[IC] Ascension: King of Kings (Open CS)

[Rai]

A flighty scaled elongated beast whirls about the blue hued sparkling silver light of the full moon above. Dancing about the light as if chasing the dreams of the Descended far, far below. A dream falls upon you and all the ones bound together by fate. In this dream you are in a void of darkness like the ocean at night. You could walk and stand as if on flat ground at all times in this darkness. You choose to aimlessly traverse the darkness.

You feel as though you have walked for days, and yet only for seconds before the empty darkness was broken in by the lights of a flame that encircles you. The fire rises around you and turns into a pillar, walling you in. A sense of helpless desperation festers within you. But then a hand, pure white like concentrated light emerges from the flames directly in front of you. The hand reaches out slowly, gently. You fear to back away for the flames are at your back.

You stand there watching the hand reach your face. You close your eyes as the hand touches your head. Yet you feel nothing but a soft voice echoing a plea. "Find me." After such a dream you will awaken from your place of sleep feeling confused. You sense something is pulling at your soul, yet so lightly it can be overlooked. Regardless your day begins and you travel to the Town of Sunfire. There the bar 'Rest Easy' catches your thirst. You sit and take a drink or two to your liking and observe the common activities of midday bar dwellers. Some of whom you know, others a mystery. But all those who shared your dream have taken a seat, same as you.

Soon after a thirst quenching wave of liquid reaches your tired throat you see the doors swing open in a manner much too roughly for a patron. A huge man, ducking down to enter the doorway, clad in almost glowing polished white and silver armor, similar to a high ranking soldier of of Vrondi, walks in. He looks to no one as he walks forward. But all notice him. His back had two large angelic wings and his white hair flowed down his sides. He places a large poster on the far right wall of the bar. Taking a knail and pushing it into the wooden wall effortlessly. After doing so her turns to meet the people of the bar who looked to him with unease. His stern face and red eyes did not waver out the serious aura he produced.

"There will be a mandatory curfew from tthe moment the sun falls. Those who are citizens of Vrondi or other capitals will be reprimanded if found out at night." The attendants of the bar wanted to protest, but their fear kept them only whispering amongst each other. "This is for your safety. There have been reports of a group of slavers and murderers have infiltrated this town. Please stay safe as we handle this." When he was done talking he walked to the door, tilted his head down and squeezed out the door. Towering over the common people in the town of Sunfire. He pulls out a roll of papers before heading to the next store to place more of the papers.

The bar grew louder as the minutes passed. The absence of the soldiers presence made the air lighter. The Seraphim waitresses supplied each with their drinks and did so while captivating them, and you, with their calming aura and beauty. This land of Vrondi's towns and capital was safe for most Seraphim, as the Taxis and the Aion resided here, and the King of this land embraced Seraphim blood. It was not long till the bar was loud again, cups slamming on tables followed by roaring laughter.

A typical fine day in Sunfire. All soon forgot about the paper on the wall. All but you, and those like you. While the curfew was odd, it was not at all uncommon. Whenever a threat is known, be it dragon, bandit or more, a curfew is set to protect citizens of the capitals. Though something about this curfew and your dream seemed connected. Be it two strange occurrences just so happening to rub you the wrong way in a single day, or something else you cant put your finger on. Either way you felt, underneath the drinks, laughter and light hearted fun was a serious problem... You continue to drink however. Ignoring this feeling for now and you look to the other patrons to make small talk.

Event: A high ranking Vrondi soldier nailed a warning to the walls of the marketplace, including the bar the players start off in. Telling everyone to respect the curfew or be brought up on charges. There are bad people about and the fears is that they will strike at night. Objective: Avoid the curfew and continue your day as usual.

[The 42nd Gecko]

@Rai

"Mmmm... I prefer my prophetic dreams to be of the sexier variety.. By my guess, this one means that the Seraphim and the first ascended got trapped by some cosmic evil power, or the evil power's coming after us, and finding the Seraphim and first ascended will save us. Think it's the first one. Anyway, I'm gonna do fuck all about it, spent my whole life searching for things, and I haven't found one yet." Velvet awoke with snark, bitterness, and general displeasure. ~That was not one of my dreams. I know my dreams pretty darn well. Some idiot must be throwing dream magic around. If you're trying to get a serious warning or call for help out, actual directions are needed. Something this vague could only be some sort of test. Well, even if old Great Granddad wants to ascend me, I don't need any charity. Already got immortality anytime I want to buckle down, study for fifty years, and kill a bunch of people.~ Velvet yawned, her thought patterns eventually travelling down a well worn and irritating path and leaving her in an irritable mood.

The bar, after an initial refill of waterskins and a bite to eat, was not her scene, and she left pretty much immediately after the soldier.

