A Beautiful Lie

[MiscChaos]

Morning (Afternoon in 3 posts)

Goyal (Raining)
Sabrina/Mark

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Logendanes, Raugar Providence

If there’s nothing else Sabrina’s outfit is good for (and it’s good for many things), it’s that it only attracts more customers after she’s been out in the rain. Well, that and there really isn’t much outfit to soak. No matter what way anyone slices it, she should have attracted some attention on her way to the shop today and plenty of people should have seen it. Goyal isn’t the country that doesn’t sleep for nothing. There’s always someone out doing business or in the middle of an errand even in a middling city like Logendanes. Besides her shop, the plaza she worked out of there was also an amateur’s weapon shop, a medicine shop held generally in higher regard than her potions, a clothing store, and a few other shops not really of note. Across the city is a brothel you know is always looking for more talent even if the girls they have on hand are pretty beautiful already.

Given the fact your shop isn’t bringing in much, it isn’t a very large shop. It has a backroom for your wares, a small display area for the items you’d like seen, a small counter, and that’s about it. It doesn’t even have a window so people can window shop. Sabrina’s outfit can only do so much to bring potential customers in. If the shop’s going to prosper, it needs a few changes.

But that’s only if Sabrina is serious about it. Given most of her days are spent reading fairy tales in the store’s light, she might not be. Whatever her plan for the day was, it’s interrupted by the sound of a rare customer in the shop. His style immediately draws the eye as it’s one that isn’t native to the area at all. Maybe not native to the continent. It’s the ears that seals it though: This is an elf!

“Good day, Miss.” He says, his voice quiet enough that you have to strain to hear him. “I heard that this is the only place in town to procure a potion.” he gives an ill look at the medicine store as if he didn’t trust it. “I would like to place an order for 3 health potions please. The quality matters not.” While it’s good to have business, there would be one problem: You don’t currently have the ingredients for a health potion. You would need to either look for them or see about purchasing them.

Catherine/Blue

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Sutopalen, Karnes Providence

The rain pouring down around Catherine doesn’t bother her at all, locked in her meeting as she is. For a good little while, she has been pitching to her superiors that it’s time to sell their goods in Deiturn. For a good little while, she’s been ignored despite being one of their top sales people. She’s not sure if someone has been watching the exchange or if it was merely coincidence, but it appears a few people from Deiturn have taken matters into their own hands. Before Catherine and her superiors is a woman who positively exudes royalty. From the manner she sits in her chair to the way she holds herself to her way of speaking when she introduced herself as Lilithan Newleigh. She claimed to be a representative of a major power within Deiturn and had a major business proposition for the company. Given the way she held herself and the quality of her clothing, the board decided to at least hear her out.

“Thank you for hearing me out, gentlemen.” Lilithan says, drawing everyone’s attention. “My proposal is simple: My family would like to enter into an exclusivity contract with your company. You will sell no wares to anyone in Deiturn without first discussing it with us and you will supply us with a predetermined amount of variety weaponry. In exchange, we are willing to pay up to three times the normal selling price and a say in Tarmouthian policy. A minor say, in the interest of frankness, and almost entirely centered economically, but a say nonetheless. These terms, of course, are somewhat flexible. What say you?” Some of the board members converse among themselves, but eventually one of them calls upon Catherine. As head of the sales department, her say on the transaction has a lot of weight behind it since, if it wasn’t an intercontinental deal, it would have been entirely her responsibility to begin with. “Your thoughts, milady?” Lilithan asks.

Tarmouthia (Sunny)
Arsai/Ronin

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Newleighton, Soresokewen Providence

The Queendom of Tarmouthia isn’t a bad place to spend a lot of time. As the only place that was never under siege, it doesn’t have any of the damage Arsai has seen in her travels and none of the feel of a nation trying to pull itself back together. What that meant for her, though, means a more cheerful people who are willing to throw more coin at her for her music. She’s been in town for a few days, just enough to get a feel for the locals and know which ones to avoid and which ones to ply her trade to. She’s already learned to stay away from the Newleighs as their fall from power has left the family as a whole still bitter and likely to attempt to harm any who annoy them. Besides the ousted family though, the rest of the city is fairly high spirited.

Arsai has found that the bar is usually a great place to both learn about anything going on in town and earn more in the way of tips as she plays. This tavern also houses the Inn so it’s really just a two in one for her. One night in the Inn was 5 Shards, so she can stay for 12 more nights if she doesn’t spend any Shards anywhere. The fee also included breakfast and dinner so she doesn’t have to find food if she doesn’t want to. There is one problem with a tavern, however: the drunks. The drunks have an annoying habit of being unpredictable in how they’ll swing. Some of them pay throw more Shards at her than they meant to, some might spend the whole night trying to fuck her. A few special assholes get physical when they get told no, though the bar staff is usually really good about breaking that up. No woman will drink at a place she might get raped after all and fewer men will drink at a place with no women. Still, occasionally something will get missed.

