The Deepest Song [IC]

[Tsumeken]

The sounds of rain, it used to be a calming thing. A sound made when the heavens opened wide and blessed the earth beneath it with breenery and fresh new life. Now the rain ushers in a new feeling fr the small outpost of Daesin. Here travelers could rest their heads and most did when making trips to and from the capital. Many soldiers were stationed here now as it had become a hotbed of activity in recent months. The rains unyielding had flooded the cities of the coast and Daesin had been a hub for the refugees.

A warm fire, bewitched by some magiks, stays alight in the hearth of the dingy basement common area that also acted as a tavern. The tavern keeper sits behind the bar, a dwarf who ran this place since before the rains and hopes to long after. It is here that you can find what you need, warmth, food, and shelter. And for a lucky few who try, maybe even a bit of coin.

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

What appeared to normal eyes as an 18 year old human with perhaps one of the most unique companions, a crocodile, was residing in the tavern. Alexander had been known for a while around these parts and thus also knew the rules well enough. Somewhat reluctantly, it led him to command Thorn to remain outside but keep guard in case. Nothing dire had ever gone on in the past year but one could never be too sure about these things either.

A soft sigh left the druid's lips as he sat down at one of the tables. He'd been trying to find leads on the cause of the floods for a while but no such luck had come to him. The task was, admittingly, getting rather frustrating. As the light blue eyes hid from the others by closing, his head shook no. "I've come too far ..." He murmured, reminding him of all he'd endured to even get to this point so far.

What no one actually knew was that Alexander wasn't himself. Behind the armor, long hair tied in a ponytail, and other numerous masculine features; he was actually a she. A mermaid to be exact. She had the fortune? Misfortune? She still wasn't 100% sure ... but she had acquired it years ago from some underwater exploring. It was the only reason she was here in the tavern and not underwater; it had allowed her the ability to get her pair of legs sooner. But the cost ... had been her reversal and changing of identity.

But as time had gone by, she'd adjusted rather well to the change honestly. It didn't bother her nearly as much as she'd first thought it may. Just as humans heard myths and stories of her race, it went vice versa for her own kind. Not only had she heard of things about humans but experienced some first hand. She'd gotten lucky too that the band of pirates weren't magically smart enough to try to think of checking her equipment for unnatural properties. Otherwise ... she may not even be here in Daesin.

Shaking his head quickly to dismiss the thoughts of possibilities that he thankfully didn't need to think of, he stood up slowly. First pulling his ponytail tightly to keep it from falling apart then grabbing his spear and resting it beside him, he turned towards the bar, taking a seat. Giving a polite bow of his head, his eyes made contact with the bartender's. "Evening. Got any jobs and maybe just a light drink?" He seldom did ... but when she did it was very, very light to avoid getting too drunk. This way he could calm himself and still be focused enough to work on any tasks he was ever given.

[GimliFett]

Erech Agius

A tall, lean man walks in from the downpour outside. A wide-brimmed hat covers the top of his head and shadows his face, but only for a moment as a dark-skinned hand reaches up and sweeps it off, slinging water out the opened door just before it closes. Golden-brown eyes survey the room, stopping when the alight on the bar and its tender. The dark man's head is bald, though a goatee of black hair frames a wide mouth currently split into a friendly grin. "Bartender! A pint of ale and a bowl of stew, if ya please!" He calls out as he makes his way over to the counter.

[Morbis Meh]

Directly behind Alexander stood what appeared to be a large and well maintained construct. The dull grey sheen of his plating caught minor reflections of the dim candlelight of the tavern and the floor boards strained under its oppressive weight. To a casual observer it would almost appear that it was powered down or even resting; however they couldn't be farther from the truth. It was in fact going through a routine diagnostics check, a protocol needed nearly daily in such gloomy weather. If one were to approach the motionless behemoth they would be able to hear a faint humming emanating from somewhere inside of its plating.

