[IC] Crossfire: The Second Blood War

[Animidest]

The world is in ruins. Thousands of unburied dead lie in ruined cities, acres of ash mark where forests once were, and once-roaring rivers are naught but a trickle of mud. Demons roam the countryside, leaving death and destruction behind them. It is indeed a terrible time to be a commoner, but for pragmatic heroes, this state of events is near ideal. Groups of mercenaries, some humanoid and some infernal, have taken up a dangerous line of work--killing demons and sealing shut the gates from whence they came. Particularly famous or powerful groups have been given the title "Bane of the Abyss" by the common folk, and are revered as celebrities, earning fame and fortune wherever they go. These warriors sometimes fight for justice or freedom, but usually just for personal gains.
Your group is known as a Bane of the Abyss, and after a few days of trekking a barren expanse of land, you have arrived in West River City, one of the last large cities remaining, due to its impressive preexisting fortifications. Apparently, they were having problems with a demon stronghold that cropped up nearby, and had no troops that could be sent out to eliminate it. Thus, your services were requested by the mayor.


The gate to the city is not large or grand. It is squat and dense, like the door to a bank vault. A small wooden sign next to the gate says "West River City" in Common and Infernal. After you approach the gate, a slit in the gate is slid open and a pair of eyes glares out from within.


"Who goes there?" shouts the owner of the eyes. "State your business immediately! This city is under lockdown, so it would behoove you--"
Another voice cuts him off. "Ray! Do you KNOW who these people are?"
"Well, clearly not", scoffs Ray, "You might have noticed that I asked them--"
"That's Azur, Johan, Neniu, Nephrus, and Tomi! They're a Bane of the Abyss, one of the most famous around these parts! Now shut up and get the Checker over here!"
"Fine. CHECKER!!"


After a little while, the eyes of an aged woman stare through the slit, and she says "They are who they appear to be."

The gate opens.

[Prehysterical]

Eight hundred years. Eight hundred years of demon-slaying, and nothing had changed. No, that was a lie. Things had gotten worse.

Chains of black iron dangle off of Azur's musclebound frame, his massive arms held uncomfortably at his sides. His skin is of a darker hue, a remnant of his time as a human. Blazing yellow eyes without pupils looked straight forward at the open gate, seeing only the doors open to his next assignment. A gleaming sword of cold iron rests in a chain cradle on Azur's back.

Looking back toward the others, he sees their reluctance to enter. Shaking his head, chains tinkling against each other, Azur steps forward. As he steps forward, he says to the gatekeeper, "Names can be powerful things. Do not toss them around so lightly, or who knows what trouble you might summon."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Yuh-huh. Whatever you say, Azur," smiles a blonde humanoid in a colorful cloak and not much else. She runs her fingers through one of her long, dry ponytails, amused. "Well, you can say my name if you want. I do love to hear it."

[The Bandicoot]

If you're going to use my name at least use my full name. Johan Cochren, esquire. Johan dusts off his "suit" and steps forward next.

[demidracolich]

"Well I'm glad to be back in the city, more familiar territory is always nice.", Nephrus casually says as he walks in ignoring what the others are saying.

[Jallorn]

All of our names are bantered about lightly already, intimidating a simple guardsman is pointless. Azur's defense of the guard is made flatly, and he spares no look of apology or sympathy. Indeed, he seems wholly unconcerned with the man. Come along, we have somewhere to be. I relish a return to the action.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Right! We're here at the request of the Mayor. Could you direct us to his office, please, so we can start working on this, 'stronghold,' we've heard so little about?"

As West River seems to be one of the few remaining human-dominated cities, their mayor is probably famous enough to have stories and rumors circulating about everything from their security strategy to their love affairs. If nothing else, Tomi will probably be able to remember his or her name.

Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty): [roll0]

[Animidest]

One of the guards steps forth.
"But of course! We shouldn't keep such a beautif--"
"Ray. RAY! Stop. Just...Ugh, you make the worst decisions sometimes. Anyway," he says, turning back to the party, "the mayor should be in the city hall. It's the largest building in the city, right in the middle. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Also, you'll find a wide variety of merchants here in case you need to purchase anything for your mission."
He nervously glances at Azur's hulking, clinking figure. "Ah, and...Sorry about the name thing, uh, Sir Kyton. I just, um...Please proceed."

Geez, why'd you have to get such a high number?
William Blackstag IV was once a high-ranking military officer, who tolerated no weakness nor insubordination, and was even more skilled in oration than he was in tactics and swordplay. After he retired from the military, he ran for mayor of West River and won in a landslide. Some suspect he may have left the military because he couldn't take the hopelessness of the one-sided battles. Before he joined the military, he went by "Billy Blackstag", but he had to drop the name in order to uphold the image he wanted as he ascended the ranks.

[Prehysterical]

"It was also meant as a warning, guardsman. Demons are able to listen when their names are repeated. Don't let the temptation to gossip turn you into a possessed husk. The demons have already claimed too much." The irony of a devil warning about "temptation" is not lost on Azur. Though he maintains a stoic demeanor, a slight grin develops in the back of his mind. He follows along with the "Bane" for lack of any real direction. What a motley lot this is... Worse still is that I understand why I was stationed with them.