[IC] Estermere - A Medieval Fantasy Roleplay

[Shard]

It had been an interesting venture since the beginning of his voyage. Now that the gnome was gone, the world seemed much bigger and daunting, staring back with menacing eyes. Leaf’s fingers wrapped tightly around the crossbow, the trigger slightly pressed. Was he ready to take this step? If not, he’d end up a rug or a shoulder piece on a traveling bandit. He could feel his heartbeat race, but panic had yet to strangle his calm. “T’was an easy loot t’day, lads.” A bandit dressed in ragged leather, a bandana covering one of his eyes spoke with apple in hand. “We’ll get a hefty sum fo’ all dis’, as’ fo’ sure!” A makeshift knife in his hand cut into the green apple and tore a piece loose. His yellowed teeth bit into the piece making the juice run down his lips and into the thin strands of beard he had recently started growing out of the chin.

‘Disgusting humans…’ Leaf gulped, keeping his crossbow aimed at the miscreants. The night’s shadows and corpses kept him well hidden but the scene was enough to twist his stomach. Earlier that day Leaf had gotten on a carriage heading to the closest village for mercantile business which made it an attractive choice for robbers on the trade route.

“Did’ja smell ‘at?” Another of the murdering thugs narrowed his eyes and sniffed the ear. It couldn’t have been Leaf, no. He hadn’t made a single sound and as far as he could tell, his fur didn't smell like wet dog. “Aye, is whu’ ah thought.” The bandit nodded, slipping his hand into his pocket. “A shit ton o’ coin is what it smells loike’!” Leaf’s breathing slowed and he was starting to calm further. There were four bandits in total and they were all armed with weapons but little armour to speak of, except raggedy leather and the lucky loot of a chain mail donning the apparent captain of the crew. Could he let them leave? It would be much easier to hide and wait for them to leave, but would this require punishment? No, Leaf wasn’t a guard or bringer of justice. This wasn’t his hunt.

‘If I don’t shoot, these guys will pillage others…’ His finger was starting to shake against the trigger, his teeth clenching at the thought of ending a human life. The evidence was all around him, the death and despair they had caused. Leaf was laying in the middle of it, corpses hiding him from the plague which had caused this death. ‘If I don’t shoot…’ The squirrel clenched his eyes shut and breathed out. He couldn’t let them go. Leaf raised his crossbow just enough to inflict a lethal wound and pulled back the trigger. It was done.

A bolt whistled through the air and penetrated the bandit’s throat, his apple falling to the ground just before his lifeless body joined the rest. “Arche-..!” The second bandit shouted a warning but found a bolt lodged deep in his chest before the word was completely uttered. Another two remained and by this point, they had found the squirrel who jumped up from his hiding spot.

“What the hell is tha’!?” The captain charged forth, his blade held high. Right about now, Leaf was starting to feel the calm leaving him at a rapid pace. A crazed warrior was charging towards him ferociously, sword in hand.

‘Crap!’ The squirrel pulled the trigger once, twice and three times, hearing the sound of bolts tearing through mail and lodging metal tips in flesh. The man fell violently towards the ground, his sword nearly hitting Leaf on the way. It wasn’t over just yet, one bandit remained. This one however dropped his sword and took a step back. He seemed to have understood his disadvantage, playing on Leaf’s mercy to survive this fight. ‘Can I let him live? Can I!?’ A slight amount of hesitation was enough for Leaf to lower his guard before he got a boot shoved into his stomach, sending him to ground. Completely out of breath, Leaf struggled to regain his composure but found himself kicked once more. His crossbow was out of reach and the bandit drew a knife, lunging towards the defenceless squirrel on the ground.

It felt like pure luck as Leaf managed to draw his side arm and landed a well placed shot in the man’s leg, sending him to the ground as well. ‘Gotta’ reload, gotta’ reload!’ Leaf’s breathing was raspy, his stomach aching from pain and panic inducing him.

“Ya lil’ filth!” The bolt had lodged itself deep in the bandit’s leg, the very tip sticking out on the other end.
Leaf wanted to reach his main weapon but he’d have to run past the bandit who was menacing even with a crossbow bolt in his leg. No deal, he had to go with plan B. Leaf reached into his bag with a shaking hand, nearly fumbling as he produced another bolt which he loaded onto the one handed crossbow pistol. “Go to hell!” The squirrel managed as he shot the second bolt, hitting the man square in the forehead.

