Fantasy Merdian Campaign. [IC]

[Iskandar]

On the continent of Merdia, a plot that threatens the lives of millions brews in the shady underworld of multiple Kingdoms. In the Kingdom of Loth, a certain high ranking Lord named Cinnus has unknowingly stumbled upon this plot. A string of kidnappings has plagued the Kingdom of Loth, and all of the kidnappings have varied, with the victims ranging from beggars to fellow lords, and Cinnus wishes to get to the bottom of this. Cinnus hires a rag tag group of adventurers to investigate a string of kidnappings that has plagued the Kingdom. He offers each person that answers his request 300 ducats, which could easily buy you an estate befitting that of a Lord. Cinnus asks that the group meet at a local tavern named the Dusty Cat, there he shall answer any questions the participants have.

Hello all, my name is Iskandar, many of you might know me as Koss. It has been quite some time since I last roleplayed on her, probably close to nine months. Maybe a bit less than that. I have grown quite bored though and recently got into a writing mood. I came up with the idea to have a story that would be somewhat similar to a D&D campaign. My wish is for it to be rather lengthy, but filled to the brim with interesting and unique characters that go on multiple adventures in a thriving, living world. The story will start off with the group of adventurers meeting up and being given their task(to which they have no idea what it is, other than it pays big). From there the group will depart on their quest and reveal a much larger plot that will lead them around the world and reveal many secrets it and it's leaders have to offer.

If I had to give this RP a rating, I'd say a Hard R. It will have its moments of high fantasy and goofiness, but also have many dark moments involving slavery, politics, rape and things like that.

If you are interest please let me know. I shall be working on a the pages(Which will include, OOC, Character Sheets, and Lore. There will be four races that are automatically in; Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs. I am open to allowing other fantasy races, but you will be in charge of making their kingdom and lore that shall later be added to the Lore page.)

Notable Places:

Kingdom of Loth, Multiracial, northern Merdia.
Capital City: Loth

Empire of Tyrst, Human, largest nation, central Merdia.
Capital City: Nuwon.

Confederacy of Blackwood: Elven, Eastern Merdia.
Capital City: Hanging Garden.

Coalition of Alavak: Dwarven, Western Merdia.
Capital City: Jovek(Disputed)

Ordannius, Last City State of the Orcs, Northern Merdia

 

[Iskandar]

Quest I: The Kidnappings on Main Street

​

Lord Cinnus sat inside the Dusty Cat, a rather dimly lit and damp feeling tavern that sat on the edge of the Labour District in Loth. The man was a fairly older gentleman, nearing probably his sixth decade of living. His eyes were a glossy blue with little depth to them, and his hair was graying yet full and long. He had a salt and pepper beard that covered a majority of his face, making him and his expressions hard to see. He stood at about five foot and eleven inches, and had an average build to him.

Cinnus was sat at an empty table inside the barren tavern. The lord had rented the entire building out for the night so that he and his employees would have some privacy. Only Cinnus' personal guards, his young elven steward, and the owner of the tavern were permitted to be inside the premises.

"Remind me again," Cinnus paused, putting into his mouth what appeared to be a pipe filled with tobacco and lighting it with a match, a relatively newly discovered plant that sat at the depths of the Iolas forest, "Who exactly it was that I have hired to investigate the kidnappings."

The Elven steward stepped forward towards his master, countless papers tucked under one of his arms, "Seriously, Lord Cinnus, is age really catching up with you so early into your life?" The Elf smirked briefly before taking the papers tucked underneath one arm and putting them onto the table, "You've hired ten fairly renowned people. Most of them adventurers and mercenaries. Each with their own motivations and goals of course."

Cinnus blew out a puff of smoke and chuckled at the Elf's joke before he leaned over the table and observed the papers, which were simple dossiers on each of the people he was hiring. He leaned away from them and blew out another puff of smoke, "Give me the specifics, Aloth."

Aloth nodded at his masters command, "Very well, my lord. The first one is Caenis. A human female with some peculiar oddities. She appears to have the ears of a horse. She's fairly renowned around Merdia for being a Spear Master and taking on some of the toughest jobs there are. She's a bit rowdy and rude so please do keep that in mind, my lord."

Cinnus nodded at Aloth, as if telling him to continue.

"The next member is also a human named Ava. She was raised in Blackwood though, and her allegiances are most likely with those that raised her. She is an extremely proficient mage who is persistent and determined. She is rather young though." Aloth stated before continuing on with the dossiers, "After that we have a group of three; a merman named Cina Lesoa and his two Pixie companions. Not much is known about the three other than they're pirates and one has a very big hammer."

"Pixies huh? Don't see many of them around. Loth is probably the only place you see them outside their natural habitat on Aeran." Cinnus chimed in before motioning Aloth with his hand to continue.

Aloth let out a sigh, obviously irritated at his Lord's interruption, "Next we have the Elven woman named Keyrah Softstep. I'm sure her name gives you some idea of her talents. She'll be the stealth of the party, and the sniper. She's an incredibly accurate shot. Not much is known about her other than she is a wanderer who has been known to take on jobs and help out." Aloth motioned for one of the guards to get him a chair, which the guard quickly complied to Aloth's wishes. The Elf sat down and continued with his summaries, "The next one is the wildcard and most likely the biggest problem with this group. A bloodthirsty and ambitious orc with a bit of racism towards Humans and Elves. He's a powerful fighter though and will help to be the muscle of the group."

