Fantasy Crimson Streets

[Dragongal]

You all may be roaming through out the commonly bustling streets of your personal towns or lounging about within your homes quarters in some forms or another performing what tasks you may have planned or maybe purposely forgetting about them. But without a spoken explanation in one some instance, may it be a knock at your door or a sudden encounter on the street you come to find a young looking boy dressed in what you can recognize to be similar if not identical attire to those who both accompany and please the reigning white queen. He looks rather young, right eye hidden behind the thick fabric of a eye patch but his expression remains neutral even as he abruptly falls to a single knee with practiced grace and presents you upon fingers hidden within black velvet gloves a thin envelope decorated and written upon by the queens hands.


No matter the amount of time you may hesitate or glare in a quizzical matter the boy whose head was decorated by the queens rabbit ears remained in a bowed position, a pose most commonly presented to those of a high authority and of great power, one you most likely were far from used to. When you may finally retrieve the cream envelope which the surface of was decorated by exquisite cursive, which in simply fluid motions fell a crossed the parchment, not once had your name perhaps looked as elegant as it did when upon the letter rimmed with gold trimming. He will never speak.


But when the light letter loses contact with the strangers fingers they rise to their feet entirely, sparing you a small bow of genuine respect before turning away without a given explanation signifying that what questions you may have will hopefully be answered within the letter.


The Letter reads as the following,


Dear, [Enter characters Name or Alias]


Rid your surroundings of any who stand near for this letter was written by my hand so your eyes may be all that befall these slim words. We have secretly fallen into dark times, our prospering kingdom gradually falling into a pit that by each passing day is deepening and shaping itself into a six foot grave.


I call upon you with information handed to me by the hands and voices of resources worthy of my trust, I call upon you in hopes that you will accompany me to a fine feast that shall be put together in two nights within the inner stein and in the grand hall of my home.


Others will hopefully be attending this gracious dinner and event where we will be speaking about a current threat in much further detail, and as well what your reward may be if you choose to agree.


A royal guard is to approach your home or location near the time of the suns set, if you are to decline my offer simply tell the guard so and they will travel back to the castle and inform me but if you intend to attend please come with them and remain beside them as you travel through the pathways of the walls to my home. [if you are coming from the Third Stein, the guard will come a day earlier and travel with you to an inn in the Second Stein, where you will spend the night safely and continue in the morning, arriving at the Castle in the evening with all members from the other Steins.]


I pray for your presence,


Your Queen,


The White Queen,


Empertrie D. White


Just as the letter had stated in some way no matter your location a guard of the royal families approaches you and if you are to agree, just as within the letter the guard escorts you to the castle and only leaves your side when you two enter the foyer.


[ Start out with what you were doing when the errand boy met you. Until we can close this to all newcomers. Put your characters name at the top of each your posts and try to tag each person you may interact with. And most importantly have fun!]





Character list


Strike-through means no longer participating.


Red strike through character's name means character death.


Mystella - Prudence Caroline Ashford


Aristos Fortuna - Despina Vale


Kinzu Hekmatyar - Ishi Orutorinde


CentaurofAutumn - Alfyn Clement


Callsign - Sir Isaac Dorovich


ataraxiandream - Elara Elliana Farlance


Unwavering knight - Syrann and Kaatyl


Dragongal - Polaris Mentha


Elvengarda - Insignus Vox


TheStoicist - Isaac Keefe "Mutt"


Knight of Shadows -Alexi

 

[Dragongal]

Polaris Mentha


Polaris sheathed her sword, kept her shield on her left arm, and uncoiled her whip, made from a thick, wickedly thorned vine, hitting it against her target, carving a simple version of the crest on her shield: a tree. She was rumored to have some high noble blood in her, but she didn't care, really. She stepped back, adjusted her shield, and then swung her whip powerfully, hitting dead center on the dead tree, where she'd been chipping out designs. She heard the creaking and groaning, and waited, then dove to the side, rolling out of it, as the dead tree fell to the ground where she'd been standing.


She stood, dusting herself off. She attached the vine back to her belt, and her shield back onto her back, over the slightly tattered green cloak. She walked up to the stump, seeing that, in the very center, there was a bit of green. She looked around; nobody was there. She beckoned to the green, living tree part, promising it light, nutrients, and the wonderful wind blowing through its leaves. It grew, swiftly sprouting leaves, growing branches, blooming. She laughed a little to herself, and then told it to slow its growth. It listened to her, thanking her in that silent way plants did for her.


She picked up an axe she'd "borrowed" (She'd return it later) and walked over to the fallen tree, raising the axe to sever off a large limb that'd fetch her a good price with the butcher, when she stopped the axe above her head. Suddenly there was a lad in white finery standing to her right, facing her, on one knee, holding out a letter. She slowly lowered her axe, setting it down against the tree. She smiled to him, saying, "I believe you work for the White Queen. If this is correct, you've found the wrong girl." Seeing that he did not reply, she took the letter, trying to read it and keep him in sight, but as soon as she looked up from the letter, he was gone. Not knowing what to do, she smiled, shouting, "I agree!"


After waiting for a bit, she shrugged, saying to herself, "Well, they'll come for me, it says. Better get some money with this log in the meantime!" as she picked up the axe and resumed swinging.

 

[Aristos Fortuna]

Despina Vale ----- Vale Manor Courtyard ----- Inner Stein

Vhmm-


Vhhm, vhmmm-





Sounds of air warping drifted out of a cozy, paved square area in the back of the Vale Manor Courtyard. The tall and immaculately maintained hedges boxed the plain oasis in. A narrow opening to the North and South introduced the path to the Manor's back entryway and the family's large fishing lake, respectively. A little boy wearing rabbit ears, cutely solemn with a grave air about him due to his eye patch, watched Despina Vale, youngest child of the Vale Nobles, zip back and forth with unnatural speed. Despina was finishing up her afternoon training and failed to notice the boy's sudden and subtle presence until about a hundred quick slashes later. When she finally noticed him, Despina managed to maintain composure despite her surprise.


"Good afternoon..." Before she finished her greeting, the mysterious boy smoothly dropped to one knee and extended an exquisitely embossed envelope. After straightening out her "training" dress, as Despina always trained in the type of attire she was most likely to be in should an emergency ever arise, she secured her twin swords back in place on her belt, and moved over to her little visitor.


