Esther can't help but smile at how well her new companions are taking all this in stride. When it's her turn to speak she says "I am Esther, as you all now know. Esther Davies. Until recently I was the ward of two elderly gentlemen in a village not too far from here but now I am... on my own, as it were... Oh dear, what else is there to say? Much, I suppose. But truly no story about me feels as pressing or as interesting at the moment as the fact that but a few moments ago I was enjoying a quiet conversation by the fire and now fate has ordained that I become a vampire slayer with six strangers!"
"But oh, I shan't be a poor sport about it. Let's see... I enjoy gardening, sitting by the fire... Hunting. Fencing. I favor sabre and buckler..."
"Oh, and there is one more thing I suppose. Mister Terrax..."Esther raises her hand and it bursts alight with bright red flame. "Perhaps we ought to swap notes this evening on the subject of the arcane arts."
“Wisp”, Wisp says simply during the introductions, his voice as always no more than a loud whisper. He sits back down in the shadowy corner.
He wasn’t sure why he had been included in the letter, and he certainly wasn’t keen on travelling with such a large group as this. A temporary partnership to find a wagon was one thing, but aligning his fate to strangers on an undertaking such as this was quite another.
”I also hunt, but maybe not in the way you do”, he adds feeling the need to add a little more.
He had hunted many things in his time, been to many dark places in his search, but the undead and this vampire were new. Maybe allies were not a bad thing, time would tell.
"Lenn "says the pale man near the window "Lenn Kranne. My sword has been useful in the past to defeat other undead and monstrosities. Any of you had ever hunted down a vampire?"
"Of course I have" Terrax chims in, with the confidence of a natural lier. "All you need to do is coat you weapons in garlic" he adds, an obvious lie, but delivered with such confidence one may believe him.
"Um, Álfarr," he says, raising his hand by way of introduction. "I haven't really... hunted undead. Or vampires." He looks nervously at Terrax, a little confused about the garlic thing but not brave enough to dispute it. "Maybe we should... get garlic?"
"Holy water? I... we would just have to find a temple then, right? Or a cleric? Is there anything else that hurts them? It's better—it's probably better to have options..." He looks between Lenn and Esther for confirmation, hearing that they've both had some experience with the undead.
At the mention of a temple and clerics, Esther visibly tenses. With a tone thick with disdain she bursts out saying "No!! I shan't be visiting any temples, nor will I be carrying any 'holy water.' I'll stay well clear from those charlatans, thank you very much."
Immediately, a look of embarrassment replaces the flash of rage and panic that momentarily overtook her. She continues sheepishly "Anyway... I'm certain that it's fire that kills them, and the clean running water of rivers and streams. Nature herself abhors a vampire. They're a mockery of her laws, and so the tools of their destruction are built right into her works."
"Not all of us need to enter the Temple or carry the holy water. " says Lenn his eyes fixed on Esther "Still fire will do the trick too. And the sunlight."
The barkeeper hummed softly as Wisp spoke and pulled out a couple keys. "At the moment there are three rooms currently available. One has four beds, one has two beds and the last one has one bed. Normally it'd be 1 silver piece for the bigger rooms and 5 for the private room but I'm feeling generous so you can all stay for free."
Wisp looks around at those named on the letter. He doesn't fancy having to stay with three others in the largest room, but has no need of a private room which the lady might want.
"Give me the key to the two bed room", he says holding his paw out. "I will leave the door unlocked", he says to the group as he leaves the common room, not really caring who he shared with.
"I'll take the one bed room"says quickly Lenn. He would prefer to spent the night alone. It would be better that way but he obviously will not share the reasons.
Esther raises an eyebrow at Lenn, incensed. It seems to her fairly obvious which of the seven of them ought to have been offered the single room first. Of course, she didn't actually NEED a room, given the fact that she hadn't slept once in her entire living memory. But really! It was the principle of the matter!
Oh well, she decides with a sigh. Best get used to this sort of rough company.
She tells the innkeeper "I won't require a room this evening, but thank you, sir. I think I'll just sit by the fire until morning. Shan't be long now, I expect."
Esther gives a dignified curtsy to her new companions and says "Good evening, gentlemen. I shall see you all bright and early." With that, she returns to her armchair by the hearth. Her face takes on a veil of impassivity as she begins anew twitching strange patterns with her wand, the fire once again responding in subtle, nearly imperceptible flares.
