Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Race for a Breakthrough (Closed)

This is a group role play between FreeJayFly, PMFantastica, Cerulean, lyingsmile15, RoyaleX318, FroggyGurl, and Mr_Pleasant. Until further notice, this RP is closed to the public.

Important information for players in this RP can be found here This includes players, post turn order, dice usage, and other things. You can use this thread to talk about Race for a Breakthrough if so desired.

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City of Tantatum - Docks | Summer | 06:00 | Slight Fog

Murmurs and grunts of hard working folks were heard close to the docks if anyone were to come close. Everything had to be done relatively quickly and in the morning in order to actually be able to make sure certain exports were actually sent off on time. In this case, however, there had been a brown-haired Elven man who quickly made his way through the docks area of Tantatum, dodging and weaving his way through workers and other people that were to use the boats for their own reasons.

In one of this man's hands was a rather neatly folded paper, and the other held onto a bag that presumably held a majority of his items. Upon closer inspection, one would have been able to say that the man did not do anything to really hide that he also carried certain potions and reagents -- not to mention that he sported some very thick leather and cotton armours. While adventurers and mercenaries were not exactly uncommon, it was never really in the best interest of many to mingle freely with random ones making their way down the streets.

Before long, the man had been waved down by a stout, dwarven man who appeared to have a clipboard and a stern expression on his face.

"Good t'see that ye could make it early, err... wot was it..?" the dwarven man spouted, flipping through his clipboard after looking the tall elven man over a couple times. Pursing his lips at the board, he finally said, "Grimswald, innit? Climb aboard an' familiarise yerself wit' the others. I'm sure yer other cohorts will make it shortly."

"I look forward to that. Thanks!" the elven man, otherwise known as 'Grimswald' had said, going ahead to boarding the ship.

The ship itself was not too terribly special. It certainly looked like your run of the mill ship. The only thing that appeared to have been different were the magic users that seemed to have been placing certain, luminescent crystals down tubes -- not only that, but there seemed to have been two or three chests full of these crystals.

Walking toward one of the people filling these tubes, Grimswald had asked: "would it be too troublesome to ask what exactly these crystals are? I've not seen this many in one place at a single time. I have a feeling I know, but I'd love to have my presumptions verified."

"They're mana crystals. They're being prepared for back up in case something is to happen that the crew needs time to fix. With some storms off the coasts of Arvendor, it's surprising that some ships come back at all," the small individual replied, their deer-like ears twitching slightly as they lifted another wiry hand to drop one more crystal down the tube.

"So... is this like... for defence, or-" Grimswald began again, though was cut off.

"Steering, defence, warmth, coolness -- anything that the captain decides is needed for the crew at any given point in time," the animalistic woman replied.

"Ah... very handy to know. It's very good to be on a ship with such a feature; thanks for filling me in," Grimswald said, smiling a bit before walking along the rest of the deck, waiting for the others that were contracted for protection means.

An odd assortment of leimoniads were grouped around a white-blonde female of theirs, giving off waves of excitement and sorrow. They had gathered near an apothecary, just so they would feel closer to nature and to stock up on supplies they wouldn't find normally in their forests. The blonde's emerald eyes watched the bustle of humans scurry around.

"Amaryllis? Are you even listening to Ophelia?" The large male startled her out of her reverie. She smoothed her cloth dress down and tucked a lock of white behind her ear. "Hmm? Oh, Aimilios. What was it?" A warm smile spread across his face and Aimilios placed a hand on her shoulder. "We bestow on you our blessings and good fortune on your journey. May Fate guide you." Amaryllis grinned and he withdrew his hand as Zeta walked forward.

The small redhead looked up at her with tears in her eyes, sniffling."Ama, we're going to miss you.." Amaryllis bent down and engulfed her with a hug just as Zeta sobbed. Amaryllis drew back and dug around the herbs and brews in her satchel, finally pulling out a ring made of vines. "Here, Zeta. So you will remember me as I am now."

After a few more farewells, Amaryllis dived into the crowd, agilely dodging passerbys. She stopped when she arrived at the boat she was looking for, and pulled out a piece of papyrus to make sure. A stout dwarf holding a clipboard coughed loudly to get her attention, and she turned to face him.

