Graded [Isekai Hell] Corruption in This Village?!

[saxon]

Hello, everyone, this RP is set in the world of Isekai Hell; you can find information about the world here.

This RP follows several characters as Aurae has placed her name in the hat for the village mayor, and there are rumors of corruption within the village relating to the hired guards. Hoping to get down to the truth of the corruption and win the election.
***
Setting:
Locations: Lanstrich, Ryke
Time of Day: 12:00 PM
Weather: The Sun sits in the sky. There is barely a cloud in the sky as the autumn breeze blows through the village of Lanstrich

Notes: Please link your character Sheet in your first post and any point boosters. 3-4 Day rounds, I can always start a new round earlier if everyone posts sooner than expected.

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Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy

Abilities/cooldown/Actions

1.
2.
3.

The village of Lanstrich was nestled into the north part of Ryke, which was home to a small forest where the rest stop village was situated. Many merchants and various travelers going north to the Beastmen Republic often stopped here for a few days before continuing on with their journey. However, the village recently received some disturbing news, and guards in the local area have increased due to the fact a ratmancer had been found. However, the extra guards that were brought in were not adventurers, and rumors of corruption have been spreading about. In other events, an election for Mayor has been called, with the previous mayor attempting to hold his current position, and a new name has decided to step up.

Aurae sat in the local tavern, The Wayfarer's Rest at a table with her retainers who were all talking amongst themselves. Aurae on the other hand was leaning back in her chair, sulking over the request she had recently taken and failed. Man, I hope Jura is stuck in that cell for a long time, away from anything that can burn. Though I suppose he wouldn't have access to anything that he could use as a catalyst. She thought to herself as she let out a small sigh. Looking up from the table, the tavern was full of people, various conversations could be heard and even some people who had drunk a little too much singing in the background. Though, at least for the moment, everything else seemed calm, most of the conversations that could be heard were about the upcoming election tomorrow. Aurae had been here for two weeks now, working on getting to know the villagers and doing random tasks in the hopes of getting on their good side.

Though there were a few concerns the villagers had, the mayor was getting older, his hair had turned gray and he started to use a cane to walk. Many questioned if he would make it through another winter let alone another couple of years. Though that was a relative minor concern in the scheme of things. Much of the talk was about the recent guards that had been hired, there had been a few incidents in which they stirred up a little bit of trouble. Though it was no doubt that the group were mercenaries, they often dealt with any infractions harshly. There was even a rumor floating around they were extorting the merchants in the village for protection money.

With that and a few other small matters, this election was becoming the main event that people were looking to. As it would decide the fate of the village until a new mayor was elected. Though many had voiced their concerns to the mayor who simply dismissed the rumors of the corruption of the mercenaries that were brought in. Which has raised several questions that many were looking to answer. Aurae's thoughts were interrupted as the door was kicked open and the mercenary captain, a man with several battle scars on his face walked in. "What, can a hard working man such as myself not come in here to get a drink? Afterall we are offering protection to the village," The captain spoke as the tavern had gone quiet as he walked over to the counter of the bar and ordered a drink to which the man quickly downed the ale and slammed the mug back down on the countertop.

"That will be three rykes unless you intend to drink more and want a tab open," The barkeep who was a fairly young Human male that the village called him Astran. He held out his hand, as he smiled and opened his eyes as he heard the sound of boots walking away from the countertop. "Hey, you can't leave here without paying!" Astran raised his voice slightly with a firm tone. The captain stopped halfway to the door and spun around on his heel. Cocking his eyebrow slightly the man held his ground.

"Think of it as services rendered to your village, and who is going to stop me," The captain asked as he approached the bar once again a hand resting on the hilt of his blade. There was no fire in the man's eyes, though there was a hint of eagerness.

Aurae, without much thought, got up from her seat and stepped between the two of them. "Come on, this doesn't need to resort to violence here; everyone was having a good time. Just pay for the drinks," Aurae replied with a smile on her face as she realized that it was stupid for her to put herself between the two of them. She didn't even have a sword on her. So there was that whole issue.

"Oh yeah and what if I don't want to pay? Who is going to stop me knife-ear?" The captain spoke as he leaned in, the sound of several chairs being pushed back was loud enough that it got the captain to glance over in the direction it had come from. As the retainers were now standing and all had their hands on the hilts of their own swords. As it seemed to be the start of a Mexican standoff.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
1

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon

Tachanka had gotten a brief moment of respite from walking around all day listening to the mundane drivel of business-related conversation lead on by Milky's own matters. Milky was indeed a kind and pure soul, but Tachanka wasn't entirely sure on her opinion of the entire situation going on with all the guards. Despite the serpent's ease to trusting, Tachanka had spent the day trying to quietly urge and convince her as to how shady everything felt especially since they had been spending a little time in Lanstrich since the whole ratmancer incident.

Tachanka could very much go on outings to train and practice, and within the growth of Milky's business endeavours had she acquired a new fancy glaive polearm that she found to enjoy very much. Though with the influx of combat-capable people, it wasn't feeling like a good look to be considered a bodyguard for Milky when there was such comparisons around. The canid was in interest in the idea of mercenary work, for they had been slowly but steadily progressing in the adventurer's guild in order to train and prove their worth as a combatant. The town's unruly newcomers however were starting to take a mental toll on her patience and pride as she grew sick of them.

"I thought this town was, just slightly okay, then it got all luke-warm 'orrible. Can't believe they got all these smug ugly-mugs waltzing around, no wonder they hired random adventurers to end up finding ol' stinky ratty-boy downstairs. Thinkin' this place is pretty low on budget" Tachanka grumbled in complaint as she continued to drink from a glass of ale that Milky was treating her to considering she was her 'maybe manager I guess it's not really explained it's like friends with benefits'. Amidst complaining to her cooperator and drinking, Tachanka heard the noisy arrival of one such example as she was bared witness to the unamusing display.
"Ugh, hopefully those idiots'll be gone and done soon. What I wouldn't give to kick their teeth in... " Tachanka grumbled as eventually someone ended up standing up to them, and in such a surprising situation too. Seeing that things looked like they were potential to move in a not-so-positive direction, she would elect for them both to leave so that Milky wasn't around a hostile or unpleasant environment when unnecessary yet the confrontation was pretty much an unavoidable obstacle if they attempted to do so. This was also probably a pointless hassle for the bartender, which at this point if Tachanka wanted to make more of a name for herself then fixing or atleast attempting to intervene in scenarios like this was probably a good start. Glancing at the peaceful furpent, Tachanka knew she shouldn't get Milky involved.

"Just stay here, don't get into trouble, I'll be back" Tachanka murmured to Milky as she quietly put down her drink and got up, having her glaive strapped to her back as she chose to walk over and take a glance between the two. She hadn't been in a point of trying to defuse a hostile situation, mostly just encouraging them out of boredom.

"Okay, can we just act normal for a moment, in a public space? Just pay for the thing you took, it's not like you need it anyway. No need to make something a problem for others just because you want to act entitled with your little power trip" Tachanka spoke as her despise slowly sunk into her words.
"For a grown-up man, all you're doing is acting like a child. In fact, you're the town's protection, and you're trying to flaunt your position and start trouble in a bar. You're both failing your job miserably, and putting yourself in just as much danger as anyone else. Three times if you count that your ability to get a date is probably non-existent now, but from the looks of it you probably weren't gonna get one anyway. That worth it, little kiddo?" Tachanka asked teasingly. At the least, it would take the elf out of danger to attract any potential aggression from him. She didn't visibly look equipped for conflict albeit her, what seemed like hers anyway, companions were much so. It quickly grew needlessly fun to taunt and tease in the direction of him, especially since her personal dislike. Eyeing over the Captain, she looked him over just to see if Appraisal (F) would tell her anything interesting about him. It was atleast worth a shot.

 Actions
1. Appraisal (F) on the Captain​

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste

Within the hustle and bustle of the Wayfarer's Rest, one of the patrons at that time came in the form of Diane; a neatly dressed beastkin lady. A strange addition to the cast of characters who appeared in such a place, it was even more odd that such a lady was not there for a drink. Instead, she was deep in thought, invested in her research in spite of the cheers, shouts and songs that came from the other pleased patrons. And sadly, when it came to her work, it was quite expectantly going nowhere. Diane had released an unfortunate sigh as she leaned forward from the wooden chair she sat on, hands gently rubbing over her temples as she tried to mull over the various notes and scribbles of her own work before her.

