Assallya

The Hallows Inn

Assallya sat in her throne, admiring the new jewelry she'd acquired. One good thing about being kidnapped by a bunch of kobold miners was their gifts of precious stones. Since many of them were finished works she tried not to think about where the kobolds might have gotten them. Kobolds might have been good miners but she doubted they were great craftsmen or adept at creating rings, necklaces and other pieces.

She was still contemplating the possibility of the jewelry belonging to unfortunate adventurers when two burning crimson lights appeared in the shadows between the columns at just above floor level. Slowly the miniature orbs rose up from near the floor and came closer.

"Char here. Char take you," the kobold stated, seemingly just unfolding himself from the shadows and almost scaring Assallya out of her wits.

The kobold's burning eyes faded as he stepped into the light. He was a small thing, he had been crawling on all his limbs earlier but now that he had straightened he scarcely came up to her waist at his full height. His scales were a mottled black that blended easily into the darkness. He wore no clothing, kobolds did not bother with such things. He did, however, possess several satchels hanging from his small frame.

"Must go now," Char reiterated.

The elven sorceress took the proferred scaly hand in her own, which was surprisingly small considering her own slender figure and thin fingers. She allowed him to pull her away from the throne and down several dark corridors where she was blind. Kobolds could see in the dark in a manner that elves could not. She was led through a winding maze, told to step over several tripwires and avoid certain flagstones. What they involved she could not discern in the pitch black but she was certain they would be rather lethal.
Behind her Assallya could hear short shrill cries. The kobolds had noticed her absence. The keening that followed made it clear that they were upset. It reverberated down the passages, carried through the tunnels like wind down a flute. They'd begun to hunt her, didn't want their sacrificial queen to escape.

"Hold," she said in Yip-Yap, the language of the kobolds with some awkwardness, "Stop for soon moment."

Looking back in the direction they came she began an incantation. Her arms spun through the air and her fingers twisted as they trailed through the darkness. It was a simple spell, one of illusion. It wouldn't be perfect since she was making it blind, but she could make a reasonable image of a cave in. She just hoped they wouldn't look too closely for the debris would likely not line up with the walls.

Turning and groping blindly, Assallya felt Char grasp her hand and once more lead her towards the surface. While being led, she considered her next step. A sleep spell would claim many of the kobolds pursuing them. Best of all, it was not a spell that required accuracy. She merely chose a point and anything within ten strides would feel its effects.
Finally, after what must have been a full turning of the glass, Assallya caught sight of a sliver of light. Char drew her towards it and it bloomed, resolving it into an aperture. It surely must be leading outside. To Assallya who had not seen sunlight in six months it was a magical gateway to another realm.

Squinting against the light, blinking rapidly as pupils clenched themselves shut, Assallya stepped out into the world once more. Given her reaction she'd expected a broad swathe of sky and a burning sun overhead. She was instead shocked to find the sky obscured by a forest canopy. Her eyes were simply not used to the upper world and the overcast day seemed entirely too brilliant. Char seemed to be fairing no better. Kobolds, spending the entirety of their lives mining only rarley ventured out of their tunnels and usually, only at night. Char was currently peaking out between two claws.

"Others, hard time to follow," he assured her as their roles reversed, "No can see."

"Do no worry Char. I have you."

The elven sorceress began walking, leading her small kobold companion away from the mine entrance. In short order she left the cracked, dry earth and stepped onto grass. She wasn't an outdoors elf and in truth, absolutely hated woodlands, and all things of nature. Still, at this moment, she relished the sound of birds, of wind rustling through branches, of the grass caressing her bare soles as she made her way into the wood.

"Go right, follow path." Char offered, waving his other hand before him like a blind man hoping to avoid colliding with a tree.

Complying, Assallya led him a hundred paces down the rough track and then gasped in surprise as the straight lines of a wooden structure came into view. It was gaily coloured, in crimsons, blues and reds with gold filigree as accents.

"My wagon!"