Cinnus finished what little tobacco was left in his pipe and frowned slightly, "That could be a problem, but for now he has signed on. I'm sure you could easily dispose of him if he got out of hand."

Aloth merely smiled and bowed at his master's suggestion, "Of course, my lord. Judging from the dossiers, all of them are talented and extremely strong. I'd have trouble killing any of them, but I'd manage to kill any of them in the end." Cinnus merely smiled at his steward who had assured him he'd have no troubles if things got out of hand. Aloth, contrary to his appearance, was an old bastard of an Elf, nearing three thousand years old. He was extremely tall, standing at six feet five inches. The Elf was made of pure lean muscle too, not a single bit of fat on his bones. He had medium length black hair that was slicked back and deep brown eyes that clashed with his extremely pale complexion. He wore a suit similar to that of a butlers, with white gloves and a black tie and glasses at atop his nose.

"After the Orc we have a peculiar person joining us. We honestly know nothing about them other than that we believe they are human in a black suit of armor. There have been reports of this person, but no one has ever seen the man outside of his armor." Aloth sighed, not extremely happy at this unknown variable, "After that we have the Dragonborn who will most likely be the moral compass of this party. He is an extremely charming and noble fellow, and it would be best to keep him employed with this group. Lastly we have a Dwarven Engineer. He's quite intelligent and good at the whole tinkering around aspect Dwarves are known for. He is a bit foul mouthed and short tempered from what I've gathered, but he'll probably end up being the brains of the party."

"I see. Thank you Aloth." Cinnus stroked his salt and pepper beard as he looked at the dossiers before looking up at Aloth, "Well, they should be starting to arrive anytime soon. Keep your guards up, and let me do the talking. If things look like their going south... well I'm counting on you, old friend." Aloth merely nodded humbly at his master's orders before standing up and walking over to Cinnus to be behind him. The pair fixated their eyes on the door of the tavern, both equally curious as to who would arrive first.

Rantos Necromantic Regynleif High5ives PyroMonomania Kaas

Spoiler: Cinnus and Aloth

Lord Cinnus:


Aloth:

(He has Elf ears in the RP ok)

 

[PyroMonomania]

Metallic steps rang out as the door to the tavern opened, a man in a black suit of armour walked in. He paused as he entered, his tattered blue cloak gathering at his feet.
“I’m one of the first one to arrive?” A voice, somewhat echoey in nature, rumbled out of the armour, “I suppose that means I have to wait for the others before we’re debriefed. Tch.”

The man made no attempts to socialize, instead sitting at a table close to the exit. The man was rather eerie. He sat there silently, not a twitch in his movement. If one looked closely enough they could almost see a blue flame in the pitch black eye holes of his helmet, but it was most likely a trick of the light. He then looked at the only other people in the tavern, his first movement after a few minutes of sitting down.
“Hmm...I guess you want to know who I am. I’m Vithar, one of the people you hired. Seeing as you’re the only people here I’m going to assume one of you two hired me.” He broke the tense silence suddenly with the statement spoken in a curt tone. He didn’t continue instead returning to silently sitting still.

 

[High5ives]

“This place stinks of something foul! These damned idiots don’t know how to make a decent feckin’ plumbing system! I bet you their whole damn sewer is full to the brim with shite!” Tovelson ranted as he and his companion made their way through the Labour District. “And just look at those Feckin’ posts! Who the hell built this place! It’s ready to fall apart! A Feckin’ Orc’s fart could blow this place to the ground! This garbage wouldn’t pass for an outhouse in Jovek!”


As the little Dwarf continued to gripe and complain about the architecture of Loth, Colossus simply followed along. Each step of the machine caused groups of people to duck and dive out of the way, eager to get out of the way.


Finally the duo came to the Dusty Cat, the Tavern they were supposed to be meeting in. Tovelson’s eyes moved across it, examining the building. “If the ale is half as bad as this place’s design, I’d rather drink my own piss.” Tovelson complained. “Let’s get this shite over with so we get paid, aye friend?” Colossus of course, didn’t respond.


The Dwarf entered the tavern with ease, the Golem however, struggled. The Machine hunched over, doing whatever it could to fit through the door frame. Even after essentially folding itself in two, Colossus caused the wooden frame to creak and groan as he entered. Once he was through, everything was fine. The ceiling was far higher than the top of the door. Together, Tovelson and his Golem made their way across the tavern, coming to stand in front of who he assumed to be Lord Cinnus.


“I want a Feckin raise.” Tovelson demanded. “Three hundred Ducats per person! That was the deal. As you can see, there are two of us here!” The Dwarf spoke, Colossus hunched over just behind him.