Arsai came downstairs to start her day off, waiting for the staff to bring her breakfast so she can get to it when a gentleman, either still drunk from last night or deciding to get drunk first thing in the morning, smashes into her. Gentleman might be stretching it for this man though: He’s a fat man only slightly taller than Arsai. From the tail on him, he might be a Were-Dog since it’s not bushy enough to be a wolf. Hints of muscle are visible, but they’re almost thoroughly buried under fat. From what you can see of his face, he’s not pleased you were in his way. “Bish, tha hurt. How a ya gonna mae it up ta me fer hittin’ my chest wit yer face?” He slurrs looking her body up and down. The bar staff is in the back working on breakfast, so they can’t step in at the moment. If their attention is grabbed, the staff can probably drop what they’re doing and get out to assist fairly quickly, but it depends on what they’re doing.

Nidan Theocracy (Sunny)
Nallia/Kitty

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kenerraalanas, Ugaust Parish

It’s been a few days since Nallia started her journey to Chu, a tearful event where those she’d known almost all her life hugged her and bid her a fond farewell and a wishes for a safe journey. The Priestess of Baratrum offered her the Spellsword she now holds and gave her a solemn command “Do not allow the Goddess to visit you. Lead a life where Baratrum does not feel the need to hold your soul in the Infernal Realm.” Given that her sect believes that Baratrum is a Goddess that protects the living by sealing away the evil dead, the meaning is clear. And so she left Filmolut behind. Due to the insane price of traveling to anywhere in Cestia at the moment, Nallia had to pick the ticket that she could afford. That means she has to travel across Nid to Port Dretheilaurh. Which, unfortunately, is across the state. Nallia has quite a bit of travelling ahead of her, but the ticket doesn’t have a date on it so she’s under no time limit.

Kenerraalanas is a town whose people are dedicated to Bellum, so there are many shops around dedicated to combat. The church in the middle of town is loud in the way only a bunch of people physically and verbally fighting each other can be. Still, if one was looking for a companion, there are few better places to go than a Church of Bellum. So long as you can promise them conflict, they’ll likely go even without the promise of monetary compensation. There’s also no place better for weaponry in Deiturn unless you’re buying Eford Crytech. Given Nallia’s less than stellar physical prowess, it couldn’t hurt to think about.

The day finds Nallia in an Inn on the outskirts of town, the sun blasting her in the face to wake her up. Once she prepares for the day, there are quite a few things available to her. She can find the Church, get some shopping done, she can simply get on the road before she burns too much daylight. She can roam the town to see if there’s anything interesting going on. Just because she has a destination in mind doesn’t mean she can’t stop to smell the flowers after all.

The Blighted Lands (Cloudy)
Visharr/Mash

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Visharr has wondered The Blighted Lands for quite a bit of time while he worked out his purpose. “Walk like the sky until the sky walks like you” was the command echoing through his mind, the only thing he can remember quite clearly. Fighting off what he can and avoiding what he can’t, he’s still had plenty of time to contemplate it. It isn’t until he comes across a Priestess of Aethra Siderea, who see his broken amulet and doesn’t put it together that he isn’t a fellow follower until it’s far too late, that he figures it out: Take Aethra’s domain and become the new God of the Heavens. While it’s great to have a goal, that doesn’t help him with how to accomplish it. As a Cursed, he doesn’t know much of the history of the world… or any really, so first would likely be figuring out if there have been any new Gods/Goddesses before, then figuring out how they did it if there have been. If there haven’t been… well, there has to be some artifact out there or some method of bestowing divinity upon someone.

The best place to gather some information would likely be the Nidian Theocracy. As the spiritual leaders of the country, they would likely have the information he seeks. He just needs to get around people’s instant dislike of him. Knowing nothing of the world, he doesn’t know why, but every single person who has come across him has instantly become hostile once they figure out he’s Cursed. A disguise or illusion magic would likely serve him well.

But those thoughts slide to the back of his mind for the moment. Something is trying to sneak up on him, attempting to strike at him while he’s unaware. It fails and Visharr is able to dive out of the way when it pounces. As it appears in front of him, he takes in the creature attempting to attack him. The only way it could be described would be as a Blighted Wolf, mutated and disfigured by either some experiment gone wrong or magic poisoning. Either way, it seems to want your flesh and will not be taking no for an answer.

Eford (Raining)
Quina/Cliff

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Aton ,Borough Earldom

The white noise of the rain falling down both draws Quina into consciousness, a good few minutes before her work alarm would have woken her anyway, and tries to drag her back to sleep with its sound. Still, it likely wouldn’t be a good idea to go back to sleep. There’s supposed to be someone special showing up at work today and missing that would either put her out of a job or make her miss something she’d really rather not. So she drags herself out of bed and gets ready for the day. The apartment she rents isn’t great by any means, being just big enough that it can’t be called a studio, but it’s hers and that’s really all that matters. She probably could do better, but… well, she’s part Ice Demon. Getting someone to rent one of the higher quality apartments to her is a bigger pain in the ass than it’s worth. The landlady she has no gives no fucks. So long as they can pay, she’d rent to a Cursed if they applied. But that’s neither here nor there right now. Grabbing a quick meal, Quina cleans herself up and heads out for work. The rain is a bit more annoying now that she’s in it rather than just listening to it, but she still makes good time on her way to work. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots someone following her with their hand in their pocket, but when they notice her noticing them, they seem to switch targets. Seems like the muggers are taking advantage of the rain. Might be worth it to keep an eye out for that.

