Elithar Revalen

It seems Corin did not appreciate his little...prank, as Corin completely took his leave from Elithar's side. That's fine. Elithar preferred to explore alone anyways, at least for now.

Port Verge. A bustling market with a variety of shops. And people. With such a gathering, there are sure to be gossip. Perhaps even useful information on where he can find the next exotic metal to attempt to forge into a blade. Elithar instinctively touched the weird gem piece that's now embedded where his trachea met the top of his sternum bone and adjusted the collar of his shirt to cover both the gem and the slight scarring that it left on his skin. Perhaps he can find a way to dig that out too. He believed that it is not supposed to be where it current is.

Back to what he was presently looking at. The shops around the port. People moving about, cussing, discussing, cutting deals. Elithar would rather just...not have to be in a crowd but such is his current circumstances. He offered himself a small chuckle as he looked to the skies and saw a jet black bird, circling and hovering.

"Ruvan. Help me out here. He said barely above a whisper. The bird he previously spotted in the sky beat it's wings a few times before flying off. Elithar then simply carried on with what he had planned on doing. Exploring shops, picking up juicy chatter, and perhaps some hot stew.

Nothing like hot stew after falling several thousand feet from an airship.

As Elithar started to approach what looked, and smelled, like a food stall, a familiar sound caught his attention. Rhythmic, steady, not the most precise but serviceable. There is a blacksmith among the rabble. A decent one at that. His stomach suddenly forgot the hunger it felt previously as he pivoted slightly towards the blacksmith shop.

The shop owner was busy hammering out a piece of what looked like standard iron. Elithar took a few looks of the wares the shop has to offer. Overall pretty standard, but it can be seen that whoever made these put their heart and soul into it. A shame that this is the extent of the maker's abilities. "Smith! Try tempering the steel in something other than water. Put some old rusted pieces of steel that you treat as scrap and some vinegar into the water. Make the water iron-rich. See if that helps your water harden your wares... Elithar called out. The shop owner shot him a look that essentially told him to fuck off before returning to hammering out an steel ingot. Elithar sighed and drew one of his short blades. Deftly, he carved the symbol of Jaeldira Taeri onto the table, just as a sign of how he is.

Turning away from the stall, he decided to follow his baser instincts and approach the food stall, The Salty Squid Skillet it is apparently called. Of course even the name is nautical themed. As he approached, he spotted a woman of Yuan-Ti origins accompanied by a female of...feline origin? Just what is going on... Judging by the direction the pair was walking from, they had just comes from the curios store of the port, Odds and Ends. Judging by how the feline-one was cloaked, this pair had some money...

Elithar pulled whatever cloth he could from his shirt over his head and turned it into a makeshift hood as he crooned his back, walking towards the pair. He purposely put a hobble in his step and slowed his movements. Intentionally, he walked directly between the pair, groaning and moaning as he did so.

As soon as he was close enough, just slightly behind the pair, he reached his left hand out, while his right tugged his 'hood' lower still. The woman from Yuan-Ti was his primary mark, and her coin purse was his target...

Corin Talmor

Title: The Gem Knight
Race: Human (Cyran)
Class: Paladin — Gem Knight Archetype
Interaction: Bastion @Oso
Location: Port Verge
Attire:
Think rough-n-tough artisan. Cotton shirt rolled up to the forearms, with a wool artisan coat to cover his torso when he does his craftwork. Brown leather pants with reinforced knee-support, and a practical belt full of pouches and clasps for his various tools..
Gold Balance: 33
Injuries: Cracked arm, embedded crystalline shard near sternum, mild concussion
Equipment:

Corin Talmor

Title: The Gem Knight
Race: Human (Cyran)
Class: Paladin — Gem Knight Archetype
Interaction: Bastion @Oso
Location: Port Verge
Attire: Think rough-n-tough artisan. Cotton shirt rolled up to the forearms, with a wool artisan coat to cover his torso when he does his craftwork. Brown leather pants with reinforced knee-support, and a practical belt full of pouches and clasps for his various tools..
Gold Balance: 33
Injuries: Cracked arm, embedded crystalline shard near sternum, mild concussion
Equipment:

