Expendable

One does not simply introduce himself to the Guild... right?

Greetings and salutations. Hope you enjoy your time here.

Caravan: An Episodic Fantasy with Worldbuilding! [Always Accepting]

Granny Siri

---

"Right," Granny Siri said with a satisfied sigh, slipping into the relaxed talk of her childfood. "We just have ta...."

Pilot and the tent were suddenly gone, and the priestess found herself wrapped in fog.

"SIRI...RI..Ri..ri," a deep booming voice echoed. "I..i..aye! OW! Hey! Stop that!"

Her hand emerged from a thick patch of fog tightly pulling on a struggling ear
"Stop it or ya'll be 'One Ear' for da rest of yer miserable life," she warned sourly. "Show da rest of yerself."
"Okay! Okay! Just ease off, okay?"

The fog in front of her faded away, revealing a man dressed like one of the Wanderer priests. He stared at her, then lifted his hand to point at the ear she still had clutched tightly in her hand.

"Ah, right," Siri scowled, releasing him. His hand immediately started rubbing his tortured flesh.
"Was that necessary?" he demanded.
"I don't like surprises."
"I can tell," he scowls.

"Well?" Siri demanded after a moment.
"Well, what?"
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Oh! There's something I need you to do in town."
"I'm getting ready for evening services," Siri protested.
"It's just past noon," he shrugs. "Plenty of time (I think)."

"Huh? Did you...?"
"Did I what?"
"I.... What is it you want me to do?"
"Yes! There's a woman in town named Eriwyn. I need you to go and help her."
"You want me to help her?"

"Is that so hard to understand?" he frowned, staring down at his palms curiously. "Did I change frequencies?"
"What?"
"Oh," he says, waving his right hand dismissively. "Not important. Or did I miss something?"
"Why me?"
"Oh! It's a favor for a friend."
"Last time I was here, a couple of the local Dinnin turned into frogs...."
"Yes!" the man replied with a nod, raising his index finger to point upward, then shook his head. "Let's not do that again, okay?"
"I didn't do that," Siri protested.
"Sorry, I.... wasn't talking to you."

Siri could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising. There were others in this fog, watching them. One of them was breathing hot on the back of her neck. It'd had been years since she felt the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach, but it was back. She didn't like it.

"So... I'm just supposed ta help this woman...?"
"Eriwyn."
"And there's nothing else...?" Siri asked.
"No goat!" he begged suddenly. "Every time I show myself, suddenly you mortals are sacrificing goats left and right. How many uses could I possibly have for a dead goat, I ask you?"

A mummer ran around them in the fog.

"Ah - no goats, I got it."
"Bit of cheese would be nice. Some cookies? Oh, and some coffee beans, we've been without for a while."
"Coffee... beans?"
"If you would be so kind, yes," he nodded.
"Ah, so how...?"
"Just put it on your altar and say a prayer," he smiles. "No rush. Sometime this week, after all the fuss ends."
"O...kay," she drawls. "So how do I find this Erywhen...?"

There was a sudden sharp pain in her head, already fading, but Siri suddenly knew exactly where Eriwyn was.

"Well, best let you get on with it."

Pilot blinked at Siri worriedly as she uncovered her face.

"That was weird," she muttered, reaching into the altar to pull out a satchel that she draped over her shoulder. "I'm going out. Mind the tent."

---

Ilyana the Half-Human

---

The centaur's friend he called 'Little S'uat' was a tall, massive being dressed in concealing armor with a massive sword on his(?) back, moving around like it was a spring morning in some cool forest glen. A tiny crossbow hung from their belt. When they had come up with him, he was doing something with a string and a piece of fruit...

Clearly, an assassin. People were rippling around the walking suit of armor as if they were trying to avoid him(?) without looking at him(?). Pity, they weren't showing her the same consideration. A few glances she did catch were either slightly worried or slightly curious...?

"The market is this way," S'uat pointed. His(?) voice had a weird, echoing buzz, like it was bouncing around his helmet and through a bee hive before finally escaping.

"Wait, did you hear something?" Ilyana said, her ear twitching as she turns towards an alley where Eriwyn was coming to, then pushed her way through the crowd that just parted for the assassin."Over here."

The half-human knelt down by the woman, taking in her condition. "Are you okay?"

Several Plot Ideas

Oh that does sound interesting. Do you have any thread made for this yet? I would be into it.

@Czelsc

Sorry, I got busy and didn't check this thread. I haven't started a thread yet. I'll see about getting this up this weekend.

Several Plot Ideas

Well, I have this group rp I was thinking of running that includes a few of these elements.

The Zodiac Interstellar cruise ship Scorpio is leaving a human colony world, carrying tourists, spies, ambassadors, archeologists, military personnel traveling on orders, honeymooners, etc. It's one of twelve ships on this circuit.

There is a reluctant unkillable assassin - it's said he's died a few times, only to pop up unexpectedly to kill whoever killed him. Nobody knows why he's on board the Scorpio.

There's a security detail guarding one of the cabins - nobody knows who's inside.

And then there's a girl who looks human but isn't (two hearts). She can't speak, she has no memories, and doesn't appear in any identity database. And despite top-notch security, nobody knows just how she got on board.

