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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Pezzle
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Chres Sansus


Major interactions with @Elevation, @13Org, @Jerkchicken
Minor interactions with @RangingWolf



Chres placed the cleaning cloth he offered to the "hunter", onto the counter top, nearly breathing a sigh of relief when the lady rejected his offer. He did take note of the slight change in the air around her, however. Her breath misting as if it were cold. It most certainly was not on this mid-summer night. Intrigued, Chres took a sip from his flask, which was running near empty.

And here she just told me to not use my magic carelessly. He thought to himself amused. Granted, though, her reason for using the magic was probably more valid than his from an outside perspective. His reason however… far more personal. A protective reflex over a gift. A life long gone.

"If you want to throw your life away this badly, the war is happening just a few kilometers away..." She had obviously seen through his little stunt, not that he was trying to hide it from anyone. Chres stared ahead intently, not really looking at anything. His mind wandering to another time. Memories flashing through his head. His hands crusted with dried blood. Tears streaming down his face. The woman he loved dead at his feet.

Chres shook his head snapping himself out of it. He took one long sip from his flask, finishing its contents. How to properly respond to that? Because dying on the battlefield was far too honorable a death for him? Because he deserved a death far more humiliating? Because he was the scum of all Saencila and deserved to die as such? No. None of those answers would do.

Chres placed the empty flask onto the countertop as he listened to the man with the gourd nodding silently. It seemed as if the man understood the message. He wasn't concerned though which told Chres this man knew how to handle himself in a fight. Chres took his hand off of his pendent, allowing Sil to reappear on his shoulder. She was curled up in her ferret form. uncurling herself, she stretched as if awakening from a long nap before looking up at Chres.

Good morning Chres! You're looking especially sulky this morning. Sil said in his mind, as she climbed atop his head and began to look around.

It's still evening, Sil. Chres thought absentmindedly to her, still staring off into the distance.

Silly Chres. Days don't start with evening. She thought back giggling. Chres heard an excited gasp in his mind as Sil laid eyes on the man who gave her food. Apparently she recognized him. He had taken out a pair of dice and asked if anyone wanted to play. The moment he said the word 'game' she was off. Leaping off of Chres's head, into the air, transforming into her fairy form as she did so.

"Game?" Sil said as she flew up to the man and landed on the dice. "Can I play?" She asked earnestly. "I'm really good at games! There was this one time I played a game with some man, who looked just like you in a place that looked just like this! He gave me this hat he filled with a red puddle, but I knew better than to put the hat on my head with a puddle in it! So I took the hat, tossed the puddle off to the side, and then put the hat on my head. And ta-dah! I won the game!"

Sil clapped her hands together as she said 'ta-dah', and finished her ramble with a tilt of the head and a smile. Okay... so maybe she didn't recognize the man.

Chres finally tore his eyes away from the nothing he was staring blankly at. He glanced at the man who gave Sil food, pursed his lips and then nodded. So long as he didn't instigate her further, or grab her, it was find with Chres.

Be good, Sil. He thought to her, as he turned his attention to the lady Sil had bothered earlier. He took a moment to truly take her in for the first time. White hair. Strict demeanor. A courier with magical abilities, likely cold related. Seemed like wasted potential to have a magic user as a simple courier. Something felt off about that to Chres. This women was dangerous. The look she gave him earlier spoke volumes. But that white hair… Something about it tickled the back of his mind.

”My mother was from the Nation of Touch. My father, from the Nation of Sight. Fighting in a war between the two of them? That’s something I can’t participate in.” Chres said to her at long last. It was true too, but it was not the whole truth. Chres left it at that as he tried to put on a smile, which quickly faltered as his mind went back to darker memories.

Chres quickly changed the topic. ”Speaking of rumors, however, I am curious on how The Cult managed to convince King Y’lleant to let them into the nation. So tell us, Mr. Royal Guard. Why did the King allow these men into the town?”

Chres turned to the Innkeeper as he awaited a response. Raising his empty flask and placing a coin on the counter, he asked, “Would you please refill this with some water with a touch of lemon?”

“Water?” The innkeeper asked surprised.

“Yes sir. It seems I’m all out.”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Elevation
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Hark next to the man with death wish and watched silently as the events unfolded. Jeez this poor innkeeper He thought to himself. He was quite amused with small fight that seamed about to go down until it was abruptly interrupted by an armored man. Hark eyed the man more closely taking note of his armor which didnt match that of any soldier he'd ever seen in his lifetime. It wasn't until Hark noticed the double shot crossbow that he figured out what he was, a witch hunter. He was probably tasked out by their mystical order or whatever. Hark didn't really have too good of an understanding of witch hunters as he had only encountered them a few times in his lifetime. The first time he met one was when he was on a hunt for a royal mage who went insane after studying some form of dark magic Hark would rather not know of, and even though the witch hunters had no means of communication with the King they seamed to know about the rouge mage.

”Speaking of rumors, however, I am curious on how The Cult managed to convince King Y’lleant to let them into the nation. So tell us, Mr. Royal Guard. Why did the King allow these men into the town?”

The question snapped Hark out of his thoughts and he looked over at the man. "Well it's quite obvious actually. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Were getting our asses kicked and the Cult seams to have power beyond our comprehension." He then turned his attention to the witch hunter "And as for you, I know what you are. The Cult members here are under direct protecting of the King and have full authorization to practice their teachings as they please so I better not hear about any trouble from you. It would be a shame to put someone like you with all that training down."
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by HokumPocus
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HokumPocus RATS WE'RE THE RATS WE ARE THE RATS

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Lynx stared daggers into the familiar that was poking him. A fairy. He had seen plenty of them at social gatherings, used as entertainment. He´d usually growl at the more extroverted ones until they returned to telling bad jokes and prancing around the humans. This one had its share of fun and whizzed by before he could muster the energy for an intimidation attempt.

In the distance a bar fight broke out, causing the familiar to let out a sigh of resignation. He knew the procedures when it came to combat. Hide and let Octavio take care of everything. It exasperated him to see violence in front of him and have no way to help out his partner, but he knew just how valuable his appearance was. And besides, what would he even do? Growl at them and wag his tail around menacingly? Not a whole lot of options for someone who was basically an extra-large housecat.

Octavio had finished most of his peasant meal prior to the bar´s patrons deciding to beat the spirits out of each other and was satisfied by the recent turn of events. He felt as if the barkeeper had upcharged him because of his appearance, and had spent the larger part of his time at the inn haggling passionately with the man. And now, a fight! The man began laughing in satisfaction at the drama unfolding in front of him. A man who clearly wanted to die! A member of the royal guard! Another familiar! Octavio made a mental note to keep track of the royal guard. A corpse like that would make for a bountiful looting, after all.

The guard was no stranger to combat, much to Octavio´s disappointment, and he clearly wasn´t going to drop dead anytime soon. In fact, nobody was. The fight had fizzled out, with many of the participants opting to start a conversation with each other. Octavio frowned an made no effort to hide it.