Instead, she sought the high branches of the trees, her flickering steps bringing her high above the central flame of Sunfire, flitting from branch to branch. From the view of the leafy crown of the mother tree, she could see as much of the town as she could see from any one place. Silvery misty grays obscuring the earthy browns of bark and bright greens of healthy foliage. But there was so much more to see.

"Now, let's see, show me something memorable." She passed a hand over her eyes, which then glowed yellow. And now the world was very different, her eyes no longer seeing earthly matters, but the varied souls of the inhabitants. Lingering wisps over their treasures, clashing in sparks with their hated, mixing and blending with their loves.

"Ah, how much easier this would be if I had ever seen Eliphas' soul before we left ways. Kinda my opposite problem as normal, too many Seraphim instead of too few." She muttered to herself.

"Maybe I should head to that healing center after this. They might have work for me, or I might learn something. Too many Seraphim to just try tracking them all down." She glanced down below her, confirming to herself this fact. "Of course, I can't climb down while blind either. So I guess I'll just sit up here for awhile." She chastised herself slightly, before settling in and getting comfortable against a sturdy branch, and turning off her soul vision.

Objective Analysis
- Avoid Curfew: More like respect curfew. I have an entire eternity to look forward to, and do not want that to end with getting shivved in the back before I even live a normal lifetime.
- Check out that Healing Center: I'll probably get something out of a visit here either way.
- Maybe check out a couple of the stronger Seraphim souls: Might as well try, right?

[Pineappletumble]

@Rai
Rupal's eyes shot open and panted quietly as he balled himself up, a singular bead of sweat trickling down from his forehead tracing his features. The blacksmith sat there, not daring to move if that nightmare had been more than just his imagination. No; nightmare was the wrong word, now more distracted by how his dream should be described he absentmindedly let himself relax onto his mat. ”Could it have been a message? maybe but...” He was cut off by a rustle from the brush dragging him back into reality, he began to pack up his small camp constantly looking behind him to see if anything was trying to sneak up on him.

The moon was no longer above but playfully hid among the tree lines before the sun would chase it away, he had to get moving before it did, he didn't want to spend any more time in this jungle then he had to. Taking longer and faster strides than normal Rupal scurried back to the beaten path the would take him to Sunfire.

It wasn't long after entering the bar that Rupal remembered why he did not go them often, it was loud and most respect for personal space would be lost the strong alcohol that eased their minds. But leaving would require moving through the crowd of people and disbursing them, so here he would sit hoping more people would leaver or drink themselves under the table.

The Seraphim's announcement struck a chord with Rupal, the pure skin let off a glow that looked a little familiar. But even in the dead silent sat the bar was in he could put his finger on it. He was still stumped when one of the waitresses hads cut into his vision holding a fresh mug.

‘Find me.’ the words from his dream come flooding back as the bar was brought back to life. Did the seraphim have something to do with all this? If so it probably has something to do with slavers, Seraphim were supposedly more valuable targets for kidnapping. But if he was wrong about that being more than a dream it would be, difficult to explain.

Rupal was starting to get more and more worked up about the topic the more he thought on it.
Objective Analysis
-Find out the relation if any between dream and curfew if any.
-Find Blacksmith:

[Ashevelendar]

Ashe woke up from that dream. " What was that ? " she thought. She didn't care about whatever that thing was. She had money to make. She rose up from her bed and quickly went to the door to leave the inn. As soon as she was ready to exit she saw the soldier putting up a notice. Ashe read it and stared at it for some minutes. " Why is this thing happening to me ? " she was angry. The curfew meant only one thing for her , no customers. No coins , no nothing.

She left the inn and went to the market to set up shop fast to make at least a few coins before the curfew. As soon as she entered the market she noticed that there were no many people that gone shopping. Ashe didn't let that ruin her morale , there had to be someone that would want to buy something. Curfews mean danger and danger is profitable to those that know how to profit from it.
Ashe opened up her shop and let the little customers that were in the market to buy her wares. She dealt in many things , from food to weapons. Everything for everyone said the sign in the front.

Objective Analysis :
-Make money by selling whatever she can as fast as she can
-Close the shop after the curfew starts and then wander the dark streets to sell her more "private" wares.

@Rai

[Dark Light]

Brooding in a dark corner, a quiet Oron sat minding his own business. His blood shot eyes spoke of ill sleep as he reminisced the dream that haunted him.
The Seraphim soldier had since come and gone without Oron taking any notice. His words were heard but fell without consideration.

Oron could not shake that fake feeble sense of helpless desperation caused from within the dream. He hated it. Deemed it a weakness. Even just to imagine it caused him to spit spitefully and curse his imagination.
Now the longing, he had learnt to hide and disguise that feeling decades ago. So what was this and why now? Was he growing weakend with age, was his skin and heart becoming soft? Or had he just been in Sunfire for too long already.

These thoughts troubled him long into the night. Heavy empty mug after heavy empty mug slammed down on his sturdy wooden table, demanding his next drink as he sought to wash the wretched thoughts of dreams from his mind and move on.

