Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Mystic Tavern [CLOSED]

A surprisingly young boy, easily in his late teens, leisurely walks into tavern. He's carrying no weapons, no armor. Strange for someone to that, considering the dangers in the tavern. As he walks, he glances around, curious about the inhabitants.
He immediately spots a man with a small dragon on his shoulders, and gives a micro-expression of interest. As he continues, he sees a woman obviously distraught. Xara thought about consoling here, but quickly dismissed the idea. Didn't want to risk being attacked. Just as he sits down to order some water, he spots a small skeletal cat rubbing up is leg. He stares blankly at it, curious of its reanimator. He decides to ignore the cat and continue looking for the barkeep.

((Sorry for such a late response. I think my e-mail broke...I got no notifications from this (even though I'm subscribed to do so). Hopefully this wont happen again, and I'll be sure to check periodically just in case.))

He saw the nod from Chimera, grinning a bit and nodding in return. Her thoughts were not very well guarded as of now, and he couldn't help but chuckle internally to her varied musings. He wondered what stories she had heard of him, and which ones were true. He had caused quite a ripple among the lower planes a few lifetimes ago, and it's definitely possible that some of those ripples were still being discussed. It was only a matter of time before those discussions became action.

She was different, though, and he could tell. Sure, she was a demon, but she was on the path to redemption. She had forsaken her people to live with mortals, and had done a good job so far. While her gaze was upon him, he held a hand up, motioning politely for her to come join him. He dropped his feet from the table, letting the dragon perch upon his shoulder still, and set his chalice down after a quick sip from it. His grin was still unsettling, showing no signs of good intentions. It left one to wonder if he was constantly thinking of evil and torturous things, or if he simply had a great secret to which he knew everyone wanted to know and would not tell.

She hardly noticed the new stranger come into The Mystic Tavern. Even if he stood out. To most people, she would appear just like him. Looking to be in her late teens, early twenties. A spiky white ponytail of hair grazed her shoulders, and she wore a skyblue hoodie with a zipper. It appeared that Sauron had noticed her and made a gesture for her to join him. She looked towards the windows, looking out for a moment, before she decided to join Sauron. She calmly and elegantly sat down in front of him. Though she may be a knight and a demon, there were still signs of royalty. Mannerisms that she might not even notice herself. She was graceful, though she had a brutal glare that could make most men flee. But Sauron wasn't most men and her eyes were calm and neutral at this moment. "It seems like your Tavern is getting more popular every day. You must be proud. Maintaining a place like this must be difficult with all the protective charms and all," she said, striking up conversation. Her voice was a bit curious, but soft. It sounded much more mortal, which was another thing that made her stand out. The voice that used to be harsh and cold was now soothing and nice. Same voice, but different tone. It was more gentle. She might as well pass the time, besides, maybe he could answer some of her questions, and she could find out whether all the stories she had heard about him were true.

His grin was ever present, throughout the motions of Chimera looking out of the tavern windows, moving closer and sitting before him. Even as she spoke, it was almost as if that grin was carved into his face as if he were marble. His voice matched the seemingly present evil that exuded from him, even if his body language suggested otherwise.

"This tavern is nothing to maintain, truth be told. The charms not only protect the tavern such that I've no need to do it myself, but they also run the tavern as well. It truly is a marvel of its own."

He slid his chalice towards her, his grin turning into a soft smile. "Please. Enjoy a sip of my personal beverage, though. It's rather unique, as I'm sure you may recall from earlier."

There was definitely something about this man that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was probably the reason why she so intrigued by him. Who was he really? She had a weird feeling. He seemed quite polite, even to her. Her, a demon knight, an Auxiliadora (royalty), who had slain many foes. She was mostly feared or respected. But he showed her a different kind of respect. He even let her into the Tavern, although he saw her true form. But then again, this was a very odd place. It was filled with all kinds of people. It didn't matter much, who you were in here or what your past. As long as you didn't start any trouble and treated the place with the respect it required and deserved, there were no problems at all, and you'd be left about your business. She looked at him and smiled slightly. She crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair slightly. Her white spiky ponytail fell gently over her left shoulder. She listened to what he said, as she was interested and had nothing else to do. "That would require quite a great amount of energy and magic power, wouldn't it? And you did it all by yourself? I'm impressed, Sauron," she replied. She looked at the chalice curiously and then back at him. She didn't trust a lot of people, so how did she know if he was poisoning her. But then again, why would he? She couldn't help but feel like this was a man, who always had an agenda. He always knew where he was going and what he was doing. It may be a bit intimidating actually, and she was starting to believe that the rumors were true. She had been wondering about him ever since she first heard about him. It was during her time in the dark castle. Believing he did not have any problems with her so far, she gently and carefully accepted the chalice and slowly raised it to her lips. She gave him a nod before taking a sip of the chalice.