Soon enough, she finds herself at the factory where she works. It’s not Crytech by any means, but the weapons the place puts out are quality work based on designs stolen from Cestia during the Reunion War. They’re one of the only places in Deiturn that produces and maintains guns, the rest of the country more depending on enchanted weaponry rather than cold steel. “Hey, Frosty, over here!” A coworker shouts at her. This drags her attention over to where everyone’s gathered, looking to an unfamiliar man in a suit. He looks very put together and confident as he scans the room. As soon as your coworker called out to you and pulled his attention to you, his eyes widen in recognition. “Ah, yes, Miss Bradley. One of the people I wanted to see.” He says, walking over to shake your hand. “My name is Malcolm Isle and I represent the Crystal Logistics Conglomerate.” Crystal Logistics, or CryLog as they’re known locally, is one of the leaders of Crystal Technology. Of the companies that control Eford, they’re among the largest, if not the largest. “We have heard of your… shall we say unique bloodline and your skill with guns and would like to extend an offer of employment.”

On the one hand, offers such as this don’t come by everyday and it would damn near instantly complete Quina’s quest to figure out more about CryTech. On the other hand, she’s heard what you have to do in order to be accepted. Having your free will suppressed under a seal is a rather extreme condition to work for a company. She knows for a fact the seal at the very least eliminates your ability to talk about CryTech to anyone who isn’t sealed or has a Master seal. There’s rumors about it doing other things, but those have a lot less evidence behind them. Any sealed person who tries to speak about that tend to go missing very soon after. Is it worth the risk? Is there a way around it?

[Mashugana]

Visharr had been resting for a while, momentarily considering the events of the last few weeks and what was likely the enormity of his goal. He may not have known a whole lot about the gods as yet, or even what becoming one would entail, but he was smart enough to figure that it wouldn't be easy. Part of him wondered if he shouldn't have asked that priestess about any other gods, maybe one of them would be willing to tell him? She hadn't been exactly forthcoming with answers when he announced his at the time newfound purpose to her, which confused and frustrated him as much as when she started yelling about him being some sort of abomination. What happened afterwards was... unfortunate, but still, he would have to press on and deal with it, and find this "Nidian Theocracy" she'd mentioned before everything became messy.

After he found a way out of these damned swamps that is, and a way to avoid getting attacked by whoever he met. Pretty much everyone he encountered out here was alarmed or hostile towards him for some reason. It was weird, mad, and frustrating.

His thoughts were broken by the sound of something decently large rustling the vegetation behind him, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise up, some sort of primordial instinct from back when man's ancestors primarily lived in caves and both hunted and ran from the animals that lived around them constantly. He'd scrambled to the left, feeling the hot breath of the wretched creature over his barely clothed back as it went over him and landed a few feet ahead while he brought up his walking stick. Even he could tell that this thing was pretty far fallen from what it once was, but his stomach growled in tandem with the beast's, and he decided that if he survived this, he'd probably try eating it. It wasn't likely that he could beat this thing in a run anyway, so fighting would probably be his best bet.

Raising his stick, he gave a shout and rushed forward, he hoped to take the initiative and club the thing while it was readying for it's next move!

[Mark3000]

Sabrina put her hat on a nearby coat hanger as she let it dry. Outside of being decorative, it made an excellent shield from the rain. "This was suppose to be my day off" she said as she tried to squeeze some of the water from the hem of her dress. Her mother had promised to handle the shop so she could finally have some time to herself. But when Sabrina got back to their small apartment just behind the plaza, her mother was still out. No doubt hung over and sleeping with her latest boy toy. Grandma Agatha was back home in bed dealing with another bout of back pain. So it was on Sabrina to manage the shop ... again.

Not that she minded much. It was a small store that didn't need much taking care of. There were various murals and decorations around that shop designed to make it feel like the inside of an old tree. Much of it had seen better days, but Sabrina couldn't be bothered to patch up the shop. Too much work. All she did was change out a few of the display items and flipped over the open sign so customers would come in. Then she parked herself behind the counter and began flipping through a book from her Grandma's personal collection. It contained a collection of stories about creatures of the forest like fairies, dryads and elves. She rarely got customers this early in the morning.

To Sabrina's surprise, the bells on the front door chimed as a customer strolls in. She doesn't pay them much mind as first, merely giving them the standard greeting. "Welcome to the Coven's Den, where fairy tales come ...." She says with a bored expression until she locked eyes with the customer. "A-Alive" She stutters. Despite the ceasefire between Cestia and Deiturn and being one of the few "Magic" shops on the continent, patronage from Deiturn was surprisingly rare. 'It was an elf! Scratch that, it was a hot elf! Well it's not like ugly elves exist right? Oh god that hair. those abs!'. Before the young woman's imagination could run rampant, the elven customer made his request.

"Three health potions shouldn't be a problem. I'll have you know potion making is my forte" Sabrina said with a small amount of pride. She wasn't as good as her Grandmother but she was confident in her skills. Surprisingly, Sabrina's mother was extremely skilled at making magical charms. Though it was a skill she rarely used. "I just need your name and I can have those completed before the end of the day. Might I interest you in some of our other wares" the young witch stated as she motioned towards the display area. She had just put up an authentic dwarven crafted vase, a golden pipe made from a dragon's tooth and a mortar and pestle inscribed with elven writing that should say "For a Healthy Soul and Body".