A few seconds passed with the shocked young creature breathing heavily, his body shaking violently before he fell to his knees. Was this for real? ‘They’re dead…all of them, they’re dead...’ Tears starting drizzling down his cheeks as the situation was sinking in. The pain in his stomach was accelerating with each passing second and with every inch of adrenaline disappearing, Leaf was feeling himself breaking down more and more. It had been an interesting venture since the beginning of his voyage.

[Metronome]

The town center was bustling with traffic. People going to market, children running around and playing, horse hooves falling on cobblestone, and a slave trader running an auction off to the side. The auction had gathered a crowd, some just curious, and some coming to buy. The slaves were stood behind the auctioneer, shackled and chained in their rags, waiting to be shipped off to a new master. It was an unfortunate life that they lived, but almost no one gave them any pity.

Rhone was among the men in chains, his bare feet hurting as he stood on the rocky ground. The chains around his wrists and ankles were heavy and rusted, chaffing his skin. The sun beat down on his bare shoulders, tan and dirty from his days outside. When was the last time he'd had a bath? He couldn't even remember. His feet were filthy, his hair sweaty under his head wrap. Slaves weren't particularly known for their hygiene, not that he could help it.

The man watched as an interested buyer came up to the slave beside him, looking him up and down and checking his teeth as if the man were a horse. Rhone gave the buyer a pointed sneer. The buyer looked over to him with a raised eyebrow, and then Rhone felt the slave trader behind him grab the back of his neck and force his head back down to look at the dirt. He wasn't allowed to make eye contact with people of higher status, much less scowl at them.

The buyer decided to purchase the slave and went on his way. Rhone was up next. The auctioneer began spouting his estimated weight, skills, age, and health. He was a good field worker, was handy around the house, was in good health and fairly young. His face and body showed clear signs of his last beating, bruises on his dark skin and one eye blackened. A beaten slave was a clear deterrent, usually because owners didn't beat their workers without reason.

When the auctioneer asked for bids, a couple hands went up. Rhone didn't pay attention to the interested buyer. He was sure that, no matter who bought him, he was dislike them regardless.

[The Fated Fallen]

Tirarian stopped pressing her wares for a moment, as most of the press had made its way over to the slave market. She could take a break, or have a look at the wares on offer. A handsome young man stepped up to scrutiny, her studious eye browsed over dark muscles and noticed the occasional blemish in the form of bruises. She mused with the idea of buying him, though she didn't entirely agree with the premise of slavery, he wouldn't exactly be a slave, more of an apprentice. She mulled over her finances, chances are prices would go high for this marvellous specimen, but there was no harm in bidding, and another skilled hand would be useful in the lab.

After a couple of seconds of thinking she came to the conclusion "There's no harm in bidding," and planned to do exactly that

[SyrianHamster]

"Pissing humans," muttered Gukb as he lashed his teeth at hardened bread. "Always be throwin' out tha' good stuff."

It was a fine day for rooting through unwanted waste, and the goblin descended on Estermere's rubbish mounds with hopeful ambition. He enjoyed humans for their quiet disregard for cleanliness; he'd of never found this kind of stuff on the streets of an Elven settlement, that's for sure.

"An' wa's this?" he said gleefully, reaching into a bundle of soiled rags and pulling out a half drunken bottle of Alwyr Red. "Aha!"

Without a moment of hesitation, the downtrodden footpad had torn off the mouldy cork and was excitedly guzzling the sour liquid. Within seconds, the bottle was empty, and he chucked it aside with a slight fire stirring in his tummy.

"Oi, you there," called a gruff voice, muddled with alochol.

Gukb looked up, and noticed he was not alone in scavenging waste. A human, most likely homeless and down on his luck, was staring at him menacingly. The goblin noted that the man was dressed in shit-stained trousers, and wore no shirt - but that his chest hair was matted with something unwholesome.

"Gimme that bottle," the man yelled.

"Shut up, ya big prick," sneered Gukb. "Ya be alertin' the guard, like." The man stumbled forwards, and Gukb hefted his crossbow. "Back away now, 'fore widowmaker makes a ... er, a widow- ah nevamind, just back off."

Realising he'd picked on the wrong cretin, the shambles of a human turned and ran, catching his leg on the corpse of some stray animal and falling over into a pool of muck. Gukb grimaced, half in pity, half in disgust.

Concerned that the ruffian may have been heading to raise the alarm - or gather his friends - Gukb decided it wise to sneak away, and so he ducked into a dismal alleyway. More litter greeted him, and though he wished to sift through it, he decided that the stale bread and the alcohol pulsing through his veins would suffice as a 'good day'. You could never push your luck, leading the kind of life that he led; a stale loaf of bread too far would get you a tummy full of rusted iron.

