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Post by Arashi on May 7, 2017 0:44:44 GMT -5
Welcome to our very first arc! Announcements: ARC 1 IS OVER. NEW THREAD FOR ARC 2. <3
LAST LORE SHEET UPDATE: 5/23 - Formatting, no new info (yet) 5/14 - Technology, new section on general world info 5/13 - Several sections (Blight, light magic, races, others)Hello! This is Arc 1 of our new forum RP. There is nothing to summarize, so, no summary here. Normally I would summarize the previous arc here, but...y'know. Please don't just join in randomly. We have rules and world lore and stuff. Read all of this before joining.Yes, all of it. It's all important. Have fun dudes!
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Post by Arashi on May 7, 2017 22:05:20 GMT -5
(( THIS IS A REMINDER TO MAKE YOUR CHAR BIO BEFORE JUMPING IN! It can be short, doesn't matter..))
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Post by Arashi on May 8, 2017 19:45:56 GMT -5
It is a day pretty much like any other in the small village of Aldur. This town is a pretty popular "tourist trap" of sorts, as it is right smack in the middle of several high-profile cities and other various towns. Traders often pass through here and take rests here when carrying their merchandise, and travelers often stop here for a break from their adventure, whatever that may be. It is a primarily human village, but often has other races in it due to the simple fact of its' central, convenient location (much to the dismay of some humans). The village, in general, is very laid back and comfortable; they do not have much in way of authorities or defenses, making it a bit vulnerable to crime. You'd think such a central city would have more security, but the recent days of mostly calm coupled by the fact that most people passing through this village can defend themselves just fine has spoiled them a bit. The weather is wonderful and clear; the sun is out and shining its warmth down upon everyone. It is a little on the hot side, but not overly so. ~ Off in the distance in a more quiet corner of the town, a somewhat short figure covered almost entirely in a hooded cloak sits on a bench, alone, reading what looks like a pretty large book. The only thing visible on the figure was a small sliver of what looked like a black-tipped silver tail hanging out just ever so slightly near the figure's feet. The cloak wearer's face is tilted down, buried in the book. Whoever it is, they seem at ease.
But alas, peace is temporary at best. A person, a young somewhat scrawny but tall male human with tattered street clothes, looks oddly at the cloaked person reading the book. He stares for a few moments, before laughing a small bit and turning towards the cloaked being and taking a few steps closer.
"Oh ho ho and what is this we have here? Did someone lose their pet or something? Who did you escape from hmm?" The man says to the figure, a smirk on his face. Most notably, the man kept his distance still.
The cloaked figure says nothing in return, and does not even look up from the book its face was buried in. A few onlookers glare at the man and then continue on their way, while some laugh quietly and stand around pretending like they have something in this quiet part of town to do, spectating. As humans often do, the cloaked figure quietly thought to herself.
"Hey, pet. Listen to me when I am talking to you. I bet some mage is missing his little pet right about now, how about you go back to your master?" The man continues to speak, seemingly slightly angry now. It is common for mages and some non-mages to keep weaker dragons as assistants; this must be what he is implying. That the figure in the cloak is a 'weak' dragon and should be with its master. Interesting.
The cloaked figure looks up ever so slightly from its book, its eyes visible. It looks to be female, but its somewhat hard to tell for now; half of her face is covered by a thick leather half-mask. She appears calm, if not slightly annoyed by the interruption of her reading.
"Are you going to go away, or are you going to continue to stand there and make a fool of yourself, hmmm?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. Her voice sounds unmistakably female, "Can't you see I am busy? Trying to read here. Perhaps you don't know what a book is? Shoo, pest."
"Hey! How dare you talk to me like that you weak little beast! Human society is not a place for you. Just wait until your master hears about this!", the man walks towards her slightly in a threatening manner, obviously angry by the implication that he cannot read a book. How charming, she thought.
The cloaked girl slowly closes her book, put it in a backpack beside her, and stands up. She looks at the man dead in the eyes, her slit pupils saying all she needed to say. She walks up to him, stopping at just arm's length away. She is significantly shorter than the human man, creating an interesting contrast. She looks entirely calm. At this point, a small crowd has been drawn. How pathetic.
