The Irish Tree

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

Steppe Archer was in absolute disbelief as the man wet himself. He really DID have no dignity, didn't he? Oh god, and now he was crying on top of it...

Steppe Archer visibly cringed at the sight of it all, starting to really, really wonder why men went to such lengths when it came to drinking. Did the man mistake himself for a fish? Because as far as she saw, he sure was better at running than any fish she'd ever caught. Hanging her arms in a mixture of disgust, contempt, and disappointment, Steppe Archer would raise one hand, then the other, before slapping herself on the cheeks to snap herself out of the instant funk brought on seeing...THAT.

"Erm...We did it...? Wait yeah, that's right Mister Barkeep, we didn't even have to take him in!" The nomad girl would say, regaining a bit of her pep. Smiling at their accomplishment, Steppe Archer would nudge The Lizard Fighter with her elbow, saying: "But, if it weren't for Big Red here, we might have had to beat him up a bit. So...guess you're a really good guard!"

Steppe Archer would smile widely, but, seeing that her druidic friend was looking a bit down, would come up beside her and pat her head. "And your bit about having him EAT the guy if he didn't go home was great acting! Oh, and don't let what that guy said get to you -- Men are really gross when they're drunk," she would say, trying to ease her companion's nerves over what she perceived as being the issue. After all, getting told you have huge knockers had to be humiliating. Not...not that Steppe Archer would ever get to know that humiliation. But she could assume it!

Now with her spirits raised back to full, Steppe Archer would lead them towards the residential district, looking up at the moon for a bit. "...Its really bright. Tonight's beautiful..." she would say, a smile tugging at her lips.

Overlord: Momento Mori

And, post is up! I didn't quite get to finish it all up as I'd intended, but I'll add a bit more to some parts later. @Inkarnate If you need me to give Aurora anything to do, let me know.

Same goes for anybody else that can't figure out something for their character to be doing!

Overlord: Momento Mori

@Xaltwind@Guess Who

The Mountain Village

The twosome sent to scout out the village would find that the tension in the air could be cut with a knife as the man gave them an appraising look, before his furrowed brow would relax. He still had the look of judgement on his eyes, but their answers seemed to satisfy him. "I see. I don't have any problem with Dragonscarred...most people here probably won't either. Not your fault your ancestors served them, and all," he would say, relaxing his stance and leaving one hand on his hip, the other hanging down before he would raise it to scratch at the back of his head. "Sorry for bugging you about this. Some real freaks have been wandering around. They haven't done anything violent yet but...if you see anybody in a mask, turn tail and run. They're way above a novice's abilities."

♫

With his two cents given to the two girls, the man would start to walk off and leave them to their own business, before turning his head back to say: "Name's Mars. If you need any adventuring advice, let me know."

Once Mars had left, Ashara and Kath would be free to ask questions to any that they chose. It seemed that since Mars had approved of their arrival, nobody saw anything wrong with letting them roam around. Had they need of Mars, they'd easily be able to find him practicing away with men in basic armor, going over spear techniques and slapping their legs with the butt of his spear if he found their stance lacking.

While the place itself didn't have a library, Kath would probably be able to deduce that a merchant or a mayor of some kind might be wealthy enough to own books, but the brief glances she would be able to cast at posters and store signs presented a problem.

She couldn't read a damn thing of it. Not a single letter or word present was something she could understand with the universal script present in YGGDRASIL. Which meant that in order to read anything, she would either need someone to teach her, or to take the time to establish a cipher to correlate letters to sounds, if that was indeed how the language here worked. But, given that she and Ashara could perfectly understand the spoken words of those around them, they had to assume there were some similarities present.

A helpful local asked for directions would point them towards the three primary industries to purchase things; The General Store, which was also the largest building in town, the Local Smith, and the Chipped Mountain Tavern. However, the two could just as easily just question anybody if they so chose. The sun was high, and the sound of pickaxes hammering away at the mountain signaled that the hardworking men and women of the town would be out and about for quite some time.

...However, the sound of singing originating from the Chateau's direction would garner their attention. And the entire town's. What they would recognize as Chuunitrixx's singing was echoing out, now causing the town to notice the Chateau's presence.

@DracoLunaris@Inkarnate

The Sable Lord's Might

...When Rodias had said "All" of the beasts, he really should have specified "ONE of All of the beasts". Now, he was actually more than a bit nervous. He was panicking. At least inwardly. The actual fear of death was something that he could still feel in his mind, despite the nerves of his body being completely calm. It was a completely different feeling, acknowledging the risk of injury in a game versus reality. He never considered himself a wimp, but he definitely wasn't the kind of guy that could shrug off a punch. Or a laser blast from a dozen different monsters. Or, a few dozen lasers all from the ocuvolfs.