Staying on the streets as he had been doing was not wise; though the town guard were busy dealing with the town's day to day running of the central square, they were still potentially at large. Further still, if one of the less progressive inhabitants spotted him, then he'd be willing to bet his meagre ten copper pieces on them raising the alarm. He chuckled to himself as he imagined the exchange:

"Guards, guards!"

"What is it, milady?"

"There's a goblin shittin' in my lav."

"A goblin shittin' in your lav? All things holy! To arms!"

Bells across the town ringing, as the town watch mustered in their hundreds to track down the formidable toilet bandit.

"Ya, no thanks," he muttered. "Best be findin' me a place to stay low, so's I can stake out the place. 'Member Gukby old boy, every goblin needs iz castle!"

[Vec]

Another day on the road was ending. Trafalgar looked at that little ring-guide of his. The sapphire glowed a faint dim light, gradually getting stronger and stronger as he kept walking towards his destination.

The King’s Road was one, if not the best thing that had come out of the trade agreement the two countries, Rostguard and Farethas, had signed a couple of years ago. The road itself wasn't that impressive as one would expect but overall, since It’s construction, it increased mobility and speeds of travel as well as giving a big economic boost to both countries because of all the trade being conducted through it. The road extended for almost two thousand miles with countless inns and taverns built on its sides, providing the weary traveler a place to shield himself from the elements as well as a way to rest and replenish his energy.

Trafalgar’s destination wasn't one of those inns though. Now the decorative engravings on his ring glowed along with the blue gem, signaling that he was nearing the town. Slowly but surely, Estermere could be seen from where Trafalgar was coming from.

Trafalgar had asked around while traveling through the King’s Road about Estermere. Despite being a town of a little over 800 people, Estermere wasn't what you would call “just another town”. It was the only town in a radius of about 100 miles that was big enough for merchants to set up their shops and so every man traveling on the road would almost always make a stop there to rest and stock up on their supplies. As a result, the town boasted a good level of economic prosperity.

The two guards guarding the entrance to the town stiffened up when Trafalgar approached them and blocked his passage with their spears, “H-Halt! Whoever wants to enter Estermere has to pay the first time entrance fee - 20 gold coins - or else he will be denied entry!” said one of the guards while desperately trying to hide the fact that he was new to the job. Trafalgar looked at the two men for a while before replying. “The life of the guard must be tough for two young fellows such as yourselves. You there, you shouldn't be younger than me, I bet you have a lady you have set your eyes upon. You would rather be cuddling with her than being here talking with me right now am I right?” Trafalgar could notice the uneasiness of the guard and changed the subject. Addressing both guards he said “anyway, as I said before, It must be tough being a guard. You have to deal with all the people passing through the town, you have to be alert for any possible threats and respond to any trouble that might arise. Boring stuff really. Now, I know you two have a lot more meaningful things to do than sitting here talking to me and I have some urgent business to attend to i so why don’t we skip the formalities, eh?”

The guards eyed the half-elf and then looked at each other. After a brief silence, the second one spoke “You are right that we have other more important things to do alright...just one question before we let you go, what does a half-elf like you want in a town like Estermere? Most of the elves we see are traveling towards Farethas.”

The question came as a surprise to Trafalgar. He thought he had eliminated any doubt they had on him but that second guard proved more persistent than he seemed. “Across Daiar, the Astronomer’s Guild is renown for its vast library full of spell books containing countless spells. No half-elf would dare look its compatriots in the eye if they haven’t visited the Guild even once in their lifetimes” he said with a smile in his face. “Now if it is okay with you, I am tired from traveling and I would like to find an inn and get to sleep as soon as possible” he said and waved goodbye to the guards as he entered the town. Another day on the road had ended.

[IncredibleBee]

The sound of hooves on road clattered as the knight advanced down the road, sitting atop his horse. Across his lap sat a short, hooded figure, one he held against him with his free arm. James spied some sort of auction ahead, not for normal goods, he learned, but for people.
"We're a long ways from home." he commented, steering the horse away.

"The Sun has set, Anya." he said, looking down. "We should find an inn for the night, and let Calvin rest up."

[Shisa]

Anya looked around curiously and took in their new surroundings. Her papa was right, they were far from home. At least a hundred feet, by her calculations, and that was whale-size.

"Whales are big," she stated, still looking around, "Anyways, can I take off the cloak now that it's night? It's really hot in here, and I look like a bad guy. Only bad guys wear cloaks, right papa?"

The slave auction caught her eye, and she continued on that train of thought, "Can I give my cloak to that guy? He's mostly naked, and he could catch a cold if he doesn't put something on."