While she was showing the customer the display, Sabrina didn't realize she had left her book open on "Springtime for Elven Kind" which had a rather large stylistic depiction of topless elves prancing around in the forest.

[cliffracer]

Quina squints at her alarm clock, annoyed at the sheer audacity of it to have not gone off yet despite her clearly being awake. And the rain! The rain is hardly innocent either!

Quina gets out of her heated blankets with a lazy sigh and turns off the alarm. No point in laying there until it goes off... Breakfast ends up being toast and eggs after she's freshened up, and she's barely wolfed it down by the time she's locked her door behind her. And... yep, looks like the rain's still around despite how she's clearly expressed her disappointment with the noise it's made! Really, it wouldn't be so much of a problem if it didn't cool her down and start freezing right there on her body, but she keeps an umbrella on her to avoid just that thing. And naturally, there's suspicious types out looking to exploit the rain to catch a score. Smart ones, if they're willing to back off when they get scoped out. She'll have to be wary today, but at least she's gotten to the factory without anything delaying her.

At least she loves her job. Enchanted weapons are cool and all, but Quina's always loved the small intricacies of proper firearms... Looks like she's not getting straight to work right now, though! That visitor she heard about's here, so naturally she's not gonna disrespect their presence by ignoring the callout. And it's a suit! She's worked with plenty of suits in the past, but she wasn't expecting this guy to know her right off the bat. That much is clear in her brow as she reciprocates the handshake, leaving his hand a bit cooler after the fact. CryLog... Damn, this DEFINATELY counts as someone special. And of course, he seems to know that she's not just a demon brat. At least her talents are as much of a draw as her heritage.

"A job at CryLog, huh...?" She rubs her chin. That WOULD put her right in the lap of the company whose tech secrets she's been wanting to probe for some time. She'd learn so much, but at the cost of having a seal... It's pretty easy to see she's thinking about the ups and downs of the position. What she's really considering is the idea of getting around the seal itself. She'd be able to get away with a lot more if a seal could be weakened as it was applied, but there's no way it'd be that easy... Maybe avoid getting sealed, then pretend you were? Schemes are brewing, but she needs information. "That's a pretty serious offer to make this early in the morning, y'know. Mind if we talk about the position and the contract itself in the break room?" She smiles, making a point to look side to side at the audience. "Lots of curious ears that could be focusing on work right now."

[Blue56]

The sounds of rain pounding down on the roof above her was the least of Catherine's concerns as she listened to the proposal of this woman from Deiturn. She had been relentless in pushing for selling weapons to the nations of their neighboring continent, and now a representative just happens to seek their company out? It was difficult to write this off as a mere coincidence. While her superiors discuss amongst themselves, Catherine is called upon, much to her surprise. So now they wanted her opinion? Still, this was a valuable opportunity to influence the deal. But should she push to accept? Now that she was here, Catherine wasn't sure if this was the right move. This Tarmouthian woman could be using them as a tool in a greater plan. Making such a deal could be looked on unfavorably by other corporations within Goyal, not to mention the other nations of both Deiturn and Cestia. And lastly, she couldn't help but wonder what her parents would think if they were here, as she made a deal with one of the nations responsible for their deaths. It had been a long time since she thought about such things, she thought she had let go of these hostile feelings towards Deiturn long ago...

Catherine... Rise up... Ascend as high as you can in this world... One of the last things her father said to her before his passing echoed in Catherine's mind. It reminded her of what he valued most, clearing at least one doubt from her mind. The Hawthorne's had fallen so far during the war, as the last of them, it fell to Catherine to return them to greatness. To that end, nothing but making this deal as profitable as possible mattered. Corporations held all the power in Goyal after all, so rising up as high as she could within one was her best route to power. Her mind made up, Catherine took a deep breath and addressed their guest at last.

"Lady Lilithan, first let me thank you for traveling all this way to visit our humble company. My name is Catherine Hawthorne and I head up the sales department here." It was hard to tell how to handle someone like this, the deal was unprecedented after all, but in the end, Catherine decided to put on a polite smile and play to her strengths by handling this like she would any deal. She wasn't selling this to Lilithan after all, but to her superiors. "Three times market price would be a hard deal to turn down, however, I believe some clarification on a few things would help us understand our projected profit margins a little better. Some of my questions stem from an ignorance of Tarmouthian and Deiturn politics, so please forgive me. First off, can you give a rough estimate of how many men you're seeking to arm? Also, forgive me for saying so, but a 'say' in Tarmouthian policy doesn't give me a clear idea of what we gain. I understand that Tarmouthia is a Queendom, would the Queen be discussing economic issues with us and others who hold the same privilege?" Catherine began, flipping open a notepad to take some notes for later, deciding to first highlight what they stand to gain from this deal to gain the interest of the board members. The political advantage it would give them was much less interesting to her than financial gain, but she wasn't sure how it would work so it was important to clarify all the same. Next, she would need to ask about what they stood to potentially lose, for herself as much as the board. An exclusivity deal meant shrinking their field of clients, so the
increased price needed to be worth the loss of customers. "Next, you said you were here on behalf of your family. Can I take this to mean this deal would not include Tarmouthia as a whole? If so, would your family object to our company doing business with them as well? For that matter, is there anyone in particular you would object to us doing business with in Deiturn?" From Lilithan's wording, it sounded like her family didn't oppose the idea of them selling to others within Deiturn, so perhaps they wanted to exclude enemies or rivals from buying weapons from Goyal? Regardless of the answer, it was something to consider. "I apologize for so many questions, but this is an unprecedented event. I'm sure there's much to consider before we can give you an answer, but this information will speed the process along greatly I'm sure."