"No need to be so formal...?" It would not be outlandish for the boy to think that Despina was a bit slow despite her obvious physical swiftness. However, her hesitation and confusion at his presence, appearance, and delivery was rooted in some recent changes in the Vale inter-family political scene. Just this past month, Despina's parents suddenly became quite fond of her. After a full childhood and early teenage career with practically every tutor of the Inner and Second Stein and no sign of even a drop of affection nor acknowledgement from her parents, they suddenly started striking conversation with her, inviting her with them to outings, and even lauded her to their acquaintances. It was eerie to Despina and only caused her to think about her childhood anguish even more. At first, Despina decided it was because they found her a suitor, but as a few weeks passed with no development in that regard, she started to suspect something she wondered about at the bottom of her subconscious sometimes.


The little boy didn't move at all as Despina eyed him with suspicion. Squatting down in front of him, her knees touching each other of course, she tilted her head and gazed quizzically into the boy's eyes. His expression remained neutral and Despina found herself quite impressed with the act.


Sigh... True, he is dressed as a servant of The White Queen, but why would one come directly to me?? This simply has to be my father's doing...





What Despina had recently start to suspect, was that her parents had gjven up on her older brothers and started focusing on her as a potential heir to the Vale Inheritance. She wasn't being married off and their attentions towards her were so disgustingly artificial that this was the only conclusion left. It started with the sudden invitations to outings where her parents introduced her to various colleagues working for The White Queen. They lauded her qualities and feigned respect and affection for her. When Despina started politely declining these engineered excursions, her parents took to new lengths to guide her to their liking. She suspected the little boy to be hired, the letter written by some official by her parent's request, and that the letter to contain some sort of direct invitation that Despina would find awkward to decline. Breaking out a knowing smirk, Despina accepted the letter still squatting eye-level with the messenger boy. "Well, thank you then... and would you like some dinner before my fath-"


Bowing respectfully, the young boy withdrew without a word. "-er..." Despina trailed off. "I suppose he was really hungry."





Pulling one of her swords out a bit, she used the edge to cleanly open the envelope, pulled the textured and ridiculously high-quality paper out, and started reading the letter right then and there.

 

[Unwavering Knight]

The Clipped Wings


"Fear not, maiden, salvation is at hand!" the voice bellowed with utmost certainty, warhammer raised in confidence of impending victory, muscles clicking into place beneath the armor, breath rising, heartbeat increasing, the very picture of a true and utter knight, fitting to be imagined standing before an army of righteous fellows in defiance of an incoming darkness-


-only slightly lessened by the fact that the "incoming darkness" was in fact an ordinary tree, the "maiden" a scared kitten and the "righteous fellows" said feline's worried owner, a girl no older than ten, to be precise.


Little did that do to slighten the hulking knight's vigor as he charged the tree, letting go of the hammer on the journey, grabbing hold of the bark and climbing the greenery with surprising agility, armored hand digging savagely into the wood for quick and fluent hold, before retrieving the cat with the care befitting of a hero rescuing the scared damsel from the very face of danger.


Unfortunately, having only one arm to operate with, this left him in quite a precarious position, while the twig formerly capable of holding the weight of the kitten showed itself to be quite incapable of holding the burden of a fully armored giant.


Crashing down in a shower of foliage, the knight's back came to a painful impact upon the earth, the cat's owner giving a worried cry as she hastily ran towards the downed hero. She was brought to a halt by the sudden raising of a hand from where the knight lay, holding high the undefiled kitten, to be accepted with tears and and words of incessant thanks by the girl who herself appeared to have gotten caught up in her own passion for the tale.


Seeing the girl off with a friendly wave, Syrann felt his heart grow a bit lighter, certain that the world had been brightened by just a little bit. Saving kittens was nice.


It was nicer than kneeling by a mortally wounded whore in a filthy ally, shanked by some small-time thief for a mere pittance, comforting her as her dimming eyes pleaded for some miracle. It was nicer than leaving the lair of an insane child-murderer in flames, before returning to the orphanage to tell the matron that her charges would not return. It was nicer than having the entire world darken before his eyes, the walls covered in pulsing flesh, the diseased stench of blood, rotten meat and pus in the air.


Oh yes, saving a kitten was nicer than that.


"Don't you think so, Kaatl?" the knight asked cheerfully as he lifted up his mammoth torso, the fairy's dainty feet coming to a stand first on the shoulder, balanced by the flapping of her wings, prior to elegantly seating herself, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, and carefully patting his helmeted head.


Syrann gave a laugh "Thought so too!"


Looking up the fairy pointed forward, the knight's helmeted view rising to behold a a lad, kneeling, small gloved fingers offering a letter without words.


"Oh, hello! Do you need something, good sir?" the knight asked from his downed position, an enforced push of his right hand helping him back to his feet. As the knight dusted himself off, the fairy kept her balance with what appeared to be a well-practiced maneuvering of her wings.


The messenger said nothing, merely kept offering the letter.


"Oh, okay." Syrann accepted the letter, his armored fingers having some slight trouble opening the envelope, before accidentally "solving" the problem by tearing the entire parchment in half, eliciting an annoyed groan from the knight and a palming of the face from the fairy. Putting the pieces back together with some effortful fumbling, the duo soon enough got the gist of the message. Kaatl's eyes lightened up in excessive understanding of the word 'feast'.


"The White Queen, I see..." he mumbled, giving an exhausted sigh as he raised his view from the letter, voice quietened "Certainly, she will have my assistance-"


He interrupted himself, the messenger was gone, and already the guard was approaching.


"We're going onto another adventure, Kaatl!"


She gave a smile and patted his head again.

 

[KnightofShadows]

Alexi ~ 3rd Stein


“Oi, Mouse!” Red’s voice called over the cobwebbed distance that filled the yawning void between the worlds of the living and the land of dreams, where he’d had been about to do something terribly important. If only he could remember what… “There’s a man out da door just waitin, an he’s got eaaas like a bunny.” she managed, in her big girl voice. The one she reserved for matters of import, like when she misplaced Ms. Penelope and she’d better find her soon or she’d be late for the tea party, and could he help find her…


The fog of sleep began to lift, allowing him to also identify the strange sensation he was feeling in his hand as the wet and sloppy kisses of a dog’s agile tongue. Revealing the fact that Red had enlisted the eager Kimba as her co-conspirator in the denial of his sleep.


