Tales of Aequar: Runite's Rise IC

[CoffeeIncluded]

It's early afternoon in the great city-state of Runite, and the hot summer sun beats down upon the crowd, already smothered by the thick humidity. Normally the gathering would be escaping the midday heat in their houses, perhaps trying to catch a bit of ocean breeze by the docks. And yet there are hundreds, possibly thousands of people cramped together in the large public square outside the Senate house, standing shoulder to shoulder (or shoulder to waist, in the case of the haflings, gnomes, and goblins of the city), waiting for the Senators to announce the new laws and measures of the city.

Normally only the politically minded or extremely bored would listen to these wealthy leaders drone on and on, as if the mosquitoes didn't do enough of that, but here something of interest has been debated among the minutiae that are of no interest to common people. The Senators have been debating whether to add another to their ranks: one Dierdre Kalidar, who helped to drain the swamps the city was built on, and installed sewers throughout Runite. Though Runite is still bordered by miles upon miles of swamp, the city itself has tamed the waters and relegated it to canals. Thanks to Dierdre and the famed dwarven craftsmen who helped her, the scourges of malaria, yellow fever, blinding sickness, dysentery, and cholera have been largely checked. Thanks to them, Runite's citizens can drink water safely, and in less than thirty years the city turned from a small trading post to the famed Gateway to the Southern Islands, and an increasingly powerful member of the Kyarian Federation. All the workers on the project became rich beyond belief, and when Dierdre petitioned to join the Senate, she should have had no problem being accepted for the powerful lifetime position.

Except for one thing. Dierdre is a drow. Accepting her as a Senator would mean having a drow--a Plavaan! in the high echelons of Runitian governemnt. And it would mean having to declare the Plavaan refugee underclass, growing in population every year, official full citizens of Runite.

No wonder thousands of people of every race and color and species are waiting to hear the official results of the vote. No wonder it seems like nearly every Plavaan in the city has turned out to the public square, goblins standing on each others' shoulders to catch a glimpse, drow hidden behind their veils, orcs squinting against the light.

There are people protesting somewhere in the throng, and there's a counter protest close by. Somewhere else, a man with a food cart is loudly advertising his wares of "Endcatch stew," which locals know is a cheap stew made from whatever the fishermen and grocers weren't able to sell the previous day. It's a good street food, popular among the less well-to-do (which of course means that in several years time the rich of Runite will make a special high-quality version of it for themselves), and it's made of different ingredients every day.

Three humans and two goblins stand close to each other in the crowd, waiting for the Senator to quit droning about municipal tax rates and get on with it...

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And here we go. Hope I set the stage well. Jadeite won't show up for a bit, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves for a while, get to know each other!

OOC thread

[Dusk Eclipse]

Common, hurry up you lazy ass! are the muttered words from Artorias, a young human, normally he is patient (not overly so; but more than it would be expected of someone of his age); but standing in the sun for so long has drained him and put him in a foul mood. He fidgets in his place,hfrom time to time he glances at the protests, halfway hoping a fight breaks out, just to kill the boredom (and to have the opportunity to try a new move he has been trying to perfect

He looks at his goblin companions and silently wonders what they think about this.

[Devmaar]

Alim strains to see the speakers. Unlike most of the people here, he attended these announcements rather frequently, and definitely preferred the square quieter. Normally he wouldn't have concern with the length of proceedings, but on this occasion he was inclined to agree with his colleague.

Silently he waited, waited for the words that could determine the rest of his life.

[Draconi Redfir]

Elsee meanwhile was rocking back and fourth on her feet as her hands were clenched together behind her head to act as an admittedly uncomfortable pillow. She groaned and rolled her eyes as she watched yet another cloud slowly float past her in the sky above, not really listening to whatever was being said.

Why the heck are we here again? Eye dunno about you guys but standing in a huge crowd with nothin to look at except for a bunch of human behinds isn't really Doing it for me. Is there a point to all of this?