Before he knew it he had drunk more than a normal man ever should, but for his size and blood type he was only slightly hindered.
He could feel the tension in the air around him, common words were whispered amongst the commotion. 'Curfew'.
He smelt something in the air that brought a smile to his lips. Fear. This was something that was good for business.

After slamming down his last empty mug he cups his bare hands and loudly cracks his knuckles in rapid succession. He paid his tab and left the tavern to go wonder the streets and get a 'feel' for the mood of the town.

He frowned upon the Seraphim and people of this town, considered them weak and rigid, wasn't fond of their plant based diets or sun energies either but all that didn't mean he wouldn't take coin from them though. But as he wandered along the dark cool streets and curfew slowly crept nearer and nearer, his appetite lent towards something to accompany all that ale and his hunger for something a little more 'bloody' grew stronger.

[Kibaro]

"Find me", a voice, heard from the glowing hand as it touches her head, moments after, suddenly, Kuvira wakes up, with beads of sweat running down her forehead and breathing hard and rapidly, scanning the area around her before taking a minute to collect her thoughts and calm down.

"Friggin dreams, I hate dreams, why can't you just let me sleep peacefully.." she thought to herself as she grumpily got out of bed and started her morning routine before embarking on her way to the next town, Sunfire of Vrondi. She was not alone, there were another three soldiers from her division traveling along with whom she's been quite buddy buddy with and her dragon Ryko, who hovers above them scanning the area.

On their way to Sunfire, one of her friends noticed her grumpiness and decided to ask her about it. All she said was that she had a weird dream and didn't sleep well because of it and let it at that, not giving too much thought about a random dream she had one night.

After a days worth of traveling, they finally arrived at Sunfire and set down at an inn to relax, while Ryko was stationed at some sort of dragon pen right outside of the town. They had the usual grog they always have when going out drinking, Kuvira having her favorite strong rummy drink. After a while, the cheerful chattering and typical inn bustling was instantly broken by the appearance of a tall silver knight who then proceeded to nail a poster on the inn's wall and giving the announcement of a curfew implementation starting tonight. After the characters departure the inn slowly went back to life.

"Wat waz dat ol about, who doz he thnk he iz?" asked Krox, one of the soldiers travelling with Kuvira, already quite tipsy, loud and quite talkative.
"I think he was some high ranking soldier of the Vrondi, he looked like he meant business, we should probably listen to him while we're in their territory. No reason to make a hassle out of it." said Kuvira while taking a gander at the poster.
"H-hey...we're military, we're soldiers, albeit Gaian soldiers, ma..maybe we can help them with the...problemmms they're having" muttered IInua, another one of the soldiers also quite caught up in alcohol.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty. Kuvira is right, we don't need any trouble with the Vrondi. It's better if we stay put for now and see how the situation progresses." the third soldier, Urukeh the one in command of the squad, spoke his mind, who doesn't seem too affected by the alcohol compared to his peers.
"Bah, non-snse...if therz a curfw, 't means they'r havin a hard thime with dhis one.." commented Krox, still pissed for whatever reason.
"Maybe, but we don't intend on staying too much here anyway, so again, no need to cause trouble.", closing in for a whisper to Urukeh, We should leave soon, I think they had enough alcohol for today.. as he nodded in agreement.

They paid their tab, and left the bar, the two drunk soldiers walking slow and uncoordinated, still muttering between them about the curfew topic. "Hmm...let's take a walk in the town until the curfew begins..should help these two clear their heads a bit." advised Kuvira as Urukeh agreed with her proposition and the four set on throughout Sunfire, checking the local places around, chatting about trivial subjects.

Goals:
- explore the town until the alcohol subsides;
- keep an eye on the two drunken fellows so they won't cause trouble or do something about the curfew;
- go back to their rooms before curfew;

Edits

She was not alone, there were another three soldiers from her division traveling along with whom she's been quite buddy buddy with and her dragon Ryko, who hovers above them scanning the area.

---

After a days worth of traveling, they finally arrived at Sunfire and set down at an inn to relax, while Ryko was stationed at some sort of dragon pen right outside of the town.

[Dark Light]

It was too much of a coincidence, first the dream and now this.

A soft guttural growl resonated deep within Oron's throat, an instinctive reply to noticing the drunken soldiers stumbling behind him.
"Gaian soldiers!" Oron muttered in disgust as they seemingly followed him through the dull market streets.

It had been forever since Oron had laid eyes on anyone from the Gaian military. He had deliberately avoided such chances. It stirred the very emotions and memories he had been seeking to avoid. The soldiers very presence filled him with unwelcome curiosities, what were they doing out here? What division did they belong too? But more importantly, and unavoidably, they linked his thoughts to Allo Niscent, queen of Gaia, and therefore anger.