Alexi, stirred and raised himself and wiped at his luminous cobalt blue eyes, as he took in the picture of the duo responsible for ripping him back from dreamland.


There they were, both of them big eyed and staring, both with their perfectly feigned guise of innocence, all spread across they’re ridiculously adorable faces. They were masters of manipulation and deceit, the both of them.


Kimba, head halfcocked and ear bent, her black little eyes questioning, while her tail vainly attempted to circulate the dank air of their luxury 3rd Stein lair. Otherwise known as a small leaky warehouse with dirt floors and a loft.


His eyes then fixed on the only six year old face capable of expressing unbridled consternation. She stood, one hand to her hip, the other tightly gripping that of Ms. Penelope’s, as she dangled lifelessly, dress, legs and grimy shoes trailing in the dirt. “Huwy up, he is jus stanning der waitin, an won’t talk!” the ginger pig tailed monkey face railed at him.


“Ok, ok, relax. Let me see…” Alexi managed, wondering what on earth she could be babbling about, and who could possibly be looking for him here.


Shoving himself off the loft’s edge, not bothering with the ladder, landing gracefully and moving toward the half opened door reflexively drawing the long knife at his hip.


Light, his nemesis, spilled in along with the distant sounds of the 3rd’s bustling day. Alexi made notice of the oddest of shadows, which appeared to confirm Red’s story. A moment, and a few steps more confirmed it further. For there in the doorway, appeared to indeed be a young man in the white livery and rabbit ears, which declared him a royal servant of the White Queen herself.


Even as Alexi’s head began to spin with the attempt to discern what terrible purpose this visit might hold, the man bowed, and taking one knee extended what appeared to be an elegant envelope, the like of which a royal might use for correspondence.


Alexi froze for a moment, as had the young steward it seemed, before cautiously stepping forward and taking the letter gingerly. Whereupon the man returned to his feet, about faced, and returned whence he had come, quickly disappearing down the alley and into the flow and filth of the 3rd Stein streets.


Alexi watched puzzled as the man disappeared from sight, then quickly sliced the envelope open with the knife in hand and returning it to its sheath, he then admired the elegant cursive hand the beautiful stationary revealed. His eyes grew ever wider, and his brow furrowed as he read the message enclosed.


Finishing, he closed the door and turned back to look at Red and Kimba, who’s tail was a brown and black blur of happiness.


“Either it’s a message from the White Queen herself, an invitation to a Feast Red! Or an elaborate prank. Either way, strange doings, but we will know soon enough!” he said, scooping up the now gap toothed grinning, shining green eyed rug rat, and spinning her round and round till she began to giggle, Ms. Penelope's listless form clutched tightly to her chest. The well worn doll in the tattered yellow sundress, was the only one of them who's heart was not threatening to burst at the moment.


Kimba, not to be outdone, raced around them as they spun, yipping and nipping, clearly showing her vote of approval for his attendance!


Even Mika had crawled from the warmth and dark of his nest to investigate the commotion, peering from over the edge of the loft, his pink nose snuffled the air in curiosity.


Sadly he mused; in his own case, he was less certain if his hammering pulse was driven by elation then by an ever so slight sliver of fear...


He would need to speak with the rest of his Rat Pack when they returned from their various endeavors this evening, and entrust them with Red’s care while he would be gone, if indeed this proved a legitimate thing.


His head swam with the why of it, even as the torrent of questions began from Red. He couldn’t really imagine it, and it frightened him to be truthful, for he knew not what it might mean.


He quickly shook those thoughts from his head. There was no sense in worrying until he had more information, and he didn’t want to frighten Red for no reason. He would have to wait and see…

 

[noticemeknot]

Elara Elliana Farlance

​

A supply run. That was all this trip was meant to be. Short, simple, to the point. But Elara should know by now--her life could never be simple.


A guttural groan escaped the woman's lips as she rounded with her blades, one stabbing through the coarse fabric of her cloak to free her from the enemy's grasp, while the other found itself buried deep in another's soft abdomen. Once free, she jumped back, ripping her dagger from the man's flesh, to crouch low and at the ready. Her breaths came in short pants and she wished with a fervent urgency that her eyes could be as deadly as her steel.


Around her lay three bodies including the one she just pierced, all reduced to mere lifeless sacks of blood and bones. Two others stood by, one with rust-covered sword and the other wielding two axes, both catching their breath. Of course Elara was not without injuries of her own: a fractured rib or two to be sure, cuts splitting her face and arms, a gash along her right calf... She wondered, however, with a sick sense of excitement the kinds and colors of bruises she would find on the morrow. This may have been a bit of an irritating twist on her plan, but it had been a while since her last fight and her muscles had begun to itch. So she welcomed these thugs' approach and now here she stood.


"Come on, guys! Are you gunna move, or shall I come to you?" She spoke with arrogance high in her voice, which was all she needed to send the two into a screaming frenzy. A toothy smirk pulled at her lips, her canine fangs glinting in the disappearing sunlight. Her arms crossed over her chest and she ran straight on before tucking herself in on a roll. Her daggers slammed against one of each enemy's shins, eliciting painful howls from both as they dropped to the dirt. Elara came to stop and righted herself to stand, flicking her blades to send excess blood flying.


"Aww, that's no fair! Let's go, get up! Don't you wanna try again? I promise I'll be a little slower this time, too!" The thrill of a duel was the only thing with the power to call up such excitement in her voice. The two thugs simply lay there, shouting obscenities at the girl who had best them as they clutched their legs. "Ugh. Really, I thought you'd be more fun--nghh!" The adrenaline began to wear off, no longer dulling her nerves, and Elara was forced to a knee with a grunt.


Great, came her thought. Ow, ow, ow...! I need to get out of here!





The woman moved to stand--bad idea. A sharp sting of pain struck her chest, urging her to remain still. But she ignored it and pushed on, turning her body towards the forest lands, ready to crawl if need be, but the sudden sight of a boy clad in white stopped her. Her hazel orbs widened, her cats-eyes thinning to blackened slivers. He worked for the White Queen, there was no doubt about it.


