Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread
and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).
Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.
With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.
[[Current Time: Early Morning]
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD
This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.
Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.
Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.
edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns
.gif_100.jpeg){kind=avatar}
YEEEEAH— no.
[Town Center, marketplace]
Even with the noise from neighboring buildings, this particular market seemed empty. With noting else on her mind, Aya took a closer look at the trinkets she had just purchased. Small souvenirs for her family back home; a pendant for Mom, an ornament for Dad's shelf, shiny blue baubles for... her thoughts tapered off there.
A new thought took their place: hunger. She'd barely eaten on the boat, and Aya was too focused on other matters to notice. She slipped the souvenirs into her pack and returned to the town square; perhaps she could find someone who could direct her to a decent meal.
[Hotel, Jubal's room]
I thought she would've shown up by now, he mused. Oh well— she was probably wandering the town, anyway. At least I don't have to show her around this time; she's on her own. Content to wait for their rendezvous, Jubal sat and made himself comfortable.
With a flick of his wrist, the violin case opened from across the room. Raising his arm, his violin and bow gently lifted themselves out of the case and floated into his hands. Good. Enough aether in the air to work with— for the rudimentary stuff, at least. Time for the real show. A few moments of tuning, and he was prepared for his private performance.
He began to bow. He had memorized the pitch, the dynamic, the tempo. Jubal could almost hear the orchestra, his orchestra behind him. His song was methodical and profound— well, so he hoped. He had yet to play his creation for any audience greater than three people. He began to slip. Self-hypnosis was a curious thing; it had taken years to learn the art, let alone find anyone to teach it to him. Jubal required no teaching now; he could play himself into a trance within minutes, but what happened after that was the real art...
"I've come to the conclusion that this is a very stupid idea."
[Al's Bar]
Layi gave Kevin a hearty slap on the back and said, "that's the spirit! Welcome to the hunting party!"
[Harbor —> Hotel]
Whatever interest the stranger had in Samuel was lost when Jubal began to play. Entering the room of the musician was not permitted. So the stranger lingered outside the door, listening carefully, studying, observing.
edited 10th Oct '13 6:12:01 PM by KillerClowns
Laugh and grow dank!
[Harbor]
“Well, I suppose we have something in common then. I’m actually here on work-related business, but with me it might as well be pleasure.” She stuck a hand out, finger-claws and all. “I’m Rikael.” She beamed.
edited 10th Oct '13 7:15:26 PM by Gault
yey
YEEEEAH— no.
[Hotel]
Magic, even in its most basic forms, is a simple concept: manipulation-by-proxy. A being can control their environment with their mind, using aether as a medium. The simplest Kinesis is nothing more than application of force; Physics 101. The mind prefers to apply such force in a way that emulates something familiar to it— a human Caster can conjure an invisible extra hand, but a wing is nigh impossible.
Jubal remained in his chair, and stood up. Upon putting himself in a trance-like state, his mind had built a second self, which was now walking (floating) around the room. He was a mere disruption of aether; his projected self could still sense and interact with his surroundings, but was no longer bound by a physical form.
The first minute or two was always an odd sensation. He couldn't see light, nor hear sound; he could detect their presence and discern one from the other, which was close enough for his liking. He could sense nearly everything in his environment, even things that his waking self wouldn't notice...
...like the person lingering outside his room. Oh, boy. Company. Jubal couldn't phase through the wall— he could disrupt the air, but not a solid barrier —and he didn't dare open the door. All he could do was estimate the figure's actions and, hopefully, intents. Hmm. He or she seemed to be... listening? I'm not that noisy, am I? He forced his body to keep playing, even though it was no longer necessary to maintain the trance. Whoever was out there, Jubal didn't want them to realize that he had noticed them.
edited 10th Oct '13 8:14:48 PM by Blueeyedrat
"I've come to the conclusion that this is a very stupid idea."
