Ambrosia Software Web Board: The Alraeican Tavern, Part V - Ambrosia Software Web Board

<<EDIT>>uh.. WARNING kinda a huge post for the tavern <</EDIT>>


J.Ace21 sat up from the table he was at. He stretched his arms, put on his cloak and went outside to get some fresh air. The night was dark and the stars glittered in the night sky. J.Ace21 thought that he saw his friend Rogar in the form of a falcon but realized that he'd be off with ferazel looking for the Crolna. J.Ace21 sighed as he thought of the days that he had been off adventuring. 'If only I were an elf like Rogar' J.Ace21 thought to himself with a smile.
J.Ace21 went out of the city toward the mouth of the river, supposedly where the founders of Cademia started the now great city. Suddenly he saw a blur as a figure jump up temporarily obscuring the moonlight. Suddenly the figure bolted back down to the earth and before he knew it J.Ace21 felt a blade on his throat and the stench of poison filled his senses. 'err.. I'm getting too old!'
"Who are you?" J.Ace21 asked as he fingered his powerful dagger inside of his cloak.
"omaaewa darae!?[oh ma e wa da re - Who are you!?]" said the stranger.
J.Ace21 stood still, not understanding anything and realizing that this stranger could not understand him either. As a sign of piece J.Ace21 threw down his dagger. 'If he makes a move I'll just use my cloak and get back to the tavern for help' thought J.Ace21.
The stranger stared at the dagger and pulled down his weapon.
J.Ace21 picked his dagger off the ground and looked at the stranger. He was a medium sized man, about the same height as J.Ace21. He could see that the stranger didn't seem to be wearing any armor, none that reflected the moonlight like steel anyway. He saw a long narrow sheath sticking out behind of the stranger. But the thing that caught J.Ace21's eye was the weapon that he had felt so near his throat. A blade attached to the strangers wrist was glowing a pale green. 'the poison' J.Ace21 thought to himself.
"omaaewa Shinokensai" said the stranger, "Shinokensai" the stranger said once more very slowly while pointing to himself.
"oh," said J.Ace21 realizing that the stranger warrior, Shinokensai, was introducing himself and did said, "J.Ace21," in the same fashion.
J.Ace21 thought hard to himself and decided to take back this warrior to the tavern.

On entering the tavern alot of the people greeted the newcomer as they usually would until J.Ace21 explained that he could not understand their language.
"Here, I don't know you very well but I think you might be able to help this man. I think he says that his name is Shinokensai. I can't understand a thing he's saying but maybe you can," said J.Ace21 approaching theScribe.
"I am more fluent in writing, but yes, I will try," replied theScribe and the two sat down and theScribe attempted to translate what Shinokensai was saying.
theScribe obviously had not met one of Shinokensai's people because he seemed to not understand. He made a few comments that some of the words were similar to one of the ancient languages he knew but also said that the language was so old the meaning would probably be completely different in the newcomer's language.
Amidst all this chaos Shinokensai sat up, obviously with a new idea. He started to do a few incantations which made a few people go for their weapons and a few more start for the door but the chant ended quickly and a set of sparkling dots appeared in the sky. The dots came together to form a picture. It showed the head's of two people and two arrows pointing to the other from their heads.
At this time Avatara came to the group and he stared at Shinokensai and Shinokensai stared back. They stood like that for quite a long time and a few people lost interest and went back to their tables. But J.Ace21 and theScribe stayed and watched intently. After awhile Avatara and Shinokensai fell to their chairs looking exhausted.
"What did you do?" asked theScribe.
"Well I," started Avatara.
"He and I talked through mind," said Shinokensai to the surprise of many.
"He means that we communicated through mind-talk," said Avatara, "I tried to teach him as much as possible since mind-talk is alot quicker than conventional speech, but it is also very tiring and I must get some rest. To summarize about our new friend here, it seems that his people were somehow.. banished to Cythera as the original Cytherans were. He says he will take us to his people and their leader, Miromashi I believe, tomorrow. Until then why don't you guys talk with Shinokensai here. He could use some practice with his newly learned language and I think he'll be staying here for quite a long time."


***OoC***
Info on Shinokensai and some general ideas are in the Character Info thread. They are a kind of Japanese style people, because I'm trying to teach myself Japanese right now. They are the Higurashi and I have a few more characters in the making. Until they are finished Shinokensai will be the only person known to us all.
Some speculation on how the Higurashi got here is in the Character Info profile for Shinokensai which I believe is on the third page and is the latest entry.