"I have no master and I never will. If you value your ability to walk, I strongly suggest you move along now, little human. And perhaps....read something for once? Get some knowledge in that tiny little pebble brain of yours?" she smirks under her leather mask, her eyes flashing a light blue for just a moment. Her lack of being intimidated by this bigger man is probably concerning for anybody that does not know her. Which....nobody does in this town.
By now, a small sized crowd is looking on in utter confusion. Many laugh at the girl, some glare at the man. How would this end?
Well, if she had it her way, the offender would already be dead. This human does not look of fighting quality, and seems to be a street beggar. He is likely weak. He would stand no chance. That probably wouldn't be too wise of a decision, though, either way.
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Post by Bloodbane on May 8, 2017 20:49:09 GMT -5
"Nothing unusual at all, you say... not even anything weird being spotted by game hunters?"
Standing at the counter of one of the more popular taverns in the tourist town of Aldur, one of the many passing travelers appeared to be questioning the main bartender of the establishment in regards to a topic not often spoken of in these parts.
"Nope, nothin' weird at all!" The man behind the counter said in a gruff town, before leaning closer to the bar and beckoning the younger man to move a little closer. "And the longer it stays that way, the better... nobody's seen that stuff in ages outside of the wastelands, and only an idiot would go looking for it, got it? So don't go around tryin'ta scare the customers, ya hear?" It was interesting that the bartender had decided to lower his tone; the corruption had still left echoes of its presence, even after all of these years. And yet, the raven-haired man appeared unconvinced, but eventually he nodded in understanding.
"I won't take any more of your time. Thank you." The man replied, before turning and leaving the establishment, only to quickly be met by the sounds of commotion. Deciding it would be a better use of time than wandering around, the man proceeded to move towards and then through the building crowd, stopping as his eyes caught the source of the ruckus; a tall male approaching a cloaked figure aggressively. Crossing his arms underneath his own worn cloak, he observed the scene quietly, almost as if curious as to what was going to happen next. However, he highly doubted much of anything interesting would come from this; the town itself had given no leads, and time was of the essence. There would likely be little else to do but move on soon enough, and hope that his hunch was off... or that his recent encounter was a one-off.
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Post by Arashi on May 8, 2017 21:06:02 GMT -5
The man speaks loudly this time, not deterred. Great. Just great. She was hoping she could scare him off with intimidation, but it seems as if that won't be enough.
"Oh ho ho! Look at this, a little tiny beastie is trying to insult ME. Come on guys, don't you think this pathetic little thing needs to be put in it's place? Who needs a pet? This one apparently has no master!" He turns to the crowd and asks in a somewhat angry tone. Most of the crowd stays quiet, though some laugh, and some mutter a quiet, 'yes'.
The man then turns back around towards his source of anger and throws a punch, aiming towards the girl's head. It is a pretty weak punch, honestly, he didn't even put his body in to it. Come on now, could you at least try a little?
With somewhat surprising reflexes coming from an otherwise small and innocent looking figure, the girl simply caught the man's wrist in her hand as he attempts to punch her and shoves him to the floor in one quick motion. Obviously, she wasn't trying to hurt him. Sort of.
She simply looks down at the scrawny man, who was laying on the ground rather stunned at the moment, with a glare.
"Can you go away now? I have things to do." She scoffs.
Not to be deterred, the man slowly stands up, a verrryy angry expression on his face. It is also obvious he is in pain. What is wrong with this guy, seriously.
"Why you.....this beast just beat me up!" He motions to the crowd. What exactly is he trying to accomplish here? She just wants to read. The crowd was getting to be a bit too much for her...it's the first time this has happened in awhile. Though, to be expected....typical humans, she thought.
The punch motion did cause her hood to fall off, revealing a short-haired, dragon eared female. An odd gleam lit up her eyes for just a moment.
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Post by Bloodbane on May 8, 2017 21:48:32 GMT -5
"Why you... this beast just beat me up!" The traveler narrowed his eyes as the assailant hit the ground. With a punch like that, the man might as well have beaten himself. All the punch really served to do was move the hood of the cloaked individual, revealing a dragon-eared female. The sight of this had given the traveler pause for a second as he took note of the features. A Bestia, perhaps...? He wondered, mainly considering that the alternative was a lot less likely to be spotted in this day and age, given how dragon-kind had been driven almost to the brink of extinction from what stories and recorded history told about the war against the Blight. As the man who attacked the cloaked woman worked to try to rile up the crowd, however, the traveler soon stepped forward until he was rather close to the assailant, at which point it was clear that he was every bit as tall as the lanky individual, through even cloaked it was apparent that he was likely of a sturdier build.