"Not a single, solitary lead..." Diane quietly voiced to herself over the hubbub of the tavern, as while it was clear that many were having a good time, the Professor in Archaeology that she was clearly not in her element. She would have preferred the nice, quiet atmosphere of her study back home, or even the halls of the Ethereal Luminary she had instructed in. Even the silence of the library would have been deemed as appropriate, but there was one thing that Diane needed, and it wasn't something that would have immediately been recorded in the pages of books lined across shelves. Diane needed information. Local information.

The rumors of a ratmancer in the village were more than enough to spring the beastkin lady out of the silence and comfort of her study in order to investigate. For once, this wasn't out of archaeological work, nor was it even relevant to her position as a teacher. This drive came from Diane's personal motives, and grabbing an answer or two from this strange individual who quite clearly disrupted the balance of nature beastkin embraced could be more than enough to satisfy what she was looking for.

It was then that she had heard the sudden hubbub caused by the guard captain, being more than enough for Diane to shake her head in clear disapproval with what was going on. A nice looking elven woman seemed to interject before a racist remark was thrown her way, causing a fellow beastkin of canin nature, who bore the toned but exposed appearance of a dancer to emerge and mediate the situation.

Well, it looks like I won't be able to even ask the bartender here about what I'm looking for now, let alone reassess my notes in peace. Probably for the best that I make my leave.

Scrounging up what notes she had before neatly placing them back into a satchel, Diane removed herself from her seat to leave... of course, it wasn't going to be as straightforward as that. In a brief second, Diane felt her leg gently strike against the leg of a chair... and with the drunken grace of a clown, she stepped forward with it. Between the sounds of Diane suddenly losing her balance for that brief second alongside the chair tipping over and clattering over the floor, her misstep caused a bit of a scene in of itself, even if it wasn't intentional.

Quickly sticking her other leg out forward, Diane caught herself from falling flat onto the ground... but it didn't stop her mistaken ruckus. Two words raced through her head as she nervously looked at the group of four where the source of conflict came from.

Good heavens.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing



Izuru had entered Lanstrich in the way of a true starving artist, hiding in a crate. Since leaving home to pursue his dream of becoming a poet. The reality of such an undertaking was not lost on him. A good majority of his journey so far had been comprised of being broke, scrounging for food and getting called cringeworthy by tavern patrons. If his father saw him now, the big lizard would probably eat him just so he could have plausible deniability of such a goddamn mess being his child. Popping his head out from the crate to find he had been placed in some random warehouse. Izuru crawled out of his luxury wooden transport. Noticing the absolute fattest rat staring at him. The poet tried to remember anything that could help him survive against such a foe. Normally big rats were the enemies low ranking adventurers dealt with to get good at fighting. Izuru wasn't an adventurer, even the rats posed a threat. All his mind could conjure were memories of a stick bug he saw as a child. Trusting in his memories to help him. Izuru wiggled left to right on all fours like that stick bug to assert dominance over the rat.

The rat seemed to flee, which Izuru tried to rationalize as the creature being afraid of his sick moves. He then proceeded to exit the warehouse because someone had left the door slightly ajar. Izuru checked the sign indicating that he was in Lanstrich. The aspiring poet just kind of wiggled his tail and tilted his head because he had no idea where that was. His stomach began to rumble at this moment. He hadn't eaten anything since those peanuts he found next to the crate he climbed into like four towns ago. Looking around for some form of eating establishment to feed himself. Izuru noticed a tavern with the sounds of raucous revelry within. Picking up his cane and waddling over to the building. Izuru overheard mention of a mercenary group keeping this town safe. His mind began to race with how he was going to ask the tavern owner to let him perform. Unlike dance or music, not many people wanted to see a poet. You couldn't really join in or party when it came to poetry. All Izuru could do was hope the tavern staff sympathized with his plight enough for one performance. Just enough to justify a meal or two for Izuru.

Entering the establishment caused Izuru's eyes to almost bulge out of his skull. Apparently there seemed to be some kind of tense situation going on. Now normally he wouldn't try to deal with anything like this since he was weaker than a wet noodle ON A GOOD DAY. Naturally his first response was to try and scoot around the people with swords and steely gazes. Unfortunately that all went out the window once Izuru noticed the bevy of beauties inside this tavern. Noble Elf Girl, Cool Furpent Girl and even a Clumsy Beastkin Girl. Normally Izuru didn't like putting himself out there since he wasn't very impressive but cute girls were cute girls. Now the only way forward was to assist the ladies in the only way he knew how.... improvising. Sliding on over to the man ready to whip his sword out with his boys behind him. Izuru donned a hat borrowed from a comatose patron.

"Woah woah woah, big man. I see you, I feel you. Big day out there in the field keeping things safe? Why wouldn't you want to take a load off? I get like that after a long day too. Now those three rykes they're asking you to pay... seems a bit much, I get it. You want your money going somewhere bigger and better. Let me let you in on a little secret... investing. I know, I know... seems a bit far fetched. However look at it like this. You pay the three rykes now and whenever you come here. Build up a rapport with the villagers. Your contractor sees the good press you're generating. I know you know what comes next... a raise. Put in a teensy bit more hustle in... you make MAJOR. Suddenly those three rykes you were scoffing at become a pittance. Cause a scene now, yeah you can. Invest in your future... three rykes are just a down payment... picking up what I'm putting down?"

---

Izuru Bullshit = Appraisal E + Persuasion F + Deception F

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions
Pass Judgement - Academia E, Law E E, Persuasion F, Investigation F, Insight F - Aurae recalls the laws and what she learned at the academy to help make a decision or convince someone of a decision - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown.

1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

Meanwhile, Milky was continuing to sip on the ale next to Tachanka as the sound of one of the mercenaries stormed into the tavern. "Well, I mean, there was a whole festival; it wouldn't surprise me if the mayor spent a lot of money on that, and they are low. "Though I do have to agree with you, the fact that there have been issues since then is concerning. The merchants have been talking you know about the whole matter. Apparently, the mercenaries are threatening them for protection money, though none would admit it openly on the fear of reprisal," She stopped as Tachanka then stood up and walked over to the mercenary after the Knife-ear comment was spoken.

Aurae heard the Mercenary Captain's words, which caused her to hold her ground further. She squinted her eyes as the tavern's noise was still gone, as one could hear the sound of a pin drop still. "What does the sharpness of my ears have to do with anything in this? Anyone could tell that you are wrong in this matter; the fact the Mayor would hire you lot is disgraceful to the people of the village here," She pointed out as she folded her arms across her chest and kept her eyes locked on the man. Who, at this point, didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight. However, some of the patrons nodded their heads as a few of them whispered. She then glanced back over at her retainers as they still had their hands on their weapons, though their expressions were now much more of annoyance at the fact they heard the term knife-ear, especially in a nation where many races made it their home.

That was when Tachanka finally reached the two and started to speak, to which John turned on his heel to see the woman who was talking to him and had called him a kiddo. "Well, you see, here bitch, the boys and I are losing money on this contract. We took it as a discount rate because there was supposed to be a danger in the area, but that doesn't seem like it's the case. Moving onto the matter of dates, who said I was asking? This village is a backwater compared to the cities. Any of these girls that lived their whole lives here should be grateful if I decide to take them back with me," John grinned from ear to ear as he then went to give a little shove to Tachanka, only enough to force her to move one of her feet back to stabilize herself.

Then, the tension that was thick enough to cut with a knife was cut. The sound of a chair falling over and clattered against the floor. As many of the on lookers, John, Milky, Aurae, and her retainers all looked over at the beastkin lady who was trying to walk out. Though walking would be a generous word as the room itself was starting to spin slightly as a breeze of wind blew into the tavern. Seemingly as a warning that sitting down might be a good option right now until the spinning subsides. "Alright now where was I?" John inquired as he brought his attention back to Tachanka. Which he was about to speak more until another new arrival entered the tavern and boy did he look to be in a sorry state.

Though the newcomer didn't take very long before he jumped into action and started to go off on a monologue like some kind of isekaied hero taking their first steps in the world. Though the man chuckled as he looked at Izuru's appearance as he spoke. "You and what army, I'm sure I could take you on blindfolded," John chuckled as he raised his arms and started to flex his muscles. The large muscles were evident even in the man's leather armor.

That was when Aurae stepped back in hoping to defuse the situation again this time using Pass Judgement, "Look here, you were hired to protect the village, not cause it trouble. The fact that you are here causing trouble also breaks the law and you would be stealing if you don't pay for the drink. I doubt you would find much employment if they saw you had a criminal title. So I suggest you just pay up now before you get charged as a criminal," She warned the man who was about to speak then closed his mouth threw three rykes at the counter and then started to storm out.

