POOHEAD189

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

"We also need to still appreciate that we are under cover. If we go busting down one of the four hundred thousand doors, we'll alert our quarry and be no closer to catching them." I reminded her. "I definitely empathize with your frustration. I would love to call in the Ordo and lock the planet until they are found, but the Ecclesiarchy is a powerful force in the Imperium. A civil war between the Ministorum and Inquisition is not preferable."

"I know, I know." She said, sighing from exhaustion. Not at myself, I believed, but at the situation. "Let's just get this done."

"Agreed."

"My files indicate that our realm of success is three hundred eighty four thou-"

"Shut up, Lazarus," Emmaline and I said in unison. The tech-priest bleated in binary but did not continue with his odds of success on our mission or its likelihood of being connected to this conspiracy. The toughs beside us wisely remained quiet, and my 'wife' and I hooked our arms and walked back to the aircar.

Over the next day, we received the schematics for the Pentecostal Rememberance, the stretch of land that Primate Fulstes directly oversaw. Lazarus was able to even find the blueprints for the sewage system and all additions added since it's creation two thousand years previously. I concluded that we approach by the ground, to appear as a more mundane approach, and dress our men in militant fatigues to better hide our true intentions. Once inside, we would head for the main chapel on the eighteenth floor, and if the Primate was still missing, his chambers which were, conveniently, down a mere three corridors to the west. It was likely heavily guarded, but our passes would allow us in and we would be close enough by that point to enter without the Primate able to flee and make a fool of himself.

I reiterated the plan to Emmaline. She did not seem entirely enthused, but she felt it was workable as long as we were stuck in this situation.

"I also had a... plan, that involved your skills." I admitted to Emmaline.

She raised an eyebrow and looked my way quizzically.

"I believe they would be more inclined to let us in without scrutinizing our reasoning if my men and I were accompanied by a confidant of the ministorum."

"Agreed, but...?"

"I believe an adeptus sororitas would suffice."

Fortune & Glory: Grimdark Pulp RP

As Otar divined what to do in his prayers, the dwarves searched the cavern for any other ways out. Beren and Varin stood beside the dragon's bulk, under the gloom of the soft light above. Beren with his arms crossed, and Varin standing there with his hands on his hips, both looking up, far above at the broken crack of the catacombs.

Jocasta meandered over, hands behind her back. "What are you two doing?"

"I'm worried about the dog." Beren remarked, not looking away.

"Aye, poor wee thing." The dwarf agreed. "No food, no way out."

Jocasta peered up with them, before giving Beren a pat on the back. "Hey, don't worry. The pup has a doggy door, I think. Can't imagine Martinus fed him much himself, but he seemed healthy. I bet he'll find a way to take care of himself." She did a good job of seeming cheery, though Beren heard under her breath: "Us, on the other hand..."

"Oi!" Gurin called, his arm now snug in a makeshift sling. He had his free hand up, finger pointed to above the door. Beren, Varin, Jo, and the rest turned and followed the soldier's finger to above the dwarf-gate. Up there, amongst the rocks was a circular shape at the square center of the door. The gate itself was carved perfectly, but the outer rock around it was natural, filled with a dwarvish beauty, one might say. There was untold years of dust on whatever it was above the door.

"Hrmmm, could be a key." Otar grumbled, stroking his beard.

"Or a lock?" Radsvir wondered.

"Something valuable!" Buri exclaimed, gold lust in his eyes.

"One of us outta climb up there." Gunir offered. "Check it out."

"Beren, that's your cue." Jocasta said, crossing her arms. The dwarves all turned around, wondering what she meant. The stout folk were avid rock climbers, and so they assumed the two humans would be sitting this out. But they saw Beren back up a number of steps, set himself in a stance to help him pick up speed, and at once he was off and running at the wall before he bounded upwards. His booted feet touched the wall thrice, adding to his height and lifting him just high enough to grab the top of the gate by his fingers. Considering the gate was perhaps six meters high, it was no small feat.

The dwarves gave grunts of acknowledgement and even a few whistles and cheers. Jocasta just shrugged. "He's useful to have around." She said, smiling.

Beren pulled himself up, grabbing a handhold in the rock, swinging his feet round and planting them precariously on the lip of the gate. There was quite literally four inches he could plant himself on, but he did so with careful balance, crouched and nearly face to face with the strange object. He breathed in deeply, and blew the dust off the evidently clear, crystalline object. As the particles brushed off, the light from the dragon scales illuminated it, and a small beacon lit the ground near Otar's feet. Shadows that formed a runic script touched the ground, Otar reading it hurriedly.

