All stories, small or grand, have a beginning. This tale's true beginning was some years priveous, when the young Viscount of the city state Brixia took ill and died, not 3 years after his rule began. With no heirs of his own, the position was past to his younger brother. A vile and lazy man, the new Viscount allowed his greed to guide him. He increased taxes, made laws suggested by other nobles in his city to keep the rising elf and dwarf populations from achieving the same social standards as the clearly superior human nobility. With the proper pay offs, criminals operated mostly unmolested in Brixia.

Many hoped that once the Viscount died, the city would be able to return to the way it had been, but that hope was in vain.

During his reign, the Viscount sired a son, who grew to be more intelligent and devious than his father. Where the old man had made laws out of laziness and disinterest, his son, Jafallo Trastead saw opportunities to increase his wealth while cementing his power over the pitiful people his father ruled. When Jafallo came of age, his father also suddenly took ill like his brother had so long ago and died, though few believed this illness had been natural. Talking his place of power, Viscount Trastead began a iron handed rule of Brixia and surrounding lands. Segregation among the races became the norm. Crime increased further, which seemed to call foul things like goblins to the city, soon making a place for themselves in the criminal element.

Now, 10 years after Trastead began his rule, some people have had enough. Talks of rebellion are whispered behind closed doors, though knowing who to trust is hard. Old hatreds between races rekindle under the Viscount"s rule and he has spies everywhere. Who is there to trust? And who has the will to stand up to make a change?

 

Character Sheets:

Name:

Gender:

Race:

Appearance:

History:

Weapons:

 

My characters

 

Character Sheets:

Name: Ander

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Race: half human, half dark elf

Appearance: Short by human standards. Athletic build. Dark grey skin and bright blue eyes. Messy white hair that sometimes gets in his eyes. Usually wears simple shirt and baggy pants in earth tones. Has a larger monk tunic he wears when he doesn't want to be harassed. Though he prefers to be bare foot, he keeps a pair of wood sandals around.

History: Left an orphan outside a monastery near Brixia, Ander was dealt two bad cards by life. First, he was a half breed of human and elf, meaning despised by both. Second, the elf who had been his parent had been a dark elf. Only the intervention of another half breed monk prevented Ander from a life of isolation or worse. Using Brixia as the grounds, Ander's teacher taught him all the survival techniques he had learned before becoming a monk from how to move through a city like a monkey in the trees to developing a thick skin to ignore what the small minded said about him. Ander was also taught how to the simple movement forms the monks used as a basis for fighting with no weapons. In recent years, his home has been hit by attacks from local bandits. Many monks, trying to talk it out, were killed. His master, one of the casualties, spoke his suspicion of Viscount Trastead's hand in the attack before he died. Armed with this, Ander feels the shift of winds as he leaves the monastery to assume a new place in Brixia.

Weapons: None.

 

Character Sheets:

Name: Dral Grindstone

Gender: Male

Race: Dwarf

Appearance: short and stocky. Most of his face is obscured behind a long, braided beard that is brown with veins of grey running through it. A crooked nose peaks put above the beard, as does one keen, dark brown eye. Where the other should be is covered by an eyepatch. Wears a mix of leather and chain mail common among dwarves along with an iron helm to cover his shaved bald head.

History: The co-owner of a jewelry store, Dral Grindstone is kept away from the customers as much as possible. It is well known that he hates all humans, hobbits and elves with a more powerful version given over to goblins. Those who know Dral don't pay this too much mind as he also seems to hate every dwarf he lays his eye on. Some say that before he became a jeweler, he had fought in several wars in his younger days, though any who ask are cussed out and told to mind their own bees wax. Now a days, with more problems coming from the Viscount, Dral has been becoming less vocal and more quite. Like the calm before the storm.

Weapons: crossbow and one handed ax.

Sybille sighed and patted her pocket, "I dont think money is going to be an issue... I wasn;t going to say anything but you seem trustworthy to me so, I stole some money from my dad before I ran, enough to be comfortable for a while at least." She walked to where to food vendors were. "So what should we get? I have some cooking skills but uh.. limited haha" He rubbed the back of her head. "Really should of paid more attention when the cook tried to teach me stuff, always said your gonna need to know how to do this one day Sybille so pay attention." She mimicked in her best gruff voice and giggled.

 

Joker accepted the handkerchief and wiped away the trail her tears created on her face. "What is Dral up to anyway? He's been weirdly quiet on my end." 

