EliteCommander Member

Ssarak Dyreackthanose --- Most of the guards were still angry, which was perfectly understandable, but the robed man seemed much more calm. Unfortunately the amount he demanded in reparation was far above reasonable. It was possible that it was simply a high first offer which could be haggled, but in any case, it was far too much for them to pay. It did, however, open up an avenue of conversation that could get them through witout further violence, as the promise of gold could, even a smaller mount, could significantly lower the weary guards' willingness to fight. Lyn had also revealed herself, which was concerning, but as long as they were still negotiating, Meirin would have time to get her back into the wagon. "I understand your anger, as I would share it in your position, but you know that a bloody nose and bruised neck is not worth three years pay. The idea of reparations, however, is not unreasonable. OUr friend was out of line. It was her judgment, her mistake, and it should be her consequences. I can offer all of her gold for the transgression. It is not three years pay, but it is a price we are actually capable of paying. This is gold on top of the normal toll, for your own use. It goes to yourselves, not your superiors, and most of all, it comes at no risk to you. You need not fight well-trained guards to obtain it;, you can just have it at no risk to your own lives. Just free gold, with no more hassle. Alaira, give me what you have so I may count it." Ssarak said. He had a few ideas in mind for his counteroffer. For one, it offered something of a sense of justice, as it punished specifically the one who harmed them. For some, seeing somone who had hurt them suffer could make up for a lesser monetary reward. As well, it was an offer that took advantage of some of their fears. Even just by appearances alone, most of the caravan guard looked to be in better shape than the bridge's guards. Fighting the caravan guard would be a significant risk to their lives, and what Ssarak was offering allowed them to recieve extra payment with none of that danger. Ssarak made sure to look across each of the guards as he made his offer so that they knew he was talking to them all, as even if his words did not convince every single one of them, he could possibly divide their opinions.

Ahnasha was not entirely sure how to approach Fendros' question. She knew that she couldn't handle talking about their experience in-depth, but it wasn't as if she could avoid it entirely. Obviously, it was the memory of seeing her in a mutilated state that upset him, but why the pig organs brought it back up in his mind was not something she could answer for sure. She had a guess, but really no way of knowing if she was right. "If you're wondering why it bothered you and not me...I can't say I know for sure. Maybe it's because I've been hunting for a lot longer than you. I've been skinning animals since I could hold a bow, so it's just something that is natural to me. It's routine, like maintaining hygiene. You picked up the skill a lot more recently. I have more trouble if something reminds me of, well, _me_ being in that state. Maybe there is a way to...work through it or something? You've skinned and cut up animals since our...ordeal, so maybe if you keep doing it enough, you won't have this problem again?" Ahnasha reasoned. After they reached their room, she closed the door behind them and took a seat on the bed. "I just wonder what is going to happen the next time we cut up a person." The reaction to seeing the arena was mixed among the pack. While the structure itsel was impressive, Meesei had little interest in it. She was aware of the different kinds of bloodsport that was reputed to take place inside, and while she did not have a particular problem with it, she was not greatly interested. Lorag seemed to look at its walls with more interest, but without gold to bet, there really was no point in watching a fight. Kaleeth, however, looked confused at the cheering coming from inside. In her village, fighting was not something done for entertainment, but rather training, so cheering for one seemed peculiar. "Why are they cheering like that? It's almost like they're happy."

Ahnasha did not move away from Fendros, as she was not intent on going with the others. Instead, she grabbed his hand in hers and looked at him with some concern. "I'll come with you. I wouldn't mind relaxing, and it's not as if the city is too exciting without coin to spend. I'm sure the others will be able to get the last ingredient with the coins I saved on the last one." She said. It was hard to say if Fendros wanted to be alone or not, but she hoped he would not mind her joining him. If he insisted, she could go with the others to help bargain, but she felt like she wanted to spend some time alone with him, something that had been nearly impossible aboard the ship. Meesei gave an understanding nod to Fendros. She looked forward to the day that they would be able to dedicate the time they needed to finding a way to help both him and Ahnasha, but until then, these temporary measures like the potion would have to suffice. However, she did not know how easy it would be to get the other ingredient with the coins they had, as she had little knowledge on the specifics of mercantile. As such, she turned to Sabine questioningly once Ahnasha indicated that she wanted to join Fendros. "How rare is the other ingredient we will need? Do you think it will be more expensive than the mushroom?"

Cqb, did you still want to post before I do?

