The Golden Age. Act 1: Discoveries.

[riariadne]

December 19th, 962. 1 PM. A quarter mile from Vespen, Tauvos, Balor.

Nine days ago, rumors of a rediscovered treasure trove in the Tauvos region began to spread- and after the mysterious light about Koerm some weeks back, the signs of change seemed to be coming. Some suspected that even one of the lost Seven Gifts could be among the treasure.

The greatest issue with the rumor was how unspecific it was. Tauvos was the largest region on the continent, so "a treasure in the region" could mean almost anything. Still, there were a few primary suspected locations. A mining area near Mount Troy, the highest of the western mountains, was once quite prosperous, and most considered it the best chance. There were also rumors of an enchanted maze of trees within the eastern woods- such magic could prevent any but the clever from escaping with the treasure. The last guess with substance was that it was closer to the far east, where the Vrain River once was before a change of landscape left it in only the Tigen region and Ibis province- and formerly a quite populous area as well.

In and around the city of Vespen, the largest in Tauvos, people agreed that a lone traveler would likely have too much difficulty to find anything on their own. As such, a gathering of potentially interested adventurers to seek the treasure was organized in order to form groups to work together with. And on the 19th, it turned out there were quite a lot of interested adventurers. Such was the draw that even a rumor, the slightest chance at one of the Gifts would bring so many towards them.

A few hundred people stood in an otherwise mostly uneventful location. A small notch in the road noted where the meeting place was, though for the most part, people would have noticed it for the crowd rather than the land itself. Some groups had already set off in their direction of choice, yet plenty still remained to join up with others in search of treasure. For many, this was the chance of a lifetime. And for nine, this was a chance at true greatness. A small group of three had already started to assemble- Kaya, Raz, and Aaron- and setting off after gathering more allies was only a matter of time, and they certainly had a large group to choose from.

It is the first day of the Golden Age. The starting party (Kaya, Joviana, Telmara, Aaron, Kolmar, Itzal, Raz, Naylen, and Mikhaila) may begin posting. Kaya/Raz/Aaron have already met- any other subgroups are up to the players (or nonexistent, should it so happen).

--

Spreadsheet.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Reinfleche

[scorri]

As Kaya looked over the crowd, she commented to the two standing with her already. "We're going to need more than the three of us obviously. I don't think we want too many people though. Still, we should try and make sure that we have a good group. The treasure is out there, that much I know. It wouldn't do to waste our shot by not getting enough people or leaving a glaring weakness in our group."

She reached up and brushed the white feather that was loosely attached to her headband out of her face and back behind her ear where it belonged. As she did, she shifted her bangs slightly, though she quickly brushed them back into place. Seemingly out of habit, she then moved to fiddle with the top button of her jacket. "Hmm... We should make sure to grab a few more mages. Potentially a dark magic user if we can find one, though I'm not sure any will be proclaiming their ability. If not, anima users would be useful to compliment your magic, Raz. I think perhaps we should split up. If either of you find someone that you think would be a good fit, bring them and introduce them to me?"

[Xinnidy]

Raz nodded, taking heed to Kaya's words. "Definitely. I'm sure the city won't be lacking for volunteers, but I can do further scouting on anyone that takes your interest. Make sure they're reliable and willing, of course." With a short salute, Raz quickly turned her back to the other two, not wasting a moment, that one. "Animists or dark mages, I'll make that my priority!" She took a few steps, only to pause and re-acknowledge Kaya with a glance, still walking towards the city. "We're coming back here once we find anyone that seems good, right? Want to make sure I'm not assuming things wrong."

