Role
Blonde: Chapter One: The Birth of Ayree'llewyn Laussellwairr
Added Sat Nov 26 15:34:46 2022 at level 35:
Ayree'llewyn Laussellwairr was born to a mother and father still young in love
and free of care. Her mother, Mayvea'llewyn, a lanky beauty, was the daughter
of a vineyard owner in Darsylon. As keys sometimes lose themselves and are
sometimes lost by their owners, the unfortunate result is the same: you're
going to need a locksmith. Enter the roguishly handsome Wialor Laussellwairr,
who came to aid Mayvea's father in unlocking a particularly stubborn cellar
door. He was invited to stay for dinner, and more importantly, to stay for
drink. Stay that night he did, and in a way, he never left. Wialor offered to
come back the next day, to install locks that could be puzzled out rather than
requiring an easy to lose key. Puzzles the winemaker alone would know the
solution to. The next day after, Wialor returned with fruits that had never
made their way to Darsylon before, offering the winemaker new sweet bases on
which to ferment and experiment upon. The day after that he brought a bottle of
aged grain liquor so sweet and light, even a winemaker had to take notice. All
the while, each day Wialor spent a bit more time with Mayvea'llewyn. First a
stolen glance, then a chaste kiss, then a climb up a wall to an open bedroom,
and then pleasures, and proclamations, and finally admissions of devotion.
Barely a week had gone by but Wialor had seduced and impressed both the
daughter and the father. At a social feast without any pretension of a reason
for a visit, Wialor found a way to mention he would like to court Mayvea'llewyn
if her father approved. The winemaker gleefully agreed. The charade continued
for a month of formal visits, chaperoned walks, and finally culminating in a
bended knee proposal.
Ayree'llewyn was born just long enough after the wedding commenced. There were
a few rumors, little gossip, save a knowing glance or raised eyebrow in the
couple's direction. It was a joyous birth, as free from pain as any the
Ayree'llewyn was born just long enough after the wedding commenced. There were
few rumors, little gossip, save for a knowing glance or raised eyebrow in the
couple's direction. It was a joyous birth, as free from pain as any the
nursemaid had ever seen.
Nothing else was simple or carefree or kind thereafter.
Pink: Chapter One: A Simple Wine Will Do
Added Sat Nov 26 15:39:23 2022 at level 35:
Wine? Well, well, well.
All right, there's grapes and then there's grapes.
If you head to the fields of Balator, they do know what they're doing. But the
grounds there are mixed use, fine for the soil, better for the vegetables
around them, but right shite for the wine itself.
Why is Darsylon wine so good? Because we don't do anything else. That's it!
Find another crop out at the vineyards... you can't! Because the greedy little
bulbs of juice won't share a spec of soil with ANYTHING else.
So there's locksmiths and then there's locksmiths.
Why do you have to head to Darsylon to learn that trade? Because the fools
don't learn anything else. Not fools, that's what you'd hear another fool tell
you, that's because they know how to do one thing and they know how to do that
one thing very, VERY, well.
My father was a locksmith. Best locksmith in all of Thera and he used that
trade to marry the prettiest lass in all of Thera on the nicest piece of land.
He told me that constantly. He dropped the 'L' a few times when he said the
same thing at the bar just out of my earshot. And I don't mean the L in land.
And he'd swap the words prettiest and nicest piece, he was a vulgar man. The
best of them. He is, I mean, someday he'll find me again. Which is part of the
story of this strange set of curls you're looking at, but that's not a tale for
today.
Anyway! So if you want the best, you put up with a few eccentricities. You head
out of the way for the finest wine. You head way out of the way if you want the
finest meats. You put up with a strange smell to get to a bountiful loot. You
put up with a weird bartender for the best drinks.
So... what can I get ya?
Because wine is a boring answer and I figured you for a lot more interesting.
Blonde: Chapter Two: The Gift of The Death of Mayvea'llewyn Laussellwairr
Added Tue Nov 29 20:23:26 2022 at level 35:
The marriage lasted six thousand, four hundred, and seventy-five days, just
long enough for Ree, Ayree'llewyn's nickname, to speak her first words which
were 'mommy' followed by 'sick'. Mayvea'llewyn was sick, but she showed no sign
of it when the words were uttered. It was a quick illness, but it wasn't kind.
Mayvea was used to Wialor being gone on jobs and showing up late and she hadn't
wanted to bother him with the second word her daughter said. The first was
exciting enough.
'She said mommy first, Ree might say daddy next if you skip out on tomorrow's
job. She's clever like her father.'
Wialor responded, 'So long as her second word isn't some other man's name, I'll
be happy with whatever it is and whenever she calls out to me.'