Oron found himself staring down into the big bright green eyes of a Sol merchant standing behind her wares. Lost in his thoughts with his attention elsewhere he mindlessly fumbled through the goods laid out before him. Even though he had been standing there for some time he had only now just noticed her. Caught in those familiar deep bright eyes he was distracted for a short moment when...

WHACK

The heavy body of a stumbling drunk crashed into him. The clashing and clanging of objects falling and smashing over the table and floor followed as Oron was pushed into the stall.
Furious and startled he whipped around like a snake and struck out at the culprit with a sharp viscous blow to the back of his head.

The mug that he was falsely admiring and was still in his hand when attacking, now but a cluster of clay shards over the drunken soldiers head and shoulders.

---

As the rage subsided Oron quickly realised what he had done. He could see the aggression seep into the souls of the other soldiers. He could do nothing now but face the consequences of his actions. He always was one to strike first and ask questions later.

He tenses and flexes his muscles as he braces himself for what is to come.
Meanwhile positioning the dazed drunk between himself and the others as with a side glance he scans the merchants wares for a sturdy weapon.

[Ashevelendar]

Ashe was waiting for customers to come. It was a not-so-busy day , barely a few coins in an hour...it was too little.
As she was polishing a small dagger , she saw a pair of drunken guards moving around. " Again drunk. There guys never know when to stop drinking... " she muttered under her breath. A look of scorn was on her face. She hated when the very men that have to protect the merchants are getting so drunk that they cannot do anything to protect the merchants.

In a moment her silence was broken. A man entered in her stall and made a mess of the stuff. Everything because of the soldiers.
She took her knife out and stood in front of the man that was thrown into her stall. She looked at the other guards and quickly withdrew her knife.
" It is just a misunderstanding gentlemen. Just a misunderstanding. This man here *points at Oron* works for me as my personal guard. He thought that I was under attack and responded in that way *points at the unconscious drunk guard*. We are very sorry for this. I will talk with the Guard Captain in the morning and everything will be alright. Ok ? My guard here is very sorry and I'll make sure to not pay him for a month. " said to the other guards with the most genuine smile one could see. Her merchant training was showing off.
She saved the man only because he still owes her some coins for wares he broke. She really did need a new bodyguard. Maybe this man was free ? She didn't know but she had to try. The Guard Captain was a personal friend of her father so it would not be a problem.


@Dark Light

[Pineappletumble]

Any progress Rupal though he had made on the connection between the dream and curfew was lost to the bar once it had regained its vigor. Raised voices and clattering furniture assailed any coherent thoughts and mixed themselves in with his own thoughts muddling them. Placing his now empty drink on the table he pushed himself up from his seat and began weaving throughout the crowd careful not to bother anyone any longer then he had to. Paying for his drinks and escaping the confines of the busy bar Rupal took a deep breath he did know he needed. From the nearby railing he could see the rest of the town inside the large tree.

His pack weighed heavily on his back, much like a nagging thoughts reminding him of why he was here. He wasn’t sure what he could learn from a Sol Blacksmith, however if the smith here had anything to do with that Seraphim’s armor there would be plenty to be pick up. He had only ever worked on repairing the armor sent to the old smith in Peal, never actually having crafted a set from raw materials.

The bustle from people moving up and down the path was far more calming than the inside of the bar. The sounds had a sense of purpose and felt deliberate rather messy brawl of noise that would fight amoungst itself for attention.

The market itself was easy enough to find with a bit of wandering and he could only imagine the Blacksmith wouldn’t be much too far from it. A loud clatter and metal ringing out pierce the noise of the market making itself known. A few of the wares from the store the sound had emanated from rolled around the base of the table. The remains of what could only have been a small jug or mug hung off an obviously drunk Gaian soldier armor. The handle rested in the grip of a large Nayu looking man towered over them despite having hunched over in a defensive stance. Rupal stood there stunned he couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen anyone strike a Gaian soldier, much less one that stuck around to see what happened. He wasn’t sure why but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the huge man’s horns, or lack thereof. The bases looked as though had been rather crudely cut and then filed, it reminded him of something though like most of his other thoughts today it escaped him.

He could only sit on and watch he had no idea who was at fault here. Perhaps his mother's name held some sway with the guards, that might be enough to get them to stop however he had nothing to stop the big guy. Even more challenging than that he would have to some both interrupt them and get their attention. Still not one to stand by he swung his bag down and started rifling through for his papers keeping. The action would prove futile, as the merchant seemed to diffuse the situation as send the guard on their way.

Her scolding struck him as odd why would Gaian Soldiers answer to the captain of the guard in Sunfire? If they did, it meant they would know more about this curfew and it was a whole lot easier to approach Gaian guards then the Vrondi ones.

“E-excuse me-e!” he stammered trying to stuff his gear back into his bag and keep up with them at the same time.

