Fantasy The Queen's Madness

[awriternamedian]

OOC CHAT | RULES | CHARACTERS | LORE

​

The Queen’s Madness, formerly known as Seer and Sword, was a medium sized tavern, situated in the poor end of the marketplace in the city of Draede. This city, being the capital of the Kingdom of Lathien, was large and bustling and constantly full of activity, drawing merchants and visitors from around the world.

The kingdom itself was well enough. It wasn’t perfect, but they were fairly prosperous and happy. Over the past couple of years, however, things had begun to become rougher. There were more guards, more laws, some of them ridiculous, the punishments were becoming more severe. The capital itself lay mostly untouched, which people speculated was because of the large number of foreigners.

Rumors were spreading about the queen. At one time she’d been a fairly sociable woman, often traversing the kingdom and meeting with her people, staying for a period of time at the various other cities, holding balls and parties and festivals. Over the past couple of years she’d withdrawn more and more. The laws and punishments had become more and more severe the more she slipped from the public eye. People were saying that she was going mad, that her mind was slipping away.

And so we come to our tavern. The owners, a brother and sister, took quite an offence to how the kingdom was being run, and so their name had changed from Seer and Sword to The Queen’s Madness. They’d been a fairly popular tavern to begin with, but their open mocking of the royalty drew people in swarms. There were frequent orders to have the place shut down, but even the guards and soldiers frequented the place, and thus were rather… lax when it came to the rules regarding it.

So we come to our roleplay. A simple one, all setting, with no real plot, leaving all action to be completely character driven. Is there a rebellion forming? Are the guards going to finally come down on the tavern? Is the queen going to lose what’s left of her mind? Who knows! So come and throw your character into the midst, and let’s see what we can create.

 

[awriternamedian]

The tavern was quiet for once, though it would not remain that way for long. In the kitchen, the cook bustled about, the sound of pots and pans clanging together following her about as she left a trail of swears. A few women flittered about the main room, straightening chairs and wiping down tables. Behind the bar stood a small, inconspicuous man, polishing mugs and whistling softly. He looked up as a girl approached him, her features tight and nervous. She was a small thing, delicate, and couldn't have been more than fifteen. Her eyes darted around the tavern quickly before hurrying behind the bar.

The man smiled at gently at the girl, who was even smaller than him. She didn't return the smile, instead digging through the messenger back that hung at her waist and pulling out a small letter. He took it and tucked it away under the bar without looking at it before patting the girl on the head.

"Thank you Caelyn," he said, giving her a few coins. She did smile now, a little nervously. "I have a verbal message for you to deliver." She nodded, and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. The girl's features grew intense, and as he finished she nodded. Without a word, she turned and made her way quickly from the tavern.

Allan sighed as he considered the message under the bar top, fingering the club he kept under there for when he needed to deal with unruly customers. There were any number of people it could be from, but it wasn't important at the moment. He had a tavern to open. Suddenly, the man's mouth turned down in a slight frown. What could her sister be doing that was taking so long?

Up above his head in one of the rooms, Emmony was expertly folding a pile of blankets. It had taken a long time to master, but she had plenty of experience after all the years working at this tavern. She hummed merrily under her breath as she worked, though she was very off tune. A feeling struck her, and her sightless eyes widened, fixed on some random point in the distance.

It wasn't a full vision. That she could have been able to interpret. No, it was simply a feeling. A very strong, intense one. Her hands tightened as it washed over her, nails digging white half moons into her palms. Her brow furrowed as it passed. Things were soon going to get... interesting. Not that things weren't always interesting in her life, but not in the way this feeling was telling her. She wished she knew what interesting meant, because then she would be able to plan for it. Without knowing...

The woman sighed and shrugged, brushing off the strange feeling. Whatever happened would happen. She scooped up the pile of blankets and deposited them in the linen closet before brushing her many braids behind her shoulders. A black scarf was untied from her wrist and wrapped around her head, covering the sightless eyes that so often discomforted people.

Looking up from his mugs, Allan caught sight of his sister and frowned. He could tell immediately that something was off about her, but the smile she wore on her face convinced him not to mention it. If it was important, she'd tell him in her own time.

"About time you get yourself to work," he teased her good naturedly. She stuck her tongue out in his direction, deftly maneuvering through the room without knocking into anything, a feat in and of itself. Unluckily for her, she tended to be a bit clumsy.

"I have been working brother," she said, turning her nose up at him. "But I suspect you've been re-polishing the bar again as usual." He fought off a laugh.

As the siblings bickered, outside a wooden sign swayed in a soft breeze. It was well taken care of painted with the picture of a broken crown. Above the crown were the words 'The Queen's Madness' in simple script. That sign had caused a mountain of trouble since it had been put up, but it was trouble that the siblings seemed to enjoy.

 

[DrHuggies]

Cassius raised his hand and knocked his knuckles on the door in two short, sharp movements. He looked around the street, it was fairly empty, only a woman walking down the street, covered in ragged, torn clothes, a truly common sight. He thought back to the days in his noble manor, well dressed servants and maids tending to his every need. Most would miss it, but Cassius didn't he enjoyed the grit of the street. He rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited. He took a swig from his flask before returning it to his pocket, shivering slightly as the strong liquid warmed his insides.

The door finally swung open, revealing a rather large, muscular man wearing a dirt coloured rags. "The hell do you want" he grumbled down at Cassius. "I'm sorry to tell you but your debt must be paid, in full, as of" Cassius leaned back to look at the sun, "as of now, actually". He smiled at the man, who's mildly annoyed expression had quickly turned into an expression of anger. "How DARE you come into my home and demand money from me! I told them..." the man was unable to finish his sentence, as Cassius, who had by now assumed the man didn't have the money, or was hiding it somewhere had brought up his fist, and hooked it into the side of his opened jaw. There was a satisfying crunching sound as the man's jaw cracked out of place. Cassius then grabbed the large man by his shirt and dragged him outside onto the street, throwing him onto the middle of the path.