"This is far from over ya hear me!" John shouted as he stormed out of the tavern, to which many sighs of relief were exhailed. After a few looks of approval and after John was entirely out, several cheers erupted from the crowd as the group barely managed to pull off that feat without a fight. A few of the patrons came up and patted the trio on the back while the tavern owner stated the next three items they buy were on the house while they stayed in town.

Aurae looked at the two others that had joined in on the situation as she glanced over at her retainers the group of elves had sat back down and were resuming their game of cards on the table. One of them facing the direction of the group glanced up every now and then. "Aurae Faren, pleased to meet you too, I appreciate the help. I doubt I could have convinced him by my words alone. There might have been a fight," She chuckled as she gave a small bow of her head as she introduced herself. "So what brings you here? I'm here because I entered the local election for Mayor and because I heard rumors of the mercenaries threatening merchants for money and nothing was being done about it," She stated.

Spoiler: Tachanka's Appraisal

John Mattock
Titles: ???

Strength: ???
Precision: ???
Speed: ???
Intelligence: F
Vitality: ???

Spoiler: Izuru Appraisal

John Mattock
Titles: Human, War Veteran, Roudy, Ill-Spoken, Warrior, Gym Bro
Strength: ???
Precision: E
Speed: E
Intelligence: F
Vitality: E

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste

It was then and there in the midst of her sudden stumble that Diane became a first-hand witness to the scene that unraveled before her. The hired mercenary that became the captain of the guard's clear attempt at racism and disrespect towards Aurae, his light assault towards Tachanka, and the threats towards another newcomer - a strange draconic man whose way with words were about as grating as sandpaper to the kitsune's ears. With all eyes directed to her as she caused unintentional chaos in the form of a fallen chair, Diane felt herself freeze, not daring to move an inch.

It was one thing that Diane was a woman who had grown used to conversing with groups of varying people. It came with the gig of being a Professor, after all. But such an act of clumsiness in the midst of a tense situation that arose was a definite spike to one's anxiety, as unlike the disruptive pupils who slept through her lectures, it was Diane herself that was doing the wrong thing for once. Sweat formed on her forehead, as she felt her red-rimmed glasses fog up under the heat of her breath. For once, the profession that she normally showed herself to be was thrown off the window.

Thankfully, it didn't last long. With a few more sharp words and knowledge thrown at John like a dagger to his already dwindling reputation, the eyes that Diane felt beat over her body were slowly directed back towards the maddened captain who made his fortunate leave from the Wayfarer's Rest, disappearing into the afternoon yet again. All that Diane felt she could do after her embarrassing spectacle was to release a sigh of relief. Everything was ok.

"Phew. Thank the heavens..."

Quickly did Diane take advantage of the lack of attention directed towards her as she readjusted herself. Removing her satchel from her person, she went through the usual rounds. From cleaning her glasses with a delicate cloth to quickly remedying any breath issue she had with one of the mint-flavored candies she so absolutely enjoyed, she made sure she was at least looking a little better for when she had to speak to another. All of this as the uproar and celebrations returned to the tavern's lively atmosphere.

But now she had new matters at hand. It wouldn't have been right to just leave and continue her search now that people have gone out of their way to help Diane out, even if it was just to deescalate the intensity of the situation. Now that the Captain had left with his drink paid and his reputation somewhat intact, Diane's curiosity had to get the better of her. With the clacking of her shoes against the floor signaling her appearance, she made her presence known for a second time, politely allowing the other members of the party to introduce themselves first before she began.

"Ahem." She started, clearing her throat as to garner the attention of the colorful trio before she started to speak. "I so deeply apologize for making a fool out of myself courtesy of my little fumble. They say that one of the best ways to prevent conflict is through evasion, but as it seems, I was incorrect for this current time. As for you three, you have my honest thanks for resolving this matter, especially for lessening the blow that was my self-inflicted humiliation. I am Diane Duste, Archaeology Instructor of the Ethereal Luminary. Need not worry; I am merely here for personal matters, but I can not help but to have a few questions on my mind now that this issue has been resolved. That man... he does not seem to be as disciplined as one would expect a Captain to be. Is there perhaps any history him? Has he been doing this frequently?"

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
2

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )

Spoiler: Milky's Appearance

Tachanka was pretty miffed about him trying to push her, which only fueled her inner desire to make sure more than just his day was ruined as she eventually found her and the elf additionally being joined by a man with notable horns and eye-catching eyes. With all the recommendations and friendly hinting that they had collectively given, it seemed as if the situation was resolved for the moment at least.
"Heh, cool" Tachanka mumbled about the offered free drinks that she was offered amongst the cheering of the bar patrons, public recognition for positive actions was pretty cool especially when it came with free stuff. With the unruly visitors out of the way, she knew encountering them later might cause trouble for her or Milky, but that was a difficulty that she would have to overcome later.

Hearing the introduction of Aurae, Tachanka was surprised to find someone running for a mayor position that wasn't much acknowledged as a big deal. She hadn't put much look or care into such political matters at all since it didn't concern her as much, but at this point it felt like the town needed a change of leadership. Before being able to introduce herself, the beast girl whom had distracted people prior with their clumsy little incident had joined the conversation and asked about the Captain.
"All the big titles coming out of the woodwork for me to meet, how nice. Good thing I always dress my best. Dunno what an archaeologist'd want around here, don't feel like there's aught anythin' of interest" Tachanka jokingly spoke as she chose to give her seen answer to her question.
"I 'aven't 'ad the honor of meeting the man before, but it feels like commonplace that all the new guards that've shown up are all just asses here for pride and a paycheck. Things weren't this bad when I'd first had to come here, although it's probably because of all that rat stuff we went 'nd found. The ugly-mug ran himself away wetting himself before we could stick it to him. Been 'ere since I went against the cretin when 'e was discovered by me and the others I was with, but the new arrivals feel like just as much a plague than what they're supposed to help defend against" Tachanka answered as she realised she hadn't properly introduced herself yet having given her reason to the other three for her being here. Giving a little sarcastic bow yet not bowing the full way, she added on.
"Tachanka, bodyguard and polearm wielder. Even if I don't give two ordures about that kinda stuff, hopefully you get well-ends with that election thing and do better than what's going on right now" she said as the one with the cane was noticeably the last to introduce themselves, prompting her own curiosity since he may have been some skilled merchant or noble given his information he gave to the Captain.

"What 'bout you, 'Prettyboy Fancypants' is it? Hopefully there ain't two among us running for mayor" Tachanka teased sarcastically as Diane's mention of her personal matters arose questions within the canid's mind. Why was an archeologist out here? It didn't seem like there was anything here worth of note, and the ratmancer's little man-cave was pretty much done and dusted at this point as far as she could remember.

saxon NimbusWing Gaius Danius Griinia​

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing

The offer of free food was enough to make Izuru's tail wag. Ordering a rather large meal to compensate for all the food he hadn't been eating. Izuru happily sat down and awaited sustenance. He didn't really feel like alcohol though. His father had always said drinking was for people who could handle it and especially for people who had friends. Izuru didn't have any friends so drinking was out of the question. The very professional looking elf lady was oddly thankful considering Izuru himself felt he barely did anything to improve the situation. All he did was try to pour oil on the tense situation. A rather poor choice considering it looked like the guy left just because the whole thing looked barely worthwhile.

John Mattock was his name and his ability parameters were pretty mediocre for someone who tried to talk himself up. Izuru had heard rabid mutts like that tended to gather together with other like minded strays. The fact that such a large gathering of oafs like that could get work as mercenaries made Izuru immediately suspicious. Plus his response to Izuru suggesting he could make more money by showing some effort was to threaten him. The fact his intelligence was questionable at best and non-existent at worst was also something to take into account. At that moment Izuru got his food, which was bread and a little bowl of stew.

Immediately digging in once the women began introducing themselves to one another. Izuru was surprised the Elf Lady, Aurae was running for mayor. He had never met a politician before. His father always told him never to trust those. Next was the beastkin lady, Diane. A surprised Izuru could immediately understand the look she gave him, as his siblings had tended to give him the same look; one of annoyance. Finally there was the impressively toned Tachanka. Such a strong lady with an equally strong chest was a sight to behold. Izuru had to make a good first impression so that they'd like him. Unfortunately he knew firsthand how utterly unimpressive he was.

---

Hey Dad, how do I impress girls?