"What's it say?" Beren asked from high up.

"It's a prayer I can recite lad," Otar said, then called up. "Get yerself down from there so we can open this thing!"

esarus thar no'darador | a warcraft-based roleplay

Is next weekend an okay timeframe for people to get their sheets in? Mainly asking for myself since I'm about to be swamped by Black Friday and other related events at my job.

@Kuro

Next, as in a few days or the other week? Either way it is good for me.

Also the code for the sheet is messing me up a lot, lol. Anytime I write in it, the code messes up somehow.

Rise to The Top: Medieval Intrigue RP

Galt smiled to himself, glad to see a bit of insight into her mind. He found it fascinated him, something he hadn't felt in awhile. He had been sweet on a girl or two when he was younger, staying up late at night, asking them any question under the sun. Whatever came out of their mouth, Galt was interested. It was a strange thing to experience, being close to a woman. But he found his curiosity now was greater than ever in his life, and again he remembered they were to be married. The thought thrilled him. But he could not lose himself to daydreams now, they needed to get back.

"Oh, I'll be fine." Galt assured her, getting up. He held his hand out for her to take, grinning. "I might be a worse rider, but I don't feel sick. You, on the other hand, are getting in bed and drinking tea as soon as we get back. Even if you won't listen to me, I bet your brother will agree."

Once they were up, they gathered their clothes and put them in a burlap sack, and took what coats or jackets they could to shield themselves from the rain that still fell just above a sprinkle outside. The fire was doused and the door was closed firmly. The horses nickered as they approached, but they seemed none the worse for wear, and once Galt and Silke were mounted, Galt looked at Silke and asked if she was ready. Once she acquiesced, they would plunge into dreary landscape, Galt taking the lead as he had a good memory and could see the trail well enough now that he had already traversed it once. Periodically he would turn and look back at Silke to make certain she was upright and safe, but otherwise they kept their pace. The drops hitting the lake was a peaceful sight, and the small sounds of trembling leaves filled their ears until they saw passed the treeline, the estate now visible across a wide, cleared field.

Galt was relieved they had both made it back quickly enough, but he lamented that they could not have stayed. He would be sent home before long, and they had a long couple of months ahead of them. He guessed they might have even less time to spend together, once the marriage was announced. Silke would be busy and there would be a lot of discussion. Galt wondered if he had to speak to her father as well, before too long. He had never even imagined doing that with the girl he married. He had always assumed he would become betrothed to some street rat like himself, with no parents and no connections.

Galt allowed Silke to take the lead now, to better guide them to the stables. He might be alright riding the horse through a wide trail, but more minute maneuvering would likely be more problematic. Stablemen approached from under an awning, smiling at the two of them finally returning. Galt's head was soaked again, but his new clothes were relatively dry still and he imaged an hour or two indoors would solve the wet. Silke, on the other hand, needed rest.

"We wondered about you, my lady, my lord." A younger stableboy said. He had a broad face and a dimpled smile.

"We're fine, though your lady might need some rest. Help her off the horse, if you would." Galt said to the lad, a silent thanks written on his face.

Bodacious Bounties: Bounty Hunter AU

Jocasta heard Neil's return by the resounding bang that accompanied him kicking the door in, his arms preoccupied with a literal crate of alcoholic drinks, as many varieties as could be found. Neil had forgot to ask Jocasta's drink of choice and Neil wasn't picky himself. He also managed to pick up a pizza before he made it back.

"Uh..." Jocasta said when she saw him walk in, balancing tray after tray of drinks with a hot pizza on top. Somehow he managed to balance them all, placing it gently on the table in the break area. Satisfied it wouldn't topple, Jocasta rummaged in a cabinet, spinning and giving a sly grin. "I got the shot glasses!"

"Nice! The pool table ready?"

"You mean b i l l i a r d s?" She corrected, overemphasizing the word, before changing her entire energy and said. "Yeah it's ready."

"So you wanna like, play for money? Make it interesting?" Neil asked, hopefully.

"All the money is mine, though." Her words caused Neil to lose his smile, but he bounced back almost instantly.

