Rise of an Empire

[Darklord]

Logan

He had been listening to Rhuarc's advice on what they should do to pull in some more adventurer's when this person stumbled up and over to the table, another dwarf to be exact.

When the man had finished speaking and was instead more focused on staying upright, Logan shared a quick look around the table with the others, including Devin who had arrived just before the dwarf. Shrugging he spoke to the dwarf.

"Well my friend, you seem to have had a little to much to imbide today, or was it last night? Either way, yes, we are discussing a trip we all will be taking, and we were wondering if we would be able to find some others to join us. Now, you seem to have over heard, and wish to join in. Thats all well and nice, but we don't need a drunkard on a trip such as this. But first, let me introduce us. I am Logan Farstrider, and these are my associates Angus, Rhuarc, Devin, and the lady River." as he said this, he motioned around the table to indicate them...

"So, what is your name, and what can we do for you?"

 

[chewbacca71]

Rhuarc

Seeing the drunken dwarf pull up to the table, Rhuarc blushed to the tips of his beard. These humans must think that all dwarves cannot control their drinking. Damn this dwarf. Rhuarc looks over at the new arrival and can tell from his manner of dress that he recently was a miner. No wonder he was drunk as a skunk, most of those dirt herders work better with a swollen head.

Rhuarc looks politely at the new arrival and offers his hand to be shaken. When Dust shakes his hand, Rhuarc has to hold fast since Dust almost loses his balance. Rhuarc shakes his head in disgust.

 

[crysede]

River:
They arrived in the common room to find the others already gathered at one of the tables. Placing the her pack next to Devin's on the floor, she slipped into a chair next to Angus. Her attention was caught by a man seated a few tables away: an elf, and not some half breed like herself but a full blooded elf. He sat sipping from his cup, with all the graceful ease his kind were known for, never so much as glancing in her direction. River considered going up to speak with him, it had been over a year since heard any news about the happenings among the elves, but there was no point in arousing Devin's suspicions, and perhaps getting herself bound again, for the sake of gossip.

Turning her attention back to the men the table with her, she was somewhat surprised to find Rhuarc looking at her thoughtfully. He looked as though he might be about to say something, but just then Devin returned at the same moment as another dwarf made his way unsteadily to the their table. Standing next to her, and looking to be in very real danger of toppling over, the dwarf leaned in to the table to address Logan. River watched the newcomer warily, she had had very few positive encounters with drunk dwarfs, alcohol generally seeming to remind them just how thoroughly insufferable elves really were.

 

[Paendragon]

Leaf noticed her walk in out of the corner of his eye. The man was with her again.

Leaf rose smoothly to his feet, grabbed his staff and bow from the wall, and walked toward her.

"My pardon," he asked, bowing at the waist. "My name is Leaf. May I have a word with you, my lady?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

"I don't normally drink so much...just some, like most dwarves...my speaking isn't usually so impained...impaled...I mean, bad," I responded. "I am Dust, a traveling miner in search of a good place to set up. i have, however, found puchally...purchanging...buying land rather difficult with my current..." Belch! "Excuse me, my current money situation. We have not always been poor, my family, in fact, we were once very wealthy...but with Rockholm gone..."
I look at my feet for a moment, wishing my feet would be still for just a moment. When they refuse, I look up again.
"This adventure, does it pay well? How dangerous would this be? I am more stout and sturdly than I look right now..."
I almost fell again, and reached out to grip the other dwarf's hand for good balance. As i struggled, an elf came up behind me and introduced himself to the half-elf at the table.

 

[Gaston_McBain]

Angus

Angus looked over at the drunk dwarf and considered it Logan's problem, not his. After all, Angus wanted to keep as a low profile as possible and to try and avoid confrontation with his companions. Although, he preferred that the lout would move along, he thought openly speaking out against a possible future companion could be dangerous. However, he hoped that the other dwarf or the bounty hunter would speak up against the drunk so he could concur.

Soon, the elf-woman sat down beside him. Angus knew that this woman was the prisoner of that bounty hunter and thus must be no good. After all, he had never heard of a decent person having a bounty on their head. If one had a problem with a honorable person, they settled it outside the law with duels or feuds. Like with him and the Hillgroves, not with bounty hunters. Thus, Angus was a little uncomfortable being so close to the elf. In addition, her beauty and height were just a bit intimidating.

