Solo Stories over ale

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The 29th of Fall 514AV
Port Tranquil

A barrage of angry, flying droplets crashed down on the Lhavitian streets, the wind raged and howled as a ferocious beast and banged hard with everything that hadn't been secured well enough against walls and other objects. The Tranquil Port wasn't quite tranquil anymore, the relentless wind and rain made too much noise for it to stay true to its name. Not to mention the waves that rolled and broke into the bay, dark blue with while foam on top, wild and violent, untamable.

The storm had been going on for a couple of days already, raging and bellowing, chasing everyone inside and for a day the Azure had been completely deserted and no shop had been open. The bat had known all along that the black blanket of clouds couldn't be a good thing, grey clouds carried rain and the darker their coloring, the worse. Having seen those clouds on the twenty-seventh and having smelled the rain, Brandon had realized there would be a downpour coming, but not even he had expected it to be a storm like this. And a storm it was, no one would argue about that, no it was fact. Most people hid inside, only coming out when necessary; when they had to go to work or if they needed to go buy some food, but otherwise they weren't to be seen. It was strange to see the rather deserted streets, they usually were too crowded, but now?

As to be expected, the storm was aggressive, tugging at everything, doing its utmost best to deafen anyone who dared to walk outside, attempting to blow them away and soak them with the watery arrows. The last part, at least, succeeded. It wasn't the worst natural occurrence the starry city had witnessed though, the bat could still vividly remember the blizzard which had assaulted them last winter, four days he hadn't left his house, four days he had been bored to death. A little bit of rain and wind was nothing compared to that ordeal.

Upon voicing that last thought with a smug grin, the storm got even worse, the rain descended even faster and harder, and the wind got as chilly as it could manage. Unpleasant was a huge understatement, soaked to the bone and tortured by icy winds, the bat felt as if Morwen herself was pulling him into a freezing hug. A string of curses targeted the dark sky and the Kelvic quickened his pace, he was almost there.

Stumbling into the doorway and struggling to close the door again, Brandon entered The Rusty Anchor, a pub located in the Tranquil Port. While sailors, fishermen and other sea-faring folks were the regular customers, the occasional citizen could be found in the rowdy bar too. The Demise was certainly more popular and not as dirty-looking, they had a large base of regular customers. It was a matter of preference. “Welcome!” greeted the old man from behind the counter, “stay right where you are. Oy, Lass! There's another one for you!” Brandon, who had noticed the puddle which had already gathered around him on the floor froze on the spot as a woman with a tired expression made her way towards him.

She sighed upon laying eyes on him, and raised her hands, a bluish gas pouring out and floating around them. Not a word was uttered while she assumed a focused face, and slowly his clothes became less heavy and wet. Surprised the bat watched as the water that had soaked his clothes was drawn out of them, streaming like small rivers in the air towards the blue gas-orb she had formed. It took but a chime or two and then the bat was all dried up, even his hair wasn't wet anymore. The water that now hovered in the air was lead into a bucket where it just started flowing naturally, instead of floating around. Brandon grimaced. Magic, a tool only the gods were to wield, a tool that could cause mass destruction in the wrong hands and drive the users insane; it wasn't meant for mortals to use it. However, so the bat supposed, it could come in handy every now and then.

A quick thank you was muttered by Brandon, and the woman nodded in response, still not speaking as she retreated back to her table in a corner of the room while the Kelvic approached the bar. “What's with her?” he asked, gesturing to the mage who'd just played towel for him. “Ah, I like to keep my bar dry on rainy days,” answered the old man, “so the customers have to be dry too; that's what I pay her for.” He shrugged. “So what will it be? A mug of ale for you or would you rather have something stronger to warm your insides?”
“Ale will do”, was the answer and the bartender nodded, grabbing a mug and filling it up with the beverage, taking the coin Brandon had placed on the counter.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The bat Kelvic hadn't come to The Rusty Anchor without reason, in fact he never went to pubs without one, but this time he didn't stop by to consume alcohol. Though he would do that too, it wasn't why he had come here. If he had wanted to have a beer he'd have paid the Demise a visit, he wouldn't have had to walk that long through the storm and as a consequence his clothes wouldn't have been that wet either. However, he supposed that with this relentless rain it wouldn't have mattered anyway, and thanks to that magic-user his clothes and hair had been dried instantly. It wasn't really a problem.