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Current Characters :
J.Ace21, Rogar, Shinokensa!

[This message has been edited by J.Ace21 (edited 01-27-2002).]

Indigo sighed and sat back down. He had expected there to be a lot more short-distance battles around, but apparently not.

Maybe in a few weeks, when more people were around, he'd try again.

[OoC]
C'mon, peoples, post! Indigo was standing there for 5 days waiting!
[BiC]

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A sense of peace fell over as I watched the sunset from my room...then I realized my window faces west.
***
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

Shinokensai sat down and looked around at the tavern. It seemed awfully quiet compared to how it had been when he had come in. No fights, no talking, nobody was drunk, and the people all seemed to only be interested in their drinks.
'Strange,' he thought to himself,'but I guess this is how it is in this strange new land, I must follow suit if I am to fit in.' and he decided to stay sitted.


**OoC**
Wonder why there hasn't been alot of activity around here lately?
I've been gone for a couple of days and there's only one reply after me .

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Current Characters :
J.Ace21, Rogar, Shinokensa!

Katerei suddenly re-entered the tavern, striding swiftly up to the table occupied by the returned adventurers. Brianna and Trinias entered after her, with Shi flying in just ahead of them; all three watched Katerei with some concern. Trinias joined Sasha and Ulf, while Brianna took Shi to meet the Scribe.

"Grandfather, I'd like you to meet Shinayne, a Phaerie, and a very good friend. She helped us a lot on this quest. Shi, this is my honoured ancestor, who likes to be known as the Scribe."

"Very pleased to make your acquaintance," the Scribe responded, eyes twinkling. He took one of Shi's tiny hands gently between two fingers, and bowed slightly. "It's been long since I met someone of your race."

"You've met other Phaeries? When? Where? I'm sure I would have heard of it! If you're as nice as Brianna, and you must be, why would they have kept it a secret?" Shi was almost beginning to sound distressed. Brianna was also surprised, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh, not here, not here. It was a different world, and long before you were born, Brianna. Perhaps I'll tell you both the tale sometime. But for now, I'd like you to meet another new acquaintance, Shinokensai. He seems to be reluctant to tell any of his story, but I'm quite certain that it's an interesting tale; yes, a most fascinating tale indeed!"

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I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 02-10-2002).]

[OoC]
Gosh, this post is long. No wonder it took forever to type.
[BiC]

Katerei sat at one of the tables, watching the conversation. She still felt exhausted. The memories had been more vivid than ever...it had seemed so real.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she caught sight of something at the window. Something familiar. Somebody familiar.

She stood up and walked towards the window, ignoring the questioning glances. There was nobody in sight, but Katerei knew better.

"I'll be back later," she called and slipped out the door.

The cold air washed over her, reviving her senses. Katerei looked around, studying the fresh snow. Light pawprints. Of course.

She followed the footprints, which ended abruptly and started again several feet away. Katerei smiled briefly and followed the prints to the corner of the building, where they turned and headed off in the direction of the forest.

Katerei checked to make sure there was nobody around, then bent down and transformed into the ice-blue wolf. She sniffed the footprints, and ran off towards the forest.

***

Katerei trotted between the trees happily. She was almost there, the scent was getting stronger.

***

Lying down in the bushes, Katerei watched as the white wolf paced. She grinned and stood up, steadying herself, then leaped over the bushes into the clearing. She tackled the white wolf, rolling over in the snow. She barked happily.

The white wolf stood up, shaking off the snow. She laughed and pounced onto the smaller blue wolf, pinning her to the ground. Katerei squirmed out from under and resumed her Elemence form. She hugged the white wolf happily, then drew back and sat down in the snow.

"I missed you, Silvre," she said, attempting unsuccessfully to stop smiling.

Silvre gazed at Katerei. "I missed you, too, my kithaya- or shall I call you avera il niva, the puppy of the north. You certainly act like one!"

Katerei grinned sheepishly. "I am sorry, Silvre."

"Do not worry about that," the wolf replied calmly. "I have questions for you. First off- where did you go?"

"I went on a journey with Ferazel and several other people." Katerei bowed her head. "I am sorry for not listening to you. Nothing bad happened to me, though, except..." She hesitated. "Except for at the end, when we got back here."