[Athedia]

Badger knelt down next to the small goblin. "Would you like a boost?" While she was close to the ground she gave a small tap on Naga, her basset hound's nose. He was sniffing in the direction of the Endcatch in a hungry manner.

[Draconi Redfir]

Elsee sneered and stuck out her tounge at the badger, a lot of good getting a boost would do her at this point.

No, and that doesn't awnser my question!

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Endcatch! Fresh endcatch, right off the docks, and I'd swear it on me pa's life! Five copper a dish and that's guttin' meself!" the man shouts over a brief argument between the two protesting groups that suddenly got louder.

The Senator on the podium appears to be winding down his speech...

[Athedia]

The Badger sighed and straightened up, looking out over the crowd. Other than the protests, the streets were calmer than usual, safer. There still seemed to be no sign of an end to the talk of taxes.

"It doesn't really seem to be a point for me. I don't care how the vote goes, I still have my job to do and that doesn't change depending on who I chase. But you.. With this she ruffled the short goblins hair, knowing it annoyed her "You want to a citizen don't you? You would have more freedoms." Lifting her hand from Elsee's head, the Badger remembered "Lil Miss". With a quick grimace she quickly wiped her hand off on the leather of her pants.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Elsee sneered and stuck out her tounge at the badger, a lot of good getting a boost would do her at this point.

No, and that doesn't awnser my question!

Tough luck Elsee; but don't worry I am sure this shall prove entertaining at the least Artorias answered, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

[Draconi Redfir]

Elsee snarled and violently rubbed at her hair with her hands to try and remove the feeling of it being messed up from her skull. As the human before her, she quickly made a quick visual inspection of her hands to ensure Lil Miss wasn't on them, satisfied when she saw no signs of the parasite.

Eye don't give a ship either way, i wasn't supposed to be living here in the first place, and even then my only job is with the guild. 'sides it's just some Drow chick not a goblin, eye don't see the point.

[CoffeeIncluded]

After what feels like years but is in reality no more than twenty or thirty minutes, the Senator finally leaves the podium only to be replaced by another of his peers, a slim dwarf with fine black hair and piercing blue eyes. He keeps a carefully neutral expression as he evaluates the crowd, then takes a breath and begins to speak...

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Knowledge (Local) or Knowledge (Nobility/Royalty) to ID him. You could also roll sense motive if you want. Goodnight guys, I'll have another post in 8 or 12 hours depending if I can get to the computer before heading to raptors, and I'll wait until after you guys post too.

[Athedia]

The Badger peered across the crowd, did she know this senator, it could be hard to remember one from another.

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Knowledge (local) (1d20+5)[10]
Sense Motive (1d20+8)[9]

[Silverraptor]

A 17 year old girl with shoulder length hair blond hair stood near the group talking amongst them, but paid them no attention. She only recently arrived in Runite, hearing about the riches this city possessed, which naturall meant that new styles of dresses would be on display. She entered late into the previous day, ready to browse the shops and compare different fashion items they contained. She was disappointed to hear that most of the shops would be closed today due to this assembly and was only standing there, waiting for the crowd to disperse and be the first at the shops when they opened. Compared to the crowd, she looked way more comfortable in the hot weather. While there were those in the crowd who were sweating, she stood out as though it was the perfect temperature. Though, the reason for this was because she casted "Endure Elements" on herself when it started getting warm.

She was wearing one of her casual clothes, which happened to be an elbow length turquoise shirt that stopped just above her belly button. Her mini-skirt was a light silver color that seemed slightly shorter than the normal fashion. She was busy rummaging through her shoulder bag to make sure she had everything for her shopping spree later. Her gold bracelet clanked as it brushed against the sack of gold that was in there as well as other things she brought with her on this shopping trip. Her chainshirt and other travel items she left in her room at the tavern she was staying at. Satisfied that she definately had everything, she closed the shoulder bag with a snap and bent down to pick up a larger travel bag that was currently empty, but was expected to be full of clothing by the days end. As she grabbed hold of its strap, the silver amulet of Astrid dangled from the necklace around her neck. She stood up, hoisting the bag over her back, with her pink earrings shining brightly in the sunlight.