[IncredibleBee]

"Whales are rather large... Wait. Yes; you can remove it if you want." James replied, pushing the hood down, and ruffling the girl's hair.

"You shouldn't give it away, though. It's your only one, and you need it during the day, remember? Besides, if it's hot out, he'll be fine for now." he explained, trying to pull her attention away from the auction. "What we should be thinking about is where we'll spend the night. I don't want you to sleep outside again if there's an inn close by. A warm meal would be nice as well, don't you think?"

[vietmyke]

Estermere's night market was something to behold. While most towns closed up their shops- with the exception of taverns, and other after-hours establishments, when night came, Estermere was an exception. A vast number of the town's shops and stalls remained open, lamps and lights setting a pleasing orange glow to their colored tents and awnings. Likewise, there remained a large number of people outside, though these numbers were considerably less than those during the daytime. These numbers would like dwindle quickly as well, as the night grew later and later. Still, even in the early night, the noise in the market remained something akin to a dull roar.

The sizable market made up the village square, and could be easily spotted from anywhere in the village. Bright colored cloths hung from displays and covered stalls, and it was arguably the most crowded part of the village. People wove back and forth, conversing with eachother, as merchants called to them, harking their wares. There were cloth weavers, shoemakers, grocery sellers, and and travelling merchants, all up and down the cobblestone roads, some owning stores, others using temporary stalls that were rented or set up. The smells of meats, leather, breads, fruits, and spices mixed together in the market district, making the distinct smell that the district was known for. Down the road was the main gate, which lead to the King's Road, located conveniently in the corner of the market was the Jolly Hippogriff, a popular tavern that benefited from its location.

Somewhere in near the center of the market stood a young half-elf girl, a small thing with clean golden hair and emerald eyes, selling flowers. Even in the early hours of the night she had a bright smile on her face that would've made one thought it was midday. Walking up to various passerbys in the market, she would offer them flowers, for friends, family, loved ones. While the flowers she sold weren't particularly valuable or beautiful, her winning smile managed to find her a rather steady stream of customers. "Flowers for sale! Would you like some flowers?" she would ask in a sweet voice whenever someone passed by.

One particularly aristocratic looking young man seemed to take an interest in the flower girl and had approached her, 'inspecting' the flowers. The Aristocrat was dressed in fine silken clothing, a stark white shirt, with clean pants and a pair of fine riding boots. His brown hair was combed cleanly to the side, and while his breath smelled of alcohol, he had a confident demeanor about him. As he inspected the flowers, he attempted to make chummy small talk, implying with no small words that he was in fact, incredibly wealthy. "My father helped build most of this market you know, it could be said that he is of greater importance than some of this village's founders."

He spoke with an almost despicable amount of self assurance, and arrogance, though he beamed as the flower girl nodded kindly at his words. He continued to brag and was only interrupted from his gloating and self-appreciating turn of phrase when another blonde boy bumped into him.

"S-Sorry..!" the blonde boy managed before the aristocrat shoved him.

"Watch it you little oaf!" the aristocrat barked before returning his attention to the flower girl. However, instead of making an offer to purchase flowers, he wrapped his arm around the girl, "Now, I'd be willing to share some of my father's wealth with you, if you would in turn share something with me." It was clear from his dialect that was implying something other than the girl's flower basket. It was at this point the blonde boy returned.

Hart glared at the pompous rich brat. He was tall, well dressed, and seemed to be very self-entitled. While he was used to the type back home, there were few of the snobby type here in Estermere, and the few that were present were that much more insufferable. Without the aristocrat noticing, Melly shot Hart a look from behind her flower basket, a look that implied that things were not currently going to plan. Hart, with his arms crossed had to look up at the aristocrat, who was several inches taller than him, the aristocrat on the other hand lifted his head even more, so he could explicitly look down his nose at the street urchin.

"What do you want you lousy urchin?" the aristocrat demanded, placing a hand confidently on a gilded rapier at his side. "I could gut you in the street right here and now and no one would give a damn about you."

"Well Sirrah," Hart said calmly, taking on a defeated tone, as if seeing the rapier had taken the fight out of him. The aristocrat smirked smugly, pleased with the change in tone. "I just wanted to say-"

The aristocrat never heard what Hart wanted to say, as a set of solid knuckles collided with his temples and then into his sides, he felt a hand push him, and the quick patter of feet. When he cleared his eyes, the urchin- and the flower girl as well- were gone. The aristocrat cursed quietly to himself and looked around, half checking for the urchin, half making sure no one saw the embarrassing display. Unsatisfied, the aristocrat made his way towards a nearby tavern to continue drinking.