 

[Regynleif]

The door to the tavern opened silently as the elven woman stepped in. She quickly glanced around the room before settling her gaze on the men in charge, completely ignoring the dwarf and... What ever that was next to him. A large smile split her face as she took a few steps towards them and performed a comically low bow. "My Lord! Keyrah Softstep, humbly at your service." She straightened back up quickly, still grinning and still studiosly ignoring the dwarf.

 

[Necromantic]

Cina hummed as he walked into the empty tavern. It being so silent in a building normally filled with noise and life was nearly deafening, and something he definitely did not care for. He supposed that it was a good sign, though. That meant that nobody would be listening in on what was going on. Theoretically, at the very least. There could always be someone hiding out of sight, or they could just be too small to be seen. Momentarily, his eyes drifted down to the bag that Rena and Lea typically stayed in when they were in public to keep them safe. Yeah, it was possible that somebody only a few inches tall was hiding somewhere. Not likely, but possible. He didn't truly care that much, but it was still a possibility.

... Oh, and there came the noise, a dwarf yelling something about getting a raise.

"Oh, if he's getting a raise, I want one, too. I, too, came with more than one person," He stated as he sat down at a table, propping his feet up on it without hesitation. Rena climbed out of his bag, wings fluttering as she flew up to settle on Cina's head instead of the bag she had been in. She had no desire to interact with anyone, she just wanted out of the bag. "There are three of us, in fact. I'm Cina, like Cinnamon. You're the guy I'm working for, I presume? Nice to meet you," He gave what sounded to be a cheerful snicker at the end, a cheerful looking grin on his face. Gods knew these people probably didn't trust him as far as they could throw him, so he needed to make a good impression.

Faking all those damn emotions was exhausting, though.

 

[Kaas]

The sound of whistling filled the streets as Rahpaar merrily walked down the cobblestone towards the tavern he had been told of. His scales were shining like brass under the moonlights gaze. His armour clinked and rustled as he moved forward seemingly not even bothered by the clear weight it lay upon him. As he arrived towards the tavern, he saw one after another strange folk enter in. A dwarf with an intriguing golem, a roguish looking character, and more. this must be the place.

Taking a deep breath, the dragonborn closed his eyes and quelled his nervous excitement. This was business, not a merry get-together. His scales began to slowly fade into a dark obsidian black. He opened his eyes once again and made his way towards the door with a serious look upon his face. He pushed open the door, bending down to enter in. His grim face scanned the room, his face curling up into a snarl.

It took only one moment for his scales to flash into a bright silver as a wide smile and clear joy crept across his face. "Pruzah grind! It's a pleasure to meet you all!" The dragonborn excitedly exclaimed while scanning the room, his eyes bright with kindness. "Oh, forgive me. Where are my manners? I am Rahpaar Ahmik! It's a pleasure to meet you all." His eyes scanned the room until they fell upon Lord Cinnus. "You must be Cinnus, Pruzah Sul! It's an honour to meet you, my lord." The sounds of Draconic were powerful but calming as the Dragonborn addressed the room. He took a seat beside the man in an older looking suit of armour and nodded his head towards him and grinning.

It was clear Rahpaar was excited and glad to be in a band of adventurers, and his demeanour beforehand was a feeble attempt to appear more mysterious than he truly was. The lonely roads of Merdiawere not unbearable, but Rahpaar preferred the company of others the solitary confines of his journeys. He looked around the tavern and then down at the table. "By chance could I get a drink? A mead or ale would do me finely." He explained while placing his shield on the wall, along with his sword has he made himself comfortable in the establishment.

 

[Rantos]

Ava - Within the Dusty Cat
Tags: N/A but greets everyone
The journey over was a long one, made even longer by Ava's sense of dread. Looming anxiety of what was to come. She knew in her heart and mind that there was a reason for her to be called to action. Somewhere in his great world, there was a person with more faith in Ava's abilities than herself. While she was honored, she couldn't help but feel that maybe her coming would be a wasted effort. But all the same, it was far too late to turn back. Ava stood at the doors of the Dusty Cat She stood for a long while, clutching at the sides of her dress. Trying her hardest to work up the courage to enter.

In these moments of self-doubt Ava always found it better to turn to the words of others. From her pocket, she pulled out a piece of paper. Inscribed were the words of her escort. A wise old man who could tell Ava was anxious for the whole trip. Be assertive, the note read. "You've got all this spunk when it comes to prove'n fellows wrong. Now why not use some of that spunk to prove 'em right!" His words were comforting when read. She could still hear his abrasive voice scolding her in her head. By all means, the man was right, she was here for a reason and it was her job to assert that reason. It was time to stop psyching herself out. A few good slaps to the cheek helped her regain composure. From second one Ava would prove that she belonged here. And she would do it by kicking the door down.

BANG,
BANG,
BANG.

...Silence...

It didn't work. It didn't work. Why didn't it work? Be it because Ava was too weak or the door too strong, the door did not budge an inch. But surely everyone within heard her attempts to enter. And now she was standing before the door, flustered and paralyzed. Maybe they all mistook her kicks as knocking, if she waits will someone open the door? But that would reflect poorly, everyone would think she was a pompous noble, too good to open a door on her own. That wouldn't work. Rather than wait, Ava pulled the door open and entered in a tizzy. She hated what she saw within. It was almost a full house and she must've looked like a fool. To avoid further embarrassment Ava tried introducing herself.