One might be a bit confused or find it strange, why she was wondering if it was poison. She was a demon and even demons could use poison. Besides, there were more than just demons in the Demon Realm. Creatures of darkness. And occasionally someone from the outside would pass through the gap and try to kill the creatures, who held the most power. She had had many attempts on her life and had killed everyone, who tried to take her down. Clearly, no one succeeded, and sometimes they were exposed before they had a chance to try. She had been poisoned in the past, but luckily it didn't even hurt her. Chimera is a powerful demon, who is immune to many types of poison, and it is therefore difficult to kill her that way. But there was one time, where she was in terrible danger. She was floating between life and death. She didn't know what it was, but it spread quickly and she remembers the pain that she felt. What it did to her was incredible. It was unimagineable. But she survived. Otherwise she wouldn't be here today. The person responsible was killed.. or so they say.

The drink in the chalice would have tasted like her absolute favorite drink, and of the finest quality. Should it be apple juice, it would be that of the highest quality apples from the tree that grows them best, or be it mead it would be that of the finest meadery with nothing but the finest of ingredients possible.

He smiles to Chimera, giving a light shrug from his shoulders. "You're correct about some of that. Though, truthfully I did not create this tavern. It sort of fell to me when the original owners abandoned it." He laughed lightly, a dark and eerie laugh that didn't seem to be very friendly. A laughter that, to a demon, might remind them of the lord of one of the layers of Hell. "Of course, that's not to say I couldn't have made it if I wanted to. It's not difficult for someone who has made their own plane before."

Everything about his demeanor screamed danger. The way his body was relaxed but posed to be able to move in seemingly any direction, the look in his eyes as he focused on Chimera though obviously paying attention to his surroundings. The placement of his hands were non-aggressively on his lap, but close enough to his blades that a mere flick of his wrists would have them out. His energy was the most dangerous thing about him, obviously being quelled as it attempted to pulse from his body. "How's the drink?"

The group soon plans out their infiltration of the building seen before and begins to pack up. They wave as they leave the bar slowly. Their black hoods brought back up as they slip into the night.
( sorry it's short but I just realized I never left)

Chimera took a sip of the chalice, and she was surprised, when it turned out to be her favorite beverage. She already knew what the chalice did, because of their earlier conversation, but she never expected this result. She stopped for a moment and stared at the liquid in the chalice. It reminded her of the busy streets of the city. Of Autumn, which was her favorite season. It reminded her of a peaceful time. Of her father singing her a lullaby and of her brothers, when they were still alive. She felt the pressure of a tear forming in her eye and forced herself to get a grip. She sighed. It was truly remarkable. She let her fingertips slide across the edges of the chalice, studying it closely and thinking. She then took another sip and looked at Sauron, listening to his words. She got a bit curious, when he said that the Tavern fell to him, when the owners died. So did they leave it to him? There was something eerie and creepy about his laugh, but she never twitched. To her it wasn't unusual and it didn't send shivers down her spine. One might forget that she was after all a demon. It did remind her of a demon of some sort, which kind of made her smile a little. Funny to find that in a man like Sauron. "I am sure you could if you felt like it," she replied. Sauron was a man of many abilities, of many strengths. He was cabable of many things, that she was sure of. He probably knew that about her as well. She could feel part of his energy. He was a dangerous man, and she had to admit that she quite intrigued. He was interesting and different. She had wanted to meet him for a long time, as said earlier, to find out if the rumors were true. She crossed her legs elegantly and looked at the drink in her hand for a moment, when he asked about how it was. "Not bad," she replied, and set it down on the table carefully. "I don't suppose you could teach me this trick?" She asked, with a smirk on her face.

