Location: The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria
It had been a few weeks.
Still no word from corporate. Or anybody. More denizens crowded in Thorinn for their safety and as a result tensions were increasing at a steady rate. Few of them stayed in the townsteads and villages out beyond the main cities, though there were some. There were rumors of denizens turning to banditry to feed their newfound stomachs. For the many assorted taverns and innhouses they began to see an increase in inappropriate behavior. Places like the Laughing Worg Tavern and the House of Seven Blades had little issue. They were run by experienced adventurers with chequered pasts and unlike weeks prior they would not just stand by and let patrons act inappropriate no matter their origin.
People were scared. A new dungeon had materialized from a old castle in the western marshes. Nobody was going to it. The creatures it spawned had already taken out a few distant villages.
In the Laughing Worg, Benkei and Siegfried argued about taking on the task. They never reached a consensus, even with inquiries from the group. They had already lost Aaginim and Enos. Atlas, too, even if they didn’t know the man. Didn’t stop from one of the members of the group from visiting the graves they dug in silence in Fargleen Cemetery. It was an ordeal. What happened if they lost someone they now had created a working relationship with? What if none of them made it out? These were all valid concerns every group in Thorinn were debating with one another.
One such group took up the task and left. That was two days ago.
Regrets and thoughts were building. However, the chess pieces had already started to fall faster than the denizens morale.
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-Location: City Streets, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria
The royal messenger sighed as he reached the next house on the list. He looked down at the book in his left hand that contained the list of names. Denizen homes were highlighted in magical ink.
“My word.” He muttered under his breath as he twirled the hammer in his right hand as he closed the book and retrieved another piece of paper. Kazuki. One name. No surname. That was the usual gimmick of these dimensional vagrants as Qoren liked to call them. He gave it a firm knock to see if he could just hand the paper over but when there was no response for about thirty seconds he placed the paper firmly on the door’s wooden paneling. He retrieved a nail.
The paper itself was simple. Informing him of the new royal policy given mitigating circumstances. Qoren for all of his weight and royal blood could not sway the queen to put forward all of his premeasures to “rein in” all of the wayfarers who were content to do nothing but drink their ale and take their beds, offering nothing to the city. It had been weeks and most of them had stopped questing entirely. Stopped doing their sole role to protect the world and destroy the dungeons and their root cause. A new one had opened up and one group had went. Just the one. There were dozens upon dozens of them in Thorinn. Only one. He sighed.
The paper read simply that given the circumstances that all tenants who own property were now issue to a royal tax, an owner’s fee, that would have to be paid to the royal treasurer the first of every month of an amount adjacent to the property size and the value of the property’s interior possessions. An inspection would be had in a few days to decide how much each person would owe in a few weeks. It was a cursory warning. Qoren wanted the warning to be issued the last week of the month. The Queen politely refused.
The royal messenger, Mellic, didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t fair, but wayfarers hadn’t ever harmed him. But everyone should pay their fair share. If denizens had to pay such a tax then so too should wayfarers.
He rose the nail to the paper and slammed it forward.
The dire rat screeched as it fell to the ground as Rael and a good portion of the group that could commit themselves to the task looked on in the dimly lit sewer they found themselves in. There wasn’t al ot of coin to be had doing odd jobs suited for low levels in Thorinn, but it was what it was. Any coin was good coin and the notion of levels barely existed in Pariah before the glitch anyway. She called it “grunt work” but the Town Guard had posted help for clearing out the sewers of creatures.
It wasn’t suited for the whole group and everyone had their own initiative. They hadn’t split off despite their rocky start. Somehow. Graves was with her at least.
Seele wasn’t with them. Insisting on checking out the “beginners” who were huddled in the courtyard of the Drox Fraternity Hall. Being new to the game when the glitch happened must’ve been terrifying and Seele wanted to ensure they had everything they needed. Alex went with her, being the only other Drox member the party had. Safer to do so. There had been rumors starting to whisper in the streets about wayfarers disappearing. Mostly casters.
Female casters. It was probably nothing. Maybe some creeps who chased off some adventurers. Rael didn’t think much of it. Maybe she should have. She had some experiences with the type back in Tokyo. She would’ve shuddered at the thought if not for another dire rat to turn the corner and bolt at them at full speed. She grumbled, kicking her feet from the murky water and to the wall, jumping over the rat, slicing it as she vaulted off the adjacent wall and then landing behind it.
How much coin were they making off this? A few pieces? For the safety of the city?
Member
Altered Tundra
Hope Lover
Yankee
Supermaxx
Half Pint
Mole
ErsatzEmpress
Natty
spooner
Heat