Lynx emerged from his hiding spot. The casual and annoyed way that he walked towards his owner was inappropriate to the situation. It was the walk of someone who had their game of hide and seek interrupted, not the walk of someone who had escaped a bar fight, a result from being in similar situations one too many times. The cat´s gaze lingered on the witch hunter and the cool, collected way he ate. He wondered what it would be like to have someone like him as an owner. That is, until the man angrily rose from his seat to scold the fairy. To be fair, that fairy is annoying. He thought. He began to groom himself in silence. Him and Octavio sat quietly, eavesdropping on the group that was forming. They needed information.

Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by 13org
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Karina Frost


"Half Touch and half sight? Unusual..." Karina said to the man as she heard his excuses to not go to the battlefield. She didn't know what was his thing with all the purposely wanting to hurt himself but she hoped he would be useful for her at least to give her some information.

Karina was almost thinking she wouldn't get any useful information from that place when she heard one of them asking if they wanted to play a game of dice, almost instantly drawing the hyperactive fairy's attention. At least that would help to keep that fairy under control and no more unfortunate accidents would happen... At least she hoped...

But luckily, just after the fairy went with the other man, the fake drunk one said exactly what she wanted to hear, but it was somehow even bigger and more preoccupying than she had imagined it would be...

”Speaking of rumors, however, I am curious on how The Cult managed to convince King Y’lleant to let them into the nation. So tell us, Mr. Royal Guard. Why did the King allow these men into the town?” Karina heard him saying, carefully paying attention to him.

Did he mean that the King was really supporting the cult? Karina herself couldn't wonder why would the king give them permission to be in that nation even though they had quite the bad reputation? Never mind that... Maybe the biggest question was if the cult already had this much influence on that nation... If that was the case, things could possibly get a bit complicated. She knew very well what the military of the nation of Touch was capable of, but lack of information was something that could turn the tides of a war really fast... Depending on what Karina would find out, the Nation of Touch might be pressed to throw an all scale attack to finish this war as fast as they can before The Cult can firm it's roots on the nation of sight...

But before Karina could say or even think a bit more about that matter, the Royal Guardsman words confirmed what she was thinking previously.

"Are you... sure that it's a good idea? I've heard terrible rumors about The Cult... I can't really say that I really know about war and strategy, but selling your soul for power seems to be a terrible idea..." Karina said, hiding the fact that she was actually a brilliant strategist. She had to weight her words carefully at that moment in order to extract the maximum amount of information from that Royal Guardsman. He was probably the best font of information she would find for a long time...

"And not much is really known about them, am I right?" She asked, with sharp eyes carefully analyzing every reaction that the Royal Guard had to her words, even the smallest one.

"It honestly looks incredibly dangerous to let a strange and unknown organization suddenly have so much power and influence inside a nation..." Karina concluded, still looking to the Royal Guardsman.

@Elevation@Pezz570
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Jerkchicken
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The man's advertisement was slightly stalled by the less than welcoming reception to the invitation. He could feel his words hanging in the somewhat dead air. Of course he knew that not all the time he'd be successful in pulling a crowd, but the amount of disinterest was a sign seemed like a bad sign. Like in fishing, if they aren't biting than it's time it would be time to move spots.

Still, he'd give just a few more moments of waiting before moving on. As part of the pitch he'd also start talking about their rules and boast its simplicity and speed of play. Before he began that men who had threatened him, had released his familiar who flew up to him at the mention of game and rambled. He then said, "Sorry little fairy, I don't play just for fun when doing this game. Now if you got some sponduli I'm open to you playing so long as you follow all the instructions."

He then addressed the patrons, "Now I don't how you folks call it down these parts, but where I'm from it's called four-five-six or the Triple toss game. The rules are simple enough and games are fast. We'll start off with most important rules of rolling! First, you lose if your roll falls of the table. Try and aim the dice against this cup which will act as a wall." He then titled the empty glass cup onto the table so that it would act as a net of sort for receiving the dice.

"Secondly, this game is about getting certain combos. So if your rolls are none of the ones mentioned reroll until you do. So, first off, there's four combos that'll make you win automatically or lose. To win, you roll four-five-six or get a pair with a six. To lose, you roll one-two-three or a pair with a one. . Triples are second best roll and will beat lower triples so triple fives beats triple twos, they also beat a 'point'. Now a point is when you only get a pair. The lone die's number will become your point. A point is the weakest of the rolls, and it will only beat out a weaker point. If we get a tie then nothing happens, we just start a new round with the same pot. Now of course, we're not playing just for fun here. Each new round we all agree to a number of cash to best and then we roll dice to see who's the winner."

Having finished his routine explanation of the game he'd begin waiting for players to come to him. He'd give it like four minutes of waiting. If not then he'd leave for better waters, for he knew this wasn't the only bar in town.

Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Pezzle
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Chres Sansus


Major interactions with @Elevation, @13Org, @SonofJet, @HokumPocus, @Jerkchicken



Chres listened to the Royal Guard's answer as the innkeeper prepared some lemon flavored water for Chres's flask. The man's answer wasn't exactly an answer, but it did tell Chres a few things. First of which, was the obvious take away. The king turned to them in desperation. He was going to lose this war and he knew it. Second, it told him that the king was seeking out a power from the Cult to turn the tides of battle. The king had already let them into the country so assuming the man was still alive, he had cut a deal with them. The real question then was, what kind of power did he get from the Cult?

If there was one thing the Cult is known for, it would be Insight. What exactly this Insight was, however, Chres didn't exactly know. Chres had heard many rumors about Insight, he may have even experienced it first hand. Vivid memories of a dream that was far too real, immediately followed by rage and death. His colleague Fen, disturbed and shaken. He spoke of seeing visions and admitted to killing Tarn. And then there was Mercaido. 'I saw myself die a few minutes ago.' he had said after trying to kill Chres with a crossbow.

For many nights, Chres had laid awake wondering about that day. Visions. Death. Friends turning against each other. What had caused all of that? Was it the Cult? If so, then how? They had barely interacted with the Cult that day. Perhaps it was caused by The Distortion. There was so much that was unknown about it. The Cult might know more, though. Perhaps they had the answers. A small itch crawled up the back of Chres's neck. Chres ignored it.

Chres began rubbing his chin lost deep in thought. The Innkeeper still preparing his drink. The man looked like he was listening in on the conversation. No doubt he himself had questions about why the king had seen it fit to allow the Cult into the town.

Chres turned his eyes back to Sil. She had her finger to her mouth, listening intently to the rules of the game. She must have become a touch bored by his explanation, because she had begun to slowly rotate her form clockwise until she was completely upside-down.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm..." She said as he finished explaining the rules. "So all I need is Sp- Spudu? Spagali? Spa- Hmmmmmm... Sil began completing her rotation back to the upright position again as she continued pondering what she was trying to say. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Ah-ha!" She exclaimed, making her right hand into a fist and pounding it into her left palm. "Spaghetti! Spaghetti? I need spaghetti! Spaghetti and six mice!"

