Histories of Allurand: The Keep of Kiirsahqoqeth

Finis 1, 11235 of the Third Age, Corneron

It was the first day of the final month of the year, and only twenty days remained before the true beginning of winter came on the solstice. Corneron, named for existing almost literally at the corner between the Center, West, North, and Northern West of the Kingdom of Allurand; had seen better days. People hurried here and there, ignoring the charred husks that were once homes, stores, and other well-used buildings of the bustling city in the west. The chill of the coming season did little to ease their pain from the fire of their enemy. If anything, it reminded them of what they would face if all was lost and they still managed to survive further flames: winter meant no ill will, but it killed all the same.

They eyed any newcomers with both suspicion and some hope, wary from their dark lesson over two weeks ago. The odd characters gathered at the Stone Boar, beckoned by an old man who once attended to the affairs of Corneron with greater vigor. He had been retired to his forge for decades since, but his eyes were as sharp as they were in his youth, precise and discerning as he met the newest gathering of those who had answered the call.

"Ye' may have heard a lot by now," he began, his voice rough and deep as he scanned the crowd gathered at the large table. "But what I say is the truth, because I was there for everything, an' I wasn't drunk, either."

"He came to us two weeks ago, looking like an elf with red hair. Came at the crack o' dawn, with gold and platinum aplenty to celebrate his eleventy-first birthday. We gave him odd looks at first, but his money was good and it came generously, so we got in the mood for a party." He grunted as he eyed a piece of currency in his hand, shiny and sure in its value. "Still have most of it, too."

"So the city spent the whole day working for this one elf. Never gave us his name, told us to call him Red-Hair for now, and he mingled with us the whole time. Then the sun set, and we started drinking and feasting to honor his long life. We danced, we sang, we gave him a damn cake. He sat with the most important people in the city, including Baron Bowen an' his family. Then the tenth hour rang, and he stood to give us a speech, praising the beauty of Corneron and the prosperity of his people."

"And then he gave us his name. Right before my eyes, the elf became a dragon, red as blood and so hot you could get burnt standing near him, and called himself...urgh, Kiirsahqoqeth." Pronouncing a dragon's name was always difficult for anyone that wasn't a giant or a dragon themselves, and this old man was no exception. The syllables seemed to sicken him and burn his tongue, his mouth eager to expel the foul word so he could say it no more, but that was easily as much from the memory of the beast's actions as much as its very nature.

"Then his minions came, monsters and demons alike, taking our most important people while he took Lord Bowen in his own claws. He told us that we had a month, a week, and a day, ending right on the winter solstice, to surrender the city to him. If we failed, he would kill us all and take this city with even more fire. I bet you've already seen what he's done with some fire on the way here; how can you miss it?"

"Now we only have twenty days, and everyone else who showed up hasn't come back. So, now it's up to you lot. Get our people out of there, and free us of this wrath. We know for sure where he is now: in an old mountain fortress to the east, not used since the Unification War. There's nowhere better for a dragon to make his lair without a fight. It's a couple days' travel from here, so we'll lodge you and help you out as best we can. But we're running out of time, and we know how angry those red dragons can be if they don't get what they want." He drank from his mug, said no more, and rose to return to his forge. If the party failed, and if no one else completed this quest, the people of Corneron would have to arm and defend themselves as best as they could, or Kiirsahqoqeth would have them all in fang and fire.

edited 14th Jul '17 12:57:58 AM by Insano

Corneron, The Stone Boar.

...The tavern's atmosphere being somewhat tense was understandable giving recent events. But at least business seems to still be bustling. The impending threat of death and destruction would drive most to drink.

And sitting on the opposite side of the table from the old man was an unperturbed figure with hair as dark as midnight and impatiently tapping his fingers on the wooden table. He'd been here for when that...Kiir had issued it's demands, yet...

It was making his blood boil, seeing the damage that had been caused and an overgrown reptile's greed...if it was going to be no better than a bandit, he'd simply deal with it in the same sort of manner. Of course, with the old man's mentions of lodging and assistance, the slightly irritated young man folded his arms.

"...I'm surprised you've got the beds to spare after 'Red' turned so many homes into kindling." He bluntly remarked.

"Great, do you have any inf—" Fallen Crest Knight Cassian trailed off as the guy just got up and left. "Oh." Her hackles pricked up for a second and she heaved herself into a standing position to start heading for the door. "Cool. I'm going to look around town, see if there're any folks who might have actionable info."