"Ye must be Ameryllis, yeah? Then this is yer boat. I'll make sure yer checked off. Go an' introduce yerself to the others on board." She nodded and lightly stepped onto the deck, her hands clutching the strap of her satchel as she surveyed the ship. Amaryllis walked over to the railings and waved at her tribe, a few hands responding back. She sighed, already missing the forest, and took out a potted bonsai plant of her satchel, cupping her hands around it.

The ground beneath the golem’s feet shook ever so slightly as he plodded down the roads of Tantatum towards the port, being forced to take the wider streets as the narrow alleys were too small for the hulking mass of rock and magic. Other than manoeuvring around stands and other market stalls he had little need to make many corrections in his course as the crowds of people tended to move away from him rather than him needing to manoeuvre around them. A small grumble escaped the creature’s mouth as he reached a crossroad and looked around, not noticing anything that looked like sea.

“Grant lost…” He grunted to himself before making his way to the closest stall, kneeling beside it. The young merchant going pale as Grant stared unblinkingly at him with smouldering yellow eyes, resembling that of hot coals. “Grant lost.” He repeated a few octaves lower than what would have been considered regular speaking volume. His voice was gruff but patient, taking a few seconds to think before he spoke again. “Grant need to go to port. Grant lost. Can you help?” He asked, his stare unwavering and his face expressionless. Language was not his strong suit and despite his calm demeanour it did little to quell the fear residing in the merchant.
“Th-The port is down that way!” He yelled, pointing down one of the pathways.
The golem nodded, the slight sounds of shifting rubble being heard as he moved his neck before standing up. “Grant thank you.” He said again before setting off down the road and towards the docks, the people looking to him in fear, some children looked awestruck only to be pulled away by a parent. Grant paid them no mind as he trundled on. Reaching the port within a few minutes.

It didn't take long for the stout, clipboard wielding dwarf to notice Grant, waving him down.
“Yer a big fella aren't ye?” He commented, having to bend over backwards to get anything close to a good look at the head of the nine foot tall behemoth. “Grant the Golem I assume?”
Grant only nodded in response. “Grant is me.” He said.
“An’ ah though that it to be just a moniker...” He muttered under his breath before going back to yelling. “Good t’make yer acquaintance Grant. Get yerself aboard the vessel an’ wait fer the rest of the others; though maybe go to the middle so yer don’t tip it.” He added with a short chuckle. Grant only nodded in response before carefully boarding the ship, his large weight making it sway slightly before levelling out again as he made his way to the centre mast, standing there with his back to it, watching the port silently with his still unblinking coals.

The tapping of a staff on the ground preceded Edda as she made her slow way through the crowd, bumping into people and somewhat enjoying their dedication towards not provoking her. Despite being blonde, smiling, and a woman, Edda tended to appear threatening. Especially because she had her bloody blindfold on tonight, and the people have her a noticeable berth. Not enough to be considered wide, but definitely considerable.

She followed her mental map of the city, the sound of waves and the smell of ocean to the docks, where she grabbed a stranger and put on her least threatening smile. "Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me where the," and here she said the name of the ship, "is docked?"

The stranger presumably did a double take at the fact that a big woman in scored leather armor and a blindfold had suddenly started talking to them. "It's, right there."

Edda sighed. "If you're pointing, it's not working."

The stranger was probably blushing by now. She could hear it in his voice. "Oh, right, right. You want to go straight the direction-"

He was cut off suddenly by Edda putting a finger over his mouth. "No." She offered him an elbow, which he tentatively took hold of. "I'm certain you're not to busy to lead a little old woman to her ship. Or rather, to an angry dwarf in charge of the ship. It would be a common courtesy, now wouldn't it?" She turned her smile prederatory, and the man audibly gulped as he led her across the docks to the dwarf.

With a click of the tongue, Edda verified that this was indeed a dwarf, or some other short person. She smiled. "I'm here for the bodyboarding job. Edda Varsdottir."

The dwarf rustled some paper, and told Edda to join the others on the ship. She did so, listening to the crew bustling in preparation as she seeked out the one she was contracted to. However, first she noticed a large golem standing hear the mast, and she decided that it was probably a guard too, and went to go wait with them, not saying anything.