"My skill with cooking is also rather basic too." Ander admitted. "Best go with something easy then. Bread, fruits, nut, maybe some veggies. I could scrabble some eggs or cook some simple meats too. We'll just have to make sure what we do get is good quality."

He looked a little less certain.

"I'm not that familiar with how to tell the best meats, but I worked in the monastery's garden for year, with fruits and vegetables all about. You think you could pick us out some meat?"

 

Ruby shrugged.

"He plays close to the vest, that one." She replied. "He only tells me what he wants, not why. Annoying, but safer for both of us."

The halfling stood up and stretched.

"So, what now, kiddo?"

 

Dral was considering taking his axe to the door when the door to the goblin den swung open.

"In, dwarf!" A goblin barked, waving Dral in.

The old dwarf snorted and followed instructions, stepping on the door keeper's toes as he past.

"I hope you lot ain't waisting my time." He said gruffly.

"Strong words for a dwarf alone in the our den." An old voice said from the shadowy interior of the building.

The door slammed behind Dral with a strangely final sound.

"Bold dwarf to come to us at all. Not afraid to be gutted?"

Dral scoffed.

"Your chefs know that there are limits to what they can do." He growled. "I'm paid up with the right people, meaning you, gobbie, will have a lot more problems then normal."

The goblin elder, leaning on a gnarly staff and flanked by a dozen goblins, hissed thoughtfully.

"What does dwarf want?" He finally asked.

"Yeah I can do that!" Sybille smiled. "Here take some money for veggies and such and ill worry about the meat and maybe something sweet too. I have a feeling we might need it haha." She pressed some coins into Ander's hand and walked off happily. She had never been a part of something where she was able to contribute equally and for once, she felt important and good. Sybille walked into the butcher shop, "Got any elk in today?"

"Yeah actually just in this morning." He walked over and showed her fromt he other side of his counter.

"Awesome! I'll take... hmmm 3 pounds of the elk steak. and uh could you wrap it for me please?"

"Of course, anything for the pretty young lady." He smiled and got her order together. Sybille paid and walked out then looked around for a bakery.

 

Joker stood up, "Well I guess the next thing for me to do is find out if the rest of my gang thinks the same way as Adil... Though I feel it may be lost cause with how long he has been in charge."

Ander received the coins Sybille offered and watched the girl go. Ah, she seemed to perk up with something to do. Good to note. Pocketing the coins, Ander wandered through the market, checking on vegetable stalls and fruit stands, buying a few things here and a few things there.

 

Ruby scratched her chin thoughtfully.

"You never know." She answered. "There are bound to be a few who don't buy his thinking. More even, but most will be scared."

She shrugged.

"That's people for you."

She looked up at what little sky could be seen as she used her tongue to clean her teeth.

"You've been a good client before and I'm sure there are other interested parties that would prefer you instead of Adil. I could give you a bit of help checking out your crew, if you want."

Sybille bought a chocolate covered almonds for desert and smiled and she walked back to the place where she and Ander split up. She decided to wait for him and sat to double check that she had everything she needed. Satisfied with everything she glanced around the market but caught no sign of the half elf.

 

"Sure." She smiled at Ruby feeling a little better. "I'm gonna find a tall building and see who I can find just off of a vantage point." She quickly used a window as a boost and got to the top of a roof and made her way hoping across houses to a taller shop.  

Ander made a few more stops, picking out more vegetables and assorted fruits, before heading back to where he and Sybille split up. He noticed a few more guards wondering around then before. He reminded himself that he would need to give Sybille some lessons on evasion if her father started combing the streets for her. From what he could tell, the guards he saw more more interested in the stalls then people. Maybe looking for the right shop keepers to shake down.

He looked around for Sybille again, this time moseying over to where he thought the butchers were. He nearly went past Sybille as she was coming from a different section of the market entirely. He gave her a little wave, hoping not to attract unwanted attention.

 

Ruby trotted after Joker.

"What's with people and tall?" She grumbled, ramming her hands in her pockets. "I'm short, and I know more about this city then most of the tallest people around."

Sybille smiled at the sight of Ander and trotted over to him. "Get some good stuff? I got desert." She giggled and showed him the bagged of almonds. "You ok? Your eyeing the guards an awful lot... You don't think they were sent to find me do you?" She looked around but none of the guards seemed to pay her much attention.Her new clothing must be helping her to blend in with the rest of common place market goers. 