Regardless, he would feel his legs hesitate to move. He was unsure of so many things...how evasion would work now that it wasn't a percentage chance, but his actual physical body needing to evade attacks, whether he'd even know how to swing his weapons properly, how to use buffs...but, now that the signal to attack had been given. The beasts didn't all charge at once, seeming to coordinate an attack by leading in with the Eather Serpents being supported by fire from the Ocuvolf duo. Rodias would lower his stance, taking a deep relaxed breath, before his body spun out of the way of one of the Ocuvulf's energy blasts, leaping over it as his blade moved to deflect the magical attack of one of the Eather Serpents. This was...

Natural to him. Fear was soon replaced by a rush of adrenaline as his lips curled into a grin, the rogue's freefall being broken by a sheet of ice-spears being fired by the Eather serpent's spouse. As if they were mere stepping stones, Rodias would run along the incoming spears, speed sufficient to leap from spear to spear, before his eyes met those of the Eather Serpent.

"[Throat Cut]" Rodias would say, before his twinned knives would slide across the flesh and scales of the Eather Serpent's neck, spilling blood and silencing the beast's magical abilities. Throat Cut, despite the name, functioned more as a means to silence magic casters than it was to assassinate. In freefall, Rodias' cape would spiral around him as he plummeted. Every foot of descent was met with beam after beam from the Ocuvulfs, Rodias' cape opening up just as he loomed over one of the Vulfs, knives at the ready. The Eather Serpent from before had started to recover from its wounds, being aided by its partner. In the instant where an opening was present, Rodias would grin, before shouting: "[Back-Lash]" as his knives sunk into the Ocuvulf's shoulders, rather than its eyes. The beast would begin to yowl in pain, eyes furiously blasting Rodias as he leapt away, forced to leave his knives embedded within it. Throwing aside an emptied glass vial, Rodias smiled as the Ocuvulf's eyes grew cloudy, the blinding poison that he'd applied taking effect quickly as the beast started randomly firing off blasts at its allies.

The other beasts at this point had grown impatient, especially the Ruby Hydra, who's heads would begin to surge forward, gnashing as they skillfully wove over each other so as to remain unpredictable, and to keep from tangling themselves up. Even when the heads bickered, they were of one mind to try and slay the vampire lord. walking forward, Rodias would keep his movements subtle and gradual as he wove beneath and beside the ruby hydra's heads, traveling the length of its necks to reach tthe main body. To the average observer, Rodias was simply walking nonchalantly up to the Hydra's torso. In reality however, each blow was scarcely dodged, the sweat starting to build upon Rodias' brow. Holding his arm back towards where the blood of the Eather Serpent had fallen, Rodias would manipulate it using his Blood Drinker classes skills. The crimson blood, rich in magical ether, would collect in his hand as a rapier before he drove it into the Ruby Hydra's heart.

The Red Wyvern's flames would engulf Rodias just as he finished, the Dhampir recoiling as he became alit. No matter how hard someone tried to dodge, a gargantuan cone of fire was impossible to completely avoid. Now aflame, he would attempt to draw back from the Hydra, only to find the beast defiant to the end as one of its heads slammed into his gut, sending him flying. Now out of control, Rodias was a prime target for a flying suplex, set up by the two Silver Darganthi. The male made himself a springboard, allowing the female to grab Rodias, spin with him in the air, and crash him into the ground, spine first.

Letting out a gutteral scream, Rodias would receive no breaks as the male followed up, soaring through the air to give him the People's Elbow from the top of the arena. Eyes locked on the male crashing down, Rodias would greatly regret his overconfidence, but not enough to accept defeat. Managing to form a blade out of the blood that he'd coughed up from the impact, Rodias caused just enough damage with a knife-sized spike to cause the female to loosen her grip, letting his head avoid what would have been a lethal blow. Well...now what?

