[D&D 3.5] Dark Storms Gather

[rhoenix]

The journey to the Kingdom of Impetrus had been long and difficult, but all six of the travelers had managed to arrive at the outlying cities all on the same day. Talk amongst the townsfolk offered many conjectures as to why the king would summon these six, especially because two of them were rumored to be...very strange.

Official runners were sent to the major inn where all six travelers stayed, notifying each separately that they were to attend an audience from the king at exactly noon.

[Cynical Cat]

Saiden scored the the top of the table with the blood-red claws at the end of his grey-green metal gauntlets and then smashed a walnut with his closed fist. He pushed away the fragments of the shell and popped the nut in his mouth. He drained the dregs of his cup and then raised his hand to signal for more wine. King-whoever-he-was had best be liberal with the purse strings.

[Academia Nut]

Doran sat quietly in one corner of the common room, trying to quietly observe everything around him and understand it. He had never really been around this many other people before, and it was difficult to keep his cool fully. He didn't really know how to behave around people... he wasn't very good with animals either, but at least he understood their motivations and habits better.

Take for example the bed he had been offered last night. He hadn't particularly known what to do so he had just sort of curled up on the floor and left the little hearth untended. He had no need of a fire for warmth, and if he could minimize the need for wood then all the better. He could see how other people might need such things, but it wasn't for him.

In fact, the only reason he had gone into this inn at all was because people seemed to frown upon him just lying out under the stars inside the city.

Picking up a whole smoked fish he had ordered for breakfast, he ripped off the head and began to chew on it, bones and all. At least he knew that most people really frowned on eating garbage. Irrational really, something had to eat the garbage, it was just a part of the cycle of things. And if Doran didn't eat regular food, then that was something more for someone else.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Volans closed his spell book and finished preparing his daily allotment of spells, and left the bedchamber.Before he had arrived at the inn he could not have helped but overhear rumors spoken about him and apparently five others. Especially because his familiar had been consistently sent to scout ahead for information on just what was going on. The little flying dragon would come back to him and report what was said. He didnt understand what was said, but he could repeat it. And apparently he was "strange" and so was one other. As he walked down the stairs he pondered exactly what sort of strange

"That would be the one" he said to himself as he noticed an eerily pretty man scouring the table with a guantlet and crack walnuts with his fist.

He got down to the bottom and sat down about three meters from the other man on at an open table and waited for a serving girl. This was a somewhat interesting endeavor, as he had to sit forward to avoid hurting his tail, and the webbed and jointed ribs that formed his wings had to be partially extended at his sides, but he was getting the hang of sitting on human chairs. It was not long before a young girl not older than fourteen winters came by

"y,y, yes master wizard?" she asked fearful

"You have less to fear from me than the human men you typically see here child" he said in his most kind and gentle voice, which still came out as a somewhat raspy hiss.

She nodded and relaxed somewhat, understanding what he intended to say at least

"What can I get for you?" she asked. Having either dismissed or choked back her fear.

He smiled, without showing his teeth this time, which really just meant that his labial scales tightened somewhat.

"Can I have three uncooked eggs, a good sized hunk of cheese, some wine and whatever fruit of vegetables you have to spare in the kitchen I would appreciate it very much, oh and that one;s next round is on me" he said to her, motioning toward the eerily pretty one he had seen coming down the stairs.

"I think I can manage that." she said before scampering off to the kitchen

His familiar, Izard crawled out of a pouch in his robes and took up a basking position in the sunlight streaming in from a nearby window, and bobbed his head at his master

"yes little one, I do think we are here for common purpose. Otherwise the king would not have summoned six people. There is always a reason for such things"

The little Draco bobbed his head again

"No... I have no idea what that reason is"

[Academia Nut]

Having quietly watched the interaction, Doran figured that the strange creature, not that he was one to talk, was probably related to the summons for the strange spheres. He hemmed and hawed for a moment before he swallowed the rest of his fish, all of it, and rose from his seat and move cautiously over to where the draconic creature sat, careful to keep his clothing about some of his more unusual features as he moved.

Coughing lightly, he said, "Ahem... I was wondering good wizard, if perhaps you are related to the summons from the king somehow?"

