An unlikely group of adventurers

[Drogoth]

((How does any good RPG start? Why "You're all in a bar" of course! Or at least it's as good a place as any. Basically, I figured we could get a few intros in, and then get the ball rolling. Long story short, it's a midevilish D&D type setting. The idea is to have the characters traveling and having miscellaneous adventures. Depending on who comes in I can work out the opening hook. After that we can start picking up people along the path when people come in late.))



"You're late" One of the waiters told Lazaka as he opened the back door for her.

"Had to wait for the door to be clear." the dragon girl said as she took off her thick concealing robe. "Can't have the patrons knowing I get paid to work here now can we?"

"Whatever, just hurry up." he sighed.

Lazaka rolled her eyes and sat down in front of the mirror. A half-dragoness looked back at her from the glass. Her skin had a light red scaley sheen to it and her face ended in a petite snout. Her other defining features were that she only had three large pointed fingers on each hand, her feet were also simply two toed talons, and yes, she had a tail. She took a few minutes applying her makeup. People were supposed to think she was the bar's captive, and that she was mistreated. A bruise here, a scratch there, a general grungyness and she looked the part.

Next she picked up the chains sitting next to the mirror. It wasn't much, but enough to convince people she wouldn't be a threat. First was a pair of leg irons with a decent amount of chain between them. The chain had another shackle in the middle which kept her tail down behind her. Then she clasped a shackle over her wrist and fed it under the leg chain before bringing it up to hold her other wrist. That would prevent her from raising her hands above her stomach. Just high enough to hold a serving tray though. The icing on the cake was a metal collar around her neck. A chain leash dangled down her front.

She stood up once more, taking a moment to get used to her confinement. Then Lazaka moved to the door with all the speed that the leg irons would allow.

"Don't worry," The bouncer said gruffly as he held the door for her. "I won't let anyone *else* touch you." he said as he gave her a spank.

Lazaka growled, but quickly put on her "downtrodden slave" look as she took her tray and slowly walked about.

"Drinks anyone?" she said with practiced timidness. Lazaka was actually a rather extroverted girl, but that wouldn't do for a slave.

----------------

She got this job over a month ago. She hadn't planned to stay this long, but to be honest she was getting used to it. She always planned to leave after the next payday, but then found an excuse to hang around. In the back of her mind she kind of liked it.

It all started when she was out traveling the world. Adventuring, seeing what she could see, and spending money. She wasn't the best adventurer and so the end the cash ran out faster than she could earn. She ended up broke, and in a part of the world that really had a thing against dragons. Something about villages being burned down, and a "thousand year scourge" or something like that. What it meant for her was that she couldn't get a job anywhere. Nobody would buy anything from a half dragoness, and certainly nobody wanted to employ her. She finally found a bartender who was willing to help, but knew that having her in his bar would drive customers away. She was the one who came up with the idea to pretend to be a slave. People didn't like the idea of a dragon employee, but a dragon "forced" to serve them?

It was a hastily concocted idea, but she really wanted to make this work. It didn't hurt that she had a crush on the bar owner's son. She had enough money to get her out of that area and into a place where she wouldn't have to play this role. She'd get around to it sometime.

[Karyn MacMoragh]

'Some water here, please,' asked a soft-voice woman sunning herself before one of the windows. She didn't open her eyes as she spoke, and she appeared to be almost asleep. In fact, she seemed outright exhausted - her chestnut-brown hair hung limply behind her head, her limbs were askew in all directions, and the white robe that marked her as a pilgrim was marred with dust. The last few days had been exceedingly hot; little wonder that a traveller would not be the most energetic person in the tavern. Beside her chair was slumped a pack that looked perhaps a little too small for a long-distance journey.

-----

Nemele had, in fact, been on the road for quite a few weeks now, travelling west from her order's convent. She was not particularly enthused about the idea of journeying away from her comfortable home, particularly on exceedingly hot days when she had run out of water, but she hardly had a choice in the matter. She had, at one point, maintained a nice little position as a sacred prostitute, highly-trained and well looked-after with lots of time to herself, for the purposes of those particular rites that were not often spoken of in polite company. It was, she thought, quite a perfect life, and she was also of the opinion that it takes far too few visions or revelations to uproot her and toss her on the highway with naught but a destination and a vow of poverty. Nevertheless, it was a chance to serve the Divinity, and it was an interesting change from the chains-and-silk-and-leather game she had going on before. She might even be able to make some small difference in the world...


