell me I have another lot of humans and no good dwarves on this stupid contract." He looks disgruntled pointing a finger then lighting his pipe.

 

[Vampunk]

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Aerika's eyes came to dart around the various new faces starting to form a circle around her, all of them seemingly interested in taking up the contract her fellow Ember Heart guild members had deemed too insignificant to take on.
Exchanging glances with Sedna and the others a crooked grin came to adorn Aerika's face as she scratched the back of her head before standing up from her barstool.
Taking a dramatic pause and letting go of a soft chuckle the woman suddenly turned around, pointing at two rookie adventurers sitting at a table that was obviously too big for only the two of them.
"You, make way!" Aerika commanded, the two younglings, probably only children of some higher ranking guild member, gazing at her dumbfounded before just hastily retreating to the other corner of the tavern, obviously intimidated.

A wide grin adorning her face Aerika strolled over to the table and sat herself at the top, glancing back at her prospective partners, waving at them and nodding towards the other empty chairs as her hand retrieved the contract from her jacket pocket as well as a tattered map that had probably been through more than just rain and fire.
Spreading the map over the oaken table and putting the contract over it Aerika waited for everyone to join her before clasping her hands.

"Well, well, seems we share a common goal, huh? Now, I don't care for what godforsaken reason you all seem interested in this rather ominous contract, and frankly, i'd rather we keep it that way. What's important is that we're going to be doing this together. This ain't no solo job, the pay's per head, nothing to be shared. So no competition either." It was already getting pretty clear that Aerika did have some experience in managing adventuring parties, as was evident by her smug grin and the Ember heart sigil on her left shoulder.
"Anyways, I think introductions are in order. I'd very much prefer knowing who's going to be watching my back out there." Aerika remarked with a raised eyebrow, resting her chin on her clasped hands as her eyes wandered over their ragtag group of adventurers.
"Who's going to do us the honors? Don't worry, I won't judge a book by its cover."
And just like that Aerika seemed to just snatch away the position as the group's de-facto leader, even if it was just for organizing their little party before they'd set out in the morning.

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[M o c h i]

Aisha Katrva​

“Oh, I’ll introduce myself.” A voice quipped.

Behind Aerika at one of the smaller tables the owner of the voice motioned to rise, a lazy smile playing on her lips as she left her things behind. The Ochian woman had been quite the sight earlier that morning when she first entered the tavern. Decked out in every bit of winter clothing imaginable, Aisha had been the most overdressed person in the town by far. However, a few bowls of spicy peanut soup and a couple of rounds of cards with the patrons later and the Ochian had managed to shed much of her clothing. Aside from the heavy fur cloak she had draped across her shoulders, one could argue that she was, uh, moderately dressed for the season at least.

“My name is Aisha Katrva. I couldn’t help watching your group over there,” She gestured with her thumb toward the bar where they all had been before as she helped herself to one of the chairs closest to Aerika at her table, “and noticing that you all happened to be looking for the same ruins. Am I correct?”

Seemingly uninterested in the answer, Aisha’s eyes darted from the map Aerika had displayed to the other members of the group. Her gaze lingered on each for a moment or two before finally resting on Sedna whom the woman seemed the most pleased to see if her wide grin was any consideration. “Ah, my darling Sedna! You have quite the company this time around, hm?” She cooed. “How will you ever put up with them all?”

 

[ZeiruliousMakavar]

Wolfwood.

Heinrich sighed as he returned to the city once again, after spending the week wandering the forest nearby. He sighed softly as he stood near one of the gates into the city, watching in an idle manor the people passing through the guard's checkpoint. He made no move to interact with any of them, mostly due to not knowing anyone at this checkpoint at the time. After a short while, and the guard returning with the paperwork that proved he was an adventurer for the city, and not an elven diplomat, he turned to enter the city, heading towards one of the more closer guildhalls to find work.

"I'd better do this quickly..." He mumbled to himself, as he walked towards the guild. "Find a simple job, and leave. No need to interact with too many people, nor is a reason to." He sighed, shaking his head as he spoke, his wooden cane clacking against the path as he walked. "That is... if the gregarious ones aren't there today, which I pray they aren't."

