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    1. TJByrum 12 yrs ago

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Interested in some inspirational pictures? All of which are courtesy of Google. These are just to give you an idea of things.





Valunn slumped down in the booth and let out a deep breath. I think I've about had it with all this mess, he thought. The music stopped playing and Valunn glanced up to see the halfling packing up his instruments. It's like the little bastard would have played later, so as to not give anyone a headache in the early hours, he thought to himself. And then to his surprise the little man strolled on over to the booth.

"Hello there," the man began, "I'm Gabriel Knotts, the Laughing Scorpion, Professional Entertainer and Freelance Adventurer. How are you doing this day? Say, it looks like you haven't got anything to munch on." Gabriel tore off a piece of meat and held his arm out to hand it to Valunn. "The food here is fantastic, and the atmosphere is nice. So what brings you here?"

Valunn simply glared at Gabriel, never changing his expression. Finally the man realized Valunn didn't care about anything he had to say and got up before proceeding to tell stories, sing, and other such nonsense. Hope he can fight as good as he can play that fiddle, he thought to himself.

By then Valunn spotted a dark-skinned woman staring in his direction. Just a minute or two ago she had been speaking to the innkeeper, then conversed with one of the inn wenches. Seeking information I take it. On me? No, she's not from around here... still, she's a concern.

Valunn exited the booth and walked over to the dark-skinned woman who was obviously awaiting the food being brought by Haven. "'Apologies, m'lady," Valunn began while motioning his hand towards a nearby table, "mind if we sit?" Valunn was trying to be on his best behavior, trying to earn this woman's trust and really get a feel for her. It wouldn't be long before Haven would come out with her food.

Outside
As Shamus was headed for the inn to rest his vocal cords he spotted a small group of guards near the river. At the head of them all was none other than the respected Kern Locke, so-called 'mayor' of the town. Shamus, being the curious person he was, forced his tired body to scurry over to their location.

"Easy Shamus," called out one of the guards, "I'm not so sure you're gonna want to see this."

"What! What, what is it?" As Shamus pushed his way into the circle he saw Kern crouched down next to a metal basket-like object.

"By the gods," Kern said. "Shamus... I'm going to need you more than ever..."

Confused, Shamus slowly stepped forward to get a better look at the basket. Within was a horrible, disgusting, revolting sight. Severed heads of at least two men, a woman, and a young girl. "Of all that is holy," Shamus said, shaking in his very boots. "That's the Vierdell's! They own the cabin int he far north! What foul-"

"Shamus! Keep your voice down, we can't let anyone know." Locke picked up the basket and handed it to one of the guards, "Cover the basket up, then bury these remains behind Slouch Hill, no one goes over there anymore. Take two others with you, don't let anyone follow you and don't let anyone see you." With a quick 'yes sir' the guard and two others began to haul the basket behind a building. Then looking at another guard, Locke continued, "Larrus, you why don't you head to The Faintly Gallows, see if you can't form a small party to head up north and investigate what happened. If you find the rest of the remains, give them a proper burial at their home."

"Aye, suh!" Larrus hurried off to the inn to announce a search-and-rescue party.

"Shamus," Locke continued, "I need you to keep the folks feeling safe. Do not let word of this get out. If anyone asks, tell them Larrus is simply investigating a... a bear problem or something." Locke shook his head and walked away, patting a shocked Shamus on the shoulder as he passed. The guards dispersed, back to their duties.

"By all that is holy," he repeated. And then one name echoed in his head: Valunn.
Oh wow, I really like Eksile and that IC post was very well done Xecutioner! Definitely will be interested in those posts! As for everyone else, good job. I like seeing some of you are already working together and really keeping true to the setting of Darkwood and Blackwater.

Let's see if we can't get things under way.
Oh wow, I really like Eksile and that IC post was very well done Xecutioner! Definitely will be interested in those posts! As for everyone else, good job. I like seeing some of you are already working together and really keeping true to the setting of Darkwood and Blackwater.

Let's see if we can't get things under way.
Ooh, boy, Wyvern, I had a nice little script written up as a reply for one of your posts but I see that you proceeded before I could reply. Here it is if you want to check it out anyway:

Valunn slumped down in the booth and let out a deep breath. I think I've about had it with all this mess, he thought. The music stopped playing and Valunn glanced up to see the halfling packing up his instruments. It's like the little bastard would have played later, so as to not give anyone a headache in the early hours, he thought to himself. And then to his surprise the little man strolled on over to the booth.