No, the real goal Brandon held in his mind's eye were the rumors about the monsters that had appeared, monsters which had come from the sea and had vanished afterwards. No one knew what they were and there weren't a lot of people who had seen them. From what he had heard, the Shinya had had something to do with it, but no one really knew what. The guards themselves refused to tell anything about it, and others who were actually willing to talk about it had been silenced by their companions. The bat suspected -it was too obvious- that they were hiding something, the fact that the public hadn't been told anything about the incident only strengthened his suspicions. If the citizens weren't allowed to know, then it had to be something that would cause mass hysteria and all that.

There hadn't been many individuals who had actually witnessed the creatures rising from the water, those who had seemed to have fled the scene, probably choosing Laviku's unending waters over the land where they risked to be eaten by the monsters. Or, what Brandon found more plausible, they had been silenced by the Shinya and had been forced to leave. Either way, the truth of what had been going on at the Tranquil Port lots of nights ago was cloaked in mystery and veiled by secrets.

Most of the Lhavitian citizens didn't really care, of course, they didn't have a clue there actually had been something going on at the port, and just enjoyed spreading false rumors. Tall tales that were far from the truth, some had even used this opportunity to turn it into a story to scare children into obeying their parents. But, there just had to be a couple of sailors or other people who had been present that night and had seen what had happened, or had been told what exactly what events had unfolded at the Port, and hadn't been caught by the guards. The Rusty Anchor seemed to be the place where those people might hang out and tell what they had seen.

As such it was that Brandon was seated amids a group of others; sailors and fishermen and the rare few citizens who preferred the Anchor over the Demise. One of them had, when the bat had asked about the incident, nodded and cleared his throat and started to speak softly, his voice a low whisper. It just happened to be that the whole of the customers had gathered around and were listening attentively, keeping their mouths shut tight. It was the first time the bat had ever experienced the quietness while in a pub.

“It happened just fourteen nights ago,” the man started, gazing sternly underneath his thick and heavy eyebrows, “the sea was quiet, and while Fall had already descended, it was warm for the time of year.” It seemed the man was a professional storyteller, he managed to capture the attention of the whole pub with his first phrase. The crowd leaned in closer, expectantly. “Me and my friend Bernstein were strolling down the docks. We wanted to check on our ship, and tried -as we always do- to predict what kind of weather we would be getting the next day.”

No one dared to even whisper with the man or woman next to them while the storyteller raised his mug to his lips and took a large gulp. The back of his hand wiped the foam from his mouth and he continued his tale: “It was then that we saw it, a galleon slowly drifted into port, wanting to dock and stock up on supplies no doubt. However, as me and Bern gazed upon her magnificent beauty, the ocean began to grow agitated. There wasn't much wind, but there were waves rolling on the waters that had been still just chimes ago. Not only that, but a maelstrom was being formed, not just any maelstrom, no, but a gigantic one that pulled the galleon in and toyed with it as if it were a bath toy!” Another sip of ale and another deadly silence.

“Me and Bern, both feeling something was wrong, decided to hide behind a stack of crates, just to be safe. And it was a good thing we had! As we watched from our hiding place, a huge monster erupted from the sea with a horrible roar that tore the air itself to shreds! From where we sat, far away and safe, we could still clearly see what the creature looked like. It was far bigger than the galleon, probably twice as tall -the part we could see was anyway, so it was probably even larger! It had the head of a gigantic snake, with the creepy eyes and scales and all. When it opened it's maw again to let out a yell that even a deaf man would hear, we could see lots of sharp, pointy teeth! ”

Again the man paused to drink from his ale and the crowd sighed as the people that it contained remembered how to breathe, letting out the air they had held inside their lungs unknowingly, having been sucked into the story and believing to be right there with Bern and the fisherman, hiding behind crates and witnessing the events while the gigantic snake-monster towered above the galleon, roaring and bellowing in all it's terribleness.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The short break was over in a flash, but to the listeners, who were dying to know the rest of the tale, it seemed like an eternity. As if Tanroa herself was fooling them, having paused the flow of time for them alone. The storyteller continue his tall tale, having quenched his thirst and having rehydrated his throat. There was no need for him to use subtle tricks to demand the attention, as soon as the people saw he was ready to begin, they hung on his lips, begging for him to continue, which he gladly did. A grin emerged as he started speaking once more.

