「 Narx 」 "Revenge is a confession of pain" ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Narx entered the Tavern and ordered rooms for the whole group. They had the money to spare so why not? He then walked towards the table Krosis got. "Oh! drinks! Why thank you Krosis!" Narx grabbed his mug, lifed his mask up a bit, and started to drink it thirstily. The trip had been quite a walk. Fortunately it was a more lush land than the region between the Skags and Tørstår. Narx wiped off some fizz from his face before pushing his mask back down. His voice returned to having that metallic edge to it, "Yeah you definitely have a unique appearance for an elf Krosis, what region do you originate from if I may ask? Also I got us all rooms for the night! Don't worry about paying me back." Lady Elowyn then brought back the quest she was most interested in. Narx stared at it a bit shocked that she would choose such a quest. "A bounty hunter quest...?"Narx looked over at Nico and Krosis. His one eye making his next question very obvious. "Would you guys like to join us on a bounty hunt?" Narx understood why she had chosen such a quest, it would be a thrilling change, and we had allies to help us if something went wrong."It seems to be a conversion hunt though, the head we are after is actually a Tørstårian with special skills that our nation wants to acquire. This is rare indeed."
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ "It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)
[align=right] 「 [size=20][color=firebrick]Narx[/color][/size] 」 [size=9]"[color=darkslategray]Revenge is a confession of pain[/color]"[/size] [size=10]■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ [/align]
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■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■[/size] [color=firebrick][size=9]"It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” [/size][size=7]Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)[/size] [/color]
Nico took the drink gladly. He was happy to have company for a change. He wasn't antisocial by any means, but day to day he usually found himself on his own other than Ikki's company, "I'd love to join you!" He said cheerily, "I've been running errands too long, I think helping bring in a Torstarian alive would show the gryphoneers I'm ready to earn my crest!" He was also hoping to meet tough opponents. While he didn't have much battle experience, his brother had been a draconian mentor. Nico had always been amazed by his brother's complex sword style, and that had evolved into a need to test himself against skilled opponents.
A squawk came from a nearby window. Ikki poked his head in and kept squawking until Nico rushed up to him. He handed Nico the letter and disappeared to the tavern's stables. He'd had a run-in with the owner before, and knew it was just a matter of time before he came rushing in, broom in hand. Nobody had told him the bar peanuts were for humanoids only.
Nico gave the letter a quick scan. It thanked him for his work, and telling him to visit his inspector in a week. Basically, they had no work for him until then. He returned to the group, happy things were going smoothly, "Ikki oughta be helpful in bringing back a prisoner. He's surprisingly strong for a gryphon, I'm sure he could probably carry all four of us in a basket if he had the mind!" He wondered if Ikki would actually let him do that. He certainly had the strength, but Ikki wasn't a very gentle flyer, Nico had been flung off his saddle during too tight a turn more times than he cared to admit. The owner came rushing out, but Ikki was gone by then. Nico chuckled, looking at the clawed up bar at the far end of the tavern. Ikki was normally well behaved, but he'd do anything to get his hands on peanuts. Or any kind of roasted nut for that matter.
Elowyn could tell that Narx was a bit surprised by her choice in a quest. In truth it made sense for him to be, It wasn't the type of quest that she would normally pick. However, It would be beneficial to Naoria if they could pull it off. Plus now was a perfect time to take such a quest, seeing as they were in the company of Nico, Ikki, and Krosis. That is, assuming they agreed to come with them. "It is a little different then the quests we usually take," Elowyn started, taking a seat at the table with them. "But I think it could make for an interesting change." She said, turning her eyes to Nico and Krosis now to see if they would agree to accompany them. Nico agreed immediately and Elowyn couldn't help but smile at his excitement.
A few moments later there was a squak and some scratching. Ikki had appeared at the window with a piece of parchment. He gave that to Nico before quickly disppearing again. "I'm sure it will be helpful having both you and Ikki with us." Elowyn told him, thinking about how quiet the journey here from the Skags had been. It would definitely be helpful to have a Gryphon with them. Elowyn then turned her eyes to Krosis, to see if He would join as well.
-Krosis Amalur- I contemplated for a hundred years a single blade of grass... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Krosis would look over the bill, it seems it was a headhunting but... not in the usual sense. In the end it was... simple. Of course that didn't mean that it was something that was easy, after all finding a single person in this entire world was difficult, convincing them to join their nation... well that wouldn't be easy then again the missions success didn't require them to woo the individual anyways, all that was needed was to 'offer' them a gift in exchange for their allegiance. "Seems simple enough... the only thing that bothers me is the fact that down here the pay... it doesn't specify if each participant acquires this sum or if we will have to split it among ourselves... though odds are it's the latter. Either way I am more than willing to accompany... though only as a strong arm, persuasion has never really been my... strong suit." Krosis would say as his eyes sharpened, looking the bill over word for word to try and parse any hidden meanings. His eyes raising for the final two words to glance across the group.
