DrowsyPangolin

Beyond the Boundary

Alec's eyes fell upon Al without the slightest quiver of emotion. He looked at the man for a moment. One of the guards that had led them in moved slightly from his position near the entrance, his hand reaching towards his hip. The Lord's hand flashed outward like the crack of a whip, beckoning the guard to hold his position. The giants remained as still as death. Alec's eyes remained on the swordsman for a few uncomfortable seconds before Ira broke the silence. Alec's eyes managed to pry themselves from the offender as the more vocal of the two brothers expressed the party's gratitude and offered a toast. The lord nodded, his expression retaining its composure. His eyes followed along as the others voiced their opinions on the matter.

Elizabeth had half expected the swordsman to lose his head. Nothing about Alec Cross struck her as particularly merciful, even if he was being oddly generous at the moment. Ira's announcement of the group's appreciation didn't come as much of a surprise, though she sincerely hoped he wasn't considering himself their leader. From the glances some of the others seemed to be throwing at him, they weren't very fond of such an idea. Personally, it didn't bother her. There was little argument to be made. They needed supplies, and Cross was offering them at the low price of a return visit. The woman poured a small amount of wine into her glass. She wasn't very fond of the beverage, due in no small part to her past, but for the gesture it seemed appropriate. She raised the vessel with a nod. "Sounds reasonable." Noah reciprocated the gesture with a happy "To Lord Cross." Everyone seemed to be in complete agreement, that was, until the scholar threw in his piece. Elizabeth slowly turned towards him. Sure, she was certain there was a catch hidden somewhere, but reminding the Vulture that they were at his mercy and that he could conceivably ask anything of them at the moment seemed akin to teasing a viper.

Alec's gaze cut towards Galant as he asked his question. A slight smirk crept across the lord's lips. "Few men would question someone volunteering as their benefactor... but if you insist." He began pacing the table. "As I mentioned, little about this temple interests me, excepting its existence, of course. Consider, for a moment, the fact that to reach the Wastes by land, travelers must pass through my territory. Consider also the fact the no lord has claim over the Wastes. Now, this is primarily because they are quite dangerous, and not conducive to agriculture or industry of any kind. However, if someone were to find something valuable... Then a number of opportunities open up for myself and my people." He stopped pacing for a moment. "As for the payment for your task, Vulture's Roost, though you might think otherwise, has access to more than enough resources to sustain itself. Thus, I lose very little in sponsoring your cause." He turned to face Galant. "Now, does that address your concerns, scholar?"

The young girl, who had previously been quietly watching the discussion at the table, had turned her attention to the one member of the party who had refused to sit with the rest. He seemed rather observant of everything around him, as if he expected danger to be lurking around every corner. With a smirk, the girl rose from her chair and strode down the length of the hall towards the man. As she walked, the dress of feathers swayed about her. When she walked by, one of the giants seemed to move his head ever so slightly, watching the girl carefully. She stopped a few feet away from Ashley, looking up at him as her bright pink eyes scanned his face. "You know, if my father intended to kill you, you would know by now. There's no need to stand about preparing for something that isn't going to happen." The girl spoke playfully, almost taunting the stranger.

Beyond the Boundary

Hey there!

As far as the race section, I'd like everyone to be at least humanoid. Exceptions certainly could be made, but nothing too outlandish.

For wildlife, in most of the civilized world, it would be mostly your typical animals, maybe with some odds and ends thrown in. The Northern Wastes being as undocumented as they are though, we'll likely run into some interesting creatures. There probably won't be any dragons, but anything short of that is definitely a possibility. For instance, we've just met a pair of giants, though they're living in a human settlement. (They're nine feet tall, though, and not of the beanstalk variety)

As far as religions go, you're pretty much free to come up with whatever you want. I don't see any reason not to.

Thanks for voicing your interest. I'll be happy to help with anything else if you'd like. One thing, though. The group is currently in Vulture's Roost and will probably set out relatively soon, so if you'd like for your character to set out with the group currently there, it would probably need to be soon. However, there's already been mention that other explorers are already in the Wastes, so you could go that route and have your character be one of the earlier adventurers that set out. Regardless, I'll gladly help set up an introduction for you.