"I am aware of that incident," Silvre nodded. "I was watching through the windows of the barracks. I do not blame you, kithaya, it was for other reasons that it occured...reasons I did not expect you to know. As for going on the adventure, well, I daresay that was not the best choice, but you were not here or in Vera and that was the crucial part.

"I realized you had most likely gone off on an adventure somewhere. I searched nearby, but you had already left, of course. And, as you know, I have to be summoned by you, since the dagger only works one way. I had no purpose to stay here while I waited, so for a little while I returned to the Amaroqs." Silvre smiled briefly. "They are doing fine without me. I returned a week or so ago, then discovered that you were here. I have been waiting since then."

Katerei mulled over that for a moment, then she looked up. "You said you had some other questions for me?"

"I do," Silvre replied. "However, I suggest we talk as we are moving...it may take awhile."

***

An hour or so later, Katerei and Silvre were standing by the edge of the forest, looking out at Cademia. Katerei sighed.

"I suppose I should be going back to Cademia, they may be expecting me." She turned to Silvre and looked at the large wolf thoughtfully. "Perhaps you would like to come with me to the Alraeican Tavern? I think some of my friends would be interested in meeting you."

***

Katerei opened the door to the Tavern and held it open for Silvre. The wolf followed her in, gazing around calmly. A man on the far side of the bar stood up and shouted angrily, "Hey! That wolf's not allowed in here!"

Silvre merely stared at the man, then trotted over to him. "Seyqua, kithaya. May I ask why I am not allowed in here? I don't recall doing anything wrong."

The shocked patron drew back. "You can talk!" he said. "But you're a wolf...how can you talk?!"

"Quite easily, I daresay," Silvre laughed. She returned to Katerei, who led the wolf over to the tables where her friends were sitting. She gestured to the white wolf. "Everyone, this is my friend Silvre, the leader of the Amaroq wolf pack. She's visiting Cademia for awhile."

Silvre nodded. "Seyqua. I have been watching around here recently. Anybody who is a friend of Katerei's is a friend of mine, my ilayas." She smiled.

Sasha looked at Silvre, nearly as surprised as the other man Silvre had talked to. "How did you learn to talk?"

"With this pendant," Silvre said, raising her head so they could see the star-shaped sapphire hung around her neck. "Katerei taught me your language. Terribly confusing compared to Amaroq." She shook her head ruefully.

Katerei smiled and sat down in an empty chair. "Well, it wasn't completely your pack's invention," she teased. "Most of it was derived from the old Elemence."

"That's true," Silvre admitted. She sat down by the table, interested in talking to her new friends.

***

Katerei stood up from the table. "I think it's time for us to be going," she siad, looking at Silvre. "I've been thinking...I'm just going to take a break for awhile, stay in the forest and work on my spells and such. I'll probably be gone for a few weeks. If you need me, I'll be coming back into town every now and then, but I think some solitary time is neccessary."

Silvre smiled. "That is a wise choice, my kithaya. Time off to recover from recent events is a good idea." She stood up and stretched all four legs. "I'll stay with you for a time, to watch over you, but for a week or so I'll have to return to the Amaroqs. Besides, being completely on your own for awhile might help too."

Everyone at the table nodded. Katerei waved to them, then slipped out the door with the white wolf behind her.

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A sense of peace fell over me as I watched the sunrise from my room...then I realized my window faces west.
***
Email me or visit my site at [url="http://"http://www.danicsoft.com/kat"]http://www.danicsoft.com/kat[/url]

Brianna glanced around the tavern, a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Is something wrong, child?" the Scribe queried.

"Perhaps. Could we talk in private, grandfather?"

"Certainly." He turned to Shinokensai. "Please excuse us."

"Of course," Shinokensai replied.

The Scribe made his way to an empty table in the corner. Brianna stood up to follow him, then noticed Shi hovering uncertainly nearby. Brianna smiled, and beckoned; Shi flew over to join them.

Once they were seated, the Scribe activated his privacy spell. "Go ahead Brianna, we won't be overheard."

"Thank you, grandfather. While we were on this quest, something happened. I was confronted by a shapechanger, who tried to kill Shi, and then me. It was - disturbing." She paused, and took a deap breath. "Grandfather, it happened again. When we got back to the inn, It tried to take over! I'm afraid I gave Shi quite a fright."

"I'll say you did!" Shi squeaked. "What was that, anyway? Can it be cured?"