Not the best start to this place really. In spite of wanting to help, supposedly, the guy wasn't up front with anything other than lodgings. Made you wonder if they had anything. There'd probably be some folks here who'd know how the castle was shaped, though, maybe have a floorplan or something even if it didn't have updates to track dragon-based modification.

The Stone Boar

With the old man leaving to attend to his forge, a younger man, presumably the owner of the Stone Boar, stepped forward to answer the beastkin's cutting remark.

"We're doing the best with what we have. People who lost their own homes are living with friends and relatives, or they come here or to the other inns. It's not easy to put those homes back up, especially not with the idea of the dragon coming back to burn them down again. Now, I can help you with lodgings if you decide to stay here, but...Mother probably would have treated you better..."

Cassian and any others who went out concerning information would find that Corneron had a building a little ways west from the center that was both growing library and record-keeping center for the local government. Part of the building had been burned and many texts were lost to flame, but since the dragon had burned his way back home to the east, most of the books and scrolls remained intact. Maybe there was ancient information that had been left to gather dust after the fortress' inhabitants evacuated it after the Unification War, some of whom had gone west to establish what was now Corneron.

Corneron, The Stone Boar

Somewhere in one of the middle tables, slightly avoided by much of the crowd due to the sewer stink that always seemed to linger after a shift, Bastiaan Micawber nursed the beer his last coin bought him.

He'd known about the 'recruiters' for quite some time; citizens who had the ear of the crowd, looking for rubes to try their luck and save their hole of a city.

And the gods be good, Bastiaan, known as Bas to his fellows among the sewerjacks, was one of them. His hair still wet, the slender man had just come from another shift and blown the last of his savings and more on supplies that'd help him on the journey, a few more odds and ends, and his ace in the hole.

He sipped his beer, feeling the roll of parchment under his coat. Much as he wanted to get a head start, it was obvious that he'd need a bit of help. So now all he had to do was watch the crowd and get a feel. Like the beastkin with the sharp tones. Or the one who left looking for information...

Corneron - The Stone Boar

Aya looked around the place after the "briefing" and at his companions, fiddling with his hair all the while. The whole place was so crestfallen, not that the avian could blame them. He was certainly eager to help them all, but of course, there was always more than one way to help out before the quest. Rising from his seat, he walked up to the young man and gave a small bow. "Hello, and might I thank you for the resting accommodations." His tone was soft and lively, carrying an almost musical beauty to every word. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to ask if I could perform tonight? I am quite the accomplished musician and dancer if I do say so myself, and I find that song and dance are often good medicine for alleviating a bit of the feeling of gloom and doom. A temporary reprieve without a doubt, but... I feel it would be a welcome one all the same."

The Stone Boar.

Giving a slight sigh and taking a sip from his rum-filled glass as the old man shuffled off and one of those 'hopefuls' excusing themselves to gather more information. With the vague 'directions' they were given, that wasn't a bad idea and even if there was a road leading to their intended destination...he wasn't keen on someone wanting to take a 'shortcut'.

Lowering his glass and quietly sizing up the rest of those interested in the task ahead of them. Some seemed prepared for what was ahead. Others...not so much, some looking a bit worried and with the apparent owner of the Stone Boar walking over.

"As I said, simply pointing out an observation. I suppose most 'reasonable' visitors or people living here would've run for the hills with their tails between their legs rather than sit around and risk becoming charcoal...which would be one reason why there's beds to spare. ...And there's not much point rebuilding until 'Red' is dealt with." He remarked, stopping in his remarks at the young man sounding quite melancholy.

...Great. Another one being gloomy. ...Guess I can't blame him, but, really, something like that? He went to speak up before noticing at least one person was watching him, making the 'beastkin' hold his tongue and reconsider his words.

"Stop whining about something trivial like trying to meet expectations, kid. You're giving a lot of people a roof over their heads which, given the circumstances, is good enough. Worry about it when business is booming, there's bigger things at stake here." He bluntly remarked, yet trying not to sound too harsh about it.

The Stone Boar

Flammas walked up to the bar and tapped his finger on the bar top. "Ale, please." He said, his glowing eyes being the only visible feature from the depths of his hooded cloak. "So, you've told us what you want us to do but not enough information to survive it. For starters you haven't even told us what kinds of monsters this dragon has working for him." The man reached down and fussed with his armor for a moment. "Or if they're all in that keep, if they're raiding you, how many there are and what sort of equipment they have. I'm all for a good fight, but a suicide run seems a bit much to ask, don't you think?"