Beyond the Boundary

Noah turned his eyes towards Ira, still following along with the group. “You're right. I'm sure it will be fine.” The boy pointed back towards the marketplace behind them. “I mean, the people here seem reasonably happy, right? So he can't be all that bad.” He kept walking, falling silent for a moment. Evidently, the boy was fashioning some sort of explanation for his feelings on the matter. His eyes glanced to Elizabeth for a moment before he continued. “People say lots of bad things about other people... But sometimes people are wrong, y'know? You never know how someone really is until you meet them for yourself. That's how I look at it anyway.” The boy smiled, and continued following the group as the neared the castle.

The guard leading the group spoke up at Galant's reply. “I wasn't trying to direct that towards you, scholar, but you know how it is down there. You mention the Roost and the southerners don't know when to shut up. That's why we don't get many visitors. Not that it bothers me any.” As the guard was making his reply, the group reached the gate of the castle. The building, like most of the city, was nearly entirely constructed of stone bricks. Its grey walls seemed nigh impenetrable, especially in conjunction with the heavy iron doors that creaked open as they arrived. Red banners emblazoned with the image of a great black bird flew from every battlement, a reminder of the castle's owner. As they passed through the gates, they were greeted by a large courtyard paved with granite. On one end of the courtyard, soldiers drilled, paying no attention to the group as they entered. The castle itself was quite large, housing the city's barracks, armory, great hall, and library, as well as the lord's personal residence. The guard led them up to another set of iron doors, these notably smaller. “Welcome to the Great Hall. Lord Cross is waiting inside."

The guard pushed the great doors open, beckoning the party to follow. Elizabeth crossed the threshold into the room, taking a moment to adjust to the darker lighting. As the rest of the party entered, the woman stopped for a moment to take in the entire room. It was somewhat dark, despite rows of windows on either side. A long rectangular table carved from ash lay in the room's center, with a number of seats place around it. On the table sat a rather generous amount of food and drink, illuminated by a row of iron candlesticks. At the end of the room was a great throne. A man sat upon the throne, his bright pink eyes drawn to the party as they entered. His flesh was rather pale, though not the snow white that most Grisians bore. His head was covered in thick black hair, nearly reaching his shoulders. A few streaks of grey stood out amongst the inky mane. He was dressed entirely in black, with a great mantle of black feathers wrapped about his shoulders. The man had a well groomed beard, and might have appeared somewhat handsome, were it not for two great x-shaped scars on his cheeks. An empty chair sat next to the man, and behind him and to his left, in a smaller seat, sat a young girl. The girl, who couldn't have been older than twelve, had brilliant red hair, carefully braided and hanging over her shoulder. Her skin was as pale as the moon, standing in stark contrast to the black dress, also decorated with feathers, that she wore. For a moment, Elizabeth pondered who the girl could be, until she noted a pair of curious pink eyes watching them. A daughter? On either side of the throne stood a pair of gargantuan figures, covered from head to toe in armor and standing nearly nine feet in height. Their helmets, unlike the other soldiers of Vulture's Roost, were rounded, with their visors molded to look like human faces. Both figures held great weapons, one a massive two handed sword, the other a warhammer of gargantuan proportions. With their stillness, one might have misidentified these titans as statues, but as the doors to the Great Hall closed, Lord Cross rose from his seat, and his guardians both fell into a kneeling position. Dazed, Noah murmured out a question that he, and everyone in the room already had the answer to. “Are those... really... giants?”

Alec stepped down from his throne, his cloak flapping slightly as he approached them. His eyes scanned down the line with vague interest, stopping for a moment at Galant. “Ah, the scholar. I wondered if... no, when, you would get involved in this.” He glanced down the row again, his eyes were piercing, as if he was staring into a person's very mind. “Greetings, all of you. Sit, eat, we have a great deal to discuss.” The man's voice, though he was seemingly welcoming them, lacked any sort of warmth. It was difficult to say it conveyed any sort of emotion. As he spoke, the glint of gold could be seen within his mouth, likely replacements for broken teeth. He motioned toward the table, and the array of food upon it.