(If this is short, I apologize as I don't tend to make long posts. I tend to avoid fluffing up my posts unless absolutely necessary, as I find long posts to be pointless. The rest o my posts will probably be around this length, if not shorter.)

 

[Absurdisan]

Sedna Arnaqi​

Tavern - Intrigued & Surprised
Sedna's eyes narrowed as more figures approached the bar - another young woman, although nowhere near as young-looking as the girl at the bar, and a... dwarf? Her eyebrow raised as she watched the two approach and make mention of the contract. She was still tense, as she hadn't looked around to see what the armoured man behind her wanted, but with this many adventurers looking for work the girl at the bar should be safer.

Aerika chuckled and suddenly made her way to the larger table, scaring off two whelps in the process. Sedna watched from her stool, her hand still holding her squtul, but when Aerika slapped down the map and contract and invited the entire group to join her, she realised that the entire group was here for that job. Aerika quickly took stock of the situation and laid out the terms simply and plainly, which pleased Sedna to no end - too many jobs in the past that involved larger groups often devolved into disputes of payment and workload. The insignia on Aerika's shoulder was obviously well-earned.

Sedna got up to join her at the table, when a familiar voice from the back of the tavern caused her to pause. She saw a shock of curly hair rise from behind Aerika, and her eyes widened when she recognised the woman making her way to the table. She had been too focused on food and Aerika to notice Aisha, for which she felt genuinely bad. When her friend called on her with a grin, Sedna relaxed her grip on her squtul and gave a small, earnest smile - such a thing in public was considered a great display of affection among her people.

"Aisha? It is good to see you again. I did not know you were in this town," she said, her voice as cool as ever. She stood and made her way to the table, setting her weapon against it and sitting next to the dark-skinned woman as her expression softened a bit, regret creeping into her one exposed eye. "I am sorry for not seeing you earlier. And I am sure you will help with the group," she said, looking Aisha up and down at her slightly underdressed state. What on earth had that girl been up to?

She looked back at the rest of the group and her gaze hardened back to its usual impassive glare. "I am Sedna Arnaqi of Jjoldunbryndt. I am here for honest work. Aerika is offering such and I wish to join." She looked to Aerika and nodded in gratitude before looking back at the rest of the group.

Interactions
Vampunk M M o c h i

 

[doneanddusted]

Devyn Rutsson ​

▾▾▾​

Status || I don't get this status thing.
Mood || Peaceful, content
Location || Tavern
Currently || Waiting for others
Mentioned || Vampunk M M o c h i Absurdisan
Interactions || N/A​

Devyn looked as many people gathered, and the girl was a bit confused as to why. They all seemed so interested in the woman with tattoos... The little girl received her coffee and cinnamon bun. She drank the coffee quickly, relishing in the bitter taste that almost matched how her author felt after every school day. She looked around her. People were holding up papers... Devyn looked over at Tattoo Woman's paper, which seemed almost the same as another woman's. It had something about ruins and strange activity going on... the rewards was money... Devyn looked back at the woman with very white hair. She wore polar bearskin... ah, she was from the North. Devyn looked at her own clothing. While most of her clothing was rather simple, she did wear a hooded cloak made with polar bear fur. Maybe this woman also came from Daggertop?

Devyn watched as Tattoo Woman suddenly made herself the leader. Well, she sounded either like she was egotistical or like she was experienced. And like a teacher, or a leader, the woman spread out a map, introduced herself as Aerika, and started giving them a pep talk. She then encouraged everyone to say their names. There was a woman named Aisha Katrva, who had curly orange-ish hair and golden brown skin. Devyn had almost never seen people like that, unless they were travelers from abroad. There was another woman with a bandage covering one eye. Her face was scarred... very scarred. She introduced herself a Sedna Arnaqi from IDSAOIJWQOIJQIEWJWIOJ. Devyn stayed quiet, watching everyone.

code by Aukanai ​

 

[ZeiruliousMakavar]

Wolfwood.

Wolfwood sighed as he entered the tavern, looking around it, spotting several people huddled together as if they were making plans. He ignored them for now, as he slowly moved towards the contract board, looking over a few of them. "How wonderful..." He mumbled to himself, shaking his head softly. "There are no jobs that I could take alone." He said, before sighing and moving to the bar counter of the Tavern, not far from the group.

