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  • Old Guild Username: Zepta
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    1. Zepta 11 yrs ago

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I take it you're still busy Pie? I'm happy to hang around if everyone else is. :)
Allrighty, I've finally gotten around to finishing the two NPC's. Feel free to use them as you like.

Name: Velkan
Sex: Male
Age: 35
Race: Anthro (Avian)

Appearance:
Velkan's long arm feathers shine an iridescent black; along their undersides and as highlights is bright yellow colour feathers.His hands and feet scales are a dull grey and stretch up his leg to his knees and up his arms to his elbows. His hands and feet have four digits and and in small sharp talons. Velkan has a large grey hooked beak with small slits for nostrils. His eyes are impeccably sharp in the dark tunnels and his hearing is surprisingly good for his lack of external ears. Over the top of his head he wears a slightly tattered grey bandanna to keep his yellow plumage from showing. For clothing Velkan wears rather tatty rough brown cloth shirt and shorts covered over by carefully maintained heavy leather armour.

History:
Velkan is a no-nonsense mercenary through and through. He is simply there to collect his paycheck. He has had a long history of work out in the caverns, both with the guild Majir is in and with other groups. Unlike some other mercs, Velkan has focused his talents into keeping his entire group alive from 'gate-to-gate' as he says. This has made him a good investment for newer groups in their first ventures out into the unknown and for high-value runs.

Abilities/Skills:
- General survival knowledge and extensive knowledge for the cavern systems
- Strong melee fighter with his swords

Gear:
- Shoulder cannon + ammo
- Two falchion swords and sheaths

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

Name: Sirisla
Sex: Female
Age: 29
Race: Anthro (Feline)

Appearance:
Sirisla's sleek soft fur is a light grey with black spots. One of her more striking features are her crystal blue eyes. In her large ears she has a large collection of genuine solid gold rings as a display of her families wealth. She wears a light leather armour over a high quality white silk shirt and set of blue silk shorts. Around her neck Sirisla has several gold necklaces of linked chain and amulets for the deities of luck and trade. Along her soft fluffy long tail she has a series of broard gold bands.

History:
A fellow guild-mate to Majir, though trained in a different area. She has be brought up by a family of merchants and has spent most of her time honing these skills. She has paid in to the guild to allow her to join up for his exhibition with the promise of a part of the cut and a pack of some of the goods for her to sell privately. A trader at heart she is a valuable asset to the team for her knowledge of the non-artifact based goods that may be of interest to the guild.

Abilities/Skills:
- Well versed in negotiation skills
- ID of possible sources of revenue for the guild
- Skilled long range sniper provided enough light is present
- Decent fighter with her family axe

Gear:
- Sniper gun + ammo
- Large pack, but mostly empty
- Large axe, well maintained and slung over her shoulder
Ok added a sabre to Majir's inventory. I'd imagine that he has at least some training in it's use. I'll get started on the other two characters then. I think I've mostly sorted them out.
Majir stood, perched on the back edge of the rock, his strong legs ready to spring given the slightest hint of an attack from the strange slug-like animals slowly making their way towards the pair. He watched, unsure, as Voska made the decision not to initiate the attack onto the interlopers yet didn't immediately back off from the growing swarm. "I have no idea what they are. I do know that I don't have enough bullets." The guard said softly, keeping her eyes trained on the massing targets before them. Majir's paw rested on the hilt of his sheathed sabre as he focused his attention back onto the slugs. It was clear that the pair were in some sort of trouble. The fact that neither of them had even heard of such animals before bode ill to their chances of continuing down this path.

Majir's mind quickly returned to the thoughts of his books and his earlier studies on the caverns. He honestly had no idea what these strange things could be. The idea that the pair had discovered an entirely knew species was exhilarating, yet it was entirely possible that they were not the first, with all the bad implications that came with that. It would be great for him to learn about these ugly things, yet it was apparent that now may not be the best time.

Unexpectedly, one slug among the masses slowly rose up and took a lobbing spit towards Voska's rough position. It missed by a wide margin yet the resulting bubbling rock and clear attack set the adrenalin pumping through Majir's body. He sprung from his rock backwards, keeping his eyes firmly on the swarm of animals before the pair, and landed gently on the hard uneven surface. Despite his efforts to be quiet, his boots almost always made more noise than his bare paws. His right hand drew his sabre from it's scabbard quietly and held it between him and the slugs, waving it back and forth menacingly. A soft deep growl emanated from Majir's throat as he backed off from the approaching slugs. It was apparent from their pathetic shots that at least most of them were blind, yet at the increasing rate that the burning slime was being sent in their general directions, it was only a matter of time before one of the pair was hit.

While desperately sorting through the mass of files on cavern animals in the back of his mind, Majir suddenly remembered a short report filed some years ago which had remained within the guild. Some scholar had proposed that the patterns sometimes found on the cavern walls were perhaps formed through chemical weathering through either water or perhaps some hitherto unknown reaction. Majir watched the spit bubble up the rock below it in genuine surprise. He hadn't noticed the small wisps of smoke and light hissing coming from the swarming mass of slugs before, but now it was apparent exactly what had formed those markings on the caverns.