The joke was made from the projection of a guilty conscience, but it wouldn't
matter much as time was short. Conversely, Mayvea couldn't lie to her beloved
and added, 'I'm so sorry, love, she's already said her second word, it was
'sick' and she said it right after 'mommy', but I don't know why she said it,
we were trying to practice colors earlier.' Wialor acknowledged it and then
thought nothing else of it. The next day's job was a lucrative one. He'd been
having lucrative jobs all week. The gambling halls had started to anxiously
hope he'd have a real job someday soon.
Mayvea died the next day. Her father found her and the local healer determined
some illness had taken her overnight. Her body was covered in sores and her
expression was pained.
Wialor was not home.
Pink: Chapter Two: Just a Milk, Lass, I Can't Take the Hard Stuff
Added Tue Nov 29 20:24:04 2022 at level 35:
Are you being cheeky?
I'm kidding, love, course, one milk coming up. Mother's milk, eh? Healthy
stuff. That's for sure. Goat or sheep or cow? I'm also kidding, we only have
cow. Presently, I mean. This was some calf's mother, who also, I have to
assume, couldn't take the hard stuff either.
My mother couldn't take the hard stuff, or at least I think she couldn't. I
don't remember much. Her father, my grandfather, I remember him. Kind smile and
did a right good job of being around after my mother passed. His vineyard did a
good job of taking care of us and we lived pretty comfortably until it was
robbed. Strangest thing that series of events.
Thank you for the kind words, but that was a hundred years ago, I had plenty
of motherly examples that I met along the way. And plenty of fortunes, too.
How frothy do you like your milk?
No, Im not being cheeky.
Blonde: Chapter Three: A Puzzle You Can Call Your Own, Part One
Added Thu Dec 1 20:49:02 2022 at level 36:
Ree woke up her grandfather one night some dozen or so years later, in a state
of panic the winemaker had never seen from her before.
'Pap, the vineyard has been robbed! I saw it! They took all of the cases. ALL
of them!' The winemaker composed himself, grabbing a sword, taking the young
Ayree'llewyn by his hand, and making his way from his bedchambers to the
cellar, which was locked. He moved two small levers to the left, pressed a
button, and then pulled the first lever out, swapping it with the second, and
the door unlocked. He opened it with trepidation and confusion.
Everything was in its right place.
Not a box of bottles was disturbed. Not a barrel of house wine was pilfered.
The coins he had last collected but hadn't bothered to take to the bank were
still sitting on a shelf. All was accounted for and nothing was wrong.
The winemaker turned, trying to contain his anger at Ree, 'You had a nightmare.
Is that what this is?'
'No, I saw it, it was real!' The young elf insisted, her blonde hair was styled
just like her mother, which held its own sting.
'Then why didn't you wake up your father? Let me guess, he's not here.' Ree
lowered her head and shook it. 'Left after dinner?' Ree nodded, she had checked
there first and her father was not in his room. 'Again. All right. Get back to
bed, we'll talk about this more in the morning.'
Blonde: Chapter Three: A Puzzle You Can Call Your Own, Part Two
Added Thu Dec 1 20:49:57 2022 at level 36:
Ree and her grandfather retired to their separate rooms and returned to sleep.
An hour or so went by.
'Shhh! You'll wake them up.' Wialor whispered to the two men accompanying him
to the cellar. 'Now this is a puzzle you can call your own, I designed it
myself, the lock, but I can't show you how to open it. It's got to look like we
broke it, easier to do inside with a bit more distance from the bedrooms. Turn
around. Turn around!' Wialor quickly undid the puzzle lock and once the door
was open, went about carefully uninstalling it. 'On the way out, you've got to
smash this door. That's critical.' The trio then moved inside, far to the back
and smashed the lock before beginning to unload the contents of the cellar into
the wagons they had waiting.
'That settles us, yes?' Wialor asked the men. They nodded.
'But don't come gambling on credit any more, something tells me you won't be
able to pull this off too many more times.' The first man said, smiling at the
other. Wialor reflexively smirked and made his way to the house, sullen and
defeated. He didn't sleep that night.
Pink: Chapter Three: You Look Four In, What's That Drink Called?
Added Thu Dec 1 20:51:18 2022 at level 36:
It's a mixed drink called A Morning Whisper, and yes, four more sounds
splendid. It's a touch of vermouth in a lemon soaked glass with the vodka
poured on top of ice, all within the glass, before you pop the shaker on and
get angry at it, like a bad night's sleep. Turn it upside down, strain out the
ice, slowly, back into the glass, and while it's pouring, I like to whisper at
it. Do you whisper? Are you whispering?
It's hard to hear in here, I mean. Can't have a conversation in whispers. I
mean you can, just hard in here, hard to hear.
father came into my room. I had woken up the night before believing we had been
robbed. And I told him, I had dreamed this, that I must have dreamed this, and
he asked me, did you hear anyone talking about being robbed, and I told him no,
and he kept whispering, and asking me questions. He asked me, maybe, four
hundred questions. All whispers. And he went on and on and eventually, he
started packing things, my things, his things, every thing, and then we were
off!