Meiyu had taken barely two steps when the slow, disguised movement of another figure attempted to intercede. The instant the man's hand passed the threshold of her personal space, Meiyu’s newly gloved right hand dropped from her hip. The movement was born of constant, ambient awareness. It hooked his outstretched hand at the base of the thumb, using a sharp, precise pressure point. She used his own forward momentum against him. Her right foot swept low and hard, catching his ankle and twisting it with the torque of his pain.

He went down with a heavy, dust-kicking thump onto the street stones.

Meiyu smoothly guided the fall, transitioning instantly from the hook to a dominant pin. She pressed his hand flat above his head with her free hand as she knelt on his sternum, applying pressure that restricted his movement and breathing. Her slender, silver-handled dagger, drawn from a concealed sheath in a flash, came to rest cold against his throat precisely beneath his Adam's apple.

She looked down at the Elven man, taking him in for a moment before leaning in close, her body language dangerously relaxed, her proximity suffocating. Her voice was the smoky contralto of the Pirate Queen, but the chill in it was glacial. "This is Port Verge, stray. If you're not hyper-aware of where every finger is pointing, you don't belong here. Was that truly the whole plan, or were you aiming for a more... thorough, private inspection? Tell me what you're really looking for."

Elithar Revalen

"Wha- No. Reaching for her.... Goodness no." Elithar squeezed out. To be honest, he hasn't been thoroughly bested in single 'combat' like this in a while. To have another person kneel on your sternum is certainly an uncomfortable position. What is more, and perhaps most, concerning is the slightly acrid scent he is picking up from the dagger. Poison. Of what kind he could not be sure. But, whatever it is, should the blade slip even just a little, could be deadly.

Elithar, in the small moments between needing to answer the woman from Yuan-Ti and it becoming more awkward, thought about his options. His hands have been restricted. Attempting to bucking the slender woman off of him is certainly possible but the blade makes that risky. Is he flexible enough to coil up and at least swipe the arm holding the blade away from his throat? Perhaps, but this was risky too. Elithar worked with a few different scenarios, and decided that he was going to hip-thrust her so she is lifted off of him slightly, then attempt to pull his arms free. If he was able to pull his arms free, he is using one arm to bump the dagger out of the woman's hand and wrapping his other arm around the woman's collar bone area to force her to the ground...

Without offering a verbal response to the Yuan-Ti woman's flirtatious question, Elithar started moving. First, he drove both feet into the ground, giving himself as steady of a base as he can. Then, he gave her probably the best thrust of his life. He really put his all into it. As soon as her knee lifted from his sternum, he pulled his arm down as hard as he could, spreading his arms apart slightly as to not accidentally bump into the poisoned blade. With his arms freed, he used his left hand to smack the butt of the dagger and pushed it from her hands. That is both threats on his life taken care of. Then, as his "coup de grâce", he grabbed on to her left shoulder with his right hand and sat up with all the force he could muster in that moment. His momentum carried him forward, causing her to fall onto her back. Continuing his movement, he ended up straddling her, with her left arm pinned to the ground with his right and her left arm secured under his left knee.

Sure, he can't draw his weapon in such a position, but at least she isn't pushing a dagger to his throat.

"Snake woman. I may be a stray but I can assure you I am no slouch. As for the thorough, private inspection, I'm in if you are. Hm?"

Interactions: Menzai @samreaper

---

Marcellus raises an elegantly plucked brow at the second coin and lets his fingers dance it into a pouch with a flourish. He doesn’t drop the merchant persona, but his tone lowers just a touch...just enough to suggest this is the kind of gossip you pay for.