"I'm really, truly sorry but this has to be done." He bent down and slammed his fist into the man's nose, knocking him unconscious. He stretched out and pulled out his flask, taking a swig and waving at the woman walking down the street from before. "Nothing to see here ma'am, just a little misunderstanding is all". Cassius brushed off his knees and clenched and unclenched his hand. The man's face was rather solid. Cassius then proceeded to the second part of his job. He entered the man's house and looked around. It wasn't very difficult for him to find a small chest, hidden under the man's bed. Cracking open the box it revealed enough money to pay off his debt, and a little extra. Sighing to himself Cassius took all the money, a little tax for the extra effort required he thought to himself before leaving the house, making sure to close the door behind him. Stepping over the body in the middle of the street, Cassius dropped the debt money off at the assigned drop off point and was about to head home when the gleaming sign "The Queens Madness" caught his eye.

A good day's work, I think I deserve a little reward, he thought to himself and pushed open the door to the tavern. "Helllooooo my good sir!" He yelled as he entered, already slightly drunk. "May I ask you for your finest ale, and a little something strong for my wee flask here." He took it out and slammed it onto the counter. "And who is this lovely lady over here? And why are her eyes covered? This old man too ugly for ya?" He grinned and sat down at the counter, finishing off the contents of his flask before sliding it over to the barkeep. "Don't worry mate, fill 'er up. I've got the money." He pulled out a small pouch and placed it on the counter.

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

Two months, three days, fourteen hours, seven minutes, and thirty-seven seconds. That's how long Elowyn had been able to stay at her last base of operations before word reached her that it would be searched. It was nice having a network that stretched through the Queen's lands and aided herself and her fellow contributors to Rats in the Attic, in keeping clear of the Queen's guards. Word had also inevitably reached her about 'The Queen's Madness,' and seeing as how she was in need of a new place to write undisturbed and without possible reprobation inadvertently falling on Adelbert, she found herself on the other side of the city standing below a sign titled with the name of the very place she sought.

With large eyes the color of an overcast sky, she peered over the top of the round rims of her glasses and to the sign, looking almost like a lost little girl as she hugged a small stack of rather large books to her chest. A large rat that sprawled from one of her shoulders to the other lay nestled against the back of her neck beneath the brown waves of her soft but unruly hair that was parted just where the pointed ears of her race poked through. The rat looked much like he too had hair the same as hers, the brown tresses creating a wig over the rat's head as he also peered out at the sign, his nose wriggling and his whiskers twitching.

It was then that some sort of disturbance down the street caught her attention and she peered around a parked cart full of barrels in the direction the noise had come from only to see a man laying in the road. Her eyes widened slightly as her expression became somewhat stunned as she stared at the prone figure, leaning around the cart slightly more in the direction the man's feet were pointed, logic suggesting that the man came from whichever direction his feet were aimed in.

She spied an open door and shortly after someone exited the building, paying careful mind to close the door behind him. Elowyn slipped back behind the cart slightly, barely peeking out and jerking in mild panic as the figure then began heading in her direction, she quickly slipped around to the side of the cart nearest the building, attempting to wedge her small frame between the two objects so that she wouldn't be noticed and therefore not be accused of witnessing the act that had just been committed.

Of course it wouldn't have been an empty accusation as she had paid witness, but that was beside the point and soon enough in her frantic state, the culprit passed by her and went inside the tavern. Several moments passed before her brown leather boots set into motion as her legs clad in fabric of the same color moved quickly, her slight form scurrying into 'The Queen's Madness'. Once inside, she practically hid behind the books she carried, a messenger bag hanging from one shoulder and crossed over her torso and appearing as though it were slightly too big for her. She pressed her spectacles up on her nose a bit as she shiftily scanned the room and scurried to a corner table, huddling down in a chair with her back to the wall.

 

[Aero]

Everest Greene
"This is an outrage!"

The rather loud shout scared a few of the castle staff wondering the halls and even made the guards by the door jump a bit. Thankfully, because of their armor, it went unnoticed, but their terrified expressions were harder to conceal. For they knew inside was a force to be reckoned with, a force that came in a small package. This force was called Everest Greene, and she was well known for her headstrong yet loyal personality. Everest stood in front of the Captain's desk with her hands placed on top, leaning over with an angry expression. She was not completely in her Captain's face, for the knight knew where she stood, however, she was still dangerously close.

"I'm sorry Everest but we have no knights available to go with you," The Captain began to explain what seems like a hundred times, "Like I said before your list, all the knights are either busy with their own task or refusing to do this one." Everest let out a huff and removed her hands from the Captain's desk. "Even Ll-" Everest began but was cut short by her Captain. "Even Llyod! By the Queen's Crown Everest, you have already wasted enough time!" Everest frown deepened when her Captain scolded her. "Fine, I will go alone it seems," Everest growled and turned to head out. "If I may advise you, Captain, you might want to check where our Knights' loyalty lay." She finished with spite in her words and finally made her way out the room.

Everest did not wait for the guards to open the doors, she pushed them open herself with much strength. The guards quickly moved out of the way with grace, hinting they must have done this motion many times before. Everest traveled the halls and made her way out of the castle, grumbling all the way. "I can't believe it! What exactly is so great about this damn tavern where no knights want to close it down?! I swear if I find one of them there I will behead them myself! Especially Llyod, he never does anything anyway." These were only a few of Everest's mumbles, and she continued doing so while heading to town. Once there she began asking around for this infamous 'The Queen's Madness,' what it was about, who were the owners, where it was located, etc.. Unfortunately, due to her status of being a knight, she did not receive many answers. It took her a while before she finally was able to get a location, despite it costing her at least a few coins. 'Ugh, the Kingdom is getting as crazy as the Queen every day.' Everest thought to herself as she began her way toward the tavern.

Ezra Balthazar and Silas
'Wow Ezra, I never have seen a human so useless.' Silas communicated to Ezra which earned him a thump on the head. "Oh hush Silas! It's my first-time job hunting," Ezra stated, "Also, I'm job hunting in a Kingdom I have never been before!" Ezra finished with a long sigh as he walked around the town for what felt like the fiftieth time. It has been a month or so since his family has been imprisoned here at Draede and his hope to find revenue was starting to run thin. 'I have to find a job and get some money. My father's money will not last forever.' Ezra thought. Sadly what he pondered was true, his dad's pocket money for the supposed trip was starting to run dry. Ezra remembered how the other day their dinner consisted of simple sandwiches and some water his mother was able to get from the well.