Elara threw her hands up to shield her face, eyes slamming shut, certain of some sort of punishment for her actions, but there was nothing. Just the faint feel of a breeze whispered past. Her lids opened slowly, arms still in the air, and were it not for the striking agony across her body, she'd be sure she was dreaming.


There, right in front of her, the boy stood with his body forward, aimed at the ground. He was... bowing. He was bowing to Elara...





How many years had it been since someone bowed to Elara Farlance?


The woman could not wonder long as the sight of cream-colored envelope caught her gaze. There, in gorgeous and glittering cursive, was her name written upon that envelope. Surely there was some mistake, she wondered, but the words could not leave her lips. She didn't want them to, honestly; this had to be some sort of sign, something telling her that she was special, and if it really was a mistake, then it would all fade away. She would be nothing, no one, but Elara the murdering slave girl.


She reached out with a hesitant hand at first, but the moment her fingers touched the smooth parchment, she snatched it away from the boy's grasp. Her nails ripped through the seal without care to greedily take hold of the letter inside. The words were devoured by Elara's gaze.


It was true. It wasn't a mistake. There was her name, clear as day in the Queen's own hand. Elara Elliana Farlance... It never sounded so sweet in her mind. But she forced her greedy gaze away from the greeting and continued to read, eyes stretching wider than before. The moment she finished the last word, a guard approached just as silent and sudden as the boy before him, hand outstretched. She lifted her head to stare.


A trap, maybe? The possibility was always there. The letter could be forged--anyone higher up can write prettily! The boy could be a hired slave--a bit of bleach on their clothes is all it takes! The guard... The guard could be from some other land outside the Steins' walls--.... It couldn't be true, not any of it.


But if it was a lie, if none of this was true, if it was all some sort of elaborate trap for a simple slave girl... why did she find herself reaching up to take his hand?

 

[Luminescent]

Prudence Caroline Ashford


Prudence sat on the torn-up cyan couch at the front of her parent's bakery. It was there for customers to wait while their bread was bagged, or their pastries were boxed. It was there to make them feel more at home. Now, it was just used for Prudence, and her silly little game of watching people. She sat on her knees facing the window, with her arms folded on the window sill and her chin propped up on her hands. Her hazel eyes darted back and forth as the people walked by. She waited for someone to catch her eye.


¨Prue, sweetie, why don't you go outside. You know I don't want you on that couch.¨, called her mother, gently.


Without a word, Prudence slid backwards onto the ground and used the couch to stand up. She tugged at the bottom of her dress, so it'd fall straight again. She walked over to the door, and pushed through it, listening for her father's habitual, ¨Come again!¨.


She stepped out into the streets. Noises surrounded her. A small breeze caught her skirt. She was all eyes and ears, now. She hated crowds, so as she did every morning, she put her head down so her hair would cover her face, and ducked into the dark alley next to her parent's bakery. It was dark and musty, but she enjoyed it. It was hard to see someone in here from the bustling streets, so she could easy watch someone without them seeing her. She stood silently and watched for a few minutes, before someone caught her eye. She usually didn't choose someone so quickly. She examined the boy. He was a pretty fellow. He had flowing brown locks and shimmering blue eyes. He wore neat, tidy clothing, and stood with good posture. He looked about her age. As she was about to step out of the shadows to follow him, a young boy presented himself in front of her.


¨Pardon.¨ She said as she tried to get around him. He didn't move, he only fell to one knee in one smooth motion. He revealed a clean, cream letter in his gloved hands. Confused, she accepted the letter, as her name was written on the front. She examined it closely, and ran her fingers along the black cursive. She looked up only to see the boy had run off. She looked back to the letter. Was one of these being delivered to everyone in the whole city? That would take an immense amount of work, seeing this was most likely delivered from the queen.


The queen! She had written Prudence a letter! This seemingly nothing of an 8 year old had received a letter! It was her first letter she had ever received, and it was from the queen! Wait until the other girls heard about this! She quickly tore into the paper, careful not to get her dirty fingerprints on the fancy parchment. As she read the letter she sunk deeper into the shadows. Not everyone had gotten a letter like this. Why her? Was this a joke? Maybe it was supposed to go to her parents, but was addressed to her on accident. She read over the letter again. The word 'feast' caught her eye. She was sick of bread and vegetables. A few apples or oranges would be nice... She stepped out from the alley and waited patiently for the guard to arrive. Even if it was a mistake for the letter to come to her, she would get quite a treat from it.

 

[CentaurOfAutumn]

Alfyn Clement


Alfyn adjusted his posture in his wooden chair at his desk. He had been searching all morning. Racking his brain for the right words to send to his mother. His hand shook as his delicate fingers wrapped around the ink pen. He straightened the parchment for what seemed like the fifth time in the last minute.


He wrote on the top of the parchment, 'Dear mother, I feel I have finally settled down here in the city...' With an angry grunt, he crumbled the paper and threw it across the room. He slammed his hands on the table and his head came down soon after.


¨Why can't I just write a simple letter?¨


He heard a quiet knock on the front door. The sound was nearly silent, but it seemed to echo around the room several times. He stood up, pushing his chair back with his knees. Slowly, he walked to the front door, grabbing his scythe which lay up against the wall as he did so. In the third stein, you would rarely open the front door and see something other than a lost child, a beggar, or a thief. He opened the door and prepared to strike.


Much to his surprise, he opened the door to a young boy dressed in clean white clothing with an eyepatch.


¨How can I help you young man?¨


He flicked one of the ears on his head. Instead of responding, he knelt down on one knee and lifted a small envelope with his name written on it.


¨I am dearly sorry, sir, but I don't accept direct letters.¨


The boy did not move or say a word.


¨Kid, I don't want your letter.¨ His lingo got less proper.


Again, the boy didn't move. Then, Alfyn noticed his name written on the paper. It was written cleanly and neatly, as if it were written by the queen herself. He set down his scythe and gently removed the letter from the boys hands.


¨Thank you kindly, child.¨


The boy walked away. He didn't belong in the third stein. He was sure to be robbed.


