RedPandaGamer

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Searat @Ozzy Cross @Forsythe @Kumbaris

Shina had heard enough, she was truly worried for her friends now, especially now that she knew Thaddeus had met this Elf Lord before. She had a long history with Thaddeus and it pained her to think he might be harmed. Seeing his scars made her back itch, as she remembered her very own. And the wizard seemed worried too, not a good start to this journey. But either way, this was the only path they could take, without going the long way around, and that was too much time, too much time that might mean Guan is in more danger.

'OK, OK, so this is not going to be an easy decision. Thaddeus, my friend, if you believe you are best to go in front of the group then I will not stop you, though I do hope you have thought this through...Rudolph, I have always trusted your magic and I know you will be able to use the dragon's amulet better than anyone else here. However, I want to make sure the whole group is happy to proceed. As I said, now is the time to turn back, but I must go on.' Shina walked over to her horse and grabbed her satchel, taking an apple from it, she quickly took a few bites before giving the rest to Renn. She then walked over to the wizard.

'I am ready Wizard, we must make haste and do this now.' She closed her eyes, she rarely liked transformation spells, she had only ever had it done twice and the second time she threw up her lunch!

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Forsythe @Searat @Kumbaris

Shina watched in anticipation as the dragon and wizard shared a moment. She saw the amulet drop from the dragon's horn into the wizard's hand and instantly felt apprehensive.

'Umm do you think this will work my friend? If this is what we need to do then we must do it, but I do not want to jeopardise everyone's lives if there is a chance this will backfire?'

She turned to the dragon and bowed slightly 'And i thank you dragon for your assistance. I understand it is not an easy thing to trust an important item to a stranger.

Turning to the rest of the group, who by now looked confused, worried and a little frustrated... 'All, Rudolph may be able to use this amulet to help us transform and get through the Thousand Year Old Woods. I understand if you wish to turn back now, this will not be an easy journey. If and i mean IF we manage to pull off getting through the woods without being noticed as outsiders by the wild elves, we still have to navigate the woods themselves. These woods are filled with the very souls of the dead, who inhabit the trees, the soil, the creatures. If we do not tread lightly, we will be in trouble.'

Shina patted Lapoo who was listening intently on her shoulders 'You'll have to stay close to me at all times my fuzzy friend. We can't have some vines snatch you and gobble you up!' She tugged Lapoo's tail and it squeaked with anger. Shina quickly tickled it under the chin to beg forgiveness.

Turning back to the wizard... 'OK my friend, I for one am ready for whatever you can provide to help us.'

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Forsythe @Kumbaris @Ozzy Cross @Searat

Shina saw the Innkeeper's eyes shift from one member of the group to the other, his expression changing from curiosity, to fear, to intrigue. 'God, please don't let them frighten him off helping me' Shina thought. He looked worried but turned back to Shina and smiled.

'WELL LOOKS LIKE AN...INTERESTING GROUP YOU HAVE THERE. KNOW I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE OUT OF YOU LOT, I KNOW HOW YOU CAN BE SHINA!' The Innkeeper chuckled, then his face turned sour... 'Aye, I did see im... he drew closer to Shina, his voice almost a whisper... 'I did see ol' Guan, about eight days past. I thought it were odd that he wasn't with you, but I didn't think much of it. He came in and seemed his same ol' self. But.... He seemed to pause, like he was remembering something that made him think twice about saying more.

'Go on Bethamir, what happened?! Shina felt a shiver down her spine, Bethamir seemed oddly afraid of something. 'Please, tell me what happened'

'Well...he seemed imself, like I say, and he sat in the back corner on 'is own...until...until a very odd looking man came in, asking for him. Now I keeps to myself and I wasn't going to have any trouble in my inn, but he seemed polite enough, so I pointed in Guan's direction. Ol' Guan and this chap seemed to have a intense talk and then, they both left. Shina could sense there was more to this but the Innkeeper looked rattled, which was disconcerting.

'Bethamir, do you know where they were heading? Or anything else you could tell me? Please, it's important that I find him and know he is safe.' Shina was trying to keep calm, but her tail was starting to twitch and she could feel her patience wearing thin.

'I'm sorry Shina, neither of them spoke to me when they left. But I do remember one thing. The man who came in...he had a staff, like a walking stick it was...but it had a huge green skull on top. I wouldn't forget something like that!

