drewccapp

The Vanishing Kingdom

Allanon patiently waited and observed as everything happened around him. The two new women. Bidzil's explanation of his goal. The grand reveal of him being a Transcendent. An ancient legend. A legendary existence. A legendary quest. The scale of everything from the previous night with the bandits and the Calabris family, and the interruption of the hyperactive kobold just completely blew up beyond anything he could imagine. Allanon was well adjusted to overwhelming grand scale situations, but this was something on a completely higher level.

He looked down at his wife's sword in his hand as he considered the path before him. He could return to Portea to continue thwarting Calabris operations, or he could join Bidzil to play a supporting role in a quest to bring back a city from the dead. It seemed that other forces were after the power that did not necessarily have the best in mind for the world. It was clear the Calabris family definitely had an interest. The odds are if they knew Bidzil was a Transcendent they would likely come for him.

"Kid," Allanon stood next to Bidzil and bumped his shoulder lightly with his fist. "Don't go showing that around strangers. There are powers greater than any single one of us at play. If Krogan's Soul is a key part of this ritual that means the Calabris family wants to put their hands on this ritual. Then there's that kobold's master. I don't know much about Jeevak, but from what Chihiro said he's bad news. If either party gets their hands on you I can guarantee it won't be your wish that will be fulfilled, but theirs." He gave Bidzil a sad look. "I don't like the idea of you sacrificing yourself, but I can understand the desire to help the world become a better place. I will guard you, so that those that would bring darkness to the world don't get their hands on you, and I will teach you how to fight with a sword." He had spent the last near decade asking himself what the best way to fulfil the promise he made to Marisa was, and he now realized that it was this. "This I swear both on my name, Allanon Valentis and the promise I made to my wife, Marisa Kane."

"Thank you for your charity Madame Suzune," Kallen said joyfully as he graciously accepted the peaches. He couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye the imp sneaking a peak at them. He trotted back to the table just as Bidzil was displaying his wing, and Kallen noticed something was off. First off, he was quite amazed about Bidzil being a transcendent. Of all the things that were a part of the ritual to summon the Oracle by far the most unlikely to find among each of the legendary objects a transcendent was the most elusive. Second, he felt the steady drain on his mana as if his eye patch were not working. It didn't take long to connect the dots.

"Can you please stop that?" Kallen asked Bidzil calmly. "It's interfering with the magic on my eyepatch." Transcendent had many miraculous powers, and they constantly pulled magic in close proximity. It appeared Kallen was close enough now that he was back at the table for his eye patch to be effected. He now worried that it might permanently remove the seal on the eye patch, and he worried about what it might do to his magical chest. In some ways it was a living thing, but in others it was still an object. Fortunately, it was still in his room.

Kallen then pulled a peach from the sack and knelt to get on the same level as the imp to present the peach. This first offering was intended to be a peace offering. The next would be payment for the crafting of a new dagger. The challenge would be figuring out how to communicate.

The Vanishing Kingdom

Kallen cleared his throat. "Oh believe me, the idea of drawing the final curtain on this creature is one I am not completely opposed to." His tone was calm, but it clearly restrained something more sinister. He tapped the eye patch he wore. "This Tinker Imp stole a very important item from me. If I did not have a spare I'd be spending every single day until I could create a replacement risking constant mana exhaustion. I'm sure an Isoli like yourself is fully aware of the risks behind that?"

He looked over to the imp. "I have more reason than any to deal with a potential danger, however, I am not ignorant to a potential opportunity. I am more than willing to create a win for everyone." His gaze turned back to Maeve. "You may not see it now, but a deal with a rare creature such as this could create something more unique and valuable than what was taken from you. Would you prefer to satisfy your temporary need for revenge, or gain a valuable tool that can last a lifetime?"

Tinker Imps were out of Allanon's realm of expertise. He had built an information network around Calabris operations with the assistance of the Red Saints and smaller groups that were not fond of the powerful family. He did not believe that it could be much of a help, but perhaps the Tinker Imp could prove itself.

Things between Maeve and Kistal turned extremely sour. "Lady Maeve, do you really believe your response toward either Kistal or the imp is warranted? Is the crime of theft something worthy of a death threat? Such a small creature could die if frozen. I definitely agree about the doubts in regards to the crafting capabilities of this Tinker Imp, however, I am not interested in a punishment that far outweighs the crime. Also, I don't understand your animosity towards Kistal. I know the interactions you have had with him around me are moments where he has not been at his best, but to threaten him like this is far from a just action, and I will not stand for injustice."

Allanon rose from his seat and looked at Kallen straight in the eyes. "Let's get back on topic. You say there is a potential opportunity here? I will trust your instinct, but the Tinker better be able to prove it. Why not give it a test?" Allanon drew one of his throwing knives from his bandolier and placed it on the table. "Let's see if it can craft a replacement for this blade. You'll pay for the material since you're willing to make this call considering you've lost the most from this creature."

Allanon was honestly impressed that Kallen was willing to give some favor to this Tinker in spite of losing an important item to it. He was all too familiar with seeing the effects of mana exhaustion, and he could imagine how awful the experience could be to suffer something like that for an extended period of time.

