Fanning the Flames (A Dickings & Dalliances Adventure) - (Closed except by invitation)

[Nouh_Bdee]

This thread is a continuation of the story that began in “The Lady’s Hand”. If you read that thread, you may remember that the goal is to roleplay a story through actual play of a version of D&D altered to include rules for some sexual situations.

I’m going to be the DM, and the other players will be returning. I hope any readers enjoy the story, and please bear with us as we iron out (or in) the kinks in this system.

TW: There will be non-con content in this thread.

If you're interested in playing a role, please send me a PM. I don't know how many roles will be available, but there will probably be some availability.

Hope you enjoy reading!

*****************


After several weeks hiking through the wooded, mountainous interior of the Tescinelle, the weary quartet of adventurers find themselves rounding the northern slope of the mountain Orkut to lay their eyes upon the gates of Gratigne. The largest city on the Tescinelle is nestled against the eastern slope of the same mountain they’d been traveling around, just below a visually impressive cliff, with a glittering waterfall dropping into the heart of the city from above. The limestone walls are tall and strong, unharmed by the ivy that crawls up their faces.

A short line of people and carts waits just outside the gates, as the guards scrutinize each entrant. Sprite, the harpy barbarian, Chasen, the half-elf ranger, Wylo, the elf druid, and Arx, the changeling rogue, are met with no more than cursory nods as they join the back of the queue. Several minutes into their wait, however, the sound of raised voices echo back to their spot in line.

“I’ve been traveling in and out of Gratigne for years!” cries one of the voices, a coarse male voice. The response he receives is less audible.

“And you two have the stones to stop me? I think I’ll take that bet.” The argument is punctuated by the sound of drawing steel…

 

[justspitballing]

Sprite had to roll her eyes. She may have been a harpy, but she still new the difference of being strong and just being an impatient fool. She didn't really want to be here, waiting to get into this city. Oh, she knew it was important, but she kind of doubted they would find the wizard bird that so wronged them. Chances are he was to crafty to be caught. She only allowed herself to be brought along because her clan, Ravennoused, named after their current leader, needed to be informed of how they had been wronged. Members of her clan had been brainwashed and the clan had every right to get a proper revenge for that. The clan was just a short travel from here, and while she did travel she felt it was imperative that she still acted like a proper guard.

Hearing the fight starting Sprite pulled out her axe but decided to side against the man wanting into the city. Making friends with the people of Gratigne would only help them in this case and they would also likely be given a straight answer on why people were being delayed.

"They have more then just stones backing them up," Sprite said as she moved in to see this fight in action.

 

[Poprockz]

Arx watched the fight with amused interest, but nothing more than that. It wasn’t her fight, so she wasn’t going to get involved. She could sympathize with the person who had likely been traveling just as long if not longer than they had, but at the same time the guards had a job to do as well. Inserting oneself into their people’s business wasn’t usually her style in these circumstances. It was curious that they were being so strict about letting people in, though.

In any case, she was simply looking forward to going to a tavern, washing off, and having a drink. It had been a long journey, and she was tired and sore. She was also very pregnant, looking as though she was three months pregnant. It had only been about a month or so since she got juiced by that large orc, but changeling pregnancies were unpredictable. Sometimes you could give birth a month later, and sometimes it was five months down the road. It really all depended on what her body decided it wanted to do.

 

[ICM8781]

Chasen continued to meditate and study to replenish his ranger magic he lost in prison. As the fight got rowdy enough to snap him out of it. He knew that any attention to the crew might jeoperdize their mission. Then he saw Sprite pull out the axe and provoke the one of the men it might have been a little to late to do that. He threw his cloak over his face to hide his identity and attempted to sneak behind Sprite's opponent to grapple him.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The guards draw their steel as well, and one of them points his back and forth between the impatient human and Sprite. "Aye, we've well-trained steel as well, more than enough for both a blustering fool and a raging harpy if the lot of you don't wait your turn," he growls menacingly. Despite the fact that Sprite is confronting the traveler, not them, they seem to assume that she'll be trouble.