All things considered, Raz was rather ecstatic to have met Kaya and Aaron. A red-haired priestess with such a curious air around her, a refreshing resolve, and then the man wielding what seemed to be the Lionheart. Both were such distinguished figures to her! Raz had a good feeling about following them, certainly whatever ambition fueled both would give them a better chance at this search than most. This was a chance at exploration and learning of the gifts that she couldn't pass up.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Bluedoom]

Joviana bit her lip as she gazed at the crowd from a distance. The adventurer in her had made her come here, but she was in a serious predicament. This was a place where people seeking treasure had assembled, but little did they know that a treasure had come to them. If she was caught, it would be all over. First and foremost, she had to protect her identity. To her credit, she usually covered herself with a hood while walking through the streets of Vespen, so if all went well, she wouldn't have to face an adversary.

Finding people to partner with in this expedition seemed tougher than she thought.. There were lots of strong people to choose from, and she didn't know how to introduce herself without slipping up. Someone caught her eye... a strong looking man casually staring into the distance, bow and arrow in hand. Was he a treasure hunter too? Perhaps he was a good choice for a companion...

[Nanami Touko]

Problems

This was... An issue. Telmara had made it to the meeting, covered in robes and cloaks, managing to hide herself underneath them, but she wouldn't ride the horse she'd gotten through all of these people... And then the issue became all of these people. Could she manage to move without dragging this thing behind her, or tripping over it? She got off the horse a good thirty feet away from anyone, tying it to a nearby tree. She would, hopefully, not need it after today, but that didn't mean she had to let it go. She'd meet with this group, and someone else could have it, or she could sell it to a buyer. Something better than having it run free.

Now was the moment of truth... Could she actually move? She tried to, looking back, the length of her tail eventually spilling out of the cloak. No, that wouldn't do... Come on, you fickle limb... I control you, so move like I want you to. After some fiddling and testing out muscles, she managed to squirm along on the end of her tail, keeping the rest of it coiled up under the mass of cloaks hanging off of her. She was lucky, and unlucky, that it was nearing winter. It was cold enough that these cloaks weren't turning her into a mass of sweat.

She wormed her way into the group, most people avoiding her because of how odd she looked. If they saw how she looked underneath, they would probably be avoiding her further, or worse-- trying to drive her off because of how terrifying she looked... And even she thought she was terrifying. Sometimes she would catch her reflection in a pane of glass, or in a pool of water, and flinch, simply because of how off things looked.

She shook that off, that doesn't matter anymore. She had to weasel her way into the best looking group here, and head off towards that treasure. It was all that was left of her chances to get back to normal, or at the least, have legs again. She kept wriggling her way through the crowd, stopping as her eyes came to rest on a heavily armored woman, with... Claws. It wouldn't have been obvious to others; they matched well with her armor... But having recently grown a set of scaled hands herself, Telmara was able to tell that they weren't just ornate gauntlets.

She slid over to her, face visible under her hood, yellow eyes staring deeply at her. "So... Another Demihuman," thank the Dragons!, "come to win the treasure for themselves?" She didn't mind pressing the issue right away; anyone else this far down the evolution line would probably be able to tell that the red on Telmara's face wasn't a blush. "Any groups look worthwhile, so far?"

Edited September 3, 2016 by Narmaya

[Ether]

Every passing moment, this gathering seemed... less and less fruitful. A mass of people, a throng of movement and voices and ambitions... mostly ones of greed, mind. All around her, Mikhaila could see groups of people sectioning themselves off, leaving the area to look for a head start at treasure. As of yet, she'd not really been talked to, any attempts to initiate talks on her end being swiftly cut short. Was the mask too intimidating, it's dark glow scaring them off? Or was it the evil in their hearts, feeling the wanton might of her sealing talismans, and cowering away in fright before it could be found and vanquished?

Perhaps. Equally likely was the fact that a life of exorcising spirits and delving into curses had left her social skills... lacking. And aside from any intimidation factor her mask's eerie glow might provide, she didn't exactly scream the looks of a mighty warrior... built more lithe than muscular, her sword practical yet in no way flashy, they likely assumed her some run of the mill adventurer with no skills or life experience! They weren't... entirely wrong, but they were mostly wrong! She'd show them, she'd find the gift, get this stupid mask off of her face with it's assuredly included power of being an industrial curse-and-all-other-things-occult solvent, and she would be free!

