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The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

Yea, looks like he got a promotion at work lately and just doesn't have time anymore to GM this.

@Heyitsjiwon

Uh, I guess it's actually a positive thing then, despite the RP ending.

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

So I'm guessing this RP is dead?
I can't access the Discord server anymore either.

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

Although Boran was fairly certain there would be no trouble at the shop, he nevertheless kept an eye on the guard. He let Flint do the talking, took a quick peek a the shopkeeper - an elegant fellow - then proceeded to survey the room. Causing a ruckus in such a confined space would inevitably lead to considerable damage so the armored figure's first and foremost job was probably that of intimidation: the scaly armor and spiky mace neatly enforced the idea.

He positioned himself near the entrance, keeping a relaxed yet prepared pose. He didn't try to be sneaky about it, either. With his neck stretched and hands neatly folded in front of him, he himself looked like a security guard for Flint.

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

After stepping outside and hearing Flint's words of acknowledgement, Boran gestured for him to lead the way.

The pair walked in silence, and Boran in particular seemed to be lost in thought, though he kept an eye out for anything suspicious. A city this size never truly slept and there were unpredictable wanderers on every corner. As they were nearing the market district, Boran grabbed a piece of paper and a sharp stick of charcoal from his coat pocket and started scribbling words on it. He darted off towards an inconspicuous, plain looking building just at the edge of the market, slipped the note through a slit in the door and was back with Flint in seconds. Before the latter could inquire, Boran explained: "Just made a little order."

The jewelers place seemed decent enough. After all, anything less than decent would have likely been unable to process the kind of exchange the party was in need of. Nevertheless, Boran kept himself in high alert when Flint went in in search of the owner.

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

"Oh do I need a good drink right now!" exclaimed Boran as the barman filled up some tankards. Turning around, he saw the party leaving. Flint had offered himself and Boran to start preparing for the job by getting supplies. He got no objections from the other two, who suddenly seemed to be too preoccupied with embracing each other to notice anything else.

"Will you look at that," Boran said with a chuckle, pointing at the leaving pair, "kids these days!" When Flint approached, he raised his hand to take a drink, but continued with a slightly more serious tone: "Gonna turn some heads on the streets."

The mead was... less than adequate. After a big sip of the watery liquid, Boran put the tankard down and pushed it as far away from himself as he could. This confirmed his earlier suspicion about the quality of the booze.

"Well," he started, turning his attention to Flint, "just this once I'm gonna let the "old man" comment slide, but in the future, you'd better watch it." His tone was suddenly cold and serious; his gaze piercing Flint as he continued: "And this was in no way my first drink. But it sure will be my last."

He paused for a moment, dropping the aggressive mask.
"Wow, that sounded kinda ominous, didn't it?"

Visibly offended by Boran's opinion about the quality of the mead, the innkeeper exchanged some threatening glances with Boran.
"Alright, boy, we'd better get a move on before we're gonna get in some biiig trouble." He gave Flint a joyous pat on the shoulder and headed towards the exit into the cold autumn night, stopping briefly at the door before finally stepping out: "We might find some places still open at this hour."

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

The link isn't working though?
Never used Discord so maybe I have to do something else other than just click it?

Also I live on the other side of the world so our schedules are a complete mismatch.

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

Boran listened intently as Guthbert seemingly relented and spared some additional details about the job, growing visibly more serious as the Lord continued. The mention of mysterious artifacts was especially intriguing, perhaps even more so than the allusions to supernatural dealings in the keep.
He snapped out of his contemplation as the one calling himself Flint made clear his decision.

"Well," Boran joined, replacing the frown with a wide smile. "As I said, I'm not one to easily turn down ridiculous amounts of money."
He stood up, stretching his back while filling his lungs with the cool autumn air and exhaling with an audible grunt. He looked over the group with a nod of approval like a proud father watches over his children.

"Name's Boran, by the way. And seeing that this deal is going underway, we should properly seal it... or at least I will."
Boran turned away towards the bar to grab a drink as a sort of unofficial validation for securing the contract. He also needed to burn away that distant voice in his head that kept whispering "don't do it!".

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

Lord Guthbert seemed to fit into the stereotypical rich dandy role like a glove. His flamboyant style, overconfidence (in his wealth) and that excessively theatrical speech made Boran roll his eyes and chuckle in amusement. Nevertheless, this was about the job; about the money, and as the gemstones hit the table, he sipped the last drop of the cheap brandy from the glass and picked up a stone for examination. His lips widened into a smile as he rolled the diamond in his hand, imagining what leisures this little thing could possibly buy him. Yes, he liked it.

"My colleagues are quite perceptive," he started, still examining the shiny rock, "much more than I would have thought."

"No offense, of course," he continued, sending the men an apologetic look that one could perceive as sincere.

Boran pocketed the diamond and leaned back on the chair, stretching his legs and resting his arms on his lap while doing so.

"I'm usually not one to turn down a hefty salary, or to believe in ghost stories, or otherwise ask too many questions... but... blondie here makes some compelling arguments."

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

While Boran didn't have the pleasure of visiting the Bawdy Boar before, he was nonetheless familiar with such establishments. Just shady enough to conduct all manner of no-questions-asked business, yet decent enough for respectable "entrepreneurs" like Boran himself. He blended in well with the regular crowd, though a keener eye would notice he wasn't there to simply pass the time. To fight the cold in what seemed to be the least popular table in the room, he had ordered a glass of amber brandy; anything that wasn't strong enough to scald off your tongue was bound to taste... poorly in a place like this. Slowly sipping, he watched as other people started to arrive. People that, much like Boran, were something more than regular customers.

The first was an Aldonian. A rare sight in this part of the world; or any part that wasn't New Aldonia for that matter. The man's attempts to remain unnoticed were both comical and futile as a suspicious looking fellow under a heavy dark hood, sitting in the darkest corner of the room would stick out like a sore thumb. He did realize his position, though, as he removed the disguise and made small talk over at the bar. His gait and posture, however, revealed much about him.

The second was a small woman, perhaps even a teenager still. She sat across the table from Boran, but aside from a small greeting, they didn't say a word. Boran continued his drink, shooting the occasional measuring glance at everyone in the inn; sure enough, he was equally measured back by the others as well.

The Depths of Blackmire Keep - Dare You Enter?

I'm kinda confused about the "stranger" thing at the moment? Anybody taking his/her role?
I wanted to get a post up, but I've fallen asleep very early in the evening two days in a row, ironically when putting my 1-year-old to sleep.