Rodias would watch as the multitude of monsters encroached fast, the Necropede scuttling over hurriedly in an instinctive bid to make Rodias into its thrall. The Ocuvolf's trained all their eyes upon him, the blinded one down for the count along with the defeated hydra. "...Is two...really my limit...? Dammit...what the hell would Loss do!? This is the kind of shit he'd brag about being able to do barehanded!" he would think, hand shaking as he attempted to reach for the blood of the Ruby Hydra. Through pained breaths, Rodias would whisper:

"[Greater Acceleration]

[Haste]

[Step of the Phantom]

[Adrenaline High]

[Rogue's...Rogue's...Foresight...]" before he could feel the female Darganthi's grip tighten once more, forcing him to grit his teeth to keep from screaming. As a series of coup de grace's were launched at him, he started regretting a lot of things. Namely, not being specific enough, and not understanding his own limits. But, as he felt SOMETHING inside of him welling up, Rodias suddenly grew slack. In that moment, every beast that could manage to fit into the dogpile would strike, before finding that Rodias was gone.

"[Shadow Walker]. Right. I forgot that was how it worked," Rodias would say, somehow now standing behind the crowd of monsters. Aurora would have been close enough to see that Rodias had...simply vanished. Or rather, he'd gotten up, and walked right through the beast holding him down as if it was air. Or he was. Shadow was a Rare class, only obtainable by those who focused on "Becoming Untouchable". And, having never gotten a chance to use it in full, Rodias would feel absolutely stupid. This wasn't a test of endurance. It was a test of patience. What would follow would be Rodias moving in an instant to the back of the female, using a makeshift set of daggers from the blood of the Ruby hydra that he'd stabbed through the heart. "[Assassinate!]" he would cry out, before the beast's back practically split open from the force, the female falling forward to the ground in an instant.

Rodias would continue to fight, halfway to defeat himself and completely turn the tides. One by one the monsters that he had ordered brought in would fall in turn, each after a considerable amount of effort and footwork put in. After two hours had passed, Rodias would be standing, soaked in blood, panting, exhausted, and...

"...He...Hehehe...HAHAHAHAHA!"

Having the time of his life. All before he would lean against a wall, clutching his chest and what was likely several cracked ribs. And spinal sections. "Aurora...My apologies. I seem to have overestimated myself...just a little," he would say, beginning to make his way over to the edge of the arena. "Thank you for indulging me. I'll be sure to come again, once I shake off this rust in full."

With that said, Rodias would wait for Aurora to finish healing himself and the various beasts, the Sable Lord's gaze transfixed on his own hand, eyes seeming to look past it. "...So I don't feel afraid of pain. I think," he would think, before clenching his fist. More than anything he wanted to show that he was strong enough to face anything, but...now he just felt as if he embarrassed himself. He had won, certainly...but it was a slog fest that relied on his own dodging. He wouldn't be surprised if the only reason he won was because the beasts just didn't have the stamina to keep their assault up. Rodias would look to Aurora once she was done with her healing and bow his head respectfully. "Thank you, Aurora. I'll...be heading off to the archives now. Good night," he would say before starting his way out of the beast pens, shoulders sunken.

"...I really am just a tank, huh?" Rodias would say as he looked up at the sky outside the pens, remembering all the flak he'd gotten for his semi-unconventional build...and all the memories he'd made of using that strange character that was Rodias to help his friends defeat tough encounters, weaving through danger and drawing focus to himself, outlasting everything that came his way so long as his friends were at his side. But now...

Who was he dodging for? What enemies were he taunting to let Brushen Penn get a flank on? Why did he even bother trying to prove himself in a fight like that?

Because, every time that he narrowly avoided death's clutches, he felt as if one of his guild members might miraculously appear beside him, taking advantage of the situation and turning the tides. Approaching the front door, Rodias' face would grow wet as liquid streamed from his eyes, tears unbound as the Sable Lord drew away from the door. He would need a bit of alone time, sitting in Zouyu's empty garden in the cold of the night as he calmed himself. Then, he would visit Flan for his snack, and settle his affairs with Oz before heading to the archives to guard it.

Aurora would be left free to her own devices, whether that be to return to her chapel, or to explore the Chateau in search of something to do before the night ended.

@DracoLunaris

Hunt for Answers

At the praise being given for his capture, Zouyu's cheeks lit up the slightest tinge of red as he beamed, scratching the back of his head with his claws. "It was super easy! After it saw how easily I cut off the head of its friend, it didn't even try running. And, these're wild as far as I know. Unless they're free range," the weretiger explained, giving his captured quarry a delicate patting on the head with his soft paws. Even if it was dominated by Kaldorna, he felt elated that his find was great. "I think the reason humans don't domesticate them is because they're too bulky to have a lot of in a tiny farm plot. Or maybe the people here are just too weak to tame them. I bet this thing eats a ton of grass too," he would add, demonstrating by ripping a chunk of grass from the ground and offering it, the beast's long tongue extending out a good twelve inches to grab at the grass.