System Diagnostics Protocol I4 initiated....estimated run time approximately 63.45 seconds... Structural frame work integrity: 100%; ...System mainframe: Active and running at 87% efficiency; ...Core integrity: Undamaged; ...Optics and sensory detection: Operational and clear... Final report: System is fully operational and at peak conditions, thank you and have a nice day....diagnostics protocol terminated total run time 48.27 seconds.

A light flickers in the optical receptors of the metalline giant and he stands up to its full height wordlessly it looks around silently and the various beings around him. Internally he calculates the various threat levels of each individual and assesses possible courses of action with each possible scenario. Having swept the room and only received a risk assessment of 4.56% he turns back to his charge. At the sound of the door opening, MITCH recalculates threat level and increases risk assessment to 33.67% thus initiating precombat protocol G47 (it puts a hand on his weapon and keeps an eye on the new comer). In a dull monotone voice it speaks to its charge in a low tone to avoid detection by others "Master, 45 degrees to your left, a new comer in wide brimmed hat... combat experience moderate, remain vigilant and cautious."

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

The raven hair belonging to Alexander, along with himself, turned at an angle to hear such an odd voice. But perhaps the word that had gotten his attention the most was .... Master? Chuckles softly as holds his hands in front of him. "Um ... there must be some mistake. I ... do not own anyone or anything save the clothes on my back and my weapon. But um ...." Sure enough, his head turned at the new direction to see someone else had indeed arrived. He probably would have noticed sooner ... but realized he may have been lost long enough in his thoughts.

Turning and bowing his head to the mechanical device, he added, "Thank you all the same. I will be." As his head turned back towards the barkeeper, his mind raced again; this time to try to recall ever having run into such a device that would think it necessary to address him by a name like Master? Nothing was coming up though ... not yet anyways.

[Tsumeken]

The dwarf retrieves both of you your drinks and a ladle of thick stew from the pot over the fire. He lays the bowl in front of Erech and returns to his duties of maintaining the mugs before regarding Alexander's previous questions.

"Any job we be havin has ta go through with the lieutenant, and he be sleeping off a bit over that a ways." He points with his rag to a lone table in the back where a man lie face down on the table, his armor showing the crest of his rank, though tattered and smudged. "And that big lug ya got with ye, is he...safe?"

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

A light scoff left Alexander's lips. Sure the rain probably wasn't helping much of anyone but ... really? Don't sleep on a job one is supposed to be handling. "I see. I'll try to catch him when he's more conscious. Thank you though." The drink had almost gone up to his lips ... but stopped at the abrupt question. "Well ... I assume. Honestly that isn't mine. I know not why it addresses me as Master or any high status. I'm nothing of the like .... nor have I been." Not above land anyways. Below maybe ... but even he had gotten rid of that in his eyes long ago. As far as he was concerned, he was no longer a prince, future or current. Just a commoner and so far, things had been better this way.

[Grishnakh]

The weather was just as Aearhin liked it. The wind howling and the rain coming down in floods. It felt almost like home. Of course, he had just left home and was in no hurry to head back yet. Instead he looked to the city before him, Daesin. He had never been there, but he had heard of it. A city that was growing fast, mostly because of all the refugees pouring in. Surely he would find some fine adventure there.

Walking through the streets he spied a tavern, but when he came close it was quite a surprise to see a crocodile near the door. "Well Fëanen, it seems you're not the only reptilian around here." He smiled down at the turtle in his pouch and stepped through the door.

...

Those patrons who deem to notice see a small man coming through the doorway. The light brown hair almost looks like kelp the way it is plastered to his face and his eyes are a sparkling green. A shortspear doubles as a walking staff and he has a shield and crossbow slung on his back. Most odd however (to the observant eye) is the head of a small turtle poking from his belt pouch.

Without even looking around the tavern Aearhin walkes to the bar and adresses it's tender. "Nice weather ain't it, barkeep. If you would be so kind, I would like some food and drink. Something local perhaps?" Only then does he seem to notice there are other people in the tavern. He settles down on a barstool and leasurely looks around the room, while he waits for his food.