Well, that is, after her current altercation. Through some mixed responsibility, surely, both Mikhaila and some other woman in the crowd had managed to bump into one another, Mikhaila catching herself and reaching an arm out, though it seemed the slightly smaller girl had managed to catch herself, though she had made an ordeal of it, or so it seemed. And so, for the very moment, Mikhaila found herself simply looking at the squirrely woman before her, the eye of her mask glowing a distinct, devilish violet which appeared to spring further to life looking at her.

[scorri]

"Meeting here would work just fine. Good luck." Kaya started to turn away from Raz, when the woman collided with another woman. Kaya normally would have simply dismissed the incident as unfortunate and moved on, but was drawn to the woman. Specifically, to her mask. The violet glow coming from it was clearly magic of some sort and with how similar it was to the color in her tattoos, it was almost certainly dark magic. She seemed to have a sword as well, but it was the mask that interested Kaya. Moving over to the two, she gave the strange woman a cursory smile and nod, before asking Raz, "Everything ok?"

[Oersted]

Small World

Naylen breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the crowd before her, having secluded herself somewhat out of the way for a quick breather. She had done it, she had made it! However, just making it here hadn't put her even a hundredth of the way closer to the treasure or her goals. She still needed to find a group if she even wanted a chance at all. She began to idly scan the crowd of gathered adventurers, hoping to look vaguely interested for the time being. She did have a bit of a game plan but she'd need to wait awhile before it would come into effect. She was so lost in pretending to be interested in the crowd she didn't notice the woman approaching her until she was right up in her face.

The woman's eyes, not to mention the red scales on her face, immediately told Naylen that she was a demihuman; however, it appeared that the woman was also aware of her hidden identity as well. Her eyes widened in surprise and a bit of fear. 'H-How? I'm not that obvious am I!?' She craned her neck back to check her cape, but it was still doing its job of covering her tail. 'Then how?' "A-Ah, yeah, I suppose so," Naylen tried to answer calmly. "Truth be told, I haven't really been looking for anyone. I was going to wait until people started getting desperate for party members. Th-That way, if I got found out they'd hopefully still take me," she admitted.

She did a quick scan of their surroundings before speaking again, this time in a whisper. "How'd you know I was a demihuman? What gave me away?"

[Xinnidy]

"--Gah!" Raz caught herself at the brink of losing her balance, shifting her toes in quick footwork and taking hold of the stranger's arm to aid, though at that point she was already fine from it. "Ah! Sorry, I..." Once she'd looked at the stranger woman, Raz couldn't help but stare at the mask. It was some sort of intimidating, to put it simply.

It gives off a glow... what sort of magic is that? Raz had to catch herself when she realized she had been staring intently at the mask too long. She shook her head quickly, letting the stranger woman's arm go. "I'm sorry, I didn't look where I was going and--" She was cut quickly by Kaya, whom seemed to take some interest in joining the conversation. "Ah, I'm fine... well, are you fine, miss?" Raz turned again, facing the woman again. D-don't look at the mask... don't look...

[Nanami Touko]

Scanning

She's not running away from me thank you so much I can't believe this is actually happening, "Well... It's not something you need to be worried about. We just..." She looked around, making sure there weren't very many close groups near them, before extending her own scaled hand out to shake this woman's, "we just match." I finally get to speak to someone that isn't looking at me like I'm a monster or shrieking and running away... This is a blessing.

"So... Let's stick together, alright? If nothing else, we... Can try to tag along with some group, if we can't find anyone else-- or we can go it together. I know we've just met, but... From all I've gathered, the rest of the world doesn't like our kind very much. T-Telmara. I'm Telmara." What kind of idiot are you, going on about this 'sticking together' diatribe without even introducing yourself? Seriously! Name first! She shook her head some.