Shina suddenly felt her soul on fire! A staff with a green gem! She remembered years back that Guan had mentioned a man who had once been a very strong sorcerer. This man was not someone to take lightly....and his name.....his name was...

'Oh no...not Kaladous. No. Why would Guan...? Shina realised the Innkeeper was looking at her concerned. They had to make haste to the only place she knew Kaladous had been seen....further South and through the Thousand Year Old Woods.

'Thank you Bethamir, for everything. I will not forget you. And here, for your trouble. Shina pulled out a bag of coins from her satchel and placed them in front of him. 'Until we meet again

'Until then my friend. And...be careful Bethamir gave Shina a squeeze and she turned to leave.

She came out of the Inn and addressed the group, who had been very patient [color=green] 'OK everyone, we have a new setting...further South and towards the Thousand Year Old woods. It is not going to be an easy trip, so I suggest if you want to get a drink or some food, do so now.

This was not going to be a smooth ride.

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Forsythe @Kumbaris @Ozzy Cross @Searat

Shina had NEVER seen such carnage then what befalled the bandits that had tried to overrun their group, she half wanted to laugh out loud, half wanted to run a mile. This team might have been a bit heavy handed but they were sure as hell going to get through this unscathed, well, mostly.

She was very impressed with the princess' moves, she knew she was a warrior but she was very talented indeed.

What she didn't expect though, was the dragon to bring the undead back to life to fight! She had only ever seen that once, from a wizard she and Guan had encountered, and it left very bad memories. Nevertheless, the results couldn't be criticised!

She saw from the corner of her eye, Rudolph looking at the scene with horror, he must have the same thoughts about the dragon. Shina galloped to the side of the sorcerer's side...

'Good to see you hear friend, as you can see, I think we are going to be OK... she finished her sentence as the last of the men ran for the hills. 'Hopefully that'll be all we encounter on our journey!'

She looked around at the rest of the party, well, apart from her torn ear, everyone else looked unhurt.

'What power you all have, how fortunate I am to have such a group on this journey with me! The inn is just around this corner, let us make haste before we run into anything else!

They rounded a corner to see the Inn she remembered so fondly. She and Guan stopped by often on the way back from their missions. She just hoped someone had seen him.

The Ivy Inn

'OK, we must leave our wagon around the back of the Inn, horses can be tethered at the front. We must be vigilant, the walls have ears here. Let me do the talking Ok... She gave a glance to the dragon lady, she hoped everyone would behave so she could get the information she needed.

Shina pushed open the door to be met with a hearty smell of beer and pies! Thankfully the inn was fairly quiet, there was a small group of men sat in a corner playing cards. Shina recognised the inn keeper at the main bar area and went over.

The innkeeper

'Hallo Bethamir, my friend!' The inn keeper lent over with a big grin and gave Shina a hearty handshake, it felt good to see a familiar face again...

'SHINA! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE I'VE SEEN THAT BEAUTIFUL FACE?! Bethamir put down the glasses he had been holding and came round from the bar, revealing his missing leg from a battle long ago. A tale he would regularly tell his patrons.

'Too long my friend. I am hoping to speak with you, about Guan.' Shina trailed off as she remembered why she was there. She also realised Bethamir had started to move towards the group, his face looking wary and confused.

'BY THUNDER, WHO DO WE HAVE HERE, SHINA, THIS LOT WITH YOU??! He eyes up the princess and gave her a long stare.

Oh dear, Shina thought.... 'Bethamir, these are my new comrades. They are with me to help search for Guan...which is what i wanted to speak to you about, have you seen him recently?...

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Kumbaris @Forsythe @Ozzy Cross @Searat @ArmorPlated

Shina listened intently to the princess as she told of her past adventures. Shina could see her dressed in the finest armour and going out on military missions. She still couldn't quite believe she was joining them on this adventure.

'Oh forgive me princess, well we should be coming up to the Inn fairly soon. I remember that large oak tree covered in ivy, so not too much father to go. I hope someone at the Inn has seen Guan recently and we don't......' Shina was about to finish when she felt the wind suddenly die down, just as a 'whoosh' passed her. An arrow flew quick as lighting and caught the tip of her ear. She could feel warm liquid drip onto her neck....Lapoo squeaked loudly and flew high above attack range. Renn reared with fright, almost knocking Shina off!

