Colonial/Independence War

[Albedo]

New Vakosha, South Merinas, in the 437th year of administration under the Vergoh crown.

New Vakosha was one of the first settlements developed since the Vergohian conquests, surveyed as a prime location for a naval base. Like its namesake the city has grown to become a major port and provides for many fleets both mercantile and naval every year. The headquarters of the colonial government is located in a mighty keep at the centre of the city, making it the de-facto capital of South Merinas.

Recent unrest in rural regions of South Merinas have flared into open conflict at places. In response the Governor has deployed his loyal garrisons from urban centres and spread them out among trouble spots in the countryside to fight and prevent further uprisings. Mercenaries, who cannot be trusted not to change sides mid-battle, are used to maintain order inside cities and kept under the Mayors' watchful eyes. It is as risk-free as mercenary work goes, and as such has attracted sellswords from all over the world looking to make easy gold for the next few years.

You are a few of such mercenaries, yet somehow you must have caught a superior's eye, for today the Captain of the West District Watch has summoned a few of you for a special mission. The stocky, balding man looks as though he spent the past few years fighting bureaucratic battles from his desk rather than patrolling the streets, but his eyes are as sharp as ever and the rack of lovingly maintained weapons on one wall of his office all sport well-worn grips.

"Ah've bin told dat y'all ar' da creme o'da crop," he drawls, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on his desk, "n'fer wat ah need dun, ah need ta make sure y'all ain't da worst troublemakers gitting dumped on meh. Show off. Impress meh."

[Thieves]

"Smph," Roar snorted quietly with his nose. Standing in the office like a man of duty should, he was absent-mindedly touching a bruise on his temple; his mind, rather than analyzing what the chief said, wandered around the multiple reddened cuts covering his body, a bit battered in the night. The midnight brawler he managed to shove into jail yesterday was a tall and 'well-nutrishioned' fella, and ingeniously armed. Roar scrubbed his lamp-burnt left side with the inside of his arm, determined not to move too much needlessly. He never felt at ease in quarters of people of authority.

Though as imposing with his stocky constitution as dwarves go, on top of how naturally tough they are (or appear), Roar was not the individual to open his mouth up first, but he kept his stature solid. His brightness was once compared to an unlit torch sixty feet down a mine shaft, and on numerous occasions it held true enough, but the heir to the name of Dragoncrusts knew that it's better to leave talking to those made for it, and not as skilled at whatever the mountain forests' homeboy axe-lord was.

[Jukebox Hero]

Restless, Casimir shifts his weight from one foot to the other; his eyes dart about, looking around the room. The man kept droning on and on, the words meant no great significance to him. He glanced at the dwarf standing next to him, recognizing him from the barfight the other day. A small smile played upon Cas' lips as he recalled the dwarf's strength the day before. "This might actually be worthwhile," he thought to himself.

I apologize, but I must warn you ahead of time that contrary to what you might hope or expect, I am a troublemaker, although not among the worst of them. To the contrary, I'd be more than happy to assist you in keeping that worthless rabble in line...Sir. The last word is said almost mockingly, revealing but a glimpse of Cas' barely concealed contempt for this man.

[Merrow]

Oscar stands listening carefully to what was being said by the captain then by one of the other fellows in the room and sighs.

"Well captain, you say were the best of what you got which is very kind of you to say and I may not speak for the others but for myself this notion that you have about us trying to impress you sir seems a little pointless. If may be so bold you seem like a busy man and I doubt you would have had us even come to this office unless you already knew already what we were capable of, so perhaps we can proceed directly to the point and you can tell us about this mission you want us to do."

[Thieves]

"Huh... Well, these replies don't really seem to be impressin' the hell out of this guy...", thought Roar, then glanced at Casimir, eyeing him up and down. "Damn, what do I have t' lose? They showed him the talk, nine-hells, I'll show him the walk!"

"Ye pardon," said Dragoncrust, and, standing behind the warrior, attempted to lift him up horizontally above his head...

[Jukebox Hero]

Does this mean you're initiating a grapple? If so...
Grapple Check: [roll0]

OOC:
VERY NICE!

[Bulwer]

Lars stood back from the other four mercenaries, his broad-brimmed hat in his hand. They'd been pegged for special duty, the captain had grunted. Even though he was a person of the road now, Lars still felt some distaste as he looked upon his companions. The dwarf and the humans made him nervous.

The largest one, Casimir, was laden all over with weaponry, and he obviously cared little for this job. He couldn't be blamed for that, though; this gig was temporary for Lars as well. The shorter human with the rapier betrayed no great respect for his captain either, and showed no urge to impress him.

The dwarf moved forward. Had the human's "rabble" comment enraged him into attacking? Lars stepped back and put his hat on his head and his hand on his sword, ready to draw if this unprofessional display degenerated into a brawl.

If it came down to it, he would stand by his new captain. He was paid --in theory, at least-- to fight for Vergoh's governor in this city, and fight he would, but hopefully with a better crew than these.

Lars tried to catch the eye of the light-haired elf who had also been selected for the mission. Hopefully, he would prove to be a voice of sanity in this group.