“It wasn't just a huge snake, no, not at all! While its head was that of a giant snake, its body was not. The torso was like that of a man, with shoulders and arms, muscular and covered in scales. As me and Bern observed from behind the crates, the monster raised an arm, clenching its fist. One blow would be enough to crush the galleon, even me and Bern could see that from afar, and so knew the sailors on the vessel. The gigantic boulder of a fist came crashing down, but the captain of the galleon was a competent fellow, he must have desperately been pulling at the helm, for he managed to dodge the smash!”

Brandon frowned, for one or other reason, while he really enjoyed listening to the tale, he suspected that what the man was describing so vividly and animatedly wasn't quite what had happened that night. However, since it was too great of a story not to listen to, the bat shrugged internally and stayed to hear the rest. “While the captain had avoided to be hit by the fist, the impact it made on the water's surface was enough to create tidal waves which almost capsized the galleon. The sea pushed the ship around, but Laviku was on the sailor's side, the massive waves saved the galleon many times, the fist of the snake-monster hit only water time and time again!

But then, their luck ran out, the monster was smarter than expected! Instead of continuing its attempts to smash the ship, it stabbed down with its clawed fingers outstretched. Not only did it not create such giant waves, it in turn also did not affect the ship's movement as much. As such the snake could aim and the next stab hit full force! The clawed fingers cut through the wood without effort. The galleon cracked in two, wooden boards screaming in agony. The crew jumped into the water and they swam for their lives, to the shore while the giant monster gave chase! Many drowned, but when they reached the port itself, the monster gave up and returned to the deep, diving and disappearing from sight!”

The storyteller took another break, this time for dramatic effect, it seemed, as he glared from over the brim of his mug. “Yet, that was not the end of it. Upon the docks naked people had appeared, droplets of salty water dripping from their skin. Meanwhile the Shinya came running and arrived, a dozen of them or so. The naked people beckoned them, screaming about the sailors in the water. The guards ran to the edge of the water, searching for the swimming sailors and each of the naked people grabbed an unfortunate guardsman by the throat and jumped into the water. When the Shinya came back up, it was as lifeless floating bodies!” He stared harshly into the crowd, which held its breath expectantly.

“Having dragged and drowned the guards in the black cold sea, the naked people climbed out the water again, but this time they had abandoned their disguise! Now they looked very much alike the gigantic sea-snake, but much, much smaller. They had a snake's head, and a human's torso, but they had a long tail instead of legs, they were snake-people! One look in their bloodthirsty eyes was enough to freeze even the bravest of men, and that meant they were doomed. The snakes approached and grabbed hold of them too, to drag them into the depths and drown them. Fortunately, me and Bern had done well to hide and we went unnoticed while the snakes spread terror through the port. It didn't take long before new guards arrived, having been warned by one of the people who had witnessed the events.

Prepared and armed with magic and steel alike, the Shinya attacked fearlessly, cutting down snake by snake. It rained fireballs and arrows on the monsters and before long the guards had managed to capture a few of the monsters while they tried to flee. A couple escaped of course, dragging another few guardsmen into the ocean. The bodies came back to surface, but the reptiles didn't, not even when arrows were fired into the sea. The bodies of the slain mansnakes were disposed of and the few captured were taken away. That crushing defeat led to the disappearance of the snake monsters, but I am sure they are still around somewhere, planning to take revenge, plotting our demise.” That concluded the tale, the sailor gulped the rest of his ale down and bowed slightly as applause, cheers and Kina descended upon him.

“Well, is there anyone else who has something interesting to tell? Rumors, tales or jokes?”
“I do,” spoke the bat with a grin, figuring that the last part of the sailor's story had been more or less the truth. Or as close as it could ever get anyway. His first objective had been completed, now he'd have to do what he had been asked.
“Great!” smiled the storyteller, “go ahead, don't be shy! Be my guest!”

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The bat nodded, swallowing the excess saliva that had gathered due to nervousness. While a lot of people had turned away when the story had been ended, there still were a few left who cared to listen to what he had to say. It wasn't because they were all watching him, but because what he said now would affect the city of Lhavit as a whole. Probably, that was the plan anyway.