"Think we should keep trying to find beasts to take back? Or head back with this new fodder? I bet Flan could make the best steaks out of these...uh...what are we gonna call them, Kaldorna? Gorgonbulls? They kind of remind me of catoblepes, but less dangerous.

Sadly, few beasts in the area seemed especially worth bringing back to the Pens. Most were simple herbivores, with the most dangerous beast being an arachnid that one of the hunters had found, who's sting calcified targets with some sort of petrification that spread quickly. But its small size meant that it was completely unable to penetrate the skin of normal humanoids. Despite the numerous caves present in the mountains, most of them seemed to be inhabited by small rodents and relatively harmless primates, the likes of which had a fondness for fresh fruits from the trees dotting the relatively bare mountains. However, roars would echo out from the North, far, far to the North.

Looking in that direction, Zouyu would smirk. "Sounds big..."

@Lucius Cypher@Rockin Strings

Hunting for Inspiration

Shill was more than appreciative of the potion, wounds instantly sealed shut as the figures would begin their charge, only to be stopped by his goblin brethren and his master. The cultists clearly had not been expecting a fireball, given that two of them were instantly engulfed and devoured by the flames that it brouht, two more being cut down in an instant by the goblins' arrows. The remaining two would then realize that they were beyond screwed, attempting to make a break for it, only to be surrounded entirely. Raising their hands and slowly falling to their knees, the two could only pray to whatever heathen gods they worshiped that they'd be spared with surrender...or at least tortured and let go.

Mamoru's Flash Step into Speed Strike would prove more than effective against the cultist; A sickening crunch echoed from his lower back as what sounded like part of his spine breaking from the force of the blow, even with Mamoru holding back. His cries would echo out underneath his mask as he struggled to try and crawl away, legs failing him as he had been knocked over from the strike. Mamoru could feel the fear present in him...and probably smell it too, as it seemed he had soiled himself from the shock of the blow, and the pain that followed. "What the hell are you!?" he would scream between pained pants.

@IceHeart

The Sable Lord's Midnight Snack

Rodias heard the bubble pop, and couldn't help but stare worryingly at the back room Flan resided in. Was...was she alright? It seemed so, as she called out for him to give her a moment. Turning his back to the door, Rodias would just kind of stand there awkwardly as he waited.

He wouldn't have to wait long before Flan presented herself however, the feeling of awkwardness he felt within as he was treated with such respect was still strange. After all, he wasn't used to being...somebody. As he was seated, Rodias eyed the crackers, honestly thinking that would have been sufficient for a snack on its own. But he was certainly pleased when he smelt the mutton cooking. The crackers and cheese served as a fine placater, but the meat that would be presented to him would drive Rodias' mouth to want to spill over. In the 22nd century, "Good" food was a luxury for the richest who could afford the lives of animals that were hard to raise without a proper environment, and this might honestly have been the best cut of meat that he'd ever seen. Even the ones on television never looked this good.

Tensely, the Sable Lord's knife would cut through the meat in a single stroke, dissecting a cube from the end of it before his mouth would close over it. Before he had even chewed, Rodias' cape would flare up furiously, billowing up and over his chair in a way that made his visage almost terrifying for a moment, his head becoming downturned as he contemplated the taste, the complexity of flavors, the balance of the spices...

Before he started savagely cutting into his mutton and devouring it piece by piece. Once he was finished, he would gingerly wipe his face with a napkin, before he rose to look Flan in the eyes, cape still somehow billowing because of the microtransaction that he'd spent way too much money on.

"Flan, that was...wonderful, Rodias would say, before he raised a hand as if in objection, rephrasing by saying: "No...I should be honest. That may be the single best thing I've ever eaten in my life." With that said, Rodias would bow slightly, placing one arm over his heart as he said: "And, thank you for indulging me."

Inwardly, beneath the calm and poise, Rodias' brain was literally screaming out a single phrase:

"FUCKING DELICIOUS!"

Every ounce of willpower that Rodias had was put into not actually just falling to the pleasure present on his tongue, the first REAL meal he'd ever had being almost too much for his dulled palate. Flan was good. Too good. Scary good.

@Pirouette

A Simple Request

The heat of the forges would cause Rodias to begin sweating, the Sable Lord really starting to regret his choice of wearing all-black leather. In spite of this though, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Oz's expression. He'd never seen someone so...glad to be back to work. It was an almost infectious happiness as he chuckled slightly, stating: "Of course. Allow me to brief you on the meeting we'd had..."

