BayRat

Destiny Reborn!

[GROUP B]

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The rotten smell began to grow stronger. A presence. The source of this stench? Or...a foreign sense of rot. Was it a corpse? Perhaps one who's clothes were on the ground. No, this scent was moving, and Kharne's senses through the darkness let me spot the intruding silhouette with ease as he exited one of the nearby tunnels, to the mass of clothes. The scent, more clear, wasn't so much a corpse. If Kharne had any experience the scent was more associated with the undead, animated corpses or vampires that have gone far too long without feeding. Though, as he walked, that scent of undeath slowly left him. The man had a light tan to his skin tone, suggesting some time in the sun. His brown eyes were a bit..glassy? Almost lifeless look to them, as he moved past some torchlight. Black, shaven hair that had a bit of unkempt, messy length to it.

The man was wearing something a bit different then typical attire. A gray pinstripe suit and black tie, originally these suits were tailored to reincarnated with a taste of fashion from their own world, but quickly grew in popularity with some circles of the wealthy of this world too. This suit however was tattered. The large black jacket he wore was shredded at the bottom and sleeves, damp from the poor conditions of the sewers. The vest and white shirt beneath were stained with blood and dirt, the once black tie was untethered and barely around the collar. Those strangely lifeless eyes looked up from the empty clothes, while he was already moving about the pockets.

"Well howdy there, partner.." The stranger had a slightly dry, gravelly to an otherwise deep voice, as if it had been some time he's gone without water. He seemed almost disinterested in his presence. Despite the greeting, there wasn't much excitement in his words. More of an annoyance, if anything. "This here loot's mine, so bug off."

Destiny Reborn!

[GROUP A]

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The faint sound of running water and the occasion drips from the damp, round ceiling was the only ambience that occupied with the sounds of their footfall and talking, alongside the hum of fire from the torch the scout carried of course. Preston took but a moment to reply after the other three entertained the conversation...or well at least two stated their reasons for coming here. Maybe the third was an unfortunate tag along, couldn't blame him.

"Well you lot certainly are the shining examples of what paladins ought to be, I reckon." The scout stated in a simplistic matter, "Me though I'd rather be at home front of a warm fire. Ain't no sugar coating it, those people are already dead. I guess having some bodies are some peace of mind but I doubt we'll really find-" The pessimistic scout was cut off as a new, distinct sound, though faint due to its distance joined in the harmony of the sewer's somber ambience.

It was...the sound of someone...crying? Faint distinct sobs echoes from further within the stonework halls of the sewers. The reverb made it hard to tell the exact direction, but an approaching fork in the tunnel suggested that the left path likely led to whoever was sobbing. Preston had embraced the silence, listening closely. Confirming the sound, he seemed surprised he'd be proven wrong. "Well I'll be damned, this might be a short trip, c'mon fellas!" The scout attempted to lead the small group with a bit of a haste in his step. The wailing grew only louder and more intense as they drew closer. Following the fork in the path, the tunnel now descended at a more noticeable angle, the flow of water faster and yet the intensity of the sobbing drowned out the sounds of the current.

"Hey, hey we're almost there! Are you alright over there?!" Preston called out, shining his light out further into the darkness. Just vaguely they could see the shape of someone indistinct in a cloak. Their voice was hoarse from wailing.

"Help me!" The voice broke out from the cry, though the cloaked figure seemed fixed in a distraught, kneeling position. "It hurts, oh it hurts! Please!" The crying figure was completely obscured in some sort of white robe or cloth, which made it stick out well from the surrounding darkness as the torch-light drew near. The opened part of the hood was facing the water.

Destiny Reborn!

Into the depths

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Sprawling all beneath Ceosia's capitol, the vast network of a sewer system runs like a labyrnth through many tunnels and corridors. Built atop the remains of a previous kingdom, the sewers bleed into and integrate cave systems and long forgotten ruins. While the systems near the surface are somewhat documented and mapped out, often utilized by the order of shadows, there is still much unknown about them.

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[Party A]

@Archazen@Snagglepuss89@PapiTan

Joining you on the quest is a scout from the Order of Shadows named Preston. A scraggily little man draped in a dark cloak and leather gamberson. He's familiar enough with the upper-portion of the sewers to be a guide, and out of courtesy, isn't taking any of the reward money. If asked why he's escorting them free of charge, his order requested him to assist whatever party would take the quest.

There are many entrances to the sewers. Many from the city itself, and many more from lost caverns and passageways from outside the capital. Preston takes the party through one of the three major Canals that bleed into the Capitol's port. Just around the North-East Dockyard, a large iron-bar gate greets them as they were lead into a sizeable tunnel. It was near this entrance that the most recent missing people were last scene. The initial Tunnel seems to stretch for about 100 feet until it spreads into various corridors. Strange footprints of various sizes seem to lead to an obscure passageway nearby gives way to an old stairway carved out of the rock, and leading further down. reaching the next level of the sewers, the air was noticeable cooler, save for the space around harlow, and just as damp as it was above. Whereas the occassional debris and boxes and other litter amidst the upper floor suggested some degree of travel or living, here in the second layer, it was completely barren.

"Come on lads, this way." The Torchbound scout beckoned as he marched further into the darkness, another long stretch of tunnel. The length of the walk and darkness surrounding them seemed to suggest it would be some time till the next turn, giving some time for some back-and-fourth conversation! "So, what made ya bunch take on this request? Pay's pretty low aint it?"

[Party B]

@Kazemitsu

The reports of missing people seemed to have extended beyond the capitol's reach. As others who ventured around the outskirts outside the walls have also seemingly vanished. A small band of merchants, doubting the effectiveness of the guild, continued to harass third-parties of their missing men until Kharne had taken the job on happenstance, further away from the Capitol's border. There direction lead the freelance mercenary to a tributary fed by one of the sewer deposits beneath the great walls of Ceosia. The Grate that would have been blocking this large waterway was partially destroyed. And this would lead him further into the Capital's network. With his predatory senses, he could sense vaguely the former presences of what were presumably the missing merchants. There was something else too, something he never sensed before, surrounding all other traces of the missing. This trail continued to lead him further and further into the depths,

Eventually he became faced with a large open cave structure, with several halls of different eras of the sewers all about the large natural room, along with traces of old ruins and tunnels that lead elsewhere. The upper section of the cavern composed a waterfall, fed by various sewer trails of the upper layers, and pouring into a river that seemed to etch into a natural cave system, the river dividing the two halves of the cave. Behind the waterfall, littered clothing and armor or various individuals. All left behind empty of any of their owners. That...strange scent of something else seemed have completely overridden any trace of the people he was following. It seemed concentrated in the entrance to what seemed to be the large tunnel of an older city-structure just beyond the heaps of clothing articles.

Destiny Reborn!

@VarionusNW

Whoops just saw this now.

discord.gg/qSDarmkQ

The Cursèd West

@Tlaloc
You mentioned earlier the idea of witches and conjuring fire.
What’s the rules on magic and would something like an occult researcher being ‘drawn west’ be a fitting character concept?

The Cursèd West

I'll plop a little interest for now. Curious to see the OOC. been wanting a supernatural western for a bit.

Destiny Reborn!

@Archazen character has been approved!

Destiny Reborn! A Dark Fantasy Isekai with a twist.

@Dr Acula@VarionusNW

Just poking to see if both of ya are still interested, since you’re the only two I haven’t heard from since the ooc went up.

Also a bump for anymore player interest!

OOC link is here, discord invite can be found at the bottom of the first ooc post roleplayerguild.com/topics/193022-des…

Destiny Reborn!

@Snagglepuss89 approved character! you can go ahead and put in ooc