Alex seems somewhat relieved when Felica nudges him. He might not be able to understand her language or what's really going through her head, but... at least it seems like they are on the same page right now. As they walk through the muck, he soldiers on, wordlessly enduring the rain and the difficult terrain--both of which threaten to drag him down by his armor.
When they reach the settlement, Alex grins upon seeing Maigurs... though he's a little concerned about drawing attention to their hostage right now. Regardless, he does what he's asked, doing his best to find a nice stable for Felica and set her up with whatever food Gryphon's prefer. Hopefully she trusts that they'll uphold their end of the bargain, even when Cezars is out of her sight.
Again, Alexander is a little wary of lugging Cezars's unconscious body around... not to mention if he wakes up and starts yelling that could cause problems too, but well, there doesn't seem to be much of an option to do otherwise. He stays quiet as Maigurs talks with the rest of the group, giving Renar a couple glances as the 'changeling' (Alex still wants to ask about that... but maybe he'll do so when there aren't any strangers around in case Renar finds it embarrassing or something) as he translates for Maya.
"Third..." His tail thumps against the seat, "You guys are awesome! You defeated Cezars and not only that, but you shrugged off the cyclone like it's nothing! Either you guys are really insane or really talented... or both!" He scratches the base of his ears, "But... did you manage to find the three thieves we saw earlier?" He tilts his head.
He lets out a breath at the mention of the three thieves... quickly deciding it best to get as much of the true story out there as possible without mentioning the people's army.
"Oh... uh," he gives a reflexive glance towards the blood on his tabard...which the rain had washed somewhat but--well the blood had started drying before that so it hadn't done much. "Well, here's the story... We hadn't really intended for this to happen (gestures at Cezars), not yet at least. We found out that he's a former paladin... a uh... oathbreaker,"he hesitates, eyes lingering on the unconscious Cezars as if waiting for some sort of dark energy to burst out of him. "So I did have the intention of confronting him eventually, but I'd hope to speak with the church in Madura first. Well, that obviously didn't happen." He gives an awkward chuckle, before continuing, "Well, we were heading down the road and we heard him yelling at a woman and hitting her. Apparently he'd found a black feather in her cart and immediately assumed she was helping the bandits, which we later found out that they had actually stolen some of her kvass--which she was actually on the way to deliver it for Elmars's wedding. Back to that later... anyways, Cezars's behavior is unacceptable, so we decided to deal with it then and there before that woman got hurt further. We fought him, barely won, and tied him up. Then we found out that those three bandits had taken shelter in the same abandoned farmhouse that we saw and intended to use for shelter when the rain started. Long story short, we managed to recover the stolen kvass, but ultimately had to let the thieves get away when the storm hit. Based on what we learned, the three thieves are just a group of kids who... I don't think should be allowed to keep doing what they are doing, but regardless they are not even half as dangerous or, quite frankly, as evil as this man is." He nods to Cezars, "So they got away, and we had to part ways with the woman once the storm struck. She had a cart and we didn't, and we didn't want to put her in danger by asking for a ride. Especially when we had Cezars and Felica with us."
He pauses, waiting for whatever response the wolf boy will give, and hoping that his friends catch on to the fact that he intentionally left out half of the story. After whatever response Maigurs offers, Alex will ask, "Is there anything you could tell us about Cezars? Do his employers know that he is an oathbreaker? And that he goes around abusing his power? What about the Church?" He hesitates, "Speaking of which, is there a church nearby that would know anything about Cezars? I really want to resolve this as quickly as possible... and I'm worried that there is more to... well him then we thought." He explains what he sensed while using his divine powers--that Cezars seems to have some sort of necrotic, fiendish energy laying dormant inside of him. "I don't know enough about... well any of that to know what it means. All I know is that it is very, very evil, and I just don't see the Church letting him run rampant knowing that. Does he have someone else backing him up? Someone who's keeping him in law enforcement even though he's a terrible person? Do you think they are even aware of what he's been doing?"
At the beginning of their journey, Shugo keeps up his usual cheery demeanor humming along with Maya even though he has absolutely no idea what she's saying. He hangs back, trudging along behind the group so that he can have a clear view...well as clear a view that the weather will allow, of the entire group. He finds Renar's reaction to Maya walking so close to him to be extremely funny. There's no way those two don't know each other at least a little.
As the journey continues and the rain shows no sign of stopping, the elf continues to trudge along in silence...like everyone else. He's wet, and cold, and his feet are starting to hurt. Ugh, he hates rain, especially when he has to walk in it. At some point during those last four hours, the leather cord which kept his hair back fell out. Good thing he has extras, though right now trying to tie it back is pointless. With that mentality, he continues to walk along with the rain streaming off his head through the long black mop which obscures the upper portion of his face. His smile is gone, and he's walking along with a slightly hunched posture. Every so often he brushes some of his hair out of his eyes to squint ahead only to have the rain wash it right back. Overall he looks rather pathetic.
Once Nautrie comes into few, an almost hysterical grin spreads across his face. FINALLY! They can get out of this rain! ...Oh, look it's that wolf boy from earlier. How do all these people keep beating them to where they are going? Whatever, he's going show them a place to get warm and dry.
As soon as the party enters the inn, Shugo rips off his soft leather shoes, socks and his orange coat while locating the table closest to the fireplace. Once he does so, he turns the chair closest to the fire around and sits down with his feet close to the flames. "Ahhhhh." He sighs in relief as the others find their places, then cringes when he hears Renar sneeze. Oooo, someone's catching a cold. After a few seconds of soaking up the warmth of the fire, he sits up straighter and unbuckles his sword from his belt. He'd rapped the entire sword and scabbard in water resistant before leaving the farmhouse, now he unwraps it and checks the blade. Still dry, that's good.
Satisfied, he stands back up and spins the chair back around to sit at the table properly. He sits down crosslegged in the chair, he leans forward putting his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. He looks pretty ridiculous with this posture along with his unkempt half-dry mess of hair still obscuring most his face. Oh what he wouldn't do for a nice hot cup of tea right now. It feels like forever since he'd had a proper hot drink. Most of the places he's been keep trying to give him some bitter bean juice called coffee. The stuff smelled good, but tasted nasty. Well, he could see what this place has to offer. Whenever the waiter responds to Renar, Shugo will inquire about what kinds of hot beverages are available here.
He'd caught most of Alex and Renar's conversation with Wolfie boy, and he doesn't feel the need to elaborate on it. He listens to the conversation, wondering if Alex really has a plan on how to get Cezar all the way to Madura. He also notes Maya and Renar's interactions. One good thing about having your eyes obscured by your hair is that no one can tell for certain where you are looking....So the fox lady wants to read a dictionary eh? Expand her language a bit? How the heck did she last this long on her own? How does Renar know her language? There's a clear connection between the two of them... He watches them interact for a while before speaking up. "Hmmm. I wonder what kind of food they have here...."
Venet spends the journey humming softly to herself, splashing about in the water, and in general seeming unbothered by the situation. Occasionally she looks around at the others to see if they are keeping up with her, as the water hasn't slowed her pace at all.
Once they arrive in the town she waves at the shifter from earlier, and does a few little jumps to get the water off of her. Her everything seems pretty resistant to it so it wipes off rather easily. She wanders around for a bit, wondering if the tavern is going to stay open during the whole cyclone thing. Alex has given a rather good summary so she just lets him do the talking. Eventually she notices some of the others look rather miserable.
Satisfied, he stands back up and spins the chair back around to sit at the table properly. He sits down crosslegged in the chair, he leans forward putting his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. He looks pretty ridiculous with this posture along with his unkempt half-dry mess of hair still obscuring most his face. Oh what he wouldn't do for a nice hot cup of tea right now. It feels like forever since he'd had a proper hot drink. Most of the places he's been keep trying to give him some bitter bean juice called coffee. The stuff smelled good, but tasted nasty. Well, he could see what this place has to offer. Whenever the waiter responds to Renar, Shugo will inquire about what kinds of hot beverages are available here.
Shugo turns his head to face Venet, cocking it slightly. "Eh?"He squints at her through his hair. "Uh. Define 'fix'."He replies. He's perfectly capable of tying back his own hair, but he's curious as to what she means.
"It's all-" she makes some gestures with her hands to imply its messed up."I can brush it out for you? I also have some oils and things to help it behave better."
Ooooh, that's what she means. ...does this have something to do with him being a noble? Or does she just like doing that sort of thing... Whatever. So long as she doesn't try to cut it off she can do what she wants. He shrugs, "Uh. I suppose you can. If you want to." He leans back in his chair, picking up his sword off the floor as he does so, and lays it across his lap.
"Gives me something to do, and looking put together is important. Not only for appearance sake but just feeling good in general, you know?"
She opens her bag and pulls out a kit filled with oils, perfume, make up, and even a few wigs. She puts some oil in his hair firstly, then begins to gently brush the knots out of his hair. Once she's done sets the brush aside, smiling at her work.
Maigurs squinted his eyes after hearing his kin speak in a strange language he'd never heard before, and not only that, but she seemed to struggle with Lancean too. Odd, all sentient beings should speak the same language, well, he'll question that later.
He shakes his head, "Sorry, ma'am, I haven't seen any other fox Shifter around here, we aren't that common around these parts, and most of us are either wolves or cats, foxes are quite rare."He turns toward her, "You probably have a higher chance of finding your son in larger cities like Madura, Rais, or Vārti—especially Vārti. It's the capital of the Kingdom of Kerwos, so it'll be much more multicultural than this random town in the middle of nowhere."He snickers at the end.