After explaining in full the details of their arrival to some strange new world, Rodias would net his fingers, having removed his overcoat to leave him not as hot, now only wearing a slightly frilled white shirt in place of his Nightmare Troupe chestplate. He wasn't taking any damage from the heat of the forge but...hot was hot. He wouldn't die, but he preferred being comfortable over stoically pretending that he wasn't sweating from the bazillion degree forges around him. "This will also mean that you will have to work with completely new materials. Maybe even ones alien to you. I'd like to, when we have said materials, see how their raw power compares to that of the iron weapons you create. That manifest of your materials will be needed, since we'll have to make certain not to waste anything."

Now sweating profusely, Rodias would loosen the collar of his shirt with a finger before stating: "I appreciate your efforts, Oz. I promise, I'll ask you to make an even better pair of knives than the one you made for me," before he would rise to leave Oz to her work. Even creating a simple weapon took time, now that crafting wasn't just filling up a gauge and smacking metal with a hammer. When they would be ready however, Rodias would be more than prepared to pretend at being a martial master. His fight at the beast pen's arena had made it clear, he was nowhere near strong enough on his own. If he could somehow gain levels in Warrior, then he could better protect the Chateau.

Overlord: Momento Mori

@The Irish Tree Do we wait on you for our fight?

@Rockin Strings

Yup.

Overlord: Momento Mori

@Pirouette

My apologies for not saying it earlier, but since we've had no word from Chapter Keeper 3, that position will now go to Oz if you desire it.

Post will be up before I go to bed tonight! Get ready for...things!

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

Y'know, when Steppe Archer was grateful that the guards weren't jerks, she didn't expect that meant that someone had to fill the quota for them. She had a feeling the lush was going to be a problem but...really? Talking about knockers the moment people with guard emblems rolled up while offering to shack up with them? Steppe Archer would cast one long, disgusted look at the man before one of her rolled up sleeves slowly unfurled down her left arm, her shoulders completely falling slack. That...might be the first time since the two had seen her that all enthusiasm from her face just VANISHED. Bad memories of the idiot she left home to get away from were surging forward, each one of them making a tiny vein on Steppe Archer's temple grow just a tiny bit more pronounced.

It would take her taking a deep breath to collect herself before the archer would point her finger accusingly at the man, being direct with saying: "Sir, we're members of the guard patrol. Any grabby-hands are going to be seen as not just illegal, but assaults on our persons. So, just...don't," she would say, giving fair warning. After this, any touching would mean that a swift kick to the dick would be an acceptable means of dealing with this kind of idiocy. "Anyways, like my friend said, it might be for the best if you head on home. Don't want a headache during your work tomorrow, right?"

Steppe Archer would make sure to step ahead of the Druid Girl, not wanting the perv to be staring at her "huuuuge knockers". Like, they were nice and all but...she could have sworn most of the guild girls were bigger. Not that Steppe Archer particularly saw the point in being envious of large breasts; For her, she'd always dreaded the idea of getting too big up top, since it made archery really hard. She'd had a friend back home who, after hitting puberty, had to start hunting with a crossbow since her womanly assets kept bumping her bowstring. ...Now, Steppe Archer was starting to see why she found a marriage partner so early. Were...were boobs all that men cared about? Didn't hunting prowess count for anything?

Steppe Archer would stop such thoughts before she started sounding like her mother. Or grandmother. Or grandmother's mother's mother. Jealousy was unbecoming...and besides, if THIS was the kind of attention such things garnered, she was glad she wasn't a buxom woman. She would however later on try and make sure that Druid Girl would cover her chest more, since she doubted one man was in the minority on staring at them. Big Red was thankfully not that interested in human girls it seemed, and treated them with respect that felt genderless...save for his comment on whether they could wrestle a drunk.

Was she still bitter? No. Definitely not. Absolutely not. Maybe. Yes. Yes she was.

"Anyways, its either your nice warm bed at home, or a cell at the guard house. Your choice." Steppe Archer said, proudly puffing her chest out with her shield in front of her, showing that she meant business.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Post is up! Sorry for the delay.

Also @Archmage MC, let me know if you want to have anything specific happen for Light. Currently, she's the hardest person to write an event for, and I just wanna make sure you have something to do.

As for anybody else, feel free to ask for me to add or change events if you had something else in mind. Your input is key to making this rp good, fun, and alive!

I'll be collaborating for @Enkryption for his next post, but if anybody ever wants to collab with me to have a big event play out, feel free to pm me!

Also as usual, let me know if I forgot anything important.