He liked the way she responded to the drink. Even for a demon, she had a certain elegance to her that was befitting someone of her former position. Her moment staring at the liquid in the chalice belied her hiding the surprise at it's quality, but even in that action she was mostly in control of her appearance. Being a demon in human worlds, it was likely to be difficult to not be in control.

"I did not make that, either. It was a gift to me, as was the cat. Symbols, if you will, of eternal friendship and happiness." Not that he couldn't make it, of course. He had long ago deconstructed the magic that make the chalice in order to learn how it was done. A difficult thing to do when trying to preserve it's state. Luckily for him, he had had many years of practice at studying magic and artifacts. "Though, that's not to say I couldn't make it if I wished."

Chimera didn't think much about being in control. She was quite good at illusions and keeping up her illusion just became a habit. It was something she did almost unknowingly. She never let her guard down, and only temporarily did so earlier, because she was unfocused and didn't expect Sauron to be there, which made it easy for him to detect that though she looked human, she was not in fact human, but a powerful demon. She was not much surprised by his words, although she knew he probably had the abilities to do something like this, which made her wonder if he ever did. He definitely seemed like an experienced and refined man. He was very polite in his manner of speaking and acted like a gentleman, but she could feel that there was something underneath all that. He was much more than what he seemed, just as she was. She seemed calm at this moment, but was not to be messed with. She was a demon, and habits die hard. "Really?" She asked, and looked down at the chalice before she took another sip. It was delicious and she had hardly tasted anything better. It was almost like the real thing, but not really. "Eternal friendship and happiness," she repeated and stirred the liquid with the tip of her finger, thoughtfully. "Eternal damnation and betrayal is all I know of," she responded. She referred to the Demon Realm, which might be rare for her. She didn't speak much of it, or at least haven't in a very long time, but it was different with Sauron, because he already knew where she was from, so there was no point in denying it or trying to hide it from him. That would take up too much energy and wouldn't make much of a difference or benefit her in any way.

The slight grin on his face curled up a little more at he words. Honesty was something he greatly respected and valued, and when it came from a creature who's whole people were known to be liars and betrayers, it made the respect just that much better.

"I find it difficult to believe that someone who has spent so long from that home only knows of damnation and betrayal. Perhaps you focus too much on your heritage, and hide it too much as well. You should be proud of what you are, and what you've become."

His eyes were almost dancing with...delight? His body was sitting quite comfortably in his chair, and everything about his posture, save for the fact that he was constantly on guard, suggested that he probably didn't care about this conversation at all. His eyes and voice, however, told a much different story. His words were clearly chosen carefully. His eyes, while still aware of the room around them, were very focused on Chimera. They seemed to have a light in them, beyond the natural and very faint glow that would only be noticeable in the darkness.

(Hi there! I'm so so sorry! I haven't been on here for ages, because I've been busy with a whole lot of stuff and also forgot my password. There has been a lot going on)

Chimera stopped stirring the liquid in the chalice with her finger. Instead, she carefully sat it down on the table they were sitting at. She turned her head to face him again, looking him in the eyes, when he told her to be proud of herself. A little smirk appeared on her face. It was almost sad. Like it was hiding some sort of pain. Chimera didn't really have friends and never allowed herself to get too close to anyone. "What I've become... what exactly have I become? What is there to be proud of?" She sighed and took another sip. She was quite impressed with Sauron's magic and the ability the chalice had in it's accuracy. "You think I hide it too much? You and I both know I can't just reveal my true form, and nothing good would come of it either." The truth was that she didn't want to either. It would remind her of things she didn't need to be reminded of. If she did reveal herself, a lot of people would be staring and someone would end up picking a fight with her. Not that she cared. And she knew she might return to the Demon Realm sometime to sort things out, but she had sworn that she was done with that. That chapter had ended and she had nothing to do there. She also had other business to attend to, and then it hit her. She had actually been in here for quite a while. But then again, whatever business she had could wait and she could always return to the Human World to go back to her normal job in a normal world, but that could wait as well. They surely would not miss her anyway, and for now she was passing time with Sauron. A guy, who she frankly, would've liked to know more about. She still hadn't quite figured him out yet. There was something about him she couldn't quite place and it peaked her curiousity. She liked him though. Sauron was much more interesting than anyone she had ever met and if anyone deserved her respect, it was Sauron.