He quietly nods to Maya's request to lend the dictionary, she'll need it so she won't embarrass herself in public.
Seeing Renar sneezing and the rest of the party in such a miserable state, Maigurs figured out he should give them a treat. "Hold on, guys, one moment."He stands up and disappears into the crowd, a moment later, he returns with seven cups of birch tea, made from boiling a birch bark with locally sourced herbs. "Here you go, enjoy!" He smiles, the tea tastes like corn syrup with a hint of bitterness at the end—one sip from it seems to revitalise you like you just got hit with a natural version of Lesser Restoration.
He listens to Alex explaining the situation, nodding along the way. "I see... I can't really do much because I'm alone, but more of my friends will arrive here to evacuate the citizens tomorrow. They might know what to do with Cezars." His ears droop, "You'll have to reach Madura to do that, but getting there is impossible in this kind of weather. You'll have to cross two major rivers, which will definitely flood during a cyclone like this. Not to mention a lot of people will need to be evacuated, so both the church and the military will be busy running around the country and sorting this out."
He sighs, side-eyeing the wall. "Vladimirs XII... I know he's sick all the time, but at least he should make sure his warning letter reaches everyone before the cyclone comes. When the flood is over, the next disaster that will come is riots." He looks around the tavern, and you can hear it too, most people seem to be complaining about Vladimirs XII too. His public opinion was already bad enough, and now it got worse.
"But more on that later," He clasps his hands. "We have to survive the storm first, today might be fine, but the rain will get progressively heavier every day. And we'll need as much help as possible." He idly rubs his tail, "I know you guys really want to bring Cezars to justice... but... would you mind if you help us in this evacuation process?" It will take approximately the entire length of the storm to complete this little side objective, which is until 12th April. Elmars, on the other hand, might not be as patient as Tortle, but he might be willing to extend the deadline if you impress him.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
About half an hour into the journey to Nautrie, Taliyah closes her eyes, and tugs on her connection with Pixel to share his sight and hearing, just enjoying the still new feeling of rain on her scales. Once the windmills start showing up she draws back to her own senses, not wanting to be rude to anyone they might meet in the town. Once they get into town and meet Maigurs, she bows her head slightly in greeting. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Taliyah Sarasohn, and thank you for the warning about water being deeper then expected during storms like this. I'm not exactly from this area."
He shakes his head, "Sorry, ma'am, I haven't seen any other fox Shifter around here, we aren't that common around these parts, and most of us are either wolves or cats, foxes are quite rare."He turns toward her, "You probably have a higher chance of finding your son in larger cities like Madura, Rais, or Vārti—especially Vārti. It's the capital of the Kingdom of Kerwos, so it'll be much more multicultural than this random town in the middle of nowhere."He snickers at the end.
There was one thing that stood out for Maya though upon hearing her son's translation after she hears from Wolfy that he couldn't find her son: The rarity of her kind. Three hundred years ago the Sword Coast was densely populated with kitsune woman like her, and even though the numbers have dwindled drastically within the next few hundred years due to excessive hunting and targeting for their tails, fox girls like her are still a common sight, especially in cities and forests, up until this modern era; It was the lesser fox boys that were hardly found out in the wild. Hearing that there are no fox people like her other than herself and her son was massive news for her as she covers her mouth in surprise. "Eh? Naze? Why... fox... rare... here? Why... more... Inu (犬, Dog)... or... neko? (猫, cat)"She asks in surprise. She wasn't expecting this sort of news to hit her. In fact, if she and her son are probably the only kitsunes left on this planet, maybe she should reconsider...
Seeing Renar sneezing and the rest of the party in such a miserable state, Maigurs figured out he should give them a treat. "Hold on, guys, one moment."He stands up and disappears into the crowd, a moment later, he returns with seven cups of birch tea, made from boiling a birch bark with locally sourced herbs. "Here you go, enjoy!" He smiles, the tea tastes like corn syrup with a hint of bitterness at the end—one sip from it seems to revitalise you like you just got hit with a natural version of Lesser Restoration.
"Ah! Renar-kun! Daijobu?! (Are you ok?!)" She asks him mid-reading session after watching him sneeze. She instantly strokes her tail up and down over his soaked hoodie in an attempt to draw out the excess moisture from him and lessen the chance of his cold to become severe. It was also at this occasion where she receives a drink from the wolf boy she befriended. "Arigato gozai masu! (ありがとう ござい ます)" She responds with a bow before she takes a sip. "Renar-kun. Du rinku... here." She hands him another cup over in hopes that it will ease his own worries plus hers too and also hears Taliyah introducing herself before she clears her throat. "Watashi no namae wa (私の名前は, My name is) Maya Kurosaki. Anata no... namae wa desu ka? (あなたの... 名前は何ですか, What's your name?)" She asks him back.
"But more on that later," He clasps his hands. "We have to survive the storm first, today might be fine, but the rain will get progressively heavier every day. And we'll need as much help as possible." He idly rubs his tail, "I know you guys really want to bring Cezars to justice... but... would you mind if you help us in this evacuation process?" It will take approximately the entire length of the storm to complete this little side objective, which is until 12th April. Elmars, on the other hand, might not be as patient as Tortle, but he might be willing to extend the deadline if you impress him.
Before anyone else can even object, Maya abruptly stands up and slams her clawed hands on the table. "Hai! (ハイ, Yes) I help... what... you are... doing! Ev... ac... a tion...! I go help... okami... shonen! (オオカミ少年, Wolf Boy)"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
"ACHOO!"Geez... It's getting harder and harder for me to control my sneezes... And I'm shivering so bad... As soon as I get the chance I'm gonna bolt into the showers right before the others can spot me. *Notices Maigurs talking to Maya and figures that he wouldn't be able to understand her without his help* "Uh... sorry about this lady's strange way of speaking but um..." *He whips his eyes back and forth from wolfie to his mother and vice-versa, before his eyes widen in surprise* "...Wait... what?"
He shakes his head, "Sorry, ma'am, I haven't seen any other fox Shifter around here, we aren't that common around these parts, and most of us are either wolves or cats, foxes are quite rare."He turns toward her, "You probably have a higher chance of finding your son in larger cities like Madura, Rais, or Vārti—especially Vārti. It's the capital of the Kingdom of Kerwos, so it'll be much more multicultural than this random town in the middle of nowhere."He snickers at the end.
Kitsunes... they don't exist here? What the- Isn't Lancea just human free?! Why wasn't I informed of this?! Now me and Okaa-san need to... Oh crap... *He whips his eyes down to the table* now me and Okaa-san will need to conceal ourselves even more if we don't want to end up as... um... whatever they see our kind here. In fact, what happened to the kitsunes here? And why did they disappear? No wonder why... were the previous fox girls I met aren't actual kitsunes like me?
Seeing Renar sneezing and the rest of the party in such a miserable state, Maigurs figured out he should give them a treat. "Hold on, guys, one moment."He stands up and disappears into the crowd, a moment later, he returns with seven cups of birch tea, made from boiling a birch bark with locally sourced herbs. "Here you go, enjoy!" He smiles, the tea tastes like corn syrup with a hint of bitterness at the end—one sip from it seems to revitalise you like you just got hit with a natural version of Lesser Restoration.
Ok fine, you don't need to be the mouth that feed me I'm not a little kit anymore. *He drinks it down and cringes; He didn't really like the taste* Yikes... this is probably the worst thing I've had so far in this place. At least it keeps me warm though... if it didn't I wouldn't have drank it. "Yeah again. sorry for her language of speaking but... She basically introducing herself." I clarify to Wolfie. "Her name Maya Kozaki. And um... she hasn't met you before either, so she's wondering if you could do the same back."
"But more on that later," He clasps his hands. "We have to survive the storm first, today might be fine, but the rain will get progressively heavier every day. And we'll need as much help as possible." He idly rubs his tail, "I know you guys really want to bring Cezars to justice... but... would you mind if you help us in this evacuation process?" It will take approximately the entire length of the storm to complete this little side objective, which is until 12th April. Elmars, on the other hand, might not be as patient as Tortle, but he might be willing to extend the deadline if you impress him.
Seriously? We've been walking for four hours staright and he wants us to help with some stupid evacuation?! How are we supposed to assist him after having our energy reserves drained after all of this?! "Hang on a second, wolfie. We came all the way here after we-"
Before anyone else can even object, Maya abruptly stands up and slams her clawed hands on the table. "Hai! (ハイ, Yes) I help... what... you are... doing! Ev... ac... a tion...! I go help... okami... shonen! (オオカミ少年, Wolf Boy)"
"What?!" *He stands up too* "Wait hang on Maya-san my lady! Please rethink this through!"I wasn't expecting Okaa-san to make such a bold approach like this. But... *He glances at the weary faces of the others* None of us, including me, are in the position to be managing something like this right now. It's pretty obvious that we all need to recharge. Though.. I also realised that we're getting sidetracked too; Our main mission is to find those human ruins, not waste time improving the lives of other people. At least, not unless if it's deemed critical like now. "I get that you're eager to help with this but you need to consider our energy reserves too. None of us are ready to evacuate a bunch of people, even though I know it's something we capable of achieving. Unless..." He hesitantly glancea back and forth* "Unless if some of us follow her... whilst the ones whose energy reserves are still drained stay behind to watch over... that... idiot..." *He points to Cezars as he breathes*
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"But more on that later," He clasps his hands. "We have to survive the storm first, today might be fine, but the rain will get progressively heavier every day. And we'll need as much help as possible." He idly rubs his tail, "I know you guys really want to bring Cezars to justice... but... would you mind if you help us in this evacuation process?" It will take approximately the entire length of the storm to complete this little side objective, which is until 12th April. Elmars, on the other hand, might not be as patient as Tortle, but he might be willing to extend the deadline if you impress him.