Overlord: Momento Mori

@Xaltwind@Guess Who

The Mountain Village

With a list of numerous inquiries necessitated by Rodias, Kath and Ashara would depart from the Chateau into the brisk night air. The sky was clear, with just the slightest hint of a gust blowing in the young women's faces as they made their way. The moons in triplicate were shining down, each a brilliant shade of deep blue that illuminated the night sky. Each was in a different phase than the others, but all were within their "waxing" state, it seemed. Morning was a few hours off, and by the time the twosome would reach the village's general area it would be two hours until sunrise.

There was little in the way of life among the mountain crags, save for the occasional insect, snake, or bird at rest within their nests. The two could see glowing feline eyes watching them from beneath a few large rocks, but beyond that it seemed that most species in the area were diurnal. Life wasn't overly different here than it was back home, but Kath would especially notice that nothing seemed quite the same compared to what they were used to. Regardless, if they followed Rodias' instructions to wait for daybreak outside the town, from the road connecting outwards, the two would find that around an hour after the sun rose, the town became lively.

Smokestacks would fire up as the day's labor began for the people of the town. Judging from the sound of clamor coming from near the mountain this was a town that largely engaged in mining, hinted at by the strong looking arms and backs of the many men and women that walked about town. The two would also find that, though some cast some stars at Kath, nobody was freaking out over her appearance. It also seemed that the appearance of the Chateau had either not been noticed yet, or nobody seemed to realize that something was amiss.

All except one man.

A little bit of their ways into town, the two would be able to take in the overall wealth of the town as being middling at best. Its size was respectable, but far from a full township. A large house of two stories was the only building larger than a standard house, with logs and cobbled stone making up a majority of the building work. As their feet would click along the road down the town, they would find a man with a hardened expression blocking their way, with eyes taking in every last detail of the two women.

"...Who are you two? And why are you here?" he would ask. While he wasn't currently armed, he had the look of someone used to fighting with a weapon on hand. In particular, Ashara would notice that he likely used a weapon similar to her's from the stance he took. Many townsfolk would see him looking the twosome over and stop fora moment, before fleeing from his scornful looking gaze. "I don't know what a Dragonscarred has business with here, but the only people making their way out here are traders, and fledgling mercs. So, which are you?" he would ask, folding his arms.

@Lugubrious@Stern Algorithm@Inkarnate

Project: Playhouse Phase 1

Prior to him leaving to engage in battle with the beasts of Kaldorna, Rodias would meet with the two guardians of the first and second chapters, giving a slight bow of his head as he arrived. "My apologies for making you wait. Let us proceed straight away; I understand that you're both busy with your floor's duties, so I'll be brief," The vampire lord would say, leading them over to a table within the foyer surrounded by simple, but comfortable wooden chairs. Despite her not being needed for the discussion, Rodias would allow Aurora to sit in, since he doubted that any harm would come of allowing her to know a plan that all would know soon enough.

"Summarily, I would like for you two, Graft and Salem, to cooperate on a little project I have in mind," Rodias would begin, just as a skeleton butler arrived and procured tea for the four. Graciously accepting his cup, Rodias would sip gingerly, before stating: "I wish to create a system by which Salem can perfectly infiltrate any civilization that we have. Naturally, constructing individual dolls for each infiltration would be needlessly taxing on resources, and surveillance time." While it did seem that the vampire lord's ideas were similar to what Salem had discussed with Graft prior, he already seemed aware of the problem of Salem's surveillance limit. But, it seemed that his method involved allowing Salem to directly survey an area.

Continuing, Rodias would smile as he said: "As such, I suggest a two-fold plan. One that involves creating automatons that would allow Salem to infiltrate settlement areas with ease, and a second that involves creating dolls with the appearance of vermin, capable of moving ta Salem's discretion to observe areas people cannot go. Naturally the former's production and appearance would depend entirely on the population of an area...but once we know the local pest populations, creating a few dozen rats would give one absolute coverage of a city."

Thinking for a moment, Rodias would hum, before thoughtfully stating: "...However...I imagine you'd rather not be forced to observe...less than desirable substances that vermin are prone to, Salem. As such, birds may be a better fit." In truth, Rodias had settled on birds or humanoids from the start. But, firmly showing his hand in forward thinking, and his willingness to think of his subordinates first would ingratiate himself further. Graft seemed on board loyalty-wise, but Salem would prove far harder to keep in line. He'd known Dr. Dre before after all.

