Seaside

Locales abroad of the city centers, from out of doors to the outer planes.
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Earl of Purple
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Off the Coast

"I be too heavy t' swim, though I be walkin' ashore afore." And getting lost on the seabed, sinking into silt on the abyssal plain, and fending off curious merfolk and tritons with no idea what he is without really being able to communicate with them. "May I be askin' what ye be plannin' wi' this vessel?" He'll stand now he's able, putting his pistols back into their holsters.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Off The Coast]

"AGH!" The half-pint captain screams, staggering back from Krayger. "My eye! He shot me in the fucking eye! AGH!"

The demonic pirates back away from the boy, exchanging worried glances. "Now you've done it, mate..." One of them mutters to Krayger. "No tellin' what the cap'n will do when she gets right proper mad. Ye've gone an' killed us a-"

"This is great!" The boy cheers, throwing up his hands in celebration, sending a little spurt of blood across the deck from the vigor of the gesture. "I get to wear a patch now! Like a real, proper pirate! Haha!" He points to one of the crew nearest him. "You! Ye scurvy dog, go an fetch yer captain an eyepatch! Argh!"

"Right away, boss!" The crewman scurries back toward the cabin as the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the demons attempting to hold Frigate mutter some advice to him.

"If you value your life, you won't go overboard." The first mumbles.

"There's no shore to walk to." The other elaborates. "You'll be stuck down there until something eats you."

"And there are a lot of big somethings in these waters."

"Huge."

"Don't risk it." They chorus, each giving Frigate a little knock on the helmet to drive the message in.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

Strange things wash up on beaches sometimes. Sunken treasure, risen to the surface; the carcasses of unidentifiable seabeasts; flotsam and jetsam of all varieties. Some people even make a living harvesting the things that the ocean spits out.

Today, any beachgoers might see that something a little unusual has washed ashore- a body. Said body is that of a a very waterlogged young man of below average height and slim build. He seems to have ran afoul of some rocks, as gashes litter his arms and chest and his once fine clothes hang in tatters.

His most unusual feature is the metallic rabbit mask that seems to be locked on over his head. It's made from tarnished silver, with gold filigree etched in elaborate patterns across it and the ears extending several inches above his head. Water slowly draining out of the eye slits is the only sign of movement from him.

Then, with a start, he coughs, expelling more water from the mask. He begins weakly crawling up the beach, every inch laborious. Clearly, he has seen better days.
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Re: Seaside

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Off the Coast

Frigate would nod in recognition of the advice, yet he can't- no neck to bend. "Oh, aye? Th' vessel we be disembarkin' from t' get 'ere were in sight o' land when we came across ye. This don't be where ye be comin' from, me thinks. There be shore here," And if Frigate could remember where it was, he'd turn to look for it. He's reasonably sure they haven't sailed out of the Nexus, which means this eclectic pirate crew and their confused and confusing captain likely sailed in, recently enough to not have noticed. Or else the coast they'd been following is a singularly large sleeping kraken, anyway. Frigate hopes not; one nearly ate him once.
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Re: Seaside

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Off the Coast

The fact that the captain is not dead confirms that he is not, in fact, a normal child commanding demons which is all Krayger needs. He slaps a speed loader into the cylinder of his revolver and holsters it, deciding instead to simply slam the butt of his lucerne into the deck below them. It looks perhaps the flailing of a frustrated brute, but he's actually checking to see if the ship is made of regular wood or not.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Off the Coast]

"Look around ye, mate. Ye really think yer still anywhere near where ye were?"

It is, admittedly, a bit difficult to tell. The space to the sides of the ship is already completely obscured; it's obscenely dark out. And, it bears emphasis, quite cold... though Frigate might not be able to tell that, apart from the heavy fog settling on his exterior.


Krayger, meanwhile, will find that his lucerne does, in fact, connect with ordinary wood. Teak, it looks like.

Meanwhile, back behind the captain, the demons can be seen hauling some of their own to the side and throwing them over; Krayger's bullets managed to hit a few, fatally, it seems.

Well, not that guy. He's still kicking and screaming. Clearly alive, if in a lot of pain.