Kallen nodded as he closed his tome. "Very well." He turned and strode over to Suzune. "Suzune, do you happen to have fresh peaches? I'll buy a dozen if you do." He hesitated as he realized his money was upstairs right now. "I'll be right back with the money." He was going to need it if he was going to cover the material cost for the new weapon anyways. The trickiest part would be to convince the Tinker... if he could communicate with the damn thing.

The Vanishing Kingdom

Kallen let out an exasperated sigh when Nix said it was a tinker imp not a thief. He was losing the energy to be angry this early in the morning. "The... tinker took an important item from me. Therefore while it is in fact a tinker imp, it is also a thief." He could only guess that the beastgirl's definition of thief was different than others, and likely the imp was very much the same. He grumbled to himself. "Why in damnation does beastman culture vary so much?"

Then the words "tinker imp" settled into Kallen's mind as Kistal led Nix and the thief away. "Hold on... Tinker imp." A wolfish grin showed on his face. "I may be able to resolve this problem, yet. If I remember correct... I need to get to my room first." Without another word he jogged ahead of Kistal to get to his room and his collection of books. So he could pull a bestiary he gathered in his travels.

Allanon stood still for all the while that this happened observing the situation as it unfolded before him. Kallen didn't really answer his question, but perhaps it didn't really need answering anyways as he watched Kistal leave with Nix and the tinker. Then Kallen ran off. "What the hell?" Allanon raised his arms in an expression of his confusion. "I... I guess we're back to the inn?" With that he started walking back to the inn.

Kallen opened his chest once he got into his room, and immediately found the bestiary he was looking for in his well-organized chest. Flipping through the table of contents he found the page he was looking for and bookmarked the page before heading back down the stairs. He waited for everyone involved in the theft to arrive and sit down before he opened the bestiary. "Alright, so thanks to Nix informing me of what particular type of beastman we are dealing with I remembered something in regards to the tinker imp. I never expected to actually come across one of these creatures. Let's see..." He traced through the book's lines. "Well damn." He looked back at the various victims of theft. "Odds are whatever was taken has already been used as materials to craft... something. Tinker imps are notorious for their compulsion to create things. However..." Kallen looked straight at the tinker imp with a neutral gaze. "If we can figure out how to communicate, and even come to an agreement. We may very well have ourselves a very competent smith."

Allanon was quite impressed by Kallen's last statement. The wolfish grin earlier had him nervous, but for him to hear a branch member of the Calabris family speak of cooperation with a non-human rather than domination of a non-human without any sign of disgust caught him off-guard. He had little experience with negotiation, so he had nothing to contribute to the conversation, but hopefully others had ideas. If this situation could be resolved amicably and quickly they could head off to their next destination.

The Vanishing Kingdom

Kallen stared at the wolf-girl with a neutral expression, but he felt nothing but disdain for the creature. While it was clearly not the thief it was in fact protecting it intentionally or not. The sudden appearance of Kistal only added to the complication. It also only added the frustration he felt. The beastman at least had the decency to make his presence known as it was quite startling to be snuck up on so easily.

His eyes settled on the movement behind the wolf-girl where his magic told him his eyepatch was. At this point the effect of his spell was fading as he was within range of finding it unassisted. "You hiding behind the wolf-girl," Kallen decided to project the disdain he felt toward the thief. "You have stolen an important item of mine. An eyepatch. A simple item, yes, but the enchantment upon it is not so easily replaced. I would like you to return it while I'm still willing to be civil, and if you cannot return it you be prepare a replacement."

__________

Allanon put his hand out to signal Bidzil to wait when he heard Meave venting about her stolen ribbons. "Hold on, before we go train this is something important." He told Bidzil before turning his attention fully on the Isoli. "You were robbed as well? A belt of mine was stolen last night. I did not take part of the festivities, and I thought if it was just me the thief was probably long gone, but perhaps they're still in town."

He picked up both his sword and his wife's sword as he stood fully from the table. "My name is Allanon Valentis. Perhaps we can work together to find the culprit?"

The Vanishing Kingdom

Allanon woke up just before sunrise as he usually does. Having not taken part of the revelry last night there was only one reason his belt was missing: someone entered his room while he was asleep and stole it from him. The only questions were why and who. He lacked a replacement for his belt and that meant he had to carry his swords by hand. After a thorough search, Allanon grabbed his stuff and carried both swords in his hands as he left the room. He made his way to the bar with a stern expression. "Where can I buy a belt?" He asked the person serving at the bar. He decided to withhold the fact that it had been stolen as it was ridiculous that a belt of all things had been taken. Perhaps it was to send a message?

This was just another frustrating problem to add to the pile. After receiving directions to where he could get a new belt, Allanon beelined straight to the location.

----

Kallen sluggishly rolled out of bed a bit after sunrise. He still felt a little tipsy from all the drinking. He slid his hand around the end table he placed his eyepatch to find it. When he couldn't find it he opened both of his eyes in surprise. This was not something he simply lost. He closed his Eye of Avarice and went to his chest to grab his replacement eyepatch. Then he turned his room inside out searching for his missing eyepatch sobering up fairly quickly in the process.

