Tales of Faerun

[josh900]

"Oh dear, a half vampire." Tannin said in a bored tone. "Let me take a guess, you've made it your life's mission to hunt down other vampires, using your vampiric powers for the forces of good. Lets see, you won't ever allow yourself to grow close to anyone for fear that your monstrous nature will hurt them, you've sworn off harming the innocent, annnnd.... your father was the vampire, forced himself on your mother and spawned you, and your mother either died or gave you up soon after forcing you into a life of orphanage where you swore an oath to rid the world of all vampires." He said dryly as he looked up at the ceiling.

"And here's the part where I beg you to tell me I'm wrong and I become the happiest man alive if I am." He said looking to Tenebris with a smile.

[Quintatas]

Xundus was sitting in the inn with the others when a strange man walked in. The drow wasn't particularly disturbed, even with the others calling him a half-vampire; he had seen much stranger things in his life. He did start to wonder, though, when he thought over how a half-vampire could possible be made. Wouldn't the vampire parent make the other parent a vampire, causing the child to be a vampire? he thought. Several possibilities fluttered through his mind, none of them making any sense. Oh well, he thought. I have seen stranger things.

[tokyobiohazard]

Arva began to pick noodles out of his hair before he shrugged at the arrival of what would most likely be a new addition to their group. It always seemed to happen. Their group seemed to attract odd people, and this one would likely be no exception. He was concerned more for his hair, as an attractive elf was looking his way despite Ianthe holding onto his upper arm. This was when he remembered the pasta and sauce in his hair and got up, saying to Ianthe, "I've got to find somewhere to wash my hair out now."

Ianthe shied behind Aera, whose tail was still steadily waggling back and forth, seemingly on its own. Aera was still uneasy, despite the fact that Tenebris seemed harmless... for the moment. She gathered that this man was not a member of the party, and prayed to herself that he wouldn't become one.

[AurianaValoria1]

Conall, sensing Ianthe and Aera's unease, sat down next to them. He placed a hand on the weretiger's shoulder and leaned close to the two women, murmuring, "Worry not. If Rhaine is not bothered by him, you know you can relax a bit." He then ordered a bowl of soup and some bread and began to eat, famished after the journey by sea. Meanwhile, Aodh, not wanting to miss an opportunity to get a free meal, fluttered around Arva's head as he left, pulling sauce-covered noodles out of the elf's hair with slurping noises. Argyros, seemingly content for now, continued eating, far too absorbed in contemplating the flavors of the elaborate human dishes to be concerned about a half-drowned half-vampire. Dagny, too, returned to her meal - or, rather, her drinking, as she started her fifth tankard and did not stop gulping down ale until she hit the bottom. If that thing decided to bite her, she was going to make sure he got second-hand alcohol poisoning...

 

Rhaine sat across from Tenebris and crossed her legs, interlacing her fingers over one knee, "We're hunting undead, brother. The Cult of the Dragon. In particular, the dracolich Valthanarax. He has ambitions to take Tchazzar's place as the holder of Tiamat's power, and has scattered his nine phylacteries across the land. Two of them we have destroyed already. The third is nearby, in the Shaar."

 

At that moment, the inn door opened, and a dark, silvery-skinned woman entered the common room. She spoke pardons to Nawen and Horo as she passed by them, as they stood on either side of the entrance. Her dusky complexion was almost drow-like, and her ears were markedly pointed, though her hair was ebony black. Garbed in leather and steel, with two longswords at her hips, she looked like a mercenary...

 

...until Rhaine caught the emblem engraved on her glittering breastplate. The Doomguide's lips broke into a wide smile, and she stood to greet the woman, but before she could say anything, the stranger greeted her first, raising a thin black eyebrow at Rhaine and remarking, "Well, well. Fancy seeing you here. Never thought I'd get the chance to meet the Chosen herself...in Chondath, of all places. But where are my manners?" She clasped her fist to her chest with a bow, "Zorica D'Aurelis. Paladin of the Eternal Order."

 

Suddenly, a brindle furry head poked out of one of the woman's belt pouches with a squeaky, "Mew!" Its amber eyes matched its owner's in hue and glow. Zorica grinned and gestured to the kitten, "And this is Sir Meowsalot. My faithful companion."

 

Rhaine returned the paladin's gesture, "A pleasure and an honor, sister. You are welcome at my table."

[GrueMaster]

"Oh dear, a half drow," Tenebris said condescendingly to Tannin while wearing a smile. "Let me guess, you've made it your life-long goal to prove you're not like the drow-side of the family, and that you've promised yourself to do as much good in the world as possible, despite growing up in an orphanage where everyone hated you."

