TristenC[private thread]

[TristenC]

Taking a moment to think about how long it is likely to take him to get to the airship, he plans to leave enough time to take Dulcinea along. Donning his pack and keeping the precious antidote vials in his pockets, he steps out of his room. He roams about a bit looking for the Triplets in the halls, and generally observing who is up and about this time of day. He does not, however, approach the Tieflings’ door. He would pity anyone who woke those vicious night-owls too early…

He kills a little time walking around if there are not interesting meetings, and plans to go to see Arnos briefly enough to ask if he has been able to make Dimitri’s offer to Yutari formally…

[Namenlos]

Dirthxanous can guess that gathering Dulcinea and making it to the Air Tower on time will take at most an hour, if he is worried about making it on time.

At this time of the morning there is no one about the main floors, either having retired to their rooms, or are about their pleasure.

Attempting to speak with Arnos in his office yields little success. Arnos has taken his leave of the guild hall and behind Arnos' desk sits Ban the Broken, his crooked for hunched over the papers before him. As Dirthxanous enters the room Ban looks up from the work before him and smiles tightly, the light never reaching his eyes. He greets Dirthxanous in a cold, raspy voice that remains all business."Ah, good morning Dimitri, Shouldn't you be away by now? Arnos has placed much faith in your... abilities, this job is of the utmost importance to the guild and the city."

As Ban finishes speaking he glances at a scrap of parchment posted to the desk on his left. "Arnos says you might want some back up on this mission." As Ban reads what was posted he lets out a little chuckle with a touch of real mirth. "Requesting Yutari? You must enjoy living life dangerously my friend! I'll pass it along and see if she can be pried away from her brethren, if she shows interest she will just have to catch up to you there. Though your cut will take a hit, that's fer sure!" he says with a malicious smile.

It takes little time to accomplish these tasks and Dirthxanous still has some time before he would have to hurry to make his transport.

[TristenC]

Fear not, resolute warrior of the night; I shall bring but glory and wealth to our cause! His words seem to effect the man little, but Ban's next response provides perhaps a better opening. What other way is there to live in a career such as ours, hmm? Mayhaps the chance to be alone with her will be worth the lack... Half the offered sum would be enough to tide me over to the next assignment... I'll give you 10% of my take if you put in a good word for me with her. He winks at Ban and lets a half-grin stretch to his eyes as he extends his right hand.

When his deed is done he will exit saying, Hail and farewell! Excelsior, my friend! To the glory of the tops, and the ruination of our enemies! With that he will gather everything and head to the airship. My dear, dark lady... what I wouldn't give to know half your mind...

[Namenlos]

"Ah you young pups! To be carefree and have a fully functioning body again, I'd show you all a thing or two. Now away with ye, and if Yutari shows up know I'll be getting my cut!" Retorts Ban to Dirthxanous' comradely manner, though as Dirth moves to leave the room he can almost swear to have seen a real smile on the Old Dogs face.

Dawns light is cresting the city walls as Dirthxanous makes his way to the air ship dock, Dulcinea plodding along in his wake.The ever present smoke of the city shadowing the first rays of light to shine down on him, Dithxanous manages to whistle a cheerful tune as he travels the few short blocks.

Before him, visible through gaps in the thick smog, rises the docking tower a thirty foot monstrosity of hard , dark stone. The clank of wood and metal against stone draws attention to the large ship anchored to the towers side. Due to the city of Keldanes competition with Clansedge the gnomish and dwarven air ships rarely stopped by, but it was always a sight to see. A massive construct of wood and metal hovering above the city streets, tons of pounds ready to fall upon unsuspecting heads.

The business of the streets has picked up visibly around Dirthxanous, the night walkers clearing the way for the days shift, as well as gawkers to take in the sight of the ship at anchor and its scheduled launch. Dirth meets the Captain at the bottom of the tower supervising the loading of goods and provisions. The captain is easy to spot as he is wearing a large feathered hat, common to admirals in the countries navy, that is too large for his gnomish head. The gnomish captain paints a fairly comical picture in his over sized hat, bellowing orders at his crewmen while attempting to mimic a pirate captains mannerisms.