"I think you've done enough. Get out of here." He said in a calm tone, before rather suddenly the angry man swiped at him as well! While from her vantage point, the woman may have caught a faint shimmer of light as the fist made contact with what seemed to be the man's face, the general crowd would gasp as the attacker recoiled in pain, the traveler completely unfazed by the weak punch.
"Wh-what the hell are you made out of?! What are you?" The man yelled out belligerently, at which point the traveler wasted little time hoisting the nuisance up as an arm completely encased in armor moved out from underneath his cloak, gripping the man by the shirt.
"I'm someone who is looking for something far more troublesome than someone trying to bother people for looking different... and I can be far more troublesome for you if that's what it takes for you to get out of my way. Do you understand?" The man kept a calm tone, but it was clear from the armor that he was indeed a warrior of some sort. After a bit of blubbering, the attacker finally nodded quietly, taking off as fast as his legs could carry him the moment his feet finally met solid ground again. At that, the man simply turned around, looking around the crowd that formed. "Show's over, folks. Move along." He stated flatly, at which time people began to go back to their business, some muttering in hushed tones. As the people began to walk away, the traveler would glance briefly at his armored hand before finally shifting it under his cloak once more. He turned his head slightly, glancing at the woman from the corner of his eye for a few seconds, unsure if he saw a reason to approach her or not. He had appeared to decide against it, however, as he looked forward once more and proceeded to walk away.
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Post by Arashi on May 8, 2017 22:15:11 GMT -5
The girl looks a bit surprised as someone, someone that looks human, sided with her and is standing up for her. What in the heck? What is up with this. She blinks a few times, watching this traveler scare off the annoying man, along with the crowd that was starting to make her a bit uncomfortable. She stares blankly for a few moments as the traveler confronted the man, then could not help but snicker a bit....that little wimpy man that just tried to talk down to her certainly got put in his place. Though, she sees something odd that caught her eye....what was that light? It certainly was not a reflection, it had to be something else. She had seen it before, though only once....and it wasn't quite the same. As she stood there thinking though, the man began to walk away.
"W-wait!," she calls out to him, taking a couple of steps closer to the man "Uhm....thank you for that. I mean, I totally could have handled it myself but y'know. I really appreciate it." She wouldn't dare mention the crowd was starting to freak her out a bit; she HATED being crowded around like that. Nobody has to know that, right?
"I was just trying to read and some jerk comes up to me and calls me a pet. Humans, am I right? Uh...wait. Sorry, you're a human aren't you? I didn't mean it like that. I mean, uhhh..SOME humans. Uhh...yeah thank you!" She stumbles on her words a bit, obviously not very accustomed to being social. Whoops. Nailed it?
She could not shake that thought of that glimmer of light she saw though, but wasn't sure if she should ask about it yet. So, for the time being, she stands there and waits, hoping he wouldn't walk away just yet. Also what did he say he was looking for? What an interesting statement, she thought. Too interesting to possibly pass up.
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Post by Bloodbane on May 8, 2017 22:42:41 GMT -5
The man paused suddenly as he heard the dragon-woman speak up, asking him to wait, before turning his head to look back at her. "Hm?" The woman went on to thank him for what he did, though in all honesty he felt the thanks was unnecessary. Granted, it did help her out, but honestly he just wanted the fool to stop causing a scene as it would make things difficult for him when asking around. As she went on to quickly explain what she was doing when the man had approached her, the traveler finally managed to give a light smirk before chuckling a bit at her awkward comment. Indeed, he was human as well... but even he knew what it was like to be different.
"A pet? How rude..." He said finally, turning around to face the cloaked woman, looking over her features once more. "You'd think people around here would be accustomed to seeing Bestia... even if those with dragon features seem to prefer the canyons..." He said, though trailed off as the mention of Bestia had sparked a reaction from the woman, causing him to tilt his head slightly. It had not taken long for the realization to hit him as it had become clear he had been mistaken. No way... here, of all places? Perhaps this really is an omen... After a few seconds, his other arm shifted from under his cloak, revealing that it was not as heavily-armored as the one he had lifted the man with as he brought it to the back of his head.