 

He rolled his eyes and took on a more serious tone. "Honestly, Tannin Virson, I don't particularly care about vampires, or others, for that matter. Vampires are simply another form of undeath; only difference is it takes more hits to bash one back to Jergal. As for mortals, can't really say I haven't really hurt any, unless of course you count telling a fortune to a fast, young couple foretells the failure of their relationship and they then break up over it." Tenebris shrugged. "What they do with the information isn't my concern, really. There was this one time I smashed a paladin's face in, though, but that's another story entirely. For the most part, people tend to avoid me, not the other way around. I don't know why..." he spoke nonchalantly. "It's not like I bite people or anything."

 

The half-vampire stretched and turned back to Rhaine as she spoke of her mission. "Hmmm, a dracolich you say... interesting..." Tenebris got up and turned away from the Doomguide, walking over to an empty table and pulled out a set of rune-inscribed dragon-knuckle bones.

Jergal, Lord of the End of Everything, he prayed silently. Should I your servant join this party and lend aid? Opening his eyes, the cleric rolled the bones onto the table. What shall be Your will...?

 

The knuckle bones came to stop...

 

Weal.

 

Nodding, Tenebris turned to Rhaine as he returned to his. "It seems that you have a new member among your entourage, sister. Once I finish drying off and get some food, we can discuss the details of our future endeavors."

 

Just then another half-drow walked in. Another half-drow... he thought, throwing a meaningful look towards Tannin before noting the newcomer was a follower of Kelemvor as well. Another sister... I wonder if more of them will arrive...

 

 

Tak'we shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he listened to the stranger calling himself Tenebris. Is he a shaman? he thought to himself, a sudden surge of questions popping up in his head for a brief moment, before filing the questions for later and going back to eating. What a strange softskin...

Edited March 1, 2014 by GrueMaster

[nethgros]

Worry flared up only momentarily in Horo as he noticed Nawen's hand move to her sword, but it was only momentary. He had to remember that these people were his friends, and she was likely startled. He would have done the same. Her leaving just as Conall arrived with the ashen figure did seem more than coincidental however.

 

"On your way out? How are things in there? I was really never one for staying in an inn."

[Flipout6]

"Half-vampire, hm?" Sybille asked from the table, interested. "Oh, sorry, para-human. My mistake. I'm Sybille. Pleased to meet you." As she stood up to shake his hand firmly, Marie sized this newcomer up with a scrutinizing eye and didn't like what she saw, prompting her to keep an eye on him through the course of their travels.

 

"Man, I thought this little circus was full-up on weird." Weyland quipped, barely glancing up from his bacon-covered shrimp. "Don't worry, you'll feel right at home. Probably. I'd shake your hand but....well, bacon-covered shrimp, man!" And with that he went back to eating. Neither Amendale nor either of the Ordains said a word. They'd barely gotten back to eating when yet another traveler walked in, this one bearing a symbol of Kelemvor and....a cat.

 

Wasn't long before Sybille was right there, both introducing herself and trying to coax Sir Meowsalot into letting her rub his ears. Weyland watched with an amused grin while Amendale eyed Sybille with a hint of amusement. Annette quickly joined Sybille in trying to pet the cat, quietly stating her name as she went. Marie eyeballed this new stranger too, but Rhaine's trust in her put her own mistrust to rest for a little while, and she went back to silently watching Tenebris, Shalena, and Tannin.

 

Amendale's owl suddenly soared in through the door and gracefully landed on his shoulder, shaking off a few stray raindrops. I must say, that is not the most pleasant storm I've had the misfortune of enduring. It told Amendale, before it started plucking food from Marie's plate as she glared at it.

[Deleted6317247User]

Nawen raised an eyebrow to Horo's question and shot a glance at the door. As they were still open, she managed to take a small peek inside before the half-drow woman closed the door behind her. She caught a glimpse of a pale man who entered the tavern with Conall sitting by the fire and talking to Rhaine, and it also seemed that not everyone liked the newcomer.

 

"Everything was fine when I left," she said as she looked back at Horo, "but now I'm not sure." "I was going out of the town for a bit, to train my little friend here," she explained and pointed to Rhegar who was sniffing the ground near the corner of the tavern.

========================================

"Bite me?" Shalena asked amused, "after a dinner or two, you might get a chance if you're lucky." She laughed at her lame joke before ordering something to drink.

 

"I'd suggest a drinking challenge," she said to Dagny, "but I see you're quite ahead of my already."

 

When Zorica introduced herself, the captain groaned. "You don't happen to be another Chosen, are you? I don't think my men could handle another one scaring the wits out of them."

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine glanced back to the half-vampire, "Well, welcome aboard then, Tenebris. We could certainly use the help. It will take all of our power to thwart this dracolich; and believe me, he still has the upper hand." She shook her head and sighed, "We've been trying to move as quickly as we can, and we've only just managed to stay one step ahead of him so far. I fear that will not always be the case."