After failing to do so, he sat down on his bed with a frustrated sigh. "Unbelievable. That's too important to lose in a party. Even drunk I'm not so careless to lose this damn eyepatch. I thought this town of all places could be a place I could relax a little."

Nothing had been misplaced in his chest. Of course, anything that tried to take from the chest that wasn't given permission would be inside the chest right now. He took a deep breath and considered his options. The eyepatch might still have his sealing magic on it. He could use his magic to search for it.

"Well," He growled with wolfish grin. "If you're going to steal from me and hide then you better expect me to come and seek."

He stood in a cleared out part of his room and began to chant. "Hide and seek. Sneak and peek. Hunt and reap." A clear image of the stolen eyepatch with his magic seal in his mind. "Seek item" If the item was still within the city of Kalla unless the thief could prevent magical detection. Although he could only use this magic on familiar items and only accurately on items affected by his own magic.

The Vanishing Kingdom

Allanon acknowledged Chihiro's delay of a planning session for recuperation, however, he himself had no interest in allowing himself to celebrate. The looming threat of the future left him on edge beyond that of just the Calabris family. The power behind the theft of the Soul of Krogan made him feel more uneasy than the Calabris family. He was cautious of Kallen. While he believed Kallen was honest in regard to his feelings and his plan there certainly were some things he was still hiding.

Allanon paid for a room and made his way to it. Before going to sleep he spent his time considering his options, and how to progress from here.

Kallen happily joined the celebration eagerly making connections and friends with the locals. He participated in the various games and fun throughout the night before eventually crashing in his room with a smile on his face.

The Vanishing Kingdom

At the sound of festivities outside of his room, Kallen stood up with the bottle of wine in his hand. "Let us take this outside and join the fun. It'll be good to destress for the both of you I imagine."

Allanon glanced at Chihiro to see what her reaction was to this. He did not have much interest himself in celebration. He felt he did not deserve such joy until his task was complete. While he would take the opportunity to rest, and take up Kallen's offer to pay for food, Allanon wanted to get planning his next moves. Now was not the time to celebrate. He felt certain that the Soul of Krogan would be used for nefarious and selfish means, and whatever it was it would spell danger for everyone. What needed to be done was making a plan.

Allanon leaned over towards Chihiro. "While I agree we should take a moment to rest. We should come up with a plan for what is to come. It has been a while since I've worked with a team, and I imagine we will need to work together for the foreseeable future."

The Zephyr Extinct

Sorry for the long absence I have been in hardmode recently for life, and I'm only able to participate in one RP at the moment. One I was committed to before this one.

The Vanishing Kingdom

Allanon watched as the torch was light to signal the loss of Kallan life. He wondered just what kind of a reaction this would create. He had seen many reactions to the loss of loved ones, and each of them spelled out to him just what kind of people they were. He looked over cautiously to the strange mage that appeared back at the bandit's camp shortly after the defeat of the bandits and Calabris ambassador. Something about the man gave him a bad feeling. Maybe it was just the timing.

Kallen spent the entire trip to Kalla considering his approach toward Allanon. Before him laid an opportunity that he simply could not let rest for long, but he had to make sure his approach was not too offensive lest he completely destroy a chance for a powerful ally. Finally, as Kalla came into view, he walked next to Allanon.

"Sir Allanon," Kallen said. "I am Kallen. I would like to speak with you if you have the time after we make it into town. I have a room at Allard's inn. It's the third one on the right." With that Kallen stepped away from Allanon whom was now glowering at him dubiously.

Allanon was now extremely suspicious of Kallen. Not only did he know his name, but he called him "Sir". The only people that ever called him "Sir" were either ignorant of who he was and being respectful, or a member of the Calabris family from the time he was their debt slave. Seeing as Kallen knew who Allanon was the later was the only possibility. What should he do? Kill him? Meet with him? Allanon first looked over to Kistal who was taking care of Nix, and then Chihiro whom was with Hilde.

After some debate he stepped up to Chihiro. "Chihiro, I was just approached by Kallen, the strange mage that appeared after the fight. He knows who I am, and asked me to speak with him at his room in the inn. I think I will go, but I think he's a Calabris family member, and if that's true I don't want to be alone just in case trouble happens. Would you mind coming along with me?"

_____

After stepping away from Allanon, Kallen made his way to the inn. His use of magic while limited was still tiring. He imagined Allanon would want to take some time to consider before visiting, and this meant he would have some time to rest a little. He could also prepare himself for what would likely be a difficult conversation. He was fully aware of how suspicious he sounded when he approached Allanon and simply left him after the fact. He could not think of a less awkward approach, so he figured it would be best for him to make the decisively awkward approach.

He ordered himself a nice warm meal, and a bottle of wine, and he then retired to his room where he pulled some books to peruse from his chest that had been waiting patiently in his room.

The Zephyr Extinct

I'm finding myself in a bit of a creative drought... I'll try to figure out some kind of post. Otherwise, I may just be lurking for a bit.