Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Mystic Tavern [CLOSED]

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."

He grinned a bit more as her form started to shift. He knew the sudden change would catch the attention of people nearby, but only by virtue of people being used to everyone showing their true form here. He laughed softly as the man fell out of his chair, shaking his head a bit as he did. The lack of perception by others always astonished him. Did he not hear their conversation being so close to them? They weren't exactly quiet about it.

He sipped from his chalice, listening to the varied types of stories she mentioned. It surprised him that demons held him in such high regard. After a moments speculation on that, it didn't surprise him anymore, though. Demons ruled through fear, and their respect was always garnered by virtue of fear from those they respected. It was only natural that they would hold such esteem for him.

"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, and a little underrated. Of course, that's all based on your perception I suppose. Compared to the vast majority of knights and anything lower than that, I suppose it would seem that I have unlimited power. I, myself, have very little power in all honesty. I simply have a vast area of pools I can draw from, in a sense. What they thought was power was merely highly practiced martial prowess with a mix of energy that was just the right application against my foes. The underrated part would be in the term 'dozens'. Though I find it a vanity to keep a kill count, as some assassins might feel the need to do so, and as such could not provide an accurate number, I can say with confidence that the number of demons I slew in those days far exceeded dozens. I believe it would be closer to tens of thousands. Though, that number would be vastly smaller had they not extremely underestimated me and send dregs at me to start. If you're truly interested, I guess I could give you a true idea of myself by explaining that I have taken down some of the demigods of the demon realms, such as Demigorgon and Lolth. Though they are not dead, I had imprisoned them for quite a long time. I have been defeated before, though never been slain...not at the hands of demons, anyways.

It was clear he was holding something back, debating in his mind how much to divulge. He knew where his weaknesses lay, and knew what information he could let slip, but sometimes that information could easily be weaved just right to discover those other weaknesses. As he contemplated, he took a slow and quiet sip from his chalice. He set it back on the table, and leaned a little closer, turning his chair sideways so that he was still relaxed but could speak in confidence.

"You see, my sister is The Planeswalker. She is an entity that the vast majority of creation does not know about. I can't really tell you anything about her, but I can say that her job is to maintain the balance of the multiverse. If the balance ever shifts too far in one direction, the whole thing falls apart in a very...very horrible way, one in which no language ever created or to be created would fully be able to describe. When I went to stop the demon realms from doing what they were doing, it was an attempt to prevent her from stepping in. In effect, I was not fighting for myself, or demons, or angels, or any given faction. I was fighting for the very threads of creation that would have been imploded should the demons have succeeded with their plans...and they came close enough to matter. So, as I said, somewhat exaggerated, and underrated at the same time."

She seemed much more relaxed in her true form, but who wouldn't be? It could be exhausting always keeping up a mask and pretending to be someone or someTHING you're not. Takes a lot of energy and a mass of powerful magic to keep it going for that long. She could recharge so to speak. Now she could at least enjoy herself and not worry so much about keeping it up. Sure, some were staring. She was unsure whether they recognized her as the former princess or just as a powerful demon. She listened just as carefully to his words now as she had done before, taking a huge interest in what he was saying. Definitely the most interesting being she had met in several years. "I see..." she mumbled as he answered her question and explained the situation. When he said that the number of demons he had slain was vastly larger than what the rumors had said, she raised her eyebrows and smiled. Perhaps most demons would've been offended. Angry that he would dare mention that to another demon in the way that he did. But she found it quite impressive and exciting. She didn't care much for demons anyway. "Really? All by yourself?" She didn't actually doubt that he could take them alone. For a moment she had felt a surge of energy coming from him earlier, and it was incredible. She noticed that he was holding something back. It seemed like he was arguing with himself what he should tell her and what he shouldn't tell her. She too, moved a little closer so as to hear his words better. "The Planeswalker?" She whispered to herself, although making sure no one else except herself and him heard it. She had heard about an entity such as the Planeswalker. Actually, his story sounded familiar, but she did live in the castle at the time, but her father sometimes kept her away. She probably doesn't remember, because he made sure she wasn't too close. The demons mention it in passing every once in a while. Some kind of ritual that went wrong or whatever it was, it had a huge impact and the mission failed. "I think I've heard about this incident before," she replied seriously and curious. "So that's what started the rumors and when you really made a name for yourself in the demon realm. That would definitely explain a lot." She added and sat up a little. She had to admit that this conversation just got more and more interesting. She found out some very interesting facts about Sauron, and he seemed to know a bit more about her too. "I wish I could say I was just as impressive as you. It seems that there is much more to you than meets the eye." She winked and chuckled lightly. She didn't take his words lightly, and meant no disrespect. She took it very seriously actually and definitely thought it through.