"However..." Krosis would begin putting the paper back on the table. "Until now we were merely walking in the same direction, now though we shall be joining forces towards a goal... as such. My name is Krosis Amalur, Last remaining member of the now defunct royal house of Amalur and Former Centurion discharged with honors one hundred and fifty years ago. To this party... I bring my blade alone for I am incapable of using magic." Krosis spoke concisely eyes moving from person to person. As he finished he seemed to let the words hang for a moment before looking to Narx and gesturing to him that it was his turn to introduce himself and say what he would bring to the party.
- Ki [20/20] - Master Swordsman - Monk: Body Preservation [Unaffected by Aging, can (And will) die of old age but doesn't actually age, Poison Neutralization, Does not need to Eat/Drink, quick healing, and 4 hours of meditation in lieu of 8 hours of sleep]
「 Narx 」 "Revenge is a confession of pain" ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Narx nodded at Nico's idea."We can definitely use Ikki to transport the prisoner when we catch them, but this operation is most likely best done covertly. We will want to surround them, making sure they have no easy escapes. For this to work we cannot have Ikki anywhere near, or else they will know Naiørians are near."Narx paused. He was still thinking the situation through. "I think this reward is definitely split between all of us, which isn't much I will say, but when I only got a total of 15 riches or so from joining the Colosseum fight. This will be a good way of seeing how well we all work together!"Krosis gave his statement of what he brought to the table and a bit about himself. This made Narx feel good. It was starting to feel like they were all a real team. A sense of purpose has always been present, but somehow a group of people to depend upon, and who depended upon him reinforced that feeling ten fold. Narx stood up as Krosis motioned to him to be next. "I may not have much of a noble past, in fact, I was a slave for all of my life. Which has given me endurance and magic-tech ingenuity beyond my years though. I bring my iron rod for combat, and a bag of nasty tricks that none have ever seen before."Narx pulled out a 3 foot iron rod and slammed it on the table. It was an odd choice of weapon, but it was the only one he had ever known. His bag of tricks stayed firmly inside his robe though. He was very cautious with them as some had horrifying power. Krosis had seen one of the weaker ones used on Lyndis in the coliseum. Narx then looked to Nico to go next.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ "It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)
OOC: I think doing this quest made me realize that we should have a special bonus of F&R for groups completing missions. In general the F&R is split, but we will round up to the nearest 5 F&R for equal sharing. I will add this rule to both factions. Also I might add in a minimum of 5 F&R per person rule, if not a bigger bonus for more people.
[align=right] 「 [size=20][color=firebrick]Narx[/color][/size] 」 [size=9]"[color=darkslategray]Revenge is a confession of pain[/color]"[/size] [size=10]■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ [/align]
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■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■[/size] [color=firebrick][size=9]"It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” [/size][size=7]Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)[/size] [/color]
"... Oh!" It wasn't until all three of the others were looking at him that Nico realized they were waiting for him to state his abilities, I am Nikolai Pelagius, and while I am not of a noble family, we have been renowned gryphoneers and breeders for several centuries!" He set his sword down and fumbled in his pockets for a moment. He produced a rod roughly the size of his sword, but when he pressed a button it expanded into a full length spear. It was all metal, thicker and more heavily built than an average footman's javelin, this was due to the Pelagius family's unique fighting style. Instead of a shield they would use a spear to parry incoming strikes while attacking with the sword, it's long, winged tip allowing for longer reaching slashing or stabbing attacks. Whether this was more efficient than using a shield was debatable, but they'd refined their style over generations and understood its nuances better than anyone else, "I offer my arms and gryphon."
A small smile lifted the corner of Elowyn's lips as Krosis too decided to join them in their quest. It had been a while since Narx and herself had been a part of a group like this. They often ran into others and traveled short journied with them, but it had been a long while since they had joined in a quest with any others. It was usually just herself and Narx. It would be nice to have the company and would likely be beneficial as well.
Elowyn listened as they took turns introducing thrlemselves as well as stating their skills. It was smart for them to all know each other's strngths if they were to be working together and eventually it came her turn to share. "Elowyn Kasier. Distant royalty and emissary to the Skaglands." The elf stated simply. Seeing as she had spend most of her life away from the Elven Court and instead in the Skags, she was well suited to long jounies as well as tough it even hostile situations. It came with the territory. After a moment she pulled back her cloak slightly to reveal her bow and her quiver. "I can handle a blade but I am a better with archery." After a moment she let the cloak fall back over her shoulder and returned her gaze to her companions around the table. "As far as magic goes, I am good with the elements but best with fire."
