Dragon's Crown IC

[Diachronos]

The nation of Hydeland has long been beset on all sides by foes; the militant empire of Bolga to the north, the marauding orcs to the southeast, and countless monsters and cultists living within the nation itself. Hydeland has known peace in recent years, but the threats always loom overhead, waiting for their chance.

All hope is not lost, however. Adventurers share tales of ancient relics and magics that could turn the tide of wars, artifacts that would be worth a king's ransom just to help Hydeland remain safe and free. Of these tales, none is more renowned than the "Dragon's Crown" - said to grant its wearer the strength, knowledge, and abilities of all dragons, it has been sought after for countless years, and the King himself has recently embarked on a crusade to find and obtain the relic.

Will the Dragon's Crown ever be found? Or is it nothing more than a legend? Only time will tell... But the possibility of it being all a myth doesn't deter a true adventurer. The Guild of Heroes in particular takes advantage of the large number of people seeking the Dragon's Crown, and hire these intrepid adventurers for jobs around the kingdom in order to fulfill requests or eliminate dangerous creatures. With so many foes facing Hydeland, the guild is always recruiting new members.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki rises from her slumber and stretches, her ample bosom falling into place as she stands up and dons her trademark hat. The middle-aged woman has led a successful life until this point, happily serving as a housewife to a wonderful husband, Gabriel. She also gets regular visits from her father-in-law, a somewhat cranky old dwarf named Rusten, and has her hands full taking care of her little boy, Dean. But recently, Gabriel was in a very bad accident that left him crippled. He walks with a cane now and his movement and speech are both slowed.

Though Nikki isn't sure what she can do to help, she decides she should try and earn some extra money for the household by joining the Guild, and seeing if her talents can't provide some benefit to the world along the way.

[Diachronos]

There are a few people present, most of whom seem to be members of the guild already. Nikki spies a tall, imposing man in ornate armor standing at the far end of the guild hall, wearing a tabard that displays the guild's emblem.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki walks over and smiles. "Good morning! I'm here to join up with everyone and do some exploration and treaure hunting."

[Diachronos]

The man smiles. "It's always nice to meet a prospective adventurer. I am Samuel Mikaelus, headmaster of the Guild of Heroes. If you wish to join, you will need to complete a trial to prove that you are capable of handling yourself."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki nods with a smile. "Yes, Master! What is the trial you speak of?"

[Diachronos]

He presents her with a small scroll. "You are to travel to the ruins south of the city and eliminate the harpy nest there."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki gulps. "Harpies? ...alright. Can I work together with anyone?"

[Diachronos]

"Yes, there are a few novices around that are looking to join us as well."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki smiles and starts looking around for a partner to clear her mission with!

[Diachronos]

There are a few other people milling around, but most of them seem occupied with other tasks. A catfolk woman sitting against the wall catches her attention, as does the large axe resting over the woman's legs.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki's eyes light up. She wanders over to the woman with a smile. "Excuse me? Have you been assigned a trial by the guild master?" she asks politely.

[Diachronos]

The catfolk looks up with a nod. "Yeah, but... I don't know how I'm gonna pull it off alone. Harpies aren't the sort of monster you want to fight one-on-one."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki smiles. "Then...maybe you wouldn't mind a partner? I know I'm a bit older than some of the other new warriors, but I know a few magic tricks that can really help a strong young lady like yourself out."

She pauses. Her words sound...almost flirty? Well, it doesn't matter. She's just being friendly, after all, and she's speaking to another woman so there's no way it could be misconstrued as anything but kindness.

[Diachronos]

The catfolk smiles and stands up, revealing herself to be over 7 feet tall and ripped, like Nikki's husband Gabriel had been when he was still in his prime. "Thanks! I'll make sure to keep anything from getting too close to you!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki gulps. "Great...let's get going then!"

The two of them start walking south towards the ruins to find the nest!

[Diachronos]

The two of them head out for the ruins. When they arrive, the place appears to have received some recent traffic, but nothing that looks like a harpy was here.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki gets down on all fours and begins looking around on the ground for any useful items, footprints, or other valuables.

Spoiler

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Detect magic, Perception: (1d20-1)[18], Survival (1d20-1)[19]

[Diachronos]

It looks like the other people who came through here were adventurers. Among the creeping ivy growing over some of the rubble, she finds some relatively fresh bloodstains, as well as a golden-yellow feather.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki gasps and covers her mouth when she finds the blood. Someone was killed in these ruins? The harpies were that dangerous?

She walks up behind Mono and hides a bit. "M-Maybe we should turn back..." she whispers, her voice wrought with fear and doubt as she subconsciously wraps her arms around the tigress's waist. She unintentionally leans forward, pressing her chest into the fighter's back.

[Diachronos]

Mono grins. "Run away with our tails between our legs? Never. Come on, let's go kill us a harpy!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki nods. "Okay..." She follows behind Mono and keeps her staff ready in case any danger comes about.

Spoiler

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Readying an action to begin casting enlarge person on Mono if any hostile enemy appears.

[Diachronos]

As they proceed further into the ruins, they hear the sound of fighting up ahead. There are slain goblins and orcs scattered about as well, apparently killed very recently.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki frowns. "Mono, she seems strong. Can you really beat her?" she asks with worry.

[Diachronos]

Mono kneels by one of the dead goblins. "Hmm... I don't think this was the harpy. Look here; there's only one slash from each injury, not a set of them. It looks like a blade of some kind, probably a sword."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki blushes and bows her head. "Oh I see! That's very perceptive. You're a real warrior, Mono. I'm sorry that I'm slowing you down. Then...do you think there's another adventurer here?"

[Diachronos]

"Most likely. Whether they're with the guild, though, I'm not sure."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki stands up and starts walking. "Okay, well...I really have to do my best. For my son. So let's nab this harpy and go home!"

[Diachronos]

The two keep moving forward, and as they head deeper into the ruins they start to find feathers scattered over the ground.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nikki picks up some of the feathers and tries to determine if they're all from the same creature. If there are more than one harpy around, it would be useful to know.

Spoiler

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Perception: (1d20-1)[3]

Then she keeps walking.