You're asking the wrong old man, boy. I'm not really interested in that sort of thing

....Do they like poems?

Boy I've heard your poems and they are certainly.... lacking

HEY! I'M LEARNING!

If you really wish to win over a potential mate. You need two things to begin with.

What?

An offering to display your commitment and confidence to encourage the woman

---

"Me? My name is Izuru. I'm a poet on a journey to experience what our world has to offer so I can turn that into poetry"

In the end, Izuru had no offering but he had confidence. Although he knew a politician, a researcher and a bodyguard would likely find him less than appealing to talk to. He had to show them he wasn't ashamed of who he was and what his goal was. His tail had curled around one of the legs of the wooden chair he was sat on in response to the small amount of nervousness he wasn't openly expressing. Drinking from the wooden mug they had brought him. Izuru noticed the hat atop his head was still there. If he kept it any longer, he could gain a criminal title. Standing up and wandering over to the still sleeping patron. He flipped the hat back onto the other mans head. Returning to the barkeep who was likely astonished at how quickly Izuru had gone through the food and drink. The poet asked if he could perform here given that he still needed to make a living from his art.

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing

Abilities/cooldown/Actions
Pass Judgement - Academia E, Law E E, Persuasion F, Investigation F, Insight F - Aurae recalls the laws and what she learned at the academy to help make a decision or convince someone of a decision - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown.

1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

Aurae folded her arms as several thoughts started to creep into her mind. People have complained about the guards, but why isn't the mayor doing anything about it? Is something more going on or has the mercenary captain slowly dominated and threatened most of the major players in the village? However, she was pulled from her thoughts as she heard Diane introduce herself and ask what was up with the captain. However, when she heard the word captain, she couldn't help but chuckle momentarily. "Mercenaries do mercenary things, I suppose, though I'm not sure why they are getting too out of hand," She admitted with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

Aurae nodded as Tachanka also started to speak about the matter. "Yes, some people have been talking about it; the noble that oversees this part of the county was seen several times coming through here. Apparently, no one has seen signs of the ratmancer since then," She stated as she tried to keep up with recent important matters as much as possible. Though at the moment the issue with the mercenaries seemed to be starting to reach a breaking point if they were this aggressive in front of a crowd. Though that could always just be the captain but that wasn't yet determined. "But I do agree that they are becoming much more of a problem than this ratmancer in terms of immediate problems that is. One should never underestimate a ratmancer, they can wipe out a village fairly quickly if not dealt with," She explained looking around at the two as they introduced themselves.

She chuckled slightly as she went to look at Izuru as he had already taken a seat and started ordering food. However, she was more shocked when the large amount of food came out at once. He seemed to have used all three free orders in one go, though eating that much at once probably wasn't the healthiest option. Though it seemed like he was deep in thought as he wolfed down the food in front of him. By now most of the patrons had gone back to their places as they started talking and once again the tavern was filled with the sounds of several conversations.

When Izuru finally introduced himself Aurae cocked her head to the right a bit, his appearance didn't scream poet to her. Though at this point, that didn't really matter; there was much to do with the election that was happening tomorrow, and at the moment, things were looking very iffy on the outcome. She had been talking with the merchants for a week now trying to get to the bottom of the mercenary thing though they didn't seem to want to budge for some reason or another. "Say would any one of you have any times to the merchant's guild? I've been trying to get the merchants to complain about the mercenaries since they have been getting harrassed the most. But they seem to be very tight-lipped about the whole situation," Aurae explained as she watched Izuru go up to Astran and start talking to him.

Milky on the other hand was still slowly sipping away at the drink in her hands, though it seemed to be slowly starting to get to the furpent. As she was moving her upper half from side to side and humming to herself. meanwhile back at the bar, "You want to perform here? Well I mean I suppose, the performs usually stand on the small stage over there, we don't have anyone today so I mean it should be fine," Astran explained as he pointed over to the stage he had mentioned.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
3

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon NimbusWing Gaius Danius Griinia

The last to introduce themselves was a poet of all things, of which felt questionable if that was the most significant thing you could identify yourself as. Although, not everyone was a living legend to begin with, herself included.
"Ah. Never understood how you people get people to feel something special from just things written in a weird way. Maybe it's just me, but it feels like you kinds are just riddle-makers that aren't tryna' look stupidly smart to fit their ego" Tachanka sarcastically commented about it as she listened to Aurae until the question of knowing someone in the Merchant's Guild was asked. That was easier said than done, as Tachanka's ears twitched at even hearing the question from simply how prepared she was to answer it.

"Oh, that's an easy one. My- " she stopped, wondering what the target that bodyguards protected was even called anyway. "Protectee? Client? I don't know- t-the one I'm following and keeping safe, is in the Merchant's Guild, and I'm sure she would be happy to do a nice thing. Although... " Tachanka spoke, slowing to a mumble as she considered the danger it could put on Milky if anyone held a grudge on the fact that it would make the furpent a tattletale to their endeavours. Nevertheless, perhaps it could be discussed if Milky agreed to it.
"It might be dangerous, so we'll have to talk about it. I'm not gonna bring extra bad attention to Milky if I can avoid it... " she spoke as she looked to the furpent in question, though was rather disappointed once she noticed the recognisable sway of a drunk person.

"Oh, this is why I usually don't want her to drink. I can handle it, but she's... inclined to also partake along with me just to be nice, despite the tolerance difference. Should get'er to stop for the moment..." Tachanka answered as she gently ushered the others to join when they were ready, just wanting to get Milky to not get too drunk or be troubled as the canid focused on going over to the furpent.

"Hey, Milky, maybe you should slow down and take a break from drinking anymore. You've had a little much now, huh? It's getting to you, see? You don't have to drink just because I want to" Tachanka answered in a soft, slower voice like she was talking to some child or young person. She slowly and calmly approached Milky to not make any sudden movements, although despite what her first intentions seemed like it was not to take the drink from her hands. While her attention was much more distracted and her hands were full with something she was enjoying, Tachanka was much rather reaching for the girl's gun just to get it away from her. Milky was not at all someone to use it except in the most dire circumstance, but Tachanka wasn't taking any chances.

Actions
1. Insight (F) on Milky, just to check or discern anything about how drunk she may be.
2. Take Milky's gun
3. For the love of everyone in the bar, take Milky's gun away from her​

 

[Scarletti]

Levia

Mentions: saxon NimbusWing Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia​

Sitting at the corner of the tavern was Levia, who was nodding off after having a couple of drinks too many. Originally, she was planning to eavesdrop on some of the conversations in the tavern to learn more about the place she had just arrived in, but couldn’t resist helping herself to a drink or two. However, somewhere down the line she’d lost control of herself, downing more and more of the ale they had till she’d lost count by now.

She did learn a little bit about the place though. There seemed to be some election thingy for the new mayor going on, and about some of the rumors regarding the mercenaries who were hired as guards. Oh wells! It wasn’t as if she’d be here for long anyways. Just as she was about to fall asleep on her table, a loud commotion roused her wide awake. Apparently the captain of the guards was causing a scene, and there were a few brave souls who stood up to him. Now this sounded like fun! She eagerly watched the scene play out, up till the moment when the captain stormed off.

Wiping the booze from her mouth with her handkerchief, she skipped her way to the group. “Wow! That was amazing!” She said, as she patted Izuru on the back. Well, it seemed like the other patrons were giving the others pats on the back too, so it was probably fine right? That was when she’d hear Diane asking about the captain. “That man’s probably had a history of being an asshole, that’s for sure! The guards ought to throw him into prison already! Oh, and I hope you don't mind me joining your party. The name's Levia, a wandering wizard.”

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Scarletti Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

"Sadly, I'm afraid that I have little ties to the Merchant's Guild. If they are hired mercenaries, then it's clear that these are the types of people that are not properly suited for such a duty as guarding a town to begin with." Diane would reply to the kind elven individual who had proved her sharp tongue and razor wit. Questions formed into even more questions, as the curious kitsune fired off more and more of them like a barrel of a verbal gun as she stood to herself, pondering. "So let us ask ourselves this, then. Who hired these mercenaries to begin with? What occurred to the rest of the military workforce here? And why exactly are they targeting the Merchant's Guild in particular?"

For a few seconds, one could catch a glimpse of Diane rubbing her chin methodically, deep in thought as if she was in another heavy study section. She was no detective to be sure, but she was the type who loved to decipher answers. Then came the mention of a certain individual courtesy of Aurae. The ratmancer. Whoever this woman was, whether or not she was running next in line to become the next mayor of Lanstrich, it was clear to Diane that she could have been of definite use. It was with that mentioning of that individual and that individual alone that Diane's eyes lit up like shining bulbs of light, ignoring Izuru's attempt to stuff his face with a veritable buffet of food.