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Hmm?' Volans looked up to the man who was talking to him "Ah!". He said in a somewhat startled hiss.

He looked the man over, raising one of his eyebrow ridges. It seems his appraisal of the other man's strangeness had been dwarfed by this one's. This was sure to be interesting.

"Yes, indeed I am" he said "I am assuming you are one of the others who was summoned? If so bring your food over and sit down I suppose. I dont usually bite"

[Academia Nut]

Sitting down awkwardly, Doran said, "I... uh... I eat quickly. Oh... right, they want me to pay here. Hmmm..." Doran pulled out a dirty pouch of coins and tumbled out a few green copper pieces and some tarnished silver, looking over them for a second as he counted out the cost of his meal. So focused was he that he did not realize that his nictating membranes kept blinking over his eyes, a nervous twitch of his.

Grinning sheepishly, he said, "Sorry, I'm not used to large groups. Can you tell? I mean, I had to get a specially prepared for this, I'm normally much less... erm... clean. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get hygiene, its just that most people don't appreciate the properties of swamp mud quite the way I do."

Pausing a moment, Doran drew a soft pale finger across the table and said, "I'm not really a people person I guess you could say."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"I can see that..." the wizard said a tad nervously. Granted, he was not one too talk. he had wings, tail, scaly skin, needle-like teeth, and a dewlap afterall.

"I can understand the oddness with dealing with humans. Always looking at you like you are some sort of unclean beast..."

[Academia Nut]

"Yes, but when you're theoretically supposed to be one of the species its ah... a tad different I would think. You do have your own people, right? People to call your own? I'm not so lucky," Doran noted sadly.

"I wouldn't have even left my home if it hadn't been for the little spheres that are drawing so much attention. Do you know anything about them? I'm afraid my knowledge runs more towards the natural... and unnatural I suppose, so I really have no idea the significance of what I, and I suppose you, have," Doran said.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"This is true, I do. I imagine for you it might be a tad more difficult. As for the spheres, I know mine at least seems to give me some resistance to electricity, but it is neither magical, or natural... what it is I have no idea" The mage furrowed his brow. He really did hate, absolutely hate, admitting to even a small degree of ignorance.

[Academia Nut]

"Huh... all I know is that my sphere makes it so that I see better at night. It might do other stuff too... for all I know it could do other things for normal people. I've always been inured to cold, so it could blunt that for others, but I wouldn't know," Daron said with a shrug. "Maybe we'll find out more at noon."

[Rogue 9]

A red-bearded dwarf in a rugged traveling outfit trundled up to the bar and clambered onto one of the stools. He was, obviously, short, but very broad-shouldered. An amulet of silver depicting an anvil and hammer hung from his neck.

"Ach, barkeep! A mug o' yer strongest dark ale an' a bowl o' whatever's in the stewpot." He tossed a few silver pieces down on the bar. "Thankee." He looked around at the other patrons of the inn, lingering suspiciously on the human of otherworldly heritage for a moment before turning to the others at the bar. "G'day," he said with a nod to the draconan and... tentacled human? Hard to tell.

[rhoenix]

A barmaid timidly delivered the food the lizard-like mage had ordered, looking even more timid upon seeing the...being sitting next to said lizard-like mage. She quickly gathered up the plate left behind by the...being, and scurried back to behind the bar.

This certainly was an odd few days, thought the barmaid to herself. It was even more strange than the last procession of travelers to come through Impetrusberg!

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Thank you!" the wizard called after her. Just to make sure that she knew he was still friendly.

As for the obvious Paladin of cleric who just walked in, Volans nodded and answered

"Good morrow, peace be with you" in his friendly good morning voice, which which, as opposed to his gentle voice which was quite and hissy, this one was boisterous and hissy.

"Come and have a drink with us... Sir...?" he asked, inquiring as to his status if any within his church hierarchy while at the same time inviting him over to his table

[Cynical Cat]

Really, it was a little of the pot calling the kettle black, but what a fucking freak show. He definitely needed more wine. He popped another walnut in his mouth and then munched on a slice of cheese.