"Hello! I'm, A-Ava! I read well, and magic." The girl stuttering her way through saying her name and bastardized her description of her abilities. Between that, failing to kick open the door and her red face Ava figured her introduction was finished. So she walked deep within the tavern, avoiding eye contact and almost tripping over three chairs that weren't really in her way, before sitting at a lone table in the corner.

 

[High5ives]

Draxt’Cthall was not a kind Orc, not by anyone’s standards. A cold grimace was typically plastered across his face and now was not an exception. The Black Orc moved silently through the crowds of Loth, walking directly in the middle of the path and stubbornly refusing to go around anyone. Why should he make an effort to avoid running people over? That was beneath him. These people, Men, Elves, Dwarves, were all beneath him.

He made his way to the tavern they were to be meeting in and walked in confidiently. Dark eyes cast their gaze across the room, taking in the occupants. Not an Orc to be seen. Typical.

With a bit of a huff, Draxt’Cthall found an empty table, taking a seat. The Orc wasn’t at all interested in socializing, he was here to get paid, nothing more.

 

[Iskandar]

Quest I: The Kidnappings on Main Street
Caenis
Tags: PyroMonomania High5ives Regynleif Rantos Kaas​

The first to arrive was Vithar, the man in the suit of armor, who no one knew what his true identity was. The man had sat down at the table and remained quiet for a time before speaking up, explaining what needed no explanation for Cinnus and Aloth knew who he was and why he was there. The two merely remained silent, almost as if they ignored the mans remark.

Next to arrive was the Dwarf inventor, Tolvenson Stonebeard. He was loud and rude right from the get go, something Cinnus expected. What the old man didn't expect was the Golem who was following the dwarf. It somehow made it into the tavern, nearly breaking the door frame in the process. The stumpy Dwarf's first words to Cinnus was those demanding a raise, for his Golem friend is to be paid as well. Cinnus merely looked at the Dwarf then the Golem, "Denied." He said coldly before fixating his eyes back onto the front door of the Tavern.

The quick and quiet Elf arrived shortly thereafter the Dwarf and his companion. Had it not been for Cinnus' fixated stare at the door, he most likely would not have noticed her entering the Tavern. His eyes darted from the door to the Elf who made her way towards him with a large smile plastered on her face. She would bow a little too low towards Cinnus before introducing herself. Cinnus merely remained silent, nodding at her and shooting back a small smile at her.

The not so trustworthy Merman was next. He came barging into the Tavern, hearing the Dwarf yell about a raise, and asking for one himself. Cinnus continued to remain silent, even after the Merman made his introductions. Aloth stepped forward, "Worry not, Cina. You and your two pixie friends will each be getting the amount of money that was promised. Thus your request for a raise has been denied." Aloth then retook his place behind Cinnus, his face emotionless and hard to read.

The Dragonborn finally made his entrance, being loud and kind like most of his race were. Cinnus merely nodded at the massive hunk of meat that was Rahpaar. The owner of the Tavern who stood behind the counter of the bar quickly moved around looking for his best mead. He was clearly nervous and frightened by the group of people that were amassing in his establishment. He grabbed the largest flagon which was about the size of Tovelson's head and filled it to the brim with mead before rushing it over towards the Dragonbord and placing it on the counter. The owner quickly returned to the bar, heaving a sigh of relief that he made his back to the bar.

BANG
BANG
BANG

Someone was banging at the door. Either they were trying to make a flashy entrance or they didn't know how doors worked. Aloth, clearly on guard, placed a hand on Cinnus while a dagger was held in his other hand. The Elf was ready for someone to storm in and try to kill his master or one of the employees. Luckily, that was not the case, as it turned out that Ava, one of the adventurers, was the one doing the banging. Aloth merely exhaled and placed the dagger away. Cinnus on the other hand was amused by the girl and her actions, watching her nearly trip over three separate chairs. A smile crept onto the old mans face as she finally managed to get to a table and sit down.

Lastly the Orc entered. He was blunt and quick, taking a seat away from everyone else. It was clear he was not in the mood for small talk. Cinnus looked up at Aloth who then surveyed the room before looking back down at Cinnus.