"That said, uhm... We should find someone, before they all leave. I can't go back to the nothing I had before this." Maybe a bit cryptic, but it made the point. She looked around again, hoping to find someone to head off to. The Demihuman woman, she seemed pretty powerful. To be wearing all of that armor and walking around without issue, one would have to be. And Telmara, despite having lost near all of her power, still could conjure magic. That, in and of itself, was enough to make her a viable part of any team... Any team that didn't turn up their noses at the thought of working with her.

"Are there, uh... Any groups you think would work?" There's probably not going to be anyone here, and even if you find anyone, they're just going to scream or get angry at you anyway, so just-- "O-Oh. He looks... Interesting." A bit away, stood a man with an ornate axe, not something she recognized at a glance, but something definitely more impressive than one you'd pick up from an armorer. "Should we try him? And if so, er... Can you lead? I'll explain later, but... I've got some issues moving, right now." Yeah, some issues, sure! More like you're dragging tonnes of flesh underneath your cloak and moving any faster than your crawl is going to have it pop out...

Edited September 3, 2016 by Narmaya

[Ether]

"Yes, I am fine. No harm done... my apologies for not properly watching where I was going." Mikhaila replied as the squirrely woman, as well as another whom appeared to be a comrade of hers, came to check on the slight commotion, giving the pair of women a slight bow. She felt that the obvious attention the pair of them were paying to her mask was... inconsequential to point out. It was a common thing by now, after all, she had grown accustomed to people noticing it first off... and had grown able to pick up on that fact fairly quickly. Still, neither seemed... particularly put off. Perhaps this was her chance...

"And what of you two? You seem acquainted... if I might ask, what brings you here today? Obvious aside, of course... I suppose why is a better question."

[scorri]

Kaya nodded to Raz, "Glad you're ok then. As for you miss...? We're here for similar reasons to you I suspect. Or at least I am. There's a treasure to be found and I hope to be the one to find it. If you're asking for more personal reasons than that, well, I suppose you would need to tag along and find out. That is assuming you're any good with that blade you've got. Don't suppose you know how to use magic too, do you?" She normally wouldn't have grabbed on to such a strange looking person, but the temptation of learning more about dark magic like that mask was too much. There were gaps in her studies that she needed to fill and hopefully fill them soon.

[Ether]

"I suppose that's a fair enough answer. Still among the best I've gotten all day, even if it says little. As for my blade, it's well practiced enough to have kept me safe along the way." Mikhaila replied, before the continued questioning involving magic was brought up. She supposed it wasn't such an odd one, all things considered.

"Magic? Some, though nothing conventional. I'm an exorcist by trade, so my magics are within the spiritual plane... sad enough to say I would know not what to do with a tome were you to hand me one." She replied, deciding to leave it at that for now. If this one was like most, they would simply assume that the mask had something to do with her exorcisms.

[Percivalé]

"Yes...--oh, wait--"

His conversation with someone was once again interrupted by another spectator in the bustling crowd as he jostled against Itzal's potential partner and cut his attention span straight in half, like an apple straight through the core, scattering its seeds across the table. He was getting nothing done at this rate. He couldn't tell if it was merely lack of interest, or these people really could not sit down and hold a conversation for five minutes. He heaved an exasperated sigh and considered his options--

1. He could go alone, as he had been before. (Realistically he could never cover as much ground by himself, as much as he wanted to; and considering some of the passing conversations that caught onto his ears like magnets, some of these people would be willing to murder for this thing. Imagine being ambushed by those fools while on his own. Some of these guys had forbidden arcane magic in their belts. He didn't feel like fucking around with that.)
2. If he could grab just one other guy and get the hell out of this place--but it'd have to be a pretty tough guy. Tough like Itzal was, but preferably covering an area he did not cover. (One of those forbidden magic guys, for example.)
3. How the hell was he supposed to build a group at this rate?
4. Maybe he could do something unpredictable and weird to catch their attention
6. No, forget that.