[Machuchang]

Haldis strode through the sodden streets with a spring in his step, seemingly oblivious to the heavy rain that drenched him from head to foot. Today had been a pretty good day for research. Coming to Daesin had certainly been a very wise decision. The influx of refugees provided a constant source of information and rumors about the effects and nature of the flood, and Hal was intent to collect as many of them as he could to further his studies. Granted, it was all hearsay, but as a Divine mage Haldis couldn't help but put his stock in faith.

It really is quite fascinating, isn't it, Hal found himself thinking (though it was a rare situation where he did not). Many who claim to have seen the start of this tempest over the coast seem to describe a sudden increase in cumulonimbus arcus cover. Granted, they may be mistaken, but given the distinctiveness of such a cloud shape, I feel safe in accepting that as a fact. So if that were the case, then that would imply-

The professor found himself so engaged in his postulations regarding Evorian's Theory of Weather-Based Conjuration that he completely failed to notice the rather large crocodile that had positioned itself outside the tavern he called home. Upon entering however, his train of thought was promptly lost upon noticing the massive, armored construct that stood off to the side of the room. Intrigued, he approached the invention.

[Tsumeken]

The dwarf handed over a drink to the young man seated at the counter, it'd been awhile since there were so many visitors. However being the only place for food an drink in a good 20 miles helps.

[hpboy111]

Sitting in a corner of the tavern by himself, Tolan munches slowly on his daily allotment of trail rations. His eyes wander the room purposelessly. Tolan is not as attentive as usual tonight and although he registers those people that have entered pub, he does not study them like he might normally. Tonight Tolan is depressed. He's been bumming around Daesin for several days and hasn't had anything to do. His usual activity of studying the refugees for ideas on different disguises and mannerisms had grown tiresome and he longed for something to take his mind off of the oppresive weight of the rain.

Sigh... Wish that there was something to do around here. Haven't had a job in ages. I can't steal from any of the refugees cause even I have standards. Not going to take away from people when they are at their lowest. Sigh... Tolan places his arms on his table and then props his head atop them. Taking a moment to look around the room a little more carefully, Tolan takes note of the warforged and the man it is standing behind. He also once singles out the ones who have just come in out of the rain. They all looked decently well equiped and none of them had the same air of sadness about them that the refugees had. He also knew that none of them were locals, having been here for a while already. Maybe one of these guys can entertain me. Tolan eyes each of them, waiting for something of interest to occur.

[Machuchang]

Haldis eyed the warforged with extreme interest, scanning its 'eyes' for signs of sentience. Finally overcome with curiosity, he reached out and tapped its chest.

[Morbis Meh]

It looked down at the 'tiny' odd man tapping on his torso his eyes changed from their dull grey glow to a clear blue. Target confirmed, threat assessment commencing... Body Mass index: Below average... Muscle mass assessment: Negligable... Intelligence: Curious thus moderate level of intellect... survival instincts/self preservation: At this time minimal..........Threat level:21%; If target persists activate Combat Program Beta A4 thank you and have a nice day. The dull grey returns as MITCH grabs the hand 'gently' "I would advise you to desist your current actions lest you provoke unwanted physical intervention. It would be in your best interest to heed this warning, good day.

[GimliFett]

Erech

Chuckling, the dark-skinned man swallows a hearty spoonful of stew and looks at the interaction of the...golem? and the latest entry to the bar. Whatever it is, it's absurdly interesting, Erech thought to himself as he leaned closer to the trio.

"Careful, mate! It sounds serious about that," he said smoothly to the smaller man.

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

Alexander had been silently trying to recall .. if he really had ever encountered such a being before. For a while it still seemed as if the answer were no. But a trip, stumbling even across something iron in a sunken ship years ago made him think back and sigh softly. ....Really? That ... was the same one? But .... I merely activated it and even that was .... ugh ....

Rubbing his forehead with one hand gently, everything began to dawn upon him. Wait ... this had also found him when she was known as Ariel! His heart raced ... but calmed. The mechanical device had said Master, not Mistress. So ... it seemed to know the difference in genders and that, for now, he wasn't ready to reveal his true one. Rather, he didn't know how to and still be able to fight. So until that could get settled, Alexander had remained as he had been for so long.