'I know you are concerned about your family Ezra but what exactly can you do with your condition?' Silas asked in a worried tone. "Ha, you worry too much, just like my parents. I can do enough to get a decent income at least, just enough to sustain us until my dad can find a job or when we finally go home." Ezra explained hoping to ease Silas' nervousness. Ezra could sense that his plan calmed Silas' anxity a bit, but the owl still was still not on board with it. "Hey, either I can get the job or you can the choice is yours. To be honest, you would make a great show bird." Ez teased and Silas' feathers puffed up a bit. 'Oh har, har look who's a jester.' Silas proceeded to give Ezra a small peck on the head. Ez let out a little laugh and then continued to converse with his partner as they advanced.

Ezra soon began to hear chatter amongst the town people of a famous tavern called 'The Queen's Madness' and a knight looking for such tavern. Ez did not quite care about the knight, but he did care about the bar and how it could be a potenial workplace. He set out toward 'The Queen's Madness' and was thankfully able to find it rather quickly. Most likely due to his familiarity with the town by now thanks to job searching. "This may be it, Silas!" He exclaimed and entered the place.

 

[OrenjiGatsu]

Beniamino Ottorino

On an anvil, a hammer goes down on an orange-glowing sheet of iron. Sparks fly as a large bang is heard on the first strike, though only the bangs are heard after more strikes. After continuous strikes of certain parts of the plate on certain parts of the anvil, a shape is formed. The sheet of iron, now no longer glowing, is put into a tub of water. Upon a few seconds in, causing some vapour, it comes out. It is now seeable what the sheet of iron is now in the form of: a shovel head. The man who made this shovel head is none other than a aged, bald man by the name of Beniamino.

It all happened at his blacksmith, where he and two other blacksmith bend and shape metals to make tools, weapons, and armour for a living. Beniamino has been doing this for quite some time now, as he was first doing this when he was a young laddie with a fresh face and a full set of hair.

He attaches a wooden shaft to the shovel head to make a complete shovel. Later on in the day, a crusty man with a cap and a vest comes in to pick up the new shovel. That person is a goat herder on the outskirts of the area. In return, the farmer hands him a handful of coins and a bag of goat cheese, as the blacksmith sometimes does take a bater. He opens a small book, and puts to check off the order before putting away the coins and cheese.

Some more time later, a Beniamino puts a sign up on the front door of the blacksmith shop telling people to come back at a later time. He is heading out on his break, hoping to get a drink before any working on the next orders. Usually, he has ale with the other blacksmith. However, he has recently been going to there more as it is becoming a popular place. Beniamino believes that he could possibly pick up a few customer at the place.

 

[Bellz]

Tatiana

Tatiana kept the cloak hugged around her form as walked down the muddy roads of the kingdom. She honestly didn't know what she was doing out of the castle, where it was probably safer for her...but she wanted to explore. Her curiosity always got the best of her. The Queen was ill. And gravely so. Not physically of course, but mentally she just isn't there anymore. Tatiana had heard a few of the guards talking about the tavern in the small little town and couldn't help but check it out.

Sure she was friends with the Queen...at least she tried to be. But their relationship had always been based on treaties and alliances in certain wars. Sighing, she bit her lip and finally found what she was looking for. The Queen's madness. So the kingdom thought it was laughable for a woman of her lineage to go through something as serious as what the queen is going through.....It put a sour taste in her mouth. But she was thirsty for a drink or two and it would beat being out in the cold.

Walking in, she noticed that it was starting to get considerably busy. Moving to sit down at one of the table, she removed her cloak and hung it on the back of the chair before sitting down. Her blue hair was braided down her back in a intricate braid. Her eyes scanned the room for a brief moment. Some people were already drunk and she was sure the tavern hadn't been open for very long. Humans...they were odd creatures. Their tolerance was nothing like hers. "Excuse me miss....could I please get your strongest liquor." She asked softly to a barmaid who nodded quickly and hurried off.

 

[Cosmo]

Tella ignored the heavy, gaudy oak door that slammed shut behind her, too occupied with brushing her hair to worry about the fleeing maid that had been reduced to tears just a scant moments ago. The maid would be back tomorrow. She was persistent, if nothing else, but then the girl didn't have other options. A drunkard for a father and a sickly younger brother didn't leave much options, most pretty young girls like that would have had to make a career on their back, but she was fortunate, couldn't afford to lose her current position that paid just enough to keep her little hovel afloat. It was an endless cycle, she would come in the morning, attempt to attend Tella's needs and shortly later flee crying with her tail tucked firmly between her legs. She had lasted a little bit longer this time, by the end of her.. assignment to this backwater, Tella was almost willing to think she would be something approaching useful, a mighty feat for someone of this 'kingdom'. Any other maid would be quickly and summarily dismissed, but Tella enjoyed the maid's resilience.

As the brush made its way through her thick violet hair of its own accord, held up by the invisible hand of her power, Tella contemplated the rest of her day. She did not have to worry about any 'royal' duties because the Queen, for all her amusing qualities, was seeing less and less visitors which gave Tella a rather surprising amount of free time. She had nothing, to her knowledge, she needed to discuss with the other dignitaries that gathered in the palace feeding on scraps and goodwill like carrion birds... there was not a new printing of Rats in the Attic to read, a mildly amusing piece of dissident work. She made some efforts to discover the writers, but it was halfhearted attempts, in truth, she did not want to know. Tella knew, better then anyone, that behind all the smoke and mirrors, behind the curtain was nothing more bitter disappointment.

On dissidents, there was the 'Queen's Madness', nothing said unity of state like a public gathering of drunks and layabouts in a building mocking the distressed state of their ruler. Oh, yes, for all the prancing and pouncing of these people that liked to thumb their noses at her own, vastly superior, culture for all their backstabbing and dirty politics, they did not have much of a leg to stand on. In such a short time, in the face of illness and uncertainty in their once 'beloved' ruler, they were already starting to bite at the hand that fed them, lurking and whispering with each other about what to do about their once 'beloved' ruler. But on the other hand, sycophants clinging to the Queen's coattails hoping that, in her weakened state and the.. turmoil that was bubbling under the surface, they could profit on the conflict. They were children playing with fire, and to her, whose people had developed such actions to an art form.. it was almost insulting to watch. The people of this kingdom were nothing more then a vulgar display of stupidity of the highest magnitude.