[Hotel]
The stranger continued to witness Jubal's work, with no desire to intervene. There was no sign that the stranger was aware of being detected by Jubal. If Jubal attempted to examine the stranger, he would find the stranger seemed perfectly ordinary.
edited 10th Oct '13 8:46:30 PM by KillerClowns
[Town center]
Askeda sang a bit as she adjusted the bulk on her back. "Tse lesin li'edo kas tsae tlo, / Dzavraska hlasoxe ke'stodo..." Cheesy as all get out, but it was just so damn catchy. Stupid pop, she thought to herself. Unlike many of the others, she wasn't coming from any boat, but from inland.
As a chimera, Askeda was essentially a humanoid dragon, a touch under seven feet tall. Large, batlike wings sprouted from her back and a long, thin tail was swishing back and forth in the air behind her. Piercing green eyes looked out from over a narrow snout. Her scales were splotched with an irregular pale-green/beige/brown camouflage pattern that seemed more artificial than natural, although she had a healthy coating of grime all over. Her fingers were tipped with short-but-sharp claws. The body of a smallish deer, light tan with white spots and two-and-a-half-foot antlers, was draped across her shoulders; she held it tightly against them with her wings and stabilized it with her hands.
Askeda's clothes were a rather eclectic mix of handmade and storebought, old-fashioned and modern. Her tunic and leggings, with holes cut in the relevant places for her wings and tail, were made from rough, dark leather, discolored here and there with various greens. Her wrists were encircled with bracers made from the same material, but considerably smoother. A waist quiver hung from a belt on her right side side, stocked with arrows; on her left, a medium-sized bag. Strapped around the lower half of her right leg was a sheath for a large hunting knife. A small gold ring hung from the lower edge of the membrane of one of her wings. One of her hands held a large longbow, over six feet long; it was obviously self-made. A watch, smudged with dirt, was wrapped around one of her bracers, worn so that the face was on the inside of her wrist.
As she finished up with the song, Askeda stopped walking and blinked. Am I in the town center already? Crap. Lost track of where I was going. Stupid pop. Oh, well. At least there were new arrivals. Partly to regain her breath a bit and partly for amusement, Askeda examined the arrivals. It was always — well, usually — interesting to see what they made of each other.
Crazy Kiwi
[Outside Big Kahuna] James, Teri, Ian and Aubrey put their drinks on a table that gave a good view across the square to the harbour and put their packs down beside their chairs. James, Teri and Ian leaned their longarms carefully against their packs where they would be both handy if needed and out of the way if not.
They all sat. Ian, Teri and Aubrey lit cigarettes and James started filling his pipe.
"Hey, check that out!" said Teri, pointing. "Is that a dragon?"
"It looks like it could be a demon."
"Calm down, Aub," said Ian. "It's probably just an alien lifeform of some sort. No doubt we look as unusual to it as it does to us. How'd you like it if it looked at you and said that you look like some monster from its mythology?"
"We seem to be at some sort of Port Town," said James.
Teri laughed. "Yeah, well, there's a bloody harbour and a pier right there."
James shook his head. "I didn't mean just that. I meant a Port Town for peop- beings from different worlds and, possibly, times. Instead of merely having English, Portugese, Spanish and the like, we've got different species here and those who look human seem to be a very diverse group - even more so than we."
"A trading centre for all worlds," said Ian. He looked out at the groups of people near the harbour. Despite the fact that a large number of them were armed and the "dragon" was obviously a meat-eater, no one seemed to be belligerent or threatening.
Drummer Boy
[[Harbor]]
The doctor finally left the boat, dragging along two brown satchels. The only perfectly accurate description of his facial expression was fuck my life.
"Ah, there he is! It's very nice to meet you, Rikael. I'm Violet. And this is Dr. Ritter. He'll be more pleasant when he's had a snack, I promise." Violet enthusiastically shook hands with her.
"Just call me Friedrich, ma'am." He spoke with a bizarre mix of a countryside drawl, the guttural tones of one who had spent his life in the streets, and an educated man's crisp and careful diction. "Though I s'pose 'doctor' works fine. Good to let people know there's one around, innit?"
"Awww, how come you don't let me call you Friedrich?"
He shrugged.
"Anyway, what sort of job do you have, Rikael? What's it got to do with this island?" Violet was practically bouncing up and down.
edited 11th Oct '13 1:35:51 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Laugh and grow dank!