Kosef raised his glass to his companions and downed it, quickly getting a refill from the bartender. He wasn’t one to turn down a drink, especially when someone else was paying for it. “I am Kosef. A pleasure to meet you all. I am a collector, among other things, but above all else I abhor the undead. My god would not allow me to walk away from such a task.”
He listened with interest as the group debated the finer points of vampire hunting. Despite his stance against the undead, he had never actually faced one, let alone a vampire. He took a keen interest in his new companions and appraised them with a sharp eye. He nods at the recommendation to leave tomorrow “Yes, first light will do” He will spend the evening at the bar, drinking wine paid for by the messenger and be one of the last to retire to the larger room with four beds.
Happt not to have to pay for the room, or the drink Terrax will have another glass of wine before retiring to the larger room. "Well friends, first light come sooner when your a sleep"
The barkeeper hands him the key to the room and smiles softly. "Before you leave in the morning you can leave the key on the counter or on the little table in the room."
Lenn-
The barkeeper is a little surprised when he hears that he wants the private room. He hesitated for a moment before finally tossing him the key to the room. "... Before leaving you can leave the key on the desk in the room or the counter."
Terrax-
The bartender tosses him the last key before he heads off towards the larger of the three rooms. "Before leaving remember to leave the key on the counter, last group that used that room lost all the keys except for that one..."
Esther-
He nods slightly when she says that she doesn't need a room. "If you are certain... As soon as the others retire for the evening I'll do some last minute inventory checks before heading to bed myself." As he speaks he begins to pick up empty mugs and glasses that the other patrons have left.
"Well I planned to sit by the fire and do a little light reading myself. Hope you don't mind if I join you for a bit. I'll be up ahead momentarily. Nothing like reading by a warm fire on a cold night. One of life's many pleasures if I do say so." Harald sits down, gives a warm smile towards Esther, and begins to read his book. Shortly thereafter though, he's fast asleep. Slouched in his chair. Snoring ever so slightly.
Esther politely ascents to Harald's company, but makes no attempt at conversation. She's done more talking today than she's done in months together and the effort of it, along with the other surprises of the day, has left her mind exhausted. But not exhausted enough for sleep, of course. Silently, she practices the motions of her wand, not really seeing the patterns she makes in the flame. Her mind is already fixated on what shocks tomorrow will bring, and what in the world she'll do to rise up and meet them this time. When she hears Harald's gentle snoring, she feels relieved.
After a few hours of lonesome practice, she puts her wand in her lap and simply stares into the flames. After some moments, she softly says "Please, my friend. I know you're in there. If you're going to come out, now is the time. Something is coming to a head now and I need you. You rescued me from the bog. Please. Be with me now. Now that it's beginning to matter. Otherwise, what did you do it for?"
For a moment, an errant spark fools her into hope, and she nearly scrambles out of her chair and onto her hands and knees to greet her friend. But no... The spark falls to the flagstones and fizzles into darkness. Esther leans her head back in the armchair, closes her eyes, and doesn't move again. It is a posture that looks very much like sleep. But it's not. Morning would find her mercilessly conscious.
Wisp wakes early, his tabaxi eyesight cutting through the dim light within the room. He stretches and wanders over to the window to see if the fog is still present, before moving to his weapons. He takes the long bow, two short swords and his quiver of arrows and arranges them in the centre of the room before kneeling in front of them, whispering a prayer to the Cat Lord asking for the weapons to be blessed.
Once done he puts on his studded leather jacket and hooded travellers cloak, buckles on his belt and sheathes the short swords, puts on his backpack and loops his quiver over his shoulder. Finally he flips the hood over his head, picks up the ornate longbow and quietly leaves the room.
As he enters the common room he spots the two figures in the arm chairs by the fireplace, leaves them be and makes his way to what he hopes is the kitchen, hoping the cook would be up early to prepare for the day. He places the room key on the counter as he passes.