Kaleeth was at least familiar with the concept of crime. As much as her village worked together, the people within were not perfect. They had their own forms of laws, and when someone broke one of those laws, they did face punishment. They did not have prisons like Janius described, but she understood the concept. With all of the people in the city, even if only a few of them were criminals, she could imagine that even the prison would be crowded. Although she was curious, the other parts of the city seemed far more appealing. "So this garden, the... Arboretum, it is a place made just to be beautiful? That sounds wonderful. With how big and impressive this city is, I can only imagine that their garden would be just as amazing. We should make sure to go there. And that University sounds like a place Meesei should go, with how much she loves magic. The arena...well, I don't think I want to go there. You said it is there just for people to fight in it? Why would anyone want to do that? It sounds awful." Kaleeth said as they were walking along after Janius gave Fendros directions to another apothecary. However, it was not long before something seemed to go wrong with Fendros, causing the group to duck out of the crowd into a nearby alleyway. Ahnasha did not have to guess at what was wrong. The things that gave her issues were different from what bothered him, but the effects were the same. She had been killing and skinning creatures for far longer than Fendros, so their experiences did not cause that to trigger her memories. However, they had not killed and eaten a person since their ordeal, and she was not quite certain how she would handle that. However, for the moment, she just wanted to help keep him calm. She said nothing, but instead shifted Rhazii to carry him on her hip, then wrapped her other arm around him once they were out of sight of most of the crowd. She remained silent as she stared into his eyes sympathetically, doing her best to remain calm in the hopes that he adopted her mood.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose --- Just as Ssarak feared, Alaira began to collapse in pain when the psychomancer reached into her mind. As he already had hold of her, he was able to support her enough to keep her from falling. He certainly did not want to add to her pain, so instead of a telepathic message, he leaned close to whisper to her quickly. "The robed one is the psychomancer. Let us just get through this peacefully, if at all possible." Ssarak let Alaira down gently, then looked at the robed man. He heard what Meirin said and the thoughts in her mind, just as the psychomancer no doubt had. He had also likely already determined that it was he who caused Alaira's pain, and simple deduction would tell him that Ssarak too shared his mageblood. If he focused psychomantic attacks on the robed man's wards, he might distract him from being able to harm Alaira, but he did not yet want to take such aggressive measures. For now, he could only hope that the man would stop his attempts to reach into her mind. Ssarak had not yet attempted to read the man's mind, but he no doubt had wards as well. Since both sides had a psychomancer, the advantage those abilities bring to negotiations would essentially be negated for both sides, so they would need to reach an agreement through more traditional means. Ssarak continued once Meirin finished speaking. "The bandits ambushed us on a bridge like this. They did not pose as guardsmen, but such a strategy is not uncommon. I am sure you all can attest to the danger present in this region. Our friend is rash, foolish, and judgmental, but she is not without good intentions. I regret that her paranoia brought you harm through her mistake, and I believe it would be best for us just to move on, and out of your lives."

I'll post tomorrow, I was seeing if anyone wanted to post before returning to the ship.

Name: Ignis Appearance: As an incorporeal entity, Ignis can take on whatever form he chooses, but most commonly, he prefers the form of a dragon. In his complete form, he has [this](http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/206/5/b/dragon_age_origins__winged_drake_by_the_bloody_hunter-d58jter.jpg) shape, roughly the size of a human, but is translucent like a ghost, with a red tint. Although, he tends to float around in the air, his form sometimes incomplete, such as having his front half appear as a dragon, while his back becomes a wispy, ghost like tail. In a fight, he often engulfs himself in flame, such as in this [image](http://s1.zerochan.net/Fire.Dragon.600.420841.jpg). Age: 500-600, by his estimate. Skills and Abilities: Spirit of Heat and Energy- Ignis has the capability of manipulating and amplifying heat energy. Applications of this include igniting the air into flame, warming objects, and drawing heat from the environment into himself. As an incorporeal being, he can take on the form of heat energy itself, becoming invisible to the naked eye and able to transfer himself through objects. As he is not precisely a spirit of _fire_ he cannot create fire from nothing, but the oxygen in the air is generally sufficient for combustion. When in a warm environment or near sources of heat, Ignis can draw the energy into himself to become stronger, and his abilities more effective. Conversely, cold environments offer him less energy, and his abilities weaken. Most forms of magic apart from fire and heat can harm him, but ice and cold magic are particularly effective. Although, in many cases, he can also harm them just the same. To his summoner, he grants the ability to manipulate heat energy. Creative- Ignis is an intelligent and intuitive spirit. His constant mischief over the centuries has granted him a wide range of experience with different aspects of the world, as well as a knack for finding inventive solutions to problems. Mostly, he uses this creativity to find new and exciting ways to play pranks on others, but he can be persuaded to use it for more helpful purposes. Backstory: Ignis does not quite recall when and where he was created, he can only guess that he was born in fire, or at least somewhere _really_ hot. He has been roaming the world for over five hundred years, and has hardly matured at all in that time. Ignis is an energetic, mischievous, and troublemaking spirit. A favorite pastime of his is to find interesting ways to play jokes on others, something which never seems to grow old to him. He greatly enjoys travel and adventure, and despises being alone. As such, it was natural that he would begin to seek out summoners. Through the centuries, Ignis has made countless pacts with many summoners. Each had slightly different terms with different kinds of people, but in general, his reason for entering into each of them was simply to facilitate his love for adventure and need for camaraderie. He has never had any great goal or purpose and does not find wandering aimlessly to be entertaining, so he defers to his summoner for that goal. He has bound himself to everything from soldiers to entertainers, and rarely regrets his choice. He has learned to follow and observe potential summoners for quite a while before committing to a pact, as he wants to be sure his summoner is someone he could call a friend.He has had many over the centuries, of many types and from many different walks of life. It was eleven years ago that Ignis made the pact with his current summoner, Helen Govannon. At the time, he was actually in a pact with her uncle, Howard Rondell, much to his displeasure. He had thought the man might make for an interesting summoner, and that might have been true at one point, his mental state became increasingly worse over time. Another of his spirits, one Ignis was not particularly fond of, had been influencing his mind. He had no idea how to stop it, and to make matters worse, Howard became more closed in, traveled less, and altogether more boring. When he attacked his niece, who Ignis had come to like considerably more, he decided that enough was enough. Howard had already broken their pact, so Ignis had no problem betraying him. He helped to protect her, and in the fight, made the same pact with her as he had with her uncle. The terms of their pact are that, in exchange for the power he grants, he gains advendure, and the advantages and rewards that brings. He also cannot be restricted from socializing, and Helen is not permitted to force him to leave against his will. The only situation in which she can compel him away from his location is when he is needed to protect her life, a duty he is glad to perform.

