[Nexus] Trog's Tavern CCXLI

[Sneaky Weasel]

Phineas nods. "That would be great...thanks. I managed to heal myself a little, just enough to keep myself conscious."
He collapses into a nearby chair. His head was aching as well. He could have sworn that the child standing before him had up until recently been a massive monster from a taxidermist's nightmare. He was probably just seeing things though.
"So you can use magic? I hope so, because this is really not a good place for surgery."

Actually, that's not a bad idea. A combination tavern and hospital! Get a drink and snack on peanuts while your spleen is being sewed back together!

[Rebonack]

Well.

There's a platform over in the corner that teleports people to the Sanctuary Fortress. And they've got healers and stuff there.

AND! that mirror over there leads to the Temple of Inari, which has healers. That are also foxes.

It's just that people tend to forget about both...

Anywho!

"Nope," Div replies simply before walking up to Phineas and aiming to vomit pearlecent white goop all over him.

"BLEEEEEGH!"

Eeww...

Though on the upside it really doesn't smell like anything. AND as it quickly evaporates away Phineas should be healed at an astounding rate! Yay for healing puke!

[Gullara]

Leaning on Bark rather heavily, Aeia manages to pull herself to her feet. Just in time to see Phineas get barfed on. "Ewww." She says, but giggles immediately afterward.

[Sneaky Weasel]

"Hey, what are you...Oh my Gaaahhhh-" Phineas tries to dodge the vomit, but it splatters all over him. His face is almost comical in it's disgust.

"What the hell was that for? Urgh, all over my coat...I hope this doesn't bloody well stain..." As he speaks, he realizes that the pain in his gut is fading. In a matter of moments, he is all but healed.
"Oh. Wow. Thanks for...throwing up on me. I think that's probably the only time I'll ever have occasion to use that phrase." He gives a rather sickly smile.

He is glad too that it evaporates. His coat has sentimental value, after all.

And now that he is healed, he feels energy returning to him. Very tired still, but it takes more than a mere near death experience to keep Phineas down for long. He quickly moves to help support Aeia, as she obviously needs somewhere to rest.
"You saved my life. Thank you for that, Aeia." His smile is completely sincere.

[Rebonack]

Div wobbles a bit as Phineas is mended, his eyes drifting shut rather lazily as if he were suddenly quite tiered.

When spoken too he snaps back to attention. "Oh, uuh... That's alright. Just doing what I can to help. Sorry I hadn't acted sooner. I might have been able to prevent the injuries in the first place if I weren't spacing out."

He'll head back toward Bark, though his motions seem... ginger now. Pained? Limping?

All of a sudden he doesn't seem to be in very good shape.

And he was just fine before the healing was accomplished.

Huh.

Star-spawn sure are weird.

[Slii Arhem]

Bark uses his free hand, the one not holding Aeia steady, to reach out to Div and attempt to steady him as well.

That's what he's here for folks, just a big old pillar to lean on.

[Gullara]

"No problem. All I did is make some plants grow. It was nothing." Aeia will lean on him a bit when he comes to support her. Div can have Bark it seems. Poor, under appreciated Bark.

[The Bushranger]

"Well... I'd rather not lie to you. The Key-" He coughs and wheezes a bit, "My best lead for the key's location is old cave to the north of here. I don't know what's inside, but the creator, Yaln, was said to be quite powerful. He may have left something to protect it, along with any other treasures he may have wanted to keep safe. The Key is my only concern, whatever else you find is yours."

"That's fair. Anyone who was powerful enough to make a key like that would be powerful enough to guard it well. What happens to the key after you contact your wife?" Jack gets straight to the point, casting a glance back at the new arrivals. An overeager kid, a snoop, and a drow.

Well don't that just beat all.

"That sounds like an adventure. Count me in!" Jamie declares, smiling brightly and looking excited!

[Sneaky Weasel]

"Nothing? Well, it's certainly beyond anything I could ever do. And without your intervention I would be dead, so that's hardly nothing." Phineas shakes his head at the thought. "I'm indebted to you for that."

Would she like to sit down to rest? If so, he guides her to a chair, and pulls up another for himself.

And he gives a nod of silent gratitude to Bark. For being there.

[Lost_Deep]

"Well... I'd rather not lie to you. The Key-" He coughs and wheezes a bit, "My best lead for the key's location is old cave to the north of here. I don't know what's inside, but the creator, Yaln, was said to be quite powerful. He may have left something to protect it, along with any other treasures he may have wanted to keep safe. The Key is my only concern, whatever else you find is yours."