"It seems that we have come to an issue then. Rumors regarding newly hired mercenaries gallivanting as city guards and hemorrhaging the Merchant's Guild to keep them under wraps, an absent ratmancer... even outside of the matters of the village in a general sense, it appears you have a lot of pressure on you as somebody who is running to be elected as the next mayor, Miss Faren. If I may, I would say that if somebody were to uncover the plot behind these mercenaries, then surely that will put you in the good books of the general public, will it not?" She had yet to reveal why she wanted to do so. But if there were truly any ties to this aforementioned ratmancer and the Shallow Grave - the very same disease that had cursed once-perished animals alongside her own family's reputation - she knew best to keep her hand hidden until her trust with the group grew.

With a sudden perk of her kitsune ears, Diane then turned around to a new face that garnered her attention, a young lady with a cute white wizard hat and a fluffy cloak; looking as if she was well-equipped to deal with whatever winter wonderland was thrown her way. She'd smile at her seemingly excited mood, yet she'd show a light touch of confusion as her ears twitched a little. "Party?" She questioned. "Oh, I assume you believe we're a group of adventurers, heroes, if you will. Well, in my case, I will be so honestly gracious to say that I'm not, if my recent spectacle didn't sway you to believe that I wasn't. I would rather prefer researching artefacts and cryptic languages from the comfort of my own office, but I have been prone to explore a ruin or two if one requests me. But an adventurer? Far from my skillset, I'm afraid."

Yet she didn't show any disdain towards the assumption. All she merely would do was to extend her hand towards the wandering wizard before her, as if she was expecting a handshake. She adjusted her red-rimmed glasses with her other hand, smiling gently. "As for who I truly am... Diane Duste, Archaeology Professor of the Ethereal Luminary. A pleasure to meet you, Levia. And what would bring somebody such as yourself here in Lanstrich?"

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy Scarletti NimbusWing

The moment Izuru saw their reactions to his chosen occupation, his mind went into PANIK MODE. Apparently poets seemed to be the least sexy form of artist. Not allowing said panic show on his face. Izuru tried to think of ways to hype himself up that wouldn't sound like arrogance. Plus he also had to contend with the fact that there actually WASN'T a lot to brag about when it came to himself. He was a starving artist with not a lot of art under his belt. Finishing his food with a bitter feeling in the back of his mind. The fact was he now needed to WORK for the rest of his food. Poets tended to be famous AFTER they died. Izuru still had a lot of life left to live so he could only hope his meagre samplings could satisfy a crowd of this size, let alone the entire world. Writing something down on a slip of parchment before he forgot. A passing Izuru handed Aurae the appraisal results for Captain Mattock. His estimate for his strength was a D ranking but with a small chance of C. "Consider it a down payment on my interest in you" said the poet teasingly, his clever wordplay painfully obvious. Upon the stage he felt the gazes of the tavern-goers on him.

Her raven hair, black as night
Sets all these hearts, for joy alight
There be not a sideward gaze in sight
Les they miss out on this delight
A guard that does not hold his oath
Who lies and cheats to dwell in sloth
May toe a line few dare approach
To his own avarice does he devote

Izuru emptied his mind of his doubts and simply spoke the words that came to mind. At first he started with a couple verses about this pretty girl he saw a few towns back with the most beautiful black hair. After that he tried to speak about something the town would be more familiar with in the form of the guards who were less than dutiful in their responsibilities. Izuru could understand why they would be grumpy given that their pay was far less than what they'd like it to be for the work they were supposed to be doing. However he couldn't sympathize with them any further after they had blatantly stated their intent to harass the girls of this little hamlet. Now saying mean things about them in poetic verse wasn't exactly illegal. However it invited said individuals to come and air their grievances with Izuru via shanking him in a back alley. Hence why he would need to keep his wits about him.

---

.Hand Aurae a note
.Do Poetry = Performance F (Poetry) + Persuasion F + Deception F

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing Scarletti

Abilities/cooldown/Actions
Pass Judgement - Academia E, Law E E, Persuasion F, Investigation F, Insight F - Aurae recalls the laws and what she learned at the academy to help make a decision or convince someone of a decision - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown.

1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

Aurae covered her mouth as she giggled at Tachanka's comment about poets. "Well, I mean to each their own, I suppose, though no one said you had to feel something about it. You could just be able to relate to it," She pointed out, as she let out a small sigh, trying to recover her composure a little bit. However, there was still much to do, and the matter with the newly hired help became problematic. The village wouldn't be able to hold the pressure much longer before tensions continued to rise. Since she had arrived, the grumblings had only gotten more vocal. It was thought they would be gone by now, but they were still here, which seemed to cause some friction with the villagers.

She was then pulled from her thoughts when Tachanka spoke up again. "Oh no, no, no she wouldn't need to get involved directly, even a letter of recommendation should be enough to get the merchants in the area to open up a little bit at least," Aurae stated as she waved her hands in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was drag someone into this whole situation if they didn't need to be. The mercenaries seemed particularly bloodthirsty after all. When Tachanka left the group to go help her client in the corner of the tavern another new individual made their presence known to the group.


"Well, I wouldn't call this a party, as this isn't a request from the guild at this point anyway, Levia," Aurae pointed out with a simple shrug before continuing. "But at this rate, having more help wouldn't be a bad thing. Aurae Faren, rookie adventurer and hopefully soon-to-be mayor of the village if things go right," She introduced herself to the new arrival, then turned to Diane as she started to speak and tried to put pieces together about the mercenaries.

As the questions seemed to roll off her tongue, Aurae folded her arms across her chest as she closed her eyes, trying to recall the information she could. "From what I know, the mayor hired the extra help right before the festival that just passed. There were issues with rats later found to be due to the Ratmancer. But as to why they are targeting the merchants, I suppose that would be because they probably have the most income compared to most of the residents in the village," She theorized with a shrug as she couldn't answer that one just yet. They still needed more information, and drawing theories on matters with little detail could be problematic. "But I do have to agree that it would help to solve the matter," She agreed with a nod.

That was when Izuru handed her the paper with the stats and information from the appraisal on John. "Huh, interest in me?" She looked confused for a moment before looking down at the paper. To which she cocked her head slightly as she read the title Gym Bro. "Does anyone know what this means?" She inquired looking to those around her to see if they knew anything. As Izuru started to speak his verses Aurae cringed slightly at the first line, but as it continued on it wasn't all that bad. Several of the patrons clapped once he had finished his poem and a few grumbled as they went back to speaking about the mercenaries.

Meanwhile, at Tachanka's table, her insight would be able to tell that Milky wasn't entirely gone. She was still 75% coherent of what was going on around her. There wouldn't be any issue with be able to grab the gun from her companion. "What do you mean? The drinks started to taste like water," Milky replied with a small hiccup as the drink was set aside, and Milky continued to sway from side to side.

 

[Scarletti]

Levia

Mentions: saxon NimbusWing Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia​

Upon hearing Diane mention about how they were not a group of adventurers, Levia rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Ahhh is that so, my bad then! I guess you’re right, a klutz like yourself would have a tough time going on all sorts of adventures, although you did create a pretty funny spectacle back there if I do say so myself.” The girl chuckled. Diane then mentioned that she was an Archaeology Professor at some place, to which Levia widened her eyes. Now that she thought about it, this person did gave off an air of importance.

“You’re a professor?! Please forgive my earlier rudeness and informality, Professor Diane. The purpose of me being here today is… well, I did mention I was a wanderer right? I guess I just ended up here somehow during my travels, although it does seem like there’s something interesting brewing in this town.” Levia nodded to herself, as she recalled the earlier commotion. “Oh, and if you ever need a companion for a trip to the ruins, feel free to look for me!”

Aurae then pointed out that she was the soon-to-be mayor of the village, leaving Levia in shock once again. So this was a party of very important people after all! “It’s nice to meet the both of you, Future Mayor Aurae and Professor Diane.” She said with a bow. That’s what formal people did when greeting others, right? However, hearing about how the merchants were getting targeted made her blood boil. “Those dirty, money-hungry, thieving lowlifes! Someone ought to go teach em a lesson.” Saying this, she folded her arms crossly, casting a determined look at Aurae as if expecting her to agree.