-Krosis Amalur- I contemplated for a hundred years a single blade of grass... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With a nod Krosis's eyes would narrow, nudging the paper towards Nico. "We should clarify this now since the two of you..." gesturing towards Nico and Narx, "Kind of missed the point of the mission. This is a recruitment mission, we're not gonna be throwing a sack over their head and dragging them back like kidnappers. That said we have leeway to offer them a substantial amount of compensation, but passed that we have to track them down in the first place. I suggest consulting the Local Authorities to see if there is a record of their entrance, after all it would be foolish to run out to look for them beyond our borders if they're already within them. Past that we should orchestrate what to do beyond this city, where we go and in what order, as well as a point where we can decide that we should cut of our search, after all there are plenty of places that would be more than happy to take the head of someone with slightly longer ears." It was funny, Krosis said that he wasn't that good at speaking but at the end of the day he seemed more than capable of doing so... perhaps a benefit of having lived for centuries.
- Ki [20/20] - Master Swordsman - Monk: Body Preservation [Unaffected by Aging, can (And will) die of old age but doesn't actually age, Poison Neutralization, Does not need to Eat/Drink, quick healing, and 4 hours of meditation in lieu of 8 hours of sleep]
「 Narx 」 "Revenge is a confession of pain" ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Narx was shaking his head in agreement to what Krosis said"You're right, this is recruitment...not kidnapping. Though that does sound more fun..."Narx smiled jokingly"When we find them we should maybe approach them one at a time and try to convince them individually, and if all of that fails..."Narx slammed his empty cup on the table upside down"We capture them in force and see if we can convince them that way, but this should be left as a last resort as it may convince some, but repels most."Narx looked to others to see if they had any better battleplans for this mission. The first thing was to do as Krosis had said, and consult the local authorities.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ "It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)
OOC: Man I had a huge family reunion! so it is all good! perfect timing for me actually! This is what I love about bigger roleplays, we can take longer!
[align=right] 「 [size=20][color=firebrick]Narx[/color][/size] 」 [size=9]"[color=darkslategray]Revenge is a confession of pain[/color]"[/size] [size=10]■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ [/align]
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■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■[/size] [color=firebrick][size=9]"It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” [/size][size=7]Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)[/size] [/color]
Nico winced a little as Krosis reminded them this was a recruitment mission. He nodded, and retracted his spear back into its compact form. When he heard Narx's plan, something nagged at him, "Um, I'm not sure that should be how we do it..." He scratched his head, trying to think of what he wanted to say next, "We gryphoneers value honor and directness, if it were me and I suspected the last two people trying to get me to change fealty were in on it together, I wouldn't be willing to join no matter what they promised me. I'd want them all to approach me and be open, rather than trick me into joining." He felt his face flush. He was used to being treated like a youngling by older elves, and half expected them to brush his opinion aside. He laughed sheepishly, "Though I suppose we're not recruiting a gryphoneer, are we?" Suddenly he felt like it was years in the past, and he was setting out on an errand with his brother for the first time. He fiddled with his spear handle as they all talked.
(OOC: sorry for the wait guys, was trying to sort out my photobucket issue. Just gonna find a different pic hosting site methinks xp)
The conversation drifted now to the tactics the mission. Krosis had a good point, that this was indeed a recruitment and not a kidnapping. Elowyn didn't doubt that despite that little detail, Nico's Gryphon, Ikki, would prove to be useful in other ways. Elowyn listened quietly as the conversation drifted to the specifics of how they would confront their target. Narx brought up his idea, which Nico contridicted. Elowyn thought quietly to herself for a few moments before speaking her own thoughts. Both plans could be suitable, depending on the type of person they were dealing with. "Both of you have a good point." Elowyn stated thoughtfully, sea-green eyes roaming slowly over the group at the table. "Narx's plan would give us more opportunities to convince them to join with us. On the otherhand, depending on who we are dealing with, each of us approaching separately might cause suspicion and distrust."
Elowyn paused for a moment, thinking on the subject for a few more moments. "It might be best for us to father as much information on this person as we can before deciding exactly how we should confront them." She stated, looking to her comrades for their approval or disapproval. "While searching for their whereabouts, we may be able to pick up some information a long the way. Once we get close enough we could scout and see what else we could learn." If they did scout they would just have to be especially careful not to get caught. That would to distrust as well.