Psst. Chres arched an eyebrow as he heard her voice in his head. Chres, what's spaghetti? Chres simply shrugged, honestly having no clue what she was talking about. Spaghetti? He had never heard of the stuff before. Where did she ever get a word like that? Don't worry Chres. I'll tell you when I find out. She said, nodding to herself. Looking as though she was on an important mission.

"Six mice..." She began while turning her gaze to the noble's familiar. "Oooor... One really big mouse." Mouse? Not long ago, Sil definitely thought the familiar a dog...

Sil giggled as she flew over to the noble and began tugging on his shirt. "Mister! Mister! Mister! My name's Sil! Nice to meet you! I need your help to play that fun game over there." She said pointing to the man who took out his dice. "You want to be my friend and help me play? We need to roll that big mouse of yours over there. If we roll it six times, we win! Also, we need spaghetti! I don't know what spaghetti is, but maybe that man does." She said pointing to the the blond haired man who entered earlier and asked for wine and cheese.

Not waiting for an answer, she then flew over to the blond haired man. The innkeeper had just handed him his wine and cheese. "Hey you! We need spaghetti, and we need it fast! Do you have any we can borrow?"

Chres sighed. At least she isn't throwing food. He thought to himself. The innkeeper handed Chres his flask, now filled with lemon flavored water. Chres took it smiling gratefully. But the innkeeper wasn't paying attention to Chres. Instead his eyes were on the Royal Guard.

"Hark, my friend. I know you have your orders, but the king must know the trouble the Cult's presence has caused." The innkeeper said to the Royal Guard- Hark. -Hark was the man's name. Apparently they were acquaintances. "I don't know what they are telling people, but what I do know is, ever since they came here, everyday people have begun to attack people they have known their whole life.

The innkeeper paused before continuing. I've seen people attack family claiming them to be crooks, cheaters, whores. My wife's best friend killed her husband and before going after my wife calling her a harlot. And the one thing all these people have in common? They've all visited the Inn at the center of town. The one the Cult has procured. The king must hear this, Hark! Shimmer Town's lord won't listen to our cries, but surely the king will listen! I don't believe all this talk of him abandoning us."

Chres listened carefully to the innkeeper pleas. What the man had described sounded far too similar to to Chres's experience in the Town of Kaltem. Fen, Mercaido and Chres. All of them had turned to acts of violence. And that was in a town that had been ruled by the Cult for centuries. So then what would happen if the Cult seized control of a town that was not already under their control?

Suddenly, Chres's blood went cold and his face turned pale. His eyes widened in sudden realization. Slowly Chres looked up at the female with the white hair. "Dangerous may be an understatement." He said raising from his stool. "I think... I think this town is in trouble."
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Elevation
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Hark looked at the courier as she voiced her concerns and then not too long after the innkeeper piped up. "Hark, my friend. I know you have your orders, but the king must know the trouble the Cult's presence has caused." The innkeeper said to the Royal Guard- Hark. -Hark was the man's name. Apparently they were acquaintances. "I don't know what they are telling people, but what I do know is, ever since they came here, everyday people have begun to attack people they have known their whole life.

The innkeeper paused before continuing. I've seen people attack family claiming them to be crooks, cheaters, whores. My wife's best friend killed her husband and before going after my wife calling her a harlot. And the one thing all these people have in common? They've all visited the Inn at the center of town. The one the Cult has procured. The king must hear this, Hark! Shimmer Town's lord won't listen to our cries, but surely the king will listen! I don't believe all this talk of him abandoning us."

He looked at the the innkeeper and then back to the courier, "Well the kind has been so called enlightened by one of the elder members of the Cult and is far too busy to be concerned for the likes of a few complaints and concerns from the citizens of the towns the Cult operates in." He took the last bite of his quail and washed it down with his drink, "I suggest you just ignore it the king wont help anymore than the towns lord."

Although Hark pretended it didn't bother him that the Cult's practices were indeed causing trouble deep down he was worried about the plague the king seamed to unleash. Just as he was about to get up and leave he heard the man who's life he saved mutter something about the town being in real danger. Hark was about to dismiss the comment but his gut told him otherwise as his expression showed he might just know something he didn't.

"I'm the commanding officer of the royal guardsmen that are monitoring this towns Cult activities." Hark said in a low and serious voice , "If you know of real danger you better tell me so I can do something about it, I don't trust these Cultists anymore than you do."

@Pezz570 @13org
Hidden 7 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Pezzle
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The sun had set below the horizon in Shimmer Town. A sliver of moon in the sky. The residents within their homes. A few wondering the streets. Children are being put to bed. The local Guardsmen are on patrol. Soldiers man the gates and the walls, several of which have already succumbed to Insight. A group of those soldiers man the east, west and south gates. The south gate in particular is of interest at the moment as a group of Sightless are currently being let in. At the group's head is Sightless in black robes. He meets with a group of the Cult's followers who have come to greet the new arrivals. They get on their knees bowing before the Sightless in black robes.

"Sightless Nieffar," The man at the group's head says after being gestured to rise, "we saw your arrival. We have much to report about the status of the mission." Sightless Nieffar cocked his head as a knowing smirk crosses his face. "Ah... You already know. Of course you do. Please forgive my insolence."

"You have been forgiven. The seed is ready." Nieffar said with the typical sounding Sightless dry voice.

"Yes, Sightless Nieffar. He is planting himself now. It will begin soon." The man replied.

Nieffar nodded, closing his eyelids over the gaping holes where his eyes use to be. Takeing in a deep breath, a smile crosses his face. "No, my clansman. You still have much to learn from our lord. You see, it begins now."

The cultists stir uneasily as the feel a sudden tiny pulse deep within. The darken night sky flickers purple and the moon green. The torch flames on the street turn the color of black while still giving off an orange glow, the nearby shadows of living creatures looming towards the light instead of away. All of this happened for half a second before the world goes back to normal.

"That pulse you felt was our lord touching the souls of those who have seen his gift to mankind." Sightless Nieffar informed the Cultists, pausing to let the words sink in. Murmurs about Insight rustled through the crowd of Cultists. Nieffar continued, "Yes child clansmen. The Insight. It is his gift to us. It gives us vision, knowledge and power. He will come to you in your visions and speak to you. Through them, he will reveal your purpose in life as he did for me. Now co-" Nieffar cut off his words. His attention being drawn to a location near the town's lake. As if on cue, the other Sightless with him drew their gaze in the same direction. A frown crossed Nieffar's face as he steals a glance at the other Sightless who had arrived with him.

"Sightless Nieffar? Is something wrong?" One of the Cultists askes questioningly.

Turning his attention back to the Cultists, he gives them half a smile. "Merely, an unwelcome guest intruding on this most holy night. Don't worry though. Any trouble he instigates will be handled appropriately." Nieffar responded. "Now come. Show me to my quarters so I may prepare for the festivities."