Alec stood in silence for a moment, waiting for everyone to take their seats. The giants still knelt, completely still in their positions, though with the speed at which they had reacted to their lord rising, it was likely they could break their act at any time. The young girl still sat in her chair, watching curiously as the spectacle before her unfolded. After everyone had sat down at the table, Alec strode over to its head, his boots clacking against the marble floor in the uncomfortable silence. He stood at the head of the table, again peering through his guests, before finally speaking. “A man, a professor, or so I'm told, writes a book. A few months later, drawn by the fanciful descriptions in this book, would-be adventurers begin showing up at my door. Some come alone, others bring small groups, and each of them give me a number of reasons that they wish to pass through my city and head North.” The man's voice had a strange smoothness to it that somehow made his words soothing and unnerving at the same time. “In the past few months, more and more adventurers have knocked at my door, all of them heading North, all of them enthralled by this professor, Tikkis I believe his name was, and his tale of some ancient temple.” He paused for a moment, again looking over his guests.

Elizabeth's stomach tightened. So, they weren't the first to come here. Not even close by the sound of things. Before she had come to terms with this fact, however, Alec continued. “All of these adventurers, many of them seemingly well prepared, have passed through my city. There were mercenaries, travelers, explorers... Would you like to know how many have come back through?” A small smile crossed the Lord's face, exposing a pair of golden canines. “Not one. I haven't heard a word from any of them. Now, another group of adventurers comes before me.” His eyes went down the line. “A scholar, a child, a cripple, a man with far too many swords...” His eyes stopped on the brothers for a moment, and then moved on to Lexine. “A pair... no, perhaps a trio, of professionals, and...” His eyes came to rest on Sage. “Hmm... not quite a professional, unless my eyes deceive me. Maybe someone with a bit to prove?” He chuckled softly. It was a laugh lacking any sort of mirth. “And I'm certain all of you intend to survive this journey. If the last few have been any indication, however, you will likely die.” He made the statement as if it were a matter of fact.

“But, on the off chance that luck does happen to shine on you... I have a request. If you do happen to find this temple, that is, if it even exists... I'd like to know about it. I have no interest in any artifacts, or, if this enigmatic professor is to be believed... 'gods' within this temple, but if the professor's ramblings prove to be even somewhat accurate, there will likely be quite a few more knocking at my gates. Very few will risk life and limb to chase fables, but if there is money to be made, all the world will turn their eyes towards the North. As the last settlement before the Wastes, those people will have to pass through my gates. You can see why I would like a bit of warning before a horde of gold-hungry dogs come barking at my door.” He paused again, glancing around the party. “Should you agree to such a small request, I will grant you all the supplies you might need, as well as all the information I have about the Wastes. It seems a fair trade, no?” Alec crossed his arms, awaiting a response from the party before him.

Beyond the Boundary

One of the guardsmen, a bulky man standing at the side of what might have been a captain, turned his head towards Al. “Is this some kind of joke? Have you never heard of Lord Cross?” His eyes, scanning the man's face from within, apparently was adequately convinced that this man, wherever he might have been from, was genuinely ignorant on the subject. With a gravelly voice, the man spoke. “Lord Cross is the Lord of the Castle, and of this entire territory, and has been for many years.” With a slightly different voice, he added, “And I imagine it'll only get as weird as you make it.”

Elizabeth hopped down from the boulder she had made her seat as the guard directed them to follow. She walked along with the party, drifting in somewhere towards the middle of the group, with Noah joining at her side. The question of what exactly Cross wanted with them weighed heavily on her mind. After all, if local legends were to be believed, he was more monster than man. He had, allegedly, crucified the former ruler of the realm atop his city's highest spire as a show of force. Such a man was not necessarily one she wanted to cross paths with. It was all the more surprising, then, when the group entered the city. The interior of Vulture's Roost was not the harsh foreign environment she had been expecting. The guards led them first through a small residential district, comprised mostly of small houses made of stone. The homes, though quaint, seemed fairly well built, and the city's builders seemed to have done well at maintaining the roads. Occasionally, a pair of eyes would peek out of a window at the curiosity that had just entered their city, but otherwise the district seemed rather comfy, or, as comfy as Gris could be.

As the party progressed onward, they reached what appeared to be a market district. People milled about the marketplace, and a variety of sounds and smells arose from the town's center. Various stalls were set up, peddling a number of different wares. Tools, meats, clothing, and a variety of oddities filled the stalls of the different merchants. The people dressed primarily in furs from the assorted wildlife, and seemed quite diverse. People of different age, sizes, and even races could be seen going about their daily lives. Elizabeth was reminded of the city's past ownership of a large number of slaves, and theorized this accounted for the diversity. Noah's pace slowed as he took in what the city had to offer. "This isn't what I was expecting at all. This is... familiar, I guess. Not like the other cities at all." Elizabeth nudged him forward in an attempt to keep the child from slowing down the group. The people of the city seemed curious about the band of foreigners, and a number of eyes remained trained on them as they passed. Even so, the people continued their everyday business, haggling prices or talking of rumors. A few guards, all in the same black armor, stood nearby, keeping a keen eye on the public.