The brush floated back to its original point, a small shelf on her vanity as Tella settled on what to do. One of her gangs, who were not aware they worked for her which was not unique or uncommon, was starting to get.. out of hand. They were discussing agreements with forces outside of her control, in a bid for power and influence, better yet, they thought it was their little secret. The only question that really remained was... how did she want to deal with her wayward pets? Tella rose to her feet, her luxuriously crimson robes shimmering around her body as she made her decision. It had been so long since she let her pets play with one another. ​

 

[awriternamedian]

The small man looked up at the sound of yelling, a slightly amount of amusement tilting the corner of his lips. As he slammed his flask down onto the bar top, that little tilt turned up into his usual charming grin, the persona of friendly tavern keeper pulled back on like a second skin. Emmony offered an almost flirtatious grin to the man as her brother filled that flask, saying, "Perhaps I cover my eyes so as not to scare you away." Her voice was teasing, and had the scarf been out of the way she would have winked. With a little wave of her fingers in the man's general direction, she turned and made her way through the tavern.

A mug of ale was placed before the man, explaining, "She's blind. Her eyes tend to make most people uncomfortable." He scrutinized the man carefully, green eyes taking note of the scraped knuckles and flecks of blood, probably from a fight, before offering him another easy smile. "I've not seen you in here before, friend. I'm Allan, owner of this here tavern. I do hope you find everything to your liking." New customers were always good, especially ones that pulled out their money up front. The man's already slightly drunken state could either be a boon or a curse however. On one hand, drunk men tended to care less how much they spent. But on the other, they tended to get unruly faster. He fingered the club under the bar idly. Unruly patrons never truly worried him.

As Allan worked the bar, Emmony made her way through the slowly filling tavern, greeting friends, joking with customers, easily dodging around chairs and tables. This was helped by the fact that most people pulled things out of her way as she passed, used to both the girl's blindness and her occasional clumsiness. As such she found herself near the door when the slight flutter of wings caught her attention. One of her eyebrows raised at the sound, and curiosity drew her towards it. A friendly smile tilted her lips up as she greeted it's source. Or, well, hopefully was greeting it's source. It wouldn't be the first time she'd said hello to open air.

DrHuggies Aero

 

[DrHuggies]

"I've seen worse things than some blind eyes my lady," Cassius took a swig of his ale, "plus eyes can be the most beautiful part of the body, regardless." He almost winked at her, before he remember that she wouldn't be able to see him if he did. This caused Cassius to chuckle slightly to himself, and take another swig of ale. A few more patrons started to enter the tavern as Cassius finished his first mug of ale. He waved the barkeep over and pointed at his cup, winking at him.

Cassius spun around on his seat when he heard a strange cloaked lady say "strongest liquor," "I like how you think" Cassius grinned at her. He let his eyes scan the room once again, before turning back to the counter where he drink had been refilled. He grabbed the mug and took another swig from it before replying to Allan, "I'm Cassius, as long as you've got fine ale, and something strong to keep this full" he held up his flask "then you will find me a very loyal customer" he grinned, downing another swig from the mug. Cassius noticed Allan's hands go under the counter. "You won't need whatever's down there mate, as long as I'm here, I'm better than any sort of weapon. You want someone removed, one drink for me should do the trick" he winked at Allan before finishing off the mug once more. "Speaking of drinks," he smiled, "how about another aye." Cassius turned around, scanning the room once more, a few new faces scattered around the tavern. He decided he would eventually talk to everyone, find out if any of them were having problems, sort them out, and make some money. He nodded to himself, satisfied. After one more drink of course he thought to himself

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

It was several moments from when she had entered the tavern to when she would actually begin to settle in. She took the seat in the corner, but didn't set her books down and didn't set her bag down either, her gaze drifting almost wildly over the occupants of the tavern, her frail form jumping slightly each time the door opened and someone new entered. Intelligent eyes barely blinking behind the lenses of her glasses as she seemed to be taking inventory of each person who came in.

She had decided to make her new writing home in 'The Queen's Madness,' because she thought that since the establishment drew attention to itself purely because of its name, it might not draw so much of that same attention to the people that drank there, after all, who would be crazy enough to actually support the opinion that the name of the tavern seemed to inspire and then enter its doors and drink there? This way of thinking was exactly what she was betting on, and it truly was a gamble because she didn't actually know how the city guards would think of it and only assumed that if they came to the tavern to cause trouble it would be to cause trouble with the tavern and not the patrons.

A pleased smile slipped over her features as she realized that no one had seemed to notice her slip in. No one noticing meant no one would talk to her and she could just be virtually invisible and that was exactly how she liked it. After the revelation that she had taken her seat unnoticed, she finally relaxed some and set her books down on the table in front of her before removing the back from her shoulder and setting it gently on the floor. Her next task was to check the lighting. She needed to be certain that she would be able to see as she worked. Both of the books she had set down were mostly just for show, technically. One was a work still in progress that was going to be a full translation of an epic she and Adelbert had discovered at the ruins of Al'Dahar. The other was a reference on runes which she only half needed for the translation since some of the runes in the epic were basically time lost. The last book she had was a steamy romance novel that she hadn't read, she just brought it along with her because sometimes when eyes wandered to whatever she was working on, if she had that near her, they'd catch on it and become embarrassed before leaving her alone.

Today she wore a long beige vest that hung past her knees over a cream colored blouse with puffy sleeves with ruffles at the ends that loosely cupped her hands. The large rat she had been carrying with her continued to contentedly hug her shoulders, seeming to be ready to fall asleep as it's tiny black eyes opened and closed slowly, squinting more and more each time he blinked.

The small and slender Elf then lowered beside the table, digging in her bag to retrieve the other necessary items she would need before getting to work, not too mindful of the rapidly filling tavern as for her the noise wasn't a distraction, though she hoped it would be a distraction for anyone she might not want near.