Nieffar stole one last glance at the source of his disturbance before following the Cultists. Muttering under his breath he said "Absent for all these years and now he makes a play? What are you doing here? Who did you speak to? No worry. We'll find out. We always do."



Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Pezzle
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Chres Sansus


Major interactions with @Elevation, @13Org, @SonofJet, @HokumPocus, @Jerkchicken, @RangingWolf



Chres paid Hark a glance and frowned. Then speaking in a low voice, he said, "To say I know anything would be a strong term. I would say its more of a hunch." Chres paused momentarily trying to think of best way to say what he wanted to say without sounding crazy. "A year ago, I visited the biggest Island on The Broken Isles and spent a night in Kaltem with a few acquaintances of mine. That night all of us experience visions or some form of premonition. Those visions, they encouraged us into acts of violence and murder. Sound familiar?" Chres glanced back at the innkeeper indicating that the last comment was a reference to what the man had said earlier.

"Listen friend," Chres continue still speaking in a hushed tone. "I don't know if those visions, the acts of violence, and the cult are related or not. If they are related, however, a thought just occurred to me. A thought that I would rather not find out the answer to myself. What would happen if everyone in this town was struck by such visions at once? Chaos. That's what. Now this just might be me jumping to conclusions, but I'm not going to stay to see if I'm right. I'm out of here. I suggest you leave as well." And with that, Chres took off. He took no more than two steps when he felt something pulse deep within his soul.

Chres froze. What was that? He thought. For half a second he could have sworn he just saw the inn's candle flames flicker black. And did the shadows of every man and woman creep towards the light instead of away? An itch crawled up Chres's spine to the back of his neck. Memories flood his head.

Chres stabbing Mercaido in the neck with the man's own dagger. The man had slept with Chres's wife. Chres's wife dead at his feet. He killed her. He was drunk though. She cheated on him. But he was never there though. She betrayed his trust. But he loved her. It wasn't only one time! So killing her was the right thing to do?! She would have done it again! But that doesn't make it right! Murder. Murder. MURDER! STOP! Chres snapped out of it. The itch on the back of his neck still lingered. I'll make this right. Chres thought. With my death, I'll make this right. The itch slowly faded at the thought.

Chres took a moment to glance around the inn. Everything was back to normal. So then what was that he had seen? It reminded him of The Distortion. Did he just imagine it? No. Other people in the room were glancing around as well as if they had just seen something odd happen as well.

Sil. He thought to his familiar. We need to leave this town. Now.

"Leave? Chres Sansus. Always running away when the fun gets started. Almost as dull as your face." Chres spun at the mention of his name. Behind the bar-counter was a curious man with black hair and a knowing smirk. He was leaning against the counter, staring at Chres slyly. "Actually, now that I've seen your face I have to admit your face is far far worse." The man then looked up at the ceiling, "Hear that Pezz? You can scratch almost from my previous comment. No- wait! Don't do that. It will ruin the joke." The man turned his gaze back at Chres and smiled as if nothing happened. What was that all about?

Chres raised an eyebrow at the man. Where did he come from? Chres was sure no one was there just a moment ago. It was almost as if this man had appeared out of nowhere. Chres glanced at the innkeeper. The man was frozen in place staring blankly at a patron. Chres then noticed the man's wife in the kitchen. She had frozen in place too. Chres then looked around the whole inn. Everyone was still and silent. Everyone except Hark, the hunter, the woman courier, The blonde haired man, the noble, the man with the dice, and the two familiars. Chres couldn't help but shiver. What was this?

The man with the black hair leapt over the bar counter-top and bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me... let's go with Gin today. You all may call me Gin- except you Atticus!" He exclaimed pointing to the hunter. "You have to call me Sally. Anything else and I'll splash more wine on your face. Don't worry though. The wine will do wonders for your scent."
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Jerkchicken
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The man took a drink after his explanation as he waited for any people who'd be up for the offer. When suddenly he felt a magical disturbance. Which was then followed by him seeing it. He stopped drinking as his blood chilled as he focused on the lighting in the tavern. He saw the color change and the way how the shadows acted differently. There was no doubt in his mind that there was some foul mischief afoot. And the perpetrators? There was no doubt it was tied to that cult that the idiot king had allowed to run rampant like vermin.

"Tchh..." He let out escape from his lips.

He saw the little fairy being called forth from her attempt at gathering more players. Her owner looked quite concerned and told her they were to leave. He wouldn't quite disagree with the man's actions as it was natural, but something told him it wouldn't be so simple.

Suddenly a man appeared! He seemed to be familiar with the man with the fairy, and the hunter seeing as he addressed them by their names. However, he noticed something odd given how close he was to the man and the bar. He saw the bartender completely frozen and pretty much everyone else save for a handful of people here. Suffice to say, he had no clue what was going on. He only hoped this being wasn't hostile. If he can cause this freezing effect, then there's no doubt he has some power that would make a fight a losing situation. To be wiped out at its leisure so prematurely before getting even close to his goal would be cruel and tragic. Yeah, they say the world is unfair and so on, but it would be bullshit nonetheless.

Gin? Sure why not, he'd play along with this. This "Gin" while super suspicious giving the timing of the disturbance, caused by the cultists no doubt, seemed different. Didn't seem to have the vibe of something affiliated with the cultists, but then again he could be hiding it better. "Gin? I prefer rum myself. So, do you wish to tell us what you want from us, or would you fancy a game of dice?" He said with small flourish with the dice in hand.

Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by HokumPocus
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Fairies made for… interesting familiars. The right word to describe one would be… compact? They had entertaining personalities and were easy to carry around in other words. It was typical to spot many during gatherings as entertainers. The occasional trickster fairy being used for scamming was a normal occurrence for anyone who frequented these events, and so, Octavio saw the energetic fairy in a negative light. Really, a scam this obvious? Well well, this part of town must be worse off than I thought!

Lynx said nothing. He was silently trying to predict the outcome of events. Octavio was going to eventually agree to taking part in a game a little too enthusiastically and would end up bolting as soon as they tried pulling a fast one on him. Or maybe the game would be legitimate and he´d lose a chunk of his funds. Or maybe…

The big cat mulled over the thoughts in his head and was brought back to reality by his owner´s voice. “Oh, spaghetti?! How exotic! This sounds interesting, I must say.” said Octavio, a little too enthusiastically. Lynx smiled to himself. Hmph, thought as much. He got close to the humans, but not too close.

Octavio´s enthusiasm was stored for later at the mention of cults and whatnot. He entered the inn with the hopes of learning about the other, better inn, and was now aware of how dangerous it could be. Octavio had the tendency to weasel his way out of physical conflict, but if these competent looking men and women were to all conspire against this mysterious cult, well, the looting would be priceless. He was thinking too fast for Lynx to keep up with at this point.

