Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Land of Imbrium

The elf's sharp hearing noticed the ranger's presence, but only when he turned his head to see who was coming he realized he recognized that person. To say he wasn't surprised would be a lie. Such a remarkable coincidence.

However, his attention was soon drawn towards the door again. He considered using force, yes; in fact, it was the first thing he considered. But he knew very well he wasn't nearly as strong or tough as he needed to be if he wanted to bust the door down. Speed, skill and sharp weapons stand little chance against doors. So it wasn't too long before he again directed his attention towards Dadj.

"The rain woman is here." He merely said.

Celestina frowned as she heard Sitta speak and call her the rain woman. Reluctantly, the door opened. She stood there, just the same, though now her eyes held black clouds in them. "What do you want with me? I'm busy." She had a terrible headache. Indeed, many people thought she was the cause of the rain, but that certainly wasn't true. She was trying to find a way to stop it.

So far though, nothing had worked. Her eyes noticed Dadj. A coincidence indeed. "What are you two doing here?"

Dadj lifted his head to look at the elf fully. He did not have time to respond as Celestina opened the door and gingerly peeked out. The Ranger was subdued after his reluctant return to this town and he did not feel like shooting off a fiery response. He was actually not expecting a warm welcome or in fact any words from the elf. However, he didn’t dwell on it long as Celestina was now speaking to them.

Dadj gave up trying to unlock his door and instead brandished his key and remarked, “We are to be neighbors.”

The Ranger's remark earned him a glance from Sitta, who had been looking at Celestina as she spoke. There he was, fighting for their lives and well-being, and one was 'busy' while the other struggled to unlock a door. To say that that fact did not annoy Sitta would be a lie.

"Neighbors? Perhaps in the afterlife, if this strange rain does not stop." The elf's eyes returned to Celestina, his facial expression as dull and uninterested as ever. "And I believe you know something about this. Am I wrong, rain woman?"

Celestina looked at Dadj as he claimed to being her neighbor. "I see." She just gave a little nod, but her attention was taken to Sitta. She frowned slightly. "I do know something about this. But, contrary to your probable belief, I did not make this happen." She sighed and rubbed her forehead with two fingers.
"The creature, the odd bird that attacked. It is very similar to this rain, and comes from the same person. However I do not know why he would go to such lengths, or what his goal is. I only have a guess as to where he might even be. I've been trying to stop it, but all it does is drain me of energy. Any rain I make to cleanse the black poison only gets swallowed up and contaminated."

Dadj had only been half listening. He tuned out when the elf started to speak again. He had his door open now and he shuffled his things inside the door. As Celestina was speaking he was out of sight riffling through the room presumably making himself at home. He returned to the door as Celestina was finishing her explanation; sans a shirt and chewing on a strip of dried meat. The amount of scar tissue present on his chest made his lack of caring evident.

He leaned his hip against the frame of the door and watched Celestina. He swallowed the food in his mouth and frowned. With this kind of rain happening he could never leave this town and that frustrated him. “So…We have to find the dolt who thinks it’s a good idea to burn out his surroundings and beat that idea out of him.”

He inspected the meat in his hand and then his eyes slid to Celestina to take in her reaction. “I’m assuming you know how we can find the one who is doing this?”

Celestina listened to Dadj and nodded. "Well...yes, in essence." She sighed at his question and rubbed her cheek. "Er...Sort of. I'm sorry. I don't know specifically. I don't know for sure if he's there, but he might be."

She thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't know if it's worth it to go all that way and find he is not there. But there is no way to know if he is truly there or not."

Sitta knew very well it wasn't Celestina who was causing the strange rain. Why would she? Part of a race who values their lives more than any ideal - such was the understanding he had of humans - she would never do something that would put her own life in peril, no matter the reason.

"If he is not, we will all perish. Rain woman, I expect you to lead the way. Be swift. We will seek and slay the one who is causing this."

Dadj, who had no information on the location of that person, did not deserve his attention any more.

Celestina frowned at Sitta. "Thank you," she said coldly, "For those words of wisdom. I am well aware of what my failure may lead to. It is impossible to travel through the rain. We are stuck here and have no way of transportation to him. Unless one of you can carry a solid sheet of rock over your head to offer temporary shelter while we walk, none of us are going anywhere."

She sighed in despair. She could think of no way to get to the castle. It was raining always this black, burning rain. They were stuck. However, her attitude had already changed greatly from the scared being she used to be. She was more bold and open now. Usually.

Dadj watched in silence as he finished his meal and the two conversed. He could feel that he was being snubbed by the snooty one and Celestina was wallowing back into her own despair about their transportation. He alone could probably do it, but he would show up naked and smoking with burns. He could not get his horse to do what he asked in this rain, no matter the amount of his skill in animal handling. The beast was too hurt and too frightened by the onslaught. He frowned in annoyance.

"Would a carriage..." he trailed off. He was not looking at either of them, but rather staring at an uneven floor board. He cut his thought short as he realized something was going to have to pull the carriage. His honey ears looked up and caught Celestina's. He was at a loss.