As he finally snapped out of his thoughts, he noted more were arriving here. Any escape, he imagined, from the rain was nice really and that was probably one huge reason for them being there. It still didn't quite help him with how to react to the golem and .... he felt god-awful about that. But poor Alexander's mind was too focused on the floods and, due to the construct, his past now along with also the newcomers that had arrived.

Finishing studying all whom were now here, his attention went back to his drink. Grasping it firmly but gently with his right hand, he put it to his lips and began to sip from the mug. Another soft sigh left as he tried to think regarding how to go about all of the thoughts that had been racing through his mind now.

[Machuchang]

"Haha, yes, indeed." Hal responded to the dark-skinned man. His wide eyes, filled not with fear, but with delight, were still fixed on the construct.

"Do forgive me!" He quickly apologized to the figure. "I must have come off as incredibly rude, and for that I am deeply remorseful. Please excuse my intrusion, good sir." The archivist carefully extricated his wrist from the mechanical man's.

"I fear we have gotten off on the wrong foot. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Haldis Erron, Professor of Divine Magical Theory at the Academy of Magical Arts." He turned his attention back to the man who had addressed him earlier. "The same applies to you too, of course. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[GimliFett]

Erech

Extending his right hand, Erech nodded. "Divine magical theory, eh? Well, pleased ta meetcha, Perfesser!" Waving at the empty stool beside him. "'Ave a seat. I'm Erech Agius, at yer service!" He doffed a slight bow. "What brings such an educated man so far from academic civilization?"

[Morbis Meh]

The warforged stares down upon the man gauging a proper reaction... it lowers its arm and c0cks it head slightly "A form of greeting... a social construct for the purpose to reduce tension among unknown parties... not entirely pointless I suppose; however, if this conversation extends beyond this small social gesture into what is called 'trivial small talk' then I shall refrain from participating due to the event being an inefficient use of time. I currently have no designation but I am a V13 Mechanised Intelligent Tactical Combat Henchman Series 1, Model 1. Though I do recall my creator referring to me as Mitch as shorthand... a rather simplistic and dull label but my Master here has yet to refer to me by anything else so I suppose it will do."

[Machuchang]

"A pleasure to meet you, Erech. Mitch." Haldis seated himself next to his new-found friend. "And I do hope that I do not waste your time." He grinned. "I came to Daesin in order to examine first-hand the effects of the tempest that is currently ravaging our nation. I have a hypothesis, you see, and I aim to supplement it with the commentary of the refugees. If all goes according to plan, I am hoping that I may be able to stop it!

[Tsumeken]

A few mre bowls of stew are presented to the patrons as they chatter. moments into their conversation a groan emanates from the corner of the room as the armored man sits up.

"Urghhhh....." he grabs his head as he blinks to adjust his eyes.

"Bout time ya be woken ya lazy sod, good enough that these rains have been keeping most monsters in their dank caves as well or we'd be in actual need of ye!" The bartender gruffly humph at the man as he goes to tend the area behind the bar.

[hpboy111]

"Well Haldis, that's awfully pretentious of ya, now ain't it." Yelling across the room, Tolan stands up and makes his way over to the bar, nodding at the bartender and putting his hands up to signify he didn't plan on starting any trouble. Then, focusing on Haldis, he continues, "How long has this been going on? How many people have tried to figure out what's up with the weather? How many people have tried to fix it? And probably most importantly, how many ave actually succeded? This here problem is not something that can be solved just because you think you have a workable theory. It's going to take a large number of experts a lot of time and effort to find a solution, and them people up at the capital have probaly been working on it for a while and they still aven't turned anything up. So, pardon me if I sound a little rude, but what makes you so special?" He stops for a second to await a reply and just as a sound escapes from somebody's lips he says, "Oh and by the way, name's Tolan. Humble thief, dashing swordsman, master of disguise, and jack of all trades, at your service." Tolan gives a slight bow, but never takes his eyes off Haldis and maintains a slight smirk on his face.