At that moment, a boy handed Aurae some sort of paper, but she seemed oblivious to his advances. Levia heaved a sigh. It seemed like she had to spell things out for the poor lady. “Awww come on, how dense can you get? The guy has a crush on you!” Levia nudged the noble lady with an elbow, a wide grin forming on her face. She then took a glance over at the paper, only to realize it wasn’t a love letter or anything. “Hmmm, let me see… According to this paper, that hooligan of a captain’s one hell of a weakling! And… and that he’s pretty stupid and only cares about muscles more than anything else.” She hoped that she had translated the information well, although it was strange that Aurae didn’t get it… Wait… that meant the boy was probably someone who shared the same system as her, didn’t it? Was he previously from another world too? She wondered to herself.

It seemed like he was up on stage all of a sudden, as he began reciting his poem. So there was this lovely girl with black hair, and this guard who was a bad person… Huh… Levia didn’t really get poems, but she clapped at the end nonetheless. “Amazing!” She called out, trying to bring up the hype.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
4

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon NimbusWing Gaius Danius Griinia Scarletti

Tachanka sighed, having hoped she was not affected whatsoever since the influence of alcohol could be an agent of chaos at any given time. Although knowing Milky's word would probably help carry some weight when it came to working with other merchants, Tachanka tried to inform her on the things they were trying to do so that she would understand and be able to help.
"The white-haired woman over there is running for mayor and in order to deal with all the scuff and rut that is these hired guards, it would help if someone who could hold word or matter with the other local merchants would be able to get them to open up about the problems happening? No more drinking for you right now, walk it o- or, slither it off, I suppose" Tachanka said as she supposed she should have Milky come and introduce herself at the least. It'd probably be a good idea if someone was keeping an eye on her just to make sure she didn't slip up with words or anything, unsure how well her wording or writing would hold up making entire sense.

Ignoring the absolute gibberish Izuru was speaking for his performance, shaking her head with a slight amused smirk that someone would read something that felt like such a ridiculously random premise, she believed she found more reason why she didn't ever meet any poets in person nor why there were any ones who were very successful. Making sure Milky got up and came over just fine to meet the others, Tachanka noticed that there was yet another face talking to Aurae while she was gone having not recognised Levia. Raising an eyebrow as she looked over the girl's duds and simply made assumptions she was some sort of mage, she briefly introduced herself quickly.
"Tachanka, bodyguard, adventurer, 1-0 against Ratmancer" she said as she counted off three titles on her hand in which one was much more noticably an attempt to brag before looking to Aurae.

"This is Milky, she's the merchant that I'm travelling with and assisting. I figure you'd best make your own reasoning to her yourself... " she said as she cautiously kept an eye on the furpent.
"Go slow though, she may be tipsy and I don't fully trust her making decisions or doing things not fully conscious" Tachanka answered in a quieter tone, of which she was pretty serious about since the snake seemed like she would be the kind of person to be easily tricked or manipulated due to her carefree and kind personality.​

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Scarletti Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

At that very moment, Diane felt herself torn over the group and what was going on between all of them. Between the hustle and bustle of the tavern and now those she had to keep a close eye on, it definitely was a lot of her to take in alongside the loud cheers and the cries of the taverns folk. A witch, a poet, an up-and-coming mayor, a battle-dancer and of course, herself. Definitely a strange list of people to congregate around the very same tavern.

That was when she felt a dagger stab her right through the chest. Not a literal one, no. Her story likely wouldn't have ended as abruptly as that. Instead it was a verbal barrage that had struck Diane by complete surprise, all as of courtesy of Levia's seemingly happy-go-lucky personality combined with her way with words. Now, the once assistant Professor was one to handle with the nonsense of various students who had perhaps thrown a rude comment or two, or a paper plane which flew through the classroom. Disorder was something she had to get used to managing. But Levia's comments certainly threw her off guard.

"A klutz?" Diane repeated, her face shifting into a surprised expression as she felt herself take an unbalanced step backwards, facing Levia. "Now, I'll have you understand that I am not as clumsy as one may assume to be! One needs a delicate touch in both one's step and in their hands if one must become a competent archaeologist, care must be upheld with significant importance!" Her gaze turned over to the chair she happened to knock over, setting it back up onto the floor before she released a sigh. "I was just caught at the wrong time at the wrong place, making the wrong decision. This better not be a big stain upon my already middling reputation..."

She turned her face away from Levia only to look over at Izuru; and his frankly poor performance of poetic prowess. Between his act and the note that he was showing around the group like a rare trading card, strange grading stats and all, she had nothing intriguing to say about him. It was for the best that she left him be, unlike that of an unruly student. At least it seemed like he was trying to be of some value. Averting her attention back over to the perky winter witch before her, she continued. "Nevertheless, hiring protection for another venture will be a good idea for when I set off on another archaeological site. You'll at the very least become a consideration in my eyes, Levia, following an assessment of what you're capable of. I need to understand who I'm working with before I so choose for them to become a travel companion. It's only business, after all. I expect you to be able to do your service much like how the Academy will expect me to do mine."

Finally finishing her conversation with Levia with a nod, she took a few seconds for the dust of that prior shock to settle. Diane then proceeded to clear her voice into a quick 'Ahem.', before turning back to Aurae. As odd as Levia was, she didn't want to lose sight of what was important right now, especially since if she lost this chance, she'd have to go back to scrounging through notes fruitlessly. She needed to take the initiative to push her goals forward. "Alright then, Miss Faren. If you require an extra set of hands and a bright mind - especially that of one who follows the pursuit of higher education - then I will be more than glad to accompany you in your own tasks so that I may have the chance to redeem myself from my prior 'spectacle', in both the public's eyes and your own. It's the least I could personally do after you proceeded to drive that Captain away."

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy Scarletti NimbusWing

Izuru was actually happy to get some applause for once, rather than a few odd looks from inebriated patrons. Unfortunately he could tell his performance hadn't gone over very well with most of the beautiful women in the tavern. Diane in particular looked at him as if he were the town fool. Levia the kooky witch girl was at least pleased with his performance, which could have been due to lack of understanding about poems. Tachanka and Aurae seemed like they just witnessed Baby's First Poem. Whatever Milky was thinking was up in the air given how drunk she was. Disheartened for but the briefest of moments. Izuru quickly bounced back, not wanting to let anyone see him feeling down. He'd gotten a few generous donations from the poetry at the very least. Which was more than he got normally given he was an amateur poet. Sitting down at a table filled with rowdy looking men. Izuru paid for their next round of drinks.

Given how serious those soldiers seemed about causing a ruckus. Izuru needed allies and information if he was to survive whatever they were planning. His father had always stressed the importance of using any and all resources if he wanted to ensure his victory. Hence now he was joining in with the drinking while also asking innocent questions to gauge the mens opinions on the mercenary guard force. Izuru would also ask about the mayoral election since that seemed to be an equally hot topic right now. Occasionally he'd throw in a white lie or two to get a laugh out of someone. Negotiations tended to go smoothly if you could make the other party laugh.

"Now I'm not saying they're bad news. You didn't hear this from me.... BUTTTTTTT we all heard them talk about the women of this town. Home grown belles getting treated like dirt by a group of guys who look like their parents were first, second AND third cousins. Not only is that LOW but also a warning. Cowards way out by waving their swords around like that. I tell you its downright tyranny... what must they be doing to the poor old mayor?"

---

Actions:
.Slide on over to bar table
.Pay for drinks
.Let him Cook = Persuasion F + Deception F

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing Scarletti

Abilities/cooldown/Actions
Pass Judgement - Academia E, Law E E, Persuasion F, Investigation F, Insight F - Aurae recalls the laws and what she learned at the academy to help make a decision or convince someone of a decision - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown.

1.
2.
3.
Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

Aurae looked over at Diane as Levia called her a klutz to which she let out a small chuckle to. While the whole scene with her tipping over the chair had been comical, that seemed to really be the only evidence that she was clumsy. But at this rate, it was only a matter of time to see if that theory was true, though from what she could tell, the group was turning out to be very interesting. Though there was still much to do, and she had to find a way to at least convince the merchants to bring up the issue, but at the moment, it was unknown as to why the mayor hadn't done anything about them yet. Many reasons ran through her head, though she was quickly pulled away from them as Levia called the mercenary thieves, despite the fact she ransacked a wagon that wasn't hers.