Surprisingly, a stranger came up and greeted the elf-woman. Angus felt this man posed no business for him so he paid attention to his pint and tried his best to ignore their conversation. As Angus was savoring the ale, the drunkard dwarf started to rant again. Angus was again glad that the dwarf was not his concern, after all he'd hate to have to tell the lout to get lost.

 

[SpectralDragoon]

As he turned his attention from the dwarf, partly in pity for his situation, an elven male approached River. Devin's eyes squinted as he surveyed the man from boot to hair. With a quick glance he checked the door, the bar, and the nearest corner for any potential companions of this newcomer. What was this?

With a few steps, he came up to flank her chair, resting a hand on the back of it. He only caught "word with you, my lady?" with his last step. Lowering his chin, he fixed the elf with a cold gaze and spoke to him.

"You don't know me sir, and I surely don't know you, or your business. One thing I do know is: if you have business with her, then you have business with me. She is my charge at the moment. I'm sure you can understand my position."

Whether he was a partner of hers that Devin wasn't informed of, or whether he was merely smitten by her physical charms, he wasn't sure. He kept this doubt from his facial expression however, and also kept his eagerness in waiting for a reply. Not being careful and cautious would not be Devin's cause of death.

 

[crysede]

River:
Relieved that Dust seemed entirely unperturbed by her presence, River found herself hoping that Logan would accept the drunken dwarf, despite her self-avowed lack of interest in the whole foolish treasure hunt. Dust seemed much like the common disreputables that frequented the inns she performed in, and as such she felt an immediate liking for the dwarf.

She was caught by surprise to see the handsome elf approaching her: the full bloods usually held themselves somewhat above half-breeds, and were unlikely to initiate conversation with one. His respectful manner toward her was also unexpected, she couldn't recall anyone bowing to her before let alone an elf! Her initial thought was that he must be mocking her, but his words and eyes seemed quite sincere.

Her reply was interrupted by Devin, as he quickly challenged Leaf, moving to stand next to her as though half expecting her to make a sudden run for it. River shot Devin an irritated look: idiot, as though an obviously well bred elf would have the slightest interest in aiding a common bard, and a thief at that! And yet the elf had asked to speak with her,...how odd. River curiously awaited Leaf's response, for the moment more interested in discovering the reason for Leaf's interest in her, then in finding further reasons for being annoyed with the bounty hunter

 

[Darklord]

Logan

He closed his eye briefly as the dwarf began to rant on again about money and all that, eventually he sighed and spoke..

"Very well dwarf, you wish to join us, you wish to share in the bounty we will reap with it's completion, BUT, before I let you join, I must have your word on not drinking so much ale to get this drunk again. If you do so, you will be entitled to the 100 Easthaven Ducats each of my companions have been awarded for signing with me on this venture, and you will get a share of all treasure we find. Is it a deal?"

While he was saying this, he kept an eye on the now building situtation between River, Devin, and the stranger Elf who had come up and introduced himself to River as one would to a much greater better....

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

100 ducats? It would tak emore than that, but a share in the treasure...that sounded promising. I excused myself, wandering over to my own table to gather my travelling things and came back to the man.
"I beg your apologies kind sir, for my current condition," I said, "It is not in my ways to often become so drunk, but I can promise you that I will not be drinking so much again any time soon. You have my word."

 

[Gaston_McBain]

Angus

Although he did not really care about this possible confrontation between the stranger and the bounty hunter, Angus found himself literally in the middle of a potential conflict. Seeing that this could lead to violence, Angus decided to get up on the pretense of refilling his ale. After all, he did not want to be injured by a wayward blow.

"Excuse me for a second" Angus remarked, with no intention of returning to his seat. If this came to blows, he felt he was honor bound to stay out of it as long as it was one on one. However, if the stranger were to attempt treachery by starting a brawl with hidden allies then Angus knew he was compelled to join in and help his companion. As Angus walked over to the bar with his half-full pint he glanced over his shoulder to see if the encounter had become violent yet.