[Littlemankitten]

Nallia let out a small, quiet hiss and covered her eyes as consciousness returned to her which allowed her mind to register the fact there was direct sunlight pouring into her comparatively light sensitive eyes. She then lets out a groan of discomfort as she then sat up from the quite uncomfortable, cheap bed. Rubbing her eyes, she thought about her plan for the day. At first the excitement of actually being able to travel to Cestia had pushed any thoughts of preparation out of her mind past what she had done beforehand in favor of getting there as fast as possible, with the only stopping her being the need to sleep. However now that she had slept and had a somewhat clearer and less excited mind she began to think about the journey itself and not the destination. It was going to be quite the long trek, and a dangerous one even with her new weapon. It'd be wise of her to get a last bit of preparation done while she could in this village. She knew there was a church which housed many people willing to travel and act as body guards, even without wanting compensation. However Nallia's main weakness was her reclusiveness, and so even after spending a few minutes trying to hype herself up in her head about the idea of getting a travelling companion who could protect her from dangers, her innate desire to remain alone clouds her judgement and she decides against it. While danger was likely she couldn't promise it to those who would want her assurance. She didn't want to know what may happen to her if they thought they were getting ripped off in some form or another. However she did know that there was a few shops around dedicated to defense and combat. Given she already had a weapon, she wanted to find out if there was any defensive items for sale in the village that could help protect her should she get hit. She was definitely no combatant and even with her training she got she wasn't confident in her own abilities to dodge or parry attacks. If she could find a even better weapon than what she had that'd be cool too, but it certainly wasn't her focus. With a plan decided, Nallia got up from her bed and walked out of her inn to go search for a store that specialized in such matters.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Arsai wakes up early with a soft sigh of slight annoyance, then kicks the covers off lazily. As per usual, she was very tired, since she typically stays up later than intended, then unintentionally wakes up earlier than expected. In fact, she's pretty much perpetually tired. After rolling out of bed, with a loud thud, due to forgetting to roll onto her feet, she quickly showers(A quick shower being a full hour due to getting herself in order after) and gets dressed before rushing downstairs, feeling extremely hungry due to always skipping lunch(Inn only includes breakfast and dinner in the price). She loves playing her music, and especially loves playing her music for a crowd of drunks, due to how loose they are with their money, but not so much on an empty stomach. In fact, she hates doing anything on an empty stomach. Luckily for her, since the daily fee includes her breakfast and dinner, she doesn't have to cook for herself. She really doesn't mind cooking, she just doesn't like cooking all the time, because it takes up so much of her day and resources. It's the combo of using up a lot of time and using up her own money that bothers her about cooking.

As she was contemplating what exactly it was that she disliked about cooking, she ends up being rammed into by a big fat were-dog. She squeaks softly and stumbles backwards, instinctively making a hurt puppy face as she rubs where she was hit so that the offender would hopefully feel bad... then notices that of course it's a drunk guy. As much as she'd love to kick this guy's ass, she also wouldn't, because confrontation means she may get hurt, and well, she doesn't really like pain. This, of course, means she'd rather settle things peacefully than violently "Th-that hurt, sir..." she mutters, rubbing her face a bit more, even though it really didn't hurt much, while looking up at the man with a pathetic expression, then adds "I'm p-pretty sure that hurt me more than you... but... if your feelings are hurt, maybe I could play a song for both of us, so that we feel better? If my music somehow doesn't, I'm sure you'll like my dancing." she says, as she pulls her hand away from her face, feigning the act of checking for blood, as if she thought he had broken her nose.

[MiscChaos]

Morning (Afternoon in 2 posts)
Goyal (Raining)
Sabrina/Mark

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Logendanes, Raugar Providence

Following Sabrina’s lead, the elf looks around the store to see if anything catches his eye. As his attention drifts to the elven artifact, she sees his eyes widen and a blush come to his face before he manages to get his expression under control. “Um, madam, where did you, ah, acquire that mortar and pestle? Hopefully you did not pay too much of a cost for it?” He tears his eyes away from it and looks across the rest of the store as if trying to find anything else in Elven. “I would suggest obtaining items in languages someone in the store understands. Otherwise, ah, embarrassments can happen.” Snapping himself out of it, he looks back to her. And notices her book. “Or perhaps the mortar is exactly what you were looking for.” He mutters. It’s possible he meant for that to be only to himself, but he’s just loud enough that Sabrina can hear him. Clearing his throat and visibly moving past that, he says “My name is Ulrond. Would you prefer I return at a later time or to visit me in the inn? Ah, curses, hotel. They’re called hotels on this continent.” the last part he says under his breath, obviously trying his best to adhere to differing cultures. Even if his being in the shop means he’s not succeeding in some respects.