Venet gladly accepts the tea, saying thanks to him as it's handed off."I'm fine sticking around to help. I like the water."
Taliyah accepts the offered tea with a smile. "Same here. So long as I watch my step, I should be safe from any of the storm's nastier side effects due to my heritage. I can also leave Pixel here to let you all know if I do end up in trouble during the evacuation process."
There was one thing that stood out for Maya though upon hearing her son's translation after she hears from Wolfy that he couldn't find her son: The rarity of her kind. Three hundred years ago the Sword Coast was densely populated with kitsune woman like her, and even though the numbers have dwindled drastically within the next few hundred years due to excessive hunting and targeting for their tails, fox girls like her are still a common sight, especially in cities and forests, up until this modern era; It was the lesser fox boys that were hardly found out in the wild. Hearing that there are no fox people like her other than herself and her son was massive news for her as she covers her mouth in surprise. "Eh? Naze? Why... fox... rare... here? Why... more... Inu (犬, Dog)... or... neko? (猫, cat)"She asks in surprise. She wasn't expecting this sort of news to hit her. In fact, if she and her son are probably the only kitsunes left on this planet, maybe she should reconsider..
He places a hand over his heart, "I'm Maigurs, nice to meet you, Maya." He sticks his hand out, but he quickly retracts it and bows down instead. He knows she's from Prihyeh and people there don't shake hands, but bow to greet each other instead, he wouldn't want this encounter to be more awkward.
With that out of the way, it's time for a history lesson. "There's a reason why certain Shifter subraces are rare in some parts and more common in others... of course, it's a long story, but I suppose this chart might explain most of it"He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his notebook, and shows them a drawing of an evolutionary family tree.
"You see, back in the Second Planetary War, a lot of kitsunes were killed by the tyrannical United States of Lancea government. They think they're a threat to their democracy... for some reason. They barged into their homeland, which is the northeastern part of Prihyeh, and started killing them one by one.
"Fox Shifters are closely related to kitsune, and they stayed in roughly the same area as them too. Since they're so closely related, it's nearly impossible to tell them apart from each other—the only tell-tale sign is that kitsunes can shift into a more anthropomorphic, beastly form and grow additional tails when they get older, whereas fox Shifters only have one tail for their entire life and can't turn into a fox. A lot of fox Shifters died from 'collateral' damage since they were mistaken for a kitsune in a half-human form." Maigurs' expression remains normal, but it seems like he forgot to explain the true reason why the United States of Lancea actually kills kitsune."Wolf and cat Shifters suffered a lot during the war too, but it's still easy to tell them apart from other races, and they experience a big explosion of population growth after the war, hence the reason why they're more common around here."
"Near the end of the war, when rebellions were everywhere and more work camps were liberated, fox Shifters began their journey northward to escape the government's wrath. They crossed the North Pole and eventually settled down in the northern parts of Perkwunos—the bulk of their population resides in the Union of Nemos and some of them choose to live in the Kingdom of Arusa. Not many wander out to Hlotis or Kerwos, and even in their heartlands, they're considered a minority compared to other races. The journey and the massacre took tolls on their population, but for their kitsune cousin, it was so bad they couldn't sustain their population at all. The last of their kind died on -1C 108 CY, exactly one hundred years after the United States of Lancea government collapsed"
Maigurs sighs, that's an awfully long explanation of why a race is rare. "It really sucks seeing one of our distant relatives just... disappears from the face of Lancea entirely, but the past is the past now. We learnt from our mistakes and we used them to build a society that tolerates everyone, no matter their race, identity, or nationality, just like the one you and I are living in right now."
He pauses for a moment before the realisation hits him. "Ah... Oh! Oops, I really went off the rails with that one—as I've mentioned before, Miss Maya, your chance of finding your son is high in bigger Kerwosian cities, but it would be even higher if you go to Nemos or Arusa. You'll have to wait until this cyclone passes"
There is one 'comforting' fact about this revelation, though: no one would ever suspect the two of being a kitsune as long as they don't reveal that they have more tails than one.
He's still waiting for confirmation from the rest of the party.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
He places a hand over his heart, "I'm Maigurs, nice to meet you, Maya." He sticks his hand out, but he quickly retracts it and bows down instead. He knows she's from Prihyeh and people there don't shake hands, but bow to greet each other instead, he wouldn't want this encounter to be more awkward.
With that out of the way, it's time for a history lesson. "There's a reason why certain Shifter subraces are rare in some parts and more common in others... of course, it's a long story, but I suppose this chart might explain most of it"He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his notebook, and shows them a drawing of an evolutionary family tree.
"Mai... guru... su? Very... handsome. My musuko... he... like... make friend... with you. If he... here... I hope."She beams as he introduces herself before reaching out to pat him on the head despite noticing his initial gesture to shake her hand. And luckily for him, the kitsune woman is very eager to learn more upon noticing the funny diagram that Maigurs pulled out... but again, whatever he wrote down there, it was... news... whatever scientific word are on there, she just can't comprehend it as she glances down at it with a rather confused look on her pretty face. She again tugs lightly on Renar's shoulder for possibly his longest translation task yet as she promptly sits back down to listen. "Again... kudasai?"
"You see, back in the Second Planetary War, a lot of kitsunes were killed by the tyrannical United States of Lancea government. They think they're a threat to their democracy... for some reason. They barged into their homeland, which is the northeastern part of Prihyeh, and started killing them one by one.
"Fox Shifters are closely related to kitsune, and they stayed in roughly the same area as them too. Since they're so closely related, it's nearly impossible to tell them apart from each other—the only tell-tale sign is that kitsunes can shift into a more anthropomorphic, beastly form and grow additional tails when they get older, whereas fox Shifters only have one tail for their entire life and can't turn into a fox. A lot of fox Shifters died from 'collateral' damage since they were mistaken for a kitsune in a half-human form." Maigurs' expression remains normal, but it seems like he forgot to explain the true reason why the United States of Lancea actually kills kitsune."Wolf and cat Shifters suffered a lot during the war too, but it's still easy to tell them apart from other races, and they experience a big explosion of population growth after the war, hence the reason why they're more common around here."
Mid-explanation of how her mystical race got wiped out, Maya stares at Maigurs with a rather hesitant expression, especially after hearing her precious son translate everything for her. To hear them getting hunted and wiped away to extinction isn't really unfamiliar territory for her, as kitsunes in the Sword Coast were also hunted in a similar fashion. She felt lucky that she managed to survive for over 6 centuries and even bear two children in the process, one of which is still alive today. In fact, she hasn't even told her son about her long-lost daughter has she? And even more so, he still hasn't gotten over the fact on why his mama has been so overprotective of him ever since their first reunion. She clutches a clawed hand to her large chest and shudders as she fears about the safety of not only herself, but her son too, should this threat re-emerge. Well, she's ready to die in her search for the relic that could help save her own world and her son's too; The last thing she needs is to lose her second child in her place instead. Though... she's also wondering... why were they targeted? Could it be for the same reason as to why they did so in the Sword Coast? Or is it for another reason? Either way, she might want to ask him when he's done. She wouldn't dare interrupt him mid-explanation for sure.
Maigurs sighs, that's an awfully long explanation of why a race is rare. "It really sucks seeing one of our distant relatives just... disappears from the face of Lancea entirely, but the past is the past now. We learnt from our mistakes and we used them to build a society that tolerates everyone, no matter their race, identity, or nationality, just like the one you and I are living in right now."
He pauses for a moment before the realisation hits him. "Ah... Oh! Oops, I really went off the rails with that one—as I've mentioned before, Miss Maya, your chance of finding your son is high in bigger Kerwosian cities, but it would be even higher if you go to Nemos or Arusa. You'll have to wait until this cyclone passes"
The seemingly sightless Kitsune stares at him when he gets flustered for ranting on for too long. Whilst this may not seem to be all good news for her though, for her, her enthusiasm stems through elongated explanations like these; Preferring this over small talk like her son. And honestly, she has a special place in her heart for the survivors of thee animal-like people like her. In a way, Yuri would probably enter Drama queen mode if she heard this, she's already imagining this. After the wolf guard finishes with a flustered reaction, the kitsune attempts to ease his troubles with yet another headpat before she gently grasps his hands as a sign of thanks. "Anata wa... Daijoubu-desu (あなたは大丈夫です). You be... ok. You fine... Are fine. And... I... like... what... you say. I... never... bored... Arigato. And... I not... go... until... I help... people." She turns to her disguised her son and it's pretty clear that unlike her he doesn't have any intentions of helping the evacuation given how exhausted he is right now.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Though Alexander is extremely exhausted as well, he can't help but want to help with the evacuation. The only thing he is concerned about is... what if Cezars wakes up? Maigurs seems willing to help with that, but he isn't really sure how the wolf boy's friends will take dealing with a captured lawman--unless Cezars's reputation is well known. Perhaps they've been waiting for a chance like this to oust him?