As the reckless rogue walked towards the others the space around him distorted. Most of the inn´s patrons were frozen in place, and to the disappointment of Octavio anyone that appeared to have loot on them was unaffected. And as if things couldn´t get any stranger, a mischievous man was now talking to the ceiling and going by two separate names. Lynx walked at a brisk pace to the bottom of a table, following procedures. Octavio stared in astonishment. The man´s magic was impressive, but there was no way he could go up against every unaffected person in the building and live. So he raised an eyebrow and looked gleefuly at the disorder unfolding right in front of him.

“Well Gin, welcome to our humble inn. Using magic irresponsibly and treating wine as if it were nothing at all is such a scandalous and over the top way to introduce yourself to a crowd." said Octavio, pausing his words intentionally for his next bit. “I´m impressed!” Lynx poked his head out from underneath the table, analyzing every move the strange man made. Isn´t anybody here normal? thought the familiar.

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Chres Sansus
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The Being of Many Names


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Chres took as step back. A rush of questions running through his mind. Who was this man really? What did he want? How did he know Chres's name? Was he an acquaintance of the hunter, the man he referred to as Atticus? Chres asked none of these. He merely listened. All the while his hand on his dagger. Ready to use tempraision at any moment.

Sil, on the other hand, didn't seem so frightened. She merely gasped and zipped up to the man. She was about to say something when Chres put his left hand over his pendent. She instantly blinked out of existence. Now was probably not the time for her shenanigans.

The man who called himself Gin arched his eyebrow as Sil disappeared. He paid Chres a quick glance before turning his attention to the noble and the man with the dice. Both of them having just addressed this man Gin. "Why Octavio, my good friend, everything about me is over the top. My existence is over the top. My personality is over the top. When I leapt over the bar's counter top, I was over the top. This hat-" Gin snapped his fingers immediately after the word 'hat'. Suddenly a top hat appeared on his head. "-is over the top." Gin snapped his fingers again and the hat vanished. "But I'll tell you what is not over the top, though the way I bring it up most certainly is, and that is... your imminent deaths."

Gin smiled knowingly at the noble he named Octavio before vanishing into thin air. A second later Gin reappeared in the stool Chres had been sitting earlier. In his hand he held a bottle of rum and a glass with ice. He poured the rum into the glass and was about to offer the glass of rum to the man with the dice. He paused, however, with a frown and a shake of his head. Instead, he offered the man the whole bottle of rum, placing the bottle in front of the man. Gin then downed the glass of rum he poured in one swig and exhaled loudly.

"Rum. Good stuff Dirty. Or do you prefer the name Bastard? Or is it one of those names you say together? Just Dirty Bastard. Meh, I suppose it doesn't matter. DB. I'll just go with DB. So about that game of dice, DB." Gin placed a stack of coins on the table. He then grabbed the pair of dice and rolled. The dice bounced off the cup DB placed on the table and settled.
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Álmos Air-Swimmer




"Ah, spaghetti? I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean." Álmos said with a start, recoiling away from the excitable girl, dreading the interaction that he had inexplicably found himself in. It was almost a relief to him, then, that everything seemed to freeze for a moment, and a strange figure appeared to speak to several of the patrons - himself included.

Looking about the tavern for a moment, Álmos couldn't help but feel uneasy. He was also impressed. The man had not only managed to hold the majority of the patrons in time, but the effect extended to the very air within the building. It was almost enough to bring a smile to Álmos' face, were it not for the implications of such a feat.

"Well met, Mister Gin." Álmos said, bowing politely. "I hope I am not being rude in declining to introduce myself, but I suspect that you may already know my identity. More pressing, I think, is your mention of imminent death. Please explain, if you would be so kind."

Álmos thought he'd done a decent job of keeping his composure. The man was certainly unsettling - but he figured it'd be better to play along. Such power as Gin had already demonstrated could likely quite easily have been used to destroy them, rather than give them a private audience for his speech.
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Karina Frost


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Karina heard silently as the Innkeeper also said his thoughts. The situation was showing to be... rather concerning, at least according to what she was hearing. People attacking people? That sounded almost like... mass hysteria or something like that... Possibly some type of magic... What really was making Karina concerned is that the cult really was influent... Apparently, the town's lord wasn't going to help regarding the cult's activities... It was almost like if he couldn't help... after all, it appeared that even the King had opened the nation's doors to them.

Things were getting really strange by the second... Every new rumor Karina heard just served to further make her think that hers and the other officer's first decision was right. They had to launch a full scale attack soon in order to not let the cult grow stronger. They didn't knew what this cult was capable of... What kind of powers they had... They had to deal with this cult swiftly, even if they had to crush the entire nation of Sight in the process.

"I'm the commanding officer of the royal guardsmen that are monitoring this towns Cult activities."
"If you know of real danger you better tell me so I can do something about it, I don't trust these Cultists anymore than you do." Karina heard the Royal Guardsman talking. For a second, Karina was really tempted to reveal her true identity and lay down the cards to him, after all, he was indeed the commanding officer of the Royal Guard and not just a mere town guard... Things were starting to get complicated. That cult thing ran deeper than Karina previously thought. Acting now could be potentially dangerous...

"Patience..." She thought to herself, breathing deeply, putting her thoughts in order.

"Hark... Is it?" Karina said, looking to the Royal Guardsman.
"I may be just a courier, but for me, these cultists feel more dangerous than the war itself." She said with a serious voice.

Time had passer faster than Karina had thought. As she looked to the window, she saw that there was already getting dark. The last rays of sunlight were touching the streets before everything started to get darker. The temperature dropping as the guards started their patrol and normal citizens went to their houses. She couldn't say why but that evening felt especially... somber and grim... Fitting with the conversation they were having and the overall situation. But they weren't done with the discussion and the drunk man still had some interesting information to tell...

Karina heard as the drunk man spoke about how he visited the Broken Isles and the visions he and his friends had. Visions that inspired violence, chaos and murder.... Just like he said, it was awfully familiar to the rumors they've all been hearing. But what he said next was even more concerning... If everyone on a city happened to have the same visions at the same time... The outcome would be a brutal bloodbath... A massacre without precedents. Whatever it was that Cult's goals by doing that, they surely had something else planned... With such power, that cult could alone crush an entire nation by using it's own population, leaving nothing but blood and death... It was far worse than a war... There were rules in war, there was order in the chaos that a war was, but that... That was only mindless slaughter.

As the drunk man turned in order to leave, Karina couldn't help but see something different on his face, on his expression. Something had happened to make him leave so quickly... He said he had those visions before... Was he having another one of those? As Karina saw him, she discreetly put her hand over the decorated pommel of the rapier getting out of the protective wrapping on her back. Something was smelling really bad about all that...

Before he could either go away or do something though... A strange voice called the drunk man. Chres Sansus, apparently was the drunk man's name. The owner of the voice though wasn't someone that Karina saw before. And she was sure she kept track of everyone who entered and left the Inn during the time she was gathering information. He appeared there out of nowhere... Maybe the strangest thing in all of that was that there were only a few people that appeared to realize that... Not only that but... Only these few people were moving at all! It was almost like the others were frozen in place...

