CH. 1: Haven and Hell

[Just_Ice]

Walking out, Kynaston agreed with the well-spoken bard, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Aye, after a run in with that fool I could use a stiff drink. I swear, if he had a stick up his arse any further you could use him as a signpost. I'll need some drinks in me before I go anywhere near that mine, anyhow."

Brushing off the foul taste that the Seekers always seemed to leave in his mouth, he welcomed the rain- he didn't want to be under that roof even if there was a hurricane.

[NoTrammeling]

Corocco allows herself to be jostled, though her hair bristles as her hackles rise beneath her lightly-sodden robes. Knowing that she's gotten off lightly she bites her tongue, allowing the strange being to depart without further provocation. She waits there in the street for a handful of minutes before starting back toward the Steel Tankard, now moving at a slower more thoughtful pace.

[JadedDM]

Kendra (Dungeon, Old Keep)
Kelryn merely chuckles sardonically at Kendra's complaints, but otherwise says nothing. She leads him downstairs into the dungeon, a dark and dank corridor with caged cells on each side. Each cell is roughly the size of a broom closet. The place is overcrowded and in poor condition. As they walk down the corridor, Kendra searching for a cell that is still unoccupied, she hears people wailing in pain, shouting at her in anger, or just crying. Some were criminals--thieves, murderers, rapists and such awaiting trial. Others were just desperate refugees trying to survive or, like Kelryn, heretics who defied the Seekers.

She finally finds an empty cell near the end of the hall, next to a cell occupied by a small girl. She's blond and covered in filth and can't be much older than 8 or 9 years. She sits huddled in the corner, crying.

"Do you ever ask yourself," Kelryn finally speaks up, "whether things would be better or worse without the Seekers and their false gods?"


Haahqae, Gregeddin, Kynaston and Coroccoco (Herbalist Street, South)
The three men depart the captain's office and step back into the rain, eager to wet their whistles at the Steel Tankard after that little encounter. Once back on the street, they spot Coroccoco not far off, walking ponderously. Evidently, she didn't get too far while they were in the keep.

[mgbevan]

"Ah is that our other new friend from earlier over there?" Gregeddin exclaims; suddenly realising as he cranes his neck that Haahqae may have a harder time spotting people from his lower vantage point.
"Maybe she forgot the way to the Tankard, do you want to find out?" he directs at the others. Hoping someone would take the initiative of approaching - Gregeddin was frankly still a little intimidated by the rather large unknown quantity.

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra frowns as she looks upon the little girl crying within the cell. ~Who put a child in here?~ she asks herself as she starts to unlock the cell. "Things would probably be worse without the Seekers," she admits. "They might be false Gods, I don't know, but to some people the Seeker Gods bring people comfort," she explains. "It gives some people hope whereas they normally might not have any otherwise."

[Haahque]

Haahqae strolls over to Coroccoco. "Hail friend, I hope it's not forward of myself, but I rather expected you to have reached the inn by now. Did you stop to smell the roses?"

[Just_Ice]

Kyne too moves over to the Hobgoblin at Gregeddin's behest, holding his nose.

"Those'd be some wilted roses, I think," he chimes in. "I thought you'd be waiting at the bar, dousing yourself in tomato juice or something. Shall we head over together, then? At a safe distance, of course."

[NoTrammeling]

The hobgoblin priestess turns, mildly surprised to see the trio approaching her. It takes her some seconds to remember her original task and process their words. She looks down at the gnome but her eyes are far away. "Wilted roses is an apt description," she rasps, "this city has more than simple refugees."

Coroccoco lifts her gaze to Kynaston but her face remains unreadable. "You are a bold one, human. It pleases me." She bares her teeth at him, though calling it a smile would be very generous indeed.

"Shall we sit around like clucking hens and peck one another?" She puts a spring to her stride. "A trip out of this place is suddenly quite appealing."

[JadedDM]

Kendra (Dungeon, Old Keep)
"Hmm..," Kelyrn murmurs as he steps into the empty cell. "Comfort and false hope for some, misery and suffering for others. Is the former worth the latter? But what I wonder is, do you really believe that? Are the Seekers trying to help those that they can, or simply looking to wield power over others? I wonder..."

