Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Sirus]

: "I'm no chef, but I can probably chop up vegetables without too much supervision."

[Tiruin]

"I a personal chef! Which means I can cook but I don't know how salty or such my food tastes like because I've only ever done cooking for myself."

Tali left out the note that she did cook for others, as she never received feedback other than people being grateful for food. She had always wondered if the condiments she used were actually sour rather than salty.

[GiglameshDespair]

Personal chef? That sounded, well.. ominous.
"I, er, see. Well, perhaps you can, like, take tirns to help."

[UXLZ]

Seeing that she wasn't likely to be receiving any more questions, Liz softly claps her hands to obtain everyone's attention before beginning to speak.

"To start off, I'd like to officially welcome everyone, even if one of the arrivals was a bit late" she says, grinning slightly at Tali.

"Now, moving onto more serious matters. The task I have hired all of you to assist me with is driving a group of lawless ex-military out from an old castle currently in my ownership. I emphasize drive out, not kill. Not unless things change when we arrive, at least. The simple fact is that while they have been harassing the nearby town of Landoww, I am unaware of any deaths they have caused, and suspect they may not necessarily be awful people beyond salvation."

Pausing briefly, she indicates the town (and castle's) location on the ink-stained map, they are seemingly situated to the northwest. It occurs to you that it's lucky the area you were interested in wasn't damage by the ink spillage - though it also occurs to you that it isn't really that important a detail.

"Naturally, that's not all there is to it. After we have secured the castle, we'll begin work on renovating and repairing it, to restore at least a small amount of its former glory. Some of you may be able to help with that if you desire, but ultimately you'll be there as advisers and guards. This is also when those of you who wish to leave will be paid for your work. I hope to one day turn that castle and town into a minor trading hub, and if we can manage to absorb some of the nearby land, it may have the potential to be a decent military force as well."

"And finally, the real reason I'm interested in that place. The other goals are just there as side-investments, backup plans for if the main goal doesn't work out..."

She pulls out a small piece of crinkled paper untouched by ink, and holds it up for the whole room to see, her face growing much more serious than you have seen her thus far.

~~So many times, so many deaths,
Each less meaningful than the last,
How much more should I see?
Of this eternal spiral.

One who finds this message, I implore you,
One who discovers the truth, I beseech you,
One who obtains the key, I beg you.

You must break the cycle,
The circle must be broken.~~

"Shortly before his illness and death, my father was obsessed with that castle. He might not have been the most sensible man in the world, but I trust his intuition. This note was clasped in his hand even as he died. I don't think the words are his, and I don't know where he found them, or what they mean," Liz shakes her head. "But... I am certain there is something important in that place, something he had yet to reach. Something he was looking for. I want to find it."

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I can't promise the fight will be bloodless. If you wish to dock my pay for every hostile I kill, I'll understand, but it won't stay my weapon."

"Regardless, that is an odd poem. You might not know, but do you have any guesses what it means, or where it came from? Or for that matter, what we might find in the castle?"

[UXLZ]

The perceptive among you might notice a strange expression in Liz's eyes as she responds to Ash.

"Just don't antagonize them needlessly. None will fault you for a death in battle, but... If you kill a man or woman trying to surrender, that wouldn't be very good of you."

Liz shakes her head again, the look in her eyes vanishing as quickly as it came.

"The best guess I can make is that someone wants to stop something that has been going on for a long time. The only one who might know where it came from is my deceased father, and... I truly have no idea what we might find. The more people we have to search and maybe stumble upon whatever it could be, the better."

[SOLDIER First]

"I won't hold back, miss, but I don't plan on murder either."

[Sirus]

Jasmine frowned at the message. Poetry was never her strong suit but she wasn't sure she liked the sound of any of that.

: "How do you know that this...poem thing has anything to do with that castle you're talking about? I don't see how the two are connected just from this."

[Caellath]

"Hidden truths and an obssession..."

"That sounds promising." Daalach's voice betrayed no sarcasm.

[GiglameshDespair]

"That is... a thing. It must mean something. The circle... the circle of life, perhaps? The end is coming, after all."

[Tiruin]

"Hey Ash," Tali said, resorting to nicknames already, "I could be by your side and you could watch how I do my sword-strokes. I've trained with non-lethal styles before, all it takes is less of using the sharp edge if your sword is honed at a point, and more on where you impact them."

Tali would then go on about anatomical areas to hit and where one would probably do more damage and hit the blood vessels, but that would be only if Ash would listen on. Before any of that, she found the poem very intriguing.

"Whoever had that poem, it seems your father was more connected that you'd know. In the least, did he stay at home regularly or did he have some foreign trips and such? Something like that would've needed a strong bond, or at least a persistent connection. Sounds trustworthy given his adherence to its importance."

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I... suppose I can try to learn... less-lethal techniques, though to be honest I won't have much of a use for them."

"If you'd like, we can train before night falls, and I'll learn as much as I can."

[Tiruin]

"I'm up for twilit training. Gets you relaxed enough for sleep later on. Suppose we'll use our current equipment since we both lack anything less, or ywe could find sticks and I'll whittle them to shape."

Tali caught herself nearly saying 'you' when she meant 'we', mostly because she didn't think about having to search for material herself as her mind was really caught up on food instead. When was the next meal?

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Well, my current weapon is already made of wood."

"It might be a little too stout for simple training, however, and I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt you. Once we're done here, I'll look around and see if I can find anything more appropriate."

[Tiruin]

"You brought a wooden sword with you? Perfect for practice then! What about your other weapon? That would do for later on. Anyone else want to join in? I'm of the mind that we're going to face multiple foes in the near future, so keeping in shape would help."