Ivy and Chrome PbP Forums

The hand is cold and stiff and the blood on the ground is difficult to smear. There's enough non-congealed blood for Darl to get some blood transferred to his cloak but the form of the letters on the ground can still be made out.

jawildey wrote:The hand is cold and stiff and the blood on the ground is difficult to smear. There's enough non-congealed blood for Darl to get some blood transferred to his cloak but the form of the letters on the ground can still be made out.

Darl returns to town and has no problem getting back through the gates. The guards do keep a close eye on him, but don't do anything to stop him.

{OOC: Are you still playing? It's been two weeks without you letting me know you were going to have an absence.}

OOC: Oh damn ... I posted here a week ago, and was waiting on a response. Guess I either forgot to click submit, or the submission failed.

IC:

Unable to smear the letters, Darl looks around for any rubble or debris with which he can at least hide the message. If nothing is immediately available, he'll simply shrug somewhat helplessly, and head off towards the gates.

Upon reaching the gates, somewhat apprehensive about whether the guards will allow him to pass, he mentally prepares a dialogue regarding his need to visit the Cathedral, and a warning regarding the mysterious Shade which he knows is currently in the area.

As he approaches, he is somewhat surprised to see that the guards are not stepping out to challenge his entry, though they are watching warily. For a moment, he considers simply passing through and entering the town ... but decides that the chances of missing the rest of their little party would be too great, he slips the hidden severed hand into an inside pocket of his cloak, and stops to leave a message with the guards.

"I'm expecting a group arriving here this evening," he mentions to whomever looks to be in charge. "Could I ask you to pass on a message to them? I'm afraid I can't really offer much for the favour, but perhaps these would suffice ..." he adds, holding out the mushrooms he had lifted from the blind old man earlier that morning.

If they agree, he will provide a physical description of the others in the group, focusing slightly on Anastasia as he knows her physical appearance would certainly be the most memorable of the group. "If they pass through, please let them know that I will meet them back here at these gates tommorrow at noon. If you could pass the message along to the next shift as well, I would be most grateful."

Depending on the reception, he then debates whether to leave a warning regarding the Shade. He had originally intended to use the hand for shock value, stressing his need to speak with the Cathedral priests ... but decides that would probably backfire and just cast more suspicion on him at this point. Instead, he decides on a less sensational approach, adding, "Also, I came across signs that an agent of the Unholy has been at work in the shantytown outside the walls ... there was a message written in blood on the ground, in what looked to be a Demon tongue. I don't know what it said, but it may be prudent to ensure the men are on a heightened guard this evening."

Having said his piece, and assuming they let him go, he heads into town while debating his next moves.

First things first, he should at least find himself a place to stay. The closest inn to the gate was the most obvious place to look for anyone trying to find him ... but on the other hand, he also knew they were short a bouncer for the evening, and he should be able to negotiate a room in exchange for his services. With that thought in mind, he heads off to find "Dan's" Inn, based on the description the old man had given him.

Unable to smear the letters, Darl looks around for any rubble or debris with which he can at least hide the message. That's one thing easy to come by in this shanty area outside the walls...debris. He is able to drag a broken piece of resin crate over and lay it over top of the words. It looks a little out of place, but not enough that it's likely to pique anyone's curiosity.

Upon reaching the gates, somewhat apprehensive about whether the guards will allow him to pass, he mentally prepares a dialogue regarding his need to visit the Cathedral, and a warning regarding the mysterious Shade which he knows is currently in the area.

As he approaches, he is somewhat surprised to see that the guards are not stepping out to challenge his entry, though they are watching warily. For a moment, he considers simply passing through and entering the town ... but decides that the chances of missing the rest of their little party would be too great, he slips the hidden severed hand into an inside pocket of his cloak, and stops to leave a message with the guards.

"I'm expecting a group arriving here this evening," he mentions to whomever looks to be in charge. "Could I ask you to pass on a message to them? I'm afraid I can't really offer much for the favor, but perhaps these would suffice ..." he adds, holding out the mushrooms he had lifted from the blind old man earlier that morning.

The guard eyes Darl's offering before looking around him as well as over his shoulder. The other guards appear to all be busy trying to keep the traffic flowing while randomly stopping incoming people to question and search them. "Yeah, I can do that....if I'm still on duty when they come through." He says as he accepts the mushrooms from Darl.