It would be a little difficult to purchase the items necessary for a health potion simply because the town at large looks down on the practice of magic, believing technology and the items derived from it are superior. Sabrina would need to locate 3 sprigs of lemongrass (not difficult, there should be some in the field between the town and Daldenes to the west. Might be dangerous due to beast activity however. This can also be skipped since these are mostly so the potion doesn’t taste like death), distilled water (again, not difficult, just time consuming. Water from the tap should do and she should be able to distill it using items around the shop), and Lifewart Mushroom. The mushroom is the most concerning part since it’s usually guarded by a wolf pack in the area who uses its healing effects to recover after a skirmish. Because of that and the fact its raw form doesn’t benefit humans and tastes like ass, no one is generally willing to gather it themselves so it’s not usually sold in town. It’s located an hour’s travel north of town.

Ulrond stands awkwardly for a bit after Sabrina answers his previous question, obviously thinking of whether he should say something. Eventually, with a resigned look on his face and a sigh, he apparently resolves himself to just asking. “Are such scrolls… books. Are such books common on this continent? Admittedly they may exist on my own, but usually they are more… tasteful.”

Catherine/Blue

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Sutopalen, Karnes Providence

A smile that doesn’t reach her eyes crosses Lilithan’s face. It says that she’d been getting bored with the proceedings up to this point and is glad to have finally found a challenge. That brings up the question of just how long this has been going on for and how many of the men in this room have heard this pitch before they finally decided to bring Catherine in, but that should be a side curiosity at best. Re-crossing her legs and leaning back into her chair, Lilithan looks directly into Catherine’s eyes. “You would be correct, of course, Lady Hawthrone. Tarmouthia is indeed a Queendom, with an unbroken lineage going for millenia.” You notice she doesn’t mention whether that unbroken lineage goes up to the current day. Nothing on her face indicates whether she’s omitting this information on purpose, however. What is obvious, however, is the pride with which she speaks of her country. “We would be providing weapons to an army of at least 2,000. I must decline to give specific numbers at this time for I cannot be sure how secure this environment is. It could be that you are merely gathering information to sell to the highest bidder, in which case I would be the direct cause of our information falling into enemy hands. That simply cannot be allowed.” She says, her plastic smile spreading in faux apology. “You would not be discussing matter further with the Queen until an element of trust, or failing that failsafes, have been implemented. Quite simply, we gain nothing from losing her to trickery while it is quite possible you would gain a hefty reward for it.” Catherine notices Lilithan takes her eyes away for a moment to glance over the men in attendance. Whether this is specific to Lilithan or the whole of Tarmouthia looks down on men is yet to be seen.

“But afterward, yes, a representative of your company would have a seat on our economics counsel and would discuss with others the direction the country would take in such matters. And to speak of my family is to speak of Tarmouthia itself, for I come from the Royal family of Newleigh. Holders of the seat of the Queen since Tarmouthia’s inception!” She seems to catch her rising fervor and quiets herself again. Catherine doesn’t catch any falsehoods in her words, but given the evasive manner she spoke in earlier, Lilithan may not be speaking the whole truth. “As we are Tarmouthia, the people I wish to keep weapons away from are those who may wish to harm our country from within. We have a few families and organizations we are wary of, but cannot come down on without seeming heavy handed, hence our request to have your company go through us. That way we know none of them have your weapons in their hands.” Catherine’s superiors look at each other around her. It’s quite obvious that a lot of the information shared here is new to them. Whether that’s because of their ineptitude or whether Lilithan really will only speak terms with a woman isn’t clear yet. “Did you have further questions for me, Lady Hawthrone? Or did you require time to think it over? While haste has its uses, rushing does nothing for anyone after all.”

Tarmouthia (Sunny)
Arsai/Ronin

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Newleighton, Soresokewen Providence

Maybe it’s due to just how pathetic Arsai managed to make herself look or maybe it’s because of everyone else now staring the man down after her display, but the man seems to fold in on himself, eyes darting around to look anywhere but her and a guilty look on his face. “Sor’y, lass. Jus’ f’get it, a’right?” He mumbles before shuffling out the door. Well that seems to have solved the situation nicely. “Filthy beta male.” She hears a feminine voice mutter as noise returns to the tavern. It’s probably for the best he chose not to engage. Until the ascension of Queen Ida of the Bellian, males were second class citizens at best. At worst, they were literal cum factories, their brain stem damaged so that they could produce semen, but not move nor speak. The practice was ended when the Newleigh family was ousted and the Clifnal family made it illegal, but her reign is still fairly new. The stigma against men with some of the citizens is still very strong, though not often plainly seen, given abusing one just for fun is a crime now.