Rikael gave a small dip of the head to the both of them. “It’s good to meet you too!” Violet’s handshake was a little more eager than she had expected, but it was a pleasant surprise. “I’m an economist. Well, economist-in-training. And the Commonwealth actually prefers the term ‘Civil Logistics’ over ‘Economy’ for political reasons, but that’s basically what my job is. I study what people need and how it gets to them.” Her wide smile broke into a toothy grin, a row of short needle-like teeth clearly visible- pearly white and tapering to incising points.
She spread her arms in a modest show of theatrics and, with a regal tone in her voice, said, “I suppose my full title is the grand and illustrious, Junior Student of the Commonwealth Academy of Civil Logistics.” She gave a short bow, then chuckled, turning her voice back to normal. “And, like I said, I’m here about work. Literally, if you don’t mind puns- labor theory of value and all. The reason I’m here is to take a study of the local supply structure as material for my undergraduate thesis. I’d say it’s all very exciting stuff, but that’s probably only true for massive nerds like me.” Her grin went from confident to slightly self-effacing.
“So! You said you were a doctor?” Rikael turned her head to regard Friedrich with a curious air. “Might I ask what exactly you have a doctorate in? Are you an academic or the other kind of doctor?”
yey
[Harbor]
The next person to come off of the boat was over eight feet tall, skin that blazed in the hot sun, and far too many eyes. They had to duck to make sure they got out of the boat without hitting their head. They had no luggage, and only wore very light clothing, and when they exited the boat they stared straight at the sun as if they were a heliotropic flower or receiving orders.
And then, when they were finished receiving orders, they started towards the hotel, their limbs and proportions far too out-of-place for the crowd. It brushed against Violet, stepped on July's shadow (and they made a silent snarl in pain), bumped into Askeda's wings. No, it may not have been because of the sheer size of the Tall Folk. It may have been because they almost seemed, well, drunk on sunlight.
[Harbor]
So she was adopted, as Nathan guessed. "So, in a way, you're her bodyguard. Well, I'm new to all this, but I'll try to help in anyway I can." He turned to his father, who was writing down notes. "Dad? What are you doing?"
"Well," George said, "Since the whole point of our boat ride was finding new things, I'm going to to learn more about youkai. I'm going to learn everything I can about the supernatural."
Nathan sighed, "You've been like this since I've told you about that University dream."
"You and Adam were gone for hours, Nathan. And then, me and your mother find you two passed out in the middle of a park. I doubt that was a dream." He quickly ran after Kaguya and Hayate. "Hey, wait!"
Nathan could only shrug before walking pass Thomas. "Mr. Riverson? We're going to town."
"Alright." he said, "I'll catch up with you two in a minute."
Crazy Kiwi
Ian's head was spinning from his first cigarette in over a month but he lit another and stood, a trifle unsteadily.
"You guys wait here a sec, will ya," he said, "I'm going to chat to that dragon."
"Don't be a fool, man, it could be dangerous," said Aubrey.
"Yeah, nah. I've been watching it and all it's been doing is watching the crowd - like we have."
"I'll come with you," said Teri, standing. She wavered a bit. "Whoa. Head rush."
Ian and Teri headed across the square to where the tall, winged dragon-like being Askeda stood.
It towered above both of them.
"Ah, yeah, g'day," said Ian. "D'you speak English by any chance?"
Ian had singled out the "dragon" as it was obviously a hunter like himself. The state of its eclectic, functional clothing spoke to him of a similarly long time journeying and living rough.
Drummer Boy
[[Harbor]]
An economist? Violet remembered the stuffy old people that talked to her parents about the budget and deficits and all those horrid things. How was it possible that happy economists existed?
Luckily for her, Friedrich spoke first. "The medical sort. I poke the squishy things and tell you if there's anything wrong with them." With a tiny smile, he held out his hand to shake. Honestly, he was a bit wary about the claws, but better to look polite. "Did terrible in economics—that's what we always call it where I'm from—when I was at the academy, sorry to say, but it's a... worthy profession. A bit thankless though, it seems to me, compared to the work you have to put in. At least from what I've seen."