 

[Comix]

The shadows on the outside of the city darkened as something flittered from one to another, never lingering in one place for long. It slipped silently past the city's limits and picked up speed as though searching for something or someone. It bounced from one shadow to another, traveling deeper and deeper into town until it reached the marketplace and slowed. It spent more time in the shadows of the market's guests, following them for a while before moving on to another. Whispers flew from the lips of the shoppers all about the Queen's Madness, though whether it was about the monarch or the tavern changed from person to person. Finally, it stopped, lingering beneath a swaying sign, the image of a broken crown painted on the wood. It seemed to spend a long time here before slipping underneath the door and slipping into the nearest shadow on the inside of the tavern.
From this shadow, a peculiar female stepped, silver jewelry swaying from the large horns that rose from her long, wavy lavender hair. Her pale eyes swept across the tavern, taking in the inhabitants carefully before a smile spread across her dark lips. From her back, she removed a warhammer taller than she and placed it against the wall with a resounding thud.
"Is this a tavern?" She asked, her voice soft yet still projected well in the crowded tavern. "I need a place to stay." She stepped forward towards the bar slowly, her bare feet making almost no sound against the floor.
"I need a place to stay," She repeated, leaning over the bar, her bare stomach touching the cool wood.
awriternamedian

 

[Aero]

Ezra Balthazar and Silas

Ezra glanced around the tavern in shock to see how lively it was. "This place is booming, it must be popular," Ezra observed and moved away from the entrance a bit so others can walk in. The bar was quite diverse in race, and this came to be a small shock to Ezra seeing how they even got along well. True he could spot a few fights here or there, but it was not as frequent as he expected it to be. What Ezra was truly amazed is that there were even knights here, drinking and having a swell time like everyone else. 'Hmph, shouldn't they be on guard or something? Honestly, I am still shocked we haven't escaped by now. This Kingdom is not the smartest nor well protected it seems.' Silas complained as his feathers ruffled up in annoyance. "Oh lighten up Silas. Besides we are in no place to judge, this may be my new job," Ezra said with a smile creeping on his lips. Silas then lets out a hoot and used his wing to point at a lady walking toward them. Ezra looked at the woman and tilted his head in confusion. She was a stunning woman and walked with a smile on her face, however, her eyes were covered for some reason. 'She may be blind Ezra, so try not say anything dumb or offensive.' Silas warned, and Ezra gave him a nod before approaching the lady. "Um, hello! Do you work here?" Ezra asked. awriternamedian

Everest Greene
"This entire kingdom is despicable," Everest concluded as she stared at the wall of a dead end. The scuzzbucket who took her money gave her false directions and is most likely long gone. Everest let out a huff and prayed to the Gods for that man because the next time she saw him, he will be a dead man. The knight kicked a garbage can to let out her frustration before taking a deep breath then letting it out. Everest proceeds to calmly turn around and make her way back to the main street to continue her tedious search. She gave up on asking around and decided it was easier to eavesdrop on the townspeople's conversation. It wasn't long before Everest was able to piece together so sort of map based on the little information she gathered and began to make her way to the tavern. Again...

 

[awriternamedian]

Neither of the siblings so much as twitched at the heavy thud of the woman's war hammer. The pair were used to strange noises and customers. A number of the other patrons shifted nervously, but even most of the regulars remained mostly unaffected. The Queen's Madness tended to draw in all sorts. As the woman leaned over the bar, Allan turned towards her, quickly taking in her appearance with a critical gaze. By the time his bright eyes reached hers, they were as warm as his unwavering smile.

"You would be in luck then," he said, leaning his hands on the edge of the bar and giving her his full attention. "This is in fact a tavern, and we certainly have room for you to stay." As he spoke, his mind ran in circles, digging through all the knowledge of every race that had come through his tavern, and many that had not. He couldn't place what she might be though. Excitement surged through him at the thought of picking her mind, an excitement that he very rarely felt.

"I'm Allan, by the way," he concluded. "One of the owners."


Emmony gave no thought to the thud and commotion, knowing her brother would be able to handle whatever it was, probably better than she. Her friendly smile grew warm as there was a response to her welcome. While not an easily embarrassed woman, it did make her feel silly when she accidentally addressed open air. Knowing that there had in fact been a person behind the noise she'd heard was a bit of a relief.

At his question she chuckled. "You could say that," she joked. "I'm Emmony. I'm actually one of the owners. It's me and my brother who run this place." As she introduced herself, she offered him her hand to shake, trusting him to take it and not make her look like a fool. That had happened before as well. "Was there something I could help you with?" There was a short pause as she hesitated, before asking, "This may be an odd question, but do you have a bird? Or are you in possession of wings yourself?"

Comix Aero

 

[DrHuggies]

Grasping a mug of ale in his hand, Cassius sprung up out of his feet, with surprising agility for a man who had already had 4 mugs of ale. As he scanned the room something caught his eye. It wasn't some movement that caught his eye, instead it was a sort of lack of movement. He turned his head and saw a small woman, hunched over a table with a pile of various books. Being used to having to read several novels and books as a child, Cassius was intrigued and approached her. He peered over her shoulder at the books on her desk, laughing as he saw the raunchy romance novel that she had on the table. He hadn't seen it before but he could tell from the cover and title that it wasn't exactly a children's book.

"So what are we reading over here?" Cassius chuckled, taking a swig from his mug and flicking open the book, reading a random line, " 'he slid his hand gently across her face,' I like your choice in novels," he chuckled to himself and extended out the hand that wasn't holding the mug. "I'm Cassius, nice to meet you, you seem like a nice little lady, just let me know if you have any, 'erm, problems that need to be sorted out, and let's just say I can solve them for a reasonable price. You look like the type of girl who doesn't want to get involved, I respect that, just letting you know I'm the one for you" he winked and her, taking a swig from his ale, his arm still extended in front of him.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

There was always someone willing to occupy the corner of a tavern, or really there was always someone that wanted to occupy that corner. Usually it was someone who was trying to be mysterious, or someone dark and brooding that wanted to appear villainous. In Elowyn’s case, neither held true.

The small Wood Elf’s primary goal in sitting in the corner was to be able to keep an eye on the rest of the tavern. Of course that goal was a bit hard to meet when she wasn’t exactly in her seat, still rifling through her bag, she pulled out a small oak chest which contained her writing utensils and this she set atop the table.

As she was peering over the edge of the table to be sure to put the box steadily atop it, she spied someone coming her way. Her gray eyes widened slightly behind the lenses of her glasses and she ducked down a bit behind the table, her fingers curling over the edge as she made sure of if he was really coming towards her.

Mild panic set in and her fingertips turned white as her grip tightened slightly before her gaze began darting around anxiously. She couldn’t exactly dive under the table and hide from him and if she got up from her seat, he’d likely still approach her, she’d just be making herself an easier target. She peeked again, maybe he was actually heading towards a different table… no, he was definitely coming to hers.