"Avast ye scurvy ground lubbers! Get them crates aboard afore I'm forced to come up with horrible torments for the lot of ye! Cries the captain, his crew returning good natured laughter at his shouts.

There's an obvious doorway shaped into the side of the towers side, however convincing Dulcinea up all those steps may prove problematic. The crew is loading the heaviest crates and barrels onto a large platform attached by rope to a winch that looks as if it has every intention of being raised to the tower heights above.

[TristenC]

Dirthxanous retrieves his emergency funds from Dulcinea’s pack saddle, and presents his ticket to the captain; paying any additional fees that seem reasonable for the mule’s passage.

The then leads her up the many steps, placing his hands beside her eyes and blinding her to the sharp fall so she remains calm. He also sings quietly to her in a soothing voice:


Dulcineaaa… Dulcine-ahhhh...
I see heaven when I see thee, Dulcinea!
And thy name is like a prayer an angel whispers…
Dulcineaaa… Dulcine-ahhhh.

Dulcineaaa… Dulcine-ahhhh.
I have sought thee, sung thee,
Dreamed thee, Dulcinea!
Now I’ve found thee and
the world shall know thy glory!
Dulcineaaa… Dulcine-ahhhh.

Once he has her safely stowed away, he will move to the portion of the ship where the passengers have gathered. Dirth watches the antics of the gnomes with merriment and even throws in a few jibes of his own where he feels they won’t take offense.

[OOC: song is “Dulcinea” from the Man of La Mancha musical. You can probably find it on youtube or something… it’s basically the reason I named the mule that… ]

[Namenlos]

(OOC: I watched it on youtube, I thought it was pretty funny.)

Dirthxanous brings Dulcinea to the live animal storage space and finds her an adequate space there. He then finds himself wandering the upper deck along with the other few passengers and various crew members. Dirthxanous finds himself at the prow, glancing down at the long drop below before turning his gaze to the mountains, barely visible through the city smog, to the east.

The crew casts off swiftly once the appointed departure time arrives, despite their rather carefree attitudes they moveabout their tasks swiftly and with ease. The engines and props begin their dull whine of motion and soon the air ship rocks away from its dock, a rush of wind blowing across the deck as the ships speed picks up.

The trip is short, just a hop past the mountains to reach Clansedge, a potentially weeks long trip by foot accomplished in hours by air. The hills and mountains rush past swiftly as the captain pushes his ship to its limits in an effort to reach his desination with haste.

Dirthxanous' ship begins to rock crazily as its descent begins to noticeably slow after several hours of travel. If he braves the upper deck at this time Dirthxanous is able to see a mound of carved stone walls and domelike buildings become visible in a small valley between mountains ahead. A stone tower rises a goodway into the air near the center of the buildings, the scurry of tiny figures just visible at its roof. The crew prepares themselves to stop, tossing across thick cord of rope to the tower crew to be tied off and hold their position.

The unloading scene is much the same as when Dirthxanous boarded, the captain manages his crew as goods are carted across from ship to tower and then lowered by pulley and platform to the ground below. He collects Dulcinea and makes his way to the nearest descending platform as it becomes available, upon reaching the ground Dirthxanous is hailed by the captain who is standing atop a crate and waving his tricorn cap to gain Dirths attention.

"'Eya Groundlubber! Whatcha plannin whilst your here aye? I recognize these other dirtsuckers and what they re about, but yer new here aint'cha?" Chatters the gnomish captain in an excited yet serious voice.

[TristenC]

[OOC: I though it was fairly hilarious myself especially watching the old man sing to a lady who is basically a hooker about how virginal and pure she is with total sincerity…

Sorry my posts have been lagging on here a bit, I’ve been churning out a lot of detail in the Ravenloft game to get Jenara’s character to the same point in time you guys are so we can get the party together.]

Dirthxanous heads above deck just in time to see buildings come into view, leaning casually against the rail for stability. He studies the city trying to note any similarities and differences he can from this distance. Often times things look different when seen as a whole… he mused to himself. When the captain hails him he goes over to talk. Dirt suckers, you say… he checks out the people disembarking with him. What are they, mostly miners? Or do you just call all of us unfortunate enough to live on this fantastical flying ferry that, he jokes with a ready grin. I suppose I’m just out to see a bit of the world, never been here before so I figure why not, eh? Is there anything in town you recommend? Food, lodging, sights? Anything I should be wary of?

