Swords Sex and Sorcery (IC thread)

It had been a typical day so far in the tent town around Ferovale, a new batch of traders had arrived, ready to hand off bad merchandise for more than it’s worth, four fights had broken out, the brothel had already been booked out for the rest of the day, and 6 people had been injured over in the training areas. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, though the local butcher, who had been enjoying the services of all the hunters with nothing to do but trek out in to the gray wastes, was still waiting on over half of his regulars to show up with their catches, and not a single person from the tents near the tree line had gotten a peaceful night’s sleep thanks to the racket the animals were making.

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"So how much is this?" Rook asked the trader as he held the dull green tunic to his chest, checking the size in the cloudy mirror leaning against the side of the traders caravan "four crowns" the trader replied in an irritated tone, Rook had been through his entire stock, and the only thing he had shown interest in was a cheap shirt, the trader would easily make a profit with the mark up on it, but was it worth the annoyance? "Four crowns? That’s a bit much don't you think, what if I only wanted one of the sleeves?" The trader had to think for a moment on that one "um... Still four crowns" Rook looked from the tunic to the trade and back again "I'll give you three and 5 coppers" the trader sighed and nodded as Rook paid him, he was just happy to have him gone.

Rook smiled and left once he had changed his shirt, it may have only been lunch time, but with all the people with no work or anything better to do, the drinking started at breakfast, and now that it was lunch time, there were bound to be a few people who had drunken a little too deeply. Ever since he had been roped in to working as the bars bouncer, those people had become his problem.

It was a short walk from the traders to the bar, and as he got closer he could see work that needed doing, at least the lack of walls made it easy to throw people out. He strolled in to the bar, nodding to a few of the more regular patrons before stopping behind a burly man with an obscenely large brow who was insisting rather loudly that he be given a free drink because he was too drunk to keep a hold of his last one while ogling the serving girl. He cleared his throat to get the man’s attention, but he was ignored in favour of asking why the man behind the bar had started smiling, Rook didn't bother trying to get his attention a second time.

Rook grabbed him by the back of the head, clawed fingers twisting in to the brutes hair, and then he ploughed his face in to the bar, letting the dazed fool collapse to the floor “I cant leave this place alone for half an hour” he said with a sigh to the man behind the bar before dragging the dazed drunkard to the side of the wooden floor and tossing him out in to the street "I do enjoy this job sometimes" he said with a grin on his face before turning to walk back to the bar "now get me something you didn't water down"

"Finally here!" Catriona thought with a bright smile, as the settlement could be seen over the horizon. It definitely wasn't the prettiest sight in the world, but with days away from any civilization, one could not help but feel excited over the smallest thing. Joyful, she happily paced through the harsh grounds and headed towards the tent town.

Upon entering the premises, the young half elf began to notice the smell. It...It wasn't anything like the vast wilds. In fact, it reeked of unspeakable things and alcohol. Lots of it. Many merchants began calling to her and Catriona, eager to meet new people, gladly went to them.

"Hi!" she would say in the utmost upbeat tone.

"I've got plenty of good wares!" They would often reply, as if they spent hours rehearsing that same line. "I've got staffs, swords and potions! If you don't have much use for those things, have a look at my paintings and sculptures!"

"Um...no than-"

"Then get out of my shop! What are you even doing here!" They would often shout out, rapidly changing their tone.

Her mood rapidly declining, she sat down to take a little rest. After all, as she became overexcited to see how this town was like, she had forgotten to even take a breather after all that walking. "Jeez, this isn't anything like I thought it would be." she thought, sighing.

Over in a short distance, she noticed the gathering of quite a few people. "Hm, maybe that place would be good!" she thought, completely oblivious to the fact that it was a bar.

Upon entering, she noticed a man being pummeled and thrown out. "Good grief!" she said, hurrying to the beaten man. "Are you okay?" she asked, reaching out to him but quickly being pushed aside. "Leave me alone!" he shouted.