And overboard he goes.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Off the Coast

"Well, I be hopin' so. But it not th' first time I be sailin' twixt th' worlds wi'out noticin'. Though last time it were more o' a march 'cross Davy Jones' Locker." Which raises the intriguing prospect that perhaps Frigate died and this is the afterlife, and has been since he emerged onto that island in Seaside. Frigate dismisses the prospect rapidly; he can't remember dying, and besides he's not sure he's got a soul to travel to an afterlife.

The demons might be able to tell that yes, Frigate does have a soul... but he doesn't know that.
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Re: Seaside

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Off the Coast

"You have already traded five men for two." Krayger observes. "How much exactly are you willing to lose for us?"
Without warning, Krayger hops over the rail he's been standing next to and down the ladder built into the side of the hull. A hull that is soon being battered by a exceptionally thunderous hammer low enough down to be very concerning.
"I would suggest-" wham "-that you give me and frigate the boat we came in on-" wham "-or you'll find out what 'Sunk Cost' is."
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Re: Seaside

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Morty wrote: Mar 08, 2023 10:50 pm [The Coast]

"Of course. I need only take a look," Askeladd assures him as he steps closer and looks at the painting intently. His eyes briefly flash with silver light and his shadow seems to lengthen - but it might be dismissed as a trick of the light.

He regards the painting with the sight of a divine apex predator, one whose insight pierces all magic and deception to arrive at its heart, dissect it and judge it. He has walked the world of mortals and spirits for decades and few things that belong in either can escape his sight.
[The Coast]

"Be our guest. If you learn anything I'd be more than eager to hear it." The priest remarks as he moves aside to give Askeladd as good a view of the painting as possible.

As he looks at it his gaze will be drawn to its eyes. Since whatever mystical force that lives within this painting, they seem to be the center of it. Since the way the entire picture is constructed it naturally draws any observers gaze to those big wild eyes. Eyes which to spark with a chaotic energy all their own. These are the eyes of a force of nature, unbound by all the laws of man. Unable to be tamed or swayed.

As he stares at those eyes they seem to be staring back at him and the longer he looks at it the more intense the feeling of being watched back is until...

ENOUGH. A deep booming voice seems to echo inside his mind.

Its is loud, just as loud as Megeshi's when he first met her, yet he gets the feeling its owner is quite calm.
IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS RIGHT NOW, OR TELL THE VILLAGERS OF WHAT YOU'VE JUST HEARD, I WILL WIPE THEIR SETTLEMENT OFF THE GROUND.

A pause.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
quillpleasant wrote: Mar 12, 2023 9:13 pm Beach

Strange things wash up on beaches sometimes. Sunken treasure, risen to the surface; the carcasses of unidentifiable seabeasts; flotsam and jetsam of all varieties. Some people even make a living harvesting the things that the ocean spits out.

Today, any beachgoers might see that something a little unusual has washed ashore- a body. Said body is that of a a very waterlogged young man of below average height and slim build. He seems to have ran afoul of some rocks, as gashes litter his arms and chest and his once fine clothes hang in tatters.

His most unusual feature is the metallic rabbit mask that seems to be locked on over his head. It's made from tarnished silver, with gold filigree etched in elaborate patterns across it and the ears extending several inches above his head. Water slowly draining out of the eye slits is the only sign of movement from him.

Then, with a start, he coughs, expelling more water from the mask. He begins weakly crawling up the beach, every inch laborious. Clearly, he has seen better days.
Beach

"A zombie!" A masked scavenger stands on the beach not far from man. Having been stopped dead in their tracks by his sudden movements.
They were on their way to loot what from a distance looked like a corpse but now they're pointing a spear at what now looks like a member of the undead.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

The battered castaway manages to push himself to his knees, weakly raising both hands in a placating gesture. He tries to speak, but only a croak comes out. Swallowing painfully, he tries again.

"Not a zombie," he manages, his worse quiet and hoarse, "Washed up here. Need water." He peers through his mask, trying to get a better look at the threatening scavenger.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

The stranger stares back through a mask of their own. The rest of their body obscured by colorful robes.
"...are you kidding me, not-zombie?" They exclaim, the voice hinting that they might present as female. Even if her clothes give little hints. "You got too much water!" She gestures at him incredulously, spear still in hand. "Like, you're drenched in it!"
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

If the masked man's expression could change, it would likely be a look of exhausted confusion as he stares at the colorful figure for a good couple moments.