THE STONE BOAR

"Ye mean yer a dancer or a whore?" It was a deep voice that came from a Dwarf, covered in burn marks, with singed hair and the smell of gunpowder. He smoked a long pipe as he leaned back in his seat. "Ye know, Dragons ain't easy ta kill." Hamish had been smoking for quiet a while, meditating on the knowledge. "If yer plottin' fer Keershoggoth to die, surely ye got more plan than 'throw some poor asshats you found at a tavern at it. So, what's that plan at?"

The Stone Boar

The new innkeeper gave Aya a little smile at the avian's offer, a mix of relief and nervous surprise at the idea of the newcomer giving a performance to lighten the mood around the place. "W-well, yes, please. Thank you. You can perform, uh, any time you want, sir. There's not many others offering to lift our spirits in these times..."

The man glowered at Newr's remarks, holding back his tongue out of both common courtesy and fear of what the beastkin with the intimidating pauldrons could do to him if he insulted his guest. At the sound of tapping on the bar, he redirected his attention to the gladiator, sighing as he began wiping out a cup for the man.

"Frankly, I don't really know what you're up against," he began as he gave the cup a bit more time under his cleaning rag that told Flammas that the man was new to running a bar and an inn. "I remember being there, with demons and living flame striking down our guards, but I was more worried about...our mother."

He quietly went through the motions of filling up the cup and sliding it across the counter to Flammas. He didn't even look at his customer, and simply opened his hand to accept whatever payment the gladiator had. From how his eyes seemed to look at nothing in particular at return of the horrid memories, it might even be possible to give him a single copper piece in exchange. He could just pocket it away without a thought. "One of those devils...ran her right through with its fork...and I couldn't do anything about it..."

The Stone Boar

"Then we shall avenge her, good inkeep."

The voice belonged to a young dwarfess in a strange set of armor, decorated with what appeared to be simple images of birds. Her helmet was currently off, held in her hand, at least until she climbed up on a stool in front of the bar and put it there in front of herself. "'tis a tragedy that my order had not sent me sooner. For that, good inkeep, a thousand apologies."

"We must, however, race your memory once more, for the good of this village. Recall all what you can. We will not rush you." Then she turned to the motley crew she joined. "And you lot listen sharp, and you might yet live to tell your grandchildren this tale!" She bellowed, the voice commanding in spite of her small - if stocky - frame.

The Stone Boar.

Averting his gaze from the innkeeper with a slight frown and mentally cursing at himself for failing to listen to the whole 'story', grip on the glass of rum getting tighter and slight wisps of smoke rising from the table where his fingers kept tapping against it, the wood getting slightly scorched and made a small note for himself to do something later.

And THEN the dwarfs had to make themselves be heard, hands reflexively rubbing where his human ears would be as he shot a very irritated glare at the middle-aged one despite the comment not even addressing him.

"...I'm surprised you didn't go with cutting out the middle-man and called him a spoony bard, given he flat out said what he was, old man. Even with his 'pretty-boy' looks, I thought someone your age would know better." Newr caustically remarked, not feeling the slightest bit remorseful at pointing this out to Hamish...while subtly, if somewhat subtly giving Aya something resembling a compliment. "...As for a plan, I'm guessing that's something we'll have to figure out."

Giving a slight sigh at the female dwarf, Newr cracked his neck. Part of him wanted to bluntly point out her arriving on time would've made little difference, yet...

...Bah. That's not entirely true. Would've still been casualties, just slightly less. He cynically mused, still rubbing his ears from how loud the other dwarf was.

Of course, the last comment she made couldn't help cause him to give a very slight sarcastic smirk. "I think I'll leave the story telling to the bards. They'd likely make it far more grandiose than most of us could."

edited 12th Jul '17 5:25:40 AM by TheRealWren

The Stone Boar

The innkeeper shrugged at Flammas and Alva, a little numb as infernal images played out behind his eyes. "We had no real idea what any of these things were. The living fires were elementals, I guess, but the other things that attacked us had to be demonic. They looked nothing like normal monsters; not even the chimeras in these parts felt as...unnatural, as they did."

He cleared his throat as he lifted his head and made a little effort to look at his customers, his eyes looking a little wet when they could be seen past his more frequent blinking. "We had no idea any of those things could be living near us, and they haven't been seen since. If the dragon came from Fort Mons, then they're probably there, too. Probably busy protecting their master. He knew what would happen, provoking adventurers to try to enter his lair. In my studies, I've read that dragons are even more patient than elves due to their long life. This one's already older than my great-grandad ever was, but he's only been an adult dragon for barely more than a decade. Less than a hundred miles from us, and no one noticed anything from Fort Mons. There were weird stories and sightings when I was younger, but looking back on them...they were probably the dragon's servants wandering around, too."