"How about a drinking game then?" He shot at her. Jocasta stroked a nonexistent beard on her chin, considering the offer for a moment before nodding, giving him a 'deal.' Neil took the pizza down, opening the box, the steam hitting his face. It was cheesy, with a cornucopia of toppings. "Alright, so we doin' one shot a point?"

"Eight ball, scratch rules. I get first shot. You rack 'em," She declared, tossing a pool cue at Neil without warning. The young man caught it in both hands, eyes wide. 'Heyyy,' he said, impressed and getting off the couch. Neil was pretty good, but he wasn't professional by any means. He honestly wasn't sure which of them would take this. Reaching into his jacket he had hung on the chair, he took out some sunglasses and placed a toothpick in his mouth.

"Nice look," she said with a smirk. He grinned, and turned the holoscreen on with a casual press of the button with the end of his pool cue.

"You don't look too bad yourself, baby." He said.

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

"Find the missing Cardinals? Do they not have residences?" I asked, a bland question one unused to such investigations might ask, but it was still prudent.

"Categorically," The Primate said with a wan smile. He gave a flourish of his hand, the long arm of his robe spilling past his hand so he might better grip a pewter jug filled with wine, set atop a porcelain tray upon a table set aside from the central walkway, pouring himself a cup. "There are, of course, sanctioned areas on Avignor where they preside and have abodes, but despite our claims of humbleness, we are inevitably men of means. Many of my peers have houses on estates, sequestered in some closed off area on the planet to pray in silence and contemplation."

I was a true believer, having seen the holy light of the emperor with my own eyes. However, I was a bit too traveled to believe even these holy men only seek isolation to better concentrate on the Emperor. It is unfortunate, but I am certain in some of the residences I would find substances or practices that might be frowned upon if brought to light. I dearly hoped these remaining five were an exception. It would be paramount to gather them without complication so we may better get to the bottom of the assassination.

"Is that normal?" I asked, a servant bringing me my own cup. I took it, then handed it to Emmaline, before accepting one of my own. "Is it possible they were so lost in their...contemplations that they might have simply forgotten to vote? And failing that, would their absence imply that we should not bother checking their sector's at all, and merely ferret out their estates and villas?"

Von Mandlebrot seemed to consider for a moment, before replying: "I have sent dispatches to their offices, already. Out of the five, only two have returned with messages of their aides assuring us of their absence. However, there is a curiosity." He turned back to the map, pointing at the upper left section of the map. A large swathe of the city looked almost shaped like a leaf-bladed sword, the main drag forming the fuller and two great cathedrals waxing and waning along the causeway, with a multitude of outer-lying buildings forming the finer points of the architectural painting. "Primate Fulstes is the closest of those absent, and we have yet to hear anything back from his aide, strangely enough. If you were to begin somewhere, I would start there."

"I don't suppose we can just land there and expect to be granted full access to the tombs and reliquary?" Emmaline added, sipping her wine with an aristocratic air.

"Good point, my lady. I will grant your husband, yourself, and any five men of your company with the seals of the ecclesiarchy. You may use them at your discretion." He conceded.

"You are putting a lot of faith in us, Osten. I am honored, but with all due respect, we just met. I am just a noblemen of Gudrun, after all." I added, having yet to touch my drink.

The Primate gave me a helpless smile. "I have little choice, now don't I? I trust you did not come here to dismantle any of our infrastructure, as even if you were complicit in the assassination of Primate Ratsini, you were only given leave to bring your handful of men down after the fact from a chance meeting, and no one save the Primates themselves knew of the voting debacle. It seems the emperor has brought you and your lovely wife to our aid. See to it you don't disappoint him. No pressure, of course."

Fortune & Glory: Grimdark Pulp RP

Beren was, unfortunately, awake for the entirety of the catacomb's destruction. The dragons cried like a wraith and the cracking of stone hammered into his ears like a thunderclap. He felt the ground beneath him give way, but to his credit he managed to leap away and bound onto a sarcophagus, but that soon crumbled underneath his feet, and he found no more handhold or steady place to land. Beren fell into darkness, the last thing he saw before the air was knocked from his lungs was the great head of the dragon rearing back, eye impaled, as the dwarves and Jocasta cried out, arms up and faces panicked as darkness fell.