She hurried back into her chair, her back to the wall and pointlessly arranged the items on the table, narrowly missing being touched by the man that had approached her as he actually reached out to open one of the books. She drew her hand back towards her chest quickly, her heart racing and her gaze refusing to turn towards him as she quickly shook her head when he asked what she was reading. She gnawed gently on her lower lip, Bernard sensing her anxiety stuck his nose in her ear and sniffed a few times which caused her to erupt in a spastic giggle.

One of her hands swiftly clamped over her mouth while the other raised to stop the large rat from making her act any stranger. Looking at this unknown man that she quickly recognized as the one that had likely assailed the fallen man in the street just around the corner, her delicate features developed a rather mortified expression beneath her slender hand. Of course the expression wasn’t just brought on by who was talking to her so much as the fact that he was actually reading the trashy novel she had set on the table just to deter this sort of happening from occurring.

She thought about telling him that she didn’t like that kind of book, but it would be the beginning of a conversation that she didn’t want to have, so she just stared at the book until his hand reached out to her, she then jumped in her seat, leaning back slightly and risked a brief peek at the man’s face as he introduced himself, those gray eyes peering past the strands of her brown hair where it lay loosely over her forehead, though her eyes quickly diverted back to his hand and only now did she finally draw her hand from her mouth, though she didn’t shake his hand immediately, her own small hand faltering for a moment before she snapped her fingers once and then took his hand.

She gripped it tightly, perhaps too tightly for such a little thing and gave it one quick shake before hurriedly drawing her hand away and wiping it front and back multiple times on the fabric of her vest, “elowyniamaresearcherunderprofessoradelbertbeasleytherenownedelvenlorespecialisticameheretowork,” she spoke rapidly and softly before her voice raised and more clearly she said, “every third Sunday the turtle goes to the bookstore too.”

When she was actually understandable her voice was very gentle and had a slightly raspy sound to it that didn’t make it more difficult to understand but instead added a layer of depth to it. She cleared her throat then, one of her hands curling into a fist and resting over her mouth. She still didn’t look directly at Cassius.

DrHuggies

 

[Pokegeek151]

Near the center of the tavern, alone at a small table, sat someone inconspicuous. If you were to look at them, you have a hard time remembering what they looked like, and any description you could muster up would be limited to "normal in every regard." It was a finely honed, expertly crafted look. This mysterious, forgettable stranger had arrived at the tavern while it was rising in occupancy that night and was immediately lost in the crowd. Just like they wanted.

How sat for a couple hours, observing their surroundings carefully, with a particular focus on one individual: Emmony, the owner. They were watching her movements carefully, listening to every word she said, and even studying her thoughts. These were mostly limited to the goings-on of the tavern, but they would important to their plan. How had come in every day this week at different times and with different looks, studying the blind tavern owner and her brother. They had absorbed her looks and cadence of speech, and now were perfecting the final touches, adjusting based on the clothes she was wearing.

While Emmony was distracted by a young man with an owl, How stood up and walked over, head bowed, as yet unnoticed. They were mere feet away when they tripped, stumbling forward onto Emmony and knocking both of them to the ground. They called out in surprise, their voice already perfectly matching the girl's. As they fell and twisted over each other, How let their appearance shift, pulling on the new image like a well-tailored glove. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! Are you alright? I can be so clumsy sometimes." She groped around, trying to locate the edge of the table to pull herself up. As she stood up, pulling Emmony with her, she bumped them both into the table, causing some of the drinks to spill onto the table and Emmony's dress. "I am really sorry about that. I'll go get some towels and send someone over with fresh drinks."

Before anyone could react, she walked away, her gait matching the way she had seen Emmony walk for the past week. As she approached the bar, she smiled to herself. The shift had worked seamlessly. And now it was time for the real fun. She came to the bar and got Allan's attention. "Someone bumped into me and I spilled the drinks on table four. Can you get me some refills?"

awriternamedian

 

[Bishop]

Alexanders feet echoed down the alleyways of the once bustling city. He longed for the days when the city was bustling with people and the Queen would journey into the markets, free of fear of attack because of her royal guard. Now a days the Queen only keeps three or four guard so the rest of her elite unit are free to do as they want but they usually stay inside the castle in there lavish threads getting fat.

Alex had heard of a small tavern that was openly mocking the Queen. This peeked his interest immediately but he was the only one who thought it would be interesting to visit this little tavern. So after a quick word with one of his higher ups between them stuffing there face with expensive food, he changed out of his armor and started making his way to the little tavern making fun of his Queen.

So here he was, standing outside The Queens Madness. He placed his hand on the door and ,before he could change his mind, he swung the door open and quickly stepped in. He surveyed the room quickly before closing the door behind him. It seems that there where quite a few patrons in today, scattered about the tavern. Alex made his way over to one of the empty tables lining the back of the tavern and took a seat, leaning his heavy frame against the table as he scanned the room looking over the other patrons.

 

[Axel The Englishman]

Echos of the cobblestone that paved way for trail being pummelled by what may have been Sabatons travelled throughout the alleys, desperate to cling to an ear drum as if it seemingly depended on its existence. To trail these sounds to the source, you would find some sort of figure of potentially inhuman height and muscle. Such a frame had been encased by the steel envelopes that hid within the sanctuary offered by a ragged and torn cloak. A set of piercing eyes struck straight through the minuet openings of the practical helmet that offered vision to any who hid beneath it's hardened surface.

It had soon become clear of the destination of this sort of character. A local tavern that may offer a some ale for comfort to any traveller. Though this could really apply to any sort of place of business that revolved around the distribution of booze, this just happened to be the closest. This wanderer had not heard much about this tavern, let alone the settlement that surrounded it. But one couldn't really be picky unless you give it a try.

The hulking giant was soon welcomed by a set of doors that were only above his own height by a few inches. He, the warrior of course, launched forward a hand that pushed this hunk of wood out of his way. He soon found solitude within the walls that could offer some form of shelter from a barrage of water droplets from the heavens above. Not like it was actually raining. Or maybe it was. It was too small a detail to actually pay attention to, to be honest.

This traveller simply strolled his merry way over to an empty table. Nobody had once tried to randomly start a conversation with him. Then again, normal people don't exactly start sharing their life stories with absolute strangers.