"Hello there," the man began, "I'm Gabriel Knotts, the Laughing Scorpion, Professional Entertainer and Freelance Adventurer. How are you doing this day? Say, it looks like you haven't got anything to munch on." Gabriel tore off a piece of meat and held his arm out to hand it to Valunn. "The food here is fantastic, and the atmosphere is nice. So what brings you here?"

Valunn simply glared at Gabriel, never changing his expression. With a quick flick of his wrist he knocked the piece of meat out of Gabriel's hands. "Do not proceed to hand me things unless I ask for them, little man," he said in a hushed but threatening tone. Valunn glanced around to see if anyone caught attention but he didn't notice anything. "And trust me friend, you don't want to know why I'm here. Before long you're going to be huddled up in your home, clinging onto that fiddle of yours, and you won't see the light of day until the sounds of battle stop. After that you better hope I'm the one knocking your door in and not the Others."

Valunn then casually leaned back and let his words sink in. Valunn didn't know this man, didn't know what he was capable of or what he was about to do. All he wondered about was this man's breaking point. Would he scurry off to some hole to hide? Or would he pull a dagger from his boot and try to kill Valunn? Perhaps Valunn piqued his interest and Gabriel would offer his services, whatever they may be, to help defeat 'the Others'...


But I'll make do and carry on. We'll talk about the Co-GM stuff in a bit though.
Sorry guys, I know it's been a few days, but I've been skimming over some of the posts and I am sorry for the wait.

@Professor_Wyvern: If you're interested, since you seem to be enthusiastic about the roleplay, if you want to Co-GM I think I can let you do that; if you're up for it, that is.

@Everyone: When I get time, maybe tonight (no promises) I'll check out and see if I can't post something.

@LokiLeo: The bio seemed okay, except I noticed a few grammatical errors. I make errors all the time friend, so I'm not specifically pointing you out, but in the IC let's see if we can correct those errors.

@XecutionerRex: The fact you're using green and brown colors as well as a bear pelt cape makes the character fit in to me. Eksile is accepted.

@Xenonia: Hm, that's a bit interesting to see. If you think this character can work, I don't see anything wrong with her, so she's accepted, haha.

@IncredibleBee: I'll let Ash slide because he's not exactly the 'knight in shining armor' I was referring too in the rules; I think his appearance and abilities would make him fit as a sort of protector/mercenary in Darkwood, but I don't think the Goddess of War would care much for a place like Darkwood considering it is left untouched by outside governments.

@Pyro_V: Her names Eva but you referred to her as Ana in the Appearance section. Regardless, I like the simplicity of Eva: a cabin-living huntress north of Blackwater. She is most assuredly accepted.
Still busy fellows, will get around to this in a few days. I work 7 days a week, gotta watch my Sons of Anarchy, Gotham, Flash, and Arrow every Monday-Wednesday, and I still haven't caught up on my Boardwalk Empires!
If I remember, I'll check it out later LokiLeo.

In other news, I posted again, but I gotta say I'm not entirely satisfied with my quality. I don't have a lot of time to do these things guys, and so I'm not able to put in as much effort as I wish I could. Therefore, my posts may seem rushed and I'm sorry for that.
The Faintly Gallows, Blackwater
The Faintly Gallows began to come alive as it did every morning. A halfling by the name of Gabriel Knotts played a jolly solo with his fiddle to the amusement of many guests; to some, it was the first time they had heard a fiddle, while others probably heard it every morning; nevertheless, a few of the patrons tossed a few coins his way. A young woman known as Haven was busy tending to the patrons and Sloan looked over her with a smile, joyful that he had some help tending to such a busy inn. It only took a single glance around the room to spot out priorities. A few merchants were in the center of the room discussing trade and weather; some mercenaries in a corner were counting their coin, promoting jealousy amongst the others; a few shady individuals found darker corners to hide in, keeping their heads turned away but turned just enough so they could see someone if they approached. On a normal day hunters would have brought in their fresh meats, but the vicious rainstorm of the early morning hours had dealt its blow. Just another day, thought Sloan.

"Got any rooms available?" Sloan jumped, a bit surprised at the sudden question. He turned to face a dark-skinned woman.

"Oh," he began, "oh yes, of course. I just need a name and your initial payment..."

Streets of Blackwater
Valunn strolled the streets of the town as they began to come alive. People were moving everywhere, but he wasn't sure what they were doing. Some carts, a few children, a bit of yelling - a bit busy for such a small town. An easy place to blend in, he thought.

There stood a man in a courtyard, an old fellow with a thick mustache. He stood on a pedestal to elevate himself from the crowd around him. In one hand he held a paper and was shouting "Get it here! The True Lives of Elven Warriors! Stories of er... great adventure and... romance... heh heh." He looked nervous, but seemed to enjoy spreading the news. Could have information, thought Valunn.