He felt the shift in her. She was coming to trust him in some way, even if she didn't realize it just yet. Knowing his familiars would keep an eye and alert him of potential dangers should he not notice them, he allowed his guard to relax, and visibly enough that a trained eye would see the gesture of 'opening up'. He leaned forward a bit, as if sharing a great secret.

"What have you become? You've become yourself...your truer self, the self not governed by your kin or the environment for which you've grown up in. You've become the version of you that is potentially limitless. And to that, you could accomplish many things."

He leaned back in his chair again, sipping from his chalice again. He wondered how long it might take her to realize that the chalice was no longer in her hands, or if she would even give any signal to it. The conversation was becoming more and more interesting, and he decided that to read her mind for further information would ruin the fun he was having. She was clearly not a danger to him, at the moment, and palaver with someone who hailed from a realm that sought to do him great harm without worry was an interesting thing indeed.

She could feel something for a moment, as if he was starting to relax more. It definitely seemed like he let his guard down slightly, although she knew Sauron was still protected. She didn't intend to do him any harm, and it only made her glad that he wasn't hostile towards her despite knowing who she was. But she knew that he probably had an eye on her anyway. It was only to be expected with a high-ranking, powerful and influential Demon like herself. She listened carefully and curiously, when he leaned forward af if to tell her a secret. She leaned forward slightly, resting her arm on the table. She listened to his every words, looking him in the eyes and watching his movements as she did. She was a bit surprised by his words. Didn't know what to say or believe. Her truer self. She too leaned back in her chair, hardly noticing that she didn't have the chalice with her anymore and that Sauron was taking a sip of it, but she didn't really care anyway. She thought about his words carefully. "My true self..." She said, her words trailing slightly off. Sauron was indeed an interesting man. She wondered about what he thought. Did he really mean what he said? Did he really care? Did he really find her impressive? Or was he just being kind? She was a Demon after all and could not deny it or escape it. "But I'll always be a Demon. It's my heritage." Chimera was probably the nicest Demon currently in existence. And she was still sarcastic and could definitely easily pick fights. She was still dangerous. And she knew she was a Demon, but she was torn. She didn't reveal herself out of fear that her past would catch up to her. However, she would always remember Sauron's kind words.

His grin turned playful. He wondered if she had realized what she had just said, and knew that the chances were that she didn't. He didn't hesitate, though he did let the 'suspense' of his knowing grin to hold for just a moment.

"Heritage."

That single word, he hoped, would convey everything she needed to hear. He had just mentioned that she focused too much on her heritage, and could help but laugh to himself at the fact that she had just done so plainly and openly. It's as close to admitting it as a person can come to without actually admitting it. He relaxed entirely, allowing his familiars to actually work for a change, and leaned back in the chair (though keeping all four legs planted firmly on the ground). He raised an arm up and rested it behind his head with a bit of a sadistic grin. After he let the word linger in the air for a moment, he continued.

"Allow me to tell you why your heritage means nothing. I am one of a small handful of people within my entire race, Drow, to not worship Lolth. I am one of the very few people among them that have done anything particularly meaningful with my life. I'm one of two, known to me at least, that has become immortal and ascended to...well, whatever I would currently be called by others. I've been worshiped as a god. The part that should surprise you, knowing how evil Drow are...being a race that even mid-tier demons hold a respectful fear for...is that the races that have worshiped me span across the multiverse. I've been welcomed by humans, bugbears, demons, angels, gith, orcs, dragons...the list goes on. My heritage is that of being the most vile, non-demon race known to the planes, and subservient to the Spider Queen. And yet, here I sit...having conquered the Spider Queen in one on one combat, having destroyed many evils...and goods. I've made myself who I am, without regard to my heritage. There was even a time that I hid myself, as you do...I was weak then. Just as you are now. When you can learn to get over that weakness, you'll find your potential then."