Pausing for a moment, the guard who had been leading them turned to speak, his poleaxe still propped against his shoulder. "This is the marketplace. After your meeting you can come back here to buy whatever you might need for this journey. We don't get a lot of traders, so most of what you'll find here is local. Not too fancy, but it'll keep you warm, fed, and alive." The guard motioned ahead of them. "The great hall's in the castle, just up ahead. I'll remind you before we get there that being welcomed into the Lord's Court is a great honor. I'd recommend you all stay respectful, if you want to keep your heads." The way the guard spoke, losing one's head wasn't such an unusual occurrence. After a moment, the guard turned around and continued leading them forward, speaking as he walked. "Any stories you've heard about Lord Cross are probably true, though there's certainly more to him than the bastards in the south would have you believe."

Beyond the Boundary

@IncredibleBee Hey, I think you're up next before we go ahead into the city.

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Noah glanced from person to person as they answered his question. It seemed they all had a variety of reasons for being there. It surprised him that there were people willing to hire others to look into Tikkis' report. Everyone they had met on their way seemed to think very little of the Professor's work, so it was strange to hear that there were people taking it so seriously. Noah turned with a smile when the hooded woman added her last bit of input on the situation. "I do too. Things will be a lot better if we stick together." Noah still seemed quite content. A newcomer approached the party, catching the boy's eye. Noah stared for a moment. One... two... three... four. FOUR SWORDS? Intrigued, Noah waved towards the man. "Hey there, are you going north too?"

Elizabeth broke from staring at the wall, turning her attention towards Ira as he spoke. They were here on orders... that was not something she'd expected. It seemed the situation was going to be a bit different from what she had originally anticipated. As Ira questioned her relationship with Noah, she tried to force her face into a smile, only half-way achieving her goal. "No, we're not related. We've been traveling together for quite some time though." She glanced away for a moment, her mouth finally forming a half-hearted smirk. "I guess in some ways, we're closer than family." 'At least closer than mine...' Elizabeth placed her cane across her lap as Noah continued doing what he did best. Her gaze once again met Ira's. "He's actually the one that insisted we come up here." She motioned towards the boy. "Not that I'm not interested in what might be out there... but my enthusiasm apparently isn't quite up to par." The scholar commenting on the prospect of blizzards only served to reinforce her reasoning. There was a lot to risk going so far north.

The sound of a hurried conversation echoed down from the top of the wall. After a moment, the guardsman who had spoken previously leaned over the rampart. "Oi! The Lord's been notified, so we're gonna open the gate in a moment." The beak-shaped outcropping on the man's helmet bobbed up and down as he spoke. "Lord Cross wants to meet with you in the great hall, so a few of us will escort you there. If you need to buy anything wait until after your meeting, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time." With that, a loud creaking noise echoed out from the gate. The great iron doors were slowly wound open, and the sound of the city within echoed out. The guardsman, along with a few of his brothers-in-arms, stood waiting at the city's entrance. "Alright, come along now." The man, now much more visible than he had been at the top of the wall, wore a meticulous suit of armor forged from black iron. Black fur protruded from a few joints, indicating that the suit was quite well insulated. A well honed poleaxe was leaned against his shoulder, its edge glinting slightly in the sunlight.

Beyond the Boundary

Awesome! Al seems like a fun guy to have around.

Beyond the Boundary

Accepted! Welcome aboard. I'll add you to the character list. Also, if you wanna do your intro post, we're all just kind of hanging out outside the gates of Vulture's Roost at the moment.