You know.
I think he robbed us.
So I have my four drinks, what would you like?
Blonde: Chapter Four: Let Our Luck Be Renewed
Added Sat Dec 10 19:47:49 2022 at level 39:
Wialor interrogated his daughter as they ran through the early morning. Had she
heard anything, had she been anywhere other than the vineyard in the last few
days, where again, had she heard anything.
He himself had only been three places: the gambler at the Eternal Star, the
gambler at Voralian, and the gambler at Ayr'Trinil. As he racked up credit and
debt at each, he had found unsavory characters and even less savory characters
willing to bankroll his up's and down's. He had access to not only one of the
finest vineyards, but his locksmith services extended to much of Darsylon. His
personal locks, after the endorsement of his father-in-law, were used at
multiple families, and the night before had been a massive spree of heists,
ending at the vineyard and leaving a few wealthy manors untouched to throw off
the scent.
But then little Ree has complicated everything.
Wialor resigned himself to keep moving. They made their way east and camped for
the night within the northern plains. Wialor pulled out a deck of cards and
began playing against himself in a game of blackjack. Young Ree was half asleep
but started calling out cards. She was able, without fail, to call out the nine
of clubs, just before it appeared. Likewise with the four of diamonds, the
seven of hearts, and the ace of spades. Wialor roused Ayree'llewyn and asked
her to pay attention, and he put the cards in front of her. One by one, as she
drew them, she could not guess a one right.
So he returned to playing for himself, dismissing the momentary whim of
prospect. Yet when he played by himself, when she herself was not a focus of
fate, she could again call the cards out, correctly and without fail: a six of
spades, a Jack of hearts, a King of diamonds, and a deuce of clubs.
This was the luck he needed. To Ayr'Trinil they went.
Pink: Chapter Four: I'll Have a Strawberry Lemonade If You're For Sale, Love
Added Sat Dec 10 19:50:38 2022 at level 39:
Oh! Ha... ha. So! That's a good line, blue eyes.
It's been a minute or a year since I had such a forward bit of bluster. I'll
tell you a story.
There was a handsome bandit something, king I think. He met me just before I
came back to Darsylon and I was far too young for whatever you have or he had
in mind. But he showed me things. Wonderful things. Terrible things. He showed
me how to do this bit of business with some thread and your hands, and this bit
of business with some cord and your legs. It was a good time, and I'll not ever
say otherwise.
And when someone shows you the world and then they leave you, your heart may
remember the lessons, but your head is nothing but sadness, anger, and regret.
Time has been kinder to me, and I'm not bitter about it. Not anymore. I learned
what I needed to learn, and it certainly pushed me towards learning a few
things in Seantryn Modan. Don't get me wrong though, I'm no binder, I'm a
locksmith.
But yeah, those mistakes made me realize just how important passion is.
Whatever that passion is for, not as important. I want to see that fire, that
fury, that intensity.
And I have to tell you, I see some cold dark bit of business behind those eyes.
Not a light from where I sit. So please pull your arms back to the other side
of the bar before I show you a few terrible things I've learned.
Blonde: Chapter Five: When You See the King Coming, Wipe Your Nose
Added Wed Dec 21 18:43:20 2022 at level 46:
Wialor and Ree headed to Ayr'Trinil with a scheme in mind. Wialor knew Ra'kad's
game well. It was a deck of cards, dealt in turn to the player and the dealer,
the dealer always being Ra'kad himself. Should the player's cards come to a
total of 21 or less the player merely needed to have a better hand than the
dealer. Now Ree could not predict her own future, nor could she impact the
future of others, but she had demonstrated an ability to determine what was
going to happen to those around her. First her mother's sickness, then the
vineyard robbery, and now in a series of tests, she could accurately say what
small, predetermined thing was going to occur to someone else. She had the
sight, to whatever degree it benefited or brought misery to those around her.
It was perfect for cheating at cards.
On the way they discussed the manner of relaying the future, the various ways
to call out which number was dealt next. Wialor taught Ree a bit of rudimentary
thieves' cant along with a few other hand gestures and tells, some three or
four score so that she could vary the ways in which she could communicate the
upcoming card. This might be in a request for a snack or a drink, with an apple
meaning a six or a milk meaning an ace. This might be a specific phrasing in a
request to go to the restroom. This might be a request for a knock knock joke
or how Ayree'llewyn would finish a limerick that Wialor would begin.
The results were beyond expectation.