He sipped from his chalice again, allowing his power to seep through for just a moment, as if reminding Chimera of the possibilities of shedding her heritage for the power of the truer self. It was like a tidal wave of raw power, crashing and destroying everything in it's path. But it was for a split second, a power line of power that just clips the body as it passes through. His grin was ever present, and his eyes danced in the fire of the hearth.

She noticed the grin on his face, and simply looked at him as he repeated the word 'heritage', a word she hated, and let it linger in the air. She realized that he was proving a point. She looked away for a moment. Observed the people in the tavern and Sauron's familiars. Sauron seemed much more relaxed now. Probably because he realized that she wasn't a threat to him at this moment. Chimera was usually not the best conversationalist, but she found that she rather enjoyed conversing with Sauron. It was quite interesting. She turned to face Sauron again as he began to tell her his story. She payed close attention to his words and didn't blink a single time during his story. She wanted to know more about Sauron out of curiousity. She had, after all, heard many things about him. Tales and rumours from the Demon Realm. She used to get the knights of the castle to tell her those stories or even spoke to people, who had met Sauron. Most Demons would've picked with him probably, but she did not. Over the years, she had become much more mature than most, and she was not dimwitted like most Demons. She had something between her ears and wouldn't want to waste the energy or blow her cover. She wanted to learn more about Sauron and whether he was a potential ally or an enemy, or if she could perhaps learn something valuable from him. And as said before, she was curious and simply wished to talk to him. Sauron had truly turned out to be what she quite thought, but she was prepared for most. She didn't know how many rumours were true, but Sauron's heritage was against him so to speak. He had quite the reputation, she was impressed. Chimera couldn't help but smirk and chuckle lightly at his words. He called her weak. Not usually a word people called her and got away with, but she knew very well what he meant and had no reason to challenge or question him. He was a wise man, that Sauron. "I suppose I do wish and need to get stronger. I have made it my mission to shake off my heritage, if you can say that. But is it weakness to just want to live another life? The Demon Realm bores me and I am through with it. I have nothing to do there anymore and nothing to return to. I am sure there are some, who might be happy to have their princess return, but how many attempts on my life will there be? Not that it matters, because they won't succeed. But yes, it is a finished chapter," she replied and sent Sauron a smile before ordering a drink. "I appreciate this conversation though, you are a wise man." Despite Chimera talking slightly different from Sauron, sometimes her former lifestyle shone through in conversation. There was some sort of elegance to how she spoke. She could speak much like royalty, and occasionally without noticing. Like, when she was talking to a man like Sauron. Someone she respected. She wasn't your ordinary Demon-princess though. She was a warrior-princess with a record. She was also immune to almost any types of poison and there was hardly a weapon she was not trained in using. But she could still play nice, when she wanted to. As Sauron sipped from the chalice, he allowed his power to pass through her for a moment, and she felt it instantly. It was like an electrical surge or something. It was a strong source of energy she had rarely come across. She smiled yet again and crossed her legs. "You've made your point, Sauron."

He shrugged his shoulders, and brought his arms up and behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. His grin lessened slightly, as he actually considered her words. After a moment, he looked back to her, his eyes just as piercing as ever, and his grin returning to his face.

"The weakness is not in wanting to live another life. The weakness is believing that in order to do so, you must change who or what you are. Yes. You're a demon. That's what your heritage is. But it is not who you are. It'll be hard, because the prejudices that exist within all creatures of every realm. You'll have to work harder because of the natural inclination to avoid that which we do not understand or that is vastly different from us, and against the general nature of those who claim your heritage as well. But it is not impossible. Your weakness is that disguise you wear, the one that makes you look like everyone else. Your weakness is in not accepting yourself as you. Do not seek to be like everyone else, for that is the weakness that is for the common man. And you are far from the common man. You should always represent yourself...and not your heritage. That comes in action, not looks."

He chuckled a bit, shaking his head for a second as he thought on his words quickly. "Besides, you'd be far less interesting if you really were what you tried to portray yourself to be."