"I can't drink saltwater," he says finally, "It'll do a thing called killing me." He sits back in the sand with a groan. "Not that that's hard to do right now."
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"The what water?"

A beat.

"Has someone salted the water? Why would they do that? No wonder you can't drink it." The stranger reaches into her belt and unfastens her trusty water pouch which she throws to the young man. "Drink carefully, if all this water is poisoned I better save as much as possible."
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

The man eagerly grabs the water pouch, but heeding the stranger's words he only takes one mouthful before replacing the lid.

"Thanks, I really needed that," he says, shakily getting to his feet. He tilts his head.

"Do you, well, know what the ocean is?" he asks. He had assumed his new benefactor was a beach comber, but if she didn't know what saltwater was...
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"Well, duh! Of course I do!"
The stranger points her spear at the great mass of water beyond the shoreline. "That's in fact why I'm here. Wanted to see it for myself." She spends a moment staring at it before looking down at him again.
"...pretty dangerous, huh? Like a lake that got way too big for its own good. I had fancied a dip in it but now I don't know."
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

The young man is a little nonplussed. How could someone know what the ocean is, but not saltwater? He files that strangeness away for later, instead following her gaze out across the water.

"It is dangerous, but no less beautiful for that. I was in love with the ocean once, but she didn't share my feelings. And now she's spat me out here." He gestures at the sandy expanse wearily. "Not that it's a bad place to be."

"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Harley Lalune, and you are?" His voice is soft and slow, as if he's very sleepy.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"Sounds like one of them' gods." The stranger remarks with a nod to what lies beyond the beach. "All powerful and big but doesn't give any love." She shakes her head and turns to look back at Harley.
There's a pendant around her neck. If its actually gold or not is hard to tell but its design is curious.
"Raheeda's my name and I'm a stranger to these lands... or waters? Whatever. Are you a stranger too? Or do you actually know something I don't? Since I admit, I am a bit lost and we're at least mask-buddies. So we can relate." She gestures to his mask and then to her own.
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Re: Seaside

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[The Coast]

"And who do I have the pleasure with, that guards their privacy so closely?" Askeladd asks within the confines of his mind, outwardly appearing to still study the painting.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"You're right there. Gods are fickle, and don't appreciate their own divinity," mutters Harley. Turning away from the water, he eyes Raheeda's strange medallion. There's sure to be a story there.

Her last statement elicits a chuckle from him, echoing in his mask as he reaches up to touch it.

"You're right, aha. Sometimes I forget it's even there. But no, I know as little as you about this place. Perhaps it's better to be lost together than alone," he says, and his voice sounds like he's smiling.

"What's the story behind your talisman? It looks important," he continues, gesturing to the gold necklace.
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Re: Seaside

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Morty wrote: Mar 27, 2023 1:03 pm [The Coast]

"And who do I have the pleasure with, that guards their privacy so closely?" Askeladd asks within the confines of his mind, outwardly appearing to still study the painting.
[The Coast]

I AM BISHMUTRAXX, THE GREATFLAME. The mental voice echos in his head and then pauses as if giving him the time to properly comprehend the name.
NOW DO WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OR NOT?

Beach

Raheeda looks to be about to comment on something when he mentions she amulet.
She looks down as if just noticing that it was there and holds it up in her hand. "Oh... this? Um, it's... ah, stuff." She pulls it up and then let's it slip down her neck, burying it beneath her robes.

A pause.

"I mean... uh, why do you ask? Like, what's with your mask for instance?" She gestures to his face.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"Ah, my apologies," says Harley agreeably, "I didn't mean to pry, sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me."

At Raheeda's question, he lifts a hand and raps on the side of his mask, making a quiet bell-like sound.

"That's no great secret. It's a punishment, for tricking some important people. They put it on me to help me learn from my mistakes. Guess I'm still working on that." He shrugs, as if this story is completely inconsequential to him.

"You're welcome to share the story behind your own mask, but I don't wish to pressure you by asking."
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

Raheeda gestures to her own mask. "This? Oh, it's just a silly thing my tribe wears. No real history behind it." She let's out a nervous laugh before her attention turns to his mask. "So you can't just take it off? Is it magic or like a... binding." She speaks that last word with more seriousness, as if she's trying to convey some secret meaning with the way she pronounces it.