"It appears we are missing one person, but we can begin without them." Cinnus finally spoke as he slowly stood up from his chair. He observed all those that were in the Tavern and smiled softly.

~~~

Caenis strolled through the City of Loth in her standard carefree attitude. Her shield was rested on her back and she held her spear behind her shoulders, forearms raised above her head and resting on the long metallic pole. People cleared out of her way due to the sheer length of the spear. The tanned girl looked up at the sun and smirked, "Looks like I'll be late at this pace..." She shrugged and continued to walk, "Oh well. Better the be fashionably late then not turn up at all."

"Waaaaah" A young girl let out a loud sob as she looked around frantically. People passed her without even glancing at the noticeably distraught girl. She continued to cry and sob, even letting out a few screams for her mother. Caenis walked towards the girl before crouching down to make eye contact with her.

"What is wrong, sweetie? Lost your mom?" Caenis cocked her head at the girl who merely nodded and hiccuped in response, "I see. That is quite the predicament." Caenis stood up and looked around, surveying the people of the Labour district. She spotted a woman who was frantically asking people some sort of question causing her to smile, "Bingo." Caenis offered the young girl a hand, "Let's have big sis help you find your mommy, okay?"

The girl was apprehensive at first, not sure if she should take this strange woman's hand but the thought of finding her mom made her quickly reach out towards Caenis' hand. She looked up at the spear wielding girl and smiled softly. The two began walking, Caenis leading the girl towards the woman who was frantically searching for something or someone. As they got closer the girl pointed toward the woman and screamed, "Mommy!" She had let go of Caenis' hand and ran towards her mother, who crouched down and held out her arms to embrace her child. Caenis watched from a distance before walking off, whistling a tune to herself, "Bye-Bye Big Sis." The little girl shouted, waving towards the back of Caenis, who merely waved and kept on walking away.

~~~

"So, the purpose of hiring all of you extremely... unique people is beca-" Cinnus was cut off with the deafening sound of the wooden door to the tavern hitting the floor. Caenis poked her head through and grinned at everyone. She took her resting arms off of her spear, and swiftly swung it down so that the spearhead faced toward the ground. It quickly danced around her fingers as Caenis moved the spear to her dominant right hand. The woman stepped through the doorway, leaving a few ducats on the counter of the bar and taking a bottle of unopened ale.

"Thank ya. Should be enough ducats there for a new door or two." Caenis opened the bottle of Ale and looked at everyone in the tavern, "Oh by no means stop because of me. I am late after all. Just thought I should make my presence known." She toasted the bottle of ale towards Cinnus before taking a sip, her ears twitching briefly. She leaned against the counter of the bar, motioning once more for Cinnus to continue.

"Ah... Yes..." Cinnus barely managed to squeak out as he was completely flabbergasted at the entrance Caenis had made. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes briefly, regaining any composure he could find. Taking a deep breath, Cinnus continued, "As I was saying. The reason for hiring all of you is that I wish for you to investigate the string of kidnappings that have plagued Loth. I'll have my steward here," Cinnus motioned towards Aloth who stepped forward and took a small bow, "Explain the situation to you all."

"Thank you, my lord. As he said, you are to investigate the disappearances and kidnappings of dozens of individuals. We don't know the motive as to why these people are being taken, and there is little to no evidence that connects the victims. They are all randomly picked and taken regardless of gender, race, age or social standing. The times of the kidnappings vary, but they all do take place on Main Street here in Loth." Aloth pauses, observing everyone to make sure they understand, "We've recently gotten a tip that a few of the victims have been spotted near the border of Ordannius and Loth. Our sources inform us that they've been taken to a cave in the hills near the border, and the victims are flanked by figures clad in black robes."

"Your mission is to investigate the caves and find any evidence you can as to what happened to these people. Got it?" Cinnus bluntly says, "Now, any questions?"

 

[Kaas]

As Caenis rushed into the establishment, Rahpaar watched her with cautious eyes, his hand instinctively reaching towards Bastion and King's Claw. His fears were quelled when he saw her address the Lord and drink away at her bottle. He was intrigued by her character, he hoped she wasn't just all flash.

The Dragonborn listened intently. hunched over to face Cinnus with unwavering eyes. His scales slowly melted back into a Bronze colouration as he listened away. As the man finished, Rahpaar nodded and quickly swung back his mug. The sounds of his chugging echoed throughout the room, small streams of mead rushing down his chin and neck. "I've got one" He spoke rather quietly, wiping away the remaining mead that lingered around his face. He placed down the flaggon and placed down a few ducats as well. "Is this everyone?" His eyes darted around the room at the assortment of characters that now stood around him. They were all incredibly unique and clearly skilled in their professions. Rahpaar's natural born leadership skills began to take hold as he planned out how each of the members of the party could best benefit the end goal. He was beginning to get excited, his scales shining away in the taverns dim light as a small smile crept across his face.

 

[Regynleif]

The group gathering just got stranger and stranger in Keyrah's eyes. She had already made her judgments on the two individuals who had beaten her here. "Honestly the louder they are, the smaller the.... package." she had mused cheekily in her quick deduction of the dwarf. And the man in the armor? She really a peek under that helmet, her curiosity spiking. After she had finished her introduction to the lord and moved to lean against a wall another newcomer entered and introduced himself as Cina. "Well hello sailor~" she smirked as she gave him a once over. "Not bad, not bad at all. And... oh look a dragonborn." Her thoughts were redirected at his entrance. "Honestly, how many more are there? This is turning into quite the hodgepodge of adventuring parties." She sighed while she watched the barkeep struggle to keep his cool while serving Rahpaar. Suddenly a loud banging came from the front door, instantly putting her on alert. Her bow was drawn before she had even realized it but was put back just as quickly when the threat, or lack thereof, revealed herself. "Oh dear me, another cutie. Ava hmm? Now she looks like she'll be just good plain fun to mess with." She sent a quick wink sent in the girl's direction, unconcerned if it was noticed or not. What, or who, followed after Ava had Keyrah's senses on high alert once again. Her hand calmly strayed and sat upon a dagger on her belt as she watched the orc with suspicion. "This.. I'm actually not quite sure how to feel about this." She forced herself to relax after he had seated himself, but still kept a wary eye on him.