"By the Elders! He smiled." Violet covered her mouth and her eyes went wide.
He scowled at her.
"Oops. I ruined it."
edited 11th Oct '13 1:55:13 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Town center]
Askeda ignored the individual who bumped into her. Too deliberate. Probably an attention whore.
Two people approached her, a man with a rifle over his back and a woman with purple hair — probably dyed, from the brown near the roots. She gave them both a nod. "Among other things," she said. "Name's Askeda."
She glanced to one side of the Big Kahuna, then back to the two people. "Can you walk and talk at the same time? I want to get this buck off my back."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Beach->Town Center]
Being watched didn't bother Samuel much. He shook her hands with Nathan and glanced at the fox and girl, then watched Nathan get distracted. He shook his head and headed into town.
A...dragon. A number of other people as well. He considered waving, but only the Kaiser knew what the gesture would mean to them, so instead he looked around a moment, and drifted about five meters skyward, turning a circle to get a feel for the area before he landed again and turned to the others. "Greetings. In all its genericness too, wouldn't want to offend anyone right away."
Nous restons ici.
Attitude is prohibited
[Al's Bar]
"If you say so." Muttered Al, taking Layi's money. "This stuff better be real... Anyway, the less dead people there are associated with me and my bar, the better." He shook his head. "Like I said, though; it's probably not that dangerous anyway." He shrugged. "At least, I'm pretty sure it's not." He put the glass he was cleaning away and picked up a new one. "Another tab..." He grumbled, mostly to himself.
Tamara seemed to have stopped paying attention to him, and was now at least holding her glass, though she hadn't taken a sip yet. She offered a smile - an uncertain and barely halfhearted smile - when Layi pointed out that she was so reluctant to drink the bourbon. She turned back to the drink, took a breath and quickly downed half the glass. She had to try very hard not to grimace or cough. Slowly, she put the glass back down, concentrating hard on keeping up the flimsy facade she was trying to put forward. Layi got another reluctant smile, then Tamara grappled with what to do with the remaining portion of bourbon in her glass. At this point, she wanted to wash out her entire throat and could not at all understand why anyone drank the stuff voluntarily.
"So, that adventure:" Continued the bar-owner. "There's some ruins on a near-by island - they're real close, and just like those ones out in the jungle on the main island. Well, a little while ago, there were some thieves operating out of there. Pirates, even... But not the classic kind. The 'filthy cut-throat' kind." He chuckled. "Bastards went and stole stuff from incoming boats. They weren't pros or anything, but they were sneaky. It used to be that if you left your valuables unattended while your ship was docked, you lost those valuables." He scratched at his bearded chin for a moment. "To the point, though: Some time ago, they raided a cargo ship, took a whole bunch of stuff..." He sighed and put the glass down. "Including some whisky I ordered. Nice stuff, too." He shook his head. "And if you think importing beer and bourbon's expensive, the whisky's a small fortune." He paused briefly, then picked the glass back up. "Anyway, local coppers finally busted the idiots, but they couldn't find all the loot they stole. That was a couple of months back, most people have given up... But I still want my whisky, dammit!" He frowned into the glass.
"All that to say I want you to go out there, explore those ruins and find my booze. I'll pay you a bit of cash, and if you find anything good in those old rock piles, you can probably keep it." He put the glass away. "Probably. You might have to ask the cops or the natives or something. I'll also need you to to sign something, just for insurance purposes. Freelance adventurers don't always have the best reputation in terms of trustworthiness." He looked between Layi and Kevin, then over at Tamara. "And if you want to take her with you, that's your choice."
Tamara was still working up the courage to finish her drink when Al mentioned her. She perked up, looking between him and Layi. "Huh?"
edited 11th Oct '13 5:50:02 PM by Blackfire667
Not entirely dead.
YEEEEAH— no.
[Town Center]
No luck. Everyone here seemed as foreign to the place as Aya. Plenty of adventurer types around town— hunters, warriors, a dragon for some reason —but no one looked like they knew the place any better than she did.