"Jeez, don't be such a baby. Stay still for a moment." Catriona then replied, placing the tip of a silver staff upon the man's head, as his wounds began to heal. Instead getting a 'thank you' that she believed that she earned, the man simply ran away.

"Of all the ungrateful..." she thought to herself, before shrugging it off. All her life, she thought the world to be filled with adventures and good folks. Recent events have been convincing her that perhaps, it wasn't all that great.

"No!" she thought to herself "I can't return now. Maybe things will get better. I know it will!"

Luskan Ulvandre had been a mercenary for over one hundred years and it was surprising by itself that a dark elf like himself had managed to survive so long on the surface with the deep hatred there is for his kind. But he cannot blame them, he hates his own kind as well, though it is the matriarchs who rules his people, along with the majority of the women who treats him and the other males like animals are those who his hate i aimed for.

During his time on the surface since he escaped the Underdark has he learned much about the world and gained a sort of ambition to earn lots of gold and enjoy life while he still had it as the drow were still sending hunter squads for his hide, even more so because of him creating a spider hive in one of the major openings to the surface they used for their slave raids. Now he was in a small town called Ferovale, things were not much exciting around these parts but it didn't bother him. A couple of people had given him disdained looks but the drow wizard had gained a reputation on the surface as a powerful magic user and useful mercenary.

But that didn't stop people from doing stupid things, just last month during his last work, which involved him killing a young dragon who was eating up a local lord's crops, had the lord attempted to break his contract and have the drow thrown out of his keep. Luskan had retaliated by casting a curse upon the king that his cock would rot and wither until he paid him what he owed him. it took only a day for the lord to beg him to return his cock to its regular state.

Currently was he wearing his hood over his head, his crimson eyes looking around in search of a possible work or trade, he wasn't much of a craftsman outside of magic but he could use his magic to create and enchant items, but he also recovered much items which were useless to him, most of it weapons, armor and other things too heavy for him to wield. The place was filled with people bartering and he couldn't find anything of interest and wondered if he shouldn't just sell the magical gear, it would be much simpler then walking booth to booth looking for possible trade items that he could find useful. He then noticed a beautiful elf helping a drunk only to be spit upon, he almost flinched, he knew fully well just how it was to be treated like that. Walking over to the obviously lonesome elf he coughed into one of his gloves, hoping she wouldn't scream in terror when he greeted here. "I see I am not the only one having trouble with people."

At this point in time, Catriona wondered if it really was all that necessary running away from home. It was rather terrible that she would have to marry an elven prince from another kingdom, but at least the villagers of the town knew her. She could openly chatter to anyone, or spend as much time as she wanted reading scriptures, going through page after page.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as someone approached her.

"I see I am not the only one having trouble with people." the voice said. She quickly turned around to see someone who obviously wasn't a human. She caught on quickly that he was a Drow; beings of similar descent to the Elven people. Although, they were normally seen as cruel, savage people according to the elders of her town. Still, he seemed to be the most friendly person she had met to this point in time.

"You're telling me." she said with a frown. Although it quickly changed as she realized that she was having her first conversation in this town.

"Oh, how rude of me! I'm Catriona!" she then said happily, offering her hand and shaking his in an eager, though clumsy fashion.

Normally he would be hearing screams of terror or similar but there was none, well that was something that hadn't happened once during the century he had lived on the surface, guess it's true that variety is the spice of life. He gently took her hand and shook it, quite unsure if she would flip him on his back and stab him, something that happened more then twice the last thirty years. "Lustkan. Luskan Ulvandre." Was his monetone answer, neither polite nor rude, just there, with a stoic look on his face, both of these he had managed to accomplish rather well after two centuries of practice.

"I might sound weird but why did you not scream? It seems to be the trend with surface people, it hasn't gone out of practice for over a century in my case." He asked with a curious look in his eyes.

"Lustkan. Luskan Ulvandre." he said, finally introducing himself. His tone was rather monotone, but the look in his face showed that he was quite surprised. Catriona couldn't really tell why, so she carried on with her attitude, despite him not showing the slightest bit of emotion.