¨Hey, Marty!! The damn queen wrote me a letter!¨


A tall, lanky man walked in the room.


¨Eh?¨ said the man.


¨Lookit how nice dose letters is!!¨ His lingo adapted to his surroundings.


¨Heh, man. Dat ain't no queen. Dats a fake, man.¨


¨Nah, man. I swear it is.¨


He walked back into his room while examining the envelope closely. As soon as the door closed, he opened the letter cleanly. He read it several times.


¨Damn, this is real.¨


He grabbed his scythe on the way out into the street, and approached the guard who was approaching him.

 

[CallSign]

A hooded figure wove its way through the morning crowds of a market in the second stein. The figure went to great lengths not to bump into any of the patrons of the market. The figure didn't draw much attention to itself as it made its way toward a shop on the intersection of two main roads - a store many merchants dream of achieving as they guide their carts.


The figure strode confidently toward the counter, paying no attention to the assorted wares around him. He lowered his hood, revealing his long, silver hair and angular features. The attendant looked up as he approached, then bowed as he recognized his master and the owner of the shop, Sir Isaac Dorovich. Isaac rapped his knuckle against the counter as he passed, heading for the back room. With one hand he slid the sack off his shoulder as he unlocked and opened the door to his office with the other.


Isaac closed the door behind him and immediately locked it. He moved to his desk and activated a concealed pressure plate, causing a chain reaction of changes: outside the office, a shelf silently slid in front of the door, obscuring it from view. A curtain lowered over the door on the inside of the office, as well as the window above Isaac's desk. A table in the corner of the office slid away from the corner, revealing a trapdoor beneath it. Finally, the fake wall across from Isaac's desk folded upward, revealing a hidden room that held only a table, two chairs, and a pile of sacks identical to the one Isaac had brought with him.


His black market sales room now ready for business, Isaac stomped twice on the trapdoor before moving to the pile and carefully placing the sack among its brethren. He had just taken his seat when the first head poked up from the trapdoor. Naturally, the client wore a black mask and hood to protect his identity from the other clients waiting beyond the trapdoor, but Isaac was easily able to identify his clients. "I trust you didn't find the wait too terrible, sir. I'm sure you understand the difficulty involved with procuring and transporting a dragon egg on such short notice, after all. Please, take a seat."


Pleasantries followed, and as Isaac counted out the payment he reminded the client to only recommend him to clients who could keep his dealings secret. The payment was indeed fully there, and it seemed there was a tip included as well. Isaac pushed this excess payment back to his client. "In this market, we only deal with the agreed-upon amounts. Nobody overpays, and nobody ever, EVER underpays. I appreciate the thought, but the principal of the matter remains. Now, here is your egg." Isaac passed the egg, still in its sack, to the client. "You may check it here. If it is not to your liking, leave it and take your money back. Otherwise, leave the way you came, and keep the goods in the sack until you get home." The client glanced into the sack, then nodded to Isaac before leaving through the trapdoor, egg and sack in hand.


Once the trapdoor was secured shut, Isaac took the payment to one of the walls of the secret room. He placed his hand on one of the bricks and the wall began to shift. The bricks around Isaac's hand melted and pulled out of the wall, wrapping around his arm to become a stone sleeve and revealing a safe where once they stood. Isaac stored the money within the safe, then reformed the bricks in the wall before once more stomping twice on the trapdoor and returning to the table. This time, however, he was stopped before he could sit down.


A head rose swiftly from the trapdoor, followed by a small body. The cloak the figure wore seemed almost like a ghost costume, as it covered the figure's face and the tail dragged far behind the body. Isaac had never seen this customer before, and as this was a delivery day and not a negotiation day, he was stunned. How could the underground allow such a failure? I shall be recommending quite a few workers to be fired for negligence tomorrow, he thought. His inner turmoil, however, was quickly disposed of when the figure removed its cloak and blinding mask, revealing the White Queen's messenger.


"My my, what have I done to earn such a visit? Surely you aren't here to arrest me; I suspect you would've been left to rot the sewers by now if that were the case. No no, don't give me the letter now, I want to puzzle this out. So you, the mysterious messenger of the White Queens, have been ordered to carry a letter to a disgraced nobleman such as myself. Is she extending a pardon to me?" Isaac looked down to the silent messenger, who by now was on one knee, proffering the queen's letter to him. "No no, the stationery is too fine for that. An invitation, perhaps? But why would she seek the company of one who openly dislikes her? One who she seems to know to be at the helm of an illegal marketing venture? Hmm..."


Isaac gasped as the wilder parts of his imagination worked with the more prideful parts of his logical mind to produce the most illogical of answers. "Of course! She has recognized her own ineptitude and is offering the crown to me! It all makes sense now." Isaac looked again at the messenger and found his smile fading. "No no, that is far too optimistic of me. After all, even I don't think I am fit to lead a country; I'm surprised my humble business is doing so well. You didn't hear that, my mysterious friend," he added, tousling the messenger's hair idly.


"Ah, I'm wasting far too much time with my silly rambling. The next customers shall be upset that their schedules have been so changed by these unexpected delays in dealings. I suppose I should thank you for delivering this. I must say I am in awe of your investigative abilities, for not many would be able to find me here. Should this be a summons as I believe it is, tell the inevitably armed escort that I shall meet them at the gate to the inner stein; business would plummet were I seen in the company of the queen's guard. If it isn't, well, give the White Queen my ever poor regards for me. Oh, and do be careful on the ladder going down; the blindcloth does make it difficult to get down safely." Isaac finally accepted the letter from the messenger. He had waited to accept it so that the messenger would stay to witness his rambling; he knew it would delay the messenger's other deliveries and hadn't had a chance to exercise his vanity in a long while. "And send up the next client while you're at it, since your visit has put me even further behind schedule for the day."