Haahqae, Gregeddin, Kynaston and Coroccoco (Outside the Steel Tankard, Herbalist Street)
The four proceed toward the Steel Tankard, walking at a leisurely pace so Haahqae can keep up with his short legs. There wasn't much need of a hurry, anyway. They were already soaked from the rain, and they couldn't really get any wetter.

After about half an hour of walking, they reach the tavern. Before stepping inside, they hear shouting--ranting, from within.

"We should all get out of here. The Seekers can't protect us! They have no real power! Where are their miracles? Eh? You tell me! Where is their magic? Eh? Don’t know, do you? No, I didn't think so! Eh! How can they claim to geek for the spods… er, speak for the gods…" The rant is interrupted here, and there's a sound of a struggle. Suddenly, the front doors swing open and the bartender, along with a couple of other strapping lads, heave the very barbarian Haahqae had spoken to earlier out the doors. The bear of a man stumbles and falls into the muck. Without a word, the bartender and the lads step back inside, dusting off their hands, and close the door behind them.

The barbarian sits up, wiping mud from his face. "The old gods used to...they had power..," he mutters to himself, reeking of booze.

[HorizonsDream]

"Not all of the Seekers are bad people," Kendra points out. "Elistan, for example, is not a bad person. Not that I've had a lot of dealings with him, but I believe he generally wants to help people," she explains. "Admittedly, there are a few Seekers that I don't quite trust because I believe they are looking for power, and they have made some very questionable choices when it comes to hiring new guards. Though, I still believe a little hope, is better than no hope at all. We are all going through a very difficult time right now, so we are all suffering a little bit."

[Just_Ice]

Coroccoco's smile is disconcerting. I... don't think that's a sense of humour. I should probably be careful around this one- they like to be cryptic, it seems.

On the doorstep of the Steel Tankard, Kynaston steps over the drunk to get to the entrance. Laughing as he pushes open the door, he shakes his head. Another feeling of nostalgia washes over him.

"Man, this place never changes. Lookit this poor sod; he's so tanked we could convince him he's a wizard." He jokes, smiling.

Looking back to the others after a hearty chuckle, he asks the short one again, "So who's this guy we're looking for, again?"

[Haahque]

Haahqae gives a little leap and a claps happily. "Why yes, how thoughtful of you to come out and greet us." Haahqae pipes, giving the barbarian a hand up, not a very useful hand up, but it's the thought that counts right?

"By the smell of your breath I see you've drowned quite a few of your sorrows, and maybe a few other things too. I would love to hear all about your old gods, care to explain?"

[NoTrammeling]

Coco comes up alongside Haahque and helps hoist the man to his feet a bit more roughly than is strictly necessary. "More opinions on faith, from a drowned man." She grunts, trying to keep the man on both of his feet.

[JadedDM]

Kendra (Dungeon, Old Keep)
Kelryn shakes his head at Kendra, the way someone might do so to a naive child. "And you think things will get better, before they get worse? Is a society that imprisons children one that has its people's interests at heart, I wonder?"

Haahqae, Gregeddin, Kynaston and Coroccoco (Outside the Steel Tankard, Herbalist Street)
The drunken barbarian manages to get to his feet clumsily with the hobgoblin's help. He looks down at Haahqae. "Oh, hello, little man. I remember you."

The man is quite large, both in height and muscle size. He also sports quite a few scars and tattoos on his face, arms and legs. He has black hair and a beard and wears some kind of clay tribal token around his neck. Despite his drunken status, he is wearing what appears to be masterwork leather armor and bears an exquisite great axe upon his back.

"The old gods...could...could do lots of things," he explains. "They were real. They had...powers," he elaborates, still having difficulty keeping on his feet, even with the monk's assistance.

[Just_Ice]

Kynaston simply scratches the back of his head, perplexed at why anyone would care about the old gods after the cataclysm, and annoyed that they probably won't be heading in for a drink.