Solomon Kriegsfelt had told him to use the power of the waves -the complaining wizards- stir things up, make them grow and flood the city. That was why he would be spreading false rumors, rumors that would go around the city and would be heard by everyone, including the Shinya and the Councilor. Even if nothing else happened, Alses might believe them to be true and act accordingly, which would be a success. If the Kelvic did succeed in stirring the wizards up enough to have them act accordingly to his words, Alses would be hit by something far worse than rumors, hallucinations and complaints. Riots perhaps, demonstrations maybe, a wave of people assaulting Elysium Hall, it was all possible.

“It's just something I picked up when I was walking through the Azure, rumors and gossip, but I found it interesting enough to share.” Brandon was no storyteller, but he deemed that quite a good start. “You know about the new Third Law, right?” he questioned, receiving affirmative nods and murmurs, which the Kelvic took for a sign to proceed, step by step, careful and tense. “Then you also know how our Councilor of Magic and Foreign affairs made it happen, correct?” Again there was nodding and murmurs, but also one who seemingly hadn't heard about that fun fact yet. The bat oppressed the urge to smirk, this person had given him the chance to tell about it again, which would remind those that knew already too.

“She forced it through. It should have been discussed with the heads of the Towers first, as well as with the magistrates. If she'd done that, there would have been no problem, but she hasn't. Instead she used her authority to skip the discussions. As if she were Zintila herself!” This gave birth to a new eruption of mumblings, but this time there was a displeased edge to them, the comparison with Zintila, the beloved Alvina of the stars, had helped no doubt. Brandon however was not one of those who disliked Alses for what she had done, in fact he found it rather courageous of her. Of course, anyone who limited the use of magic was someone who scored points in Brandon's eyes. Actually, he wouldn't have done this if Kriegsfelt hadn't commanded him to, though he had to admit that this was making him feel rather excited. In its own way, spreading rumors like he was about to was rather thrilling, the butterflies attacked the insides of his belly, fluttering around in a chaos of colorful wings and hairy bodies.

“Well, you know as well as I do that the Towers, the independent wizards and other users of magic weren't pleased with this development. There were complaints, letters sent to the Day Lady and the Night Lord, heads of the Towers payed them a visit and debates about the edict popped up everywhere!” More heads nodded, remembering those scenes all too well. “So here's the thing; I heard that wizards were assembling, forming secret groups somewhere, discussing what to do. There are some who believe they should gather at the Surya Plaza on the 42nd and march in group towards Elysium Hall, where they'll stop in front of the gates and demand that Alses come out and explain, hear them out. Those are one group, they believe that talking things over will help.”

Brandon couldn't help but notice the woman who had just dried him up had moved closer, listening attentively. Of course she was interested, she was a mage herself, surly she'd take action, or at least spread the word. Even though there were no such groups -not that Brandon knew of anyways- it might inspire others to do just that. “On the other end, there are others who believe showing the Councilor how displeased they are will help. I heard they'll attend the Bonfire Ball, planning to crash it. Messing things up, if you know what I mean. Of course, that's a little drastic, but who knows what will happen? ”

There, it was done, the seeds had been planted, it was up to the ones that had listened to do the rest. The bat wondered what would come of it; would the wizards rise against the Councilor, who was the tyrant of all magic-users? Or would nothing happen, nothing at all? In any case, he hoped the rumors would spread and that everyone would soon have heard of this 'uprising'. I guess I'll have to wait and see, the Kelvic thief thought while drinking his ale. Wait and see...

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Sal Mander]

Brandon Blackwing

XP

• Observation +2
• Rhetoric +1
• Socialization +1
• Storytelling + 1

Lores

• Lore - Magic: Making Allowances When Beneficial
• Lore - Social: Deciphering Fact From Fiction
• Lore - Social: Turning The Cogs Of The Rumor Mill

Penalties

• Ale - 1 kina

Comments
A nice setting of the scene to begin the thread, while it's always interesting to see Brandon's reaction to magic users around him. While he was of course on a mission from Kreigsfelt, I got the impression that Brandon took to the role of storyteller with much relish. Meanwhile, the storyteller's account of that fateful day in Lhavit was well written and engaging. Just the right amount of flourish to keep his listeners hanging on his every word, without too much to discredit the rumor. Will be interesting to see just how much of it turns out to be fact.

Please remove the grade request from the relevant thread. As always, PM me if you have any questions or comments.

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