Assallya had never thought to see her vardo again. It was her home. The only true home she'd ever known. Everything she owned was inside or stored upon the roof. When she'd been captured by the kobolds she'd suspected that they'd have stripped it for firewood and looted it for metals. This did, at least, explain how the kobolds had supplied her with her cosmetics, towels and other requests.

She was about to grasp the brass pole affixed to the side and clamor up into the wagon's driving bench when she caught sight of the things harnessed to the front of her wagon. She had no idea what they were but they weren't horses. If anything they looked like giant ferret. She knew ferrets. A bard back in Baldur's Gate had a pair as pets. Whatever they were, the white throated rodents were decidedly large, three strides long and as tall as the kobold at her side.

"What happened to my horse?"

"Kobolds no like horses. Eat horse." he informed her and then told her that these creatures were better. He used a name to describe the creature, but Assallya had no idea what that word translated into.

"You ate Horatio?"

"What is hor-ate-yo?"

"I liked that horse."

"Must go."

"Right," Assallya agreed as she scrambled up the pole and then helped Char do the same before handing him the reins to the pair of dire weasels, "I no smarts how to control these things."

"Do not worry. Me know."

Char snapped the reins and said something in kobold that perked up the napping weasels, and then another to get them moving. Together the two dire weasels pulled the wagon forwards and Assallya gently helped Char direct them by pulling upon one side of the reigns and ensuring that the weasels got onto the forest path since Char could barely see ten hands in front of his face. They had to make significant distance before dark because the Kobolds would likely follow.

The Hallows Inn

She sat upon a crude, roughly hewn throne made stone. The torchlight, what little there was, did little to illuminate the cavernous environs. The warm flickering orange light was solely for her benefit. Assa'Alliyeh was queen of the kobolds and a reluctant queen at that. She leaned back in her throne, grasping one ankle and drawing her barefoot beneath her and stared up into the shadow wrapped stalactites above while she contemplated her situation.

Assallya Kressair, as the humans called her, had been a prisoner of these small crimson lizards for nearly six months now. Her adventuring party had fallen prey to the small things. It was a trap and an ambush. Kobolds were infamous for their traps and they had followed the trap with an attack involving superior numbers and height advantage. Her group hadn't a chance. Only her sudden exclamation in draconic, what humans called the language of the great wyrms, stayed their tiny delicate claws. She was even able to communicate, after a fashion, with the small creatures whose native language was very similar and in short order she was made into their queen.

Unfortunately, she wasn't truly a queen. Orders involving setting her free, allowing her to walk outside the mines or anything similar were completely ignored by the kobolds. In truth, she was a glorified trophy and recently she discovered, nothing more than a sacrificial morsel for the dragon hatchling below. Apparently it was coming of age and they intended her as a gift to their patron winged god, Sparktooth. She wasn't sure how long that would be but she wanted to be free of this place before that particular event.
That was where Char came into play. Char was a rare black scaled kobold. He had been doting upon her. She was never alone. Either the chieftain, high priest or one of a few select warriors was always at her side, ensuring that her every desire was fulfilled and more importantly, that she did not escape. Char was one of her guards. She had charmed him when she first became prisoner, drawing him to her. The spell had long since worn off but the effects remained. He seemed particularly devoted.

Yes, Assallya thought to herself as she stroked her temples. This was one fine predicament. The kobold, Char, had said that all would be well but refused to elaborate. A fact which bothered her immensely. She needed to get out of here but she couldn't possibly defeat the scores of kobolds spread throughout this mine.

Pirate RP: Ever-Changing Seas

*grins* He laughs... but he's absolutely correct. Welcome to life aboard ship where space is at a premium.

Pirate RP: Ever-Changing Seas

I should probably point out that, other than the captain, NOBODY has their own room aboard ship. We're talking about a pirate vessel, not a cruise ship. Pirates normally slept on the gundeck, either hanging from hammocks or on thin matts.

Pirate RP: Ever-Changing Seas

"Helm," Celeste roared over the driving storm, "yer drifting. Tighten yer spiral! We don't want the serpent catching us astern!"