He blinked again, with a little more finality as he seemed to return to active attention and gave an apologetic, sad little smile. "I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you what you're up against or how much you'll have to face. Whatever the answers are, the dragon is playing his pieces close to his chest. What's left of the city council is already losing hope at the lack of information or any survivors from the parties before you. In a week or two, they might actually surrender the city..."

Stone Boar

Flammas dropped some coins on the bar top and dropped his bag down next to the bar. "Put my things next to a bed and have the wine ready when I get back." He ordered, heading towards the door.

"Oh and what's the nearest to town the monster's have been seen? If you can't tell us what we're up against I'm going to go find someone who can."

Stoneboar

There would come a rapping at the door followed by a sudden woosh as the doors were thrown open, revealing a muscled and tanned woman standing in the doorway, her earthen eyes sharing the same grin that her mouth had formed. "Allo, I was lookin' fer any information on th' Dragon that's been terrorizin' the area. I take it I'm a lil late, though." She said with a laugh as she stepped into the room.

Stone Boar

Sitting off to the side was a woman with a fox mask over part of her head, leaning against her sword as she reclined in her chair, leaving only two of its feet on the ground. A flask sat in front of her that she seems to wasted no time beginning to drink from, even though there were several others with the rest of her stuff. "Oi~" she spoke up, pausing for a few brief seconds afterwords. "All the info is good and all, but........ dead is dead.... The exact nature of the beasts summons doesn't mater nearly as much as what they can do.... And I think we have heard much of that"

There was a pause and a small bit of a stammer from the drunken fox before she was able to continue "In fact sitting around too long to plan out every single detail of the encounter can be just as harmful when fighting beasts like this as going in blind, the longer you wait before acting on them the longer they have to nest and recover and this beast has already had......" the fox stopped for a bit and began to count on her fingers "18 moons, give or take to prepare, we shouldn't give it too many more"

THE STONEBOAR

"Don't be a prick," Hamish admonished the beastkin, "if yer gonna drain morale, me ol' captain would thrash ya wit a switch." He turned towards the bard, "Do you know the vestal and her steed?" It was a rather bawdy song involving a vestal's night of romance with a centaur.

He looked at the man, "So, Twenny days ain't 'nuff ta get a real army down. Right? So, I don't know if anyone knows anythings from the ol' stories, but I herd tat there ain't many thins that kin cut down a dragon. Right?"

Unknown to the old man, one of the people at the table had already heard quite a bit about the dragon incident. Sitting off to the side was a young man wearing a fox mask, who had heard many a rumor about the dragon who left his mark on the town. All this meeting had done was confirm what he had already heard: That a dragon and his minions made off with some important individuals, and was asking more of this town with the threat of further destruction.

So far, nothing about it screams dark magic, he thought to himself as he got up, but then again, I won't know for sure until we arrive at his lair. Guess it's time to turn my attention to more pressing matters...

Such as the drunk currently babbling about not wasting too long strategizing. He had a sinking feeling since they arrived that he should have known her, as since he had yet to encounter any other fox beastkin settlements during his travels she had to be from Shiroshi, but the second he heard her voice he recognized exactly who she was.

It's been so long, though, he thought to himself. Does she resent me for what happened? For not telling them I was alive? He shook his head. Enough getting caught up in what-ifs. You're not likely to hide who you are for the entire journey, might as well get it over with now.

"Right," Ryo said, responding to her drunken statement. "We can't afford to spend too long figuring this out. The sooner we head out, the better."

The Stone Boar

"It would be my pleasure to perform, young sir." Aya said with a charming smile, before turning to address the dwarf's comment. "No, I do not sleep with people as a profession, though I have probably lay with more than you." He said jokingly. "Ah. Yes. That song. Incredibly crude, and I don't think it particularly the right song to lift spirits at the moment. Thinking something more about hope and the such. After all, picking the right song is a serious matter, as is taking the time to lift the spirits of those down in the dumps." The ravian glanced at the drunken fox as he said this, as if throwing the comment in her direction as criticism.

