Five Orders of Creation - Autumn - Chapter One

[The Rose Dragon]

Today is the first day of autumn, of the thousandth year of the Third Dawning Era. The leaves have not turned yellow yet, and the air is still warm, but soon the trees will be bare and the chill will follow. Somehow, your paths have brought you to the small town of Jasmine's Dawn on the western reaches of the Great Empire. You are sitting in the Dragon's Landing teahouse, quite easily the largest structure in the town. The teahouse is quite crowded, despite the small population of Jasmine's Dawn. Idle chatter is made, drinks and food are being served and the pulse of the town is right here. You could almost see the strange figure that enters through the door, but the rest of the scene is too distracting. And of course, Jasmine's Dawn is not lacking in bullies and thugs, who also frequent the teahouse. It is early morning and this is where and when your legend starts.

What do you do?

[Cespenar]

Jin

Sipping away at his wine, Jin throws around quick glances, keeping an eye out for any thief or thug that may try his chances. His eyes almost show an eagerness for such an attempt, that he may "retaliate" in full force.

The man is slightly taller than average and his hair seems to have been newly cut, though somewhat incompetently, resulting in a black mess. A large sword is strapped behind his back in an uncomfortable manner which is constantly prodding people passing by, but if anyone is feeling anything, they are probably keeping it at themselves.

He is probably too involved with what's around him to notice the figure entering the teahouse.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

"That will be all for now, thank you..." As the waitress leaves his table, Kalim peers into his cup and lets the aroma get to him. With a fond sigh, he takes a drink as he lets the chatter of the teahouse sets the mood.

He sat alone at a table off to the side. A quick look would have marked him as tired and unassuming, at least until the short blade on his side was made out from under his fading, black overshirt. His face had a sort of well-traveled, but given the state of his hair, which was held back and fell in a single low ponytail with no attempt at order, and general worn nature of his clothing and pack, this was probably done through more economical means.

The night had been long and unfruitful. Either he was off his game or or the Heart didn't care for a place like Jasmine Dawn. Regardless, he was here now so he might as well enjoy it. Some habits become innate though. As he continues with his drink, he appraises the situation. It never hurts to be on your guard anyway.

He'll take ten on a Sense Motive Check to get a hunch of the crowd. Should result in 20.

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam arrives at the Drragon's Landing as he does on most days. After healing a relative of the owner the tea house became one of the cheapest places he could come for a bite too eat. He sits in a chair at the edge of the room and talks to the waitresses that walk by. He has become friends with many of them but has yet to feel any more comfortable when talking to females. Being raised in an all male monastary didn't allow him much practice at some of the more common skills of communication.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Angrui sits at a table near the centre of the teahouse, a steaming mug of green tea resting on his small table and a light fried pastry in his hand. He relaxes, enjoying the early fall day and the many smells and sights of the restaurant. His bow and quiver are slung across the back of his chair and his back rests on the ground next to his seat. His head and face have gone just long enough without shaving that they're now soft instead of bristly. Good food, good tea, and nice weather all serve to make him calm and content, smiling happily at anyone who makes eye contact.

[The Rose Dragon]

Kalim:

You do not get any inherent feeling of wrongness from the general crowd, but the bullies do seem restless, eager to start a fight.

[Son_of_Meepo]

Miuki

Miuki sat alone in the corner of the tea house. A bit bitter. She let the tea steep too long. You'd think after she spilled the first pot she'd have been in more of a hurry to brew the second.

It was not that the serving girl was incompetent, but rather Miuki had been quite gruff with her since the moment she entered the teahouse. The girl was so terrified of Miuki that she clumsily fumbled the first pot, and was so scared to approach her again, that she waited far too long to bring her the second.

A few wisps of hair fell into her eyes. Miuki curled the corner of her lip upwards to blow it out of the way, but it just fell back across her brow. It did so again, and again. With a grunt of frustration, Miuki bunched up her hair and tightly tied it in place.

Since leaving her monastery Miuki could be angry with any one or any thing. She'd blame the sun for being too hot on a summer's day, then hold it equally to blame for hiding from the rain. The anger scrawled across her face made her appear older than a girl of fifteen.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Lex sits quietly in the corner, hood hiding his scarred face. If anyone were looking his way, all they would be able to see was a faint smile on his lips.

It has been too long since I have had some good tea. It is a bit cold though. Let's change that.

Lex puts his hand beneath the cup. The tea begins to dance in the cup, seemingly rejuvenated by the fresh heat. A smile forms again on Lex's lips. Lex begins to look around the teahouse, enjoying his tea.

[The Rose Dragon]

Miuki:

A few large men get up from their table and approach yours, all the time whispering amongst themselves and chuckling. The largest of them puts his hands on the table and wears a large grin on his face.

"Say, pretty girl. You look lonely over here. How 'bout I take you out to my house, and we... well, take care of it?"

His grin widens even more and it's obvious he doesn't talk about having a conversation. You also get a feeling that whatever he does, his "buddies" will join him.