---

Hidden in the bustle of the crowd, a pair of blonde youths walked close to one another, the male occasionally looking over his shoulder. The female frowned at him. "Things were going fine!" she hissed at him, "I would've gotten into the manor and I could've cased the place!"

"At what cost?" Hart shot back, to which Melly rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"As if any of that was going to happen." she retorted.

Yeah, well, at least it wasn't all that bad." Hart concluded as he pulled out a small leather purse. Shaking it in his hand made the pleasant sound of heavy coins clinking against one another. Somewhere in a tavern, a pompous aristocrat was realizing that he didn't have the coin to pay for his drink- and would likely have to work off the costs of his tab. He opened the bag and poured a couple coins into his hand, a trio of gold coins and a pair of silver ones. Pocketing the coins, he tossed Melly the aristocrat's purse.

You can buy the things we need and head back to the safe house," Hart said, "There are still somethings I want to do"

"Be safe- or at the very least, don't get in over your head." Melly said as she quickly disappeared into the crowd. Making a more leisurely walk back into the marketplace, Hart began searching for something else to take. Since he went and fudged up their plan to rob the aristocrat, he had to bring back at least something else to make the night worth while. Maybe he'd actually buy some trinkets for the others as well.

[Yog Sothoth]

Darryn was not one to be amazed by the sight of Estermere, he prefered the wild to civilazation. He was only in the town because he was either looking for a job or a lead on the whereabouts of his illusive quarry. He was still as determined as ever to get his revenge on the bastards who killed his family and he hoped that maybe he would find his answers in Estermere. He walked the streets for a bit, trying to as best as he could enjoy himself.

He bought mead and meat as his supper at tavern. While he was there, people gave him strange looks and Darryn knew that they were nervous around him because he was a Weasel Folk. There were a few times like this where Darryn would have wanted to throw his knives at the people starring, but he decided that possibly getting arrested wasn't the best course of action. He decided to finish eating quickly and leave.

Humanity never changes, he said to himself as he left the tavern. While looking, he noticed a slave auction that was happening, but his attention was drawn to a comotion between a aristiocrat and two poorer humans. He was going to continue moving on, but then he saw them attack the man and steal his money. Normally Darryn wouldn't have really cared, but he wasn't a fan of that kind of thievery. Darryn followed Hart and Melly. He then took out his bow and notched an arrow.

"I am going to give you humans thirty seconds to explain to me why I shouldn't turn you over to the authorities. I must warn you, I am an excellent shot and my arrows are deadly so don't think about running" Darryn said to them in a fierce tone. He might be able to get a reward for turning in these poor humans and giving the nobleman back his money.

[Shisa]

Anya smiled up at her papa as the man ruffled her hair, and then proceeded to take her cloak off. She folded it up carefully so that it wouldn't get wrinkled, and looked back at James again.

"Oh, you're right!" said Anya. She'd almost forgotten about being killed by the sun when she saw the almost naked guy and thought how he might catch a cold. Her papa was so smart, and that was only one of the reasons she loved him. There were lots more, though, and Anya considered making a list when she got some paper. It would say "Reasons I love papa".

She'd need to get a lot of paper.

"It would be nice to sleep inside, and even better to have a warm meal. I hope there's blood sausages. Or blood oranges. Or more mysterious blood candy. Where do you even get that candy from, papa?"

She hoped there was an Inn nearby, an Inn where the owner wouldn't call her a monster and try to chase her out of town.

[Shard]

Only the sound of wind brushing past the trees was heard in the deep thicket of night. Leaf couldn’t count the minutes he sat there, contemplating his actions. An almost apathetic expression donned his face with his dark brown eyes set on the bandit in front of him. Blood had stopped leaking from the man’s forehead, but that wasn’t what the squirrel was looking at. Below the bolt, a pair of blood shot eyes stared back at Leaf, cold and lifeless. A few more moments passed before the young creature managed to struggle up to his feet, the aching pain in his stomach stinging like a blade. Without looking back, Leaf walked towards his crossbow slowly before he reached down and picked the device up from the ground, hugging it softly. He had to move on, the surrounding area was still dangerous even though this pack of bandits were out for the count. Odds were that this wasn’t even the entire crew, only a pack sent out on a raid. Their absence would probably invoke a search party the coming morning.