"I suppose that some people are just like that. Oh well." she thought.

"I might sound weird but why did you not scream? It seems to be the trend with surface people, it hasn't gone out of practice for over a century in my case." he then said, which pretty much explained to the half elf just why he had that puzzled look. Poor guy, he must have met quite a few unpleasant folks during his travels.

"I don't see why I should have screamed. It's not like you were about to stab me." she replied, giving a light hearted chuckle. "It's good to see that someone here isn't trying to sell me junk. Truth is, the only reason why I came to this town was to look for some sort of grand adventure, but lately all I've been getting is rude merchants and ungrateful people.

stretching her weary body holding her cloak tightly over her body, her icy eyes sore from the sunrise, bowing her head she knew she had to keep going hearing the chatter of people ahead she knew she was almost where she needed to be.

stopping at the tree line for only a moment she smiled slightly, her wings ached to be free, the soft clink of the katan at her hip sounded with each step, as she endered town. Finding the bar was simple, the stench of the alcohol seemed fill the air, none the less she was use to it as it wasn't unusual to find her hiding in the darkest of corners of one.

gently nudging the door open carefull to keep her sking from being exposed she stepped in, her eyes gazing around trying to find a dark corner where no light reached, slightly satisfied as her eyes setteled at seeing one on the other side of the seemingly small room. softly she bit her lower as she heard Lustkan introduce himself to a young girl. Sarina slid past them hoping she hadn't run into either in her passing.

A soft hum passed her lush lips as she steped into the shadows her eyes slightly at ease, lifting nimbel fingers up she pulled the hood of her cloak back some, a few strands of sliver hair fell from inside the hood over the top of her cloak reaching up she let the deep emerald green clasp loose and allowed her cloak to hang freely on her shoulders. taking a step further back into the corner she finaly allowed the cloak to fall to lay on the back of the chair revieling a tight black halter that clugh to her body and black leather pants the seemed to hugg her curves, her ashen wings rusteled and poped slightly as she stretched them and her body. she groaned softly as she took a seat her piercing blue eyes gazed about the room, finding some humor in thouse who yelled while finding annoyance in their demanding ways, her silance was almost a gift. finding herself slightly alone she wispered a silent chant that she was taught as a child and expected few to hear or understand, it always seemed to relax her body and regenerate her energy.

Rook sighed as the elf woman out the front healed the drunk, his hang over would be gone faster now, brilliant, more work for him later, why did people always heal the drunks when he threw them out of the half building half tent that served as a bar for all the adventures in the sprawling tent town.

He shrugged the thought as his drink arrived, a nice glass of mjod, it was a curious drink, milk based, and had the strength of an entire pint of mead with barely half the kick, apparently it was made from some kind of herb only found in the grey wilds, he had grown quite fond of it since his arrival. He was half way through the glass when an odd murmur ran through the crowd, even the bartender stopped his work to glance over at something in the corner.

Rook indulged his curiosity and had a look for himself, finding a notably beautiful winged woman hiding away in the shadowyest corner that the tavern had “she’s new” he whispered to himself “top me up and grab me another” he said to the barkeep, who quickly obliged, allowing Rook to take the drinks and head over to the new arrival, his big brown and white tail brushing against any chairs and legs he passed on the way.

“Just got in to town?” he asked the winged woman “its kinda easy to spot new people when they have wings” he added with a smirk before putting one of the drinks down on the table in front of her “mind if I join you?”

hearing the movement among the people she found herself almost lost as she adjusted herself. crystal like eyes still seemed to burn as her lids fell over them, she almost didn't look up when she heard the soft clink of a glass as it was set down infront of her, nimbel fingers slid across the top edge of the glass as she tipped her chin up looking at one who had set it down before her.
finding that if she could blush her ivory skin would be set aflame in one.
"I suppose it's not to hard to tell" her voice was a soft melody as she spoke she gently pushed the chair next to her out "I wouldn't mind the company at all"

looking back at her wings a bit cautious, as the new surroundings she wasnt use to, she brought her finger to her mough and tasted the drink, looking back at him she realised she had even forgot to give him her name.