Brianna smiled at her sadly. "I'm sorry, my little friend. I wouldn't hurt you for the world; you do know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know it wasn't you, you'd never do things like that. But what was it?"

"That is a long story," the Scribe intoned, solemnly. "But I know the Phaerie are very good at keeping secrets, so if Brianna wishes, I will allow her to tell it to you sometime. But Brianna, you must be extra careful from now on. In the meantime, I will redouble my efforts to find a cure. Now, tell me all you've found out about this 'Pnyx'; it sounds like the most promising avenue to explore."

They talked for some time, before the Scribe stood up to rejoin Shinokensai. "I'll leave the privacy field active, if you like, and you can tell Shi your story."

"Thank you, grandfather."

The old elf left, and Shi sat down on the table in front of Brianna. "So what's the big secret?" It was a measure of her interest, that she limited herself to just five words.

"Well, Shi, it all began when I was a little girl..."

The tale* took some time to relate. By the time Brianna was done, night had already fallen.

"Well, I suppose I should go and change, and get back to work. Thank you for being so patient."

"No problem, Brianna. If there's any way I can help later on, let me know, OK? I might have to go away for a while soon, but I'll be back! Byeee!" Shi waved, as Brianna stepped out the door.

*** OoC ***
*I plan to relate the tale in an upcoming chronicle, probably right after Book 2 of the Ronin Saga.
*** BiC ***

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I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

Some time later Brianna returned, having changed back into her usual green dress. Before long, it was business as usual.

The Scribe's sensitive ears perked up when he heard Sasha sighing, and he began to follow the Ronin's conversation carefully. Clearly, they were concerned about their missing friends, one of whom - the chief of them, it seemed - he'd never actually had the opportunity to meet.

One of the three - the young man called 'Trinias', as he recalled - went and spoke to Brianna. "Most intriguing," the Scribe thought to himself, delightedly. "Brianna has made a good number of friends here! Coming to Cythera was plainly the correct course to follow."

Trinias expressed the Ronin's intent to search for their missing comrades, and asked Brianna to organise a search if they didn't return. With that, the three Ronin departed the tavern.

The Scribe caught Brianna's eye, and she hurried over to see what he wanted. "You seem to have made quite an impression," he said sternly, but with a twinkle in his eye. A faint red tinge appeared on Brianna's cheeks , and she opened her mouth to speak. "All right, all right," the Scribe pre-empted her protest, smiling broadly. "You must allow your old grandfather to tease you, once in a while!"

"Well, just once in a while," Brianna growled crossly, and went back about her business.

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I came, I saw, I wrote the travelguide!

Booooring.
If Shi had been asked to describe the Tavern, that would have been the word she'd have used. Unfortunately, nobody was asking, neither about the Tavern nor anything else. They weren't even talking to her. Everyone was busy doing - well, what were they doing, anyway? Shi didn't know, and she didn't care much.
Everyone except the Scribe, that was. The old elf had treated her kindly, asked her to tell her about the Phaerie (Shi had to give him credit for that, at least *somebody* here got her race straight from the beginning). Being who she was, Shi had been happy to fulfil that request.
Cheerfully, she had chattered away the day, telling him about her friends; about Leriella, for example, and whether or not Shi should take along one of the more handsome males in the area as a companion for the beautiful Naiad (Leriella was always complaining about how lonely she was in her lake, and how stupid she had been to let that golden-haired fellow with the strange pointed ears go; unfortunately, the elf - at least Shi assumed the man must be an elf - had been content at the moment, for, as Leriella had told her, he had been accompanied by a young silver-haired woman; personally, Shi suspected the Naiad had simply been too shy to come out of her lake, and even if that silver-haired girl did in fact exist, Leriella, being the hopeless romantic she was, would never have borne to see them parted, much less part them herself; not that she would have been unable to do so, power-wise; after all, the Naiad really had an exceedingly beautiful lake); maybe the Scribe knew somebody who would be interested in the offer, because Shi really wished for her friend to be happy.
Thus she had talked, about animals and other creatures of the wilderness, talked and talked, until - quite suddenly and rather unexpectedly - Shi had run into a problem, or rather, out of gossip. That had really been a shock for the Phaerie, who had never yet in her admittedly short life encountered that kind of problem. The Scribe, misinterpreting her sudden silence, had produced a thimble from somewhere (a remarkable invention, much like the foxglove, only from wood; Shi seriously wondered what the big people normally used them for), filled it with water (where had he gotten that from so suddenly?), and given it to her (again something for which Shi gave him credit; he was really a nice person!). At that point, the young woman had been rather embarassed, for - despite his attention - Shi had nothing more to tell him; at least nothing that was up to date. Luckily, the Scribe had understood.
Now he was writing down everything, or at least that's what Shi supposed he must be doing. She didn't know for sure; she couldn't read the script.
And Shi, sitting next to the open book, was bored, bored almost to tears. Scanning the room, she absent-mindedly toyed with the golden necklace. "The necklace!" Shi took wing immediately, almost knocking over the inkstand. The Scribe looked up, startled, to find himself face to face with the excited Phaerie. "Now I know what to do! Thank you so much for listening to me!" She landed again, bowing gracefully, and then fluttered off, leaving behind a rather perplexed Scribe. He shook his head, turned back to his writing, sighing as he saw the tiny marks of two bare feet in his newest writings.
Shi spotted Gwydion almost immediately, though he was sitting in all alone in a drak corner. Guiltily, she noticed how depressed he looked, and wondered how she could have forgotten about him, and why he hadn't reminded her.
Soundlessly the Phaerie landed on his shoulder, whispering into his ear. "Hey, Gwydion, I'm going home." She took off again, flying a small distance before turning back. "Are you coming?"
The question was an unnecessary one, really; as soon as Shi had taken wing again, Gwydion had shouldered his pack. "About time." He muttered under his breath.