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Esther can't help but smile at how well her new companions are taking all this in stride. When it's her turn to speak she says "I am Esther, as you all now know. Esther Davies. Until recently I was the ward of two elderly gentlemen in a village not too far from here but now I am... on my own, as it were... Oh dear, what else is there to say? Much, I suppose. But truly no story about me feels as pressing or as interesting at the moment as the fact that but a few moments ago I was enjoying a quiet conversation by the fire and now fate has ordained that I become a vampire slayer with six strangers!"
"But oh, I shan't be a poor sport about it. Let's see... I enjoy gardening, sitting by the fire... Hunting. Fencing. I favor sabre and buckler..."
"Oh, and there is one more thing I suppose. Mister Terrax..." Esther raises her hand and it bursts alight with bright red flame. "Perhaps we ought to swap notes this evening on the subject of the arcane arts."
“Wisp”, Wisp says simply during the introductions, his voice as always no more than a loud whisper. He sits back down in the shadowy corner.
He wasn’t sure why he had been included in the letter, and he certainly wasn’t keen on travelling with such a large group as this. A temporary partnership to find a wagon was one thing, but aligning his fate to strangers on an undertaking such as this was quite another.
”I also hunt, but maybe not in the way you do”, he adds feeling the need to add a little more.
He had hunted many things in his time, been to many dark places in his search, but the undead and this vampire were new. Maybe allies were not a bad thing, time would tell.
"Lenn " says the pale man near the window "Lenn Kranne. My sword has been useful in the past to defeat other undead and monstrosities. Any of you had ever hunted down a vampire?"
PbP Character: A few ;)
"Of course I have" Terrax chims in, with the confidence of a natural lier. "All you need to do is coat you weapons in garlic" he adds, an obvious lie, but delivered with such confidence one may believe him.
"Um, Álfarr," he says, raising his hand by way of introduction. "I haven't really... hunted undead. Or vampires." He looks nervously at Terrax, a little confused about the garlic thing but not brave enough to dispute it. "Maybe we should... get garlic?"
"Garlic will not do you any good." replies Lenn "At least not against vampires. We better get some holy water inn that town if we could."
PbP Character: A few ;)
"Holy water? I... we would just have to find a temple then, right? Or a cleric? Is there anything else that hurts them? It's better—it's probably better to have options..." He looks between Lenn and Esther for confirmation, hearing that they've both had some experience with the undead.
At the mention of a temple and clerics, Esther visibly tenses. With a tone thick with disdain she bursts out saying "No!! I shan't be visiting any temples, nor will I be carrying any 'holy water.' I'll stay well clear from those charlatans, thank you very much."
Immediately, a look of embarrassment replaces the flash of rage and panic that momentarily overtook her. She continues sheepishly "Anyway... I'm certain that it's fire that kills them, and the clean running water of rivers and streams. Nature herself abhors a vampire. They're a mockery of her laws, and so the tools of their destruction are built right into her works."
"Not all of us need to enter the Temple or carry the holy water. " says Lenn his eyes fixed on Esther "Still fire will do the trick too. And the sunlight."
PbP Character: A few ;)
Wisp stands and gathers his belongings. "We should leave at dawn", he says simply before wandering over to the barkeep.
"You have rooms?", he asks the man, the phrase sounding as much like a statement as a question.
The barkeeper hummed softly as Wisp spoke and pulled out a couple keys. "At the moment there are three rooms currently available. One has four beds, one has two beds and the last one has one bed. Normally it'd be 1 silver piece for the bigger rooms and 5 for the private room but I'm feeling generous so you can all stay for free."
Wisp looks around at those named on the letter. He doesn't fancy having to stay with three others in the largest room, but has no need of a private room which the lady might want.
"Give me the key to the two bed room", he says holding his paw out. "I will leave the door unlocked", he says to the group as he leaves the common room, not really caring who he shared with.
"I'll take the one bed room" says quickly Lenn. He would prefer to spent the night alone. It would be better that way but he obviously will not share the reasons.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Esther raises an eyebrow at Lenn, incensed. It seems to her fairly obvious which of the seven of them ought to have been offered the single room first. Of course, she didn't actually NEED a room, given the fact that she hadn't slept once in her entire living memory. But really! It was the principle of the matter!
Oh well, she decides with a sigh. Best get used to this sort of rough company.
She tells the innkeeper "I won't require a room this evening, but thank you, sir. I think I'll just sit by the fire until morning. Shan't be long now, I expect."