"This has nothing to do with you, bird," the man interjects, "get back i--hey! get your hands off me!" His off-hand comes out to stiff-arm Chasen away from his back.

With a flash of recognition that is quickly squashed, the other guard patrolling the line puts his off-hand up. "Let's all just put our weapons away, yeah?" he asks, despite still holding his sword in a threatening position. "You can enter the city in due time or the grave at once, and there's no need for the latter unless one of you makes a need. Understood?"

 

[justspitballing]

Sprite lowered her axe. If she was going to look good to the city guards, she kind of had to fallow their orders.

"Just trying to help is all. I've worked guard duty for many a year. I know the headache of having to put up with someone like this," Sprite said, not really caring at all about the impatient man trying to get past the entrance.

"Thanks for the assistance, but I'm sure this gentleman wont push things any farther," Sprite then nodded at Chasen.

 

[ICM8781]

Chasen Pats the shoulder of the guard before he walks away smiling intently.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The man calms down, despite how little any of the others involved seem to appreciate Sprite's assistance, and within the hour the quartet of adventurers find themselves at the front of the line. A relatively small side door, barely big enough for a carriage, is unbarred to allow travelers entry, while the massive city gates stand shut. Four guards, three human and one half-elf, physically stand in front of the door, even when it is shut, which seems a bit oversecure to many of the folks in line, and two more guards, the same two that threatened Sprite earlier, walk over to inspect the group.

"Names, Origins, and Business in Gratigne. Now." one of them barks, a hostile tone to his voice. His compatriot winces, but doesn't interject.

 

[justspitballing]

"We come from Qelaz. They call me Sprite, the muscle of the group. And we were sent here by the king herself. We have important talks to go over with your higher ups, no offence," Sprite said, not one to be intimidated.

Clearly someone was trying to hard to look good at their job.

 

[ICM8781]

"He, he. but seriously. We are on official business that reqires discresion. Not to put tofine a point on it, but it does involve a diplomatic and possiby military assistance" His tone a bit more cordial than Sprite's.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The more aggressive of the two guards shifts his posture, eyes narrowing, breath still. The silence lingers as the other guard, a younger man with a shaggy mop of brown hair that Chasen might be surprised to see on a man in his line of work, looks back and forth between Chasen, Sprite, and his compatriot.

Finally, the younger man speaks. “Well, I don’t—“

“Whatever,” the other guard interrupts. “That’s all above my pay grade, anyway.” He steps closer, poking Sprite just below the collarbone with a thick finger. “We’ll have eyes on you, bird, so don’t try anything in Gratigne,” he warns, and then turns to his coworker. “Inspect ‘em, then let ‘em through.”

“We’re both supposed to—“

“Don’t pull regulations on me, kid. We both know how it works in this city now, and you had your chance to join up.”

With a heavy sigh, the younger guard starts patting down the adventurers with an unpracticed professionalism. When he gets to Wylo, who spends the entire process in a fit of ticklish laughter, he finally throws up his hands.

“You’re good. Fuck it. Go on through.” The other guard had long since wandered away.

 

[justspitballing]

Sprite pondered flashing the men when they got to her, but they were so pathetic they didn't even get that far. She walked ahead of them, such simple people really weren't worth her time. As she entered the city she looked around.

 

[Poprockz]

It was rather nice letting other people take care of things, and Arx had merely stood there eating an apple as things unfolded. She was tempted to step in when they announced themselves as important people. In her opinion, it would have been better to infiltrate without calling attention to themselves. While they were here on official business, this was also the place where a lot of their enemies were lying in wait. Arx could be anyone she wanted to be, but the rest of them were stuck with their given forms- they couldn't disappear if they got in a sticky spot. That being said... the guard accepted it so it wasn't as though she needed to interfere.

The guard didn't even get a chance to search her, given that Wylo was all giggly. It was honestly hilarious, and she couldn't stop herself from grinning while the guard threw his hands up and left.