There was a great rumbling and the shattering of rocks, Beren hit something hard and bounced down a long slope before falling another handful of meters and landing on a flat, hard surface. Something heavy hit him in the stomach, and it seemed almost forever before the sound of falling debris ended. A soft light appeared from far, far above, almost like a distant moon on the mountain road. Beren almost wanted to drift to sleep, but an image of Jocasta flashed through his mind, and his training kicked in as his eyes snapped open. Whatever was on him, he was about to shove off, until he realized it was actually Jo herself. He sat up, his hands behind him and planted on the floor of the large chamber.

He felt her pulse, and a wave of relief flooded through him when he realized she was still alive. He pressed his hand gently along her head to make sure she wasn't bleeding from her skull, and she began to stir.

"Jo," He breathed, helping her slowly to lift herself up. She blinked, her light hair wild and her left arm bleeding from a scrape, but otherwise she seemed unhurt. He still had to make sure. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she said tiredly, clinging to his shirt to keep herself upright, but turning her head to get a view of their surroundings. "You?"

"If you're good, I'm good." He said, giving her a warm, albeit lopsided smile. She turned back and looked at him, both of their impressive chests pressed against each other, their noses almost touching.

She shook her head and smiled, before the arcane-archaeologist leaned in, whispering: "I should have known I'd fall in your lap again." Her lips parted for a kiss. Beren's face flushed, blood rushing to his cheeks as he felt a thrill pass through him, as he had fantasized about this moment for the past month, but just before their lips met, a gruff, ugly growl rang out from the debris. Both of the two humans turn their heads, eyes wide as a large stone was overturned, Muragrim pushing it off of him to roll away into the darkness. He muttered something in dwarvish, too quiet for Beren to translate. Behind Muragrim, the very still corpse of the reptilian behemoth lay just under the streaming light from above, its blue-white scales shining brilliantly to give off a soft glow to the entire cavernous chamber they lay within.

Their surroundings suddenly began to shift as more rocks were pushed and dwarves got to their feet. The white bearded Otar grumbled, mumbling 'hammer and tongs' in northern. He had a large gash over his left eye, blood pouring freely down his face, but he seemed alright. Everyone else seemed to have a few bruises and scrapes. Even Buri only gave a few complaints, the fat merchant still a bit too stubborn to get too hurt save for some scrapes. Nonetheless they were fine. All save for Gunir.

"Me damned arm!" The soldier bellowed, Radsvir knocking some debris off him as Muragrim helped him to his feet. As Beren helped Jocasta to her feet, he winced when he saw the unnatural angle Gurin's arm was bent in. Blood seeped out of the chainmail and cloth of his upper dressing, but other than a few grunts, he held himself together well, save for complaints. "Blasted thing must have hit the wall when the drakk's tail hit me, stone take the damned wyrm!"

"Looks a bit bad," Varin said, inspecting it.

"Out of me way!" Otar ordered, and the rest of them parted to give room for the elder, who knelt beside the tough dwarf warrior. He lifted his arm, causing Gunir to wince, but he had too much pride to cry out again. Otar nodded to himself once, his face grim. For many moments he stayed silent, until he stood up. "I cannae heal it all the way, but we can set it back, make a splint, and I can call on Runar to speed up the process for ye."

Pirates - Ye Be Warned

"You wanted sailors! I never said I had sailed before!" Galt exclaimed, daring not to move her boot, even if it was restricting his ability to breathe. The rain falling onto his face wasn't helping in that regard. He felt he was in some weird mixture of strangulation and drowning and the only way to get out of it was to admit something that might get him thrown off the boat in general. Galt saw the captain's eyes widened in warning, and he held his hands up disarmingly. "Ok! Ok, I'll talk!"

"Get him up," Jess ordered, stepping off him and taking another swig of the rum. Galt felt the robust dwarf ring a burly arm around his and haul him up.

-------------

A cutthroat shoved him into a hard wooden chair, black hair matted to his face and his hands clapped in irons. He blinked, the rough handling and the sudden lantern light a bit jarring. The ship still creaked, but the intermittent sounds of the storm was lessened now that he was inside. The room looked to be the captain's cabin, if he had to guess. It was grander than any room he expected to see, with a hammock and treasures from across the sea hung upon the walls. A skullstaff of a witch-doctor, a golden plaque from the ziggurat primitives of the southern isles, and even a bejeweled bra from the shah's pleasure houses of the desert sands. The scarred pirate behind him left the room judging by the sounds of the door, and now the thief found himself in the cabin alone with Jess, who sat, legs up on the desk between them and crossed casually. Also planted on the desk casually was the barrel of a blackpowder musket, which Jess held lazily in her offhand as she drank more of the rum she had nabbed. Whether it was the same bottle or a second one, he couldn't tell.