Barely able to see the shadow of the sea creature for the drowning rain cascading in never ending sheets Celeste turned her head to see someone attempting to play a lute. A literal waterfall fell from the tip of her sodden cap, momentarily blocking her vision and splattered against the deck. Holding on as the ship once more fell the height of almost two men, she felt her feet lift from the deck once more and if she couldn't have held on with both hands she'd have become airborne again.

She'd been watching for a clear shot as the two idiot pirates clamored over the sea serpent. At least the serpent wasn't attacking the ship. She had to grant them that. A shot from the swivel guns would near tear one of them in half if the thrashing sea serpent moved the lady pirates into the line of fire. What they really needed, more than anything, and what they'd planned from the start was to bring the long toms to bear.

Finally, one of the damn fools was back aboard ship, albeit painfully so. Celeste didn't relish the bruises and possible broken bones that Carmen would possess. Now there was just one pirate between them and the serpent. How either of the women had survived the tossing waves without being capsized in their tiny boat, how they'd managed to not be washed off of the serpent when slammed by the crashing waves, was beyond her.

Finally she blasted with the swivel gun, causing a small gout of blood and ichor to erupt from the creature but it wasn't very effective, more so than a mere blade or musket ball but was still little more than a bite from a pilot fish compared to the shark it followed. Right now, she was wondering if perhaps the best bet was simply too fire a fusillade of canister and chain like she'd ordered and simple reduce Alexi to a fine red mist.

The worst part was Alexi couldn't very well leap free. Falling into the water was about the same as dying in such a storm. No human being could hope to conquer the power of such waves. The very ship Nature's Bounty which weighed as much as several hundred men was being thrown about like a leaf in the wind.

"One of ye scurvy dogs be getting her a line!" Celeste cried out, hoping they could save her before the captain gave the order to fire the long toms.

Pirate RP: Ever-Changing Seas

"Ack! Ye hare brained fools!" Celeste bellowed over the rails towards the longboat.

Celeste held on to her hat and squinted to avoid the wind bourn rain peppering her eyes as she peered into the wind to see. She watched the small boat as it was struck by a fifteen foot wave and, carried aloft, was hurled into the air. The damn fools. What they were doing was near suicide, there was every chance they might find themselves crushed if the Nature's Bounty landed atop them. Then there was the beast itself, almost as large the Bounty herself; a single lash from its coils would swamp them and a single bite might crush them both in its maw.

"Swivel gun aye sir!"

Celeste waited, timing the waves, letting go of the railing after the Nature's Bounty struck the trough between waves and ran down the staircase. She almost made it before the next wave began accelerating them upwards once more. For several long moments the blonde French woman was in freefall, less than a foot from the wooden deck. Weightless she floated, arms stretching out for a handhold before she was slammed hard against the wooden planking with enough force to tear the breathe from her chest.

Gathering herself up she scrambled on hands and knees, at first holding on to the main cargo for support, until she finally scrambled over to the railing sporting the swivel gun.

Is anyone interested in a pirate RP?

Enh, it's a roleplay. If we don't get it exactly right- who cares! Though, it is nice to learn stuff while role-playing.

Pirate RP: Ever-Changing Seas

Celeste climbed the aft castle, holding onto the handrail the entire way. She then followed the castle railing and peered down over the deck. From here she could see everything. The crew scrabbling around on the deck, drawing out belaying pins, loosening the ropes and reinserting them.

"Man the cannons!" Celeste bellowed as she echoed the captain's command, "Gun ports closed. Canister and chain shot rounds at yer discretion arms master!"

At her command, several of the sailors went below through the hatch in the aft and fore castles. It normally took two men to operate a cannon efficiently.

"You there. Loosen that there line! We be needin' to give those reefed sails room to breath in case thar wind snaps rightly."

Pirate RP: Ever-Changing Seas

Celeste grimaced as she examined the ship's stores, running her fingers over the oiled wrappers that kept the water from what was contained within. In this case, hard tack and jerky. Then there was the precious barrels of fresh water. They were surrounded by water, bourn aloft upon it. Water as far as they eye could see in any direction and none of it potable. Many items in the cargo were spoiled if touched by water. Their food for instance, which would mould readily should it become damp and their powder which would become useless if damped. Most of the cargo was well bound and unlikely to move given the rough waters that were brewing.