'BANDITS!!!!! EVERYONE TAKE COVER AND ARM YOURSELVES!! From behind several trees, Shina could see faces appear, they had dark paint covering their eyes. She didn't recognise their clothing but there was no time to think about that. She quickly knocked an arrow of her own on her bow and shot in the direction of one of the bandits, she missed, but it was enough to startle them. They obviously thought they had caught some travellers that would be unarmed...pity for them.

Shina knocked another arrow, it flew true and hit one of them in the shoulder, making him yell out and the rest piled out, forming a semi-circle around their group.

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Ozzy Cross @Forsythe @Kumbaris @Searat

Shina took a final look at the group, this was going to be an interesting journey if nothing else, she thought! Taking the lead with Renn, she started a slow walk to the south. As the wagon started creaking back into motion, she was filled with a sense of excitement. It had been so long since she had been out on a mission with Guan and whilst she did love being at the workshop, it was more a task she did on behalf of her foster father. The sun was shining but there was a wind sweeping through the trees that gave her an edge.

The forest

Shina took a map out of her satchel, she had a look at the direction that would lead them to the Inn. It wasn't very far at all, yet she was always cautious of bandit groups that tended to stick to the main roads, picking off unsuspecting travellers; of course, she thought they wouldn't touch this group, considering the amount of people and the way they looked! It was almost like a theatrical troupe!

Lapoo flew in circles over Shina's head. She was certain her little friend was having a great time as well, the wind had picked up somewhat and it allowed Lapoo to get some height with minimal effort.

She turned behind her to see the princess, still dressed in her maid outfit, what an odd sight! 'So....princess, um, have you been on many journeys like this before? I must thank you again for joining us, we are not used to royals visiting our little town.'

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Forsythe @Ozzy Cross @Kumbaris @Searat [@Zanavay]

Shina saw the dragon lady talking to ...a hawk? She thought that might just be Calledia. After all, she knew of the shapeshifter when word had spread from Oryxtheos of him finding this rare creature, years ago. She quite liked the satyr, he reminded her of Guan in a way, he had loved the travelling life and he seemed a different person once he settled in Lorenstead.

She was about to greet her when she swore she saw the flash of the old sorcerer running for his tower, he must have put a spell on himself, she'd never seen him run so fast! 'This isn't going to end well is it?' Shina thought. Sigh, she just wanted to get going!

She turned to see the princess standing there, looking as frustrated as her right now. 'Oh i am sorry princess, I didn't see you there, we are looking to get going very soon. We are going to use a couple of Thaddeus' wagons but you are able to bring your horse. I was thinking I would take mine as well, so that we have room in the wagons in case we need to ...hide anyone' Shina shrugged in the direction of the dragon and gave a weak smile.

Shina gave a short, sharp whistle and heard the sounds of hooves coming from behind the workshop, along with Lapoo flying towards her. The chesnut mare came up to Shina and she nuzzled her nose, 'Hi Renn, are you ready for an adventure? Oh and of course you too Lapoo' The squirrel landed on her shoulder and gave a happy squeak.

Shina turned to everyone 'OK, I think we're ready to go. The wagons should have enough rations and if people have their own then we will store it out of sight. I will lead on Renn here and the rest of you can share the wagon space. I am afraid I don't have much to go on, but the last time Guan and I went out, we visited a tavern in the south, about 10 miles from Lorenstead. If we go there first, someone might have seen him again. As Shina spoke, she didn't even have faith in her own words. What if they hadn't seen him, where would they go next?

Shina tied her ration bag to the saddle and kept just her bow on her back. She leapt onto Renn and felt instantly at ease on the warm body of the mare, this was where she felt the most herself.

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Forsythe @Ozzy Cross [@Zanavay]

Shina was elbow deep in one of her trunks, getting her blades and her favourite weapon of choice, her bow. She grabbed an empty satchel and filled it with some rolls, apples and filled up her waterskin to add to the rations. 'OK is that everything?...probably? Ugh am I being rash here, is it really necessary to bring all these people with me on a journey I don't even know myself how long it will take? But Guan would come for me...I know he would. Right Lapoo? Lapoo just circled and squeaked cheerfully, Shina wished she could have the care-free nature of her squirrel. That soon stopped though when Lapoo came to the door and let out a couple of nervous squeaks.