The black haired stranger proceeded to jump over the countertop as he introduced himself. Gin for some, Sally for others.
Silently watching those who could still moving, searching for an explanation, Karina kept quietly watching all that, ready for anything.

“Well Gin, welcome to our humble inn. Using magic irresponsibly and treating wine as if it were nothing at all is such a scandalous and over the top way to introduce yourself to a crowd." The nobleman and his lynx familiar, who had been quiet until now finally said something... Did he know that 'Gin' man?

As Karina heard their interaction, she finally discovered the noble name. Octavio. So they really knew each other... Hearing the flamboyant and flashy way he spoke, she couldn't possibly imagine that the conversation would have such a sharp turn as the tone of his voice became darker.

"But I'll tell you what is not over the top, though the way I bring it up most certainly is, and that is... your imminent deaths."

Disappearing and reappearing in front of the lowlife with the dices, he offered him some rum. Both him and the bottle of rum appeared on the stool in the same fashion he 'materialized' the hat on his hands out of thin air a second ago.
One by one, that Gin man was not only acting like he knew all of them, but was actually telling their names.
Dirty Bastard, or as Gin said it himself DB was the lowlife's name.

"State your business, Gin." Karina said, with a firm, authoritative voice that didn't fit a courier at all after the blonde man said what she had already thought about Gin already knowing all their identities.
"If you wanted to kill us yourself, you surely wouldn't be leisurely talking with us like you are right now... Are you with the Cult or not?" Karina asked, still maintaining her composure, but if one looked at her carefully, he would see that she was incredibly alert. Her eyes were carefully watching Gin's every movement and her eyes pierced him with a cold stare. If that man really knew who Karina was, her mission could be ruined if he spoke anything at all.

"What is it that you want?" Karina said, her eyes not leaving Gin's figure not even for a second.
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The man casually matched the amount of coinage on the table. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the dice effortlessly rolling into the cup. He checked the results. Both had winning rolls, so it was a tie. It figured it would be pointless given the mention of incoming death. He graciously accepted the rum and waterfalled the liquid into his mouth. With a calm smile he said to Gin, "Call me whatever you wish. We both know this is not my true name, the real one is only known to me, the wind that passes, and the grass I travel over. "

He took another swig of his wine as he picked up his stuff and put it away. He got up with a sway that was both partially affected and real. Some blond guy he hadn't noticed for some reason, approached Gin asking about the impeding doom they were to face. "Right tells us about out that incoming death. Mind telling me which way it's coming in from? I'd at least like to have the courtesy of facing it while standing up." After saying that, he saw that woman again. The mistress of cold and steel walking up to this Gin fellow. There was something interesting about her, or rather this concern of hers.

Sure, there was something distressing to be in this odd situation where it seems time has stopped flowing. Then a mysterious figure comes in telling everyone of incoming death. Also, he knows their names too. He stayed quiet as he didn't care much for redundancy. Both the blonde guy and her were already asking the same damn questions everyone else had on their mind. All he needed to do is stay quiet and listen. And that's what he'd be doing as he leaned against his pole and gently swayed like a leaf in the spring breeze.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Pezzle
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Chres Sansus
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Interactions with @Elevation, @13Org, @SonofJet, @HokumPocus, @Jerkchicken, @RangingWolf



One by one Gin began naming the people in the inn. Unconsciously, Chres took note of each name and stored it in the back of his mind. It was a habit he picked up from his past occupation. Knowing a person's name gave one power.

This man, Gin, he performed magical feats unlike any Chres had ever seen. Normally people have one magical ability. Gin had already displayed three... Maybe even four? Teleportation. Time stoppage. Materialization. And maybe even mind reading... or was that something else?

Gin turned to the blonde haired man. "Finally someone gets it! Yes, Álmos, I do know your name."

Chres gripped his dagger tightly thinking everything he saw over in his head. Perhaps one of the initial questions Chres had about this man, was poorly phrased. The question shouldn't be 'Who is this man?' but rather 'What is this man?'. Whatever he was, he was definitely an abnormality, and that made Chres especially wary. While everyone else began to gather around the man. Chres decided to do the opposite. Slowly he edged closer and closer to the exit of the Inn. The man's back was turned away from Chres. Would he notice?

"Perhaps I should revise my oh so ominous comment about incoming demise." Chres took another step backwards ever so quietly. "You see, my friends, had I not just intervened you would have all died by the Cults' and their lord's hands. That is, everybody except... him" Gin lazily pointed his right thumb behind him. Directly in Chres's direction. Gin slowly turned to look Chres in the eye, smiling slyly.

Darn. Chres thought gritting his teeth. Now the question was did man sense him trying to leave through physical means or magical means. If it were through magical means, then what were the rules? What were the restrictions? Did the restrictions apply to Gin's other magical feats? How was the magic activated? Did it have fuel? Chres glanced one last time around the frozen inn common room. No. Chres thought. This magic, however it works, is different. It is bigger and far more frightening than systems I've seen in the past. Pay attention Chres, listen carefully, and you might uncover a few clues to it's workings.

Gin cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. He was waiting for a response. "So then wha-" Chres began, but Gin cut him off.

"Why thank you Chres! You kind of left us hanging there for second. I'm so glad you decided to not leave the safety of the inn. For if you did, then the Cult would have known I spoke to you. They would have found you, locked you in a dark dungeon, and by the end of the week, they would have turned you. A loyal Cultist through and through, and before too long, a Sightless."

Gin rose from his stool. "You see people. This is what the Cult does. They seduce you with the visions granted by their Insight, and before long, the Insight changes you. It makes you one of them. Over four thousand years ago, when the cult of Insight first was spawned, their member took over almost half of Saencila before being stopped.

You, Chres, have experienced just a small taste of Insight before. That itch you feel on the back of your neck right now, that's the Insight calling your name, twisting your thoughts. You can leave here if you want. I won't stop you. I'm sure your wife wouldn't mind. She is dead after all, along with the child she was pregnant with. And why is she dead again?"


Chres froze. His heart pounding in his chest. The memories creeping up on him. Haunting him.

"Huh." Gin said shrugging. "I guess I forgot why. Funny how that happens always at the most... convenient of times." Gin smirked before turning his attention to the courier, who Chres was becoming more and more certain was not actually a courier. Again something tickled his memory. He felt as if he should know who this woman was.

"Anyway, my dear... Karlie," He said to the courier, placing extra emphases on the name Karlie as he added a knowing smile. "as I'm sure an intelligent woman like yourself has realized by now, I am not with The Cult. You see the cult enjoys talking about dull and dreary things and I like to talk about not dull and dreary things- well with the exception of your deaths, of course. Sorry about that. For my credit, I did try to make it sound as happy and interesting as possible. But one can only do so much- Regardless, as you can obviously surmise from what I said before the ramble, The cult's lord and I do not quite get along.

