Sildanyari do Not Birth Gnomes
Chardev (Ormarr): A light scene in which the true parentage of gnomes is discussed. The blame is tossed from one species to another until it settles on the khazad...who have no singular member there to defend themselves. Enjoyed also getting to break in Ormarr's barder. The creature suits him, though the character still feels incomplete, rough.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* City Docks - Cliffside *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- The main waterfront district of the city of Alexandria, Cliffside can be a rough place at times but it also houses legitimate businesses as ships need repairs, sailors need beds to sleep in and captains need crews to hire. The Local Constables tend to find it hard to keep order here although the worst of the chaos tends to be found to the southeast in the red light district of Alexandria's Welcome. Nevertheless, this area can bustle with activity (both legitimate and not). Given its current state, one would never guess that in recent memory it was all underwater when it was flooded during the famed Merkabah Siege. Residential areas here are few and house mostly the poor and members of the lower classes, but they do exist in scattered groupings amidst the warehouses and taverns. White-faced though not completely sheer, the cliffs themselves tower a good one hundred feet or more into the skies with walkways, steps and Magi-Tek- and steam-powered lifts allowing passage up to the city proper, which sits on an enormous bluff high above sea level. Gigantic cranes powered by artifice haul crates and sometimes entire ships from docks to warehouses both elsewhere on the docks and up on the bluff. Activity is nonstop no matter the hour of the day. The vast expanse of Brightwater Bay glitters beyond the reaching fingers of the docks; the cove opens into the Rift Sea which dominates the entire southern horizon. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-- Contents --=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Jibbom Steel Von Ironblood, Bane of the Night. 0s 23m Faun Weatherworn dawn elf of indeterminate gender. 4m 1h Ormarr A short, bandy-legged, pepper-and-salt oruch 3s 21h Mikilos Tall male dawn elf, rosey blonde and handsome. 2m 1h -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= Exits -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Alexandria's Welcome <SE> Silver Flood <SW> Commerce District <N> -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
It's Tariday, Callem 14 20:15:48 1014. The full moon isn't up. The tide is low and ebbing.
The night is warm and sultry, and dark clouds hide the stars in patches. Elsewhere they shine brightly. Dew forms on the ground.
Mikilos yeeps, and flails a little, less concerned with falling over than with hiting someone with what's basically a polearm. Thankfully, neither happens; the wizard offering a steadying hand towards the other elf. "You alright... miss?" A guess. 50/50 chance, right? Glancing towards Jibbom, he nods a distracted greeting.
The flailing elf scrabbles out of the garbage can and rearranges its clothes with a bit of a dignified sniff. It eyes Mikilos up and down for a moment, then nods curtly. "Yes. But I have a bounty to catch!" And whirling around, the elf points right at Jibbom.
Who is being snorfled all over by an Irish Wolfhound. SNORFLE. The dog doesn't seem terribly interested in the proffered meat, so much as the halfling holding it.
"Aaaaan I saw 'im walkin' down this way, down this way...eh?" the older oruch steps back to look at the creature beside him. The wide, waddling creature beside him. As large as a pony, the badger waffles along. The two creatures share a similar gait--wide, waddling, with feet shuffling here or there. Right now, the oruch is scowling at the waddling badger, who sort of...grunts, and waddles on. And seeing the wolfhound, grunts, and comes to a pause, staring grumpily ahead.
"Don't think he'll get out of yer way, lad. He's a mite..." the oruch squints, "busy."
Grunt, goes the badger.
Jibbom is just baffled. How could anyone, much less an apparently hungry dog, apparently have no interest in a delicious heavily fried treat? I mean, aside from the fact that it's literally dripping grease onto the street. "Really? So picky. Suit yourself." He promptly begins chewing on it, looking curiously over at Mikilos and the elf of ambiguous gender. "Is this what elven flirting looks like? Weird."
Mikilos blinks, then looks to Jibbom, and blinks again. "...what? No. Typically more poetry. Anyway, bounty? Someone actually offered money for Von Steel?"