 

[Dragongal]

GM


Those coming through the gates into the Second stein from the Third were stopped for inspection in front of the 3-yard thick steel gates set into the high stone walls, for even the letter and guard was not considered enough. In the end, all were let through, and were allowed to pass through to the Second Stein. Here were many markets with items those who'd lived in Third Stein had quite likely never seen, of quality only imagined. Upon reaching the gate from the Second Stein into the First, the letter was enough for the guards, who allowed our heroes to pass through the yard-thick steel gates peacefully. The Inner Stein, for those from the Second Stein, was beautiful, perfectly well-kept, clean, bright, with a market of items of high quality not seen in the Second Stein. To those from the Third Stein, it was like heaven; beautiful in ways only dreamed of, yet, to some, so clean and well-kept, that it was too... artificial, like those walls, too man-made. The gardens were beautiful, but it looked very clean-cut, and where the gardener had tried to make it look naturally chaotic, it looked like he'd tried. The houses rose high, beautifully colored and decorated, and the streets were almost too clean to walk on.


(TO HEROES: YOU MAY WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT PASSING THROUGH THE STEINS; PERHAPS YOUR CHARACTER BOUGHT SOMETHING, HAS THOUGHTS ON THE SOCIAL CLASSES, ARCHITECTURE, OR THE LIKE. YOU MAY ALSO NOW INTERACT; IN FACT, INTERACTION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.)


JUST ABOUT ALL FROM 3rd STEIN WILL BE MOVING AT THE SAME PACE THROUGH 2nd. Characters from 2nd Stein may see them and intermingle. When they enter into 1st Stein, they maybe seen by characters from the first, and interact.


 
Polaris Mentha


One of the guards had come for Polaris sooner than expected: she'd still been chopping wood to carry to the butcher's. When he arrived, he seemed a bit confused (he was supposed to bring her straightaway to the Queen) and she jovially explained what she was doing, throwing in a few jokes at herself, and managed to enlist his help in carrying some of the wood. After the butcher paid her, she offered the guard some money, but he declined. She shrugged, said she had one more errand before they could go, and led him to her mother's herb shop, where she dropped off the majority of the money, and explained her errand to her mother; though Polaris did not live there, she still felt it her responsibility to take care of her mother. Then she had told the guard that they could leave.


She'd never been outside of the Third Stein in her life. As she walked with the guard through it, small children would come up to her, some begging, some just saying hi to an old friend, and she thought she could see the guard smile. She thanked him for his patience with her, which he said was no problem at all, and they continued. When they reached the gate to get into the Second Stein, she'd been... stunned, really. She never knew there could be so much defense over one gate! She made it through with her guard, and they chatted a bit about this and that. He was a nice guy, really, once you got past his being-a-guard staunchness.


Walking down one of the main streets of the Second Stein, she was amazed at the wares offered. She promised herself she'd have to come back to look at it all. Her eye was caught by an ocarina merchant. She asked her guard for a few minutes, and went over to the merchant, and after much haggling, bought a new faded green ocarina. She returned to walking with her guard, who was nice enough to go slow so she could look around.


Her guard suggested they stop for food around midday, so he took her to an outdoor eatery, purchasing food for both her and himself. He explained that he was told to do this, since the next stop wouldn't be until they got into the First Stein for the feast. They sat outside, watching people pass by.


(Feel free to interact!)

 

[CentaurOfAutumn]

Alfyn Clement


He met up with the guard about 10 feet from the front of his home. He accepted, and they started walking. Alfyn wasn't one to get giddy, but this was an exception. He had never met anyone who had been in the second stein, let alone the first! His knees wobbled as they walked. His voice trembled as he talked. People would stop him on the streets and question him. Some would try to rob him, which was unsuccessful as he was being escorted by a guard.


When they reached the wall, Alfyn was impressed and stunned. Why would they build a wall so high and so thick just to keep people like him out? He wasn't that bad... was he?


He noticed another woman walking with a guard. She was tall, with red hair, and beautiful, green eyes. He didn't dare speak to her. They would meet at the feast. He had trouble keeping from falling completely over at the sight of the goods and services in the second stein. Everyone wore nice clothing, they kept nice posture, they spoke with kind words, it was like a dream! The things they sold were jaw dropping. The fruits they sold in carts were fresh and clean, the toys for little children weren't broken, and hadn't been torn apart for looting. He was amazed at the sight of such beauty in one place.


The guard suggested stopping to eat somewhere, as the journey was long from the third stein. He agreed, and they stopped at a restaurant a few buildings down. They ate and the guard payed for them both, after much struggle from Alfyn insisting to pay for himself. They walked back into the street and sat on a bench where they talked, waiting for others.


@Dragongal

 

[Luminescent]

Prudence Caroline Ashford





As if it were magic, a guard appeared in front of her. He was much taller than her and much larger. He reached out his hand, and she reached up to grab it. They walked hand in hand through the streets of the second stein. Suddenly she stopped and pulled on the man's hand.


¨Change your mind, little one?¨


She shook her head and pulled him back to her house. She ran inside and climbed under the counter and hugged her mother tightly.


¨I'm going to see the queen.¨


Her mother tried to get her to expand upon her statement, but came up short. Prudence left through the door she came in, and held hands with the guard again, and they resumed their rather leisurely stroll. On her way out, Prudence had snuck two pastries with her. She offered one to the guard, but he declined, so she gave it to a homeless man leaning against a building. She stared at the boy from before as she walked. He stared back, but didn't smile, and neither did she. He wasn't the only one staring. It was once in a blue moon they saw a guard escorting a young child to the inner stein.


¨Feast?¨


¨Yes, there will be a feast.¨


She smiled as she took a bite of her pastry. She saw a few other people being escorted by guards, but they weren't children. Surely this was a mistake. Her step grew a bit uneven at the thought that this might be a trap or a trick to embarrass her. Her guard mingled with Alfyn's guard, and she figured it would take a while, so she sat next to him.





@CentaurOfAutumn

 

[Dragongal]

Polaris Mentha


Polaris had noticed another with a guard escort, a lad not much older than her, with dirty blonde hair. She saw him glance at her, and look away. She figured she'd meet him and others as the feast that night. For a second, she had to wonder if her clothing was acceptable, but she figured it had to be some since she wasn't given orders to bring nice clothing. She saw another guard, but didn't see who he was escorting. Then he saw that he was holding a little girl's hand. However odd she thought this, she didn't comment.


She and her guard had been about to leave and continue with their travel. A woman walked over to their table, inquiring about if the two were courting. Polaris's hand came up to cover her giggling, as her embarrassed guard looked awkwardly between the two ladies. Polaris waved him on, and he quickly replied that he was escorting her to the inner Stein, and they were not courting in the least.