Majir glanced over to Voska as she seemed somehow affected by the sight of the slugs. He immediately assumed some sort of potent gas was perhaps affecting her and his left paw shot up to clamp over his muzzle and nose. His dark eyes snapped to attention onto the smoke wafting up from the smoldering floor. "Go..." Voska waved him back towards the distant sounds of the rest of the group before gagging.

Majir backed further away from the guard, taking his paw from his face to fish out his personal light but still holding his breath. It was immediately apparent that he needed to get back to warn the group, that was why they always split off into at least pairs. Majir hesitated, glancing back to Voska, before taking off into the darkness, his small crystal lighting his way in a gentle yellow-ish hue. She had vastly more experience in the caves than he did, if she was ordering his retreat, then he ought to get out of here so she could do her job.
Majir smiled weakly as Voska approached. "Nothing particularly dangerous or plant-like, if that is what you're asking." The mercenary said nonchalantly. Majir's ears fell slightly in disappointment. It wasn't like he particularly wanted to see the larger specimens that the underground caves had to offer, yet at the same time he did. It wasn't a particularly large problem that he hadn't encountered anything yet. It probably would turn out to be beneficial in the end. He could save space in his pack for the trip back and collect more complete samples, not to mention fresher. He was sure however that any sight of the local fauna would be something to be avoided. Animals had never entertained his curiosity like a plant could. The odd silence propagated by the Marten was broken by her careful glance over her shoulder into the murky gloom of the tunnel behind her. "Could be a dead end, actually." At those words Majir's ears drooped further. It was always bad news to hear that they had wasted their time up here. A quick glance over the evidence assured him that no official would doubt his judgement at the choice of this particular tunnel, he had taken everyone more experienced than himself's advice. The fact that that included everyone in the group was something that slightly bothered him. He was glad for the experience and lessons he was sure to learn of course, but the fact that he'd clearly gotten his position as group leader due to his connections to the guild and the fact that he was trustworthy in their eyes rubbed him slightly the wrong way.

He hated the idea of having to tell the group to turn back. He supposed that was why the two of them had scouted ahead, yet he assumed it would put a slight damper on their excitement for the job. He had discussed the idea of a new protocol for guild parties heading into the twisting networks of caves some time before leaving. He'd suggested placing signs on the fully explored sections and perhaps a higher investment in map-making specialists. He was sure that re-discovering areas was not currently as much of a problem, but future explorers would no doubt thank their guild profusely. Not to mention that the other guilds and more loosely-defined groups were sure to pay top dollar if they thought that the maps could be of use. It seemed plain that he ought to investigate, just to be sure. Voska had only been gone for a short while after all, though his reckoning of time down here was still shaky.

"Unless you're feeling brave?" Majir looked up from around the Marten's belt where his eyes had fallen during his self-contemplation, his ears pricking up at the sound of hope. He wasn't sure he liked the look of that smile, but the opportunity to prove himself would no doubt be valuable to accept the groups trust. Majir listened with rapt attention to Voska as she outlined the terrain ahead. He liked the sound of artifacts, though he was not so keen on the idea of the creatures that could be lurking in the dark out there.

"Your call, boss." Majir's tail twitched slightly at the slight disrespect. He'd had continual problems with the hired help since he'd set off. He couldn't blame them really, he'd probably be a bit miffed if he was in their shoes. The problems with his lack of experience was the core reason for him volunteering to go scout ahead with Voska to begin with. Not to mention that he'd wanted to pick her brain on plants and general conditions down here again, though she'd quickly dispelled any thoughts of that.

Majir caught the flickering glimpse of a shadow shifting out of the corner of his vision as Voska tossed the lantern between her paws. He dismissed it as a simple illusion of the light at first, yet after the second and third appearance of such shadows he began to pay more attention to the sides of the cave. He slowly lent out from his perch on the rock and looked beyond where the Maten stood towards the dark where she had appeared from. "Uh, Voska, what are those called?"

Majir's mind automatically listed all the creatures mentioned in his botany book. There were only a few actually listed; very few explorers had ever seen any of the local animals actually eating the plant life in the wild. It was generally assumed that there were more herbivores out there, yet sparse evidence for their existence remained other than odd tracks around some of the more benign plant life or signs of damage on the larger plants in the caverns. Majir's first thought at the sight of the shadowy slug-like animals was to think of beetles. Such thoughts were quickly dispelled as he saw one move under the light of the lantern.

Majir's golden fur fluffed up slightly at the sight of the moving mass of animals along the cave wall and he lifted himself up to his feet in one swift motion, ready to move if ordered.
That's fine, I'm in no fit state to be posting anyway, gotten myself sick with a nasty cold. See you all on the other side of it :)
Arg sorry, I've come down with a bad cold currently and thinking straight enough for a decent post is rather hard. I ought to have one out before Friday at least.

[Edit] Haha looks like my brain managed to work after some alcohol! I'll scoot off to bed now and think about trying to get the other two characters out tomorrow for you.