Just when it seemed like the show was about to go on the road, the freaking door exploded inward and in stepped another woman with.... ears? "Seriously, am I actually just dreaming all this up? A beautiful woman breaks down a door and walks into a bar? Wait, that might actually be the start of a good joke.." She let her thoughts get away from her for a moment until the lord began to speak for the second time.

She listened intently to the mission he laid out and let out a soft snort when he mentioned 'figures clad in black robes.' She raised her hand quickly after he asks if the are any questions and missed Rahpaar's question completely. "Yeah, anyone wanna take bets on this being a death cult? Gettin' a real cult-y vibe from what I've heard so far." She looked around the room for any responses.

 

[PyroMonomania]

Vithar watched as people came in one by one, first was the dwarf clambering on about getting a raise while almost breaking the door with his mechanical friend. “He rather rambunctious isn’t he? And the golem...it’s rather tall isn’t it, perhaps he’s compensating for his lack of height.” The former knight thought dryly to himself. Next was the elf, he probably would’ve missed her if he wasn’t bored to the point of actively watching for the other adventurers in the vain hope that they could get moving already. “An assassin type? Archer too boot,” Vithar stated while reminiscing about a particularly annoying stealthy archer, “reminds me of the time I decided to learn how to make throwing knives, that damned archer making me throw my sword at them to keep them still.” His train of thought broke when another person walked through the door. “A pirate? Odd. Don’t usually see those willing to take adventures inland. With pixies too? It’s not even all all of us and we’re already the most colourful group I’ve ever seen.” The revenant remarked to himself, mentally raising an eyebrow.

The next newcomer was a Dragonborn called Rahpaar who, for the first second, was intimidating until Vithar saw the quickest breaking of character he’d seen in a long time. “He seemed like to serious sort at first but then he had to make a smile bright enough I’m worried that I’m going to melt...wait why is he walking towards me!?” Vithar shifts uncomfortably when he Dragonborn sat beside him, ordering a drink. “Why in the world is he smiling at me, do I say something to him? Does he want acknowledgement? Is there some hidden message I’m not seeing? Ugh. Think...maybe he wants...”BANG. Someone knocking interrupted his internal panicking making him look towards the door. Two more knocks follow. “Who knocks on tavern doors? Is this person an idiot?” Watching as a girl walked in, introducing herself and stammering through it, who then afterward walks to a table almost tripping 3 times. “Yes. This person is an idiot.” Vithar silently noted to himself. The former knight observed as an orc entered and huffed before making his way to his own table, glaring at everyone while doing so. “This man is clearly going to be the ray of sunshine we all need.” Vithar sarcastically thought.
Cinnis began to debrief them giving Vithar a spark of hope that they were finally getting this mission started before it was cruelly crushed by the door falling off it’s hinges. “I think the door should get a raise so it’s compensated for all the abuse we’re chucking at it.” Vithar looked at the newcomer and did a double take. “What the hell is that woman wearing!? Her breasts can slip right out of that top and she’s not even wearing pants!?....I’m just going to stop thinking about it, why should anything make sense when there’s; an orc, one that seems the hate every one of us; a Dragonborn, who smiles at us like we’re his newborn child; two humans, one with horse ears and the other an idiot; an elf, who I hope I won’t set on fire because they sneaked up on me; a dwarf, who’s obviously trying to make up for his height; a pirate and his two pixie companions, who’s trying way to hard to be cheerful; and me, an empty suit of armour who all walked a bar.” The revenant sighs internally. ”Yes. I suppose nothing would make sense....and no I will not make that into a joke even if it sounds the start of one. Wait...damn I missed most of the explanation. It doesn’t matter anyway I got the gist, investigate the caves where the victims have been found with black cloaked figures flanking them.”
Vithar looked at the Dragonborn gazing around the room before smiling at everyone, cause the former knight to shift uncomfortably in his seat once more. The overly cheerful Dragonborn and the elf both ask their questions, I piped up after them.
“Can we get moving already?” An echoey voice asks in a slightly impatient tone.

 

[High5ives]

After being so rudely denied his raise, Tovelson stepped back, heading to the bar to get a drink. As he merrily drank his ale, more people came in one after another. However none of them interested him, Tovelson’s attention was already focused upon the quiet suit of armour that had arrived before him. Something about it was strange. Why handn’t the knight gotten a drink?! What kind of fighting man goes to a tavern and doesn’t drink?! Tovelson simply couldn’t comprehend why a man wouldn’t want to enjoy a good ale! It was madness, and Tovelson intended to find out why this stranger was behaving so strangely.

As Tovelson examined the suit of armour, he notices something strange...

There was a faint glow emitting from the cracks of the armour, flickering like a flame. Combining this information with the Amour’s ghastly voice, and Tovelson promptly realized what was going on. The Suit of armour was literally just a suit of armour. Granted it was enchanted, but there was no one inside. Can’t drink if you haven’t got a stomach.