Darl provides a physical description of the others in the group, focusing slightly on Anastasia as he knows her physical appearance would certainly be the most memorable of the group. "If they pass through, please let them know that I will meet them back here at these gates tomorrow at noon. If you could pass the message along to the next shift as well, I would be most grateful."

"If I see Chase when he comes on shift, I'll pass the word on to him. I ain't makin' no promises, though." The guard replies in a hushed voice. The mushrooms quickly disappear into an inner pocket of his tunic.

Darl adds "Also, I came across signs that an agent of the Unholy has been at work in the shantytown outside the walls ... there was a message written in blood on the ground, in what looked to be a Demon tongue. I don't know what it said, but it may be prudent to ensure the men are on a heightened guard this evening."

"Humph. Thanks for the warning." The guard says, but the tone of his voice implies that he finds Darl's claim to be unlikely.

A short time later, after walking through mostly what appears to be a residential area, Darl comes to the conclusion that he has no idea what he's looking for. He has no tavern name and no description of the area the it's located in, so finding it in a city this size would take days without some help. The gate he entered is the main gate leading towards Worldgate and other towns that direction, so Dan and his companions could have came from anywhere in the city.

OOC: From the post at viewtopic.php?f=16&t=84&start=30#p968, Darl got directions to both the Inn and the merchant district from the old man with the mushrooms. Then again, the old man might have hallucinated them.

IC:
As he heads towards where the old man said he should be able to find the inn, Darl ponders just how he might be able to stay a step ahead of the shade long enough to restore his mystic reserves. Realistically, he should be trying to leave town and disappear ... but his only real chance of finding out more about this orb depended on the others who should be arriving in town tonight.

Until then ... he had a few new trinkets he had acquired, and he wanted a professional appraisal of the gem he'd picked up. After booking a room at the inn, he planned on heading over to the merchant district; perhaps he'd be able to trade up and maybe find something to help him out if he was to find himself in a confrontation with the shade.

After some more walking around and searching, Darl hears voices coming from an open doorway of a larger building. The description of the building matches what the old man described, but it's a few blocks off of where Darl expected to find it; he's not sure if it was the old man's description or his navigating that was in error. Entering the main room Darl sees a typical tavern setup with tables for dining/drinking and a bar at the far wall so the bartender can keep an eye on the door. The room is empty except for a couple tables of people talking quietly among themselves. A teenage boy and girl pass back and forth to the kitchen as they clear some now empty tables. The talk at the tables ceases as Darl stands up straight inside the room. All seven pairs of eyes turn towards him suspiciously and watch him as he walks to the bar to inquire about a place to stay. A overweight man with a quarter inch of stubbly hair and a wrinkly face stands behind the bar, wiping it off as Darl approaches. His smile turns from forced to friendly when Darl tells him of having ran into Dan outside town and quickly agrees to let Darl stay in Dan's bunk in exchange for playing "bouncer" starting after dinner. He introduces himself as Jermander and then orders the boy to stop what he's doing and go clean out Dan's room and move any of his possession into a storage closet. "Be sure to put some clean bedding on as well." he yells after the rapidly retreating boy.

{OOC: Pausing here in case you have anything you want to do/say before heading back out towards the merchant district.}

"Thank you kindly," Darl responds, legitimately pleased at the positive reception. "No rush in preparing the room, as I do need to run a few errands around town first. But perhaps the boy could show me which door, just so I know where to store my gear when I return?"

Once he knows where the room is, Darl makes note of its location with respect to the rest of the building ... most specifically, whether it looks like it backs on an outside wall anywhere, and where on that wall he would need to pass if looking to enter the room without using the 'typical' methods (i.e. strolling through the front door).

That done, he heads out to locate the merchant district ... with a key focus on finding himself a jeweler for an appraisal.

Once he knows where the room is, Darl makes note of its location with respect to the rest of the building ... most specifically, whether it looks like it backs on an outside wall anywhere, and where on that wall he would need to pass if looking to enter the room without using the 'typical' methods (i.e. strolling through the front door).