Then she ruins it.
"...not the bra kind. The oath kind."
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

Harley lets out a startled laugh at the last comment. "Yeah, it's sort of an oath, I guess. I can't take it off until I tip the scales and make up for what I did by making enough people happy, or something like that. They were kind of vague on the wording." He shrugs. "Could be worse. At least its pretty light." He gestures vaguely at Raheeda's own mask. "And tradition isn't silly. It's a way of connecting to history."

He looks down at his tattered clothes and flesh wounds. "Speaking of, ah, clothing. I should probably find something new to wear, and get these treated while I'm at it. Can't clean them with the ocean water because, like I said. It's been salted." He nods sagely.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"Ehh... tradition of connecting history, yeah." She nods, though sounds unsure what that even means. "But, uh, clothes." She looks around as if expecting to find a bunch just laying around on the beach. "I don't usually carry around spares. Gotta travel light." She scratches her head and instead of focusing on a solution for that she just jumps over to the other subject.

"But so how do you know if you fulfilled the oath then? Since I was also under an oath once and it was pretty clear. Boy, would I have had trouble if it was a vague one. Wouldn't know what to do with myself."
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

Harley follows her gaze around the beach, and seems just as nonplussed that there are no clothes to be found. He peers into the distance for a moment, perhaps looking for civilization. Seeing none, he sighs, as if resolved to his situation.

"Well it wasn't exactly an oath. It was more of a punishment. I think the wording was something along the lines of 'you shall be cursed to mask your true nature until you have brought a thousand times as much joy into the world as you have brought pain.' So...I assume I'll know when that happens?" He gives a weak thumbs up, but his heart clearly isn't in it.

"How did you go about fulfilling your oath? Any tips?"
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

"Uh... well, here's the thing. My oath wasn't really intended to be... I mean, a lot of oaths are usually intended for life, right? You humans- we humans, and elves, got that marriage thing- oh and the family thing. Since that's like an oath too, right? 'Stay with your children until you die'. That sort of thing."

There's a pause as she suddenly had forgotten what she was talking about.

"-well, my oath was more like magic. So I guess the only tip I could give you is making another pact with a goddess to get out of the first one? But really, don't do that. It was a terrible idea. Since gods are terrible." Raheeda gestures towards her neck. "That's what that medallion was by the way. Her symbol." The wanderer shrugs. "Anyway, I did see a boat anchored by the coast around here somewhere. Maybe they have clothes?"
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Re: Seaside

Post by Morty »

[The Coast]

"No, I don't think we do." Askeladd's voice booms through the mental connection with the ominous, low tone of a gathering storm. "I am not a supplicant to be dismissed and these people aren't collateral damage to your schemes or pride. If you wish to ask of something, explain why."
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Re: Seaside

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[The Coast]

WHY WOULD I EXPLAIN MYSELF TO AN OUTSIDER? There's a snappiness to the voice now. THE AUDACITY OF YOUR ILK, ALWAYS COMING TO ME WITH DEMANDS. DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE YOU CAN INTIMIDATE ME? The speaker sounds amused in a condescending sort of way.
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Re: Seaside

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Beach

Harley listens attentively, unreadable behind his mask. When Raheeda finishes, he thinks for a moment.

"Well I couldn't agree more. Gods are terrible. Even when they don't mean to be. Also, thank you for trusting me with the story of your medallion. So..." he muses, struck by a sudden thought, "This pact, is it still affecting you? Is it something you need help with? I ask purely because, well, helping people does help me with my own situation." He raises a hand in a placating gesture. "No pressure of course, just think on it."

Turning, he peers back out across the sea. "A boat seems like a good starting point to me. Can't say I'm too eager to go back in the water, but if I must..."
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Re: Seaside

Post by Morty »

[The Coast]

This dragon, if that's indeed who they are, gives most Dragon-Blooded a run for their money in terms of bull-headed arrogance.

"Intimidate? No. My only goal here is knowledge. But I will do what I must to protect these people as well. And if you truly wish to be left alone, this painting sends a mixed message,"
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