Aces and Twos

A legendary quest, for only the most legendary of fools.

Verdant Row can be chaotic or peaceful to a fatigued adventurer. Managed by spirits, this town serves as a temporary stop for a person to rest and eat. If there is no trouble about, a stay here is lovely, due to the nearby picturesque scenery. Read more...
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User avatar
Cleaver Stormshield
Character
The Ronin
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
19 / 19 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Paladin and Rogue
Posts: 3
Joined: November 13th, 2019, 4:23 pm

Aces and Twos

Post by Cleaver Stormshield »

Primer: The Gem of Keravosteign, named for its creator, has been a fabled myth for ages. Said to be worth more than any precious stone or metal in the whole of Khy’eras, the legends say that no person thought to have been in possession of it has held it for more than a week before meeting a grisly death. But these are just stories….right? In Verdant Row, the dimly lit tavern called the Heartbroken Socks Inn contains one such individual, claiming to know the location of the Gem of Keravosteign. A simple dwarven merchant, going only by the name of Bahlin, offers this information freely: It resides in a cave just outside of Fellsgard, supposedly guarded by a cadre of orcs who know not what they have. Any fool brave enough to liberate it for Bahlin need only take an airship out to Fellsgard and return to collect a more-than-handsome fee.


Cleaver had been listening in to the conversation between a dwarven merchant and would-be elven adventurer go back-and-forth for nearly thirty minutes. The dwarf was very clearly desperate for someone to retrieve a jewel, but not just any jewel…. The would-be adventurer had finally heard enough of the dwarf’s ravings of some mythical piece and abruptly wandered away from the dark corner and back to the bar proper to drink in peace. Cleaver shook his head once or twice, trying to convince himself not to leave his comfortable table and take the dwarf up on his offer. Coin had come and gone for the roguish rake, spent freely to lessen his debts and keep him in drink. He had only a week left before the rest of his payment was expected in Fellsgard, else he would receive a broken leg or worse.

There was always a card game to cheat, or some other game of chance to manipulate… Then again, he dared not fix a game so close to where his debts were owed in the first place. Lady luck was such a fickle creature, at least such was the truth that Cleaver had come to not learn over the course of time. With a grumble, the former paladin rose and turned for the dark corner; mug in hand. His steps silent, but obvious in their intent. ”Pardon me, friend, but I couldn’t help but overhear your need,” he started. The dwarf lit up with a broad smile.

“Why, yes! A thousand thanks, my friend! My partner held the Gem, but was bushwhacked by a gang of Orcs just outside of Fellsgard. I have it on good authority it is still there,” the dwarf beamed. Cleaver flashed a knowing smirk, his teeth practically shining out of the corner of his mouth.

”If it is, Cleaver Stormshield is your man, through-and-through.” His thoughts turned devious, considering all the ways in which he could scam this dwarf. Whatever price was offered, Cleaver knew there would be a better one on the open market, and he only had to not return to Verdant Row for….the forseeable future. A hand reflexively went to idly stroke the neat beard on the end of his chin as the possibilities ran rampant. There was much that could go awry, but the call of coin was undeniable considering his dire need of it.

“There is just one problem, friend-Cleaver,” the dwarf mused. “You will need more than yourself to retrieve it.” The dwarf’s face went dark, almost filled with the same greed that drove Cleaver. It would have been a red flag, had the rogue not been wearing rose-tinted glasses. “There are many, many orcs. Many.”

Cleaver puffed out his chest as if his pride were struck directly. ”Clearly you’ve not hired the right pilferers. There’s not a lock I can’t pick, or a fortress I cannot infiltrate. Let’s talk price, Mister….”

“Bahlin. Yes. One platinum, and not a copper more,” the greedy, hungry dwarf replied. Cleaver stroked his beard as if considering, trying with all his might to conceal his delight and readiness to accept the offer without haggling even further. It was more than enough to pay off his debts with enough leftover to find yet more trouble. A handful of moments passed before he finally countered.

”Clearly you’ve not heard of my reputation. I’m the best, friend. Two platinums, one now and one on delivery.” It was worth a shot. Bahlin balked and shook his head.

“ONE platinum is more than generous. This is the score of a lifetime, friend..” Cleaver’s eyes narrowed at the little dwarf, and the hand that stroked his beard extended out to indicate they had an accord. Bahlin took it, shook it, and spat on the floor. “Very good, VERY GOOD! That should be aplenty for you to hire a hand or ten and still go home with a tidy sum, friend-Cleaver.”