The waitress returned with the bottle. "Leave it," he said, tossing her a silver. "I'm probably going to need it." He skewered a slice of apple with one of his talons and popped it into his mouth. "May the righteous gods have mercy." He took another sip of wine.

[rhoenix]

Coming back, the waitress delivered a large tankard of dark ale and a good soupbowl of their soup of the day to the red-haired dwarf, which caused her to give a second glance. Though certainly no more strange than the others who stayed at the inn, seeing a dwarf abroad was a rarity. She served his ale and soup with a smile and a quick curtsy before moving on.

It was then that the...winged lizard mage's words caught her as she bustled around the inn, and she smiled briefly. Some mages were good people, it seemed, even if they weren't always...familiar-looking. She thought about that as she rushed to the back for another order.

After she finished it, she hurried back over to the table where the lone, well-dressed human was savaging some apples with his gloves. There was something...almost unnaturally handsome about him, but he showed little sign of being aware of it, let alone using it to his advantage. "Can...can I get ye any more, sir?" she asked timidly.

[Cynical Cat]

"Get the lizard table a bottle of wine on me," said Saiden.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Volans took one of the eggs, cracked it slightly with a claw, and while the poor waitress was not looking put it in his mouth and gently crushed it. Squeezing the white and yolk down his throat while leaving the shell in tact, held together by the membrane under the shell. He took it out, and then repeated this process with both of the other eggs. He finished this by washing down with a bit of wine. The cheese was always interesting to eat. He bent down, flicked his forked tongue at it, making sure it was OK. Finding it to be a well crafted Stilton, one of his favorites, he took of a good sized piece of the chunk and let it roll around in his mouth. He did not have teeth suited for emulsifying cheese, but his saliva would do the job.

It was then that the rather interesting individual at the other table ordered his table a bottle of wine at his expense

"Why thank you." He replied to the gesture. "I can only hope that the king does not take offense to an Abjurer who reeks of fermented grapes"

He of course did not finish munching (talking between pieces of course) until the cheese was done and he washed it down with wine. The fruit, and orange, was simple. He cut it into wedges, and put each one in his mouth. After sucking the wedge dry, he would swallow the actual solid matter whole, and do this until the orange was finished.

This sort of processing continued until all the food on his plate was finished and he set a gold piece down on the table, a hefty tip for the girl who had managed to contain her horror with all the strange people in the inn.

[Cynical Cat]

"Don't worry. I'm sure you're just as repellent to the higher classes drunk or sober. By all the gods and all the devils in their Hells he's got to be fucking desperate if he wants us." Saiden took another drink. "And the wine could be better. A lot better."

[rhoenix]

"Of course, sir," the barmaid said to Saiden with a smile and a curtsy. With that, she moved quickly behind the bar, helped the barkeeper push a man who was already drunk out from behind the bar and into the bar room proper, and then brought a bottle of wine to the table with the...winged lizard mage and...his companion.

She gave them both a smile as she set the bottle before them. "Complements of the gentleman of that table over there," she said, pointing briefly to Saiden before she swept off to attend other patrons.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Thank you gain young lass" Volans said. He was friend and jovial now, but once he got down to business those words would cease being applicable.

He looked over at Saiden

"That is probably true, on the other hand it is probably something very specific he needs us for. And who are we to turn down a request from a king eh?"

[Cynical Cat]

"Depends on how well he pays," said Saiden. "I expect my share of that all that nasty tax money."

[Academia Nut]

Glancing about warily for a moment, Daron pointed to one of the crushed egg shells Volans had left behind and asked, "Are you going to eat that? Because if you're not I'll eat it. Don't want to let anything go to waste now."

[Haizu]

Ambling into the inn that was described in his letter, Eddie whistled to his dog and walked over to a table that held quite a....diverse assembly of characters that could only be the others also described in his letter. Taking a seat next to the dwarf he said "Hi, how's everybody doing today?"

[Comrade Tortoise]

Glancing about warily for a moment, Daron pointed to one of the crushed egg shells Volans had left behind and asked, "Are you going to eat that? Because if you're not I'll eat it. Don't want to let anything go to waste now."

"Not at all, go ahead and eat the shells" he replied

"As far as payment, I hold no oath of fealty here. Unless there is something earth-shattering I am a mercenary."