Estermere wasn’t too far off now, but Leaf would have to finish the journey by foot, holding onto his crossbow like the lifeline it was. He never bothered reloading it, the five bolts remaining in the clip had to do the job. He didn’t bother reloading his side arm but rather folded up the bow and holstered the weapon. Leaf’s thoughts were far from technicalities, if he was even thinking at all. At this point the squirrel walked aimlessly along the trade route for what seemed like hours until gates would appear in the distance. That was it, Estermere. So far the wizard’s creation hadn’t gotten a good impression of humans at all. Were they all like this? Robbers, thieves, murderers? No, in the carriage Leaf had met a handful of polite and gentle individuals who all seemed used to travel. Their curiosity about the squirrel wasn’t of malice but of knowledge. How could a creature like that come to be? With magic, almost anything is possible.

Looking up from the ground, Leaf stood face to face with two guards. Both were armed with pikes and guarded the gate into Estermere. “What on earth…?” One of the guards began, leaning forward slightly to inspect Leaf further.

“Can I pass…?” The squirrel spoke quietly, the pain stabbing him as he did.

“You’re a…” The other guard scratched the back of his head, unable to fully grasp the concept.

“Last time I checked…I was…Can I pass…?” Leaf repeated, nearly ready to collapse. The creature fell to one knee but managed to struggle back up to his feet and stumbled forward. The guards were confused as it was, but they noticed how Leaf was wounded and allowed him passage without any more hassle. Once inside the gates, Leaf saw the sleeping town unfolding in front of him. The streets weren’t too busy but he could hear a lot of voices stretching out across the roads. Some seemed inclined on being out at night, but the squirrel wanted nothing more than a moment of rest. Maybe he could muster enough energy to reach the inn. Conjuring the remainder of his strength, Leaf kept walking. The market seemed very busy, even at night apparently.

[vietmyke]

Melly had disappeared into the crowd by the time the weaselfolk had caught up with them. Turning, Hart was mildly surprised to see a large weasel hefting a longbow. The crowd had already started to part, most people didn't particularly like the presence of the supposedly barbaric weaselfolk. With an arrow notched, the weasel demanded Hart give him a reason not to alert the authorities. The weasel must have had sharp eyes, because to the rest of the crowd it merely looked like a youth fighting for the favor of a girl. The weasel was a tall, large creature, and Hart had no intention of getting into a fight with this person. Very carefully he began to back up.

"Sorry, Sirrah," Hart said plainly, "That snobby aristocrat was being inappropriately forthcoming with a friend of mine." Hart paused.

He gave a quick look around, analyzing his surroundings. Turning back to the weasel, he smirked. "You have made one mistake though. People don't really like it when weapons are drawn."

Suddenly, his face took on a innocent, but terrified look. "HELP! Brigand! Help me!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing at the large weaselfolk. The effect was rapid, people immediately took note of the 6 foot something weasel folk bearing a weapon, seemingly accosting a much shorter and smaller youth. A few adults stepped forward to deal with the supposed brigand, and Hart pushed into the crowd. Hart would stay in the crowd, where the weasel couldn't get a straight shot with his bow. Unless the weasel was alright firing into a crowd in which case there would be a much bigger problem at hand. Hart weaved through the crowd easily, his small size and slippery nature allowing him to pass with no more than a dirty look from some passerbys.

Weaving through the crowd led him to the Jolly Hippogriff tavern, to which he quickly strode into. The tavern was a crowded, noisy place, filled with drunkards and alcohol. The main floor itself was a very homely room, made of dark woods, given an orange glow from the huge fireplace in the center of the back wall. Bards told stories to whoever would listen, and people merrily joked with one another. Hart took a seat at the end of the bar, closest to the kitchen door. In the corner of his eye, he could easily see the main door of the establishment. Waving a hand to signal ordering a drink, his other hand remained in his pocket.

[Professor_Wyvern]

With a swish in some water, Elric pulled out his badger hair brush, as he dabbed it into the lathering cream. He glanced down at the individual in his chair, who wanted a night-time shave. The man receiving the shave was Samuel, a member of the Town-guard who was a member of the night time patrol. "So..." Elric said as he swirled the brush in the cream. "Did anything interesting happen during a bit of your night?" He began slathering the cool shaving cream onto Samuel, starting at the left cheek.

He chuckled, "Well if something did happen, I'd be asking for a bloodletting. No, nothing in particular from the job, saw Peters help start up the Slave Auction going down in the Square. Also I must say I'm surprised you are still here and Jonathan is not." He said, pinching his lips shut, as Elric moved the brush over his lips. He began covering the right cheek in a circular motion. "Yes, well John was getting rather tired, that new order he's been forging has taken a lot out of him. And you do know, I do get quite a few clients for surgery at this hour. Anyway, interesting events...Well I talked to Miss Evelyn today."

