NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: 'Tis closed to all but those who expressed interest here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=517420).

IC:

The port city of Kyrad sits on the northern coast of the easternmost land mass of Xatricon. The city itself is midsize and fairly prosperous. Xatricon is a strange land; it doesn't have much in the way of a standing army, relying instead on the mercenary companies it is replete with. Despite the plethora of armed men and women everywhere, it has thus far been peaceful. The city has a wooden palisade, a token defense really, as the gates are left open at all times of day and night. Additionally, the city has only a token force of militiamen and town watch. Both of whom are more concerned with public order in and around the taverns than they are with the defenses.

It was late afternoon at The Sheathed Sword, the tavern and inn owned by the Caldaens. The exterior of the building had a covered porch with a waist-high fence and columns holding up the roof. The porch was wide enough to have tables and chairs set out on it, with giant glassless windows that could be covered in bad weather or when it closed for the night. The building was painted robin's egg blue and had a commanding view of the harbor and the ocean beyond it. Sticking out into the street was a sign also painted blue, depicting an undrawn blade. The interior was painted in soothing shades of green and red with fairly nice wood paneling on the walls. The bar ran parallel to most of the back wall and had a door behind it that led into the kitchen. On the wall above the bar hung a much-dented and pitted heater shield with the hilt of a shortsword sticking out from behind it. Next to it huns a bastard sword with the hilt tied to the sheath with white thread, this was the sword that gave the inn its name. There were many tables in the common room as well as a great big fireplace in both the side walls. There were also stairs that led up to the second floor where the rooms were. The rooms were fairly spacious and clean. Inside one would find a bed, small desk and chair, wardrobe and window with shutters.


Down in the common room, Vor was tending his bar talking to a few elder members of the watch and militia, trading old war stories. Scattered around the room were a good portion of the on duty militia and watch with most of the off duty members as well. After all, it was a peaceful city and Caldaen's served good drink. Moving amongst them and other patrons under the watchful eye of her father, Lyna acted the part of grown barmaid, taking orders, serving food, and just generally talking to the patrons. Outside it had started to rain...

Karathis was at his usual table, eating a meal of roast beef. As Lyna passed, he said "Good Afternoon, Lyna. Cheery as usual?", smiling.

Turning his attention back to his meal, the rain began to pour down. "Hm. Rain." he muttered, making a mental note to wear his overcoat when he went out later.

"Good afternoon, Master Karathis, " she said giggled. "Is the roast beef good today?" She spun back into the crowd with a swirl of red hair. Outside, the rain began to come down harder.

am i in? if yes:

as the rain beat the doors swung open and a small young man fell over to his usual table where usually there was some one there waiting to collect his loot. today there wasn't any so he sent them off he had a bad wound on his chest but he knew if he tended to it it would get worse it was from a black sword, it would heal once he slept. 'why?' he thought with such conviction he almost said it,'why did i try and steal that wizard's cloak?'

Miyuki finished tying her boat to the dock. She looked at the dark and menacing sky. "Looks Like I pulled into port just in time." She said to her self. She hopped off the boat and walked through the pouring rain to the Tavern. She sat down shaking the rain from her hair

A violent cough rattled his frame as Burnham sat slumped against the bar. He had missed the rain by a few hours- his nights at the bar started earlier than most peoples'. Of course, that hadn't prevented him from getting what the local peasants had taken to calling the "Rotlung", a delightful image that was as pleasant in person as it was from description. It was a standard evening- the songs kept playing, the patrons kept milling about, and, most importantly, the ale kept flowing.

Vor noticed his daughter move to greet another patron so he left his conversation at the bar and brought another mug of ale to sick man. "Here you go, Burnham, " he said as he handed over the drink. "This one's on the house. For...Medicinal purposes." Vor grinned at him, then frowned as he saw another man stumble in out of the weather. He walked over to the table to see what the newcomer wanted.

Elsewhere in the common room, Lyna walked over to the young woman shaking herself off and giggled, cringing as cold water droplets hit her. In a sing-song tone of voice, as though repeating something memorized, she said "Hello, my name is Lyna. Would you like anything?"

Through the busy door came the shorter, broad frame of Versit , trailed by his two wolfhounds. The three of them shook in nearly the same manner to shed some of the stray rain drops to dry off. As Versit ran his hand down his top knot, he scanned the room for a place to sit.

He wanted as close to the fire as he could get, since he had plans to spend a long time playing Morris against all comers…at a copper a point of course. He was dressed in a good white linen shirt, green ruff-out vest, wide belt and felt pants and calf boots. The broad bladed Kama was tucked under the belt, across his belly.

He spotted a table close, but not next to, the far fireplace. As he crossed the room he gave a small motion to the hounds, they trotted over to stretch near the fire. As he flopped down into the chair he swung the wrapped Morris board and pieces onto the table and began to unpack them.

“Two dark ales and a bit of stew,” he called to the girl when he caught her eye. “And I’d thank you for any scraps for the boys…,” nodding towards the dogs.

His green eyes had a twinkle as he began to scan the room for anyone who might be good for a game….

(OOC: I think it might be time for something to happen. There's only so much one can do sitting in a peaceful inn.)

OOC: Sorry for the odd posting pattern. I work a truly asinine schedule, which becomes even more absurd when combined with the current weather in Ohio.