"Talk," she ordered with a dangerous calm. "Who are you?"

"Love what you've done with the place," Galt remarked. She pulled the hammer back on the rifle with an audible click, which rushed his mind back to business. "My name is Galt," he said suddenly, and had he time he would have cursed himself. He always used the alias 'Jack' when not in guild business. He was really off his game. "I'm uh... OK, I'm a thief. A stowaway on that galley you ransacked. I've never met any of those people in my life and I've never sailed a day. I steal things. Money, items of a precious nature, food when I can't get anything else. I'm from the Seven Ravens, a thieves guild, and I was run out of town by the watch. I jumped on a ship, you shot at it, and I wanted to save my own skin so I asked to join."

"And why not just tell us that?" She asked, quick on the draw. Galt gritted his teeth, thinking of being dishonest for a split second, before realizing the futility of it. "I got ahold of some information many would say is too...important to keep me alive." He saw her eyebrow raised, her interest piqued.

"And why should I not help them out in this noble endeavor? What if there's a price on your head I might want to collect on?"

Galt's next words were forced out of him, but he still managed to sound convincing. Which was good, considering he wasn't trying to deceive her. "You can do that, but then you'll be killing the only person in the known world who's seen the Map of Algorab."

esarus thar no'darador | a warcraft-based roleplay

Give me a day or two and I'll whip up a character!

City of Thieves

"That's criminal," Galt said, apparently unable or unwilling to see the irony in the statement. He snatched back the golden chain of the amulet, running the attractive noose through his fingers, wounding it around his palm. The fence, a tall man by the name of Warde, shook his wild head of hair in a mixture of consternation and resignation. The gall on this man had Galt fuming. He should have realized a fence bereft of the guild was a bad idea, but Aldahan had told him he might fetch a better price in more competitive markets.

"Only if the jewel is real, and it's not." Warde replied.

They were in a small den, almost a cubby within a cantina down the street from the Daybreak tavern. The only barrier between them and a raucous crowd was a small curtain. The wooden desk between them was old and in disrepair. Galt was afraid to put his weight on it lest it collapse quicker than his patience. The man was good. He hid his smile well, the glint in his eyes was muted, and he even kept his arms crossed. But Galt knew he was trying to be played.

"It is real, and you'll give me a good price for it. Ten thousand crowns or I leave." Galt warned.

"I have seen gem after gem in my time, boy, and that's not a real one." Warde assured him derisively. "What makes you so sure it is?"

"Fake gems are not guarded by six armed men behind a locked vault." Galt quipped.

"Could have been a ruse; a distraction." Warde reasoned. Galt bet if he asked Warde to explain why it was fake, he would say he need not explain such trivial things to him.

"I'm the one who makes distractions, I do not fall for them." The thief reiterated.

"If that's true, then how come you've fallen for the Guild's scheme to distract you with petty theft rather than help you ascend to lieutenant?" Warde said, cutting Galt to the quick. It was a misleading statement, of course. Galt knew full well what the guild was doing, but he had little choice but to fight the decisions through less direct means. But it was still enough to have Galt put the amulet back in his pocket and turn.

"Thanks Warde, you were a great help. May your business be honest." He said by way of a farewell, which was as insulting as one could get in their life. Galt pulled the curtain back and shouldered past a drunken patron stumbling his way back to his table. A woman carrying a tray high up above her shoulder turned suddenly, Galt leaning backwards even as his feet continued forward to duck under the iron tray and the half a dozen drinks atop it. Slinking through the crowd, he stepped out into the slowly lightening street, shielding his eyes from the rising sun. He heard a distant yell, and a woman's scream. A few heads turned and a handful of people were running across the street.

He blinked, and lithe woman nearly leaped into him. On instinct, Galt ducked and rolled as the woman flipped over him, both landing in a steady crouch, the dust on the street puffing from the sudden scrape of their feet. Once again, he was impressed with her acrobatic skills.

"You!" Kashvi exclaimed, her cheeks reddened from some unknown physical stress.

"Kash?" He asked aloud. He vaguely recalled she had told him not to use that name, but he was too surprised to really think on that at the moment. "What in the hells are you doing?"