"And here I become the foolish human now. My apologies." He said, before chuckling once more. It was clear he had meant no real harm by his statement, only that he had certainly not expected to be standing in front of an actual half-dragon. Though now the thought had crossed his mind; was there even all that good of a way to tell the difference?
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Post by Arashi on May 8, 2017 22:58:56 GMT -5
"I know. I mean, I wasn't really offended...he was just annoying, y'know?" She smiled slightly. This one seemed nice. Cool. She then looked at him a bit funny upon being called a Bestia; not really an angry look, but a look of 'what oh man no'. Yeah, she is NOT a Bestia. No.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I am not a Bestia...I am something else. I understand your confusion though, I mean...we all look alike anyhow, don't we? You aren't insulting me, so I can't really take offense to that." She then laughed a bit and lowered her voice some, "It is okay though, no need to apologize. We aren't exactly common around here...or anywhere, really, I guess. Let's just let people think I'm a Bestia though. I'd rather it be that way, anyway, when my cloak fails me." She held a hand out of her cloak for a moment, letting a small ball of lightning flicker on and then off quickly on it.
She walked a few steps closer to the man.
"Sorry, um...I have a question for you. Well, more so...I have something you may want to see?" She pulled her book out of her bag and handed it to the man. It was a book written in some sort of scratches that looked like claw marks. It probably made no sense to him at all, except the words 'Blight' written in very small print in english on the cover. The book was rather foreboding looking; it was dark purple. It looked worn.
"Uh...sorry, if I am wrong in my assumption and this makes no sense to you. Just ignore it if so. But you said...you were looking for....something correct? Sorry. I'm bad at this talking thing."
She motioned for him to take the book, completely forgetting that he probably couldn't read any of it being in a very odd script and all, but maybe he would see the word 'blight' on it anyway. This book was a very good find of hers...
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Post by Bloodbane on May 8, 2017 23:37:59 GMT -5
At the woman saying she was something else, the man raised an eyebrow. "There's not too many other things you could be... but I can see why it may be better to keep others from knowing that." He said as the woman expressed an affinity for lightning. Yep, no doubt about it; she was definitely half-dragon. When she mentioned she had a question for him, he looked somewhat puzzled at first, though when she took a book out and handed it to him his eyes widened as he caught sight of the cover, flipping through pages and seeing the script. While he had no way to really decipher it, there were marks and runes that he could swear he had seen before. Once he had realized his jaw had been hanging open, he very suddenly shut the book, quickly putting it back in the woman's possession as he moved closer, looking around briefly before looking back to her, a far more serious look on his face.
"Where did you get this? How long have you had it?" This was it. The lead he was looking for... Granted, there was no telling where she had got it from, but it certainly was not something she intended to use if she was showing it to a stranger so willingly. "This... This really is what it looks like, isn't it? This is the proof... those damned mages are still out there." He said, the calm voice now betraying some of his anger, though he soon sighed, taking a few seconds to calm his nerves as he had to remind himself there was no telling where she had gotten this from; although now he was finding it difficult to shake the feeling of potentially impending danger based on the same sense that led him here. "I... found a tainted creature on the outskirts of this town, I've been trying to find out if there have been any other signs, and maybe there aren't any here but you know what to look for, don't you?"
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Post by Arashi on May 9, 2017 0:00:11 GMT -5
She simply shrugged to his response.
"There's a lot of dumb humans. Let them think what they wish, it keeps me out of danger more often than not. Uh..sorry, no offense to you. You aren't a dumb human!" She looked away for a moment. Again with the stupid comments, jeeze. She really needed to get better at this being social thing.
She then watched as he flipped through the book, looking puzzled at his expression, and slightly concerned. She was a bit afraid she may have scared him with this book...but that would mean...did he know what it is? It has been awhile since she had been able to speak of the blight with anybody. As soon as he handed the book back to her, she shoved it back in her bag.