Having an unhinged elf in the group had its advantages.

When they got inside the gates, she looked at the rest of the group and held up her hand to list things as she said them. "I don't know about you guys, but my priorities right now are bathing, eating, drinking, fucking, and sleeping, in that order. Now I'm going to find myself an inn. Do you want to meet in the main square tomorrow after breakfast?"

 

[ICM8781]

"With the amount of people after us, maybe it's not the best idea to split up. Or to really anounce ourselves to give attention to us our our mission. Laying low at an Inn is a good idea. Plus, a good first step to get some intel."

Chasen walks past a beggar and shakes his hand with a silver piece in his.

"My good man, can you direct me to a good Inn? With a Brothel if you know of one."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Where Qelaz was bustling and mercantile, and Rionne was cultured and sophisticated, Gratigne was industrious and straightforward. In the distance could be seen a higher, presumably wealthier district built into the side of the cliff the towered over the bulk of the city. Below it, the buildings were heavy, gray stone, the streets wide enough for carts full of iron ore and thick lumber pulled by sturdy workhorses. There seemed to be a stickiness in the air, and smoke billowed from buildings near and further into the city. That smoke seemed to settle over Gratigne and its people, leaving a thin layer of grime over everything, except the white cloaks.

As the adventurers walk into the city, they start to notice an oddly high number of people in spotless white cloaks that must magically repel the ever-present grime of Gratigne. People in the city made way for those in the white cloaks, though no one involved, neither the deferers or the deferees seemed to enjoy or approve of such deference. Many of the faces were hidden under the hoods of said cloaks, but the ones that were visible were decidedly unfriendly, to a one.

“Thank you, sir. May the gods bless you,” said the woman shaking Chasen’s hand. Her fingers shaking with untreated tremors. “The Hammerhook is just down this street,” she says, and then her eyebrows raise when she sees the color of the coin in her hand. “Though the Rosestone in Cliffside is a finer place, if you’re looking to spend.”

 

[justspitballing]

Sprite was disgusted by the place before her. Flying through these skies would cover her in filth. One of her most favorite things taken away all because this place had no care for the nature around it. Further more, she highly doubted the people in white earned their place due to skill or might. They were likely just the rich and the upper class. At the mention of the Rosestone Sprite shivered a bit. Rubbing shoulders with people like this? She felt like she maybe ill.

"If we are wanting to keep a low profile then the Rosestone is going to be the last place we want," Sprite pointed out to Chasen.

"I say we go to the Hammerhook."

 

[Poprockz]

Ah the city… this place was definitely not as clean and welcoming as her own beach-side city, but she did feel somewhat comforted by the tightness of the buildings and the many places to run, hide, and blend in. Part of her wondered if they had giant alleyway rats here too.

“I have to agree,” Arx spoke up. “Nothing wrong with a reasonably-priced inn. Less likely to run into any Collectors there, anyhow.” Fucking Collectors, always at the hoity-toity places pretending they were better than everyone else when they scratched their balls just like everyone else.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Wylo gently placed his hand on Sprite’s shoulder. “Do you think this…’Hammerhook’…would be likely to have food?”

 

[ICM8781]

Chasen chimes in, "I'm fine with either as long as we stick together this time. We always seem to get ourselves hurt the moment we split."
The dirt and grime doesn't bother Chasen as much. His elven build floats over the street and the presence is similar to the prison cell he was stuck in for so long. Plus, being a merc and a ranger tends to send him in similar or worse places. Violence always seems to be aimed in the areas suffering in this way than in the upscale areas of the wealthy and clean.

 

[justspitballing]

Sprite softly touched Wylo's hand. "For them to stay in business, yes, they will have a good meal," Sprite said.

With everyone in the group agreed Sprite pushed forward, giving a bit of a birth to the higher ups that walked the streets. She moved much slower and stiffer on the ground then in the air, but she was not going to dirty herself with the sky here. In a short time, if the world allowed it, they would reach Hammerhook.