[Sornas]

Katsuro (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/SornasOrteal/8__10___Ronin___by_Aiori.jpg)

Off to the side of the teahouse, a small crowd of children and a few interested adults had gathered around a somewhat unkempt-looking man.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, long hair spilling out over his robes, his voice could could be heard rather easily from time to time as he began to get overly caught up in what he was doing before catching himself. Whatever he was doing, he obviously enjoyed it to a great extent.

Anyone inspecting closer would notice an alms bowl to his left, and two humanoid shapes, a foot and a half, maybe two feet tall, moving in front of him, made of pure stone.

"...but what will we do? cried Saya." He was saying, dramatic gestures with his hands causing the figures to move in an appropriately overdramatic fashion.

"If young brother is lost in the spirit's forest, what will we do?"

"'Fear not, Saya,' the herdsman exclaimed, 'I will find your brother!'

And so the herdsman set out. He was of poor birth, and did not have a horse of his own, so he rode towards the evil forest on the back of Sei-ba, his favorite cow." This garnered some snickers from the adults, as well as open laughter from the children.

Looking around the teahouse to see if he had disturbed anyone, Katsuro spied the men gathering around the woman in the back.

"Oh dear, that doesn't look good..." He thought, standing up and brushing himself off. "Excuse me, everyone, but we are going to have a short break for a few minutes. If you wish to get a cup of tea and relax, i will return shortly."

Trusting that no one would try to steal from a monk's alms bowl, he scooped up the puppets and placed them on his shoulders as he walked towards the table.

Placing a hand on larger man's shoulder, he smiled, "Excuse me, sir? I couldn't help but notice your friends and yourself here. If you don't mind me saying, fresh air is as key to a tea-drinking experience as the leaves themselves. If you wish to sit with the lady, might I recommend a table closer to a window?"

His words were perfectly present, although an astute listener might pick up on a little bit of mocking when he said "Fresh air." The puppets remained on his shoulders, tilting their heads and looking around at the other men, but he did not appear to be otherwise armed.

[The Rose Dragon]

The man shrugs and gets your hand off his shoulder.

"This is between me and the lady here. Why don't you go back to whichever monastery spawned you and meditate s'more? Maybe it'll teach you to keep your nose out of others' business!"

He shoves you back - he is strong, and fast, but you have a pretty good feeling you could take him in a fight. His friends laugh at you, almost daring you to start something. Some of the other patrons leave the teahouse, and the others seem agitated.

Roll Sense Motive.

[Cespenar]

Jin

Capable of spotting aggressive potential from a mile away, Jin stands up and flexes his back in a haughty manner when he sees the men gathering about the girl's table. Putting on a relaxed pose, he passes through the leaving patrons, trying to reach the center of the action, but he is interrupted as a long-haired man with stone puppets over his shoulders get shoved into him. He tries to hold and stop him, and throws a glance at the larger man.

"Soo..." he pauses to look at the puppeteer, the men, and the girl. Flashing a toothy grin, he continues. "What do you fine people want?"

His grin doesn't fade away, and the keen glint in his eyes betrays his smiling face.

If needed,
[roll0]

[Son_of_Meepo]

Miuki

The girl almost laughs at the attempts of the puppeteer to difuse the situation. without a word, Miuki calmly stands. She hoped these rabble would just give up and go away once she dealt with their leader, but she was ready to take them all on if she had to.

"Well then?"

Without warning she thrusts the table forward with her foot, attempting to knock the leader off balance.


Combat Actions:
Combat Expertise for 2.
Unarmed Improved Trip attack. (The table is just for flavor.)


If the leader is tripped, she will follow up with an unarmed strike.

The edge of the table catches the leader squarely in the knee and he is unable to stop himself from falling forward. Just as his jaw is about to smack into the table, Miuki plants her lead foot and swings her back leg around underneath. With a solid kick, she attempts to punt the table into the ruffian's face.


Follow-up Attack:
Unarmed Strike vs. prone opponent for non-lethal damage.


EDIT: Declaring my dodge bonus against the leader and the nearest henchman.

(OOC: I'm not sure how you wanted combat actions described. I didn't add any dice rolls, just descriptions of the actions.)

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: You can describe your actions as you want in combat, but only against mooks. Against real opponents, we roll dice.))

The leader falls on his back from the force of the assault, and the rest of the pack is intimidated... sort of. Their fear, however, is tempered by their pride, and feeling they can take a lonely girl all by themselves, they lunge forward.

A few more customers leave, but some feel angry at this assault by a stranger against their own townsfolk and prepare to join the fray.

[jagadaishio]

Agrui

As the monk approaches the bullies, Agrui calmly sets down his pastry and rotates his chair so that its back is to his right side. As the monk is shoved aside, Angrui takes his bow and places it on his lap, calmly watching the scene. As people start running past him, leaving the teahouse, and the girl floors the bully with the table, he casually draws an arrow and readies his bow. Finally, as the townspeople started moving to join the fray, he stands and levels his bow across the room, panning from left to right. "Let's not start the day off with a fight, people. I would really rather that this day end as well as it was going just minutes ago," says Angrui, clearly not threatening or trying to intimidate, merely stating that he would start shooting people if the fight did not end immediately. "Please."

