@Varicke@ineffable@Alisdragon911

Clay chuckled to himself. One question pushing and over-riding all others. With a grin he replies.
"It's really quite simple, it's coz you're in the nameless tavern."
And that was his know-all answer, his overall explanation for everything that befuddled her.
"and you better get used to it and fast coz things are about to start gettin a whole lot weirder!" He gives her a wink as he starts to casually undress. First his jacket and shirt, then his shoes and belt, lastly pants and socks. Left only in his underwear he gives the group a nod goodbye and eagerly runs off downstairs.

---

[the scarecrow invasion]

Seeing the straw men form from the shadows, the little girl quickly ran to the open fireplace where she chucked in her new toy. It was no disrespect to the man who got it for her but simply a means to an end. Even though the creatures grew around her she never looked away, watching that little straw body ignite and burn, ensuring it all became ash.
One particularly large straw creature looked down on her as it freed itself from what ever hell it escaped and walked past. It showed no other interest. Up ending tables and slicing through chairs it began chasing the disbelieving (npc) regulars around the room.

The scarecrows varied in height and size, their agility was of a normal man, their strength beyond it. Each individual straw was as strong as bamboo and the jagged tips as sharp as iron. They were dangerous but not invincible as a large wolf that came bounding down the stairs proved.
Just as a nightmarish scarecrow was about to strike an unsuspecting patron. The giant white wolf latched onto its forearm with its powerful jaw and brought the creature down to the floor with a heavy 'thud', where it proceeded to tug and tear at its arm until it ripped it right off.

Unphased by its missing arm the scarecrow slowly stood to continue its onslaught.

There were certain people that the scarecrows seemed to avoid. The little girl being one of them. They gave no explination for their choices but it had everything to do with the girls little rhyme.

Ayeka guess she will never get a answer, she guess she always be a stand in or a helper in the tavern. She creates a ice slide and slides down it on her feet. As she looks at the scarecrows, she freezes some and shatters them. She is wondering where all these shadow scarecrow came from, "leave them alone." She did not want to see anyone to get hurt, she has a feeling she be cleaning up the broken debris.

Анна

'Uh... Я Джеймс Хардвик...
Рад встрече с вами?' Apologies ma'am, Russian's not my native language. And you are…?’@gohKamikaze

He Spoke back to her. A brief waves of relief had washed over her. It had been a long while since she had understood someone so clearly. Her mind mettled slightly as to why he was chanting the strange words along with the little girl. Cloudy grey eyes peering at him as she formulated her best response in the only other language she knew and could understand slightly.

" My name is Анна... You are? " She would ask with the same phrasing he did. Hoping she had it right as what he ment by the phrase.

The scratching caught her attention first. @Dark Light Her ears twitching at every sound her eyes watching every corner until they first moved. Moved like fire they did and she quickly found herself hidden under the table at which she once sat. A slight whimper leaking from her as she pulled the hood up over her tightening its loose strap at once. A little girl seemed excluded from those the creatures chased.

Agitated and fearful of the straw men who slowly reached havoc through the tavern. Nearer and nearer they got the more fearful she became of them. It was simple to say she couldn't overpower them on her own, she could barely escape from a footman if not for her friends help as a distraction.

A white glimpse and familiar sounds led her to look up from her curled ball. The table she hid under only light shook off place from where it was. A large, white coated, wolf had made an entrance and started to attack the creatures. Beautiful it was like another she thought, yet unlike many others as it reminded her of a time she would rather forget..
So she watched it fight, pondering off into her own mind slightly before ice began to freeze some of the creatures. More and more seemed to just appear and she held down her shelter best she could. Over the racket her soft panicked breathing wouldn't be heard. Fingertips leaving grooves into the wood of the table.

Her eyes flicker from from creature to creature as it becomes clear there will be a mess here. Slowly a smile forms on her thin face and her heart beats faster. Action! Her fingers twitch imperceptibly and she finds herself half off her stool before a wave of dismay washes over her. She isn't armed. Those twin poniards she had favored all those days ago were tangled amongst her leather belts and sheaths, lovingly oiled and hidden in the bottom of a trunk on the green shores of home. Bitterly, with a disgusted twist of her lips she slides herself back onto the stool. "Anyone spare a pigsticker then?" She asks no one in particular in a bright and hopeful tone.

As if on que, the bashing and crashing of all the commotion dislodged an elegant ornamentle saber from its plaque, positioned hi up on the tavern wall.
The sturdy sword came plummeting down, ringging out with a tinging thud as it stabbed itself into the wooden floorboards mere feet from Niccola. It stood up right, wobbling back and forth, calling for attention to its swaying handle. Just begging to be used.