She looks around again, still not paying attention to anyone in the crowd specifically, but as an inquisitive 'What's taking so long?' motion.

[Devmaar]

Frustrated at the other goblins apathy, Alim peers intently at the stage

A new speaker, now where do I recognise him from...

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Knowledge: Local (1d20+9)[19]

If we can try both, Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty (1d20+7)[10]

[CoffeeIncluded]

Badger:

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The dwarf's name is Cesare, and you're pretty sure he's a Senator. Beyond that, you don't know who he is. He's excellent at keeping a calm demeanor though, and you can't tell what he thinks about the results of the vote--which he already knows.

Alim:

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The dwarf's name is Cesare; he's the only dwarf in the Senate and one of the newer Senators as well. His claim to government and the source of his riches come from the buildings he's designed--his name is on the blueprints of nearly every building in the city center, which was the first part of Runite to be truly built up. You also faintly recall him voting against Dierdre's acceptance into the Senate every time she petitioned, which has been several years now.
Also, I'm treating that one as a 20; it was close enough. Nice roll.

The dwarven Senator clears his throat, and finally says, "By a vote of twenty-eight for to thirty-five against, the petition for Dierdre Kalidar to become a member of Runite's Senate has been rejected. She may reapply in four months' time, as is protocol..."

You can't hear much of the rest, as he is immediately drowned out by boos, shouts, claps, and cheers.

"Boo!!!"

"Yeah, you tell them, Cesare!"

"No Plavaan in the Senate!"

"You're full of ****! You and the rest of the Senate!"

"What the hell?! You'd be nothing without Dierdre! Runite owes her and you know it! You owe us!"

Dierdre remains quiet and poised as the crowd begins to almost vibrate with pent-up frustration. Watchmen keeping guard are quick to intervene and try to break up the groups before they can get too agitated.

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Feel free to post thoughts, reactions, try to calm down the Runitians and Plavaan, whatever. We're still in the prologue so...

Also, guys, please use quotations marks when your characters are speaking.

[Devmaar]

Alim's shoulder's slump. His drops his head and his hands cover his face. He'd tried not to let himself get too hopeful, but still...

He stumbles away through the crowd, trying to find the nearest alleyway where he can get a moment's quiet to clear his head.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Though the vote sounds like it's closer than it has been in years past, it's apparently cold comfort to Alim--a failure is still a failure.

It's quieter in the alley, but not by much. He can still hear the shouts of rancor and attempts to calm the crowd behind him.

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Sorry, I should have mentioned that in the last post. You would have known that the vote's closer this time than previous years with that knowledge check.

[Devmaar]

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Closer, perhaps, but you summed it up pretty well.

The goblin sits against the alley wall, cradling his head in his hands.

"Closer. Always closer but never there." he mutters to himself sadly

[Athedia]

The Badger sighed at the outcome of the vote and walked over to the man selling Endcatch. "Two bowls. If you don't mind." She placed a silver piece on the stall as the man passed the bowls over. Carefully holding them she ducked around the protesters and into a quiet corner. She placed one of the bowls on the ground and sat next to it, knee's supporting the second bowl as she shoveled the food into her mouth. It wasn't the best food, but it was a change of pace. Naga lapped up the the stew, jowls hanging into the food.

[Silverraptor]

As the vote was called out, the crowd became agitated. People began shoving and yelling at each other. Sora quickly didn't want to be caught in the middle of this anymore. She had already been pushed about several times and someone had even stepped on her foot. After crawling her way through as if trying to swim through moving mud, she managed to get to the edge of the crowd and to safety.

She walked further away and stopped at a corner of a building, near an alley to catch her breath. She looked back at the crowd, thankful she was no longer in that mess.