Angrui is readying an action to shoot the next person who attacks anyone. On the off chance that anyone has the bad judgement to attack anyone while under his bead:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[The Rose Dragon]

"Who are you to tell us what to do, stranger?" asks someone in the crowd. "If someone attacks our townsfolk, it is our duty to protect them." A few voices in the crowd join his in agreement, but it is evident that most people would just prefer the fight to stop.

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam sees the small quarrel escalate quickly into something more dangerous. He runs through his head everything he could do to diffuse the situation, but instead of acting he stays rooted in his chair. While he doesn't want to see anyone get to hurt, he still has never found the confidence to take control of this kind of situation. He reasures himself a little with the knowledge that if anyone is injured he will do all he can to help heal them.

[Cespenar]

Jin

As the girl calmly stands up and starts shockingly to beat the larger man, Jin realizes the cue has been given, and he does the first thing he thinks at the moment: grab one of the pack as they charge towards the girl by the neck, and sling his fist right on the right ear of the surprised man.

The man stumbles forward with the force of the blow, and Jin turns back to face anyone from the angry crowd, but he freezes as one man pulls out a bow apparently to "pacify" them.

What the hell?! he thinks, furious. And we were just getting started!..

He redirects his anger to the wise guy in the crowd instead, talking about duty like he knows anything about it.

"Keep your "townsfolk", then, in order, because if picking on lone young woman is a regular thing in your town, it seems that things have changed way too much around here."

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

Wincing as the mood comes crashing down, Kalim finishes the last of his tea in a large gulp and stands up. He could see the brawl forming as the large man and the perfomer went to the girl and the men. The first punch was quite a surprise though, and it looked familiar enough for him to truly appreciate it. He puts the cup down and makes a motion towards the group as the thugs lunge forward, but is comes to a halt as a more educated man tries to bring it to a pause.

No complaints there, smiling, he raises his cup to the man and starts sitting back down.

He starts sitting back down, but the large man´s words were like nails on a chalkboard in his mind. A distinction had been made, and his status as a foreigner left him out of the "townsfolk" group. With a sigh, he finally drops his bill inside the empty cup and braces himself for what´s to come.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Man! Right when I was really starting to enjoy my tea! This is just like that bar incident. This time I'm not going to get out of control. You are a stronger person now. You know how to control your abilities now.

Lex stands up from his table and begins to draw in heat from his surroundings, mainly the bullies who are picking on the outsiders. As he draws heat from them, he manipulates the heat into a ball of fire right in front of the townsfolk.

"I am going to need you to stop this nonsense before this escalates too much."

At this Lex draws heat from the tea around him and the fire instantly becomes larger and brighter.

OOC: If I read the play with fire correctly, I can easily do this.

[The Rose Dragon]

"OK, fine." says one of the thugs, and motions for the rest to stop. Then just when things are about to get to normal, he jabs towards Katsuro, and the rest attack whomever is close. Apparently, these guys are not going to stop without getting beaten - or beating someone up themselves.

((OOC: OK, roll init... I mean describe your actions.))

[Sornas]

Katsuro

Pointing his finger skyward in an 'ah-ha' gesture, Katsuro smiled. "Well! Looks like you didn't need help after all!" The puppets on his shoulders nodded their agreement.

He watched casually as the others began to make their threats, "Come now, is there really any need for all this?"


OK, fine." says one of the thugs, and motions for the rest to stop. Then just when things are about to get to normal, he jabs towards Katsuro, and the rest attack whomever is close. Apparently, these guys are not going to stop without getting beaten - or beating someone up themselves.

Tilting his head out of the way of the jab, Katsuro blinks. "Oh dear..." As the man's momentum carried him past Katsuro, he shifted his weight slightly, moving his foot to trip the man without hurting him.

"You should really be more careful," He said, pleasant smile never leaving his face. "Someone might spill their tea, and that's not really fair to the poor girl steeping it, is it?"

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Lex stands back in awe at the stupidity of the townsfolk.

Who would want to test the might of a mighty firebender? Are these people so dense that they don't realize I could destroy this entire place? Not that I would again, but still they should be horrified of my abilities!

Lex stays where he is at away from the combat and waits for one of the townsfolk to try and engage him in combat. He is very interested to see what these outsiders can do in battle.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

As the thugs move to attack again, Angrui starts firing off shots from his bow, trying to aim at non-vital areas such as the legs and feet. If anyone tries to move close and stop him, he cracks them in the head with the pommel of his shortsword or shoots them in the feet before they can get close enough to do anything.

Aiming only at aggressors, trying to disable the thugs without doing them any permanent damage. Fires off the arrows as quickly as possible within reason, making sure not to fire so quickly that he might accidentally hit them in the vitals. Uses the shortsword to deal nonlethal damage to anyone who moves close in order to attack him.

[Cespenar]

Jin

Jin pauses for a moment when the thug dashes to the puppeteer, but recovers himself and jumps in the middle of the remaining thugs, delivering and receiving blows. A whizzing arrow catches his attention, and he turns to see an archer, shooting arrows at the legs and such.

What is this? Don't these people know how a brawl goes?