letting her finger fall from her lips she watched him almost cirously "I'm Sarina" she finaly wispered softly

Bronwyn

Bronwyn pulled slightly on Glory's reins, bringing the horse to a stop on the hill just above the town. It was just enough of a rise to allow her to look over the sprawling tent community below, just outside of the town beyond. She took a few moments to study the scene before her, as was her nature. She liked to get a good overall view of what she was getting into before committing herself.

She reached into the top of her boot, pulling out the folded parchment she had pinned her hopes on for the past two weeks she had been traveling here. Unfolding it, her eyes perused the poster again, for probably the hundredth time. The promise of adventure and untold riches and treasures had lured her here, along with her usual hope of finding a place to belong, or at least comrades to fit in with. Elf and Human alike had always stared at her, marking her differences, setting her apart from them in their minds. It was hard belonging to both worlds and yet neither. She hoped this time it might be different.

She took in the sight of the many traders, no doubt hawking their wares for double what they were worth. She was glad at times like these that her self sufficient nature made sure she had everything she needed already. She glanced thankfully back at her pack mule, Fortune. He as a steady, sturdy animal, patient and gentle, but with a stubborn streak a mile wide. Still she wouldn't trade him for anything.

Below her, a buzzing chorus of voices made it impossible to pick out individual conversations, but occasionally the raised voice of some of the more raucous squabbles made their participants conspicuous. One such quarrel drew her attention to what appeared to be a makeshift tavern. She licked her suddenly dry lips. and urged Glory onward down the slope. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd had anything other than water to quench her thirst. Most times she didn't need anything else, but the presence of so many people of all races, crowded in so closely made her want something a little stronger for her nerves.

As she guided her horse and mule through the haphazard maze of tents pitched on all sides, she was glad she had her own. No doubt the cost of renting one of these tents would be nearly as much as paying for a room in a fine inn. And best of all, she could pitch her own tent near the edge of all this chaos, giving herself a little privacy.

She approached the tavern, noticing the details of the two figures engaged in conversation near the entrance. The female seemed young, naive, and she talked too much, but her features marked her as being at least partly of Elvish blood, like Bronwyn herself. Possible friend there, she thought. She'd keep her mind open to the possibility.

The male sounded strange, an unusual accent, but she couldn't quite place it. When she passed around to a position she could view him from the front, she figured out why. Dark elf. They could be trouble, but she would wait and see, as always, about his one. No sense jumping to any conclusions. Let things play out, the way she always did before deciding anything.

She noticed the heavily cloaked figure move carefully past them, trying not to disturb them or draw their notice. That one might bear watching too. The figure was slender, maybe a youth or a female, but they acted like they had something to hide. And there was just a little more bulk under that cloak than a slender body would account for. Maybe a small pack or something was worn under the cloak. That would be unusual, but not necessarily anything to be concerned about.

Her turquoise eyes quickly noted details about the other patrons: who had consumed too much drink, who looked to become belligerent because of it, who might be better to avoid, and who might provide decent company. She noted the unusual person who seemed to act as the security for the tavern, noting the fur covered body, the unusual eyes, and the thick tail. She didn't know what to make of that one, but she planned to avoid any conflict with authority anyhow.

Finally satisfied that she had a good idea of what she'd be getting into, she dismounted and tied Glory off to a hitching post, then did the same for Fortune, promising them both a good brushing later and settling their feedbags on their heads before approaching the entrance where the Drow and the younger girl were talking.

She thought to ease past them, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, and she didn't want to stand there, making them think she was eavesdropping, even though she heard and made note of what they said. As she edged around them, she caught the eye of the younger girl and couldn't help but smile slightly at the youthful exuberance the girl displayed with her eager chatter. For a second, she almost pitied the Drow......almost.