Chimera listened to his words carefully, while tapping her foot slightly in the air. She settled in the chair a little, but never took her eyes off Sauron. She seemed more relaxed now. Still aware of her surroundings and still keeping her guard up and never letting the illusion fade, but definitely more relaxed. The conversation with Sauron was stimulating. Interesting. The knights of the castle would have done everything in their power for her not to seek him out. But that was a different time and she was a different person. She feared that she had gotten a bit softer over the years. But don't let her fool you, because she would gladly take off your head and she was more than capable. But then again, she did not wish to cause Sauron any trouble. "That's very wise of you Sauron and I appreciate it. I could surely be my true self if that is what you wish? But I do not want to cause you any trouble or destroy anything you've worked so hard on. It is very complicated and I can't reveal myself at the moment, but I will think about what you said. If I do happen to reveal myself at some point and a fight occurs, I will do my best to end it immediately and replace whatever is destroyed in that match. I can't promise I won't kill anyone, but I can certainly try not to." When she said the last bit, she smirked and chuckled lightly. And for a moment her eyes glowed their natural demonic color. It seemed she let a piece of the illusion fade for a moment, perhaps to show him that his words did in fact reach her. Not many people could convince her, but he was very persuasive and spoke well. She hadn't met many people with that ability and education. He treated her like an equal despite her being a huge threat. But he did share his story with her, so it made a lot more sense why he acted the way he did. She had gotten a bit more insight into Sauron. It appears he is indeed powerful like the rumours say. You can't trust rumours a 100%, because they have been delivered from person to person, and things get altered or mixed up along the way. Like a whisper-challenge. People add on to the story and in the end, the rumours become unreliable. But she is convinced that a lot of the rumours are true. And she can rule out any others in the future. This Sauron Runecaster might become an ally or would definitely prove to be helpful. She didn't have any bad intentions and she was sure Sauron knew that. "So.... In my time as royalty and roaming the streets in many worlds, I have heard plenty of rumours about you, Sauron. I was wondering if any of them are true?"

He listened to her words carefully, and couldn't repress his grin from growing ever wider as she spoke. He shrugged his shoulders, then gestured grandly at the tavern.

"All of this!? None of this was my design, nor my work. And you could burn this whole place to the ground. It would simply come back in an hour. However, the bigger problem is that you seem to think being yourself would cause problems. Especially in such a place that attracts such powerful people as yourself. I'll not tell you how to act, I'll simply say that hiding yourself in such a place is...pointless."

He sipped from his chalice again, listening to her question. He pondered the question for quite a while, then shrugged as he spoke.

"I suppose that every rumor is true. Very rarely does a rumor last if it is not founded in some amount of truth. I'm quite sure that some of the older ones are a bit exaggerated, while any of the newer ones would be too vague and likely more lies than rumor. Did you have any particular rumors in mind?"

She listened to him and couldn't help but smile herself, guess it was contagious. This place holds a lot more power than she originally thought, and she was sure it only kept that power because of Sauron. He kept it going. Hell, his mere presence was enough to sustain it. This she was sure of. She nodded calmly. "You make a fair point, Sauron. I suppose I'll allow myself to relax and be my true self.. just this once." The illusion she had kept up started to fade and her true features started to show. She was wearing armor, and she let her wings get a little air before she folded them again behind her back. She did feel more comfortable now. She sighed deeply as it had been a while since she could reveal her true form. She was much more beautiful in her true form though, but also much more intimidating. She did accidentally startle some of the customers in the tavern though with her appearance. One guy sitting relatively close to them, fell out of his chair. But that was probably due to the fact that she had once been a much smaller figure and the sudden change scared him. Not to mention she was somewhat of a big shot in the Demon Realm. She crossed her legs elegantly and rested her arm on the table. "You know, this is not so bad. Feels nice to relax sometimes, although I forgot the feeling of having many eyes on you." She listened with new interest to his words about the rumors. She had to admit that she had been curious for quite a while. "No, not any in particular. Just had to listen to a bunch of tall tales about how some have encountered you and managed to defeat you. Some though have claimed that you have a penchant for fire-starting, but most of them fear you. When I was still a princess, living in the castle, I heard many stories from the knights and from other demons, whispered around the streets. They feared you. Said you slayed a dozen demons and held unlimited power. I heard one rumor after another. Got tired of it after a while. And then I met you here at the tavern, so I thought I'd ask you about it."