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As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?

[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 03-07-2002).]

I was starting to think about posting a eulogy for our dear, departed Tavern. Thanks for reviving it, Moonshadow

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Kobayashi Maru!

Hearing the Tavern door open, Brianna glanced over from the bar where she was cleaning a glass. She smiled, recognising Trinias, Sasha and Ulf. Her smile faltered a little at their depressed expressions - and at the sight of the battle-scarred stranger that accompanied them. She made her way over to greet them, as they looked around for an empty table.

"We're very full tonight," she said, "there're no more tables; why don't you join grandfather?"

"Thank you," replied Sasha. "I wish to seek his advice on something, anyway."

Brianna escorted the small group over to the Scribe's table, and sat down with them as the Scribe smiled in welcome.

"I can only stay a minute, we're very busy," Brianna apologised. "I'm glad to see you back safely, but I guess you had no luck finding the other Ronin?"

"No," Trinias replied. "We found where they went, up to a point - then the trail disappeared, like they'd been teleported somewhere. We had nothing more to go on, so we're back."

"I see," the Scribe murmured, brows furrowed in thought. He turned to the stranger. "And you would be... ?"

"My name is Lucas - Lucas Hart," the man replied. "I ran into these young'uns out there, near where their friends disappeared; they kindly offered to let me stay with them until I can find a place myself."

"I see. Brianna, why don't you take Lucas over to the bar and get us all something to drink?"

"So you can all talk about me behind my back?" Lucas drawled, with a lopsided grin. "I understand. Go right ahead." He eased back from the table, stood up and followed Brianna.

The Sribe waited until he was reasonably sure Lucas was out of earshot (although Brianna wasn't; she could follow their conversation from anywhere in the Tavern), before turning to the Ronin and raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Sasha smiled, but just barely. "Well, he was quite helpful out there, he found things none of us would have."

"Yet you have your suspicions," the Scribe stated, rather than queried.

"Da, I have my suspicions." Sasha leaned closer, conspiratorially. "His aid was invaluable, yes - but he already knew Flynn's name! Don't you think that would have been a fact worth mentioning? Besides, if Flynn had ever met someone like this Lucas, I'm quite sure he would have told us - if he had the chance."

"Yes, I see your point. Even though I've yet to meet Flynn, Brianna and I have both noticed the strong bond between the members of your group. I could well believe you'd have few, if any, secrets from each other. So what do you plan to do about him?"

Sasha's expression became grim. "'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!' My first mentor taught me that. I don't know yet if Lucas is friend or enemy - but I intend to keep him as close as I can until I find out!"

*** OoC ***
Anyone wanting to read about the first encounter between Lucas and the Ronin, you'll find it in 'The Kul'Shar Legacy part 2: Inversions'.
*** BiC ***

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 03-15-2002).]

Rulir Dragonsbane enters the bar.
"Everyone, I'm making an official announcement, my magical blacksmith shop (mentioned in my latest cron) across the way is open, and I'll be starting a weekly card game. Poker and Blackjack, as well as any dice games."
Rulir sits in his chair and orders a beer. I almost seemed like no one was paying any attention, but he would soon see.