 

Joker looked down, "Heard that." She grinned and jumped down. "There are a few guys from my crew at that old hide shop. You know the one that does the tanning and all." She started walking internally pulling together her confidence. She glanced back to ensure Ruby was following and decided to stick to the ground for her sake. She was doing Joker a favor after all. 

Ander gave Sybille a reassuring smile.

"I'm just paranoid." He told her. "I would always ask the monks to eat the first bites of gruel when I was growing up."

He glanced at the guards again.

"Though, you're not really paranoid if they're really out to get you." He added darkly.

His hand shot out and grabbed an almond. He stuck it under his turban, then munched on it happily.

"Hmm, good choice."

Eyeing the guards again, the failed monk beckoned for Sybille to follow him back to the hut. Even if the guards weren't here for them, it would be best not to test fate.

 

"I could close my eyes and follow the smell to a tanner's shop." Ruby answered. "I've seen what those people use, and they call my crew dirty. And I though you elves liked clean."

The halfling followed after Joker. Every so often, she would change the way she walked, sometimes taking on a childish skip, to a dramatic limp, etc.

"So, how's that girl working out?" Ruby asked casually.

Sybille smiled at the approval of her choice and quickly followed Ander back to relative safety. "Atleast the chimney isnt clogged so we can use it." She said looking up into it. She set her purchases down then grabbed Ander's things looking through what he bought. She pulled out some things that she thought she could use for tonight. Then left the rest in the bag for later use.

 

Joker shrugged off the fact she already knew about Sybille. It honestly didn't surprise her one bit Ruby already knew. "I'm not really sure yet. She hasn't been with us for that long. I hope she just doesn't whine us to death because shes not used to doing things the way we do." They made it to the tan shop and Joker's old buddies immediately smiled at the sight of her.  

"Hey" One called out jogging up to meet her. "We thought you were dead or something!" He trapped her in a bone crushing hug as two others came over.  

"Yep k, I'm alive." She said in a strangled voice pushing the large guy back and sucking in oxygen. "What are you guys even doing here?"

They all looked at each other unsure of what to say. "We uh..." One elf cut off the other. "We left Adil's suicide party we were actually looking for you."

"At the tanning shop?" Joker crossed her arms not convinced. 

"Um... well we saw your old place was burned down and were looking around the area for clues to where you went. We ended up here cause we heard you were with another group or something, Carter always seems to know something so here we are." Joker looked in the direction of the shop owner, he was just making his way back inside not seeming to care for the reunion. 

After watching the way he and Sybille had come for anyone following, Ander pulled off his turban and tried to figure out how to store the rest of the food.

"I might have to take up carpentry to make us some cabinets, depending on how long we stay here." He said.

As he stacked the bags as best he could away from the fire, he considered how to best move forward with the plan. The next step would be to make contact with Sybille's father to start the 'blackmail'. It should probably wait for a few days to let the man stew, but it was best to plan ahead. What would be the best way to contact him?

"What can you tell me about the house your father lives in?" He asked Sybille suddenly.

 

Ruby grinned and gave Joker a "I-told-you-so" look as she spoke with one of her old crew. She gave the two elves some space, but stayed close enlightenment to listen. A special kind of balancing act, but one that Ruby knew by heart.

 

"Information about a possible raid you're tribe was a part of, some twenty years back." Dral replied curtly to the goblin elder.

The old goblin's eye's narrowed.

"Why does dwarf think goblins know of this?" He spat.

"Come on, you ma- boyos should remember it. Pretty carriage. A couple of humans guarding a lady. Lots of shinys inside."

The old goblin shook his head.

"No. Warned off. Not to touch carriage. Was wanted by others."

"What others?" Dral asked, his sole eye narrowing. "And how come you remember so good?"

Sybille looked up from the vegetables, "Well... it's the largest and closest to the Viscount's castle. Though I'm not really sure why... just to rub it in to my uncle that he is on the viscount's good side I suppose." She frowned at the thought. She looked over at Ander, "Why? What are you planning?"

 

Joker grinned and shook her head, "Whatever, what everyone else been thinking?"

"Its been pretty split actually... nearly half but not quite are now loyal to Adil while a slight majority are hoping for your return I believe." He shrugged 

"Hmm... well tell whoever you know that still supports me that I may be needing some help in the future. Not sure when yet, but uh keep your ears open yeah?"

The elf smiled widely, "Whatever you say boss." With that he ran off away from the tanning shop.

"We will need to tell your dad that you're...safe." Ander answered Sybille.

He shrugged.

"Sooner or later. A personal visit might be the right touch."