"I'd like to help as well," he says after a while."Renar... I understand if you are too worn out, it's been a long day for all of us. And that's okay. We probably should have someone watching Cezars anyways to ensure nothing... well, happens." He eyes the still unconscious fire genasi for a moment. Then he looks to Maigurs with an expression of determination, "Lets get as many people to safety as we can. Just tell me what to do and I'll see it through."
He waits patiently as Maigurs explains the reason why fox shifters are so rare. He wasn't entirely clear on the issue himself either... though he was aware of the fact that the kitsunes were wiped out. Though... it seems somehow somewhere, some of them slipped through and have been living extremely secluded lives. That would explain why Maya can't understand their language very well, but... that doesn't explain Renar... does it? Well, Changelings were on the chart, but that doesn't seem like a likely explanation for why Renar would be able to understand whatever language Maya uses. And... well to be honest, since Renar has said so many random things about what race he is and even how his name is spelled... which Maigurs seems to have overlooked, well, Alex doesn't really know what to think. He does trust his friend, but... well if he's hiding something he'll just have to trust that he'll tell them when he's ready.
"Gives me something to do, and looking put together is important. Not only for appearance sake but just feeling good in general, you know?"
She opens her bag and pulls out a kit filled with oils, perfume, make up, and even a few wigs. She puts some oil in his hair firstly, then begins to gently brush the knots out of his hair. Once she's done sets the brush aside, smiling at her work.
"That's much better. Less frazzled."
"If you say so."Shugo replies cheerfully. Most of the time, he doesn't particularly care about his appearance. Sometimes looking ragged gets you things...like free food. Plus worrying about appearances all the time is kind of pointless, plus it's a waste of energy. If he cared that much, shouldn't he be embarrassed for letting someone do his hair in the middle of a busy inn? Clearly, he's unfazed by the situation. Embarrassment is a waste of energy.
His eyes light up when Maigurs offers them tea. Finally! Something other than that nasty coffee! If Venet hadn't been holding onto his hair, he would have lunged over to grab a cup. Instead, he has to wait for someone to hand one to him. Once someone does, he takes a long swig of it. ...interesting flavor. Definitly isn't his favorite thing in the world, but it's better than coffee.
He traces his finger along the dragon-engraved hilt of his sword while she works, while at the same time watching everyone else. He finds Maya and Renar's reactions to the wolf-boy's lecture very interesting. How can they be so ignorant about these things? Maya is a kitsune...so was she sealed away in some ancient temple for years or something? How can she know so little about her people's heritage?
Once Venet is finished he grins, "Thanks!" Then he promptly pulls out a leather cord and ties it back in it's usual wolf-tail.
He jumps slightly when Maya slams her fists on the table. Geeze! What was that for?! What? She just wants to help with the evacuation? Shugo sighs, Alexander will probably want to help as well. At least Renar has some sense. It's none of their business to try to help these people. Wait, Venet wants to help too? Ugh, and there it is, Alex does want to help. The elf glances at the unconscious genasi. He doesn't particularly want to be stuck with that guy. For several reasons, he doesn't want to listen to him when he wakes up, or deal with him when he wakes up, and he really really doesn't want to be near him if any other potentially corrupt guards come in here. Ugh, why can't he just spend this time resting and enjoying this weird tea? Plus...WHAT ABOUT FOOD! He sighs, "I'm not against helping, but what are we going to do with Hot-head? How are we going to explain this if the authorities find us with him tied up?"
Venet hasnt been listening to much of what everyones been saying. She has a song stuck in her head and has been humming it for the duration of everyones conversations. It's not that she's big on helping people for the sake of it, she just likes being in the water. Although having some time to recoup from all they've been doing would be nice.
She smiles back at Shugo, "Mhm." For royalty he certainly doesn't act like it, not that she minds. If he was full of himself she wouldn't like him nearly as much.
"Well he can't make much of a fuss if he's outside due to the rain and everything. As long as someone's around to bonk him on the head when he's being.. well himself, then we should be fine right?"
For crying out loud how on earth did I even get into this unfortunate spiral?! *He furiously gestures his mother to sit down just so that embarrassment can be avoided, to which she thankfully complies* Geez Okaa-san... Look before you leap will you? What if the storm worsened and you somehow got into an even worse scenario that I can't even save you from? Or even worse... *He stares at Cezars* what if Stupid Rixi woke up?! Who's gonna ensure he doesn't run rampant around the place?! Sigh... whatever. I'm thankful you at least have the courtesy to sit down and listen to wolfie hear about... *As he shuts his eyes in relief, his fox ears twitch from underneath his hoodie when Maigurs mentions about how the last of the nine-tailed foxes went extinct in this world*
Wait... What? *Feels Maya tapping his shoulder and hearing her pleas for translations* Oh wait yeah... crap... Okaa-san's not going to know anything wolfie's gonna spout out is she? Damn it... I guess I can add my translation job as another regret later on when I get the chance... *He painstakingly does the hard work for his mother, wondering if she will at least learn to speak something properly other than Japanese soon*
He places a hand over his heart, "I'm Maigurs, nice to meet you, Maya." He sticks his hand out, but he quickly retracts it and bows down instead. He knows she's from Prihyeh and people there don't shake hands, but bow to greet each other instead, he wouldn't want this encounter to be more awkward.
With that out of the way, it's time for a history lesson. "There's a reason why certain Shifter subraces are rare in some parts and more common in others... of course, it's a long story, but I suppose this chart might explain most of it"He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his notebook, and shows them a drawing of an evolutionary family tree.
"You see, back in the Second Planetary War, a lot of kitsunes were killed by the tyrannical United States of Lancea government. They think they're a threat to their democracy... for some reason. They barged into their homeland, which is the northeastern part of Prihyeh, and started killing them one by one.
To be honest, I was kinda of surprised when Okaa-san produced a reaction as to why the kitsunes here went extinct, but even more surprised when I noticed that she's actually desperate to know more through my help. Though... this evolutionary tree... She ain't going to get a single word of it even as I do my best to decode to her what those random scientific garbage are. Also are these even real terms? These scientific notation they use here is a lot different than the terms used in the Sword Coast and Japan. Also, placing a hand on his heart before reaching out for a handshake? Yeah uh... sorry but that's not how we greet each other back in both Sword Coast and Japan. At least for women; We bow or courtesy to each other as a sign of respect. *He notices his mother's furled face and also worries* But... I can't help thinking that... if both humans and kitsunes are non-existent here, then what would be the fate of Rixi and Yuri, should they choose to step foot in this place?
"You see, back in the Second Planetary War, a lot of kitsunes were killed by the tyrannical United States of Lancea government. They think they're a threat to their democracy... for some reason. They barged into their homeland, which is the northeastern part of Prihyeh, and started killing them one by one.
"Fox Shifters are closely related to kitsune, and they stayed in roughly the same area as them too. Since they're so closely related, it's nearly impossible to tell them apart from each other—the only tell-tale sign is that kitsunes can shift into a more anthropomorphic, beastly form and grow additional tails when they get older, whereas fox Shifters only have one tail for their entire life and can't turn into a fox. A lot of fox Shifters died from 'collateral' damage since they were mistaken for a kitsune in a half-human form." Maigurs' expression remains normal, but it seems like he forgot to explain the true reason why the United States of Lancea actually kills kitsune."Wolf and cat Shifters suffered a lot during the war too, but it's still easy to tell them apart from other races, and they experience a big explosion of population growth after the war, hence the reason why they're more common around here."
He's spitting out a lot about the history of this multiversal dimension... and I'll be honest after repeating everything he said to Okaa-san in Japanese, I felt a massive stone sinking to the depths of my stomach. It was so painful as heck to hear that even fox people are treated as nothing but unwanted, malevolent monsters who possess so-called demonic powers. I should be more or less thankful that I'm under the protection of the Rixi, the Wildland leader... but then again, I also noticed that wolfie never explained why were they were hunted. Or is it the same reason as in the Sword Coast and Japan? I need to find out. "Um... sorry to interrupt but... I need you to clarify with something: Why were those ancient kitsune people hunted to death? Surely there must be some context as to why your people must be so hated otherwise me and this beautiful lady here would have seen more of her kind. I need to know the reasons behind it, if you can explain."
"Near the end of the war, when rebellions were everywhere and more work camps were liberated, fox Shifters began their journey northward to escape the government's wrath. They crossed the North Pole and eventually settled down in the northern parts of Perkwunos—the bulk of their population resides in the Union of Nemos and some of them choose to live in the Kingdom of Arusa. Not many wander out to Hlotis or Kerwos, and even in their heartlands, they're considered a minority compared to other races. The journey and the massacre took tolls on their population, but for their kitsune cousin, it was so bad they couldn't sustain their population at all. The last of their kind died on -1C 108 CY, exactly one hundred years after the United States of Lancea government collapsed"
Maigurs sighs, that's an awfully long explanation of why a race is rare. "It really sucks seeing one of our distant relatives just... disappears from the face of Lancea entirely, but the past is the past now. We learnt from our mistakes and we used them to build a society that tolerates everyone, no matter their race, identity, or nationality, just like the one you and I are living in right now."