-Krosis Amalur- I contemplated for a hundred years a single blade of grass... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Krosis would nod "I am in agreement with the basics of the plan, but I'll have to decline on going up, as I said words have never been my strong suit." Simple words to be sure but they spoke of countless years of experience. "Well I suppose time is of the essence we sit around here too long and it's only going to take us longer. So as far as I know the plan is find them and invite them." Krosis would say staring around the table to see if there were any larger objections to this.
...I made it my entire world, my only adversary. Then, I cut it down."
OoC: Sorry I've been out of state for the past two weeks. Only now just found the time to come back. I will try to stay up with it but from now on if I don't reply within 2-3 days go ahead and skip me.
Accompanying: Narx, Elowyn, Nico, and Ikki Location:
- Ki [20/20] - Master Swordsman - Monk: Body Preservation [Unaffected by Aging, can (And will) die of old age but doesn't actually age, Poison Neutralization, Does not need to Eat/Drink, quick healing, and 4 hours of meditation in lieu of 8 hours of sleep]
「 Narx 」 "Revenge is a confession of pain" ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Narx wasted no time, he stood up, walked out of the bar and as always in Naiøria there were two guards just down the block. They tended to hover around the local taverns. The visitors, and drunks were the sort who caused trouble. Narx approached them, spoke a few words and quickly returned to the tavern. "One of the local guards was on quest duty yesterday and he said that he was pretty sure this weaver person was last seen near The City of Twelve. I say we head out at first light tomorrow!" Narx then chugged another pint down and slammed it on the table. He did it quite theatrically as he'd imagined epic warriors would do in the past. He slipped his mask back down over his mouth, and his eye hinted that he was grinning wildly. - The next morning Narx could be seen gearing up just outside by the horse stable down the road a bit. He decided that He'd buy a horse for Lady Elowyn to ride, and maybe himself if he was lucky and she requested a walking break. He loved animals, even though they frightened him. Nico's Gryphon was a tad scary, but he was more warmed up to it than even a common horse. He kept on packing supplies on the new saddle and awaited his friends to show up.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ "It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)
[align=right] 「 [size=20][color=firebrick]Narx[/color][/size] 」 [size=9]"[color=darkslategray]Revenge is a confession of pain[/color]"[/size] [size=10]■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ [/align]
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■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■[/size] [color=firebrick][size=9]"It [revenge] is sweeter far than flowing honey.” [/size][size=7]Homer - The Iliad (XVIII, 109)[/size] [/color]
"To a successful quest!" Nico clinked glasses with Narx and finished his own drink. He was looking forward to doing something other than delivering parcels and occasionally helping the guards in the outer parts of the city. He grinned and turned to Krosis, "I would like to have our sparring session before taking off if you don't mind. I'll be in the main plaza at dawn." With that, he left the tavern and retired for the night.
The next morning he made his way to the plaza as he'd said, and waited in front of a statue. He was pretty close to the tavern, and figured he'd be easier to spot at the feet of the massive stone guardian. He yawned, and looked about to keep himself occupied.
Ikki flew around the city, and eventually spotted Narx waiting for the others by the tavern. He called out from the air, and landed close to the masked one harder than he might've had Nico been riding. He chattered excitedly, coming close and giving him a couple friendly nudges with the flat part of his beak as a greeting. He didn't want to be a distraction though, so afterwards he walked back a couple paces and lied down in a patient waiting pose.
⊰where⊱ Naoria ⊰with⊱ Narx, Nico, Ikki, and Krosis ⊰ooc⊱ I apologize if this a terrible post. I had something better typed up and Gaia decided to delete it... attire
With a plan in mind, Narx wasted no time. Without another word he burst out of his chair and ran out of the Tavern. A few moments later he returned with the information he had retirved from the guards and a possible location for the weaver. It seemed that so far they were off to a lucky start. "Tomorrow it is." Elowyn agreed, watching with a small smile as Narx chugged his pint and slammed it back on the table. Nico was soon to follow suit, toasting the quest. The rest of the night passed rather uneventful. After their long journey and with another one looming ahead of them, the rest was much appreciated.
The next morning, after gathering her things, Elowyn left the Tavern. She wasn't surprised to see Narx already awake and preparing. It looked like he had gotten an early start and even bought a horse. He was packing their gear into the saddlebags now. It looked like Ikki had joined him as well, the large Gryphon was waiting rather patiently. "Good morning, Narx." She greeted him, walking to his side. "And you to, Ikki." She turned her blue-green gaze momentarily to the Gryphon. "I see you've bought a horse." She said, stroking the creature gently on the side of its neck.