The bets went as Wialor wished, putting down a few gold and letting a few
rounds go as he lost and won evenly. They established Ree as a chatty child,
but she was charming to the dealer and his attendants. She relayed with perfect
accuracy every card and Wialor began to bet slightly more aggressively, losing
once or twice big before putting up ten and then twenty gold bets, showing a
tendency to bet bigger as the night went on. Wialor was served a heavy vodka
cocktail, not unsurprising in that he was now up quite a bit but was still
betting conservatively considering the amount of coin he had jingling from his
belt. Ree called out the next four cards, an ace and a king to Wialor, a pair
of nines to Ra'kad. This was when Wialor threw a few more coins down, a few
hundred more and said, in a slurred voice, 'I have to get back and put this one
to bed, sooooo let's make this last round interesssssting!' The last syllable
he said landed with a large bag of coins.
Ra'kad had accomplished what he wanted, the drunkard had bet it all on a last
hand. So the dealer dealt. But the house lost.
'Get him another drink, surely you want to play again after that last stroke of
luck.' Wialor smiled and shook his head, slurring his words even more as he
replied, 'No, no, no, no... she's got a bed time and I've got
responsssibiliitieeees.' He hiccup'd for good measure.
That heist lasted the two for six months. They would repeat it and successfully
so, for the next ten years.
Pink: Chapter Five: An Ale and a Tale as I've Been At This All Day
Added Tue Dec 27 13:47:07 2022 at level 48:
Oh by this you mean that axe and whatever business you tend to with it, aye?
Yeah that's a hard day, let me grab you a bit of better ale. This one's from
the Dwarven city of Akan. Drink enough of it and you'll have to rob a captain
of his rousing yellow pills, which I've done on more than one occasion. Bought
the ale, mind you, stole the pills. But that's not much of a tale, is it?
Honey is what you smell, I'll back away from your drink so you can enjoy that
sour, stout head. You didn't pay for my head and its smells. But I can tell you
part of why mine is kept this way if you like and the how. Just before I made
my way to the academy, I returned to Darsylon, I'd spent many of my younger
years traveling with my dad. My grandfather was a winemaker, one of the best,
and while he had long since passed he had a brother who had a daughter who had
a husband who had an uncle and seems that was as close as I was going to get to
family who would take me in. I had one task when I found him, how do I keep
this hair pink. There was a pink feathered arial who did the job my first
go-round but gave me no clues as how to keep it this way. When I last saw my
father he gave me two instructions, find a job where I might find him and keep
my hair pink so he could spot me.
Well my once or thrice removed uncle happened to be a gardener, and we tried
every combination of red fruit that would pink my hair and most wouldn't take,
except beets it seems. But they smell... not as pleasant as some fruits who
wouldn't hold their color. So we opted to use honey with the beets and sure
enough, pink and not unpleasant smelling is where we landed. As for the job,
when I was far too young to apply I came to speak to Krimzar, the High Herald,
the big boss and I'm unsure why he gave me a chance, but he did. And now I just
wait, at some point that handsome rogue of a dad will walk through those doors,
rest assured, and I'll be here.
It's sour but it's SO good, right? Let me pour you another.
Blonde: Chapter Six: The Years of Gold and Golden Things, Part One
Added Wed Dec 28 10:02:23 2022 at level 48:
Ayree'llewyn grew quickly in the decade she and her father took Ra'kad for
everything he was worth. They attempted to mix up the gambling halls where Ree
and Wialor would visit, but none seemed as suited to Ree's gift. The dice of
Voralian City were not determined before they landed, any number of things
after the bet was placed could change how they would land or how they would be
thrown, so her gift didn't help her father until it was too late. Same with the
numbers game at the Inn of the Eternal Star. Even Ra'kad and his dealers
shuffled more frequently as they attempted to address being hit by a
successful high roller more regularly. Though that only meant Ree's gift was
less useful for a hand or two. Just how much chance was there in a game of
chance? Enough and often enough to make her sight useless most everywhere else.
Less above-board gambling halls where the game was fixed, however, were perfect
marks. It was very easy to cheat in a rigged game, or at least to spot one that
was impossible to win.
Wialor spent almost as fast as they won. It was dangerous to score big again
and again as they were likely to be marked and the punishment for it would most
certainly be horrendous. Amputation, branding, death, and any number of painful
fates awaited not only him, but his daughter, still too young to truly fend for
herself. Though she was growing up quickly.
It was quite the adolescence at seedy sites. There was the flirting of drunken
men at bars. There was the sneaking of drinks left unattended. There were the
books, and poems, and filthy limericks carved into walls. She learned how to
tease, how to bluff, even how to grab things when someone wasn't looking. Shiny
things, silky things, tasty things. And it's not as though her father didn't
notice, but likely his conscience kept him from being too hard on her. He owed
her, and in some strange way, letting her have these moments of waywardness was
the only way he knew how to repay her. He kept her sheltered and clothed and
fed, he told himself, even as she grew into a less than pious elf.