Beyond the Boundary

Noah's eyes danced about as those around him answered the question. He himself had been pouring over the details of 'The Abnormal' for some time. There was something fascinating hiding in those pages, and he was glad at least one of his new companions shared his interest. Before he could comment, however, Ira replied with another question. Noah pondered for a moment. There were numerous reasons why he had traveled so far. An unquenchable thirst for adventure had no doubt been one of them, and his intrigue of 'The Abnormal' had certainly been another, but there was another reason, a more personal one. After all, had he simply been interested he could've stayed behind like Elizabeth had asked him to. Surely he could have gleaned a fair amount of information from her record... but things being as they were, he had to come along. There were things he needed to see, things he needed to understand. "Hmm... the temple seems interesting, but I'm more interested in what's supposed to be inside of it." Noah beamed, satisfied with his answer. "There are a lot of things I want to know, and there are other things I know but don't understand. If Mister Tikkis is right then what better place to go looking?" He looked at Ira inquisitively. "What about you? You got a special reason, or are you just curious?" Noah glanced around for a moment. "Actually, I'm kind of curious what made everyone come out here. I mean, it's awfully cold and all." Somewhere along the line, Noah had missed the irony that his presence here was by and large the most questionable. It was a thought that had never occurred to him. After all, he'd been doing dangerous things on whims for as long as he could remember.

Elizabeth's eye slowly drifted to each member of the new party as they replied to Noah's question. The scholar proved himself to be just what she had imagined. The others didn't tell very much with their answers, but the woman with mismatched eyes surprised her a bit. She had assumed few would be inspired enough to travel such a distance without a great deal of interest on the subject. It seemed they were an interesting group. Noah continued his conversation with the more talkative of the two brothers, with Elizabeth expecting him at any moment to drop a bit of information he shouldn't have. She didn't like how much the boy talked to complete strangers, but it was something she had grown more accustomed to. He had few secrets, and if they traveled for long his only major one would become obvious to everyone. Elizabeth's gaze fell to Ashley, the quiet brother who was now eyeing the wall with what seemed to be disgust. Something about him seemed unsettling, but not unfamiliar. Her own eye eventually met the wall. Surely they wouldn't be waiting too much longer.

Beyond the Boundary

Elizabeth watched as the pair of men grew ever closer. They were quite similar in appearance, definitely related, maybe even twins. As they arrived, one of them spoke up. Elizabeth looked up to meet his gaze, her expression rather blank and unwelcoming. Her eyes hovered on his extended hand for a moment before answering it with a brisk shake. After a moment of utter silence she spoke. "Yes, this is Vulture's Roost... but if you're heading north I'm afraid you're out of luck. The guards aren't letting any northbound travelers in, not yet anyway." The man seemed polite enough, but that only made Elizabeth suspicious. Even so, her earlier hypothesis was being confirmed more every moment. Evidently they were not the only ones heading northward, and she doubted any of the newcomers were just looking to do some hunting. Her gloved fingers still wrapped around the head of her cane, Elizabeth carefully began choosing her next words. Before she could speak, however, Noah interjected.

Noah reached out to meet Ira's handshake, after rolling back his oversized sleeve. He shook the man's hand gingerly with a wide smile, still seemingly unfazed by the weather or their current predicament. "Hey there, I'm Noah." As Ira spoke, Noah's smile only seemed to widen. "Oh, you two are headed north too?" He seemed absolutely ecstatic at the thought of company. "It'll be a lot easier with some friends. I was afraid me and Miss Elizabeth were going to be alone... Not that we usually aren't." He threw an apologetic look towards his companion. "And not that there's anything wrong with that... But some company is always nice." As Noah spoke, he noticed more people arriving at the gates. "Oh, hey, more friends." Speaking up a bit, he presented a broad question to the entire group. "So, did you all read Mister Tikkis' book, then?" His energy was surprising given that he wasn't very used to the cold yet. Despite the frigid climate, there was a warmth to the boy's voice, something like the crackling of a campfire.

As Noah went out of his way to introduce himself to everyone, Elizabeth glanced around at each of the newcomers. There were the two brothers, who seemed the most capable for the journey, at least physically. Next there was a tall, fair-haired, scholarly looking fellow who had just opened a book. He seemed familiar with Vulture's Roost, at least more than the rest of them. The next arrival was a fairly tall woman, mostly covered by her coat. She hadn't spoken, but she seemed to just be quietly waiting for the whole procession to continue. Finally, there was the last arrival. Nothing seemed overly peculiar about the woman. She was quiet, but most people wouldn't be all that sociable, given the situation. However, Elizabeth did note a long scar running down her face. From her own experience, she'd learned that every scar told a story. This, however, happened to be a story she didn't know. Elizabeth's gaze finally returned to the conversation at hand. It was no use trying to decipher each person. She would probably have plenty of time to do that... especially if Noah intended to make friends with everyone.