One of the stops is an alien refugee colony, stranded during a decade long war until rediscovered by the first humans to make it out that far. Oddly enough, they have a statue of a human next to a canal that he led the construction on, years before the colony was discovered.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

J'eon the Blacksmith

---

"What's this? What's this?" J'eon demanded, stamping his front hooves on the ground. The archers were other Glen, like himself! And one of them dared to part his flames with wind to give the assassins a chance to escape!

Ice would make them slip and fall, helpless, but the flames had removed any trace of moisture from the air - all he would do was make the air chill! Nor could he call down flames from the skies to strike his enemy like Shirik did!

"I do not know how I can stop them," he growls, tightening his grip on his hammer.

---

Jack Mallory

---

Mallory ground his teeth in frustration. There was no way out of this - either they jump into the water where whatever was down there ate them, or they get crushed between these massive stone arms. They just brought what they could carry - being what the ship could afford to lose. Which included them. Why did that idiot rush into the trap?

He wondered what the camera in his eye would transmit just before his death?

The Sunday Group - Seeds and Harvests

Character Name: "Doc" Jerrold Heppner

Concept: Forensic Sorcerer

Background: A navy corpsman who got assigned to the Fleet Marine Force to become a battlefield medic, serving a couple combat tours where he "saw" things. His mistake was to tell his superiors, who gave him a section 8 separation and put him in a VA psych ward as thanks for his service.

After befriending a few of the hospital ghosts, however, he didn't stay locked up long.

Physical Description: This mysterious man has hooded gray eyes. His silky, straight, short hair is brown with a lot of gray hairs, and is worn in an utilitarian style. He is tall and has a broad-shouldered build. His skin is deeply tanned from living on the streets. He has an elegant nose and prominent cheekbones. His clothes look like a mix from Goodwill and an Army/Navy store.

Powers and Skills:

Sixth Sense

He can see dead people. The problem is getting them to shut the hell up.

Forensic Sorcery

He's picked up a thing or two from a witch. Despite being dead for over a century, Elenor really loves CSI.

Combat Medic

Very good at improvised field treatment, if you don't mind safety pins, dental floss stitches, and a healthy amount of duct tape.

Combat Training

Knows the basics of combat arms and unarmed combat. Sometimes it works.

And this was shared with me today:

To Whom It May Concern

Definitely open in the browser, it's a long one.

Caravan: An Episodic Fantasy with Worldbuilding! [Always Accepting]

Granny Siri & Ilyana the Half-Human

---

After the prayers had stopped, Siri raised her head, then stepped over to check Ilyana's temperature. Her hand was still cold to the touch, despite the noontime heat.

"Well, your temperature's down," Granny said, nodding sagely. "It's likely just exhaustion from traveling. I'd suggest sleeping for the rest of the day, I'll give you some medicine for later..."

At the entrance of the tent, someone clapped loudly twice.

"May I enter?" a deep voice spoke.
"Aye, if ye must," the apothecary-turned-priestess sighs.

The flaps spread apart, and the largest centaur Ilyana had ever seen trotted into the tent. Skin tanned dark, broad in the shoulders and covered in muscles. His face was handsome, with locks of curly dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard that made his jaw stand out. In his right hand, he carried a spear, but a massive sword hilt was behind his left shoulder, ready to grab.

"Ah, Kostantinos," Siri frowned, tilting her head at him. "Your boss want something?"

The guard glanced down at Ilyana, then back up to face Siri. "No, madame. I carry a message for this... young one, if he be Ilyana."
"I am..." the half-human frowned. Who could it be?

"Now now, stay put for a bit," Siri ordered, then glanced at Kostantinos. "He's under my treatment."

Beneath her velvet words, both heard the rasp of steel in her voice.

"Hyrilea, one of the centaurs who work at the Commissary tent sent me," the guard stated, a rueful smile twisting his lips as he placed his left hand over the first of his hearts. "She's run afoul of Thist, the night baker, and cannot accompany you to town today."
"Really?" Siri snorted. "How sad for them both."
"Indeed. I have connections within the city, I thought perhaps I could arrange for a local escort," he said with a slight bow, "But if you're ill...."

"I'm feeling better," the half-human stated, facing him.
"You should lie down," Siri warned, but Ilyana shook her head.
"I'm low on stock, I need to get product," she said, brushing her hair back with accustomed flip of her hand. "If I don't go today, the others will have stripped the market by morning."

"Most like," Siri sighs, nodding, then giving Kostantinos a hard look. "An escort...?"
"Merely an old friend who owes me many favors," the centaur rumbled, holding up the palm of his left hand. "I swear he will be in better hands than mine, and thoroughly safe."

"I'm no stranger to a city..." Ilyana scowled.
"You are to this one," the guard assured him. "An escort will keep you out of trouble."
"I'm just going shopping...!"
"All the better to get a local guide, then."

"Well, if yer set on this," the Wanderer priestess drawls, scratching behind her right ear.

Saint Valerius Academy - A Knight/Noble Fantasy

The Duke's daughter's gone cringeworthy dark, so I'm redoing her early life to make her more of an adventurer.

Saint Valerius Academy - A Knight/Noble Fantasy

Sorry, still trying to fill in all the places in this form.