Ahnasha maintained her confident demeanor, but spoke in a polite tone in her response. "I appreciate the compromise, but it is still more than I can do. The size of the mushroom isn't of great concern to us, but rather that we also get the complimentary ingredient we need. It is indeed a fine specimen, but at that price, it is not what we need. The smaller one over there, however, we would be happy to buy for four septims." Ahnasha said, motioning to another one of the mushrooms. It was noticeably smaller than the one he was trying to sell them, but Sabine would end up running out of another ingredient first anyway, so its size was not actually important. Janius' description of the different sections of the city emphasized to Kaleeth exactly how unfamiliar with the world outside her homeland she still was. Many of the words he used she did not really understand. She had heard most of them, but could not precisely connect them to their meaning. "Garden" was a word she vaguely remembered relating somehow to plants, but her village had fields and crops, not gardens. He said the arena was for watching fights, but she had no kind of reference for what an arena actually was. She could infer what harbor and temple meant from what she had already seen, but prison and university were entirely unfamiliar. "Okay, that sounds fun, but what is a garden, and an arena...and a university...and a prison?" She asked, becoming slightly embarrassed at her lack of knowledge.

Ahnasha looked around at the various ingredients on display while Sabine looked around for the ingredient she was searching for. Ahnasha had little idea what most of them were or what effects they had, but that did not stop her from acting like she did. She looked at the plants and fungi closely, as if examining them for rot or other imperfections. After Sabine identified one of the ingredients and the Breton named his price, Ahnasha looked up at him. "Cinnabar Polypore Yellowcap, you say?" She said, shifting her gaze to Sabine. "That's a local fungus, so it's not hard to obtain. We should be able to find a smaller stand outside selling it fairly easily. I wouldn't pay more than four coins for one. Come on, let's go." She said without uncertainty, and with complete confidence in her tone. She was, of course, bluffing in several ways, and guessing in others. She actually knew nothing about the mushroom apart from what the Breton had just said, but the fact that he said it was from the West Weald _did_ mean that it could be found in Cyrodiil. There were also certainly plenty of other alchemists in the market district, so what she said was definitely believable, and perhaps even true. Now, it was just up to the Breton's response to see how badly he wanted to make a sale. With her utter lack of any mercantile knowledge, Kaleeth simply stayed out of the way of the others as she passed the time speaking with Janius. Now that they had some time, she could perhaps gain a bit more understanding of the city around her. "So...they buy things from other places, then bring them here to sell them, right? It is hard for me to get used to the buying and selling thing. I guess it is easier to carry around those coins than to carry things to trade, though. And if _everyone_ will take the coins in trade, I could be comfortable...selling something for the coins. I would just be worried that I would need something, but the person who has it wouldn't want my coins. With all these people here, though, I guess it works just fine. What are the other sections of the city like? Do they sell things there too?"