Corneron Library

Okay, Cassian had a plan. She'd raided dozens of Wizards' Towers before, and even now she'd pitched in in some random recordkeeping and data entry jobs over the years. She knew how libraries worked, mostly. See, people could lie, they could be wrong, or they could just be dumb, whatever. Especially in an emotionally charged situation like this. Records lied... less often, at least. She shouldered the door open and hustled to find the local building records, or maybe receipts from builders' unions, anything to figure out the make and shape of the keep she'd be sieging. She took basically no time to say hi to any librarians or otherwise acknowledge other people in the library; this shit was important and she didn't have the patience for it right now.

The Stone Boar.

Giving a slightly exasperated sigh at the middle-aged dwarf and rolling his eyes, Newr removed his hand from resting on the table, fearing the entire thing would go up in flames and cause more grief. "...Then how about you ask for another round of liquor if morale's the problem, old man?" He remarked, a gold coin spinning between his fingers and flipping it in Hamish's direction.

It wasn't so much a show of generosity as it was keeping him quiet for at least a few minutes as Newr turned towards the newcomer, not exactly bothering to mask his irritation towards the situation.

"...You didn't miss much. The old-timer told us where 'Red' and his lair are, a mixture of demons and monsters likely guarding the fortress, or at least what we should expect on the road ahead...and that a bunch of rag-tag adventurers are the last option before he buggered off and let us figure it out ourselves." Newr replied, cracking his neck and sighing with a shrug.

With the announcement from the inn-keeper making a comment that the old-timer saying their twenty days might not matter if the city decided to fly the white flag in a week. It wasn't exactly a promising situation...it wasn't helping.

And neither were those two drunkards, although as the gloomy looking elf looked up from his drink, the beastkin gave something between a scoff and a laugh. "Good to see you've finished your staring contest with that drink of yours, kid. Even more 'reassuring' with you wanting to get moving. ...Although I guess the liquor must be making you too eager, I think some of us would rather make sure they've got enough supplies before we head off towards what many would assume is a horrible fiery demise. So you and the fox might want to at least wait until tomorrow. I'm not carrying a moody looking and giggling drunk for most of the journey. This isn't a frigging road-trip."

The Stone Boar

The innkeeper nodded at Flammas' request, but shrugged at the gladiator's question. "Ask the city guard. Some of them escorted the previous parties closer to the mountain; they probably know something."

"If you're looking for a map of the keep, it's not going to be here." The old woman wore robes that displayed her devotion to the Lady of the Northern East, patron of more mundane knowledge in Allurand, doctors and healers especially. She wore a patient smile that came with her elderly dignity, but she too was clearly feeling the pain of her city. "The last bunch who came in here took the only copy we had of the original, and even that thing was incomplete based on the information left on the original. Those people haven't come back since. I'm sorry we can't help you much further there. Fort Mons has been abandoned for millennia, and since then no one's been keeping up with its ruins. We're the closest to it, and it's still nearly seventy miles away."

Corneron, The Stone Boar

Bas couldn't help himself. Maybe it was because of his poor temper and the lack of funds to quench it. He raised his voice towards the insensitive beastkin.

He said, "Much as it says 'bout the quality of the citizenry, present company excluded," Bas raised his mug in apology to the other diners. "They got a point. Fort Mons was one of the oldest and toughest keeps during the Unification War. All the Army of the Point could siege that for years and not make a dent."

The wiry sewerjack swirled his watered brew in its mug. "But there're ways in. Smart guys, not soldiers, could get inside, free the Baron and his court..." Bas shrugged. "Maybe even give Red what-for."

edited 13th Jul '17 12:18:49 AM by KR_Vandal

The Stone Boar.

Raising an eyebrow at Bas and folding his arms, Newr looked a little annoyed. "I'm not an idiot. Big groups of problems aren't something to try and brute-force your way through, even with all of the advantages one could have." The beast-kin remarked, still irritated and cracking his neck.

"...That's not to say we might have a choice when it comes to making an entrance. If the information they're going to give us about the bloody place is horribly outdated, we might have to improvise. Obvious, I know, but best to make it clear, just in case." Newr commented, sighing a small puff of smoke.

"...So I guess I'll see what I can dig up and barter for while we've got the time. Some things might be easier to get than others, but, we'll see."

Corneron Library

Irritated and nervous, Cassian made a couple of quiet giggles. Bullshit bastards didn't think to have contingencies. Of course. She wasn't at the end of her rope just yet though.

"Someone got paid to build it though right?" She asked the lady, a little more aggressively than intended. "Receipts, where are the receipts? Stuff for builders paid to erect the walls, or to build the sewers. If I can't get a map then a list of things people were paid to do to build the place lets me work backwards from there. How good are your records in that regard? Would they be here or would I have to track down the people who actually built it?"