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

Alexander silently agreed with the barkeep as the lieutenant finally began regaining consciousness. About time .... He thought, slowly getting up to his feet and grabbing his spear, standing now at this full height. That, however, was as far as he got before one of the people spoke ... and not only abruptly but came off as quite the prick.

A light scoff was the only thing to leave Alexander's lips as he turned from the rogue. Tch, humble my ass ... He merely let flow through his head but not aloud. Hoping that by now the lieutenant had been given ample time to sober up well enough, he cleared his throat to first let him know of his presence. "Evening, sir. I was informed by the barkeep to speak with you regarding any jobs that you may have?" He asked, keeping his eyes and ears open to everything else going on around even though his focus was not yet on the others.

[Machuchang]

Haldis turned to face his aggressor, clearly taken aback.

"I'm sorry if I came off as overly vain or conceited, Tolan." Haldis said, noting that he seemed to be apologizing an awful lot today. "I did not intend to imply that I was the only one who could solve this quandary; I believe quite the opposite to be true in fact." Haldis gestured for the man to take a seat. "I am well aware of the myriad of experiments that are being conducted in order to solve this conundrum, and I support them all from the very essence of my being. If I were to fail, and anyone else were to succeed, I would be the happiest man alive, because that would make for an improvement in the quality of life for practically every citizen of our nation. But if, just if, my theory is correct, and I can bring an end to the madness that plagues the atmosphere, why should I stop, simply because some man in a bar thinks that I can't?

"Forgive me if I am making an incorrect assumption, but what you seem to be suggesting is that one should not try, simply because there are others out there who have tried and failed. And that to me is patently absurd." Haldis gave the younger man a rueful smile. "And who knows, I could be wrong. In fact, I probably am. But one who studies the nature of the Divine learns to have a little faith, no matter how small." The professor sat quietly for a little while, lost in his thoughts, before suddenly returning attention to the world of the living.

"So could I interest either of you gentlemen in a drink?"

[Grishnakh]

Aearhin was taken aback when the great metal man talked. He had figured it for some kind of statue, totally missing the light in it's eyes. This was interesting, and a bit threatning as well, but his attention was quickly diverted to the others. Before the discussion would get to heated he spoke up.

Excuse me, professor? ... Hi, Aearhin is the name. I was wondering... if you should manage to stop the rains, what will happen to the coast? Will it stay as it is, or do you expect it to return to the way it was?" Though Aearhin knew many people were trying to stop the heavy rains, he was also worried about his hometown. If the waters should fall again, than the natural charm and protection of the city would disappear.

[Tsumeken]

The lieutenant, who is still a bit hung over from his drink, regards Alexander after taking a swig from his obviously old mug of ale. "Jobs?!" he says loud enough to almost shouting but he doesn't seem to realize it in his state. "You wanna job I can get you one! This here drowned skunk of a place is boring as hell, how about mine huh?! Sound good?!" Obviously this man has been fed up with his post for some time, shame really it seems. "Damned orders, guard this place huh?! Guard it from what, the rain?! Those knights haven't even come back, lousy high strung~" he continues mumbling incoherently, his tone returning to a whispering and normal volume. "They think they found something so they go to bring it back, but not one, not one I say walks back through that door." He takes another long drink before realizing that his mug is empty and has been for awhile. "Them and those damned eggheads, they probably got lost and drowned, or maybe they found the cause and it ate um, serves them right for how they treated me." It's obvious that he is omitting parts of his story but you get the jist of it.

The dwarf grabs another couple drinks for the ones at the bar. Sighing as he looks over at the armored man near Alex, "Poor fool, he used to be a lot better about a year ago, I think this place finally got to him with the rains and all. He's not much but he stays here at least in case I'd need him."

[hpboy111]

"That's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that one man can't turn the tide of a battle, no matter how powerful. You are that man, and you, by yourself can not make a difference. I'm saying that you shouldn't be seeking the answer by yourself cause you won't accomplish anything that way."