He pauses for a moment before the realisation hits him. "Ah... Oh! Oops, I really went off the rails with that one—as I've mentioned before, Miss Maya, your chance of finding your son is high in bigger Kerwosian cities, but it would be even higher if you go to Nemos or Arusa. You'll have to wait until this cyclone passes"
*Renar breathes heavily as he also does his best to keep his katana hidden underneath his tail; He's amazed that he hasn't let it drop out in full view of his overly affectionate mother* Man... it's the same wherever I go... every world I've travelled to, kitsunes as well as other people with animal ears and tails are always perceived as nothing but mutated monsters to actual humanoids... It's just pure discrimination; Even the most benevolent ones like me and Okaa-san... I've heard from her that fox girls like her are always taken advantage of just because they possess magic and beauty. I'm not sure about male foxes, but they've only targeted me because I was only killing those who dared to invade my previous home to try and destroy it. *He flashbacks to the centuries where he was nothing but a mindless nine-tailed monster killing to survive; He frequentyl shapeshifted from Fox to Human form every time during his tragic years* Trust me... no matter where you go or how you try to see fit... there will always that one baka who will hate you for who you are, especially if you're someone like me... At this point I owe Rixi for keeping not only me but Yuri, Shijiro and Okaa-san safe from this kind of danger that we would have gone through. And... *He glances nervously at his mother* I hope Okaa-san feels the same too... *He hears something about the cities Nemos and Arusa and takes a mental note* "Noted. I really hope we can reunite her with her lost child too if that's all she after."
But... the previous shifters I interacted with aren't actually kitsunes? Man that sucks to hear. At least after taking all of this having one tail intact doesn't fully reveal our true heritage. But... that doesn't mean I shouldn't let my true appearance be revealed. *He takes a moment to glance from left to right: Alex, Venet, Shugo and Taliyah* I still don't know these people. And it's too early to start trusting them; I'm just afraid that one of us will stab either me or Okaa-san in the back, so I can't afford to let my guard down at all costs. But... *He yawns* I need to take a shower before I rest. Also... The mermaid lady and Taliyah seem to be eager to help Okaa-san too. I mean that's fine, as long as they don't drag me along... "Look... does it look like I'm in a position to help others right now? We came here after a four hour track. So I'd say three of us go help you and three of us-"
"I'd like to help as well," he says after a while."Renar... I understand if you are too worn out, it's been a long day for all of us. And that's okay. We probably should have someone watching Cezars anyways to ensure nothing... well, happens." He eyes the still unconscious fire genasi for a moment. Then he looks to Maigurs with an expression of determination, "Lets get as many people to safety as we can. Just tell me what to do and I'll see it through."
WHAT?! *His eyes widen in shock* Alex wants to help too?! I thought... wasn't he also exhausted-
He jumps slightly when Maya slams her fists on the table. Geeze! What was that for?! What? She just wants to help with the evacuation? Shugo sighs, Alexander will probably want to help as well. At least Renar has some sense. It's none of their business to try to help these people. Wait, Venet wants to help too? Ugh, and there it is, Alex does want to help. The elf glances at the unconscious genasi. He doesn't particularly want to be stuck with that guy. For several reasons, he doesn't want to listen to him when he wakes up, or deal with him when he wakes up, and he really really doesn't want to be near him if any other potentially corrupt guards come in here. Ugh, why can't he just spend this time resting and enjoying this weird tea? Plus...WHAT ABOUT FOOD! He sighs, "I'm not against helping, but what are we going to do with Hot-head? How are we going to explain this if the authorities find us with him tied up?"
Even- WHAT THE HECK! I've been outnumbered five to one?! Goddammit... "Well... I was gonna suggest half of us go help whilst the other half stay behind and then at some point we can alternate roles. But..." *He shifts uneasily in his seat* "...but since you guys are all... going to... you know what I'll take the pain and do it myself then. You guys do whatever you want." *He turns his face away to hide his embarrassed expression, although it looks like he's sulking at some angles*
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"Alright!"Maigurs clasps his hands,"Let's get to work, follow me!" He leads the volunteers outside into an oncoming storm. A hooded figure bumps into him. At this point, Muphrid had set on the horizon, the cloud is so thick that not even its other sun can be seen, and the water level is at your heel now.
For anyone who volunteers to help with the evacuation, it's much less exciting than expected. You spend most of your time dragging boats around the town in case the water gets high enough to the point where walking becomes impossible, and you also deliver a crate full of non-perishable food and medicine to those who decide to stay.
After that, you fortify the area around the town with sandbags, which slows down the flooding process. It won't do much once the water level gets critically high, but it will give them a little bit of time to properly evacuate. without the planet's two moons and its dwarf star, stormy nights like this are almost pitch-black outside of settlements—people can only move out tomorrow morning.
For those who stay inside the tavern:
The atmosphere in the tavern is rather... typical, people chat with each other, but the topic is mostly about how bad Vladimirs XII is and how they're going to survive the flood. It's hard to believe they're currently in the middle of a natural disaster right now.
Despite the fact that there is a tied man just casually 'chilling' on a seat, people seem to not be bothered by him, except for one...
A hooded figure steps into view, they walk over to where the still-unconscious Cezars is lying down, and after an awkwardly long moment of them just standing motionlessly there, they walk into the crowd and disappear from view.
Their hood is much larger than Renar's, and it obscures their face so well that you can't even tell if they're a man or a woman, but they definitely aren't animal-like races since they have no tail or ear present
Three hours later...
It's 21:00, and the work for today is done, Maigurs leads the volunteers inside the tavern and gathers everyone around. The tavern is much quieter, most of the patrons returned home and prepared to move tomorrow morning, and the few that remained mostly concentrated on the bar and the counter
"Alright... that's all for today, thank you so much for helping me."He says, his tail swaying idly, "You should wake up as soon as the sun rises, my friends are coming here as fast as they can, and we'll need more than just seven of us to evacuate this many people."
He places two keychains on the table, "I've booked two rooms for you, three of us in one room and three of you in the other I'll be staying with you guys since that's the last two rooms available tonight if you don't mind that." He touches one of the keys,"There is a key to the sauna and the bathroom too. Remember to take a shower after you've sat in the sauna, not the other way around!" He snickers.
"So, who wants to stay with me for tonight?"He asks.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Alex seems somewhat relieved when Felica nudges him. He might not be able to understand her language or what's really going through her head, but... at least it seems like they are on the same page right now. As they walk through the muck, he soldiers on, wordlessly enduring the rain and the difficult terrain--both of which threaten to drag him down by his armor.
When they reach the settlement, Alex grins upon seeing Maigurs... though he's a little concerned about drawing attention to their hostage right now. Regardless, he does what he's asked, doing his best to find a nice stable for Felica and set her up with whatever food Gryphon's prefer. Hopefully she trusts that they'll uphold their end of the bargain, even when Cezars is out of her sight.
Again, Alexander is a little wary of lugging Cezars's unconscious body around... not to mention if he wakes up and starts yelling that could cause problems too, but well, there doesn't seem to be much of an option to do otherwise. He stays quiet as Maigurs talks with the rest of the group, giving Renar a couple glances as the 'changeling' (Alex still wants to ask about that... but maybe he'll do so when there aren't any strangers around in case Renar finds it embarrassing or something) as he translates for Maya.
He lets out a breath at the mention of the three thieves... quickly deciding it best to get as much of the true story out there as possible without mentioning the people's army.
"Oh... uh," he gives a reflexive glance towards the blood on his tabard...which the rain had washed somewhat but--well the blood had started drying before that so it hadn't done much. "Well, here's the story... We hadn't really intended for this to happen (gestures at Cezars), not yet at least. We found out that he's a former paladin... a uh... oathbreaker," he hesitates, eyes lingering on the unconscious Cezars as if waiting for some sort of dark energy to burst out of him. "So I did have the intention of confronting him eventually, but I'd hope to speak with the church in Madura first. Well, that obviously didn't happen." He gives an awkward chuckle, before continuing, "Well, we were heading down the road and we heard him yelling at a woman and hitting her. Apparently he'd found a black feather in her cart and immediately assumed she was helping the bandits, which we later found out that they had actually stolen some of her kvass--which she was actually on the way to deliver it for Elmars's wedding. Back to that later... anyways, Cezars's behavior is unacceptable, so we decided to deal with it then and there before that woman got hurt further. We fought him, barely won, and tied him up. Then we found out that those three bandits had taken shelter in the same abandoned farmhouse that we saw and intended to use for shelter when the rain started. Long story short, we managed to recover the stolen kvass, but ultimately had to let the thieves get away when the storm hit. Based on what we learned, the three thieves are just a group of kids who... I don't think should be allowed to keep doing what they are doing, but regardless they are not even half as dangerous or, quite frankly, as evil as this man is." He nods to Cezars, "So they got away, and we had to part ways with the woman once the storm struck. She had a cart and we didn't, and we didn't want to put her in danger by asking for a ride. Especially when we had Cezars and Felica with us."
He pauses, waiting for whatever response the wolf boy will give, and hoping that his friends catch on to the fact that he intentionally left out half of the story. After whatever response Maigurs offers, Alex will ask, "Is there anything you could tell us about Cezars? Do his employers know that he is an oathbreaker? And that he goes around abusing his power? What about the Church?" He hesitates, "Speaking of which, is there a church nearby that would know anything about Cezars? I really want to resolve this as quickly as possible... and I'm worried that there is more to... well him then we thought." He explains what he sensed while using his divine powers--that Cezars seems to have some sort of necrotic, fiendish energy laying dormant inside of him. "I don't know enough about... well any of that to know what it means. All I know is that it is very, very evil, and I just don't see the Church letting him run rampant knowing that. Does he have someone else backing him up? Someone who's keeping him in law enforcement even though he's a terrible person? Do you think they are even aware of what he's been doing?"