[CoffeeIncluded]

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Spot: (d20+3)[21]
Listen: (d20+3)[6]
Spot: (d20-1)[0]
Listen: (d20-1)[5]

Sora:

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You see the shadow of a small creature, child-sized but with adult proportions, curled up in the alley. However, the shouts of the crowd drown out any sounds the person might be making.

If you look in the alleyway, you see Alim, despondent.

Alim:

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You're too upset by the results of the vote to pay attention to your surroundings.

The stew that Badger and Naga eat is bad even for endcatch stew; the cart owner's obviously been cutting corners. Nevertheless, it's hot and doesn't smell spoiled, and it's something to fill one's stomach.

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I'll be back in several hours, possibly moving things along then. I won't interrupt good roleplaying though.

[Dusk Eclipse]

"What a huge twist!":smallsight: Artorias looks breifly at his companions to find them leaving, I might as well do the same. With those thoughts Artorias beginst to backtrack to his house.

[Silverraptor]

A movement of a shadow out of the corner of her eye caused Sora to turn around. As she peers down the alley, she see's a small creature curled down the alley. Her natural curiosity allowed her to take a few tentative steps. She lowered her head a little, tilting it slightly to the side.

"Hello?"

[Devmaar]

Looking up and the voice, Alim sees a young woman in armour. Stumbling to his feet, he stammers
"Oh, oh yes. Sorry. I'm quite alright. No cause for alarm.

[Draconi Redfir]

Elsee rolled her eyes and immediately turned on her heel as the announcement was made. FINALLY! And all this standing around and waiting for absolutely nothing, THAT sure was a fun time now wasn't it!? With Elsee's thoughts littered with sarcasm on the situation, she was unable to notice her companions disappearing, previous members of the crowd passing around her as she begun the long treck back to the guild hall.

unfortunately it seemed some members of the crowd around her weren't of the friendliest sort, as Elsee quickly found herself snapped out of her thoughts as a palm struck her head and pushed her to the ground below. Elsee snarled feraly as the culprit walked away laughing. Gee, and now she had to put up with THIS fullship too.

"Jerk" Elsee muttered under her breath as she picked herself up from the street.

[CoffeeIncluded]

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Yeah, it's Alim. And Sora just joined the mercenary group recently, right? I'll give you guys time to chat, don't worry.

As the man walks away laughing from Elsee, one of them blows a raspberry in her direction as she picks herself up.

[Draconi Redfir]

Elsee simply snarls at them again and shows off a lovely little hand-gesture traditionally used to insult people. If they do not respond in some way, she proceeds back to the guild hall, if they do respond, then she doesn't. Draconi just felt he had to make his post longer then one sentance.

[Athedia]

The Badger finished her food and set the bowl down for Naga to lick clean. Once the dog was finished she started walking toward the guild, taking a longer route to avoid the angry crowds. "I don't see their problem Naga. Elsee and Alim haven't attempted to kill me yet, and Astrid knows they've had the chance." She noticed her reflection in a window as she walked and paused to admire the henna swirled across her face. She could apply the designs herself now, after the years of practice and never grew tired of looking at them. Tearing her gaze from the window she continued back to the guild.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Eventually things calm down enough that the watch is able to disperse the crowd without too much fuss, and everyone returns to their homes. The group eventually meets up at the guild, which is buzzing with conversation, most of it surrounding the vote. The mercenary guild has a relatively high concentration of Plavaan, and you can see off in the distance a halfling trying to cheer up her decidedly grumpy half-orc friend.

When Sora goes to the head of the guild, a large severe-looking man with greying hair, he says, "Yeah, your group? Right over there," before pointing to a young woman with a hound and henna tattoos, a large quiet-looking man, and two goblins--one male, one female. She recognizes the male goblin from the alleyway earlier that day.

At some point, after Sora makes her introductions and the group is the only one left in the main entranceway, they hear a knocking on the door.

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You guys need a name.

[Dusk Eclipse]

"So you are Sora, welcome to the Guild, my name Is Artorias Kaathe a pleasure to meet you."

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I suck at naming things, so I'll leave the group's name to someone with more creativity.