Still, with the fun over with, everyone goes back to what they were doing and Arsai is now ignored. For the most part. She gets people either nursing hangovers or who have heard of her performances looking her way every now and then, but for the most part she’s left to her breakfast. Nothing fancy there, just eggs, sausage, and spiced porridge. The porridge might be what the town looks forward to the most, the chef somehow turning what should be a bland dish into a treat good enough people not staying in the tavern will occasionally come by for a bowl. As she eats, she has time to think of her next move. She could do a performance in the daytime. It’d mostly be for exposure since she finds it really only gives her pocket money. She could also explore the town. She’s in one of the biggest hubs of Tarmouthia after all, third behind the new capital, Idalyn, and the old capital, Lilith. If she’s going to do any traveling anytime soon, supplying herself from here wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Nidan Theocracy (Sunny)
Nallia/Kitty

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kenerraalanas, Ugaust Parish

Deciding against getting a companion for the moment, Nallia decides to head into town to look over their wares and see what she can get. She finds herself split between 3 stores for the most part. The first is an armor store that mostly specializes in cloth and leather armor, which should work to offer some level of protection that won’t wear down on her given her slight build and lacking constitution. The only real problem with this one are the prices within. She only has 20 shards to spend and any armor of quality is at least 25. And that’s without getting into the stuff advertised as Enchanted. There are a few pieces advertised as “Budget Friendly” that look like they were made with leftover materials, grass, or bits of leather rather than whole reams. Still, they go for 5 Shards a piece so if nothing else, it’s something. The second is a potions store so that if she does get hit, she can recover from it. A Weak Health Potion (Amber tier) goes 5 Shards a piece, but those rather do little when worse comes to worst. Health Potions, again, go for 25 Shards. The last place is a weapons shop, but the only items that would really work for Nallia there are magic based ones such as staffs or wands. And it falls to the same problem as the other two places where anything approaching quality costs 25 shards. Basically the problem is Nallia doesn’t have the money to afford anything really good.

If she wants to buy anything better than the lowest tier of item, she’ll need to pick up a quick buck somewhere. Given her speciality, she may be able to barter with the shop owners using her talent for enchanting as a bargaining tool. Or she can perhaps look for a job board to see what tasks she can pick up from there. There’s nearly always an Adventurer’s Guild in the towns of Deiturn, even if it’s a small branch, who pick up requests for work. Or she can just forget it and try to press on. Ugaushionno isn’t that far away and the prices might be more in her range there. Or at the very least find someone willing to give her a discount.

The Blighted Lands (Cloudy)
Visharr/Mash

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

From the moment Visharr begins the battle, he can see something is wrong with the beast he fights. It looks like something is eating away at it, sapping its strength and vigor. It also looks a bit winded from its missed attack earlier so it’s doubtful that the beast can lunge at him again so soon. It closes the distance quickly enough however, so its speed is not to be underestimated. It doesn’t appear to expect any resistance however, and Visharr draws first blood when he bashes it in the ribs with his cane. Adapting to Visharr’s aggression, things move into a standstill for a while as neither combatant can make their blow connect, the Blighted Wolf growing weaker and weaker with every passing moment.

Eventually, the Wolf’s attention slips just enough that when it attacks, Visharr gracefully slips past it and instantly grapples it, attempting to bring it to ground. It seems to pull itself together quickly enough, however, and slips out of his grasp. As it does, it lunges for his throat, obviously seeking to end things right then. Visharr gets an arm in front of it instead, taking a deep wound that bleeds well. It doesn’t affect his ability to fight, so he keeps going, using the period where it tries backing away to smash his cane into its head. The beast is visibly dazed, barely able to remain standing and focusing all its energy to keeping its feet under it. Seeing weakness, Visharr once again moves to wrestle the beast into submission, almost draggin it to the ground before it regains focus and bites at his hand, forcing him to release the hold or risk losing fingers. As it is, the teeth graze him but do no real harm.

Another back and forth ensues, both combatants attempting to connect but unable to do so. Eventually, the Wolf just runs out of stamina for the battle and fails to dodge an attack it really should have. With a crushing blow to its back, the Blighted Wolf falls and does not get back up again. It still breaths, but given the level of Mana Poison it seems to have acquired, who knows for how long. Searching the nearby area reveals that its home must have been nearby and Visharr spots a few shards of what look like Crystals and a Potion of some kind. Must have come from a previous victim.

With the immediate danger passed, it’s time to return to the mission. From the map he took off the Priestess, he is on the northeast edge and should be near the sole town of the Blighted Lands: Duslynlin. Visharr can’t be sure if they’ll show the same hatred of him because of his Cursed status, but it can’t hurt to try. Probably. He can also elect to just skip it entirely and head into Nida. Or go further into the Blighted Lands to the only other marked position on the map: The Fortress of the Damned. Any way he travels, it should be a bit of time before he reaches his destination.

Eford (Raining)
Quina/Cliff

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Aton ,Borough Earldom
“But of course, Miss. If that is agreeable with your boss?” He says, looking to today’s foremen. He looks unhappy with the whole thing, almost anticipating losing Quina’s abilities on the floor. It also looks like he realizes that he wasn’t really being asked his permission and denying the representative at this point would be a lot less burying the company 6 feet under. So he waves him off away with a look of barely concealed disgust. A short trip to the break room later and the representative finds a seat at a table, his briefcase on it and his fingers interlocked. He looks like he’s in a meeting room rather than the shabby, faintly sweat scented closet of a room that workers had to fight tooth and nail to get for themselves.