Bahlin wasn’t wrong and knew it, too.
Word count: 824
User avatar
Leiven Loramrai
Character
Doom of the Mountain
Level
01
26 / 26 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter
Posts: 27
Joined: August 17th, 2019, 6:55 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Aces and Twos

Post by Leiven Loramrai »

Leiven grunted unhappily when his dripping sack full of gore-covered spider legs shifted again. As he made his way into the edges of the haphazard ghost city, he decided spider’s were going on his list of ‘do not collect’. They stank, they leaked everywhere, and they were definitely not worth the low pay. He couldn’t even figure out what the buyer wanted with the stupid things. If he hadn’t taken the small contract to clear out the spider infestation at the same time he would have lost money on the cost of food and armor oil for the day.

The collector’s table sat awkwardly beside the front of what was probably supposed to be a alchemists shop, except there was no door and one of the windows was two stories tall. Behind the table a grubby looking human sat leaning back in his chair enjoying a smoldering pipe. He raised an eyebrow as Lieven approached. His quiet interest turned to a shout of surprise as a splash of spider ichor accompanied the wet squelch of the sack filled with dismembered limbs hitting the table.

“Yer sack of legs,” he said gruffly as his irritation got the better of his normally more professional demeanor. “Won’t even charge you for the ichor, now give me my damn pay,” Leiven said and held his stained gauntlet out to the sputtering man. It took several seconds for the collector to realize what was going on, but a rumbling growl from the dwarf prodded the man to action.

“You’re twelve copper, as promised,” the man said finally, clearly regretting his circumstance and hoping to get away from the dwarf quickly. Leiven looked at the coin grumpily and shoved it into his backpack before turning to trudging over to an elf ranger standing beside a notice board.

“Cleared the spider’s near the lake, got the eggs with fire and all the big ones are dead,” he said, making firm eye contact with the elf. He didn’t expect this fellow to stiff him, but folks tended to do stupid things when they had a good deal of height on you.

“My thanks, we’ll send someone out to ensure the area is fully cleared soon in a few days. If you’re interested stick around,” the ranger replied, handing Leiven a half silver. The dwarf nodded and turned to trudge towards the local inn. He needed to get his armor clean or the stink would settle into his bones.
Word count: 420
User avatar
Cleaver Stormshield
Character
The Ronin
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
19 / 19 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Paladin and Rogue
Posts: 3
Joined: November 13th, 2019, 4:23 pm

Re: Aces and Twos

Post by Cleaver Stormshield »

The partly-pleased rogue left the inn, still smirking in satisfaction over the deal of a lifetime. He had, in fact, seen a whole platinum once or twice, but to actually own one was another matter entirely. There was one thing from his eavesdropping between Bahlin and the would-be adventurer that began to stick out in his mind: if there truly was a whole company of Orcs guarding the bauble, he would indeed need some form of assistance. Cleaver might have even believed his own words, that he was truly the best that had ever been, but even the best needed a little added insurance from time to time.

As he strode away from the Heartbroken Socks, he spotted a dwarf leveraging a bag of ichor and spider legs for a handful of coppers, and appearing most dissatisfied about it. Oho, a bounty chaser… And one that would apparently settle for less than a task was worth, at that… The dwarf made way to speak with a ranger, who handed him a little more for his trouble. Cleaver’s smirk turned devious as he sized up his next mark. But was it wise to short-sell one’s own insurance policy? Most assuredly not, but it wasn’t exactly his style to either learn from his mistakes or do the honorable thing. As the dwarf turned to trudge on toward the Inn, and him, Cleaver moved to intercept him.

”Looking for work?” he called, still flashing that wry half-smile that couldn’t be trusted. Cleaver pressed the smile even further, though now only to keep the horrid stench of gore from offending his nostrils any further. It would have been a shame to vomit all over his proposed help. Even if there was a sucker born every moment. ”I’ve got a hundred and fifty silver bounty if you’re interested—that’s your cut, friend.” A gold and a half, hardly a dent in the whole platinum promised, but there was no reason for the dwarf to know that. At least, that was a bridge to burn for later; Cleaver would have to handle the cashing in on the sly as to not make the dwarf aware of the true payout.

Still, he felt it was somewhat generous for the task. The rogue still expected to be doing the majority of the work while whoever he conned into being backup remained just that—backup. Still, from the look of him, this dwarf appeared more than competent when it came to martial matters. All the more reason not to entirely lowball an offer.
Word count: 431
User avatar
Leiven Loramrai
Character
Doom of the Mountain
Level
01
26 / 26 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter
Posts: 27
Joined: August 17th, 2019, 6:55 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Aces and Twos

Post by Leiven Loramrai »

“Looking for work?”