Luskan let a slight tug of his lips show for an instance before it disappeared, it was kind of comforting to meet someone who could be so open with him, he listened with patience as she spoke and noticed a sort of sadness in her eyes when she spoke of home. But he didn't dig into it, she had her reasons and he had his reasons, no need to dig up old emotions which were best left in the past. "I have the same problems, even after a century on the surface do I have trouble getting proper prices for my wares, be it if I craft them or get them during a job. I have been carrying around several things for the last four months in this enchanted bag of mine."

He pulls out a scroll he had written out of boredo mto kee p track of the things in his bag. "Four sets of well crafted and enchanted armor (+3), two leathers and two metal, think oen of them is a halfplate, along with six heavy weapons, two greatswords enchanted with a regular magic enchantment (+1), a halberd afflicted with a blood leech curse that causes the sword to deal a dark wound upon whatever it hits (drains around one spoonful of blood per minute, gains a powerful negative energy attack from the blood.) and three longswords, each enchanted with an element, fire, ice and lightning." It felt a bit weird being able to speak so openly but it was rather comforting really. "I have some more things, jewelry, artworks and gems, enchanted and not. Most of it is not very useful for an adventurer like me so I seek to sell them, but nobody has given em a free price yet." He then let out an annoyed sigh and looked at the market around them with a cool neutral look, thoguh it was a bit strayed with a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

Lilianne

Lilianne let out a tired sigh as she stopped near the edge of the tent town. She brushed some dust from her skirt and stood for a while with a self-satisfied smile. She made it! The last twenty miles on foot. It had been impossible to hitch-hike that last stretch. At least, not without paying a generous fee. That had set the tone for the orgy of money-grubbing trading and dealing she now looked out over. Greasy-haired merchants criss-crossed her path as she entered the town.

She relaxed as she began to get a feel for the place. She browsed happily among the stalls. She enjoyed the sounds and sights of the market. The crackling of meat roasting and the clanging of hammers on anvils. While Lilianne was light on coins, she couldn't resist spending a few copper pennies on little trinkets. For luck, she stole a necklace of wooden beads from a busy stall.

As a few old men passed by her, one of them exclaimed, “I'd give me left arm for a pint of ale!”. My thoughts exactly, she said to herself. Just as soon as she got directions to the nearest tavern she made a bee line for it.

Lilianne strolled over the area of grass towards the makeshift tavern. The air was humid, but she felt comfortable in her light clothing. Just a pleated, green plaid, knee-length skirt and light sleeveless top, with black boots. She had a linen bag slung over one shoulder.

She passed by two figures near the entrance. They seemed to be studying a scroll, but she didn't pay much attention. She walked into the crowded space, following in behind another woman who was about the same height as herself. She let the other woman beat a path through the crowd as she glanced about at the variety of patrons. Every shape and size of person seemed to be represented in the motley throng.

Just for a second, Catriona thought she saw a glimpse of emotion appearing on Luskan's face. It didn't last long. "Hm, he's a stubborn one." she thought to herself. At least she met someone who has a clue on what he's doing. Maybe she could learn a thing or two about the world by him.

"I have the same problems, even after a century on the surface do I have trouble getting proper prices for my wares, be it if I craft them or get them during a job. I have been carrying around several things for the last four months in this enchanted bag of mine."


From the look of things, it turned out that he hasn't had all that much luck with people as well. One would hope that it was simply because Drow aren't too well seen around these parts, and not simply because humans in general were unfriendly folk. That being said, Catriona listened as he stated what were in his bag. Needless to say, she was impressed.

"Wow!" she said "That's sure a lot of stuff, I have to say. I'm not sure if you'd be able to get anything fair for them around here though..." biting her lip gently "I mean, I talked to just about every merchant in this town and they kept giving me sell pitches over the most common things."

"But hey, I'm sure you'll find something!" Catriona then stated, hoping that he wouldn't lose heart.