Aurora however would become privy straight away to the fact that Rodias was not only condoning spying, but outright infiltration of civilization by any means necessary. Any could immediately see the application one could fashion with dolls that look and act human...namely, that if so desired, this project could supplant royalty to rule a country from within.

@Inkarnate@DracoLunaris

The Sable Lord's Might/Hunt for Answers

The loud click of the heels of Rodias' boots would echo out within the beast pen as he and Aurora would arrive. Regardless of whether Death itself couldn't exist in this training area, injury most certainly could find a way to slow the tide of combat. When he would be asked what sort of beasts that he wished to fight, Rodias would simply state: "All level 70 beasts currently in captivity."

He had not stuttered. Every single beast 10 full levels above where a majority of the Chateau's strongest in power was to be brought out to fight him. And, all at once. Rodias seemed incredibly aloof as Aurora observed him. His hands would slowly move the knives held on his belt, a gauntlet-ed hand slowly tracing the intricately forged knives. These were, to him, one of the finest gifts he'd ever received in the game. They were mainly meant to kill spectral enemies, a nightmare for your average pure physical build in Yggdrasil, but also just served as a reminder of the grind that he and his friends went through to forge gear like it and others. It would have been simple to get newer, better knives...but right now, these were all he needed.

With Nostalgia quite literally held within his hands, Rodias would wait in anticipation as the beasts were assembled. Aurora would see the faintest stirring within his cape, his emotions betrayed by it as it flared up, the area around the collar seemingly growing spikes outwards as he took a defensive stance. Something had him anxious, but that anxiety would soon give way to adrenaline. He was raring for a fight, and the challenge of beings close to his power was something the Sable Lord couldn't help but find enjoyable.

---

Zouyu was more than happy to be given the order to participate in Kaldorna's mission. After all, being able to see all kinds of new plant life excited him to no end! Anything that had a seed that could grow, he'd be certain to find a place for within the nightmarish gardens of the Chateau. At the request of Arthanar, Zouyu would gladly step back to let them talk, saying: "Mhm! No worries! before going to have a brief attempt at stealing some of the cookies being delivered by Flan.

While she was welling with tiny tears, Flan would suddenly find the plate grow a lot lighter as roughly six cookies went missing, Zouyu's guiltily stuffed cheeks nowhere to be seen as he arrived once more near Kaldorna and her hunters, since they sounded like they were done being secretive. Chewing as fast as he could to not have to relinquish his ill-acquired cookies, Zouyu would smile at being called "Darling". Kaldorna was nice. Wiping the crumbs from his face with one massive tiger paw, Zouyu would shake his head at her question of needing anything, saying: "Nope! Flowers are watered, the wind is good, and I stole cookies! I'm good to go," before he would excitedly race out of the room, nearly getting shot by Chuunitrixx in his haste, since he wound up taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Once he would meet up with the hunters for the beast pen, he would shift into his were-tiger form, figuring that it would be a heck of a lot easier keeping up if he wasn't in his scrawny human form. Once the heading for the hunters was set, Zouyu would faithfully follow along. By and large, it would seem that this mountainous region was relatively tame. On occasion there were small uneventful beasts such as mountain goats with four horns and ill-tempers, but it seemed that for the most part the mountain was tame. The group would be capable of traveling far before sunrise, and once it did hit, Zouyu would use his druidcraft to literally create a cloud of canopy overhead to allow the hunters to not come to harm from the sunlight. Should any prove brave enough to test it, they would find that the same thing happened as it did in Yggdrasil; Vampires began rapidly taking holy damage within sunlight, and caught fire until they reached shade.

There was at least fruit amongst the bushes, and with the blood of the strange goat-like beasts in the area, the hunters and Zouyu were more than capable of subsisting. Even if goat blood tasted about as appetizing as goat milk. While the vampires rested in the day, Zouyu would scout around for various plants and animals, the latter being a job he would take up on their behalf. It wouldn't be fair if all he did was munch fruits and tell bad jokes, after all. In the middle of the first day since they left however, Zouyu would return with a massive beast of burden from its appearance, a bison-like creature covered in thick scales, with two sets of eyes set beneath bony ridges to shield them from the sun. A strange mixture of reptile and bovine, it seemed docile enough given that Zouyu was proudly riding atop it. "I killed one and it tastes good! Well, a little gamy, but I bet Flan could make these really tasty." the were-tiger would proudly state. It seemed that these beasts could serve as a form of food, and were docile enough to tame without much difficulty.

Either that or Zouyu was just exceptionally good at breaking beasts of burden.