After completely ignoring the entire room for the duration of the explanation, Tovelson perked up when the suit of armour spoke.

“Can we get moving already?”

The little man, feisty as always was quick to reply. “Oh shut yer trap and let me enjoy my ale, you pile of scrap! I’ll melt you down into a fancy-shmancy silverware set if you don’t mind yer damned manners!” Tovelson snapped at the suit, continuing to shrug off whatever else was going on in the tavern.

~~~~~~
Draxt’Cthall was disappointed to find that not a single Orc has attended, other than himself of course. When some human girl came barging into the tavern, his disappointment turned to annoyance. However, instead of lashing out and ripping the girl’s head, like any self respecting Orc should, Draxt behaves himself, sitting quietly and doing his best to pay attention to what Lord Cinnus and his man servant were saying to the group.

Regardless of its members, Draxt’Cthall would do his best to remain civil with his unfortunate companions. After all, he needed to get paid, a bloodbath wouldn’t profit him.

Silent Draxt looked over each of the people in the room, sizing them up one by one. Draxt was confident in his abilities as a warrior, but he didn’t like the idea of a bunch of Pink-Skins and Elf’s watching his back.

 

[Necromantic]

Cina chuckled as his request for a raise was declined. And here he had thought that the stoic looking elf would just ignore him, judging by the fact that he didn't say anything for a good thirty seconds. What a shame, he wasn't willing to pay Cina more than the 900 Ducats he had already been promised. Of course, that was supposed to be split between him, Rena, and Lea, but it would be quite a show to see the pixies trying to carry a full purse around.

Cina looked toward the door when it opened again, and a tall Dragonborn walked into the bar. Ah, he definitely looked to be the serious type. That was more along the lines of who he expected to take up a job like this, unlike the loud dwarf. He looked away after a moment, deciding that the Dragonborn probably wasn't going to do anything interesting. He quickly looked back over his shoulder when, instead of remaining calm, the man (Rahpaar, apparently) cheerfully exclaimed his greeting, which caused Rena to topple off of where she was laying on his head and down onto the table.

Rena sat up after a moment, clearly disconcerted after she was flung off of Cina's head so abruptly. She was uninjured, as it wasn't a very far fall, but that didn't mean she wasn't frustrated. She stood up and, with all the strength her little arms could muster, started hitting the merman's leg with both her hands. You know, like an angry, four inch tall toddler.

"Cinaaaaa, be more careful! You threw me off again, what if I got hurt!?"

Cima looked back toward the table, where Rena was still hitting his leg. It hurt just about as much as a pebble being thrown at him, which was to say not at all, but it was mildly annoying. If she hadn't been laying on his head, she wouldn't have been thrown off like that. Maybe she needed to find a new place to sit.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I'll be more careful," He rolled his eyes as he took his legs off the table so that the temperamental pixie couldn't keep hitting them. "Hey, why hasn't your brother come out yet?"

"He fell asleep."

Thank the gods for one thing.

Cina reached for one of his guns when he heard a banging on the door. Was somebody trying to attack them? Ah, no, that didn't seem to be the case, he concluded whenever a girl came in, stated her name, and then proceeded to nearly trip over three separate chairs. Definitely not a threat, at the very least. Why had her entrance required so much... banging? Did she need an apothecary?

Finally, there was an orc, who didn't even introduce himself. Fuck, here Cina had thought that he was supposed to be seen as the serious one, but this motherfucker made Merfolk look like the jolliest race in Merdia. He knew that most orcs were decent people, what crawled up this one's ass and died?

With that, it seemed that everything was about to get started and Cinnus would give them a description of what was going on when the door was broken down and a pretty woman with .... horse ears entered. He was about to reach for his gun again, but soon realized that she didn't seem intent on trying to kill anything except the poor door.

"Kidnappings? Seems like an over-active cult is out there," He stated. Well, he supposed it wasn't as bad a job as it could have been. He'd been expecting something with at least one dragon terrorizing a city, considering the amount of people there.

"The knight does seem to be minding his manners," Cina said, loud enough for the dwarf chugging ale to hear him. He couldn't say he was particularly concerned about what the dwarf said, he just found him kind of annoying with all of his... yelling.

 

[Iskandar]

Quest I: The Kidnappings on Main Street
Caenis
Tags: Rantos High5ives PyroMonomania Regynleif Necromantic Kaas​

The first person to take the initiative was Rahpaar, the Dragonborn warrior. He seemed like he would be best suited to leading the group of adventurers, but ultimately that would be for the group to decide, not Cinnus or Aloth. Cinnus did a brief check of the room, counting everyone of note in his mind before looking back at Rahpaar and nodding, "Indeed it is. The ten of you will comprise the party of adventurers under my payroll." The man paused before looking at Aloth, "Oh, please inform them as to why I'm hiring everyone instead of say sending you."

"Ah, yes. Nearly forgot to inform them of that." Aloth said, smiling at his master before facing the group, "I'm sure at least one of you is asking why we are hiring you instead of sending people officially under Cinnus' bankroll. The reason for that is quite simple: you're easy to dispose of." Aloth smiled at the group before continuing, "Due to the cave being extremely close to the Ordannius border, if any Lothian military or anyone officially affliated with Loth were to be discovered, it could cause a war." The Elf sighed, "We maybe allies, but that alliance is strained, and the Orcs have been rumored to be up to something. Both me and my lord hope this has nothing to do with the Orc Government, but if it does... Well let's just hope it doesn't." Aloth finished the explanation and went back to being his quiet and observant self.