She took a second glance at the dragon. At least, it looked like a dragon. She'd heard all sorts of stories from the arcane wilds, but this creature was new. It could speak, too; it appeared to be in conversation with two... well, non-dragons. Another man drifted into the air for a moment, then returned to the ground to speak with the others; yet another oddity. Well, if I'm going to start anywhere, Aya mused, it might as well be here. She approached the group.
"Excuse me, sir? Ma'am? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
[Hotel]
The figure outside the door was still listening. To Jubal's knowledge, it hadn't caught on to his presence. It's been long enough. He found a suitable point in his song and finished with a brief coda. He wasn't sure what the stranger would do once the music stopped. Would they stick around? And how did they even notice his music in the first place?
edited 11th Oct '13 5:56:34 PM by Blueeyedrat
"I've come to the conclusion that this is a very stupid idea."
Harbor -> Town
Hayate didn't bother looking back at Nathan and George, although he did slow down for them to catch up. "Bodyguard, mentor, and travel guide. All in one adorably handsome package. Quite the deal, wouldn't you think?" A smirk crossed his face as he said those last couple words.
Kaguya just shook her head. "He's always like this."
After that, the two remained silent until they were just outside the town. Hayate stopped and looked around. "Nice and populated here," he commented, "We should find the information we desire before too long." He turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Well, no time like the present. In we go."
He was about to continue onwards when a cat suddenly appeared and spoke to him. The fact that it was talking didn't surprise him; he was a talking fox, after all, and the youkai had many such animals amongst their ranks. However, his interest was piqued as he looked Claire over. She lacked the signature forked tail of the nekomata, and was much too small to be a bakeneko. Furthermore, her 'voice' didn't sound all that natural; in fact, she didn't seem to have moved her mouth during it at all. Yet the voice was definitely spoken, which ruled out telepathy.
Well, if this cat wanted to talk to him, he would be happy enough to oblige. Before actually giving Claire a response, however, he turned to Kaguya, who by the looks of things didn't seem aware that the cat had said anything, although she was aware of her presence and seemed to be looking at the device attached to her back.
"Don't you get any ideas," he said to her before turning his attention back to Claire. "My apologies. She's a satori with a bad mind-reading habit, which could prove troublesome if you wish to keep this conversation private." To his own ears, this was perfectly audible to himself and presumably to Claire, but to anyone else it was inaudible. "Hayate Tsukino. She is with me, but our relationship is more akin to a pair of friends than it is to a master and his pet. Or her pet, depending on your views on who's supposed to be the pet and who's supposed to be the master."
Kaguya watched Hayate apparently converse with the cat. She briefly wondered what they were talking about, assuming the cat was intelligent and Hayate wasn't just telling it to shoo. At the same time, however, she didn't want to risk reading the cat's mind, having the cat be somewhat supernatural and being aware of it, and then angering Hayate by disobeying him.
So instead, she turned her attention to the town, noticing the group of travelers that happened to be congregating in the town square. Two of them seemed to be humans at least, but they seemed to be speaking to another lizard, this one being much taller than they were and possessing of wings. There was a word for such a creature, but it evaded Kaguya at the moment. Dragon?
She glanced at the other members of her group for a second or two before walking off in the direction of the other group. She got close enough to get a better look at everyone, but far enough away to make it clear that she didn't want to join in (though the fact that her attention was squarely on them definitely said something about being interested). At the same time, she tuned herself in to the reptile's thoughts. She was mostly curious about what exactly it was, although a name and intentions couldn't hurt.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
[Al's Bar]
Layi shrugged and said, "I usually do beasts, not people. But I've roughed up enough poachers to know the game. You'll get your booze, and we'll get the rest." She frowned, tapping the side of her glass. "What sorta cut the cops around here usually take for this sort of thing?"
Then she turned to Tamara and said, "you heard the man. You get to be my apprentice." She grinned. "Kinda like being a pack camel. 'Cept without the respect. Still in?" She tapped the bourbon glass and added, "two choices. One's a cowards way out. One's brave. Pick well and I might just start to like you."