Upon him asking her about the book, she glanced at the ground for a moment, then nodded lightly, "Yes. It is what it looks like," Her voice kept quiet now, "I can't say it's proof. I stole it a very long time ago...I just always held on to it because, well...I wanted to learn to read it. Maybe I could figure some things out. I'm sure you know what I mean by that, yes? I can read some of it. I have learned how to...decipher it. Not much, but...some."
Upon the mention of the tainted creature however, the girl's expression changed a bit to a look of disgust and slight anger.
"You found one? I have seen a few as well. Nothing large, but...still. I have not seen anything here that concerns me otherwise, but I am also not convinced that we are...safe. But yes, I do know what to look for indeed. I am glad I am not the only one that felt something was not right. You know don't you? That it still exists?"
She hesitated for a moment, a serious expression on her face.
"I can tell you some things my book says, if...you tell me what you know, too. It's not just....you know," she leaned in and whispered to him, "spells."
She felt she could trust this man with such matters. He knew about the blight! He wasn't oblivious to it! This is a first in a very long time...and it gave her some hope. Perhaps there was still a way to rid the world of this mess.
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Post by Bloodbane on May 9, 2017 0:40:31 GMT -5
The man simply nodded solemnly as the woman explained she had procured the book a very long time ago... which even as a half dragon could have easily meant well before his time. When she finally explained that she knew what to look for, he looked somewhat relieved. There was hope yet... when she asked if he knew that it still exists, he nodded. "I do... and not just in the lands left behind. I've seen a town be overtaken... I'm lucky to even be alive; if it wasn't for--" He said, though cut himself off, unsure if mentioning the events that set him on his search for proof that mages were appearance again was a good idea. "... I had been rescued. I can only imagine the land is completely corrupted now... and the mages I had fought alongside, well... they didn't make it." He said quietly, deciding to leave the retelling at that. After all, if she knew who he had been a part of, it could raise more questions that he did not currently have answers to, such as how he had managed to survive what a renowned crew of Light-magic wielding warriors could not...
However, despite his concerns, it had become clear to the man that the woman wanted to help him. "It seems our interests are aligned, then... but it's difficult to really explain what I know. I guess you could call it a knack for finding trouble. Outside of that, well, you wouldn't believe me until you've seen it." It was certainly a bold claim that he knew something that could only be observed, but he had no better way to explain it, and outside of the attack he had lived through, he had yet to see a real major case of corruption that would allow him to test how far he could prove such a claim. Aside from how his power affected tainted matter and how he seemed to have a means of sensing when it was nearby, however, there was still much about the Blight he did not know, and thus he worried about just how helpful he could really be to her outside of combat. If she knew where to look, however, then between the two of them they could certainly be off to a pretty good start; better than what he had before at least.
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Post by Swim on May 9, 2017 1:06:23 GMT -5
Terra skated rapidly through the streets of Aldur, weaving deftly around marketplace patrons and skidding to a stop every so often to affix her notice to message boards and prominent buildings. There had been an influx of new travelers coming into town lately, something of a rarity since the roads were notoriously dangerous for small groups, and Terra saw the opportunity to make a bit of coin. Fighting in the ring had never been Terra's vocation of choice, but she had a knack for it, and it was more lucrative than any of her other options.
For generations Terra's family had run the small mining town of Delbray, but everything changed after it was swallowed up by the Blight, along with everyone she'd ever known. Since then she'd made her living as a vagabond, traveling from town to town and fighting in local arenas. Her opponents had a tendency to underestimate her, and so did the booking agencies. Terra quickly learned that she could earn even more coin by betting on herself, as the odds never seemed to name her as the favorite. That is, until they learned what she was capable of, and then it was time to leave town and start again.
She'd posted roughly half of her fliers when a commotion on the corner of town caught her attention. A decent sized crowd had gathered, which seemed like a good opportunity to distribute her remaining fliers so she skated closer. She shoved her way to the front of the crowd, pressing parchment into hands as she passed. At the center she found the remains of some short lived scrap, not even a real fight from the looks of things. Still, if it had drawn a crowd of this size it promised good things for her own matches that evening.
"Alright, break it up here, there's nothing more to see," Terra cried, flinging the remainder of her fliers into the air and motioning for the gathering to disperse. "And if you all are still eager for blood make sure you come by the arena tonight! Bring your friends! Bring your money!"