"A Death Cult or any cult for that matter would be the best possibility. As Aloth said, we'd rather the Orc Government not be affiliated with this." Cinnus replied to Keyrah, a small smile on his face as he entertained her suggestion.

"That is entirely up to the group. I am merely paying your wages and giving you a task. What you do next is your choice. I'd recommend picking a leader for now." Cinnus said, standing up from his seat, Aloth handing him his walking cane. He ignored any other questions or small talk the group had for him. The old man walked past a few of the adventurers and towards the door, Aloth closely behind him and Cinnus' personal guard following the Elf. As Cinnus approached the door he looked back towards the group, "Do remember that you are all quite expendable. Should one or all of you die, I can simply replace you." He frowned momentarily, "Granted I have more faith in you all than just that. I did handpick you after all." Cinnus paused and stood their silently for thirty or so seconds before remembering something important, "I've readied some horses for you all. The Cave is some fifty miles southwest of here. Also, should the entire group return here alive, you'll each receive a bonus of two-hundred ducats. If you're missing even a single person, you won't get the bonus... Well that is all. Good luck to you all. Do not fail me. Succeed and this will be the start of a very prosperous friendship." Cinnus finally walked out of the Tavern and into the busy streets of the Labour District.

"Good day to you all." Aloth smirked at the party as he bowed before following after his master.

Caenis had remained silent the entire time Cinnus explained why they were hired and when people began to ask questions or just talk to their employer. She would watch the man and his guards walk out of the tavern after Cinnus made a few last remarks. An extra two hundred ducats was sure to influence a few of the people that were here. Caenis on the other hand, didn't care too much about the bonus, money wasn't the thing that motivated her.

Due to her being the last one to arrive, she quickly looked at every member of the group, making mental notes about each person. A few got more mental notes than others, that typically meant Caenis had an inkling towards those people. She quickly downed the rest of her ale, "Well fellas. Seeing as how our illustrious employer is gone, we might as well begin our quest. Plus I don't think the owner can piss himself anymore." Caenis pointed towards the owner who had in fact pissed himself three times through out the entire meeting. The woman pushed herself off the counter, and waited to see what the others would do.

 

[Rantos]

Ava - Within the Dusty Cat
This whole situation seemed so strangely familiar to Ava. She had read similar situations tens, even hundreds of times before and could tell how things were shaping up. The ragtag group of heroes, only slightly dysfunctional, saving the day was so romantic in the classic sense of the word. All of her favorite stories started like this, though the cast of characters was never as varied in the book. Of course, you have your classics like the hearty leader played by the Dragonborn. The Elf seemed like the suave stealthy killer, hiding in the shadows and always catching her mark. She seemed to take a liking to Ava as evidence by her wink. All Ava could do in response was walk faster to her table. And then the lone wolf, the man in full armor sitting alone, stoic and strong but with a kind heart to those they warm up to. At least Ava hoped that was the case. They all were so cool. The pub was filled with so many diverse personalities and everyone seemed to have a part to play.

But then there was Ava, who played the part of the onlooker. Even now she didn't quite understand how to fit into the puzzle. She dwelled on what she could bring to the table but was cut short by the door breaking down. What came after was a woman so majestic that Ava couldn't help but to stare. She stood tall, wearing a smile that told the world of her confidence. But above all, she so perfectly achieved what Ava failed to do, in wonderful spectacular fashion!

'So cool! So cool!' In her head, Ava screamed her praise. Surely anyone would notice the way Ava gawked at the woman. Once the excitement of her entrance died down Ava turned her attention back to Cinnus. Though her mind never truly stopping thinking about that women's entrance.

So the bandits were in the mountains. The information given was a good start, but hardly enough to pull off an investigation. For all intents and purposes, the party would be going in blind. Maybe there was a map of the topography of the mountain or even information on the structure of the cave. Even that little information would help a great deal. Was it that they didn't have the information readily available? The answer to that question came in the form of Cinnus telling the party that they were expendable.

Ava was without words, without breath. To hear that this man thought so little of their lives was a bit much for her to take. Even if he held no empathy for those he hired, he didn't need to say it so bluntly. As the man left Ava held her tongue. Even if she wanted to ask for more information it seemed like the old man was finished. He left and the party was free to start the quest as they chose. Ava stood up and coughed in an effort to clear her throat and get the party's attention.

"Would a-anyone happen to know the area around the caves? I assume the most obvious entrances would be blocked. Maybe finding an alternate path would be beneficial, maybe, I think." Eye contact can be really hard sometimes. This was such a new experience, Ava really had no idea if what she was saying would actually be helpful or just common knowledge. She didn't want to risk sounding like a fool, but she had to say something, she had to earn her place. Wherever that place may be.