Blonde: Chapter Six: The Years of Gold and Golden Things, Part Two
Added Wed Dec 28 10:03:22 2022 at level 48:
For his part, Wialor was too busy being far less than less pious himself, and
even less careful with himself or his earnings. He spent his money at brothels,
on fine foods, on trips to exotic lands, and often on fool hearted expeditions
to treasures rumored in places that cost and lost mercenaries to the tune of
hundreds in gold. And with more and more scores from Ayr'Trinil, Wialor was
gambling his safety and his daughter's.
Ree was but a few years away still from taking off on her own and it seemed she
was destined to follow in her father's footsteps. They joked that she would
likely not be visiting the guildhall in Ayr'Trinil to learn the skills of a
rogue. Her father strongly suggested she pick up locksmithing, an honest trade
and a respectable path that could be lucrative in its application, both
scrupulously and unscrupulously. They spoke of how there would only be a few
more gambles before they needed to walk away anyhow. Maybe Wialor could take a
run at being the Kingpin or the Spymaster or the Godfather, something that
would be less fraught, just as profitable, and far easier after a big score.
Why not bribe a few likeminded thieves and take it over from someone who had
gotten too fat and comfortable? Hopes and dreams were what they spoke of as
they made their way to Ra'kad's together for the last time.
It would be another thief's guild denizen but a block away from their
destination who would ultimately bring about the end of Wialor's good luck.
Pink: Chapter Six: You got any of that kelp beer around?
Added Wed Dec 28 18:13:46 2022 at level 48:
Ha!
No.
You're looking for that other bartender, the High Herald. I can whip something
up for you that's similar, I've distilled some salt from the kelp forests and
used it to purify this gin. The salt pulls out the water and then you just use
a bit of fruit to sweeten it and make it go down really smooth. Blackberry?
Pear? No?
Kelp beer.
It's just salty beer, I can put salt in your beer.
Fine.
If you insist.
Are you sure?
IT'S JUST SALTY BEER.
Okay, okay. I'll get a case.
Blonde: Chapter Seven: Pik'Caryl's Regular Appointment, Part One
Added Wed Dec 28 18:54:18 2022 at level 48:
Pik'Caryl took the silken black ropes from the wall and returned to her
favorite customer. Ra'kad has just taken a long slow drag from his pipe, the
opium dulling and enhancing his senses. 'I have a favor,' he said, as she took
one rope through a ring on the floor and a second through a ring on the
ceiling. 'Is this not a favor already, my pet?' she cooed, and grabbed Ra'kad's
feathered arms and began wrapping them with one rope for each before pulling
them taut behind his back. 'No, I was hoping you'd join me for a game, I need
your observing eyes. Someone keeps coming in and winning, I can't figure out
how they do it, other than they have a very young girl with them, father and
daughter they say, both elves.'
Pik'Caryl's green eyes lit up, 'A father and daughter pair? Scandalous.' She
twirled the ropes from his wrists around his arms and over and under his wings
to meet behind his neck, leaving him unable to fly. She pulled at the rope from
the ceiling and slowly lifted him, suspending him in air. 'Your mind never
leaves this place, does it? Nothing like what you might think. She sits there,
watches, chats often, fidgets. If there's a system to their tells, it's
complicated enough to fool the other dealers. But it's there. But that's not
what perplexes me.' Pik'Caryl slowly took each of the ropes, wrapped them
around their corresponding leg and ankle, spreading them as she tied the ropes
off to two other mounts on the ground. He was now prone. 'What perplexes you,
then?' 'How does she know what comes next? I've looked for mirrors, I've
replaced staff inside of the hall, I've placed men all around her so she can
see nothing when the cards are dealt.' 'Perhaps she has the sight. Have you
considered some gift? It's not unheard of.' 'The sight?'
Blonde: Chapter Seven: Pik'Caryl's Regular Appointment, Part Two
Added Wed Dec 28 18:54:51 2022 at level 48:
Pik'Caryl grabbed a pair of iron tweezers and returned before answering, 'Aye,
the sight. You should shuffle in between bets.' Ra'kad chuckled, 'Y'know I have
been shuffling more when they're about and it has seemed to throw them off.'
Pik'Caryl selected one of Ra'kad's many beautiful dark black feathers from his
inner left thigh and plucked it. The bald spot from their last session was
still healing. She used the soft side of what she had removed to brush against
his most delicate and responsive skin. She repeated this again as she spoke,
'So you want me to help catch them? The girl could be quite useful.' Ra'kad
winced in pain and then sighed in pleasure, 'May I have more opium?' 'No.'
'Yes, yes I want you to watch. AHHH!!!' Ra'kad screamed in pain. 'Yes?' 'Yes
mistress, yes I want you to watch.' Pik'Caryl smirked and brought out a
tasseled cord and put it against his neck before slowing dragging it across his
chest and his belly and below before saying, 'Of course, you had but to ask, my
pet. The Bandit King owes me a favor, I'll invite him to join. It should be
quite the party.' Ra'kad nodded, sweating, unable to speak. Pik'Caryl smiled,
fitting him for his gag and blindfold.