“Let’s get straight to business, shall we? Now, the position my superiors have in mind for you would be quite similar to what you do here. You would be in weapons manufacture, but slightly different. You see, it is quite rare for an Ice Demon to lay with a human, let alone for the child to survive or be willing to work in polite society. It’s even more rare for said hypothetical child to go into a field we work in. The increased amount of tasks you can do hasn’t fully been explored yet. We would like to invite you to explore those possibilities. So in addition to manufacturing weapons, you would also be involved in research to improve upon the items you create.” With his spiel given, he unlocks his briefcase and spins it to face Quina. It has a contract within it, outlining much the same thing he just said in a bit more detail. It also includes the pay: 200 Shards a day, paid every week. She currently makes 20 Shards a day, paid every 2 weeks. “Did you have any questions for me, Miss?”

[Mark3000]

Sabrina picks up on the elf’s embarrassed expression when he sees the pestle and mortar. It was true that no-one in her family had a working knowledge of Elvish. But the antique trader they had sold them the item ensured the quality of the translation. “I’ll keep that in mind sir” Sabrina said in a deferential tone. Though she was confused by his second statement.

Taking a notepad, Sabrina took down Ulrond’s name and order. “It may take some time to gather the ingredients. So I can bring the finished potions to your hotel” she said as she prepared to take down his hotel and room number. Usually Sabrina wouldn’t bother with delivering items herself, it was too much work. But she wasn’t going to turn down a chance to visit an elf at their hotel room. Even now she couldn’t help but ogle Ulrond’s tone body. She had to focus on preparing those health potions though. The lemongrass and distilled water would be easy enough. The Lifewart Mushrooms would be the real issue. She wasn’t much of a fighter, so she’d have to sneak by the wolves that stalk the northern field. Maybe she could brew up something to keep them at bay like a sleeping potion. Either way, she would go for the mushrooms first.

Just as she was lost in thought, Ulrond brought her attention back to her book. The one open to the image that was one loose cloth away from being softcore porn. Then she remembered his embarrassment when he saw the mortar and everything clicked into place. Her face became flush as she frantically rushed to the counter to close the book. “I-It’s not like that! We have tasteful books here too. These are just from my family’s personal collection!” Sabrina said in a frantic voice before letting the statement hang in the air.

“So Three Health Potions it is. I’ll have them to your Hotel by the end of the day.” She said as she ushered Ulrond out of the store trying to spare either of them any more embarrassment. Scrounging around the story, Sabrina tried to find any reagents laying around that she could use to make a sleeping potion. Any brew really that she could use to take care of the wolves. One she had them whipped up, Sabrina would head to get the Lifewart Mushroom.

[Mashugana]

Visharr panted heavily, wincing in pain from the injuries he'd sustained fighting the mutilated, diseased wolf. He hoped that his sounds weren't infected as he approached the dying animal, pausing as he watched it a moment before making a decision. With a sigh, he'd bring his cane down on the beast's head to mercy kill it, wishing it better odds in the afterlife before checking the area and finding it's den, taking the spoils inside for himself. He'd cautiously sniff the contents of the potion before recapping it, then set it and the shards in the one good pocket his shredded up robes had left and walk a small distance away from where he'd fought the wolf before checking his map. He didn't want to risk a scavenger or another predator looking for an easy meal from the scuffle.

From the looks of it, he had three choices. He could straight for the border to Nida, but if his encounter with the priestess was any indication, that would in all likelihood be suicide. There was this town close by called Duslynlin, but he wasn't certain if he wouldn't just be killed the moment he set foot there. The last location gave him pause, however. "The Fortress of the Damned"? That sounded ominous, but it also sounded like one of the words the priestess and others used when chasing after him, "cursed". Maybe there were others like him there, people who could fill him in on what he was and why people got so alarmed on his presence? At the very least, they wouldn't really have much right to hate him for what he was when they lived in a place referred to as Damned. It was away from his destination, and his destiny, but it wasn't like he wasn't still at square one anyway.

And so he gathered his will and his belongings and made for the Fortress of the Damned.

[cliffracer]

Quina raises an eyebrow at the sour look the foreman's getting at the slightest thought that he might be losing a star player. No confidence in her character? No hope that she might do the 'good thing' and keep a good honest job like this? The look she shoots back at him can be summed up best as unimpressed. Valued, but not respected... Well, she signed up to this job knowing that'd be the case, but he's gonna have to deal with it if she takes this one! Speaking of, she can at least respect the way this Malcolm guy can keep his cool in a sweaty closet like this. Though, she'll probably miss how earnest the working class is.

Thankfully, he knows exactly what she's interested in. Still a little suprising how forward he is with it all, but she's willing to look past it. But it looks like this job really is a tailor-made position for her. Exploring the opportunities that'd be afforded by her heritage in her favorite line of work. She's reading over the contract as she responds to him, but that Shard payout is quite attractive indeed. "Research and development, as close to literally as you can get in this case." One can only wonder what kinds of things her country would do with the things she'd make... It's an innocent offer, but she's not deaf to the implications. She's keeping those considerations close to her chest for the time being. This might be a careless question to ask... "If I take this job, I can only assume I'm going to be given a seal. Is that part of the orientation? And what're the benefits packages like at CryLog?" Better not clue him in to how much she knows about seals. Just make it a cute curiosity.

Still, it's not like the answers to those questions will influence her ultimate decision. Once he's satisfied her curiosity, and as long as signing the contract won't be what puts the seal on her, she'll sign it with a nod. "Consider me interested."