[Game Thread] Chapter 1: Fractured Reality

[Timeless Prophet]

Summer was beautiful. The sun shined for three whole months and brought nothing but a beauty to the whole city. You for one reason or another have been here to enjoy the beautiful weather as of late. However, summer has come to a close and it seems that nature has grown tired of its cheerful mood. Torrents of rain have poured endlessly on Sharanal for the last week and the sun has not shone for more than a moment or two. The citizens moods have seemed to change overnight as well. The cheery folk you once met on the streets have been replaced with vile hateful little folk. Yet you seem to have found your niche.

A quaint little building nestled on the 17th floor toward the center of the High Pier. It is painted white with a blue trim and two iron iron lanterns hang on either side of the door. A simple wooden sign hangs above the door that reads 'The Teary Eyed Maiden'. The inside is even more of sight. A few of the tables in the bar are ship wheels that are rumored to have come from the ships of giants. The walls are adorned with all sorts of sailing paraphernalia and every table has a large wax candle that is lit at the center of them.

The people who you have met are also interesting. One of the common patrons you have come to know is a dwarven wizard by the name of Karlon Steeleye. He is an ancient dwarf who has a habit for drinking far to much ale and regaling the bar with tales of his battle with a chromatic dragon (the color, number and some times the fact of whether or not it was a dragon do seem to change from time to time). However, when he is sober enough Karlon has proven a valuable source of information on all that is arcane, especially when it comes to the that which haunts Sharanal.

Your current employer, Arshana Barletz, is the proprietor of the Teary Eyed Matron. The half elven woman stands as tall as any many you known and her face wears a battle scar or two. Her long blond hair is usually kept in a neat braid that hangs over her right shoulder. She wears thin silver spectacles and a deep blue dress with a white apron. You have been in Arshana's employ for about a month now. She has had you doing various chores for her both around the bar and the town. In exchange she has given you room and board for the month and allowed you even the occasional free drink at the bar. Some thing changed recently though.

This morning Arshana handed you a letter and said, "Take this to some place quiet and read it over. If you are interested come back here tonight" She returns to what she was doing and you walk out the door. As you wander the city, you open the letter and read it:

Dear Friend,
As you may have guessed I am not always what I seem. I actually run a local adventurers guild out of my bar. I usually only contract out a few adventurers at a time and it seems that some trouble has befallen my group now. They are currently trapped on the Shakkarak Islands and will not be able to return for some time. An emergency has arisen though that requires immediate attention. If you are interested in making some serious coin then be back at the Teary Eyed Maiden after nightfall.

Arshana

Night is beginning to fall what do you do?

[Shards Of Light]

Killic reads no further than 'an emergency has arisen that needs immediate attention' before folding it back up and returning to the bar. He throws his cloak over his head, as he always does upon interacting with the public and not bar tending, and looks across the bar at the man who is filling his niche at the moment. Although the other man had been there longer, Killic was convinced he was better at their job. He sat down at a corner table, and performed his daily ritual: watching the rest of the patrons for any activity resembling that of an officer of the law. He had an escape rout planned, but some recent sales on the lower levels had made it less feasible because of the large crowds he would have to navigate while being attacked, which was not a thought he found appealing. He was, therefore, especially on edge today.

[Jinx_Greyflower]

[Ophelia]

"Well, it's about damned time!" she grumbles silently as she contemplates the message's cryptic undertones. Sauntering down the dreary city streets, she muses upon her current situation, "I was beginning to wonder whose ass I'd have to kick to get her attention."

"That drunken sot of a Dwarf, definitely!" she decides, nodding sagely before looking up at the overcast sky and noting the approximate time.

"Nothing to it, but to do it," she chants rhythmically to no one in particular, before making her way back to the establishment. She knows exactly what she wants to say, and plays her answer over and over again in her head. "I'm in; whatever it is, I'm in!"

[LordJecks]

Brother Damian looks over the note, having retreated to a seclude table in the common room, with neither interest or boredom. The last month of employment with Arshana Barletz had proven profitable, and was even starting to earn him the semblance of respect among his religious caste. He had long suspect that she was more than she appeared... always having new jobs for them, much more than any normal innkeeper would have.