He turned around. He needed to try and find individuals with a similar mindset, perhaps. People who were doing this for themselves, and not for anyone else. Whether it be for greed, power, whatever--they had to have been doing it for themselves. Perhaps they would sympathize with him better. Perhaps they felt the same way he did in this boisterous bunch of children. But would they cooperate with him? If one of them truly desired the treasure for theirself, and would sacrifice anything for it... well...

Maybe he needed to try... unusual-looking folk. People that stood out to him. People that seemed hesitant to make contact. Over-excited people made for awful conversationalists and if they were this way in a crowd, they'd make awful comrades on a battlefield, for example. People who seemed more reserved... that was usually a different case for him, it seemed. People like the--the cloaked woman, and the woman in the cape. They... seemed interesting, somehow. The kind of people that were hiding more than just secrets. He felt the need to approach them. But he had to try something different... he had to be so aggressive with the other prospectors here, he didn't notice the aggravated expression etched in his forehead. He let himself relax and started his way towards them.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Quote

[Xinnidy]

"Ah..." As expected, Kaya had taken some interest to the woman --not that Raz objected to it, but now she started to see how standoff-ish their group would end up. All these people in the same place. If she's okay with it, then this will really be interesting. Everything was turning out so interesting, so fast! "We're not that acquainted, if I'm being all honest, but I'm confident we've got a good chance out there."

Raz's expression turned in part to wonder at the swordswoman's explanation of her magic. "Whaaaa... Exorcism, huh?" It was completely different from the kind of magic she was taught, by the looks of it. "Tomes or no tomes, I'm sure you'll be of help --well, if you think we're worth your salt, of course." Naturally, Raz was hoping she'd say yes.

[Oersted]

Onwards, Towards Adventure

"I see," Naylen said with an inward sigh of relief, her panic dissipating as she shook the woman's, Telmara's rather, scaled hand. 'So it was only because she's the same as me that she knew. Good.' "Ah, yeah, we should probably do that... Safety in numbers, right? I'm Naylen, by the way." Naylen raised her eyebrows at the way Telmara worded how demihumans were viewed by the world. 'Is... was she extremely sheltered until a little bit ago? Oh Dragons please don't let that be the case!'

"Who? Oh! You mean armor guy over there? Well, we sure can try at least." Naylen didn't particularly like the thought of trying to join a group with another heavily armored person in it; from what she'd overheard, people were trying to get almost as diverse as they could get with these groups. But it was somewhere to start. "Uh, sure, I don't mind leading if you want me to." Naylen took it as a sign of trust that she was being relied upon so soon. And she couldn't really blame Telmara for that if she was as sheltered as she thought she was. The world really didn't like them, all because they looked a bit different.

As she was about to begin to start towards the armored man she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone, a man, was approaching them and he was doing a good job being casual about it. Too casual, in Naylen's mind. Wait, could he have seen... no, no one should've been able to see their handshake, right? Especially from how far away he had to have been? She lowered her voice again. "Uh, T-Telmara... someone's coming right at us. I don't think he saw anything, but I can't make any promises. I-I'll try to protect you if it comes down to it, okay?"

Edited September 3, 2016 by Oersted

[eclipse]

Kolmar scanned the crowd, unamused by the number of people that showed up. Big crowds continued to make him nervous - it was easier to lose one's purse in them. He did his best to look uninterested in those that stopped to converse, while doing his best to catch every word they said. More coin in my pouch is always welcome, but that will have to wait. Right now, the main currency is information. The more I learn, the easier it will for me. Two cloaked figures seemed deep in conversation, but something about them was. . .off. I'd best avoid them for now. He backed away, but kept his eyes on them. If there was any source of trouble, they'd be the ones that most likely caused it.

