Age of Retribution Part III: Shards of Eternity

[Tyler294]

Genre = Fantasy
Setting = Age of Retribution
RP Type = Action/Drama
How to join = By Request (must meet qualifications)
Participants: Dead Jim, Shawnex, Tyler294
Discussion Thread

~Index~

• 1-3  --  Like all respectable RPs, we begin in a bar, Tarek, Marliea and Wondu capture Alapo the Blue
• 3-5  --  Alapo's bounty is collected, the trio head to the tomb of the last emperor
  
• 5-8  --  The group meets Andrei, then forces him to lead them to the relic they seek
• 8-9  --  After collecting the relic, the party battles Eastport gangsters, then Tarek explains things
• 9-12  --  Melvyn Morrison joins the group, they travel to the mountains then find a destroyed village
  
• 12-14  --  The group meets the man on the Silver Mountain, an elf who gives them the next relic
• 14-16  --  The four travel to the Veridian capital and assassinate a Cerulean Lord to claim his relic
• 16-17  --  The group returns to their hideout, Marliea has her baby
  
• 17-18  --  Infiltration of the Palace Tower, Marliea's death, finale

[Tyler294]

It was high noon in the dusty desert village when a man in light leather armor rode into town. A sword at his side, a cloth wrapped around his face, and a black steed underneath him, the man came up to to an old roadside tavern. After dismounting, he removed his head-wrap, revealing his dark, messy hair and young but weathered face.

After tethering the horse, he stepped into the tavern, immediately being greeted by the smell of smoke rolls and cheap liquor. As he approached the bar, he glanced from side to side, surveying all the patrons who happened to be inside at the moment.

[DeadJim]

Seated farther down the bar was a woman, who was draped in a long, dark, hooded cape which covered parts of her face. Bits of her long red-violet curly hair settled outside her hood, and her pail skin seemed to glow slightly in the dim light. She glanced towards him suspiciously, but her eyes didn't meet his.

[Tyler294]

The man pulled out a smokeroll and lit the end on a nearby lantern. As he took a couple puffs, he leaned back and so he was closer to the bartender.

"Any mercenaries in the clientele today?" the man asked.

[DeadJim]

The woman's eyes darted towards him again, but she remained silent.

The bartender, who was a middle-aged leprechaun, grunted as he placed a beer on the counter, "Always."

[Tyler294]

"I need to recruit a small team. Any recommendations?"

[DeadJim]

"Quit while the quittin's good." he replied as he polished the surface next to him.

[Tyler294]

"Hmm..."

The man took the beer that was evidently brought for him even though he never asked, whilst deciding to approach the people in the tavern individually. He figured he might as well start with the cloaked woman in the corner.

"Looking for work, or just drowning away time?" he asked as he neared her.

[DeadJim]

"Depends on the work." she said quietly, still not lifting her head.

[Tyler294]

"Bounty hunting. I've been tracking a bandit for the past several months and he was last seen around these parts. Seems he's decided to stay in one place for longer than usual, which has given me the opportunity to catch him. Unfortunately, I need some extra hands before I confront him." the man explained, eyeing the woman closely, "Everyone will get an equal share of the bounty, of course."

[DeadJim]

"Sounds too easy." she replied without enthusiasm.

[Tyler294]

"If it were, I'd have handled it myself already. Besides, I have a few more jobs lined-up afterward for which this one can be considered a... try out."

[DeadJim]

She chuckled slightly at that, "So naïve. I hope for your sake that you've done this before."

[Tyler294]

"Don't worry for my sake." the man retorted in a neutral tone, "Instead, concern yourself with whether or not you wish to join me. I'll be here, just let me know when you've made up your mind."

With that, the man turned to find the next person he could recruit.

[Shawnex]

At the corner of the bar was a Alizarian fellow sitting with his flute. He was a little overweight with a mustache and a small beard. In front of him was a vase-shaped basket, and while he was playing, a cobra slowly raised his head out of the basket and faced the man without attacking. Then the Alizarian saw the man who was walking towards him.

"You looking for someone?" he asked.   

[Tyler294]

"Someone who can help me defeat a bandit and his men." the man in leather replied, before nodding at the snake, "Nice little trick there with the snake."

[Shawnex]

"Thank you." the Alizarian replied, "I learned this trick when I was in Umberum. I'm not from there though, but a foreigner who visits there must learn this trick if they want to so that they will not be attacked by the snake."

[Tyler294]

"I see. So, in your travels, did you ever learn to fight?" the man inquired.

[Shawnex]

"Ooh yes." he answered shaking his head, "It happened when I was in a town where there were lots of crime. I had to do something to stop this, so I trained myself to fight. It did work, but I had help."

[Tyler294]

"Good enough. If you are looking to help stop criminals again, and make some money in the process, you could join me." the man offered.

[Shawnex]

The cobra hissed at the man.
"Quiet you demon!" the Alizarian snapped at the cobra after hitting his head with his flute, "Then you are looking for someone. You plan to risk your life to stop some criminals when this is dangerous for one man and you came here to hire some recruits to help you stop them?!? Okay. I'm in."

[Tyler294]

"Excellent. Carry on with what you are doing now, but be ready to leave with me when I am done here." the first man grinned slightly.

[Shawnex]

"Very well then." he agreed and continued to play his flute to the cobra.

[Tyler294]

The man looked over the room again to see if there were any other people worth talking to. The first person he approached turned him down immediately, while the second didn't seem to understand what he was saying at all. He considered approaching a third, but by this point he had finished his beer, so he returned to bar first. As he took another drawl from his smokeroll, he glanced back toward the end of the bar where the cloaked woman was seated.

"Made a decision yet?" he asked.

[DeadJim]

The woman finally looked at him. "When do we start?"