Leiven caught the siren call of wanderers even over the general din of the busy street. He turned and eyed a man who looked like he had a habit of getting himself into trouble. The dwarf’s features split into a broad grin to match the man’s smile and he moved closer. When the fellow tossed out a gold-and-a-half price with hide nor hair of detail he grunted, certain this was a poor choice.

“Aye, ya got the silver to drop an’ I can make diamonds come out me arse,” Leiven replied with a shake of his head. This was either a fool with bright eyes and deep pockets, or a snake with a few friends in the woods. Leiven turned to start walking away, fully intending to dismiss the man’s ridiculous offer.

Instead, he drew up short, his turn only half finished. “Tell you what bright eyes, you let me get rid of this rotten stench, buy me a drink, and talk about anything past the pay, and I’ll consider it. Fair?” he said, tossing a plated hand out to the man. He had decided he could likely take any ambush stupid enough to come out with a line like that, and he wasn’t going to do anything but sit around and lament his wasted time anyway.
Word count: 225
User avatar
Cleaver Stormshield
Character
The Ronin
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
19 / 19 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Paladin and Rogue
Posts: 3
Joined: November 13th, 2019, 4:23 pm

Re: Aces and Twos

Post by Cleaver Stormshield »

There was just one hitch in his plan: Cleaver didn’t have quite so much as that to offer up-front. It appeared that his mark wasn’t so dim, after all, both a positive and negative impact to his “plan.” Still, the half-baked con-man didn’t flinch one bit as to show any cracks in his capacities. The dwarf turned to leave, but Cleaver remained knowing all too well it might not be the end of their partnership before it began. The dwarf had a change of heart, and offered an armored hand.

Without hesitating, the rogue reached out with his own hand to take the plate and shake with a nod. ”Fair by any stretch of the word, friend,” he offered. ”Meet me in the Inn when you’re ready, and I’ll have a tankard of ale for you.” His dark eyes narrowed a bit, trying to put a finger on just what his perhaps-companion might enjoy to drink. Dwarves typically did enjoy a dark ale more than other things, but something told him this one wasn’t just any ordinary dwarf.

Still, by his reckoning, this one likely enjoyed just about any spirit. A man after his own heart, he supposed. There wasn’t a drink that Cleaver didn’t enjoy, though it was more accurate to say he was something of a lush. And by his count, there were more old drunks in the world than there were old healers; all the more reason to have another round.

Once the terms were accepted thus far, Cleaver let go of the dwarf’s hand and turned to re-enter the Heartbroken Socks, having only left it moments ago. Silent strides took him to an unoccupied corner, not quite as dark as the one with Bahlin, but out of the way enough from other prying ears. It wasn’t long before a server approached to take his order once more, to which he requested two tankards of ale and four jiggers of dark whiskey to be delivered before his companion-apparent joined him to discuss the plan. He had only now to consider just what he would tell the dwarf about the job, knowing it was a daft plan. The Gem of Kevarosteign might not even exist, and it could have been an elaborate trap on Bahlin’s part. Still, the payday did much to alleviate such concerns…and it did much to confirm the daftness of it all.
Word count: 409
User avatar
Leiven Loramrai
Character
Doom of the Mountain
Level
01
26 / 26 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter
Posts: 27
Joined: August 17th, 2019, 6:55 am
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Aces and Twos

Post by Leiven Loramrai »

Leiven knew what he was doing was probably stupid, and dangerous. He found as he washed the grime and muck from his armor that he didn’t much care. He’d come to Verdant Row to escape the bitter cold of the Reaches, beyond that he didn’t have a great deal of a plan. The water basin was freezing cold, and it brought with it a sense of calm understanding.

He was going to take whatever this idiotic job was, just because otherwise he was going to start eating his armor out of boredom. He growled softly as he finished the thought and looked down to the stains on his plate. The thrice-taken ichor wasn’t coming completely off. He’d need to get some mage to fix it if he wanted the stuff to ever be unstained again.

With his armor at least back to it’s regular metallic scent, Leiven moved into the inn and swept his gaze over the patrons. He spotted his drinking companion swiftly and trudged over to slid into the chair.

“What’s the word then?” he asked as he accepted the ale mug and gave it a slow appreciative sip. It wasn’t exactly good ale, but it was better than swill and he hadn’t paid for it. “Cause if you’re about to spin me a long tale you’ll need to buy another drink. Gimme the short version, maybe I get by with just this one.” He grinned over his mug, the irreverence to business dealings a personal comfort.
Word count: 260
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