Open Thardferr Interaction

[Feff]

Nestled in a western corner of Coopersville Forge is a relatively new inn, which goes by the name of Peace Advent. The inn is of fairly moderate size, being nothing grandiose but much better than a hole in the wall, it is a rather popular inn around Coopersville lately. It's ale is cool and unwatered, while the food is cooked with patience and it often shows in the taste. The inn has a fairly large common room, with seating for close to 30 patrons, and rooms are placed both on the first and second floors of the building. A pleasant fire burns in the hearth, but it seems a bit much given the warmer temperatures for this time of the year. A small platform is built into the far western wall of the inn, opposite the decent sized bar. The platform can be used for performances of any type and the innkeeper, a middle-aged and fairly built man by the name of Joseph, allows just about any kind of performer or speaker to use the stage to entertain or speak to the crowd.

Going into the 6th month of the year 735, the inn was built more recently, finally completed and named towards the end of the latest Sythian War. It has developed a decent reputation among the Coopersville inns and taverns and is often recommended to both new and old visitors to the city.

(OOC: This thread is open to all of Thardferr and will be entirely IC, so anything that happens here, happens in Thardferr. This thread is intended to be open for any players that want to bring in their main character or a backup character for any kind of roleplaying and interaction. So your character will still need a reason to be here, but any character is welcome if they can IC'ly. This thread will garner no experience for players, but gives the Thardferr community hopefully a chance to interact in-character and will give newer players possibly a better chance to showcase their abilities for DM's that are looking.

Keep in mind that this is different from the roleplaying boards in that everything you do here will effect the world. So let's keep any kind of extreme actions to a minimum, I don't want you burning down poor Joseph's inn! Also, let it be known that if things do get out of hand, the DM's can step in to end OOC disputes or to correct extreme, out-of-control actions. Hope you have fun and happy posting.)

[Paks]

The door to the Inn opens and a woman dressed in earthy colours walks through. Glancing around the room for a moment, the dark haired beauty makes her way to the bar. Leaning her quarterstaff against the bench, the ranger drops her pack on the ground but leaves her sword strapped to her waist and cross bow strapped to her back. She takes a seat before waving for the attention of the bar keeper. Whilst waiting for Joseph to attend her, Paks takes a harder look about the Inn with her startling green eyes.

oO Nice clean establishment, fires a bit much but you can't have everything I guess. Good platform for entertainment, nice seating, all in all, one of the better Inn's I have been to. Now time to test the ale, but the question is, is it as good as mine? Oo

As Joseph reaches her, the ranger orders a mug of ale. As the ale arrives Paks hands over her coins and takes a tentative taste.

"Not bad, though personally, mine is much better. Your not looking for a new supplier by any chance?" Paks asks Joseph as she places the ale back on the bench. " I make mine right here in Tuth with an old family recipe, can't get much better than that " she says with a wink, " Not that yours is bad or anything, I just happen to believe that I can do better. Actually, as it happens, i have some with me. Care to try it?" The ranger asks as she reaches into her pack and pulls out a small bottle of ale, passing it to Joseph.

[Xxian]

Facing the window, he stared out with his chin in his hand, leaning on the table, listening to the three others he had been travelling with for the past couple of months carry on, as they became steadily more intoxicated as the afternoon drew on.

His eyelids were heavy, that air had become stale and his drink less and less inviting, in fact, he was at the point of nodding off.

Tapping his fingers on the table to amuse himself into staying awake just a little longer, he largely ignored the scattering of people enjoying thier afternoon behind him.

Something began nagging him in the back of his mind, a voice, familliar, yet distant, friendly, yet, no, he just couldnt put his finger on it.  His thoughts went out, scanning faces, thousands of faces, face after face after face he tried to match the voice to, but no - he was missing something, there was something else to this voice, something...

"Boltt, are you listening? Wake up man, you're daydreaming again!" one of his compainions boisterously announced, slapping him hard in the shoulder as he did so, knocking the bard clean off his chair.

Bringing himself up on one arm, wiping his free hand down his face as he did, he grimmaced as he realsied that at that exact moment, he knew the owner of the voice - and she was gonna kill him!

[Paks]

Hearing the loud bang, the ranger turns her attention to the figure on the floor. It takes her a moment to recognise him but then her memory clicks and anger begins to flow through her body.

" You! " she says with an acussing tone as she uses her finger to point out the bard, " I was wondering if I would run into you again " she says slowly and carefully, though her anger does seep through to her voice.

"Think it was alright did you? To leave me there like that? In the hands of a Choas Lord no less! I ought to run you run you through with my sword  for leaving me there to be captured. And to think, you call yourself a man! " Paks says a little loudly, not really caring if she draws attention to herself anymore.

"I mean the least you could have done was make sure Clyde was ok, but no, that thought didn't even cross your mind did it? I can't believe i ever, ever, felt anything for you" she in a disgusted tone.