He shouts to the archer with crossed brows, "Hey, you there! Stop with the arrows alrea-" but is interrupted by an opportunist blow right to his ribs. He shakes off the pain quite easily though, to the surprise of the attacker, and headbutts the assailant rather fiercely. While the man tries to recover himself, Jin grabs another attacker by the arm and shoves him directly to the first one, resulting in a tripping and falling heap of men. He then looks around to face any new threats.

[The Rose Dragon]

Some of the folks are scared at the skill displayed by these relative strangers, but a good number still remain, probably due to foolish pride. Or just plain foolishness.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

Sticking a foot out to trip a thug as he rushed to the large mercenary type, Kalim couldn't help but enjoy himself. There was something about the atmosphere, the general "friendliness" of the affair. Ok, not friendliness, but its much more relaxed then the usual Heart members, no cold emotionless stares as bladed weapons reach for fle--

The blow to the side of his face brought him screeching back. He stumbled, almost landing on the floor if his table hadn't propped him up. "Ugh..." Before he can even refocus his vision, the man who'd been on the floor only a few seconds ago was looming over him, his hands around his shirts neck. A sudden CRACK fills his ears as the world moves violently. He doesn't recognize it as his own head hitting the table until the second, maybe third time. Awareness failing him, instinct takes over.

With a lightning quick motion he slips out of the man's reach. He gives his assailant a cold emotionless stare as he adopts a very precise stance. His right arm becomes a blur that only reforms once it's deep into the man's throat and applying pressure. He feels the wrapping under his right arm tighten.

His expression suddenly becoming much more flustered, he lets go of the man, who thanks him in a strange tongue, consisting mostly of panicked coughing. "Sorry I-" The ache building in the back of his head told him this wasn't the time for formalities. The best apology he could give the man would be to take him out of the fight and give him time to recover. Leading with his left, he takes the man by the collar and quickly brings him over his head before leaving him back on the ground.

While the dust settled, he decides to tip his chair over him as a finishing touch. He left the coughing (albeit, not as violently anymore) man on the floor and made his way to the other side of the tea house, throwing a few light jabs here and there, but mostly dodging. He hoped the manager would throw them out before the man under the chair got back up.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Ah! It seems as if these outsiders fight with both passion and intelligence. They are holding back a little. Maybe I should join in on the fun. It could be like my old military days.

Lex leaps into the air with a fiery burst and lands a solid foot across the temple of one of the townsfolk. He lands gracefully on his right foot and twirls around to stand in a crouched position, fire leaking from his hands.

The men in the bar seem to caught up in the fighting to really be afraid of Lex's fire. Lex forces his hands forward towards a group of men approaching him rapidly. Without warning a small explosion erupts in the lead man's chest, throwing him back several feet into the other men. A swift smile comes across Lex's face as he feels invigorated for the first time since his training with Master Ling.

Lex drops into a stance and begins to twirl his foot around in a circle. Fire dances around his foot and begins to grow in size and intensity. "Do you gentlemen want anymore?"

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Finding that the teahouse grew too chaotic for him to let off more than two arrows without fearing that he would serious hurt anyone, Angrui puts his bow and quiver back on his back. Picks up his bag, he starts beating his way to the door, either shoving aside or braining anyone in his way with his bag and sheathed sword.

When he's barely halfway to the door, however, someone wielding a chair lands a cheap shot in the back of his head and knocking him to the floor. As Angrui moves to stand up, the man hits him again with the chair, this time in his side, sending him sprawling.

[The Rose Dragon]

At this point, nearly everyone left in the town is ready to fight, not more than two dozen people - except for one man who hasn't moved an inch since the fight started. He stares at you intently, as if waiting for you to do something, but you're not sure what. Also, some of the townsfolk started fighting amongst themselves. Apparently some thought the bullies' actions were not justified. You can also hear the owner of the teahouse complaining about the mess the fight has done.

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam sits to the side, even though he underwent much martial training at the monastery, his heart was not in fighting. He went around the edges of the chaos looking for people who were badly injured and healing those that needed it. One of those struck in the leg by an arrow was pushed to the side of the room and Liam spent a while extracting the shaft before healing the damage that was done.

[Cespenar]

Jin

As the intensity of the fight diminishes, Jin starts to adjust his breath to its normal pace, and looks around with a reddened but satisfied face. His eyes stop as they meet the strange man's gaze across the teahouse, but he can't figure out the sense behind it. However, being the stubborn person that he is, Jin continues the eye contact, if for nothing but the sake of a challenge.

[Sornas]

Katsuro

Trying his best, and failing horribly, to get people to calm down, Katsuro quickly removed himself from the fighting, making his way to where Liam was healing the man with the injured leg, scooping up his alms bowl along the way.

"Oh dear, this is not good...excuse me..." He nodded at Liam, "My name is Katsuro, if there is anything I can do to help you, please tell me." He gave a slight bow, and the humanoid puppet on his shoulder waved in greeting.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

As the fight started to tone down, Angrui pushed himself up off the floor. Getting to his feet somewhat shakily, he mutters something about a cheap shot while nursing the back of his head. Seeing his way to the door finally clear, he walks outside and sits down leaning against the wall beside the door, resting for a moment. While he's sitting, he puts his sword back in his belt, checks his bow to make sure it took no damage, and pulls his bag back onto his shoulder.