At first, he felt like scolding Celestina for he lack of will to sacrifice herself for a greater good. Then he realize that departing under that rain would not be a sacrifice, it would be mindless suicide. So he said to her the kindest thing he had said to a human in a long time.

"Understandable."

So, they were pretty much doomed. And Sitta's initial plan of flying above the clouds and seek the source of the darkness had many flaws, being one of them the possibility of him melting completely before he reached such heights. He'd have to think of another way. Much like Dadj, he was at a loss. He did not look like he was at a loss, but he most certainly was.

"To stay and die slowly, or to go and die quickly. Is there not a third option?" He asked himself, aloud.

Celestina listened to both as they tried to come up with a plan. She rubbed her head and looked at them both. "I would prefer the option that allowed me to keep my life." She watched them both for a moment and then ventured a few words. "What other modes of transportation are there? Do either of you have any...ways of moving, that might be helpful?" Anything speedy would be best. But she doubted that would work well.

"Do either of you have magic? I only have a few limited spells, none of which are any help." He thought back to the plethora of people he knew throughout his many years. What he wouldn't give to have some of them back here today. "Anything like a shielding spell?"

Sitta was quick to reply. "I am no magician." In fact, there were probably few people less magically inclined than him. His people trusted in segregation and overspecialization - a fencer would never learn anything about magic, same as a clothier would never learn anything about smithing. Each would invest all their skill and effort in one activity, perfecting it at the cost of everything else.

"I see no other solution to this problem. Give me the directions to whoever is causing this, rain woman, and I will handle the issue."

While he did not abhor the fact that the snooty elf would probably die in this rain, Dadj was annoyed that the man thought he was capable of doing the job by himself. He also did not like leaving his fate to this man who was clearly only concerned with himself. He wanted to get out of this town. He though of the few spells he knew and a bramble of thorns or a animal companion were not going to be any help.

"You may got out there and burn to death, but I still say we push for a mage. We should go downstairs and ask around."

Celestina considered Dadj's question for a moment. "I can manipulate water. Perhaps I could keep up a continuous shield of water while we travel. We'd have to take shelter every so often for me to rest. But if we move quickly, I might be able to make an overhead cover by constantly manipulating the water within the black poison rain." If even one drop slipped they would probably get burned, but she felt like a minor injury was better than no chance at stopping the rain.

She looked to both men, waiting for their opinions on this revelation.

Dadj considered her idea. He was not opposed to it. What minimal water might get through wouldn't be enough to bother him too much. He looked to Sitta who was obviously unreadable. He nodded his approval to the idea. "But a mage still might be helpful to keep you going. You're bound to get tired. And without you we do not know where we are going or what we are looking for."

Sitta was indeed relieved that there was a way to do it that didn't involve his own painful death. He was unafraid to lay down his life for the greater good, true. That didn't mean he was suicidal in any way. He graced both 'lowly humans' with a nod, showing he agreed with Dadj.

"He is correct. If we are lucky enough to find a magician in this building, their help would be most valuable."

"Alright. I suggest we look for one now, then. We need to stop this rain as soon as possible. Eventually it will start to corrode the buildings. The only way to hide from this rain is to hide beneath layers of rock. We cannot force the entire population of Imbrium into a cave." She shook her head slightly and sighed, then headed towards the stairs. "Alright, let's go. We must find a mage."

She would need all the help she could get. She wasn't exactly social, and she sure couldn't go anywhere on her own.

Dadj held up a finger to indicate he needed a moment, slid back into the inky blackness of his room and reemerged fully clothed. He wore an open-neck poets shirt beneath a leather tunic. He jacket was worse off then he had hoped from the bite of the rain and therefore unacceptable to wear in public. He closed the door behind him and rolled up his sleeves as they descended the stairs. As the Ranger entered the busy inn house he immediately switched on the charm. He was all smiles and mystery, which caused people's eyes to wander toward him. When he felt he had more than a few people's attention he strode confidently to the bar, where he perched himself atop a stool.

"People of Imbrium!" The room settled in a hush as they gave their previously concealed attention to the man stalking over the bar like a wild cat. "I and my party seek to rid the land of this horrendous storm. We will seek out those regarded as suspects to the downpour and dole out vengeance in the name of justice." The people were riled now, they were hopeful but did not want to place too much in the hands of these strangers. Sure, some of them recognized him as one of the people who accepted the task of stopping the regular rain some days ago... And it did seem to them that he had stopped that rain; but then they were left to deal with this new, worse rain. They were doubtful, but willing to give in to hope.

"That will be a suicide mission, bub," some local skeptic murmured over his tankard of ale. Dadj turned his attention to him immediately. He lithely pounced from the bar and sauntered over to this man who would call him out.

"Well, good sir, would you offer your services?" He spoke loudly enough for the room to hear him. The man sputtered and took a long draw of his drink. "I did not think so." The Ranger's words were sharp. he turned back to the crowd. "This might be a suicide mission, if we do not get help. Good people! Is there a brave magician among you willing to accompany my companions and I to honor and glory? To living on in legend and the heroes who quelled this deadly rain?"


(A friend of mine on here wants to make a profile and play the mage/sorceress part. She's got a sorceress gnome, I think. You guys can reply and all but she'd really like to fill the spot.)