"Just a small pint for now." He said, waving to the Tavernkeeper, as he set his cane down next to the seat he was on. As he waited for his drink, he glanced over at the group, who seemed to be introducing each other, as if they were a new adventuring group. This made him sigh, and shake his head softly, before closing his eyes as if to meditate.

Vampunk Neon Valkyrie M M o c h i doneanddusted Absurdisan Dogs2900

 

[RoarkSouth]

Radiver Redwing​

Radiver watched as the tattooed woman rose up and introduced herself as Aerika before declaring herself the leader of this, telling the group to gather around at the bar. He had no problem with that, these people probably knew more about this land than he did. It was by pure happenstance that he was even in this city at all.

Two more people introduced themselves, the one-eyed girl with the fishhooks and a dark skinned woman who seemed to know the former. Despite his lack of human interaction for most of his life, he could already tell that the members of this group were not of the norm.

Radiver stood up tall and straight, the sound of his armor drawing several of the other patrons attentions. "I am Radiver Redwing," his voice was stained with the accent of those speaking the old dialect of the common tongue. "I am a trained knight and have just arrived here from the Mylomar Forest and..." One of the nearby patrons had dropped his mug, smashing it on the ground as its bearded owner just stared at him, his mouth agape. Had he said something wrong, Radiver wondered. "And I will be glad to work alongside you." With that, he sat back down in his chair, waiting to hear what the others had to say.

 

[Vampunk]

_________________________________________________________________________
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With a warm smile on her face Aerika listened to everyone introduce themselves, making mental notes for herself that could come handy once they were faced with their task. For she knew not to judge someone just by the tall tales they spun, being guilty of that herself, always adding a few more daring details to her stories. But for once there wasn't some knight in shining armor proclaiming that he had fought in a hundred battles even though his steel looked like it had never seen a blade up close.
"You're more than welcome, if I've learned something from my time at the guild I know that camaraderie is the key to a successful partnership." Aerika remarked as Aisha introduced herself, already being acquainted to Sedna.

"Oh, the Mylomar wilds, I have to admit that's a first, not a lot of people actually dare traverse that forest, much less actually reside in it." The tattooed adventurer replied to Radiver. "Whatever you may know of the things that dwell in the forest might come in handy, but I doubt we'll need it this time."

Her brown eyes wandered around the other adventurers, coming to rest on Devyn, raising an eyebrow at her unusual hair color.
"Huh, that's weird, I didn't know there'd be someone as young as you wanting to take on a contract." Aerika remarked, sounding awfully worried about the prospect of having to look after someone so frail-looking as Devyn.
"So, what's your name and what do you bring to the table?" Aerika asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

So far their little adventuring party seemed to be comprised of thoroughly competent individuals, all bringing an unique set of skills to the group, this way they'd be sure to be prepared for almost anything. Though she doubted that they'd run into any form of trouble.
The ruins were pretty far north though, in realms that had been uninhabited for the last few centuries. Not much was know about them except that they were some of the more frequented trading routes due to the still somewhat intact stone paths allowing chariots easy passage.
Sure, there were tales of man-eating wolves, dark magics and revenants haunting the ruins but they were all just rumors and there hadn't been an incident in the past that might give some credibility to those claims.
"Lest I forget, my comrades in arms, you'd better pack some warmer clothing, we're heading north after all. And do not bring things you're not ready to lose, the roads might be plagued by bandits this time of year." Aerika added before stretching her arms with a yawn.
"And get a good night's rest. Exhaustion can be as lethal as a blade to your guts."

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RoarkSouth Absurdisan doneanddusted ZeiruliousMakavar M M o c h i


​

 

[ZeiruliousMakavar]

Wolfwood.

Wolfwood sighed softly as he over heard the woman who appeared to be the leader of the group. He sighed softly as she dismissed the rest of the group, shaking his head softly as he took the pint of ale from the barkeep, sipping it. He continued to sit at the bar while he drank the ale, before paying for it. "I suppose I'll check again tomorrow." He said, getting up from his seat, grabbing the wooden cane as he did. "Right now, I need sleep." He added, turning to leave the bar, glancing at the group again before he left the bar.