The majority of the crowd returned to the market to continue their shopping but two beings had stayed behind, and judging by their garb they were neither townsfolk nor traveling merchants. They were conversing quietly together and Terra noticed them exchanging a book. Terra had noticed the girl was some sort of dragon hybrid and upon reflection, that might have been the reason for the unruly crowd despite how short their skirmish had actually lasted. She decided to approach the two, maybe she could convince them to go a round in the ring with her, the dragon girl would likely attract an audience a second time.
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Post by Arashi on May 9, 2017 1:44:23 GMT -5
"As...odd as this sounds, I am relieved to hear that you know what I know. You have seen it in person, though? I have not, yet...besides the few stragglers." She sighed a bit, "I am sorry you had to experience that first-hand and I am sorry you likely lost friends. I know how it feels; the same thing happened to me many years ago. I am glad to see you made it out in one piece, though. Not very many are that lucky."
She looked down for a moment, thinking back on what she had seen. It was not pretty. She was determined to not let that happen again to anybody else, somehow. But how?
She then nodded after being lost in thought for a moment at his notion of her needing to see whatever he has seen to believe it. She was fine with that; the blight was difficult to explain and not well understood, and she wasn't expecting much of a detailed answer anyway, all things considered.
"Well...perhaps you can show me then, and I can show you. What do you say to us perhaps...traveling together for awhile and learning what we can? I don't know how much the two of us alone can accomplish, but...it does not hurt to try." She looked at him in a questioning manner. What was she thinking, asking a random guy she just met to help her with such a cause? Oh well, it was her only shot at maybe standing some sort of chance against this. After all...what was that gleam of light? Probably best to not ask for now.
"O-oh, my name is Silver, by the way. Sorry, I should have introduced myself before asking such a large favor of you. I'm...not so used to being around humans, my apologies. I forget it's common human manners to introduce yourself....right? I think." She smiled a bit, trying to hide her awkwardness.
She then looked away for a moment, hearing somebody shout something about an arena. What in the heck? Ah, of course humans are barbaric enough to partake in such things. No shocker there. Er...some humans. She had to fix this way of thinking if she was about to make friends with a human!
Either way, she thought...maybe it would be interesting to observe. I mean who doesn't want to watch humans beat each other up? Er...some humans! Wait, that's not right.
She managed to grab a flier before turning back to her new friend, her head tilted, as if wondering what he thought of this so-called arena...not sure if she should ask if he would want to observe it. That doesn't seem to be how you make friends with the humans.
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Post by Sorrum on May 9, 2017 4:12:08 GMT -5
Near the outskirts of town, a figure came into view. Her armor, what wasn't covered in dust from the few hundred miles she's trekked on foot, glistened in the sunlight as she approached Aldur. There was little wind today and the weather was warm, is what her visor informed her as it registered her entrance to the new town. It was mid-day and four days since she'd crossed the border into the country. Thoughts of home filled her mind and a small tear came out of her eye. She missed the smell of the sea. She'd missed it for days.
Frida "Aqua" Nyharllothor was her. An elvish girl that had decided she had had enough of living among vikings, a lifestyle of constant combat with the unnamed monstrosities in the Northern wastes, invading human and bestia clans, and a dysfunctional society and it's failing infrastructure. She wanted a change. She imagined the new adventures she would undertake here. Her father recommended she join a guild and learn a craft when she reached the city, but her wallet was still ample from her time as captain of The Mirage, her viking crew of 15 hands, and she decided travel and adventure would be the first things to undertake here.
She crossed through town, noting that Aldur was a town of mostly humans. She didn't mind humans back home, but knew that they were different here. She bee-lined for the inn. On her way, she saw a crowd gathering on the street. "What's going on over there?" she thought. She arrived just in time to hear a man whimper as he clutched his hand, then the other man grabbed him in a choke hold and started threatening him, all while a shorter bestia female stood nearby. Love triangle? She neglected to care. It didn't concern her and she was already exhausted, so she resumed her trip to the hotel.
Upon reaching the hotel, she noticed a sign on the wall. "Something about a fight? Is this all humans do?" She scowled, pondering the thought that the only good humans were the ones that couldn't use magic. The scene from earlier was probably every day for the people here. The hotel patrons opened the doors for her as she walked in, her face still hidden under her visor.
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