Taking off his outer robe disguise, the half elf sat down cross legged on the floor.

"If I know how to get in and out of there safely."

 

"Good to see elves aren't all about frolicking through the woods." Ruby commented as she watched Joker's follower run off. "Though, your friend Adil doesn't sound like the type to take this lying down. He might have a few tricks up his sleeve."

'Oh I bet my old nanny could help you get in and out!" She said cheerfully. "She left me a way to meet her if anything went wrong. Her husband owns a small fish stall in the marketplace." She wrinkled her nose at the fireplace, " I have no idea how to make a fire..." She confessed looking over at Ander for help. 

 

"That's what I have been worried about..." Joker said quietly watching her friend and ally run off. "You think I could hire some of your crew to keep an eye on him? Ya know see if he has anything in mind, plan wise?" Her hand went to her pocket to ensure she did have money which thankfully, she did. 

Ander got up from his cross legged sitting and came over to the fireplace. He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a small pack of matches. There was a small pile of wood nearby, which he started stacking neatly in the fireplace.

"How much do you trust this nurse?" He asked. "And how much do you care about her? This will be dangerous."

 

Ruby thought a moment, then nodded congenially.

"At a reduced rate, too." She answered. "I don't like him, so you can have a discount."

She stuck two fingers in her mouth whistled loud. A few seconds later, a street urchin wondered over. The two small people conversed in hushed tones, for a moment, then the new comer darted away.

"There." Ruby said, giving Joker a smile. "Adil can't go to the privy without my knowing it."

 

The response to Dral's question was a leveling of weapons at him by the goblins.

"Others we don't mention." The goblin growled. "We no say, they no kill. You leave now."

Dral eyed the goblins, then smiled.

"Fine." He said in an almost friendly tone. "Nice doing business with you."

He tossed the two bags of gems, which burst as they hit the ground. All the goblins dove for the sparkling stones, which gave the old dwarf a chance to kick the door open and leave at speed. He didn't get the answers he wanted, but he got enough and was still alive.

"Sticking goblins." He grunted as he slowed to a stop a block away from the den.

Sybille thought for a moment watching Ander build the fire. "I trust her... and she knows the risks of helping me. " She got up and started to prep the veggies she wanted to cook. She found a large pot she could put everything in for a stew. "I'm gonna go get some water." She said before walking out and heading to the well. Once there she lowered the small bucket down and began the boring task of filling the pot with water.

 

Joker smiled, "Awesome, how much do you want?" She motioned for Ruby to walk while they talked as she started to make her way back to Sybille and Ander. She was glad that she happened to have her money on her when her old place burned down or else she would be seriously out of luck. She rubbed her thumb against the hilt of one of her knives out of habit. 

Ander struck a match and lit the assembled wood on fire. He watched as the flames took hold of the wood, thinking about the concept of loyalty. It was one the monks were good at explaining, but Ander had never really gotten it. It seemed too delicate a thing to be a binding force. History was full of people who died loyally following someone who wouldn't return the favor. And of those who discarded their loyalty when profits presented themselves. But who knows? Maybe this nurse had it. He could only hope that Sybille did as well.

 

"We can discuss payment later." Ruby told Joker, the halfling following the elf along the street. "A, for security reasons. Not all the urchins are mine. And B, I may need some favors from tall people, so I'd like some of the payment in...services rendered, if that's fine with you."

Sybille lugged the bucket of water back tot he house and scooped in the vegetables and meat. She hung it over the fire that Ander created and sat back down next to him. "Ta Da!" She smiled at the pot then looked over at Ander. "Not bad huh?"

 

Joker smiled, "Consider my tallness at your service." She performed a mock bow and kept walking. "I'll be looking forward to any information you can give me." She waved and entered the house. "Hmm something smells good." Joker wandered over to the pot and looked in. "How did we have money for this?"

It took Ander a moment to react to Sybille's question. He then shook himself and looked over at the human.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked. "Oh, yes. Smells good."

Deciding to give his scheming a rest for now, he walked over to the pot.

"What's the recipe?" He asked, absently.

When he heard someone entering, he whipped around lightning fast, causing only a small distortion in the fire. He relaxed as Joker and Ruby come in.

"Ah, good to see you." He said.

He looked down at Ruby.

"Both of you."

Ruby flashed Ander a smile, then went over to the pot.

"Smells good." She noted.

"We pooled our mad money." Ander answered Joker as he watched the halfling.