At the beginning of their journey, Shugo keeps up his usual cheery demeanor humming along with Maya even though he has absolutely no idea what she's saying. He hangs back, trudging along behind the group so that he can have a clear view...well as clear a view that the weather will allow, of the entire group. He finds Renar's reaction to Maya walking so close to him to be extremely funny. There's no way those two don't know each other at least a little.
As the journey continues and the rain shows no sign of stopping, the elf continues to trudge along in silence...like everyone else. He's wet, and cold, and his feet are starting to hurt. Ugh, he hates rain, especially when he has to walk in it. At some point during those last four hours, the leather cord which kept his hair back fell out. Good thing he has extras, though right now trying to tie it back is pointless. With that mentality, he continues to walk along with the rain streaming off his head through the long black mop which obscures the upper portion of his face. His smile is gone, and he's walking along with a slightly hunched posture. Every so often he brushes some of his hair out of his eyes to squint ahead only to have the rain wash it right back. Overall he looks rather pathetic.
Once Nautrie comes into few, an almost hysterical grin spreads across his face. FINALLY! They can get out of this rain! ...Oh, look it's that wolf boy from earlier. How do all these people keep beating them to where they are going? Whatever, he's going show them a place to get warm and dry.
As soon as the party enters the inn, Shugo rips off his soft leather shoes, socks and his orange coat while locating the table closest to the fireplace. Once he does so, he turns the chair closest to the fire around and sits down with his feet close to the flames. "Ahhhhh." He sighs in relief as the others find their places, then cringes when he hears Renar sneeze. Oooo, someone's catching a cold. After a few seconds of soaking up the warmth of the fire, he sits up straighter and unbuckles his sword from his belt. He'd rapped the entire sword and scabbard in water resistant before leaving the farmhouse, now he unwraps it and checks the blade. Still dry, that's good.
Satisfied, he stands back up and spins the chair back around to sit at the table properly. He sits down crosslegged in the chair, he leans forward putting his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. He looks pretty ridiculous with this posture along with his unkempt half-dry mess of hair still obscuring most his face. Oh what he wouldn't do for a nice hot cup of tea right now. It feels like forever since he'd had a proper hot drink. Most of the places he's been keep trying to give him some bitter bean juice called coffee. The stuff smelled good, but tasted nasty. Well, he could see what this place has to offer. Whenever the waiter responds to Renar, Shugo will inquire about what kinds of hot beverages are available here.
He'd caught most of Alex and Renar's conversation with Wolfie boy, and he doesn't feel the need to elaborate on it. He listens to the conversation, wondering if Alex really has a plan on how to get Cezar all the way to Madura. He also notes Maya and Renar's interactions. One good thing about having your eyes obscured by your hair is that no one can tell for certain where you are looking....So the fox lady wants to read a dictionary eh? Expand her language a bit? How the heck did she last this long on her own? How does Renar know her language? There's a clear connection between the two of them... He watches them interact for a while before speaking up. "Hmmm. I wonder what kind of food they have here...."
Venet spends the journey humming softly to herself, splashing about in the water, and in general seeming unbothered by the situation. Occasionally she looks around at the others to see if they are keeping up with her, as the water hasn't slowed her pace at all.
Once they arrive in the town she waves at the shifter from earlier, and does a few little jumps to get the water off of her. Her everything seems pretty resistant to it so it wipes off rather easily. She wanders around for a bit, wondering if the tavern is going to stay open during the whole cyclone thing. Alex has given a rather good summary so she just lets him do the talking. Eventually she notices some of the others look rather miserable.
"Would you like me to fix your hair, Shugo?"
Shugo turns his head to face Venet, cocking it slightly. "Eh?" He squints at her through his hair. "Uh. Define 'fix'." He replies. He's perfectly capable of tying back his own hair, but he's curious as to what she means.
"It's all-" she makes some gestures with her hands to imply its messed up. "I can brush it out for you? I also have some oils and things to help it behave better."
Ooooh, that's what she means. ...does this have something to do with him being a noble? Or does she just like doing that sort of thing... Whatever. So long as she doesn't try to cut it off she can do what she wants. He shrugs, "Uh. I suppose you can. If you want to." He leans back in his chair, picking up his sword off the floor as he does so, and lays it across his lap.
"Gives me something to do, and looking put together is important. Not only for appearance sake but just feeling good in general, you know?"
She opens her bag and pulls out a kit filled with oils, perfume, make up, and even a few wigs. She puts some oil in his hair firstly, then begins to gently brush the knots out of his hair. Once she's done sets the brush aside, smiling at her work.
"That's much better. Less frazzled."
Maigurs squinted his eyes after hearing his kin speak in a strange language he'd never heard before, and not only that, but she seemed to struggle with Lancean too. Odd, all sentient beings should speak the same language, well, he'll question that later.
He shakes his head, "Sorry, ma'am, I haven't seen any other fox Shifter around here, we aren't that common around these parts, and most of us are either wolves or cats, foxes are quite rare." He turns toward her, "You probably have a higher chance of finding your son in larger cities like Madura, Rais, or Vārti—especially Vārti. It's the capital of the Kingdom of Kerwos, so it'll be much more multicultural than this random town in the middle of nowhere." He snickers at the end.
He quietly nods to Maya's request to lend the dictionary, she'll need it so she won't embarrass herself in public.
Seeing Renar sneezing and the rest of the party in such a miserable state, Maigurs figured out he should give them a treat. "Hold on, guys, one moment." He stands up and disappears into the crowd, a moment later, he returns with seven cups of birch tea, made from boiling a birch bark with locally sourced herbs. "Here you go, enjoy!" He smiles, the tea tastes like corn syrup with a hint of bitterness at the end—one sip from it seems to revitalise you like you just got hit with a natural version of Lesser Restoration.
He listens to Alex explaining the situation, nodding along the way. "I see... I can't really do much because I'm alone, but more of my friends will arrive here to evacuate the citizens tomorrow. They might know what to do with Cezars." His ears droop, "You'll have to reach Madura to do that, but getting there is impossible in this kind of weather. You'll have to cross two major rivers, which will definitely flood during a cyclone like this. Not to mention a lot of people will need to be evacuated, so both the church and the military will be busy running around the country and sorting this out."
He sighs, side-eyeing the wall. "Vladimirs XII... I know he's sick all the time, but at least he should make sure his warning letter reaches everyone before the cyclone comes. When the flood is over, the next disaster that will come is riots." He looks around the tavern, and you can hear it too, most people seem to be complaining about Vladimirs XII too. His public opinion was already bad enough, and now it got worse.
"But more on that later," He clasps his hands. "We have to survive the storm first, today might be fine, but the rain will get progressively heavier every day. And we'll need as much help as possible." He idly rubs his tail, "I know you guys really want to bring Cezars to justice... but... would you mind if you help us in this evacuation process?" It will take approximately the entire length of the storm to complete this little side objective, which is until 12th April. Elmars, on the other hand, might not be as patient as Tortle, but he might be willing to extend the deadline if you impress him.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
About half an hour into the journey to Nautrie, Taliyah closes her eyes, and tugs on her connection with Pixel to share his sight and hearing, just enjoying the still new feeling of rain on her scales. Once the windmills start showing up she draws back to her own senses, not wanting to be rude to anyone they might meet in the town. Once they get into town and meet Maigurs, she bows her head slightly in greeting. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Taliyah Sarasohn, and thank you for the warning about water being deeper then expected during storms like this. I'm not exactly from this area."
There was one thing that stood out for Maya though upon hearing her son's translation after she hears from Wolfy that he couldn't find her son: The rarity of her kind. Three hundred years ago the Sword Coast was densely populated with kitsune woman like her, and even though the numbers have dwindled drastically within the next few hundred years due to excessive hunting and targeting for their tails, fox girls like her are still a common sight, especially in cities and forests, up until this modern era; It was the lesser fox boys that were hardly found out in the wild. Hearing that there are no fox people like her other than herself and her son was massive news for her as she covers her mouth in surprise. "Eh? Naze? Why... fox... rare... here? Why... more... Inu (犬, Dog)... or... neko? (猫, cat)" She asks in surprise. She wasn't expecting this sort of news to hit her. In fact, if she and her son are probably the only kitsunes left on this planet, maybe she should reconsider...
"Ah! Renar-kun! Daijobu?! (Are you ok?!)" She asks him mid-reading session after watching him sneeze. She instantly strokes her tail up and down over his soaked hoodie in an attempt to draw out the excess moisture from him and lessen the chance of his cold to become severe. It was also at this occasion where she receives a drink from the wolf boy she befriended. "Arigato gozai masu! (ありがとう ござい ます)" She responds with a bow before she takes a sip. "Renar-kun. Du rinku... here." She hands him another cup over in hopes that it will ease his own worries plus hers too and also hears Taliyah introducing herself before she clears her throat. "Watashi no namae wa (私の名前は, My name is) Maya Kurosaki. Anata no... namae wa desu ka? (あなたの... 名前は何ですか, What's your name?)" She asks him back.
Before anyone else can even object, Maya abruptly stands up and slams her clawed hands on the table. "Hai! (ハイ, Yes) I help... what... you are... doing! Ev... ac... a tion...! I go help... okami... shonen! (オオカミ少年, Wolf Boy)"
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
"ACHOO!" Geez... It's getting harder and harder for me to control my sneezes... And I'm shivering so bad... As soon as I get the chance I'm gonna bolt into the showers right before the others can spot me. *Notices Maigurs talking to Maya and figures that he wouldn't be able to understand her without his help* "Uh... sorry about this lady's strange way of speaking but um..." *He whips his eyes back and forth from wolfie to his mother and vice-versa, before his eyes widen in surprise* "...Wait... what?"