(Don't bother starting a new topic for the smithy, just put [IBS] (in black smith) at the top of your post, that way, the tavern gets more life flowing through it, and it won't be my fault if no one comes. )

------------------
-TheDarkDragon
"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."-Jebadiah Springfield
"The goal is to accelerate the release process incrementally until we actually tear the fabric of space-time. Each final candidate will precede the one that came before it, and eventually EV Nova will be released sometime in 1937."
-mcb 3-10-02 (release of Nova fc3)

"Did he say 'poker'?" Lucas asked Brianna, as they made their way back with everyone's drinks.

"Yes, he did," she replied.

"Sounds like fun." Lucas stopped at the Scribe's table long enough to leave the mugs he was carrying, excused himself, and veered off towards Rulir's table.

"Mr, if you said 'poker', you've got yourself a game!"

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

Indigo raised an eyebrow appreciatively. He wasn't really into card games or dice, but there might be some people there willing to have a contest for throwing weapons. He smiled briefly and began polishing his throwing stars. Not quite yet, though, maybe later when more people would have a chance to gather.

Inspecting a star, Indigo noticed the four tips were wearing down. He sighed and pulled out a small razor edge, sharpening the tips to a fine point. Perfect. He tucked the star away into his leather pouch and studied the others. They all looked sharp and shiny from the previous day's polishing. Indigo grinned sheepishly to himself. He really ought to get out and do something, rather than staying in the tavern all day.

Indigo stood up and drew his nunchukas, twirling them absently. He exited the tavern and headed towards an empty clearing. Time for a bit of practice.

He didn't notice the elf watching him from the edge of the clearing. Shifting his gaze down to the darts at his waist, the elf nodded to himself. This man might be a good candidate for a match.

The elf pushed his blond hair back out of his eyes and adjusted his long, pale-blue robe. Should he talk to the man now, or wait? He decided to wait. Leaning back against a tree, the elf calmly let his dark-blue eyes settle back on the human.

------------------
"No, Reepicheep, you may -not- attempt single combat with it!"

The elf watched for awhile, until Indigo finished practicing with his nunchukas. Indigo left the clearing. Thinking quickly, the elf stood up and darted out from the shelter of the trees, intent on following Indigo.

He followed Indigo back to the front of the Tavern, but did not follow him inside. The elf leaned on the corner of the building. He could wait for Indigo to come back outside, but that might take awhile. Suddenly he noticed the building across the street. Looked like a smithy.

The door to the Tavern opened again, and Indigo stepped out again. The elf, hidden in the shadows, watched Indigo cross the street to the smithy. Perfect, the elf thought. He strode over to the smithy, opened the door, and silently slipped in. A poker game was going on, and a small group of people including Indigo were watching.

The elf nodded to himself and walked over to them. He watched the poker game for a moment, pretending to be interested, then turned to Indigo.

"Hello, sir. I noticed you practicing in the clearing back there." His voice was steady with just a hint of arrogance.

Indigo looked at him, surprised. "Yes, that's right. I'm Indigo, who're you?"

"My name is Amadeus. I did not come for these pleasantries, though," he said curtly. "I came to challenge you to a match."

"What sort of match?" Indigo inquired.

"A contest, just you and I, of missile weapons. You can use your throwing stars, if you wish, as I see you have some. I will be using my darts." Amadeus gestured to the multi-colored darts strung on the rope around his waist.

Indigo grinned. "Great! When do you want to do it?"

"Tomorrow, at noon precisely. Meet me in that same clearing."

*

Word had spread throughout Cademia quickly. At noon the next day, a small crowd had gathered in the clearing to watch. A few people were betting on the match.

Indigo gestured to the forest, where he had tacked up a wooden dartboard on a tree forty feet away. "That's what we'll be aiming for, ok?"

Amadeus nodded. "Is three shots for each fine? Normal dartboard points, added up."

"Yes, that's fine," Indigo said, and selected his first throwing star.

Meanwhile, Amadeus looked over his darts carefully, then chose a yellow one- the lightning dart. He detatched it from the rope, and turned to Indigo. "You may go first, if you like."

Indigo stepped up to the line they had drawn and readied his throwing star. He moved his arm in slow-motion, getting the angle right, then drew back his arm and snapped it forward, releasing the star. One point stuck cleanly just on the edge of the centre circle. Indigo smiled briefly and stepped back for Amadeus.