He tells Menzai that Port Verge is a place where reputation shines brighter than armor and coin smooths over the worst of offenses. “Everyone here is dangerous, darling...even the ones who smile too wide. Well…especially the ones who smile too wide.” He laughs a garish chuckle before continuing.

“As for Prince Ravic Dane,” Marcy practically coos when saying the name, describing him as a pirate in velvet, all sharp teeth and sweeter lies. “He’s no fool, and not prone to flattery unless it comes with leverage...but he loves a show. If you walk in quiet, he’ll overlook you. Walk bold, and you just might earn his attention... or his gun, if the gods are feeling humorous. But whatever you do, don’t bore him.”

Minerva's voice cut in, offering commentary on the pin and teasing the captive. The taunt was exactly the distraction a skilled captive required. Meiyu's concentration, already frayed by her companion's constant theatrics, fractured as her eyes snapped to Minerva. The rage at the interruption was immediately translated into a cold, public retort, granting Elithar the window he needed.

"I’d put gold down that says you're only focused on the 'sloppiness' because you're fantasizing about trading places with him right now, kitten. If you want my attention that badly, I'll pin you down later," she snapped back, the comment meant to be the final word in their private argument.

In the half-second that followed, her world inverted. The solid weight of her knee was violently lifted from his chest, her careful grip on his hand was gone, and the cold, unforgiving street met her back with a jarring thud. The fury that erupted in Meiyu was profound. It was not at the pain, but at the amateur failure and the sheer cheek of the reversal. Her hands, trapped beneath him, immediately tensed, ready to fight for control.

Elithar was suddenly straddling her, dominant and close, delivering his smooth, challenging line. Her arm pinned by his leg began to work towards a needle strapped to her leg. Meiyu's lips were set in a thin line of murderous annoyance, but the expression froze mid-smirk. As his body settled, the movement of his collar exposed the base of his neck, revealing the strange outline of a gem embedded where his trachea met his sternum.

The sight of the unwanted, foreign treasure in his throat completely changed the value of the man above her. Her focus instantly shifted from rage to obsessive recognition. Now why would it choose this man as well? She pondered to herself, realizing she may need to keep him close to learn more.

"So, you were on the ship too, I see," she murmured, her smoky voice dropping to a level that was no longer flirting, but pure, intense recognition. She completely ignored his boast and the suggestive challenge. Her golden eyes, now fully analytical, locked on the gem and ignoring his face entirely.

Without shifting her body or easing the intense eye contact with the Elf's throat, Meiyu's gaze flickered to Minerva, a silent, hard command passing between them. "I have three gold for you if you can read my mind," she stated, her voice tight, the offer clearly a bribe for immediate, effective assistance in shedding her current predicament.

Elithar Revalen

The snake woman mentioned something about reading her mind. In that moment of thought, before Elithar could ask about that comment, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. Strange, he didn't know he was injured there...

Taking several tumbles, he tried to brace himself and spring to his feet. But his movement was immediately restricted. The person was good. Rapid, lithe movements. It couldn't have come from the snake woman, not with how he had her pinned. It was her companion. The feline one. Minerva, it seems. Her scent was unfamiliar to him. Yet it was tinged with several other scents. Perhaps it's just the market and all the goings on that is affecting him. Doesn't matter in this moment. He was held in a choke hold, with a sharp claw near his cheeks.

"Aye. I'd rather not be ugly for the rest of my life. Thank you for the compliment of my handsomeness in the moment. Please release me. It's hard to answer a question about what I'm looking for in this state." Elithar finished his sentence with a few feigned coughs, drawing more attention to the trio than before. "What about this. You let me go. We grab a pint at the Squid, and I'll answer your questions? Win-win, right?" Elithar proposed the alternate, hoping to persuade both the Yuan-Ti and Minerva to disengage in whatever hostilities before he can make his next move...