Kitsunes... they don't exist here? What the- Isn't Lancea just human free?! Why wasn't I informed of this?! Now me and Okaa-san need to... Oh crap... *He whips his eyes down to the table* now me and Okaa-san will need to conceal ourselves even more if we don't want to end up as... um... whatever they see our kind here. In fact, what happened to the kitsunes here? And why did they disappear? No wonder why... were the previous fox girls I met aren't actual kitsunes like me?
Ok fine, you don't need to be the mouth that feed me I'm not a little kit anymore. *He drinks it down and cringes; He didn't really like the taste* Yikes... this is probably the worst thing I've had so far in this place. At least it keeps me warm though... if it didn't I wouldn't have drank it. "Yeah again. sorry for her language of speaking but... She basically introducing herself." I clarify to Wolfie. "Her name Maya Kozaki. And um... she hasn't met you before either, so she's wondering if you could do the same back."
Seriously? We've been walking for four hours staright and he wants us to help with some stupid evacuation?! How are we supposed to assist him after having our energy reserves drained after all of this?! "Hang on a second, wolfie. We came all the way here after we-"
"What?!" *He stands up too* "Wait hang on Maya-san my lady! Please rethink this through!" I wasn't expecting Okaa-san to make such a bold approach like this. But... *He glances at the weary faces of the others* None of us, including me, are in the position to be managing something like this right now. It's pretty obvious that we all need to recharge. Though.. I also realised that we're getting sidetracked too; Our main mission is to find those human ruins, not waste time improving the lives of other people. At least, not unless if it's deemed critical like now. "I get that you're eager to help with this but you need to consider our energy reserves too. None of us are ready to evacuate a bunch of people, even though I know it's something we capable of achieving. Unless..." He hesitantly glancea back and forth* "Unless if some of us follow her... whilst the ones whose energy reserves are still drained stay behind to watch over... that... idiot..." *He points to Cezars as he breathes*
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Venet gladly accepts the tea, saying thanks to him as it's handed off. "I'm fine sticking around to help. I like the water."
Taliyah accepts the offered tea with a smile. "Same here. So long as I watch my step, I should be safe from any of the storm's nastier side effects due to my heritage. I can also leave Pixel here to let you all know if I do end up in trouble during the evacuation process."
He places a hand over his heart, "I'm Maigurs, nice to meet you, Maya." He sticks his hand out, but he quickly retracts it and bows down instead. He knows she's from Prihyeh and people there don't shake hands, but bow to greet each other instead, he wouldn't want this encounter to be more awkward.
With that out of the way, it's time for a history lesson. "There's a reason why certain Shifter subraces are rare in some parts and more common in others... of course, it's a long story, but I suppose this chart might explain most of it" He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his notebook, and shows them a drawing of an evolutionary family tree.
"You see, back in the Second Planetary War, a lot of kitsunes were killed by the tyrannical United States of Lancea government. They think they're a threat to their democracy... for some reason. They barged into their homeland, which is the northeastern part of Prihyeh, and started killing them one by one.
"Fox Shifters are closely related to kitsune, and they stayed in roughly the same area as them too. Since they're so closely related, it's nearly impossible to tell them apart from each other—the only tell-tale sign is that kitsunes can shift into a more anthropomorphic, beastly form and grow additional tails when they get older, whereas fox Shifters only have one tail for their entire life and can't turn into a fox. A lot of fox Shifters died from 'collateral' damage since they were mistaken for a kitsune in a half-human form." Maigurs' expression remains normal, but it seems like he forgot to explain the true reason why the United States of Lancea actually kills kitsune. "Wolf and cat Shifters suffered a lot during the war too, but it's still easy to tell them apart from other races, and they experience a big explosion of population growth after the war, hence the reason why they're more common around here."
"Near the end of the war, when rebellions were everywhere and more work camps were liberated, fox Shifters began their journey northward to escape the government's wrath. They crossed the North Pole and eventually settled down in the northern parts of Perkwunos—the bulk of their population resides in the Union of Nemos and some of them choose to live in the Kingdom of Arusa. Not many wander out to Hlotis or Kerwos, and even in their heartlands, they're considered a minority compared to other races. The journey and the massacre took tolls on their population, but for their kitsune cousin, it was so bad they couldn't sustain their population at all. The last of their kind died on -1C 108 CY, exactly one hundred years after the United States of Lancea government collapsed"
Maigurs sighs, that's an awfully long explanation of why a race is rare. "It really sucks seeing one of our distant relatives just... disappears from the face of Lancea entirely, but the past is the past now. We learnt from our mistakes and we used them to build a society that tolerates everyone, no matter their race, identity, or nationality, just like the one you and I are living in right now."
He pauses for a moment before the realisation hits him. "Ah... Oh! Oops, I really went off the rails with that one—as I've mentioned before, Miss Maya, your chance of finding your son is high in bigger Kerwosian cities, but it would be even higher if you go to Nemos or Arusa. You'll have to wait until this cyclone passes"
There is one 'comforting' fact about this revelation, though: no one would ever suspect the two of being a kitsune as long as they don't reveal that they have more tails than one.
He's still waiting for confirmation from the rest of the party.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
"Mai... guru... su? Very... handsome. My musuko... he... like... make friend... with you. If he... here... I hope." She beams as he introduces herself before reaching out to pat him on the head despite noticing his initial gesture to shake her hand. And luckily for him, the kitsune woman is very eager to learn more upon noticing the funny diagram that Maigurs pulled out... but again, whatever he wrote down there, it was... news... whatever scientific word are on there, she just can't comprehend it as she glances down at it with a rather confused look on her pretty face. She again tugs lightly on Renar's shoulder for possibly his longest translation task yet as she promptly sits back down to listen. "Again... kudasai?"
Mid-explanation of how her mystical race got wiped out, Maya stares at Maigurs with a rather hesitant expression, especially after hearing her precious son translate everything for her. To hear them getting hunted and wiped away to extinction isn't really unfamiliar territory for her, as kitsunes in the Sword Coast were also hunted in a similar fashion. She felt lucky that she managed to survive for over 6 centuries and even bear two children in the process, one of which is still alive today. In fact, she hasn't even told her son about her long-lost daughter has she? And even more so, he still hasn't gotten over the fact on why his mama has been so overprotective of him ever since their first reunion. She clutches a clawed hand to her large chest and shudders as she fears about the safety of not only herself, but her son too, should this threat re-emerge. Well, she's ready to die in her search for the relic that could help save her own world and her son's too; The last thing she needs is to lose her second child in her place instead. Though... she's also wondering... why were they targeted? Could it be for the same reason as to why they did so in the Sword Coast? Or is it for another reason? Either way, she might want to ask him when he's done. She wouldn't dare interrupt him mid-explanation for sure.
The seemingly sightless Kitsune stares at him when he gets flustered for ranting on for too long. Whilst this may not seem to be all good news for her though, for her, her enthusiasm stems through elongated explanations like these; Preferring this over small talk like her son. And honestly, she has a special place in her heart for the survivors of thee animal-like people like her. In a way, Yuri would probably enter Drama queen mode if she heard this, she's already imagining this. After the wolf guard finishes with a flustered reaction, the kitsune attempts to ease his troubles with yet another headpat before she gently grasps his hands as a sign of thanks. "Anata wa... Daijoubu-desu (あなたは大丈夫です). You be... ok. You fine... Are fine. And... I... like... what... you say. I... never... bored... Arigato. And... I not... go... until... I help... people." She turns to her disguised her son and it's pretty clear that unlike her he doesn't have any intentions of helping the evacuation given how exhausted he is right now.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Though Alexander is extremely exhausted as well, he can't help but want to help with the evacuation. The only thing he is concerned about is... what if Cezars wakes up? Maigurs seems willing to help with that, but he isn't really sure how the wolf boy's friends will take dealing with a captured lawman--unless Cezars's reputation is well known. Perhaps they've been waiting for a chance like this to oust him?
"I'd like to help as well," he says after a while. "Renar... I understand if you are too worn out, it's been a long day for all of us. And that's okay. We probably should have someone watching Cezars anyways to ensure nothing... well, happens." He eyes the still unconscious fire genasi for a moment. Then he looks to Maigurs with an expression of determination, "Lets get as many people to safety as we can. Just tell me what to do and I'll see it through."
He waits patiently as Maigurs explains the reason why fox shifters are so rare. He wasn't entirely clear on the issue himself either... though he was aware of the fact that the kitsunes were wiped out. Though... it seems somehow somewhere, some of them slipped through and have been living extremely secluded lives. That would explain why Maya can't understand their language very well, but... that doesn't explain Renar... does it? Well, Changelings were on the chart, but that doesn't seem like a likely explanation for why Renar would be able to understand whatever language Maya uses. And... well to be honest, since Renar has said so many random things about what race he is and even how his name is spelled... which Maigurs seems to have overlooked, well, Alex doesn't really know what to think. He does trust his friend, but... well if he's hiding something he'll just have to trust that he'll tell them when he's ready.
"If you say so." Shugo replies cheerfully. Most of the time, he doesn't particularly care about his appearance. Sometimes looking ragged gets you things...like free food. Plus worrying about appearances all the time is kind of pointless, plus it's a waste of energy. If he cared that much, shouldn't he be embarrassed for letting someone do his hair in the middle of a busy inn? Clearly, he's unfazed by the situation. Embarrassment is a waste of energy.