 

[chewbacca71]

Rhuarc

Rhuarc hears the other dwarf promise to stay sober. Oh, by Reorx's beard, that is a promise no miner can ever hope to keep. I had better take him under my wing to take him under control. After Dust has collected his things, Rhuarc invites him to take his seat, since Dust looks like he is about to fall over.

Rhuarc senses the tension building between Devin and the elven stranger. He does what Dwarves have done for years to stop potential conflicts. He grabs some mugs of ale from a nearby serving wench and thrusts them into the two mens hands. "Drink up hearty, men, we have a long journey ahead of us. "

Rhuarc shows his good faith by taking a large swig of his own ale, the things that he does for his companions. He gently kicked Devin in the shin to get him to drink his ale too.

 

[Paendragon]

Leaf nodded his thanks to the Dwarf, and accepted the mug. He preffered wine to ale, but figured declining would be rude. Especially since the offering was from a dwarf. His kind had good reason to hate the fair folk.

He turned his eyes back toward the man who confronted him.

"I meant no disrespect," he said, a half-smile forming on his lips. "I only wish to speak with her, and nothing more. If you wish, I will leave my weapons with you, and we'll stay in your line of sight."

His face turned serious, and he frowned slightly. "I will not harme her, of that you have my word."

OOC: keep in mind, Leaf is a bit naive. He's old, but doesn't really understand humans. He might not understand that River is a captive.

 

[chewbacca71]

Rhuarc

Rhuarc was glad to see the elf take not only the ale, but also the hint. The elf had looked at him strangely, and Rhuarc was aware that most dwarves would have stood in line to help gut an elf, but he had lived in the real world for a long time . He gave people the benefit of the doubt, unless proven otherwise. Many elves were good people, better than some of the dwarves even. Rhuarc turns to Devin to see what he would do .

 

[poohlive]

Rose wasn't the appropiate word. Lyt was a fairy, with lots of magic, but her wings worked just as any others did. They reminded Roc of a butterfly more than anything else. One huge lopsided wing on each side, that she flapped successively to create flight.
Not only flight, but mid-air flight. She could move up, down, side to side, in a circle, backwards forwards, and all within an instant. When the situation really called for it, she could cast a tiny spell to make her zoom, much faster than her wings could carry her. Like a little firefly on crack or something.
She didn't rise up into the sky, she more like gently ascended, using small swirls of air and beating her wings triumphantly.
"Ok, that's good," Roc said, waving his arms in the water around him. The mid-day swim was the best. The water was warm by now, not too warm, but just warm enough not to give one gooselflesh. It was cool also, as the sun beat down upon them, it gave a refreshing pool to aide them. Almost like their eye in the storm of heat.
She stopped flapping her wings.
Her tiny frame went into a dive position, as she was hurled dozens of feet toward the ground. Roc could only laugh. To him, it was a kamakaze butterfly, out for revenge.
She splashed into the water, and a drop touched his nose. He wiped it off, laughing contemptively.
Rising up, she looked at him.
"Did I get you this time?"
Roc nodded, grinning like a fool, "You are the cannoball queen."
She jumped back under the water, rising up and giggling, "And don't you forget it."
He wouldn't... he wouldn't

 

[crysede]

Teril:
She was unable to suppress a grin upon hearing Leaf's words: when elves wished it, their natural grace and poise lent themselves admirably to diplomacy, and Leaf was clearly a master at the art. To offer up his weapons even - that was pure genius! Devin was left with little choice but to grant the elf permission to speak with her now. If he refused he would look like a churl for refusing to take Leaf at his word, or, worse, a coward for feeling threatened by the elf even if he was unarmed. Forcing the amusement from her face, the looked to her captor for his response.

 

[SpectralDragoon]

"Harm her," he questioned himself. "Harm her?"

He wasn't worried about her health so much, and this mans offer to surrender his weapons threw Devin's guard off.

Devin thanked Rhuarc for the ale thrust into his grip and he empties a good bit, then, looking down to River he briefly ses an expression of smug amusement, as if she were giggling at him. The look disappeared, though it may have taken some effort on her part to remove it so completely.

Looking to Leaf, he tells him, "You may speak with her, keep your weapons."