The task she requested was perfect for one of his order as well. He could aid them in the recovery or help them in the passage and preparation for the next life. Rolling up the letter and putting it away in his pack he decides he will undertake the requested task. It would surely raise him in the eyes of his sect, and though not an ambitious man Brother Damian was starting to find the tasks given to him belittling for one of his talents. Ordering an ale from one of the waitress he sat back and waited for the sun to set and night to begin. A cycle as certain as that of life and death.

[EnixH]

It was a relatively normal morning for Allaneron,gazing and studying his spell book, gathering knowledge from it and filing the incantations and such in his mind for future use, as he did even before he arrived in Sharanal. "No such thing as being overprepared..." he spoke to himself. He preceded to the common area where he ate breakfast. However, along with a glass of fresh milk, eggs, and bacon, he received a note from Arshana. Taking her instructions serious he nods and continues with his meal,sliding the note into his robes Upon returning to his room, he read over the letter before folding it and hiding it amongst his things.

The rest of the day passed eventfully, as he reported for duty in the kitchen later that morning, helping out cooking and washing dishes as needed. He returned to his room early at night, changing from plain work clothes into his ornate robes. From there, he went into the common area and took a seat at the bar, waiting patiently for Arshana to arrive.

[nathan555]

The tubby, graying gnome finishes the letter while sitting beside his work station. Oh no, that sounds dreadful. He puts his overcoat on, grabs his walking staff and heads out the door.

KNOCK KNOCK As the door slowly creaks open you look down and see ulysees peer around it. "Umm, hello? Yes, well, um, I heard that you wished for assi-, assit-, you wanted some help. I would be more than happy to lend a helping hand in any way i can, especially if this is a 'for hire' type of thing. You see I misplaced some coins the other day. At least i think i misplaced it. I wrote down that i misplaced it, but then i may have lost the note and I...." Ulysees then stops and wipes the rain off his spectacles, and then looks up and around- noticing no one is listening.

Oh, bother. Ulysees waddles over to a chair to wait.

[Timeless Prophet]

You all enter the bar at various times. A few of the regulars sit in there various positions about the bar. Even the one you have come to know as Nightwalker, an elven bard, is in the bar regaling Willie, a sloven and drunken man who frequent the Maiden, with a story of fighting the Orcish hordes in Numbera. You all find a cozy corner in the bar to wait for Arshara to arrive and tell you of the mysterious circumstances of the letter.

Hours pass and still no sign of the barmaiden. However, eventually as the rush crowd thins out to regulars once again, you notice something odd. A man wearing only brown tattered robes who's face is hidden by a hood, one whom you have never seen before approaches the bar. Peynar, the halfling in charge of the bar tonight, smiles at him. "Aye, friend what kind of sea water would you like tonight?"

The man seems to only stare at the halfling. "Buddy, what will you have to drink? You know drink? Yum, goes down the throat and cures being parched." The halfling barks at the man. The man simply stares back and Peynar turns away. Suddenly the man snatches Peynar's arm, seems to whisper something to the short one. "What? You are going to have to speak up. I am deaf in the that ear."

The man grunts before thrusting the halfling back into the shelves behind the bar. Peynar hits them with force and falls to the ground limply. Many of the bottles come crashing down, smashing into the fallen form of Peynar. Nightwalker rises from his seat and nimbly draws a crossbow from his side. He lets loose a shot at the man, striking him in what you would assume to be the eye. The man waves his hand and Nightwalker goes flying, crashing into a table.

Many of the regulars begin to scuttle out of the bar and the man turns and stares at the center of the room. He draws back his hood revealing a gruesome sight. Not only did a bolt strike him in the eye but it appears the other eye has been removed as well. "Ne'rue bolock arna comlem she'tar." The man croaks out. You all stare back at the figure quite puzzled and he grimaces at you. "One has been chosen and he will lead the way to our queen."

The man brings his hand up and a dagger magically appears in it. He brings it down with a crash into the bar and a brilliant flash fills the room. As you are blinded by the light you hear what you would guess to be the man but somehow his voice had changed. "I have done as you asked now return my sight to me...*whimper*...please?" As your sight returns you look to the man. He quivers for a moment but then grabs his stomach in pain. A moment later he bursts into flames and the flames grow so hot in a moment that his entire form is consumed by the fire leaving only ashes.

Shocked by what you have seen you draw close. Indeed the strange man you have seen is gone and replaced by a pile of ashes as you examine the knife, you notice that it is buried in both the bar and a red ribbon that is attached to a scroll.