That done, he heads out to locate the merchant district ... with a key focus on finding himself a jeweler for an appraisal.[/quote]

Darl's room is on the second floor towards the back of the building directly above what is likely the kitchen area. He spends a few minutes surveying the area behind the building before heading out to find a jeweler. There are no stairs out back, but his room, or at least the one he guesses is his, has a window overlooking the open area he finds himself standing in. A door that likely leads to the kitchen is the only opening on the ground floor. There are a couple of four wheeled, double rider, vehicles and one beat up old motorcycle parked behind the building. A little farther back is a corral with one shaggy, bony old horse standing in it and then more buildings surrounding the open area, mostly shielding it from view of the nearby streets. {OOC: Just let me know if I missed any details that you might find useful.}

Having satisfied his curiosity about the building, Darl heads out towards where the merchant district is supposed to be. The task is much easier than finding the tavern turned out to be since he can hear the calls of street vendors and hawkers well before he arrives in the area. A few more minutes of looking around, and attracting no short supply of wary looks from passersby, Darl sees a metal plaque hanging on the wall of one building. An imprint of what appears to be a grypon takes up most of the sign, but just below it is the phrase "The Ruby Gryphon".

Looking through the doorway of the shop confirms that it is most likely a jeweller...of sorts. Most of the shop is taken up by various pieces of equipment and other detritus. A small front portion of the store seems to be the display area for trinkets, jewels, bejeweled daggers, brocades, and many various items of metal waiting for a jewel to be mounted in them. Darl's eye is quickly drawn to a large red crystal cut in the shape of the same creature that adorns the plaque over the door.

Testing the door, Darl opens it and ducks under the frame to enter the shop. Inside, he looks around again, locating the proprietor ... and confirming that there is noone else in the shop before he reveals any of the items he planned on discussing here.

"Greetings, friend." he states, trying to set the owner at ease given that what looks like an 8 foot demon has just walked into his shop. "I come in the interests of trade, both in goods and information. "Might you be skilled in the identification of enchantments?"

If the response is affirmitive, Darl will bring out the Buddha statue and Ivory cross from within his cloak, and set them down before the jeweler. "To begin, I am seeking to learn more regarding this two trinkets ... what can you tell me about them?" Darl reveals a sharp-toothed smile. "As I said, this is just a beginning. I do promise to make it worth your time."

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Had to go back through the posts and make sure I wasn't contradicting anything I wrote before.

IC:
The "door" is open already, allowing easy access for potential customers. With the moderate weather...almost monotonously moderate...there's not much reason to have doors for anything other than security. Darl easily locates the proprietor behind a large piece of equipment that's making whirring and grinding noises.

"Greetings, friend." Darl states, trying to set the owner at ease given that what looks like an 8 foot demon has just walked into his shop. "I come in the interests of trade, both in goods and information. Might you be skilled in the identification of enchantments?"

A woman...maybe...pokes her head out when she hears Darl's greeting. The grotesque features of an elderly wormspeaker look back at Darl. Her brows raise momentarily in mild surprise at seeing Darl's viseage before squinting in a thoughtful expression. Tentacle-like worms writhe around in and around her mouth as she finally begins to speak. "Hmm... that all dependsss on you." she hisses. Her speech is slurred and the sounds malformed by the worms in her mouth. "Are you whherrthy of my time. Hmm... I wonder.... Letmesee, bequickaboutit." Her last words are spoken in haste and are almost indecipherable. Luckily, the woman also gestures for Darl to approach a cluttered table, her intent becoming obvious.

Darl approaches the table and brings out the small Buddha statue and Ivory cross from within his cloak, and sets them down before the jeweler. "To begin, I am seeking to learn more regarding this two trinkets ... what can you tell me about them?" Darl reveals a sharp-toothed smile. "As I said, this is just a beginning. I do promise to make it worth your time."

The wormspeaker reaches first for the statue and turns it over in her hand once. "Earth artifact...whherthless." She tosses it down on the table with a clunk that threatens to make Darl cringe at the haphazard way she treats his belongings. Next she reaches for the ivory cross but stops herself. "Hmm... do you know that you have a curssse on you? Of courssse you don't," She answers her own questions "Because, if you did you would have done sssomething about it, wouldn't you. Hmmm??? Or perhaps you placed this curse on yourself? Nomatter, noneofmybusiness... or isss it?" She gives Darl a questioningly look but does not wait for an answer before reaching once again for the cross. "Hmm... yessss.... definitely something here, isn't there. But you probably already knew that or you wouldn't have asked. Testing me with that pieeece of rock, weren't you?" Looking up sharply at Darl she asks "What is it worth to you to find out what enchantments this cross contains? Hmm? What do you have that could interest me?" She looks Darl up and down as if appraising him and his visible belongings like she would appraise a piece of jewelry.