@Kinzu Hekmatyar

 

[Kinzu Hekmatyar]

Captain Ishi


Taking a moment for this to register in her own mind ,she nodded slowly as she felt her own slight wave of embarrassment . Cracking a smile now at them,"Aha i see, i too was also summoned by the queen to attend some feast, though i had thought it was guard related festivity.But you have proven that wrong ,the name's Captain Ishi Orutorinde ." Ishi's guard had finish eating, picking up Ishi's helm she had left behind on the table top as he mad his way to her side,she nodded a thanks to the man before glancing back at Polaris. "If were both heading the same why not accompany one another to the same point then ?"as she waved by at her parents who returned the waves,though holding up one finger ,she bounded over to kiss each of her children,giving them a speech on being good to grandma an grandpa telling them they will have a lot of fun we she got back. Giving both her parent kiss on the forehead before striding back,"Alright now i am ready to depart with you three if you don't mind my company ?".


@Dragongal

 

[Dragongal]

Polaris Mentha


Polaris looked to her guard, smiling. "Sure, why not?" she said. "We were just about to start heading off. We saw some other people with guards, too. Would you like to meet up with them, or let them be?" Polaris had no preference, besides satisfying curiosity; she knew she'd meet them all at the feast. She just now realized that very few others in this Stein had weapons, and felt rather out of place with her shield on her back and her sword on her belt. She stood up, taking her sword off her belt and hooking it onto the system holding her shield on her back. Now the only thing on her belt was the customary knife.


She looked to her guard, who nodded to her, and waited for Captain Ishi to lead. She hoped she didn't look like too much of a threat to anyone. She figured people could probably even tell that she was from Third Stein.

 

[CentaurOfAutumn]

Alfyn Clements


He sat on the bench and examined the streets in awe. He noticed some of the other people being escorted interacting. They were saying goodbye to their loved ones, kissing each other, hugging, all of it. He felt a fog of sorrow come over him. He dearly missed his family.


Suddenly, he noticed a guard holding the hand of a young girl. He thought this was peculiar, and came to the conclusion he was helping her find her way. They approached him, and his guard started talking to her guard about the busy streets. The girl sat on the bench beside him. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, before he decided to say anything.


¨Hello, young one. Are you lost?¨


Before she answered, she noticed the others across the street resituating and getting ready to leave, so he did the same. He stood up, and the guards finished their chat.

 

[Luminescent]

Prudence Caroline Ashford


She was grateful for the silence shared between the two. She figured she would like this man, as long as he didn't speak to her. She exhaled deeply when he did. She shook her head, no, and hoped the silence would remain. He stood up, and she did the same. She reached for the guard's hand.


¨Do you want to meet the other travelers?¨


She shook her head. She didn't like talking to people. The guard must have misunderstood because she soon found herself approaching the group of people concluding their meal.


She disappeared.


¨Hello, ladies. My friend here wanted to introduce herself.¨


He looked down to see no one there. He felt her hand interlocked with his, but saw no one. He panicked a little bit and removed his hand in fear.

 

[Dragongal]

Polaris Mentha


Polaris looked at where the girl had been, and glanced at Alfyn, seeing if he knew anything, but she quickly concluded that he didn't, neither did any of the guards. She smiled to the baffled guard and said, "Let me try something."


She walked over to the merchant of the foodstand, and quietly asked for four sweet pastries, which she paid for. She slipped two into her pack, carefully wrapped, and walked back over to the puzzled guard, holding up one of the pastries and taking a bite from the other. "These are really good. I wish I had some sweet young girl to share this other one with," she said rather loudly. She figured that if that didn't find the girl, next to nothing would.

 

[Luminescent]

Prudence Caroline Ashford


Prudence revealed herself. She hid her face, but knew the gesture of appearing after Polaris had said that would show her that she wanted the pastry.


¨Woah... Did you just-¨ said the guard.


¨Yes.¨, she interrupted.





She held out her hand for the pastry, still hiding her face and refusing to make eye contact.


¨You just had a pastry, young one. In fact,¨ he said to the group, ¨I picked her up at a bakery. Was it your parents'?¨


She nodded.


¨Are you going to introduce yourself?¨


She didn't do anything.


¨Then I will. This is Prudence Caroline Ashford. She was born and raised here in the second stein.¨


She shook her head slightly so her hair would fall in front of her face; a habit she learned from years of introductions to her parents' friends and frequent customers.

 

[Dragongal]

"Nice to meet you, hon," she said, slipping into the backwoods 3rd Stein accentation that always affected kids raised near the woods or on the outskirts, that always seemed to calm people down, or seemed endearing. She noticed kids were usually fond of it. "I'm Polaris, it's right nice to meetcha. Here you go," she said giving the pastry to Prudence. She stood up, looking to Prudence's guard, saying perfectly unaccented, "All due respect, sir, perhaps you should let the lass speak for herself, instead of speaking like she's not there."





Polaris's guard covered his smile with his hand, blanching a bit at Polaris's outright opinion. She glanced back at him, shrugging. She knew she was within her rights, even if it may be considered rude; the lass didn't seem to like the guard introducing her.

 

[Luminescent]

Prudence Caroline Ashford


Prudence ate the pastry silently, still covering her face with her hair. Occasionally she got a bite of hair and spit it out.


¨I apologize, ma'am. The young girl didn't wish to speak for herself, so I did it for her. It won't happen again, I assure you.¨


Prudence stomped on the guard's foot.


¨Hey, Prudence. I am a servant for the White Queen. Its best if you don't stomp on my feet.¨


She glared at the ground for a few seconds before noticing Alfyn's absence.


She turned around to see him still situating with his guard. She stared for a while watching him talk with the guard and resituate himself.


¨He is a planner. A fixer. A doer.¨ She thought to herself before turning back around and staring at the people around her. She stared at Polaris.


¨Motherly character. She likes children and enjoys their company.¨ She thought. She turned to Ishi.


¨She likes people. She builds close bonds and relies on them often.¨ She turned to her guard.


¨He likes to take control and keep people on his good side.¨


She flipped her hair in front of her face again and continued at her pastry.