[Nanami Touko]

Safety in Numbers

"Haha... Yeah." The first genuine smile she'd had in weeks finally crawled onto her face. She'd been too eager to leave the region; she should have tried to find a demihuman willing to go with her. They were so considerate for others of their kind! I wonder how she'd react if I told her I used to be human-- wait, didn't we all used to be human? It's... It's been too long... I'll need to speak with someone and find out. In her travels, she'd only heard the big news, of whatever she asked. No more Leonard. Ursula, some queen, had ruled for a bit. She'd been dispatched due to being a mostly awful human, from the news she'd heard. I wonder what's happened to Jotun since I've been gone... I wonder if my class is still being taught, by someone else-- not that I'd be able to teach it in this stupid body! Can't even cast fire from a tome, what a waste... Whenever she'd tried, it felt like she could; like the knowledge was still there, but her body, her magical power, it wasn't up to casting the spell. She grimaced in her mind, trying to remain outwardly cool.

"Yeah, the armor guy... His axe looks imposing. Probably knows how to fight pretty well..." Or so she hoped. Why would someone come here with something like that if they didn't know how to use it, anyway!? That'd just be stupid! "Naylen, huh? Alright..." Telmara had mentioned her own name without hesitation, that was probably a mistake, but so had this Naylen, which gave them equal leverage. It was nice to trust someone again, but it was still difficult to do it fully.

She started to shuffle awkwardly after her, towards that armored fellow, but Naylen stopped them, mentioning someone coming towards them. She glanced over, and sure enough, there he was. She lowered her hood. "Maybe... If he did, then we'll have to play it off." Protect me? You're younger than me, woman! I think? How old am I even anymore? I was twenty one... I didn't look any different, except for the obvious... Am I even any older? I might be. Ugh! This whole situation is still stupid. She didn't bring her claw out fully, poking the front of her tome out of her cloak. "I-It's okay. I can use magic. If something happens... I'll do what I can."

Other than lowering her hood, she didn't try to do anything else defensive. It wouldn't do to put up too many warning signs, right? If he had seen, and they got defensive, it could start a fight... And Telmara was sure they were outnumbered. Alas, despite acting calm, the wriggling mass under the cloak was getting harder to control. Stop moving around so much you stupid appendage! You're half of my body, just, stay under the cloak and stay coiled...! She could only hope it wasn't making her shuffle too much.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Narmaya

[riariadne]

The Good

The tall man with a brown-furred coat, explorer's hat, and bow turned towards Joviana. "You lookin' for a group? Sorry, I'm waitin' on a couple people- already found a team, and we ain't lookin' to bring along anyone else. Not that there's a shortage of people right now, at least. The name's Clint. I'm from Hauken." He extended a hand for her to shake. "We've been thinkin' on what route to head towards, though. I figure that's somethin' on everyone's mind. All of them want to head off towards the mountains, but I reckon the river's got a much better shot. I heard someone say the Talon was there, right in the ground where the river used to be, but I dunno if I can trust 'em on that. D'you know anythin' that'd tip you one way or another?"

[Percivalé]

Something seemed off, as if they were avoiding him. Itzal surmised that the two might have planned to leave on their own already, together, and did not wish for anyone else to join them. Or perhaps his sudden approach merely alerted them? He stopped himself for a moment--though he figured if he acted strange now, they would notice it. Although they hid it well, Itzal knew they were eyeing him like startled rabbits, waiting to make a run at any remote signs of threat. He should try to talk to them now; his voice would be audible from here. "Ah, hey... mind if I talk to you two? I'm still searching for companions for the journey to the treasure. My luck so far has been... poor." He winced at himself. He wasn't trying to look desperate, was he? No, just... sympathetic.

[Bluedoom]

Joviana frowned upon hearing Clint's response. He seemed pretty capable with his skills, or so she assumed about seeing his demeanor. It was a shame that they could not form a partnership for the treasure hunt. She gently shook his hand, and replied, "Nice to meet you, Clint. My name is Jocelyn.", pausing for a moment to think over her response, "I suppose the mountains are a better bet. Even before these rumors spread, I knew quite a few people who travelled to Mt. Troy for mysterious reasons. Most of them never came back, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was some treasure hidden there. By the way, why are you in the chase, if you don't mind me asking? I've been quite curious about the motives behind all of us hunters, so far." This was a bold lie though, because she didn't know a lot of people who went on an expedition to Mt. Troy. Was it possible that her parents had gone there to search for another gift? Or was that a red herring all along?