Climbing the stairs to the aft castle Celeste emerged from the dimly lit interior into the overcast day upon deck. Rain. Droplets struck her large black hat and made the deck slick beneath her bare feet. Salt water was horrible for a pair of boots and given the recent weather she had hers locked away under her bunk.

"Master-at-arms! Check the seals on your lockers. I won't have our guns or powders fouled."

No one aboard a sailing vessel actually carried weapons during regular day to day events. It was a sailing tradition to prevent mutiny. All the crew's weapons were locked in a large chest and sealed against water. Only the captain, herself and the master-at-arms had the key. Should a suspicious vessel appear on the horizon or should they disembark to raid a port the weapons would be distributed.

"Bo'Sun!" she exclaimed, "You were supposed to have this deck cleared hours ago. What excuse have you?"

Celeste was angry, her ruby lips drawn tight into a pout. Such sloth could not be excused. If the man had needed help getting the cargo below decks he should have requisitioned crew to help. Celeste was wondering if they needed to choose a new boatswain, someone more reliable. As it was, she was hoping to avoid a flogging. Such demonstration were necessary but a crewman subjected to one was rarely useful for days.

The Hallows Inn

NAME : Assa'Alliyeh Kressanthar, called Assallya Kressair by just about everyone
RACE : High Elf
AGE : 87
GENDER : Female
SEXUALITY: Omnisexual:
CLASS: Sorceress

WEAPONS: Jambiya dagger, light crossbow
ARMOR: None

PERSONAL TRINKETS: Ring of the Unshod: a magical ring that protects one's feet as if they were wearing soft riding boots, Comb of Comeliness: Salon quality hair is only a few strokes of this comb away, a small selection of semi-precious jewelry that will suffice until she can get some real wealth, Vardo wagon: A portable home!

SHORT HISTORY: Assallya Kressair was born in the autumn in a small village on the outskirts of Evereska. At the young age of 26 (aprox. 11 or 12 in human years) Zhentish slavers attacked and killed her entire village except for those taken as slaves. Assallya, her sister Saeliah, and several others were transported far across Faerun in order to avoid the elven wrath sure to follow. In the city of Calimshan Assallya and Saeliah were separated when Assallya was purchased be Pasha Alkiel. Head of a powerful group of rogues, Alkiel purchased her as a dancer and concubine for both personal use and for information gathering and blackmail. She then served in Alkiel's bedchamber for the next eight years while being trained in dance, seduction and other roguish arts in order to perform her duties.

She was treated as an object and was given to allies and employees of the Pasha who performed exceptional services. Soon enough, she learned about the many different types of power and discovered that even as a slave she was far from powerless. Succeeding in seducing one of the Pasha's magicians she bid him teach her magic. At first he balked until Assallya cast for him the only thing her father had taught her at that young age, a cantrip. A small thing, it changed the colour of his fingernails, but it was magic none the less. He agreed then, for he was a lonely uncomely man who rarely received a woman to his bed. However, he placed conditions on his tutorial; refusing to train her in combative magics and warning her that should he ever target him with her spells it would mean her death. She surprised all of them by inventing an inferior version of the invisibility spell which allowed her to sneak away from the Pasha's clutches and return undetected. In this way, by filching jewels and prostituting herself she built up savings with a money lender.

It was with the aide of the Pasha's son that she succeeded in poisoning the Pasha, planning on becoming a partner to the successor instead of a slave. With her manipulative mind behind him to advise his passionate power they were sure to bring their competitors to their knees. What she was not expecting was the Pasha's extended family to hire a necromancer to speak with their departed kinsman. He quickly named his murderer and Assallya regretted bragging as he died.

She ran, the Pasha's son giving her a few moments to escape, fearing that she would claim his involvement which would lead to his family asking him uncomfortable questions. The next few months she moved slowly north, the sands left behind her and the lands becoming more lush and green.

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