[The Rose Dragon]

Jin:

While you're meeting the gaze of the man, you hear someone approaching from behind. There is still a fight going on, even if it's not as violent as it started, and you realize you need to be more alert.

[Cespenar]

Jin

Now that his interest is piqued more by the gazing stranger and less by the ongoing fight, he sets his mind into finishing it quickly. After throwing an elbow-jab to the nose of his attacker-from-behind, he assumes a basic martial stance that he learned long ago, specializing in strong overhead blows, while leaving the lower body open to attacks. He has no qualms about taking a few more hits, however, as he saw the force behind the blows of these street rabble.

He then resumes the fighting with a sigh, dropping most of the inexperienced townsfolk with one hits, and while taking a few more punches to his ribs, he succeeds in starting to diminish the fight rather quickly.

Iron Heart - Punishing Stance

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

Seeing the management at a lose, Kalim simply tries to bring an end to this. He makes sure to keep his distance from the mercenary, something about his movements seemed much more effective then the bullies and other townsfolk. With he saw him as being on his "side", but in the general chaos of the teahouse, well, better safe then sorry.

His movements remain as they were against the unlucky man under the chair, but their consequences don't seem as severe. He remains opportunistic, mostly dodging and only counterattacking when his foes attention is split or on someone else. Overtime, this leaves quiet a few men on the floor, many of which would probably have quite a headache in a few hours. His mind going back to his own head crashing against the table, he realized that most everyone here will.

Just for kicks, Martial Lore check on Jin: [roll0]

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Lex, seeing the water bender reveal himself, begins to walk towards him. Townsfolk still try and attack Lex, but every time they swing, they just can't seem to hit him. Fire dances all around Lex as he finally makes his way to the fire bender and his helper. Lex rolls himself up onto a nearby table and looks at the bender.

"So, you are a bender as well. A healer I would assume. Never really met any of your kind before? What's your name stranger?"

[The Rose Dragon]

Kalim:

You fail to glean any information on the fighting style of the large man.

Everyone:

((OOC: OK folks, let's wrap this up and move on with the plot.))

[jagadaishio]

OOC:
Ready whenever you are, Angrui is sitting outside recovering from being hit in the back of the head with a chair.

[bchilders]

Liam

Laim, slightly taken aback to such a direct introduction, stammers "The n-names Liam."

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Lex leans back on the table he is sitting on top of and smiles at the hesitant answer. Lex looks at Liam, hood still over his face to cover his scarring.

"Liam? Well good to meet you, Liam. I'm Lex. You think we are the only benders here? I've been trying to observe the other's fighting styles, and can't really tell. Are you one of those peaceful kind of guys? or can you fight when you need to?"

[The Rose Dragon]

After a few moments - or minutes, it's hard to tell in all that action -, most of the patrons, along with the bullies that started the fight, flee the teahouse, most of the furnishings are damaged and the owner of the place is devastated.

"Well," the old man says, "I hope you'll cover at least part of my damages."

All the while, the stranger at the corner is smirking at the situation.

[Cespenar]

Jin

A bit battered but glorious, Jin throws a weird look at the owner, and walks over to the bar, untying the string of his purse. He takes several coins and puts them down on the bar.

"This covers the chair that broke when I hurled that guy on it. For the rest, you need to look elsewhere."

With the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, he coldly turns and faces the smirking man.

"What are you smiling at?"

I'm not sure about the current monetary system, but the d&d equivalent of the money I gave is like 4-5 gp.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

"Does this sort of thing happen here often?" As he tries to change the subject, Kalim checks his pockets, wondering if he still has any change. The harmlessness had made it mostly fun, but now that it was over he felt somewhat empty. His head hurt too.

At the large man's remark, he turns to the smiling old man in the corner, as puzzled as anyone else.

Would he have any money left over from character creation?

[The Rose Dragon]

The man stands up and walks towards you. He turns to the owner and speaks.

"Rest assured, old man, your expenses will be covered." He tosses a small bag at the owner and then turns back to you and continues. "And I must say, well done, warriors. I thought I was waiting here for nothing, but you will do well. Come, let's sit", he says as he motions to his unharmed table, "and talk about your future."

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Angrui wanders back inside as the bullies are running out. He glances around the place to see if, by some miracle, his tea and pastry had survived the brawl. He knows that the only furniture breaking he was involved in was when a chair was broken over his head, so he ignores the owner when he speaks. When the man in the corner talks, however, he wanders over to see what he has to say.

[Sornas]

Katsuro

((Liam never replied to Katsuro <.<; Just gonna assume he didn't hear him.))


"Liam? Well good to meet you, Liam. I'm Lex. You think we are the only benders here? I've been trying to observe the other's fighting styles, and can't really tell. Are you one of those peaceful kind of guys? or can you fight when you need to?"

Katsuro looked over at the man, having just barely caught the word "benders." "Hmm? Do you need any help sir?" He asked pleasantly, the two puppets mimicking his questioning head tilt. "I am a manipulator of the earth, if that is what you need."


"And I must say, well done, warriors. I thought I was waiting here for nothing, but you will do well. Come, let's sit, and talk about your future."

He turned his head towards the man, not having noticed him previously. "Warriors? You surely don't mean us?"

