The Southern Sea

[The Forgotten God]

The city of Valgard sits at the southern end of Innuria, a port town of forty thousand, like most cities of the peninsula a fortress built for the rigors of eternal war. The Southern Sea is an exception, a haven for the rich to gamble and drink and plot. Two coups started in these walls, rebellions and crimes beyond counting planned and watched over. It is the most notorious house of sin for a thousand miles.

The letters were unexpected, the small bag of gold coins even more so. When one who seeks coin needs work, one doesn’t refuse an invitation to the grand casino. It’s a brilliant fall day when you begin arriving in your ones and twos, drawn to the promise of more gold than you can spend or at least curiosity at who could afford to give so much wealth away.

[The Forgotten God]

The back door to the casino is where the invitees arrive at the appointed time, the ebony black door with silver trim swinging open as they begin filing in in their groups of one and two. Two heavily armored paladins and a short woman dressed in varying shades of green are among the strangers, as well as two giant elves with spears nine feet long. As they show up a sharply dressed native man offers them a sparkling wine and then waves them towards a richly appointed redwood table, where about twenty empty seats await. The table was made of a single piece of the tree and as such is asymmetrically shaped, but at a narrow burl on the far side a young woman sits. She is dressed in a plain but clearly expensive white dress with a purple shawl. An amethyst glows with a sorcerous luster on her right ring finger but she is otherwise unadorned with any finery. She smiled pleasantly as the adventurers filed in.

“Please have some refreshments while everyone arrives,” she said politely. “I’m glad you al chose to respond to our message.”

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

All too pleased to leave this wretched country for a more familiar hell, the Wild Huntsman sat at the table across from the client. He didn't speak and simply crossed his arms while he waited. He already found this place unpleasant.

[Damien Chevalier]

Comte-In-exile Damien Chevalier arrived well dressed in dark clothing. His long dark blue cape swept behind him. He entered and gave the woman in white a wink, and an elaborate bow. He introduced himself loudly so everyone present could hear his name and title clearly. Then he walked to the tables with his very graceful swagger. He sat down at the table and pulled out a deck of cards. He shuffled the deck in his hand and started dealing himself a game of solitaire. He nodded to the elf who was already present, "Good day my friend."

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

The human turned to the... Cunt in Exile...? revealing his rounded ears, in spite of being dressed like some sort of Elven shaman. There were no elves built like the Wild Huntsman.

He grunted in reply, "Herneiros."

He couldn't think of much to say about the weather. A sunny climate wasn't really his natural environment.

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

"Well well, hello there, gentlemen!" Achie made his way into the room, carrying his oversized suitcase. He did not know either of the men present, though he did recall seeing one of them in the Bastard's Walk a couple days ago. "Dr. Archimedes Steller, at your service. How are you in this fine afternoon? Fine of course, you all look radiant. I gather you are here for the cryptic job, right? Well, of course. What am I asking?!"

[Damien Chevalier]

Damien leaned back in his seat and looked at the old man. He raised a single eyebrow in question. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Doctor. I am Comte-in-Exile Damien Chevalier, and this is my new friend Herneiros. He is a man of few words." He looked back to his card game. "I think perhaps you should decline the position. No offense but you look a little long in tooth to be risking your life for coin on an adventure." He covered a red card with black and nodded to himself. "Though I suppose you can just serve as support. You are a doctor after all."

[Silvia Raizer]

For this meeting, Silvia made sure she dressed to impress. She wore a frilled white shirt with fitted grey trousers, tall boots of black leather, a wide belt and her trademark feathered hat. She wore her sword but had left her lute and her other weapons in the room she had paid for. She greeted the attendants with a cheery smile and a few friendly words then looked around with interest to see who else had arrived. She recognised the Comte-in-Exile from The Bastard's Walk, and the old man as well, since he had been sitting with the wild man who travelled with the adorable creature, K'rull.

[Nigel Thornheart]

"Did someone say ADVENTURE?" the booming voice of the Adventurer Extraordinaire called from outside the room. A moment later a grenado with a short lit fuse bounced through the entrance, likely to the alarm of those within. Before anyone had much chance to react to their impending demise or dive upon the ordinance in noble sacrifice, it exploded in a blinding flash.