'Now, shall we finish?'
Pink: Chapter Seven: I'll Have a Cup of Tea to Calm Down
Added Wed Jan 4 16:27:03 2023 at level 51:
You and me both. These are fresh plucked and long steeped petals, something
that should taste light but refined. There's a sprig of mint in the blend but
it's mostly chamomile, good for the nerves. I'm a bit high strung so I try to
have a cup of it, or a couple of sleeping pills when the day requires it. Looks
like you're having just that kind of day, love.
If you need a bit of the blend to go, I'm happy to set you up with a pouch. I
found the flower in the springs near Arendyl but the mint is from the mountains
you pass before you reach the western entrance to the Virgin Forest. There's a
waterfall and a bridge on the way there from Galadon I frequent a lot. I
learned of a place to take a leap, though you have to fly around. Feels like
home, that walk. Nice trip under the stars. Very familial.
Do I have honey for the tea? Oh absolutely. Always. Honey to spare.
Blonde: Chapter Eight: Two Games of Blackjack, Part One
Added Wed Jan 4 16:55:42 2023 at level 51:
Kian Ferr had done well for himself in the guild of Hamsah Mu'Tazz. He was even
keeled and mild mannered, appropriate for someone who had to balance the needs
of the Sultan and the Empire, never owing allegiance nor drawing the ire of
either. When a missive from Pik'Caryl, the binder of Ayr'Trinil arrived, it was
a favor called in from almost a dozen years before. A dagger this way, a few
coins that way, he unfortunately did owe her a debt in his position as the
Bandit King. The ask was simple, his presence was requested at a card game that
was imminent.
Kian was just a few years more than two decades old and had enjoyed a better
life since his rapid ascension among the ranks of his guild. Traveling to the
Udgaardian Mountains was nothing in terms of an ask, but he was not so naive to
presume the ask would end there. Upon entering the city of the arials, he saw
quite a few more guards at Ra'kad's hall than usual. Sure enough, the deep
crimsoned binder herself was hiding in the shadows just outside. She motioned
over to Kian, and he joined her in hiding, using his hands to communicate.
'Lovely as always to see you, Madam, is this a social visit?'
Blonde: Chapter Eight: Two Games of Blackjack, Part Two
Added Wed Jan 4 16:56:08 2023 at level 51:
Pik'Caryl canted in response, a wry smile on her face, 'Everything is social,
Kian. Everything we do.' Kian nodded in understanding and she continued,
'There's two inside, for now we watch, but when Ra'kad motions, there's a young
elf girl I need you tie up. Be as gentle as you like, but the task isn't up for
discussion.'
Kian nodded again. His face betrayed nothing, but he knew this was likely the
dark business he had signed up for years ago when he had acquired funds and
favors to become the Bandit King. He asked no questions and simply readied an
ornate mace that had a singular purpose and had yet to fail him.
The two thieves entered the room as Ra'kad dealt another hand. Wialor
Laussellwairr was up big. Sloppy big. Pik'Caryl gestured to the dealer who
didn't acknowledge her or Kian's presence. Young Ayree'llewyn sat nearby, she
was by now nearly old enough to head out on her own. If she had been spotted at
the Academy, it's unlikely many would have even batted an eye. The
precociousness of years past had worn thin. There were no excuses for bringing
her into an establishment such as this short of training her in the art of
traps, yet Wialor gave the same old speech about not being able to leave his
daughter home alone and oddly, none raised a concern or a suspicion. The game
was in play this time.
Blonde: Chapter Eight: Two Games of Blackjack, Part Three
Added Wed Jan 4 16:57:13 2023 at level 51:
Pik'Caryl watched a dozen or three dozen hands. A cough, a joke, a drink
request. It was complicated enough, maybe two or three different tells for each
card, but it was clear by watching that the girl knew the cards before they
were laid down. Ra'kad as instructed shuffled constantly, not every hand, but
nearly every hand. When he did so the girl always missed the first bet. Always.
Pik'Caryl had seen enough. She made her presence known by lightly placing a
talon on Wialor's shoulder. She fluttered her eyelashes and never left his gaze
before saying, 'Aren't you a handsome elf? What's your daughter's name?'
Outside of performative introductions, Wialor had avoided discussing Ree and
they both avoided drawing too much attention to her during the game. No one had
ever asked directly of her name before. Wialor was feigning drunk and slurred,
'Sorry then?'
Ree misheard him but played along said, 'Aye, Zsarreyen.'
Pik'Caryl looked directly at the dealer and said, 'Zsarreyen. She's quite the
special girl.'