Edited September 4, 2016 by Magnificence Incarnate

[SB.]

Aaron nodded at Kaya's assessment, eyes working their way around the crowd. There were a lot of people here, from all over the continent, and they had to select the best of the best to come with them. But there was no need to fret about it, as the hand of fate would guide them to him. He was sure of it. This was why he chose Kaya and Raz in the first place. They didn't exactly look like the sturdiest companions (although he more than made up for that), but he had a feeling about the pair, so he was willing to follow along. He would end up as the leader soon enough.

The plan had been to divide and conquer, bringing back any suitable candidates to their meeting point, although the girls already seemed to have their hands full with the masked woman who'd just collided with Raz. Aaron wasn't too pleased at the prospect of travelling with a person who refused to show their face, but he imagined that the duo would turn them down and that he had nothing to worry about as he set off in the other direction.

There were plenty of people around, some already in animated conversation, and plenty who just didn't look suitable, by his standards. One man that stood out to him was a short man, who almost seemed like he didn't want to be spoken to. Interesting. Aaron nodded to himself, making his way over to mustached man in spite of this. If he's not desperate to find a group, perhaps he has something to offer. That was his reasoning, anyway. There were sure to be plenty of clueless, wannabe adventurers here who'd never held a weapon in their life before now gathered here. As the future king, he had to make sure he was surrounded by only the best.

"Greetings." he nodded, stepping in place next to his prospect, trying to avoid looking down on him too much. "Are you waiting for someone?" Aaron asked. If the man had already joined up with another party, then he wanted to find out quickly. He wouldn't be happy if he'd wasted his time here and was left with only the dregs.

[eclipse]

The hell is up with this guy? Still, he had to give the other guy some credit - Kolmar's face was enough to scare away the average person.

"Just getting a feel for what this place has to offer. Most of these guys wouldn't notice that their purse was gone until after they've left town. Definitely not worth waiting for them." The other man's weapon caught his eye. "That's not a bad axe you've got. Haven't seen anything like that in the markets, so it's definitely a custom weapon. Must've cost a pretty penny," he continued.

[SB.]

"I see." Aaron replied, nodding in agreement. "I agree with you - it looks like a lot of the people here are hopeless." He did think that the way mustachio had phrased it was odd, so he stayed wary, even moreso when he mentioned the Lionheart. Still... It was a fairly well known axe though, so he supposed that he couldn't exactly hold it against them.

"It certainly is well made," he affirmed, a fraction of a smile visible as he looked fondly over the weapon. "But it wasn't made for me." His face was more serious now, facing his companion once again. "This is the Lionheart - King Peregrine's weapon of choice. It was lost for over a hundred years, but now has found it's way to me." There was a certain smugness in his voice as he announced it, and he looked at Kolmar expectantly for his reaction.

[eclipse]

"That's the kind of modesty and information that'll get you killed," Kolmar said flatly. "By saying that it's a weapon that's not for you, you're telling them that it's fancy and you're not worthy of it. Those that are desperate, or those that are cocky will make a grab at it. The exceptionally foolish and brash might think that it's part of the rumored treasure. I'm not sure if it's your skill with it, or the crowds here that has kept that weapon in your hands. I haven't seen any cutpurses or ill-intending appraisers so far, but it doesn't meant that they don't exist here." It was impossible to tell who heard the other man's words, due to the sheer number of people moving around.

He vaguely remembered some legend-or-other about a Peregrine guy, but he'd chalked it up to embellishment over the years. Not sure if I want to hang around some guy that doesn't know when to shut up. But, the fact that he's still alive with that weapon may mean that he can hold his own.