@Rockin Strings@Lucius Cypher

Hunting for Inspiration

The hunt for Penn and Shill would begin with the twosome retracing the steps of the two goblin artists, the likes of which seemed more than inclined to wander where their hearts would take them. However on this steep mountain, there were only a select few routes that a goblin could reliably take without risking their falls, and if two artists were attempting such a descent, the best, most stable path would be to the west, leading into a small woodland the likes of which was likely used by the village for lumber. It was understandable why they would enter the grove, with its strangely colored trees with mustard yellow logs and crimson leaves. Judging from the color and dense packing of leaves on the ground, the current season was something similar to autumn.

As Gromgard and Mamoru, along with whatever size of Goblin entourage that Gromgard saw fit to bring made their way through the woods in the dark of night, guided only by goblin torchlight and the glowing of small insects, they would hear a scream echo out in the night. A goblin's. A loud rustle in the foliage could be heard, as the sight of Penn emerged, followed by Shill who was bleeding profusely from his arm. More echoing rustles could be heard, before one figure followed by another wearing suspicious garb emerged. In total half a dozen emerged, each eyeing the goblins that had just escaped, as well as the two humanoids before them. One, a larger man than the rest would say: "Should have stayed at home...more blood for the rituals," before the whole lot would begin to chase after the group, clearly coming at them for blood.

While Rodias had said that violence was to be a last resort, it was clear that right now, it was the ONLY resort. From the darkness, Mamoru and Gromgard would see another figure in similar garb emerging, but seeing the situation they would instead flee deeper into the woods.

@IceHeart

The Sable Lord's Midnight Snack

After his extended training session, Rodias would once more return to the guild hall, barely making it through the door before a most embarrassing noise made itself known from his gut. A low growl echoed out, before he would think: '...Oh yeah that's right...I didn't have dinner. IRL, or in-game before this,' as he slowly shuffled his way to the stairs. Realizing that now he didn't have to cook for himself, Rodias would waste no time in coming directly to the kitchen himself.

He didn't know how much Flan would appreciate having to cook at this ungodly hour of the night, but it was either that or Rodias raid the pantry himself and be scolded. Which, frankly, would be significantly more humiliating than anything he could imagine. Approaching the kitchen, Rodisa would call out: "Flan? I hate to ask at this late hour, but could you please prepare something for me to eat?"

Rodias would be fine with virtually anything...except maybe garlic. Did garlic kill Dhampirs? He had no idea.

@Pirouette

A Simple Request

The great forges present within the Chateau, managed by Oz, would soon find themselves met with a request as Rodias entered. Having dealt with his affairs for the night, this would be his last stop before he would keep his promise to Kath. He couldn't just leave the Chateau library unguarded after swearing to watch over it.

He didn't frequent the forges often given that most Rogue equipment was limited to Medium-class, meaning that by and large his equipment was leather, with only the slightest amount of metal being present. However, now he needed to experiment. Equipment restrictions were something that were present in the game, but now...what was stopping him from carrying around a greatsword, or a hammer if he so chose? He needed to confirm this before he blundered into battle with either however, and that's where Oz would come in.

"Hello Oz. I was wondering, would it be possible for you to make me a series of basic test weapons. I'd like to see how plausible branching out is, from henceforth," Rodias would say as he made his request. The half-golem women would likely have plenty of iron to make a basic form of most weaponry, but anything more advanced meant tapping into her limited supply. She'd have to ask for someone to deliver fresh metals for her, if they were found.

@Archmage MC

Light's Big Break

While Light had not been given any specific instructions, she had been given the freedom by which to do as she pleased. In essence, she had the run of the place to herself. This would also mean that she wasn't bound to her vault, so long as she could still teleport back to it. Whether that meant that she would bother the Chateau's residents or roam freely on the outside was up to her. And like Rodias had said, he didn't mind if Light went and made new friends, so long as they were single travelers.

Once his duties were concluded for the night, Rodias would retire to the library. Any seeking to find him would find him asleep in a chair, tucked within a corner of the library. Laying beneath his arms were countless tomes full of chat logs, countless messages of no real import. No import to anybody but him.

Overlord: Momento Mori

I'll be getting a post up today (Thursday) ASAP. Was going to last night, but failed to meet my own expectations. If anybody has requests for things to happen within the Chateau in particular, let me know. I don't want things to be boring for the homebodies of the guild!

Overlord: Momento Mori

TFW Tree hacked Xaltwind's RPG account

@Inkarnate

Ink, don't make me force your account to mysteriously vanish with talk like that!