((So here's Nemele, and I do apologise for the brevity of her introduction! I don't know yet just what kind of religious sorts employ her, or where she's off to, but such things can come up as they need to, eh? And incidentally... You quite certain you don't want to slap a system onto this? I've never ever played without one, and I must confess that I don't know how it works, really.))

[Drogoth]

"Right away ma'am." a nearby voice replied in a businesslike tone.

A jingling of chains trailed off into the distance as the speaker left to fill the order. There was an odd bounce to the sound. Subtle enough that most of the patrons wouldn't notice it as being out of place. There was simply none of the usual foot dragging that typically accompanied the step of a person wearing chains.

A few moments later Lazaka returned holding a tray with a single glass of water on it. She wore the trappings of a slave laborer, chains and a tattered brown robe. A rowdy drunk had pulled it down from her shoulders so that the cloth slid down her arms and rested at her elbows where it Mingled with the tips of her pale green hair. It seemed that only her force of will kept her decent as the robe barely clung to her chest. She didn't mind her state of distress (or was it disdress?) simply because she was used to it. She had all but forgotten anything was out of place.

"Would you like a menu?" She inquired as she set the tray down on the table in front of Nemele.

((I don't see any brevity, and I looked the word up too! I don't expect stuff to be super long. I cheated cause I had my intro already laying around and just copied most of it. As for a system, I'm not really sure how to just slap one on. I don't think there's a dice roller here. Besides, that would make any fights take forever. Just write what you want your character to do and don't go overboard on their powers. Speaking of which, my idea is for Lazaka to be a fighter type person, using her restraints as weapons, though probably not her current ones. How would you describe your character's style?))

[Karyn MacMoragh]

'What fine jewellery she must have,' Nemele thought to herself as she lay back, the familiar jingling reminding her of home as she let the sun gently warm her skin. In Lazaka's absence she very nearly drifted off, but was roused right back at her return.

'Thank you very much, lass...' she said, opening her eyes as she sat up straight - and she had a very visible startle at what she saw. And then one more as she noticed Lazaka's draconicity. Her attention snapped up and she stared directly into the girl's eyes, for just long enough to be uncomfortable... And then she offered a pleasant smile. 'No menu, thank you,' she said, perhaps a little slowly as she glanced back towards the bar. 'But I would be much obliged if you would ask the proprietor if he would consider letting a mendicant sister stay in exchange for blessings on his establishment.'

She leaned forward to pick up the glass - and quite softly, just loud enough for Lazaka to hear, she said, 'And lass, I would very much like to speak to you later.'



((I've had Nemele in mind for a while. Nobody might ever guess it, but the girl's a paladin - just one whose vow of poverty relegates her to the clothes on her back rather than shining armour, and random things at hand in place of the traditional blessed longsword. In short, she's not so good at straight-up knocking heads, but she has a nice bag of tricks like looking into people's hearts to see naughtiness, little wee bits of healing, and getting really quite upset at the wicked once in a while.))

[Drogoth]

((FYI I went back and changed her description a little in the first post. Mostly just added some stuff like color.))

Lazaka waited, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. She was used to being stared at, but not quite like this, and usually not in the eyes. It was later in the day and cracks were starting to show in her 'downtrodden slave' act. Her eyes didn't seem to fit the rest of her. There was a lighthearted confidence in them, and a good deal of innocence.

"I will ask." Lazaka replied to the request simply as a slight knowing smile tugged at her lips. She had a feeling that he would allow it. After all, the man had a history of taking in hard luck cases such as herself.

She was a bit taken aback at Nemele's second request, but only let it show through a surprised blink. While she felt it would be nice to have a pleasant conversation she had a feeling this wouldn't be just any chat.