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

"Our future, really?" Once the owner got compensated, he started giving the man his full attention. He eyed him suspiciously at first, but tried to brush it off as he approached. He knew he should stay at his guard, but who knew. Maybe it was the blow to the head that brought him to the table.

[The Rose Dragon]

"Your future indeed," the stranger says as a dark smile is painted on his lips. "You obviously are skilled enough to handle problems, and we can use such skilled men regardless of where their path takes them." He sits on one of the chairs and waits for you to sit also.

[Cespenar]

Jin

Jin's expression changes as he recognizes the attitude of a potential recruiter, and walks slowly towards the man's table, taking a seat if one is available. He only now becomes fully aware of the people still standing around, and he takes a few seconds to examine them. None of them strike him as "real warriors", whatever he thinks that is, but he doesn't dismiss them nonetheless, having seen his share of trickery and deceit in his mercenary times.

"So, what's the job and what's the pay?" he cuts in rather bluntly, but being aware of his bluntness and enjoying it.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Katsuro

Katsuro looked over at the man, having just barely caught the word "benders." "Hmm? Do you need any help sir?" He asked pleasantly, the two puppets mimicking his questioning head tilt. "I am a manipulator of the earth, if that is what you need."


"Ha ha! I thought you might be an earth bender. I've never seen anyone be able to manipulate puts the way you do. The only explanation I could think of was...bender. And I don't need anything, its just good to meet other benders, like myself. WHat was your name again?"

...

Lex, intrigued by the stranger's words, casually sits at the table. He adjusts himself to make sure that his scar cannot be seen by the others.

[The Rose Dragon]

"Ah, cutting right into the heart of the matter!", the stranger exclaims. "Hopefully you can do the same to your enemies as well.

"But first, I believe introductions are in order. My name is merely Hu, but I represent someone who has a vested interest in skilled warriors such as yourselves. For the occasional odd job, but sometimes for greater tasks. However, you would need more than the ability to beat up some thugs in a teahouse fight to prove yourself. And trust me, our coffers are deep, so we will pay you well."

He eyes you for a moment, then continues.

"But one question remains: how devoted are you to your Empire?"

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam focused on his healing takes a while to realize what is going on around him. At first the prospect of a job does not appeal to him, at least not to the extent a quite place to practice healing does, but as he thinks of the people he might meet, (maybe even a master water bender) he opens up a bit to the idea. He doesn't voice anything in response to the questions but he does move in closer to show his interest.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

"How devoted... That's quite a question." His right hand goes to his chin as his mind races. "I've never really thought about it, I've just seen it as being someone else's concern." He looks down at the table while he ponders it. After a moment's pause, he shrugs, "Guess that would be my answer. Take it as you wish."

[Cespenar]

Jin

"Not much." he replies, with a daring look. "I am yet to see the Empire doing anything for me, so why would I feel any obligation?"

[The Rose Dragon]

"Well, it will be your concern if you accept my offer. You see, my..." He pauses for a moment, then continues. "...the one I serve is devoted to the greatness of the Empire and its Emperor, may he live long and prosper. But if your loyalty to the Empire is not enough, hopefully your loyalty to silver is. Regardless of your motives, I see within you to potential to serve the Great Empire with deeds most men cannot even dream of." He puts a small pouch on the table as he stands up, and speaks. "You don't have to accept my offer immediately. Keep this pouch and its contents as an incentive for now. I'll be around for a few more days. Think it over. Now unless you have any questions for me, I shall take my leave."

[Sornas]

Katsuro

Remaining out of the conversation until then, Katsuro quietly walked to the owner and, dropping most of the money from his alms bowl into the man's hand, asked for tea for the group.

Moving to the table, he sat down, nodding at the man, a quizzical look on his face, "Sir, if you require assistance, I, for one, am more than willing to help you, but I don't really know what we are expected to do. You will have to excuse my forwardness, but so far your words have been rather...vague."

He smiled again, "Either way, we should have some tea on the way, if you would like to stay for a cup."

As he spoke, the puppets moved onto the table, changing shape into a rough image of the man and whoever happened to be speaking at the time, mimicking their words and actions in an exaggerated fashion.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

"I'm more devoted to the people of the empire than the empire itself," says Angrui, raising an eyebrow at the man. When he sees the man drop the bribe, or first payment, on the table, he picks the pouch up and opens it in plain view of the others. If anyone else reaches for it before him, he pulls his hand away and lets them do it.

[Cespenar]

Jin

After Angrui handles the pouch, Jin gestures to give it to himself and quickly estimates the sum of the payment (approximately). If he deems it enough, he puts it again on the table, and exclaims, "It's enough for me, I'm in. Though I agree with my friend here (gestures at Katsuro) about the details of the job. I'd like to know what I'm putting myself into." Though he clearly uses "friend" in a casual manner, he puts no certain emphasis on it in any sarcastic way.

With that said, he wipes the sweat off his forehead and leans back on his chair.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

He nods at Angrui when he have his reason. Kalim eyed the pouch before turning back to the man. This wasn't what he had the Empire to recruit, he had imagined some kind of formal ceremony in a large city, not a man offering the inners of a bar fight a greater purpose.