[Namenlos]

Clansedge bears fairly little resemblance to Keldane. Keldance is all smoke and tightly packed buildings and though there is a good layer of smoke about the city of Clansedge it comes short of being overbearing such as in Keldance. Clansedge appears to be made up mostly of a rather squat wall and ten to fifteen, medium to large buildings.

"Ha! funny ye say that mate, seein as how they are mostly miners and that anyone unfortunate enough to ride the blue skies for the rest of their lives is indeed a dirt sucker! Not a whole lot fer ye to worry yer head about in Clansedge. Mining and foundry work mostly, what you see of the city up top is just a portion of whats true goin on there. Most of the city is underground, is what i'm sayin see?" Replies the captain at your inquiries."There ain't much fer ya to see here unless ye've a pick stashed about ye somewhere. But they've got some of the best Ale in the land, shipped straight outta Vem Boldar."

The ship docks with many a bump and a thud against the squat tower that rises blockily from the center of the town. Dirthxanous makes his way below decks and to Dulcineas small in flight cage to collect her. He makes his way up the ramp back onto the main deck with Dulcinea in tow and finds his way to the back of the line that has formed to disembark. He finds himself standing once more near to the strange gnome captain who looks up at him and asks once more, smiling.
"Well Bucko, anything else you want to know before you lose yer wings?"

(OOC: Okay, so, sorry that was such an interminable wait, life came right through my door and had me doing stuff! Though If you're okay with it I'd like to keep this fairly slow posting for a time? I'll try to actually get one on once a day if you want. Once more, Sorry!)

[TristenC]

[OOC: No worries, man. I know all too well how life just up and lays the beatdown on you sometimes Pace is not an issue, just put stuff up when you can. I’m actually involved in 5 other games, so I might be better if a couple are slower… and that’s not even counting our Ravenloft game ☺. It’s a little taxing on my acting and memory skills too, jumping between very different characters and 3 different editions... Kender thief/cleric, goblin cleric of sirrion (both 2e), Doppleganger Bard, Assimar cleric (3.5e), Dragonborn Ranger (5e)… Not to mention all the NPCs in Ravenloft ☺ ]

Ale you say… that alone may be worth the journey, he says with a wink to the captain. I appreciate your help. Truly a magnificent feat of Gnomish engineering, that. He says, nodding to the ship. I’ll find my way alright.

With that, Dirthxanous leads Dulcinea into the city. The doppleganger wanders around for a while, meandering quite randomly about the streets, ending up with the mine he is to infiltrate in sight. Without approaching it directly, he thinks about where a low-profile inn might be from the overhead layout and his wanderings. If he cannot readily think of a place, he will head in odd directions away from the mine; taking turns at almost random, but distancing himself from it. His aim will be to find a place with many back-roads and routes to the target, as well as no small distance; perhaps an hour walk at the most. Once there, he will acquire a room as inconspicuously as possible, and stable Dulcinea; bringing his pack saddle inside with him.

[OOC: I imagine he would be easily able to find the place he is supposed to go from instructions, etc. He will be careful not to ask others directly where his target is specifically.]

[Namenlos]

I cut and copied this post from Jenaras thread, I probably should of asked you awhile back lol but my mind works like a pile of spaghetti sometimes! I rarely set limits on myself and am very open to everything, but I realize not everyone is and thus would appreciate your input in your characters future lol. Fortunately from our other game I've learned that blood and gore and dark and edgy work well for you, which i'm glad to see! haha.

P.S. If i'm unclear here or sort of rambling just ask me to clarify please, I do that.






I'm trying to find the rights "limits" for in game RP, there are a few obvious(in my mind) realisms to skip over as I flesh this world out. However, I'd like to respect your "sensitivities" as we go forth to make it more enjoyable, I've an example.

Example: Gender Equality. This world is progressive compared to "Earth", however there are stupid people everywhere(lol) and in my mind you are bound to run into someone that will rub you the wrong way, probably sooner than later. Your pixie form is largely exempt from this however your human invocation opens this.

