corneredbliss

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

Ceria's words echoed in her ears as she made her way towards the tavern with the group. She was correct; they had only known each other for the grand total of a few minutes, and within those few minutes, she had managed to get them all nearly killed in combat. And yet, Araerys was already using collective pronouns. Perhaps she was a bit starry-eyed from previous experiences, believing that the bonds of an alliance in a fight held great importance, enough to merit at least a drink or two together. Ah, well - if anything, she would sit for a short while with this varied group and exchange stories before taking her leave, if they insisted.

Having lived in Bourgund most of her life, Ary was familiar with The Homely Kobold, though it wasn't a frequent of hers. Mainly because of the strange opposition towards elves that seemed to be a subtle thread in the air of the establishment, exhibited by the angry scratches covering the Elvish on the sign. She knew Ceria noticed, though she made no comment about it as they entered behind Yvah. Still holding the wound in her gut (mostly to prevent others' discomfort at the sight), the half-elf was quick to take stock of the patrons in the tavern before letting her attention rest on the interaction between their kurjian companion and the tiefling that approached.

Araerys simply followed the feline's lead and offered the tiefling male a grin, and then a few hearty chuckles at Yvah's playful chiding. Aware that this was wholly the woman's audience, and not wanting to rub anyone the wrong way just yet, she kept her mouth shut for the time being, merely observing and presenting a polite face. There were a few familiar faces in the room, though none that might bring her any more trouble for the day. In a normal tavern, she would have been picking out who her next group of fools might be. But this didn't seem like a normal tavern, and all Araerys wanted in the moment was a chair and a drink.

Omega Station / Boop!

Janetta lowered her gun a few beats after Ryobi confirmed that it was clear, oddly paranoid about the phenomena that was happening. Burchill, Gris... They would never lay a finger on a fly. And now they were murdering their comrades? It just didn't add up.

"Where to next, Cap?"

Yet another million dollar question. "Well... We saw Ami leave her office, so she probably isn't there anymore. We might go check there anyway? Maybe we'll find clues as to what the fuck is going on in there... With Davis's body...?" Jan scoffed at the anxiety creeping into her speech pattern. She sighed heavily and wiped nonexistent sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "Or we can just go ahead and try and find the doctor - somewhere. At this point it's just a fucking game of hide and seek, goddammit."

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

The witch interrupted the round of introductions to instruct - or more exactly, demand - that the rest of them join her in disarming the goons. Araerys, somewhat off-put by the woman's disdain for their 'lack of effort', made no obvious expressions as she took inventory of the group, her gaze jumping quickly from person to person until they landed upon the feline that had made her way over to make her acquaintance despite the deterring words. "Yvah," Ary repeated, reaching out her own hand for another introductory handshake, "another lovely-" Her statement was pleasantly disrupted by a poke on the nose, and while normally the half-elf would have been floored with indignation at her forwardness (even though she was fairly forward herself), it only resulted in a bemused smile that grew wide across her face. "Name. Heh. Very well then."

She was moving to follow the kurjian to help with the bodies when Ceria spoke again; she answered her sheepish request with a low chuckle. Ary was the last person to judge anyone on thievery, but she figured the merchants had been put through enough for the day. Waving a dismissive hand, she replied, "None of that 'Miss Talbot' business, love. We're all equals here, eh?" The girl's shyness was endearing, and Ary couldn't help but give her a quick little caress on the chin with her thumb. "Tell you what: looks like we're heading to the tavern for a bit of a break. I'll help patch you up in there. Sound alright?"

Araerys approached the body of the goliath, but being fairly slight and therefore probably unable to heave even the lightest of them without looking completely inadequate, she instead changed directions smoothly and made to continue following Yvah. She paused a few feet away from the rest of the group to call out to them, as they seemed to still be busy. "To the tavern then, yeah? Could use a pint. Or two."

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

The paladin had been mere moments away from healing her when he was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of guards who - quite rudely - leapt to conclusions and moved to arrest the sunny feline of the group. Araerys, irked by their intrusion and now bubbling with defense and resentment at their sudden accusations, opened her mouth to reply with persuasion but was beat to the punch by the witch and the paladin beside her. For a moment, the half-elf glanced up at him in surprise, momentarily confused by his straight-forward admission of the murder. It was either really admirable or really stupid, depending on how the guards decided to react.

Apparently the gods were feeling quite generous today, and the official ceded his advance on them at the confirmation of the paladin's word. Ary had time to hear the canine kurjian's words to the group and respond with a proud grin before the archer appeared beside her. Happy to oblige her friendly demeanor, the woman held her bloodied hand out with a somewhat apologetic bow of her head and would shake Ceria's hand with genuine warmth if she accepted it. "Ceria. That's a beautiful name," Araerys beamed. This one was of her blood, or half of it at least, and it comforted her all the more. "Ah, I have not yet mentioned my name. I figured there were more exciting things to focus on, at the moment," she joked, then continued, deciding to be honest as to follow in the paladin's footsteps. She hoped she wouldn't regret it later. "My name is Araerys Talbot. It is lovely to finally make your acquaintance."