Meiyu did not scramble; she uncoiled. Minerva’s kick sent the Elf sprawling, and Meiyu let the momentum carry her, rolling back and springing into a crouch. She rose, slow and deliberate, eyes fixed on the place where Elithar had pinned her. For a heartbeat, she was still, unreadable.

The crowd faded into background noise. Meiyu’s wrists flicked, black silk settling back into place. She brushed street dust from her thighs with a series of crisp, practiced slaps. Her movements were measured, ritualistic. The silver-handled dagger vanished into its sheath in a single, fluid motion.

Only then did she glance at the tangle of limbs. A cold smirk ghosted across her lips as Minerva pinned the mount. "Efficient, kitten. You’ve earned your treats." Meiyu slipped three gold coins from her hidden pouch, the metal chiming softly. She did not toss them. Instead, she closed the distance with a slow, predatory grace, slipping the coins one by one into Minerva’s pocket. "Three coins for the thought-reader. Cheaper than blood on my boots."

Meiyu’s gaze slid to Elithar, pinned beneath Minerva. Her eyes flicked to his throat, searching for the telltale glint of the gem. A strange echo of pain lingered, sharp and private. Only Meiyu recognized its source, her gaze lingering on Elithar with new, silent curiosity. "A pint at the Squid?" Her voice was low, velvet over steel. She let a small, amused breath escape—silk dragged over gravel. "Brave, for a man bested by a kitten." She stepped closer, shadow falling over him, her interest unmistakable.

"Alas, darling, those were my last three coins," she lied, voice honeyed with practiced sorrow. Her empty palms turned up, a pantomime of poverty. "If you’re buying, I might find time for your excuses. But I warn you, my tastes are costly, and my friend here is insatiable."

She glanced at Minerva, eyes bright with challenge. "Let him up. If he bolts, the boots are yours. They’d fetch at least two coins at the last stall."

[I POSTED IN THE WRONG PLACE]

Elithar Revalen

After being let up, Elithar sighed and dusted himself off. This was not in his agenda of things to do after falling from an airship. He did not expect to have to make a deal already to get himself out from a sticky situation. Regardless. Now that he is back on his feet, he can get back to what he wanted to do previously anyways.

Then the growl of his stomach made it's protest...

Then was the mention of food and drink. Beauties...that's in the eyes of the beholder.

"Fine. Just... don't rob me. I'm not exactly overflowing with coins..." He said to the feline one. He also wondering why the sudden attitude change from the serpentine one. He suspects it's because of this odd gem that has been embedded onto him. He still doesn't know what this gem does, but folks seems to covet it. That's not...exactly ideal. He doesn't know how to remove the gem, and it's in a place that is fairly visible, given how he tends to dress...

The trio then met up with some other strangers, some that seems to know each other already but Elithar only identifies one other person there. Corin, the older man he met as the airship crashed. A half-elf then approached him, seemingly familiar with at least the feline one that he just met. "Oh no. Your friend has been perfectly amicable. Hello Phia. My name is Elithar. It is pleasant to make your acquaintance." Elithar said to the only person to have approached him.

The sounds of the tavern was deafening in a welcoming way. It was lively, and people seem jolly. The smell of sea salt and smoke permeated the establishment. Elithar was naturally drawn to the smell of food and ale, as he has not eaten in quite a while. The kraken on the wall. That intrigued Elithar. He had heard that there are parts of a kraken that can be harvested and used in various ways, some may even include imbuing magical properties into various items. If given the chance, Elithar would surely like to either slay one or somehow get his hands on some of these parts to use in his craft...

Elithar looked towards the original pair that he was with, and conceded. He was a man of his word. A pint and answers to questions. Just that now there are more folks familiar to him outside of the two he was just with. "Fine. A pint for the table I suppose... Assuming I have enough coins. Otherwise you're out of luck. I'm not trading my wares or my body for you guys to drink yourselves silly. Hey bar-keep! A pint for each of my friends at the table here!" Elithar said, slightly elevating his voice...