Basically, this is a long winded way of asking if you mind when a guard captain or hiring merchant, etc. questions your abilities because of gender.... Or even opposite to that, if you were to take the form of a male but attempt to go about regular activities as a lady(though you're a pixie so unsure whats normal lady pixie habits :p) only to receive strange looks from say the noble woman you're attempting to help.

Just an example idea, gender issues can be a real life burden for some among the myriad other real life social issues that I'd like to incorporate semi for realism but mostly to get to know your character. This is, in my mind, a relatively "light" issue compared to some of the darker aspects of human life but I figured it would be a good example and chance for you to let me know your feelings on it as well as any other topics that may be"right out".

BTW sorry for taking so long, I've been failing at me duties!

[TristenC]

[Ooc: no worries, man . Life, sadly, takes precedent over games
As far as 'offending' me with in-game stuff; it's pretty impossible. Even if you actively try to, I'm not the type to take games overly serious (although I often obsess about my actions/options). I worked in a lumber yard for 7 years and a friend of mine there was quite fond of off-color jokes (including a group only to be known as the 'dead baby' series...) He was the nicest guy, and had no prejudice to him whatsoever... which might be why he could stand to hear/say all those truly terrible things with a laugh.

Besides, if something did make me uncomfortable i'd let you know without spazzing all over your game ]

[Namenlos]

OOC: Much obliged, I served in the infantry in the United States Marine Corps thus my experience is very much along the lines of yours... as well as picking up many habits you've described in your friend

Interesting note, to me, but my mom would tell those jokes every now and when I was growing up so I know exactly what you mean.

I'm keeping you waiting awhile here, I believe I'll have a new game post for you by today, however I will be away from a computer most likely for the next two days.

And sorry for the waiting, It's a personal issue in many regards. My real life friend is further along(not in the timeline, just game play) and I think I'm driving him crazy with this recent long wait! lol.

I often have an idea but analyze it to death before it even gets put down, plus a lack of confidence in creating my own material can have me writing and then deleting over and over >.<. Just know that I'm thinking very hard(overthinking most likely ) about how to treat your character "right". I feel like you are sure to have your own expectations and I don't want to just have you doing the same things that you've done a hundred times!

Oh and in game I don't think I made it clear, and please give me feedback on this, and I believe your character hinted at this himself but I left your instructions for your mission fairly vague. I did this on purpose(or as I like to say, porpoise) for a few reasons, but in game for your characters peace of mind the guild master left it vague first of all because he trusts your abilities to work out the method(or is it a test of your abilities? ^.^) as you uncover more information of the area.

The Dwarves of Clansedge are friendly in general but maintain tight security making the gathering of information of specifics difficult for the guild and thus your mission becomes twofold in a manner, your original objective as well as information gathering.

Hope this is helpful in some manner... well the personal information might not be lol.

[TristenC]

[... dude. Every time you write something like this it makes me think how similar we are. I obsess so bad over creating game stuff and getting everything down just right. Take your time to do your thing, no pressure from my end at all I'm enjoying it so far

Dirthxanous figured it was kind of left up to him for methodology, especially sinc he has a 'particular set of skills' (pun intended).

Side note: thank you for your service. I have never been in, but I have several good friends who have in addition to about 1/3 - 1/2 of my male relatives my age and older...

[Namenlos]

You may be playing a doppleganger but little do you know I am a real ganger and am absorbing you're personality the longer we stay in contact, muhahahaha.

"I have a certain set of skills. I will find you, dwarven foreman, and well... I dunno"

I was the weird one in my family, grandfathers served in WW2 but outta the recent generations only I decided that I'd go and... well I dunno what the plan was but I was there. ROFL!

Including my rough map of Clansedge in this post, Top-Down as as you'd see from above so that's good And will be creating a new thread for you so that we can BS in here as we have been doing a lot of it, relatively lol.

[Namenlos]

I think I'll only be posting maps when you enter a new area, its relevant or they're fairly small they can take a lot of room up, lol.

I was curious how I should write how Dirth views people, being a doppelganger but not being raised into the same views as would be normal, I.e. the 3.5 monster manual says they sort of view people like cattle. I may create an entirely different culture for doppelgangers(at least at some point), just wanted to help better write stuff for your characters perspective.