Esther gives a dignified curtsy to her new companions and says "Good evening, gentlemen. I shall see you all bright and early." With that, she returns to her armchair by the hearth. Her face takes on a veil of impassivity as she begins anew twitching strange patterns with her wand, the fire once again responding in subtle, nearly imperceptible flares.
Kosef raised his glass to his companions and downed it, quickly getting a refill from the bartender. He wasn’t one to turn down a drink, especially when someone else was paying for it. “I am Kosef. A pleasure to meet you all. I am a collector, among other things, but above all else I abhor the undead. My god would not allow me to walk away from such a task.”
He listened with interest as the group debated the finer points of vampire hunting. Despite his stance against the undead, he had never actually faced one, let alone a vampire. He took a keen interest in his new companions and appraised them with a sharp eye. He nods at the recommendation to leave tomorrow “Yes, first light will do” He will spend the evening at the bar, drinking wine paid for by the messenger and be one of the last to retire to the larger room with four beds.
Happt not to have to pay for the room, or the drink Terrax will have another glass of wine before retiring to the larger room. "Well friends, first light come sooner when your a sleep"
Wisp-
The barkeeper hands him the key to the room and smiles softly. "Before you leave in the morning you can leave the key on the counter or on the little table in the room."
Lenn-
The barkeeper is a little surprised when he hears that he wants the private room. He hesitated for a moment before finally tossing him the key to the room. "... Before leaving you can leave the key on the desk in the room or the counter."
Terrax-
The bartender tosses him the last key before he heads off towards the larger of the three rooms. "Before leaving remember to leave the key on the counter, last group that used that room lost all the keys except for that one..."
Esther-
He nods slightly when she says that she doesn't need a room. "If you are certain... As soon as the others retire for the evening I'll do some last minute inventory checks before heading to bed myself." As he speaks he begins to pick up empty mugs and glasses that the other patrons have left.
"Well I planned to sit by the fire and do a little light reading myself. Hope you don't mind if I join you for a bit. I'll be up ahead momentarily. Nothing like reading by a warm fire on a cold night. One of life's many pleasures if I do say so." Harald sits down, gives a warm smile towards Esther, and begins to read his book. Shortly thereafter though, he's fast asleep. Slouched in his chair. Snoring ever so slightly.
Esther politely ascents to Harald's company, but makes no attempt at conversation. She's done more talking today than she's done in months together and the effort of it, along with the other surprises of the day, has left her mind exhausted. But not exhausted enough for sleep, of course. Silently, she practices the motions of her wand, not really seeing the patterns she makes in the flame. Her mind is already fixated on what shocks tomorrow will bring, and what in the world she'll do to rise up and meet them this time. When she hears Harald's gentle snoring, she feels relieved.
After a few hours of lonesome practice, she puts her wand in her lap and simply stares into the flames. After some moments, she softly says "Please, my friend. I know you're in there. If you're going to come out, now is the time. Something is coming to a head now and I need you. You rescued me from the bog. Please. Be with me now. Now that it's beginning to matter. Otherwise, what did you do it for?"
For a moment, an errant spark fools her into hope, and she nearly scrambles out of her chair and onto her hands and knees to greet her friend. But no... The spark falls to the flagstones and fizzles into darkness. Esther leans her head back in the armchair, closes her eyes, and doesn't move again. It is a posture that looks very much like sleep. But it's not. Morning would find her mercilessly conscious.
Wisp wakes early, his tabaxi eyesight cutting through the dim light within the room. He stretches and wanders over to the window to see if the fog is still present, before moving to his weapons. He takes the long bow, two short swords and his quiver of arrows and arranges them in the centre of the room before kneeling in front of them, whispering a prayer to the Cat Lord asking for the weapons to be blessed.
Once done he puts on his studded leather jacket and hooded travellers cloak, buckles on his belt and sheathes the short swords, puts on his backpack and loops his quiver over his shoulder. Finally he flips the hood over his head, picks up the ornate longbow and quietly leaves the room.
As he enters the common room he spots the two figures in the arm chairs by the fireplace, leaves them be and makes his way to what he hopes is the kitchen, hoping the cook would be up early to prepare for the day. He places the room key on the counter as he passes.