Coincidence, luck, or a gift from the tavern itself...
@Redcovey

Providence! The delight is clear on her face. Her right hand wraps around the hilt, sliding it free of its temporary wooden sheath. Niccola hefts it a moment and then rolls her eye heavenward in silent thanks. The fact that she is half-dressed, bare foot, and bedraggled no longer seems to bother her as she trips forwards on light toes. Blade-dancer they called her once, and her body remembers.

The straw men are large. The straw men are strong. The straw men are made of a thing seemingly harder than flesh. But she is quick and not yet old. Long braid swinging behind her and limbs flashing, Niccola aims a slash at the closet creature, seeking to cut off a leg. Then perhaps an arm, she thinks. Dismembered, surely it would pose little threat. She sets to.

@Dark Light@Redcovey@Song Book@ineffable

Knutik could've sworn he saw the tall man morph just before he took a bend down the stairs, forget the fact that he just left his clothes behind. He tilted his head in confusion before he heard a beast like roar and a crash. His shadows stood on end and only seconds later the other lady rushed past him conjuring ice as she disappeared down the stairway @Alisdragon911. Suddenly yelling, more scratching and the noise of shattering glass. "It's really quite simple, it's coz you're in the nameless tavern." That's what the man had said, that was his answer to the ladies questions....... you know...... before he took his clothes off. But Knutik wasn't sure what that answer really meant. He then faintly recalled something he planned on doing later, but that soon vanished into the far recesses of his mind as he flew down the stairs to find out what was going on. He would find out later that this simple act was a huge mistake.

[Main Floor]

A severed arm flew past Knutik's view and his green eyes followed it as it hit one of the walls and fell to the floor. Strands of what looked like hay surrounded it as it twitched. He turned his gaze to the room itself. Patrons were fighting against what looked like a horde of living scarecrows. He observed silently, very still. He wasn't being his usual fearful self, he wasn't cowering nor was he hiding. His mind was blank but his claws began to twitch. He told himself to go back upstairs but he couldn't move. Waves of euphoria kept crashing against him. He shouldn't be here... he was supposed to avoid it... it's not what he wanted to be made of........ violence..... violence....

"VIOLENCE!"

Knutik lost all sense of reasoning with himself and grabbed the nearest scarecrow by the neck and threw it into one of the walls, almost hitting a patron. He pinned the creature of hay down against it, the force cracking the seemingly indestructible material of the tavern as he began tearing it's limbs off. He truly looked like a monster. Nothing remained but hay and torn fabric strands when the shade disappeared into the wall. Two large shadowed arms reached out from another wall violently grabbing another scarecrow by the head and torso pulling it into the wall where it disappeared into the shadows, it's fate unseen. Another scarecrow had burst into green flames. He was beginning to get a little out of hand.

@Varicke
Lunaria followed the shade down the stairs and when she saw him with that amount of violence and felt the emotions that rolled off him like waves she sighed. He was way to carried away for his own good. She screamed at him over the chaos.
"Hey, Shady! Slow it down a bit will ya?"
Lunaria then took her bow, notched an arrow into it and managed to slow down a few scarecrows for the others to take care of. Between the arrows and slicing through the throng with her dagger she almost managed to forget her questions about the tavern. Almost.

@Song Book @Dark Light

With the swiftness of a frightened housecat, Anna dove under a nearby table, her eyes darting fearfully across the room as the straw-bodied beasts advanced towards the patrons. Almost instinctively Hardwick pulled back his trenchcoat and drew his revolver from its holster, and with shaky hands swung it to point directly at the straw man bearing down on him. He breathed deeply. The creature regarded him with its grotesque painted face as his fingers squeezed down on the trigger.

*BANG*

The gunshot pierced through the screaming inside the tavern, and for a fleeting moment Hardwick's face was perfectly illuminated by the muzzle's flash - every worried crease given depth, every scar visible in perfect clarity, every tell-tale sign of a man who had been wearied by the horrors of the unknown unmistakable to all who looked on.

But the moment passed as quickly as it came, and any attention shifted to the smoking barrel of the gun and the reeling straw man, stunned by the hot lead that had slammed into its shoulder. The creature let out a raspy, guttural growl that reminded Hardwick of a cross between the rustle of dry wheat and a combine harvester. Slowly, it stood back up to its full, terrifying height and resumed its advance.

*BANG*

The second shot pierced the monster's chest, but other than a jerk from the impact there was no change to its terrible, methodical movements. Hardwick swore.

*BANG BANG BANG BANG click click*

'Son of a bitch!' Yelled Hardwick. No matter how many times he fired into the straw man, it refused to slow down - and as the last bullet left its chamber and embedded itself into the creature's leatherbound face, it finally caught up to him. With inhuman strength, the straw man picked him up and regarded him with those terrible, painted eyes one last time before hurling the detective across the tavern and into the opposite wall.