As Levia nudged Aurae, she looked confused. She looked down at the paper and reviewed what Izuru had written down, which made it blatantly obvious that he had the appraisal skill. Though at the mention of crush, there was the sound of several chairs moving back quickly; as she looked up, she saw her retainers all standing up and quickly motioned for them to sit back down. However, a few patrons saw it and were now staring at the elves. Clearing her throat, "Well looks can be deceiving and since we can't see his skills there is much that we don't know about him."

Over at Tachanka's table, "But I was just starting to have fun, oh the people over there want to use my standing with the guild? Well...while I don't mind helping them, I doubt want to put myself in a dangerous situation if the mercenaries get angry. But, I could write a letter of recommendation that you all can show the merchants, that should surface pulse its nice and warm in here," Milky stated as there was a little bit of a pouting tone toward the end. Though she followed Tachanka over to the group as she was introduced bowing her head slightly. "As I was telling my bodyguard here, I don't mind writing a letter of recommendation which if the merchants are in the guild should give you a bit more trust though, I can't say that for every merchant in town," She explained again this time to the group.

As Diane offered her services, Aurae nodded her head. "More help is always welcomed, especially right now. There isn't a lot of information to go on but if we talk to the merchants with the letter, then I'm sure we will get somewhere," Aurae concluded as she smiled. "Though the main two things we need to find out is who are they extorting and why hadn't the mayor done anything about it, if we can find those answers out then, I believe we have enough to drive them out and potentially win the election," She stated with a nod of her head as she looked around to see where their poet and went and saw him moving about a few tables. Though she wasn't entirely sure what was going on at the moment.


However it seemed at least he was doing something productive and might as well see how this all ends. From what Izuru got form the first coupe of tables, it seemed like the election was evenly split, a few of the patrons supported the current mayor and a few supported Aurae. Though the main topic of discussion was the mercenaries, a few of the patrons had a conspiracy that the mayor was getting paid a bit of the extortion money to keep quiet. While another group said the mayor was being pressured into keeping the mercenaries around.

Moving onto the next table, "Yeah, that's nothing new for them though. But most of us wouldn't rise up cause I doubt they would hesitate to kill someone if they got out of line. All it would take is someone attacking them first and immunity they have. So while we don't like it we can't really do anything about them. But you are right my scalely friend, they do look pretty fuggly," The man chuckled as he took another large gulp of the ale that was in his mug. "Well there are a few theories about the mayor but no one knows for certain, but people have seen him around the village," The man concluded.

 

[Femboy]

Tachanka
5

Character Sheet
(Tachanka Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Canine, Ryke Adventurer's Guild (E), Delver)
(Milky Titles: Otherworlder, Beast, Furpent, Ryke Merchant's Guild (E) )
saxon NimbusWing Gaius Danius Griinia Scarletti

Since things seemed to be moving along well enough, although it wasn't predictable how the future would turn out. There wasn't actually a whole lot of reason of benefit that Tachanka could see for herself in helping out, though sticking it to the hired assistance was most definitely the best reasoning she was going to get. Besides, doing this favour might lend aid to Milky's own business while they were there and even help her own reputation.

"Well I'm not really the best for voicing what should be done, especially since if you're gonna be running for mayor and whatever that should probably be your schtick, but it's probably a good suggestion that something is done about it soon. From what I know about kids like those who lost their little fight is that usually people that headstrong can never let even little grudges go. You'd best want maybe some more people than those alone following you, it feels like if they find out that you truly are the only thing between them getting paid and stroking their egos, and being kicked out forever, my little whim guesses that they'll probably try to not have that happen... just an inkling" Tachanka suggested, surprised and honestly silently respectful in her mind that someone was willing to stand up for everyone else despite the questionable odds it placed against her. By all means, she and anyone else didn't have any real requirement to stay in town after what had happened, but it was probably a worthwhile attempt to see it through.

"I might already have some protection business, but while I'm here you could probably have my help too. Don't know how useful everyone else here eager by your own prospects would be if someone was trying to punch them or you in the face... " Tachanka considered as she looked between Diane and Levia, glancing off to Izuru as he was talking to whomever about whatsoever. They might have some unique talent about them, but they seemed like questionable and even innocent-seeming oddballs that wouldn't be dare found anywhere near such a scenario.​

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Scarletti Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

A simple raise of an eyebrow came at the mention of Diane hearing Tachanka's consideration, as well as the offer of her services of 'protection business'. And it was certainly clear that the idea of getting slugged in the face by a mercenary of all people if things were to go hairy was definitely not something that she wanted today, especially after her prior stumble which came out of Diane wanting to escape from conflict in the first place. It was a boost of confidence in this plan that Diane did not want to admit was necessary, but since the team at first glance didn't really have much along the lines of brawn, it was at least nice to understand that at least somebody appeared as if they were trained in combat arts. Levia did look as if she could fight as well, but Diane knew enough about magicians as a result of being a teacher to few that whatever they could pull out of their sleeve wasn't worth putting her faith into. Better to at least have someone with knew their ways around a polearm when it came to the topic of reliability.

"Your assistance will be more than appreciated, fellow Beastkin. Tachanka, was it?" Diane replied pleasantly, recalling the name of the bodyguard before her, hands resting on her hips gently. "I will not speak for Miss Faren here, but in my case, it would be very much welcome for one to at least supply some muscle and combat prowess for our party. That will make four of us. Miss Faren, Tachanka, Levia and myself..."

Her gaze then shifted back towards the poet. Like a class clown standing amongst model students. She weeded out Izuru and his draconic appearance amongst the tavern patrons in a near-instant, and as much as she was going to regret the idea, she knew all too well that he was clearly eager to help out, even if he was going about his own business. Eating from a buffet, the strange notes, poetry recital and the attempt to grab info from civilians, she had no attachment to him. But at least he could have been of use.

'I am sorely going to have this choice bite me in the rear, aren't I... oh well. Better make this group grow from a four to a five.'

She turned her head back to the party of fellow ladies, with a face of light regret strewn across it. She absolutely knew what she was getting into, or so she thought. "Pardon me. It seems there is one more that looks as if they're eager to assist us. The one who tried to calm that man down. If I may."
With that request out of the way and a short walk afterwards, she signaled her appearance near Izuru with a firm clearing of her throat yet again.

"Ahem."

There she stood as tall as she could, arms crossed and with a dead-serious expression on her face clearly directed to Izuru and Izuru alone. She didn't look angry... but messing around was not an option in Diane's book.
"It's clear that you're trying to assist us with this sudden debacle, sir. Let it be known that we appreciate your help, but we have yet to discuss our strategy. I recommend that you come along and join us if you wish to truly make a difference in this village, besides. With numbers comes additional strength, and your... eugh. 'Charm', I would have to say, will not get you far on your own, especially as your wallet lightens by the second with every bribe and payment you make."

 

[Scarletti]

Levia

Mentions: saxon NimbusWing Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia​

When Tachanka came up to Levia to give her introduction, Levia would gaze at her in amazement. “Wow, you won a fight against a ratmancer?! That sounds like a tough opponent, although I haven’t really came across one myself. You must be hella strong then! It’s my pleasure to meet you, Tachanka. I’m Levia, just a regular old wizard being curious about what’s going on here.” The mage replied. When Tachanka would introduce Milky, Levia would nod at her in acknowledgement. “Hello Milky!”

Watching Diane’s reaction to her being called a klutz, Levia couldn’t help but feel like she was overreacting. With a wide smile on her face, she tried to encourage her this time instead. “Oh Miss Diane, you don’t have to worry about being a klutz! Some people are clumsy, but they have other ways of making up for their shortcomings, such as being a smart person, like yourself!” Next, Diane seemed to have considered hiring her for future expeditions, although there was a catch. Apparently she had to be trusted and tested first? “I see… In that case, I’d better prepare myself for whatever assessment you have in store for me! I’m sure I can handle it! I think...”

Upon hearing the word crush, there seemed to be some reaction from Aurae's retainers, to which Levia would raise an eyebrow. Did she overstep some boundaries perhaps? Although Aurae didn't seem to mind it... She also seemed pretty cautious about the man from earlier. Stroking her chin, Levia would reconsider her opinion of the man. "That is true... If I were the enemy, I too would hide my skills and pretend to be a weakling to make us lower our guards, before striking! Maybe you're right, and it is too soon to be underestimating him."

Seeing how the others were explaining their reasons for joining the group, which all seemed pretty reasonable, Levia started getting nervous herself as her gaze drifted to the floor. “Oh umm… Truth be told, I don’t really have anything much to offer. Oh wait, I got it! Watch this!” The girl held her right palm out, as snowflakes started dancing in the air around her palm. Slowly, a figure of ice was formed out of thin air, resembling Levia. “Tada! It’s me! But smaller. And maybe not so useful… Buuuut that’s besides the point! Ahahaha...” She smiled sheepishly, although she hoped they wouldn’t just kick her out of here right then and there. She'd then offer to hand the ice figure over to Aurae.