[Xxian]

Boltts emotions ran amuck.  He at first felt jubilant at the fact that fate had brought his lover back to him.  Next came grief as the memory of their parting flickered through his mind.  Nauseous ness quickly followed as he relived the following weeks in agony wondering what had happened to her.  All was topped of by his spine tingling as she viciously scalded him for something he had no control over.  All this happened to him in the time it took to hear Paks' spiel.

"but, but you don't understand, it wasn't like that, it wasn't like that at all.."

The bard slowly gets to his feet and dusts himself down.

"... I did come back for you, I did go to check on Clyde, but the last thing I remember, was a squeaky voice yelling out 'stop thief!' then all went black.  I woke up what must have been several hours later, sporting the largest of bumps on my noggin, with a matching headache."

He rubs the spot where he was clubbed, where a scar remained.

"So I set about following you, but it was clear that I, a lowly bard, was no match against those who had obviously captured you, so I set about scouting for help.  Well, one thing led to another and before I could actually gather up the resources needed, the trail had gone cold, you were nowhere to be found.  And when my finances, well, tightened, those in my employ simply abandoned the search - that is where I met these fine fellows here, as I was trying to raise more coin to fund the search and well, with the war and all, things have been a bit skint around here, any available coin that did come my way has gone straight to keep, which, as you can see, I am only surviving - I wouldn't call this living!"

He shrugs as he opens his arms for all to get a better view of the drab clothes he wore.  They were clean, but they sure were nothing fancy - anyone could tell they were only a few coins off living in a shop doorway.  It was however apparent, that his pride and lust for life was well, even if faded a little.

Noting the audience that had gathered the hear his tale, he removed his cap, casually throwing it onto a nearby table, in the hope that those listening may aid his plight, he was after all a bard and this was as gripping and true of a story as they were ever going to hear.

Sucking in a deep breath, he continued.

I daren’t go back to the farm, for if I was being followed, it would lead them straight to our only asset, or worse, if they found out where we lived and razed it, like they did every town they passed through."

Wiping a tear form his eye, he paused and inspected it, before wiping it onto his shirt.

"Please forgive me my love, I tried, honest I did, I tried to save you, but alas, I failed, so I will understand if you never should speak to me again, but know this, I still love you, with all my heart and will do so 'till the day I die."

He concludes by placing his hand on his heart and dropping his head to face the floor.

[Feff]

Joseph is nodding to Paks' suggestion for the ale-tasting but gets extremely alarmed as the woman confronts the poor bard. He lets his voice carry under the argument, saying loud enough to be heard but without shouting, "There will be no fighting in this establishment and anyone making trouble will be thrown out." With that, Joseph heads back to his bar, serving the other people that had wandered in while the conversation between the couple had continued.

Several of the common folks in the crowd nod at parts of Boltt's speech, each of them having heard tales of the servants of Ballog, fresh in their minds are the horror stories of the ruins of Riveringtown. A few of the men grumble about the fate of the town and the current political status of Lithar, while yet others talk about Boltt's faithfullness and devotion to spend all of his money looking for Paks, the crowd obviously taking his side in this.

[Paks]

Paks shoots Joseph an apologetic look before turning her attention right back to Boltt. Moving up to the Bard, the ranger claps her hands appreciatively. Leaning into his ear, the young ranger begins to whisper;

" You may have the rest of the Inn fooled, but i know you better than that. Much better" she says with an angry tone. " Nice story, I am sure you have been working on it for some time. The clothes are a nice touch, the hat on the table is a bit of a give away though. I have no doubt that any coins you have had or have now, have been spent on food and ale rather than finding information regarding my whereabouts. Don't waste your breath on excuses Boltt, I don't find them amusing."

Standing up tall, the ranger collects her gear from the bar and heads to the door. She pauses for a moment and looks back over her shoulder to the Bard, " And one more thing, don't even think about coming near the cottage. It was never yours, nor will it ever be." And with that, Paks takes her leave.

[Barthis]

Removing the stark white helmet and after a few suspicious looks over his shoulders, Barthis places the headgear into the deepest recesses of his pack. He pulls up the hood to the cloak that falls over his shoulders and the plain, mud spattered, and road travelled clothing. As Barthis turns to step into the inn, he runs head first into the beautiful but angry Paks.

"Many pardons, milady," the tall man says, bowing in deference.

Noticing Paks' ire but not knowing what has transpired in the Inn already, Barthis can only assume he's the cause, so he extends a hand towards the interior of the building.

"You seem ready to take leave of this establishment, but perchance I would first be allowed to buy you a refreshment as apology for blundering into your person."

[Saphire]

Letha
 
  A lilting voice can be hard very faint at first, then slowly growing stronger, breaking through the chaos. A petite elvin woman dressed in a light pink, filmy top that is almost, but not quite see through and matching pink pants takes the stage and breaks into a heart wrenching song.  Her curly brown hair is covered in pink beads and falls around her shoulders in a glittery cascade. Sparkling emerald green eyes full of great emotion peer out from beneath the brown locks as she dances slowly to the song, finally coming to the climax with tears rolling down her face.
  One with a trained ear would notice the performance a bit imperfect, as if the young woman was just learning her craft, but her voice was pleasing enough to quiet things down.