And that brings me to the reason why I appeared before you, putting the rest of these people on ice. You see, I need you all to survive. And preferably not as a Sightless, Chres, thank you very much. Should you fall victim to the Insight, then you most certainly will fall. What I offer is information to help you survive. Should you want my help, you will retain all knowledge of our conversation, and just maybe you'll survive the coming day. Should you decline my help, when things go back to normal, you will have forgotten all that we spoke of. Death will be swift and certain."


Gin then snapped his fingers. Suddenly the entire room sparkled and a rainbow appeared from the entrance to the stairwell leading upstairs. The illusion disappeared three seconds later. "There, see? That's me trying to making the possibility of your 'swift and certain deaths' sound happy and interesting! If you ask me, it did just the trick." Gin sat back down on his stool, arms folded across his chest. A smirk across his face.
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He listened at Gin finally explaining a bit more at what was going. He continued his swaying as he listened to the entity speak to them. The woman, she was very close to spilling her true intentions for being here. Regardless, it was all too clear with how she gripped that weapon that it was hers and she knew how to use it. Though she was playing as someone of lower importance she was a warrior of some skill with that weapon. He'd try to remember to act mildly surprised when she eventually revealed herself to be some soldier or warrior.

His glance gently floated over to Chres. It felt like a large clue had made its appearance with Gin mentioning this man. His tragic backstory which was painfully revealed gave him a decent sense of what was going on. While he could be wrong, he felt pretty confident with his assumption that began to form. This man whose exposure to these visions of "insight" would no be of some importance to this entity. He figured because of his exposure to this magic it would make him a double-edged sword, this connection being both useful to ends of Gin while also proving troublesome due to said connection.

The swaying stopped momentarily as he just leaned on the pole. His thoughts now concentrating on this offer. He was glad he was in a calm state before drinking, as now he found himself as tethered and still like a rock at the bottom of a lake. On one hand there was still many questions involving the trustworthiness of this figure. They were going to be roped into some greater scheme, and while the cult was definitely evil, it was also unclear as to how much to trust this figure. This threat of incoming death at the hands of the cult and their leader could false, since the threat of dying is a decent enough cudgel to get people to do something.

He continued to think over it but ultimately his intuition told him such rumination at this point was a bit pointless. At this point all he knew is they were definitely being prodded to taking action against the cult and Chres would probably be some of importance given his exposure to "insight". There was the possibility of Gin being just as bad the cult and the repercussions of that. Ultimately he would go along with this, as he had nothing but antipathy towards the cult and this would be convenient for him.

He then approached Gin again and spoke, "Alright, consider me as signed up. So what about this information that will save me and whoever else decides to cooperate with your plans? Will it involve hanging around with that guy over there?" He made a quick gesture towards Chres.

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Chres Sansus
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Chres took a seat at a nearby unoccupied table. With his hand to his head, slowly Chres digested everything Gin said. It was a lot to take in. As he sat there, he unconsciously added illusions to the list of things Gin could do. Was the hat from earlier an illusion too? The rum certainly was not. DB had taken a sip from it after all. Materialization could stay on the list then, for now.

This man spoke of a time when the cult had run rampant. This was something Chres had never heard of before. Was it a known fact that scholars were already aware of? Or was this knowledge which was lost to the sands of time? What had stopped them from completely taking over. How did the world recover? Questions, so many questions. Pay attention, Chres, ask questions later. He thought to himself.

Gin spoke of the visions. Insight, he called it, confirming Chres's suspicions. Most immediately worrisome, though, was the fact that Gin had pointed out that Chres was already exposed to the Insight and was twisting his thoughts even at this very moment. Was it true?

Chres felt fine. He didn't feel as if an external force was twisting his decisions. Would he even be able to tell the difference, if what Gin said was true? What did that mean about his own mental state? Could he even trust himself anymore?

The itch from earlier lingered on the back of his neck. The itch that never truly went away. It wasn't an actual itch, He had scratch at it in the past only to never get relief. He had long ago come to terms that this itch was his imagination. Was it true? Was the itch related somehow to the vision he had see a year ago? Perhaps he should start taking note of when the itch occurs, or better yet, interrogate another person who has been given visions through Insight. A cult member might lie if asked.

As Chres thought through all this, the itch lingered for a second. Then slowly, almost reluctantly, it faded. Odd. Can relief from a itch feel reluctant?

Chres slowly looked up from the table. Making eye contact with Gin. What was Gin really? Gin met Chres's gaze and smiled back with that knowing smile of his. The man Gin labeled as DB, then spoke.

"Alright, consider me as signed up. So what about this information that will save me and whoever else decides to cooperate with your plans? Will it involve hanging around with that guy over there?"

"Him?" Gin asked as he point to Chres with his thumb. "That overly serious sap over there?" Gin smirked and closed his eyes momentarily as he shook his head. "DB, it seems your personal being, from beyond, misunderstands part of the purpose for my existence. When this man sets his mind to something, other than his own death, you will find that he will be most certainly a valuable asset to the rest of you. And if he accepts my offer here, I foresee him sticking with the rest of you for most if not all of the adventure your continued bout of living will provide. Though if he is to decline my help, it wouldn't be too much of a loss. There are many others I have begun to appear before. Their assistance will work just as well."

Chres listened carefully weighing his options. He had no way knowing whether anything Gin said was true. This man had just suddenly swooped in out of nowhere, made a bunch claims and performed a bunch of magic tricks. Every claim he made could be a lie or simply not true. He presumed that everybody here would play along just because the incredible magical feats he pulled off. Incredible feats does not make a person more or less credible. Incredible feats just are.

And yet... that pulse he felt before everything froze. The half second the world distorted in a similar fashion to the Distortion. Something had happened to the world before Gin appeared. It wasn't just Chres who noticed the distortion. In fact everyone in the room had been glancing around as if they saw something strange. Perhaps simply listening to what Gin had to say wasn't such a bad idea. Chres could decide afterwards whether to play along or disregard everything.

Gin shook his head and smiled. "Seriously, Chres. You are thinking far too much on this. I feel for the ones beyond who actually end up reading through all of that." Gin said. He then leaned in toward Chres and placed the back of his right hand to the left side of his mouth, as one would do when whispering a secret. "Just between you and me, that was a lie. I don't feel sorry for them." He said in a whisper that was not a whisper.

Chres furrowed his brow in confusion at the words. What? He thought at a loss. Some of the things Gin had said since meeting them, really left Chres at a loss for words.

Gin smiled and turned his attention back to DB. "Why DB I-" Gin began before stopping abruptly. Suddenly Gin's smile faded and a serious expression crossed his face "It seems I may have overstayed my welcome... That was faster than expected... Vi’daerus has become better at detecting me with age it seems..." Gin said more to himself than anyone else.