The smell of salty air lead the cloaked figure towards the docks. She knew where the water was, she felt it in every part of her being. Whatever sort of person she was, she was almost entirely hidden by a dark bluish black cloak, aside from her bare feet and the occasional glimpse of the lower half of her face. Her features were subtle, her skin was just a little too light to be a warm shade of coffee brown, she had a somewhat pronounced nose, hinting at her descent from the people of the deserts. A pair of coral pink lips curled up into a smirk as she walked, in what appeared to be an aimless fashion, through the city. It was obvious that she was in no hurry to get where she was going, she felt no need to rush.

For her, there was no one to say goodbye to, no family or friends. She had no one, and she liked it that way. Life was easier without having any strings attached to keep her somewhere. At her age, she was already wary of the world, after spending the last 3 or so years of her life on the run.

But here she was, in a new place, about to embark on an adventure. She wasn't sure why this venture interested her so much, but it did. It was an excuse to go somewhere far away from humankind for a while and see new places.

Making friends wasn't something she had any intention to do. She'd made that mistake once, only to be betrayed and forced to flee once more in her life. Never again, she had promised herself.

She eventually found herself at the docks, standing before a dwarf with a clipboard. One light brown hand slid out of her cloak to pull the hood back, revealing the face of a young woman with brown eyes that were guarded and loose golden brown hair that was braided and pinned up to keep it out of the way.

Without giving him a chance to speak, she spoke abruptly, "Miriela." There was no last name attributed to her, if she ever had one it was long lost and forgotten. Turning, she pulled her hood back up and walked onto the ship without hesitation.

Not even bothering to acknowledge anyone on the ship, she walked up to the prow of the ship. Her cloaked shrouded most of her form, and she stood still, staring out at the waters. Inhaling the smell of the water, she let the feeling of it run through the entirety of her body. She felt every movement of the water beneath the ship, letting herself just savor that feeling and ignore that there were people on the ship with her. People were irrelevant to her, in that moment.

The race of Wabbaloq was similar to that of a dwarf or a halfling, but it was more closely related to a gnome kind of people. They were furry all over and only about three feet tall. Their people were of peaceful natures living far to the south in the smallest country in the land known as the Loqwood. On this day Grim was walking here from a small village beneath a large cliff just a few days journey from here known as Candle Wick, "finally found this god forsaken port town." Per-usual it had taken him an extra couple days and he started trotting along faster and faster as the ship seemed to be about ready to make way.

"Grim, son of Piiro, second brother of Woods..." On his back was a one handed mace, a weapon that he had to uses both hands for seeing how small he was, on his side was a bag of just a few gold pieces, and he also carried a small pack filled with food rashens, rope, and a bottle of rum. "I am a mercenary out of Candle Wick..." It was the town just over the border in this country from his. He wasn't much of a peaceful fella himself unless he started to drink, in which case he wanted to be petted and was just a natural born snuggle muffin. But during the days of his short little Wabbaloq life he was a brutish little munchkin. "Ya gonna let me on or ain't ya," he said reaching his arm back and gripping the mace above his left shoulder.

Amaryllis gazed at the people who she was soon to be traveling with. They all seemed intimidating, aside from the young woman with brown locks, unsettling Amaryllis, as she usually had trouble with those kind of folk. She either ended up fighting them or silently fuming after a long argument. Intimidating people brought out the worst in her, so she slightly edged away from them.

She sighed, easily becoming annoyed from the seagulls perching on her antlers. Amaryllis waved them off, muttering, "Shoo, birds. I know I normally like them, but these I hate..." They fluttered off with loud screeches and she folded her arms grumpily. So far this quest was just putting her in a bad mood, which rarely happened. She'd lived for many years, and never had she rode on ship. Amaryllis swore silently to herself that she would never do this kind of daring thing again...

((Please remember to keep in mind the player character post turn order! We don't want to leave players behind on the action, so if it's not your turn to post, please wait until it is. :'D Currently, if someone does not post in three days while it is their turn, then the person after them can post and resume the turn order.

Also, while I am here, I must tell all of you who are part of this role play that due to circumstances, my internet is not the best. I will not be able to keep up with the thread as much as I would like until about three to four weeks from now. However, that does not mean that I will neglect this thread. If I can check up on it and update when necessary, I most certainly will.))