As they leave the area of the table, he watches them closely, and finds a spot at the table to sit where he can continue to do so. He had heard of trackers who could read lips, he wished he had that ability now. He paid little attention to the rest of the group as he concentrated on their gestures and facial expressions.

 

[Darklord]

Logan

Looking back at the dwarf with a drinking problem, like many didn't?, he sighed, then reaching into his satchel, pulled out the book he used yesterday to write down the contracts. Putting it on the table, he began writing up the contract, that also stipulated that the dwarf, Dust, not become drunk during the mission unless he ordered him allowed too. Soon enough he was done writing it, passed it over to Dust and spoke...

"Here's your contract, it lays out what is expected of you, and what your monetary reward will be. It does say there that you are allowed to have drink, but not to excess. If you do that without my consent, it is grounds for the termination of the contract at that time if I deem it so."

And as he finished speaking he sat back and awaited his hopefully newest companions word and signature, and closing his eye hoped to be on the road soon enough..

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

I read through the contract as best I could. Luckily, the man wrote legibly, though my head still ached a good bit more before I was finished.
"I can agree to these terms," I replied, taking the pen and carefully signing my name on the line...well, kinda' through the line, heading across the page at an angle that slowly edged toward the bottom of the page.
I read through my own writing, making certain I spelled my name correctly. I was literate, actually fairly well-educated, but in my current state of mind, the pounding in my head might have left me to make any one of a million mistakes.
Contented, I handed the contract back.
"So," I asked, reaching into my pack and pulling out a small piece of Mooba Root. When chewed slowly, it was said to alleviate the effects of a hangover, its rich juice saturating the cell's of the brain. "When shall we leave?"

 

[Darklord]

Logan

In reply to the dwarf's query about when we leave, he motioned over at the half-elf and elf talking and said..

"When those two are done having their little talk, we'll be ready to go."

And sitting back he pulled his mug of ale back over to himself and took a swig and waited on the two to finish speaking.

 

[chewbacca71]

Rhuarc

Rhuarc was happy to see that Devin had a brain in his head, and was able to hold in his temper. Humans had such emotional swings, always tied in with a short life span. Rhuarc orders another ale, drinking it as he listens to the news that they are leaving soon.

 

[Darklord]

Logan

As he waited for the two to finish up, his impatience grew greater and greater, finally it burst.

"Fine, alright everyone get your stuff, we're heading out. We've only got so much time before we have to get into the moutians and back before we have to deal with the winter snows up there, and I for one, don't enjoy that to terribly much." he said.

Looking over at the two elves again he yelled..

"If you two want to talk still more, fine. But we're leaving, so if you want to catch up, take the Old Spice Road that goes north from town and meet up with us on the road."

And with that he turned, grabbed his satchel from the floor, threw it over his shoulder and stalked out of the Inn and headed for the stables where his horse was.

 

[chewbacca71]

Rhuarc

Rhuarc sees Logan explode at the travelers, and then leave the WW.

Such a volitale temper these humans can show. This will prove to be interesting with him leading us all.

Rhuarc slugs back the last of his ale, and gets up to follow Logan. He catches up to Logans long stride. "So , were you able to procure a pony for me? I hope so, I dont walk very fast and horses scare me. "

 

[Gaston_McBain]

Angus

Angus' ale drinking were put to a sharp end by Logan's decision to suddenly leave the tavern. Thinking it would be wise to follow, Angus tossed a gold coin as tip to the barkeep and downed the rest of his ale. He then hurried out and followed Logan who was heading toward the stables along with Rhurac the dwarf.

Angus reached the stables a moment after Logan and Rhurac. He was curious to find out which sort of animal Logan had picked out for him. Hopefully, it would be a horse of quality but he wondered whether or not Logan had good horse sense. It would be rather difficult to go on this journey riding a nag.

"Logan, where is the fine animal that you have obtained for me?" Angus ventured.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

Damnit!
I just got settled, my head starting to slow and the world seeming to straighten itself out again, when they decided to leave. I glanced around, wondering if I should follow, then realized that if I wanted my money, it would be best.
I hopped down, pinching the root between my teeth and started off behind them, hoping I could keep my feet well enough in my present condition.