"Either that I will salvage the items for scrap and reforge them into something new." Luskan stated with an annoyed huff before he reached into the bag and pulled out a gemstone, a sapphire around the size of an eyeball. "Take this sapphire for example, it is enchanted to grant fertility to its owner once kept in a bowl of water in a house from the size of a shack to a palace or castle." Green energy filled his hands and the gem melted and with his bare hands he changed the liquified blue stone into a bracer. "With some acid and a skilled hand have I remade it into an accessory that a wife or husband with fertility problems can wear to ensure a child is made. I was offered a hundred thousand gold for it until it was discovered I was a dark elf, then they instantly withdrew their offer. With my people's reputation for trickery do I not blame them, but it makes it hard to earn a living when I am not hired as a mercenary or doing monster hunting."

"Ooh!" I nearly shouted, entranced by the gemstone. It was entirely due to the fact that it was shined brilliantly, but more towards the countless spells I've read that revolved around one. There were many, many things one could do with precious stones such as sapphires and rubies. Unfortunately, more often than naught, people would use them to forge vain rings or bracelets. While those had some magical attributes, they were no where as close raw.

"With some acid and a skilled hand have I remade it into an accessory that a wife or husband with fertility problems can wear to ensure a child is made. I was offered a hundred thousand gold for it until it was discovered I was a dark elf, then they instantly withdrew their offer. With my people's reputation for trickery do I not blame them, but it makes it hard to earn a living when I am not hired as a mercenary or doing monster hunting." he told me, confirming my suspicions that his life has been a hard one. I could see where these people were coming from, as I've read countless stories of infamous Drows in the underdark. But there had to be a few that weren't all that bad.

"Well, I can tell that you're good!" I said, hoping that such words would cheer him up. "And believe me, I have a good sense for these things! Some would even call it a gift."

Letting a small tug escape his normally stoic face the drow chuckled a little, unable to keep himself from getting some of the blond elf's cheer into him. "Well whatever comes I will just live my life, if I die I die, though I might not fulfill my goal will I have no regrets." He then motioned for an empty table in the tavern after pocketing the bracer and pulled out another gem. "Though for the moment, how about I show you how to craft gemstones without breaching their natural or artificial enchantments? It's easier then it looks." He walked over to the table and sat down, putting down four different gems on the table and pointed at each one. "A ruby is a gemstone associated with fire, passion, blood, life and destruction, depending on the way it was recovered from the earth the gem has a natural enchantment, this one has an enchantment of vigor that grants you a boost in stamina." He then held up an onyx stone. "Onyx is associated with death, shadows, earth, poison, sleep, dreams and nightmares. This one has an artificial Night Vision enchantment on it."

luskan then held up two pearls, one black and one white. "Pearls are not really gem stones and are associated with all enchantments, though not as strong as regular gems, but they have magical enchantments as well depending on the seas and oysters that they came from. These two gem stones have a combined natural enchantment of lust on them, they can be used as a pair or combined, increasing the enchantment's potency, or separated, making them weaker but still useful. A lust enchantment raises the sensitivity and sexual hormones of the one holding or wearing them unless you hold them with gloves of silk, if not then they affect you." The drow then put the ruby into her hand. "To craft gemstones you have to feed magic into the stone and then you need to bring out either a fire or acid spell to melt it, you can keep it up for five minutes before the spell ruins the gem stones' enchantments, as the spell you are feeding it is melting it can you shaped the melted gem like it is clay without worrying about damaging your hands." Luskan then grasped her smaller hand and helped her focus on the gemstone.

"There it is!" she thought as the Drow chuckled. "It's good to see that this guy isn't dead serious all the time."

"Though for the moment, how about I show you how to craft gemstones without breaching their natural or artificial enchantments? It's easier then it looks."

"Sure!" Catriona said, eagerly walking over to the table. Four gemstones were laid out as he pointed at each one. He went over rubies, onyx, pearls and two pearls; one white and the other black. Although, the half-elf believed that he had no reason to explain to usage of rubies in spells; after all, she was a healer. But then she soon realized that she hasn't told him.