@ineffable@gohKamikaze@Redcovey@Song Book@Alisdragon911@Dark Light

Hay, wood and fabric was flying everywhere, it was a show of scarecrow carnage wherever you looked. Straw limbs being chopped off, patrons being thrown like rag dolls, some were even hiding amongst the trashed furniture. Every detail didn't pass Knutik unnoticed, he felt every emotion and feeling from every person in his vicinity. Fear, anger, excitement, adrenaline, servitude, protection. However, as a scarecrow was swallowed by the floor in a mess of shadows, he realized he could feel someone radiating an emotion that, given their current situation, didn't make sense. Calmness. Someone among them was void of any worries or fears, someone who shouldn't be. With his claws pierced through the chest of a scarecrow he turned to look towards the source, and his wicked gaze fell upon the little girl from earlier, standing unphased near the fireplace, untouched by the carnage of straw. He then pieced together what she first said when she appeared in the tavern's door frame. "I've lost my straw doll, can you help me make a new one?"

...

The wraith-like monster was nowhere to be seen until shadows grew underneath the little girl and tendrils of blackness coiled around her legs and torso, trapping her where she stood. A looming form of darkness towered over in front of her with sharp teeth threatening to pierce the very air she breathed, a green inferno visibly burning within the jaws with eyes to match. A heavy breath that could almost burn the skin was felt as he spoke. "YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS DON'T YOU?" His voice was booming yet he wasn't shouting. His mouth remained agape and oddly never moved as he spoke, but the snake-like grip around the little girl did tighten ever so slightly.

Speed served her well, keeping her from straws' reach, but these things were not men. Their skin did not part like silk under a blade. Niccola found herself hacking as much as she was sidestepping. After a while, she gave up any pretense at art and simply brought her borrowed blade down on straw limbs with both hands. Strength had never been her strategy and the exertion showed as sweat beaded on her forehead. So intent was she on dismembering as many of the strange creatures as she could, she paid little heed to the sound of gunfire, a thing that under normal circumstances would have driven her to the ground as she was unused to such technology. She did not fail to notice the booming voice however.

Scuttling backward away from the last thing she had engaged, panting and sweating, she lowered her blade and watched the pair intently. Emotions flickered across her face. This was a child, she should help. Yet, perhaps the creature that held her knew a truth. Things here seemed not to be as they seemed, she thought. And so she waited, poised and watchful.

@Varicke@Redcovey

There was no doubt that the little girl had seen these monsters before, even their actions were not strange to her, but the nightmarish darkness that bound and confronted her was something totally new.
Her eyes widened as the horror grew before her, her lip involuntarily trembled at the feeling of its foul hot breath.
And as the green glow highlighted and illuminated the true terror on her innocent young face, his booming voice and jagged teeth caused her to relieve herself right in the very spot where she stood.

A split second later her face ran as freely, tears poured endlessly out of her eyes. Her face a pale ghost white, she hardly breathed and began hypervetalating in her fitful fear.

Ayeka heard gunshots as she feels a drop of two of blood coming from her ears. She did not have time to do anything to do about it as a straw man grabs from behind her. She use ice spear from her elbow to stab the scarecrow in its chest. She watch the star fell to the floor, she turn around seeing shadow guy with his tentacles around the little girl. She is thinking killing the girl may not be enough to end this nightmare, maybe there is a good straw men among the evil ones. She looks among the straw men before stabbing another scarecrow.

@Dark Light@Alisdragon911

Silence was not what the shade wanted, his violent intent only half rivaled his fury at not receiving what was demanded. He wasn't prepared for the amount of fear this little girl was capable of exuding however and was almost taken aback in his actions before realizing he had almost forgotten how good it felt to have such power over such a weak and pitiful being. Inching his teeth closer to her face he was about to ask the question again before feeling eyes on him.

He turned around, the tendrils coiled around the little girl lifting her several feet above the ground as he wasn't about to let her escape him just yet. He looked towards a freckle-faced woman @Redcovey his green eyes frowning. He wrapped his claws around the little girl as he reached and grabbed her, ignoring the stench of her pathetic little accident from earlier. He held her forward as if presenting something he found. A long green tongue lolled out between his teeth in a mock open-mouthed grin. "YOU WANT THIS?"

Drai is finally getting to The Nameless Tavern as he hears all the commotion going on inside. He unsheaths his windshear from it scabbard and walks in. He is immediately bombarded by two scarecrows. he slashes through them effortlessly as he looks up and sees @varicke holding a little girl. "By the light release her!" he points his sword towards him holding his shield in front of him.