  She blushes slightly as several of the patrons clap and she quickly moves toward the door after the departing woman and nearly crashing into her as the man appears.

  Her face gets flustered,
     "Umm, sorry you seemed really upset and I...everyone was butting in your business so I thought I'd distract them...Hope you don't mind, I uh...umm...sorry."

[Paks]

Expecting to be greeted by the smell of city air, the ranger is somewhat shocked and annoyed when instead she finds herself crashing into a strange man.
“ Does no one look where they are going anymore?” Paks yells as she grips her head with her hand to stop the pain, wondering if her day could get much worse.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled like that “ the ranger says to Barthis after taking a deep breath, “ In truth, I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing. Perhaps it is I that should buy you the drink, so long as we don’t sit anywhere near him” she exclaims, pointing her staff at Boltt and giving the bard a glaring look.

Paks turns, wondering if she really should be heading back into the same room as the man that betrayed her when the ranger finds herself faced with a pretty elf dressed in pink that she imediately recognizes as the singer from the stage. “Thank you, the song was nice, from what I heard of it anyway. You have a lovely voice and the distraction was welcoming, I guess I owe you a drink as well.”

[Saphire]

Letha

  She brightens up at the compliment, blushing slightly as her eyes become cheerful and a wide smile crosses her face. She begins to twirl a lock of hair around one finger while extending the other one in greeting.

 " Hiya, my name's Letha. I hope you don't think all bards are like that, although I'm not really a bard...well I guess I'm learning to be one...I suppose I'm more of an entertainer really. Anyway, a drink would be nice."

 She smiles shyly at Paks, she then notices Barthis at the door and seems to disappear behind the ranger, her head peeking out from around her, eyeing the man nervously.

[Barthis]

Barthis glances into the building as Paks casts her displeased look towards Boltt. Not sure of the disagreement beteween the two, he lets it remain a private matter.

"I'm sure there are many other places to sit inside."

Taking a quick look around the room, noting exits and blind spots, Barthis decides the building is safe enough, and is about to choose his seat when he hears a musical voice drift over from where he had run into Paks. Turning back he notes the young female bard engaging the ranger woman in conversation.

"Miss," he says, pulling back his hood now that he was mostly indoors, and bowing slightly in greeting.

His shortly cropped black hair lays matted to his scalp, a sure sign he's accustomed to wearing a helm or some other headgear. The black hair contrasts with the gaunt features of his face, pale skin tightly pulled over cheekbones. The sunken eyes with their glittering blackness, reflect the honest smile he gives as he says to Paks and Letha,

"Would you ladies care to sit, as we sort out who is buying who drinks?"

[Paks]

Paks nods in agreement with Barthis' suggestion and moves across the Inn to find a secluded table. Taking a seat, the ranger carefully leans her quarterstaff against the wall before dumping the rest of her gear on the floor.

" My name is Paks, Ranger of Leserd Forest. And no, I don't think all bards are like that" she says to Letha with a smile, " Just him. So what will it be, ale or wine? I think i'll try the wine this time" she says pulling some coins out of her pocket and placing them on the table for when Joseph arrived.

"Nice hair by the way, it definately suits you " she says to Bathis with a slight grin, " do you have a name?"

[Barthis]

Flipping a thumb over a hidden strap, Barthis pulls an axe and harness from under his cloak and off his back, setting it down next to the table along with a mostly empty traveling pack. "My hair?" he mutters puzzled, before clearing his throat and making his introduction.

"I am a sell sword, and I suppose a traveling vagrant. My name is En-Kog Neetow, though most just call me Kog for short. Pleased to meet you. What brings you from the Leserd Lady Paks?"

He sits down, looking over the interior of the building for a moment, taking note of the occupants and people walking past the windows. Turning back he makes his order, spirits, more potent the more preferable. Puting a coin on the counter for the barkeep, he looks to Letha, saying,

"I haven't had the pleasure of your acquaintance miss, but was it you by chance that was singing only a minute or so ago?

[Saphire]

Letha

   She smiles greatfully at Paks, eagerly sitting at the table with a cheerful smile, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the mention of ale.
   
 " Think I'll try the wine, don't much like the taste of ale."

  As Kog joins them, she flicks nervous looks seeming slightly afraid, although her cheeks flush at his query. She extends her hand a bit shyly at him.

 "Umm, hiya...I'm Letha. I'm not really too good at singing, not just yet, but I'm learning to control my voice and stuff, and I can dance real good. You from around here? I'm kinda new here....uh, nice axe, Mr. Kog."

  She blushes shyly and her eyes stare intently at the table as she unconsciously chews on a lock of hair nervously.