[Kibaro]

Walking through the streets of Sunfire, with Kuvira and Urukeh in front talking about future plans and the two drunken members of the squad, IInua and Krox in the back wobbling and talking somewhat nonsense but feeling a tad bit clearer than before, after about 10 minutes, the two in front heard a racket a little ways back followed by the sound of a vessel shattering. When they looked over to see what's happening, they saw Krox lying down unconscious next to a rather destroyed stall, facing a giant mountain of a man who's looking hostile towards the drunk while holding the handle of a broken vase. At the same time, Iinua is struggling to talk to this fellow, but having a hard time with it.

Kuvira and Urukeh make their way to the scene in haste.
"Wh-wh-whoddya thank you are? Attakin ma friend like dat? It wuz an honest mistake you big brute..." tried Iinua to argue with the big man not sure how to approach the situation, meanwhile the other two guards managed to arrive at the commotion.
"HEY! What's the meaning of this!? Why did you attack my comrade?!" snapped Kuvira at Oron shortening the distance between them slowly but not before being stopped by Urukeh's hand.

Without breaking eye contact with the big man, who's being titled the stall merchant's guard, responds with a slow sharp tone "My apologies, for my fellow soldier, here! It was, a mistake, what happened, our, mistake, we should have kept a better eye on him...them..." taking a second to look at Iinua and the unconscious Krox shifting his gaze to the merchant, throwing a short glance at her "guard" now and then, "We are not from here, we do not, serve the Vrondi military, but, we will, pay, for the damages done to the stall, I, will make sure, the payment IS, fulfilled, personally, tomorrow morning, here, you have my word! Now, excuse us, I think we had enough "walking", for today, we shall return to our quarters, good night, see you tomorrow, to resolve this."

Turning over to Kuvira, Urukeh says in a low voice, "Please help me with this fool, we need to get him back to his room, also let's keep an eye on Iinua as well, we do not want or need more trouble..", Kuvira nods and then both proceed to extract Krox from the broken stall, Kuvira looking angrily at the merchants guard, who's actions she does not agree with. Right before they left, Urukeh turned one more time to the big man and with the same tone he said, "Also, you should learn, how to control, your reactions better, that way of acting, could get you, in a lot of trouble...good luck.", returning to the task at hand of taking Krox and Iinua back.

"Urukeh, why did you let that brute get away so easily?..." asked Kuvira frustrated and a bit dissapointed, "We could have taking him!" continuing to carry Krox on her shoulder. "Aye, we could have, but I'm sure you can agree with me that he would have done a number on us as well, you've seen his stance, his body, he's an experienced fighter. There was no need for a fight for this fools stupidity. Don't worry, the money will go from his paycheck."
Sighing, Kuvira let the topic go for now and continued carrying "Friggin Krox..."

On the way to their quarters, a stammering voice could be heard from behind, "E-excuse me-e!", the guards stopped and a young lad appeared before them, proceeding to ask questions about questions about the curfew.

Urukeh answered, "I'm sorry sir, we are not from here, we just arrived today, we are tired and had enough troubles for today thanks to our friend here", then takes another short sharp look at Krox. "Maybe meet with us tomorrow in the market are. We will meet with a merchant there. They might have more information about it, having been longer around these parts, a good night to you", then went on their way before anything else could be said.

@Pineappletumble@Dark Light@Ashevelendar

[Dark Light]

Oron relaxes as the guards leave, finding no reason to be heard he remains silent as terms were sought. His eyes follow the group right up until they turn a corner and vanish out of sight.
The solid mercenary seemed neither pleased nor disappointed with the outcome and simply turned back to once again face the merchant.

"My services are free till the morrow" he pauses to glare for a moment ensuring the 'month' thing was a bluff, " where I will ensure your debt is settled. After that we can negotiate further business if you require." his voice was deep and filled with command and confidence.

Without waiting for a reply Oron then grunts as he kneels to the ground and starts rebuilding the lopsided stall and gathering the shiny scattered items in silence.

[The 42nd Gecko]

"Drat. Common sense gets in the way of me making a few pennies once again." Velvet muttered to herself, having unfortunately not found any work, and even trying to seize the opportunity of healing the injured in a petty fight was foiled. Velvet had been watching the scene from a nearby tree branch. ~I suppose I sleep under the stars tonight by default. Alas, maybe tomorrow will be better.~ Velvet yawned, leaning back against the tree. With her intermittent income, such frivolities as a place to sleep sometimes had to be thrown by the wayside. ~Hmm... Do I risk the abduction or the guard here, or leave town and risk wild animals. Or maybe plants. It is Vrondi. Are there carnivorous plants? This is a decently tough choice.~

Velvet puzzled from the branch. ~I could try to sneak in one last pitch or con.. But that guy down there looks like he'd slug me into next week if I got on his bad side, and unconscious AND injured in the open seems even less awesome.~

Objective Analysis
- Loom.
- Plot.