 

While the Doomguide was speaking, Zorica grinned at the other red-headed half-elf, "No, thank the gods, I'm not. I wouldn't want to have that sort of responsibility thrust upon me. I've only just recently been accepted into the Order." At her hip, Sir Meowsalot was thoroughly enjoying the attention he was receiving from the other women, purring loudly with the occasional "mew" thrown in every once in a while. The paladin returned to her attention to Rhaine once the Chosen finished speaking with the Jergali and added, "So...what's this I hear about a dracolich?"

 

Rhaine sighed again, "As I've been telling Tenebris, here, we're hunting a very powerful dracolich of the Cult of the Dragon. He has a phylactery very close, in the Shaar. There's seven of them left in total, and we're trying to get to them all before he can take the power of Tiamat's avatar from Tchazzar of Chessenta."

 

"Count me in," the silvery-skinned paladin replied without hesitation, her amber eyes widening with surprise and concern, "It wasn't what I came here for, but if I can help, I will. You have my oath."

 

The Doomguide's brow furrowed, "I thank you for your aid as well...but what exactly did you come here for, sister?"

 

Zorica crossed her arms, swallowing hard, "I don't know really...justice? Vengeance? A mix of both? It seems so. I'm on a hunt of my own, Lady Chosen - a hunt for followers of Velsharoon. I'll be honest, though, it's been more of a wild goose chase than anything, thus far. I've gained no leads at all in the past few weeks. Your quest is far greater than mine, however, and far more urgent. I realize that personal business must be put aside for the greater good. I can worry about exacting vengeance when the world is in less danger."

 

Conall, having finished his food, excused himself and departed for his room upstairs, to spend the rest of the afternoon in quiet solitude. He nodded politely to Zorica as he passed, but otherwise said nothing, the full, exhausting toll of the two week trip by sea finally settling upon his shoulders. Aodh accompanied him, curled about his neck in a sleepy, noodle-filled contentment; the pseudodragon had grabbed one of Xallistine's charms and was holding it tightly in his mouth even as he dozed. Argyros followed behind, so stuffed with food that he could barely move, though still with a look of thoughtful wonder on his face. Dagny, too, went to her own room, having downed seven full tankards and being in no shape to do much of anything. She locked the door behind her and pushed the dresser in front of it, just to make sure that blasted half-vampire didn't have an easy way inside...

[Brutii]

Arthas Daud glanced around the town of Iijak. He had had to ask where he was, for he was unable to read the letters on the map he had. It certainly made navigation more difficult in new areas. The main produce and exports of Iijak, he had deduced, were fish and grain, so he decided to mark the city on his map with a small fish. Symbols such as this dotted the map. For instance an Emerald with an double ended arrow under it marked the Emerald way, a small log marked Hlath and a fishing rod marked Samra. He supposed that at first glance one might find the symbols as meaningless as he found the words. He folded the map multiple times and then slipped it away.

Daud paused, examining the city around him; He sniffed the air and found his nostrils filled with the smell of sea food being cooked. He felt the saliva build inside his mouth at the thought of food and drink and carefully drew a handful of coins from his pocket, counting them and deciding whether he could afford to spend any. That blasted crew that he had paid to sail him to Hlath had stolen from him, he was sure of it. There was no way, in the name of every last deity in existence, that he had managed to spend so much in such little time.

He continued slowly down the streets, looking for a place to eat and stay but everything he saw appeared either too expensive or... well, the kind of place where nothing had been cleaned since it had started. Eventually, he found one and entered, peering over its inhabitants... some of them were rather odd, different. He had arrived in time to over hear a conversation between multiple... patrons. The first appeared to be a Drow, as he guessed from her dark, silvery grey skin... yet some things about her weren't, so he guessed there was probably blood from another race in her. The Second had dark red hair and emerald eyes and... Wings? He supposed there were stranger things in the world than that... The third one he noted was just smaller than himself and had very pale skin and seemed almost unhealthy thin. He glanced around the room quickly, and discerned the abnormal mix of patrons. Yes, you could usually find a variety of different people from many walks of life in these places, but such a large number of people like... Well, this? Rather odd.

Daud heard only the end of the conversation, and heard the Drowish woman saying that she would take revenge on something when the 'world is in less danger'. Intrigued, he stood and approached them. He didn't expect a warm welcome from entering a conversation uninvited, but he needed to know whether this was an immediate danger or simple fear mongering. After all, if the world was in some form of catastrophic danger then he in turn was in danger.

"Forgive me butting in, but what's this 'Danger' to the world?" Daud said as he approached across the room, running his eyes over them again now that he could observe them from closer up.