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City of Tantatum - Docks | Summer | 07:15 | Slight Fog

Grimswald had turned to look at the newcomers that have boarded the ship since his arrival. With a small smile and a slight wave of his hand, he had given a small salute in greetings to those that had come onto the ship's deck. There appeared to have been those that were more than either just timid or shy to have wanted to mingle, and that was something that Grimswald had perfectly been okay with and used to in his line of work. However, this would not mean that he, himself, would construct walls in order to avoid talking with other people.

In fact, Grimswald had been rather chatty and more curious than most. When the golem had boarded the ship, the Elven man had certainly perked up a bit before making his way a little closer to observe the creation of terra and magic. The other people that were aboard the ship seemed rather interesting as well in many cases -- if anything, Grimswald had been a little surprised the type of company that had signed up for this rather mundane sounding mercenary task. That, and he kind of doubted that they were there for the same reasons he had been.

Clearing his throat slightly, Grimswald had greeted the golem a little more directly with a cheery expression on his face.

"Hail there, friend!" Grimswald started, waving up at the stone creature. "Quite the interesting job you seemed to have signed up on!"

While there were those getting to know each other on deck, the dwarf that had been overseeing those boarding had chewed at the end of his pen with a slightly disgruntled expression upon his face. Scrunching up his nose and soon spitting little flecks of plastic out his mouth the dwarven man had approached a slender looking woman who bore curved horns at either side of her head.

"Well now, Cap'n, it seems that there's someone on dis list dat just ain't made it yet," the dwarven man had pointed out, flipping throw papers and then pulling a single sheet file on one of the people that they had been expecting.

"'Ow long we got before da Hollywea'der's sails take wind 'neath 'er vellum?" With his quesetion, the dwarven man had scratched his chin and placed his pen in a pocket before watching as the woman had steepled her hands and placed then down at rest.

"Worry not, Wigurth. If they do not show, then they do not show. We will have to board the Hollyweather and take to the ocean's mercy if they do not make it in..." the horned captain had dug in her coat pocket and pulled out a watch. A pensive look crossed her face before she pocketed the device and continued: "an hour or so. If they do not make it here by then, then our lovely team of scientists will have to be one mercenary short."

Grant watched on silently and unblinkingly from his position by the mast of the ship, his eyes flickering over the crowds going about their usual business, buying and trading, loading up stock into their ships or otherwise just sitting on the edge of the harbour, their feet dangling over the cold water below.

He continued to watch quietly as who Grant could only guess was more mercenaries boarded the ship and went to other parts of the ship. One that had particularly caught his attention was a blond haired woman wearing what appeared to be bandages around her eyes make her way over to him and stop. Grant quietly stared at the bandages in particular, wondering how she could see enough to not bump into him. He did not dwell on it much though as his silent pondering was stopped by:

"Hail there, friend! Quite the interesting job you seemed to have signed up on!"

Grant shifted a little to look towards the source, rocking the ship ever so slightly as he did so. After quickly observing the source of the voice, Grant noticed the pointed ears but not coming to the conclusion that he was speaking to an elf. Unfortunately the golem could not tell the difference between elf and human, much to his irritation.

“Grant told this was protection job?” He asked, his voice deep and patient. “For science expe… exped...” He said, struggling to pronounce the complex word before making a sound that could easily have been a sigh but came out more like a grumble. “For science.” If his facial expression could change it would have been a look of irritation and disappointment. “Grant not good with words. Still learning.” He added apologetically but with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Edda stood, listening to the idle noise of the harbor around her as she played her usual game of trying to pick out individual snippets of conversation. Something about a missing mercenary, though they seemed to be just piling up on this ship.

She perked up as she heard footsteps approaching, and as a voice spoke up. As she listened to the ambient echoes, she gauged that the speaker was shorter than her, as she was used to, but only by an inch or so. His voice was apparently directed at the golem, and as she listened to the conversation, she was entirely surprised to find out that the golem could speak. Perhaps she should talk to it? It was a person, not just a large, animate pile of magic and rock.

She gave talking to it a maybe, and addressed the speaker with a grin. "I'm here for the job as well. Edda Varsdöttir, blind bodyguard at your service." Her accent was tricky to place, she lengthened the os and sharpened the consonants. She gave a slight bow as she leaned on her staff. She looked up at Grimswald with her bandaged eyes, reading his body language through the echoes. "Assuming, of course, you are the one paying me." She straightened up, adopting a causal stance with her staff as a balance. "If so, good to be working with you! It not, please fetch Grimswald!"