A ruby was placed upon her hand.

"To craft gemstones you have to feed magic into the stone and then you need to bring out either a fire or acid spell to melt it, you can keep it up for five minutes before the spell ruins the gem stones' enchantments, as the spell you are feeding it is melting it can you shaped the melted gem like it is clay without worrying abotu damaging your hands."

"Hm okay." she said, full of confidence. "I can do this."

That being said, Catriona began to focus her will into the gem. Her heart leaped on the fact that she hated using any spell requiring of these gems. Not because her restoration skills were incapable, but merely on the fact that she wasn't that skilled in terms of fire. From time and time, things would backfire.

Grasping her fingers Luskan stroked the smooth digits with his own gloved fingers, guiding her magic through them, controlling the output of the energy she was emitting, tracing the lines of her fingers from knuckle to finger tips in slow almost sensual motions. Soon a red flame engulfes the ruby and it begins to melt like butter in the sun, its crimson surface shining even further as the magical flame made the solid molecules of the gem disolve. "Now use your other hand to shape the ruby, be sure to not rush it or you will just ruin the shape." He stated calmly as he kept stroking her hand, to keep her fire going so it wouldn't disolve and the ruby harden within seconds, it would have to be melted again and if so then it would be ruined and become just a pretty gem because of the fire used constantly, it is not safe to melt the same gem twice within the same day..

"Hey..." Catriona thought to herself "I'm doing it and no trouble. Phew." as the gem began to melt smoothly under her hand. A chuckle appeared as his hand stroked her own to further the process of the enchantment. She couldn't help it, while being a gifted healer she was also incredibly ticklish.

"Now use your other hand to shape the ruby, be sure to not rush it or you will just ruin the shape."

"Okay!" she said, taking her time as to not ruin the gemstone. After all, Catriona wasn't exactly wealthy. She didn't want to pay a fortune after ruining someone's precious crafting material.

OOC: not posting until the others gets their turn, and please tell what she shapes the ruby as.

Bronwyn eased her way through the crowd to the bar, offering a shy smile to the man tending to the many customers. "Mead, a pint, if you please." She laid her coin down on the table when the tankard was brought. Turning around to survey the crowd, she noted that the slender figure with the heavy cloak now occupied a table in the back, deep in shadow. Her elvish sight gave her a view of the winged woman. She was pretty, Bronwyn thought. And the wings definitely explained what was under the cloak.

She noticed the furred person with the tail sitting with the winged woman. He intrigued her for some reason. She couldn't decide if he was part animal or what. It might be interesting to find out, she thought. her eyes continued to peruse the crowd, and settled on the Drow and the ebullient half blood girl. Bronwyn found her interesting. She didn't run into very many half bloods like herself, and even fewer were female. Idly, she wondered if the girl had experienced the same prejudices that she had in her own life.

As she sipped her mead, Bronwyn watched the Drow chatting up the girl. he must be a smooth talker, Bronwyn thought. The girl seemed to be very attentive to whatever he was saying to her. Maybe later she could find a chance to talk to the girl, but from the looks of things, she'd probably be busy with the Drow. A surprising combination, but to each their own, she thought.

Bronwyn decided to find a seat and enjoy her drink. She made her way through the crowd, taking care to avoid the more boisterous of the revelers until she found a small table near the wall, not too far from the winged woman and the furry person. She thought it might be interesting to see if she could find out more about them. She sat down, offering a shy smile when they looked up at her, and a friendly nod. Leaning back on her chair, she slipped a hand in her pouch and pulled out a stick of cinnamon bark to chew on as she listened to the conversations around her.

Rook happily sat down once the seat was offered, He liked meeting new people, and even if she turned out to be boring, he voice sounded lovely, and it would be interesting to try and figure out what she was, at first he wondered if she was one of those winged elves he had heard about, but she didn’t look to have the ears for it.