[Rai]

The districts of Sunfire are broken up into 3 sections. The bars, inns, diners and more are sector 1. Sector 2 is the marketplace. The Marketplace is not very large but holds the most people. The third sector above the first and second are the homes. These homes are made from natural material. Woods, plants and earth. However the erosion of natural materials does not happen here. Within the massive tree of Sunfire holds a purity of nature that keeps everything alive constantly. Those who live here lose the sense of wonder of this place, but many still feel the vibrance. The ones who pay no attention to the beauty are those from the Vrondi capital. Needless to say the Vrondi capital is brimming with not only natural life force but the radiance of the sun from the King himself. Him acting as a artificial sun at all times.

The time passed slowly, the real sun creeping downward gently from its high position. The Vrondi guards kept people aware of the curfew. Even as the Gaian soldiers passed by a few of the Vrondi guards will mention. "Hey there mountain dwellers. There's a curfew tonight, do us a favor and stay in." Before returning to their monitoring duties, actively walking from district to district.

A few street performers began their routine. They were not Vrondi natives however. They seemed fairly mixed, some dark, some light, red and green. But there were four of them total. A flaming stick juggler, a musician with a guitar strumming a gentle tune, and two acrobats swinging each other around and flipping in well choreographed unison. People were interested and gave them money as they both walked by and watched. They were in the middle of the marketplace next to a fountain of pure water that sprinkled out like mist, watering the plants around the marketplace and cooling the people off.

"These suckers just don't know what's about to go down." Spoke the fire juggler to the musician. "This curfew won't be a big deal. We can still finish collecting tonight. There's quite a few interesting specimens in Sunfire. The Therosi will pay well." Spoke the Musician. His gentle voice masked by the sound of his guitar strums. A crowd came around them and were all unaware of the hatching plans before them. The Musician winking to a seraphim woman with a seductive, yet hungry, glance.

[Pineappletumble]

“Oh, s-sorry…” Rupal’s voice faded into a whisper as the soldiers hurried off into the town. Looking away he bit his bottom lip, now he was meeting up with them some time tomorrow and in a way that was even scarier then the idea of jumping out into the fight that could have happened. Many questions raced through Rupal’s mind; What time?, where in the market?, Would they be angry if he didn't show up?, Where was the Blacksmith?, so many question and too few answers.

The market place was returning to a relative piece as people dismissed the scene just as abruptly as it had occurred. The stall that had been bumped into was being tended to by both the owner and the large Nayu. Rupal felt an urge to go over and help but was quick to suppress it, the big guy looked like he was pretty comfortable facing down the guards and with Rupal's record with clay products he would probably just end up breaking more of the stall.

Rupals feet gently tapped across the wooden floor beneath him, the simple rhythm calming him as he ascends the great wooden city. The crowds were growing larger but with more structure, huddling around particular stores or the group of street entertainers performing in the market. He threw a coin of his own amongst the many others piling up as he passed, not much of the act had interested him however the musician was quite good. While not the same melody he would usually enjoy Rupal found himself matching his pace to the rhythm.

He made a lap or two of the marketplace in search of the blacksmith but still could see nothing. It was unlikely that a town as large as this was without a Blacksmith, more likely he had passed it several time and missed it. Everyone around him looked far too busy to be bother by him for directions.

Having found little but solace in the market save music that wafted through the it, Rupal found a seat near the fountain and began rummaged through his pack. A large waterskin was produced from the bag and the quiet Oro began to drink deeply, the cool water rolling over his tongue and refreshing him. If those guards though a merchant here could help him with the curfew, surely they would also be able to point him to the blacksmith.

“Well, I can’t say this hasn’t been an uneventful trip” his voice hushed, parting his lips with the waterskin and packing it away.
@Kibaro

[Kibaro]

Having arrived to their designated abode, Kuvira and Urukeh left the two drunk soldiers to sleep in peace as the room started to gain the scent of alcohol.

Still grumpy and a bit pissed off at the recent events, pacing back and forth in front of their room's door with Urukeh squated near it carving something from a piece of wood with his utility knife. "Bah! I still cannot get over that dude. Who the heck attack someone who just bumps into them, even if a little harder...Sure I get it, the stand was destroyed because of that fool Krox...but still...". Continuing to focus on carving the wood piece, Urukeh jokingly replied, "Hot headed as always Kuvira. I understand why you're upset..even I do not agree with that man's way of dealing with this situation, but that sort of reaction...I'm sure there's more to it.. most people do not instinctively counter-react with hostility without a reason..not even to a drunken soldier."

Sighing, having stopped pacing, with her back to Urukeh ..Whatever! You're right, I need to calm down...I guess I'll take another walk to cool off. Mind staying here and keeping an eye out on these buffoons? as she slowly starts heading for the exit.

"You do that..you'll find us here." making another stroke at the carving with his knife, a small pile of sawdust and splinters starting to gather beneath him.