"That's fair. Anyone who was powerful enough to make a key like that would be powerful enough to guard it well. What happens to the key after you contact your wife?" Jack gets straight to the point, casting a glance back at the new arrivals. An overeager kid, a snoop, and a drow.

Well don't that just beat all.

"That sounds like an adventure. Count me in!" Jamie declares, smiling brightly and looking excited!

Well...

"I overheard this all, and am also willing to help." It might be interesting, she figures.

[Gullara]

Aeia is rather relieved to be sitting again and slumps into the chair. She grins at Phineas and looks contemplative for a moment. "Weeeell, I think I know a good way you could pay me back." She turns her head and presents her cheek. "A kiss would be enough I think."

[Shadowcaller]

Dena peers at the little group, it was pretty easy to spot adventurers once you had been one for several years. Many of these were newbies though, probably their first adventurer. Poor souls, they had no idea what they were up for... of course, neither had she. Adventuring ought to be different here then in Athas after all.

It had been some time since she had been on a good adventure after all, someone had to make sure those newbies stayed alive.

The drow get off her chair and approaches the gathering group, "Hey guys, where're you off to? Need any help?"

[Halae]

"If you're all willing to go, I won't stop you," the old man places a pair of parchment sheets on the table. The first is unraveled to reveal a map, while the second is... a note? "Just read the note aloud at midnight or noon. Either one and you'll gain admittance to the cave."

The note says:

"Nif wer idol ekess wer shaoyu-portam, ankhobgraft relgric"

[Slii Arhem]

Jack picks up the map and the note, pocketing them after sparing each a glance. Then he turns to the other "group members."

"No offense meant, but I'm not really sure I feel comfortable being responsible for a teenager. You sure you're up to this miss?" Well, he's trying to be as polite as possible, but Jamie doesn't exactly cut the most imposing figure. Not to mention what he expects he'd go through if he came back alive without her and her mother found out. The others look either old enough or odd enough to be able to fend for themselves.

Doesn't much like the look of the dark-skinned one though. She seems smug, and Jack hates smug.

[The Bushranger]

Jamie squares her shoulders, and nods to Jack, looking confident!
"Yeah, I'm ready for this. Me and my friends stood up to and took out a Wyld Hunt, I think I can handle a dungeon crawl."

Took them all the way out, as it were.

[Hattish Thing]

A man in a torn magenta petticoat walks in nervously. He has a slight limp. There is dried and crusted blood on his wrists. Marty couldn't wash it off before he escaped. The cuts were healed mostly. He has a fresh cut on his face from a piece of Prism's claw. She had accidentally cut him. Marty is handsome...if he wasn't covered in dried blood. He is hopefully followed by his temporary guardian, Bellan.

[Sneaky Weasel]

Phineas grins back at Aeia. "Hardly a fair trade for saving my life, but I shall be happy to oblige." He leans in to kiss her cheek as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Who knows, maybe it is, to him.

[Lost_Deep]

Copi doesn't say anything more for the moment.

Noon or midnight? That's an odd combination. What's the logic? Is it symbolic or functional?

Symbolic: If you look at it from life and death... or life/death/rebirth, you can access it at the peak of life or in the deepest death. Not a lot of sense there...

Functional: if you need to access it, it's never too terribly hard or too long a wait; midnight for when stealth is paramount and midday when you don't want to wait that long.

Or maybe the guy just liked those two times of day? Who knows...

[Murkus]

Bellan, never one to abandon a charge, plods into Trogs after a long and lonesome hiatus. He drinks in the look and smell of the place, momentarily forgetting the rather dire circumstances for this errand. Then, without further pause, he follows his (relatively) diminutive friend toward the bar.

"Perhaps you'd like a drink?" Bellan asks Marty. Many humanoids in the Nexus could smooth their nerves with alcohol. Bellan had never tried any, and he doesn't really intend to start.

[Hattish Thing]

Marty looks at Bellan after he sits painfully. I d-don't d-drink...b-but some c-c-cold water would d-do. The sttutery man is shaking a little blood loss, heartbreak, and almost being murderered does that.Thanks, B-Bellan. He looks over and smiles.at the man kissing the pretty dryad. He wished it had worked out with Shada. Thety might notice him.