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

"Oh, thank the gods," Ary murmured to herself upon seeing the warlock reappear before them and deliver the final blow to their last standing opponent. The statement stemmed from an overwhelming relief, a mixture of her own guilt and his well-being, punctuated with a long sigh as she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. It was finally finished; and yet, for her, it wasn't finished, at all. She knew these few seconds would be the only respite she would get before the travelers would bound in on her for the trouble. Or so she thought.

In all honesty, this hadn't been the result she was hoping for. Well, yes, she was alive and mostly well. That was good. But the way in which they reached that result was probably not the most productive route. Araerys was merely hoping for some negotiations, an exchange of words to help dissuade the males from punishing her. Now, most of the group was injured, they had just caused a terrible scene in front of the common folk, and they had a death on their hands. Before she could answer the inevitable question fired at her by the witch, the woman she had initially approached addressed the crowd at the stalls. A big part of Ary was in agreement with the announcement; the public assembly probably now thought of them all on equal grounds with the villains they were fighting. Though she wouldn't have gone so far as to apologize to a corpse, the one aimed at the general population may have been in order. Any bloodshed at all might have been avoided if the woman who then opposed the apology might have waited and allowed the group to talk it out. She was the one that had initiated the fight in the first place when no one had even uttered a word about the thought.

Granted, the ruffians didn't exactly seem like the negotiating type. In any case, there was no use in griping about who started what anymore. It was over and done with. Furthermore, who was Ary to complain about the help, regardless of whether it was how she would have preferred it to come or not? She would just have to deal with whatever they threw her way, and hope that her joining them in combat instead of fleeing might be enough for them to forgive and maybe forget. So yes, the nature-witch could loot the men as much as she wanted. Normally, Araerys would have joined in to search for pieces of gold - but that didn't matter to her at the moment. Their adversaries were finally out of commission, and that was what mattered. At least the tavern would have four less swine to house in the evenings.

In any case, Ary chose the words of her response carefully, taking care not to point out that the men might have not tried to kill any of them had they simply just stepped aside and let them pass. The half-elf was also unsure of how accepting they would be of her trade, and didn't think it the right time to bring it up. So she settled on a very fundamental explanation of the truth. "These ruttish brutes thought it a good idea to bedevil the ladies down at the tavern last night. I wouldn't have it, not in my home town - I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine." A nasty stinging from the wound at her gut paused her and she inhaled sharply through her teeth before continuing. "They did not take too kindly to it, the hypocrites. They tracked me down and gave me chase."

Again, she paused, though this time it was to listen to the others speak, and watch as the paladin moved the unconscious drifter closer to the group. "Rest, yes. That sounds wonderful," she said in reply to the feline as she made her way towards the male who had offered to heal them. The kurjian was as bright as she must have been before the battle started, even sustaining the wounds that she had. Araerys admired that, and gave her a tired, yet warm smile. It remained on her face as a sign of peace while she glanced around at the merchants who were recovering from the shock of the battle. Once she had arrived before the paladin, she cleared her throat and straightened her posture as much as she could with the throbbing laceration in her lower torso.

"I humbly express my gratitude for all of your help. If that was to be the way they were to handle me once I had been caught, I would be a bloodied pulp on the ground." And as if it weren't dramatic enough, the bard made sure to make eye contact with each of the group - even the woman who had stepped out of the sidelines to rap her stick on the rat's head. "I would say it a thousand and one times, though I'm sure you would probably finish me off before I could get there out of sheer annoyance, so I will say it once and be done with it: thank you." Ary stopped herself before she outright pledged loyalty to the group, though she really could have done so from the attachment she was beginning to feel for them. But that wouldn't have been prudent; she barely knew them, and vice versa. She was a sentimental women, and it had gotten her into trouble many times before. Still, she made sure to convey through her gaze the sincere thankfulness she felt.

Omega Station / Boop!

All of the traumatic events of the day, occurring in such close proximity to each other, was finally getting to her. Janetta had covered her face while Ryobi spoke his own grief, trying to control the shivering that had begun creeping through her body. Her eyes were squeezed shut behind her fingers, still repressing tears of a medley of emotions. But Ito was right. This was not the time nor the place to mourn. Who knew if they ever would get to settle in their grief? Maybe this nightmare was meant to go on forever.