I've also noticed that I forgot to give Majir a weapon. I don't quite think he's that stupid heading off into the caves unarmed. I seem to remember trying to work out what to give him on his character sheet before forgetting and posting it up. Could you remember any of the weapon's considered to be more common among the middle-class of his sort?
Ok, post's up. I'll get to work on writing up the character sheets for two of the other characters in the group. I have their basic outline done, I just need to pull them together.
Majir worked on carefully clipping and strapping his boots onto his legs as Voska spoke. Well it was clear now if it wasn't already that he wasn't going to get any civilized conversation out of the guard on the topic of plants. She'd spoken to him with almost nothing but disdain since the group had departed from the city. Majir also decided that she might have some sort of vendetta against the plant life around here, if the most recent display was any indication. He was no fool, he knew the statistics regarding the size and danger the fully-grown plants could pose to the unwary traveler. Yet her responses so far seemed to only indicate that she was some-what unreasonable, seeing as the only things he'd seen so far could probably be snapped in two with a good tug by something his size. If she'd posed that it would render a threat to future groups, and couldn't be left to live, then he'd accept their sacrifice. Yet he could only detect some level of hate from her voice and eyes when she slew everything in their path. Majir had already begun to question the guild's choice of guard in this case. It was possible that she would be of more use when faced up against something actually threatening, yet Majir had begun to doubt her usefulness. She could clearly swing that knife about with skill, but was she going to be any use for anything but that?

Majir's muzzle wrinkled with distaste at the suggestion of getting a dog. Smelly unclean things, who in their rightful mind would pick a dog when a man-eating plant was an option? Plants eating animals just seemed normal to him. He'd grown up with the tales of vicious plants surprising his hero's in the 'night'. The smallest twitch of a smile played about his lips as he remembered his favorite hero, Xerion the white feathered avian, being chased by a tribe of barbarians and only surviving through his quick-witted trap by luring them into the tendrils of a particularly large plant. Majir was particularly alert by the fact that Xerion had been betrayed by his assistant to the tribe. He hadn't heard of anything like that actually happening in a long time. But it paid to be careful, he was in the wilds now, not playing some game in the city whacking the other kids with sticks.

It seemed only natural that the lower species of animals were feasted upon by plants out here. The great burden of sentience on the many races of the world lifted them up from the common beasts. It was only this that gave them the rights to harness and study the plants. To come to an understanding over the plants would give them power over them. The fact that it seemed that Voska disagreed with him on this point, set Majir's mind into confusion. That type of fern was cute anyway. Majir finished putting his boots on and shouldered his pack as Voska began to head off again.

"Stay still until I come back with the light." Majir did a mental double-take as his guard took off with a measured stride over the uneaven ground. His mouth opened and shut as his brain tried to process what he ought to say to that before he finally decided on staying silent. His tail swished back and forth in slight agitation as the light quickly vanished, enveloping him into the wall of shadows.

Stay calm Majir, you saw with your own eyes that there was nothing around here that could hurt you. He took measured, steady breaths but his paw's tight grip on his pack's shoulder-straps betrayed his concern. Majir stood stock still for over a minute before his composure began to break. He'd never been in such a level of dark before, not to mention the dangers that he'd spent countless hours studying that lurked about in these kinds of areas. Let's just sit down for a bit and wait. Hadn't there been a rock over there? Majir's right paw released it's grip on the shoulder-strap and felt about in the dark. He considered using his light to catch a glimpse of his surroundings, but decided after remembering the detailed warnings degrading wasting light to refrain. Besides, it took concentration to get the thing running properly. In a blind panic it would work with no problems, but running it for any length of time in such a state would only burn through his reserves of magic in a matter of minutes.

Majir's paw made contact with a rough stone boulder which had been sheered from the wall at some point in the past. He sat up onto it, pulling his feet up and wrapping his tail around his midriff out of the way of any potential grabbing tendrils. The group had only given them one light, did they not expected them to split up? He wracked his brain for the correct protocol regarding spitting up when only one member had a stable light source. He couldn't get a fix on any particular rules, but then again section three of the rule-book for guild explorers had emphasized care and restraint when searching new areas. He decided that he ought to consider memorizing the entire novel, he hadn't before heading off simply because it had been far too immense for such a short space of time. But now he thought it was apparent that such information could prove invaluable if his guard ran off and left him to his own devices.

The first sign that Voska was returning came with the slight shadows cast from the lantern from around the bend. Majir's ears were pricked upwards as he strained to hear her light footsteps against the rubble-filled ground. His light was out, though not on at the time and he quickly tucked it back into the folds of the clothes. Majir let out a soft sigh that he hadn't quite realized he'd be holding as the guardwoman finally came back into view. One would be hard-pressed to call him panicked from the darkness, though he had most certainly been scared even if he would never admit it.

"S..So, anything worthwhile up ahead?" He asked tentatively to the slightly younger Marten.
I'm up for that, though my posting may be a little slow, not too sure, since I'm working hard on my uni work at the moment. I'm rather sure my schedule ought to open up soon when I move out next month anyway.
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