Amadeus fingered his dart and stood on the line, readying himself. He wasn't going to use magic- this was a clean match. The strange elf looked at the yellow dart, then back at the target. He lined up the tip with the center of the board, then released the dart so quickly most people didn't even see it fly. It struck the board next to Indigo's star, just barely in the black center circle.

Indigo nodded, impressed. He chose his second star and stepped onto the line. This star landed in the middle ring. Indigo frowned and stood back. Amadeus's dart, the grey air dart, also hit the middle ring, although a little farther out. They were tied.

Last shot. Indigo took his third throwing star out of his leather pouch. He threw the star up into the air, caught it, and took aim at the board. The third star flew cleanly and one tip stuck into the very center of the board.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the people watching. If Amadeus also got it in the center, they'd have to do another round; if he didn't, Indigo won.

Amadeus narrowed his eyes in concentration. He was using his red sun dart. He wasn't sure if this one would work...

The third dart struck the outer edge of the dartboard. Amadeus nodded to himself. He hadn't been concentrating enough. He turned to Indigo. "You win, congratulations. You've got better aim than most people I've seen so far."

Indigo grinned. "Thanks. You did really well, too." He extended his hand.

Amadeus hesitated, then slowly reached out and shook Indigo's hand. Then he turned away and strode off towards the forest.

*Intended to bring some life back into here! *


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"No, Reepicheep, you may -not- attempt single combat with it!"

The door was flung open as Avatara hurried inside, the snow rushing in behind him.

"I hope I'm not too late! I had to come all the way from...and he said he..." Avatara supported himself on the table, trying to catch his breath. A disgruntled man walked over and slammed the door shut. After a moment, Avatara looked around, and his expression changed from worry to annoyance.

"Speaking of which...where is he? He's late to his own invitation!" Avatara muttered as he ordered an ale and retreated to watch the door.

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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."

"Hey, watch what you're doing!" Shi snapped at the patron who'd almost shut her out... and that after she'd waited for so long for somebody to come and open the Tavern. She couldn't do it herself, after all, and because of all the snowflakes, nobody had heard her knocking.
Not seeing Brianna anywhere near, she flew over to where the male elf was sitting, and sat down comfortably on the table in front of him. After a short time of waiting she noticed that the man didn't seem inclined to notice her, but was instead watching the door. Shi turned her head to see what was so interesting about it, but apart from the snow she could detect nothing that justified any interest in it - and even though snow was certainly fun, it couldn't possibly be more interesting than a real, live Phaerie.
Unfortunately, the man didn't seem to share that opinion.
Shi jumped up lightly and tugged his sleeve to get his attention. "Excuse me... mister elf?"
"Yes?" came the distracted reply.
"I just wanted to thank you, for opening the door. I was freezing out there."
"No problem."
The elf continued watching the door, and somehow Shi doubted he had really heard her. She stood still for a moment, chewing her lower lip, then decided to make another attempt at conversation. "Who are you waiting for? Is it somebody special? Or somebody famous? Or maybe both?"

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As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?

[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 04-01-2002).]

Avatara shifted his gaze to the Phaerie and seemed to notice her for the first time, and smiled.

"I'm sorry, in my rush and dissapointment I didn't really notice you. I'm waiting for Slayer as he said he might be needing my magical talents. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be here yet. I suppose he's late and will have an interesting excuse to explain it."

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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."

"Slayer..." Shi repeated, nodding knowingly. "Uhm... mister? Do I have to know him?"

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As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?

Avatara looked confused for a moment, then he smiled pleasantly as if he remembered something amusing from long ago, "Of course not."

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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."

Indigo watched the figure retreating into the forest and shrugged. Odd elf, but he seemed interesting.

The small crowd had begun to clear off, and it had also started to snow. Indigo looked up at the grey sky, complete with tiny falling snowflakes, and decided to return to the Tavern.

He walked back down the road to the Tavern and entered, quickly shutting the door to keep out the snow. Looking around, he noticed Shi and Avatara sitting off to one side. Indigo ordered a glass of water and joined the elf and the Phaerie at their table.

"So," he said, "what are you two up to today?"

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Some people say I have too much time on my hands. I say their hands aren't big enough.

[This message has been edited by iKaterei (edited 04-01-2002).]