"WHAT?..." a man of shadowed skin @Drai brandishing sword and shield had entered the chaos of the tavern and was now threatening Knutik to release the child in his grasp. The mans eyes glowed with the determination of the sun despite the residue of darkness he seemed to carry with him. The shade could feel the energy this man wielded, darkness, yet oddly enough light as well. Knutik gave this armoured figure his full attention, turning from the freckled woman @Redcovey to bare his teeth with animosity. He could calmly explain as to why he was supposedly 'threatening' this child... but he's far from being civil at this point, plus this new individual intrigued him. Still holding the poor little girl @Dark Light being carried around like a rag-doll, he spoke quietly yet darkly in an attempt at intimidation. "You'll have to pry her from my claws." time to see if this man was as brave as he looked.

Drai sighed heavily and gathered shadows around him. "May the light guide my sword." five scarecrows started to surround Drai. In a blink of an eye he vanished. The scarecrows swung their swords and missed. Drai appeared next to @Varicke sword pressed against him. "Violence is not the answer. Release her and no harm will come to you." His grip tightened on his sword and shield.

@Drai

Knutik quickly glanced around when the man suddenly disappeared only to flinch and freeze when a sword pressed against him. He stared to the side at the man with a hint of surprise and uncertainty. He never had to deal with someone directly fighting him before, with the exception of a few priests in the old days when he was viewed as a bad omen. Physical injury did very little to him, but it was the energy of light from the sword that made him hesitate to do much of anything. He could feel it burn into him as it was pressed and did everything in his might not to move, unsure of just how fast this man could react. These weren't exactly the normal every-day humans he dealt with so who knows what any of these people were capable of doing to him. Without moving or even taking his eyes off the man, he opened his claws dropping the little girl to the ground @Dark Light. The momentary high of violence had seemingly dissipated from the shade, the sudden flood of the emotion calming to a slow still. He waited for the so called 'hero' to pull back his sword.

@Varicke

Drai lowered his weapon from the creatures side. He looked down at@Dark Light "I will protected you child. Stat close." Drai looks at @Varicke "We must defeat these foes before we can find out what is the cause of them." Drai swings his sword with might and take out two more scarecrows. three of them swing on him and he holds there advance on him with his shield.

@Drai@Varicke@Alisdragon911@ineffable@Redcovey@gohKamikaze

The creaking of a large door could be heard in the distance, a steady beat followed. " clack, clack, clack." the soft tapping of fine shoes against old wooden floors. Slowly it grew louder. Step by step.
A particularly frightful scarecrow was also drawn by this noise and with a maniacal eagerness ran upstairs disappearing into the hallway. As it disappeared from sight so too did the heavy sounds of its straw limbs scraping across the floor and walls, the grinding chaffing and shuffling within its animated body as darkness forces it to defy nature, those sounds reserved only for things of nightmares. No there was no commotion or violent struggle. No battle or screams. Just simply a sudden nothingness, a nothingness in which the continued growing of tapping shoes echoed on never missed a beat.

Dorian soon came to stand on the upper balcony, suit and attire as immaculate as ever, he leaned on the railing as he over looked the tavern like so many times before. There was a loud shattering of glass as a giant white wolf leapt onto the bar and then launched itself into the back of a straw man, only to be thrown across the room and slam into an ornate cabinet, bringing it crashing down along with everything on it.

Despite all the commotion, violence and damage before him, Dorian looked upon the events with a casual nonchalant gaze, as if everything was normal. By his reaction everyone may as well be sitting around in idle conversation.
With purposeful strides he makes his way down the stairs and towards the front door. He moves as if though everything happening around him is happening somewhere else. He gave no regard for the dangers, walking in a direct path to the door, nor did he need to, as nothing fell to hinder his way.

Reaching the doorway he gazes outside to the setting sun as a cool breeze ruffles his hair. He takes a deep breath of that fresh air before taking the handle and looking back inside.

"Alright, it's getting late. Time for young children to go home.
It was followed by a hush whisper and spoken words unheard. Suddenly the little girl growled as she stood upright. She began to move towards the door, slow rigid steps and shaky movements. Her eyes were wide, not filled with fear but hate. Reaching the door, her head wobbled as she seemingly strained to turn her neck, looking over a shoulder, facing the tavern, she glared death upon all the patrons.

Dorian had stood by the door calmly and patiently waiting. As the young girl finally passed he gave her a warm smile and a pleasant nod before stepping inside and closing the door. Just as the door began to swing, as if she had been released from herself, the little girl fell into her innocent, confused self. Worry and fear evident on her face with tears swelling in her eyes, the door continued to shut and obscured her from vision.

The shadows relaxed and gave no more passage to the nightmarish creatures. Even those that remained seemed weakened without a link to their home. As for the tavern owner, he strolled to the bar where he fetched a bottle of red and a hidden glass to suit. He noticed each patron and employee in the tavern with a glance and a nod, just long enough to suffice as acknowledgement. Then he returned eagerly to his room.