She felt him break away from her and let a few beats pass as the male spoke once again, clearly trying to lighten the mood and distract with banter. Though light quips were the last thing she wanted to hear, the logical part of her knew this would be the only way to get through anything right now. Your shit. Get it together. Jan nodded her head, though unsure whether Ryobi saw this, she finally revealed her face, wiping away the droplets of water that had managed to escape her eyes as she did. At the mention of his wife, she had cleared her throat slightly. "I've got to have my fun somehow, Ito," she called back to him, her voice still cracking slightly. Sick sense of humor, eh?

Janetta watched him loot through the Captain's - ah, Burchill's uniform with a subtle grimace, and reached out with a sigh to take the key card from him. Her eyes flashed with an idea and she turned her attention to the bot that was still standing sheepishly at the side of the room. "Kitt? Would you mind staying here and keeping an eye on the feeds for us? Officer Ito and I need to head down to Med Bay to find Dr. Widmher, but we'd like to be able to know if anything happens that the camera can see. Do you think you can do that?"

The receptionist blinked at her new Captain, still new to being given such responsibilities. While she was not really partial to staying in a room with dead human bodies, Kitt registered that she now had duties owed that went far beyond her normal name-checking ones. This was it, this was the big leagues. Granted, she wasn't sure she liked the big leagues that much; but she wasn't going down in Omega history as a scaredy cat. "Yes, I can do that, Captain Pryce. I'll stay here. Go find the doctor."

Jan waited for her confirmation before giving her a little, proud smile and moving to take her turn at fishing through Burchill's person. She retrieved his Comms device, the one she had called earlier, and passed it over to Kitt, who had come over to the control center. "Here, take this. Call me if you see the convicts moving from the reception lounge, or if you see Officer Gris on any of the feeds." Kitt nodded and held the device in both hands, then watched as the two of them made their way towards the exit. "I'm going to lock the door here, Kitt," Jan said, waving the key card once in the air for her to see. "You'll be safe. Just watch those feeds."

The Captain and Ryobi left the room, and after kicking the robot arm out of the doorway, Janetta swiped the card to lock the office. The two entered the elevator, and Janetta pressed the button for Med Bay. She looked at Ryobi, taking her gun from her waist band and checking the magazine out of habit, then held it at the ready. Her gaze was serious as she spoke. "It looks like we're going to have to put Gris down," she said, though Ito would know by her tone that she was asking him if he was prepared to do it.

Regardless of his answer, the elevator arrived at the Med Bay and the doors slid open. It was dead silent, so far as they could tell, and Janetta waited a moment before nodding at Ito and shooting out into the hall. She extended her arms and aimed the barrel of the gun towards the left of the way, knowing that behind her Ryobi was doing the same for the right. Another moment of silence, during which her gaze darted to every inch of the hall beyond her, before she said in a low voice, "Clear."

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

Araerys, already aware that she wasn't going to be any more helpful when it came to attacking these villains, watched the battle continue to unfold with a pained grimace. The wound still pulsed in her gut, reminding her of its existence. Two of the four had already been taken out (thank the gods), but the two that remained still held their own, and fiercely at that. The human and the rodent lay in heaps on the ground, but the goliath and the drifter remained steadfast; the latter having just disappeared one of the group's members on sight. Ary's eyes widened upon watching him vanish, and reflexively whipped her gaze around the alley to see if she might be able to find where he had been taken.

Of course, he was nowhere to be found, and the half-elf swallowed in concern. Another surge of guilt washed over her while she wracked her brain to see if there might be something she could do to retrieve him, wherever they had gone. She could only hope that it was a mere illusion, that they were safe together and not somewhere on the other side of the lands.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feline kurjian, who had been hit and was clearly so close to ending up as the next unconscious of the group. She had fallen back beside Ary, and almost immediately the woman's hand flew out to grab hold of the wounded girl's forearm with a bloodied hand. The other one left her own wound to once again make gestures as she hissed the same words she did over the paladin's body. The spell was cast, and Araerys released her hold on the feline's limb without really registering her reaction as she was already focused again on the action ahead of them.

The paladin was back on his feet and fighting, and Ary opened her mouth to give him courage. "They struck you down once - but that was only fire for this vengeance! Do not waste this fuel, let it lead you to strike true!"

Boop

Ary uses Cure Wounds on Yvah (4), then grants Lex Bardic Inspiration.

Affected: @Ms Ravenwinter@Turbowraith

@JBRam2002, drifter is next.

¶ erturbation

Interesting. Will be keeping an eye on this.

End + Sleep: A High Fantasy Adventure in Cursed Land

King Masbeth, haha. Clever. Will be keeping a eye on this.

neotokyo ⋮⋮ ネオトウキョウ

Late to the game but yeah, I'll edit something in. It'll be super minor so no worries.

Edit: Edited, just a sentence or two at the end there.

@Grimhildr@JBRam2002