'Ugh, what is it NOW!?

Shina grabbed her gear and locked the workshop door. She saw from across her that the once calm Thaddeus had become quite a different person. She rarely saw Thaddeus loose his cool but when he did....she knew she had to get in this quickly! She ran over, satchel and weapons dropped at the tree and walked over to Thaddeus and the dragon...

'Ok ok let's calm down. Thaddeus this isn't like you to get so riled up, I don't know how you came across your hilt but we need to put this all aside, for now. She stepped close to Thaddeus and touched him gently on the arm 'We need to find Guan remember? I can't do that if one of my closest allies is turned to ash;

Suddenly she heard the familiar voice of Thomas, who had obviously also spotted the dragon. But before Shina could call out to him Thaddeus had already knocked his son cold. 'Woah! Careful Thaddeus, he IS your son afterall!' Shina knew he was looking out for his son's safety, still, she felt sorry for the poor boy.

One of Thaddeus' crew, she couldn't remember the name, had also joined the scene. He looked as dumbfounded as the boy when eyeing the dragon. Shina felt a little better that she wasn't the only one who felt nervous around these magical beasts.

Turning back to Thaddeus, Shina wanted to just get this journey started, before people were killing each other!

'Right, well I think we better get going, we want to make good headway before dark. Thaddeus, can we use one of your wagons to make the trip?' She look to the dragon... 'Umm...will you be staying as your true form or as a human? Just so I know if we'll have enough room. I mean if you would prefer to fly above us that would give us an advantage, however, you might also attract unwanted attention.'

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Ozzy Cross @Searat @Forsythe @Kumbaris

Shina was quite taken aback when Rudolph volunteered to come along with their merry band, she had always thought of him as a recluse. Someone who was far too wise to spend his time on adventures. Nonetheless, she was happy to have someone else who was powerful.

'Thank you Rudolph, we are honoured to have you along with us. Shina bowed and offered him a seat on a tree stump. She had always been taught to respect sorcerers.

Thaddeus had started to do a very odd jig in front of them, Shina tried to hide her smile, this wasn't the time or the place for dancing but she couldn't help but smile internally at the man.

Turning to the rest of the group she felt quite the sense of comradery. 'Thank you all for wanting to help me search for Guan. I brings me much joy to know you are all willing to go on this difficult quest. Especially those of you who do not even know him, I thank you. I must go to my workshop to stock up on my supplies. If anyone else needs to do the same, do so now. We will meet at the edge of town'

Shina turned and headed towards the workshop, Lapoo in tow.

Townsfolk of Lorenstad - A Fantasy Village RP

@Forsythe @Goldeagle1221 @Kumbaris @Ozzy Cross

Shina knew it wouldn't be long before her friend threw a fit...after all...Minnow had not been this busy in ages! She chuckled at her response to the princess's maid outfit, she knew it wasn't Minnow's style, but maybe she was trying something new?

She baulked at the term 'pet dragon' though, she didn't want people to think she had started siding with dragons. There was no denying that she needed the dragon's help, but she was not her pet and certainly not her friend...it would take a long while before that would happen. But her existence would surely help them through some sticky spots.

'Hah sorry Minnow, sorry! I didn't mean for everyone to barge in like this. And thank you for letting your new 'servant' go with us, I promise I will TRY to bring her home safely' Shina thought about it; it wouldn't do well at all to be associated with the death of a princess! She would have to protect her...what a bother!

Shina turned and walked out of the inn, princess in tow and saw the dragon curled up. She asked whether Shina could tell her what Guan looked like...

'Hmm well, he is about my height, long grey hair and he tends to wear his lucky satchel with him. I'm afraid there are not any other interesting features, at least nothing to see from high above. He does have a scar across his face, and i'd recognise him straight away from his smell....he always smells like sandlewood.

Guan

As she remembered, she felt her heart sink. What if he was gone? She never got to tell him how much his training had helped her over the years. More than that, after the blacksmith died, he became like an Uncle to her.

She choked back a sniffle [color=green] 'OK we'll wait her a little longer for anyone else that wants to join. After that, I need to get my gear from the workshop. Thaddeus, do you need to get anything before we go?' [.color]