He let his eyes look around the tavern for a moment, he might have been enjoying the company of a lovely woman, but he was still the closest thing this place had to a bouncer. There weren’t to many new people apart from the woman beside him, but there were a few, the healer from outside, she wouldn’t be a problem, healers never were, and the drow that looked like he was chatting her up wouldn’t be too much of a problem as long as she kept him occupied, though he would have to be mindful of others starting trouble with the drow. The last newcomer was another of Elfish decent if the ears were any indicator, she had the look of a ranger or scout about her, that was good, they usually had a level head, he may just have a few minutes to himself for once if everyone behaved.

“Sarina, lovely name” he said with a smile once his quick appraisal of the room was complete, then offered his unarmoured hand to her “It’s a pleasure to meet you, most people call me Rook.”

Sarina's eyes glimmered almost dangerously as the other woman whom she knew seen her from a distance, took the table closest to them. Her sharp senses told her most likely that of an elf which didn't seem to realy bother her much.

Sarina reached up rubbing her eyes but never realy touching the drink that had been set before her although she did like the taste. Finding herself more at ease she decited to remove her blades and lean them against the table. Reaching nimble fingers up she pulled her silver hair back off her shoulders. Her soft creamy skin could feel the warmth of the air caress her as she listened not only to conversations around her but her attention never realy left the furred male beside her, taking his hand her cold skin felt the warmth of his as she shook his hand, he drew her curiosity as she let her finger tips graze through his fur. Lifting her eyes a warm friendly smile touched her lips "it's nice to find some one seemingly kind around here" she kept her voice low and soft her shyness still holding fast.

Reaching up as if she were about to touch his face she stopped an let her small hand fall back to her lap afraid she would offend or upset him but even hi ambereyes intrigued her even more, his scent unfimilur to her she wanted to know what he was " and thank you for the compliment, though I've never met any one with a name like yours, its unique. So Rook, tell me about the places around here?" she softly bit her lower lip her white teeth pressing into her soft skin, the tips of her fangs now some what visible as she release her lip and slid her tongue across them.

He watched her as she carefully shifted the liquid gem with her delicate fingers and nodded as the gem was shaped into a blooming rose, not perfect but still impressive for a beginner at gemcrafting, with a hop on the bottom so you could circle a chain through it and make a necklace. "Very good, I always had trouble crafting the gems within the time limit, this is a finely made rose for a beginner, my works were far worse." Taking out a small silver chain from his bag he pushed it through the hop on the roase and offered the finished necklace to her. "Every crafter keeps their first finished work of art, as a reminder of how long they ahve reached. A kind of tradition if you want to call it that. You are now capable of basic gemcraft, congratulations." He then looked around and wondered whether he should risk order a drink and meal or just say good bye to her and start look for work.

Bronwyn

Bronwyn let her keen hearing pick out the details of various conversations around her. The furred man was called 'Rook', the winged woman with a quiet voice, almost a purr, was 'Sarina'. These details might prove useful in time. She overheard something about gemcraft from the table with the Drow, though that table was far enough away that it was hard to hear much over the interfering noise of the crowd.

All was well. She was finally relaxed, letting the weariness of her long journey begin to ease out of her body. But a muttered oath, something about 'Filthy half-breeds!" made her stiffen. She hated the term. Instinctively, she began to search the crowd to find the source of the remark. Across the room, near the bar, the heavily bearded human man, glowering at several targets of his bigotry as he drank from his tankard, spilling ale into his whiskers. He eyed the girl sitting with the Drow, but she wasn't his only interest. His bleary eyed stare roved around the room, settling on Bronwyn too.

This one might be trouble, especially if he didn't plan on keeping his opinions to himself. Bronwyn didn't want to start trouble, but with the use of that degrading epithet, she might not mind finishing it with the lout. She didn't normally have anything against humans anymore than any other race, but she was a bit sensitive about those who wanted to make racial slurs about her. She returned the stare of the crude oaf, as if daring him to try something with her. Her fingers twitched over the hilt of her heavy Ranger knife as her eyes narrowed.