Sybille shrugged. "Just something I put together." She smiled at the complements her creation had received. "There is plenty if you want some." She offered the halfling. She gave the stew a slow stir and brought out some bowls and spoons she found in the cabinet across the room form the fireplace. She filled the bowls with even amounts of soup and set them by the fireplace to be claimed. 

 

Joker waved and sat down near the fire to warm up. She rubbed her hands together lightly. She tilted her head wondering exactly how much money Sybille was keeping with her. She made a mental note to find out later. Now  she decided to just enjoy the meal that was being passed around, for hot meals were hard to come by for people like herself. 

Ruby immediately grabbed up a bowl as soon as Sybille put it down. As someone who lived most of her life on the streets, she learned to eat whatever was around and eat it fast. Ander, use to simple means made by men who only had the most basic knowledge of cooking down, inspected the contents of the bowl for a few moments before picking one up. It certainly looked more edible then some of the dishes Brother Leonard.

"Thank you, Sybille." Ander said as he sat down and started in on his soup with a spoon he snagged.

He looked over at Ruby, who was slurping down her soup by drinking it from the bowl. He hated slurping.

"So, how was your walk?" Ander asked Joker, also indicated with his eyes that the question included what the slurping halfling was doing here.

Edited September 8, 201411 yr by rikunobodyxiii

Joker sat down and took a bowl into her lap. "I found some people who may be able to help us." She shrugged then followed his eyes to Ruby and smirked. She refrained from making the comment she wanted to and started eating her soup. "Ruby is keeping an eye on a subject of worry that I can't quite seem to get rid of." She allowed herself to relax a little and lean against the stone of the fireplace. 

 

Sybille smiled at the halfling happy that someone would enjoy the meal she made. She started eating and had to admit is was no where near the food she was used to but, it wasn't half bad either. All the activity from the day left her starving and as a result she happily ate her soup glad to be rid of the manners she had grown up learning. 

Ander could guess as to the 'subject of worry', but didn't press on that point. For now, it was good to know there was some people on their side. Aside from the crusty old dwarf. Ander still wondered about Dral. He was sure that the old dwarf was planning something more then simply removing the current Viscount. But what was it?

Ruby pulled away the bowl from her lips and licked them before speaking.

"So, does this team of ragamuffins have a plan, or are y'all not in that stage yet?" She asked.

"Working on it." Ander answered.

The halfling subtly shifted her eyes over to look at Sybille, then shrugged at Ander.

"Maybe I could help on that front too."

The half elf narrowed his eyes.

"How much?" He asked.

"How much does freedom cost?" Ruby asked, grinning slightly, then gulped down more of her soup.

Joker rolled her eyes, " Your being awful nosy" She looked at the halfling in suspicion. As much at Ruby had assisted them, Joker really couldn't afford to trust anyone. She was still trying to figure out Ander as it was and bringing Ruby in on the plan would just put more on her plate. To add to that, she was already stressed about the fact that as far as she could tell no one was looking for Sybille which would be a very bad sign for their plan and only hope of help at this point.

 

Sybille watched the three talk and quietly sat down her bowl. She didn't understand why everyone was being so stiff with one another. Didn't they all want the same thing? What would be the use of betraying each other if it would just set back their ultimate goal?  She crossed her arms and pouted in thought of how stupid adults could be, if they would all just share what each person knew, the group could have been halfway to gaining a human ally by now.

Ruby smiled at joker.

"It comes with my job." She said pleasantly. "Fine, keep your plans to yourself. If you need me, I'll be around."

She slurped down the last of her soup and handed the bowl to Ander.

"Good grub, kid." She told Sybille, touching the bridge go her cap. "Joker. Ander. My lady."

With a final wave, Ruby sauntered out. Ander smiled slightly, then put down Ruby's bowl and kept eating.

"I like her." He commented in between spoon fulls.

Joker chuckled and shook her head, "Weren't you just staring her down 5 minutes ago?" She stood up with her empty bowl and grabbed Ruby's from the ground. She washed them and put them away to sit next to the fire once again. She pulled off her boots and scarf then pulled her hair from it's ponytail in order to comb out the knots and snarls that had formed throughout the day. Her nose wrinkled at the site of a few black strands that ended up in her hand. Joker sighed and continued to comb out her hair, it was moments like these that she missed combs and shampoo. 

 

Sybille finished her soup and followed the elves example. She sat and watched the fire playing with a small weed that has grown through the packed dirt floor of the house. She picked the flower that grew on it's end and twirled it around in her fingers thinking about ways to contact her uncle.