As Diane went up to Izuru to give him an earful, Levia mused to herself. “Hmm, why is she always angry?” The professor seemed to have a stern expression on her face as she spoke with the poet, and Levia kinda felt bad for the poor guy.

Abilities:
Ice man - magic E, duration F, ice affinity F, visual arts F, energized E - creates a mini snowman or an ice scuplture of Levia within the user's palm. It can last for an hour before melting.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Izuru
Mentions: saxon Femboy NimbusWing Scarletti

Izuru was in the midst of hearing about the big orc guys fourteen children when the Scholarly Diane Duste came over to talk to him. He could tell by the dismissive look on her face that she was less than pleased by the experience. She had been giving him that look ever since she first laid eyes on him, by the look of it. Now Izuru understood he wasn't that much of a catch. Yet the way she looked down on him was downright ridiculous. Naturally the lads were watching with bated breath to see what his response would be to her blatant expression of intolerance. Izuru was nothing if not a showman. Standing up and tapping his cane against the floor a few times. The wandering poet returned Diane's icy gaze with his own. Her attempts to act like he was a directionless puppy were cute and all but what had SHE done when things got hairy earlier.

"Listen Little Miss Grave-Robber. I'm perfectly fine to help when the one doing the asking does so with the tone of a person. Do I look like the town fool to you? How about instead of demanding I help out like you're doing ME a favor. You take that energy and bury it in your books. Tell you what... I'll give you a discount of 2% off and you can bark at me all you want on my way to the bank"

Dismissing Diane and waving goodbye to his new friends. Izuru made his way over to Aurae's group with a swagger in his step. Leaning against the wall and resting both hands on the top of his cane. A much more stoic Izuru was more than happy to offer his own perspective on the matter. His tail gently swayed from side to side while he formulated the basis of a decent strategy moving forward. All they had were a handful of pieces compared to the Mercenary Groups. The board was stacked in the oppositions favor. Moving forward required them the construction of an intricate web of connections.

"Aurae needs to be the centerpiece of this operation. We are outmanned, outgunned and lack the favor of the townsfolk. Our first task needs to be building Aurae's popularity. This requires two things, alliances with the major players in this town and a political campaign. If we lack support, the people here aren't going to have any faith we can't do better than what they have now. Secondly we need to raise an actual militia. The people here aren't able to stand up to the mercenaries because they lack arms and martial training. Third we need FUNDING else we can't purchase anything to advance any of our plans. Finally... we need to take the old Mayor off the board. Regardless if he's in on the extortion or facing pressure... he's an obstacle that has to go if Aurae's to become Mayor. Tachanka, does Milky have any connections to the banking clans? Worse comes to worse... we may need a loan"

 

[saxon]

Aurae Faren

E Grade Character

Titles: Elf, Nomad, Native, Mundane

mentions: Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia NimbusWing Scarletti

Abilities/cooldown/Actions


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Notes: When not in combat, abilities that do not deal damage do not have a cooldown.

Aurae looked around at the group in front of her, it seemed like it was a group of misfits with everyone have a random specialty. Though for the time being that didn't matter as several of them had pointed out numbers were key here. If they were going to do anything then it was going to need to be as a group lest they get harassed by the mercenaries. However, in a village this large, there were really only about 10 guards, and then the mercenaries counted an additional 10 if they were all together at the same time. She then turned to Tachanka and nodded her head, "I can deal with talking to the people, I just need a bit more weight to throw around, by myself well no one will speak to me directly. Seems the mercenaries have them stuck between a rock and a hard place," She sighed before being handed a rolled up piece of paper from the surpent.

"There is a letter of recommendation, as I said before if there is a merchant in the guild it should suffice. However, that can't be said about anyone who isn't related to the merchants guild, like your local venders. Probably better I stay here and out of the way until this matter is solved to ease the work on my protector," Milky stated before moving closer to the bartender and ordering a rather large container of water. For the moment, at least, it didn't look like she was planning on drinking anymore, though the swaying was less noticeable now. But there was still much to do as Diane spoke rather loudly which caused a few of the patrons to look at her for a moment before going back to their conversations.

Aurae facepalmed as she heard the woman speak, "You are really not great with asking people to do something or asking them questions, in general,, are you." Aurae sighed and shook her head. The whole thing sounded far more like a demand than a request. So she made a mental note not to let the historian try and argue people to their side. Probably would be safer to keep her buried in any documents they found. Levia then started to show the group her abilities with Ice magic, which seemed interesting though she wasn't entirely sure how that was going to be helpful. But there was still plenty of time to figure that part out when the time came.


Hearing Levia, Aurae chuckled for a moment. "The world may never know the answer to that question but, we should probably bring him along anyway. Worst case he can distract people with poetry which actually might be very helpful if the situation arises," She concluded with a nod of her head.

With Izuru firing back at Diane, Aurae let out a small sigh, This group sure is going to be interesting with those two. Though some parts of what he said, the odds of any lenders out here were out of the question. Not to mention, the election was tomorrow, so anything they could do must be today. She thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Don't simply have the time, the vote is tomorrow, the main thing we need to do is find out if the mercenaries really are paying off the mayor, and then we need to gain the trust of the merchants. But really, if we find the evidence about the mercenaries the merchants may side with us. Tomrrow there will be a debate between me and the mayor tomorrow. Once that is completed the voting will begin. So lets take this letter and go ask around a few of the merchants. Maybe they know more than they are letting on or well willing to tell until now," Aurae smiled as she motioned for everyone to follow her. To which the retainers finished their cups and followed her outside.

 

[NimbusWing]

Diane Duste
Mentions: saxon Scarletti Femboy Gaius Danius Griinia

To say that Diane was feeling like she was at her best was certainly far from the truth. From the duration that she had spent here at the Wayfarer's Rest, it was clear that nothing felt like it went just as she had wanted. From the inability to decipher anything new from the notes she had acquired, to the tense moment between bar patrons, to her humiliating stumble. It was one thing that she managed to get through those relatively unscathed, but it was what happened afterwards that struck deeper daggers into her. As time had progressed, it almost became more and more clear that in spite of her desire to assist with the information regarding the newly hired village guards and the Merchant's Guild, nobody was taking her seriously. Either they were confused her for someone who was clumsy, or someone who was uptight. When all she wanted was to steer things into the right direction for her own goals.

And then came Izuru. Whoever that excuse of a poet was, he was in no position to talk back in such a way, or so she had thought. But it became especially more irritating to the kitsune that instead of merely disagreeing with the orders to guide him back onto the intended topic Aurae was focusing on - he retaliated. Like a disgruntled pupil denying a superior, he had snapped back against her requests. Of course, it led into shock. Diane widened her eyes from beneath her glasses, reeling back at the comment. 'Little Miss Grave-Robber? Just what is this man going on about!?'

She felt her fists clench, as a nerve was struck. It wouldn't be right to fight back, even verbally, but she was not having a good day. This man clearly didn't know what he was doing, and right when she was ready to raise a finger and speak back in response, she couldn't help but to feel her hypothesis proven, as the man of half-draconic descent proceeded to return back to the group to offer his own plan. A plan that while yes - was clearly something that could have been useful if the circumstances were different - had nothing to do with the upstanding issue of the mercenaries and their relationship with the Merchant's Guild. His goals and Diane's simply didn't align.

Diane closed her eyes, as she felt the severe need to take a few deep breaths. In.... out. In... out. In... out. All in a desperate attempt to relax herself before she finally returned to the party, just in time to catch what Aurae had to say. The information about the Merchant's Guild, their current goal to aid such merchants with the assistance of a written letter, and the election that was to take place tomorrow. All of which she listened to contently, until silence fell the group once more, the perfect time for her to speak.

"Pardon me if my prior words have proven to be a little... rough around the edges." She would reply, what pride she had breaking by the seams before being replaced with a hint of defeat and sadness. Her large beastkin ears even seemed to lower down, like a sad animal who had yet to be fed dinner. "I would simply like to have this pressing matter be over and done with as soon as possible. None of you have caught me at my absolute best and I would rather prefer that it be brushed aside. My reputation as is, is already quite poor outside of a classroom, and I would rather it not be reviled even further. So, if you please... let us head off."