Samuel spoke up, realizing that he no longer needed to keep his lips still, "Is she the one who supposedly steals flowers?" Elric shook his head as he began dabbing the cream under his chin, "No, no Miss Rachel is the one who does that. So did you finally get the ring for your betrothed Elizabeth?" Samuel smirked from ear to ear, as Elric dabbed his brush in the cream again. "Yes I did, I'm going to ask the chain of command to see if I can get a week off so we can elope." Elric began rubbing the neck with the brush.

"So..." Samuel started up, "Have you had any luck in-" Elric frowned as he finished up lathering Samuel's face. "Unfortunately not." He washed his brush in the pot of water, and placed it back on the stand do it could dry out. He grabbed his straight razor, and flicked it open. He walked towards the larger hanging strop, that was near the container of leeches. He held the strop with one hand, as he raked the razor's edge down it. "I am twenty five and I have yet to produce an heir! Not even a bastard one!" Swish he continued moving the blade down the strop for another minute. He held it next to the torch, examining it. He grabbed a loose strand of hair as he gently brought it down to the razor. After seeing the hair split he returned to the chair where Samuel was waiting.

Elric held his left hand on the back of Samuel's head, as he brought the straight razor down his left cheek. Scrapping against the follicles of hair made some sound, and they promptly fell onto the floor. Elric closely examined the cheek, and noticed not a single scrap of hair remaining. He promptly then shaved the lower left jawline. Again he did not notice a single scrap of hair. Excellent Elric thought to himself. He moved to under Samuel's nose. "Don't move." Samuel heeded his advice, as Elric quickly brought the blade down upon the region, and began cutting the hair off, altering his motions to reflect the contours of Samuel's face. As soon as he finished shaving directly under the nose, Samuel spoke up. "After this would you care for a drink at the Jolly Hippogriff?" Elric gave a quick nod, as he placed his razor against Samuel's neck and began shaving. "Yes, I could go for a drink. Perhaps greet a few fellow residents as I head over there." He said while he was trimming the hair on his neck, moving in a rhythmic and careful fashion.

[Shard]

"HELP! Brigand! Help me!" The voice came from a boy, not older than a young man. Leaf quickly turned towards the sound with a sigh and attempted to stay out of whatever trouble was brewing. He was out of the count for another battle and he still needed to get over the fact that he had taken the lives of four people that night. ‘Just ignore it, and go into the tavern. Just ignore it, just ignore it…’ Leaf repeated the same words over and over again as he moved closer towards the Jolly Hippogriff. People seemed to go in and out of the establishment frequently and it seemed to be a place where the squirrel could pause and catch his breath.

Slipping through the doorway, Leaf took another breath and paused for a moment as he leaned against the wall. ‘Almost there…just buy some water and find a seat…’ They’d surely not let him stay around if he didn’t buy anything. In the tavern, all manner of people were having a jolly old time. There were half orcs, humans, halflings and other people from the countless walks of life. Perhaps even Leaf could fit in here without having a bunch of eyes landing on him in confusion. “One water, please…” Leaf tried to get the attention of the bartender and got up on his toes as he placed a coin on the counter. Money was money, no matter who paid and sure as it was, Leaf got a glass of water which he grabbed and hurried over to a table, finally able to sit down after the hectic night.

Part of him wanted to faint but a glass of water would do nicely. He couldn’t care less if the glass was clean or not as he downed the liquid, despite the pain in his stomach grumbling against the addition of water to his empty tummy. Moments passed and the squirrel hugged himself to keep calm, his eyes clenching shut. Soon it would all be over. A new day would come and he’d feel much better. The pain would go away, the sun would be up and those good for nothing bandits would come across the punishment which had struck their allies. While shock still somewhat roamed in Leaf’s mind, he couldn’t say that he regret doing what he did. They deserved what they got and it was for the good of others. How many other people would have died if the squirrel didn’t engage in combat with them? Even just one would have been too many. ‘You made the right choice, Leaf…’ The young creature tried to console himself.

[Feigling]

Ah, the night markets. Secretive. Lucrative. And downright disgusting.
Whores sold themselves to disguised aristocrats, drunkards brawled on street corners, and lice-ridden peddlars sold bits of junk for extortionate prices.
So why, then, was the Le Croix family getting involved?
Simple. The Slave Markets opened at night.
Lucien could list dozens of reasons why he needed a slave. He needed someone to look after Rosa if he was away overnight. He needed help around the house. He was saving someone from a cruel life in the fields.
But the real reason was status. All the major houses boasted slaves. A slave meant you had power. They were as much an accessory as a worker. If you didn't have one, you were no-one.