Shaking his head slightly as if his point had been obvious, Tolan then turns to face lieutenant. "Take this guy for example. At one point he thought he could make a difference, thought he could change the world. Look at him now. A weak, drunken sod who can't even keep track of his men." His voice turns somewhat bitter now. That dream never lasts. Something always shuts ya down. Alone you are weak. Heck, even in a group, these knights he's talking about failed by the sounds of things. So I guess the moral of what I'm trying to say is that you need people you can count on to not fail when the time comes for them to take on the burden, and who you can count on to support you when it's your turn."

Of course, Tolan was being incredibly hypocritical in this little speech, being a preferred loner himself. At one time, he thought he could make a difference. His eyes were opened in one of the least pleasent ways possible and it was proven to him on that day that not only could nothing be accomplished alone, but no one could be trusted to be there when you needed them. Therefore, making a real difference in the world is impossible, especially for someone like him. His smirk turned to scowl and he looks away, almost regretting having started this conversation.

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

Another sigh left Alexander as he turned. This rogue had finally irked him enough to make his attention go from the still semi-drunk lieutenant to Tolan. "To be fair, anyone can easily be weak alone. Now then ... while a theory is only a guess, it is better than nothing. It's a step ... one that needs to be made regarding solving the issue on these floods. So give the Professor some credit where it is due."

Looking around amongst all the others first, the pair of blue eyes landed back to the thief again. "However you do begin to propose an interesting idea. With how ... confident you seem in yourself, maybe you, the Professor and I along with anyone else whom has been trying to find answers can join forces. What say you?" He'd give him a chance to back up all the loud talk ... by seeing this Tolan in action. But until then, he was still coming off as a bit too arrogant. Rogues could do many things, yes. Everything? No.

[Grishnakh]

A bit frustrated Aearhin concluded that the conversation was already to heated for his question to be properly answered. He turned to the man (who's name he had yet to hear): "An interesting proposal you have there, I'd like to hear the rest. Also I would like it if the professor could explain some more about his theory and it seems the only way that will happen is if I join you. If you will have me, that is." He gives a slight bow toward Alexander. "Let me re-introduce myself. I'm Aearhin, the Sea-Child, and this here is my dear companion Fëanen." Saying this last he hold up a small turtle on his palm, that looks around at everyone with great curiosity.

[Morbis Meh]

MITCH looks down at Alexander and says quietly "Master, do all organic life forms talk so much? What is the point discussing such a worn out topic, anyone who can count knows that 3 is strong than one and five stronger than 3.... Is it a necessity for you organics to talk to feel important about yourselves and your fragile existence? This one for example... Tolan and Haldis both seem to talk the loudest would that mean they are weak? Most small animals in nature have loud barks to scare away predators, is it the same with your species?"

[VirgoBushin]

Alexander/Ariel

A low, deep chuckle left as he heard MITCH ask him some questions. Keeping his eyes focused upon Aearhin, he first replied to MITCH though in a somewhat lower than usual voice. "Hm .... it truly depends on how we are made, really. Some .... have a 'high and mighty' like attitude and believe they can take up any and everything, thus giving an arrogant feel around them as it were. Right now, I'm trying to calm the atmosphere before it gets out of proportion. As for why we talk so much ... because the rogue is right. One can only do so much alone. So we talk to and look amongst others for aid. It's .... a way of ensuring we also know whom we're about to find for allies and what we may or may not be getting into."

Returning the bow, his focus shifted now to the, as he called himself, 'Sea-Child'. His head couldn't help but tilt in curiosity. "Are you now? I thought most races from underneath the waters kept their identities more hidden? I've never ran into any from there." He would have included the word 'others' after any but ... that would have been too much of a hint. He wasn't quite ready for that just yet.

His head shook as he realized no one had yet known his name. "But I digress, and apologize for this. I am Alexander. I have no surname nor nickname." Gives a light smile at the sight of the turtle. "I have my own companion as well. Despite him being trained, he's to remain outside. You probably walked by him? Thorn ... my crocodile. That is my comrade I travel with." Compared to the first impression Alexander had gotten from the rogue, this Aearhin ... maybe with time, he could be completely honest on whom he really was. He'd give it time though but even the idea made his smile unable to help but widen a bit more.