"Is that what he's going by nowadays? Hah! Like that can fool me." Faun strides over and ruffles the dog's head, which earns a lolling tongue and happily wagging tail. "Good boy, Nodd!" And... Jibbom is suddenly yoinked off his feet and into the strange elf's arms. "Yesss, you've been running from me long enough, Count Zhul! ... Though I'm a little surprised at your boldness this time, admittedly. ... Nevermind that, though. You're coming with me!" Oh yes, the elf seems very pleased.
Ormarr looks at the hugging oddly, and points at Jibbom, intending to say a thing. Then he points at Faun. Then at Jibbom. And... "That yer dad, son?" he asks Jibbom. And then nods, stepping forward. "Ormarr, Ormarr of the Drum Reavers. Always pleased to meet a man's family. ..." and he frowns at Jibbom, but you know. He'll go with it.
Jibbom begins kicking his legs in the air, the same futile gesture he usually engages in when he is lifted off the ground. That's been happening to him a lot lately. "Hey! Watch the dinner!" A desperate attempt is made to protect his greasy treats. The name given earns a confused response. "Count Zhul? I don't remember that one... where'd they make me a Count? Did another princess bestow noble titles upon me for heroically saving her and teaching her the forbidden arts of love? Because that happens a lot." His frown deepends. "What're you chasing me for? Did I foil some evil scheme of yours? I do that a lot, too."
Mikilos quirks a brow, more amused than concerned for the moment. "You know, when picking up men it's usually just a metaphor. Though am curious just why you're looking for the 'Count' here. Who are you, anyway?"
Faun scoffs at Jibbom and holds the squirming halfling in its arms. Pff. "Don't play games with me, Zhul! You're going to be locked away for a long time." And to Mikilos, the elf half-frowns. "I'm a bounty hunter. This one's mine. You can't have him. I've been chasing Count Zhul all over the damn world in the last few months, and I'm ready for a payout."
"And stay out!"
Boshter just got thrown out of one of the warehouses! He lands on his bottom, sliding forward. He looks up, stops, and stares back behind him.
"Really?" he says after a moment.
Jibbom raises his eyebrow and frowns at Faun, clearly dubious. "Now, Steel von Ironblood, Bane of the Night is known by many monikers, but I'm really not remembering this whole 'Count Zhul' business. Refresh my memory, where was this? Did the quarry nymphs put up this bounty?" He shakes his head. "No, can't be. They'd never put a bounty on their savior." He thinks this over as he has another bite from his dinner, despite being still held hostage. His appetite will not wait.
Ormarr drops his hand and then looks at it. He turns it over this way and that before shrugging and then giving a click of his tongue. "Come on, badger," he says. With a grunt, the beast hauls itself to its feet, and waddles after. He stops to give Boshter a hand up, though.
"You too!"
Not entirely "thrown" out, but a half-orc comes stumbling out after Boshter. He catches his balance before tripping over Boshter, and looks behind him as well with a frown. Glancing down at Boshter, Rotgut shrugs. "Maybe they not like playing Angoron Hugs?" He crackes his knuckles, rubbing off a bit of blood from the back of his hand.
Mikilos ponders a moment and shrugs. "While he likely deserves something of the sort, I think this is a case of mistaken idenity. Sir Steel has been in the local area for the past few months, not being chased around the world."
With Ormarr offering him a hand up, Boshter carefully accepts the old oruch's gesture and clambers to his feet, not really using it so much. Wouldn't want to pull the old man off hsi feet, after all. HStill, now on his feet he turns back towards rotgut and adds, "I suppose they may not. That is okay, though."
Cesran comes walking from Alexandria's Welcome and he's moving up the cliffs towards the rest of the city. He spots the others and he moves over towards them. "Hello all. How is everything going?"
The strange elf pauses a moment, squint-eyeing all the folks around. "...Hmm. So you weren't in Veyshan three weeks ago?" it asks of its quarry, frowning deeply.
Nodd, meanwhile, trots his big canine self off toward the pair thrown out of the building, tail wagging and tongue lolling. People to play with!
"Oh yeah?" Rotgut says with a frown to Boshter, "You sure? I was gonna go try to hug them summore. Keep hugging til they like it!" He grins at Ormarr, giving the fellow oruch (because Rotgut's not a half-orc like his player first thought) a heavy punch in the shoulder. "Hey brudda! ... Why is an elf strangling a gnome?"