"Lucien" Rosa whispered, staying close to her adoptive father "I don't like this. Why are we here?"
Lucien wrapped an arm around the ginger haired girl "I don't like this either. But I'm afraid it must be done. Just stay close and don't draw any attention."
It was hard. The two looked hopelessly out of place in this squalid fleshmarket. Whilst Rosa's corset-skirt combo might be passable here, Lucien's black and gold greatcoat and trouers looked about as far removed from local attire as achievable. In fact, several envious passerbys had already went through Lucien's pockets, only to come away empty handed. Not for the first time, the Vurkolak thanked his tailor for including inside pockets in his clothes.

The slave market was suprisingly busy, considering it was only really a thing of the aristocracy. The din was unbearable. Half the people who showed up probably couldn't even afford a slave. They were bad enough for buying them, but those who turned up just to watch were sick beyond all measures.
"We came here, to the worst part of town, to watch some toffs with too much money barter for someone's life" Rosa raised an eyebrow
"No, my dear. We came here to take part in the bartering" Lucien grinned ghoulishly "Now, if you could have any of these fine people, who would you have?"
Rosa ran an eye over the assortment of bulky, filthy men. None of them looked particularly appealing, if she was honest. She'd rather be able to sit down and talk to them, to choose her favourites. But without that luxury, she had to settle for gut instinct.
"That one. The one with the dragon tattoo and headscarf."
"Then you shall have that one"
Throughout the auction, the pair didn't say a word. Only when Rosa's slave came up did Lucien play his trump.
He waited, letting the little fish bid each other out. He knew he was under no real threat. The man was beaten and bruised, never a good sign in any slave. No-one bet much for him.
"7 Gold Pieces" Lucien's hand shot up, looking directly at the slave.

[SyrianHamster]

The tile broke away quietly, and Gukb released a long sigh.

He had found himself atop some fat merchant's home, and was looking to take up residence in the structure's attic. The goblin had often found that when it came to human settlements, it was the rarely used rooms of affluent houses that offered the best protection. Also, he might find it perfectly possible to access the larder through the wall space. He smiled as he remembered the far away taste of salted beef.

"Focus now, Gukb me old boy," he whispered to himself. Now was not the time to get lost in waking dreams of food.

Placing both spindly hands against the exposed wooden board of the extravagant house's roof, he slowly pulled against it. It creaked slightly, and a heavily rusted nail gave way; alas, it was one of many. Not easily beaten, Gukb pulled again, this time in a stop-starting motion. He'd often found it the case, that when trying to budge something heavy, it was all about the shock of impact - or something.

A steady exertion of effort was like pushing in a spring; sooner or later, the tension would get the better of you, and your eye would be impaled before you knew what had happened. If the board came free suddenly, as he heaved with all his strength, then more than likely he'd find himself tumbling to the green finery below. Such a fall would be the end of him.

Upon perhaps the sixth or seventh tug, the board's upper edge came free. Gukb's teethy smile gleamed, and he frantically reached to grab hold of the jutting woodwork. Once he had done so, he pulled again, and the whole thing lurched off its framework.

He was in!

Peering past the dislodged board, he saw only darkness; this was a good sign, because it meant there was little chance of the room having been turned into a bed chamber. Slowly, and cautiously, he crept out of the night and into the warm embrace of someone's attic.

It smelt musty, as if the room was full of old papers - and he was sure that it was - and undesired articles of clothing.

Being a goblin, Gukb's eyes were better suited to darkness than his human peers; though that's not to say that he had night vision. Rather, the shapes of stacked boxes, mannequins, trunks and old furniture were undeniable to his slitted pupils.

"Jack pot," he said to himself, quietly.

[Professor_Wyvern]

Elric paused his shaving of Samuel, as he glanced back at the unused spots of the attic. Well where he didn't keep his belongings, and where Jonathan kept old boxes and mannequins and other assorted knickknacks. Elric quickly shaved the rest of Samuel's neck. He then took out a wool rag and wiped his face clean. Samuel got up from the chair.

"Thanks Barber, say mind if I pay you at the tavern? It gets crowded and I want to secure us some seats." Elric gave a friendly nod, as he dipped his razor in the water, cleaning it of extra lather and hair. "That will be fine, I'll meet you there. I need to check on something." Samuel gave Elric a wave as he headed down the stairs.

Elric grabbed a candle stick, as he went towards the back of the attic. He held up the candle, relying on its flame to illuminate the area. "I swore I heard something." He muttered to himself. He used his free hand to cup around his mouth as he spoke up, "John are you back here already?"