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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Dec 8, 2005 0:57:08 GMT -5
<--- To Spec, Canderous, and K'Zan only --->
You turn to walk into the depths of the alley, furtively looking around to make sure you aren't being followed. To your surprise, though, the stone alleyway betrays you. Like some freakish puzzle, the flat walls around you curve and bend together to form a dead end where moments before you could've sworn was a long passageway. Quickly turning to your left, you all see another short passageway leading out towards the streets. Without thinking, the three of you abruptly change direction and dash through it in a few long strides, emerging out onto a wide, cobblestoned street.
The stones beneath your feet seem well-worn with passing traffic. The road is lined with numerous buildings of various shapes, sizes, and materials. Most of the buildings are closed and boarded up, though a few of the late night establishments are still open. There is a run-down brothel across the street with a small group of humanoid patrons just walking through the door. The building to your immediate left is a middle-class tavern with a bright, warm light radiating out through the door. Sounds of laughter and commotion come frome within, accompanied with the smell of fermented drinks and fruit.
Before you're able to fully take in the surroundings, your eyes are drawn to the streets themselves, and the large number of soldiers patrolling tonight. You spot at least two dozen patrols of eight to ten each. The soldiers are clad in very heavy, black armor, and sport an array of vicious-looking weapons. Very few are wearing helmets this late at night, revealing their bald pates, each invariably tattooed with some intricate design. Canderous notices that they don't seem to be moving in a set pattern or on a route, but seem to be searching for something... or someone.
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Post by Canderous on Dec 9, 2005 15:18:43 GMT -5
"They're looking for someone. This may or may not work in our favor." He says outloud as he tries to figure something out.
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Post by Spec the Damned on Dec 10, 2005 13:31:42 GMT -5
Spec gazes out from below his hood as he emerges from the shadows to join the others. "The tavern may be our only exit. Or at least from within we may mingle with other patrons and fit in with the atmosphere."
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K'Zan
Squire
(pl/m/gz/W4/Du/CN)
Posts: 106
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Post by K'Zan on Dec 10, 2005 18:14:31 GMT -5
'I think it would be fair to assume that anything involving large numbers of heavily-armed soldiers would be bad news for us, at this point. Let's get inside, and quickly. As for fitting in, well...'
K'Zan glances at the hulking figure of Canderous and at the shady, black-clad silhouette of Spec, then considers his own dusty appearance. He pauses, briefly.
'...Yes. Well, let's just get inside.'
He turns to the left, and enters the tavern.
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Post by Canderous on Dec 11, 2005 18:36:01 GMT -5
Canderous nods, and makes his way to the tavern right behind K'Zan.
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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Dec 16, 2005 0:58:48 GMT -5
<-- To Spec, Canderous, and K'zan only -->
The three of you turn your backs to the dark, hostile streets and slip into the nearby tavern. The brightly lit torches lining the room warm you instantly as you pass the threshold and illuminate the hall before you. The tavern is a two-storied affair, with a compact and more sociable main floor, and a cozier upper floor that's built around the perimeter of the building and looks down on the ground floor. The main floor is littered with a series of tall, pedestal-like tables bolted into the ground, meant for patrons just drinking who chose to stand rather than occupy a table. The tall tables are arranged in a sort of semi-circle, facing a great hearth on one side and a worn out bar on the other. The second floor, accessible by a spiral staircase in the back, mainly contains tables and seems to be seating guests who are there for a meal rather than the mere pleasures of the bottle.
The tavern is quite full, though hardly to capacity, and you can still find a few unoccupied tables on both levels. The patrons are laughing, amiable, and seemingly having a good time giving you the clear impression that this is hardly a cheap drunkard's hole. The patrons are generally upper-middle-class and of a dizzying variety of races; so much so that it's difficult to tell what race is the majority here. If this was any other tavern, you would feel right at home; welcome, even. However, a strange aura flows through it; palpable as the taste of charred meat. Everyone seems to be ready for danger. At every hip a dagger, a sword, an axe... the ones without weapons have such a strong glint in their eyes and skin to make it seem that they could kill with a mere glance. Eight or ten heavily armed and armored soldiers are leaning against the walls in various states of vigilance or restlessness, apparently waiting for trouble to break out. They all wear a large, red, trigram-like crest on their breastplates.