Ra'kad put the cards down and nodded. In a flash, Pik'Caryl took a garrote to
Wailer's neck and he slumped to the floor. Kian hesitated, but only for a
moment. He was behind Ree and struck her, mid-scream at the sight of her father
being surrounded by a mob of feathers, ropes, and shadows.
Pink: Chapter Eight: Champagne! We're celebrating!
Added Thu Jan 5 14:59:04 2023 at level 51:
Congratulations and of course! This bottle of bubbly is one of my favorites,
the two finest accomplishments of the alchemists, fermentation and carbonation.
All the 'ations!
Married? No, never. There's an elven paladin farm boy who might be keen on such
a thing, but I'm looking forward to days of spinsterdom where I can just say
absolutely foul, truthful things and no one will bat an eye. Marriage is a
young girl's game. Though I did get close, kidnapped off, you might say. Hope
your wife there was more willing.
Mostly consensual, aye. The abduction part not so much, but everything else
thereafter. He was rough and kind, smart but deliberate, stern yet patient.
Mysterious, fiery, excessive. The whole proper fairy tale.
Why'd it end? Neither of us could break the other, I suppose. Why does anything
end? And why talk about endings when we're toasting beginnings? Tend to that
girl in white before she knows how badly she has it, sir.
Aye, agreed, she's a lovely bride. I'll watch the boar's door and keep out the
riffraff.
Blonde: Chapter Nine: A Seat Sharpened, Part One
Added Thu Jan 5 22:07:04 2023 at level 51:
Ra'kad had Wialor naked and tied up to a chair with hundreds of nails
protruding all along the arms, the back, and the seat. When he woke, it was a
quick pain and a few cuts causing the locksmith to yell into his gag.
'Don't move, friend. Strangest thing, if you just stay still and no one applies
any pressure to you, you won't be cut. Those sharp things all around
individually are violent and cruel, but as a group, as a collective, they're as
gentle as any other place to sit or lie down. Understood?'
Sweat drenched Wialor's face, nodding as he tried to calm down.
'Good, good. Let's remove that gag and get to the questions, eh?'
Two guards came and didn't immediately remove his gag, instead they grabbed the
ropes around his arms and legs. One held his left side and the other held his
right side. The ropes were loose when Wialor awoke, but if tightened would pull
his appendages firmly onto the nails. It was Ra'kad, once the guards held the
ropes firmly, who removed the gag.
'All right. For starters, let me begin by telling you what I know. You've been
here some twenty times or so and you bring your daughter every time. You walk
out with nearly all of the coin you've bet and much, much more. By my count you
have taken from me nearly one hundred thousand gold in total. That doesn't
happen in this establishment. Anything you wish to correct?' Wialor shook his
head. 'Good, Pik'Caryl has your daughter now. She's far better at this than I
am, so I strongly suggest you answer the next questions honestly.'
Blonde: Chapter Nine: A Seat Sharpened, Part Two
Added Thu Jan 5 22:09:02 2023 at level 51:
Wialor nodded and began to speak, but one of the guards pulled on his right arm
causing him to scream as the nails punctured his skin. 'And please don't speak
until I ask you to, Wialor.' The guard loosened the rope and Wialor pulled his
arm off of the nails, tears of pain rolling down his face. 'I know your name
because you have a history in the gambling halls, I didn't know your daughter's
name. Zsarreyen. I do know since she came around your luck, here specifically,
has changed drastically. How does she do it?'
'I don't know.' As quick as he answered all of the ropes were pulled tight,
Wialor screamed, ' I DON'T KNOW! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME, I DON'T KNOW!' One of
the guards punched him in the belly and the other stepped on his foot with a
spiked boot. They went on for nearly half an hour but Wialor could tell them
nothing. He eventually blurted out the series of events that had led him to the
discovery, the girl predicting her mother's death, the girl knowing the
vineyard was about to be robbed, and ultimately the girl being able to know
what card came next.
'Get him dressed, we'll see if he or her can be compelled to be more
forthcoming together.' Ra'kad approached Wialor and lifted his head up and
stared directly into his eyes. 'You'll pay me back every coin you stole, you
both will. And maybe, just maybe, I'll let your daughter live when you do.'
Pink: Chapter Nine: Do You Have Any Gin Back There?
Added Sat Jan 14 10:54:12 2023 at level 51:
I do!
I have three bottles, one of the nice ones Olin has collected, one I cold
fingered, and one I salt distilled.
Olin gets these from who knows where, but they're always the best. Try that
first one. Just a quick shot so you can set a baseline. Nice, right?
The second I took to the frigid wastelands, same batch in fact, but so cold I
nearly lost a hand. The ice that forms can be filtered out and what you have
left is a cold fingered alcohol, something more potent and pure. Right quick
stuff to leave you roughed up. Try it with a bit of vermouth, trust me.