His eyes light up when Maigurs offers them tea. Finally! Something other than that nasty coffee! If Venet hadn't been holding onto his hair, he would have lunged over to grab a cup. Instead, he has to wait for someone to hand one to him. Once someone does, he takes a long swig of it. ...interesting flavor. Definitly isn't his favorite thing in the world, but it's better than coffee.
He traces his finger along the dragon-engraved hilt of his sword while she works, while at the same time watching everyone else. He finds Maya and Renar's reactions to the wolf-boy's lecture very interesting. How can they be so ignorant about these things? Maya is a kitsune...so was she sealed away in some ancient temple for years or something? How can she know so little about her people's heritage?
Once Venet is finished he grins, "Thanks!" Then he promptly pulls out a leather cord and ties it back in it's usual wolf-tail.
He jumps slightly when Maya slams her fists on the table. Geeze! What was that for?! What? She just wants to help with the evacuation? Shugo sighs, Alexander will probably want to help as well. At least Renar has some sense. It's none of their business to try to help these people. Wait, Venet wants to help too? Ugh, and there it is, Alex does want to help. The elf glances at the unconscious genasi. He doesn't particularly want to be stuck with that guy. For several reasons, he doesn't want to listen to him when he wakes up, or deal with him when he wakes up, and he really really doesn't want to be near him if any other potentially corrupt guards come in here. Ugh, why can't he just spend this time resting and enjoying this weird tea? Plus...WHAT ABOUT FOOD! He sighs, "I'm not against helping, but what are we going to do with Hot-head? How are we going to explain this if the authorities find us with him tied up?"
Venet hasnt been listening to much of what everyones been saying. She has a song stuck in her head and has been humming it for the duration of everyones conversations. It's not that she's big on helping people for the sake of it, she just likes being in the water. Although having some time to recoup from all they've been doing would be nice.
She smiles back at Shugo, "Mhm." For royalty he certainly doesn't act like it, not that she minds. If he was full of himself she wouldn't like him nearly as much.
"Well he can't make much of a fuss if he's outside due to the rain and everything. As long as someone's around to bonk him on the head when he's being.. well himself, then we should be fine right?"
For crying out loud how on earth did I even get into this unfortunate spiral?! *He furiously gestures his mother to sit down just so that embarrassment can be avoided, to which she thankfully complies* Geez Okaa-san... Look before you leap will you? What if the storm worsened and you somehow got into an even worse scenario that I can't even save you from? Or even worse... *He stares at Cezars* what if Stupid Rixi woke up?! Who's gonna ensure he doesn't run rampant around the place?! Sigh... whatever. I'm thankful you at least have the courtesy to sit down and listen to wolfie hear about... *As he shuts his eyes in relief, his fox ears twitch from underneath his hoodie when Maigurs mentions about how the last of the nine-tailed foxes went extinct in this world*
Wait... What? *Feels Maya tapping his shoulder and hearing her pleas for translations* Oh wait yeah... crap... Okaa-san's not going to know anything wolfie's gonna spout out is she? Damn it... I guess I can add my translation job as another regret later on when I get the chance... *He painstakingly does the hard work for his mother, wondering if she will at least learn to speak something properly other than Japanese soon*
To be honest, I was kinda of surprised when Okaa-san produced a reaction as to why the kitsunes here went extinct, but even more surprised when I noticed that she's actually desperate to know more through my help. Though... this evolutionary tree... She ain't going to get a single word of it even as I do my best to decode to her what those random scientific garbage are. Also are these even real terms? These scientific notation they use here is a lot different than the terms used in the Sword Coast and Japan. Also, placing a hand on his heart before reaching out for a handshake? Yeah uh... sorry but that's not how we greet each other back in both Sword Coast and Japan. At least for women; We bow or courtesy to each other as a sign of respect. *He notices his mother's furled face and also worries* But... I can't help thinking that... if both humans and kitsunes are non-existent here, then what would be the fate of Rixi and Yuri, should they choose to step foot in this place?
He's spitting out a lot about the history of this multiversal dimension... and I'll be honest after repeating everything he said to Okaa-san in Japanese, I felt a massive stone sinking to the depths of my stomach. It was so painful as heck to hear that even fox people are treated as nothing but unwanted, malevolent monsters who possess so-called demonic powers. I should be more or less thankful that I'm under the protection of the Rixi, the Wildland leader... but then again, I also noticed that wolfie never explained why were they were hunted. Or is it the same reason as in the Sword Coast and Japan? I need to find out. "Um... sorry to interrupt but... I need you to clarify with something: Why were those ancient kitsune people hunted to death? Surely there must be some context as to why your people must be so hated otherwise me and this beautiful lady here would have seen more of her kind. I need to know the reasons behind it, if you can explain."
*Renar breathes heavily as he also does his best to keep his katana hidden underneath his tail; He's amazed that he hasn't let it drop out in full view of his overly affectionate mother* Man... it's the same wherever I go... every world I've travelled to, kitsunes as well as other people with animal ears and tails are always perceived as nothing but mutated monsters to actual humanoids... It's just pure discrimination; Even the most benevolent ones like me and Okaa-san... I've heard from her that fox girls like her are always taken advantage of just because they possess magic and beauty. I'm not sure about male foxes, but they've only targeted me because I was only killing those who dared to invade my previous home to try and destroy it. *He flashbacks to the centuries where he was nothing but a mindless nine-tailed monster killing to survive; He frequentyl shapeshifted from Fox to Human form every time during his tragic years* Trust me... no matter where you go or how you try to see fit... there will always that one baka who will hate you for who you are, especially if you're someone like me... At this point I owe Rixi for keeping not only me but Yuri, Shijiro and Okaa-san safe from this kind of danger that we would have gone through. And... *He glances nervously at his mother* I hope Okaa-san feels the same too... *He hears something about the cities Nemos and Arusa and takes a mental note* "Noted. I really hope we can reunite her with her lost child too if that's all she after."
But... the previous shifters I interacted with aren't actually kitsunes? Man that sucks to hear. At least after taking all of this having one tail intact doesn't fully reveal our true heritage. But... that doesn't mean I shouldn't let my true appearance be revealed. *He takes a moment to glance from left to right: Alex, Venet, Shugo and Taliyah* I still don't know these people. And it's too early to start trusting them; I'm just afraid that one of us will stab either me or Okaa-san in the back, so I can't afford to let my guard down at all costs. But... *He yawns* I need to take a shower before I rest. Also... The mermaid lady and Taliyah seem to be eager to help Okaa-san too. I mean that's fine, as long as they don't drag me along... "Look... does it look like I'm in a position to help others right now? We came here after a four hour track. So I'd say three of us go help you and three of us-"
WHAT?! *His eyes widen in shock* Alex wants to help too?! I thought... wasn't he also exhausted-
Even- WHAT THE HECK! I've been outnumbered five to one?! Goddammit... "Well... I was gonna suggest half of us go help whilst the other half stay behind and then at some point we can alternate roles. But..." *He shifts uneasily in his seat* "...but since you guys are all... going to... you know what I'll take the pain and do it myself then. You guys do whatever you want." *He turns his face away to hide his embarrassed expression, although it looks like he's sulking at some angles*
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"Alright!" Maigurs clasps his hands, "Let's get to work, follow me!" He leads the volunteers outside into an oncoming storm. A hooded figure bumps into him. At this point, Muphrid had set on the horizon, the cloud is so thick that not even its other sun can be seen, and the water level is at your heel now.
For anyone who volunteers to help with the evacuation, it's much less exciting than expected. You spend most of your time dragging boats around the town in case the water gets high enough to the point where walking becomes impossible, and you also deliver a crate full of non-perishable food and medicine to those who decide to stay.
After that, you fortify the area around the town with sandbags, which slows down the flooding process. It won't do much once the water level gets critically high, but it will give them a little bit of time to properly evacuate. without the planet's two moons and its dwarf star, stormy nights like this are almost pitch-black outside of settlements—people can only move out tomorrow morning.
For those who stay inside the tavern:
The atmosphere in the tavern is rather... typical, people chat with each other, but the topic is mostly about how bad Vladimirs XII is and how they're going to survive the flood. It's hard to believe they're currently in the middle of a natural disaster right now.
Despite the fact that there is a tied man just casually 'chilling' on a seat, people seem to not be bothered by him, except for one...
A hooded figure steps into view, they walk over to where the still-unconscious Cezars is lying down, and after an awkwardly long moment of them just standing motionlessly there, they walk into the crowd and disappear from view.
Their hood is much larger than Renar's, and it obscures their face so well that you can't even tell if they're a man or a woman, but they definitely aren't animal-like races since they have no tail or ear present
Three hours later...
It's 21:00, and the work for today is done, Maigurs leads the volunteers inside the tavern and gathers everyone around. The tavern is much quieter, most of the patrons returned home and prepared to move tomorrow morning, and the few that remained mostly concentrated on the bar and the counter
"Alright... that's all for today, thank you so much for helping me." He says, his tail swaying idly, "You should wake up as soon as the sun rises, my friends are coming here as fast as they can, and we'll need more than just seven of us to evacuate this many people."
He places two keychains on the table, "I've booked two rooms for you, three of us in one room and three of you in the other I'll be staying with you guys since that's the last two rooms available tonight if you don't mind that." He touches one of the keys, "There is a key to the sauna and the bathroom too. Remember to take a shower after you've sat in the sauna, not the other way around!" He snickers.
"So, who wants to stay with me for tonight?" He asks.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I