 

[doneanddusted]

Devyn Rutsson ​

"Food tastes good."​

▾▾▾​

Status || Still don't get this status thing...
Mood || Meh
Location || Tavern
Currently || Listening
Mentioned || Neon Valkyrie
Interactions || Vampunk ​

Devyn looked at the armoured man, who called himself Radiver Redwing. He said he came from Mylomar Forest... Though Devyn had only ever read about Mylomar. If not many people every went there, then not many people told stories about it. While Devyn did read a lot from her mother's library, she learned most of what the world was like from travelers' stories. The books did come in handy, but even those were other peoples' accounts. Devyn finished her cinnamon roll. Aerika looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Aerika looked back with puzzled eyes. "Huh, that's weird, I didn't know there would be someone as young as you wanting to take on a contract." she stated. Ah... was 18 a very young age? The other Northerner seemed to be around her age...

"So what's your name and what do you bring to the table?" Aerika asked.
"Ah... I'm Devyn Rutsson." The Northerner said. "I don't have cool weapons like you guys, though." That was a lie, she had an amazing cannon that her father made for her. "I still wish to go exploring with you- I won't cause trouble, I promise."
Aerika then went over rules: Wear warm clothing (AHAHAHA no) and don't bring stuff that you don't want stolen. That last rule was hard- everything Devyn possessed was something she didn't want to lose, from her high-quality cannon to her low-quality boots. The only choice to stop bandits from stealing them would be to shoot them all... Oh well.

code by Aukanai ​

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Nepheline Frostgaar
Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. ​

Nephie hovered around the fringe of the group as Aerika and Aisha, Sedna and Radivar made their introductions. While the knight's introduction turned a few heads, it meant little to the barbarian girl. She knew the mountains, and little else. There was little advantage that knowledge of turbulent deserts and darkened woods would provide against wolves, against the looming cold, against the winds and snow. What did catch her attention was the pink-haired girl, the meekest in appearance, who seemed to be scrutinizing her fur cloak. A look of familiarity, of possible nostalgia or homesickness could be seen in the young woman's face, and Nephie couldn't help but wonder if she too was a Northerner. (I know she is, but Nephie doesn't).

Aerika quickly drew an introduction from the girl, Devyn, before explaining that they would not be setting out until the following day. The huntress sucked her teeth loudly as she peered at the large map sprawled across the table. Sparing the group her name for now, but none of her ire, she stepped forward, arms crossed, staring blankly toward their impromptu leader.

"This is nonsense ..."

Stopping just short of the table, she pointed down to where the ruins lay marked on Aerika's map.

"That's four days ride, just shy of a week's hard walk ... what good will another day's wait do?"

Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.​

 

[Absurdisan]

Sedna Arnaqi​

Tavern
The armoured man said he was from the Mylomar Forest, eliciting a fair few raised eyebrows. No one was from the Mylomar Forest. It was uninhabitable, patrolled by great and strange beasts. She would keep her eye on this Radiver. Aerika mirrored the surprise of the group, but seemed to take him at his word. Sedna wasn't sure about that, and wondered if Aerika was either naive or better at hiding her feelings than she initially thought.

Even more odd was the young girl with pink hair, who was asking to come along. This girl, Devyn, didn't have any notable weapons on her person, and when Aerika pressed for information she didn't admit to having any skill. What on earth was she doing this for? Probably gold. Foolish girl.

As the introductions continued, Sedna spotted a man with a staff sitting at the bar, watching the group - he wasn't terribly old, and he didn't appear to be walking with a limp, so the staff immediately set off warnings inside her. It was either a walking cane, not unheard of among travelling folk, certainly not as the weather worsened, or it was the mark of a magic user. She quickly took stock of the man, realising that he was no man, but an elf. His yellow eyes were unsettling, and she watched him with narrowed eyes as he collected his staff and walked away.

The white-haired girl, who had so far refused to give her name, voiced a complaint. Like Sedna, she wore armour, but her white, furred cloak told her that she was from some colder region. A hunter like her, possibly. She was noticably irked about having to wait another day before setting off. Sedna looked her in the eye.