He picks up one of the coins from the pouch, looking it over as he talks. "I don't have much coming my way these days." Catching it in the air, he lets it rest on the table. "I'll take the offer, if only to not wonder what could have been."

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Lex turns in his seat, getting a glance of everyone's reactions. Seeing that most people were joining up, Lex nods his head in agreement. "It has been a while since I was in the empire's army. Maybe it is time I serve the empire yet again."

[bchilders]

Liam

"A chance to experience and learn more than what this small town has to offer sounds appealing, but I will admit..I'm not much of a fighter," Liam says to no one in particular. Having lived on meager supplies since leaving the monastary Liam gives little attention to the bag of money, but waits to hear more details of the offer on the table.

[The Rose Dragon]

You open the bag to see three golden crescents inside. The man responds to your query.

"Well, it is only natural that you are curious about the tasks I will set before you. For now, I can only give you one task that has been brought to my attention. To the west, near the borders of the Western Reaches, there is a recently built military base by one of the nations of the west. Since the base is in the Empire's territory, it constitutes an aggressive military act against the Empire. What I need you to do is to learn why it is there and raze it to the ground if necessary. If you accept this, return to me after you finish the task. By then, I will have both your payment and further instructions from my superior."

[PocketRocket]

Lex

"Military. Camp. Hostile. Why. Raze. Got it"

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Angrui frowns and asks, "What is the likelihood that they will respond in force to our presence? Is there any notable possibility of this being resolved peacefully?"

[The Rose Dragon]

"Well, open conflict between the Empire and the Western Reaches is not desirable at the moment," the man replies, "So best to remain non-violent. However, if you have to fight, fight to the end, and let none escape."

[Cespenar]

Jin

Jin, standing still and silent during the "briefing", promptly nods as the man finishes.

"Can you show us the location in map? Or tell us of the path, at least?"

[The Rose Dragon]

Hu gets out a map from inside his cloak and spreads it over the table.

"Our intelligence so far states that the base is here," he shows a point at the map, "Between the river of Kai and the Bluestone Mountain Range. The position holds no tactical value whatsoever - chalk it up to the inferior intellects of the western barbarians, or a hidden motive. The base is two days from here on foot so make sure you are prepared before leaving."

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

"If its a military camp within the border it can't be good news." He looks over the map, only paying attention to the bases location for a few seconds before his eyes followed all roads he'd traveled. It hadn't seemed like much while he was on them. "I'd say hidden motive, best to expect the worst at least."

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

"Well, it doesn't sound like we have enough information to do more than the most basic information before we arrive. We should reevaluate what we want to do once we get close enough to get some more information."

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam listens to the others assesment of the situation and start to wonder to himself what reasons the military camp might be there. He remains silent, but he does nod his agreement after Angrui finishes speaking.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

"Well what are everyone's strengths here? That should help us determine what our course of action should be. I myself am a bearer of fire. I can manipulate it at will."

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

"I can use a bow fairly well. I attack from far away," says Angrui, casually explaining that he is a sniper.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

"Well, I don't get caught... and if need be I can hold my own in a fight." He takes a few moments to rephrase it. "My priority's on not getting found out, but I have a few tricks for if things get testy."

[Cespenar]

Jin

"Well-" he snorts a brief laugh, "as you saw, I'm a warrior and a soldier, and I have a love for the front lines."

He throws a quick look at Kalim, and then resumes.

"And I too have a few tricks myself, which you'll hopefully see if we encounter an opponent worthy of them."

[Sornas]

((Well, this has been a pain in the butt. >.< I've been trying to get onto the board for a few days now, and just now do I not time out trying to access it.))

Katsuro

The man blinked a bit after hear the explanation. "Well...I suppose if you think that we would be suited, I don't see any reason why not..." He mumbled, scratching his head. He could always use some traveling money, and it seemed like a just cause.

At Lex's question, the puppets began to strike dramatic poses. "As I'm sure you can tell, I can manipulate the earth, although these two seem to have a mind of their own sometimes..." He laughed.

[The Rose Dragon]

"And I believe our shy friend here is a monk of Rei Den," Hu says. "Now, if your acquainting is over, and if you have your answer already, I would like to hear it."

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam nods in reply, "As you saw I have a talent for healing, as well as some other waterbending. I'm willing to go...if just to make sure no one gets hurt."

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

"I am also willing to go," says Angrui seriously, "if for no other reason than to make sure that these barbarians can't hurt anyone."

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

Startled, Kalim hastily responds to Angrui. "Hey, he caught me by surprise, he'll be alright in a few-..." Kalim stops himself before he can finish, "Wait, never mind, you meant these barbarians." He taps the map showing the camp.

Feeling rather awkward, he simply tries to move on. "Yeah, I'm in as well."

[Cespenar]

Jin

"As I said, I'm in. It'll be a nice vacation from what I was last in..." His tone drops gradually as he trails off.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

"Since the other benders are going, I shall go as well."

[The Rose Dragon]

"And you, puppetmaster?" Hu asks.

[Sornas]

Katsuro

((I figured his last statement was good enough confirmation, but in that case...)