"Friends," He said, refocusing his attention on the group. "It appears my time with you has grown short. I have been noticed. And although that is not a problem for me it most certainly is for all of you. The longer I stay, the easier it will be for the cult to determine who I have spoken to. You must stay here for the night. Do not leave the Inn. They will capture and interrogate anyone who does.

In any case time to get to the point. What I have to offer you is information about the cult. How they operate, how to avoid their detection and how to escape being corrupted by their Insight. Buy yourselves a room at the inn tonight and make sure you have a source of light. The Innkeeper will most likely have more than a few Jade Crystal candles. Place them around you before you sleep. The cult has planted a seed of Insight somewhere at the Center of the town. Before the night is over, the seed will take root and form a Distortion around the town.

For the first few hours the effects of the Distortion flicker in and out of existence. Perhaps you noticed the black flames and the change in your shadows before I arrived. The Distortion itself is not harmful, however sleeping in shadows is, while inside the Distortion. Doing so will submit you to the Insight. So don't do it. That's why you'll need the Jade Crystal candles. Their nightly glow will protect you.

Light is protection from the Sightless's Insight. Light will hide you from their visions. The Sightless don't see light. They see darkness and the life force of living creatures. Beware, just because the light will hide you from, doesn't mean they won't notice and blank spot in their vision when someone walks around with a candle at night. If you do so, do so in a way that will not rouse suspicion. If you have to stay in the town for more than one night before escaping, switch inns every night. Continuous blank spots every night at the same place will peak their suspicion. If you must do something in the dark, vital information should be shared in writing only.

Insight is addictive and tends to cause violence to those influenced by it for the first few times. Be on your guard tomorrow morning. It will be a blood bath. The cult's lord uses this violence to get rid of those who would get in the way of the spread of his influence. Do not succumb to it, for if you do, you will surely die.

Many of the soldiers manning the walls have already succumbed to Insight. Leaving this town will be difficult. The Sightless will foresee an attempt to escape. It will be a hard fight. However there may be a way to disrupt them long enough to mitigate the amount of fighting that will need to be done to escape. Killing the Seed of Insight will disorient the Sightless long enough to escape, and what's more it will rid the town of the Distortion at least until they plant a new seed. The seed is still young, potentially kill-able by you lot, but not easily.

Its up to you all to decide how to go about escaping. Just do it safely. Any questions? Anyone prefer death to living? I wouldn't blame you for choosing death over life. Death isn't too bad, if you think about. After all, death is forever while life is only temporary."
A smile crept onto Gin's face again as he said the last sentence.
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He listened to the instructions and began thinking about the next day. He was only mildly concerned about the seed and what would be guarding it. It would seem imperative to at least, him that destroying this seed should be done before leaving town. It would be the right thing to do as well as making their exit easier with the ensuing chaos.

He looked at the group once more. He wondered about how well the group would work together. He wouldn't mind having traveling companions. However, he felt like the odd man out since he's just a very unkempt traveller and they all look like proper towndwellers being all cleaned and we'll dressed. He wondered how many of them would tolerate being outdoors for stretches of time. Since it would probably be for the best to stay clear of Sightless claimed settlements while they're doing whatever they needed to do.

"Gin, what's this seed look like, and do we hit it until it's destroyed?" He asked unclear on what seed is. He thought it could go both ways as either a thing somewhere or a being.

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Karina Frost


Karina quietly heard as Gin explained all the situation. If things really went how he said they did, if it wasn't for him, they would all be dead. Obviously, Karina still had her doubts. She didn't know what type of magic the cult used, but she was more than confident on her own skills, both magical and physical.

With so many thoughts running through her mind, she took a while to realize that Chres had been throwing some weird stares at her. Karina knew her appearance was exotic, to say the least, but she had a feeling that it was more than just that... It was almost like if he was trying to remember of something... Fearing being revealed, Karina sat down again on the counter, lowering her hands with an calm expression trying to look more inoffensive and feigning that she was still in shock by the words Gin just said. With luck, that could maybe help to make Chres less suspicious of her.

When Gin started talking about Chres, and how he was already 'touched' by the cultists and felt their 'insight' as the man called it, Karina made a mental note, to keep an eye on him. If what Gin said was true, he could possibly go berserk like the rest again... and she wasn't that naïve to not keep an eye on him...

But the second Gin started talking to her, Karina couldn't help but drop the inoffensive look on her face, looking at Gin with a cold, penetrating stare as he called her 'Karlie'

"While it's obvious now that you're not with the cult, that doesn't change what you are, a wild card." Karina said, still looking at him with the same eyes.

"But seeing the situation I'm in right now, I have no choice but to trust your words." Karina said, sighing almost as if she was regretting saying that. There really wasn't many choices for Karina. She was in a tight spot. Information was hard to come by and they were attacked by the cult in the worst possible time for Karina. Information was indeed half one needs to win the war... And she didn't know anything about the cult...

As she thought, the lowlife, which was apparently called Dirty Bastard, quite a fitting name in her opinion, started talking. He was awfully quick to trust and cooperate with Gin... She somewhat expected him to be more... careful... seeing the type of life he probably took... All the others were still in silence, probably weighting their few options on that moment, including Chres...

Just after that, Gin started a long explanation about the Cult and the sightless. Information. Valuable information. Karina needed that desperately. After she carefully heard him, crossing the information he gave to her and the few bits she had of her own, all he said seemed to be very plausible, and not a fabricated lie. That was, at least for now, a point for Gin. She knew that at least she could place some trust on the man. The enemy of her enemy is her friend. As Gin continued talking about the Cult and the Sightless, he could feel that Karina's cold and penetrating stare eased quite a bit for the better.

The situation apparently was already way worse than Karina had previously thought. The Cultists were really able to do so much in just a brief amount of time? That was a danger not only to the nation of Touch, but to all the nations...

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Karina said, looking to Gin.

"But that doesn't mean I trust you, at least not completely. Information is a very powerful weapon. Telling so much from the Cultists and the sightless are more than enough proof that you really isn't one of them." Karina said.

"As Dirty Bastard..." Karina said, raising one eyebrow as she repeated that weird name.
"Said... It would be good to know more about the seed. But I have some other question... Countermeasures..." Karina said, looking to Gin with a serious stare.

"Is there a way to prevent the cultists to simply spread those seeds? This power can potentially turn even a powerful nation into nothing but a pile of rubble and blood in a few days..." she said.

"It's somewhat understandable why this town is in this state... As the cult apparently had a long time to infiltrate itself and do whatever it wanted... But I suppose it requires some sort of... preparation... in order to plant this 'seed', am I right? Is there some way of turning this against their own?" Karina asked, obviously wanting to know not only how to escape, but how to effectively combat and counter the strange power the Cult had in their possession.

She needed more information. The cult was incredibly dangerous. She had to gather as much as possible before getting out of that town and going to the nation of touch's forward operating base to deliver that information. That would change everything... Their war wasn't against the nation of Sight anymore... It was against the Cult, which by that time, probably already had so much influence in the nation that she wouldn't be surprised if they were also controlling the King somehow...
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