[Thieves]

(OOC: [sorry Albedo] Well, Grapple would be if you try to oppose or if we try to do some acrobatic gymnastics, but I was just hoping I could simply lift you over my head... So I think that's just a Strength check, which I can't do if you decide to oppose, so I just ask you to decide whether Casimir resists Roar's attempt or not :smallsmile: Well, it's up to The Powers That Be to decide what actually happens. More in the OOC thread!)

[Jukebox Hero]

Cas is momentarily surprised by the dwarf's bold attempt, and decides to take advantage of the situation, and attempts to trip the dwarf. Cas whips around and grabs the surprised dwarf by the shoulders, and simultaneously moves his leg behind the dwarf's. There was obviously good pay for this mission, seeing as the captain was looking for the "cream of the crop;" and tripping a dwarf would most likely impress him.

Unarmed Melee Attack Roll (vs. Touch AC): [roll0]
Trip Attempt: [roll1]

[Albedo]

The Captain watches with a hint of amusement and disappointment in his eyes at the impromptu wrestling match developing in front of him.

(See OOC thread for details)

[halfdragon62]

Cyril watches in silent contempt of the two brawlers. He turns slightly to Lars, his eyes never leaving the two combatants, and whispers:
These two are quite straightforward, aren't they?

He carefully moves past Roar and Cas in order to face the captain.

Greetings to you, captain. My name is Cyril, a mage, and if i may be so bold, none too shabby. I am also a scholar of sorts, specializing in astrological and arcane phenomena; In other words, i could tell you a fair deal about other realities of existence beyond our own, and am capable of defending myself and others with magic. And may i point out, sir, that magic need not be a straightforward tool of destruction, but can also be a lateral means to resolve conflict without undue bloodshed... For example... Cyril turns to face the two combatants, uttering arcane syllables and weaving invisible patterns in the air with his hands, as though he were spinning together a threaded pattern on wool.

(Cyril casts 'Sleep' on Cas and Roar: will save dc 14)

[Thieves]

"Whut...?" Roar blinked, surprised by Casimir's incendiary movement. The scene must have been looking awkward, to say the least. The dwarf held his hands several inches away from the surface of Casimir's body, his torso twisted as he stared blankly at their superior; the taller warrior, instead, froze in a nearly undescribable, stretched position, trying to fell the dwarf.

But you don't fell dwarves.

They both looked like a statue scuplted off of someone's vague flashback of another awkward situation long ago; in this quasi-grapple they froze. Well, at least Roar did.
"Bloodshed? Bloodshed where?", he blinked, staring at the mage who now spoke to the Captain, Roar not entirely grasping the stance of either of them. "This ain't even fisticuffs! Tha's wrestlin'! Ain't real!"

[halfdragon62]

initiative: [roll0]

[Bulwer]

Cyril, seeing his spell taking effect on the two combatants, catches them as best he can in mid-fall, easing them to the ground with some difficulty. He then none too gently awakens them with a single slap to the face each. As they regain consciousness, Cyril turns back to the captain:

As you can see, captain, a conflict can be calmed with relative ease, as long as there is some lateral thinking and the means to do so. I assume there will be instances in our time here where killing an enemy will be undesirable, and if there is to be a real end to this uprising, it needs to be as... Clean and tidy as possible. From what i have seen of these two at least, they are excellent warriors. But you'll need more than muscle and steel in order to successfully colonize the new world.

Cyril turns to Roar and Cas slightly.

I do apologize for ruining your demonstration. No hard feelings?

Two minutes in a room with his new teammates and Lars already longed for the open road. More experienced Fharlanganites had warned him about this: compared to a day with the horizon ahead and your troubles behind, almost everything pales in comparison.

Of course, some of the lesser species squabbling were so very irrita-- no, we are all fellow travelers, he muttered to himself. Even angry dwarves and ungrateful spellcasters. Lars had taken vows, after all.

"Sir," he began, "I am eager to begin our mission." He paused and considered. "If you need further impressing, I will perform it on the road."

[Thieves]

"Whadtha..." Roar opened and closed his eyes repeatedly, trying to catch sharpness with his vision. He slowly raised from the floor, astonished. Whatever happened, was beyond the dwarf's reasoning.

He then looked at the mage. "Ock, these guys...", he thought, "You never know what they're up to. With their hands. Or eyes. Or whatever!"

"Ah'em, so, then," he coughed, "we representin', or a-what? I got a cramp... in-a backbone... chief?" He stood up as straight as he could. It was no impressing height, but he looked a bit more ready for duty than when lying on the floor.

[Jukebox Hero]

Rubbing his eyes, Cas leaps to his feet, his face a deep red, furious at the mage and at himself for his failure to resist the former's spells. He sizes up the men in front of him. The dwarf was obviously of a martial nature, and a man of action, both qualities which Cas appreciated. The sorcerer could prove troublesome later on, considering the pretentious behavior he had displayed. The elf was intriguing, and obviously the more prudent (for lack of a better word) of the group. Now silent, Cas simply nods.

[Merrow]

Oscar rubs his eyes and looks at the others.

"You do realsie we arent really showing that we can work together and that which is possible one of the things we will need to do this mission, sinc eI not sure I know you all shall I introduce myself. Names Oscar and you all are?"