IC:

Lyna squealed with delight when she saw the dogs and ran off to the kitchen to get the scraps. Vor smiled and started to move towards the man when he was...dripped on. He stopped and looked up, dumbfounded. The inn was well-maintained, so the roof shouldn't leak. Even if it did, that meant that the floor of the attic was leaking as well. But there was a dark spot on the ceiling, two stories above him. Another drop landed on his forehead and he wiped at it with his hand, noticing as he did so that it felt odd. Looking closely at his hand, sure enough, there was a slightly colored liquid. He still hadn't put two and two together when a dozen or so men dressed in black came running in through the front doors, drew weapons, and attacked the patrons. As the militiamen and watch squared off against the intruders, another one came in through the kitchen holding a bow and flaming arrow. Things finally clicked in Vor's head and he ran towards the bar, preparing to leap over it. The archer raised his bow, drew, and fired all in one smooth motion; his arrow lancing up into the ceiling before a rather unfortunate meeting with a large angry mass named Vor. The arrow seemed to just quiver there a moment, seemingly useless, before the entire ceiling burst into flame and all hell broke loose.

Sudden blood and fire, the hue and cries of mortal combat and the banging, crashing and thrashing of bodies, tables and crockery filled the scene. By the fireplace, for an odd timeless moment, it was hard to tell whose hackles and growls were more terrifying: the hounds or the man…probably unnoticed by the welter of people.

The wolfhounds leapt forward as a pair, each going for an arm of a black assailant. They were followed at a split second by Versit; his broad bladed Kama clear of its sheath and held in a reverse slashing grip. The three prong attack quickly bore an attacker down, where he was dispatched by a slash to the face and a plunge of the dagger point into the throat.

A twist of the blade, a gurgling scream and a spray of blood as the body fell limp confirmed the kill. Versit eyed the shutters on the closest window and aimed to go through them. Fighting in a burning building was not how he wished to die. His whistle called the hounds from their prey as he prepared his dash to safety…..

as the screams erupted around him eric sprang into action, picpocketing, well it was harder than it seemed, if you are invisible than you can't go aroung bumping into people! after about half were slain and eric had taken a pretty ring off a deadman he thought 'my work here is almost done' and with that he flipped two gold coind on the counter for the barman and took some stout and poured it on his sword... then lit it. hre sprang like a viper and struck like a wolf, not to metion grabbed a few more daggers(hey, half his garb was flamming) then he sprang in a backwards flip... out a window... and threw some more stout on the flaming house.

"How dare you attack this inn!" yelled Karathis, appearing far more powerful than he actually was. Grabbing his glass of water he threw it into the fire, instantaneously extinguishing it as three small water elementals emerged from the smoulering ashes.

"<Extinguish the fires!>" he spoke, in a strange, flowing language. The elementals split away, the fires dying as they touched them.

Pointing his finger at a number of the invaders, a lightning bolt arced out and electrocuted three of the marauding people.

Vor raised himself up off the archer and noticed the man was staring upward blankly, some foam in his mouth. Heaving himself to his feet, he turned around, yelling "They've got poi-!" That was as far as he got before being smashed across the face with a piece of flying furniture. The militiamen were holding their own but the watch had problems, their billy clubs weren't much of a match to the marauders' bladed weapons. One of the marauders charged Karathis, waving his sword wildly in an attempt to distract him from his casting. Outside, there were four more standing under an overhang who exchanged surprised looks after seeing a man come out accompanied by a pair of dogs. Drawing weapons, they spread out and advanced on him through the drenching rain.

Karathis rapidly backpedaled as the bandit tried to attack him, his spell fizzling as he tried to divide his attention between casting and not being killed.

Having been caught off guard this time, he regained his focus and stepped backwards. Muttering a short incantation, his hand seemed to glow slightly as he waited for the next strike.

When it came, he grabbed the weapon tightly, sending arcane lightning down the blade and electrocuting the poor raider. As the poor fellow fell to the ground, twitching, he quickly ran to Vor and threw a bag full of glittering dust over him. Quickly intoning a spell and placing his hand on the innkeeper, the abjurer caused his landlord's skin to take on the consistency of stone, while still retaining all the mobility he had before. Blades broke against his hardened stone skin, while he fought just as easily as before.

OOC: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess...stoneskin?

IC:
An enraged Vor didn't even notice. He reached up and plucked the sheathed sword off the wall and...set about using it as an oddly shaped club. That being said, he wasn't simply beating them into submission. The way he was swinging it was still lethal, his enemies were simply bludgeoned to death as opposed to being slashed. Vor set bout him like a miniaturized natural disaster, claiming lives and destroying all in his path.

(OOC: Stoneskin indeed. He's not quite powerful enough at this stage to use the greater version.

Next one is a second casting of summon monster IV)

Suddenly, it was as if a light had appeared over the Wizard's head.

"Lyna!" he exclaimed, as he realised that the girl was not being protected from the invaders. Throwing three pebbles to the ground he conjured forth a trio of earth elementals, who moved to intercept the invaders. Karathis could not speak Terran, so simply ran for the kitchen, drawing a staff from his bag.

as he raced a way he felt the flames in his mind and silently hoped not many fell

Miyuki had undressed to take a bath as the sound of chaose erupted. she quickly redressed and raced down stairs, sword in hand. "What the?" It seemed to be the work of dark magic. A bit out of her league.

OOC i don't know why i check this every day.

anyone out there?

Xatricon was a friend of mine. He was struck and killed by a drunk driver about nearly three weeks ago. It's not really fair, he survived the fighting in Iraq only to die to a Ford Explorer around the corner from his home.

may he rest in peace, i am verry sorry.