Jibbom continues flailing his legs and chomping on his dinner while he answers the elf. Really, he's taking this attempted abduction in stride. "Nope. Last time I was in Veyshan... well, let's see, we did squish those giant scorpions who were giving that caravan trouble. But that was months ago. And I'm pretty sure I'd remember if somebody had made me a Count on that trip. I try to keep track of my titles. Everyone needs a collection."
Ormarr doesn't reach up to rub his punched shoulder. Thinks about it, though. He looks towards the lucht. "Couldn't say much. When I got here one was holdin' the other and makin' kissy faces. I figured th' big one must be the dad or somethin'. ...ain't seen you in a bit," he says to Rotgut, then.
Mikilos nods in agreement. "I suppose anything is possible, but does seem rather unlikely. Quite confidant if there were a title involved, would have been mentioend before. Does Steel look like this Count you've been seeking? What is the Count accused of, anyway?"
Rotgut's grin falls as Ormarr talks, actually starting to look a little offended. "Huh. Maybe. I don't think elves can birth gnomes, though. I'd have heard about it, I think. Haven't seen you, either. You, uh..." He gives Ormarr a once over, then grins and points at the older oruch's glove. "Drum Reaver! Hey, I know them!"
The elf blinks...and then scowls, dropping Jibbom unceremoniously. "Parking his horse in an unauthorized area," it grumbles, folding its arms. The irritated druid then rounds and points at Ormarr and crew, "He is /not/ my son, and I will /not/ be having halfling children, thank you very much!"
Ormarr squints at the sildanyari, and scratches at a chin filled with stubble. "He's got pointy ears," he says to Rotgut, meaning the lucht and the sildanyari /both/ do. Pointed ears, that is. Just, one is more round in feature and smaller, while the other is tall and...
"Didn't mean ta offend," he tells the two. And then looks to Jibbom, but answers Rotgut: "Heh, yeah, the same. I came this way ta find more stories to tell an' what was available back home. What about yourself?" and he pulls a candy from his pocket, and hands it to the lucht.
Cesran moves over towards the others to find out what is going on. HE moves next to Mikilos, "Greetings Mikilos. It has been a while, what has been going on in the city while I have been away?"
Jibbom brushes crumbs from his robe once he's set back down. "Well, hey now, don't be writing off your options there just yet... missy?" He's not sure about that guess. The bystanders earn a bright grin. "Thanks for helping out, folks."
Mikilos has disconnected.
Faun just glares at Jibbom, which really does nothing to dispel the confusion. Missy. Laddy. Whatever. The elf then suddenly digs a hand into its bag and comes up with a paper, looks it over and then shoves it in Jibbom's face. "There! See?? You have to be the Count!" The halfling on the paper does look like Jibbom...if you squint. Y'know. All halflings look the same, and all that.
The dog bounces over to the badger, hopping back and forth and barking. Wurf!
Rotgut blinks, taken aback as he's rounded upon. He slams his fist into his palm. "Halfling! Right! Always get the short folks mixed up. Too low to see 'em clearly. Oh, followin' th' course that Angoron puts his warriors on. And lookin' for the perfect brew." He grins.
When that picture comes out, Rotgut steps closer and bends down behind Jibbom, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Hmmm... I think he's got your number, buddy. Looks just like you." the oruch says, nudging Jibbom hard enough in the ribs that it would make a lesser man fall over.
The badger hisses back, being a badger and all. Sod off, dog! that seems to say, in the badger's own grumpy way.
In fact, the badger begins to lick its ass. THAT's how much it cares about the dog.
Take THAT, dog.
Grump, goes the badger.
And meanwhile, well. Ormarr's looking at the sildanyari, and squinting. "Huh." And then at the lucht. "Huh." And probably thinking he could use a drink right about now.
"Of course elves did not birth gnomes!" Boshter glances back and forth and adds, sotto voiced, "*Khazad* did." A solmen nod follows and he's back to his feet and the badger is being eyed. Just eyed. Then he turns back towards Fuan and eyes him now as well.
Ormarr reaches down and scratches the badger behind the ears. The badger looks up long enough to notice, and then grunts, and falls into a waddle-step behind the older oruch. "Heh. See you folks," he says with a nod. And gives the father-son a wide berth. Because. Well.
/You/ know.