 

[CentaurOfAutumn]

Alfyn Clements


He finished getting his things and followed Prudence and her guard over to the group of people.


¨Are we all headed the same direction? For the same purpose?¨


He dug through his bag for his letter and pulled it out, crumbled a little. Embarrassed, he shoved it back in.


¨Oh, I apologize, I nearly forgot about introductions! I'm Alfyn Clements. Call me Fyn.¨


He smiled brightly. He noticed the small child eating a pastry. He glanced at Polaris confused.


He mouthed the words, ¨A child?¨ to her.





@Mystella

 

[Dragongal]

Polaris mouthed to him, "Not mine," in case he had any ideas.


She said aloud, "I'm Polaris Mentha. Nice to meet you. I do believe we are all headed in the same direction." She pulled out her folded letter, which was tied closed by a dried mint vine. She looked at him a bit curiously, wondering. The child could disappear. She could heal people and grow plants... did that mean he could do something too? And what of the Ishi woman.


"Well," she joked, "at least I know I'm not the youngest on this adventure."

 

[KnightofShadows]

Alexi had been surprised when the Royal Guardsman had arrived outside his door a few hours later that afternoon. Fortunately, he’d had time to speak with Marco and Brayden, his two best friends and brothers of his little ‘Rat Pack’. Both were as amazed and intrigued by the invitation, and perhaps more so, a little worried. In the end though, he had convinced them the risk was worth the taking and that it could have some impact on Alexi’s dream of getting them all out of the 3rd.


So reluctantly they had said goodbye, promising to take care of Red, and the others until his return.


After a big hug, a kiss on the noggin and a tug at her pig tails, he’d said bye to Red and fell in step with the guard who had escorted him through the massive steel gates that separated the 3rd and 2nd Steins for the first time.


His eyes were wide with wonder with his first steps, and seemed to grow wider still, with each step further toward the grandiosity of the 2nd Stein.


The guard had spent several hours with him, letting him explore some of the 2nd Stein markets and shops. Explaining that the Queen had insisted that he would being staying the night here at an Inn that night, and travelling on to the Inner Stein on the morrow, and to the feast in the evening.


Alexi was quite grateful for the leisure time the Queen had allowed for exploring the 2nd, a wonderful gift for someone never having passed the 3rd Stein gates before. He was grateful to for the Inn stay, which despite his being too excited to sleep, he had enjoyed the most luxurious night of this life. Including a true hot bath, a luxury he had never experience, along with the feeling of a real down mattress. An experience he could only imagine was similar to that of lying on a cloud.


He had brought a good amount of coin from his hidden cache, for the purpose of taking the opportunity whilst here to purchase new clothing. He was long overdue for needing such, his clothes were worn threadbare and tattered.


He knew the quality of what he would encounter in the 2nd would be vastly superior to anything he could find from the 3rd Stein merchants.


His first purchase had been that of a quality new cloak, black as night, strong yet light, with a deep cowl. It was perfection. Next were, a pair of beautifully soft, blackened leather boots. He wasn’t not sad to say goodbye to his old pair, which he was certain were being held together by some mysterious magic at this point.


Alexi completed his new wardrobe, buying a few duplicate outfits of fitted shirts and trousers, black of course by both necessity and desire. There had always been something he found deeply comforting about the dark, and being clothed in black let him be swallowed, and embraced by the comforting darkness.


Alexi had donned his new wardrobe that morning, over his freshly scrubbed pink skin, feeling luxuriant and trying to suppress the grin that threatened to proclaim him mad in its persistence.


He had left his old garments to be discarded, (all save his leather sling bag, which also served as Mika’s home away from home) and had reluctantly said goodbye to the down mattress before leaving “The White Swan Inn” in step with the guard at a leisurely hour this morning.


They had been slowly making their way toward a gate to the Inner Stein, when the guard, upon Alexi declaring his hunger, had lead them to a bustling little café, from which emanated the most delicious assortment of smells that made his stomach growl with anticipation.


He had waited patiently, seated on the low rock wall that protected a beautiful flower bed across from the café, for the guard to return with a savory smelling meat pie for each of them. He had lost the next few moments in relishing the delectable treat in his hands, it being nigh on the best thing he’d ever tasted.


So it wasn’t for a few moments, as he had looked up from his snack to take in the surroundings of the quaint shop, its patrons and the flow of the people’s coming and going, that he took notice of the others.


It was surely no coincidence that he saw what appeared to be others under Royal Guard escort. There were at least one man and a woman who appeared to also have escorts, as well as an attractive female guard, who helmetless was saying farewell to what he assumed were her family.


While even as he watched a fourth guard, appeared confused, and along with the others, began searching the market squares milling crowd, as if they had lost someone or something.


Before he could even form the question, the guard escorting him had noticed their confusion as well, stood and approached them.


Alexi followed, nearly eaten meat pie still clutched in hand and chewing enthusiastically. Careful not to spill anything on his new clothing, he finished the pie in a few ravenous bites as they crossed the square, leaving one large remainder which he reflexively pushed under the flap of his sling bag until he felt Mika gladly take it from his grasp. He brushed the crumbs from his front and his hands, and looked curiously on the scene, his cobalt blue eyes hidden by the deep cowl of his hood, as the comely female guard turned to ask the guard had looked confused, and rightly so.


The little girl Prudence, who was his charge, had just appeared from thin air when the sweet girl named Polaris had lured her with the clever promise of a pastry. She had turned invisible, literally. Something surprising to say the least. A power similar to his own, and yet very different. This was proving more interesting by the moment.





"That was a neat trick there Prudence!" Alexi called still from the depths of his hood.

 

[CentaurOfAutumn]

Alfyn Clements


He laughed at her response, thinking it was a joke.


¨Polaris? What a pretty name!¨


He looked at the child.


¨Pardon my asking, young child, but was the envelope you received labeled with your name, and not someone else's?¨





He wondered that perhaps it was a mistake she was given a letter.


"Nice to meet you, Ishi! I'm sure ready to see the inner stein, if you are."


He turned around to stand closer to his guard, and doing so, noticed a cloaked boy with a guard escort.


"Hello, sir!", he said to the boy, "I assume you are headed to the queen's manor? We were just headed there if you would like to join us. I'm Alfyn."