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Post by Canderous on Dec 17, 2005 0:54:40 GMT -5
Looks around for a second and says to his companions, "Lets try to find a table on this floor, just in case we need to make a fast exit."
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Post by Exile, Bast Incarnate on Dec 17, 2005 0:56:55 GMT -5
Ssertzah turns to his two guides to see if they feel if it is safe to continue now that the ones in their way are gone.
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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Dec 20, 2005 22:45:02 GMT -5
<--- To Exile only --->
Ssertzah watches as the trio moves away from her and meets up with a much larger group of dark men at the corner of the alley, just where the shadow meets the light. There appear to be about twenty of them in all, with an assortment of clothing, armor, and weapons. You cannot make out their faces clearly, but they seem out of place, somehow. Out of the corner of your eye, one flashes a skeletal grin your way, exposing many rows of filed and sharpened teeth. You blink and look back, but the image is gone. A dark fog begins rolling in from above the rooftops, partially obscuring the light from the squat building nearby.
Francis begins rubbing his hands together and looks around nervously.
We cannot be here. The alley... it doesn't seem to like us... he murmurs
He gets to his feet and begins to walk carefully around the corner. Lexon draws a short, battered sword and nods to Ssertzah, apparently letting her go first.
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Post by Exile, Bast Incarnate on Dec 21, 2005 13:44:02 GMT -5
With one hand on her sheathed sword, and another ready to grab her sickle , she slowly heads out first. After a moment, she figures looking like shes ready for a fight would be a bad thing, and tries to walk naturally.
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K'Zan
Squire
(pl/m/gz/W4/Du/CN)
Posts: 106
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Post by K'Zan on Dec 21, 2005 17:35:27 GMT -5
K'Zan nods, and follows Canderous.
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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Dec 24, 2005 12:51:00 GMT -5
<--- To Spec, Canderous, and K'Zan, only --->
The three of you saunter through the bar towards a table somewhat near the middle of the floor, secluded amongst the masses. You almost feel under-armed, considering the dizzying arsenal of weapons being carried around by the patrons. A small group of tough-looking women with shaved heads and eyebrows follow the three of you across the room with their identical gray eyes. Music starts playing from a concealed stage suspended from ceiling, complementing the cacophony with a crisp quartet of trumpets. The brass sound makes the young bauriar couple at the next table visibly wince, as the man loudly complains about the high pitch, leaving the woman to walk over to the bar to order their drinks.
Canderous' sixth sense blares wantonly, alerting him to the second floor. His head shoots over to meet a pair of shocking, white eyes gazing lazily at his group from over the second floor banister. White eyes, matched with flowing white hair against ashen gray skin. He gives you a short wave without the courtesy of a smile. Faniel...
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Post by Canderous on Dec 26, 2005 20:28:23 GMT -5
Canderous nods his head in the direction of Faniel as he says, "It appears a friend of ours has found us..."
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K'Zan
Squire
(pl/m/gz/W4/Du/CN)
Posts: 106
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Post by K'Zan on Dec 29, 2005 4:35:11 GMT -5
K'Zan twists his head round to look, sees Faniel, and turns back to the table.
'I propose we put off our mission until tomorrow - we are in no fit state to fight at the moment. Besides, if it was important to get here quickly, I am sure Faniel could have found a faster way for us to get into Ribcage. He could have shown us his route, for example...'
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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Dec 29, 2005 11:16:49 GMT -5
<--- To Exile only --->
Ssertzah follows Francis as he quietly walks his way towards the illuminated building and approaches it. Two massive pillars are embedded at each corner of the structure, holding up the flanged roof and casting symmetrical shadows that intersect at the door in between them. Francis runs his hands along the granite door, set out from the rest of the structure by an inset gold frame. He puts two fingers at the point where the shadows from the pillars intersect and pushes firmly. A narrow fissure appears down the length of the door, and with a soft scratching sound, the door opens inwards, revealing an impermeable blackness within. Shooting a last glance at the dozens of men at the edge of the shadow, Francis steps through the doorway, disappearing completely into the darkness beyond.
Weapon bad whispers Lexon, putting away his sword Believe must have
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