Walking through the slowly darkening alleys of the town, Kuvira adopts a steady meditative walk, staring at the evening sky, inspecting the few stars that made their way on the never ending canvas above and checking if any constellations have formed, a sweet little smile could be seen forming on her gentle face, replacing what was before a displeased frown.

[Rai]

A cool breeze flew through the swaying branches of the great tree of Sunfire. Whirling into its hollowed innards with a low howl. The brisk air creeping through the windows, doors, cracks and crevices of the homes of the residences. The artificial lights began to lose their glow gradually as the sun began to fall to the horizon. The Curfew was coming within just 30 minutes. The guards made sure to clear the busy marketplace. Like clearing cattle from a field the guards stepped in to block the paths of those wishing to enter the marketplace. Their white armor and green decorations brimmed slightly in the fading lights, almost glowing. It was this that gave one awareness of their location from afar, or even in the dark.

With the people filing into their homes all at once there was a bit of a crowd going into the home district. Inns and other places to stay that were not a home were placed in the middle of the market and the homes. A few heading inside to make use of the Bar / Inn for the rest of the night. There were no parties or merry time now. The people seemed a bit weary now. Not only from the day but from the steady rising tension from the curfew and what it meant. Someone may be missing in the morning...

The 30 minutes had passed. The sun was no longer present. The moon however shined over the great tree, giving glints of silver through its many holes. The artificial lights mimicked this silver light. Glowing dimly within the tree's darkness. Giving light to grassy paths leading to the peoples homes, marketplace and other areas. All of the buildings had some form of their own lights in an array of colors. Each path patrolled by a single guard.

Within one of the village homes. Where no lights resided within or out. Cast aside on the corner wall of the trees hollow corridors. Was a terrible deed being done. The blood dripped from the silver strings after flowing down its sides. So thin that the blood made the bulk of the strings visibility. It was this that yielded a clue to the young Seraphim, lured into this home by a single song. That her life was in danger.

The front door swung open and a bare footed and hardly clothed seraphim woman hurled herself to the ground. Rolling in the twinkling floating droplets of water gleaming in the fabricated moon light. She was quickly grabbed by what seemed like invisible hands. Pulling her back by her wrists and ankles. Blood streaming down the invisible strings. She gave a single attempt at a scream before something gripped her throat tightly. Choking her scream into a stifled croak. She was dragged back inside. Her white wings flailing as if she were a bird, struggling to fly away. Leaving behind a dozen feathers leading up to the doorway. The door was slightly open. But all was dark inside.

You. Some how or another. Came across this stifled scream. Or maybe you witnessed the entire scene. But as you look to the house you notice it is abandoned, old and unused. The wood almost rotting. You also notice there are no guards around you and by the time you get to one you will either be reprimanded or it will be too late for this Seraphim woman. But whatever you chose to do you had to do it now.

Event: Witnessed someone being kidnapped a few minutes after curfew began.
Objective: Save the abductee.

[The 42nd Gecko]

"HELP, HELP! SOMEONE'S BEING ABDUCTED!" Velvet put her singing practice to use, yelling as loudly as she could from the top of the abandoned building. She felt she really had no chance against someone with invisible string weapony thingies, so in her mind, the best bet for justice was to arrange for someone more suitably heroic and meat-shieldy to go in first.

How Velvet had come to witness the crime? Simple, she was in a nearby tree branch, attempting to doze off when the scene caught her eye. Twilight Stepping down to the roof and yelling loudly for aid was her best bet, in her mind, not eager to rush in and confront some powerful magician or weapon master.

Unless interrupted or said help arrived, Velvet would continue to yell.

EVENT: Velvet jumped down to the top of the building. She is yelling for help.
OBJECTIVE: Get said help.

[Ashevelendar]

Getting over the incident with that big brute that almost ruined her stall , Ashe waited for the guards to install themselves at the entrances of the market before she quickly gathered everything she had and stashed them away.
As she was moving towards her usual spot , cleaning a beautiful knife with a golden handle ( not her knife ) she heard a scream. She couldn't ignore it , even tho' the thought crossed her mind. If someone needed help , maybe...just maybe there will be a reward for her to take. Maybe some more gold ? A grin appeared on her face.

She ran towards the sound and saw a Seraphim getting abducted. She ran towards her but lost her before she could find the one that abducted her. Soon after a woman started screaming that someone was abducted.
She laughed and said " Keep your voice down. Besides making the kidnapper aware that we saw him , you will also alert the useless guards. Guards that would soon arrest us for breaking the curfew than searching for that woman. Believe me. They. Are. Useless. ".

@Rai@The 42nd Gecko

[Lord of Evil]

Thaddeus looked up at the sky of Sunfire and squinted at the sun. Despite the many differences between the skies of Twilight and Sunfire, he could see that the sun was definitely going down. He must've lost track of time watching the street performers from earlier, but he could hardly have avoided that. There were so many new things, so many strange sights and smells. Soldiers with glowing armour, strange foods and many, many people, although there were far less people now.