Lucas re-entered the tavern, shivering and brushing snow off his shoulders. As close as the smithy was, it was still a long enough walk to feel punished by the elements. Still, it had been worth it; he'd come out ahead, playing poker.

He looked quickly around to see who was present. The Ronin seemed to be absent, probably back at their barracks. Brianna was nowhere to be seen, but the Scribe was sitting at his accustomed table - as always, scribbling in that book. Lucas grunted, and shook his head; the book might make interesting reading, someday, but right now that wasn't the kind of company he wanted.

He continued to scan the crowd, until he spotted the young martial artist that had just won that contest. Lucas had been impressed by both participants; few soldiers that he'd ever commanded could learn to throw a weapon that well. The elf with him wasn't too surprising; Lucas was growing accustomed to them now. But by the stars, what was that little thing on the table?

Lucas cautiously approached. "Hi there, youngster; that was a mighty fine display you put on out there!"

"Thanks," Indigo replied - then his attention was drawn back to Shi, who was screwing her eyes closed and shielding them with her arm.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. "Turn down the light!"

"What?" Lucas queried, not entirely comprehending. He abruptly caught his breath, and fumbled with something under the gauntlett covering his left wrist. "How's that?"

Shi slowly uncovered her eyes, then relaxed. "Much better, thanks."

"No problem." Lucas pulled up a chair. "Hi, my name's Lucas. I've travelled a lot, and seen a lot of strange creatures; but I've never seen anything like you before!"

"My name is Shinayne; I'm a phaerie," Shi replied, as if it was all the answer anyone should need. Lucas just stared at her blankly.

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I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 04-01-2002).]

Lucas turned to Avatara, who had somehow slipped away to a table a bit further back, and had resumed sipping his drink.

"...what are you doing way over there?" Shi asked, having just halted in the middle of a story she was relating to Indigo.

"Sorry, I uh...spilled something on my other chair." Avatara replied.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Indigo," the other elf said, moving over to Avatara's table.

"I'm..." Avatara hesitated, trying to ignore the questioning glances the three were giving him at his pause, "I'm Avatara."

"That's not an elven name..." Indigo frowned. An uneasy silence settled for an ackward moment. Shi, mistaking the silence as an indication that they were waiting for her to continue, picked up her story where she had left off, and the moment vanished with the wind.

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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."

Slayer stepped into the tavern, glancing around. Almost immediately, he noticed Avatara sitting at one of the tables. He quickly ran over and pulled up a seat.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said apologetically. "I've been thinking about the Sorcery Tower since we left it. It seems to me that if they had been isolated for so long, working on nothing but magic, then they may have made some extraordinary advances. Indeed, while we were there, I observed some things the likes of which I had never imagined. Perhaps we should make a return trip to see exactly what sorts of magic they have developed."


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Slayer's guide to Cythera:
[url="http://"http://www.macclassics.com/cythera/cythera.htm"]http://www.macclassi...era/cythera.htm[/url]

[ooc]
Avatara- Indigo's not an elf, he's human. Just thought I'd point that out (and he's got very good aim for a human ).
[bic]

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Some people say I have too much time on my hands. I say their hands aren't big enough.

Hello. None of you probably know me, but I frequent some of the other boards around here. I was exploring some other boards, and found this was happily in its own little niche. I like the concept, so I may well hang around here, and post when I want to clear my mind with a bit of fantasy-related whirling.
Er, I'll start one character in this bar now, and you guys can feel free to interact with him, but is it OK if I develop his character on my own for now? I'll start a few others later which you guys can jointly develop, or something

****

The blood-red sun sank below Cythera's horizon. A red-purple haze remained in the dusk, creating long shadows and patches of darkness in too many places. Unexpectedly, the tavern's door opened. Indeed, had it not been for the rather painful creak which made every head in the tavern turn, most likely no one would have noticed it. A stranger, blending into the darkness outside in his grey-black cloak, stepped into the bar. His face was obscured by the cloak, and while several necks craned for a better look, no one managed to catch a glimpse of who the stranger was. He walked quietly, like a cat, and went to the darkest corner of the tavern, and sat down. Again, he merged into the darkness, and in less than a minute, the public's short attention span no longer included him in the picture. But even a curious individual in the crowd would have difficulty in seeing this person without knowing exactly where he was sitting.

- Light start.

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"Brevity is the soul of wit"...(yeah, right)

[This message has been edited by Light (edited 04-02-2002).]