"It is not nonsense. We need provisions. Some of us need cold weather clothing. I still have not had a meal today," she said, her voice stoic and firm. She looked squarely into the white-haired girl's eyes and nowhere else - if she was indeed a hunter, Sedna would not act like meek prey. "You are welcome to leave today. Alone. Unprepared. But I am going to eat and buy a cloak." Standing, she finally took her eye off the girl and looked back to Aerika. "Thank you. I will be with you tomorrow. Rest well. Aisha," she said, looking at her friend, "you are welcome to join me."

Grabbing up her squtul, she walked calmly to the bar, where her previously-ordered meal now sat waiting for her, a little cold as the time had gone by. As she ate, she thought about what cloak to get. A nice furred one would do well.

Interactions & Mentions
Vampunk Neon Valkyrie M M o c h i - doneanddusted ZeiruliousMakavar RoarkSouth

 

[Vampunk]

_________________________________________________________________________
​

Aerika raised an eyebrow at Nepheline, her lips already twitching as she wanted to justify her decision...
Only for Sedna to do that for her, making Aerika lean forward as the one eyed warrior stared at the white-haired woman with a glare that could pierce stone.
"Hey, hey...No need to sow conflict before we even hit the road." Aerika remarked, letting go of a sigh as she readjusted the collar of her reinforced leather jacket.
"Besides, we'll head out first thing in the morning. A few hours to prepare won't hurt, not at all. Especially since we can actually accompany a merchant caravan, makes the risk of getting into a bandit ambush a lot less likely."

Allowing herself a grin Aerika raised an eyebrow at Nepheline. "Trust me, I know the business. You'd think after six years one would know one or two tricks that makes the job easier." Aerika added with a wink before clasping her hands, standing up from her chair and starting to roll the map off the table, putting the contract back into her jacket pocket.

Balancing the map between two fingers Aerika's eyes wandered over their ragtag group of adventurers.
"I think that settles it. Tomorrow morning, before dawn, we'll head out, try to show up, alright?"

_________________________________________________________________________

RoarkSouth Absurdisan doneanddusted ZeiruliousMakavar M M o c h i
​

 

[M o c h i]

Aisha Katrva​

Aisha was partly tempted to poke fun at Sedna for ‘not seeing her’ but resisted the urge. How could she tease her after such a touching display of emotion? Especially coming from a woman that hailed from a town where even smiling was a reason to celebrate. More realistically though, Aisha respected Sedna too much to joke about her missing eye. That, and she didn’t want to be impaled by the taller woman’s spear. Prioritizing her safety, Aisha merely waved off Sedna’s concern and laughed. “Ah, I haven’t been here long anyway.”

Her ears perked up by the next introduction. While she had never ventured anywhere near the place, she had heard legends of Mylomar Forest during her travels. Supposedly it was a large chunk of woodland where monsters reigned and, judging by the reactions of the eavesdroppers surrounding them, those legends must have been at least somewhat true. Glancing over at Aerika, the ginger lass was surprised to find such a calm response to the whole thing. Then again, contracts tended to attract all sorts.

The pink-haired girl was one such example. So far they had a dwarf, a knight hailing from uninhabitable lands and a tiny girl who wanted to go exploring, supposedly, without a single weapon. Ha! Fat-chance, that. Aisha refused to believe that such an imbecile could exist—much less be allowed to join them on their little campaign. Surely the girl had some kind of weapon, even if she didn’t want to describe what it was. Perhaps she knew a spell or two? Wouldn’t that be something special? Before Aisha had the chance to prod for information however another voice chimed in. This time coming from a white-haired young lady with a chip on her shoulder.

Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, Aisha slouched over her end of the table and watched the exchange developing before her with gusto. She might have hung around for much longer had Sedna not rise to depart. “Leaving already?” She gave the other woman a playful pout before getting on her feet herself. She had hoped for a fight at least but alas… Northerners were much more sensible than pirates half of the time. “Well, it has been a pleasure.” She said as she casually buttoned up her blouse. She had left it mostly open from earlier, revealing a thinner shirt underneath, but the frigid air was starting to become bothersome again. Perhaps a bit of rum was in order. Besides, she would need to bundle herself up again if she expected to help Sedna find some good wares in this town.

Finished with her task, the dark-skinned woman spun on her heels to greet the pink-haired teen again. “Do try and bring a weapon with you if you still intend to come along.” She winked. Another twirl and she was gone, heading straight to her old table to collect her things then to the bar where she draped an arm around Sedna’s shoulders. “My poor dear, how did you tolerate the bloody cold up until now?” Aisha laughed, pulling up a stool beside her friend. “What you need is a cloak like this one here! I know a shop that sells excellent quality boots as well. Oh!”