Thaddeus sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of animal pelts. He lightly adjusted the dead wolf on his shoulder and made sure his tail and wings were well hidden enough before he began moving towards what smelled like the marketplace. He'd wanted to get it sold when he went in but he kept getting distracted, and now there was a curfew in place. Not that he knew what a curfew was, but people seemed to be disappearing off the streets so he assumed that it had to do with taking shelter before a set time, which was apparently sundown. Which meant that he'd need to find somewhere to sell the wolf body quickly, or he'd just have to eat it, which wasn't a bad proposition.

Thaddeus stopped by a gray building and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He didn't know where he was at all, and the marketplace was still somewhere onward. It was the first time he'd been out to Sunfire, it'd taken him a long time to get there. He was feeling quite conscious of his appearance since he was quite dusty and his appearance made him stand out even more. So he stuck to quiet streets, trying to puzzle out a way to the marketplace. But as he lifted his face up to catch the scent again, he caught a strange new scent.

Thaddeus sniffed the air, turning this way and that, trying to find what direction the smell came from. It smelled like blood, though not any blood he'd ever smelled before. It wasn't animal blood as the wolf corpse on his shoulder could attest. It smelled similar to the blood of descendants, but it was fundamentally different.

As Thaddeus got closer to the source of the smell he noticed that there were less and less people. Whether that was because of the curfew or because it was just that part of town he wasn't entirely certain, but the lack of people made Thaddeus a little relieved and a little nervous at the same time. As he turned a corner, the blood smell grew stronger. He peered out and he saw a strange bloodied descendant emerge from a house. She looked similar to other descendants he knew but had the wings of a white bird, though they were stained what Thaddeus assumed was her own blood. As he watched something strange happened where the bird-winged person was yanked back into the house by an invisible hand.

Thaddeus stood in confusion for a moment, wondering what exactly was going on. He didn't know what exactly was happening to the girl but the situation reminded him a little of hunting, or rather, when he failed at hunting. If he shot an arrow didn't hit clean or his blade wasn't sharp enough, the animal he was hunting would often be in pain for a while before Thaddeus could finish it off. It was a lot like that, but some part of Thaddeus's mind wanted to believe that this wasn't like that, that it was just part of the things that the people of Sunfire did differently to him. He wanted to think that he didn't really have to do something about it, and he almost convinced himself that he was right.

Until the strange woman started yelling, of course. Thaddeus sighed and looked around. He dipped behind a nearby house and put the wolf carcass down before taking out his bow from under his cloak. He didn't nock an arrow to it just yet, but he wanted to be ready in case he needed to. Peeking from around the corner, he decided to the house and wait to see what would happen before deciding what to do about it.

Event: Out of time to sell wolf carcass, stumbled on the incident.
Objective: Watch and wait.

[Pineappletumble]

Having spent most of the day either resting on benches or exploring the town Rupal did his best to make his way through the winding paths and back to where the Inns and Bars were located. He had no interest in being outside when the curfew fell, even if this particular one leave him with a sinking feeling in his gut. Though no matter how he tried the paths seemed far more complex than that had been earlier in the day. He’d always had trouble finding his way around towns if there wasn’t a clear flow of people to follow, and now there was only a few stragglers and the guards as they began their patrols for the evening.

This had gotten Rupal nowhere and he now stood stopped looking above hoping to reverse engineer where paths lead. He was distracted from this by the sound of something falling behind him. Rupal almost wished he hadn’t turn when he did, the scene before him was nothing short of horrifying. A seraphim scrambled for life as unseen force stifled her cries and began to drag her inside the only unlit building in the street. Wings thrashed about and arms reached for the outside work before being obscured by the darkness. Rupal wanted to scream for help but his mouth ran dry and little but a raspy breath were all that left his trembling lips.

Rupal’s heart was now pounding images from last nights dream now flooding back to him, a call for the guards could be heard from somewhere nearby but was soon silenced by the shopkeeper seemingly amused as the situation. Rupal wanted to run and forget he’d ever seen the incident, yet found his feet slowly taking steps towards the building. Everything he knew told him this was a bad idea, he knew he should leave this to the guards, he knew that if the guards arrived they’d arrest him if he stayed and he KNEW that this was probably going to get him killed. But he quietly made his way to the front door slowly drawing his Blacksmithing hammer from his pack. Unlike the Shopkeeper Rupal was content in remaining unnoticed. He wasn’t able to get a good look at the dark room inside from just the window or door without making it obvious that he was there. He thought he might have seen a door at the end of the room but little else.

With nothing else to go on, he took a deep breath and swallowing the lump in his throat. With an empty looking room there was little point in being subtle cautiously Rupal pushed open the door and made his way inside Hammer at the ready.