"Excuse me, sir," Valunn called out, talking towards him. The crowd dispersed, uninterested in the lives of elvenkind. "Hey," he called out again, "I'll have a word with you." At that moment the man noticed him and looked at him with a shy grin.

"Shamus is busy spreading what he knows at the moment my good man, see him at The Faintly Gallows," he said, oddly referring to himself in third-person. The man went on to yell a bit more about some nonsense, so Valunn reached up and grabbed his forearm before yanking the old man down off the pedestal. "...or I can come now," the man said in a frightened tone.

Valunn led the towncrier over to a nearby alley. "Alright 'Shamus', how about you spread some news my way?" Shamus nodded his head nervously, not about to hesitate denying the strong warrior. "Darkwood is about to receive some visitors, Shamus, but I'm pretty sure they're already here, you understand? Now these 'visitors' aren't the friendly type, so as soon as you hear anything suspicious find me at The Faintly Gallows - immediately!"

"Er... yes sir," Shamus replied, "but uh... what's in it for me?"

Valunn smirked and pulled a small pouch of silver coins from his bag, shoving into the old mans chest, "greedy old bastard," he said before turning to walk away. But the old man tapped on his shoulder, letting out a nervous chuckle. "What?"

"You'll probably find more capable help" he began quietly, "by posting a notice on The Faintly Gallows notice board, eh?"

"Yeah," replied Valunn. It was a good idea, to round up a few volunteers and be ready in case the 'strangers' made it to Blackwater. "I might just do that then... but not until I'm certain they're here. Meanwhile, don't tell anyone what I told you, you hear? No need to cause a ruckus." Shamus nodded his head and Valunn turned and headed back for the inn.

It wasn't a long distance, but the crowd of people made it a longer trip. The inn was a bit more busy at this hour, and it wouldn't be long until a few straggling travelers would arrive. Wow, thought Valunn, this place is shady as hell. It was no lie. Valunn figured he could count the number of innocent people here on one hand. Everyone else looked to be a thug, a scoundrel, a drunk, or a killer. [/i]Just the type of people I need for my situation[/i]. Valunn didn't bother to post a notice yet, not until he was certain the town was in danger, so he just moved through the crowd, went up the steps, on up to the attic which was used as storage...

And Lily was nowhere to be seen. "Gods be damned," Valunn said to himself. Then he saw it: an open window on the far-side of the room. He walked over to it and noticed a rope tied to a nearby plank, obviously Lily's handiwork. "You dumb girl, where've you gone off to now." He looked out of the window to survey the surroundings before hearing a tiny voice call out to him.

"...hi." Looking down he saw Lily making her way back up to the window. "I didn't know you'd be back so soon."

Irritated, Valunn reached down, grabbed the girl by her shoulder, and in one smooth stroke pulled her through the window. "Bloody hell girl, what'd I tell you before? You do what I say - WHEN I say, you got that?"

"I just wanted to check out the town, it's not that big of a deal," the girl argued.

"Not that big of a deal? Didn't you see what was following us, girl? Do you really think it's a good idea to be out in the open?"

"Hey, we handled him," she continued to argued, raising her voice, "we can do it again."

"We?" Valunn reared his hand back and backhanded the girl onto the floor, sending her onto her stomach. "I barely managed to 'handle' him, you dumb bitch, and all you did was run like the frolicking cunt you were born to be. Besides, that was was just one of the fuckers, now I have all six making there way here, do you really think I can handle every single one of them?"

The girl didn't reply. She looked up at Valunn and wiped the blood from her face. As harsh as he was, Lily knew he was right. It was stupid for her to go out alone, and she knew it. She finally replied: "Well if you're going to be watching over me, at least act like you care about me."

Valunn just laughed at her and remarked "Believe me girl, there's plenty of others in this world who would've done you worse. You're lucky you're not slung over one of the tables there, begging for help. It doesn't matter how 'mean' you think I am, at least you're able to see how things really are."

The girl just slumped back in a chair and didn't bother to look at her guardian. Her eyes began to water and Valunn walked back downstairs, slamming the door behind him. He'd take a seat in one of the booths, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious to come in.
@Bluejay: Pretty much any NPC can be used unless they're very important. People like Cain (the oarsman), Larus (the gatekeeper), and Sloan are practically free game, so long as you stay within the personality-boundaries I set for them. Someone like Valunn or Lily are for my purposes only.

@LokiLeo: At the time you said it was a WIP, and it still says that so I was waiting for you to finish.
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