Katsuro looked up at the man, then glanced around at all the others. "Well, I suppose that if you think I am up for this task, and everyone here places their faith in you, then it seems that I will simply have to do the same.

He smiled and took a drink of his tea.

[The Rose Dragon]

"Good, then. I suggest you prepare and leave quickly. I will be here when - if - you return with further information. If you succeed... Well, let's not talk of those things for now." Hu stands up, slightly bows, and leaves the teahouse.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

"So...shall we leave on our quest?"

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: Whatever you do, do it quickly.))

[Cespenar]

Jin

Standing up, Jin looks around at his newfound companions. With a heartening tone, he tries to speed things up.

"You heard the man, let's get ready to move." Jin gets the pouch (if no one objects), and walks with sure steps to the owner of the teahouse.

"Do you know of anywhere that we might purchase some provisions?" he asks the man with a direct tone.

[Sornas]

Katsuro

Gathering up his puppets, Katsuro quickly followed behind Jin, still not really sure about being up to whatever they wanted him to do. Though it didn't take him long to regain his usual cheerful demeanor, and he quietly walked along humming a tune to himself as the puppets danced along on his shoulders.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

"Ha ha! Let's go!!!"

Lex is so excited that his eyes light up with fire.

[The Rose Dragon]

"What, it's not enough what you did to my teahouse, now you're going to open war on others as well?" The old man sighs. "Regardless, Jasmine Dawn is not a very wealthy town, but I'm sure you can find some stores will sell things as long as your coin is good." He mutters something under his breath and goes back to cleaning up the mess.

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam sighs deeply wondering what he has just got himself into and stands up to head off with the rest of this new adventuring crew.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Angrui already feels prepared for a hike and battle, so he just waits around for the others to pick up what supplies they need before leaving town.

[Cespenar]

Jin

With the man's response, Jin leaves the teahouse with haste and tries to ask around to find a provisioner.

[Ryuuk]

Kalim

Kalim shrugs. "Look at it this way, if that man's right, it'll stop war from getting to Jasmine Dawn." That said, he follows the others.

[The Rose Dragon]

Day Two -

The acquiring of provisions went without trouble, but it took the whole day. You stayed at the local hostel and slept peacefully through the night. The next day, you wake up refreshed. It is slightly colder compared to yesterday, most likely due to winter approaching fast this year.

What do you do?

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Lex wakes up in the early morning and shivers at how cold it is. Well that just wont do. Lex concentrates and begins to manipulate what heat he can find around him to keep his body warm. He glows with radiance as the heat begins to form around him. Ahhh. Much better.

"Let us get some horses and set out. No?"

[Cespenar]

Jin

Getting up a bit earlier than the rest, an interested grin forms on Jin's lips as he encounters the cold air. He greets the firebender with a nod and goes outside to do some basic gymnastics to warm himself up.

[bchilders]

Liam

Liam awakes rather slowly, not being much of a morning person even after the years of monastic training. He notices Lex and as he moves to greet him he notices the air gets significantly warmer. "Morning friend. Sleep well?" he asks politely as he waits for the others to wake up as well.

[PocketRocket]

Lex

Maybe it was because he was too focused on himself, or maybe just because Liam is very timid, but Lex never really even noticed Liam walk up to him. Lex jumps a little at the sudden question.

"Oh hey, bender. Yeah I slept very well. Its a little cold right now so I'm trying to warm myself up. How did you sleep?"

[bchilders]

Liam

"Not very well, but I'm sure I'll manage," Liam replied. Liam opens his mouth to speak again but closes it deciding that he will just wait for the others to wake up.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Angrui is not up with the other early risers, but he's ready almost immediately after waking. After dressing, he walks outside with his bow over his shoulder and unstrung. If others are still sleeping, he strings his bow and tries to write his name in the side of the tree from 20 feet away using only arrows, as a means of keeping his skills sharp. Otherwise, he bows and apologizes, saying, "I'm sorry for making you all wait on me," before leaving with the others.

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: So, I assume you leave immediately?))

[Cespenar]

Yes, I assume people were waiting on others, which, apparently, don't plan on coming.

[bchilders]

OOC:
I'm good to go

[jagadaishio]

OOC:
I'm still here too.

[PocketRocket]

OOC:lets go

[The Rose Dragon]

You set on the road early, with whatever equipment you can carry on yourselves and your poor horses - the villagers of Jasmine Dawn are no horselords, after all. It is a beautiful day, except for the chill, and the first part of the road is safe and easy.

((OOC: You can use this time to get to know each other, and I'll interrupt when appropriate.))

[PocketRocket]

Lex

"So puppet man. Who exactly are your friends here?" Lex asks while gesturing towards the two puppets.

[jagadaishio]

Angrui

Angrui tests the tensile strength of his current bowstring as they walk, pulling the bow as if he had an arrow in hand and releasing. He listens to the conversations of the others as they walk. He has plenty of arrows, but all the arrows in the world won't matter if his bowstring snaps before he's in a place safe enough to string his bow up with a new one.

[Cespenar]

Jin

Walking with long, sure steps, Jin travels in the front, looking around and enjoying the vitalizing cold air. He is not completely oblivious to the chatter behind him though, listening to them with a half ear.