[Hotel]
The sounds stopped. (The stranger did not understand the concept of "music," and so could not identify Jubal's playing as such.) But the display of the power that had first attracted the stranger continued. And so the stranger remained, paying attention.
Then the stranger stepped outside, imitating what Jubal had done.
edited 11th Oct '13 6:40:38 PM by KillerClowns
[Al's Bar]
"Sounds pretty straight-forward to me," Kevin said, looking enthusiastic, "I'm in too."
"However... what exactly would we have to sign? I should also mention, I'm just visiting this reality, if that affects anything legal."
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
That One Gal
[Harbor] —-> [Hotel]
Cecila made her way straight to the hotel. She knew very little about the island, but it seemed like the perfect place to vacation for a little while. Sure, her job wasn't the most stressful, but her life was. She just needed a break for it, is all. If, only, a part o her life hadn't tagged along...
Upon arrival into the hotel's lobby, she made a bee-line to the front desk. "Hello? Cecila Smith, I've made a reservation?"
[Harbor-Town Center]
A talking fox and apparently a telepathic girl... George wrote down. A Yokai. Still unsure what it is, but I will get down to it. I think I'll see more supernatural activity around the islands.
Thomas looked over at Nathan, quirking an eyebrow. "What's your father doing?"
"Researching." Nathan said with a heavy sigh, "He still wants to find more paranormal stuff."
Thomas shrugged. "Don't be too concern. While your dad researches, you and I can explore...oh my God"
He paused when he noticed what he believed to be a dragon. He and Nathan stared at her in awe, while George immediately started to write down more notes.
[Town center]
Askeda scowled slightly up at Samuel, but didn't say anything. Great. One of those 'inoffensive' types. Try to avoid offending anyone and you'll end up with one big ball of blandness. Not to mention you won't really experience anything; the burned hand teaches best, after all.
Askeda felt Kayuga's touch on her mind, but didn't visibly react. Instead, she began glancing quickly over the- There. The red-eyed girl, most likely. Rather suspicious behavior, standing away like you weren't interested but looking so intently you couldn't not be interested. Hmm.
"Not interrupting anything, no, not really," she said vaguely to Aya. "Just carrying a dead chital through the town center." She adjusted the body across her shoulders again. It was starting to ache a bit. Hope this doesn't take too long. Got to get this to Kahuna. Oh, and... She delivered a light telekinetic smack to the back of Kayuga's head, and her next thoughts were very clearly directed at Kayuga. Stop looking into my mind, noldrakeidal. You little asshole. You want to learn more about me, talk to me.
YEEEEAH— no.
[Town Center]
"Hmm." She glanced at the deer on Askeda's back, and then faced back at the dragon. "Two questions, then. One: did you happen to see a man go through here? Dark skin, curly hair, hauling two people's worth of luggage? He was probably headed for the hotel." Aya took a quick look at the other figures speaking with Askeda, as if asking them the same question.
She twirled the blue feather in her hair, then re-focused. "Two: where can a lady find something to eat around here?"
[Hotel]
The stranger hadn't moved from its spot outside Jubal's room. It wasn't the music, then. So... He detected the second disruption in the hallway. The first form was now static, leaned against the wall. The second was identical to the first, but it was moving around the hall, as if... like...
...like him. Oh, great. Back home in the city, he heard tell of all sorts of magic-attuned beasts from the untamed north— the "arcane wilds", as some call it. Jubal had never been to the wilds before, and he had never seen a Mimic for himself, but he was pretty sure that one was lurking right outside his door.
edited 11th Oct '13 9:29:58 PM by Blueeyedrat
"I've come to the conclusion that this is a very stupid idea."
[Al's Bar]
"Well, pleasure to meet you, Layi and Tamara," Kevin said, "I'm Kevin ... um, an Adventurer. Anyways... I would be interested in joining an adventuring party. This is, after all, a reasonably thematic place for such an encounter."
After listening to Al's explanation(?), he said, "so... what might this quest entail?"
Posting will likely be slow from me until Saturday due to work...
edited 10th Oct '13 5:30:15 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.