[Gullara]

The look that flashes across Aeia's face as he leans in is downright devious. She turns her head just when she thinks he won't have time to react, and receives the kiss on her lips instead.

[Murkus]

Bellan looks at the bartender and clicks out his request. Marty is served a cup of ice water, complete with a lemon-wedge and a little bendy straw.

"Is there anything else you need?" Bellan asks, with genuine concern. He hadn't known Marty for long, but he hated to see any creature suffer.

[Hattish Thing]

Marty sighs wearily...yes. He needed someone to fix his leg, to help his fractured mind, and to ease the pain...he needed Shada. But she left him...because he loved her. He looks once more at the pair of people kissing and smiles a little. They seemed happy...Why couldn't he be...Bellan? You ever l-loved someone?

[Murkus]

The question posed is a difficult one for Bellan to answer. His eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and he stares at Marty a moment, chirruping once or twice.

"My people treat love differently, Marty," The giant turns away, looking at the worn, glossy countertop.
"I've never... known another in your way. Not as you understand," He looks at the elf quietly. "Why do you ask me this?"

[Hattish Thing]

....Well, I was once m-married...she was a wonderful woman. We w-were going t-to have a d-daughter...start a f-family...she was m-m-murd....murd... Marty stops talking for a second. It's evident he's in great emotional pain. Then...I moved t-to the Nexus...she was gone...in a f-fire...I met Shada...little Shada...I loved her....I almost d-d-died f-for her....and she l-left me...what's w-wrong with me? It's obvious Marty is a sad, sad man.

[Murkus]

The giant's brow furrows darkly, and he leans toward Marty to listen. Another brief silence follows.

"Why did she leave you?" Bellan asks respectfully.

[Sneaky Weasel]

Phineas starts in surprise as Aeia turns her head to kiss him on the lips, but he seems not at all displeased. He kisses her gently, and then gives her a crooked smile.
"It seems the afterlife just keeps getting better."

[Hattish Thing]

Marty tells him, It's a long story...

[orb_of_blood]

Eyes are on Marty and Bellan, watching from the shadows from a corner of the room. He's wearing the shadows, they seem to melt over his skin, and he's invisible. Completely.

Who knows how long he's been there. Maybe he only just appeared, or maybe he's been there, waiting, for hours now. It's difficult to tell with Shade...

He reads their lip, and catches Marty's name from the giant. So that was half-elf he was meant to watch over then. Dropping to all fours, he steps from the shadows.

The werecat is the size of a mini car, quick with well-muscled legs for running and jumping. Yet there's an intelligence about him, dancing in those coal-black eyes, that cannot be ignored. Somehow, he has control over his mind, isn't some savage killing machine. In fact, Shade is rather peaceful, despite loving the shadows and being built specifically to tear the throats from smaller creatures.

He lopes gracefully over to the table with the two of them, and without a single word he leaps into a chair and curls up as best he can. It's somewhat difficult to do when you're twice as big as the chair, and he ends up spilling mostly out of it. Still, he has that uncanny ability most cats have to look comfortable no matter where he is, and even ends up purring quietly, the sound of distant, rumbling thunder.

[LibrarianHuntar]

Richard (Richardus Ventudil Seamillonne)
Richard, bored, pulls out a small homonuclus, which he proceeds to shoot at with his Way Better Than a Composite Longbow Repeating Crossbow (TM), training his skillks in human form, when he hears very loud ominous chanting in a langauge which sounds remarkably similar to lanting, which translated would be screams of death, doom and despair, somone lamenting the Barrow King, cries for help, and a Norse Martha Stewart describing the better ways to make unholy food and design unholy secret lairs and temples. "Holy frozen balor crap." he whisper

Kinbarkinlonlos Masteneásp (King of the Barrows of the Kings Long Lost, Master of the Neásprungen)

Out of a large, sickly green doorway surounded by skulls which apears with allowed crack, emanating the aforementioned ominous chanting, steps the King of the Barrows of the Kings Long Lost, or, most people actually call him (up front), Kinbarkinlonlos. "Hello Richard," it/he calmly states, walking towards him, "I have to thank you for leading me here and allowing me to attain the Necro Alphus and some new minions". He shoots a wisp of green vapor at a random passerby, slaying him almost instantly, and then proceeds to reanimate him, transforming him from a young squire to a skeleton armored in bone and steel. "Now what should I call you, Forwost?" he asks the skeleton (Forwost=officer)