Metal now weighted down the cushions of a bench, forever misshapen and never to regain their original form. This stranger simply looked down at his gauntlets. Awaiting the company of a server to note his request for a tankard of mild alcohol.

 

[Aero]

Ezra Balthazar and Silas
Ezra blinked, he was talking to one of the owners?! 'Yes! Now I don't have to wait around To ask.' He thought to himself and Silas let out a coo as if he thought about the same thing. "The pleasure to meet you Emmony, which is such a pretty name." Ezra bluntly commented while shaking her hand.

'Smooth, Ezra.' Silas teased as Ezra rolled his eyes in response as a small blush came onto his stoic face. "Ah, sorry about thag last comment it was a bit random," He apologized, "Anyway, I am here to ask if you are possibly hiring staff." Ezra finished and rubbed the back of his neck. He was a bit taken aback when his new potential boss asked if he had a bird with him, but he decided to answer her question to get on her good side. "Haha, no wings on me Miss. I do have a bird with me. A snow owl to be more specific and his name is Silas." awriternamedian

 

[Comix]

The peculiar female gave a sigh of relief, leaning back off the bar with a smile on her black lips. The man's eyes and smile seemed to be almost a lie, but she ignored it. The need of a place to stay outweighed her curiosity over why his expression was almost lying but his words told the truth.
"I'm glad!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together like an excited child. "I am Vor."
The Nephilim opened her mouth to say some thing else when the tavern owner's attention was stolen away to someone else.
This someone was unusual to Vor, not like anything she had (that she can remember) seen. It was as though this person was two people at the same time, like a reflection in a window overlaying another person. On the outside, the person was a red head, taller than her with a scarf tied around her head. By past this exterior was a grey creature that, though Vor was no expert, did not seem human.
Just looking at the creature felt like a lie, but Vor kept her mouth shut. Perhaps this was the way the creature usually looked?
Then the creature spoke and almost automatically, Vor replied, "That is a lie. What you say is untrue. Tell me, what are you? I have never seen something such as yourself before."
Vor could no longer keep her curiosity in check. She had to know. "Do you always look like that? Like two people? Are you two people? What are you called? Why do you lie?"
awriternamedian
Pokegeek151

 

[awriternamedian]

A sigh of relief escaped her, before saying, "Oh thank the gods, I thought maybe I was finally going crazy." She laughed, running a hand over her braids. "I thought I heard feathers, but it seemed out of place. Not that we haven't had winged creatures in here before, it's just rare." A broad smile split her face, her scarf slipping slightly from it. As she adjusted the scarf and retied it, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Silas. And we're always hiring new people. There's a lot of in and out here, people looking for work for a short time as they pass through. Do you have any experience with this kind of work?"

There was no time to hear his response however, a startled cry escaping as somebody stumbled into her, sending her crashing to the ground. Before she could react however, she was assaulted by the sound of her own voice. Her whole body froze in shock. It couldn't be. She had to be hearing things. It sounded just like her though. Was it Caelyn? No, of course not. They couldn't mimic voices. Then who was it? No, she couldn't have heard it right. With a groan, she allowed the person to pull her back to her feet. There was a thud, and then suddenly she found herself covered with something wet and slightly sticky. That easy smile that fit her face so well turned down into an irritated scowl, but the person was gone before she could snap at them.


"It's a pleasure to meet you Vor," he said, a slightly more honest smile on his face. He always enjoyed the chance to pick the brain of someone new, and he had the feeling she'd be particularly interesting. The conversation quickly ended there as he caught sight of his sister headed towards them. Something was wrong. He frowned, brow furrowing, but quickly wiped the expression from his face, replaced once more with a charming smile. Then she spoke, and that frown quickly returned.

Something was wrong. It looked and sounded just like Emmony, but every cell in his body was screaming that it wasn't. Could it be Caelyn? They were impressive with their ability to mimic bodies. But no. They wouldn't play this kind of trick, and they couldn't mimic voices, while whoever this was had Emmony's voice down perfectly.

Vor's response affirmed this feeling for him. He placed his hands on the bar top, leaning forward towards the impostor. That usual smile was back on his face, but his eyes were cold and cruel, a side of him very few people ever saw. "I do hope you have a good reason as to why you're pretending to be my sister," he said lightly.

Comix Pokegeek151

 

[Pokegeek151]

The peculiar female gave a sigh of relief, leaning back off the bar with a smile on her black lips. The man's eyes and smile seemed to be almost a lie, but she ignored it. The need of a place to stay outweighed her curiosity over why his expression was almost lying but his words told the truth.
"I'm glad!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together like an excited child. "I am Vor."
The Nephilim opened her mouth to say some thing else when the tavern owner's attention was stolen away to someone else.
This someone was unusual to Vor, not like anything she had (that she can remember) seen. It was as though this person was two people at the same time, like a reflection in a window overlaying another person. On the outside, the person was a red head, taller than her with a scarf tied around her head. By past this exterior was a grey creature that, though Vor was no expert, did not seem human.
Just looking at the creature felt like a lie, but Vor kept her mouth shut. Perhaps this was the way the creature usually looked?
Then the creature spoke and almost automatically, Vor replied, "That is a lie. What you say is untrue. Tell me, what are you? I have never seen something such as yourself before."
Vor could no longer keep her curiosity in check. She had to know. "Do you always look like that? Like two people? Are you two people? What are you called? Why do you lie?"
awriternamedian
Pokegeek151

A sigh of relief escaped her, before saying, "Oh thank the gods, I thought maybe I was finally going crazy." She laughed, running a hand over her braids. "I thought I heard feathers, but it seemed out of place. Not that we haven't had winged creatures in here before, it's just rare." A broad smile split her face, her scarf slipping slightly from it. As she adjusted the scarf and retied it, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Silas. And we're always hiring new people. There's a lot of in and out here, people looking for work for a short time as they pass through. Do you have any experience with this kind of work?"

There was no time to hear his response however, a startled cry escaping as somebody stumbled into her, sending her crashing to the ground. Before she could react however, she was assaulted by the sound of her own voice. Her whole body froze in shock. It couldn't be. She had to be hearing things. It sounded just like her though. Was it Caelyn? No, of course not. They couldn't mimic voices. Then who was it? No, she couldn't have heard it right. With a groan, she allowed the person to pull her back to her feet. There was a thud, and then suddenly she found herself covered with something wet and slightly sticky. That easy smile that fit her face so well turned down into an irritated scowl, but the person was gone before she could snap at them.