Aisha looked over her shoulder at the knight and waved her arm wildly above her shoulder, hoping to get his attention. “Does Sir Knight have warm clothes under all that metal?!”

 

[doneanddusted]

Devyn Rutsson ​

"wooooo"​

▾▾▾​

Status || wooOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOoooo
Mood || Determined?
Location || idk what they're called lol
Currently || Putting her gun together
Mentioned || Vampunk
Interactions || M M o c h i ​

Devyn watched the events unfold with some interest. The other northerner was interesting... probably not the kindest, but still interesting... Devyn could feel a bit of tension between the northerner and edna, but Aerika did a good job to lighten things up a bit. She was good with people. The pink-haired girl finished her coffee, going over plans. She didn't need to get anything special- people like her were quite resilient to the cold. What she wanted to do, though, was to put her cannon together. Right now her awesome cannon was in her backpack, in multiple pieces to make packing up easier. Technically, Devyn didn't lie when she said she had no weapon.

“Do try and bring a weapon with you if you still intend to come along.” Devyn looked to see the curly haired woman called Aisha wink.
She seemed to be rather condescending... Devyn didn't like people like that, but yelling or getting angry at her was a bad idea.
"I'll find something today," Devyn grinned, though the woman twirled around.
The girl stood still for a while... but then got herself up and went out of the tavern, walking back to her inn. Devyn didn't need anything. All she really needed in her backpack was some food, her building materials and tools, maybe some explosives, and ammo. Maybe she could pack some throwing knives, just in case... that sounded like a lot, but her backpack was pretty big. The girl entered her room, unpacked all the tools and materials in her backpack, and proceeded to speed-build her cannon. Maybe she could get some extra sleep after this.

code by Aukanai ​

 

[ZeiruliousMakavar]

Wolfwood.

Wolfwood sighed softly as he stood outside the tavern, shaking his head softly, as he slowly turned to head towards the same Inn that he always used when ever in town. As he did, he took a glance north, towards the city gates. "A job north eh?" He mumbled to himself softly, thinking back on what he over-heard the group in the Tavern talk about. "Not many jobs for the north... is there." He said, sighing again. "Not that I've bothered to look much..." He said, shaking his head again before he turned to head towards the district the Inn was in. "Maybe I should."

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Nepheline Frostgaar
Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. ​

Nepheline's insolence earned her Sedna's steel, cyclopean stare. The tallest of those gathered, the silver-haired woman with black rubbed across her good eye was among the most intimidating. Clad in leathers bearing netting, she suspected the cruel looking spear nearby was at home in her hands. Their host seemed on the verge of rebuttal when the woman spoke in a cold-burning cadence, the kind of tone that drew a line in the sandstone.

"It's not nonsense ..." Her brow sank heavily over her defiant stare, though she diminished slightly.

"Hey, hey...No need to sow conflict ..." Aerika cut in, presumably to stop the two from inviting one another outside, hoping her greater experience would ease the young woman's unnecessary contention.

Nephie just seemed to look more frustrated, though her lips remained locked in a crooked, silent line. She watched the large woman march off to eat her long-unattended breakfast, taking up the spear as she went. After her went Aisha, the woman's coquettish friend wrapped in fine fabrics, who's maintain of umber curls bounced as she moved. Devyn chimed after them that she would attempt to find a weapon they all found threatening enough. Nephie just stood there glowering at the back of the tall woman. Their host stood and began to roll up the map to their destination.

Before her lay two choices. Firstly, as Sedna had suggested, she could take to the road by herself to make a point. She already had the proper gear for the cold (in fact, she was starting to think it was this heat she should have been more adequately prepared for), and could hunt and forage for what provisions she'd not thought to bring. On the other hand, there was a small chance she would miss the group ... she heaved a doleful sigh. Her arms still crossed tightly over her chest, she crossed the gap to the now-standing Aerika. Clearing her throat to seize the woman's attention, she maintained uneasy eye contact, and spoke more quietly than before.

"Where are we to meet then? Here, or at the gate?"

Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.​