When those present could see once more, they would find all their limbs intact and bodies shrapnel free, the room swirling with a maelstrom of confetti and glitter, with Nigel Thornheart standing proudly before them.

[Ceutinde]

It being a lady's prerogative to arrive less than promptly, Ceutinde's rented carriage pulled up outside the casino a touch after the appointed time. Once the footman got the door, she stepped out in a dress of black lace over dark green silk, a slit up to the thigh showing off one astoundingly long and shapely leg. She held a hand out to assist Justine down from the coach, just before the flash of light went off inside. "We may have just missed either an assassination attempt, or a very dashing entrance."

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

"Oh no, I beg your pardon for the confusion, good Comte. I'm not that kind of doctor. Though I have dabbled in the the arts of my physician colleagues in the past, and surely know my way around knifes and needles." Archimedes said while searching for something inside his suitcase. "I am, in fact, a Scholar of the Natural arts! Which, if I am able to judge in that, is much more useful for a journey into the Wilds than a mere physician."

His semblance brightened as he appeared to find what he had been looking for: his 300 pages treatise on the fauna of the Mistlands. He always kept in his luggage a pocket copy of it, and of his treatise on natural fauna and flora of the continent in general. Of course, most of that information was already glued to his brain, but he found it quite useful to keep them at hand.

"Here, take a peek." He lent the copy to the exiled noble. "I know all there is to know about what awaits us outside of civilized lands. I have been doing this for more than a century, son. If you want anyone near you out there, it is old Archimedes. And possibly this big fella over there..."

Archie's expression soured when he heard the grenado landing before his the other companions. He knew that voice, an unforgettable one, especially considering how much it's owner liked to talk. As the confetti shower faded, it revealed that the kind old Archie had turned into a grump.

"Thornheart..." He gritted his teeth.

[Silvia Raizer]

Silvia brushed confetti and glitter off her shirt and took off her hat to shake it. As she did so, she looked at the man who had made such a dramatic entrance. At first she was baffled because it was - it had to be - the model who had posed for the covers of Nigel Thornheart's books! Or perhaps it was the son of the original model, because the earliest books were more than twenty years old. And then she gasped when she heard the old man say the name and her beliefs about the identity of Nigel Thornheart made her feel as though she had learned that dragons were not, in fact, real. She began to laugh at the insanity of it all.

[Justine-Juliette de Vair]

Jun 29, 2020 17:48:16 GMT Ceutinde said:

It being a lady's prerogative to arrive less than promptly, Ceutinde's rented carriage pulled up outside the casino a touch after the appointed time. Once the footman got the door, she stepped out in a dress of black lace over dark green silk, a slit up to the thigh showing off one astoundingly long and shapely leg. She held a hand out to assist Justine down from the coach, just before the flash of light went off inside. "We may have just missed either an assassination attempt, or a very dashing entrance."

“I’m not sure which I’d prefer. It would be terribly exciting to be the only ones left,” Justine replied as she took Ceutinde’s hand and disembarked the carriage. She only just remembered to lift the hem of her skirt as she stepped out. It had been a long time since she had been so finely and fashionably dressed and she had almost forgotten what it was like. The gown, courtesy of her patroness of the evening, was a rich red and glimmered at every curve it clung to.

She looked around in fear for a moment, scanning the darkness for anything lurking there, and then just as quickly recovered to smile at Ceutinde. “Thank you for looking after me, by the way. I hope I showed you enough gratitude last night.”

[Damien Chevalier]

Damien jumped to his feet and turned to Thornheart holding the large volume from the doctor in his hands, "I am afraid you are in the wrong room. The bachelorete party is in another room. It is just down the hall. The bride will certainly be excited to see some one of your flamboyance good sir." He pulled out his pouch and offered NIgel a gold coin. "This is for your show... it was interesting to say the least." He gave the unfortunate stripper a warm smile. "I don't suppose you have another explosion for her."

[Ceutinde]

"Think nothing of it, my dear. The night was perfect in every way." Ceutinde led the way into the casino, keeping her hand on Justine's if the other woman didn't object. The sight of bits of confetti still falling to the floor confirmed that it was, alas, not an assassination. She grabbed two glasses of wine from a passing waiter, and handed one to her companion, using a finger to pick out a long piece of tinsel. "Well. Seems we've somehow met the same crowd from last night, in slightly nicer clothes. Joy of joys."