"It's a pleasure to meet you Vor," he said, a slightly more honest smile on his face. He always enjoyed the chance to pick the brain of someone new, and he had the feeling she'd be particularly interesting. The conversation quickly ended there as he caught sight of his sister headed towards them. Something was wrong. He frowned, brow furrowing, but quickly wiped the expression from his face, replaced once more with a charming smile. Then she spoke, and that frown quickly returned.

Something was wrong. It looked and sounded just like Emmony, but every cell in his body was screaming that it wasn't. Could it be Caelyn? They were impressive with their ability to mimic bodies. But no. They wouldn't play this kind of trick, and they couldn't mimic voices, while whoever this was had Emmony's voice down perfectly.

Vor's response affirmed this feeling for him. He placed his hands on the bar top, leaning forward towards the impostor. That usual smile was back on his face, but his eyes were cold and cruel, a side of him very few people ever saw. "I do hope you have a good reason as to why you're pretending to be my sister," he said lightly.

Comix Pokegeek151

Despite the fact that she was practically a professional at disguise, and that she was currently impersonating a blind woman, How couldn't help but stare directly at the strange horned woman next to her. She had quickly, instantly, seen through her disguise. And she seemed to think that she was two people...That's when it hit her.

She can see through illusions.

Then Allan glared at her, asking why she was impersonating his sister. For a few seconds, she was completely speechless, her mouth slightly agape in shock. She rebounded admirably quickly however, given the circumstances.

"Wow, you two are good! I was expecting to be able to keep this up for another few minutes, at least." She reached behind her head as if to pull out a ponytail. Instead, her long hair came away, vanishing and changing color as it passed through her hands. She ran her hands over her face, the scarf disappearing and her features shifting beneath her hands. Her body shifted, and after a moment, she no longer resembled Emmony. Instead, he took the form of a young man with chin length brown hair, caramel colored eyes, and a satisfied grin.

"Oh well. You can't win them all, I suppose. I don't know what you mean by two people, miss. I am just me. They call me How. And I've come looking for a job."

awriternamedian Comix

 

[DrHuggies]

Cassius chuckled, amused at the rapid pace at which this small girl was speaking. Her awkward manner intrigued him, the way her small, slender hand gripped his own calloused fingers so tightly. He could tell she didn't enjoy confrontation, or socialization for that matter, but it didn't stop him. He sat down on the edge of the table, setting his mug down on it and started flicking through the pages, raising his eyebrow every now and then before looking down at Elowyn and raising an eyebrow. "Let me know when you finish reading this one, I would love to borrow it after you." He set the book down gently atop the pile of other books laid out on the table before hearing a commotion on the other side of the tavern.

Cassius looked up in time to see the blind girl from before, suddenly shift and change into a man before his very eyes. Due to his status as once being a noble, he had only been read stories of these weird and wonderful creatures, never once being able to meet one in the flesh. He was absolutely ecstatic. The way it just effortlessly shifted from one form to the other amazed him, intrigued him, and made him a little bit jealous. Cassius let his thoughts wonder for a moment, the things he could do with a disguise. It would make his job a lot easier. Cassius shook his head slightly to snap out of his daze and finished off his drink. "Well nice to meet ya Elowyn, see you round some time." Cassius stood up with a leap, rocking the table slightly before swiftly moving across the floor of the tavern towards the shape shifting being.

Bringing his hand down and onto the shoulder of the being, Cassius let out a loud guffaw. "Holy damn that was some awesome shit you just pulled." He looked around, realizing he had just interrupted a conversation, but not caring he continued. "Can you turn into me? I've read about shape shifters as a child and have always wanted to meet one. Is it true that you can also take on the form of animals as well as humans?" Questions kept pouring out of Cassius before he gave the man time to answer, his mind was racing, full of questions. He wanted to become friends with this "thing". He would be a very useful companion on some of his jobs.

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

The palms of her hands came together and she squeezed them between her brown fabric covered thighs as she stared slightly wildly at the table in front of her. She jumped slightly as he sat at the edge of her table, that was at least a sign that he didn't actually intend on staying that long which made her sigh inwardly, her eyes closing for a moment. Another slight jump as his mug was set down on the table and now her gaze focused on it as her keen ears picked out the sound of the pages of the book he held turning over the sounds of boisterous chatter and mugs clunking against each other and wooden surfaces. She felt like she was going to swallow her own tongue when he set the book down and said how he would love to read it. She wasn't reading it. Didn't plan on reading it either, but she didn't say anything and instead just nodded her head. She was going to get rid of that book.

Before she could panic over what would happen if she got rid of the book and he came back looking for it, her attention was drawn the same as Cassius' towards the other side of the tavern when the sounds of glasses falling and liquid splattering layered over the typical sounds of cups she had been hearing. Her slender little body tensed up as her gaze had raised from the table. She was like a scared little rabbit, long pointed ears and everything.

Elowyn's tension eased up some as she saw that it had just been an accidental spill, her hands were now smashed where she had pinned them and she winced slightly as she pulled them from the vise that her legs had become and rubbed them slightly before something else caught her attention. There were now two identical girls. Her stormy gray eyes narrowed slightly as she saw the interaction between them. She was positive that there had only been one before. She pondered if maybe they were twins, but then she thought that it would be silly for twins of their apparent age to be dressing identically. Her gaze followed the one that went to the bar, taking into consideration the ones that she now stood next to and her head tilted to the side slightly, it looked like a bit of a confrontation, the two already at the bar didn't look too pleased.

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly as Cassius left her table, she only gave a slight nod of her head and nothing more as he headed towards the bar. She then wondered if he knew the person that had since changed from looking just like the other woman and was now a man, not really out of any personal curiosity but because he was patting the other's back. She shook her head and let out an irritated huff of air. It looked like all was well so she decided to return to what she had been doing after once more taking note of those that were in the tavern. The rear corner of the tavern was the best vantage point, at least no one could sneak up on her.

Since she was now free to go about her business, she crouched back down next to the table and removed a roll of parchment which she lay on the table before opening the small chest she had set out when Cassius had approached her, this she opened and withdrew from an inkwell, quill, and blotter and carefully arranged them on the table before she took her seat and unrolled the parchment, finally ready to work.