The third here is similarly potent but through a salt process. The salt pulls
the excess water out, though it takes a few rounds of jug to jug. While it's
not as salty to taste as you might expect, it is something I suggest pairing
with something sweet. This elderberry mush is a fun mix, just sweet enough to
hide how wicked the concoction is.
The cheap stuff?
Oh.
Yeah.
Sure. I'll go get the cheap stuff.
Blonde: Chapter Ten: This Is For Your Neck, Part One
Added Sat Feb 4 16:21:50 2023 at level 51:
A scene not far away from her father went much differently though occurred
nearly simultaneously. Ree was on a mattress, only a thin pink choker and a
chain attached to the front held her down. Pik'Caryl was smiling when Ree woke.
There were no guards present, though the binder from Hamsah named Kian was
seated just a dozen feet away. He sipped wine and wrestled with his conscience.
Pik'Caryl spoke when she saw the young elf awake, 'Zsarreyen, yes?' Ree nodded.
'You are special.' Pik'Caryl brought a bottle out of the boning in her corset
and brought it to Ree's nose, her eyes glossed over quickly. 'I don't want you
to say anything or answer any questions, I just want you to listen, and as a
kindness, I don't want you to feel everything that comes next.' Pik'Caryl then
motioned to Kian with a wave of her feathers. The two tied up the girl again
but in a seated position on the bed. The arial then moved to the fire and
grabbed a thin metal rod with a glove.
'I don't want you to pretend to be anyone else, so first let us burn the Z into
a place you and I know.' Pik'Caryl pulled the girl's hair back and branded
on the back of the neck with two parallel lines and a diagonal one
connecting them. Ree didn't move as the flesh seared, the drug softened the
pain but it was still present.
'That feeling won't last long but hopefully lasts long enough for you to
remember. Your gift, or a curse if it is a curse, makes you special. And you
can't be unknown to us any more. So I'm going to do something to you that makes
you known and noticeable, something you'll have to keep doing. Forever.'
Blonde: Chapter Ten: This Is For Your Neck, Part Two
Added Sat Feb 4 16:24:31 2023 at level 51:
Pik'Caryl grabbed a bowl of mashed up beets and began applying them to Ree's
hair. It smelled intensely and as the color took hold, Pik'Caryl grabbed a
second bowl, full of watered honey. She repeated this three times until the
blonde hair was gone and pink hair remained.
Kian stepped out of the room and went to Ra'kad. The two spoke for some time
and an hour later several large chests were brought over containing the emptied
coffers of the Hamsah Mu'tazz guild donations.
While Kian was gone, Pik'Caryl played card games with Zsarreyen. She confirmed
what was known, the girl had the sight, but only Into things that would not
change and could not be changed. Useful to a point, but more like a curse than
a gift.
Ra'kad came in some time later and he conferred with Pik'Caryl. She smiled and
returned to the girl. 'Your father has to stay here longer, he has debts to pay
off. You will go with Kian, but should you return here you must announce
yourself. I would not return here if I were you. You must keep your mark and
you must keep your hair. Horrible things will happen to you if you don't.'
Zsarreyen nodded, understanding. 'You will go with Kian now, he has paid your
debts.'
Pik'Caryl removed the bindings around Ree and disconnected the chain attached
to her choker from the wall before walking her over to Kian. 'I hope you have a
plan for refunding your guild, Kian.' Pik'Caryl smirked, 'And I hope this one
was worth it.'
Pink: Chapter Ten: What's the Haps, Schnapps?
Added Sun Feb 5 19:10:17 2023 at level 51:
Ha! Hello, hello, hello. Let me see... where to begin. Probably with your
drink. You sure you want the minty stuff? It's a refresher but I wouldn't spend
all night with it. Like the redhead over there in the alcove. Just what I hear.
No personal experience.
So yeah, I got given the key to that cabinet behind the bar with these bottles
after making a few especially complicated drinks. Bit of a trope, eh? To get to
do the neat thing, you've got to do neat stuff without the neat thing itself.
Then you get the neat thing! Anyway, I'm making drinks for a while and then the
High Herald passes. We all have a few kelp beers about it. Somber stuff.
Then I'm told there's a High Herald shaped hole to fill. And I'm the size of
it. So I fill it. All the while I'm caught in this intrigue and that intrigue
under the thumb of a paranoid thief named Tago, who runs Galadon by
blackballing every new member except yours truly since he thinks I'm feckless
and not after his perch.
I was of course. I spent more gold putting young thieves through that guildhall
that I've ever made in honest work and one after another, Tago thinks, 'oh this
is the one who is coming after me, I'll blackball them before they can do it'
and then suddenly, without warning, poof! No more Tago. No note. No grand exit.
No great adventure. No riding into the sunset... just gone.
So that leaves one pink-haired elf standing. I called a vote, no one else is
even a member, and tada here I am. A Kingpin and a High Herald. So those are
the haps, I suppose.
What's new with you?