"Master Drenan would be happy to house a pilgrim," Lazaka politely spoke when she returned, still holding the empty tray but simply keeping it flat against her body. "And would speak with you to discuss details at your convenience."

She hesitated, not leaving the side of the table. The woman said she would like to talk, but how much later? She waited for some kind of sign, one way or the other.

[Karyn MacMoragh]

'Thank you very much, lass,' Nemele said, offering up her best attempt at a serene, beatific smile. It was pleasant, at least. With a small sigh of protest, she pulled herself up from her chair and plucked a little gold sunburst necklace from under her robes. She seemed just about to walk over to the indicated Drenan when she paused, and glancing around at the diminishing number of patrons, she looked back to Lazaka.

'This oughtn't take long,' she said, wrapping the necklace around her wrist as she spoke. 'I'd like to speak to you after. I must confess some curiosity regarding you.' She paused a moment to gague Lazaka's reaction, then set out to speak to the owner.

[Drogoth]

"Oh, I'm nothing special." Lazaka dismissed as she began to fidget with her hands. At the continued inspection she swallowed nervously, but kept her gaze even. It had taken her a little while to get used to playing her role around a bunch of drunk hicks. The idea of doing so in front of a holy woman called all that embarrassment back, and a little more. Her red tinged skin had gotten a little redder around her face.


Drenan was looking up from his station behind the bar. They didn't get too many folks like her in the town, so he was somewhat curious just what she had planned. He set the glass back on the shelf as she approached and nodded politely.

((You can control him for the exchange if you want to))

[Karyn MacMoragh]

'I do beg your pardon, sir!' Nemele said as she approached the bar, her semi-serene smile fully unfurled and her hands clasped in a votive gesture. 'Your quite excellent servant informed me that I might speak with you regarding lodgings. I would be absolutely more than happy to perform a blessing upon your establishment, in exchange for alms. Now, all I will require is a bit of bread and a pallet...'

Drenan was already holding up his hand. 'Nonsense,' he said in his deep, gruff voice. 'We don't get many priests through here. I haven't had the place blessed in far too long. If you would, I'll have a room fixed up for you.'

'You are all together too kind, lad,' Nemele said, positively beaming as she bowed in gratitude. 'And if I may, I would like to offer my complements again to your servant there.' She indicated Lazaka with a little nod, then happily turned around to fetch a few sticks of incence from her bag. After laying out everything she needed for the small rite on the mantle of the fireplace - like most hearths in this region, it bore small icons of the faith, lovingly-maintained - she paused before beginning to eye the bouncer in the corner. Something about him didn't quite sit right with her.

[Drogoth]

Lazaka quirked an eyebrow, though her back was facing the two. What had she done that was so special? She went about her duties as though she hadn't heard the conversation. She glanced over her shoulder a few times to see what Nemele was doing as she set up the rite.

The bouncer leaned against the wall and was casting the occasional glance at Nemele. Some would call him a harmless lecher, but they usually weren't the ones on the receiving end. He wasn't particularly evil, he was just a jerk. Lazaka usually tried to steer clear of him, but aside from the occasional grope he didn't give her too much trouble.

[Karyn MacMoragh]

Nemele scowled to herself just a bit as, in the mirror, she watched the bouncer watching her. She would normally be quite pleased to have an audience, but he set her hackles on edge.

The rite, as promised, didn't take terribly long. Nemele carefully wound the necklace chain around both wrists, lit the incense in the fire, and made a very slow revolution of the building, pausing at points to recite ancient prayers with what she hoped was an air of gravity. She finished twenty minutes later, back before the hearth, kneeling as she finished the last of the incantations. After comitting the remaining bits of incense to the flames, she slowly rose, unwrapped the chain from her wrists, and smiled to Drenan.

'There you go,' she said. 'Proofed against vampires, werewolves, witches, and all but the most persistant of devils. It should last a while.'

That done, she proceeded to one of the small tables in the corner. With a quick glance around the common-room to see that nobody of interest would be able to overhear her, and that the girl wasn't doing anything that particularly demanded her attention, Nemele beckoned Lazaka over to sit with her.