Both Peynar and Nightwalker let out groans of extreme pain and whoever was left in the bar is now headed for the door.

[EnixH]

Allaneron grimaces as he throws his hands over his eyes and topples over and off of his stool as the white flash envelops the room and lets out a loud grunt. Once the white light had dissipated he shakingly got to his knees and looks at the aftermath of the mysterious stranger's entrance, and the crumpled form of Nightwalker laying in the splinters of a damaged table. He stumbles to his feet and slowly makes his way over to the elven bard's form as he kneels beside him. "Nightwalker, can you hear me? Don't try to move..." He looks up at the room. "Do we have a healer? Or a holy priest? This man is injured!" Allan dared not try and patch the man's wounds by himself, lest he botch and cause more damage than being thrown halfway across the room could do.

[LordJecks]

After a few hours of silent contemplation of the lifespans of different creatures, why did elves get longer life spans than halflings?, and nursing a few ales something worthy of note happens in the bar whilst Brother Damian awaited his employer. Curious the priest of Pharasma watch the antics of the newcomer with interest. At first he thought him merely a drunkard. After all out muscling halflings wasn't very hard...

But when Nigthwalker's bolt to the face seems to not even phase the stranger Brother Damian became very interest. His eyes widening just as the smashes his dagger into the stranger bar with a brilliant flash. His head awash with a myriad of colors the priest hears something about a task being complete before his vision slowly returns just in time to see the man burst into flames. This was a very strange man indeed...

Brother Damian rises at the call for aid and makes his way over to the two fallen to try to determine their status and whether they had crossed to the other side. His eyes fell upon the dagger as he walked up to the fallen bard but decided against touching it until he knew more and had determine the conditions of the other two. "Lets have a look here then shall we" he says coolly.

[Shards Of Light]

Killic had leaped for the bar, and although he had not reached it int time to stop the man, he managed the hurl himself over the bar and crouch underneath, pulling the armor and falchion he stored under the bar into readied positions. He had always wondered if the owner really never found them, or if she simply didn't mind their being there. He sprang back onto the bar, his cloak covering his body and face yet again, only the sword showing, until he saw the distinct lack of a blind man in his way. He cocked his brow, but twisted his blade, and slid it sideways into it's sheath, going up his back, held in by a clip he could easily release, but which wouldn't give to the blade's weight. His movement pushed the side of the cloak away, revealing his build and his armor, but not his face. he jumped down on the other side, kneeling next to the unconscious bartender, and gently shaking him. "Are you alright?"

[Jinx_Greyflower]

[Ophelia]

Before the flash is even completely gone, the young elf has her dagger out and in hand, waving it menacingly in front of her while backing away towards one of the walls. She snarls, unsure of what's going on, but making damned certain that she'll hurt whoever is coming after her.

Once her sight begins to return, she'll blink furiously, attempting to hasten the return of her vision. Prowling around the room, she'll look for some victim to take out her anger upon, growling in frustration when there's no obvious target to be had.

"What in the Nine Hells was that about?" she'll ask no one in particular.

[Timeless Prophet]

[Timeless Prophet]

Nightwalker slowly rises from his prone position on the ground, to a sitting one. "Nay friend I won't be needing one of those damn holy men. I will heal just fine. Tell me what the hell was all that ruckus over and what the hell did he do to the bar?"

[Jinx_Greyflower]

[Ophelia]

"Anyone familiar with that gibber-speak he was babbling?" she'll ask the few remaining patrons in the bar. She has noticed that no one seems to want to touch--or even approach--the dagger embedded in the bar, which only serves to whet her curiosity. Stepping over the pile of ashes on the floor, she sidles up to the bar where the mysterious stranger was seated. Leaning forward, she examines the knife for a few moments. Then, shrugging, she presses the point of her dagger against the ribbon holding the scroll in place, attempting to cut through the thin, red fabric.

OOC: I assuming that whatever language he was speaking, it's one that my character isn't familar with.

[Shards Of Light]

After assessing that the bartender wouldn't be waking up any time soon, Killic turns back to the bar, and grasps the dagger, pulling it out to examine it closer. "The bartender will need a healer." He said, working hard to speak in a voice a good octave or two below his normal tones, with a heavy accent he had created artificially.